My family & I debated after calling Hawaii Dept of Agriculture on the quarantine who told us that 5 day or less is pretty much the same as Direct Airport Release.Direct Airport Release just means you pay $165.00 and your dog is released right then & there.Of course,there’s the paperwork:health certificate,rabies vaccines,titer results etc…send in the cashier’s check…
Once I asked the DOA staff about Frontline or Only Natural Pet All in One Flea Remedy(The requirement is that the owners use something with the poison Firpronil(sp?)on their dog 14 days prior to departure from the state(Hawaii) along with everything above…)the staff said it has to be Frontline..I guess not many owners ask about natural alternatives for ticks as she had had no clue what I was talking about and that it was okay for ticks! Now,once I heard that,I became very very skeptical…simply being,one..Lacey never had Frontline..Two…when you google it…there is frontline for smaller dogs but the question is how small is small we’re talking for the dog’s weight???!Google more and you will find the frontline for small dogs if you look very closely at the picture will say 11-22 pounds…Lacey is about 7 pounds so we were debating saying that we could use 1/3 of the amount or just say yea,we put it on…put the lot # and all BUT looking at the paperwork..it says the Vet MUST apply Firpronil(sp?) aka Frontline on the dog 14 days prior to departure…so that means Dr Kaya would apply the whole application for whatever size dog the sample(that we had gotten when Lacey went to VCA for her first puppy check up)is…The reason I am so concerned is that when you google frontline maltipoo there is/was in fact a owner whose maltipoo is just about the same size as Lace who seems to have appeared a seizure after application…Lacey’s health has been so good since she turned 2 I’d really hate to mess that up & have her suffer a seizure based on one bad judgment that we made…Thinking of ourselves before considering health risks/sufferings…
Reality is,no matter what size dog you have whether you vaccinate/or use anything a typical vet prescribes you are as a matter of fact placing the dog at risk so owners just have to use their best judgment…I don’t think I could’ve made a better decision for Lacey about not vaccinating her & have such a sound/peaceful mind about it…Although there are dogs whose immune systems who have not vaccinated they CAN still contract Parvo/and or autoimmune problems but in a few dogs’ cases they were way beyond the years of the time they spent on earth.You’re talking dogs past 15 and up to as old as ~18 years old for a dog.
So,we decided Lacey’s health was not risking & although we got her titer we won’t be going to California…There’s way too much at risk to put ourselves in that position..Of course,things can change over the years like maybe in the future the DOA will know about natural tick products but if we ever consider it again with any future dogs we’ll definatly keep the qurantine paperwork & call the DOA first about the tick requirement(using natural tick prevention).So..Lacey & the family will be going to Maui instead!
Tag Archives: vca animal hospital
Barks & Thanks to VCA University for a Christmas Card
Many Barks & Thanks of appreciation go out to VCA University Animal Hospital for their wonderful and dedicated staff to help care for Lacey this past year.Thoughts of remembering Lacey on Christmas reminds us how lucky we are to have chose a great caring team of staff & physicians to help keep our Lacey healthy as possible.Words can’t even come close…Barks & hugs to the staff who signed her Christmas Card!
Dental Cleanings
So,for dental cleanings after going back & forth with my mom about how pets in the city could do anesthesia free dental cleaning for $75 a time my mom wanted all the vet records in one place(although if it were my $$$ I’d do it the cheaper route & painless route as to $100+one day hospitalization fees) so I told her why don’t we have Dr Kaya do annual dental cleanings on her already from next month(January) since he already mentioned about it as a prevention.If we wait til it gets worse the more $$$ you need to shell out.There’s no doubt that brave Lacey will breathe on her own when she’s in surgery.Meanwhile,we’re also looking for natural ways.Not exactly sure what we’re looking for but I sortof have an idea of what the general idea is…
Lacey’s 2nd Annual with Dr Kaya,December 4,2010
So,Lacey had her second annual with Dr.Kaya this morning at 1030am.Today her weight at the vet was 7.3 meaning her weight at home would be 6.9.We always add .4 oz to the weight.That’s the difference we’ve noticed since I’ve been keeping tabs on her weight.Ideally depending on the dry dog food(always high quality)her weight can be ideal from 5.8(home weight)to 7.8(home weight)but generally on Earthborn,Taste of the Wild,Solid Gold it’s ideal for her to be typically about 7.4(at the lowest home weight) to 7.8(heaviest for her home weight).On Acana/Orijen types of food she’s typically anywhere as low as 5.8(lowest home weight) to 7.2(heaviest home weight) still getting the same amount of food and walking time.They have noticed she has dropped some and I did mention(& now they are wise to ask us if she’s still on the same food because with us before it can change quite often so that’s a smart move to ask us if her foods are current.Good observation on the vet techs!)
Today Lacey had her first Rabies shot which she stayed so still for.The rabies shot which we need to go back on January 8 2011 at 9:00am for her second rabies & then they will send it for a test with results in February 2011.She also got her Boardatella vaccination,heartworm test & fecal exam.Her heart murmur is still there…
One thing that we did find is although her teeth is being brushed nightly we found the start up of gingivitis.Dr Kaya mentioned a lot of toy breeds in particular Maltese(which she seems to be taken after more)is more prone to periodontal diseases.Dr Kaya mentioned although it’s not a concern right now in a few years it would be wise for her to go under anesthesia for teeth cleaning.Once she turns 5-6 he recommends dental cleanings as often as needed.But as much as possible he TRIES to keep it to a limit. So,we were talking about it as a family & I recommended that she go to Pets In The City for anesthesia free teeth/dental cleaning at least once a year $75 per time still it’s less than paying $100+ at VCA. anyways,we went walking this afternoon & one of our neighbors mentioned that his dogs too did have gingivitis while giving people food but once he stopped there was no gingivitis and so I told my parents why don’t we try that?No people food for about a month.Just dry food & if at any point we NEED to give her can food to brush her teeth about an hour after she eats(treating it as you’d treat a human after they eat candy)as a precaution.If it does not clear up then it could clearly be genetics but we don’t know till we try.Meanwhile we’re looking up gingivitis on the web to see what we can find because we don’t want her to go under anesthesia unless she has to.Afterall,her health is our greatest interest is ultimately what’s the best for her & leaving the worst to the last.
Generally,she’s doing well in terms of medical health so that’s really good to know.
Lacey’s Annual August 7 2010
Lacey’s annual went very well.Today there was no heart murmur!Yea!!!!Best news ever!No vaginitis and no licking.Only thing was there’s some tarter build up so we’re going to get her the PetzLife Oral Spray..Many owners swear by it and we’ve been looking into it but since we didn’t need it I didn’t say anything about it.Dr Kaya recommended Leba III but I try to get her items that’s all natural.We mentioned that we found fleas on Lacey and got her flea & tick spray along with flea shampoo.Dr Kaya mentioned really there’s no need for flea shampoo as it’s medicated…Also that fleas are supposed to be killed within 36 hours.Also took a fecal exam.In December Lacey will get her rabies shot with a 2 month time frame which will allow her to go to the mainland for three years.After 2 rabies shots she gets a rabies test which will take a month before we get results.All in all it was an excellent visit!!
Lacey’s last night of Octomax,observation til Thursday
Last night was Lacey’s last night of Octomax.Today til Thursday morning I will be observing her & checking her vulva4 times a day to make sure she’s not licking it or it’s dirty.I will call VCA on Thursday.I don’t plan to put Octomax if it’s dirty until after we talk to Dr Kaya.
Update:April 29,2010:Lacey has not been licking her vulva which is a good sign that the staph infection is not affecting her.That’s the last thing we need is more vet bills!If she does lick more than for usual cleaning a call will be made to Dr Kaya.
04012010:Suspician of UTI
This morning when my mom was taking her meds in the morning Lacey went over to my mom to paw at her while she was taking her medicine.To me,it was signaling to us that she was trying to tell us that “I need meds.Where is my medicine?”was the impression that I got.Still when we checked her vulva this morning it was clear and not red at all.We still called and made a appt.At 11am we went to see Dr Lee Loy because Dr Kaya had the day off & Dr Shoji was in surgery.Along with going to see Dr Lee Loy I typed up her health history from last November-March 30 2010 on dry food & symtpoms.I let them keep the copy since I always write that type of things down.Weight was good.7.10 from 7.11 in March.
Dr Lee Loy said a lot of the symptoms are linking towards a UTI but because Lace did not have anough urine she could not take a sample.Lace was prescribed Clavamox.I did give her some treats earlier this morning & she did have can food for breakfast so I didn’t expect her to eat much for dinner.
She stayed very still for Dr Lee Loy while she did the usual checkings.
This morning she didn’t have a lot of energy & was laying around a lot more.staying on my dad’s lap longer…
When it was dinner time I gave her dry food since Clavamox could cause soft bowels I didn’t want to give her can food.I gave her 1/4 cup of TOTW Bison Formula,Halo’s & Earthborn.She ate about an 1/8 cup after we chopped up some chicken into her dry food.When we showed her the bottle she gave a little wag & accepted the Clavamox(powder form)with very little struggle.Minutes later her energy level is up.Wants to play.Doesn’t lay down as much.Lapping up water,smiling more…
VCA Boarding & other options for boarding
While it is not the best place to board Lacey,it certainly appears she really liked a “short visit”.This afternoon my parents & I brought Lacey along to VCA where they asked us”What’s Lacey here for her today?” & we replied we”re here to take a look at the boarding facility.Still Lacey was wagging her tail in the building all the way to the back room where they board animals.While it’s certainly not the best place but somewhat durable there were kennels for small dogs & larger kennels for big dogs.Asked if she can be kenneled with another dog they said normally they don’t do that unless they get the owner’s permission or they are from the same household.Anyways the kennels have paper in it with a metal food and water bowl.They are taken out to the back yard(a medium area) to go pee & make their poo.sanitary is good.Staff wasn’t a problem.They weigh the dog daily & monitor the dogs food.While I do think they are “capable” of caring for Lacey(speaking on terms of boarding not medical needs–they do great with that alone–)and she seems to have thought she was staying overnight there by the way she wagging her tail & barking at the staff named Trisha.We were all set w/her food but since it seems like we won’t be going to the big island till late April we have some time to look at the other places in town starting w/Ohana Doggie Day Care,Pets In The City,Tails of Hawaii & at the least VCA University. My dad mentioned looking at the place first before making reservation & I fully agreed as other owners say the place will speak for itself & go from there.
Lacey’s Boardatella mixup & boarding arrangement issues
At first we were going to go with DiVentus so I called them up last year & everything was “ok”.so we got her the Boardatella shot that she needed…..Then we find out VCA does have boarding at their facility.I already know that staff is there even at night so I am not worried about that.However they do feed Hills’ Science Diet…I posted on a dog website about placing her there and some owners have reservations about places like this because dogs may or may not get the care they needed including exercise…Exercise is part of Lacey’s routine….While as Dr Kaya pointed out they do have her records there which is good however what concerned me was what one owner mentioned there is still a good chance she could get sick even fully vaccinated & most times dogs who board at the vet NEEDS the care for a underlying medical condition which Lacey does not have at the moment & just got done with some of the symptoms…So..I was looking at DiVentus,Pets in the City or Ohana Doggie Day Care followed by Tails of Hawaii…When I tried to call DiVentus both numbers worked but one number it would ring for over a minute and no one picked up.The second number it would ring for less than a minute then cut me off.I was so certain of Di Ventus because it looked like home..they had everything in place…very organized….nice living room…..you can find more about my thoughts on DiVentus on Lacey’s website…so that lead me to call a few other places..Ohana Doggie Day Care was out because she need 2 day care days within 30 days prior to boarding.Tails of Hawaii was willing to work with us and had a time set for her to visit after discussing cage free vs kennel options…but whem we looked at the paperwork that Lacey needed the Boardatella was not listed for current or there was no charge for it on the receipt of her January 25 2010…Find her reaction to it on her website…
So we went back & forth for most of the day calling up VCA to verify things.Spoke to one worker who I don’t normally speak to (not that I don’t like her but she usually doesn’t pick up the calls.All the staff at VCA are awesome & Lace looks forward to entering the building and seeing Dr Kaya..She wags her tail…A happy pup has a happy owner).I so happened to call back VCA because I saw we had a missed call from VCA.Not knowing what they called for I called them back.I then spoke with one of the workers that I usually speak to & we verified it w/Dr Kaya that she did indeed get her Boardatella shot.It was a mistake on their part & the fact that they recognized that tells me a lot.Even with the best care once in a while you have to check the receipt.Overall VCA is a very trustworthy place to bring any pet.So..tomorrow we will check it out as far as cleaning goes,sanitation,if they will kennel Lacey with another dog around her size will be helpful.I have got her Halo’s ready 1 1/2 cups of dry food in case she gets “extra hungry” since she won’t be having many treats or table food like she usually does…I doubled her usual portion from 1/4 daily to 1/2 cup daily.They can do can food,dry food,a combination of both or just can or dry food but as long as she does not get more than half cup per day.We’ll bring her bottled water & maybe one toy.
02162010Lacey’s Spay:Lacey comes home from her spay 02162010
Lacey came home from VCA this afternoon around 2:00pm(HST) & was still groggy when we went to pick her up.After she came home she rested for a few hours.Threw up a couple times.Went outside for two or three minutes.Drank water about 630pm(HST).is started to lick her stitches but every time I catch her doing that I tell her “NO,LEAVE IT”then she stops.We got the e-collar Dr Kaya sent home but hopefully we won’t have to use it.Dr Kaya gave us a 30% discount credited to Lacey because she was such a good patient and breathed on her own!Most dogs you have to breath for them and won’t breath on their own like Lacey so that was great to hear!!
