What I would expect is that you brought in their history and any previous medical records that you have, so we know where we're starting. You hopefully brought in a history of observations that you made with your kitten since you've had it. And you might have a list of questions that you want to bring in also, and obviously that you brought in a kitten! So that's what we're going to have. And then the veterinarian is going to do a full physical examination and ask you some follow-up questions as well.

Some products aren't necessarily monthly, but more commonly, they are. So for example, here we have Simparica TRIO. That's probably what we use a lot now because it's all-in-one heartworm, flea, tick, and two intestinal parasites, all in one monthly tablet. It's awesome. Revolution is a topical product whereas this one's oral. It's for heartworm, fleas, and some intestinal parasites. And then Heartgard is for heartworm and intestinal parasites. And then we have Bravecto, which is traditionally a three-month product, but we actually did just get the one month as well. So depending on where you are financially, this is good for fleas and ticks.

It’s kind of in the term there in that it’s the prevention of disease.

Preventative medication used monthly, heartworm prevention in South Louisiana is my first, second, third, fourth, and fifth answer to that question. Heartworms, are rampant. They are spread by mosquitoes. Heartworm preventative is absolutely imperative if you have a dog, and this is true anywhere, but particularly anywhere in the southern half to two-thirds of the United States. It's just everywhere. And it would be downright silly to not have them on heartworm preventatives.

Other things that may not be mandatory depending on where your dog lives and what their lifestyle is, but various flea and/or tick controls could also be considered monthly preventatives as well.

Well, for obvious reasons, if we're preventing things like infectious diseases, for example, we give a rabies vaccination to prevent that dog from getting rabies. That's pretty helpful. But also things like parvo, distemper, hepatitis—all the different ingredients in these combination vaccines. Heartworm disease, that's huge. In South Louisiana where we practice, it's rampant, really. So how do we prevent it? We prevent it by doing monthly heartworm prevention. And there's only one way to do that.

Exercise is very important in pets and people. I always associate pets with people because we all should be doing it. Play time is so healthy. I mean even most dogs, just think of how excited they even get when you say the word “walk”. I have to spell it out for my dog and I think she's catching on now. So they get so happy. So it's good for their mental wellbeing. It's good for their physical wellbeing. It's great to maintain weight, keep those joints moving, so regular exercise is one of the most important things for people and pets.

Good question. So the best thing pets have for them, unlike people is we can regulate their portions. So free feeding is the number one way pets gain weight, not from spayed even though people swear by it because my next question after people say my dog gained weight after she got fixed or spayed. I say, "Do you free feed? Or do you measure the food?" I'd say about 85% of people say they free feed and that's the number one way pets gain weight. Free feeding means you pour a bucket of food, you leave it there and let them eat. So the main way you got to get a cup, not a big coffee cup because my questions are what size or cup. Some people say this big. Some people say this big. Get a measuring cup, measure your dog's food according to their weight, feed them twice a day or three times a day or whatever your regimen is based on the food you are feeding, go by the directions on the back. If they're gaining weight, cut them back. If they're underweight, increase them a little bit, but you have to measure.

Well, pain can manifest in a lot of different signs, panting at rest. So you haven't walked, you haven't played and your pet's sitting there and open up breathing or panting, that can mean they're in pain, not wanting to get up and go out and play or go for a walk to do their normal routine. Some dogs tend to hide a little bit. The more obvious one is kind of squelching or screaming when you touch them somewhere or whiny. This can also be a sign of pain, but they can be very subtle at times and if you're concerned about that, definitely bring them into the hospital please.

Yeah, definitely. So this is a good question and check out our YouTube page because we also made a video to detect if your pets have skin issues, but licking at the paws, scratching at their ears, the cartoon where the dog's scooting their butt across the floor, we think it's so cute, but that could be an anal gland issue, a biting at the rump of the tail could indicate fleas, general normal things that they're not doing on a normal basis anymore like eating regularly, maybe they're eating less, any vomiting, diarrhea, not eating at all drinking more or less water, acting tired, not wanting to walk as far or as much. Little subtle signs like this are a good indication something potentially could be going on. And a good rule of thumb, especially with eating, think about putting yourself in that position. If you haven't eaten or drank in a day, how would you feel? And sometimes people, they wait it out a little bit. Don't do that. Just if they're not eating or drinking, please bring them in right away. That's an important sign in pets that something's going on.

There are so many diets out there and that are well formulated. So I get this question a lot. What do you recommend? So I go based on what I generally feed my dog, which I personally do like Science Diet, Royal Canin, and Purina as my top three because I know they put a lot of research into their products, but there's a lot of diets out there. So consult with your veterinarian if you have questions about what you should feed and a lot is dictated by age and lifestyle. There's puppy food, adult food, and geriatric food based on the stages of life that your pets go through. So during your regular wellness exams, I think that would be the best question. Avoid high fat foods and if you can't please avoid giving pets people food. We see so many issues with people giving pets people food.