Riverview Vets

It is important to have an annual exam in order to detect preventable and/or treatable conditions before they become problematic as well as to update vaccinations when needed.

If your pet is being fed a good quality pet food, vitamins are not necessary. However, vitamins can be given once daily as treats. Animals with certain medical conditions may benefit from various vitamins/supplements.

No. Influenza viruses are highly species specific and do not pass from humans to pets or vice versa.

Some common toxic foods are grapes, onions, chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins,mushrooms.

As medical care for pets becomes more and more expensive it is a good idea to carry medical coverage for your pets. It is most helpful for catastrophic injuries or diseases which can easily run into the thousands of dollars for treatment.

Reverse sneezing is the act of trying to suck an irritant backwards through the muzzle, rather than out the nostrils (as in a regular sneeze). Both dogs and cats can do this. The first time you may witness this, it may seem scary to you - the pet will extend its neck and repeatedly suck air in through the nostrils and out through the mouth with the chest and/or abdomen heaving in and out. It is usually a short episode or "fit" lasting 5 - 10 seconds. As bad as it may look - in general these reverse sneezes are harmless.

Like people, pets need regular dental cleaning to remove plaque and tartar buildup.If not removed, this buildup can lead to gingival and periodontal disease and more serious health problems relating to the spread of infection from the mouth to other parts of the body.

Dental diets can scrape off plaque above the gum line to varying degrees, but do little to remove plaque located under the gum line.

On rare instances, cats can have their diabetes managed using diet and hypoglycemic pills but most need injectable insulin.

Spaying or neutering for cats and dogs is recommended at six months of age. This seems to be the best time to prevent future reproductive organ related health problems such as uterine, ovarian, and mammary infections and cancers, prostatic disease and testicular disease and cancer. Neutering will help prevent a pet's desire to roam (looking for a mate) and may also decrease aggressive tendencies, but will not change your pet in any other way.

For both cats and dogs it is 63 - 66 days or about 9 weeks.

Mounting is considered to be a display of dominance. Many times dogs will still mount objects, people and/or other animals even after neutering.

No. You must feed ONLY the prescribed diet for at least 8-16 weeks; you can use pieces of the dry hypoallergenic diet kibble as a treat.

Anal glands are two fluid filled sacs located in the anus of a dog or cat. They are a normal part of an animal's anatomy and are usually emptied through defecation.Some animals have difficulty with impactions or swelling in or around the glands and need manual expression. Signs of an anal sac problem are "scooting" or excessive licking of the anal area.

Yes, but typically this is not necessary. Cats are very good at grooming themselves,and usually resent baths, but if they should happen to get particularly dirty, they can be bathed with an approved pet shampoo.

In most cases, the diseases resulting in renal failure cannot be cured but many cats respond well to medical therapy for a long time.