Below are some of the more frequently asked questions about routine pet care that the staff at Wake Forest Animal Hospital receives. For a more extensive list of topics please visit the American Animal Hospital Association's website at www.healthypet.com and click on their "Pet Care Library".


Q:  What type of veterinary care does my new puppy or kitten need?


A:  Once obtained, your new pet should have its first veterinary visit as soon as possible. On your first visit bring any information you have about its previous health care (vaccines, dewormings, etc.). Then our health care team can decide what your new bundle of joy needs in the way of vaccines, parasite control, training, diet, etc. As a rule of thumb, new puppies and kittens need veterinary care every 3-4 weeks until around 16 weeks of age.


Q:  What type of routine veterinary care does my adult pet need?


A:  As a general rule, normal healthy pets should be evaluated by a veterinarian at least annually. Geriatric pets or ones with medical conditions often need more frequent visits. During a physical examination it is often possible to detect early signs of illness or disease. Since our pets are aging 6-7 times faster than us, when you bring them in for yearly visits it is like us only going to the doctor every 6-7 years! During their annual visit we can also determine what if any vaccines are needed, evaluate them for needed dietary adjustments, discuss what diagnostic tests might be helpful and answer any questions you have about your pet


Q:  When is it the best time for my pet to be spayed or neutered?


A:  It is best for their overall long term health if females are spayed and males are neutered by six months of age. This can prevent many types of problems (cancers, unwanted pregnancies, infections, behavioral issues) that occur in pets that are not spayed or neutered. Although these procedures can be done at a later time in their life and still provide valuable benefits, the longer you wait the less effective the benefit often becomes.


Q:  Why does my adult pet not need as many vaccinations every year like they used to?


A:  Recent studies have shown that many of the vaccines we used to give every year provide much longer protection from disease in adult pets than originally thought. So, while others still need to be given annually, many only need to be give every three years. Which vaccines your pet should get and how often they should get them is something that each pet owner should discuss with their veterinarian. There are many factors that need to be considered, such as the pets immune status, their risk of exposure and possible adverse vaccine reactions.


Q:  What is Lepto (Leptospirosis)?


A:  Lepto is a disease caused by the leptospirosis bacteria. The bacteria is spread in the urine of deer, rodents, and other wildlife and often lives in stagnant water and moist boggy soils. The bacteria is not endemic in all areas of the country but unfortunately it is endemic here. It does not cause disease in cats but does in dogs and humans. The disease is often fatal by causing liver or kidney failure. Since its symptoms are often vague and nonspecific it is often difficult to diagnose and treat. The disease can be spread from dogs to humans. Though we do not currently see many cases of leptospirosis, additional strains of the bacteria are causing a recent increase in the disease. Fortunately we do have a vaccination to help prevent the disease in dogs. The initial vaccination series is two shots 3-4 weeks apart, after that only one vaccination is required yearly.


Q:  Does it matter where I purchase heartworm prevention?


A:  Heartworm disease is a potentially fatal illness of dogs and cats caused by a blood parasite carried by mosquitoes. It is very prevalent in our area and all pets should be on a monthly preventive. It is however often treated successfully if detected early enough, so periodic heartworm testing is advised. (Cats are not routinely tested because the parasite life cycle is different in cats than in dogs).

In the past the only place someone could purchase heartworm prevention was from their local veterinarian. Since this was a very controlled supply chain and the preventive was very effective at preventing the disease, it was very rare for a pet to get heartworms if given the preventive monthly all year long. In fact, in over 20 years of practice, Dr. Manning has never had a patient get heartworms that had been given preventive monthly purchased from their veterinarian. It was so effective that the organization that gives the official recommendation for controlling heartworm disease was able to relax their annual testing guidelines at that time.

Then things changed. Mail-order and online organizations started selling heartworm preventive and unfortunately many of the patients on their preventive developed heartworm disease. In one year alone Wake Forest Animal Hospital diagnosed over a dozen cases of heartworm disease in dogs on mail-order or online purchased heartworm preventive. The heartworm manufacturers will only guarantee their products if purchased directly through your veterinarian. There are many reasons the mail-order/online medications were often not effective. They were often purchased in overseas markets (manufacturers will not sell directly to the mail-order/online pharmacies because they cannot control the shipment and storage of the product) and shipped to the U.S., or even when purchased in the U.S. were not shipped and stored properly. So unfortunately if you purchase mail-order/online heartworm preventive there is no way to tell by looking at the product or its packaging if it is good or not. Therefore Wake Forest Animal Hospital strongly discourages the use of these products and requires an annual heartworm blood test to renew their prescription in order to protect the patients that are at an increased risk of acquiring heartworms. While many of these companies advertise huge savings on their products, the actual price difference between them and the Wake Forest Animal Hospital price is usually very minimal and we will be glad to quote our heartworm preventive prices to our clients. We do not require annual heartworm testing (usually every other year) on pets that are on heartworm preventive purchased from their veterinarian. Any money that might be saved from mail-order/online purchases is more than lost on increased testing, not to mention the devastation of the disease to your pet and the very costly treatment that is often required when a pet obtains heartworms.