December  Newsletter

Greetings to all our clients as we come to another holiday season and the end of the year.

I can’t imagine how fast things would seem if I were a dog or cat! They say one year to a human is equivalent to seven years for a pet. Time flies by fast enough for me. No wonder they make the most of every day being incredible companions for us. And they are pretty good at taking naps too!

I was reading a newsletter about a “health for life plan” and as I continue to journey with so many clients and their pets, it really hits home about the amazing long term relationships we have been developing over the years here at BANHC.

Being able to experience so many life moments with clients and connections as we meet in the exam rooms. It’s always so fun to walk in the exam room to little kittens scurrying around. Examinations that are hard to complete because of a pup licking my ear. And then there are the euthanasias that tug at my heart as the beloved pet just can’t get up anymore.

There are so many visits in between that we utilize to educate our owners about dental care and exercise. Talk about some great ways to have great manners for your dog. Work through scary situations when a health crisis happens when you least expect it. Being able to have the right tools and the best staff to come up with compassionate care to make our pets well.

Communication is such a huge cornerstone of what we do. We ask better questions to get better answers so we can delve into whatever the situation is to come up with a treatment plan. We have enhanced our communication portal with our clients from VetStreet to VinX through PetSite. Here you can access your pet’s medical information anytime, anywhere with your own PetSite.

Please check out the site and sign up if you have not done so already!

New York Vet Conference 

Kim and I flew down to New York for this conference in early November. It was quite the experience with all the other thousands and thousands of people in NY! We were able to go to several great lectures about dental surgery, itchy dogs, neurological conditions, as well as anesthesia and triage tips. Numerous drug reps and sales reps with all sorts of products for the veterinary hospital. With our commitment to great tools and equipment, there really wasn’t anything new for us!

We also toured the 9-11 Museum which was very powerful. We went to the World Trade Center and took some long walks through Times Square and Rockefeller Center. It was fun to ride the Metro and I even rented a bike and rode through Central Park and then to the Hudson River.

Parasite Prevention 

The New England weather continues to be variable and unpredictable! We did have quite an extended environmental allergen season this fall. It’s freezing cold one day then unseasonable warm the next day. The creatures that are best suited for this are parasites! We see quite a large number of gastrointestinal parasites on an almost daily basis. These include giardia, hookworms, roundworms and coccidia. We have plenty of ticks around from the deer tick, dog tick to the Lone Star tick to name a few! Each of these can transmit disease. We are not concerned just about Lyme but also ehrlichia and anaplasmosis. These parasites endure the New England weather and take any warm day to look for a meal with our pets.

For heartworm, roundworm, hookworm and whipworm protection, we recommend year round Sentinel for all our canine patients. Sentinel also prevents flea eggs from hatching.

For the best protection against ticks and fleas, we do recommend Bravecto for its whole body protection, ease of use and compliance with just four doses per year. For cats, it is an easy to apply topical as you know you can get a cat to eat something on command!

There was an “Animal Drug Safety Communication” bulletin from the FDA about Bravecto and other flea tick medications in the isoxazoline class in September 2018. They warned of neurological side effects of these products. Please be aware that our staff including me continue to use Bravecto on our own personal pets as their benefits far outweigh the risks.

We do not prescribe Bravecto to our patients with known seizure conditions.

Furthermore, serious diseases and conditions carried or caused by the FLEAS and TICKS that these products prevent are far more likely to cause pets (and their humans) problems than this class of flea controls themselves.

Keep in mind that these side effects happen in a very small percentage of pets and that serious side effects from over-the-counter flea controls can actually be worse.
As always, seek the advice of a professional and follow instructions on packaging.

Holiday Hazards

With the holidays upon us, please review this info from the ASPCA!  Have a Healthy Happy Holiday with Your Pets

In Memoriam

In Memory of our beloved pets that have passed: In Memoriam