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 Frequently Asked Questions 1. What are your office hours? 2. What is the earliest/latest I can bring my pet in? 3. Do I have to have an appointment ? 4. Do you have someone here all night to check on my hospitalized pet? 5. What do I do if I need you after hours or on a holiday? 6. Can I just drop my pet off and pick him/her up after work? 7. Do you take credit cards ? 8. Can I make payments ? 9.What do I feed my puppy or kitten? 10. How soon can I bathe my pet? 11. Is it all right to feed my dog bones? 12. Do you sell pets? 13. How old must my pet be in order to be spayed or neutered? 14. Is declawing my kitten cruel? When should it be done? 15. How long is a dog/cat pregnant? Pregnancy in dogs/cats lasts approximately 63 days. 16. How long is a dog/cat in heat? Dogs - Go into heat twice yearly for approximately 3 weeks Cats - Polyestrus, this means during the spring and fall they go in and out of heat every 1 – 4 weeks. The winter and summer is a time when they usually don’t go into heat. 17. If I wanted to breed my dog, when is the best time? The best breeding time typically is 9 – 12 days after first coming into heat. There is a test called vaginal cytology that helps to more definitively evaluate optimum breeding time. Measurement of the level of the hormone progesterone in the blood can also be used to estimate the optimal time for breeding. 18. How do I know my dog is pregnant? After 25 days of pregnancy, either a blood test for Relaxin or an ultrasound can be used to confirm pregnancy. X-rays can also be used after 45 days of pregnancy. 19. Can my pet be spayed during heat? Yes, they can be spayed. There is an additional charge for both cats and dogs if they are in heat. The risk of complications is slightly higher because of rare occasions of blood clotting dysfunction. 20. Shouldn’t I let my pet have at least one litter? No, this is an old wives’ tale. It is preferred to spay before ever going into heat to reduce the chance of mammary tumors. 21. When should I stop food/water before surgery? We recommend that food be taken away at 8:00 p.m. the night before and water removed first thing in the morning the day of surgery. 22. How long do sutures stay in? Sutures are usually left in for 14 days. There are a few special surgeries that require sutures to be left in for 21 days. 23. Do you board pets? No, we do not board animals. 24. May I visit my hospitalized pet? Yes they can. 25. Can my pet have its own food, bed and toys? Yes, at most anytime. 26. What do I feed an orphaned puppies/kittens? Pets less than 4 weeks old are fed kitten or puppy milk. Pets older than 4 weeks are fed a gruel of puppy/kitten food or dry if they are physically able. 27. When do I get tails docked and dew claws removed on puppies? The tail and dewclaw surgery is usually done at 3 – 5 days of age. The closer to 3 days of age the better, if the puppy seems strong enough. 28. When do puppies/kittens open their eyes? They usually open their eyes around 10 days of age. 29. When do I begin weaning? Begin weaning the puppies/kittens between 3 – 4 weeks old. They should be fully weaned at 6 weeks of age. 30. When do I begin housebreaking? Begin housebreaking around 8 – 10 weeks of age. 31. When does my pet need vaccinations? What do they need? Vaccines should start at 6 – 8 weeks of age and boosters every 3 weeks until 16 weeks old. Puppies Distemper/Parvo at 6-8 weeks, series of 4 Corona at 10 – 12 weeks, series of 2 Rabies at 16 week Bordatella if boarding Kittens Distemper/Upper Respiratory at 6 – 8 weeks, series of 4 Feline Leukemia at 10 – 12 weeks, series of 2 Rabies at 16 weeks We recommend keeping puppies/kttens away from other pets or high activity areas (dog parks/pet stores) until completing the vaccine series. 32. I’ve lost my dog. How can I find it? There are hotlines you could call: Pet Line: 602-252-2727 Arizona Humane Society: 602-997-7585 Rabies Animal Control: 602-506-7387 You could also post signs and call all shelters. We recommend identification tags and microchips to help owners better find their Pets. 33. My dog got into some roach poison. What should I do? Contact us by phone to give particulars about what was ingested, then bring in immediately. If this occurs after hours, take the animal to the Emergency Animal Clinic. 34. My dog was playing with a toad and is now foaming at the mouth. Does he have rabies? Toad toxins are absorbed through the oral mucous membranes and cause salvation and heart problems. No, they do not have rabies. Flush mouth out with slow-moving stream of water if the animal is able to swallow. Then bring into Roadrunner Animal Hospital during business hours or Emergency Animal Clinic after hours. 35. Do you take care of rabbits, birds, snakes, ferrets, etc…? We do take care of rabbits, ferrets, and pocket pets.. 36. Can I get my dog de-barked? Yes, you can. There are two types of surgeries performed for de-barking, oral surgery or the voice box surgery. The oral surgery is much easier, but less effective. The procedure we use is the voice box surgery which tends to work very well. 37. What can I do to stop my dog from digging? Digging can potentially be stopped by placing stools in the area where digging occurs and cover with dirt, putting rocks in digging area or fencing the site off. 38. My dog’s ears smell. What should I do? We recommend that you bring your pet in for an exam. Ears with a bad odor usually are infected with bacteria or yeast. 39. My dog/cat has bad breath. What should I do? We recommend an examination to determine why the mouth has a bad odor. Most halitosis in pets is caused by dirty teeth and infected gums. Daily brushing with pet toothpaste can help decrease the incidence of dental disease. 40. Why do you have to use anesthesia to clean my pet’s teeth? Unfortunately, pets will not allow us to give them a thorough cleaning while awake. 41. Why do I have to get vaccines for my pet every year? Annual vaccines are necessary to maintain adequate immunity. The Canine Distemper/Parvo/Corona and Feline Distemper/Upper Respiratory and Feline Leukemia is given annually. The Rabies vaccine is given initially at approximately 16 weeks, then one year later. After that it is given every three years. 42. Can I just get the rabies vaccine only? No, you should vaccinate against all the diseases to prevent your pet from acquiring them. 43. I see rice in my dog’s stool. What should I do? Tapeworms segments or fly maggots are often mistaken for grains of rice. You should bring in a stool sample that contains the rice-like material. Also, a complete physical examination of the pet is often helpful. 44. How do I treat for fleas? Flea treatment has two important parts, treating the premise and treating the animal. The premise should be treated by a pest control company or yourself on a monthly basis. All dogs and cats in the home should be treated. We recommend one of the following products: Advantage,Frontline, Flea Dip, Flea Spray. If buying products from the store, be sure the products states that it is safe for cats. If dog products are applied to cats, severe nerve toxicity, seizures, and death can result. 45. How should I kill ticks? We recommend that ticks be killed with Preventic Collars,Frontline, Tick Dip or Tick Spray. Check with the package insert for information regarding which products can be used together and age requirements. It is also important to treat the premise on a monthly basis. Removing ticks from pets should be done with tweezers since ticks carry diseases that can be spread to humans. 46. What do you recommend for heartworms? Is it necessary? We recommend keeping your dog on the Heartworm preventative Interceptor. In addition to Heartworm prevention, Interceptor also eliminates intestinal parasites such as Hookworms,Roundworms, and Whipworms. Yes, it is necessary. As with all diseases, it is easier and safer to prevent than to treat. Even when successfully treated, there can be residual negative effects on the heart. The pet is tested for heartworms before starting on the Interceptor. 47. Can my kids get these worms from my dog? No, your kids cannot get Heartworm. Children can be infected with Hookworms or Roundworms. 48. Can I get mange from my dog? There are 2 types of mange, Demodex and Sarcoptes. Demodex is not contagious. The Sarcoptes mange is contagious, causing red skin sores in people. 49. Why does my dog scoot across the floor? Scooting is caused by either impacted anal glands or tapeworms. It would be best to bring in your pet for examination to determine the source of the problem. 50. My dog just got hit by a car. What do I do? Immediately bring your pet to a veterinarian. If the accident occurs during regular hours, bring your pet to Roadrunner Animal Hospital. If it occurs after hours, bring your pet to the Emergency Animal Clinic at 9875 W. Peoria Ave. Please call us in advance if you have a mobile phone so that we can be better prepared. 51. Does the doctor make house calls? We make house calls on rare occasions. Most treatments are better accomplished in the hospital. House calls must be scheduled well in advance to insure that we are available. | Spays | Hours | earliest | appointment | all night | after hours | drop offs | credit cards | payments | feeding | bathe | feeding bones | sell pets | spayed or neutered | declawing | pregnant | | Return Home | What's New | Events | Services | Links | FAQ | Contacts | INFO | TOUR | Our Furry Friends | |
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