This month I want to share information about Rita Heywoof, a 4-year-old red merle Australian Shepherd.  She has been a patient at WVC since she was 4 months of age. She had her puppy vaccinations and the owners decided to do the Lyme and Bordetella vaccinations also. They spread out those immunizations to reduce how many vaccinations she would get at one time. She was fully immunized and spayed by the time she was 7 months of age. Rita Heywoof was protected from parasites with Proheart and Bravecto. 

Since the breeder had done the Rabies vaccination, we updated that in October 2022 all by itself. When she retuned a month later in November we clustered her Bordetella, Lyme, and DHPPL vaccination on the same day. Two hours post vaccination they called that she was showing abnormal symptoms related to vaccinations. 

What are vaccine reactions? How will I know if my pet is having a reaction? If it happens once, will it always happen? These are always good questions to discuss with your veterinarian even before the vaccines are given. The vaccine reactions are varied from case to case. I will discuss the less severe reactions first and end with the anaphylaxis reactions that are the most concerning.

No different than humans, our pets can have minor reactions after vaccinations. 

• Injection site swelling
• Low grade fever/sleeping more
• Limping if injection given around a leg
• Crying/yelping at time of injection

All these symptoms are minor and will resolve within a few days. These symptoms indicate that your dog’s immune system is responding to the vaccine that was given. That is a good thing. If your dog does not show any sensitivity that is normal as well and does not mean they will not be properly protected.  Dogs have different levels of pain tolerance just like their humans. There is no one size fits all when it comes to vaccine reactions.   

Anaphylactic reactions are more intense reactions that can have dogs and cats showing different signs from above. These reactions usually begin within 4-6 hours after the vaccinations are given. There is no way to know if your dog will have a vaccine reaction. The reaction may be mild the first time but with subsequent vaccinations it can become more intense and life threatening. I have seen immediate vaccine reactions and delayed vaccine reactions. The immediate ones happen before the dog or cat even left the room. The delayed are usually later in the day. 

Symptoms that are most common with anaphylactic reactions are:

• Swelling of lips. eyelids, ears, muzzle
• Hive like bumps on skin
• Breathing changes – wheezing
• Vomiting / diarrhea
• Shaking/collapse
• Seizures

As you can see these symptoms are much more concerning. If this happens to your pet after vaccinations, please contact your veterinarian. We cannot offer prevention if we are not aware that your pet reacted after vaccines were given. Sometimes the treatment is as simple as giving Benadryl to reduce the symptoms. We have clients that will return to the clinic for an epinephrine injection to reduce the severity of the vaccine reaction. This is also something that can be done in the future to prevent the vaccine reaction going forward. We also will often separate the vaccines in the future so we can determine which one caused the reaction. This will require more veterinary visits but can sometimes prevent the reactions from happening again. Some people give Benadryl before and after the vaccines are given to prevent vaccine reactions. Rarely do we need to stop giving the immunizations all together.  Most animals can handle the vaccines if the above steps are put into place. 

If you happen to have a critter that has severe reactions every time vaccines are given no matter what is done, speak with your veterinarian. I only know a handful of patients in my 38 years of practice that had complications with every vaccine all the time. The immunizations are important so please have a conversation with your veterinarian if you are seeing vaccine induced reactions.

Occasionally a delayed vaccine reaction can occur. This can happen days to weeks after a vaccination.  The symptoms most often noticed with a delayed reaction is lethargy, fever, lump at vaccine site, vomiting or diarrhea. If a pet has these symptoms and vaccines were given within the last few weeks, please tell your veterinarian about these as well. Some of the same options can be implemented to reduce incidence of delayed reactions too. The delayed reaction we see most frequently is fever in cats a few weeks after the vaccine was given. Many time the fever is self-limited but on occasion a patient may need an anti-inflammatory to reduce the symptoms. 

The importance of vaccinations outweighs the potential concerns for vaccine reactions. Statistics show 1.3 – 13 reactions per 10,000 doses given. Smaller dogs (less than 11 lbs) may have a higher sensitivity to vaccines. Therefore, consider not doing multiple vaccines at the same time. Spread them out to reduce incidence of reactions. Certain breeds may be predisposed to vaccine reactions so talk with breeders or your veterinarian prior to immunizations about your concerns. If a pet has had a previous vaccine reaction than it is important to consider pre-medicating prior to the vaccination with Benadryl or something similar. This often will prevent the reaction from occurring.

As fall is settling in be sure to continue your flea and tick prevention. I know I mentioned our new year long Bravecto Quantum. If your dog is due for a flea and tick treatment, consider doing this injection.  It has been offered to dogs of all sizes and has had no negative responses at WVC. How nice to have one shot for the whole year and not have to think about giving another pill or topical for the life of your dog. Make your appointment today. Happy Halloween!

What is a geriatric cat? Veterinarians usually consider geriatric cats to be over 12 years of age. Many factors can cause a cat to appear geriatric sooner. The first big one is obesity. We have a huge problem in our indoor cat population with obesity. The Garfield concept which began in 1978 was embraced and many thought it was cute to have these big overweight cats. This is far from the truth. Obese cats can start showing geriatric signs as young as 5 years of age related to joint problems, diabetes, heart conditions, respiratory issues, etc. A fat cat does not equal a happy cat. Do not let marketing tell you anything different.

Nutrition is responsible for obesity only in that many people free feed their cats. This is not a good idea.  How would you look if every day you were presented with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Can some cats stay skinny being free fed? Maybe a small percentage but usually there is another health reason why they eat less. They may have gingivitis. They may have an aversion to something in the food they eat. All cats should be offered just a certain amount of food each day. If you have multiple cats, then just make certain to only put out a certain amount of food daily and when it is gone there is no more. I encourage people to feed at night so they will not wake you in the early morning expecting their food. Also consider using automatic feeders. This has helped many of my clients avoid being harassed by their cats as they get close to feeding time. 

Kittens eat double what an adult cat eats. Senior cats often eat less so we need to consider senior foods that give the proper nutrients for that age group. It is challenging when you have cats of different ages.  Realize that if you are feeding a kitten adult cat food they will not have proper muscle and bone development which could lead to other health issues when older. Clients comment that their parents had lots of cats outside and they all ate the same thing and did just fine. I respond by saying did they live 15-20 years? The average life span of a cat in the 1970’s was 7-9 years.  Let’s not go backwards with our aging felines. What can we do to help them live longer and be healthier during those senior years. 

My basic recommendation is ½ cup of dry cat food per adult cat per day. This is a starting point. If your adult cat is in and out and playing all day with the dog, then we need to adjust the volume as needed.  Most cats leave food at each meal. Stop adding the extra volume and only give what they eat in a day. If you change to a different cat food that can alter your volume of food. You must keep track of kilocalories/cup of each diet that you are feeding so you know what they need in a day. If you notice they are getting thicker over the rib cage and losing the waistline behind the ribs, it is time to adjust. They should feel the same as an adult cat as they do as a kitten over the ribs. If you notice your cat is leaving food for more than 24 hours and usually, they eat it all, do not delay in seeking veterinary care. Often people wait and cats can start to turn their liver cells to fat cells when not eating for 2-3 days. This is called Hepatic Lipidosis and can be challenging to treat. Cats are good at hiding their illnesses. Instinctively they do not want to show they are ill. They will avoid interaction with other pets. They will sleep more. They will not groom themselves. They will sit hunched up or move slowly. They will eat less or not eat at all. They will drink more water and pee larger volumes of urine in the box. This is not a good thing. Changes like this need to be addressed. We have many ways to help with the different geriatric diseases we see in senior cats.

The most common diseases are diabetes mellitus in obese cats that gradually get skinny. Many will drink more and pee more as well. Usually have a great appetite but may be vomiting food more frequently.  Hyperthyroidism in senior cats comes with a great appetite. They never miss a meal. They drink lots of water and have large urine clumps in the litter box. They continue to lose weight even though they eat all the time. Renal (kidney) disease shows weight loss, drinking lots of water and larger amounts of urine like the other two diseases mentioned. The difference is kidney cats will have days they eat well and days that they don’t eat. They have an on and off appetite. Some will vomit bile or food or both. This shows another reason not to free feed cats. You never know who is eating and how much to monitor their health issues.

In 2022 a new product was introduced to help our senior cats with osteoarthritis (OA).  We have been limited in the past with OA medications for cats. Many products for dogs cause health issues when given to cats at lower dosages or for extended periods. This injection is like the dog Librela injection, but it is only for cats. It is called Solecia. It is given monthly for OA pain relief in cats. We have used it in many aging felines and people have seen a dramatic improvement in their activity when given monthly.  It is a commitment to come to the clinic each month for the injection, but I assure you your cat will thank you.

Royal Canin has a Feline Senior +12 diet for cats that has helped many elderly cats. Never underestimate the improvement that can be seen just by improving the quality of the diet. If you are wondering whether to change diets on your already finicky cat, certainly reach out to your veterinarian. Do not trust online sources with this information. Our cats need as much veterinary care as dogs do. Unfortunately, many families do not bring their cats for routine exams and immunizations. We see the cats when a crisis happens. Often treating them during and after that event can be difficult. Please have your cat seen each year so weight and health can be monitored year after year. This will allow some health conditions to be caught earlier and hopefully treated more successfully.

Oral care is another geriatric concern. Since cats do not eat a lot of food and are not fond of having their teeth brushed we see tarter and staining of adult teeth. We have broken teeth on occasion. It is difficult to get a cat to chew on hard surfaces to protect their teeth and gums. You can brush a cat’s teeth with cat toothpaste. It must start when they are small kittens. We encourage the same thing with nail trimming to let them understand this is a part of life. I am amazed at how good their teeth look if someone is committed to brushing their teeth at least 3-4 times a week. We can do oral cleaning and polishing under sedation for any cat that is having issues with their teeth.

Some things to consider if you have a senior cat in your home. They struggle grooming themselves for a variety of reasons as they get older.  Be certain to brush them more frequently to help remove excess hair and dander. Consider locations of litter boxes and whether the stairs are an obstacle for them to use the boxes easily. Consider use of canned food to give more calories and moisture in their daily diet.  Many senior cats are losing weight and so they can get cold easily. Find ways to keep them warm. Vision and hearing are often impaired as they age. Be aware they may not be able to move out of your way like they did before so watch for them before stepping backwards  

Hoping that you can use these helpful hints to get your cat to live a longer healthier life. Don’t ignore symptoms of weight loss, increase drinking or increase peeing. Those 3 things are a flag that something is happening. We would love to see them before it becomes a crisis. Cats need veterinarians too. Get an annual check up so when things start to change for your cat, your veterinarian can assist you in a plan that is best for your cat’s long-term health. The oldest cat I have seen was 24 years of age. Maybe your cat could break that record.

Yes, you read that correctly. Winterset Veterinary Center now has an new injectable product that gives your dog a full year of flea and tick prevention. Merck released this product a few years ago in Australia after extensive testing and clinic trials. It has now been released within the USA for dogs only. This is a game changer. No longer will you need to apply a topical solution or have your dog wear a collar or eat a pill that you have smothered in cheese or peanut butter for flea/tick prevention. IT IS NOT FOR CATS! Maybe someday we will have something like this for cats but today we are offering this to any dogs 6 months or older.

Please make certain your pet is ready for their next dosage of flea and tick prevention when you set the appointment for this revolutionary product. I marvel that when I began practice in 1988, we had to give dogs a chewable tablet every day for heartworm prevention. We had powders and sprays that we used to apply to a dog’s skin for flea/tick prevention. No one remembered those pills and clients and pets hated the flea/tick preventions that were being applied. Today we can offer complete year-round protection with 2 injectable products that will prevent disease. This takes human error out of the equation. I am a veterinarian, and I still would forget to give these preventions.

This product has been given at the same time as vaccinations, Proheart injections, patients under anesthesia, patients with allergies or lameness injections, etc. They have done drug trials at five times the dosage and every 4 months and found no long-term side effects. Bravecto Quantum contains the same trusted, proven active ingredient found in all Bravecto products. The only thing that changed is now it is ONE simple injection for safe, effective protection all year.

I have been recommending year-round flea/tick prevention for the last 2 years. The reasons are many but most importantly we do not have the same climate we had years ago. Ticks are active whenever temperatures are above freezing. We have many days above freezing between November and March now. Another change that has allowed our tick numbers to increase is that we have less days below 10 F.  Without prolonged periods of extremely low temperatures (under 10F) the tick population can remain high even during the winter months in Iowa. Snow stops ticks from moving and we have very little of that here in Madison County. We are seeing more cases of Lyme disease and Ehrlichiosis which are both transmitted by ticks. These diseases have clinical signs of fever, lethargy, joint pain, loss of appetite, etc. The sad situation is that just like with humans once you get these tick-borne diseases it is impossible to completely clear your body of the organism. Often the patient will have long term issues with joints, kidneys, and/or heart. We now have a simple way to prevent this with Bravecto Quantum.  

Many clients travel with their pets to warmer climates during Iowa’s winter months. Those climates have fleas year-round. Iowa’s flea season is often over outside after a good solid frost closer to Thanksgiving.  The difficulty is that the fleas can remain inside and create issues for our pets and their owners. Fleas can lay dormant for many months and only hatch when the conditions are right. A great survival skill for sure. I have always recommended if a pet has fleas that all pets in that household are treated for a full year. This is to ensure we have stopped the flea cycle in your home. Bravecto Quantum is going to make that an easier reality for our dogs. 

If a dog has been using Bravecto without any complications, that dog is great candidate for the new Bravecto Quantum. This new technology will help our pets be flea/tick free and give us peace of mind for our families too. For more information, please contact your veterinarian to find out when you can start Bravecto Quantum. Are you are ready to simplify your life? Bravecto Quantum will cover fleas and ticks for a full year. Proheart 12 will cover for the mosquitoes for a full year. Now you can go into nature 365 days a year with your canine friend and your only concern is for your safety against the fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes.