Holden Veterinary Clinic

Information may not be reliable

November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month
Thanks to all the advances in human medicine, veterinarians are now able to diagnose and treat animal cancers. According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA),"strong circumstantial evidence of cancer can be attained from x-rays, blood tests, ultrasonography, the pet's physical examination and medical history. Most cancers, however, will require a biopsy (a removal of a piece of tissue) for confirmation that cancer exists and to grade the level of severity from benign to aggressively malignant." These services are available for your pet Holden Veterinary Clinic.
Our pets now live so much longer due to better diets, treatments and overall health, pet owners are afforded many more cancer options than even a decade ago. Common signs of animal cancer are available below. If your pet exhibits these symptoms or you have any health concerns about your pet, please don't hesitate to contact your pet's veterinarian at Holden Veterinary Clinic. Our staff is here to answer your questions, help you obtain reliable information and make sound decisions for your pet. For more information on pet cancer and signs to look for, please see the links below.
Just as in people, early detection is critical! This is why it is so important to have your pet examined regularly.

Leptospirosis Alert: Leptospirosis is on the rise. Are you and your dog protected?
Article Text Courtesy of Veterinary Practice News, October 2010
Leptospirosis is a severe zoonotic (spread from animal to human) bacterial infection formerly thought to be a low risk for dogs in the cities and suburbs. Experts are reporting an increase in cases of Leptospirosis and dogs living in cities and suburbs are at risk. ‘"There's good evidence to support an increase of diagnosed cases of leptospirosis in the U.S., " says George E. Moore, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl ACVIM, an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and director of the clinical trials group at Purdue University. "Wild Animals have remained a reservoir for the disease, which then spreads to dogs and potentially to people. Lack of predators and increased food supply in suburban areas make wildlife concentrations eight to ten times higher per acre than rural areas."'
Another reason for the increase in cases of Leptospirosis is that the public may have the impression that only hunting dogs or dogs living in rural areas are the only ones at risk; and dog owners might not get their dog vaccinated against Leptospirosis because of this impression. ‘"This isn't just a disease of large breeds or hunting dogs, " says Richard E. Goldstein, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ECVIM, an associate professor of small animal medicine at Cornell University. "Small-breed dogs are testing positive more and more. This is happening because of lack of vaccination and overlap of suburban living and wildlife."' In the 1990's, the Center for Disease Control (C.D.C.) removed the disease from is reportable human diseases list because there had been such a significant drop in reported cases. Leptospirosis is transmitted by wild life therefore in the past, dogs infected and transmitting the disease to humans were hunting dogs and those in rural areas where contact with wild life was likely and expected. This is no longer the case and dog owners should be aware.
Symptoms of a Leptospirosis infection can be similar to other illness and diseases, therefore dog owners may not be able to identify whether a dog has the infection or not. These symptoms can be depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness and muscle pain. The best way to know whether your dog has been infected with Leptospirosis is to seek advice from your veterinarian who will want to examine your dog and perform some tests to identify the source of illness.
The best protection against Leptospirosis is an annual vaccination. To check if your dog is properly vaccinated against Leptospirosis, contact us at 508-829-6368.

Where Tick-Borne Diseases Are Found
The following maps highlight the number of reported positive cases of Lyme disease in dogs across Southern New England. Because so many dogs go untested for tick-borne diseases, the actual number of dogs infected by ticks is likely many times higher than what is shown here. For more information on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, visit dogsandticks.com.

These are great for dogs that travel or board or get groomed!
They contain your pets most recent vaccines a picture of your pet and any allergies or health concerns they may have!

~We are proud to support the Local K-9 units of Holden, Shrewsbury and Worcester.~