Veterinarians often hear pet owners say they would like to take better care of their pets, but finances get in the way.  Perhaps the recent economic stimulus checks might allow for some to catch up with their veterinarian’s recommendations.  Here are my top ten ideas for using an economic stimulus check to help your pets:

(1)   Schedule that badly needed dental cleaning

(2)   Update those out of date vaccines

(3)   Spay or neuter your pet

(4)   Run a health screening blood and urine panel

(5)   Check a fecal sample for intestinal parasites

(6)   Get your pets back on parasite preventatives

(7)   Adopt a new furry family member from the animal shelter

(8)   Try a course of arthritis pills for that older dog

(9)   Run an allergy test or prescription diet trial for that nagging itchy skin or bad ears

(10)                       Did I mention that dental cleaning your veterinarian has been recommending?

Q:  Should I vaccinate my dog against Lyme Disease?

A:  The best way to prevent Lyme disease, and other tick-borne diseases is to use a veterinary-quality tick control product on your dog all year.  Dogs seem to be more susceptible than people to becoming infected with the Lyme bacteria.  Once infected, it is virtually impossible to completely clear them of the infection.  There will always be some risk of disease flare-ups.  However, it appears that many dogs have a natural immunity to the bacteria that allows them to remain symptom-free. 

The question of vaccination is one that should be handled on a case by case basis.  I was not a big fan of the older Lyme vaccine that has been on the market for many years.  Lyme Disease is a complex syndrome that is caused by the immune system interacting with a bacteria, Borellia burgdorferi.  With the older vaccine, there is some controversy about whether or not the increasing antibody levels could make the disease worse in the case of a vaccine failure.

However, there are newer recombinant vaccines that contain only a single protein.  These newer vaccines actually prevent the bacteria from ever entering the dog’s body.  They have been proven safe even in dogs already infected with the Lyme bacteria.  As a result, I consider the newer vaccines a good back-up to tick control products. 

I have personally seen seven dogs die from Lyme disease and roughly a quarter of my unvaccinated patients test positive for exposure to the bacteria.  I have never seen a single patient with Distemper.  Yet, for some reason most dog owners readily vaccinate for Distemper and hesitate to vaccinate for Lyme.  The disease is becoming quite prevalent and current tick control usage is not adequately preventing infection.  Combined with the fact that we can never completely clear infected dogs, I believe it makes good sense to prevent infection through vaccination.       

Q:  Do I need to worry about West Nile Virus in my pets?

            A:  Probably only if your pet is a bird or a horse.  West Nile Virus is a natural disease of birds, primarily affecting crow related species and jays.  However, the virus can be passed to mammals in certain circumstances.  The virus is transmitted when a mosquito bites an animal after feeding on an infected bird.  It seems that horses are uniquely susceptible.  The virus is genetically similar to equine encephalitis viruses that are also harbored in birds and transmitted through mosquitoes. 

            If you have a horse, you should speak to your veterinarian about getting the West Nile Virus vaccine.  If you own birds, keep them inside away from mosquitoes.  (However, most bird species are at little risk of contracting fatal West Nile Virus.)  Although any mammal is theoretically susceptible, West Nile Virus does not usually infect dogs or cats.  If you are worried, ask your veterinarian about a flea and tick medication that will also repel mosquitoes. 

To protect yourself, be sure to wear bug repellant containing DEET when outdoors during mosquito season.  Also be sure to eliminate sources of standing water in your neighborhood.  West Nile Virus generally causes flu-like symptoms in people.  However, it can be more serious, especially for people with compromised immune systems.