Thursday 10 28, 2010
 Halloween-Pet Costume Photo Contest
Edinburgh Pet Health Center invites you to submit the best photo of your pet's Halloween costume! Our staff will vote on the entries and post the winner on our Facebook page and in our next newsletter. In addition, the winner will get a $50 gift certificate toward a pet portrait at Laurie J. Erickson Photography Studio
in Crystal. Submit your digital photos (limit one photo per pet) by November 15th, 2010, to us at contact@edinburghpets.com. Please include your name, email address, pet's name, age and breed. By submitting your photo, you are giving us permission to publish it in our e-newsletter, website and/or Facebook page at our discretion.
Happy Halloween!
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Black Cats and Halloween
Halloween is not always a safe holiday for cat owners. Unfortunately, some people think black cats are "bad luck" and could consider harming them if encountered. Keep your cats indoors and safe from predators, cars and other hazards.
Black cats are especially hard to see at night and should not be outdoor cats any day of the year. Opening the door frequently for trick or treating youngsters could lead to cat escapes. Place your cat in a closed room until the trick or treating has ended.
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Hospital News
Dr. Lisa Carpenter is pleased to share that her seven-year-old Papillon, Mellie, earned her AKC breed championship in October. She is the first drop-eared Papillon (Phalene) to earn both an AKC championship and a MACH (Master Agility Championship) title. She is now working toward her MACH 3 title and may become the first Phalene to earn that title as well. Anyone interested in learning more about the addicting sport of agility, feel free to give Lisa a call.
Rhonda Noetzelman, CVT, recently attended a weekend of massage lectures for pets. On Saturday, she attended a lecture by Michelle Stutsman Bame on canine massage, focusing on sports/active dogs and the importance of warm-up and cool-down. On Sunday she attended a TTouch (Tellington Touch) lecture along with fellow EPHC technicians, Diane Paulus, CVT, and Lynsy Van Drasek, CVT.
Lynsy also attended a lecture sponsored by the Pet Poison Helpline which discussed many human medications that are toxic to pets.
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Enriching Your Pet's Life
Does your pet get some "special time" with you most days? Do they have interesting things to do during the course of the day? If not, it's time to create some pet-centered activities for them.
Many pet owners know how important it is to feed a good quality food, have plenty of water available, brush, bathe and groom pets, clean litterboxes and let dogs outside to eliminate. But sometimes life gets so busy, we forget to give our pets that "extra" attention that can really improve their quality of life.
Here are a few tips/ideas of things to do for your pet that will get their tails wagging or start them purring.
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Case Report: Pyometra
Recently we saw a three-year-old Setter bitch who had developed a purulent, bloody vaginal discharge. She was unspayed and the most likely cause of her problem was pyometra. Pyometra
is a life-threatening condition that leads to the uterus filling up with pus due to a severe infection of the lining of the uterus. It occurs within two months of the beginning of a heat cycle and needs immediate treatment once symptoms are seen. The normal uterus is about the width of a pencil, so as you can see by this picture, it has enlarged considerably. This dog was hospitalized, placed on IV fluids and antibiotics and spayed the same afternoon. She is recovering well from her surgery.
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$50 to Save a Life: Cat Adoption Promotion at the Animal Humane Society
The Animal Humane Society of Minnesota is offering a special promotion to encourage cat ownership. The $50 to Save a Life
promotion offers adult cats (over 1 year of age) for a low $50 adoption fee which includes spaying or neutering, vaccinations and microchipping. Edinburgh Pet Health Center provides free initial exams for all pets newly adopted through the Animal Humane Society. If you have been thinking about adding a feline friend to your household, now's the time!
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Trick Training
If you are looking for something new to train your dog to do, check out this fun video of one very useful Jack Russell Terrier.
You may want to consider taking a trick training class to learn how to teach your dog tricks. Twin City Obedience Training Center (TCOTC) and On The Run Canine Center
offer trick classes to help you break down the steps to get your dog to learn quickly what you want to teach. Dogs love to learn new things. Clicker training is a great way to teach tricks and if you haven't tried it, it's a quick way to shape new behaviors.
There are many good trick training books available. We have "Dog Tricks-Step by Step" available for checkout for our clients from our lending library.
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Chewing Gum-definitely not a good chew for dogs!
Sugar-free chewing gum containing the sweetener xylitol is toxic to dogs. The ingredient can cause a life-threatening drop in blood sugar leading to depression, loss of consciousness and seizures. Signs may be observed as quickly as 30 minutes after ingestion. Xylitol toxicity
can also lead to liver failure without noticeable low blood sugar. Be sure to keep candy and gum away from pets. Dogs often search through purses and pockets in search of food and they are common places to find these forbidden treats.
Call our office immediately if your pet should ingest gum or candy containing xylitol. We will assess the risk and institute proper treatment.
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