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Consider the Source
Yoda's Advice to the Unknowing
Dear Yoda,
I am a people dog. I love people. When I see someone
walking down the street I like to bark out a nice "hello".
When they don't respond I assume they have not heard
me and continue to say hello until they are out of site.
Actually, I do this to cats, rats, birds and falling
leaves; all day long when my people are a work. I must
be very popular because my owners are now getting calls
and letters explaining how friendly I am from all the
neighbors. My owners have been talking about getting
me a new collar that smells like oranges. How can I
tell them I'd rather have a collar that smells like
salmon?
Bernice Mon Taindog
Dear Bernice,
It sounds to me like your family wants to get you
a citronella collar-not good. It is a collar that
sprays every time you bark (or say hello). It is time
for you to start thinking about something besides
what is going on outside- have your people leave you
an indoor activity (kong toy, chewies etc…) If
that doesn't work I think you should go to counseling
with your people. An animal behaviorist can help you
divert your attention to something else. Call our
office and my personal staff can get you a number
of a great trainer.
Dear Yoda,
I have recently been put on a diet by my nasty veterinarian
. I don't know why! I am not overweight, I am just
really fluffy!! Anyways, I have had my meals cut down
by 1/3. I am left feeling grumpy and weak (ok not
weak, just grumpy) What should I do to tell my people
that I am not happy and how can I convince them to
feed me more.
Tom Deluise
Mr Deluise,
Have you tried waking your people up in the middle
of the night? How about walking in between their legs
every time they go to the kitchen? I personally like
to jump up on counters and see if I can't offer myself
some little tidbit. If you end up getting into trouble
for this, try telling your people there are high fobre
diets and low calorie diets (like Medi-Cal of Eukanuba)
so they can feed you the same amount of food just
with a low calorie intake. Recent studies have shown
that pets that are ata optimum weight live longer
and with less pain than overweight pets! Think about
it- the longer you live....the more you can eat!!
The circle of life!
Yoda
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Your
Eagle Ridge Veterinary Hospital Healthcare Team
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"Yoda"
the Cat
Dr. Don French
Dr. Shelley Murray
Tamara Cox
Ramona Doucet
Darla Messner
Jaime Dragan
Kristy Hemstalk
Yvonne Alexander
Dominique O'Brien
Chelsea Taylor
Ashley Lee
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Goodwill Ambassador
Veterinarian/Owner
Veterinarian
Reg. Animal Technologist
Reg. Animal Technologist
Office Manager
Veterinary Recectionist
Veterinary Recept/Assist.
Veterinary Recept/Assist.
Veterinary Assistant
Veterinary Assistant
Veterinary Assistant
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THE
DIRT ON FLEAS!
Why does my pet still get fleas in the winter?
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We all love the mild climate of the west coast,
but unfortunately it means that many parasites
can survive outdoors all winter. It just never
gets cold enough, for long enough, for fleas to
die. Fleas can live up to a year without feeding
and a single flea can produce 600 eggs, so there
is a constant supply of little critters just waiting
for an opportunity to jump on….and jump they
do! Did you know that if a flea were the size
of a person, it could jump 250 feet in the air!
Fleas are more than an itchy nuisance - they
can cause allergic skin disease, transmit tapeworms,
and in extreme cases, cause anemia. Fleas are
crafty little insects, with survival mechanisms
that make it very difficult for us to get rid
of them. Flea eggs and larvae hide in the grass,
in the carpet, on bedding, and just about any
hiding place they can find. When you see a single
flea, it is often just the tip of the iceberg.
So how can we keep our households flea (and itch)
free? Prevention is the key! Flea prevention is
much easier than dealing with a major infestation,
and there are several excellent (and safe) products
available through veterinarians. Some are topical
products (Advantage, Revolution), others are flavour
tablets (Program, Sentinel) given once a month.
Regardless of the product, flea prevention should
be practiced all year, for all the pets in your
household.
Catherine Shankel
for more information on fleas
click here
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February
is Pet Dental Month!
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Studies have shown that 85% of dogs and cats will
develop denatl disease sometime in their lives.
Untreated dental disease causes much discomfort
and pain for your pet, Aside from the bad breath
that can be hard to live with, the bacteria in
calculus can spread through the bloodstream and
cause damage to the animal's internal organs.
Heart disease, liver abd kidney disease are frequent
problems stemming from untreated dental disease.
If your pet has a build-up f tarter, expect your
veterinarian to suggest a dental cleaning.
Whats
involved in a pet dental? Unlike humans, who passively
sit in a chair and let their hygienist scale and
polish their teeth, dogs and cats need to have
a general anesthetic in order to properly clean
their teeth. Once the animal is asleep, the teeth
are carefully examined and charted and gum disease
, fractures, loose or abscessed teeth are noted.
Calculus is mechanically removed using a hgh speed
scaler and the teeth are polished with dental
polish. Sometimes teeth m,ay need to be extracted
at this time if they are found to e beyond saving
or causing the animal pain.
It
has been clinically proven that eliminating dental
disease adds years to your pet's like. In addition
to having good breath and a clean smile, your
pet will feel better and be all the healthier
for it. We happily sponsor a yearly "DENTAL
MONTH" in February, when all dental ceaning
are 20% off. If your veterinarian has suggested
a dental ceaning for your pet, think about giving
him or her that added lease on life and book a
dental cleaning appointment soon.
for more info on dental
health care click here
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Toe
Nail Tuesdays
Pedicures at 1/2 Price!!
(available at either clinic)
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WHERE HAS DR. FRENCH BEEN?
Five years ago, Dr. French started to get
osteoarthritis in his left ankle. In spite of using innovative
high tech braces over the next couple years, the arthritis
had progressed rapidly, leaving him in great pain and discomorft.
On October 11, 2005, Dr. French has a surgical procedure
to fuse his ankle to his shin bone (arthrodesis). As the
bones grow together, they will eventually be as strong as
regular bones.
His recovery is going very well and he is
no longer in any pain. We are expecting him to start taking
appointments again in early February. We would like to thank
everyone for their concern over the last couple months and
looks forward to returning to work.
Even though he is unable to ski this year,
he still took all of us to Whistler for our annual Christmas/Ski
party. The dinner was fabulous (as always) and we all had
a great time shopping and skiing the next day!
This year, for the first time, a group of
us got together and volunteered with the Elves Club with
their Christmas Hampers. It was amazing to see how much
work is involved with the hampers. It was fun and rewarding
to help this very worthwhile cause and we hope to volunteer
again next year.
Ringworm
The Fungus Among us
Ringworm is not a worm. It is a
fungal infection of the skin and hair. It is a zoonosis,
meaning it can transmit between people and animals. Ringworm
is spread by tiny spores in infected skin cells and hairs,
shed into the environment (such as your home). There are
several species of ringworm which behave in different ways.
In dogs, ringworm really can look
like anything, so diagnosis can be tricky. In cats, lesions
are mores likely to be round, scaley, bald patches which
might be inflamed or itchy; ears, face and paws can be affected
first, due to grooming habits.
The most common ringworm pet owners
will experience is Microsporum canis . This type is quite
infectious, spread easily by cats, especially long haired
cats and Siamese, as they are predisposed. Luckily, most
pets with the infection have lesions and are usually taken
to the veterinarian, although some pets are silent carriers.
(fungal culture)
Diagnosing ringworm
on your pet is through physical exam, history, lifestyle
and lab testing. Lab testing can mean microscopic exam of
hairs or a fungal culture. It helps if we know whether other
pets (or humans) are involved. if you suspect you have ringworm,
you should consult your physician.
There are several treatments available
for pets. Generally, the affected pet will be treated for
4-8 weeks with oral and possibly topical antifungal drugs.
Other pets may need to be treated too. The real backbone
of control is environmental decontamination- appropriate
cleaning (bleach) will greatly reduce the risk of re-infection.
Without cleaning, ringworm can become a real pain in the
follicle.
Dr. Shelley Murray
The
Scoop on Poop
"Can you bring in a fresh
stool sample?"
This strange
request is for very good reasons and it's not just
because our Reg. Animal Health Technologists love
getting "gifts"! Your pet's stool sample
can reveal a lot of information to your veterinarian
about your pet's current health. Stool samples from
ill animals can be tested in several ways to aid the
veterinarian in a diagnosis.
Our in-hospital
"occult blood test" can reveal if blood
is present and whether it may have came from the small
or large intestine. Feces contains a lot of naturally
occurring "good" bacteria, however in some
cases the "bad" bacteria takes over and
by performing a fecal smear/stain evaluation we are
able to visualize these
"bad" bacteria. Some bacteria are worse
than others and can pose a serious health threat to
you and your pet so your veterinarian may then send
a sample off to the larger laboratory for further
in-depth testing.
The most common
reason for a stool sample is to test for the presence
of intestinal parasites. The adult form of parasites
like roundworms, hookworms and whipworms are usually
not shed in feces, making identification of a worm
problem difficult. The eggs, however, are present,
but are too small to be detected with the naked eye.
A 'fecal flotation' is our in-hospital laboratory
test in which the feces is mixed with a special solution
in a cylinder. The solution causes the eggs to float
upward and collect on a microscope slide placed on
top of the cylinder. This slide is
then examined to look for the different eggs of the
parasites. This test will not only find eggs of the
parasites listed above, it will also indicate the
presence of other parasites, including giardia and
coccidia. Parasites are everywhere!
Routine puppy
and kitten deworming is very important even if the
fecal test comes back negative. This is due to the
fact that some parasites shed eggs intermittently
and that young animals routinely become infected with
certain parasites while still in the womb or while
nursing.
Another concern
is growing suburbanization has increased the exposure
of people to pets and their excrement. Children are
at special risk because they often put dirt and other
contaminated objects into their mouths. Other particularly
exposed persons include electricians, plumbers, and
other workers who come in contact with soil in crawlspaces
and beachgoers who lie on contaminated sand. Soil
analyses indicate the presence of roundworm (Toxocara
spp.) eggs in 10% to 32% of samples taken from public
places.
In addition
to regularly worming your adult pet we recommend that
your pet have annual fecal examinations performed.
Routine dewormers like "Drontal Plus" or
"Interceptor" will safely control the more
common intestinal parasites, while the fecal testing
will let us know if our pet requires additional medication
to deal with infestation like giardia that is not
affected by routine dewormers. This will ensure a
parasite-free pet and will lower you and your family's
risk of infection.
Please call
or come by if you have any questions or would like
your pet tested for possible parasites.
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