Fun and Games with your Kitty

Cats need environmental enrichment just as much if not more than dogs.  Most cats are indoor only and have very little outside stimulus.  Cats that are stimulated are much less likely to have behavior problems such a inappropriate urination/defecation and aggression towards others cats or pets in the household.  Cats love to hunt and all these activities will help support that drive.  There are even cats now days that do cat agility.  They navigate obstacles in a timed competition.  Check it out at catagility.com! 

Here are a few simple ideas for cat entertainment:
1.  Pyramid Play:  Stack up several toilet paper roll lengthwise in a pyramid and glue them together.  Then tuck various goodies into the hollow rolls - catnip mice, treats or anything that interests your cat.

2.  Ping-Pong Party:  Place 2 treats at the bottom of a plastic bowl and them cover them with ping-pong balls.  Bowls with higher sides make it more challenging.

3. Kitty's Cups:  Begin by placing 2 plastic cups in front of your cat; show her a treat and let her see you place it under one cup.  Once he/she has mastered batting the cup over, you can up the ante by hiding the treat when the cat isn't looking.

4.  Best Friend's Toy:  Use your dogs lattice ball(I included a picture, I wasn't sure what it was till I saw it) and place a small catnip stuffie inside it.  The cat can fit his/her whole paw through the holes, much like a wildcat feeling for a mouse in a hole.

5.  Treat Dispenser:  Use a plastic bottle ( I used an old spice container), and cut several holes in the sides.  Then put several treats or cat kibble in the bottle and let the cat bat it around to get the food out. 

Readers Digest: 50 Things Your Vet Won't Tell You

I saw an article in the Readers Digest the other day, "50 Things Your Vet Won't Tell You".  It is part of a series of articles, that includes things your mechanic, children's teacher and nurse won't tell you.  I thought several of the things were very, very true and wanted to share them.  To me the number 1, true thing about all veterinarians I know, is that 'we love animals'.  

You can read them all at: 
http://www.rd.com/slideshows/50-things-your-vet-wont-tell-you/


1.  "We know when you’re twisting the facts. If your dog has a five-pound tumor hanging from his skin, please don’t tell me it wasn’t there yesterday.”—Phil Zeltzman, DVM, a traveling veterinary surgeon in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the author of Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound.
-Being truthful really helps me, with finding out what is wrong with your pet.  Lying about the history just ends up making your bill bigger.  I may have to do tests that could have been eliminated with a truthful history. 



2.  “Most hospitals keep comprehensive records of behavior—of both your pet and you! If you are aggressive to the staff, you will be treated differently.”—Oscar Chavez, DVM, program director for the vet tech program at California Polytechnic State University in Pomona, California.
-Especially if your both aggressive...

3.  “Every time I save a life, every time I fix a patient, that makes everything worth it. And I love it when a client says, ‘I wish my physician would treat me as nice as you treat my pets.’”—Phil Zeltzman, DVM.
-Exactly!

4.  "I hate retractable leashes. The stopping mechanism pops open so easily, and suddenly the pet is flying to the end of it, and maybe it’s into the street or into the jaws of another dog. I’ve had people bring in a pet who got hit by a car because they were using a retractable leash and the stopping mechanism broke.”—Bernadine Cruz, DVM, associate vet at Laguna Hills Animal Hospital in Laguna Woods, California.
-They also hurt when they wrap around my legs in the exam room....


5.  “Some people are really into a raw-food diet for pets, but it’s a huge public health hazard. Think about it: You have raw meat, you’re touching it, your dog touches it, and then your dog goes and licks the baby. I’ve had two patients die and two patients get really sick from it.”—Amber Andersen, DVM, a vet at Point Vicente Animal Hospital in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
-Enough said...

6.    “If we wanted to go into it for the money, we’d have become human doctors.”—Oscar Chavez, DVM.
-Many people believe we(veterinarians) recommend all this 'unnessary' stuff to make money.  In truth, all we really want to do is help make sure your pet is healthy.  Having a pet isn't free it requires maintenance and repairs just like your car. 
7.  “Most vets put themselves through 8 to 12 years of school and have huge student debts. We love animals and want to help them. Most of us start our day early, finish late, and are available for emergencies.”—Phil Zeltzman, DVM.
-Amen to that

8.  “Just because a food is premium priced doesn’t mean it’s good stuff. That’s especially true with many foods that come in those little gourmet pouches or cans. You pay $3 a package, and it’s basically just junk food with little nutritional value. Do some research, and have your vet read the ingredients list with you.”—A vet in California
-Alot of the new food companies are great at advertising but that does not equal a quality product.

9.  If the plaque sprays and dental water additives actually worked, none of us would be telling you to brush your pet’s teeth.”—Dennis Leon, DVM.
- You don't see the human dentists recommending plaque sprays instead of brushing....

10.  “Take your cat to the vet in a plastic cat carrier with a removable top, and have your vet remove the lid for the exam. Your pet will feel more secure and be less likely to fight or try to flee."—MeiMei Welker, DVM.
-The carrier also makes for a safer trip from the car into the clinic.

11.  “If you live in a one-bedroom apartment with no patio and minimal space, and you’re gone ten hours a day at your job, a 100-pound Great Dane may not be the best choice for you. Maybe start with a goldfish?”—Amber Andersen, DVM.-Make sure to pick a pet that fits your lifestyle, not your 'want-style'.

Pet Car Restraint

I am so sorry for my LOOOONNNNGGG absence, I'm sure most of you have given up on me ever blogging again!!!  I at least have a little bit of an excuse.  I just recently got married at the end of last month.  So between all the festivities and the honeymoon, I'm just beginning to see the light. 

I also was involved in a pretty bad roll-over car accident just 2 weeks before I got married.  Not to worry I'm doing pretty good.  But, that is what has prompted me to write this post.  The terrifying part to me was that I  had my 12 year-old dog- Ebby in the car with me.  She was were she always is when we drive, in the back seat in her bed, 'unrestrained'....  She is perfectly fine and doing well, but I am a terrible mommie, she could have been seriously injured or worse killed!

Safe ways to transport your pets for their and your safety:

• Harness/Seat Belt:  They make several varieties of this now.  The harness is usually padded which should help prevent bruising in sudden stops or dangling situations.  They attach to the seat belt in two ways; some clip into the actual seat belt and others have a loop to hook around the lap belt or shoulder strap.  The only concern I have about the loop one is that what if the seat belt doesn't 'lock-up' upon impact....?  This would have been great in my truck, being that there wasn't room inside for large carriers.

• Carriers:  I think if you have room for carriers they are the way to go.  The big thing to remember is that the carriers have to be restrained.  Ex:  Bolted to the floor, seat belted in, or strapped with tie downs.  Because can you imagine a 50# dog in a 10# crate hurtling through your SUV!!  OMG! Scary!

Reasons to restrain your pets:
I know it's not fun to have to restrain your pets every time you get in the car, especially if they are like Ebby and have never been restrained before.  But believe me after this accident I realize that I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to her.  The first thing I thought of, once we stopped, was if she was ok.

1. Prevent Pet Projectiles:  This saves the dog and yourself!  A 50# dog could seriously hurt you during impact!
2. They are distracting!:  Dogs and CATS will climb on your lap, under your feet, etc.  I see numerous people bring cats in without carriers, this is DANGEROUS!!  Not just in the car, but also in the parking lot and lobby(They can and will get loose)!!
3. Escape after the accident:  I read a story of a dog that survived the rollover, escaped the car and was hit by oncoming traffic. :-(
4. Air Bag Injury:  These animals should always be in the back seat, just like kids. Those airbags can cause serious head injuries.

FYI:  Both of my babies are now wearing harnesses and seat belts.  As you can see they are not extremely over-joyed, but safe they are!!

New Veterinarian Reality Series

There is a new reality series in town!!! But this time instead of being about rich families and marrying a bachelor its all about veterinarians! It a series called Veterinarian on Call, on YouTube. It is mainly focusing on large animal vets. They even have Dr. Peter Ostrum, who you may all know better as 'Charlie', from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!  A video of him and a dairy cow are below but go check out all the other videos on YouTube as well.

I watched several of the videos and thought they were wonderful. I really like them because they focus on large animal medicine. I think they are helping people see and understand where their food comes from.  I grew up in a rural community have been active in agriculture my whole life.  So it is always shocking to me the number of people who have never had the opportunity to see or touch a cow or pig in person!  Baby pigs are just about the cutest thing you'll ever see, everyone should have at least one opportunity to see and hold one in their life.

LOVE IT! LOVE IT!!

Best Pet Products of 2011

Every Year Veterinarian Marty Becker,  polls 100 of the top professionals in the veterinary and pet fields to nominate their favorite new products.   Becker visited "Good Morning America" to show the top six products that made the list for 2011.

I thought some of the products were super cool, like the challenging cat feeding station and the dog squeaky toy that only the dog can hear!!  But...., I didn't really care for the Lickety-Stik, it sounds like it probably smells bad and then the roller ball dispenser is going to be covered in slobbers... Yuck!

Here is the link.  Instead of posting it all on my page, this is one that would be better to go to.  It has numerous embedded links to take you to all the products.

BEST PET PRODUCTS- 2011
 
Let me know what you think about these products or if you already have them and love or hate them!  I would love to have some feedback.

Bo Has A Home!!

Just an update: Bo has a new home!!  He went to live there about 4 days ago and is doing great per his new owner.  I guess Bo is already telling all his new siblings how things are going to be run!  I am so thankful that this wonderful little dog has a great home!  Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

'Bo' - A Special Dog needs a Special Home

I'll start by telling you the reason for this blog and then if you want to go ahead and read his story you can.  We have been fostering Bo, a 3 year old medium mixed breed for ~2 months.  He is in need of a very special home.  I would love to have him, but if you follow my blog you know I have 5 pets!  And to top it off Ebby the Diva has told me she will tolerate no more pets!! 

Bo came to us as  hit-by-car.  He had some very significant wounds that required aggressive-repetitive surgeries to get them to healed up.  It was shortly following one of these surgeries that Bo threw a blood clot.  This blood clot lodged in a blood vessel that supplied both of his rear legs.  Initially he was very painful and had no pulse or feeling in his rear legs.  Within 24-48 hours he was less painful, pulses had returned and he could feel his legs.  The problem was he had long term damage to the muscles and nerves of his rear legs.  This kind of trauma would require long term care and management.  Bo had a very compassionate owner that decided at that time she wouldn't be able to provide the care Bo was going to need.  So she signed him over to me to continue on with his care and recovery. 

At this point I had no idea as to what to expect in terms of Bo's eventual outcome.  We contacted several veterinary surgeons and internal medicine specialists, but they had never seen a case likes Bo's.  They reported most dogs with his condition had to be put to sleep because they never regained any function in their back legs.  I think Bo's un-ending spirit and wonderful personality is what has allowed for him to make it through this.  He has the whole staff here doing his bidding and he makes instant friends with any new person he meets. 

He has slowly began to learn to use his rear legs some and depend more on his front legs when needed.  He is currently receiving daily physical therapy and goes to the animal physical therapist once to twice a week.    He gets around un-assisted now and even goes up and down stairs without help!! (I included a video of him going up and down stairs when there was snow on the ground!)  He is so independent, sometimes you forget he has a disability.  As one of my clients said the other day, "He doesn't know he's disabled, he's just a happy dog".  He just doesnt' let anything get him down!! 



Cherry and Bo

 He absolutely loves other dogs!  He loves big and little dogs, he is equal opportunity.  Him and my dog Cherry(she's big-50#), love to play tug-of-war and chase around my house!!    Cherry doesn't treat Bo like his is disabled and he loves that!  I would recommend Bo doesn't go to a house with kids.  They seem to stress him out (I can understand this, they stress me out a little to!!)  If the kids are bigger and not such scary little creatures I think he would be ok with that!!!  LOL!!



I feel like Bo will always have some degree of disability with his rear legs.  This is why he needs an extra special owner.  Someone who is willing to accept this and love him for it!  As of right now he is having physical therapy 3 times a day and on pain management.  I don't know what long term care he will need, Bo will have to let us know as time goes by.  He really is a great dog and with all he's been through he deserves an great home!!  Please feel free to comment back or contact us here at the clinic if your interested in Bo.  He is taking interviews Monday-Friday!  Phone here is 817-465-1401