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Useful Forms & Information

Notes From The Doctor

Harmful Foods for your Pets

  • Chocolate

  • Xylitol Sweetener (gum & tooth paste)

  • Grapes

  • Raisins

  • Macadamia Nuts

  • Yeast Dough

  • Onions

  • Garlic

Eating and Chewing Dangers for Dogs

  • Peach Pits 

  • Corn cobs

  • Acorns

  • Human Pain Relievers

  • Fabric

  • Cocoa Mulch

  • Tooth Picks

  • Rat Poison

  • Antifreeze

  • Slug Bait

Dangers for Cats

  • Lilies

  • Needles and Thread

  • Cleaning Solutions

  • Tinsel

  • Mice that have eaten Rat Poison

  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Bladder Disease

Lower urinary tract disease is a common problem in cats, especially males. Inappropriate urinations can be a urinary tract disease or a behavior issue common to both males and females. There are things you can do to help prevent problems.

  • Use one more litter box than the number of cats

  • Use an automatic cat water fountain

  • Use litter they like (they will cover any deposits if they like the feel of the litter)

  • Feed moist food(can moisten dry with water)

  • Reduce stress of being indoors or living with multiple cats by providing vertical cat towers and window seats

  • Never use covered litter boxes

  • Pick litter clean daily and strip boxes weekly

What is Giardia?

Giardia is a microscopic parasite that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. It can infect dogs, cats and people and is transmitted through fecal contamination. 

Animals that are housed in groups such as shelters, pets stores, and dog parks can be prone to picking up Giardia. Dogs that go hiking, or cats that go outside, can be exposed to Giardia by drinking water from ponds and streams.

A stool sample from your dog or cat should be tested for routine parasites including Giardia. Most pets do fine with treatment, however, occasionally it can become a chronic condition.

Caffeine Poisoning

Our pets are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than people. The ingestion of moderate amounts of coffee grounds, tea bags, or one to two diets pills can easily be fatal to small animals. Although, a couple of laps of coffee, tea, or soda won't harm most pets. Symptoms of caffeine toxicity are: mild to severe hyperactivity, restlessness, vomiting, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, tremors, fever, seizures, and collapse. Your pet should be seen by a veterinarian if ingestion occurs, especially since symptoms can take two hours to occur. 

Bee Stings

If possible, the stinger should be removed. For the single sting at home, and if no allergic reaction exists, you can apply cool compresses and monitor your pet closely. If an allergic reaction or if stung multiple times your pet should immediately be transported to the hospital. No time should be wasted searching for stingers and removing them, since 100% of bee venom is delivered within sixty seconds of being stung. Allergic reactions are: low blood pressure, hives, difficulty breathing, itchiness, and possible collapse. Most stings are solitary and animals are able to recover.

Cold Medications Toxicosis

Many over-the-counter cold medications contain pseudoephedrine, a drug similar to amphetamines. This can lead to stimulation of the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system (CNS). Most common symptoms include: hyperactivity, agitation, panting, fever, hypertension, rapid heart rate, head bobbing, and enlarged pupils. Many are life-threatening signs. Symptoms can persist for up to 72 hours. You should not give ANY over-the-counter medications without asking your veterinarian. Your pet needs to be seen immediately if they ingest pseudoephedrine.

Heat Stroke

Pet owners often don't recognize heat trauma. Often they mistake a pet's heat trauma for general lethargy. Heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and other less serious heat-related injuries can be difficult to detect in pets but are considered emergencies.  Often following activity in excess heat pets are thought to be "tired" rather than suffering from heat trauma.

Heatstroke typically occurs as a result of either too much muscle activity or being in too hot an environment or a  combination of both. Heatstroke in animals is more common in dogs then in cats.  Dogs with heat stroke generally have bright red mucous membranes, will be panting heavily, will be weaker or collapsed, and show altered mentation.  It is a life-threatening condition, which affects all the tissues and organs in the body.

Typical treatment for heat-stroke in pets includes rapid cooling, intense fluid therapy to aid perfusion, rehydration, and finally management of secondary complications that may include coagulopathy, sepsis, severe infection, and failure of the kidneys, liver, bone marrow, or brain.

Prevention is always the best medicine.  The number one rule is never; ever; never leave an animal in a car regardless of the temperature outside. Number two; pets should always have access to clean fresh water. Number three; do not push a pet to over-exert. If the pet is slowing down or lagging behind it is time to stop, rest, and drink water.

Another common heat-related condition is damage to a pet's pads when they walk on hot cement, asphalt, or pool decks.

Burns from hose water is also a concern. Hoses that have been lying in the sun for long periods of time may have extremely hot water in them and when initially turned on can create burns.

Heat-related illness should always be treated as an emergency and your pet brought to the nearest veterinarian hospital.

Running into the store for "just a minute" can be fatal for a dog in a car.