The holiday season is upon us! Now is the time for Christmas carols, good food, cold weather, warm fires, family visits, and car and air travel. Some of these things may be stressful for you, but these things may cause even more stress and anxiety for your pets. Pets show their stress and anxiety in a variety of ways including: excessive vocalization, destructiveness, irritability, or hiding. At TCAP, we understand that pets are important family members, so we’ve compiled a list of five stress-relieving tips for your pet this holiday season.

One – Safe Haven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If your pet is shy, ensure that your pet has a bedroom, closet, or bathroom to remove themselves from the sudden influx of strangers if they wish. Pets that have the option of leaving a crowded room will feel safer and often be less stressed when you host a gathering of family and friends.

Two – Party Animal

 

 

 

 

If you have a pet that enjoys being the life of the party, aim to include them in the festivities. Closing your pet off in a back room can often cause them great anxiety and loneliness. Please take into account your pet’s familiarity with your guests, and vice versa. Make certain children know how to interact with your pet to keep everyone safe throughout the holiday season.

Three – Food

One common holiday hiccup comes from pets ingesting foods that simply are not meant for their digestive systems. Your pet may beg for table scraps or left overs, but it is important to make sure that your pet only eats proper dog or cat food. Some common foods such as chocolate and raisins are toxic for dogs. Fat trimmings, fruitcake, rich gravies, sauces, cooked bones, onions, and grapes are also extremely harmful. Please have a conversation with all of your dinner guests to make sure they avoid feeding your pet anything from the table.

It is also important to keep a wary eye on where food is placed. Leaving plates or serving trays near the edges of tables and counters are easily accessible to your four-legged friends. Again, be mindful of where you leave food and keep a watchful eye on your pet when food is out.

Four – Open Doors

Ensure your pet is secure when opening the door for guests arriving and leaving your home. Small dogs and cats can be especially tricky when trying to bolt out an open door. Pets that would not normally do this may feel threatened by the sudden arrival of many strangers and try to find safety outdoors. If necessary, confine your pet to a safe spot when guests are due to arrive and let them out again when everyone has arrived and the door is closed.

Five – Quality Time

 

 

 

 

 

With all the hustle and bustle the holiday season brings, it is often easy to decrease quality time with your pet. Remember that is important that your pet not miss out on important exercise such as going on walks or simply playing fetch. You can always break playtime into shorter, more frequent sessions throughout the day. You’ll find the breaks leave you feeling refreshed and more energized for everything you have to do.

 

Fleas and ticks love Texas weather! At TCAP, we see many animals in desperate need of flea and tick prevention. Like most preventable problems, knowledge is the best defense. If you know what to look for and how to take proper preventative steps, you and your pet can live a happy, itch-free life!

Where Do Ticks and Fleas Come From?

Animals infested with ticks and fleas easily transfer their fleas or ticks to any pets that come near them (fleas can jump vertically up to 7 inches and horizontally up to 13 inches). Fleas and ticks often “hitchhike” into homes on other animals, on human clothing and shoes, and on infested bedding, furniture, and rugs. Fleas and ticks also live outdoors and can easily be transferred from yard to yard. North Texas provides a perfect environment for fleas and ticks because these troublesome pests prefer warm and humid environments. Though flea and tick activity slows during our cold winter months, it is still wise to keep your pet on preventative medication because fleas or ticks that have already found their way into your home are still a threat to you and to your pet.

 

Consequences of Leaving Untreated

If left untreated, fleas and ticks can amount to more than just a minor irritation for your pet. Fleas can carry tapeworm larvae. If a pet swallows an infected flea, which is common while scratching or grooming, then a tapeworm can begin growing inside your pet’s intestines. Tapeworms appear as flat white grains of rice in your pet’s stool. They can be easily treated at any of TCAP’s vaccine locations, but they are often a sign that your pet has fleas or that there are fleas in your pet’s environment. Untreated fleas can also lead to anemia (a low healthy red blood cell count) and skin problems caused by consistent biting and scratching.

Ticks can carry diseases, the most common of which is Lyme disease (a bacterial disease that causes depression, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, and fever). It is a good policy to regularly check your pet for ticks during warm or hot times of the year to be certain your pet is tick free. Untreated ticks can also cause blood loss, skin irritation, and anemia.

Treatment

Treating fleas and ticks often begins with vacuuming or steaming your pet’s environment. At the same time, you should also treat your yard, wash your pet’s bedding, thoroughly vacuum your carpets, and steam your curtains. It is also essential to keep your pet on an effective preventative for both fleas and ticks. TCAP recommends Activyl for flea and tick prevention on your pets. Activyl is a topical medication applied on the back of your pet’s neck that will kill fleas and ticks in all stages of life. It is available in each of TCAP’s clinics and on TCAP’s online store ($12 for a single 1-month dose or $60 for 6 doses): http://texasforthem.vetsfirstchoice.com/

Many dog owners have questions about heartworms when they enter TCAP clinics. Concerns about heartworms seem to peak during the summer months, but in the North Texas climate, heartworms are a threat to dogs year-round. Two common misconceptions we hear are that “dogs do not need heartworm prevention during colder months” and that “inside dogs don’t need heartworm prevention”. Both of these beliefs contribute to the 10-20 heartworm positive dogs that we see each month at TCAP clinics.

What Are Heartworms?

Heartworms are parasites (also known as Dirofilaria immitis) that live in the heart and pulmonary arteries of an infected animal. Adult heartworms can reach up to 1 foot in length and mainly use dogs as their host. If left untreated in dogs, heartworms reproduce in number up to several hundred worms.

Where Do Heartworms Come From?

Heartworms are transferred by mosquito bites. Adult heartworms produce microscopic baby worms (also known as microfilaria) and distribute them through an infected dog’s bloodstream. Mosquitos that bite heartworm-infected dogs will drink in these baby heartworms. Over the next 14 days, these microfilaria develop into “infective stage” larvae. When infected mosquitos bite healthy dogs, they will then transfer larvae into the dog’s bloodstream. Once inside a new host, the microfilaria mature into adult heartworms.

Signs of Heartworms in Dogs

When a dog is first infected with heartworms, there are no visible or detectable signs. As the heartworms grow, dogs begin to cough, have shortness of breath, and experience lethargy. As heartworms become worse, dogs will experience weight loss, kidney damage, and liver damage. In many cases, there are no signs of heartworms before an infected dog collapses due to blood flow blockage. Oftentimes, if an infected dog is left untreated, it will die from damage to the heart and lungs or from complete blood flow blockage.

Treatment and Prevention

Heartworms are easily diagnosed through a heartworm test. This test requires a blood sample from a dog and takes approximately 5 minutes.

Heartworms can be very expensive and time consuming to treat. The process varies depending on the severity of a dog’s heartworm problem and the severity of the side effects from treatment. Most treatments require close monitoring and can cause damage to a dog’s liver and kidneys.

The best approach to heartworms is prevention. No heartworm testing is required for pets under 6 months of age, and it is recommended that they begin heartworm prevention before they reach that age. At TCAP, pets over 6 months of age must receive a heartworm test prior to receiving any prevention. Dogs also must be retested on a yearly basis. Dogs that are heartworm positive may be injured or even killed by taking heartworm prevention. It is important to ensure that your pet is clear of heartworms with a heartworm test prior to giving it any prevention.

Only veterinarians can provide heartworm tests/prevention. Year-round prevention is essential if your pet lives in a climate that is beneficial for mosquitos, like North Texas. TCAP provides heartworm testing and prevention during vaccine hours on a walk-in basis. To find a clinic close to you, visit TCAP’s vaccination schedule below.