EAST MARYLAND ANIMAL HOSPITAL
NOW OFFERS LATEST IN PERMANENT PET IDENTIFICATION
Microchip Identification Seen as Part of a
Program of Responsible Pet Care
PHOENIX, AZ – March 1, 2009 – East Maryland Animal Hospital is pleased to announce we now offer the HomeAgain® Pet Recovery Service, a permanent, unalterable method of pet identification responsible for the successful reunion of more than 200,000 lost pets with their rightful owners.
To help control the pet population, cut down on disease and reduce the number of lost pets that are euthanized because they cannot be properly identified, East Maryland Animal Hospital recommends that pet owners follow a three step program of responsible pet care – spay/neuter, vaccinate and microchip.
HomeAgain is an advanced pet identification and retrieval system. A microchip with a unique identification code is implanted under the skin between the shoulders of the pet. The pet is enrolled in the HomeAgain Recovery Service. HomeAgain maintains a national database and is available 24-hours daily, 365 days a year. When a lost pet is found, it can be scanned at an animal shelter or the clinic of a participating veterinarian. The animal’s identification number is called into HomeAgain, and the pet owner is notified immediately.
Currently, more than two and a quarter million pets microchipped with HomeAgain are enrolled with the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service. Today, pet recoveries as a result of the HomeAgain microchip have grown to an average of 7,000 per month in the U.S. and a successful recovery is now occurring approximately every six (6) minutes.
Pets enrolled in the recovery network also receive collar tags to wear with their HomeAgain identification number and the toll-free recovery hotline. The tags alone help identify lost pets, but tags/collars can easily come off. A microchip provides permanent identification that remains in place and functional for the life of the implanted animal.
The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and you cannot see the microchip after it is implanted in the dog or cat. The procedure is simple and similar to administering a vaccine. The microchip comes preloaded in a sterile applicator and is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades. Extensive testing and long-term studies have shown the HomeAgain microchip is safe for pets.
The veterinarians at East Maryland Animal Hospital urge that with microchip identification, a pet that is lost can be shown the way home. The case for having pets implanted with a microchip is a strong one, as the statistics show that microchipping is the best, most reliable method of permanently identifying pets.
The facts do not lie:
- 30-60% of lost pets in shelters are euthanized because they cannot be properly identified and returned to their owner.
- Only about 14% of dogs and 4% of cats who end up in shelters are returned to their rightful owners.
- Less than 25% of all animals that enter shelters are adopted by new owners.
- About 2 million pets that are reported missing each year may be victims of theft.
- Collar tags are a great way to identify lost pets and reunite them with their owners, but they can easily come off or be removed.
- Tattoos are difficult to remove from an animal, but they are still not 100% reliable. Tattoos can be altered, fade, or blur, and are not always easy to read.
- Reading a microchip is far easier than trying to read the tattoo of a frightened stray animal.
- Microchipping is permanent, completely unalterable, and does not change or harm the appearance of the animal in any way. The procedure is safe, inexpensive, fast and virtually painless for the animal.
- There are about 50,000 microchip scanners currently in use by shelters, veterinarians, and municipal organizations in the U.S.
For more information about the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service, please visit http://www.HomeAgain.com on the World Wide Web.East Maryland Animal Hospital Introduces New, Safer Feline Vaccines
East Maryland Animal Hospital Implements Newer, Safer Vaccines for feline patients
September 2008
We have recently switched our feline vaccine products to the Merial PureVax® (http://purevax.us.merial.com/) line of vaccinations exclusively for your kittens and adult cats. These innovative products are different than other vaccines on the market in that they are non-adjuvanted vaccines. These vaccines are safer for your pet in that they are designed to help prevent the problem of vaccine associated sarcomas (malignant tumors/cancer) in cats. We now administer all of our Feline Leukemia vaccines through the needle-less, safer form. The needle-less administration is given through a burst of air that travels through the skin and achieves safer, better immunity for your cat.
What is an adjuvant?
Adjuvants are chemical additives in vaccines that are designed to incite an inflammatory response at the vaccination site and start the body’s process of building immunity to the virus; unfortunately, the adjuvants can also cause injection site reactions, chronic inflammation, and possible vaccine associated cancers. Vaccines that are non-adjuvanted have clinically been proven safer and equally effective compared to traditional vaccines that contain adjuvant.
Common Feline Vaccinations:
FVRCP (this is a 3 in 1 vaccine for Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia). Now a 3 year vaccine. Recommended for all cats.
Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis: This virus is highly contagious and causes upper respiratory tract and ocular disease. Kittens and older cats are most susceptible, but it can affect cats of any age. Effective treatment is limited, secondary bacterial infections are common, and once contracted the cat may be a lifelong carrier and have recurrent problems.
Calicivirus: This virus is also highly contagious and causes upper respiratory infections, ocular disease, and oral ulcers. Cats can develop fever, pneumonia, and lameness as well. Treatment is also limited (i.e. to symptomatic and supportive care), and cats may also be lifelong carriers.
Panleukopenia: Also known as feline distemper, this virus is very similar to the canine parvovirus. It is highly contagious and often fatal, and kittens are most severely affected. Symptoms include lethargy, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal pain, and neurological disease.
FeLV (Feline Leukemia). Vaccination still recommended annually for at risk cats. Boosters are recommended for all kittens. Now administered using a specialized device that does not require an injection!Infection with this virus can lead to a number of different health concerns in your cat. Kittens are most susceptible to infection, and outdoor cats or multiple cat households are more vulnerable than indoor only cats. Transmission is through saliva and other body fluids with prolonged contact: fighting, mutual grooming, sneezing, sharing food and water, and from a pregnant queen to her offspring. Symptoms vary widely and include fever, lethargy, inappetence, oral disease, respiratory disease, chronic skin sores, neurological signs, secondary infections, and even cancer. Cats may even carry the virus for years without showing symptoms. There is no specific treatment for this disease. Testing is always recommended in kittens and in at risk cats.
Rabies. Recommended yearly for at-risk cats; required for boarding or grooming appointments.
This is almost a 100% fatal disease that affects the central nervous system of all mammals. Transmission occurs primarily through contact with saliva of infected animals (skunks, foxes, raccoons, coyotes, bats) usually via bite wounds or broken skin. Symptoms include confusion, disorientation, anxiety, aggression, seizures, paralysis, and death.
Rattlesnake Vaccine Now Available
We are now carrying the rattlesnake vaccine manufactured by Red Rocks Biologics, which can be administered as an attempt to reduce the risk of death in dogs that are bitten by rattlesnakes. Vaccination will help build your pet’s immune system against snake venom, which can reduce the overall effects of a snakebite, reduce or eliminate the need for antivenom, and decrease other treatment costs as well.
We recommend your dog receive two doses of the vaccine one month apart, and then a booster annually thereafter. Once your doctor has approved the vaccine for your pet and administered the first dose, the subsequent boosters can be scheduled as technician appointments.
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