Longenbaugh Veterinary Hospital 's (an animal clinic in NW Houston) Newsletter

           Alert!!!!  Beware of HEAT!!!  In hot and humid weather conditions a pet can overheat and suffer a heat stroke in a very short amount of time. Death by heat stroke is a very painful death, but it is also very painful for an owner to watch. This is a preventable death. Dogs cannot sweat; thus they cool themselves through panting.  In extreme heat or if the pet is dehydrated, their panting becomes inefficient.  Remember that even on cooler days, high humidity can cause your pet to overheat.  Symptoms of a heat stroke are vigorous panting, laying on their side, unable to stand, and possibly frothy foam around the mouth.  However, some pets become severely agitated and some show signs of shock.  Cooling down your pet should be done immediately with tap water.  Ice or cold water is not recommended.  Since a heat stroke affects nearly every system in the body, simply cooling your pet will not address all the potential harmful effects to your pet.  Here are a few simple tips to keep your pet safe from heat. If outdoors, always make sure your pet has access to water and shade.  Avoid long periods of outdoor play.  Don't depend on your pet to let you know when he has had enough play time. A pet can quickly overheat in a parked car, even with the windows down.  Please seek treatment from a veterinarian immediately if you think your pet has overheated. Call us at 281-856-7023 if you have any questions.  

           We had an unusually warm winter; therefore, we expect fleas to be particularly bad this spring.   Act now to avoid a flea infestation by giving your pets a monthly flea and tick preventative. We have already seen many pets with skin problems due to fleas. We now have our on-line pharmacy that you can access at www.longenbaughvet.com. Nexgard is a tasty chewable treat that dogs love and a great flea and tick product.  

            Remember these flea facts:  One female flea can lay 50 eggs a day.  They bite children and adults just as they do pets.  Fleas don't care if they get food from a pet or a human, they love the blood of both and they feed off their hosts for 5 minutes. Houston has fleas all year long.  A flea that finds its way to your pet or you, may have fed on the blood of a raccoon, opossum or even a rat. Now if that flea bites you or a pet, it can spread the same disease the rat or other animal was carrying.  Fleas are the hosts of tapeworms, and dogs and cats that eat these fleas will get tapeworms.  In a typical room, 5 percent of the fleas will be found on pets, 10 percent flea cocoons in the carpets, 35 percent flea larvae and 50 percent flea eggs, again in the carpets. Monthly flea treatment is a necessity. 

           Dr. Keadle understands the emotional impact on a family when they must make the decision to euthanize their pet. We do offer in-home euthanasia services. Please call us if you would like more information.

Please remember that not all dogs are good dog park dogs!  Seldom is there anyone at a dog park to enforce the posted rules. Unfortunately, the rule breakers tend to be the people with aggressive dogs.  We treat the dogs that get attacked and what we see can break your heart.  Please be very careful when visiting a dog park.

         This is worth repeating!  Do you know that heartworm preventative works by killing larvae that have infected your dog during the PREVIOUS 30 DAYS?  Your pet is not protected for the next 30 days, but the preventative kills the larvae from the previous 30 days.  Find out how the preventative really works, why your pet needs a yearly heartworm test, and why not all veterinarians have the same policy. Find more information at www.longenbaughvet.com.

         Get ready for thunderstorms and hurricanes!  Ask us about our Springtime Microchip Special! $59.99 for microchip and that includes the $19.99 registration with HomeAgain and we register your pet for you!!! Check out our website for more information about Micro-chipping/ Hurricane Preparedness.