Conventional Veterinary Care

• Preventive Conventional Medicine
• Your Pet's Annual Health Check-Up Questionnaire
• Annual Heath Exams
• The Mid-Year Senior Pet Checkup
• Needle Biopsies
• Vaccinations and Boosters
• Yearly Dental Exam, Cleaning, Polishing & Home Care
• Pet Hygiene
• Nutritional Counseling, Natural Diets and Supplements
• Surgery, Anesthesia and Surgical Procedures
• Hip Dysplasia X-rays
• Behavioral Consultation and Puppy Training
• Microchip Identification and Pet Loss Prevention
• Anti-Aging Approaches
• The Diagnostic Exam, Diseases and Therapy

Preventive Conventional Medicine
Preventing a disease in one's pet is the responsibility of each and every pet owner and it is the responsibility of their veterinarian to make each owner aware of how this can best be accomplished.

Learn more about preventive steps which we recommend you consider if you would like to provide your pet a long, healthy and happy life by choosing from the following articles of interest:
Important Steps to Take in Maintaining Your Pet's Health
Warning Signs of Illness
Are You Misinterpreting what Your Pet is Saying?
Prolonging the Life of a Dog or Cat

Keep in mind that it is always better (and less expensive) to prevent a disease than to treat it.

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Your Pet's Annual Health Check-Up Questionnaire
Your pet's annual check-up includes a health exam, consultation, the updating of medical history and any vaccinations which are about to expire. Because animals can't talk and because they age, on the average, 7 times faster than humans, this scheduled health check becomes far more important for your pet than it is for yourself.

Any health problems we discover will be brought to your attention and solutions will be discussed. We can detect hidden problems in their very early stages before they are obvious to you. By Catching these problems early, we are often able to solve them more rapidly, saving your pet unnecessary discomfort and saving you the cost of more extensive treatment.

By answering the following questionnaire and bringing it with you on your next exam, Dr. Simon can review it and advise you on what steps need to be taken to solve your pet's problem. If you are concerned about, a specific health issue please let our receptionist know so she can take a brief history for the doctor. If you have any questions regarding your pet's nutrition or behavior, the annual health checkup is the time to ask.

By answering the following questions you will provide the doctor with information he needs to more thoroughly evaluate your pet's health status Circle either Y or N .

Y  N	Does your pet have flaky itchy skin, a dull lusterless coat, or shed excessively?
Y  N	Does your pet shake its head, scratch its ears, or drag its rear on the floor?
Y  N	Does your pet frequently lick at different areas of his or her body?
Y  N	Does your pet have an unacceptable body odor or bad breath?
Y  N	Has your pet's personality changed recently?
Y  N	Does your pet get up more slowly, run less, or hesitate to climb the stairs?
Y  N	Has your pet's gait changed? Does your pet appear stiff, lame, or painful?
Y  N	Does your pet tire more quickly?
Y  N	Has your pet's drinking, eating and eliminating behavior changed?
Y  N	Does your pet have reoccurring bouts of diarrhea and/or vomiting?
Y  N	Has your pet recently started to forget his or her house training?
Y  N	Does your pet look or feel thinner or heavier than normal?
Y  N	Does your pet cough, sneeze, or wheeze with greater frequency?
Y  N	Has your pet's breathing pattern changed in any way?
Y  N	Does your pet cry or whimper when touched in certain areas?
Y  N	Does your pet have skin growths or growth under the skin?
Y  N	Does your pet's hearing and vision seem to be deteriorating?
Y  N	Has your pet's abdomen developed a more "pot bellied" appearance?
Y  N	Are there any other health concerns

If your pet simply appears to be getting older, slowing down, becoming confused or disoriented or becoming less agreeable please let us know. Aging is inevitable but there are many things we can now do to slow the aging process and give your pet additional years of comfortable, quality life. Many dogs and cats begin to show signs of aging as early 7 years of age. The sooner we start treating such aging problems the more effective we can be at extending the life of your very special friend.

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The Annual Health Exam, Evaluation & Consultation
A healthy animal may best be kept healthy through regular comprehensive, yearly examinations and consultations. The yearly physical may catch hidden problems in their early stages before owners notice that anything is wrong with their pets.

Early diagnosis may mean the difference between success and failure in the treatment of a disease. Since animals can not talk and often do not make their discomfort known until a problem has reached a critical stage, yearly exams become even more important in veterinary medicine than in its human counterpart.

In addition, the annual health evaluation is a time for your veterinarian to make recommendation with regard to nutrition, exercise, weight control and hygiene. Your veterinarian will take this opportunity to discuss with you the latest developments and recommendations regarding pet health care and treatment This annual consultation is your opportunity to ask any questions you may have about your pet's health and behavior. Learn more about how to make the most of your visits with your vet: read Dr. Simon's article How To Get Along With Your Veterinarian.

• The Annual Blood Screen and Urinalysis

Disease begins on a cellular level and eventually develops into clinical disease. Before clinical symptoms are apparent, a physical exam will not discover the problems and blood and urine tests are needed for early diagnosis. A yearly blood and urine screen is valuable to run on apparently healthy animals because it will either detect hidden problems or it will provide a normal baseline with which to compare with past and future tests.

• Yearly Heartworm Testing & Preventive (Dogs & Cats)

Both dogs and cats can become infested with heartworms as a result of getting bit by an infected mosquito. Since mosquitoes get indoors, animals, which never get outside are still at risk, although to a lesser extent A pet with Heartworm disease may not display outward clinical symptoms for 2 to 3 years. If, through blood testing, we can detect Heartworm disease in its early stages before there are any clinical signs, we have an excellent chance of curing the disease and saving the animals life. Although the incidence of Heartworm disease in cats is much less than in dogs,. if a cat contracts the disease, it is more likely to cause death because just 1 Heartworm can kill a cat where as it may take 15 to 20 Heartworms to kill a dog. Consequently, we recommend that dogs and cats be blood tested each spring and put on monthly Heartworm preventive from May to December. Learn more about it: read Dr. Simon's article Heartworm Disease.

• Feline Leukemia Testing and Vaccination

Feline Leukemia is the most common fatal infectious feline disease. If your cat sneaks outside, even occasionally, and is in contact with other outside cats consider periodically testing for Feline Leukemia. If your cat gets out regularly then vaccinating against the disease may be more appropriate. Learn more about the feline leukemia: read Dr. Simon's article Feline Leukemia.

• Stool (Fecal) Analysis - every 4-6 months

Examining a pet's stool both with the naked eye as well as microscopically is very important for early detection of diseases such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, coccidia, giardia, and toxoplasmosis, not only for your pet's health but also for your family's. Worming a pet involves drugs that should only be used the supervision of your veterinarian. Pets are very often born with worms or they may contract them by sniffing the stool of other animals. Remember; just because the stool appears normal to the naked eye is by no means assurance that worm eggs are not present.

• Glaucoma Testing

This test detects elevations in intraocular pressure, which if not found early, could lead to the loss of an eye. We recommend routine annual glaucoma testing for pet's 6 years of age and older

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The Mid-Year Senior Pet Checkup
If your pet is over 7 years of age, a "senior mid-year check up" is highly recommended and very important for maintaining the overall health of your older pet. Learn more about the importance of a mid-year checkup: read Dr. Simon's article The Mid-Year Senior Pet Checkup.

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Needle Biopsies
It is impossible to tell if a lump under the skin is a cyst, fatty tumor (lipoma), or malignant tumor without performing a "needle aspiration biopsy". Early detection of a malignant mass, by this method, can be the difference between life and death. if you notice any sort of lump developing under your pet's skin bring him or her in immediately for testing.

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Vaccinations and Boosters
DOGS

1. DHLP: (Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis) A vaccine complex which protects against both viral and bacterial contagious disease
2. Parvo: A vaccine which protects against a highly contagious, often fatal, focal transmitted, gastro intestinal viral disease
3. Rabies: A vaccine, required by law, that protects both pets and people from a deadly viral disease that is transmitted by animal bites
4. Bordetella: This is a "kennel cough" vaccine that prevents tracheobronchitis

CATS

1. Distemper: A highly contagious potentially fatal viral disease
2. Rhino and Calici virus: A vaccine against 2 highly contagious upper respiratory viruses
3. Feline Leukemia: A vaccine that protects against an almost always fatal viral disease.
4. Rabies: see above

Which vaccines and how often they are boostered is determined in part by "Risk Factor Management". A pet's environment and lifestyle puts him or her at a greater of lesser risk for certain diseases. Only the diseases that present a significant risk should be vaccinated against. The factors are:

• Where pet lives
• Age of animal
• Goes out doors or stays in
• Prevalence of mosquitoes, ticks and fleas
• Pet travels
• Neutered or not
• Drink from standing water out doors
• Go to groomer, boarding facility, dog training, dog and cat shows
• Used for hunting
• Miss a dose of monthly heartworm preventive by more than 45 days
• Chronic disease problems
• Near deer populated areas
• Frequents dog parks or wild life areas

Conventional wisdom regarding the health benefits of vaccinations is presently changing. Many conventional and alternative veterinarians are now questioning the need for yearly vaccinations and are, in fact, concerned that too-frequent boostering may have negative health ramifications in the form of immune system over-stimulation.

Consequently, there is now a movement to recommend that vaccinations be boostered less often. It has been proposed that rather than booster your dog every year, you have the animal's serum antibody level (titer) measured to see if it is within in a range that suggests adequate protection against the specific disease in question.

If serum titer proves to be within the range that suggests protection, then it is proposed that boostering be skipped that year and titers be retested the following year.

Because vaccines come with instructional inserts on how to give the vaccine and on how often to rebooster, veterinarians are reluctant to follow a course of vaccination and boostering that presently is in opposition to the accepted standard of practice.

Therefore, it may take several years before you see most veterinarians switching to a new boostering protocol. Their fear is that if they recommend less frequent booster (even though the serum titer measures in the protective range) and your pet comes down with the disease, that then they will be held responsible.

It should be noted that measuring serum titers has been used by manufactures for years as a way of measuring vaccine protection but many question its validity as a benchmark for protection.

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Yearly Dental Exam, Cleaning, Polishing & Home Care
The frequency at which a pet's teeth need to be cleaned varies with each animal and the condition of his or her teeth and gums. We use a dental ultrasonic scaler to remove tartar from the animal's teeth. Tartar that accumulates along the gum line and in pockets under the gums causes an inflammation and recession of the gums which eventually leads to infection, bad breath, and finally to the loss of teeth. Frequently, infections in the mouth may spread via the blood to other areas in the body such as the heart, liver, kidney, and lungs. Regular home dental care is more important for dogs and cats than it is for humans. Keeping your pet's teeth clean and gums healthy will prolong your pet's life and make the animal more pleasant to be around. Learn more about it: read Dr. Simon's articles The Importance of Good Dental Hygiene, Dental Work, and An Alternative Dental Hygiene Strategy.

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Pet Hygiene

• Anal Sac Emptying

Anal sacs on either side of your pet's rectum may become filled with a smelly liquid. This liquid normally is expelled during a bowel movement. However, an obstruction or infection may prevent this liquid from escaping. This will result in distension of the sac until the sac abscesses out. A pet biting at or scooting along on its anus most likely has an anal sac problem. It is a good idea to have your cat or dog's anal glands emptied on a semi-annual basis or whenever symptoms warrant. Learn more about it: read Dr. Simon's article Anal Sac Disease.

• Ear Care

Keeping your pet's ears clean, dry, and free of hair and wax will go far in preventing ear infections and odor. The clinic has a very effective, simple to use ear medication that will do all of the above plus it will keep your pet's ear canal "acidic" which will help prevent growth of bacteria and yeast.

• Nail Trimming

If natural wear does not keep nails short, they may become ingrown or excessively long and cause soreness, broken nails, and an abnormal gait.

• Bathing and Combing

Regular combing and brushing will remove dead hair and aerate the skin and discourage matting. This will keep the coat healthy and reduce "doggy odor". Our technician can show you the best type of comb, brush, and shampoo to use on your pet. Learn more about it: read Dr. Simon's article Body Odor.

• Dry Skin, Shedding and Dull Coat Care

The use of a special medicated shampoo and nutrient supplements may be necessary to combat the development of itchy dry skin and an unattractive dull coat Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acid supplements not only encourage a healthier skin and hair coat but also a strong immune system.

• Flea Prevention - Monthly Medication

Taking steps to prevent a flea infestation starting in the spring before fleas are present can save you the expense, inconvenience, hard work and aggravation of having to fog your house monthly and dip your pet weekly. With the development of "once a month" flea preventives and yearly carpet flea powders, flea prevention has become much easier and more reliable. Please ask to us about our professional flea preventives. These prescription-only preventives should not be confused with the far less effective pet store flea products.

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Nutritional Counseling, Natural Diets and Supplements
We recommend you feed your pet a meat based diet preserved with vitamin E and free of chemical coloring, flavoring, and texturizing agents. Any grain present in the food should be "whole grain" and not "grain fractions". No animal or grain 'by-products should be present The meat, vegetables, and grain should be of the highest quality and be as fresh as possible. Because even the best of commercial diets can be missing enzymes, vitamins, chelated minerals, fatty acids, and probiotics we can provide you and your pet with an exceptional broad spectrum supplement that contains all the above and fills this nutritional gap.

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Surgery, Anesthesia and Surgical Procedures
If your pet were to need surgery, be assured that it would be performed under the most sterile conditions and in the safest possible fashion. A pre-anesthetic blood screen would first be performed in order to detect any hidden problems that could threaten your pet's well-being while under anesthesia. An electrocardiogram to evaluate heart function is oftten recommended. In most cases, your pet would have an intravenous catheter placed in the cephalic vein and would be given intravenous fluids prior to surgery. An intravenous fluid infusions pump could be used to monitor and control the rate of the fluid drip administration.

General anesthesia would be administered either as an intravenous injection or as an inhaled gas. If inhalation anesthesia is the choice, then either Isoflurane or Sevoflurane gas would be used. These gases are almost identical to those inhalation anesthetics used to anesthetize humans. Gas anesthetics are delivered in a precise concentration by an anesthetic vaporizer. Both gas anesthetic and oxygen are delivered to the patient through an endotracheal tube which is placed down the pet's airway. An electro-cardiogram, pulse oximeter, and respiratory monitor are the various methods used to monitor the anesthetized pet and help ensure his or her safety.

A trained technician is always present to assist the doctor during surgery. The technician monitors the animal's rate and depth of respiration, heart rate, temperature and the color of the pet's gums and mucus membranes.

The surgical site is shaved and cleaned with special antiseptic soap. The surgical site is then covered with a sterile surgical "drape" and the surgeon begins the surgery after he has scrubbed and gloved his hands and draped his body in a surgical cap, mask and gown. When the surgery is completed, the anesthesia is turned off and the patient is maintained on pure oxygen until he or she shows signs of becoming more conscious.

The patient is then moved to a recovery cage and the endotracheal is removed from the windpipe as soon as he or she begins to cough. The patient is covered with a blanket and kept warm until he or she is up and standing.

Surgery may be performed with a scapel blade, electro-surgical unit, or with a cryosurgery device that destroys tissue using liquid nitrogen. The wound may be closed with standard sutures, metal staples, or surgical adhesive. A "penrose drain tube" may be sutured into the surgical wound to allow the wound to drain so that serum does not accumulate. The closed surgical incision may or may not be bandaged depending on circumstances.

A protective restraint collar may be placed around the patients head and neck to prevent the animal licking or chewing at of the surgical site. Sutures are usually removed withing ten days to two weeks post-surgery.

• Spaying (Ovariohysterectomy)

New information indicates that spaying and neutering dogs or cats as early as 3 months of age is safe, has health benefits, and is less expensive than waiting until the animal is older and larger. Not only does spaying stop messy heats, pesky male dogs and unwanted litters, it also prevents certain medical problems such as uterine infections, mammary tumors, and hormonal dermatitis. It does not cause a personality change and the slight tendency toward weight gain can easily be controlled by diet. It involves the surgical removal of both ovaries and the entire uterus.

• Castration

This surgery may be performed for either medical, behavioral, or birth control reasons. Behavioral reasons include unwanted aggressiveness, spraying by tom cats, prevention of dog's running away, masturbating on the legs of friends and family. Medical reasons include: perianal tumors, perineal hernias, and prostatitis.

• Declawing

The ideal time to perform this surgery is at 8-12 weeks of age. However, it may be done at an older age. It does not change the cat's personality and can save expensive wear and tear on furniture, drapery and skin.

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Hip Dysplasia X-rays
Puppies from large breeds prone to hip dysplasia should be radiographed between 6 months and two year to see if any bony hip joint changes are occurring.

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Behavioral Consultation and Puppy Training
More dogs and cats are euthanized because of inappropriate behavior than for any other reason. To avoid such problems it is very important to begin training puppies early. Puppy training classes are inexpensive and will help to teach your puppy, amongst other things, that you are the leader of its pack.

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Microchip Identification and Pet Loss Prevention
Microchip pet identification is a simple, painless, inexpensive and highly effective way to permanently identity your pet and recover him or her if lost.

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Anti-Aging Approaches
Nutritional and Orthomolecular medicine, enzyme therapy, antioxidant therapy, phytochemical or botanical therapy, glycoprotein therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, calorie restriction, and detoxification therapy can all help to extend the pet's life. Learn more about it: buy Dr. Simon's book at Amazon.com
Anti-Aging for Dogs

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The Diagnostic Exam, Diseases and Therapy
Learn more about it: read Dr. Simon's articles on
Body Odor
Diagnosing and Treating Chronic Diarrhea
Dietary Management of Gastro-Intestinal Disorders
Itchy Skin
Lameness


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Our Veterinary Care: Alternative Medicine | Holistic Philosophy | Nutrition | Acupuncture | Chiropractic | Bioresonance | Bio-Oxidative Therapy | Homotoxicology | Essential Oil Therapy | Bach Flower Remedies | Detoxification | Cryotherapy | Prolotherapy | Conventional Veterinary Care | Avian & Exotic

© 2006 Dr. John Simon, Woodside Animal Clinic, Royal Oak, Michigan