Have A Heart Animal Hospital

Information may not be reliable

Please Join Us For Our Annual Santa Saturday Charity Event
Celebrate the holidays early with Santa and his helpers on Saturday, December 4th, from 11-2 PM at Have A Heart Animal Hospital. Bring your pets so we can take their picture with Santa. There will be refreshments of all kinds, prizes to win, and festivities to enjoy.
Pictures are $8.00 each. ALL of the proceeds from this event will be donated to NEADS (Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans). www.neads.org
Buttonwoods Museum Festival of Trees 2010 November 26, 2010 - December 12, 2010
The Haverhill Historical Society hosts three major fundraisers a year to support the collections, building maintenance, education and public programs of the museum. One such program is the Festival of Trees event located at 240 Water Street in Haverhill, MA. This holiday event celebrates the joy of the season and offers wonderful wreaths and trees for raffle from local businesses and individuals. There is an Opening Gala event featuring signature dishes from local restaurants and live holiday performances.
The festival opens on November 26th and features a dramatic display of fully decorated Christmas Trees and wreaths. On display-and available for bidding in the 2010 Festival of Trees-is a Have a Heart / Main Street Animal Hospital Christmas Tree. Expertly adorned with hand crafted paw print ornaments, hand made edible dog bone ornaments and gift certificates to the two hospitals, the winner of this beautiful and bountiful tree will be delighted!
For more information about the 2010 Festival of Trees, including the festival hours and events such as a family day with crafts, a visit from Santa, senior day, and carolers from local schools go online to http://www.haverhillhistory.org.
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 at Have A Heart Animal Hospital.
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 Have A Heart Animal Hospital. 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.

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 978-373-4422.
Animal Hospitals Collectively Add Their Voice to Speak Out Against Bullying.
What do you get when you cross a rescue bull terrier with an apparel company and an animal hospital? You get a partnership that wants to take a bite out of the bullying epidemic. Several animal hospitals owned by veterinarian David J. McGrath are now selling shirts designed by anti bull-e gear, an apparel line that designs casual clothes -- like tee shirts, sweatpants and hoodies -- to give children a voice to speak out against bullying. The company's logo is an 80-pound Bull Terrier named Homer who is a patient of one of Dr. McGrath's hospitals outside of Boston.
Homer, the Bull Terrier, is a rescued dog. He is owned by one of Dr. McGrath's Practice Managers who along with her sister created anti bull-e gear clothing line to provide a venue to children to express their feelings about bullying. Homer's likeness is a perfect face for the clothing line's logo because his breed is fondly and commonly referred to as "bullies." Yet, the breed is known for its loyalty and friendly disposition. Dr. McGrath who owns Wignall Animal Hospital in Dracut, MA, Main Street Animal Hospital in Salem, NH and Have A Heart Animal Hospital in Haverhill, MA offers these shirts for sale because he supports the mission of anti bull-e gear. That mission is very straightforward: Bullying is never acceptable. The company believes that buyers of the clothing add their voice to this position and help to keep the issue in the forefront in an effort to address the epidemic. The compassionate nature of the animal hospitals is a perfect marriage with the clothing line. The hospital staff is accustomed to working with dogs whose barks are worse than their bite. Now the partnership hopes to take the bite out of bullying's bark.
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.

The only thing worse than having the flu is not being able to tell someone....
There's a new flu around that only affects dogs. If you've ever had the flu, you know how bad it can make you feel. And it's no different for dogs. Over the past several years, dogs in 30 states have been sickened by a new, year-round dog flu that continues to spread. It's highly contagious, and virtually every dog is vulnerable to infection. Fortunately, there's a new canine influenza vaccine available to help protect those loved ones who can't speak for themselves.
In May 2009, the USDA approved the licensure of the first influenza vaccine for dogs developed by Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health Corporation. The canine influenza vaccine contains inactivated whole virus, so there is no chance that the vaccine itself can cause respiratory infections. To learn more about the vaccine, contact your veterinarian at 978-373-4422 or see the Canine Influenza FAQs.