The Dangers of High Temperatures

With high temperatures we have to be very careful with our pets. Dogs and cats can succomb to heat exhaustion.

Tips to keep your pet cool:

• If you have air conditioning leave it on while at work.
• If you don't have air conditioning make sure you have open windows and fans to circulate the air.
• Restrict your pet's activity level especially for older pets.
• Make sure your pet has plenty of access to water.
• Don't leave your pet in the car! Within a matter of minutes a car's internal temperature can escalate well above the outside temperature.
• If you leave your dog outside while away from home make sure they have access to shade and water. With high temperatures dogs cannot be outside for an entire work day.

Pets Highly Susceptible to High Temps:

• Older Pets (8 years of age and older)
• Dogs with smooshed in faces: Pugs, Boxers, Sharpeis, Bulldogs, Mastiffs, etc.

Signs of Heat Exhaustion:

• Bright red gums & skin
• Excessive panting
• Lethargy
• Vomiting
• Feet become sweaty
• Will lay stretched out for long periods of time
• Rapid heart and respiratory rates

If your pet appears to exihibt signs of heat exhaustion they should be see by a veterinarian right away. Prolonged heat exhaustion can result in death.

3 Spring Toxins to Watch For

1. Daffodils

Daffodils contain lycorine, which triggers vomiting. Ingestion of the bulb, plant, or flower also can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, and possibly even cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory depression in pets. Severe symptoms may require immediate treatment.

2. Lilies

True lilies, including Tiger, Day, Asiatic, Easter, and Japanese Show lilies, are all highly toxic to cats. Even small ingestions (such as eating the pollen or just two to three petals or leaves) can result in kidney failure and potentially death. If you see a cat eating a lily, immediately bring the cat and the lily plant to our clinic.

3. Fertilizers

Ingesting most only causes minor gastrointestinal irritation, but some fertilizers can be fatal to pets that eat them if the pets aren't treated. It is best to keep all lawn products in labeled, tightly sealed containers that are out of pets' reach. This is especially true for the more dangerous fertilizers:

• Blood meal. This is dried, ground, and flash-frozen blood. If eaten, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and severe inflammation of the pancreas.
• Bone meal. This is made of defatted, dried, and flash-frozen animal bones that are ground to a powder. If consumed in large amounts, bone meal can form a large, cement-like mass that obstructs the gastrointestinal tract and could potentially require surgery.
• Rose and plant fertilizers. Some of these fertilizers contain disulfoton or other types of organophosphates. As little as one teaspoon of 1 percent disulfoton can kill a 55-pound dog. Organophosphates can cause severe symptoms, such as salivation, lacrimation, urination, defecation, seizures, difficulty breathing, hyperthermia, and even death.

The best tip we can offer is not to plant the above flowers at your house and be very careful with the products you use on your lawn. Even if your pet does not typically eat things, even coming into indirect contact with these toxins can be risky.

Most Pets Do Not Show Dental Pain

We cannot begin to stress enough the importance of dental disease prevention in pets. Learn more about dental disease and why you probably won't see signs of discomfort in your pet, click here.

Interaction is Key!

Interactive Toys
Do you ever wonder if your pet is bored? Interactive toys are a great way to provide stimulation for your pet, including: maintaining a healthy weight, providing mental exercise and all around helping your pet behave better. Dogs especially can develop obnoxious and destructive habits if not provided with an outlet for energy.

Here are some great toys to keep your pet entertained:

Puzzle toys: these toys make your pet think in order to find a treat or another toy, click on this website for some examples, www.pawlickers.com/products/toys/puzzles-games.

Chew Toys: these toys will allow your pet to chew for hours. Kong Company is a great resource for this type of toy, www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html. Busy Buddy Company is another good resource, www.busybuddytoys.com/index.cfm.

Cat Fly Toys: these toys bring out the natural predator in your kitty. Fly toys are designed to get your cat leaping in the air for their "prey."


The key to keeping your pet active is interaction from you and a favorite toy or game. Experiment, find out what it is your pet likes to do best and provide that stimulation on a daily basis.

Mistakes People Make Feeding Cats

This article offers some insight into properly feeding your cat to maintain its health. Another important tip to remember: don't free feed. Many cat owners will leave out a bowl full of food throughout the day. Not only can this lead to obesity in cats, but it also does not give a good indication of whether or not your cat is eating. When cats don't feel well they will gradually stop eating. When a bowl full of food is left out it is hard to tell how much they are in fact eating throughout the day. We recommend measuring your cats food daily so you always know how much has been consumed. This will greatly help diagnose any medical issues if your cat becomes ill. View the article by following the link: Mistakes People Make Feeding Cats

All About Ticks

Many of our clients are concerned about ticks and preventing them. The main time to worry about ticks in this part of the state is May, June and July. Ticks are more prevalent in woody areas and tall grassy areas. To learn more about ticks visit this wonderful website, http://www.dogsandticks.com/index.html. You will find a wealth of information. For tick prevention we recommend Advantix. Advantix is a topical flea and tick prevention. It is a liquid that is applied directly to the skin every 30 days.

To view a map of tick prevalence visit this site, http://www.dogsandticks.com/NA-map-lyme-disease-dogs/index.html.

The Facts About Heartworm Disease

What causes heartworm disease?

Heartworm disease is caused by a worm called "Dirofilaria immitis." Heartworms are most commonly found in dogs. However, they can infect a wide variety of mammals including cats, ferrets, sea lions, bears, foxes, wolves, coyotes, and even people. Adult heartworms generally live in the heart and major arteries of the lungs, although they may be found in other areas of the body.

How are heartworms transmitted?

Heartworms can only be transmitted from one animal to another by mosquitoes. Adult worms produce microfilariae (small, immature heartworms) which may be found in the blood of infected dogs. The mosquito ingests heartworm microfilarie when biting an infected host (usually a dog). The microfilarie develop in the mosquito into "infective larvae" and are deposited with saliva on the dog's skin as the mosquito is feeding. The infective larvae pass through the skin and migrate through the body tissues.

What are the signs of heartworm disease?

 

Many dogs infected with heartworms may not show any evidence of infection in the early stages. It can take 6-7 months for symptoms to even begin to appear. This is why prevention and heartworm testing are so important. Initially, dogs tend to develop cough and experience difficulty breathing. They may exhibit decreased tolerance to exercise, develop fainting episodes or suffer severe weight loss. Since the heart and lungs are affected, many of the clinical signs seen are typical of heart failure, pneumonia, or other debilitating disease. The severity and onset of clinical signs relate to three things: number of heartworms present, duration of the infection and the dog's response.

 

How do I know if my dog has heartworms?

 

You don't unless your dog is heartworm tested once a year preferably in April or May. Heartworm testing requires a small blood sample.

 

My dog rarely goes outside. Can it be infected with heartworms?

 

Heartworm infections have been reported in dogs that rarely go outside. If a mosquito carrying heartworm infective larvae enters the house, it can bite your dog and the larvae may infect your dog. In addition, most dogs have frequent short trips outside which mosquito bites may occur.

 

Heartworm Disease is Preventable

 

Many heartworm preventions are on the market. The product we recommend is Interceptor. Why do we recommend Interceptor? Interceptor is safe for all dog breeds, prevents heartworm disease, internal parasites, and is the product Dr. Nicol uses for her own pets. We do not recommend any products that Dr. Nicol wouldn't use on her own pets. Interceptor is given orally once a month in the form of a flavored tablet.

 

Take Heartworm Disease seriously. Make Sure your pet is tested once a year and on heartworm prevention. It is far easier to prevent heartworm disease than to treat it!