What to expect at your first visit
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There are some things you need to know or bring when you schedule an appointment to see the vet:

  1. If you have specific questions, write them down on a list so you don’t forget to ask them.
  2. Have all paperwork (birth date, past vaccinations, medications) from the store, breeder, or organization where you attained your animal.  If your pet has seen another vet, bring a copy of prior records.
  3. Make sure you know the answers to certain questions like:
  • How long have you had your pet?
  • How old is your pet?
  • What is it eating?  How much?
  • Any vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, or sneezing?
  • What preventatives for fleas, ticks, or heartworm are you using?

Being prepared for this first visit will make for a more efficient and thorough appointment.

Ringworm
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Ringworm is a skin infection of the skin caused by fungus.  Many different varieties of ringworm exist.  Ringworm may be spread between pets (dogs, cats, rats) and people, however this is not always the case. People can pick it up elsewhere. If a human in the household contracts ringworm, they should consult a physician.  If an animal in the household is suspected of being the carrier, consult with your veterinarian.

There is no longer a vaccination against ringworm, but there are treatments once a problem is recognized.

An infected animal may (or may not) display a lesion.  Lesions typically present as a patch of hair loss with dry, crusty skin, often in rings.  Small local lesions can be treated with topical antifungals.   If the animal has a generalized rash, then systemic treatments such as oral antifungals are often necessary.  Lime Sulfur dips are also helpful in eliminating generalized or asymptomatic ringworm.

Occasionally, an animal will be an asymptomatic carrier, meaning they show no rashes or signs of ringworm, but they carry it on their skin.  The only way to confirm an asymptomatic carrier is to do a fungal culture.  This involves a bit of wait time as fungus usually takes a while to grow in culture (at least a week).

Prevention:  One more important aspect of ringworm is that, no matter where it started, environmental treatment is essential to prevent it’s continuing or recurring later.  You can treat the infected individual, but it does like to hang around the environment.  Multi-animal households tend to have this problem more often.  To clean and prevent the spread of ringworm, use diluted bleach (1:10 with water) on hard surfaces such as floors, counters, brushes, bowls,etc.  Frequent vacuuming cannot hurt.  Ringworm can occasionally aerosolize and hang out in air-conditioning filters, etc.  Hopefully you never get to that point, but some unlucky few have.

When should I spay/neuter my pet?
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  • Howard Beach Animal Clinic recommends spay/neuter at 6 months or later.  This allows time for puppies or kittens to have all vaccine boosters completed before their surgery.  There are exceptions when an animal can be spayed/neutered earlier:
  • Castration if both testicles have descended and there is another reason for the animal to undergo anesthesia
  • Spay if a female has already had her first heat.  Wait until she is done spotting before bringing her in for spay (a spay done while an animal is in heat is a more costly and complicated surgery).  See the section on mammary cancer to see why spaying before the first or second heat is beneficial to your female animal.


How often should I feed my pet?
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This can be based on your availability, but feeding twice a day rather than just once tends to help the pet feel full for longer.  Puppies need to eat at least three times a day when they’re under 5 months because they are rapidly growing, need constant energy, and they haven’t developed enough to have a means to store energy.  If you are not available to feed more than once, it is okay to leave food out, but remember to measure out the daily requirements – no more than this!

How much should I feed my pet?
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It is important to measure how much your pet eats or should eat each day.  Each food has different calories and nutrients per cup, so it is important to find out what the company recommends for that particular food.  Most bags or cans have a guide on how much to feed per day according to your pet’s weight.  If they don’t list this information, contact the company or ask a veterinarian to help you. When referring to the recommended feeding table, please keep in mind you want to feed according to how much your pet should weigh, not how much they actually weigh.  For example, if your dog is 23 pounds but should be more like 15, feed the recommended amount for a 15 pound dog – not one in the 20′s.