A stool sample is needed if:

• Your pet is in for an annual exam, especially if not currently taking Interceptor monthly
• Your pet has diarrhea or is vomiting

A urine sample is needed if:

• Your pet is straining to urinate
• There is blood in the urine
• Your pet is urinating inappropriately around the house
• Urinating frequently
• Drinking a lot of water

If you know when your cat uses the litter box, wait until he/she has settled into the position to urinate and quietly put a clean jar lid under your cat to catch the urine. An alternative method is to confine your cat to a small room with a very clean, litterless pan (remove all old litter and scrub well!) with No-Sorb in it. No-Sorb is a non-absorbent substance that allows your cat to scratch something in the litter box, but allows you to collect the sample necessary. Once your cat has urinated, pour the urine into a clean container to bring to our office. If you are unable to deliver the sample within ½ hour the sample needs to be refrigerated. 1-2 tablespoons of urine is enough for most testing. After 12 hours the sample should be discarded and a fresh one collected.

Take your dog outside to urinate on a leash. With a clean container (shallow if it is a female dog) catch some urine, a mid-stream (not the first urine out) if possible. 1-2 tablespoons of urine is enough.

Animals age more quickly than we do, so changes in their health happen in a shorter period of time. For the same reason your doctor needs to examine you on a yearly basis, we require an exam every 2 months for any treatment except long term medications to know treatments will be effective and safe.

Indications of virtually every illness, disease, and condition your pet is susceptible to will first present itself in blood work. No matter the age of the animal, a blood workup provides us with information their history and a physical exam can’t give us. In a young or healthy animal, the blood work may be normal, establishing a “baseline” for us to measure their health by in the future. At some point, it will reveal minor abnormalities that require monitoring, medication, or diet changes. In some cases it will indicate your pet’s need for further diagnostics. Blood work is your pet’s first line of defense.

• Many puppies and kittens get intestinal worms from their mother. Adult dogs that are not routinely dewormed can carry a worm infection, often with no obvious signs.
• Adults commonly become infected when they lick grass that is contaminated from the feces of another animal.
• Tapeworm transmission is unique in that if you pet eats a flea or a mouse that is infected, they can develop intestinal tapeworms.    

• Often there are no clinical signs or there may be occasional diarrhea or vomiting. Severe worm infections can lead to poor appetite and more weight loss.
• Controlling intestinal worms is easy. A once-a-month dewormer such as Interceptor is recommended for all dogs. Puppies and kittens are routinely dewormed at each of the early vaccine visits. Indoor/outdoor cats should be kept on Revolution, or should receive deworming medication every 3-4 months to control infection.

• Heartworms are tiny thread-size worms that live in the blood vessels of their host.
• Larval worms are transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.
• These worms can accumulate in the heart and lead to coughing, decreased tolerance to exercise, heart failure and death.
• It is easily preventable through the use of once-a-month heartworm medications. These work to kill any larval worm stages that are in the bloodstream. These medications are very safe to use in dogs that are heartworm negative. They have the potential to cause serious illness if given to a heartworm positive dog.

• Required before dogs are placed on heartworm preventative either for the first time or before beginning seasonal prevention.
• We require annual heartworm testing for all dogs, even when they are on year round preventative, as recommended by the American Heartworm Society.
• The heartworm test we require annually is also a screening test for three diseases carried by ticks; Lyme Disease, Erlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis.

• By giving a monthly heartworm preventative year-round, as recommended by the American Heartworm Society.
• Interceptor and Revolution are two heartworm preventatives available. Interceptor is a beef-flavored chewable medication that also acts as a de-wormer for intestinal parasites (roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms). Revolution is a topical product that is a good option for dogs with an allergy to beef.

• If caught early heartworm disease can be treated with intramuscular injections of a medication that kills the adult worms.
• This treatment has inherent risks and hospitalization is required during treatment.
• Recovery takes 1-2 months and it is recommended to limit exercise during that time (leash-walks only).
• Complications such as heart failure or liver problems require special consideration. Further diagnostic tests may include an ultrasound of the heart and chest X-rays.

Both Interceptor and Heartgard Plus prevent heartworm infection when given properly. Interceptor has a broader spectrum of activity against intestinal parasites. Interceptor treats roundworm, whipworm and prevents hookworm. Heartgard Plus is not effective against whipworms.

Frontline protects against fleas and ticks. Advantage protects against fleas only. In this region of New York, we frequently encounter pets with ticks attached to them. Ticks can transmit many diseases including Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Frontline is safe for pets but toxic to fleas and ticks. Frontline will kill a tick within 24hours of attachment. By protecting against ticks you are able to protect against other diseases. Frontline is the only protection against ticks that can be used on cats.

Revolution protects dogs against fleas and some species of ticks (not the deer tick). It is also a heartworm preventative and is effective in treating mange ane ear mites. It does not prevent intestinal worms in dogs like Interceptor does. In cats, it protects against intestinal worms.

Like people, dogs are susceptible to Lyme disease. We frequently have dogs that test positive for exposure to the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

If your pet tests positive for Borrelia burgdorferi exposure, we may follow up with a second test that evaluates the level of exposure. If this level is very low, treatment is not required. If the level is suspect or high, treatment with antibiotics may be recommended.

Cats are thought to be highly resistant to this type of bacteria and infection in cats is rare.

Kittens age 6-8wks receive their first distemper vaccine (FVRCP). This vaccine is boostered every 4 weeks until the kitten is at least 16 weeks old. Adult cats with unknown vaccine history should have at least 2 distemper vaccines given 4 weeks apart. Rabies vaccine is given after 12 weeks of age. We recommend yearly exams thereafter, with vaccinations given according to need/risk assessment. Indoor/outdoor cats will also be vaccinated for Feline Leukemia if they are at risk.

No. If the cat is likely to escape to the outdoors or come in close contact with a cat that does go outdoors, your veterinarian may recommend a feline leukemia vaccination.

Dogs: The first time a dog receives their rabies vaccine it provides protection for 1 year. The next time they received the rabies vaccine it protects for 3 years.
Cats: In the past we have used the same vaccine that we use in dogs. As of November 2008 we are using a new vaccine that is always good for 1 year at a time. This vaccine contains no adjuvant, see below for more information.

Puppies receive their first vaccines at 6-8 weeks of age with follow up vaccines every 3-4 weeks until they reach 16-18 weeks of age. We recommend yearly exams thereafter, with vaccinations given according to need/risk

Some pets can have mild soreness or be sleepy and lethargic for 12 – 24 hours. Any vomiting, diarrhea, or difficulty breathing warrants a call to our office (Cornell Animal Hospital or Colonial Veterinary Hospital if after hours). Less common but possible vaccine reactions include hair loss at vaccine site and vaccine-induced sarcomas in cats. If your pet has a lump on their leg following vaccination that does not go away after a few weeks, it should be evaluated by your veterinarian.

We recommend yearly exams for all exotics. Ferrets are given a yearly distemper and rabies vaccine. There are no approved vaccines for the other types of exotic pets.

Rabies tags do not show the dates the vaccines were given. They also do not show the vaccine serial number. A certificate with owner’s name and a description of the animal is what is needed for the proof of rabies vaccination and that we do provide.

No time is too young for their first appointment. Vaccines are not started before 6 weeks of age, but a younger patient may checked over for general health and given a dose of dewormer.

4 months of age. The doctor who is seeing your puppy or kitten can give you a more specific recommendation.

4 months.

Dogs: 3-4 weeks after heat ends.
Cats: Can be spayed at any point in their heat cycle.

Dogs are 2 times per year usually lasting 3 weeks.
Cats will continue to go into heat every couple weeks during breeding season.

Dog: 63 days
Cat: 62-65 days

If it is clear it should be alright, if it is a greenish discharge we would recommend bringing your dog in for an appointment with the doctor.

Yes and also spays.

It is highly recommended that we meet with you for a routine appointment separate from your pet’s surgery day. This enables us to fully examine your pet, get a detailed history about their general health, and discuss any vaccine recommendations. We will offer spay/neuter surgery only (with a brief same-day appointment) for low-income clients.

There is no examination charge at your surgery recheck appointment. This visit is for the doctor to evaluation skin healing and gives your pet the green light to return to normal activity.

The first thing to do is determine if the inappropriate urination is due to a medical problem or a behavioral problem. Some common medical problems include urinary tract infections, bladder stones, inflammation of the bladder (cystitis), diabetes, and kidney disease. The first thing your pet needs is an exam by a doctor. The doctor will advise you about getting a urine sample from your pet.

Behavioral reasons for inappropriate urination can be changes in litter box locations or kind of litter, dirty litter boxes, and stress or changes in the household. Conversations with your veterinarian will identify these problems and find ways to solve them.

If your pet has diarrhea and seems at all dull or has a decreased appetite, they should be evaluated by a doctor. If the pet is acting and eating normally but diarrhea continues a bland diet can be tried. A bland diet is a diet that is easily digested. This type of diet can be Eukanuba Low Residue prescription diet, boiled chicken or hamburger and rice or potatoes. Cats with upset stomachs may improve on a temporary poultry-only diet (cooked chicken or ground turkey). Meat baby foods are also a bland diet for cats. Your pet should only be on a bland diet for a few days at a time. These diets are not balanced nutritionally and should not be used long-term without consulting your veterinarian.

There are many times that a small treat of a different food is fine, Please ask you veterinarian. Dogs on a prescription diet for food allergy/sensitivity should have nothing besides the prescription diet.

If your cat or dog comes in contact with a bat they need to be re-vaccinated for rabies within 5 days of contact, regardless of whether or not it is up to date on vaccines. Cats and Dogs that were not previously vaccinated may need to be quarantined.

Do not touch the bat yourself! If the bat was found in a room with sleeping people (who were possibly exposed) or if you believe you or anyone in your family had contact with the bat call the Tompkins County Health Department @ 274-6688 as soon as possible.

We changed the name when we incorporated in January 2006. We felt Veterinary Care of Ithaca better reflected what we do and who we are.

There are a number of companies that offer pet health insurance. ShelterCare, though the SPCA, is offered to all newly adopted pets for an additional charge. Other reputable companies include VPI pet insurance, ASPCA pet health insurance, and Petplan.

Ithaca City Clerk 108 E. Green St Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 274-6570

Danby Town Clerk Office 1830 Danby Rd Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 277-4788

Lansing Town Clerk Office 29 Auburn Rd Lansing, NY 14882 (607) 533-4142