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  • Home
  • About
    • Services
    • Our Accreditations
    • Our Team >
      • Our Doctors >
        • Dr. Anna Migneco
        • Dr. Aaron Willis
        • Dr. Betsy Marziani
        • Dr. Claire Beckmeyer
        • Dr. Brittney Haffner
      • Our Technician Team
      • Our Client Services Team
    • Virtual Tour
    • Testimonials & Reviews
  • Resources
    • Online Pharmacy
    • Purina Home Delivery
    • Petly Pet Portal
    • Client Forms
    • Fear Free Resources
    • Medical Resources >
      • Dental Resources
      • Behavior Resources
      • Nutrition Resources
    • Veterinary Care Charitable Fund
    • Pet Memorials
    • Blog
  • Contact

The latest @ Hillside

Rabies and Your Pet's Exposure Factor

4/30/2019

7 Comments

 
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Descriptions of rabies go back thousands of years as it has classically been one of the most feared infections of all time. It is caused by a rhabdovirus that, in most cases, the disease is transmitted through a bite wound. So, you may find yourself asking, why does my indoor cat or dog that only goes outside to potty need a rabies vaccine? And the answer is, wildlife CAN and WILL come inside. The most common wildlife species to spread rabies in Missouri are the skunk, bat, raccoon, fox and coyote. It should be noted that wildlife (bats and raccoons especially) are able to gain access to indoor areas and potentially infect pets and people. Did you know there was recently a bat positive with rabies in St. Louis county?

It is because of rabies that St. Louis has pet licensing requirements in order to ensure that the community’s dogs and cats are vaccinated. When wildlife encounters humans or domestic animals, rabies becomes a public health problem. Despite vaccination being readily available, every year the U.S. reports the deaths of hundreds of dogs and cats from rabies, not to mention several human deaths. Rabies remains an important and nearly untreatable illness even now in the 21
st century.

While it may take a long time for the virus to incubate, once even mild symptoms begin, death can occur within 10 days. Luckily, rabies prevention is accomplished with vaccination and limiting exposure to wildlife. The standard killed-virus vaccines are available for both cats and dogs. After the initial dose, (which is good for one year) subsequent doses are generally good for three years in Missouri. Call Hillside Animal Hospital today to ensure your family and pets are protected against rabies.

Meagan, RVT
Hillside Animal Hospital


7 Comments

FNAs ASAP!

4/18/2019

0 Comments

 
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When our veterinarians ask you if we can perform a fine needle aspirate on your pet what we should say is, "We need an FNA ASAP."
FNAs (or fine needle aspirates) are a diagnostic tool that we can use in our office, for a relatively low cost. They can give us important answers to the new lump that you found on Fido. Fine needle aspirates are performed very quickly in the exam room. The procedure involves inserting a needle into a growth either on or just below the skin in the subcutaneous area. When we pull back on the syringe either fluid or just a few cells are "aspirated" out of the lump. We then plunge the syringe and the contents are expelled onto a clear glass slide. The slide is then stained and dried so that we can examine the cells under the microscope.
What we see under the lens (cytology) can either give us a slight clue or a definitive diagnosis of what the lump may be. There are a handful of tumors that we can say what they are, right then and there, such as lymphoma and mast cell tumors. In these cases it is very important to start treatment right away to give Fido the best prognosis. There are also many cases where FNAs are just one step in the diagnostic tree. They can provide enough information for us to recommend whether or not additional diagnostics and/or treatments are needed. We may recommend surgical removal of the lump followed with biopsy (tissue sent to the lab for a definitive diagnosis or staging of the lump). We may recommend chemotherapy or radiation to reduce the size of the tumor. We also may recommend leaving the tumor alone and monitoring it for changes in size, texture, or shape.
The knowledge we gain from this simple test could save Fido's life, thats why we always recommend performing FNAs ASAP. 

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