Wednesday 10 7, 2009
 Welcome to our first E-Newsletter!
We will send periodic newsletters throughout the year to keep you informed about pet health information and clinic news. To learn more about health care for your pets, be sure to visit our website at www.edinburghpets.com
for information on a wide variety of topics. We have many pet care handouts available on the handout page, and we list all of our available library books for checkout by our clients. For your convenience, you may also contact us via e-mail regarding questions about your pet or for pharmacy refills from our website. Check us out if you haven’t seen our website yet!
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We are AAHA accredited!
Edinburgh Pet Health Center is proud to be an American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredited hospital. AAHA is a national organization that is committed to excellence in veterinary medicine. Only 17% of all pet hospitals in North America are AAHA accredited. Visit the AAHA website
for more information about the high standards that AAHA hospitals must meet. In addition, AAHA sponsors a Healthy Pet website with lots of valuable information for pet owners.
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Hospital News
Dr. Lisa would like to share that her drop-eared Papillon, Mellie, earned her Master Agility Championship (MACH title) in AKC agility. This was a long-awaited goal finally attained. You can see the video of the winning run on You Tube. Agility is a great dog sport and anyone interested in learning more about it can certainly contact Lisa for more information. Warning: the sport is HIGHLY addictive!!
Wedding bells will be ringing soon for a few EPHC staff members. Dr. Jennifer Hale is proud to announce her marriage engagement to Lawrence Nystrom. The happy couple have not yet set a date. Certified Veterinary Technician Jessica Hallstrom is engaged to Mark Jeurissen and they are planning a June wedding. Congrats to both couples!
The construction work on the new road access from 85th Avenue is finished. There were some delays in the implementation of the new road and turn lanes, but you can now access the new frontage from 85th Avenue or you can enter our parking lot through the church parking lot to our north. We apologize for any inconvenience.
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We have a slide show of what your pet will have done during a dental cleaning and treatment appointment. We are proud to provide a high quality experience that will improve your pet’s health and keep them free of oral pain.
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Halloween and Chocolate Toxicity
Halloween is just around the corner and this is a reminder that those delicious treats we enjoy can be harmful to your pet. Chocolate toxicity is very common as dogs enjoy chocolate almost as much as we do. They can smell it and will open up wrapped packages, get them off counters and find them in purses. Do your pets a favor and hide those treats high up in cupboards. The darker the chocolate, the more potent the dose of theobromine and caffeine the pet will receive from the chocolate. Just one oz of baking chocolate is enough to cause problems for a 10 pound dog.
Chocolate toxicity signs include vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, hyperactivity, fast heart rate, muscle tremors, seizures, trouble walking, and occasionally death. Signs will show up within 6-12 hours of chocolate ingestion. In addition to problems directly associated with chocolate, the high fat content can lead to pancreatitis.
If you catch your pet eating chocolate, call our office so we can determine whether it is enough to cause any problems. If they have eaten a potentially toxic dose, we will want to induce vomiting and other follow-up care as quickly as possible.
Do your pet a favor and keep those treats off limits!
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Collar Safety for Dog Owners
Collars are necessary whenever dogs are walked on leash. They are also used as a means of identification, although in this day and age of microchips, they are not the only way to identify your dog. Dog owners should be aware that collars left on unsupervised dogs can cause some serious problems.
For our e-newsletter, one of our clients, Vera Mariner, has written about real-life scary scenarios that collars have caused for her dogs. Read her story here
. In addition to her experiences, our professional staff have seen and heard of cases of many other dogs experiencing problems such as suffocation and other dogs getting their jaws trapped in another dog’s collar. Some have been deadly. For those owners who must keep collars on their dogs, such as for doggie day care or in households with kids, Premier Company has a unique breakaway collar that provides for a higher level of safety while still providing control when the pet must be on-leash.
If you rely solely on collars for identification, be sure to consider microchipping your dog. It will be a more permanent solution to help ensure your pet is returned to you in case of loss.
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$10 off Microchipping!
Bring your pet in for a microchip implantation between now and December 31st, 2009 and receive $10 off by mentioning this offer. Take this opportunity to protect your pet and save money at the same time.
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Outdoor Cats-Risks and Responsibilities
Many owners allow their cats to run unsupervised outdoors. We do not recommend this practice for several reasons. First of all, it is hazardous for your cat, as the risk of being hit by car, fighting with another animal, domestic or wild or acquiring a serious infectious disease is considerably higher for those cats going outdoors. Second, cats will hunt and kill songbirds which contribute to difficulty in maintaining healthy songbird populations. Finally, outdoor cats are often considered strays and may be picked up by well-meaning good Samaritans or animal control officers. The majority of cats that run off are never reunited with their owners.
If you do allow your cat to run at-large, take these responsibilities to heart and protect your cat as best as possible.
1. Vaccinate your pet against Rabies, Distemper and Feline Leukemia.
2. Protect against fleas, heartworm disease, ear mites and intestinal parasites by using Revolution, a wide-spectrum parasiticide applied to the cat’s skin.
3. Microchip your cat for permanent identification. Consider having a breakaway collar with identification on your pet as well.
4. Spay or neuter your pet to decrease roaming behavior and to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
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Environmental Enrichment for Indoor Cats
Providing cats kept indoors with “things to do”, is very important. The Animal Behavior Resources Institute, Inc
. offers many good ideas for preventing “Bored Cat Syndrome” in your feline companion(s). Providing plenty of vertical territory with good window views is a great start, and encouraging cats to work for treats helps to prevent obesity. Providing toys, water fountains and even other cats can help to keep your cat active and healthy both in mind and body.
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Anticoagulant Rodenticide Poisoning
This time of year is when rodents start to make their way indoors to escape cold weather. It is also the time when we see more cases of pet poisonings. The most common poisons used for rodent control are products that cause fatal bleeding. The active ingredients are varied, but include warfarin and brodifacoum. D-Con is one well-known brand. Unfortunately, pets often accidentally ingest these poisons. Bait is often placed in areas where an owner is sure a pet cannot get to it, but if the bait is carried and discarded by the rodent pest to an area where the pet can access it, exposure can still occur.
We do not recommend the use of any poisons where there are pets in the household. The use of traps is much safer and generally as effective.
If you suspect your pet may have eaten rodent poisoned bait, it is very important to contact your veterinarian immediately to begin decontamination procedures such as inducing vomiting and starting activated charcoal to prevent absorption of toxin. If the pet has already begun showing bleeding problems (which generally occurs 2-3 days after ingestion), then the pet will need treatment with Vitamin K1 medication.
Not all rodent poisons cause bleeding. Many of the products available do not have an antidote and if ingested, many pets will die. Take care to protect your pet and do not use these products if at all possible.
You can call the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680 for round the clock advice on any pet poisoning. There is a per incident fee charged to your credit card, but they are well-informed to give good advice on almost any poison. Visit their website for more information.
More information is also available at the ASPCA website on pet poisons.
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