Holiday Tips from your Favorite Mobile Veterinarian:
Spay Neuter Express!

If you are preparing for a festive holiday season, make sure your pet enjoys it too -- instead of spending it at the animal clinic after a mishap. Many of our holiday traditions hardly register on us as threats to our animals, but here are a few things to watch out for:

Food and drink. Are you baking with the sugar-substitute xylitol? If so, keep your dog away from anything containing this substance, as it can cause a fatal insulin reaction. Chocolate is also highly toxic to both cats and dogs. Steer your pet clear of alcoholic drinks and cirtrus fruits as well.

Decorations. Pets love to play with holiday decorations, but “playing” often means chewing or eating, so avoid decorating the lowest part of your tree or parts of your home. Chewing on wiring can cause electrocution, while ingesting tinsel could damage your pet internally. Certain holiday plants such as holly and mistletoe can prove toxic to animals.

Weather. You may have an outdoor pet most of the year, but when the weather turns cold, prepare a nice warm “nest” for your pet and keep lots of water and food on hand. If your pet is staying in the garage, make sure there are no puddles of oil, anti-freeze or other toxins there. Also, do not let your pet play out in the cold for more than brief periods at a time.

Trouble? Call Our Animal Clinic!

If your pet does swallow something harmful or have an accident, please contact our mobile veterinarian so we can provide immediate treatment if necessary. But in the hopes that you will not need any such services, we wish all of our patients and their owners in Grand Haven, Lowell, Grand Rapids, Alma, Ionia, Lansing, Allegan, Douglas and Everett the happiest -- and safest -- of holiday seasons.

Has your dog or cat ever done something outrageous (though not necessarily dangerous) to make your holiday season especially, well, memorable? Share your stories with us!

Preventing Heartworm in Your Family Pet

You might be surprised to learn that dogs aren't the only pets that can suffer from heartworm disease. In fact, this serious disease can strike 30 different animal species, including another popular family pet, cats.

Because of this, our staff at Spay Neuter Express, a mobile vet and animal hospital, recommends that both dog and cat owners remain vigilant for signs that their pets suffer from heartworm. They should also make sure to give their pets regularly scheduled medication -- usually in the form of chewable tablets -- that prevents heartworm.

As with most medical issues, prevention is a far easier and successful option than is treating an animal that has already been infected with heartworm. In fact, there is no approved treatment for cats that suffer from heartworm at this time. And, if these owners do suspect that their animals have been infected, it's important to bring them to our licensed veterinarian, Dr. Langlois as soon as possible.

The Real Dangers of Heartworm

Heartworm is a serious disease. Animals suffer it when a mosquito carrying heartworm larvae bites them. What happens next is the dangerous part: These microscopic larvae enter blood vessels and move to the arteries of pets. Here, these microscopic pests cause inflammation of the lungs, a serious condition.

These larvae can live for years inside dogs and cats. When the adult worms that these larvae become die, though, they can cause inflammation of the heart or lungs that can eventually cause death.

Both dogs and cats display their own signs of heartworm disease. Dogs may cough frequently, or struggle to breathe. They may tire out quickly and easily. Cats may also cough frequently, but they might also vomit, suffer diarrhea, faint, and lose their appetites or experience convulsions or blindness.

The best way to handle heartworm is to visit our veterinarian for heartworm preventatives. This form of medicine kills heartworm larvae that have infected your dog or cat in the past 30 days before these larvae have the opportunity to grow into adult worms. Our vet can recommend several preventative options, including medication that comes in the form of chewable tablets.

Spay Neuter Express, one of the only mobile vet practices in Grand Rapids, is equipped to treat your dog's or cat's heartworm. And as a mobile animal hospital, we will come to an area near your home to administer our treatment. The best news is that we serve a wide area of Southwest Michigan, including Grand Haven, Lowell, Grand Rapids, Alma, Ionia, Lansing, Allegan, Douglas and Everett to help you with all of your veterinary care needs.

What steps do you take to prevent heartworm in your pet?

One of the things that makes holiday celebrating so enjoyable is sharing food with the people we care about. However, some of the same foods that are tasty and fun for humans can be hazardous to dogs. Avoid a holiday trip to the animal clinic by keeping your dog away from holiday treats, especially chocolate.

Why Chocolate is Dangerous to Dogs

Chocolate is one of the chief human foods that is harmful to dogs and other pets. Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is related to caffeine, and dogs lack the enzyme to break down this substance. Ingestion of large quantities of chocolate can cause seizures, liver failure and even death. The darker the chocolate, the greater the risk, but even white chocolate should be avoided. Keep in mind that chocolate isn't just for nibbling; baker's chocolate, cocoa powder and even cocoa husk mulch for your garden can be toxic to dogs.

Treatment for Chocolate Poisoning

Fortunately, with prompt medical attention at our mobile animal clinic, most dogs that ingest chocolate fully recover. If you suspect that you dog has eaten chocolate, call your veterinarian immediately. He or she may have you induce vomiting before you bring your dog in for treatment. The vet may also administer activated charcoal to help prevent absorption of the toxin and give the dog fluids to prevent dehydration.

Spay and Neuter Express is a mobile veterinarian that serves the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Allegan, Douglas, Everett, Lowell, Ionia, Battle Creek and Alma, Michigan areas. We will soon be expanding to serve pets in the Lansing and Kalamazoo areas also.

Has your dog ever ingested a large quantity of chocolate? Did prompt veterinary care help him to fully recover? Share your experiences with our readers by leaving a comment below.

Microchipping: An Important Consideration for Your Pet

So what is the big deal about microchipping? You have probably heard about it, or perhaps even had your vet offer it as another service he or she provides. We certainly do encourage you to consider microchipping your pets here at our mobile vet animal clinic the next time we are in your town.

Our mobile veterinarian, Dr. Langlois, at Spay Neuter Express serves the following towns in central Michigan: Allegan, Alma, Douglas, Everett, Grand Haven Lowell, Grand Rapids, Ionia, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and Lansing. In addition to our providing low cost spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations and parasite prevention, we also provide pet microchipping at our mobile animal hospital.

Microchipping by Our Mobile Vet

At our Spay Neuter Express animal clinic, we highly recommend microchipping your pet. Microchipping does not require anesthesia or surgery, as it can be done during a quick visit to our mobile vet. The procedure involves implanting a small electronic chip, about the size of a grain of rice, under your pet's skin. A glass cylinder encloses the chip and it is implanted via an injection, much like any other injection or vaccine your pet may receive, although the needle is slightly larger.

The microchip remains inactive until someone uses a scanner to locate the chip. The scanner's radio waves activate the chip, which then transmits the pet's identification number to the scanner. The number then becomes visible on the scanner screen, and the number can be located in the registry database to match the pet with its owner.

Microchipping is an important consideration because you are far more likely to have a lost pet returned to you if it has a microchip. Collars and tags often become lost or discarded, rendering a pet unidentifiable. A properly implanted microchip, with its accompanying accurate and updated info in the microchip registry database, can double the chances of pets reuniting with their rightful owners.

What else would you like to know about microchipping? Do you have questions or concerns we have not addressed yet?