We sneeze, they itch.

You’ve heard it on the news, and read it in the papers. This is the worst season in 25 years for allergy sufferers, including your pets.  This time of year leaves many of us with red, watery eyes and runny noses while our pets are compelled to chew, lick, scratch, shake their ears and rub their bellies on just about anything they can to get relief.

What are the most common allergens?

Pollen in the springtime, mold in the summer, ragweed during autumn; indoor dust and mold mites, cat and dog dander.  Nearly 80% of dogs with allergies suffer all twelve months.

How do I know if my pet has allergies?

Several classic regions on the body tend to be affected most often.  These areas of skin are often red, itchy and crusted, sometimes with a rash or hair loss. The ears are also affected, sometimes more severely as floppy ears will trap in moisture and infection.

Popular breeds for allergies: Dalmatian, Golden retriever, West Highland white terrier, Shar Pei, Cocker spaniel, Labrador , Cairn terrier, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, Boxer, French and English Bulldog, and Pug.

So what is the next step? Allergy diagnosis requires eliminating other causes for your pet’s clinical signs. This involves taking a detailed history of symptoms, a complete physical examination and some preliminary laboratory tests to rule out other reasons for itching/hair loss (namely mange, ringworm, food allergy, hypothyroidism).  If it is found that an allergy is the likely cause, allergy testing can be submitted to confirm the diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan.

House calls provide less stress for both you and your pet.  There are many occasions where traveling with your pet to the hospital is difficult or practically impossible.  Some pets do not travel well and become nervous or even car sick.  Cats may refuse to go in their carriers, while some dogs will simply refuse to go.  Other pets may act out, hide, or become aggressive causing further trauma.  Sometimes with a busy lifestyle and multiple pets, there is not enough time in the day to bring all your pets in to the hospital.  A house call solves these problems and allows your pet to receive the veterinary care they need in a comfortable and convenient manner.

Our house call services include wellness examinations, vaccines, diagnostic laboratory testing, exotic pet care, sick or emergency visits, and geriatric/hospice care for all pets. If hospitalization or surgery is required, we can transport your pet to the Plainfield Animal Hospital for further care and evaluation.  A veterinary assistant travels with the doctor to allow us to provide your pet with safe, quality, and compassionate veterinary care right in your home.

The most difficult decision any pet owner has to make is that final act of kindness to say goodbye.  This most stressful visit can also be done in the peace and comfort of your own home.  We provide a gentle and compassionate in-home euthanasia.  It may make those last moments more peaceful to be in a favorite or familiar place.

Our goal at the Plainfield Animal Hospital is to make sure every pet receives the high quality veterinary care he or she deserves.  That is why we created our house call service.  If you are interested in a house call or have any questions about this service please call our office.

Veterinarians are frequently asked why a pet has such a foul odor emanating from its mouth.  In almost all cases, an oral examination reveals dental problems.

After a pet is a few years of age, tartar begins to accumulate and build up at the junction of its gums and teeth.  If this tartar is not periodically removed by your veterinarian, it increases, becoming heavier and heavier, eventually undermining the tissue and causing receding gums.  The area then becomes an excellent medium for inflammation and bacterial infection, which, of course, causes the foul odor as well as a constant unsavory taste.  If not attended to, severe gum infections, abscessed teeth and cheek ulcers may soon develop.

As a concerned pet owner, you should be aware that chronic infections of the teeth and gums can result in the same complicating problems in dogs and cats as in human beings.  These include diseases of the liver, kidney and the heart, as well as contributing to the development of arthritis and other functional disturbances.

Miniature and toy breeds exhibit dental problems more frequently and much earlier in life than do the larger breeds.  Cats also produce dental tartar and subsequent gingivitis.  Felines appear to have more sensitive gums than dogs and, as a result of poor dental conditions, will stop eating, show weight loss and nutritional disturbances.

As in people, pets require periodic teeth cleaning.  Preventive medicine is always better than treating a resultant infection.  It is strongly recommended that dentistry become an essential part of your pet’s total health care plan with periodic examination of the teeth and gums.

At Plainfield Animal Hospital, Laser Therapy provides us with another weapon against pain, either as a drug-free option or with standard treatments to enhance comfort beyond the ability of drugs alone. Laser Therapy has been very helpful in treating our patients with:

• Osteoarthritis
• Post Surgical Pain – We’re now using Laser Therapy on all surgeries requiring an incision.
• Hip Dysplasia

Wounds can be encouraged to heal faster, stronger, with less infection and pain:

• Non-healing wounds
• Dog fight wounds
• Anal sac abscesses
• Cat fight abscesses
• Burns
• Ear infections
• Lick granuloma

Many people are interested in the concept of a drug-free, pain-free, surgery-free alternative to pain management in their pets, but intelligent, discerning pet owners often ask “How does it work?”

• Laser Therapy uses “cold” laser light of low intensity to stimulate tissues to heal. Healing occurs by a number of physiologic mechanisms.
• Laser light dilates blood vessels in the area of application. Dilated blood vessels can carry de-oxygenated blood away and bring in freshly oxygenated blood faster. The departing blood will also carry away deleterious by-products of injury and bring in fresh cellular nutrients, allowing cells to rejuvenate faster.
• Lymphatic vessels are also dilated, allowing edema-forming lymph fluid to escape injured tissues, reducing swelling which reduces pain.
• Laser light desensitizes local nerves so that they cannot fire as quickly, thereby sending fewer pain signals to the brain.
• Healing tissue fibers called collagen align themselves in a more linear, uniform, “normal” direction when exposed to laser light, reducing scarring and improving the tissue strength of newly healed wounds faster.
• Bacterial growth (and probably viral reproduction) are inhibited by exposure to laser light, making laser treatment helpful in treating non-healing wounds, contaminated wounds and burns.
• Laser light stimulates the “battery pack” of cells, called mitochondria. The mitochondria can then produce more ATP, which helps cells do more work. Cells can then get rid of biologic waste products more quickly and efficiently. They can heal and turn over depleted by-products faster. They can also reproduce faster, resulting in faster healing.

Call us to schedule your consultation to find out how Laser Therapy can help your furry family member’s quality of life. Also visit our “Special Offers” page to print out a valuable, money-saving coupon!

Stem cells are derived from the dog’s own fat cells and then injected into the affected joint.  The best candidates for stem cell therapy are dogs who are suffering from arthritis or those who have ligamentous injuries and who:

• are not responding well to prescribed medications
• are not a good surgical candidate
• have localized arthritis or immune mediated arthritis
• will likely need long term therapy

In otherwise healthy pets, there is a 70-80% response rate.  On average you can see a 30-50% improvement in lameness in patients that respond to therapy.

If you think your dog can benefit from stem cell therapy and are interested in learning more about stem cell therapy, please contact Dr. Isabel Perez at Plainfield Animal Hospital at 908 755-2428, during normal business hours.

Children are most likely to be the victims of dog biting incidents, as are people with multiple canines in their home. To raise awareness and combat dog biting, the American Veterinary Medical Association sponsors National Dog Bite Prevention Week each May. 

 Here is some advice on protecting yourself and your pet from strange dogs — and protecting strangers from your best friend:

Protect Yourself and Your Pet

• Don’t make assumptions based on breed. “Sure, pugs and golden retrievers generally have gentle temperaments, but every single breed is going to have an exception to the rule,” emphasizes Nelson. “I’ve seen everything from aggressive pugs to pit bulls who like to roll around on the floor kissing their owners.” 
•  Ask permission. Never touch a strange dog — or let your own furry friend approach another dog — without first checking with its owner. “It dumbfounds me when people let their kids walk around my waiting room petting the dogs there, but I see it all the time,” says Nelson. Most people will be happy to tell you if their companion is good with strangers in general, and with children and other dogs specifically. 
• Proceed with caution. “Just because someone says their dog is great with people and other pets doesn’t mean they’ll be great with you or your pet at that moment,” warns Nelson. 
• Be aware of your body language. Dogs are more likely to bite when they are anxious. Approaching them in the wrong way can only exacerbate their anxiety. Nelson recommends sticking your hand out, palm facing up, for the animal to sniff. “If it’s a big dog, I might do this from a standing position,” she says. “With a smaller dog, I crouch down. If you move toward them with a non-aggressive posture, you decrease the likelihood of aggression coming back at you.”

 Protecting Others From Your Dog

•  Know your dog. Be realistic and honest with other people about what your dog is capable of. If your dog is a biter, it’s up to you to prevent it. Know your pet’s telltale signs of anxiety and aggression: If its ears go back and its hackles go up, the dog is saying it’s uncomfortable and needs to get out of its current situation. 
•  Teach your dog who’s boss. In her own home, Nelson has made sure her dogs know that her 2-year-old son is alpha to them. “It’s a daily thing in my house, showing them that I’m first, then my son and then them,” she says. Nelson does this by monitoring all dog-child interactions and quickly putting a stop to it if one of the dogs tries to challenge the boy.
• Minimize your furry friend’s anxiety. If you know your dog gets excessively anxious in the presence of strangers or at the dog park, lock it up in your bedroom when friends visit, and don’t take it to the playground. Keeping your dog calm will minimize the chance that it will become aggressive.