Spring 2018 Newsletter

Caring Animal Hospital

Spring 2018

Introducing a new itch therapy for canine atopic dermatitis

When your dog suffers from atopic dermatitis, life’s just not the same anymore. The constant licking, scratching, and chewing can keep you and your best friend up at night as well as impact quality of life. Unfortunately, atopic dermatitis is a lifelong condition.

We now have a new biologic therapy that specifically treats canine atopic dermatitis. It’s an injection called CYTOPOINT. CYTOPOINT is an innovative new therapy that targets itch at its source to help relieve the signs of atopic dermatitis in dogs for a month or longer with a single injection. When the itch is controlled, the damaged skin can heal, so that you and your dog have a chance to enjoy the fun things in life again.

The canine itch cycle can be a frustrating one to break. The dog scratches which damages their skin. Allergens are then able to penetrate the damaged skin, causing an allergic reaction. The proteins that cause itch are released and attach to the nerves in the skin. The nerves are then stimulated to send itch signals to the dog’s brain, triggering scratching behavior, which starts the cycle over again. CYTOPOINT has been designed to specifically target and neutralize one of the main proteins that sends itch signals to your dog’s brain.

One CYTOPOINT injection helps control itch for 4-8 weeks. That means your dog may be able to go as long as 8 weeks between injections. Every dog is different, so we will have you monitor your dog’s behavior daily while being treated with CYTOPOINT, that way we can decide how frequently your dog will need an injection. Some dogs will need continuous treatment with CYTOPOINT, whereas other dogs may only need one injection when itch flares. We will work with you to decide what is best for your dog’s specific situation.

We know how difficult it is to see your dog so uncomfortable from constant itching and other signs of atopic dermatitis. We’re very excited about this new therapy that can help give your dog long-term relief and bring back the fun in life! Call our office to learn if CYTOPOINT can help your dog.

Trifexis

We will no longer be carrying Trifexis at Caring Animal Hospital, but we will continue to sell the Trifexis that we currently have on our shelves until gone.  Although, Trifexis is a good product, the veterinary profession still doesn’t have a single product that controls heartworm, fleas, roundworm, hookworm, whipworms, and ticks.  Trifexis is not a tick prevention, and with the significant increase in the Michigan Tick population, tick prevention is a must.  Adding tick control to Trifexis is cost prohibitive.  We will continue to carry Sentinel, Bravecto, Credelio, Revolution, and Seresto Collars.  We can provide your pet’s needed parasite control with a combination of the above products for less cost.  If you love Trifexis, we are still able to order it for you and keep the guarantee intact through our online store, VetSource.  Please contact our office with any questions.

Famous Quotes

When I look into the eyes of an        

animal I do not see an animal.

I see a living being.

I see a friend.

I feel a soul.

 ~A.D Williams

VetSource

VetSource is our new online home delivery pharmacy. You can order your pets medications & prescription foods online & have them shipped to your home.

VetSource is monitored by licensed pharmacists, checking and double checking your pet’s prescription.

We may recommend a medication or food for your pet and can send a prescription to your email via VetSource. After you make a profile you can decide if you want to have your products auto-shipped or placed on the Reminde Me program. The Remind Me program sends one dose at a time and then will automatically send more when your pet is due.

You can also request medication or food by clicking on the link for our store on the Pharmacy Tab on our website, under Services. Once you have chosen the product you want, we will be notified so we can approve the prescription. If your products are approved they will be mailed directly to your home.

VetSource allows us to be able to offer a wider range of products for your pets with, more convenience.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Caring Animal Hospital doctor’s strive to provide the best medical care for our patients.  This is accomplished through having up-to-date medical equipment and continuing education for our doctors and staff.   Dr. Steele and Dr. Cotter love their jobs and would love to be able to provide our services for free, but we’re sure everyone understands the reality of bills.  So, we must put a price on the medical care we provide; therefore, often time finances come into play when making medical decisions for our furred and feathered loved ones.

In human medicine, many people have health insurance to help pay their medical bills.  Pet health insurance is available for our pets, and if you start your pet on health insurance at a young age, it is the most cost-effective way to make pet care affordable.  Please call us for information on pet insurance if you are interested.

For the pets without health insurance, Caring Animal Hospital is striving to provide options to make medical care more affordable to our clients.  We offer many different payment options.   Most have heard of Cash, Check, Visa and Mastercard.  But, we also offer options such as CareCredit and Scratchpay.

CareCredit is a medical credit card that can be used for both human and veterinary care.  It performs a credit check and has different interest free payback options.

Scratchpay is a simple, friendly payment plan.  They do a soft credit check that doesn’t affect your credit score.  If you get approved, you can choose from different repayment schedules and interest rates.  Scratchpay then pays us directly once the service is provided.  You can find links to the applications for both programs on our website.

Scurvy

For the biologic machinery of the body to work correctly, and for homeostasis to be maintained, vitamin C is required by all humans and animals. Most animals can manufacture vitamin C in their bodies and do not require vitamin C in the diet, however, guinea pigs, humans, and some other primates share a gene mutation that makes production of vitamin C impossible. For this reason, these animals require a dietary source of vitamin C, otherwise they can develop a disease process called scurvy and become very ill. Affected guinea pigs may have a rough hair coat, lack of appetite, dental pain, delayed wound healing, lameness, and an inability to fend off infections. Guinea pigs with a slight vitamin C deficiency may show no visible signs of disease; however, their immune system may be compromised.

The amount of vitamin C required by adult guinea pigs is about 20-25 mg/day. Guinea pig pellets are fortified with vitamin C. However, because vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin it loses its potency over time, meaning that the value of the vitamin C can diminish greatly. Many pet guinea pigs have been diagnosed with a vitamin C deficiency even though they were on a good quality guinea pig pellet. Timothy hay should be the foundation of any guinea pig diet. Unfortunately, the vitamin C content of grasses, grass hays, and legume hays like alfalfa is very low. Some sources still recommend putting vitamin C in the drinking water, however, this is not the most effective way of supplementation due to several problems. The most serious problem is that vitamin C supplements in the water change its taste, and the guinea pig may not drink enough water to get adequate amounts. When this happens, not only do guinea pigs not get enough vitamin C, but they may not drink enough water leading to mild to moderate dehydration. There are commercially available oral vitamin C tablets and liquids as well.

The best and perhaps the healthiest way for your guinea pig to get a proper amount of vitamin C per day is through feeding fresh foods that are rich in vitamin C. In addition to being rich in vitamin C as well as numerous other vitamins, chewing on these foods is good for their teeth. The vegetables with the highest amounts of vitamin C include dark, leafy greens, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and certain squashes. Broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage tend to make guinea pigs gassy, so you should limit these to once per week. Fruits like strawberries, orange peel, mango and kiwi are an excellent source of vitamin C, but due to the high sugar content, these treats should not be given daily.  Call us if you have any questions about your guinea pig!

517-694-6766

www.caringanimalhospital.com