Carter Veterinary Clinic

04/26/2025

04/10/2025

POSITIVE RABIES CASE
We have had positive rabies cases in our county this week. Are your pets current on their rabies vaccine? We STRONGLY suggest that you ensure all of your pets that spend any amount of time outside be brought up to current. Rabies is available as a one year vaccine and also we offer a 3 year as well that is available upon request. Please contact us to schedule today at 912-383-0418. We are accepting new patients.

03/19/2025

Does your dog or cat have the itchies? An occasional scratch is normal, but frequent scratching is a sign that something is going on and your pet needs help. It is best to catch it early and start treating the issue before the hair loss, bad smell, infection, scabs, and flakes start to form.

Contact us today at 912-383-0418 to schedule your pet’s dermatology appointment.

What are some things that cause the itchies?

*Fleas
Not only do fleas cause intense itchiness in dogs, but some dogs have an allergy to flea bites and saliva, which can cause: severely inflamed and itchy skin, hair loss, scabs, and discomfort. Protect your dog from fleas by ensuring they’re on an effective flea control medication year-round.

*Hot Spots
These raw, inflamed areas often develop due to allergies or fleas. They can also happen after bathing or swimming, especially if the affected area wasn’t properly dried. Constant scratching or chewing can cause an imbalance in the bacterial levels on their skin, leading to secondary bacterial skin infections. These skin infections can show up as open sores, red bumps, pimples, scabs, and oozing discharge.

*Yeast Infections
When a dog has a yeast infection, their skin is often greasy, red, or thickened (“elephant skin”), and has an odor. Folded areas in the ears, on the face, neck, armpits, groin and under the tail are most commonly affected. Yeast infections most often are secondary to allergies, and they are extremely itchy and uncomfortable for your dog.

*Bacterial Skin Infections
These usually occur when your dog has already been scratching an area to the point of inflammation and skin damage, inviting bacteria to multiply and cause an infection. Signs of a skin infection include persistent itching, skin redness, crusts/scabs, rash, or pimples. Most bacterial skin infections in dogs are secondary to allergies or parasites, but they can also occur in dogs with hormonal imbalances.

*Environmental Allergy
Your dog may be allergic to pollen, dust mites, mold spores, grasses, and a whole host of other common environmental allergens. You might see your dog licking their paws, rubbing their face, or shaking their head after time outside. Your dog also may show increased scratching or rubbing behaviors, along with hair loss on their legs, sides, and belly. The inner ear flaps and outer ear canals can look red and irritated, and there may be a brownish ear discharge.

*Food Allergy
When your dog is allergic to their food (which includes their main diet and any treats you give them), they may show this allergic reaction by scooting, licking their rear end, or itching multiple areas on their body — like the face, ears, belly, armpits, and paws. Ear irritation and infections are common with food allergies, too. Some affected dogs may also have digestive issues, like gas, increased number of bowel movements, or loose stools. Food allergies in dogs are typically a result of the protein(s) in their food or treats1, not the grains — so going “grain-free” often does not help relieve their itch.

02/28/2025

Ticks are a problem for dogs (and for humans) throughout the United States during all seasons of the year. When temperatures rise, and you and your dog are spending more time outside, these bloodsucking parasites become a larger threat. Ticks sit themselves on tall grasses and shrubs, waiting for your dog to walk by, so they can attach themselves to them.

Tick prevention should be taken seriously, and not just because these arachnids make many people squeamish — ticks actually carry quite a few deadly diseases. Some of these tick-borne diseases have no cure, so being diligent in checking for and removing ticks is important.

Talk with your veterinarian before using any medication geared toward preventing ticks because the age and breed of your dog, as well as your location and habits, will determine what will work best.

Be Prepared
Veterinarians recommend that the best defense is a good offense – and that you thoroughly check your dog for ticks as soon as you return from outside. Carefully run your hands all over your dog to search for small bumps.

You don’t have to take your dog to the vet if you find a tick on them – as long as you know how to safely remove the whole tick, including the head, with fine-point tweezers or a specially designed tick removal hook.

If the tick has been attached for about 48 hours, it can transmit a disease, such as Lyme disease, or cause an infection, so that’s why you should check your dog and yourself as soon as you get inside. Do watch your dog for changes in behavior – lack of appetite, low energy, joint pain – and if the dog shows signs of being ill, make an appointment with your veterinarian.

Where Should You Check Your Dog for Ticks?
Ticks can be tricky to find on your dog. Ticks can be anywhere, but are generally hiding in one of seven areas, so be sure to check your dog thoroughly in these places.

Head and Ears
Dogs are curious creatures, sticking their heads into everything, so it’s not uncommon for ticks to find their way onto the head and into a dog’s ears. With so many crevices and hiding places, the ears make a perfect home for a hungry tick.

When checking your dog, make sure to look on the outside of the ears and also deep into the ear, because the ticks can get attached and go unnoticed for a long time. If your dog is shaking their head and scratching at their ear, it’s a sure sign that something is off, and you’ll want to take a look.

Toes
Since ticks hide in places where they won’t be found, crawling in between your dog’s toes and attaching there is a common occurrence. You can find them in between the toes or even on the bottom of the foot near the pads. If you notice your dog licking or chewing their feet, there might be something bothering them, and that something could be a tick.

Tail
Ticks like dark, moist areas, so the underside of the tail makes a great home. Since most owners aren’t regularly checking the underside of the dog’s tail, especially near the base, a tick can go unnoticed for quite some time. If your dog has thick fur, you’ll want to make sure to comb through it and search thoroughly. A fine comb will likely catch a tick that’s attached itself under the tail.

Groin
Most dog owners aren’t keen on checking their dog’s ge***al regions. However, this area is another dark, moist region on the body that ticks really like hanging around in. Ticks can become attached and stay hidden by the dog’s coat and tail for a long time.

Eyelids
A lot of ticks go unnoticed near the eyelids because they’re mistaken for skin tags or eye discharge. Unfortunately, by the time many owners realize there is a tick on their dog’s eyelid, the tick has been attached for quite a while. This isn’t ideal, because the longer a tick stays attached, the more likely transmission of disease is to occur.

Under the Collar
Many dogs rarely have their collars taken off, and with good reason — it’s important to keep proper identification on your dog at all times. Ticks can become attached underneath your dog’s collar without anyone noticing, usually until the tick is large enough to be seen — which means it’s been there for a while. Sometimes, removing and checking the collar itself will prevent a tick from attaching if it’s just crawling around underneath. Whatever the case, removing the collar to do a thorough check for ticks is important.

Under Their Arms
Another common place for ticks to attach is high up where the dog’s front legs meet their body – what we would call the armpit region. It’s a nice, dark area where it’s difficult for the dog to reach or for you to see.

01/22/2025

Due to snow and the dangers - we will be closed today. For emergency situations please call or text 912-383-5793 or text only 912-389-6262. Be Safe!

12/25/2024

May the wonder of that first Christmas, the joy of God's abundant blessings and the peace of Jesus' presence be with you always. Happiest of holidays from our family to yours!

11/20/2024

Another NEW product launch from Boehringer Ingelheim! Is your dog currently prescribed Vetmedin for congestive heart failure? Do you have issues with your dog taking the daily tablet? If you have answered yes to these questions, Vetmedin in a liquid form is now available. Talk to us today if the liquid version will help make daily dosing easier for you and your pet.

11/19/2024

Is your dog’s itching and scratching driving you insane? You aren’t alone…now imagine how your dog feels! Let’s do something about it…something affordable that starts working with results and improvements from day one!

Don't let allergic itch disrupt your dog's Zen.
Ask us about Zenrelia, the NEW once-daily treatment that gets your dog back to doing whatever it is they love.

Should you make an appointment? Take this quiz to see if your dog can find peace and relief with the help of Zenrelia. Once you’re ready to take the next step, simply call for an appt at 912-383-0418

https://yourpetandyou.elanco.com/us/campaign/zenrelia

INDICATIONS
Zenrelia™ is a prescription medication used to control itching and inflammation associated with skin allergies for dogs over 12 months of age.

11/14/2024

Introducing YuMove! Is your older dog breaking your heart by struggling to get up after resting or showing signs of pain when walking? Is your pet already on Rimadyl, meloxicam or other prescription medication for chronic joint pain? We want you to consider YuMove, which is a natural product, as a daily supplement for chronic pain. No office visit or prescription is required and it is available over the counter at prices that are less than online. It is formulated to help your aging pet THRIVE! It is guaranteed to improve your pet’s mobility and pain in 6 weeks or YOUR MONEY BACK! So, how do you take it? It is a tasty treat type chew. For the first month, you will give a double dose of the medication to build up levels in the body. Then, you reduce the amount by 1/2 moving forward daily. Is it expensive? No…the first month will be the most expensive because of the double dose and costs between $1-$2 per day. The maintenance dose moving forward will cost $.75-$1.50 per day depending on the size of your dog. Give it a try…if it doesn’t work, you don’t lose a dime. Chronic pain is heartbreaking and YuMove doesn’t affect other medications your pet has been prescribed and may decrease the amount of prescription medications needed. It’s worth a try! Simply swing by the clinic to pick it up. There is a $10 off coupon for the initial trial dose!

10/09/2024

We are occasionally still experiencing phone disruptions.

You may TEXT appointment requests or other questions/needs to 912-389-6262 in the event you are unable to reach the clinic by phone. The clinic phone number is 912-383-0418.
Our prayers remain with you and your family during this difficult time for all of us.

09/27/2024

Our prayers are with all of those in our community this morning as we have all woken up to Helene’s aftermath. The loss we are all suffering is tremendous. God did bless us at the vet clinic. There is no damage to the building and all boarding pets are safe and sound. We will continue to care for them and pray power is restored soon. Food is not an issue at this time. While we have enough water for pets now, we do not have running water. We don’t know when it will be restored..

If you have animals in boarding, please contact us for pickup by texting 912-389-6262

We

09/19/2024

Help us wish Dr. Carter the happiest of birthdays 🎉

09/17/2024

In a rush but need your pet’s meds refilled? Simply call us in advance and make payment over the phone and we can run it out to you when you arrive and call to let us know. No need to even get out of the car…

06/12/2024

Roxy, a super sweet blue eyed kitty came in to see us today and has a broken tail. A huge hug and shout out to Carol Sweat and Coffee Cause for Paws for all they do for our local pets in need ❤️.

05/11/2024

Summer is approaching…for some breeds, shaving their coats will actually make them hotter. This is an interesting read from AKC

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/is-it-ok-to-shave-your-dog/?sc_src=email_837024&sc_lid=49501034&sc_uid=f7MqS89wVN&sc_llid=263073&sc_eh=b7dcc22974383fab1&utm_campaign=20240511-nibble-health-live-intent&utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_term=READ+MORE+»

Don't shave your dog, as it might make them hotter in summer and creates health risks. Instead, try these grooming and safety tips to keep them cool.

05/06/2024

CLEARANCE! While supplies last. No prescription needed! Simply come pick up what you need. Crossblock II is a topical feline flea and tick medication that lasts for one month. Only available in the 5-9lb size. $5.50 per single dose (1 month supply)

04/11/2024

Happy National Pet Day to all of our treasured patients!

National Pet Day is April 11, although if you’re a pet owner, you know there’s not a day that goes by that you don’t celebrate your animal companion! So hug your hedgehog, bond with your bunny, and cut your kitty some catnip! That critter makes you happy — and that’s not all. Over the past 10 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been a partner in research to determine the physical and mental benefits of having a pet. It turns out that not only can pets steal our hearts, but they also contribute to overall cardiovascular health by lowering cortisol, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels.