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February is National Pet Dental Health Month.  We talk about teeth a lot in veterinary medicine.  The reason is that dental health is important.

Dental health can affect your pet’s quality of life, other internal organs and if neglected Continue…

Love your pet?  Give them heartworm prevention!

Of course you love your pets, but do you love them year round by keeping them on heartworm prevention?  You probably do love your pets all the time!  Ok, maybe not when Rover tears into last night’s trash or when Fluffy vomits a hair ball on your newly cleaned comforter but most days, we all love our pets.  What does loving our pets entail?  Part of loving them is keeping them safe.  One of the biggest dangers to a pet in Texas is heartworm disease.

Is heartworm disease on the rise?

The answer is unfortunately, yes.  In Bexar County, the risk Continue…

Is Safety That Important?

When we think of the holidays we aren’t always focused on safety.  This doesn’t mean that we

shouldn’t be, especially if we have pets.  Holiday safety is very important and something that if overlooked can put a real damper on your holiday season.

It Sparkles and Shines

Safety with pets around the holidays can be simple and can include suggestions that are easy to implement.  Tinsel, garland, ribbon on packages or yarn are so inviting for cats, kittens and puppies.  These twisty, toy-like objects are Continue…

What in the world do all these appointments mean?

In the world of veterinary medicine, it is very simple, these are all appointment types.  At Hill Country Animal Hospital we operate with an appointment schedule.  This means that our clients call to schedule appointments to have their pets seen by the doctors.  These are called Continue…

What is a pet microchip?

May is Microchip Awareness Month and we want to help you become aware of the importance of microchips.  A pet microchip is a small, electronic device encased in a protective shell.

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is implanted under the skin of pets to provide a means of identification once the pet is scanned.  A microchip is the gold standard for reuniting lost pets with owners but only if the chip is registered!  Otherwise a microchip cannot be traced back to an owner. Continue…

April is National Heartworm Awareness Month 

Hill Country Animal Hospital wants to increase your heartworm awareness level and  make sure you understand how important keeping your pet on heartworm prevention really is.

How Are Heartworms Transmitted?

Heartworms are transmitted to your dog or cat via mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes become infected by biting a dog or cat that has heartworm disease and then can spread heartworms to subsequent dogs or cats that they bite.  Dogs are a natural host for heartworms and that is why most of the emphasis is on prevention and treatment in dogs.  Cats can be a host but they are an atypical host.

Once the animal has been infected, heartworms grow to about a foot long and live in the heart and lungs of the infected animal.  In the dog Continue…

Poison is a strong word but it is kind of a big deal!

This week is National Pet Poison Prevention week and we want you to know that poison can be anything from a toxic chemical to an accidental ingestion of something in a toxic amount. When pets eat things they shouldn’t we often refer their owners to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control hotline.  This hotline is staffed with veterinary professionals who have access to much more reference information that a typical veterinary hospital.  Veterinary toxicologists Continue…

Why are we talking about parvovirus right now?  The answer is because parvovirus has been making the rounds in San Antonio for the last month or so in much higher numbers than we usually see.  We don’t really want to test your knowledge of parvovirus but we do want to make sure that you are well educated about it so you can protect your dogs.  It is all about what you know about parvovirus.

What Exactly is Canine Parvovirus?

Canine Parvovirus, often just called parvo, is a highly contagious viral disease that can be fatal.  This virus attacks the intestinal tract of dogs and puppies causing vomiting and diarrhea.  Dogs stop eating and become at high risk for dehydration making hospitalization necessary. Continue…

Rattlesnake season is not over yet!

Copyright: steve_byland / 123RF Stock Photo

Helotes and San Antonio have been seeing days and days of steady rain and this is bringing out rattlesnakes.  When it rains, snakes seek higher ground and this increases our chances of encountering them.  This rain may be contributing to the high number of dogs being bitten by rattlesnakes recently.  Regardless of the reason we want to remind you that rattlesnake season is not over quite yet.

Be vigilant about inspecting your yard especially if you have seen or heard of snakes in your neighborhood.  We are frequently asked if snake repellent works and the answer is we don’t really know.  Many of our clients use it and have not seen snakes in their yard.  Would they have seen them otherwise?  Who knows, but it can’t hurt to try as long as you aren’t putting yourself or your dog at risk with the repellent. Continue…

Is all the hype about Canine influenza virus just that, hype?  Unfortunately it is not.  Canine influenza virus or CIV, is the real deal and it is here in Texas.  We are hoping that we aren’t facing the same kind of outbreak that the Midwest faced in 2015 but so far, we do have 5 confirmed cases in various counties.  There have been two confirmed cases in Houston (Harris County), and we were just made aware of 3 more cases in the following counties:  Fort Bend, Hood and Travis.  As you know, Travis County is close to home so we really want to make sure that we get the word out to our clients.  

Hill Country Animal Hospital has the combined vaccine that protects dogs from both strains of CIV with one injection.  If your dog has never been vaccinated for either strain, your dog will require an initial vaccine and a booster 3-4 weeks later.  If your dog has been fully vaccinated for either strain of CIV to include an initial vaccine and the booster, your dog will only need a booster of this new, combination vaccine.  If you aren’t sure about your dog’s risk factors or vaccine status, call us at 210-695-4455.   Continue…