Question: What should I look for in a veterinary hospital?

Dr. Schaeberle,

I’m new to the area, what should I look for in a veterinary hospital? You’re AAHA accredited, does that matter?

Thanks,
Michael

-----------------------------

Dear Michael,

I feel that the York area has been blessed with many excellent small animal (dogs and cats) veterinarians over the years. When I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, I elected to accept a job at Leader Heights Animal Hospital working with two excellent veterinarians, doctors Moist and Reckleffs. After a few years of gaining real world experience, I eventually
founded the Shiloh Veterinary Hospital in 1979, focusing on the needs of dogs and cats.

As with most businesses however, a veterinary practice must find a market niche and then excel with that selection. I always felt it was important for my practice to have a high standard of care. When the Shiloh Veterinary Hospital became accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) in 1987, our standard of care became realized. Veterinary practices that accept the challenge of accreditation are evaluated on stringent quality standards that encompass all aspects of pet care - ranging from patient care and pain management to team training and medical records. Through accreditation, we gained external validation that our practice and our team operates at the highest standards.

It allowed our clients to gain peace of mind, because they know an AAHA-accredited practice is a team that they can trust to provide the very best care for their beloved pets. I am very proud of our staff, we have 5 certified veterinary technicians and 7 veterinarians. We also have a great team of receptionists, veterinary assistants and kennel staff that keeps our hospital running as smoothly as possible.

There are only 3 hospitals in the York Area accredited by the AAHA. The Shiloh Veterinary Hospital in Dover, Shiloh Veterinary Hospital East in Manchester and Patton Veterinary Hospital in Red Lion.

When looking for a veterinarian remember the value in quality of care, availability and needs of your pet.

To learn more about AAHA or the value in high quality care, please go to our website: http://www.myshilohvet.com/.

Thanks,
Thomas Schaeberle, V.M.D.

Question: Worms, how do I prevent them?

Dr. Schaeberle,

I think my pet has worms! What can I do to prevent them?

Thanks,
Nicole

-----------------------------------------------------

Dear Nicole,

In general when we mention internal parasites, people tend to think of the word “worms”. There are many different internal parasites and the only real worms that you are likely to see in your pet’s stool are roundworms and tapeworms. Included in the list of internal parasites that you cannot see are hookworms, whipworms, heartworms and a variety of protozoa (single-celled organisms). To find evidence of these worms, you must examine stool specimen under a microscope. To check for heartworms, a small blood sample is needed.

Past studies show that about 1 in 3 dogs carry internal parasites. Why is this? Dogs can ingest feces, cats eat mice, all pets can be bitten by mosquitoes (which can cause heartworm disease) and both can carry fleas which can cause tapeworms.

The good news is that all of this is preventable! The prevention of internal parasites is preferred over the costs of treatment for parasites, inconveniences to the owner, and the discomfort of your pet. Just as important, many of these parasites have the potential to be transferred to humans!

My recommendations:

1. Submit a stool check each year to your veterinarian.

2. Keep your yard as clean as possible of feces.

3. Use flea preventatives like Advantix or Frontline.

4. Most important is the year-round use of a monthly heartworm preventative such as Interceptor which prevents heartworms and many intestinal parasites, on a monthly basis your round.

5. Get an annual heartworm test for your dog. Our heartworm test also tests for Lyme Disease, which is a very prevalent disease in our area.

A great web site on “worms”: GrowingUpWithPets.com

Thanks,
Thomas Schaeberle, V.M.D.

York Daily Record: Canine parvovirus threat on the rise

By GREG GROSS
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 08/18/2009 10:37:58 AM EDT

A veterinary hospital in southern York County has experienced an increase in patients infected with a deadly contagious canine disease.

Tiffany Main, practice manager at Patton Veterinary Hospital in Red Lion, said veterinarians in the past two months have dealt with five positive cases of canine parvovirus. "Whenever we see an increase of a contagious virus we notify the (Pennsylvania) Department of Agriculture," she said, "If you see multiple cases, you want to get the word out there."

In addition to contacting the state agency, the hospital released a public service announcement concerning the increase parvovirus' cases. The parvovirus cases seen by Patton Veterinary Hospital hasn't been linked to a source, Main said.

Typically, when infected dogs are treated at the hospital, the disease is traced back to a certain point such as a breeder or a kennel, Main said.

Though a puppy that had been treated for the virus at Shiloh Veterinary Hospital recently died, Dr. Tom Schaeberle said he doesn't think there's a full-on outbreak of the disease.

Schaeberle owns Shiloh Veterinary Hospital in Manchester and Dover townships.

"I don't think it's an epidemic," he said.

More cases tend to crop up over the summer months since dogs are in more contact with each other.

Symptoms of the virus include loss of appetite, dehydration, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea.

The infection destroys the lining of a dog's intestinal tract causing little or no food or liquids to be absorbed, according the Patton Veterinary Hospital service announcement.

The illness is found mainly in puppies, however, older, unvaccinated dogs can pick up the disease.

The virus can be spread by direct contact with an infected dog, contact with contaminated feces or vomit, and a contaminated environment.

Humans can transport the disease, though it's not possible for a person to contract the illness, Schaeberle said.

The best way to avoid the disease is to vaccinate puppies, he said.

A regimen of vaccines can be administrated to puppies as young as 8 weeks old.

"It's a tough virus," Schaeberle said. "It can really hang on in the right conditions."

PREVENTION

Here are a few tips on how to prevent you pet from becoming infected with canine parvovirus.

Vaccination is recommended to prevent canine parvovirus. Puppies should be vaccinated at 8 weeks of age, and then every three or four weeks until 4 months of age. Puppies who are 16 weeks or older should receive three vaccinations.

Parvovirus is resilient and can live on some surfaces for more than a year. A bleach solution is necessary to kill the virus.

Care should be exercised when exposing a puppy or dog to areas where other dogs congregate. Owners should prevent dogs from coming into contact with the feces of other dogs.

Source: www.animalhealthchannel.com

Thanks goes to Greg Gross for writing such an informative article about Canine Parvo virus! We really appreciate journalists who help make the public aware of potential illnesses that our furry friends can contract. Thanks again for taking the time to help us spread the word!

Question: What can I do about fleas?

Dear Dr. Schaeberle,

I have an on-going flea problem in my home. What should I do and why are
there so many fleas?

Thanks,
Jason

---------------------------------------------

Dear Jason,

What is a parasite? A creature that lives off of another at that animals expense. In my profession we think of internal (living in the body) and external (living on the body) parasites. Over the next 3 weeks I will discuss our more common parasites and the diseases they cause. Today we will cover fleas.

I live in an older home and many years ago we had two dogs, four cats and five people under one roof. Boy did we have fleas! I sprayed, dipped, fogged, shampooed and still had fleas on my pets and in our house. Then came along the topical flea product Advantage, made by Bayer, and
magically no more fleas? So why did this work so well?

1. The adult female flea can lay 45 to 50 eggs per day as early as 24 hours after jumping on your pet. These eggs are about the size of a grain of salt and fall off your pet into the environment.

2. Within a week the eggs develop into a worm stage and then, as with all insects, go into a pupae stage after about 5 to 12 days.

3. Fleas emerge from the cocoon stage usually within 1 to 3 weeks, but up to 180 days is possible.

So when you see fleas on your pet you have a virtual flea factory working in your house.

A product such as Advantage or Frontline kills fleas fast and efficiently for about one month. Fleas die before they can begin to lay eggs and thus infest your house.

My recommendations:

1. Don’t waste money on over-the-counter products, as most either take too long to kill the fleas (2 to 3 days for example with a typical flea collar), or don’t work continually 24 hours a day for extended periods (such as flea baths, which will only work for the brief amount of time that they are in contact with the pet).

2. Both Advantage and Frontline kill fleas very rapidly, continue to do so for 30 days, and have an excellent safety record.

3. If you do have fleas, treat all of your pets for at least 2 to 3 months continually. The flea season depends much on the temperature and humidity and lasts from May through October.

Learn more at our website, www.myshilohvet.com.
Go to Resources, click on Pet Health and search on fleas.

Thanks,
Thomas Schaeberle, V.M.D.