Thanksgiving and pets: Have a safe and Happy Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving is a time filled with football, family and of course, food. With a lot of guests visiting your home, there will be lots of extra people trying to pass a tasty treat to your cat or dog. They may have the best of intentions, but "people food" isn't always the best for your four-legged friend.

We typically experience an increased number of visits in the days following Thanksgiving due to digestive problems because humans invite their animals to celebrate with high fat meals (ham, gravy, turkey skin), chocolates, bones, etc.

To help ensure that your furry friends have an enjoyable holiday, keep the following tips in mind:

1. Keep Bones Out of a Dog’s or Cat's Reach:
   Turkey bones are hollow and can easily break and splinter into sharp pieces causing  intestinal obstruction, punctures and tears to the intestinal tract and potentially deadly internal bleeding. Bones can also cause oral injuries and broken teeth.
A pet who has a turkey bone lodged in the digestive tract may not exhibit any symptoms for several days.
Though many people think its okay to give bones from dinner to dogs, this can be very dangerous. Don’t let anyone leave bones on plates where dogs can reach them. Keep pets away from the remains of the carved turkey and the garbage, too.These bones can be very tempting to a cat or dog and it's not uncommon for a pet to raid the trashcan when no one's looking to snag a leftover bone. With Thanksgiving guests present, a pet owner may not realize that their dog has wandered off to eat a potentially deadly snack.

2.  Confine Cats and Dogs When Thanksgiving Guests Arrive

Some pets are very social, while others are shy and reserved. Many cats and dogs find Thanksgiving Day guests overwhelming and frightening. Combine this fright with a guest's attempt to pet the nervous cat or dog and this is a recipe for a bite or scratch.
A frightened or adventurous pet may also wander out the door unnoticed as guests come and go.
So, to avoid injury to the pet and to guests, supervise all interactions with the household pets. Even for those that love people, it might be a good idea to close them off in a quiet part of the home with some food, water and favorite toys. Let them back out when the festivities have quieted down.

3. Share with care.
Most pets can gobble up small amounts of lean, light meat without a problem. Turkey skin and dark meat have more fat and are too greasy for pets.  Baked sweet potatoes or green beans(minus any sweeteners/seasonings) in small amounts are great treats for pets. Set some aside before you start cooking to give to your pet later.
 However, don't allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.

In general, any newly introduced food can induce vomiting, and even diarrhea. When we switch an animal from one diet to another, we generally do it gradually over one to two weeks. So, keep new foods minimal, especially if Fido and MewMew haven't tried them before.

4. A Feast Fit for a Kong : Keep them Busy
While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them a dental chew or a pet treat. . You may also stuff their Kong with  a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and kibble. They’ll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their special treat  from the toy.

All of us at Animal Medical Clinic wish you and yours a safe and 
Happy Thanksgiving.

Creepy Things that will be here long past October....

  As a veterinary technician who is all too familiar with all of the different parasites, viruses, and other “creepy things” that can be a threat to our pets and our families, I am often surprised at how many of our pet owners are not aware of the common parasites that are a threat to pets and family members in our area, how easy they are to prevent, and the illnesses in people and pets that these parasites can cause.

  As a mommy to 5 furry kids and 3 human kids, the dangers are all too real to me and what better month than October, the month of creepy and yucky things, to share with all of you the things every parent of pets or kids should know!!

  Every pet owner should have a basic idea of how to keep their family protected from parasites. The most devastating of these parasites being heartworms, which all pets are at risk of contracting, but these are 100% preventable.

  Most pet owners are aware of the parasites that we can see with the eye, but we should all also be aware of the parasites that our pets can come into contact with that we typically do not see…

Heartworms:

Symptoms

• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Tires easily
• Sudden death

Transmission

• Pets are infected by mosquitos who have also bitten an infected pet
• Indoor and outdoor pets are at risk, in fact, 25% of cats who test positive for heartworms are reported to be indoor only by their owners.
• Dogs and cats are at risk.

Treatment is available for dogs who are infected with heartworms, but it can be costly, dogs must be activity restricted for up to 6 months.

 There is no available treatment for cats!

Testing

• A simple blood test can tell us if a pet has contracted heartworms. We often include this in your pet’s annual blood screening each year.
• For pets on regular monthly preventative, we test yearly to ensure the medication is acting effectively.
• For pets who have not been on preventative or has missed doses, we will test initially then retest in 6 months.(heartworm tests look for the prescence of adult worms and it takes six months from the time a mosquito bites your pet until the worms are adults detectable by testing)
• Cats do not have to be tested prior to starting prevention

Prevention

• For dogs: we recommend Sentinel or Interceptor to provide the most complete coverage, however, at the current time, it is in short supply and we are recommending the next best product(Trifexis) until those products are available again.
• For cats: We recommend Revolution
• Heartworms are 100% preventable!!!!

Intestinal Parasites

Common intestinal parasites in our area

• Hookworms – transmitted through infected stool or from the pets mother, contagious to humans, very common in our area
• Roundworms - transmitted through infected stool or from the pets mother, contagious to humans, very common in our area, carried by the majority of puppies/kittens.
• Tapeworms – transmitted through fleas, contagious to humans, egg packets in the stool may or may not be visually apparent
• Whipworms - transmitted through infected stool, common in our area, long treatment period is needed
• Coccidia – Most common in stray or shelter pets and pediatric patients, contagious to humans, but only in rare instances
• Giardia – transmitted through contaminated water or grooming other infected pets. Contagious to humans, but only in rare instances.

Symptoms

• Somestimes none
• Vomiting/diarrhea
• Weight loss

  Transmission

• Fecal – oral(through infected stool of other animals)
• Contracted from the pets mother at birth
• Hunting rodents or other pests
• Fleas
• Grooming other pets

Testing

• A stool specimen is colected and we look for evidence of these microscopic parasites not typically visible in the stool.
• Yearly testing is recommended for all pets on regular prevention
• More frequent testing is recommended for outdoor cats, pets who hunt, pets who visit dog parks or daycares.

Prevention

• Monthly prevention(Sentinel/Interceptor for dogs or Revolution for cats) prevents the most common intestinal parasites.
• Remove pet droppings from your yard frequently – daily is best, but minimally 2-3 times weekly.
• Keep sandboxes covered when not in use
• Do not allow your pet to drink from standing water or streams – these may be contaminated with animal feces
• Keep your pets flea free

For more information on heartworms and intestinal parasites visit:

http://www.heartwormsociety.org

http://www.petsandparasites.org/

In case of Emergency

In the event of an emergency, have you thought of your pets left alone at home? For safety, we are encouraged to carry pertinent personal informationin our wallet or on our cell phone, but we may forget that in the event of an emergency, our pets may be overlooked and alone without care. This is especially true for persons living alone with pet companions.

 Putting contact information  and care information in your wallet for your pet will help to ensure that your pets will be well taken care of in the event of an emergency.

Animal Medical Clinic provides, at no cost, pet identification cards through our e-pet health services that can be used to provide this much needed information. These cards can also be used as proof of vaccination and a brief medical record if your pet is visiting another facility such as a groomer, boarding/daycare facility, or the emergency room.

Visit our website to learn more about e-pet health and pet identification cards!

Online pharmacies

  This week, one of our pet parents came in to ask some questions about purchasing his pets' parasite preventions through an online pharmacy. He came in with the same thought that many of our clients have after seeing the many web and television advertisements  - "online pharmacies can save me money". He wanted to do the right thing for his pet, but in these tougher economic times like many fo us, he was trying to save money on his purchase.

  Like many consumers, he wasn't really aware of the cost differences and product information that makes pharmacy purchases through your pet's veterinrian the better choice. So I invited him in to answer his questions, the same questions we hear regarding online pharmacies all the time:

1. Why is it so much more expensive to purchase my pet's medication here?   
  Honestly, although many internet and catalog pharmacies advetise that their medications are less expensive, in many cases when our clients check the actual costs,  most medications, especially parasite preventions are as much as $10 - 40 less here at the hospital. The manufacturers also often offer additional rebates that are only available when you are purchasing your pet's medication here that reduces the cost even further. 
  We try to find as many ways as possible to save our clients money on their pets medications. Some of these cost savings include rebates, savigs clubs offered through manufacturers, bulk supply special orders, and our discount $5/$10 prescription list to name a few.    

2. Why do you discourage purchasing my pet's medications online? 
There are several reasons we discourage purchasing your pet's medications through online pharmacies.

• Many manufacturers of parasite prevention offer guarantess on their products. This means if the product fails, the maufacturer will cover the costs of any needed treatment. This mainly applies to heartworm preventatives. Since many of these manufacturers do not sell their products to online pharmacies, they cannot guarantee that the medications purchased online are effective, have been handled correctly, or that it is even the correct product inside the package. For all of these reasons, the manufacturers will not extend any guarantees or warranties to purchases that are not made through a licensed veterinarian. 
• Your veterinarian knows your pet's medical history and what medications they are taking. Many prescriptions and even non-prescription supplements can have interactions that can make your pet ill or in some cases even be fatal. Before recommending a medication or supplement for your pet , your veterinarian reviews your pet's medical history and current medications to ensure that that it is appropriate and safe for your pet.
• All of the products purchased here come with a person. By that I mean that if you have a question about your pet's mediaction or it's effects, our trained medical team is here to help you by answering questions, discussing how to effectively utilize the product, or medicating with the drug manufacturer if needed.

Visit the FDA consumers site for more information!!

3. It is often difficult to come by to pick up my pet's medications. Is ther an easier way?
Yes! We certainly understand that it can sometimes be difficult to come into the office to pick up medications. If you are unable to come in, dependant on the type of medications we can:

• Mail it to your home via USPS. Being located in Goose Creek, with it's high military population, we are very familiar with mailing medication to our clients. Most medications are shipped within the continental US for between $1 - 5.
• Some medications can be shipped directly to your home from the distributors warehouse through our proxy service.
• This year we will be launching our online store through our website and you will be able to order your pet's refills on our website and have them shipped right to your door. There will even be an option for automatic refill.

We can also help with reminding you when your pet's medications need to be refilled. Our client services team offers phone and email reminders - just let us know which you prefer and we'll be happy to set it up for you.  You can also set up email or text reminders directly from your pet portal  or at the remindmypet.com website offered through Novartis.

We always want to ensure that all of our patients receive their recommended medications. If you are having difficulty purchasing your pet's medication, ask us what options are available for your pet.