Twenty-First Street Vet Clinic

I apologize for having been neglectful in updating our newsletter on this website. I think all the action on our Facebook page keeps me engaged and I forget about the website.

In any case, most everything seasonal is the same, EXCEPT… we are seeing more TICK born diseases. I’m talking about LYME DISEASE, ANAPLASMOSIS and EHRLICHIOSIS. And we still have the risk of HEARTWORM disease spread by mosquitos! These blood born infections can be more difficult to treat the longer your dog is infected. At least yearly testing is a minimum protocol for catching these diseases, even if you are using preventative measures like flea and tick insecticides or monthly Heartworm preventives. Breakthrough infections happen with all forms of prevention. Discovering these and treating them early is imperative! Once they are showing symptoms, the treatments may be longer and more difficult. Especially with Heartworm, by far the most deadly after a pet is showing symptoms.

Another disease that is serious in dogs, and often glossed over or neglected in vaccinations, is LEPTOSPIROSIS. This bacteria is more available in warm weather from rodents and other wild animals contaminating yards and can cause kidney and liver damage that is often fatal. We use a combination vaccine for YEARLY booster shots in dogs that prevents this disease, along with PARVOVIRUS, DISTEMPER VIRUS, HEPATITIS VIRUS and VIRAL KENNEL COUGH. The BACTERIAL KENNEL COUGH is a separate vaccine.