Priest Lake Veterinary Hospital
December 2009 News Letter

 
Happy Holidays.  This is the season for giving, receiving, families and friends.  The decorations are up, beautiful music fills the stores, and people are hustling to buy that special gift.  Smiles are on the faces of the children waiting and anticipating the arrival of the jolly man in the red suit.  If you are traveling please be safe and enjoy the holiday season.


Trees, Tinsel, Trouble?

Holiday season is the time for decorating trees and homes with lights, ornaments, tinsel, plants, and greenery.  It is also the time when pets can get into a lot of trouble and danger.  Trees can topple over, tinsel can be swallowed, bulbs can be broken, plants can be nibbled, light cords can be gnawed and candy can be consumed.  Be sure to pet proof decorations and trees.  Put bulbs up a little higher on the tree.  Forgo the tinsel if you are afraid your pet will play with it.  Be sure to unplug the tree when you are not a home.  Put candy up and out of a pet's reach.  Be careful which plants you purchase and leave out where pets have access to them.  If you are worried about your tree toppling over you can always anchor it to a wall or woodwork.  If your tree is live and needs water it is best to arrange it so the pet can't access it.  Make your guests aware of your pet's where about, and ask them to refrain from giving them people food or candy.   If you have any questions or would like some suggestions please give us a call   361-4646.

Infants, Children and Dogs

New and expectant parents typically have three major concerns: 

1) how to prevent pet behavior problems from occurring after the baby arrives     
2)  how to introduce the baby to the pet    
3)  how to keep the child safe around the family dog as well as other animals

It is often assumed that jealousy is the cause of behavioral problems in the home, but that is not always the case.  Many times it is the result  from the anxiety caused by the significant environmental change in the pet's routine.  One of the ways to make the transition easier for your pet is to make the changes subtly and not all at once.  Start early on revising the rules for the pet and any feeding and exercise changes.  The more gradual the changes occur the less likely your pet will have issues with the changes.
Pets do not naturally know how to behave around children and children need direction on how to behave with pets.   Children should be taught not to handle a pet too rough or to pull the hair, tail, ears, etc of the pet.  If children are directed how to care for a pet, what to touch, and how to touch, the transition will be a more pleasant experience.  A young pet needs to know that being touched can be a pleasant thing.  Teach your pet that petting his feet, ears, nose, tail and holding the collar is not something to fear. A pet should learn early  in life that the human hand is friendly and not a threat.

A. Prepare puppies during the early months of life with a variety of people, including young children
B. Anticipate problems and work on their prevention well before the baby arrives
C. ALWAYS supervise pet/child interactions.  Prevent access to the child when a responsible adult is not available to supervise
D. Don't take the relationship between the pet and the baby for granted.  Actively take steps to shape it in a positive way.
E. Avoid punishing the pet, banishing it from the room, or ignoring the pet when the child is present.
F. Teach the children how to act around their pets and other animals and what to do if threatened.

Health concerns:

1) Have your pet examined and vaccinated by your veterinarian at least once a year.
2) Have a fecal sample checked for parasites twice a year and clean up the feces in yard or area as soon as possible.
3) Make sure that your children or any other person wash their hands after cleaning the yard, playing in the yard or handling the pet.
4) If any skin conditions, changes in the feces, vomiting or itching occur you should call your veterinarian for an appointment to have the pet checked. 
5) Try to teach your pet not to lick in the face.  If they do lick teach your child to immediately wash their face and hands.
6)  Any scratch or bite should be cleaned and disinfected  and wounds that break the skin or appear infected should be reported to a medical facility.


The Dreaded H1N1 

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) state that it is as important to protect your family pets as well as yourselves as far as spreading the flu. People who are sick with the H1N1 virus can spread the virus to humans and some animals.

The departments shared this information after a confirmed case of the H1N1 virus in a 13 year old indoor cat.

The cat was brought to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine where it tested positive for the H1N1 virus. The diagnosis is the culmination of collaborative efforts between IDPH, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Advanced Host Defenses, Immunobiotics and Translation Comparative Medicine, USDA, and IDALS, Animal Industry Bureau.

Two of the three members of the family that own the pet had suffered from influenza-like illness before the cat became ill.  Dr Ann Garvey the IDPH Public Health Veterinarian states , "This is not completely unexpected as other strains of influenza have been found in cats in the past."

People can keep their pets healthy by washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and minimizing contact with their pets while ill with influenza-like symptoms.  If your pet exhibits signs of a respiratory illness, contact your veterinarian.  Indoor pets that live in close proximity to someone who is sick are at risk and it is wise to monitor their health to ensure they aren't showing signs of illness.

2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Presumptive and confirmed results:

Swine 16    
Cats 1   - Following exposure to human with influenza-like symptoms
Ferrets 2    - following exposure to human with influenza


Pets as presents 
As the holidays approach, many people want to give the gift of a pet.  There are many things to consider before buying a pet as a gift. There are many animals in shelters that need homes.  In this economic situation people are giving up their pets to rescues and shelters.  Many of these pets are full bred dogs and cats.  Rather than giving a pet it is best to give a gift certificate instead and let the receiver of the gift pick out their own pet. Pets are a responsibility and a long term commitment.  Many people aren't financially or physically prepared to adopt or care for a pet.  These things should be looked at thoroughly before a decision is made to give a pet as a gift.  Call your local shelter or rescue and see what they offer and what pets they have in their facilities, determine if you want a puppy or an adult dog, decide what size dog your home can accommodate and lastly make sure to talk things over with all members of the family.  If you decide to give a pet as a gift make an appointment with your veterinarian for a full check up and fecal check to ensure that the pet is in good health with no parasites and vaccines that are up to date.
 
Tibits
Nonprofit research organization HealthyStuff.org found that 50% of tennis balls contain detectable levels of lead.  Balls intended for pets were much more likely to contain lead while sports tennis balls contained none.  Visit the web site for the complete list.---healthystuff.org

University of Toronto researchers found that purchasing "green" may give us license to act immorally.  Subjects who bought environmentally friendly products were more likely to cheat and lie in a subsequent task, presumably because aligning actions with a moral self-image made them comfortable in slacking off a little.---popsci.com

The average dog can learn 165 words including signals, and those in the top 20% of dog intelligence can learn 250 words.-------Medical News Today

Review of 20 years of U.S. survey data found that people who owned cats at some point in their lives tended to have a lower risk of dying from heart attacks.----HHS HealthBeat


Clinic News                              

This month the drawing was for a gift basket.  We entered everyone who had a diagnostic blood screening that would determine whether or not their pet had diabetes.  The winner was the Trump family for Beau their cat.  Their other cat Nugget, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2005.

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season.