It's an Earthy type of Day

Today I have for you a roundup of some Earth Day links involving pets. We should all practice Earth Day year-round, and here are some tips to get you started.

A Dog-poop Powered Lamp!!!!!

Living Green With Pets Articles, Slideshows, Videos, and calculate your pet's carbon pawprint.

Wheat-based cat litter / Corn-based cat litter / There are Cedar-based products too, all better for the environment.

Animal Planet's Green Products One of my favorite suggestions is corn-based biodegradable poop bags that take only 45 days to disintegrate.

Pedigree & Purina Walk to the park instead of drive and recycled pet toys and bird feeders.

You know how you wash your socks and lose one? Well, I use those brotherless socks to create catnip toys. Really! The cats love them, and it saves money as well.
Leave any other suggestions in our comments. Thanks!

Rabbits and Easter Don't Mix

Before you are tempted to go out and buy a bunny rabbit for a child as an Easter present, remember that it is an animal. Rabbits are not just ornamental. They are smart and playful, and need attention. Someone receiving a rabbit as a gift, especially a surprise gift, will not be prepared for the responsibility. Read the informative article here.
Don't forget that any animal as a gift is not a good idea. Ducklings and chicks are sometimes given as Easter gifts, but it's best to stick to the marshmallow kind.

Do-it-yourself ball machine

Adorable! I love the way dachshunds run.
We recommend a RUBBER ball instead. Tennis balls are like brillo pads against their teeth.

Re-accredited as of today!

Click below to go to AAHA website

On the wall above the printer in our waiting room, you may have noticed a sign that states we are an AAHA accredited practice. Do you really know what this means? It’s hardly worth posting a sign if our clients don’t attach any meaning to it.

AAHA stands for the American Animal Hospital Association. They were founded in 1933, and evaluate companion animal hospitals against very strict standards of excellence. The evaluation process is on a volunteer basis; no hospital is required to go through the process. Only those hospitals that demonstrate a superb level of care can become accredited.

For instance, AAHA hospitals are required to have x-ray and laboratory facilities for quick diagnosis. Medical records and upkeep are evaluated; they must also have an on-site pharmacy. AAHA updates their requirements periodically to guarantee that all accredited hospitals are state-of-the-art.

Our most recent AAHA inspection was today, April 18^th. It feels like a great achievement, and we will undergo the evaluation process again in 3 years.

Reducing hospital stress for cats

Lots of distress is not good for anybody, and for cats coming to the vet, it can be incredibly overwhelming. Cats don’t handle changes very well, and we change their entire world when we stuff them into a carrier, make them ride in the car, and bring them into a building filled with odd noises and unfamiliar smells. Luckily, there are ways to help your cat be less upset at the vet.

Feliway, a synthetic copy of a feline pheromone, is a product that comes in a spray or a plug-in. I have seen the success of Feliway in my own home. I moved into a new apartment with my 2 cats, which were both formerly feral kittens. They were so upset by the move that they hid for days and didn’t eat. I tried putting a big box in the living room and moving them there, which of course didn’t work. I thought rubbing catnip in the carpet would help, but that just gave me a bunch of mess in the carpet that I had to vacuum. When a cat isn’t eating, you can’t coax it with food, so that was a no go. Finally, I thought I’d give the Feliway plug-in a try. Within days, Chester and Fievel were acting more comfortable with their surroundings and even coming out for attention. I didn’t think it was possible to use a scent to make them more comfortable, and I didn’t smell anything different. You can use the Feliway spray inside your cat’s carrier about 30 minutes prior to putting him in there.

Cats are not allowed out of their carrier in our waiting room, and you definitely don’t want to take a fearful cat out of the carrier. Sitting in your arms outside the carrier makes him feel less safe than being inside the carrier. Drape a towel over the carrier to block out sights, which can overwhelm him. Speak in a low, soft voice. Also, if unknown people, especially children, want to look at the cat, tell them that the cat is afraid and it’s best to let him rest or something along those lines. Fingers sticking into a cage might push a fearful cat over the edge to biting!

In the exam room, put the carrier on the floor and open the door. Let the cat explore on his own-don’t drag any cat out of a carrier. Our doctors have examined plenty of cats in a carrier that has a removable top, on the floor, or in the pet scale. If the cat comes out of the carrier on his own, let him walk around slowly by himself. If he jumps on your lap, he wants to be held by you, but if he is struggling to get away, it’s best to let go. The cat’s body language is telling you the best thing to do. We’ll do what we can to have as few door opening & closings while you’re in the exam room, and take blood samples in the exam room if you are comfortable with it. We may put a towel over the pet’s eyes. Towels are surprisingly effective in preventing cats from getting upset.

If your cat has extreme anxiety when coming in, such as aggression or eliminating waste uncontrollably, call us and the veterinarian may prescribe a medication. Call at least 3 days before your appointment, as some medications may require a few days of dosing to work properly.

When a hospitalized cat is fearful, we provide cardboard boxes, brown paper bags, and blankets for him to hide in. Most cats usually take advantage of the hiding spot.

If you need any other guidance on cat behavior, definitely give us a call. We want cats to be as comfortable as possible when they come in to see us.

Feliway

Xylitol and Your Dog: What it Means to You

The following is an excerpt from an article on Xylitol from http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp . Please check out that web page for more information. Xylitol: It's found in everything from cupcakes to toothpastes to nicotine gum. And it's considered the most canine-toxic "human food" on the planet. It is a sugar substitute that is used in many products that we use every day. According to the ASPCA's Poison Control Center, more dogs than ever are being poisoned by products containing Xylitol. That's partly because Xylitol use is more widespread than ever and also because of low awareness of its harmfulness among pet owners. So just how dangerous is Xylitol? A few sugar-free Tic Tacs, a pack of Orbit gum, a spilled tin of Starbucks mints, a sugar-free Jell-O dessert cup. All it takes is just a tiny amount of this toxin to send a dog into hypoglycemia-induced seizures and sometimes fatal liver failure. All dogs are susceptible, some more than others. It has been calculated that as little as a gram of sweetener can kill a 10-pound dog. What is very unnerving, however, is that Xylitol is being added to many pediatric medicines that Veterinarians use to treat our dogs. It is only just recently that Veterinarians have been made aware of this new change. Now, it would be easy to say that all dog owners should speak to their vets about Xylitol and carefully read all ingredient labels before purchasing products, yet it seems that still will not solve the problem. It appears that not all consumer product manufacturers are willing to list Xylitol on their ingredients label. The moral of the story? Let's keep human food away from our dogs for now, keep your eyes on the ingredient listings and always question your vet about drugs you have to give your dog. We have a new "chocolate" to contend with and it's called Xylitol. It is actually worse than chocolate for your dogs!

Dog Licensing

Our Glenside office sells dog licenses, and we have a sign on our front desk reflecting that. A number of people come in for their appointments and ask us why their dog needs a license. I didn’t have much of an answer, so I did some research. Now, it is the law, and the fine for not having you dog licensed is $300! I think that’s a very powerful reason to spend $8.95/year (in Montgomery County) for the license!

Besides the fact that it’s the law, a lost dog with a license on its collar has a much greater chance of being found. A dog that has a license is registered with the county with its license number, name and owner’s name, address and phone number. Their breed, color, and spay or neuter status are included as well. If you find a dog, you can go to the website PALostDogs.com and register the dog’s license number saying you found them, or you can report a lost pet with a picture.

All pets that are three months or older must be licensed. Rau Glenside only sells licenses for Montgomery County. If you live in Philadelphia, you must go to the county for a license with proof of rabies. The license tag should be affixed to the collar of the dog, but more importantly, you must keep the form that comes with the license tag, at least until next year when you need a new license. That form is what the dog warden would ask for.

If your pet is micro chipped, you can get a lifetime license from the county, and not have to worry about it every year. We don’t have those licenses here, but we do have the forms for Montgomery County, so we can scan your pet’s microchip, fill out the form, and you send it in to the Treasurer’s office.

If you’ve just moved into Montgomery County, you should get a license within 30 days of moving here. It’s a quick process, and cheaper than some other states. Also, you can get it done online! Follow the link below.

Get your license online: PA Dog Licenses

Article about a Dog Park Crackdown in CA

Philadelphia County Application to print and send in

Montgomery County Application to print and send in

Furry Animals Eating

Regina Mayer, resourceful teen

It's not very often you hear weird cow news.  A young German girl was told by her parents she could not get a horse, so she put a saddle on a cow.

Fleas!

What a pain!  I don’t know if anyone has ever had fleas in their house, but it stinks.  I know I work at an animal hospital now, but in 2002 I was a poor college student, and I had an indoor/outdoor cat.  His name was Sphinx, and I didn’t use flea treatments on him.  Very quickly, I started getting little itchy bumps on my legs, and noticed fleas in my apartment.  Sphinx went on Frontline, and it took a couple weeks of vacuuming, throwing away the bag, and washing everything (from his bed to the curtains) to get rid of them.  Not only was it an uncomfortable situation physically, it was so embarrassing, and could have easily been prevented.

Ew

No bigger than a sesame seed, fleas are medium brown in color.  They feed on blood, and can infest dogs and cats, as well as common vermin, such as rats and mice.  They also like people, but since we wash ourselves often and have very little hair on our bodies, it’s harder for them to hide in our ‘fur’.  When in for a visit, we diagnose a flea infestation by using a fine tooth comb.  If we see a flea on the animal, it’s a sure sign, but if they have flea ‘dirt’ on them, that means they have fleas as well.  Flea dirt is actually flea poop, and it looks like black dandruff.  When you put the flea dirt in a little bit of water, it turns red because it is actually comprised of blood.  It means fleas.

When we talk about pets getting fleas, it isn’t just dogs that go to the dog park, dog shows or deep in the woods. If your animal goes outdoors but doesn’t roam far from the house, they can get fleas.  Even if the pet is in a fenced in yard that’s all concrete, they are still outside, and can still get fleas on them.  If you have an indoor only pet, THEY can get fleas!  You and I enter and exit our houses everyday.  We can pickup fleas on our bodies and bring them into our house, and they will infest our pets.

We recommend the vacuum-and-wash-everything method for eradicating a flea infestation.  Always throw the vacuum bag out after every vacuum run, or empty the canister if you have a bagless vacuum.  Flea bombs or foggers are also available, but we discourage that method, since there is a chemical-free way to take care of the problem and the bomb doesn't always work. 

We carry Frontline Plus, which kills ticks as well and can be bought over the counter.  We also carry Revolution, which kills fleas and a variety of other parasites and should be prescribed by a doctor.  Please call us if you need any advice on flea control.

These days, I have 4 cats that are strictly indoors, and they all are on flea preventative.  It’s not free, but it’s much better and more convenient than vacuuming my entire house everyday.

-Amy

Happy 5th Willow Grove!

Happy 5^th birthday Rau Willow Grove!  March 1^st 2006, Rau acquired the office in Willow Grove known as Healthypet.  We love that we can offer the Rau quality of care at a second location.  The Willow Grove office and Glenside participate in staff meetings together every other Wednesday so that everyone is on the same page.  We’re so thankful to have the doctors and techs who have pitched in over there to make it a great place.