Stone House Animal Hospital Frequently Asked Questions

Normal for cats and dogs is 101.5. However, just like with people, there can be normal variations.

Heartworm larva is transmitted by infected mosquitos. The larva travels in the bloodstream to the heart, where the worms mature. Until the heartworms have caused damage to the heart, there are no symptoms. Testing helps us find and treat them before damage occurs.

Talk with your vet! Weight reduction plans can be created, and feeding guidelines can be implemented to help. It may be necessary to run some blood tests because medical issues can lead to weight gain. As a general rule, only 10% of daily calorie intake should be from treats. Veggies can be treats, too, as long as your pet doesn’t have an allergy to them.

We do not recommend any of these. Often, these break into sharp fragments and, if swallowed, can cause damage to the throat, stomach, and/or intestines.

Safety procedures for anesthesia vary based on doctor/hospital preference. We believe safety should come first, so we require pre-anesthetic blood tests. These help us know if the liver and kidney are functioning well enough for anesthesia to be safe and determine if your pet’s blood will clot appropriately.

Call us. We keep a log of missing pets so if a good Samaritan or Animal Control brings them here, we know who they belong to! Contact Helping Hands Humane Society and post pictures on social media.

This varies based upon breed, but we generally say pets over the age of 7 are considered senior pets and should begin their senior care program.

Mouths are warm and dark – the perfect place for smelly bacteria to grow! Tartar on teeth and under the gum line can cause bad breath and a host of other health issues such as liver and heart damage. Infection of a tooth or a sore in the mouth can also cause bad breath. Pets need regular dental cleanings too. Choose a vet that does dental x-rays and uses anesthesia to do an appropriate and effective cleaning.

Yes! Environmental allergies, food allergies, and flea allergies. Where allergies in humans can be sneezing and runny nose, it is typically biting and/or chewing at feet or rump in pets. If your pet is itching or chewing on themselves, it’s best to see your vet before sores develop.

As a general rule, anything rich or fatty can cause trouble, so it’s best to just feed pet food. Be sure to stay away from grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, sugar-free gum, and anything with caffeine. These can be toxic.

Often this is an indication that their anal glands need to be expressed. Anal glands can become infected, impacted, and in some cases, can rupture. Some dogs need to have this procedure done frequently. Others don’t.

Females are spayed, and males are neutered. Both surgeries are done to keep pets from having babies. This not only helps to limit pet overpopulation but there are significant health advantages as well as potential behavioral advantages to both.

There are several indicators of pain: hiding, not playing like usual, crying, biting, sad look in their eyes, doesn’t want to get up. It is in a pet’s nature to hide its pain, so by the time you start seeing any of these indicators, they really don’t feel well and need to see a veterinarian.

Yes. Dog fight wounds can look minor, but the damage is often hidden. Imagine your shirt is your dog’s skin. Pinch a small section of your shirt and pull it away from you. If this was your dog’s skin, the entire area of your shirt that lifted away from you is the tissue that actually pulled loose under the skin. Damage like this may not heal on its own. There may be only a small mark (like where your fingers were), but the damage can be quite extensive underneath. Finding this before further problems occur is best for your pet and less expensive for you!