Category: Other Interests

Your home is a haven and a place of safety for you and for your pet. But, inside every house are poisons, dangers, and hazards that can injure your dog or cat. Here are some helpful tips to help keep your pet safe and out of the emergency room! According to consultants at PetProTech pet safety products, most pet emergencies result from ingestion of toxins, ingestion of non-digestible materials leading to intestinal blockages, and accidents causing fractures or soft tissue trauma. The ASPCA Poison Control Center urges pet owners to search every room of the home and try to look at it from a toddler’s perspective. If the toddler can reach it, so can the new puppy or kitten. Puppies chew to help explore their world as well as relieve stresses. Remember that puppies will often view anything on the floor as fair game. It is important to pick up potential hazards such as batteries, tobacco products, coins, and many household plants. Although new kittens are not prone to chew like puppies, houseplants, especially in the lily family, can be extremely poisonous to cats. To keep your kittens safe, keep dangerous plants out of reach, or, better yet, outside. For both types of pets, it is extremely important to put away all medications, both yours and theirs. A single acetaminophen caplet can kill an adult cat and many dogs will eagerly over consume the beef flavored pain relieving drugs created for them, leading to potential stomach ulcers, bleeding, or kidney damage. Trash cans and garbage bags are often irresistible to both dogs and cats. The aroma of foods and other apparently “delicious” items is often too much for even a well trained pet. To the pet, getting into the garbage is its own reward when tasty leftovers and treats can be found. Keep food scraps, especially cooked bones, in a secure container, preferably behind a locked or child-proof door. Simply placing the trash can up on a counter will not always assure safety. Besides making a mess, garbage can raiding can lead to stomach upsets, vomiting, diarrhea, or even obstructions and perforations of the intestinal tract. During the holidays, many people become soft-hearted and give “just one treat” to the begging pet. Unfortunately, too many treats, or the wrong types, can cause severe stomach upsets and may lead to an emergency visit to the veterinarian. Bones, fatty foods, onions, and alcoholic beverages should not be on your pet’s holiday menu. Thanksgiving can be especially difficult and many emergency rooms report higher than normal number of pancreatitis cases and intestinal blockages during this time. Chocolates, especially dark or baking chocolates, should never be given to pets. Even seemingly harmless treats, such as grapes or raisins, have caused deadly kidney damage to dogs. Ask your guests to honor your holiday wish and restrain from giving holiday food to your pet. Other holiday dangers can include ingestion of mistletoe, holly, or the water from the live Christmas tree. All of these have the potential to make your pet seriously ill. If your cat is very inquisitive, it may be necessary to keep the tree behind a closed door. The tree’s decorations are also a potential for causing an emergency visit due to ingestion or lacerations from broken ornaments. Read the labels of insecticides well to insure that your pets will not be harmed by their use. Place rat, mouse, or ant traps and poisons in locations unlikely to be found by your pet. Pet safety experts say that granular pesticides are much safer than pellet pesticides because the pet is less likely to eat the granules. Anti-freeze is a well-known poison to pets, but other garage items, such as gasoline, oils, and fertilizers can be dangerous as well. Keep these items out of pet’s reach and wipe up all spills as they happen. The number of items in our homes that can hurt a dog or cat are just as numerous as items that can harm a child. Being proactive and preventing the pet from eating the wrong item or getting into a situation that can harm him or her is the best way to avoid injuries. If you suspect your pet has ingested something toxic or potentially been injured by a household object, contact us immediately. For more ideas on how to pet proof your home, contact us at 803-438-1223.

They are all the rage across the United States and beyond. Cross-breed dogs such as cock-a-poos have been around for many years, while newer crosses, such as labradoodles and puggles have just begun to become popular. So, are these dogs a new “hot” breed or just a designer mutt? The current rage of “new” breeds is believed to have begun in the late 1970s by an Australian trying to help find a seeing-eye dog for a woman whose husband was allergic to most dogs. According to the International Labradoodle Association, www.ilainc.com, a member of the Royal Guide Dogs, suggested mating a Labrador to a Standard Poodle and thus the first “Labradoodles” were born. One of the three pups born in the litter, Sultan, eventually made his way to Hawaii and the vision-impaired woman with the allergic husband. Amazingly, 29 out of 31 of these new cross breeds went on to become guide dogs. Since that time, thousands of dogs have been bred and registered with the ILA. There is even talk of a new line of miniature labradoodles. But, the labradoodle is not the only, nor the first, cross breed to catch the public’s attention. Many different mixes, such as cockapoos, schnoodles, and yorkiepoo have also had their time in the spotlight. In fact, the American Canine Hybrid Club, www.achclub.com, lists more than 200 cross breeds. With names as amusing as the Woodle (Welsh Terrier-Poodle mix) to the powerful “Ultimate Mastiff” (Dogue de Bordeux-Neopolitan Mastiff mix), the ACH Club has been recognizing cross breeds for more than 30 years. One of the latest crosses to become famous is the Puggle. As the name suggests, the Puggle is a Beagle-Pug cross and is being hailed as one of the best family pets, especially among the elite of New York. And, one of the biggest surprises to many is the price tag associated with these hybrid breeds. Labradoodles have routinely been sold in the United States at prices as high as $2000 or $3000 dollars. Puggles, which are becoming very popular in Manhattan due to their small size, have often cost their owners in excess of $600-900. A spokeswoman for the AKC warns consumers to not be taken in simply because the dog has a trendy breed name and price tag. ” For many, the bottom line is simply that the puppy had a face that said “pick me”. Thoughts of breed history, monetary value, or AKC rankings often fade away when one is looking down into the eyes of a puppy. Your veterinarian can be a wonderful advocate for helping you to find the right breed, hybrid or otherwise. And, be sure to ask your veterinarian to help keep your puppy active and healthy for a long time. If you would like to know more about hybrid breeds contact us at 803-438-1223.

Their ads promise to save you lots of money and even “a stressful trip to the veterinarian”.  You are encouraged by slick video and professional announcers to purchase flea medications, pain relief drugs and even heartworm prevention all from the comfort of your living room and laptop computer.  But, are online pet pharmacies really the best option for you or are there hidden dangers? With record numbers of families enjoying the benefits of pet ownership and online shopping, it should come as no surprise that the amount of money spent on our pets is huge.  Experts are forecasting that pet owners will spend more than $50 billion dollars annually.  A significant percentage of those expenses include veterinary care and prescription medications.  So, is it any wonder that buying your prescription medications online may also look like a good deal? At first glance, online pet pharmacies would seem to be a great option.  The promise of lower prices and having the medication shipped to your door is a big selling point for busy, budget conscious people.  But, there are some pitfalls when relying on Internet based sources for your pet’s medication needs. First, they all say you can “save a trip to the vet”.  Unfortunately, this is only partially true.  In order to prescribe and dispense medication to your pet, most states require that there is a valid veterinarian-client-pet relationship or VCPR.  This is usually defined as a veterinarian having examined your pet within the last 12 months.  If the VCPR does not exist, medication cannot be dispensed. Some websites will offer to sell the drugs without a prescription. This is not only illegal but not in the best interest of your pet!  Websites that sell without needing prescriptions are most often based outside of North America, where pharmacy and drug laws may not be as strict. The requirement for this professional relationship insures that you and your veterinarian have good, up to date facts about your pet’s health. Plus the medical records and history for your pet are all in one place.  The veterinary staff also knows your whole pet family and can help prevent problems when there are multiple species present in the household. Since pets are unique individuals, some may have unexpected reactions to certain drugs and some medications can even be deadly if given incorrectly.  Others may need a special formulation for ease of administration.  The online pharmacies will not know this information and this could be a problem if your pet is on several medications or has secondary conditions. If a life-threatening emergency happens with a medication, your veterinarian is only a phone call away.  Some online pharmacies only allow contact through email and this will not help you if your pet needs assistance immediately! Finally, despite many good businesses online, there will always be a few who are looking for a quick buck at your expense.  Avoid sites that offer dramatically lower prices than competing sites or your veterinarian.  Likewise, if you have ordered medication online, check the drug to make sure it looks similar to what you have given before.  If it looks different in any way, do not give it to your pet. The FDA is so concerned about this, it is now warning pet owners to be aware of shady online companies.  And, the National Board of Pharmacies has instituted the Veterinary Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program (Vet-VIPPS) to help you find properly licensed and compliant online pet pharmacies.  Only twelve companies so far have earned the right to display the Vet-VIPPS seal of approval. Check with your veterinarian about online pharmacies.  Many veterinary hospitals now offer their very own store on their websites.   You can order your pet’s medications conveniently from home, possibly even get home delivery and you know that the source is reputable.  In addition, you will know who you are talking to in case of any problems or concerns.  Honest and open communication with your veterinarian about cost concerns will prevent misunderstandings about money and help you do what’s best for your pet.