Interlude

I just thought I'd take this time when I don't have anything funny to post to do a little public service announcement.

If you have a dog, there are certain "things" that should be like routine maintenance on your car. If you have a car, you change the oil every 3,000(ish) miles, rotate the tires every 8,000, and occasionally get new tires, charge the air conditioner, etc. Right? The same is true for your dog. Ideally, the following schedule should me maintained.

1) Every year vaccinate against Lymes and Lepto if you are in a susceptible or at-risk area.

2) Rabies vaccine every 1 or 3 years, depending on type of vaccine. It's the LAW.

3) The "distemper" shot every 1-3 years, again depending on vaccine type. The vaccine everybody just calls distemper actually vaccinated for 4-6 diseases depending on vaccine. This usually includes Parvo, Adeno, and Distemper, also may include Parainfluenza. This is the one that gripes me the most, as puppies that go without this vaccine can get parvo and DIE.

4) Heartworm prevention every month. Heartworm is very preventable these days in an easy and relatively inexpensive format. Inexpensive compared to treating for heartworm, certainly. Just do it, idiots!!!

5) Flea control that works every month. Hartz, BioSpot, SpotOn, Seargants, flea collars and flea baths DON'T WORK, SO USE THE PRODUCTS THAT WORK like Advantage, Frontline, Comfortis, and a range of others that you can GET FROM YOUR VETERINARIAN. These will work, unlike that drek you get from Wal-Mart.

6) And for goodness sake, if your dog has been vomiting for three weeks, having diarrhea for a week, hasn't eaten in three days and looks like a bag of bones on a stick with sunken in eyes and drool coming out of his mouth, do NOT ask me to update his vaccines while he's here and give him a nail trim. He has OTHER issues, thank you very much.