Newsletter

Dental care is vital to your pet's health! If you've already established a dental care program for your pet, you're off to a great start. But if your pet hasn't received a dental exam from your veterinarian, it's time to get started. February is National Pet Dental Health Month, the perfect time to schedule a dental exam for your pet and develop a home care regimen for your best friend.

Why is dental care so important for your pet? Periodontal disease is the number one diagnosed problem in pets - by the age of two, more than 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have periodontal disease in one form or another. The buildup of plaque and tartar on your pet's teeth leads to bacterial infections that can enter the bloodstream and infect other parts of your pet's body. Periodontal disease has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, osteoporosis and other problems.

The good news is that periodontal disease is easily prevented. Routine dental cleanings and a home dental care regimen can eliminate the plaque and tartar that lead to gum disease and oral infections. During a dental cleaning, your veterinarian also performs a complete oral examination of your pet. This includes screening for oral cancer, broken teeth and cavities. Spotting these problems early on makes them easier to treat and improves your pet's overall oral health.

Your pet's dental cleaning is more involved than the same process you go through at the dentist's office. Anesthesia is required to keep your pet still and comfortable during the procedure. Because of this, your pet undergoes a thorough physical examination before each dental cleaning. Laboratory blood tests, as well as other diagnostic procedures are also used to screen for potential problems and risks before anesthesia is administered. Using these results, we develop a safe anesthetic protocol specifically for your pet.

During a dental cleaning, tartar is removed from your pet's teeth with a hand scaler. Next, a periodontal probe is used to check for pockets under the gumline - where periodontal disease and bad breath start. An ultrasonic scaler is used to clean above the gumline and a curette is used to clean and smooth the teeth under the gumline and in the crevices. Finally, the teeth are polished and an anti-bacterial solution is used to help delay future tartar build-up.

Dental care doesn't end in your veterinarian's office. Brushing your pet's teeth at home is an added level of protection against gum disease. In order to be most effective, brushing must be done at least three times a week; however, daily brushing is ideal. Brushing your pet's teeth can be supplemented with antiseptic rinses. Some pet foods and treats are also effective in preventing plaque and tartar buildup. However, there is no substitute for regular brushing and professional dental cleanings.

Schedule a dental examination and cleaning for your pet today. Your best friend will thank you!

Pet owners can't figure out why cats are friendly one minute and aggressive the next. Cat bites are very common and probably occur more frequently than dog bites; however, they are infrequently reported. Aggressive cats can be dangerous, so attempting to resolve a cat aggression problem often requires a specialist who is trained in animal behavior medicine.

There are several types of feline aggression. The list below includes some of the most common forms.

Aggression With Petting

This behavior isn't well understood, even by experienced animal behaviorists. Some cats will suddenly bite while they're being petted or held. For whatever reason, petting, which the cat was previously enjoying, apparently becomes unpleasant. Biting is the cat's signal that she has had enough. Cats vary in how much they'll tolerate being petted or held. Although people often describe their cats as biting "out of the blue" or without warning, cats do generally give several signals before biting.

You should become more aware of your cat's body postures, and cease petting or stop any other kind of interaction before a bite occurs. Signals to be aware of include:

• The cat becomes restless
• The tail begins to twitch
• The cat's ears turn back or flick back and forth
• The cats head starts moving toward your hand

When any of these signals become apparent, it is time to stop the petting or holding the cat. The best thing to do is put the cat down and stop petting her. Absolutely do not impose any physical punishment on the cat as she (or he) may bite. Physical punishment may make it worse the next time you try to pet her or pick her up.

If you want to try to prolong the amount of time your cat will tolerate petting, use a food reward. When your cat first begins to show an undesirable behavior (or even before), offer her a favorite tidbit of food. As you give her the food, decrease the intensity of your petting. In this way, she'll come to associate petting with something pleasant and may help her to enjoy petting for longer periods of time. Each time you work with your cat, try to pet her a little longer. Be sure to stop petting before she shows any aggression.

Play Aggression

Play aggressive behavior is usually observed in young cats who live in single-cat households. These cats are very active and generally less than 2 years old. This behavior provides kittens and cats the opportunity to practice the skills they would normally need to have in order to survive in the wild. Play incorporates a variety of behaviors, such as exploratory (explore new areas), investigative (investigate anything that moves) and predatory (bat at, pounce on, and bite objects that resemble prey).

Playful aggression often occurs when an unsuspecting owner comes down the stairs, rounds a corner, or even moves under the bedcovers while sleeping. These playful attacks may result in scratches and bites which usually don't break the skin. People sometimes inadvertently initiate aggressive behavior by encouraging their cat to chase or bite at their hands and feet during play. The body postures seen during play aggression resemble the postures a cat would normally show when searching for or catching prey. A cat may freeze in a low crouch before pouncing, twitch her tail, flick her ears back and forth, and/or wrap her front feet around a person's hands or feet while biting. These are all normal cat behaviors, whether they're seen during play or are part of an actual predatory sequence. Most play aggression can be successfully redirected to appropriate targets; however, it may still result in injury.

In order to correct this behavior, you need to redirect your kitten's aggressive behavior onto acceptable objects. Drag a toy along the floor to encourage your kitten to pounce on it, or throw a toy away from your kitten to give her even more exercise by chasing the toy down. Another good toy is one that your kitten can wrestle with, like a soft stuffed toy that's about the size of your kitten. She can grab this toy with both front feet, bite it, and kick it with her back feet. This resembles the way young kittens play with each other. Encourage play with a "wrestling toy" by rubbing it against your kitten's belly when she wants to play rough. Be careful and get your hand out of the way as soon as she accepts the toy.

Since kittens need quite a bit of playtime, try to set up three or four consistent times during the day to play with your kitten. This will help her understand that she doesn't have to be the one to initiate play by pouncing on you.

Fearful/Defensive Aggression

Cats that are fearful may display body postures which appear to be similar to canine submissive postures - crouching on the floor, ears back, tail tucked, and possibly rolling slightly to the side. Cats in this posture are not submissive, they are fearful and defensive. They may attack if touched.

In order to figure out the reason for the fearful behavior, you need to closely observe your cat to determine the trigger for this behavior. Keep in mind that just because you know that the person or animal approaching your cat has good intentions, this does not mean that your cat feel safe. The trigger for her fearful behavior could be anything. Some common triggers are:

• A stranger
• Another animal
• A particular person
• Loud noises
• A child

To help eliminate the fearful behavior, you need to desensitize your cat to the fear stimulus. Determine what distance your cat can be from the fear stimulus without responding fearfully. Introduce the fear stimulus at this distance while you're praising her and feeding her a favorite treat. Slowly move the fear stimulus closer as you continue to praise your cat and offer her treats.

If at any time during this process your cat shows fearful behavior, you've proceeded too quickly and need to start over from the beginning. Working too quickly is the most common mistake and short frequent adaptation sessions work the best. If you are not having much success with the desensitization process, you may need help from a professional animal behavior specialist.

Redirected Aggression

When a cat is aroused into an aggressive response by a person or an animal, but then redirects this aggression onto another person or animal, this is called redirected aggression For example, if two family cats have a spat, the losing cat may walk up and attack the family child.

Territorial Aggression

Cats are highly territorial animals and usually only feel the need to defend their territory from other cats. Territorial aggression in cats isn't commonly directed toward people.

Suggestions

Take precautions. Your first priority is to keep everyone safe. Supervise, confine and/or restrict your cat's activities until you can obtain professional help. You're liable for your cat's behavior.

You should never attempt to handle a fearful or aggressive cat. Cat bites and scratches become infected easily. If you do receive an injury from your cat, clean the wound carefully and contact your physician.

Check first with your veterinarian to rule out any medical reasons for your cat's aggressive behavior.

Seek professional help. An aggression problem won't go away by itself. Working with aggression problems may require help from an animal behavior specialist.

Punishment won't help and usually makes the problem worse. If the aggression is motivated by fear, punishment only makes your cat more fearful and more aggressive.

"Why does my dog or cat eat grass?" Pet owners often ask this question, and are surprised to find that there is no clear answer. It's a mystery even to veterinarians and researchers. This is especially puzzling for owners of the carnivorous cat. Most dog and cat owners report that their pets eat grass or other plant material on a daily or weekly basis, and some report that the pet vomits afterward. There is a common belief that pets eat grass because they are ill and need to vomit.

This hypothesis does not hold true, according to a recent web-based survey of 3,000 pet owners. Only a small percentage of pet owners reported signs of illness before or after their pets ate grass. In fact, less than one in four reported that their pets vomited afterward. Younger dogs were more likely to eat grass than older dogs, and were more likely to get sick afterward. But, grass-eating does appear to be a normal behavior unrelated to illness.

Another hypothesis is that eating grass provides nutritional value the pet is not getting in its daily diet. Pet owners who serve their dogs and cats specialized diets and those who serve table scraps or non-prescription dry or canned foods all reported grass-eating behavior. Nutritional deficiency does not appear to be a reason that pets eat grass. There is no evidence that pets that eat less fiber are prone to eating plants, either.

Veterinarians now believe that grass-eating is a normal behavior unrelated to illness or nutritional deficiency. It is more likely an instinctual activity passed down from dog and cat ancestors in the wild that suffered far more than today's pets with intestinal parasites. Eating grass and plant material helps to purge the animals' intestinal tracts. The theory is that the plant material passes through the intestinal tract and wraps around worms (nematodes), thus expelling them in the feces. The reason younger animals eat more grass is that they are less immune to parasites.

The conclusion is that more study is needed, but it is likely that grass-eating is perfectly normal and typical in healthy pets. If the pet exhibits signs of illness before or after eating grass, and vomiting persists, a medical exam is in order. Otherwise, if pets run outside and put their noses in the lawn, they are simply exhibiting instinctual behavior passed down from wild ancestors. So, let them eat grass.

If you have a cat, you ought to have a cat carrier. We've seen people trying to transport their cat in everything from bare hands to pillow cases. Nothing beats a cat carrier when it comes to safety, comfort and convenience—for both you and your cat. Skip those cardboard ones the shelters give you to take your new pet home; they’re not designed for sturdy long-term use. Others to rule out include carriers with no privacy, or ones that don’t clean easily, such as those made of wicker.

Your best bet is a carrier made of hard, high-impact molded plastic that has an open-grid door. Most models have the door at one end, but you may find it easier to deal with your pet if instead, you purchase the kind with the door on the top. These make getting your pet in and out of the carrier much easier.

Another reason to own a carrier - A carrier is an essential piece of any disaster kit, making evacuation easier in the event of an emergency and expanding the possibilities for temporary housing for your pet.

Cat-scratch disease is an infection caused by bacteria (germs) carried in cat saliva. The bacteria can be passed from a cat to a human by either a scratch or a cat bite. Doctors and researchers think cats may get the bacteria from fleas, although this has not been proven.

Cat-scratch disease is not a severe illness in healthy people. It can, however, be a problem in people with weak immune systems. People with weak immune systems include those who are receiving chemotherapy for cancer, those who have diabetes or those who have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

In humans, cat scratch disease causes only mild illness. After an incubation period ranging from 3-30 days, small red papules develop at the site of the scratch or bite wound. Within 1-4 weeks, the regional lymph nodes are affected and symptoms begin to appear. Some of these symptoms include painful inflammation of the lymph nodes, fever, malaise, fatigue, headaches, and generalized aching. Chronic inflammation of the regional lymph glands is the hallmark of cat scratch disease.

Most cases of cat scratch disease do not require any treatment beyond supportive care. Young cats generally transmit the disease. As cats mature, they are less likely to spread the disease.

Cat scratch disease typically begins after a scratch by a cat to the hand or forearm. The organism that causes the disease can also enter the skin through a pre-existing cut or sore. If the disease becomes severe, it can progress to a systemic or relapsing infection.

You should always wash any cuts, bites or scratches promptly with an antiseptic soap and water. Cat owners should discourage rough play with their cats, and children should be taught not to harass a cat to the point of scratching or biting.

How do I keep from getting this disease?

• Wash your hands after handling a cat.
• Discourage your cat from scratching or biting you.
• Rough play should be avoided.
• Keep your cat's nails trimmed short.
• If your cat tends to scratch frequently, talk to your veterinarian about behavior modification or nail caps for cats to help minimize scratches.
• Wash all bites or scratches immediately with an antiseptic soap and water.
• Cats should not be allowed to lick open wounds on your body.
• Use good flea control on your pet and in your home.

If you are scratched or bitten by a cat and symptoms of CSF appear, contact your physician immediately.

Children and cats can share a relationship that is mutually beneficial provided each is old enough to respect the other. The good-natured dog may put up with a child's playful tousling, but the dignified cat may be less tolerant. Teaching your child the appropriate way to handle and properly treat a cat helps him/her to respect animals at a young age.

From the start, the child should be taught how to properly hold the cat, providing support under the chest and under the back legs. Touching the sensitive stomach area will bring a natural reaction of "grab and bite" and the child should be made aware this. A cat does not feel comfortable with his / her stomach exposed. The child should also be taught some basic feline body language so that he/she knows to back off when the cat's ears flatten and the tail twitches. This important lesson helps to prevent some tears later on.

If you have children under 6 or 7 years of age, it is best not to adopt a kitten under four months of age. With a well-meaning hug, an overly affectionate toddler can injure a small kitten. A more mature kitten or cat can better withstand a young child's noise and quick movements, but even an adult cat may swat at a tail-pulling child. The key to harmonious interactions between young children and cats of any age is adult supervision.

Parents are always looking for ways to teach children responsibility and often try to give children cat care duties. This is usually not a good idea. Children can be forgetful and easily distracted. Eventually, it is the cat who suffers if a child forgets to put out fresh food or water or forgets to clean the litter box. Even if children are mindful of their chores, having to care for the cat can cause resentment due to constant parental reminders. Children can help when it comes to pet chores; however, It is best to make cat care a family responsibility with feedings and exercise a top priority but not the sole responsibility of the child.

While growing up with pets promotes commitment, compassion and healthy habits, it is important to remember that teaching your child to properly handle and care for cats is secondary to the actual health and well-being of the cat. A mutually loving relationship is the best possible outcome for both and can be achieved if the proper measures are taken.

Animal shelters throughout the country take in millions of lost cats each year and 99 out of 100 of these cats have no identification. Less than three out of 100 lost cats are reclaimed by their owners, and usually only one of those three has an identification tag. The owners of the other two cats end up spending hours, days and even weeks looking for their lost cats. Most owners of lost cats search long and hard, and never find their cats at all.

Don’t risk losing your feline friend forever. Please have your cat microchipped or use a collar with an identification tag that include your name, address and phone number. Be sure to keep the information current. You’ll want to tag or microchip your cat even if you never let it go outside because there is always the chance that it could slip through an open door or window and become lost.

There are collars made especially for cats with a short piece of elastic sewn in. These "break-away" collars can be buckled snugly around the cat’s neck, but will stretch and let the cat escape if it should get hung up on a tree limb or fence. It’s important to remember that many more cats have died because they were lost and their owners couldn’t find them, than have ever been injured from wearing a collar.

The first time you put a collar on your cat, give it a catnip-filled toy. The toy will distract the cat’s attention from the odd feeling of wearing a collar and by the time it finishes shredding the toy, it may have forgotten the collar entirely.

A better and more permanent method for identification is the microchip. A microchip is a tiny electronic device, about the size and shape of a grain of rice. It is implanted beneath a pet’s skin between the shoulder blades, and stays there for the pet’s entire life. This procedure is as easy and as painless as a vaccination.

Each microchip has a unique number. This number, along with information about the owner and pet, are added to a national pet registry. Most veterinarians and animal shelters have electronic scanners for detecting and reading these implanted microchips. If a lost pet is found, and the microchip is scanned, the registry is called and the owner is contacted.

Facts about Microchips:

• They are Permanent. The chip cannot be dislodged, once implanted, and has a lifetime of 75 years.
• The microchipping procedure is quick. It takes less than a minute.
• Microchipping does not require an anesthetic. It is often done at the time of spaying or neutering.
• The cat is not bothered by the microchip once it is implanted.
• Many people would not know to take a stray cat to a veterinarian or shelter for microchip scanning. This is the reason why we recommend a collar with tags along with the microchip.
• Although microchips are becoming standardized, there are still several types of chips and several registries.

In order to properly identify your cat, it may be best to use a combination of microchipping and collar with tags. The microchip would be the source of a permanent record and the collar / tags would give the owner’s name, phone number, and the fact that the animal is microchipped.

1. Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us and you're inside worrying about a burned out bulb?

2. Border Collie: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

3. Dachshund: You know I can't reach that lamp!

4. Rottweiler: Make me.

5. Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

6. Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!

7. German Shepherd: I'll change it as soon as I've led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.

8. Jack Russell Terrier: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.

9. Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I'm sorry, but I don't see a light bulb!

10. Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.

11. Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb. Or, "We don't need no light bulb."

12. Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?

13. Australian Shepherd: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle...

14. Poodle: I'll just blow in the border collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

How Many Cats Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb?

Cats do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs. So, the real question is:

"How long will it be before I can expect some light, some dinner, and a massage?"

ALL OF WHICH PROVES, ONCE AGAIN, THAT WHILE DOGS HAVE MASTERS, CATS HAVE STAFF!