Happy Halloween from Hilly, the clinic cat!!!!

   Happy Halloween! It’s me, Hillshire the clinic cat, and I thought I’d take a moment to talk to all of you about some of the creepy stuff that happens on October 31^st each year.

  It’s the spookiest night of the year and I really don’t understand what all the hub bub is about. The team puts on funny clothes and eats more food than usual. They play “It’s the great pumpkin Charlie Brown” way too many times for the boarding pets. Worst of all, they round me up and put me into a ridiculous outfit and take pictures….it’s downright embarrassing!(See the picture above…not my idea!!!) I see other pets come to visit the hospital who have been put into silly outfits too…..It’s just scary!!

  Apparently, Halloween can be a pretty dangerous day for pets. I heard them talking about it to our visitors today…Here’s what I heard Rebecca telling the pet parents:

1. No treats: That bowl of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Hilly and his friends (Oh darn, I can’t believe she is going to hide the candy!). Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also cause big problems. Xylitol is in a lot of sugar free candy and gum, but I don’t chew gum cause it gets stuck in my whiskers anyway. Don’t forget the wrappers either! If your furry kid is anything like me, they will want to taste the wrappers a little…don’t do it friends! The wrappers are bad for you too! If you do suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please give us a call right away or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

2. I hate to wear costumes!!!(So, quit it ladies!)  You may love a pet in costume, but your pet may feel differently. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams like my friend, Duncan, Dr. Parrott’s dog). Make sure it is ultra comfy and doesn’t restrict movement or have tasty, dangly parts. If your pet seems stressed by the costume, remove it for their own safety. Most pets, like me prefer to go au naturale. I have offered to consider a festive bandana.

3. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept inside in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours. All the strangers dressed up as creepy things and jumping around and stuff is down right scary and stressful.  Those creepy kids running around everywhere making noise might make you pet want to run away and hide. I checked last year and none of those little pails they carry have Fancy Feast in them anyway. Too many strangers can overwhelm a pet and cause them to be unusually protective or fearful. I am super glad I will be hidden safely away here at the kennel.

4. Although tempting, do not bring your pet along for trick-or-treating. Even the best-trained dogs can become spooked or aggressive in the noise and confusion of Halloween. Children you encounter may also be fearful of dogs. I know you want to show off those little outfits, but save it for Facebook folks. Please don’t make your pet go out in public like that…

Notes from Rebecca:
Hilly got most of it right…although he is a little dramatic about the whole costume thing. He looked adorable!!!

*     IDs, please! Each time you open the door for a trick-or-treater, your pet could escape.  It is another great reason to have them safely confined in a back room with no chance to zip out of a front door. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can be a lifesaver, increasing the chances that he or she will be returned to you. If you haven't done so already, make sure your pet’s microchip info is up to date, too! If your pet does escape from the house or becomes lost, a microchip and a collar with id tags will increase the chances that they will be returned home again.

*     During the week of Halloween, calls to the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline increase by 12 percent, making it the call center’s busiest time of year.   “Each year we experience a sharp increase in calls around Halloween, especially during the weekends surrounding the holiday,” said Ahna Brutlag, DVM, MS, assistant director at Pet Poison Helpline. Remember to keep all the treats out of your pet’s reach.

*     Keep your pets inside on Halloween. If you have an outdoor cat (particularly a black cat), make sure to keep them indoors for several days around Halloween to minimize the risk from pranks or other cruelty-related incidents.

Last, but certainly not least, if your pet is a ham and likes to dress up, Please post a photo of them in their cute little outfit on our Facebook page so we can share the cuteness too! If your pet drops by to visit us in their costume, we will trim their toe nails for free!  We like showing off their pictures…and showing them to Hilly when we tell him he isn’t the only pet who has to dress up! Happy Halloween!!!!!!!

Featured Team Member: Meg Henslee

1. How long have you been a part of the AMC team?
 I started as part of the AMC team  part time in August of 1996. For 7 years, starting in 2001, I managed the front desk at the Bed and Biscuit and then in January of 2008, moved to the hospital as their part time office assistant.
 
2. What drew you to this profession?
 A friend of mine was in the profession and  got me interested in the field. I really enjoy that everyday I can meet new dogs, puppies, and kittens!
 
3. What is your favorite part of your job?
 My current job as an office assistant in the hospital allows me to come in and get so much done so quickly, but I still get to interact with pets.
 
4.What hobbies or interests do you enjoy outside of work?
 I enjoy working with my dog, Laker, who does therapy dog work in nursing homes.  Laker loves his visits with the residents there and I love seeing the smiles it brings to their faces when he visits. 
 
 5. What pets do you currently have at home?
 Laker, a five year old red doberman, who does therapy dog work.
 
6.What would a perfect day at AMC be like for you?
 A perfect day at work would be a day where everyone was happy and smiling and there were no problems or sadness.
 
7. What is a perfect day for you outside of work?
 I love being on vacations: Taking jazz cruises and visiting the Carribean.
 
8. If money were not a factor, where would you choose to spend the rest of your life?
I would not spend too much time in any one place except South Carolina. I would travel the world!

From the desk of Hillshire, the clinic cat, Happy "Catober"

  

 Greetings Y’all and Happy Catober! Hillshire the clinic cat here and I’m so excited they gave me the chance to tell you all about Feline month here at Animal Medical Clinic of Goose Creek.

  I was so excited when I heard the team talking about feline month here at AMC. Finally, a month that’s all about me and what I want…sadly I soon found out that it was not “Hilly-tober”, but I was okay with that after I heard a little of what they were all talking about.  I lead a life of luxury here, what with a full team to attend to filling my dishes, rubbing my back, and keeping my catnip toys full, but what you may not know is that back when I was a young tom, before I became part of the AMC family, I was an indoor/outdoor cat. That’s right folks; I roamed the grassy neighborhood lawns, climbed trees, and was a hunter-extraordinaire! I know all about how tough life can be for a kitty, especially homeless kitties with no staff…ahem…I mean family.

  Outdoor cats and feral/free roaming cats are exposed to a lot of scary things. They are at risk for attacks by other animals, being hit by cars, infections caused by parasites, poisons/toxins, and a bunch of diseases that are passed from cat to cat in the outdoor cat population. The really sad thing is that there are so many cats that aren’t spayed or neutered and they keep making kittens that don’t have homes and aren’t part of a family. Those kittens then become part of the outdoor cat population and are at risk for all those same dangerous things and the cycle just keeps repeating itself.

  The team here at Animal Medical Clinic wanted to offer help to some of those feral or “neighborhood” cats here in our area. You know the ones…everyone feeds them, but they really don’t have their own family to take care of them. The team says we are doing a TNR (trap-neuter-release) day on October the 16^th. If you don’t know much about that, the idea is to spay or neuter the stray/feral or neighborhood cats then rerelease them back to their territory. They won’t be able to make more kittens and they will be less likely to fight with their friends. They are even going to vaccinate them for Rabies before they let them go again. Rabies is super scary and unvaccinated outdoor cats are at a high risk for this disease.

I was able to get you some Intel on the costs and info if you know of a feral or outdoor unowned cat who might need to come take advantage of TNR day here at AMC:

Feline Spay: $60.00

Feline Neuter $ 50.00

Rabies 1 year vaccination $10.00

  If you give them a call, the team can even give you some hints and tips about how to coax that stray kitty into a carrier or trap(They’re a sneaky bunch) and get them safely over here to the clinic and then back home again.

Check out the links I found online to learn more about this whole, outdoor kitty love thing:

http://www.felinefreedom.org/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/17/feral-cats-colonies-rabies-risk/2665359/

http://www.thedailycat.com/health/safety/outdoor_cat_dangers/index.html#.VDWYWXba6So

Don’t fret my feline friends; if you are a pampered indoor cat like me they have some great things for you too…

This month there is a lot of cool stuff going on here if you are a cat….send your staff…I mean family, down to pick up your Revolution for the month and have them “spin it to win it” with the feline prize wheel and bring you home a treat. If you are due for your annual exam, there is a 10% discount on wellness visits (felines only…tell them it’s cause we’re cooler), and on October 29^th, National Cat day, all cat owners should stop by and pick up a treat for their feline friends….but not too many because I’m hoping to take all the leftovers back to the cat room with me!

Purrs and tummy-rubs,

Hilly