“Lepto” is the short name for a bacterial infection called leptospirosis. Leptospira are a group of bacteria that can cause kidney disease. Wildlife, especially raccoons, carry the bacteria without becoming ill from the infection. “Lepto” infection is spread when...
First of all, good for you for adopting from a shelter! You are helping the pet overpopulation issue in this country. What exactly is Kennel Cough? To understand what’s going on with how the vaccine works, let’s look at what the kennel cough illness is. In the kennel...
Living indoors is only one of the factors that affects longevity. Other factors that affect longevity include genetics, vaccines and medications, what your cat eats and what chemicals you use in the household. If everything is ideal it would be realistic to hope your...
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is it depends. It depends on the year, where you live, your environment, and, for fleas it depends on how big the flea problem has been for you in the past. Heart worms first. Outside air temperatures have to be over 67° for...
In the prepartion of killed vaccines, the manufacturer “kills” the virus, usually by heat, so injection into a patient does not cause disease. This is especially important in rabies prevention as the last thing we want to do is give rabies to patients. The...
An adjuvant is a fancy word for something that assists. In my military career, the adjuvant helped the wing commander out. In my veterinary career, the adjuvant helps the body’s immune system respond to a vaccine. Adjuvants are used with killed vaccine. (Hmm, another...
