Is Your Pet Headed To An Early Grave?

Sammy passed from one of the most deadly viruses we commonly see today--Parvo Virus.  Sammy did not receive the recommended full puppy series of vaccinations.  So when Sammy went with her owners to a dog park she contracted  Parvo Virus. Since she was not protected by vaccinations, she became intensely ill with the disease when she was only 7 months old. Her owners quickly got her to the vet, but despite several days of intense treatment and great cost, she could not be saved from this extremely preventable disease.  

Dogee also passed from a very preventable virus--Rabies.  His owners done his puppy series, but then they had kids, and life got busy. They fell behind on his annual exams and vaccines. He had only one Rabies vaccine.  

One morning they found Dogee standing over the body of a freshly killed skunk. They thought nothing more of it, until two months later Dogee starting acting strangely and seizuring. They took him to the veterinarian where it was determined Dogee had contracted Rabies from the skunk he killed a few months back.  His brain tested positive for Rabies, and every person that had been around Dogee had to go through expensive Rabies post exposure treatment. All could have been avoided by keeping his Rabies vaccine up to date. 

Sweetie died from a Broken Heart!  Sweetie's mom kept her up to date on rabies, because it was the law, but never got any other wellness care.  She contracted Heartworms, and after coughing for 8 months, she was taken to the veterinarian. Sweetie was in the late stages of heart failure because of the damage the heartworms had caused, and treatment was determined to be too risky for her. She died a few weeks later from heart failure. 

With monthly parasite preventives, heartworm disease and the secondary heart failure that occurs from it, is 100% preventable.  

Pudgie had been purchased from a breeder when he was 6 weeks old.  He was a healthy pup; the largest of the litter in fact. The breeder gave him his first vaccines, and told the new pet owners he needed his next round in 3 weeks. Well, Pudgie's new family did not think any more about it until all of  the sudden he became ill with severe vomiting and bloody diarrhea. They took him to the animal hospital where he was diagnosed with blood loss, Roundwoms, Hookworms, and Coccidia.  Despite starting treatments and deworming, Pudgie died. If Pudgie had been examined by a veterinarian after being bought, these problems could have been identified and treated before it cost Pudgie his life. 

Silly the cat lived up to his name. He loved to roam outside and bring his caretakers mice and moles. Silly wandered up to his owners house as a kitten, and they gave him food and let him come in the house when he wanted to, but never provided him more than food and a place to sleep. His owners still became very attached to Silly. One day he became very slow and was weak, and at 6 years old Silly made his first visit to the veterinarian. Silly had a blood parasite he caught from fleas that had resulted in severe blood loss and a fever. They also found that Silly had Feline Leukemia. Despite a blood transfusion, and everything being done for him that could be done, the combination of the blood parasite and Feline Leukemia was too great a challenge for Silly. Again, vaccinations and the regular use of flea control could have given the family many more years of "Silly-ness." 

With the advancements veterinary medicine has made in recent decades, the life expectancy of pets has greatly improved.  But only an estimated 25-35% of pets get all recommend wellness care and parasite preventives that can ensure we maximize their life expectancy.

Simply having our pets regularly examined, addressing medical concerns early, providing needed vaccinations, wellness testing, and providing monthly parasite preventives, can keep your pets out of an early grave--giving you and your family many more joyful years with your pet.