February and March are Pet Dental Awareness months. And as you know, Dr. Ryan Speltz is trained in advanced dentistry for our pets and has written a wonderful article to give us all good ideas on how to take care of our pets’ teeth. Please click here to read the article – Dr. Ryan’s Pet Dental Care Article.
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| The savage sun is no friend to your pets. Without even realizing it, many pet owners make tragic mistakes that just shouldn’t happen.Dogs, tethered animals, aquarium fish, horses and even pet budgies and guinea pigs commonly suffer heat stress because of human error.Unlike humans, most animals can’t sweat to reduce body heat. Instead, dogs and cats lose heat by panting but there is a limit as to the amount of heat they can shed in this manner. | |
| Dogs in hot cars The most common mistake is where a dog dies after being left in a hot car. This should never happen, but it does, time and time again. The rules are simple. At this time of year, don’t leave your dog unattended in your car, even with the windows down. Many say, “But I’m only going into the shop for a gallon of milk – I’ll just be a minute”. The ‘just a minute’ extends very quickly if the shop is busy or if you happen to meet a talkative friend. The type of car you drive is also relevant. Those with large glass areas such as hatchbacks and those that are dark in color heat up more quickly than other cars. Studies on various makes of popular cars have determined that dark colored hatchback cars heat up the quickest with temperatures reaching 73 degrees centigrade during testing. This was almost double the outside temperature. In six minutes the temperature of most cars is up to 55 degrees centigrade. If your dog is in the car at this temperature, it will be near death. |
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What dogs are susceptible to heat stroke? No matter how healthy your dog is it will not survive if locked in a hot car. However, heatstroke also occurs in other situations, often simply because the weather is hot and humid and people make silly mistakes. All short nosed breeds of dogs, such as Bull Dogs, Pugs and the Pekingese, are very susceptible to heat stress. Obese dogs and cats are at risk too, especially small, fat dogs. Dogs or cats with poor circulation and dogs with any respiratory disease are also susceptible. The biggest risk is from a high ambient temperature in association with high humidity and lack of air circulation – exactly what happens in a car. |
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Jogging dogs Extra care needs to be taken when you are out jogging with your dog this summer. Naturally, jog or walk in the cooler times of day, either early morning or late evening, and stop if your dog is struggling to keep up. A dog is so faithful that it won’t want to be left behind and will ignore those vital messages from its body that say ‘stop’ and is in danger of collapse from heat stress. Stop regularly to give your dog a rest and a drink, or even better a cooling swim. |
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Backyard bungles Many animals in gardens, yards and paddocks also suffer heat stress. Any animal tethered is at risk. I have seen dogs, goats, cattle and horses die from heat stress when tethered. Animals confined in concrete pens or even birds in cages are also at risk, as they cannot escape the unforgiving heat. If you must tether your animal be absolutely sure that it has ample shade. Many animals twist their tether around a post or tree. They get ‘strung up’ by the neck as they wind themselves around the post. Therefore, as well as partial asphyxiation (choking), they cook in the sun. If you have an animal in an enclosure, be sure that you provide shade. An aluminum kennel in the full sun is nothing other than a giant cooker. Kennels must be in the shade and you should insulate the roof, and aviaries and birdcages must be in the shade for the whole day. Consider having a sleeping area under your house for your dog. The house will provide excellent insulation. Naturally, all animals need water and the bowls should always be placed in the shade. In this heat, two water bowls are needed, should one be overturned. |
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Emergency care |
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Find a kennel, crate or cage for every animal you have. Buckets work well for fish and turtles. Keep all of the animal carriers together in an easy to get to place inside the house.
Choose the safest room in the house for surviving a tornado. A basement is best or the most interior room of the home, preferably a closet or bathroom. Tell everyone living in the house that this is the safe room for tornadoes.
Make an emergency food supply for the pets in case it is in short supply or hard to get to after the storm. Get pull tab cans or pouches for easy opening, and you can toss in a cheap bowl or paper plates. Pack a collar and leash for each dog or cat as well.
Add an extra gallon or two of water to the family emergency supply. This way there will be plenty to go around.
Put all pets in cages or carriers and in the safe room when the tornado watch is issued. Animals sense bad weather and will look for a place to hide if they sense it is near. There will probably not be much of an argument from the pets in the safe room where it is quiet.
Get all people to the safe room as soon as a tornado warning is issued or a siren is sounded.
Stay in the safe room for several minutes after the storm, large tornadoes have an eye so more destruction could be coming. After several minutes of silence, carefully open the safe room door.
Leash all pets when outside after a tornado. Power lines could be down and dangerous objects will be littered about everywhere. Do not let pets outside unsupervised.
While it may not feel like spring is here to us, the bothersome insects have not been slowed down. Ticks, fleas and mosquitoes are coming out and bring their diseases with them. Mosquitoes carry Heartworm disease which infects and kills many dogs and cats every year. Mosquitoes also carry West Nile Virus which rarely affects our dogs and cats but has significant health implications in people and our equine friends. Ticks carry Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis, two bacterial infections of dogs and people. While we write about these same diseases every year, they need to be mentioned again since more and more people are also getting infected, especially with Anaplasmosis. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, record numbers of people in Minnesota became infected with Anaplasmosis making it as common as Lyme disease in people. Since both Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis are carried by the “deer tick” (now renamed the “black legged tick”), tick control needs to be a high priority for all of us. Here are a few ways to help keep us and our pets protected from disease carrying ticks:
As for protecting your dog or cat from Heartworm disease, all it takes is a once monthly chewable tablet such as Iverhart Plus and your pet will be safe from Heartworm disease and some common intestinal parasites. At Skyline we have great pricing on Iverhart Plus and then you get a rebate on top of that!
Please contact us at 763-574-9892 for more information on these insect borne diseases and the awesome deals we have on products to protect your pets from them.
If you would like more information on human Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis, please check out the following link: http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2011/ticks050611.html.
Please everyone be careful, but also note our loved ones in furry coats are getting this too. We have found this disease in 60 dogs since 2010 spring and the number is growing. We advise a yearly 4DX heartworm test for $39 to prevent and detect this disease for it is included in the test. Call us today to have a tech do this simple test for your dog.
http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2011/ticks050611.html
Due to the importance of this information and continued inquiries by clients, we are reposting the following fact sheets we previously sent out about leptospirosis and xylitol toxicity.
Leptospirosis
Here are a few facts about the disease:
Xylitol Toxicity
You may not have heard of xylitol but it is likely you have a product with it around your house or have had in the past. Xylitol is a low calorie sugar substitute that can be found in everything from sugar-free gum and candy to tooth paste. It is also sold in powder form to be used in baking and cooking. While there have been studies to show the benefits of xylitol to humans, it can be highly toxic in dogs. Here are a few important facts about xylitol toxicity:
Xylitol toxicity is serious so please keep your sugar-free products in a safe location away from your four-legged family members.
While we have all heard of rabies and know it is a deadly disease, we may not be aware of how important this disease is to all of us. Every year rabies kills more than 55,000 people around the world, mainly children in Asia and Africa where vaccination of dogs is not a common practice, if done at all. Even here in the United States, there are 1-3 human fatalities from rabies every year and thousands of animal cases, including wildlife and domestic animals. Just this year in Minnesota alone we have had three cats, two dogs and one bull diagnosed with rabies. So here are some important facts about rabies everyone should know:
– To keep dogs legally current on rabies vaccination, your dog must be vaccinated every 1-3 -years depending on your city (it is every 2 years in Fridley). Cats must be vaccinated every year to be legally current on rabies vaccination if using the safer feline vaccines. Cats can go every three years if a less safe dog vaccine is used and it is allowed in your city.
– Vaccination of your pet for rabies is very important. If your pet does bite someone and is not current on rabies vaccination, your pet may have to be euthanized or will have to be quarantined for months until it is proven they are not infected and have not developed the disease.
– Most people think of rabies in domestic animals as the animal showing aggressive behavior. Aggression is the most common form in dogs and cats but in horses and cattle and other farm animals, they often become lethargic, lose their balance and seem to lose all care about their surroundings. This lethargic form can happen in dogs and cats also and was what happened with the most recent case of a rabid dog found in Sterns County this month.
– Skunks and bats are the most common wildlife with rabies in Minnesota. Raccoons can also have rabies but it is more common along the East Coast.
– Skunks often behave oddly when they have rabies, including coming close to people without fear.
– Bats show no signs of rabies, only carry the disease, so all bats must be considered infected.
– All bat bites or possible bat bites, such as a bat found in the room when you wake or a bat in a child’s room, must be considered exposure to rabies. See a medical professional immediately.
– Once signs of rabies occur, it is nearly always fatal in people so if there is any possibility of expose to rabies, see a medical professional to determine if there is need of therapy.
– Stay safe – keep your pets vaccinated and do not approach any strangely behaving wildlife or bats.
Please feel free to call and talk to one of our doctors about rabies and rabies vaccination at 763-574-9892.
Our goal at Skyline is to provide you and your pet with the best care so we are excited to now have digital oral x-rays. Our brand-new, state-of-the-art digital system for taking dental x-rays gives us many advantages over our old system and allows us to improve your pet’s dental care. Dr. Ryan is excited have upgraded to the EVA unit by AFP imaging and will be happy to talk to you about the new system any time.
It may not be that time of year but cranberries are good for the bladder all year long. You may have heard that cranberry juice can help with urinary tract infections and it is true. Well now your dog can get all the benefits of cranberry juice in a chewable tablet. Crananidin is a new product that contains the bioactive compound, PAC, found in cranberries. PACs help to stop infection-causing E. coli bacteria from sticking to the bladder thus helping prevent a bladder infection. We are excited to be able to offer this new product, Crananidin, to your help your pet. For more information and to see if Crananidin is right for your dog, please talk to our doctors.
How to keep Our Pets Safe During a SevereWeather Storm / Tornado
How to Keep Pets Safe During a Tornado
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
Make an Emergency Plan to Keep Pets Safe During a Tornado
Find a kennel, crate or cage for every animal you have. Buckets work well for fish and turtles. Keep all of the animal carriers together in an easy to get to place inside the house.
Choose the safest room in the house for surviving a tornado. A basement is best or the most interior room of the home, preferably a closet or bathroom. Tell everyone living in the house that this is the safe room for tornadoes.
Make an emergency food supply for the pets in case it is in short supply or hard to get to after the storm. Get pull tab cans or pouches for easy opening, and you can toss in a cheap bowl or paper plates. Pack a collar and leash for each dog or cat as well.
Add an extra gallon or two of water to the family emergency supply. This way there will be plenty to go around.
What To Do When a Tornado Siren Sounds or a Tornado Warning is Issued
Put all pets in cages or carriers and in the safe room when the tornado watch is issued. Animals sense bad weather and will look for a place to hide if they sense it is near. There will probably not be much of an argument from the pets in the safe room where it is quiet.
Get all people to the safe room as soon as a tornado warning is issued or a siren is sounded.
Stay in the safe room for several minutes after the storm, large tornadoes have an eye so more destruction could be coming. After several minutes of silence, carefully open the safe room door.
Leash all pets when outside after a tornado. Power lines could be down and dangerous objects will be littered about everywhere. Do not let pets outside unsupervised.
Tips & Warnings
Resources