Bobcat fever has spread through rural areas around Muskogee, Oklahoma, over the past few weeks. Muskogee veterinary clinics have reported an increase in cases. The disease is a parasite, feline cytauxzoonosis, carried by ticks that have fed on wild bobcats, which are known reservoirs for the disease. The parasite does not affect humans, dogs or animals other than cats, … [Read more...]
Fireworks toxicity
Sparklers, firecrackers, smoke bombs, snakes and bottle rockets are easy targets for dogs to ingest during the July 4th holiday. Charlotte Means, DVM, MLIS, Diplomate ABVT and ABT, discusses the risks and treatment of ingested fireworks. Source: Today’s Veterinary Practice, July/August 2016, page 69. Most patients that have ingested fireworks respond well to symptomatic and … [Read more...]
Bathing cats
Sometimes a cat’s grooming ability isn't enough. Here are tips for unfortunate incidents. Veterinary teams and retail associates can use this information to help cat owners deal with dirty cats, including alternatives to a good soaking bath. Source: Catster, June 21, 2016. Although cats are excellent self-groomers, there are times when we do have to intercede. Here are some … [Read more...]
Tap feline prey instinct when considering nutrition
Liz Bales, DVM, presents compelling information beyond the food dish for cats. The fundamental message is that whether they are wet, dry or raw food eaters, cats should not be served. Cats are hunters and their natural prey instinct needs to be considered when determining how to feed them. Source: Cat Talk, June 2016, page 18. (link unavailable) Cat’s bodies are designed to … [Read more...]
Tech to help dogs talk
Special vests that enable dogs to send audible messages will help rescue-trained pups and service animals. Source: Petcha, June 8, 2016. A research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new vest that allows dogs to respond to their owners, CNN reports. The vest comes equipped with sensors that the dog can use to send text notifications or audible … [Read more...]
Dental charting benefits patients, clients and practices
Pets often need dental care, but may not indicate they are in dental distress until their teeth are in critical condition. By providing dental examinations and practicing a comprehensive method of dental charting, veterinarians can help the animals, solidify client relationships and potentially add to their bottom lines. Source: AAHA Trends, June 2016. There is a reluctance … [Read more...]
Tales from the hood
An increasing number of clients are choosing to treat their pets that have been diagnosed with cancer. The safety of the health care team must be made a priority because of the potential health risks associated with the preparation and administration of antineoplastic drugs being used in veterinary medicine. Source: AAHA Trends, June 2016. Chemotherapy safety is everyone’s … [Read more...]
Effective hot spot treatment
Paul Bloom, DVM, compares pyotraumatic dermatitis and pyotraumatic folliculitis/furunculosis. The article includes good images, as well. Source: Animal Health Solutions, June 2016. Page 22. Skin scrapings should be performed to rule out demodicosis with a secondary bacterial folliculitis and furunculosis as the cause of the lesion. Treatment involves completely removing the … [Read more...]
Study indicates leptospirosis can have seasonal and spatial distribution
Kathryn Primm, DVM, reviews a study on leptospirosis distribution originally published in the AVMA Journal. While it only examined records of dogs in Oregon, findings suggest the risk factors can exist in other geographies. Source: Veterinary Medicine, June 13, 2016. This study indicates spatial clustering, so if you identify a case of leptospirosis you may need to be on … [Read more...]
States promote dog-friendly tourist attractions
Dog-friendly tourism is a natural outgrowth of the human-animal bond. Cross-country travel to new environments includes risks from disease vectors that may not be present at home, plus the likelihood of nose-to-nose contact with unknown animals. Hence, traveling animals may need different vaccinations or preventative products than their stay-at-home counterparts. Veterinary … [Read more...]
Make moving easier on dogs
Moves can be upsetting to dogs, as well as their owners. Teoti Anderson shares ways to reduce the stress of packing and moving. Consider this content for websites, newsletters and blog posts, plus in-person visits with pet owners preparing to move. Source: Modern Dog, Summer 2106, page 114. (link unavailable) Five ways to help dogs survive a change of address: Keep to … [Read more...]
Dogs and pot – more on marijuana
How marijuana affects pets is generating increased interest and educational efforts. Suzanne Smither, Tina Wismer, DVM, DABVT, DABT, ASPCA and Heather Prendergast, RVT, CVPM, provide a comprehensive look at side effects of cannabis and its use as a medical treatment. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, June 2016. As marijuana use expands among humans, marijuana toxicity is … [Read more...]
Help owners save dogs from heatstroke
Learn what owners and team members can do to save dogs suffering from heatstroke. Studies show that dogs cooled by their owners before arriving at the hospital have a lower mortality rate than those whose owners do not attempt to cool them. Source: Clinician’s Brief, June 2016. The key take-home points: The mainstays of therapy for heatstroke patients include rapid … [Read more...]
It’s hot. Pets and hot cars don’t mix.
It’s hot out and summer hasn’t hit yet. Leaving pets in hot cars is a disaster waiting to happen. The AVMA reports that temperatures inside a parked car can rise 20 degrees in only 10 minutes. Not rescuing a dog experiencing discomfort inside a parked car prompted KUSA anchor Kyle Clark to issue an apology – to the dog. Source: Huffington Post, June 11, 2016, KUSA, June 10, … [Read more...]
Read a dog a story
Getting dogs adopted is the goal of the ASPCA on the Upper East Side in New York City. Some dogs are too traumatized to handle human contact. Volunteers reading to them for 20 minutes at a time helps create a connection. Source: New York Times, June 9, 2016. We need to get the dogs comfortable with what they’ll be seeing when they’re put up for adoption,” said Victoria … [Read more...]
The secret life of pets campaign
PetSmart will soon air two 30-second animated TV spots to promote the upcoming film "The Secret Life of Pets," which hit theatres July 8. Animal characters from the movie will tell stories of what happens when pets are left on their own devices and without human interaction, visit to a PetSmart store. Source: Ad Age, June 9, 2016. The humanization of pets is a tremendous … [Read more...]
Millennials to become primary demographic of pet owners
Ethnically diverse, tech savvy and splurge spenders, millennials have become a powerful force in the pet markets. All animal health pros will find value in this article. Source: Pet Product News, June 2016. About 74 percent of millennial pet owners own a dog, nearly half own a cat, and across all species of pets, owners of small animals, reptiles and fish are more often … [Read more...]
Do I really need to brush?
Nancy Kerns provides good information about the challenge of dental care in dogs. Veterinary teams and retail associates can use it in their discussions with dog owners or on blogs, websites or in newsletters. Source: Whole Dog Journal, April 2012, updated February 2016. It can be painfully expensive, but the value of having your dog’s calculus-encrusted teeth cleaned at … [Read more...]
Bowser beer, just for dogs
A subscriber shared this website. You’ll likely enjoy learning about custom beer for dogs. Just when you think you have seen it all . . . Source: Bowser Beer. Busy Dogs™ was started by Jenny Brown, creating Bowser Beer™ and Bowser Bits™ in late 2007. From the beginning she was committed to using 100% US made, all natural ingredients. Her idea was called crazy and bizarre, … [Read more...]
Relieving canine separation anxiety
Fixing separation anxiety is hard. Pet owners seek help from many sources. This article provides good information about separation behaviors and some methods to diminish the effects on animals. Pat Miller, CPDT, is a published author and the training editor at Whole Dog Journal. Source: Whole Dog Journal, February 19, 2016. 'Distress' indicates a lower intensity of stress … [Read more...]
Pet-friendly vacation guide
Pets don’t always have to stay behind when owners go on vacation. Folks at Purina have pet traveling tips for those on tight budgets and those who are well-heeled. There are some great ideas for pet owners here. Source: Petcentric Monthly Newsletter, June 2016. To help you get stated planning a great vacation with your pet, we’ve assembled all our best tips and tricks in … [Read more...]
Study suggests dogs were domesticated twice
Science long ago confirmed that humans originated on the African continent. It hasn’t been so kind to dogs. A group of scientists from the University of Oxford are saying evidence now shows that dogs were domesticated in Asia and Europe at different times. Nothing’s confirmed yet, but the study makes for fun discussion with dog owners. Source: New York Times, June 2, … [Read more...]
It’s Adopt-a-Cat Month
Local animal shelters are full of cute, cuddly kittens and mellow older cats ready for new homes. June is Adopt-a-Cat Month. The folks at American Humane Association offer tips for bringing new cats home, posters that can be used in clinics and even computer wallpaper that’s free and ready to use. Source: American Humane Association. Shelter staff are ready to help you … [Read more...]
Marijuana risky for pets
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, veterinarian Dayton Williams shares experiences with pets and marijuana. This report references Bubba, a dog from California that has been a recent news items. Source: KDLT, May 25, 2016. (includes video) Since marijuana was legalized in Colorado, Williams says veterinarians there have seen a huge increase in animals eating the drug. He says vets … [Read more...]
World’s most dog-friendly office
A subscriber shared this post. It is fun to see how dogs are included in the office culture and design of this pet toy company. It does beg a question about the company policy for preventative vaccines and products. So, does human resources have separate doggy resources policies? Source: Inc. Humans weren't the only considerations in building out Kurgo's offices. The ample … [Read more...]
Ease cat stress during moves
Marilyn Krieger, a certified cat behavior consultant, offers her perspective for dealing with felines during moves. Her proactive steps make good content for veterinary websites, blogs and newsletters. Source: Catster, May 13, 2016. Although moving is stressful for all of the members of the household, cats are especially sensitive and can be easily traumatized by the … [Read more...]
Feed dogs like wolves
Julia Henriques, managing editor, compares dog and wolf dietary needs. Her perspective includes the scavenger behaviors we often see in dogs. Much of the information comes from Dr. Isla Fishburn (BSc Zoology and MBiolSci and PhD in Conservation Biology). Feeding fruits and vegetables has some merit, according to the article. But, we believe a warning on which fruits and … [Read more...]
Beware of over-vaccinating your dog
Articles like this create a need to help veterinary teams engage with clients about vaccination. While recent information shows an increase in rabies in North America, questions about vaccination need and frequency continue. Our team at Animal Health Digest believes it is important to show professionals the information being sent to consumers, as well as channel-based or … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content: The latest on the feline sarcoma controversy
A roundtable of experts discusses injection site sarcomas in Part 1 of this Clinician’s Forum overview. The experts include Sarah Boston, DVM, DVSc, DADVS; Audra Fenimore, DVM,DACVM; Shannon Vawter, DVM, MS and Nancy Welborn, DVM. Source: Clinician’s Brief, May 2016. KEY POINTS The most recent studies suggest that in the genetically predisposed cat the injection of … [Read more...]
“Everything travels down that leash.”
Bruno, an Anaheim, California, K-9 officer shot in the line of duty two years ago, died last week from wounds he suffered during that shooting. He’d been a babysitter to his officer partner’s kids since being retired from the force in 2014. Source: NBC4, May 18, 2016, Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2016. He died in the line of duty. He protected us and the department and my … [Read more...]