Our Services

Heartworm Prevention

It only takes a few minutes out in the summer sun to attract company from the Arkansas State Bird … the mosquito. Here they are big enough to carry off small children and seem to outnumber the stars in the sky. This makes keeping up with heartworm prevention an absolute year-round necessity for both dogs AND CATS including pets that live totally indoors.
At the Interstate Animal Clinic, we try to sort through the wide variety of options and narrow the field to what we believe to be a good selection of quality products. We have tried to divide these between Dog and Cat products as well as products for Fleas, Ticks and Heartworms.

Products can also be divided between those that are applied topically and those that are given orally … and ProHeart the injectable heartworm preventative. Topical products need to be applied to the skin, not the hair so if your pet has thick dense hair, you might consider oral products. If your pet is a finicky eater, you might consider topical products.

It should be noted that all heartworm products are prescription products, requiring a visit with our veterinary staff to establish your pet’s prescription.

Internet and Generic products:
Many heartworm prevention products carry a warranty through which drug companies will help cover the cost of heartworm treatment of qualifying cases should your pet contract heartworms while on their product. Often, this guarantee may not apply to products purchased online or most generic products. In Arkansas we occasionally see heartworm infections from “preventative resistant heartworms” that are poorly affected by heartworm preventatives. For this reason, we only carry heartworm products that bear such a guarantee as heartworm treatment can be very expensive.

Heartworm disease and treatment is one of the many subjects for which the interned provides more misinformation than information. Fortunately, there is a society of veterinarians, parasitologists and researchers who have made this their focus. If your pet has been diagnosed with heartworms, call our office today to set up a treatment consultation. For more information on heartworm therapy go to heartwormsociety.org

Microchipping

We strongly recommend microchipping your pet as it is the best tool for getting your pet home if it is ever lost. Microchips cannot be lost like collars or tags. Using a handheld scanner, chips can be read and identified by shelter or veterinary personnel to retrieve an individualized number which can be registered and traced back to you. We offer HomeAgain microchips which are universally read by most all chip readers and are used by shelters all over the country.

Flea And Tick

There are enough flea tick and heartworm products on the market to make anyone want to chase their tail. At the Interstate Animal Clinic, we try to sort through the wide variety of options and narrow the field to what we believe to be a good selection of quality products. We have tried to divide these between Dog and Cat products as well as products for Fleas, Ticks and Heartworms. Unfortunately, there is NO quality product on the market that safely and effectively treats Fleas, Heartworms, and ALL TICKS.
Products can also be divided between those that are applied topically and those that are given orally. Topical products need to be applied to the skin, not the hair so if your pet has thick dense hair, you might consider oral products. If your pet is a finicky eater, you might consider topical products.

Prices change based on manufacturer costs but they also often run specials not available with online marketing – call for current pricing.

To learn more about the many other products and services we offer, click on one of the links below.

Specialty Diets And Prescription Food

At the Interstate Animal Clinic, we understand the challenge it can be for conscientious pet owners to try to find a quality pet food in the never-ending sea of advertisers vying for their pet food dollar. Here are a few tips to help you brave the current and surf to shore like a pro. First, realize that there are many “prescription” style pet foods designed to help with specific pet health needs. We carry a number of products such as diets for dental joint and skin support; seizure patients; sensitive stomachs; heart liver and kidney disease; diabetes; and hypo or non-allergenic diets. If your pet would benefit by using a specialized diet, we would love to help you find one that meets their needs, otherwise – we believe that every pet would be well served by staying on a diet to help prevent periodontal and dental disease. If you would prefer a more standardized diet, then we would point out that greater than 90% of all we know about veterinary and pet nutrition has been generated by decades of veterinary nutrition research work sponsored or done by a small handful of companies: Hills/Science Diet; Purina; Iams/Eukanuba; Waltham/IVD. Almost everyone else manufactures products based on someone else’s work. One of these companies should be the beginning of your search.

If you are not going to use a product from one of these companies then you should establish two very minimal standards: Look for the manufacturing statement on the label and make sure that the manufacturer is the same as the name of the marketing company. If the two names don’t match – move on to another product. Second – buy only products made in the USA. In addition to being patriotic, it should be noted that not every country establishes the same production standards.

We stock and will gladly order any of the Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan and IVD prescription diets for your pet. Please give us a call.

Joint Care And Chronic Pain Products

Chronic pain in family pets can be a chronic problem for pet owners. We are here to help you steer through the smoke and the sizzle to find the beef when it comes to treating your pet’s chronic joint pain.

Joint supplements – Oral glycosaminoglycans and chondro-protectant products are usually safe and have minimal side effects with chronic use. Some patients can appreciate noted benefit though some are only helped minimally by them. Adding omega 3 fatty acids also benefits some patients and is relatively easy and inexpensive to do
Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan injections are one of the few things that can actually improve the condition of the joint cartilage. They tend to have very minimal side effects with long term use and are given twice weekly for 1 month then as needed every 2 – 4 weeks thereafter. Cost of these injections ranges from $40 – $70 each and you won’t always know if they are going to benefit your pet till after the first 4 week series are complete.
Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can actually help with inflammation that causes pain. There are a number of products available for dogs (though only very few safe for limited use in cats). These products can vary in price from very inexpensive to very expensive. Their use is typically on an “as needed” basis. Because their long time use can tax the liver or kidneys, regular blood work may be required for chronic medication refills.
Pain drugs don’t do anything to affect the source of discomfort but they can help minimize your pet’s awareness of it. They too are used on and as needed basis when NSAIDs are either not an option or are not successful at managing the pain alone.
Acupuncture is available for pets by a few veterinarians in the central Arkansas area. While it does not help every patient, and does not “cure” arthritis, it can effect a temporary benefit for some and is very safe to use (if helpful) on an as needed basis throughout the lifetime of the pet. We can refer to you a local veterinary acupuncturist. If you would like to try it, call Dr. Karen Hooks at 223-5400 in Little Rock.
Topical Treatment Devices – over the years, many topical therapeutic devices have been used on people and pets starting with brass or copper bracelets for people with arthritic wrists. The next generation of products was magnetic. The most recent products have been laser therapy units and the newest up and coming products around the corner are therapeutic ultrasound units. Responses to these products are variable both in clinical use and research trials. Studies have been done to compare their effect against no treatment but to date, no one has published a study that compared their efficacy to a warm compress or ice pack. Therapeutic ultrasounds are not yet readily available in our area however, if you would like to try laser therapy, we can refer you to a local practitioner for that effort. For Laser Therapy options, consider Dr. Laurie Geater at the All For Pets Clinic in Cabot 501-941-7387 or Villonia Animal Clinic 501-796-8400.
“Stem Cell Transplant” options are being sold from time to time to clients with pets desperate for relief from arthritic pain. Stem cell therapy and research are still in their infancy and while it may become a valuable therapeutic option, one should understand that the injection of stem cells into a joint does not produce the “re-growth of a new joint or joint surface”. Careful review of all the data provided by one of the leaders in this service for pets shows an expectancy of a 10% improvement compared to saline injections.

Intestinal Worms

The lifestyle of today’s pet is much more intertwined with our family than ever before. Many pets sleep in the bed with parents and children. When everyone goes to sleep, our cats rule the roost and explore every imaginable surface (even the ones on which you don’t want to imagine them – like traveling from litter box to the dining room tabletop). And what is even more disturbing is the realization that some parasites can be transmitted from pets to people. At the Interstate Animal Clinic, we know the importance of keeping your pet and your family healthy.

Regular fecal exams and maintaining regular intestinal parasite prevention are important components of comprehensive family health care.

Call today to set up an appointment to have a fecal exam scheduled for your pet.

Skin Care And Products

Every year, Pet Insurance companies report that Skin issued top the list of reasons clients visit their veterinarian.

Skin disease is often broken down by Allergies (most common); Infections (bacterial, fungal, or parasitic); or hormonal (not itchy – thyroid or adrenal disease).

Like people, pets with allergies are typically allergic to several things which can include fleas, airborne allergens, food allergens, contact allergens, and bacterial allergens.

Allergies:
1. Fleas
Flea allergies are the most common allergy to affect pets. We carry some of the most effective products to help prevent flea bites including several topical application products (some of which help prevent heartworms as well) and the Seresto Collar available for both Dogs and Cats. We have competitive pricing and distributers often provide promotional discounts! Call our office today for current specials.
2. Airborne allergies
Airborne allergies are the second most common allergy for pets. The only way to “cure” a pet is to do allergy testing and desensitization similar to what is done for people with allergies.
We also stock prescription allergy relief products like Apoquel, Atopica and Cytopoint – the once a month allergy relief injection, along with prescription strength antihistamines and a wide selection of prescription strength shampoos to help bring relief to the allergic patient.
3. Food Allergies
Despite the confusion created by pet food marketing companies, food allergies in pets are most often associated with proteins, not grains. A true hypo or non-allergenic diet requires a product manufactured on a diet specific production line. We carry a number of both novel and hydrolyzed protein diet options for food allergic pets.

Hormonal Skin Problems
Our office offers diagnostic panels for both Thyroid and Adrenal gland problems associated with coat and skin problems. These require a 12 hour fast and some require a drop off visit to collect several samples taken over time. Call our office for help scheduling your pet’s profile.

Ear Products

Ear disease is a very common problem for veterinary patients. Successful treatment requires successful identification of the primary problem.

We offer ear care solutions which include diagnostic and treatment options.
Diagnostics:

Culture and Sensitivity – Collection a culture from an infected ear and sending that to the lab to identify bacteria involved and more importantly, what antibiotic they are sensitive to helps our doctors pick the antibiotic product with the greatest chance of success.
Ear cytology – Evaluating a stained sample under the microscope can often help identify whether your pet is suffering from bacteria, yeast or ear mites.

Treatments:

Ear wash – Many ear patients benefit from a pH balanced ear wash to help break down and remove ear debris allowing medication to get to the surface of the problem for a more effective treatment.
Therapeutic Topicals – We carry a wide range of products for bacterial, mite and yeast therapy, many of which can be combined with systemic treatments for a more comprehensive treatment plan.
Long Acting Topicals – We now provide long-acting options for pets who are sensitive to ear applications.

Call our office today to get your pet started on the road to recovery from their ear problem.