Wellness care
Why do we want to monitor your pet's blood levels? What's the big deal with collecting our pet's urine and having it tested?
Blood samples allow us to monitor any internal changes in the liver, kidneys, heart, spleen, pancreas, intestines etc,.
Urine samples cross reference some blood levels to be able to tell if any levels should be a red flag. For instance, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes and cancer are some of the things a urine sample can detect.
Stool samples are important to have tested annually. Internal parasites can be transmitted to your pet through ingestion and from them simply walking in the grass. Roundworms and Hookworms can be transmitted to humans!
The normal temperature for a dog is 101.0 to 102.5
The normal temperature for a cat is 101.0 to 102.2
The normal Heart Rate for an adult dog is 70 to 120 beats per minute.
Larger breed dogs can have a slower heart beat , whereas puppies can have a more rapid heart beat.
The normal Heart Rate for an adult cat is 120 to 140 beats per minute.
When stressed or if the cat has hyperthyroidism the heart beat will be increased.
The resting Respiratory Rate of an adult dog is 18 to 34 breaths per minute.
The resting Respiratory Rate for an adult cat is 16 to 40 breaths per minute.
A puppy has 28 teeth!
A kitten has 26 teeth!
An adult dog has 42 teeth!
An adult cat has 30 teeth!
Days a female dog is pregnant: 58 to 68 days. Typically 63
Days a female cat is pregnant: 57 to 69 days. Typically 63
Age a female dog can become pregnant: 4 and 18 moths of age.
Age a female cat can become pregnant: anywhere from 14 weeks to 1 and 1/2 years. Varies on the time of year and the health of the cat.
3-4 MILLION cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters across the U.S EVERY year! Please SPAY and NEUTER.
The color of your pet's gums should be a good bubble gum pink color. Like in the picture below.
When you apply pressure with your thumb or finger on the gum area above the canine tooth, and let go, the white spot from the pressure from your finger should disappear in less than 2 seconds and the color of your pet's gums should have returned This tells us how well the heart is pumping blood! It also tells us if your pet is dehydrated.
If it takes longer than 3 seconds for the color to return to your pet's gums than you should take them to a local emergency clinic.
This
is what your pet's gums should NOT look like!
MmmmmM.
BCS is an abbreviation for Body Condition Score. This is a system where we rate your pet on a scale of 1-9. 9 being extremely overweight and 1 being extremely underweight. To use the body condition score at home click on the link: http://www.purina.com/dogs/health/bodycondition.aspx
Dehydration in a dog or cat can result in multiple problems. If left untreated dehydration can cause the internal organs to fail and the animal to die. Causes for dehydration are:
- Lack of water supply
- No shelter from extremely high temperatures
- Excessive vomiting/diarrhea
- Disease
- Severe fever
Symptoms that your pet is dehydrated are:
- Dry mouth and gums
- Dry nose
- Lack of skin elasticity
- Sunken/dry eyes
Healthy and hydrated skin on a pet should be loose and when pulled, snap back into place. A dehydrated animal's skin will "tent" if pulled and not go back into place right away.
NEVER ever give an animal lots of water to try and re-hydrate them. This can cause vomiting and further dehydrate them. NEVER try to cool off the animal by using ice packs or by soaking them in cold water. This can shock the system and constrict blood vessels. DO NOT feed the animal that is dehydrated.
Call a Veterinarian's office if you are ever concerned about your pet being dehydrated.