May 2023 Newsletter
General Housekeeping
Payment Policy
In an attempt to “keep up with the times” and streamline our check-out process - CAC will no longer be accepting cash or checks as payment. We do offer payment via credit/debit card, Care Credit, and Apple Pay. We appreciate your understanding in this transition!
Prescription Return Policy
In accordance with Virginia state law, Clarendon Animal Care is prohibited from allowing the return/refund of any prescription medication once it has left our facility. Additionally, all controlled substances are non-refundable once they have been prescribed. If you have old or unused medications, please visit the Arlington VA Government website for disposal locations.
Outside Prescription Request Policy
Is your pet on regular medication from an outside pharmacy? Remember to be prepared with refills, as these can take up to 5 business days on our end to process, in addition to the processing and shipping time from the online pharmacy. Additionally, there are some online pharmacies that are not equipped to handle our faxed requests so it may be necessary to pick up a written prescription directly from our office. Please review our prescription page for further information!
Pet's Photo on ezyVet
Please take a moment to upload your pet’s photo to the ezyVet portal so we have your favorite picture in your pet’s medical records. You can also navigate to the "MAKE AN APPOINTMENT / PET PORTAL" button on the homepage of the Clarendon Animal Care website.
Monthly Reminder
If you are no longer a CAC client, please contact us so we can deactivate your account and send records to your new hospital. You can also log into our Patient Portal to confirm and update information.
Vaccine Certificates
Reminder that you can access your pet’s vaccine status on the patient portal - unfortunately, the system does not allow a download of it but feel free to screenshot the vaccines or “right click” the page and print for reference; if you need a PDF or physical copy of the vaccine certificate, please contact the clinic!
Important Notice:
In an effort to simplify our cancellation policy, CAC has done a recent update! For any missed or late canceled appointments (<24 hours to appointment) a deposit will be required for the next appointment scheduled to hold the spot - this is applied towards the appointment cost; if another missed or late cancellation occurs for the new appointment, the deposit will be retained by CAC.
If you need to cancel an appointment while CAC is closed, please email us; non-notice due to closed hours is not sufficient to waive the deposit required.
Fight or Flight - to the Bathroom!
We’ve all experienced it - the dreaded stomach rumbles and urgent need to GO - but sometimes so do our pets! It’s not uncommon for pets to suffer from stress-related diarrhea. Whether due to changes at home, their environment, food, or even travel and vet visits - it’s pretty certain that at some point your pet may have the “stress poops”.
Dogs and cats have a brain-gut connection with neurons that track information back and forth; meaning their stress and mental state can have a direct effect on their digestive tract! In fact, stressful situations cause a release of norepinephrine – the “fight or flight” hormone - with a bodily response of increased heart rate, dilated pupils, and intestinal emptying time speeding up which we see produced as diarrhea. Check out this article, for tips on finding the potential stressors of your pet’s GI upset, possible solutions, and dietary aids!
The Do’s and Don’ts of Saying Hello!
We are all guilty of it - seeing a cute dog on the street, getting excited, running up to say hi, and petting them - but just like humans, dogs need their space respected too! You can take a look at this article for common misconceptions about greeting dogs – and what we should do to help prevent any fear, stress, or anxiety! In fact, there are 4 common “myths” about how to properly greet dogs that we should all actually be avoiding!
These common myths and things to avoid include when greeting a dog include:
When approaching a dog, put your hand out so they can sniff it.
Dogs like to get hugs and kisses.
Only happy dogs wag their tails.
Our dogs need to meet every person and every dog.
DVM Blog Post Highlight - Heartworms 101
In this month’s DVM Blog post, Dr. Gloor schools us on Heartworms 101! As pet owners, we’ve all heard about heartworms and that they’re dangerous - but what are they really, how does it actually affect our pets, and how serious is it? Heartworm disease is caused by a nematode parasite Dirofilaria immitis and is transmitted by mosquitoes into the pet’s heart where worms begin to grow and live!
Effects of heartworm infection include:
Damage to the Pulmonary Arteries (the vessels going from the heart to the lungs)
The lining of the artery becomes damaged within days of the worm's arrival.
Aneurysms (ruptured vessels) and abnormal blood clotting (embolism) can result.
Heart Failure
With the arteries clogged with worms, the heart must pump harder against the pressure of the clogged arteries. This condition is called pulmonary hypertension and the right side of the heart must drastically increase its ability to work.
If worms begin backing up into the heart, there will be less space in the pumping chamber for blood to be pumped.
When the heart muscle begins to thicken (as any over-worked muscle will), it may not conduct electrical impulses normally. This means that the pumping/filling rhythm can be disrupted and an arrhythmia may result.
Chronic Immune System Stimulation
When a dog goes without treatment for heartworm disease, their immune system becomes chronically stimulated and overproduces antibodies. These antibodies can cause a lot of trouble by precipitating in the delicate membranes of the eye, kidney, blood vessels, and joints.
Caval Syndrome
Is an especially disastrous form of heartworm disease where there are so many worms that the entire right side of the heart is filled with worms and they are backing out into the large veins that feed the right side of the heart.
Usually, there have been no signs of heart disease prior to the collapse, shock, and red blood cell destruction associated with this syndrome.
Heartworm disease and its effects sound scary and they are - with very real, inevitable outcomes of poor prognosis for your pet if left untreated; while there are treatment therapy plans for heartworm the best way to protect your pet against heartworms is YEAR-ROUND heartworm preventatives; and no… your home is not a special mosquito-free area.
Fear Free Tip of the Month
If you’ve ever needed to get your cat somewhere (and at a certain time) you already know they don’t function on anyone else’s schedule but their own! So what do you do when you need to get your cat in its carrier and out the door for an appointment or to leave for a trip? You set this up for success early with training! Check out this article for an understanding of basic training techniques and a step-by-step guide to teach your cat to go into a carrier - without a struggle!