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February 1, 2010
How We Get the Scoop From Your Pet's Poop
When our staff reminds you to bring in a fecal sample to your pet's next visit, you may wonder exactly how something seeming so worthless can help determine your pet's health. The truth is that a fresh stool sample can help us in many ways. We assess many aspects of the sample to get a snapshot of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In addition to the obvious things such as a soft watery sample, we look for any blood, parasites, or foreign material.
We perform a fecal flotation on every sample that is brought to our clinic. This diagnostic test allows us to reliably look for the eggs of common GI parasites such as round, hook, whip, and tapeworms. In debilitated puppies that have diarrhea, we can quickly determine if the puppy is affected with another parasite called Giardia or infected by the often-deadly Parvovirus just by testing a small swab of fecal material.
We rely on fecal samples for help in a variety of other cases as well. For instance, just determining how many bowel movements a patient is having a day can let us know if too much or too little food is being fed. A proper number is two to three bowel movements a day. Any more than that and the animal's food should be reduced until that number is reached. Just by sifting through some samples, we have found multiple toys, underwear, obscure pieces of plastic, and animal bones that could be causing GI obstructions or just passing through. These are the reasons why it is important for our staff to evaluate your pets poop during their annual visit. It's hard to know what we may find, but we will make sure your pet's annual exam is thorough and complete.
November
23, 2009
Holiday
Safety Tips for Pets
While
the holiday season is a joyous and exciting time for all, the
decorations and food that make this time of the year so much
fun can pose hidden dangers for your pets. Simple awareness,
planning, and supervision can prevent most accidents and keep
your pets safe from the hazards of this holiday season.
Pet-Proof Decorations
 Ribbons
and tinsel can irresistible sources of fun for cats and kittens.
While simply playing with these items is harmless, ingesting
any type of string can cause a life-threatening intestinal
obstruction that may require emergency surgery to correct.-
Your Christmas tree should be securely fastened to the nearest
wall or by some other manner to prevent the cat or dog from
knocking it over. Many a Christmas tree has been sent swaying
with a happy kitten on top.
-
Shiny, breakable or sentimental ornaments should be displayed
higher on the tree and well out of reach of curious paws.
Also remember to keep metal ornament hooks, which can snag
an ear, tail or accidentally be eaten, out of the reach of
pets. Instead opt for 1/4 inch ribbon tied tightly in a knot
to attach ornaments to trees.
-
Make sure electrical cords are out of reach, taped firmly
to walls or floors, or safely hidden within a protective covering.
Chewing on wires may cause burns or electrocution with pulmonary
edema (fluid in the lungs), which can be fatal.
Toxic Holiday Plants
- Mistletoe:
Different types of mistletoe are used during the Christmas
holiday season and ingestion can cause signs ranging from
vomiting and diarrhea to severe anemia, seizures, coma, and
death. Keep this plant safely out of your pets' reach.
-
Holly: Ingestion of the leaves and berries can cause intense
vomiting and diarrhea as well as mental depression.
-
Poinsettia: The festively colored leaves of this plant may
cause irritation of the mouth and stomach and possibly vomiting
if ingested in large quantities. Overall, the toxicity of
the poinsettia has been overrated.
-
Amaryllis: Ingestion of the bulb can result in mild vomiting
and diarrhea. Mental depression and abdominal pain may also
occur.
-
Christmas Cactus: If large quantities of this attractive holiday
plant are ingested, then vomiting and diarrhea may occur.
This plant is generally thought of as a safe, holiday plant
with low toxicity.
Dangerous Holiday Foods
- Chocolate
can cause hyperexcitability, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly
death. While dark and unsweetened baking chocolate are the
most dangerous, the less toxic milk chocolate and other chocolate
flavored goodies can be lethal if sufficient amounts are ingested.
-
Coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages should never
be offered to pets. Coffee, tea and soft drinks contain caffeine,
which causes toxicity similar to chocolate. Ingestion of alcoholic
beverages can easily cause intoxication that leads to death.
-
While it may seem harmless to share a few leftovers from holiday
meals with cherished family pets, remember that sudden diet
changes can easily lead to an upset stomach with vomiting
and diarrhea. Greasy and fatty leftovers can overwhelm the
pancreas and lead to a serious condition called pancreatitis,
which may require lengthy hospitalization.
-
Onions, though not thought of as a traditional holiday food,
can cause a serious anemia in dogs and cats if ingested. Some
pets may become so ill that they need a blood transfusion.
Beware of offering tablescraps that contain even small amounts
of onion.
-
Bones from fish, meat or poultry can cause problems if swallowed.
Be sure to keep all leftover bones away from your pet. Kong
toys and sterilized pet bones are much better alternatives
for your pet's chewing needs.
Holiday
Toys & Presents
- Carefully
inspect all of your pet's presents from Santa to make sure
there are no small pieces that could present choking hazards
or potentially be ingested and cause intestinal obstruction.
-
Should Santa bring battery-powered presents to any member
of the household, remember to keep all batteries safely hidden
from pets. Accidental ingestion of a battery can cause a life-threatening
tear of the esophagus or intestine.
Have a safe and happy holiday season with your family, friends,
and beloved pets. Should a crisis arise this holiday season,
the North Fork Animal Clinic offers 24-hour emergency care to
serve your needs. If you have further questions about other
potential household hazards, feel free to contact our office
or you can reach the National Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680,
www.petpoisonhelpline.com. A per incident fee is charged when
calling this number.
November
16, 2009
Tired
of Spending Money on Veterinary Bills?
Times
are more difficult for many parents of pets we care for! If
you want to save money on veterinary bills, not to mention making
life easier for your beloved pets, we have some advice for you.
These are things you can do to help prevent the most commonly
avoidable problems.
 There
is no such thing as a “street smart” dog. Any
dog that can
get into the street will, sooner or later, get hit by a car;
unless he or she dies from something else first. We don’t
know how many times we’ve heard distraught owners staring
bleakly at their injured dog on an exam table say, “I
don’t know what came over him – he just never
goes out into the street!”-
Keep your cat(s) indoors. We know there are “outdoor
cats” and there are “indoor – outdoor cats”
and we’re not saying that everyone who has a cat should
keep them inside all the time. But, most of the bad things
that happen to cats happen when they are outside. If you want
to avoid those bad things, like bite wounds, dog trauma, car
injuries, and pellet gun wounds, keep your cats safely in
your home.
-
Keep your dog on a leash. Again, we’re not saying that
you should never let your dog run and play or go for walks
off a leash. But dogs run through brush and barbed wire and
get grass awns in their ears and lacerations on their legs.
They meet with other dogs and sometimes the interaction is
not completely friendly. This is especially true when two
or more dogs are running together. They can form a “pack”
and a pack of dogs will do things that none of the individual
dogs would normally do. They may ignore owner commands and
may attack and kill smaller dogs or cats. Please, before you
let your dog run off leash, take a good look at the area around
you. Be very careful!
- Don’t
let your dog ride loose in the back of a pickup truck. Like
dogs that “never go in the street,” dogs that
“never jump out of the truck” sometimes do. Broken
legs and torn knee ligaments are a couple of the most common
results. Orthopedic surgery on a dog or cat can easily cost
a thousand dollars, and is not always completely successful.
-
Keep your dog or cat out of your garbage can. Cats are pickier
and more careful than dogs about what they eat, but either
one can find culinary treasures in the garbage. They may also
eat grandpa’s heart pills left on the bathroom counter,
or other medication, and they will readily lap up antifreeze
that leaked or was spilled on the driveway. “Garbage
Can Poisoning” can cause serious vomiting and diarrhea
and if a ten-pound dog or cat swallows a dose of medication
intended for a 200 pound human, expensive vet bills, or worse,
can result.
Please work diligently to save both of us from these problems!
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