Tuolumne County Animal Guide
"Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life."
James Cromwell
Canine (Dog) Health
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
Josh Billings
Vaccination Information
Canine Distemper
Description:
Contagious disease caused by a virus which attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems.
Symptoms:
Causes discharge from eyes and nose, coughing, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, twitching, paralysis, and death.
Canine Parainfluenza
Description:
Highly infectious bacteria which is the primary cause of kennel cough.
Symptoms:
Coughing fits, vomiting, and rarely death.
Canine Hepatitis
Description:
Highly contagious viral infection that affects the liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and the eyes. Unrelated to the human form of hepatitis.
Symptoms:
Slight fever, congestion, vomiting, pain around the liver, stomach enlargement, and jaundice.
Kennel Cough
Description:
Results from inflammation of the upper airways, the disease can be brought on by bacteria, viral, or other infections. Easily spread between dogs that are kept together.
Symptoms:
Harsh dry coughing, sometimes leading to gagging and loss of appetite. Rarely the disease can be deadly.
Parvovirus
Description:
Highly contagious that affects all dogs. Unvaccinated dogs and puppies less than four months are more susceptible to contracting the virus. Attacks the gastrointestinal system.
Symptoms:
Loss of appetite, vomiting, fever, and often severe bloody diarrhea.
Rabies
Description:
Viral disease of mammals that makes a home in the central nervous system. Most often transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal.
Symptoms:
Headaches, hallucinations, excessive drooling, anxiety, fear of water, paralysis and death.
Unsure if you pet has the proper vaccinations? Call your vet today to schedule an appointment. Don't have a vet to call? Check out the local vets in and around Tuolumne County here!
Heartworm
It takes just one mosquito bite to cause heartworm disease.
What is Heartworm?
Heartworm is a potentially fatal disease found in pets around the world. Worms that are upwards of a foot long make their home in the heart, and neighboring blood vessels of your pet. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos, the mosquito bites an infected animal, then bites a dog or a cat giving some of the larvae are deposited onto the surface of the animals skin. Which then they enter through the bite wound left by the mosquito.
These worms that take over cause heart failure, damage to important bodily organs, and severe lung disease. If left untreated their numbers can increase, which can lead for worms to mature and give birth to offspring, which greatly increases the number of worms inside the host.
Dogs are a prime host for heartworms because the worms can mature into adults. Cats can also be affected by heartworms but rarely do the worms mature into adults. Read more about cat health by clicking the button below.
Symptoms of heartworm include persistent cough, fatigue, decreased appetite, and weight loss. Over time you could see the belly of your pet increase in size, this is a sign of heart failure due to fluid build-up.
Being how serious heartworm disease is in pets it is best to get your pet tested every twelve months. This is important because it is hard to tell if your pet has heartworm early on. The blood test taken at the vet will inform you if there is any heartworm detected.
American Heartworm Society recommends that you "think 12"
get your pet tested every 12 months, give your pet heartworm preventative every month.
Resources
Heartworm in Dogs. (1970, June 04). Retrieved from https://www.heartwormsociety.org/heartworms-in-dogs
Akc. (2019, March 12). A Complete Guide To Puppy Vaccinations. Retrieved from https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/puppy-shots-complete-guide/