Our South Shore pet veterinarian serves animals throughout Quincy, Milton and Dorchester, and our greatest priority is educating families about pet wellness. As your local veterinarian, we feel that preventing illness and injury is vastly superior to repairing the damage done to our pets’ health. We recommend taking preventative measures such as pet vaccinations, pet dental care, focusing on diet and exercise and so on. Our animal clinic team shares the following information on why these measures are important for keeping pets well and happy.

Pet Vaccinations and Beyond: Ensuring Pet Wellness

Pet vaccinations are an essential precaution that all pet owners can take to keep their pets from unnecessarily contracting severe and even deadly diseases. Rabies vaccinations are required, of course, and our animal clinic also administers several other types of safe and effective pet vaccinations designed to reduce the illness risk in your pet. We also recommend flea and tick preventatives to keep your pet safe from pest-borne illnesses.

Pet dental care has only started making headlines in the last few years, but it is just as critical to your pet’s wellness as it is to your wellness. Our local veterinarian can show you how to care for your pet’s teeth at home, and we also provide regular pet dental checkups and cleanings.

Pet nutrition and exercise is also just as important for pets as it is for humans. Pets can suffer pain and illness when they are not properly nourished and sit around too much, and we see far too many Quincy, Milton and Dorchester pets in our animal clinic that are on the paunchy side. These pets are at greater risk for injury, diabetes and other completely preventable problems.

At your pet’s regular wellness checkup appointment, we will discuss these and any other wellness concerns you may have for your pet, and suggest ways that you can make a difference at home, as well as preventative steps we can take here in our clinic.

Do you have other wellness tips or questions?

There is nothing like walking in the door after a long day at work and being greeted your dog’s excited bark, your cat’s happy purring, paws reaching to be picked up, and sloppy kisses. You enjoy this greeting after a long, busy, tiring day at work, but what was your pet’s day like? For some pets, workdays are lonely ones and for the people who love those pets, workdays are associated with a lot of guilt.

Pets who suffer from separation anxiety can get into a lot of mischief when you’re not home. They can disturb neighbors with loud barking, damage your home, go to the bathroom where they aren’t supposed to, and in the worst cases, even hurt themselves. There’s a growing trend among pet owners who want to help their animals cope with workday loneliness – Skype!

Many pet owners are using Skype to check in on their animals during the day and give them a little love through the wonder of technology when they can’t be there to scratch their ears in person. Pet owners who do this find that their animals seem a little less lonely, and they feel a little less guilty.

This is a fun way to keep in touch with your animals while you’re at work, but if you’re dealing with a serious separation anxiety problem, like if your animal is hurting himself while you’re gone, be sure to talk to your vet to work toward a solution.

How do you help your pet with loneliness during the day?

For more than 20 years, Willard Veterinary Clinic has provided dedicated veterinary care for the communities of Quincy, Boston, Dorchester, Milton, Braintree, Weymouth, Canton, Randolph, Hingham, Abington, Hanover, and Rockland. Contact us to see why we’re different!

By: Willard Veterinary Clinic

Heatstroke: Symptoms and Prevention

With summer quickly approaching, the upcoming heat brings dangers to the health of your pet. Heatstroke is still a concern even on days that are not excessively warm. At Willard Veterinary Clinic, our South Shore veterinarians want to inform pet owners in the surrounding communities of Quincy, Milton and Dorchester of the symptoms of heatstroke and ways that it can be prevented. Recognizing the symptoms of heatstroke allows for prompt treatment at our veterinary clinic which can save your pet's life.

Heatstroke Symptoms that Require Veterinary Care

Excessive panting, vomiting, profuse salivation and a body temperature that exceeds 104 degrees are the primary symptoms of heatstroke in a pet. Your pet's gums and tongue are also likely to be purple or bright red in color, in addition to showing signs of confusion, anxiety and having difficulty standing. Seizures, coma and even death can occur if treatment is not sought early. If you suspect your pet may have heatstroke or if the animal exhibits any of the above symptoms, it is crucial that you seek pet veterinary care immediately.

Heatstroke Tips From Our South Shore Veterinarians

Our South Shore pet veterinarians have compiled the following tips to keep your pet safe while engaging in outdoor activities.

1. One of the best ways to prevent your pet from developing heatstroke is to always make sure that the animal has a supply of fresh, cool water. This will ensure that your pet stays adequately hydrated throughout the day, whether inside or out. You may also consider wetting your pet's coat before going outside or playing outdoors.

2. On days where excessive heat is an issue, it is best to keep your pet indoors. Engaging in exercise or other outdoor activities should be avoided until the early morning or late evening hours, when it likely to be cooler outside. It is also helpful to keep your pet well groomed since fur that is tangled can trap heat.

3. Finally, you should never leave your pet inside of a car, even if you are only running a quick errand. For more information on how pet owners throughout Milton, Dorchester and Quincy can prevent their pets from developing heatstroke, contact our veterinary clinic.

How do you protect your pet from heatstroke?

Spring is here! It’s a rejuvenation time for most people. As the weather continues to get warmer, it’s only natural for us to open the windows to let in the fresh air, start anew, and start spring cleaning to welcome the upcoming season. But a lot of the cleaning products that have a pleasant, “fresh,” smell can actually be quite toxic – for people and pets. We thought we would talk about a few dangerous chemicals to avoid that are in many cleaning products, and a few alternatives that can help keep your home clean and everyone safe.

Make sure you check the labels of your home cleaning products, and avoid products that contain:

• Phenols (which are typically found in cleaners with the word "sol" in the name)
• Phthalates
• Formaldehyde (found in general household cleaners)
• Bleach
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Perchloroethylene (found in rug and carpet shampoos)
  

Consider cleaning your home with more natural, pet-friendly ingredients. You can clean your carpets with baking soda and essential oils. Lemon or rose water with lavender will clean the floors, and the counters will shine with a combination of vinegar, water, lemon, and an essential oil of your choice.

If you suspect or know your pet has been exposed to a cleaning product or other toxic substance, immediately contact your veterinarian. Or, if it’s an emergency, contact Angell Animal Medical Center Emergency service to provide 24-hour emergency service. Please call 617-522-7282 or visit www.angell.org/emergency, if you require assistance with your pet. A great resource for managing pet toxicities is the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), which can be reached at 888-426-4435.

Heartworm Prevention Tips
from South Shore Veterinarians

Spring is in the air and that’s not the only thing that’s buzzing - it’s time to start worrying about mosquitoes again. At Willard Veterinary Clinic, we want to remind pet owners in Dorchester, Quincy, Milton and the surrounding communities that April is Heartworm Awareness Month. It’s time to talk to our dog and cat vet about making sure your pet is properly protected against this potentially dangerous and possibly even fatal illness.

When a mosquito feasts on the blood of an animal that is infected with heartworm it can transmit that infection into an unprotected pet’s skin. The heartworm larvae migrate through your pet’s bloodstream and can eventually lodge in your pet’s heart or lungs, sometimes growing up to eighteen inches long, and causing severe damage. By the time symptoms appear, it may be too late. It can affect cats and dogs of all ages and breeds. That’s why our South Shore veterinarian recommends prevention as the best approach to helping your pet live a healthier life.

Heartworm Pet Meds From Our Veterinary Clinic

Our South Shore pet vet wants to let pet owners know that heartworm can be prevented with several affordable pet medications that are convenient to administer. We offer oral medications which are given monthly. These may even provide protection against some intestinal parasites. A topical medication that is applied monthly is also available. ProHeart is a time-released injection that lasts for six months, but it can only be administered to pets who are found to be healthy. Talk to our reliable veterinary staff about which option is best for your pet. Even if you are using one of these preventative measures we still recommend including a blood test to check for heartworms during your pet’s annual checkup as an extra safety measure.

What questions do you have about preventing heartworm in your pets? Leave us a comment below or contact one of the pet professionals at Willard Veterinary Clinic for further information.