Improved Diagnostic
Testing Now Available
During the past 5 years our hospital
laboratory equipment has improved
our efficiency by helping us reach a
diagnosis more quickly. We feel our
patients have benefited tremend-
ously from on the spot results and
therefore, immediate treatment.
We are very glad that the days of waiting 24-48 hours for routine results are behind us. We are happy to announce that we have recently upgraded this lab equipment. Our new state-of-the-art hematology analyzer provides us with a more detailed cell count enabling us to evaluate our sick patient even more accurately. We continue to look for ways to improve our service and feel that this upgrade will improve convenience for the owner and care for our patient.
New Pet Dental Care Product
Dental Problems are some of the most common health problems seen in both dogs and cats over five years of age. Improper dental care causes problems that may include bad breath, tooth loss, as well as liver, kidney and heart infections.
Dental care just became easier. We're pleased to introduce a plaque-prevention system for pets, OraVet. This program starts with OraVet Barrier Sealant, which we electrostatically bind to your pet's teeth. This barrier helps prevent plaque and tartar from adhering to the teeth.
OraVet can be applied in young dogs and cats at the time of spaying or neutering, or at the time of a dental cleaning, polishing and fluoride treatment. Two weeks following application, you apply OraVet Plaque Prevention Gel to your pet's teeth once a week to maintain the sealant. This takes less than a minute to do and is an easy alternative to brushing.
You may be thinking, "I feed my pet a dental diet; isn't that enough?" While these special dental diet foods and chews can help scrape off plaque above the gum line, they don't reach below where serious damage can occur. OraVet prevents bacteria from sticking to the teeth, thereby reducing plaque and tartar from both above and below the gumline. And rest easy - OraVet is non-toxic and safe for pets of any age.
OraVet will greatly reduce the formation of plaque and tartar, and minimize the number of dental cleanings required for your pet as well as improve its health.
Now is the perfect time to take an important step to ensure your pet's good dental health. Schedule your pet's dental cleaning and get him or her started on OraVet today.
Attention: Cat Owners
A new feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) vaccine is available for outdoor cats. FIV is similar to HIV, but only affects cats. It's passed between cats primarily through bite wounds. Like the human form of the virus, FIV weakens the cat's immune system, leaving it unable to fight off infection or disease. Cats with FIV can suffer from a wide variety of problems including non-healing wounds, upper respiratory infections, severe gum disease, weight loss, and chronic diarrhea.
The new Fel-O-vax FIV vaccine has an 84% efficacy rate. It requires three initial doses, then once yearly. The USDA has approved the FIV vaccine to be administered to cats eight weeks of age and older. The vaccine provides protection for a minimum of 12 months.
A treat for special dogs
Do you have a dog on a strict diet that doesn't allow commercial treats? Here's a great recipe for doggie treats using canned food.
Use one teaspoon of canned food per treat and drop it onto a cookie sheet. You can flatten the "drop" or roll it into a ball, whichever your pet prefers. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. After they've cooled, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than one week.
Pet Wellness Exams
You love your family pets and want the best for them. Thanks to wellness programs, you can help them enjoy a long and healthy life. Too often, fully treatable health problems are dismissed as just a part of aging and ignored. In truth, many problems we relate to "old age" can be controlled for extended periods of time and, in some cases, reversed.
Regular dental care is a major step in helping your pets enjoy a healthy long life. Proper diet and exercise are also important steps. Of course, regular vaccinations and parasite control are necessary for healthy pets. But the most important thing you can do for your pets is bring them for their wellness exam. With modern technology such as blood analysis, EKGs, and ultrasound, we can take a more preventative approach, maintaining health and identifying problems early, rather than waiting for obvious signs of illness.
Testing a pet over time establishes what's normal for that animal. When illness does arise, having these prior test results provides a point of comparison, a tremendous advantage in effective diagnosis and treatment.
We see our pets as part of the family, and place high priority on their health and welfare. Thanks to wellness exams, we can do just that.
$128 For Canine Patients including:
Large chemistry panel
Electrolytes
CBC with differential
Thyroid test
Urinalysis
$128 For Feline Patients including:
FeLV/FIV Testing
Heartworm test
Large chemistry panel
Electrolytes
CBC with differential
Thyroid test
Urinalysis
"Catkins" Diet for healthier cats
Cats in the wild eat a very different diet than our domesticated kitties. For instance, if a mouse carried a nutrition label, you'd find it's only 3% carbohydrates, 40% protein and 50% fat. On the other hand, most modern cat foods have a much higher percentage of carbs and may be why cats are more and more likely to face a serious side effect - obesity; this common problem can lead to diabetes, liver disease, joint problems, and other physical ailments. The answer may be "Catkins" - a high protein, low carbohydrate diet like the popular Atkins and South Beach diets for humans. Feeding your cat a diet high in protein and fat, low in carbohydrates, will alter the metabolic process so Felix will burn fat and lose weight.
Hill's science Diet has come out with a "Catkins" cat food in its Prescription Diet line - Feline m/d. Regular dry foods tend to be higher in carbs due to the amount of grain used and canned food tends to be lower in carbs. While there is no guarantee the "Catkins" diet will work for every overweight cat, it may be the answer for your chubby kitty.
Pulse Therapy!!
Despite regular dental cleanings and using the edible toothbrush (Hill's Tartar Diet), does your pet still suffer from doggie breath? Here at Cherokee, we have instituted a new treatment called Pulse Therapy, to help knock out that nasty odor.
Pulse therapy involves a 5 day treatment each month, with a medication to reduce odor-causing bacteria in the mouth. It's quick, easy and the results are dramatic. Call us for more information. We don't want bad breath to stand between you and your lap dog or your couch kitty!
New and Improved
A new one-step ear mite treatment is now available. It is safe enough for use in 4 week old kittens, is non-greasy, requires no pre-cleaning of the ears and only a single application is needed. This is great news, unless, of course, you are an ear mite!
