Dog General Info

General Information

Animal Body Temperatures
Animal	Dog	Cat	Stallion	Mare	Rabbit	Pig	Goat	Sheep	Dairy Cow
Degrees Fahrenheit	102	101.5	99.7	100	103.1	102.5	102.3	102.3	101.5

Vaccinations

Puppies are initially protected from disease by antibodies passed to them through their mother's milk. While this protection declines in the first few weeks of a puppy's life, it interferes with the preventive-care benefits provided by vaccinations. Vaccines will not "take" until the maternal antibodies have faded sufficiently. Since it's not feasible to pinpoint the moment when a vaccination will be effective, puppies are given a series of shots over the first few weeks of their lives. Most veterinarians now recommend a series of at least four vaccinations at three-week intervals starting at the age of 6 to 8 weeks.

Distemper	A virus which causes severe respiratory disease and can damage the nervous system and other organs. It is spread primarily in urine or respiratory secretions from an infected animal.
Parvovirus	A viral disease which attacks and spreads rapidly. Symptoms include severe bloody diarrhea with vomiting. The diarrhea/vomit will have a harsh distinct odor.
Leptospirosis	A bacterial disease causing kidney and/or liver failure. It is spread from food contaminated with rat urine or from infected dog urine. It causes abortion in bitches.
Infectious Canine Hepatitis	A viral disease causing liver failure.
Kennel Cough	May be viral or bacterial. Infections cause harsh throaty cough (as though something is stuck in the throat). Kennel Cough is highly contagious and easily transmitted.
Rabies	Puppies receive their first rabies vaccine at 16 weeks of age and a booster one year after that. The vaccine can be good for three years thereafter, depending on the law where you live.
Coronavirus & Lyme disease	Depending on the risks in your area, your veterinarian may also recommend protection against coronavirus and Lyme disease. Your veterinarian can give you information on these diseases, as can any general-interest veterinary manual.
De-worming
Roundworms	Roundworms are active in the intestines of puppies, often causing a pot-bellied appearance and poor growth. The worms may be seen in vomit or stool; a severe infestation can cause death by intestinal blockage. Dogs become infected by ingesting worm eggs from contaminated soil. The eggs hatch in the intestine and the resulting larva are carried to the lungs by the bloodstream. Roundworms do not typically infest adults. However, as mentioned above, the larvae can encyst in body tissue of adult bitches and activate during the last stages of pregnancy to infest puppies. Worming the bitch has no effect on the encysted larvae and cannot prevent the worms from infecting the puppies.
Hookworms	These are small, thin worms that fasten to the wall of the small intestine and suck blood. Dogs get hookworm if they come in contact with the larvae in contaminated soil. As with roundworms, the hookworm larvae becomes an adult in the intestine. The pups can contract hookworms in the uterus and the dam can infest the pups through her milk. The signs of hookworm infestation include diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and progressive weakness. Diagnosis is made by examining the feces for eggs under a microscope.
Tapeworms	Another small intestine parasite, the tapeworm is transmitted to dogs who ingest fleas or who hunt and eat wildlife infested with tapeworms or fleas. The dog sheds segments of the tapeworm containing the eggs in its feces. These segments are flat and move about shortly after excretion. They look like grains of rice when dried and can be found either in the dog's stool or stuck to the hair around his anus. Tapeworms cannot be killed by the typical over-the-counter wormer; see the veterinarian for appropriate treatment.
Whipworms	Adult whipworms look like pieces of thread with one end enlarged. They live in the cecum, the first section of the dog's large intestine. Infestations are usually light, so an examination of feces may not reveal the presence of eggs. Several checks may be necessary before a definitive diagnosis can be made.
Heartworms- can be detected by blood test. The filtration test finds microfilariae in the blood; the occult test locates adult worms in the heart. Many veterinarians prefer to do both tests as the absence of microfilariae in the blood does not necessarily mean that there are no adult worms in the heart. Both tests are done with a single blood draw, preferably in the early spring before temperatures warm above 57 degrees F.	Preventive doses come in oral and topical versions and are only available from a veterinarian. Diethylcarbamazine is given daily. Ivermectin (Heartguard(3), Milbmycin (Interceptor(4)) and Moxidectin (ProHeart(5)) are given monthly. Selamectin (Revolution(6)) is a new preventive applied topically. Some of these drugs also kill other parasitic worms, and Revolution also acts against fleas, ticks, and mites. Many veterinarians recommend and many owners use a year-round heartworm prevention program to guard against the occasional mosquito flying about in southern Ohio’s relatively mild winters. If Fido has already had his yearly check-up, call your veterinarian to schedule a heartworm check. If he’s due for yearly vaccination, be sure to include a heartworm check in the visit. Notes *University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine* parasitology 4001; course synopsis available on the Internet at http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/parasit/heartworm/indexhw.html The American Heartworm Society, http://www.heartwormsociety.org/ Immiticide and Heartguard are registered trademarks of Merial Limited. Interceptor is a registered trademark of Novartis Animal Health *ProHeart* is a trademark of Fort Dodge Animal Health Revolution is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc.

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