Flea and Tick Season is Here: Is Your Pet Protected?

Are you and your pet enjoying our warm, early springtime temperatures? While it’s fun to spend time together outside, remember to keep your pet protected from fleas and ticks. These pests are more than just nuisances – they can cause painful scratching, itching and even serious illness. Is your pet safe?

Flea and Tick Infestations Spread Illness

Preventing ticks from feeding off their host, like your dog, is essential to stopping the spread of diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasma, and ehrlichiosis. Ticks will cling to their host and need to be removed properly to keep your pet safe. You will need to visually check your pet’s fur for a tick. If one is located, call our animal clinic for proper removal instructions, as you must be sure to remove the mouth parts of the tick itself.

Like ticks, fleas can also cause health problems for your pets. Fleas can transmit tapeworms which in turn can cause malnutrition, intestinal irritation, perineal irritation, diarrhea, intestinal blockage and poor coat quality. In addition, a dog suffering from fleas will scratch, itch, and bite at his skin, causing hot spots. This can lead to secondary skin infections and a very unhappy pet!

If your pet suffers from fleas, your home may become a breeding ground for these pests. Fleas can live in carpets and fabrics waiting for a host to pass by, be it human or pet. If your pet has fleas, you will need to treat both your pet and your home by vacuuming and washing your pet’s bedding and using a flea preventative.  

Flea and Tick Prevention from Scarsdale Veterinarians

Our Scarsdale veterinarians recommend easy-to-use monthly flea and tick preventives, such as K9 Advantix, Feline Advantage, or Frontline for both dogs and cats. Just as pet vaccinations keep your pet from becoming ill, these once-a-month topical treatments kill and repel fleas and ticks before they can even attach to a pet’s fur. This helps prevent a pet from bringing fleas and ticks into your home, while protecting your pet’s health. Our animal hospital offers flea and tick medications that are effective, waterproof, and gentle enough for puppies and kittens.

What steps do you take to protect your pet from fleas and ticks?

Veterinary Advice on Protecting Your Pet’s Teeth

Pets need clean, healthy teeth and gums just like people do, but your pet cannot take care of his or her own teeth. Fortunately, you can learn how to take matters into your own hands and maintain your pet's dental hygiene. Here are some pointers to get your started, courtesy of your friends at Central Animal Hospital in Scarsdale.

When you think of your own dental hygiene, brushing probably heads the daily to-do list. Brushing your pet’s teeth is not too different. You can purchase special pet toothbrushes and toothpaste at our hospital. (Do not use toothpaste intended for humans).  

Make gentle little circles with the toothbrush, holding it at a 45-degree angle to get at the gum line where bacteria thrive. To acquaint your pet with the procedure, start by opening the lips and rubbing a little pet toothpaste on the teeth. This toothpaste comes in a poultry flavor, so your pet may actually enjoy brushing time!

Proper diet also helps protect the teeth. Dry pet food and hard, crunchy treats help scrub the plaque off of tooth surfaces.  We recommend T/D, a specially designed Hill’s product that is formulated to keep your dog’s and cat’s teeth clean and help control the oral bacteria found in plaque.  T/D is a complete and balanced food, as well.

When to Call Our Animal Clinic?

Get into the habit of inspecting your pet’s teeth regularly to look for any signs of gum disease. These signs may include damaged teeth, tooth loss, bad breath, or the presence of pus at the gum line. If your pet seems reluctant to eat or to grasp toys with his mouth, then he may be experiencing pain. Our veterinary clinic performs a wide range of dental procedures, so bring your pet to us and we will examine and treat the problem.

Remember, February is Pet Dental Month. Bring your Scarsdale, Westchester or White Plains pet to our animal clinic for a complimentary dental checkup. With a good home hygiene routine, your pet’s chances for a good grade will be a whole lot higher!

Do you use any kind of hard chew toys to keep your pet’s teeth clean? If so, tell us which ones work best!

Our Top Tips for Pet-Proofing Your Home

One of the things that our newer pet owners have been asking us about frequently is pet-proofing the home. When you bring home that brand new puppy or kitten, or any new pet into the home regardless of age, you will definitely need to make some adjustments around the house for pet safety reasons. Our veterinary hospital sometimes sees Scarsdale pets that have eaten something harmful, or have destroyed items in the home. However, this can be easily avoided with some simple pet-proofing tips. Our veterinary hospital staff has come up with a list of the top tips for pet-proofing so you can avoid those disastrous situations in the home.

Our Animal Clinic's Common Sense Pet-Proofing Guide

We always advise our pet parents to let common sense be their guide. A good general rule to follow is that you need to keep anything valuable or dangerous well out of your pet's reach. However, it might be hard to think of every single potential danger so we have listed some you may have forgotten.

-Make sure that all medication (both yours and your pet's) is kept locked away. Pills bottles often sound like fun toys, but ingesting any medication can have potentially fatal effects.

-Don’t allow your pet to “counter surf.” Keep your counters clear, especially if your pet is tall or a jumper. This means that food and utensils should be placed in the refrigerator, drawers, and cabinets. A loaf of bread on the counter looks like a giant neon "TAKE ME!" sign to your puppy, so don't tempt him.

-Keep your trash can in a secured area if possible; if not get a trash can with a lid that locks. Many pets will forage in the trash and spoiled food, excess food, and wrappers can be hazardous.

-Keep any and all cleaning products, pesticides, car products like antifreeze, beauty products, and any product that can be harmful if ingested far away from your pet's reach. All cleaners and such items should be kept in cabinets or drawers that your pet cannot open.

-If you keep indoor plants, keep them out of your pet's reach or they may become a quick snack (and could potentially make your pet very ill).  Aloe, avocado, carnations, poinsettias, jade, corn, and philodendron plants are some of the common houseplants that are poisonous to cats and dogs.  The ASPCA has an extensive list of harmful plants.

-Keep your dirty clothes hamper in an inaccessible area -- some pets like to collect socks and other assorted items. Dogs that chew on clothing or other items can suffer intestinal blockages which are extremely serious and may require surgery.

We see pets from the Scarsdale, White Plains, and Westchester areas and welcome new patients. We look forward to your next visit to Central Animal Hospital!

Do you have any pet-proofing tips to add? Please tell us below!

Despite your careful planning and vigilance, accidents happen and your pet may experience an emergency situation. Your pet may get access to a poisonous item or be injured in an accident or fall. In some instances, you may not know why your pet has become severely ill.

Knowing when pet emergency care is necessary is the key to getting proper care. At Central Animal Hospital, serving the Scarsdale, White Plains, and Westchester areas of New York, our veterinarians want you to be familiar with the signs of a pet emergency so that you can get your pet the care he or she needs.

Contact Our Animal Clinic If You Witness Any of These Symptoms

If your pet cannot breathe or is struggling to take a breath, bring her into our animal clinic right away. If your pet is unconscious or unable to wake up, immediate care is needed.

Other symptoms that point to an emergency and that require immediate attention include profuse bleeding or blood in your pet's vomit. We ask that you call our animal hospital first for advice on how to safely transport your pet to our Scarsdale clinic.

Strange behavior also indicates a pet emergency. If your pet seems confused, is having a seizure, or if vision seems affected, your pet needs to be seen by a veterinarian.  Trouble standing up or difficulties maintaining balance are other signs of severe injury or illness.

Physical trauma, such as hit-by-car, accidental falls, or an ingestion of a toxic substance will often require emergency veterinary care. Your pet may vomit or show signs of stomach pain if he or she eats chocolate, ingests other toxic foods or plants, or poisonous liquid, such as antifreeze.

Birth can turn into an emergency that needs care and attention. Your pet should not struggle through the birth. If she has trouble delivering or if the delivery takes more than four hours, she needs to see a veterinarian right away.

Has your pet ever faced an emergency? How did you handle it?

Pet Boarding at Central Animal Hospital

One of the most worrisome decisions facing pet owners is finding a safe and comfortable place to board their pets when travel necessitates a separation.

Pet Boarding at Central Animal Hospital Keeps Owners Happy

Although many pet owners take their pets along on vacation, in some circumstances it is simply not possible. Aunt Millie is allergic to cats and dogs, birds are not welcome at business meetings, and your pet snake is something grandma just will not welcome into her home! While there are other options, such as pet sitters, one of the safest choices is a professional pet boarding facility. Pet sitters are only able to care for the pet at limited times during the day, leaving them alone all night long and for most of the day. Do you really want to risk leaving your animals alone?

Central Animal Hospital Provides the Ultimate in Pet Care Services

Central Animal Hospital, located in Scarsdale and serving the surrounding communities in Westchester County including White Plains and others, is the perfect option for boarding your beloved pets. Our boarding facility is licensed by Westchester County. And our caring staff is always on hand to meet your pets' needs, whether it is to provide special diets or treat ongoing medical conditions. Our full-service animal hospital is equipped for any emergency your pet may face while staying with us, and our trained and licensed veterinary technicians on premises, a comforting situation for both pets and owners.

In addition, our compassionate kennel assistants provide routine care for all our boarded pets. Human companionship, a staff that is attentive to detail, and a clean and comfortable environment are exactly what you and your pet can expect.

Our state-of-the-art facilities welcome pets of all types, so owners can rest easy knowing that our well-trained staff is as committed to their pets’ health and well-being as you they are! From kittens to exotic reptiles, our veterinarians provide surgical care, pet vaccinations, preventative care and a host of other services in addition to pet boarding. If you live in the Scarsdale area, give us a call for your pets’ boarding or health care needs.

With all these benefits, why would you board your precious pets anywhere else?