February 19, 2010

Aldie Veterinary Hospital feels client education is very important. Because many of our client's purchase flea and tick prevention from on-line pharmacies, we felt it was important to pass along a letter we received from one of our manufacturers.

• Informational letter from Merial

February 1, 2010

Dental Month or Better Yet....DENTAL YEAR!

February has always been considered dental month in the world of veterinary medicine. This is the month when veterinarians frequently offer discounts on dental products and services to help promote dental care. During this month, veterinarians also like to use this time to educate client's on the importance of routine dental care for our beloved 4 legged friends.

Because of the high demand for dental procedures during dental month, Aldie Veterinary Hospital (AVH) found it difficult to fit in all of our patients, in addition to our regular workload. AVH stresses the importance of good dental hygiene in our client's pets all year long, and because of this, AVH decided to offer the same rates on dental related work throughout the entire year.

Good oral hygiene is so important to the overall health of any animal. We know that plaque is made up of bacteria which accumulate on the teeth to form tartar. Once tartar builds up under the gum line, this same bacteria can enter the animals general blood supply and cause kidney, liver, and/or heart problems. The other obvious problem caused by this same bacteria is the offensive odor coming from your pet's mouth. The staff at AVH sees problems related to dental disease on a daily basis, often ending with tooth extractions or disease. If we can address periodontal disease early, and educate our owners how to keep their pet's mouths clean, we can help prevent some of these problems in our cats and dogs. This in turn often saves owners lots of money in the long run.

AVH is more then happy to provide an estimate for your pet's dental cleaning, or any other procedure. If it has been more than 3 months since your pet's last visit, it may be helpful to have a look at their mouth to see what will be required. We are happy to do this at no charge to our client's as long as it is limited to a dental exam by one of our licensed veterinary technicians. Anything outside of this would need to be scheduled with one of our doctors.

Attached below you will find an educational handout that gives step-by-step instructions that allows you and your pet to become comfortable with routine daily brushing. In addition to the handout, our licensed veterinary technicians are available to help teach you and your pet.

It's nice to know that quality, affordable dental care is available all year long, not just during the month of February.

• How to Brush Your Pet's Teeth

January 27, 2010

Aldie Veterinary Hospital has developed a proprietary program, we call CHARMS, which stands for Comprehensive Health Assessment and Risk Management System. Our goal is to provide the safest immunization schedule possible. Each vaccination schedule is tailored especially for your pet, based on the specific lifestyle and potential exposure to diseases.

The following list describes the CHARMS Program in detail. In addition, we have developed a risk assessment form for our clients to complete for each pet. This assessment is a key component in helping our Doctors develop your pet's personal vaccination protocol. For this reason, it is essential that clients take the time to complete the Risk Assessment prior to their pet's annual visit. Please make sure to bring the completed form to your pet's visit for our Doctor to review.

• CHARMS Program Overview
• Canine Risk Assessment Form
• Feline Risk Assessment Form

December 17, 2009

In response to the numerous inquiries regarding the diagnosis of Canine Influenza Virus in the Northern Virginia area, the following information is being posted to help inform our clients regarding the facts surrounding this virus.

1. Background Information
2. What Do I Need To Know
3. Center For Disease Control Q & A
4. Article from the NY Times
5. Articles from Washington Post and Fairfax Times
6. Aldie Vet's Recommendations Regarding Vaccination

December 17, 2009

Canine Influenza Virus (CIV)

The following information is to inform you of a viral influenza that has been diagnosed in over 30 states, including Virginia. The virus, known as the Canine Influenza Virus (CIV), was originally an equine virus; however, it has mutated and is now affecting our canine companions. To date the one feline has been diagnosed with this virus as well but it is unknown at this time of the potential for spread from our canine to feline companions. This potential of this virus to infect humans is also not known at this point. We are sending this email simply to inform the community of the virus and ask for your help in preventing the spread of the virus within our local community, as well as Loudoun County.

This virus has the same symptoms as Kennel Cough. These symptoms include coughing, runny nose, fever, and lethargy. Because this is a new virus to the canine species, 100% of our canine family friends can be affected. Eighty percent of the dogs infected will show mild to moderate symptoms, while 20% of the infected will carry the virus, but not show ANY symptoms. Any dog diagnosed with the virus is HIGHLY contagious and should be kept away from any other dogs.

The virus is transmitted via direct contact with respiratory secretions. This includes coughing, sneezing, and contact with food/water bowls, toys, or bedding. We are also able to carry the virus on our clothing, hair, skin, and shoes. The virus lives in the environment for up to 12 hours.

Aldie Veterinary Hospital is taking all precautions to help prevent the spread of the virus. If your animal is exhibiting any of the symptoms listed above, and you have an appointment with us, we ask that you help us by staying in your car with the air conditioning running until we are ready to see you and your pet.

There is a vaccine available to aid in the prevention of the serious complications associated with this virus. Since healthy appearing dogs can shed this virus before they show symptoms, and therefore transmit the virus, Aldie Veterinary Hospital will be recommending all of our canine patients to have the vaccination. Our goal here is to protect all animals coming to Aldie Veterinary Hospital. If we have animals visiting which are not vaccinated, they would represent an increased risk to spread the virus. These same animals would also be at increased risk of developing the severe symptoms associated with the virus. All of our employees have already vaccinated their own animals against this virus and we hope that our clients will do the same. Please feel free to read the attached information on this potentially serious viral disease and ask one of our staff members if you have any questions.