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If you have an animal
question, feel free to call our office. I would be happy
to help with ideas or suggestions. If I can not help, I
will try to refer you to someone who may be able to help you.
You can also go to our resource section for animal welfare web sites
and other helpful information. Please let me know
if you like these educational selections and if they help you.
If you find a site that you find helpful, send it to me to
evaluate. Thank you, Dori
Misc. Pet Care
Information
Many people feed canned food to their pets. I am asked
all the time how long can canned food be safely left out, un-refrigerated? According
to canned food manufacturers, canned food should never be left
out for more than 2 hours. Canned food is
a meat product. After that, just like human grade steak
or chicken, it will start forming harmful bacteria that could
possibly make our pets sick.
Many clients call and ask how should they feed their pets.
What is better? Feeding free choice means to leave the
dry food out all the time or feeding the correct amount at a
specific time such as breakfast and dinner time. Most
veterinarians prefer that pets are fed the correct amount
for their weight morning and night. Each pet should be fed
in their own bowl (glass bowls are preferred over plastic,
plastic becomes pitted after a while and harbors more
bacteria. Bowls should be cleaned after each
feeding). Pets should be prevented from eating another
pets' food. You may need to separate each pet in a
different room. This will prevent one pet from eating too
fast before the other pet comes or hurrying up his food so
he can eat the other's food too. In many cases, eating
too fast can cause stomach upset and the pet who does not
get to eat his entire meal is left out. Behavioral
problems may also occur over food. Each pet should be
able to eat their entire meal at their own pace.
Feeding pets alone and at certain times,
also helps the pet owner to monitor a pets food intake.
If a pet is coming down with a health problem, in many cases
the first sign may be that they will slow or stop eating.
If a pet does not eat his full meal every time, it may not
be a cause for alarm, however, it may be a cause to call
your veterinarian if he has not eaten at all in 2 days
(unless you see other signs, then call immediately).
However, it is never wrong to call and ask your veterinarian
if you have concerns before 2 days.
Getting your pet used to eating at certain
times also has the advantage that the pet will be hungry.
Not having food around 24/7 allows the pets digestive system
to have a rest, rather than allowing the pet to nibble and
graze at anytime during the day or night. Allowing
access to food at all times also encourages pets to boredom
eat (which brings on weight issues) or become territorial
over food dishes, keeping others away. In most cases,
free choice of food allows pet owners to not notice any
problems until the problems are established.
Free choice feeding also creates a problem
if one pet needs to go on a diet for specific health
problems, while to other does not. The free choice
feeding owner must choose to put both on the medical diet or
put none on the medical diet. Both choices are not the
best.
So, what is an owner to do? The
hardest part is for all pet owners to get into a habit.
Believe me, I am the worst to change my habits.
However, once it is done, it is great. If you have
rooms to separate pets in for feeding am and pm, that is one
choice, however, I have 10 cats, and finding ten
different rooms in my small home to feed them in is not
feasible. So, all my cats are fed in their crates.
I have stacked 3 on the bottom, 3 in the middle and 3 on top
with the tenth one on the very top. At feeding time,
all the cats run straight into their CORRECT crate.
Each crate is labeled with the cat's name and description
(in case I need someone else to feed). The food is
appropriately measured out for each cat, 3 cats are on
special food and 2 cats require smaller portions (they gain
weight very easily). I have found that feeding the
cats in the crates has added benefits. Each cat is
locked in the crate for however long it takes for them to
eat (about 30 minutes). It enables each cat to eat at
their own speed, no more wolfing down the food before
another pushes in, no bullying going on. It also
helped the two cats that were absolutely terrified of their
crates feel comfortable. Now they jump in on their own
happily. One did not like the door closed (maybe a bit
claustrophobic?). All are doing well. I can
monitor how much each cat eats at every feeding. They
are all contained in one room. If there ever was a
fire or I needed to evacuate, I am able to get all cats in
their respective crates in a short period of time and place
out the window....For me, this way of feeding works quickly,
is great for healthy feeding, helps with pets who hate their
crates and if ever you needed to evacuate in an emergency.
This is a good thing.
-
What are some winter care tips for my pet?
- Keep indoor pets in a dry, warm area free of drafts. If possible,
elevate your pet's bed off the floor.
- Provide dogs and cats with a dry, insulated pet house or shelter
out of the wind. Bring your pet inside if the temperature or
wind chill goes below 32° (pets feel the cold as well as
we do, no matter how thick their coat is) or with nasty weather.
- Staying warm requires extra calories, so feed your pet accordingly
when the temperature drops. Talk to your veterinarian for advice
on feeding your pet.
- Cats and kittens often nap on car engines for warmth. Knock
on the hood and honk the horn; then wait a few minutes before
starting your car. (Cats and kittens are always safer as indoor
pets)
- Pets like the smell and taste of antifreeze, but even a very
small amount can kill them. Thoroughly clean up spills at once.
Tightly close containers and store them where pets cannot get
them.
- Always have fresh, clean water available for your pet. Check
water every 2 hours for freezing or get an electric heated water
bowl. Fresh, clean unfrozen water is essential.
- Remove ice, salt, and caked mud from your pet's paws and coat
at once. Contact your veterinarian immediately if you suspect
your pet has frostbite. Frostbitten skin may turn reddish, white
or gray, and it may be scaly or sloughing.
- Alcoholic beverages, holiday treats such as chocolates, and
bones from poultry, pork and fish can be harmful or toxic to
your pets. Keep your pet on his regular diet.
- Many plants - including Christmas rose, holly, mistletoe,
philodendron and dieffenbachia - are toxic to pets. Keep them
out of your pet's reach.
- Holiday paraphernalia can be dangerous to pets. Cover or tack
down electrical cords. Keep tinsel and glass ornaments out of
your pet's reach. Read warnings on items like spray-on snow.
Never put ribbons around your pet's neck or allow it to play
with plastic or foil wrappings or six-pack beverage holders.
Source:
The Ralston Purina Company
(click on to view their website).
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Note - NEVER get a pet, thinking that if it does NOT work out, I can just
get rid of it. Do your research and make sure this pet will fit into
your time, budget and life style. When getting a pet, it should ALWAYS
be for the entire life of the pet and that you will give this pet, the best
loving home possible. That is what EVERY pet deserves.
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- Be prepared and answer the guidelines for "When Looking for
a New Pet" (above)
- Make sure your pet is healthy and up to date on all vaccines
and medical
- DO NOT falsify or withhold any information
* For example, if your dog destroys furniture and you do not tell the
new owners: At his new home your dog destroys their new thousand-dollar
couch, your dog may end up homeless somewhere. Your pet will find a
better home if the new owners know all the bad stuff and still want
him. It may take longer to find the right home, but it will be worth
it.
- Put a price on your pet. NEVER give any animal away for free.
* There are many horrible people out there who make their living selling
animals for experimentation, or using pets (small and large) to train
dogs for fighting and guard duty. They want free pets and will say
whatever is necessary to get them. * Also, pet ownership can be costly.
Most people who are willing to pay for a pet will think about pet responsibility
before buying and care for them better in the long run. Of course,
if you know the owners well, use your best judgment. Putting a price
on your pet may also make it take longer to place it, but your pet's
welfare is worth it.
- Ask the new owners if you can visit in the future.
* If they say yes, chances are the home will be okay. You can then
decide whether to visit or not. After the pet leaves for his new home,
it may be hard on both your family and your pet to see each other again,
especially within the six months breaking-in period. NEVER find your
pet a new home with the intention of asking for him back in the future.
Your pet needs stability and a permanent loving home. Bouncing from
home to home is just as bad for a pet as it is for a child.
- Ask the potential owners about pets they own now or have had in
the past.
* You can learn a lot about how they will care for your pet
by how they have cared for their pet(s) in the past. What kinds of
pets have they owned? If the pets have died, how and what happened?
Old age? Hit by a car? (Are they going to be more careful so this doesn't
happen again?) Have their pets been neutered (both males and females),
up to date on vaccines, heartworm check (dogs), leukemia tested (cats)?
- All cats should be INSIDE cats for safety. If your inside cat is
declawed, for its safety it must never be allowed out. If not declawed,
are the new owners planning on de-clawing? (de-clawing is not recommended
by animal welfare -- if you are having problems, BEFORE de-clawing,
call our office for suggestions. Dori has a special cat fence,
that allows her cats to be outside safely during the day).
- Do they have a fenced-in yard? If no, are they going to walk this dog daily?
- Always retain the new owners' name, address and phone number
* Check in a few weeks to see if the new owners are having problems.
Sometimes pets run away and come back to the old home; it is good to
be able to call the new owners so that they are not worried. Also,
if possible, tell the new owners if they ever do not want your pet
anymore that you would like for them to call you and you will take
your pet back. But remember: NEVER place your pet with the intention
of taking it back. This placement should be for life!
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- NH law requires that all dogs and cats, mongrel or
purebred, gift or sale, planned or accidental litters
must:
-
be 8 weeks old or older
-
have their first set of
vaccinations
-
veterinarian's health
certificate within 14 days of transfer
-
For other NH Laws, click to
NH Animal Statutes and other
Applicable Laws
This website is a wealth of
information on animal diseases to medical information to
toxic items, diabetes and so much more.
Some germs are passed form
animals to human. Learn what germs can be passed
from your pet to you and how you can prevent it.
Learn about Toxoplasmosis, how to protect yourself while
pregnant and that cats are only a small probability for
contamination, you are more likely to get it from raw
meat or gardening. Very interesting site, click on
to view -
CDC - Healthy Pets Healthy People
This website helps you the
owner, in making good nutritional well balanced pet
food. Follow the recipe very carefully to help
ensure that your pet receives all the nutrition their
body requires. Click here to view the
Balance IT website.
All pets, male or female
should be neutered. Not only is it necessary to
help in pet overpopulation, with millions of homeless
pets but it helps pets medically, psychologically and in
most cases behaviorally. For help with cost of
neutering your pet in NH, you can call NH Spay/Neuter
Assistance 224-1361 Call before 2pm and/or click here to
go to
NHSPCA Financial Assistance web site
Antech
Diagnostics has a nice chart to figure out how old your
dog or cat is. This site also has some
other helpful information on Senior care, etc.
Click here to go to
Antech Diagnostics - How Old is my Pet?
Cornell University has a
narrated live action video designed to give pet owners a
complete overview of cancer. Click here to go to
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine:
Partners in Health.
Tufts University answers
questions about Animal Hoarding, what it is and is not,
health issues, animal welfare, intervention and other
resources. We start you off at the general
overview, then just click on the different sections on
the navigation bar at the top. If you know of a
possible animal hoarding situation, please call our
office and we will refer you to the proper help.
Click here to go to
About Hoarding.
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CAT
INFORMATION
For decades, in the Northeast, and where ever
mosquitoes live, heartworm disease has been a plague for our
dogs. Until recently, it was thought that
heartworm disease did not adversely effect cats. New
studies show that heartworm infection can harm our
cats.
Click here for Feline Heartworm Animation.
Click on Feline Heartworm Animation and
then the arrow to start video.
The Feline CRF Information Center is a great resource
in up to date information on this frightening, confusing
and overwhelming diagnosis of our beloved feline.
Click here to go to the
Feline CRF Information Center.
Everything you always wanted to know about
litterboxes from your cat's point of view, and so much
more. This website delves into a comprehensive
look into all kinds of problems, do's and don'ts and so
much more. Click on
Litter Box for this great website.
The same website as the Litterbox above, has some
great information on Feline Nutrition, Diabetes, Pilling
and much more. Click on
Cat
Information to view.
The best thing you can do is prevent the disease
before it happens, learn how, however, if you do get the
diagnosis that your cat is diabetic, know everything you
can on this disease. In most cases, cats do very
well if diagnosed early and regulated. Here are
two more websites on Feline Diabetes -
Your Diabetic Cat and
Cat Information. Click here for
Cornell University Video on Caring for your Diabetic
Cat.
Dori's cat, Ricky suffers from a multitude of
allergies, poor guy. He is allergic to many
environmental sources such as two types of dust mites,
Maple, Yellow Dock, Sycamore, Black Ants and much more.
He is treated with an allergy injection every 10 - 21
days depending on how bad his allergies are. Most
allergies in animals come out as skin conditions
(whereas in humans, we suffer most respiratory and itchy
eyes). Ricky's allergies manifest in a skin
condition of an over abundance of black yeast production
all over his body (not a pretty sight). He is
bathed every 3 - 4 weeks depending on his condition.
Other problems that may occur from allergies could be
open lesions, excessive grooming, hair loss, and hair
thinning. If you notice anything different, check
with your veterinarian. To learn more about
allergies in your cat, click on
Cat Allergies.
This website has some great information on Cat
Breeds, health, nutrition, behavior, etc. It is a
web site put out by Cat Fancy and does sell advertising,
so some products advertised maybe a paid endorsement,
but over all it is a good site for some information.
Click on
Catchannel.com to view.
Declawing your cat, is it good or bad? Most
animal welfare organizations do not condone declawing.
It is an unnecessary surgery. Find out everything
there is to know about declawing before you make the
final decision. Feel free to call our office if
you would like alternatives. Check out these
websites for more information:
Facts on Declawing,
Declawing: A Rational Look,
Declawing & Humane Alternatives,
Declawing Cats, more than just a manicure,
Declawing: What you need to know.
The Cat Fanciers'Association (CFA) has great
information and pictures of purebred cats. Of
course, we advocate adopting homeless pets first, but if
you like a certain breed of cat, you sometimes will find
them in shelters if you are patient. If you
absolutely can not wait, check out these breeds.
This website also has information on upcoming sponsored
cat shows, etc. Click here for
CFA recognized purebred cats.
Brushing Your cats teeth can be tricky. Click
here for
Cornell University's instructional video on Brushing
your cat's Teeth
Click here to view
Cornell University's Instructional Video on Giving
Your Cat a Pill.
Click here to view
Cornell University's Instructional Video on Giving
Your Cat liquid medication.
Click here to view
Cornell University's Instructional Video on
Taking your Cat's Temperature
Click here to view
Cornell University's Instructional Video on
Trimming your Cat's Claws (nails)
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DOG
INFORMATION
The most mis-diagnosed disease in Greyhounds is hypothyroidism. Greyhounds have a normal low thyroid.
Many Greyhounds are placed on Thyroid medication and in some cases it may not be
necessary. Click on
www.animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com
for more information. You will need to
click on Library and then click on Greyhound Health Packet 2005. There is
a lot of great information on Greyhound Health. Ohio State
University College of Veterinary Medicine also has some
great greyhound information, click on
Greyhounds to view their website.
The American Heartworm Society website has great
information and animation on Heartworm disease,
Click here for
Canine Heartworm Animation and information.
Click on Canine Heartworm Animation and then the arrow to start video.
MORE DOG INFORMATION
COMING SOON!!
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