Newsletter

Holiday season adornments are attractive to all creatures. The ornaments, foods, gifts, wrappings, ribbons, lights and plants are all curiosities for pets. Pets investigate new items by sniffing, tossing, chasing, and finally by tasting. A few precautions are necessary to avoid the holiday crowds at the veterinary hospital.

The most common problems this time of year are stomach or intestinal disturbances caused by pets eating the holiday feast or other novelties. Scraps from the table can cause gastrointestinal upset and even predispose pets to life-threatening pancreatitis. Bones can get stuck in the mouth or perforate the intestines and should be avoided. Chocolate is poisonous to cats, dogs, and birds. Plastic wrap and aluminum foil (coated with good-tasting juices) are enticing but can cause intestinal damage (and even blockage) if eaten by the pet.

Other sweet treats, like gum and hard candies, can also make your pet ill. Sugar-free candies and gum are made with xylitol, a sugar substitute that can cause a drop in blood sugar, depression, loss of coordination and seizures in your pet. Xylitol is also linked to liver failure in dogs. Be sure to keep all candies, chocolate and other sweets out of your pet's reach. If you believe your pet may have ingested chocolate or candy, call your veterinarian immediately.

Chocolate with Wrappers

Be sure to properly dispose of leftovers and wrappers. Feed pets their usual diet. Treats formulated similarly to the pet's regular diet are generally healthy and safe. Also keep in mind (while cooking) that pets may not know about hot stoves or to stay out from underfoot. Keep pets away from the stove so they don't get burned or get hot foods spilled on them.

Several decorative plants are poisonous. Mistletoe and holly can cause stomach upset with vomiting and diarrhea. The berries of these plants are attractive, easily swallowed, and potentially fatal if consumed. Poinsettias, like the leaves of most any plant, can also cause stomach upset. Use artificial mistletoe and holly; keep other plants out of your pet's reach.

Mistletoe and Holly

Be sure Christmas trees are secured so that pets cannot pull them over. Omit preservatives from the tree-stand water and cover the water so pets don't drink it. Don't spray snow on the tree unless it is labeled for pet consumption. Angel hair is spun glass and is irritating to both the inside and outside of your pet. Even glass ornaments and ornament hooks have been chewed and swallowed. These objects can cause problems from stomach upset to damaged intestines. Low-hanging ornaments are a real temptation, as are tinsel and electric lights. Decorative lights and electrical wiring can cause shock or burns when chewed, soremember to unplug holiday lights when pets are unattended.

Holidays have lots of activity going on. Be sure doors are not left open as guests come and go. Indoor pets inadvertently left outside could be injured by frostbite, cars, or other animals. Ice-melting chemicals and salt on sidewalks and roads can severely burn foot pads and should be washed off right away. Also, watch that guests don't leave interesting objects, such as chocolate, ribbons, stocking stuffers, or other illicit treats, within your pet's reach.

Holidays can also be as stressful for your pet as they are for you. Large gatherings of unfamiliar people may cause your dog or cat unnecessary stress and worry. If your pet does not interact well with strangers, keeping him or her in a separate room during the festivities may help keep your pet relaxed and worry-free.

Don't leave food items under the tree with an unsupervised pet; the wrapping, ribbon and enclosed gift are probably not compatible with your pet's digestive system. Ask Santa to put gifts out of your pet's reach so your pet won't beat you to them on Christmas morning.

When choosing a gift for your pet, consider the pet as an individual. Cats enjoy lightweight toys they can bat around, catnip toys, scratching posts, and kitty perches. Dogs like balls, chew toys, and things they can carry around. However, beware of toys with parts, such as bells, buttons, string, yarn, or squeaky parts, that can be detached and swallowed. Watch how your pet handles a new toy until you are sure it is safe. Some dogs treat a stuffed toy like a friend and carry it around and sleep with it. Others will tear them up and eat the stuffing and get into trouble. Also, if there is more than one pet in the household, consider all the pets before buying for any one of them. A one-inch diameter toy for a cat is fine, but a puppy in the household may swallow it and possibly require surgery to remove it.

If your pet does get sick, consult your veterinarian before giving any medications. Many of the over-the-counter drugs, such as acetaminophen - Tylenol(r) and Excedrin(r) and ibuprofin - Advil(r), Motrin(r), are toxic for animals even though they are safe for us. Don't wait to see if your pet gets better. If your pet is acting sick, consult your veterinarian.

Health care costs are rising rapidly - not just for you, but also for your pet. Veterinary medical costs are on the rise and many treatment options once available only for humans can now be used on pets. This is great news for the health of your pet, but it may not be so great for your wallet. Specialized treatments, emergency surgeries and consultations with specialists are expensive and working large veterinary bills into an already tight budget can be difficult for many pet owners. However, there are many options for pet owners looking to budget for the care of their faithful companion.

When it comes to tackling a large veterinary bill, health care credit cards are an easy option for pet owners. CareCredit, the Wells Fargo and Citibank all offer credit cards that can be used to pay for your pet's health care. CareCredit was the first company to offer financing exclusively for veterinary care. CareCredit works just like a regular credit card, except that it can be used only for veterinary (and human) medical care. More than 100,000 veterinarians in the country accept CareCredit and CareCredit's website features a searchable list of veterinarians who take payment through CareCredit.

To use CareCredit, apply online at www.carecredit.com. Once you're approved, make an appointment for your pet with your veterinarian. When it's time to pay the bill, you can set up a CareCredit payment plan with your veterinarian. Payment plans can last anywhere from three to 18 months, with no interest; for higher treatment fees, 24 to 60 month payment plans can be set up with a fixed 11.9 percent interest rate. The average credit limit is $4,000.

Chase also offers a specialized credit card for health care costs. The ChaseHealthAdvance allows pet owners to set up no-interest payment plans spread out from three to 24 months. Longer financing periods (for 24 to 48 months) are available with an interest rate ranging from 0 to 11.99 percent. The credit limit for ChaseHealthAdvance ranges from $5,000 to $20,000.

Wells Fargo and Citibank also offer credit card financing options for veterinary care. The Wells Fargo Health Advantage Card and the Citi Health Card work much like CareCredit and can be used for both veterinary and human medical procedures.

The Citi Health Card offers three different payment plans: zero interest for three to 18 months; a budgeted 48-month plan at 12.96 percent interest and a regular credit plan at 21.98 variable interest. Wells Fargo offers similar payment plans that can be customized by your veterinarian.

Not all veterinarians accept health care credit cards. Before applying for a card, ask your veterinarian which payment plans he or she uses. It is also a good idea to find out if veterinary emergency clinics in your area accept health care credit cards, as well. Adding another credit card to a growing stack of bills is a difficult choice - but far less difficult than choosing to forego an important procedure for your pet because of high costs.

Domesticated dogs are most likely descendants of wolves. Many behaviors naturally exhibited by dogs are reflections of wolf-like ancestry, rooted in instincts thousands of years old. Some of these behaviors are at odds with the wishes of the dog owner, who wants a domesticated companion that responds to human cues. Understanding the natural basis of canine behavior can be the best place to start a successful human-animal relationship.

Social Behavior: Dogs retain some of the basic behaviors of wolves, including living in relatively small social groups, following a leader, and exhibiting territorial protection. Dogs have relatively stable, hierarchical social structures that mediate interactions between group members and help them avoid regular aggressive confrontations. Complex body signaling of dominant and submissive postures is involved in the establishment and maintenance of these hierarchies. Therefore, in domestic life, it is important for humans to maintain a leadership role in the household.

It's Important To Socialize Your Dog To Avoid Aggressive Behaviors

Communication: Dogs use a combination of vocal, visual and olfactory cues to transmit a variety of messages from friendly greetings to threats. A vocalization should be evaluated in association with the dog's body language and the situation in which the vocalization is delivered. Visually, dogs use their body posture and expressions to relay messages. A dog that uses body postures to increase apparent size is usually trying to drive off another party. Conversely, dogs that use body postures to minimize their size are often encouraging approach. Olfactory cues play an important role in communication. The scents are often at levels undetectable by humans.

A Dog's Posture Is A Good Indicator Of The Message It Is Sending

Sexual Behavior: Intact female dogs will come into heat about every six months. During early estrus, the female dog becomes more playful and urinates more frequently. Non-neutered male dogs often exhibit behaviors such as urine marking, mounting, and roaming. Neutering often curtails these undesirable behaviors.

Chewing/Ingestive Behavior: It is normal for dogs to have a desire to chew on a variety of items, and they usually seek items to chew if they are not provided. Dog owners should provide their pets with numerous chew toys.

Dogs Naturally Love To Chew

Elimination Behavior: Dogs do not instinctively know to eliminate outdoors. They start to move away from their nesting area to eliminate when they are about three weeks of age and usually continue to avoid eliminating close to their sleeping and eating areas throughout life. At about eight weeks of age, puppies develop a preference for eliminating on a particular kind of surface (grass, dirt, concrete, etc). This desire often becomes a lifelong preference. Dogs may use urination to signal submission to a person or another animal. This is a normal communication behavior that usually is exhibited by young dogs. Dogs also may eliminate in situations of extreme fear.

One of the best ways to strengthen the bond between you and your cat is to play games together. When you play with your cat, you become the most interesting object in his or her life. Not only is playtime fun for your cat, it's also a great way to get your cat to exercise, both mentally and physically.

Following are six games you can play with your cat. Not every feline will want to play every game on this list, but certainly there are at least a few games here that you and your cat will enjoy. While most of them require objects you may have around the house, there are also a number of toys available that provide the same fun. The key is to actually play with your cat in order to create a fun and lasting relationship with your cat while also keeping them trim and healthy.

Paw Hockey - Play this game in a room with hardwood, tile, or linoleum floors that has at least 10 square feet of free floor space. Break off an eight-inch square of aluminum foil and scrunch it up into a hockey puck shape. (Please remember that foil balls should always be thrown away at the end of the game. They are fine for games, but are not safe for unsupervised play.) Show your cat the puck and then flick it with your fingers so that it goes skittering across the floor. Your cat will then chase after the puck, batting it with his paws and making it scoot from one end of the room to the other. If your cat starts to lose interest in the game, pick up the puck and give it another flick.

Staircase Dash - With your cat at the top of the stairs and you at the bottom, fling a ping pong ball to the top of the staircase, against the side wall, one or two steps in front of where your cat is sitting. The ball bounces down the stairs and your cat should race down the stairs chasing after it. When the ball reaches the bottom of the stairs, probably with your cat just a step behind, fling the ball back up to the top of the staircase. Keep tossing the ball up the steps until your cat gets tired.

Bathtub Scurry - Put a ping pong ball in a clean, dry bathtub. Remove the bottles of shampoo and bars of soap and plug the drain so the ping pong ball doesn't get lodged there. Put your cat in the bathtub, show him the ping pong ball, and bounce the ball off the side of the bathtub. As the ball bounces around, your cat should chase after it. If the ball starts to slow down, give it a good roll off the side to get it moving again and to keep up your cat's interest.

Chase the Thing on the String - Get an aluminum foil ball, hollow plastic Whiffle ball, or catnip mouse and tie it to a three-foot piece of twine or heavy string. Pull the string along the floor in front of you, over the cat furniture, or up and down your staircase and let your cat chase after the object. Be sure to allow your cat to capture the object every once in awhile so he/she can feel like a successful predator.

Shadows on the Wall - Turn off the lights in the evening and shine a flashlight on a nearby wall. Dangle bouncy cat toys or other small objects in the light and move them back and forth so their shadows race up and down the wall. Your cat should leap up at the wall trying to catch the elusive prey.

During his 35 years as host of "The Price Is Right," Bob Barker sent thousands of contestants home with new cars, shiny appliances and other prizes. But Barker is chiefly remembered for closing every episode of the daytime game show with a smart salute and urging viewers to "Help control the pet population—have your pet spayed or neutered." Why did Barker, one of television's most recognizable personalities, take up the cause of pet population control? The answer lies partly in Barker's years growing up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and partly in his 36-year marriage to Dorothy Jo Gideon, his high school sweetheart.

Barker, 84, has always had a lifelong love of animals. In a 1999 interview with The Pet Press, a Los Angeles-area publication for pet owners, Barker recalled how animals were always close by during his years living on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. "Wherever the dogs were, that's where I was. I always had a pack of dogs with me. I loved animals then, I love animals now - and I always shall." His mother, Tillie, was also a considerable influence on his love of animals.

It wasn't until the 1980s, though, that Barker began promoting animal rights in earnest. His wife, Dorothy Jo, had been a vegetarian for many years, and in 1979, Barker began making the transition to vegetarianism. When Dorothy Jo died in 1981, Barker took up the animal rights cause as a way to carry on his wife's work. Beginning in 1985, he ended every episode of "The Price Is Right" with his trademark phrase, "Help control the pet population - have your pet spayed or neutered." That same year, he was named the national spokesman for "Be Kind to Animals Week."

During his time as host of "The Price Is Right," Barker made the show more animal-friendly. Fur coats and leather products were eliminated as prizes on the game show, as were cars with leather interiors. Each week, Barker would showcase a pet up for adoption at a local shelter. In 1987, Barker caused a "fur flap" when he requested the removal of fur prizes at the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. That year, the contestants were scheduled to wear fur coats during the swimsuit portion of the contest. Barker asked producers to eliminate fur coats from the show and, when they refused, he stepped down as host. "It became a front page story and it was the best thing that ever happened to the anti-fur campaign," Barker told the St. Petersburg Times in 2003. "People who had never even thought about the mistreatment of animals were suddenly reading about it in the newspaper."

Barker has also publicly supported animal-related legislation, both in California and at the national level. He advocated for a bill in Congress that would ban the use of elephants in circuses, and has backed efforts in California to pass laws mandating pet owners spay/neuter their animals. In 1995, he established the DJ & T Foundation, a non-profit group that subsidizes spay/neuter clinics and voucher programs across the United States. The foundation is named for his wife, Dorothy Jo, and his mother, Tillie. Though Barker retired from television in 2007, he remains active in animal causes. As he told the St. Petersburg times, "It's been one of the most rewarding things of my entire life to see the huge difference we've made in the protection of animals and the treatment of animals."

A well-behaved dog is the product of teaching him to understand what is expected; you are responsible to teach him what behavior is or is not tolerated. As the owner of a new puppy, training is necessary and mutually beneficial. Young puppies are a veritable behavioral blank slate. If you are able to take advantage of this special time and begin temperament and basic obedience training using gentle, positive reinforcement methods, you are much more likely to end up with a well-behaved, sociable companion for life.

Benefits of early puppy training include:

• Instilling good manners
• Utilizing your puppy's critical socialization period to familiarize him with all kinds of people, animals, and environments
• Getting him used to being handled and touched
• Stimulating his abilities
• Troubleshooting common puppy problems like play-biting, chewing, digging and housebreaking before they become inconvenient dog problems

Obedience Training

The classes to look for should include information and instruction on how to communicate with your puppy. Housetraining, chewing, bite inhibition, off-leash socialization, handling, house manners and often an introduction to basic obedience skills should be part of your puppy's program. Imagine a pre-school for pups!

Once your puppy has become a socialized member of the canine community and is old enough to being learning commands, classes are usually available at a variety of levels. These classes start from the beginning, covering basic commands such as sit, stay, down, come, etc. They help you continue the "conversation" you had begun with your puppy at your first puppy class. By having everyone in your family participate, your puppy learns to accept his place in the family.

• Keep sessions short (around 5-10 minutes) as dogs generally have short attention spans.
• Determine what kind of positive reinforcement training you are going to use and stick with it. If your puppy is not responsive to food, try a favorite toy or enthusiastic verbal praise.
• Consult with a training school or personal trainer (yup, dogs have them too!) to help establish a routine.
• Initiate consistent house rules with other family members. If Mom says "lay down" but Dad says "down", it could cause confusion, thwarting progress.

Ultimately, how much and how well your puppy learns is up to you. Constant attention and positive reinforcement are the keys to success. Helping your puppy become a fun-loving and obedient companion also makes your relationship that much more enjoyable in the long run.

Abscesses in cats are serious conditions. Unlike abscesses in humans and dogs, for example, they function deep below the skin and like the legendary iceberg, this unseen portion does most of the damage. An abscess in a cat is not "just an abscess" as so many people offhandedly observe. It is a condition which requires medical attention and antibiotic therapy.

Despite the great natural resistance of cats to infection, abscesses are common and are caused by a break in the skin through which bacteria enter. All cats carry lethal bacteria in their mouths and these bacteria cause the vast majority of cat abscesses when they are left behind in a bite wound.

Bite wounds from fighting are the most common causes of cat abscesses. Young male cats often suffer from abscesses at the base of the tail. This location usually denotes a bite wound inflicted by a mature tomcat who has been defending his "territory" by attempting to bite off the testicles of inexperienced competitors. Mouth abscesses, especially in older cats, often come from lack of dental care.

Two Cats Fighting

The most common symptoms of an abscess are heat and swelling of the skin, at the site of the infection. The owner can usually feel a soft lump at this location and it is obvious (from the cat's reaction) that the area is painful. The cat's temperature rises, and he (or she) may refuse to eat. Often, the original bite wound can be seen.

Neglected abscesses may extend into the deeper body tissues, unnoticed by the cat's owner. The infection can enter the bloodstream causing a septicemia (blood poisoning) with subsequent damage to the heart, kidneys and other vital organs. Sometimes this damage can be detected clinically; however, it is usually not detected until later in the cat's life. It can also shorten the animal's lifespan by several years. Sometimes, such septicemias become overwhelming and actually cause the cat's death at the time of the abscess. Bite wounds in the tail or the limbs may set up a bone infection necessitating amputation unless early treatment is initiated. Bone infections are extremely difficult to treat. Ear abscesses often spread to the brain causing convulsions and a slow, painful death.

Cat Recovering from Extensive Bite Wound Abscess
Note the Elizabethan collar around the cat's neck.
This is necessary to keep him from licking the wound.

Abscess wounds on the flanks, or other areas where the skin is loose, may lead to what is called cellulitis. Instead of localizing in one lump, the infection spreads under the skin throughout the loose tissues. Very often, the cat is extremely toxic (suffering the effects of blood poisoning) and requires extensive medical treatment. If this infection is near the spinal column, it may even enter the spinal cord and lead to complex nerve damage. Advanced cellulitis can even kill a cat.

Treatment

Many cat abscesses break down, discharge a considerable volume of pus, then appear to heal spontaneously, only to flare up again. This recurrence is due to the unique tendency of a cat's skin to heal more rapidly than the tissues it covers. Since the skin has healed and the deep-seated infection has not drained adequately the infection returns.

Proper medical care of a cat's abscess involves local surgery (wide excision, debridement and drainage) in order to remove the deep infection, allow drainage, and promote complete healing. This must also be accompanied by supportive antibiotic therapy. Abscesses that are draining satisfactorily may only require antibiotic therapy.

Following surgery, three to ten days of continued treatment and observation are usually required. The period may be longer if complications are involved. Following veterinary hospital discharge of the cat, the owner should notice an improvement in the cat's health. If there are any signs of an abscess re-forming, the cat should be brought back immediately for further treatment.

1. I check my dog's stool in the yard everyday and do not see any worms; therefore, he / she does not have intestinal parasites.
   True
   False
2. Which of the following is NOT a dog vaccine?
   1. Rabies
   2. Parvovirus
   3. Distemper
   4. FeLV
3. Of the following, which is the BEST way to keep my dog's teeth and gums healthy?
   1. Rawhide
   2. Brushing with a vet approved dental paste and soft tooth brush
   3. Chew toys
   4. Tartar control diets
4. My dog has an ear infection. The best treatment is?
   1. Use a prescription from my other dog's ear infection
   2. See your veterinarian immediately
   3. Clean the ears with baby oil or rubbing
   4. Clean the ears with a cotton swab
5. Which breed is known for its dark purple tongue?
   1. Papillon
   2. Chow Chow
   3. Puli
   4. Irish Wolfhound
6. My dog only goes out for walks in the yard, so he doesn't need to be on a heartworm preventative.
   True
   False
7. My housebroken dog is suddenly urinating in the house. What could this possibly mean?
   1. Bladder infection
   2. Diabetes
   3. Kidney failure
   4. Any of these
8. My dog scoots his rear on the floor everyday after going to the bathroom. This is just a silly behavior problem.
   True
   False
9. The best way to treat my older dog's achy joints is?
   1. Tylenol
   2. Acetaminophen
   3. An approved canine anti-inflammatory drug
   4. Any of these are fine
10. When is the usual time to spay or neuter my dog?
    1. 5-6 months old
    2. 1 year old
    3. 18 months old
    4. After he or she is fully grown

Answers

1. False, 2. 4, 3. 2, 4. 2, 5. 2
6. False, 7. 4, 8. False, 9. 3, 10. 1