Information about Diabetes

NVC helps out Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Shelter

NVC offers new weight reduction program

Important information on preventative dental care

Shana Petit, our office manager visits the Gan Keshet Preschool .

Valuable information on ear infections

NVC joins Facebook

A few words from our doctors on adopting a new companion

New information on topical flea & tick prevention

Northampton Veterinary Clinic Makes Green Strides

Northampton Veterinary Clinic Introduces Pet Portals

Helping Paws Fund: A Northampton Veterinary Clinic fund to help special animals in need of medical assistance.

Frontline Handout: Information on a great product for flea and tick prevention in dogs and cats. (Microsoft Word document)

Last month one of our clients who is a teacher (Ms. Lauren) at Gan Keshet Preschool approached our hospital to see if we could help provide some items for their dramatic play area. Ms. Lauren was looking to create an area where the students could learn about veterinary medicine as well as basic care for dogs and cats. Our hospital team gathered up some supplies that would help the students act out these skills such as scrub tops, medicine vials, syringes, q-tips, gauze, exam gloves, bandaging materials, surgical caps and masks, and a variety of other items. Ms. Lauren also brought her own dog to the Northampton Veterinary Clinic and we staged an exam with Dr. Connor and one of our assistants Sandra. Ms. Lauren took pictures of the exam to bring back to the school in order to show the students how veterinarians perform their jobs.
After a couple of weeks of the students practicing their skills, Shana our office manager, went to the school to see what they had worked on. The students had done a suburb job getting medical records ready, making up medications and bandaging up a stuffed dog they had to work on. Ms. Lauren documented their dramatic play in the following pictures and it shows how creative they were. While at the school Shana joined their learning time and read the story Sally goes to the Vet. The class together discussed how going to the veterinarian is similar to going to the doctor or the dentist. We discussed how they take care of their own pets at home and how to safely approach a strange dog. The students at Gan Keshet Preschool were so engaging it was very enjoyable to see how they used the items we donated!

Valuable information on ear infections

Ear infections are one of the most common issues we see in our practice. They can vary from mild with few symptoms (sometimes we even find them unexpectedly on our physical exams), to so severe that the animal is in intense, unrelenting pain.
What causes this pesky and often frustrating condition? Clearly, there is the infectious component. Sometimes the infection is an easy one, like ear mites. Easy to diagnose, easy to cure. We like those. But while ear mites are common in cats, they are rare in dogs. Most often the infections are made up of yeast and/or bacteria. The yeast organism most often seen is called Malessezia and, like the bacteria, it lives normally on the skin. Therefore, the infection represents an overgrowth rather than something catching or contagious. Bacteria can be many types but generally we categorize them as cocci or rods based on their shapes, as viewed under the microscope. Cocci typically are of the Streptococci or Staphylococci families and are usually fairly easy to clear up with a topical antibiotic. Rods represent a much tougher infection and are often unresponsive to many antibiotics (especially the Pseudomonas rods). We usually reach for oral and topical medication for rods.
Usually, the infection is a distraction from the real underlying problem. This is why so many ear infections seem to clear up only to come right back. Remember how we said that these organisms aren’t catching and they are normally in the ear and skin in low numbers? There has to be a trigger to make them overgrow. Some triggers are obvious like swimming or something stuck in the ear like a grass awn. Sometimes there is a problem with the immune system such as hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone). Sometimes the dog has anatomically abnormal ears like pugs with very narrow ear canals. But by far the most common cause of chronic recurrent ear infections are underlying allergic triggers.
Occasionally pet allergies can cause the typical hay fever like symptoms that we experience such as sneezing and running eyes, but it is actually much more common to see skin issues. The main allergies we see are flea allergies, food allergies and atopy (allergies to things in the air- like pollens). The latter two are most connected to ear infections and can even cause a single ear to be chronically infected without ANY OTHER SYMPTOMS! Food allergy and atopy can cause the skin inside the ear to become inflamed and then the bacteria have a party and overgrow. Both also can cause other areas to itch- most often in the front half of the body and especially the front feet, muzzle and arm pits.
So what can be done? Allergies, like in people, are not cured but are managed. Many medications, topical and oral, can reduce the symptoms. With proper testing and guidance, we can even use allergy injections at home to help reduce the need for medications in cases of atopy. Food allergy, however, can sometimes be cured. The key to success is sticking to a specific food trial plan made by your veterinarian. Food allergies can be very well managed by feeding a diet that your pet is not allergic to. This unfortunately is easier said than done. A dog or cat on a food trial must be strictly fed a unique protein and carbohydrate for 8 to 12 weeks and be monitored closely to see if there is improvement. Most animals don’t have allergies to foods they receive rarely but instead are allergic to major ingredients found in most commercial pet foods such as beef or chicken. Thus avoiding these products takes some guidance. When you can eliminate chronic ear infections and often other skin issues, the hassle of a food trial becomes well worth the effort.
Bottom line if your companion gets an ear infection, go ahead and treat it as recommended by your veterinarian. If the infection recurs especially repeatedly, have your veterinarian start looking for the underlying trigger that must be there. This is the best approach to help keep your companion’s ears healthy and free of infections.

NVC joins Facebook

The Northampton Veterinary Clinic is pleased to announce the launch of our Facebook Page. Become a Fan and keep up to date with veterinary news, helpful pet care tips as well as see adorable pictures of our patients! We will also be posting featured case studies and x-rays for our clients to view. We encourage our clients to post their companions on our page and be a part of the conversation!

A few words from our doctors on adopting a new companion

As veterinarians, a common question we encounter is: “Where should I get my next companion?” We are always happy to have this conversation as it allows us to guide our clients and friends as they make this important decision.

We openly admit have a bias. We prefer to see animals adopted from a reputable rescue organization and are very honored to work closely with Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society (DPVHS) in Springfield. Euthanasia due to pet overpopulation remains the number one cause of death of cats and dogs nationwide. Adopting a companion from a rescue organization truly does save a life. You should be aware that a reputable organization will charge and adoption fee to cover the expense of behavioral screening, and veterinary care including vaccines, spaying or neutering and deworming. It is definitely worth the fee for all these valuable services. These organizations work tirelessly to find homes for pets in need, provide foster homes for pets awaiting adoption and educate the public about the need for early spay and neuter to end the pet overpopulation crisis.

We are very fortunate in the Northeast that we do not have a significant dog overpopulation problem. It can actually be difficult to find the perfect canine companion especially if a young dog is a priority. Dakin is a wealth of resources and may be helpful in locating the perfect companion. Alternative resources can be found on line that can link you to rescue organizations outside of our geographic area that may have young dogs that they often will transport. By simply plugging in a zip code, a breed, or even a desirable personality trait a good match may be found.

Choosing a dog is a complicated process due to variation in size, energy level, behavior and appearance of our canine friends. It is essential to match the individual dog to your individual life style. If you are committed to a particular breed of dog, first do research to know all the congenital issues, as well as, behavior traits associated with the breed. Your veterinarian can let you know how common some issues are. There are breed rescue groups that can help you locate a pure bred dog in need of a home. If you decide to acquire your dog from a breeder, be certain that the breeder has spent the time and money to screen their breeding animals for heritable conditions and desirable behavior traits and that they are working with a qualified veterinarian. We generally recommend visiting the facility and interaction with both the breeder and their dogs. People who sell multiple breeds or who have multiple litters simultaneously should be highly suspect. Highly responsible breeders have a passion for their breed and the dogs that they produce. It is much more than a business to them.

Choosing a cat can be less complicated. We highly recommend visiting a shelter to meet the many kitties of various ages available for adoption- including pure breds. You should be aware that many pure bred cats have significant medical issues associated with their breed specific traits.

We would caution you against acquiring a companion animal from a pet store or an unreliable/unknown source. Many people find themselves in situations where they feel they must “save” and animal from a pitiful situation. If many even be true, however purchasing these animals only perpetuates often horrific living conditions for the parent animals. We commonly see puppies that have been inappropriately treated with multiple drugs and are still sick. Many of these animals are coming from overcrowded, under regulated puppy mills- where the breeding parents live in deplorable conditions for their entire lives. Recently, with many states cracking down on puppy mills, there is an increase in dogs imported from foreign countries where there are no regulations. Keep in mind when you adopt from a shelter, you rescue an animal without perpetuating the misery of another.

Our lives can be so enriched by the perfect companion and the decision to add a companion animal to your home is very important. We hope that there will soon be a day when puppy mills are illegal, negligent breeders are held responsible, and all animals who find their way into a shelter are placed in loving homes. Until then, choose wisely, a life may depend on it.

New information on topical flea & tick prevention

The EPA recently announced that they are going to enforce stricter guidelines for topical flea and tick preventative. We recommend Frontline and Advantage which has been proven effective and safe in our patients. However, we have seen adverse effects with some other topical preventatives. It is very important to select a product recommended by a veterinarian and always read the packaging for the correct dose information. Please give us a call at 413-584-6309 if you have any questions.

Northampton Veterinary Clinic Makes Green Strides

Over the last year the Northampton Veterinary Clinic has made some very significant strides to “green” our practice. One of our founding goals has always been to use products that are environmentally friendly and that do not harm animals. For the last couple of years we have been working with our staff and vendors to create more solutions to go green. We increased the number of recycling bins throughout the hospital, switched to a waste removal company that is more environmentally friendly and found a company to recycle our old radiographs. We started re-using paper in-house so both sides of the paper are used before it makes its way into the recycling bin. One of our biggest accomplishments has been transferring our paper records into a paperless electronic medical record system. We were generating a huge amount of paper for our patient’s charts, now all of that information is stored on the computer and accessible throughout the entire hospital. This was an extensive project and we continue to see how much it has made an impact on reducing our paper usage. This month we also switched to digital radiology thus decreasing chemicals used within our practice as well as x-ray film and paper folders. Digital radiology also provides a higher level of patient care and allows us to email our studies to Board Certified Radiologists. Our staff is very environmentally conscious using aluminum water bottles and not using disposable silverware and plates for lunch. In order to continue our mission we are investigating more ways that we can continue to go green such as email reminders, a reverse osmosis water system, heat deflecting blinds, and paperless fax communication. Our entire staff is committed to our mission and feels very fortunate to be a part of a community that strives to constantly go green as well. Thank you to our wonderful clients who have been so supportive as we continue to update our hospital!

Northampton Veterinary Clinic Introduces Pet Portals

The Northampton Veterinary Clinic is pleased to announce the addition of Pet Portals to our website. Pet Portals is an interactive way for our clients to view their pet’s medical information in the comfort of their own home. Clients can check the status of their companion’s vaccinations, request medication or diet food refills, request an appointment for non-emergencies as well as update their contact information. There is a photo gallery, a place to write remembrance postings or a funny story, and even valuable health care articles on common questions. Clients can also generate an email reminder to give their pet’s medication as well as print out instructions for a pet-sitter or kennel. Our goal is to allow our clients to have accessibility to important information even when we are not available. In the next couple of months there will be an online store available where our clients can purchase items and have them shipped directly to their homes. We have already received a lot of positive feedback regarding Pet Portals and our staff has enjoyed enhancing their own. If you are interest in a Pet Portal for yourself click on the link found on our homepage and send in a request. Once your email address is entered into our system you will receive an email with a password to login and start using your Pet Portal today!

Please support our Helping Paws Fund. At the Northampton Veterinary Clinic we have established the Helping Paws Fund in order to assist special animals that are in need of medical assistance. Our primary focus has been assisting stray cats with medical treatments, food and in finding them a loving, permanent home. The Helping Paws Fund is utilized to update him/her on vaccinations, testing for FeLV/FIV, and to spay or neuter if necessary. We then place each cat into a loving and caring home. We also provide care to injured wildlife and occasionally to homeless dogs. Our clients' generous contributions allow us to help so many special animals live wonderful, healthy lives. We appreciate your donations and support. Thank you.

Occasionally, we will have pictures and stories of these special cases and will post them on our featured case page.