Top 5 Reasons Why We Immunize Our Pets

With all the vaccine controversy in the news, many pet parents are wondering whether we should vaccinate our pets and if pet vaccines are actually safe. The answers to these questions are a resounding yes and yes!

Pet vaccines are some of the safest veterinary treatments available, they’re highly effective, and there are several reasons why you should continue vaccinating your pets according to the preventative care schedule recommended by your veterinarian.

Top 5 Reasons Why We Immunize Our Pets

1. It's the Law

Local laws require that pets be vaccinated against certain diseases such as rabies and distemper. Neglecting to vaccinate your pets against these diseases is against the law.

2. It Prevents Suffering and Saves Pet Lives

Vaccinating pets prevents them from contracting a variety of dangerous infectious diseases, many of which have no effective treatments.

When unvaccinated pets fall ill, veterinarians often can only provide supportive care (fluid administration and pain medications). As a result, pets are at high risk of suffering significantly, incurring permanent health damage, or even dying.

3. It Protects People

Many diseases that vaccines prevent pets from contracting are classified as zoonotic, which means they can be transmitted from pets to people. Vaccinating your pets not only safeguards your pets’ health, but also the health of your human friends, family, and neighbors.

4. It's Good for the Community

Vaccinating pets reduces the prevalence of contagious diseases throughout the community. When pets are responsibly vaccinated, there is a much lower transmission rate between wild animals, pets, and people. This improves the safety of the community overall.

5. It's Safe, Effective, and Inexpensive

It’s easy to argue that vaccines are the safest and most effective preventative care available. They work well, they’re inexpensive, and the risk of adverse reactions is incredibly small.

Plus, the cost of vaccinating your pets will always be less expensive than the cost of treating a pet that has contracted a contagious disease.

Mobile Wellness and Preventative Care for Pets

If your pet is due for vaccinations, booster shots, and a general wellness checkup, but you find it difficult to get into a veterinary clinic with your pet, then we strongly encourage you to consider establishing care with Signature Veterinary Services.

Our mobile veterinary clinic brings all the veterinary care your pet needs to stay healthy right to your doorstep. So, you can protect your pet from dangerous diseases without the stress of visiting the animal hospital.

To learn more or schedule an appointment, we welcome you to contact us today.

Dog Beach Safety Tips & Tricks

It’s summer and the prime beach-going season has arrived. Naturally, you want your dog to get in on the fun, too! So, consider the following beach safety tips for dogs to make sure your entire family – furry members included – stay safe while having fun at the beach.

5 Tips to Keep Your Dog Safe at the Beach

1. Make Sure Your Dog Likes the Beach

Not all dogs love sand, and not all dogs are natural swimmers. Before taking your dog out for a whole day at the beach, make a quick stop to see if your dog likes the sand and enjoys splashing in the water. If not, then you’ll know it’s best to leave your pet at home for your beach day.

2. Beware of Leash-Free Beaches

While you should always make sure you take your dog to dog-friendly beaches where pets are allowed, it’s not always advisable to visit beaches that don’t require leashes. Just like dog parks aren’t always the safest place for your dog, you might encounter aggressive dogs at the beach.
Instead, bring an extra-long leash to a dog-friendly beach that requires dogs to be on a leash at all times.

3. Provide Fresh Water and Shade

Although the ocean’s right there, try to keep your dog from drinking the salty water. Make sure you pack enough fresh water to keep you and your pet hydrated for the whole day. Additionally, you should bring some sort of shelter to provide shade so that your dog has a place to retreat when the sun is overhead and at its hottest.

4. Prevent Sunburn

If your dog has had a haircut or naturally has a short coat, you’ll need to prevent sunburn with a dog-friendly, chemical-free sunscreen. Lather it all over your dog’s body, paying close attention to places like the ears and snout where skin will be even more exposed to the sun.

5. Rinse Off

Sand and salt from the ocean water get trapped in your dog’s coat and can irritate his/her skin, leading to dermatological problems. Always thoroughly rinse your pet with fresh water after a day at the beach.

Maximize Your Summer Fun Time With Convenient Mobile Veterinary Care

There’s no sense in spending time driving your pet to and from a veterinary clinic when Signature Veterinary Services can bring complete veterinary care right to your doorstep. With the convenience of a mobile veterinary clinic, you can maximize your time at the beach this summer!

To learn more about establishing your pet’s care with our mobile veterinary clinic, we welcome you to contact Signature Veterinary Services today.

How to Support Someone Who Has Had to Say Goodbye to Their Pet

If you have ever lost a pet, then you know how difficult and lengthy the grieving process can be, and you probably already understand some of the ways you can support your friends and family when they endure the same situation. If you’ve never experienced saying a final goodbye to a beloved pet, then it’s important to understand that the pain of losing a pet is very real.

Keep reading to learn some helpful ways in which you can show sincerity, sympathy, and support to your loved ones during their time of loss.

5 Ways to Comfort a Friend Who Has Lost a Pet

1. Recognize the Loss

The first step in comforting a friend who has lost a pet is to simply recognize the loss. Let your friend know that you’re sorry and that you understand he or she is in pain. Additionally, it’s important to avoid trying to downplay the loss of a pet or suggest that a beloved pet can be replaced.

2. Ask How You Can Help

Directly asking your friend if there’s anything you can do during the grieving process demonstrates support and can be immensely comforting.

3. Send Something

Sending a card with a simple note to let your friend know you care or even giving them a gift card for a meal delivery service can provide comfort. No matter what you choose to do, your friend will feel a little less lonely and appreciate having you there – even if “there” is far away.

4. Help Memorialize the Pet

Without a funeral, finding closure can be difficult. You can offer to help honor your loved one’s pet with a plaque, garden statue, portrait, or even an informal memorial service.

5. Be Understanding and Base Your Support on Your Friend's Grieving Style

It’s important to understand that everyone processes loss and grief differently. Some people need to draw inward and spend time on their own to heal, while others need increased social support. Talk openly with your loved ones about what they need. Be prepared to be there for them, but don’t be offended or too worried if they would prefer to be alone.

Learn More About Navigating a Pet's Final Moments With the Help of a Mobile Veterinarian

At Signature Veterinary Service, we understand how difficult it can be to face your pet’s final months, weeks, days, or moments, and our veterinarians will be here for you every step of the way with convenient, compassionate care. We provide in-home end-of-life care and euthanasia to ensure our patients experience a peaceful, dignified passing.

To learn more we welcome you to contact our mobile veterinary clinic in Carlsbad, CA today.

How to Prepare for Flea and Tick Season

Thanks to our warm weather, fleas and ticks can be active year-round in Southern California. However, we are moving into the time of the year when they are most active. So, it’s important to prepare your home, yard, and pet to help keep your pets and you safe from parasites like fleas and ticks and the diseases they carry.

6 Tips to Prepare for Flea and Tick Season

1. Use a Preventative

The best way to protect your pets from parasites is with preventative medication. These come in several forms including oral tablets, topical ointments, and collars. It’s best to speak with a veterinarian before selecting a product for your pet because we can advise you on which products will be effective for your pet and safe for the other pets and small children in your household.

2. Do Not Mix and Match Parasite Preventatives

Parasite preventatives should not be shared among different pets in your household. Preventatives for dogs are formulated differently from those intended for cats, and dog parasite preventatives can actually be very dangerous for cats. Additionally, different sized pets will need different doses and formulations.

3. Clean Up Your Yard

Fleas and ticks thrive in grassy, brushy, and woody areas. Keep your yard free from debris and ensure all your shrubbery and grass is well trimmed to reduce parasite populations in your pet’s immediate environment. Additionally, fleas and ticks tend to concentrate around bird feeders and birdbaths. If you have these features in your yard, place them out of the way of the areas where your pet plays.

4. Clean Outdoor Pet Places

In addition to keeping your yard clean, be sure to thoroughly clean any outdoor kennels or pet houses, as these are usually highly susceptible to housing fleas and ticks.

5. Be Mindful of Where You Play and Walk

When you take your pet out for a walk, avoid areas that are brushy, have tall grass, or are heavily wooded. These are prime locations for pets to pick up fleas and ticks. Instead, pick a well-groomed walking path or stick to the sidewalk during the coolest parts of the day.

6. Even Indoor Pets Are at Risk

We can bring fleas and ticks inside on our own clothing or pets can pick them up when they go outside to the bathroom.

Schedule a Parasite Prevention Appointment With Our Mobile Team

If you want to ensure your pet is adequately protected from fleas and ticks this season, we welcome you to schedule an appointment with Signature Veterinary Services in San Diego. We’ll come your home in San Diego, Orange, or Riverside Counties and can recommend a preventative product for your pet that will be effective and safe for the entire household.

Heartworm Disease: Everything You Need to Know

April is Heartworm Awareness Month. Since April also marks the beginning of mosquito season in California and is quickly approaching, this seemed like the perfect time for us to help you make sure your pets (dogs especially) are adequately protected.

What Are Heartworms?

Heartworms are a type of parasitic roundworm that most commonly infects dogs, but can also affect cats. Heartworm larvae are delivered through the bite of an infected mosquito. These larvae then travel through a pet’s bloodstream until they reach the heart and lungs where they will mature and grow.

Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Dogs are the most common host for heartworms, which means the parasites thrive inside a dog’s body, mature, and reproduce. As many as several hundred heartworms can live inside a dog’s body. Left untreated, the parasite’s numbers will only increase, damaging the dog’s heart, arteries, and lungs.

Symptoms include:

Unaddressed, heartworm disease eventually leads to heart failure and death.

Heartworm Disease in Cats

Cats are atypical hosts for heartworms, which means the parasites don’t thrive as successfully in cats as they do in dogs. However, cats can still get heartworms that can damage their bodies. Although most heartworms don’t survive while a cat matures, a few can remain that lead to the condition called heartworm associated respiratory disease (HARD).

Symptoms of heartworms in cats include:

Additionally, heartworms in cats can move to other parts of the body like a cat’s eyes or brain where they will cause great damage.

Why Heartworm Prevention Is So Important

Heartworm disease often proves fatal for dogs and, if not fatal, it can cause serious illness in cats. While there is a treatment for dogs with heartworms, it has a low success rate. There is no treatment available for cats who have heartworms.

Annual Testing and Heartworm Preventatives for Dogs and Cats

We always emphasize the importance of preventing cats and dogs from getting heartworms in the first place and encourage our clients to be vigilant about administering their pet’s heartworm preventative. Heartworm preventatives come in monthly pill-form and injectable-form (like a vaccination given every six months).

Prior to administering a heartworm preventative, however, it’s imperative to screen a dog for existing heartworms. Administering a heartworm preventative to a dog that is already a carrier of heartworms can be fatal.

Schedule Your Pet's Heartworm Prevention Appointment Before April

To ensure your pet is protected this mosquito season, schedule a heartworm prevention appointment with Signature Veterinary Services before April. Our mobile veterinary clinic will come to you to test your pet for heartworm disease and provide you with the best preventative available.

It’s Spay/Neuter Awareness Month!

It's Spay/Neuter Awareness Month!

Each year in the United States, 6.5 million companion animals are turned into animal shelters, and every year, about 1.5 million stray animals are euthanized. Spay & Neuter Awareness Month was created to help prevent the overcrowding of animal shelters and needless deaths by spreading awareness about the importance of sterilizing our pets.

Our veterinarians at Signature Veterinary Services encourage our pet parents to spay or neuter their pets not only to prevent the birth of unwanted litters and overcrowded animal shelters, but also to provide their pets with a whole host of health benefits.

4 Benefits of Spaying or Neutering Your Pet

1. Prevent Unwanted Behaviors

Territory marking, unwanted aggression, and howling/yowling are all behaviors associated with your pet’s natural instinct to reproduce. Having a pet spayed or neutered will drastically reduce these instincts, creating a better-behaved pet.

2. Prevent Roaming

Pets that are left intact also have a tendency to roam. They’ll work hard to break out of their fences or sneak out of the house in search of a mate. Spaying or neutering your pet will eliminate their desire to wander and subsequently become lost or injured.

3. Reduce the Risk of Contagious Disease

Pets that are spayed or neutered come into contact with fewer animals throughout their lives. As a result, they’re exposed to fewer contagious diseases and are much more likely to remain healthy.

4. Eliminate the Risk of Reproductive Cancers

Spaying removes a female pet’s ovaries and uterus, and neutering removes a male pet’s testicles. As a result, cancers associated with these organs are eliminated entirely and the risk of developing other cancers, like breast cancer, are significantly reduced.

Is Spay/Neuter Surgery Safe?

The benefits of having a pet spayed or neutered far outweigh the risks. Spay and neuter surgeries require anesthesia. Our veterinarians will perform a physical examination and, depending on your pet’s age, history, and exam findings, will recommend appropriate diagnostics prior to the procedure. These tests ensure your pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.

Although there is always some amount of risk during surgeries, spaying and neutering are both common, routine procedures that our veterinarians are highly skilled and experienced at performing.

Schedule an Appointment for Your Pet Today

To schedule an appointment for your cat or dog or to learn more about sterilizing your puppy, kitten, or intact adult pet, we welcome you to contact Signature Veterinary Services. Our mobile veterinary clinic is fully equipped with a surgical suite to provide all the care your pet needs and to protect our local animal shelters from overcrowding.

Loss of a Pet: Knowing When It’s Time to Say Goodbye

Loss of a Pet: Knowing When It's Time to Say Goodbye

Paws-down, our pets are fully-fledged family members. Unfortunately, they live much shorter lives than we do, and at some point, we face the difficult, yet compassionate decision to say goodbye. Euthanasia limits suffering at the end of life and allows a beloved pet to pass away peacefully.

At Signature Veterinary Services, we understand how difficult it can be to face these end-of-life decisions. We’re highly experienced in treating aging and terminal pets; we will support you throughout every step of the process with the best interests of your pet and your family at heart.

How Do You Know When the Time for Euthanasia Has Come?

When a pet is diagnosed with a terminal illness, has been critically injured, and/or has developed quality of life concerns associated with aging, veterinarians shift the treatment approach from curative to comfort care. Comfort care (also called palliative care) focuses on managing or alleviating a pet’s pain to preserve quality of life and limit suffering during the final months, weeks, or days.

When we’re no longer able to ensure comfort or maintain some quality of life with palliative care, it becomes time to consider euthanasia. Signs that palliative care is no longer effective include uncontrolled pain, loss of appetite, withdrawal from the family, difficulty breathing, and/or extremely limited mobility.

We understand the challenges surrounding end-of-life decisions, including rapid changes in a pet’s condition. We encourage pet owners to stay in contact with our team for ongoing guidance and offer at home and virtual quality of life assessments to assist in this process.

End of Life Care in the Comfort of Your Home

Taking a trip to the veterinary clinic can be stressful, even on the best of days. When your pet’s nearing his or her final moments, the veterinary clinic is the last place your pet and your family want to be. At Signature Veterinary Services, our mobile team is fully equipped to provide quality of life assessments and end of life care in the comfort of your home. While nothing can eliminate the heartbreak of saying goodbye, having the ability to do so in your own home, where your pet and family will be most comfortable and relaxed, tremendously eases the stress.

To learn more about end of life care with Signature Veterinary Services, we welcome you to contact us today.

How to Fix These Common Canine Behavior Problems

Tearing up the house when left alone, soiling your clean carpets, pulling on the leash, jumping up on visitors, digging, chewing, and other destructive behaviors are concerns for every dog owner. While we love their rambunctious energy, it takes a lot of training and reinforcement of positive behaviors to help your dog feel secure and understand the behaviors you expect from them. With the right solutions, however, you’ll be able to rein in your dog’s energy and teach some very important manners that’ll help him or her live a happy, well-adjusted life.

1. Excessive Barking

If your dog keeps you up at night or has your neighbors complaining about noise whenever you leave the house, then your dog might have a barking problem. The first step in addressing your dog’s barking is to figure out what kind of barking it is. Identifying whether it’s territorial, alarm-barking, or another reason (see the ASPCA’s complete list) will determine how you need to approach training.

2. Chewing

Like barking, dogs chew, dig, and destroy their surroundings for various reasons and the first step is to figure out if your dog is bored, stressed, has excessive energy, or might be suffering from separation anxiety. Try increasing playtime with your dog to help him or her expend more energy. Keep plenty of dog-friendly toys around your house and reward your pup when he or she chooses to play with them.

Remember that puppies chew because they’re teething. In this case, try to provide them with plenty of chew toys and encourage them to focus on those rather than on your loafers.

3. Aggression

Aggression can occur as a result of poor socialization during puppyhood, but it also may signify that your pet has an underlying health issue. Start with a checkup, especially if the aggressive behavior is uncharacteristic.

Rule Out Medical Concerns First

Before getting upset with your dog’s behavior, schedule a physical examination. Behavior changes and unwanted behaviors, such as aggression or house soiling, can indicate an underlying medical issue. It’s always best to rule out the possibility that your pet is sick before focusing your attention solely on training.

Schedule a Checkup and Behavior Consultation with Signature Veterinary Services

If your pet has been acting up recently or has a bad habit that you haven’t been able to train them out of, then we encourage you to schedule an appointment with our mobile team at Signature Veterinary Services, serving pets in San Diego, Orange, and Riverside Counties. We can help you investigate possible underlying medical problems that could be contributing to behavior issues, and also provide you with useful resources and advice for correcting your pet’s unwanted behaviors. Contact us to schedule an appointment today.

Giving Your Pet Medication

Giving Your Pets Medication

Whether sick with an infection, recovering from surgery, managing a chronic condition, or treating ongoing pain, pets are often prescribed medications and supplements to help. At first, having a pet in need of medications can seem overwhelming, but with these tips, it’ll be a breeze.

4 Tips for Getting Your Pets to Take Their Medications

1. Follow Instructions

Closely follow all the instructions your veterinarian provides to ensure that you store medications properly (at the correct temperature) and administer them in the correct dose to your pet.

2. Use Administration Aids

Pets – especially cats – are picky about the things they eat. You can hide medicine in food or special treats to encourage pets to take their medications. Pet pillers and special restraint techniques can also facilitate medication administration.

3. Keep a Calendar

To avoid forgetting your pet’s medicine or administering it too frequently which can easily happen in busy households, keep a calendar and mark each day and time you give your pet his or her medication. If you miss a dose or accidentally double up, be sure to contact your veterinarian right away to find out what to do.

4. Ask About Compounding

If you struggle to administer your pet’s meds, ask about whether they can be compounded into a different form (capsule, liquid, powder, or treat) and/or flavor.

4 Pet Med Safety Precautions

1. Don't Share Prescriptions

Some human and pet medications are the same. However, your pet’s dose and instructions will differ from yours. Seemingly minor differences can have catastrophic consequences in pets whose metabolism is not identical to that of their human counterparts.

2. OTC Medications Are Off-Limits

Over the counter medications are safe for people, but they can be dangerous, toxic, and deadly for pets. Store these medications in a place where your pet won’t be able to access and accidentally ingest them.

3. Store Medications Separately

It’s extremely important to store your medications and supplements separately from those of your pets. This will ensure you never inadvertently confuse them, which could have adverse consequences.

4. Choose a Reputable Pharmacy

Depending on how they are manufactured, stored, and handled, pet medications and supplements can vary greatly in quality and efficacy. Select a reputable pet pharmacy, such as the one attached to or associated with a veterinary clinic.

Pet Prescription and Supplies from Our Mobile Clinic

At Signature Veterinary Services, we stock our mobile clinic with prescription medications and can readily and expediently order most medications that we do not regularly carry. Plus, we invite our clients to use our online store, which is an extension of our in-house pharmacy. When you get your pet’s supplies and medications directly from the veterinarian, you can always count on receiving high-quality products.

Should You Get Health Insurance for Your Pet?

Although people have insurance for themselves, their homes, vehicles, and other valuables, many pet owners aren’t aware that health insurance is available for their pets. Others simply choose not to purchase it.

Without pet health insurance, however, you might not be able to cover the cost of your pet’s veterinary care, and no pet owner should ever have to choose between their beloved pets and their finances.

At Signature Veterinary Services, we want to raise awareness about pet health insurance and the reasons why it’s a smart investment.

Is Pet Health Insurance Worth It?

Routine veterinary care is affordable and includes regular expenses that can be anticipated. It’s easy to budget for services like annual wellness plans, checkups, vaccinations, and health screenings.

If a pet falls ill, ingests a foreign object or poison, or has a traumatic injury, unexpected veterinary costs are significant. When you account for the price of anesthesia, medications, procedures, supportive care, and recovery, the cost of veterinary services such as emergency care, sick pet care, and pet surgery can add up to thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, most Americans have little savings and can’t afford to cover a $1,000-dollar emergency.

In these cases, pet owners and veterinarians have their hands tied. Although everyone wants to make the best decisions for a pet’s treatment, covering the costs without pet health insurance often is not feasible.

How Much Does Pet Insurance Cost?

Pet health insurance premiums can cost anywhere from $30 to $90 per month. Premiums depend on the policy you choose for your pet, your deductible amount, your pet’s breed, and often their health history. There are a variety of pet health insurance policies available, and you’ll be able to choose the one that best meets your needs.

How Does Pet Health Insurance Work?

Similar to health insurance for people, every pet health insurance policy is different and works a little differently. Pet insurance policies typically have deductibles, which means you’ll pay a certain amount of your pet’s veterinary bill before the insurance company covers either all or a percentage of the remaining balance. Depending on your policy, you might be responsible for paying the veterinary costs upfront and submitting the bill for reimbursement.

Pet Emergencies Happen; Be Prepared with Pet Insurance

No matter how carefully you care for your pets, emergencies and unexpected illnesses can still happen. When your pet has an emergency, the last thing you want to worry about is money. Be prepared. Ask Signature Veterinary Services about pet health insurance policies today.

Top 5 Reasons Why We Immunize Our Pets