Welcome...
Morningstar Animal Hospital is a state of the art, full service animal hospital offering the best of modern medicine and cutting edge technology, integrated with acupuncture, herbal therapy, laser therapy and more.
The mission of Morningstar Animal Hospital is to practice high quality, integrative medicine to best promote the health and well being of your pet. We take into account medical history, current problems, diet, personality, living situation and state of mind in formulating a plan to optimize health. The treatment/wellness plan for your pet may include Western Medicine, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Western Herbal Medicine, or any combination thereof.
Coronavirus 19 Update
We here at Morningstar Animal Hospital want to assure you that we will be here to care for your pets despite the current situation with Coronavirus 19. We also want to let you know of steps we are taking to prevent spread of the disease, since the health of you, your pets, and our staff is of utmost importance to us.
OUR OFFICE HOURS ARE CURRENTLY SOMEWHAT ABBREVIATED, BUT WE ARE SEEING URGENT CASES, AS WELL AS SOME MORE ROUTINE MATTERS. PLEASE CALL AHEAD TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT. ALL CARE IS DROP OFF ONLY, WE ARE NOT ALLOWING CLIENTS IN THE BUILDING. PLEASE PULL UP TO THE FRONT DOOR, REMAIN IN YOUR CAR AND CALL US. ONE OF OUR STAFF WILL COLLECT YOUR PET FROM YOUR CAR AND WE WILL KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOU VIA PHONE DURING THEIR TIME HERE FOR BOTH UPDATES AND PAYMENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AS WE STRIVE TO CARE FOR YOUR PET WHILE PROTECTING OUR CLIENTS AND OURSELVES DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS.
- To get more information on Coronavirus 19 in pets from a reliable source, visit this link:
- https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=9548687
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CANINE INFLUENZA (this is not coronavirus) :
In July a case of canine influenza was diagnosed in Boston. This causes us to be on high alert since it is the first confirmed case in MA. Here is what you need to know:
This disease can be either mild or severe. If your dog is affected by the milder form, they might have a wet cough that continues for 10-30 days, a dry cough, reduced appetite, fever, sneezing or discharge from the eyes and/or nose. The more severe form consists of high fever, and sings of pneumonia such as difficulty breathing. As in human flu infections, pneumonia is a secondary, but dangerous infection which can occur whenever the lungs are damaged.
Canine influenza virus is transmitted through close or direct contact between dogs. A dog is contagious even before he or she shows signs of illness, which can lead to rapid spread of the disease. The best way to prevent your dog from contracting canine influenza is to limit their contact with other dogs. Dogs going to daycare, parks, or other places with many dogs have a higher risk of contracting flu and other infectious diseases. Seniors and very young dogs are most likely to become infected due to their weaker immune systems. Dog to human transfer has not been recorded, however limited transfer to cats has been observed.
Here at Morningstar, we recommend vaccinating at risk dogs, especially now that we know the disease has reached MA. We use a vaccine which contains two strains of canine flu - both H3N8 and H3N2 (which is the newer strain diagnosed in Boston). If your dog has not been vaccinated for flu before they need a series of two injections, 2-4 weeks apart, followed by annual boosters. If your dog is a patient of record here, is currently healthy, and has been seen within the last year, the technicians can give the vaccines without a Doctor's appointment. If we have never seen your pet, or if your pet is unwell, an appointment with Dr. Lee is needed prior to any vaccination. If your pet is showing any of the above symptoms, or is just not acting themselves, please don't hesitate to call for advice and to set up an appointment.