Pet Health

 

Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic Salutes Pet Heroes and Their Owners: Let’s meet Friendly.

By Patricia Graf CVT/VPM

Friendly is a wonderful male yellow lab that has already beat most odds and lived to see 15 years old. Now many labs at this age would have stopped finding things to get into, but not Friendly. He still helps feed the horses and plays with the other dogs. Most owners might not have observed a 15 year "not acting right". Teresa brought Friendly in to be examined. Dr. Corning felt an x-ray was indicated. I was somewhat shocked as to what we found. We could not make out exactly what it was on the film, however, it was definitely something that was not supposed to be in Friendly’s stomach¸ and the "whatever" was definitely not going to pass on its own. We began IV fluids, antibiotics, and other medications to treat GI ulceration and help with motility. Then the surgery began on Friendly, after discussing with Teresa the risk. Teresa did not even think twice about trying to save her Friend. It was one of those situations where we knew the risk was high but Friendly not having surgery was even higher. He had already become somewhat lethargic, wasn’t eating, and just wasn’t acting like himself. We found that Friendly liked leather. I’m not sure what the leather came from but it appeared to be like a large collar or horse tack. It was in several pieces from about 2-8 inches. Friendly did well during the surgery and is beginning his recovery. I’m writing this Sunday evening so by the time this is printed hopefully Friendly has recovered and is home with his family that loves him. Friendly’s owners love their pets dearly and would never leave anything down intentionally that could harm their pets. Who knows where Friendly found his treasured leather, other than him, and he is not telling us. No matter how good we are at picking up everything that we find that our pets could chew up, they seem to figure out how to get a hold of something. Unfortunately, for Friendly, this time it wouldn’t pass out of his stomach. But fortunately for Friendly, his family did not consider his age as a "disability" and instantly gave us permission to go to surgery. As I pray for a full recovery for him (he has gone home and is doing well), I also think of all of the pets who never get the opportunity for surgery.

We have begun a "Good Sam" fund that pet owners can contribute to. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to help pets whose owners may not have the means to pay for the treatment that their pet needs.

Dr. Graf, Dr. Corning, myself, and all of the staff of Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic salute Friendly and his will to live and his family for their dedication to his care. If you have any health concerns for your pet please contact the staff of Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic at 719-382-0777 and we will be happy to assist you.

BY PATTY GRAF, CVT/VPM
  February is the Pet Dental Health Month.  For good cause, a month is attributed to the education of pet owners on the dental care of their pets.  The American Veterinary Dental Society says more than 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats develop gum disease by age 3. To help avoid a serious problem, there are several things a pet owner can do.
  Brushing your pets’ teeth daily is optimum, and at least twice a week will result in good maintenance.  First get them used to you putting your fingers in their mouths.  Work up to a soft pet toothbrush.  The last step is adding toothpaste — either poultry or beef flavored. Don’t use your own toothpaste. Dogs don’t like the foaming and stinging and some human toothpaste can make them sick. By doing this you will be checking your pet’s teeth on a regular basis.
   Now, just learn what to watch for and when you need to have your pet’s teeth checked by a veterinarian.  Lift up the gums of your pet.  Look in the front of the mouth and the back.  Often times molar teeth will be infected and loose and the owner will never notice.  The clinical signs that your pet may need dental healthcare is if your pet has bad breath, red swollen (sometimes bleeding) gums, is dropping food, or not wanting to eat a regular hard/dry dog food.  Also if you see facial swelling between the eye and mouth, discharge for nostrils, drooling, or see tartar/plaque built up on the teeth.  Plaque contains bacteria and glycoproteins.  Once a pet gets plaque, gum disease will follow.  Bacteria can then get into the blood stream and affect the kidneys, heart, and liver. 
  The longer you wait to treat infection or abscess the more likely your pet is to have to have teeth extracted.  I once had a client ask me if animals had “toothaches” like people do. The answer is a simple yes.  They definitely do feel the pain of an abscessed tooth and gum disease.
   So, when is it time to take your pet to your veterinarian to have a dental check-up or dental treatment, and how much should it cost?   To put it into perspective, remember that pets age faster than we do, so if you had your pet’s teeth cleaned every six months, that would translate to every 3-1/2 years for people. Not many of us would go that long without seeing a dentist.
   Your pets teeth should be checked during his or her annual exam or if you see or smell something wrong.  Preventing or slowing the progression of dental disease is very important to dogs and cats retaining their teeth as they age.
     Another concern for pet owners is when their puppies retain puppy teeth and the adult teeth begin to grow in abnormally.  Extracting deciduous (baby) teeth as soon as it is apparent that they are retained will allow the permanent teeth to erupt in the appropriate position and will not provide an area for plaque and food to accumulate. This procedure is routinely performed at the same time puppies are spayed and neutered. 
    With proper oral care, dogs and cats may have healthy teeth and gums even as they enter their golden years. 
    If you have any questions concerning your pet’s healthcare please call the staff of Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic at 719-382-0777 and we will be happy to assist you. 
  In honor of your pet’s dental care Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic is offering a 15% discount on all pet dental for the month of February. 

BY PATRICIA GRAF  CVT/VPM
Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic wants to end the year 2011 and begin 2012 with a special letter and poem.  Many, many times throughout the last year we helped our clients and friends say good-bye to their furry family friends.  We include ourselves in this as we let our Cindy go.  We wanted to offer our sympathy to those we have lost loved ones.
  For all of those who are thinking about getting a new pet during the New Year, I would encourage you to go to a registered breeder (and check references and make sure you get a guarantee for at least a year) or adopt a pet from the Humane Society. 
Be sure to do a thorough temperament test to make sure the pet is good with other pets and children, don’t take anyone else’s word for it.  Check for yourself.  Find out how to do a temperament test.  Don’t adopt a pet in haste.  You might even call your veterinarian and see if they know of any pets needing homes.  We often have a list.
  I hope this poem entitled Last Night (author unknown) will speak to all those who lost a beloved pet, know someone who did, or just love animals.  I know it spoke to me as I thought of our Cindy on Christmas, and yes, we have a new yellow lab puppy, PJ.  She is a delight.  Hopefully pets will teach us much.  One thing I know for sure is that they teach us the circle of life. 

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Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic Offers Help at the Holidays:

Let’s Remember Our Furry Friends This Time Of Year Also...

BY PATRICIA GRAF CVT/VPM

  As I watched my Boston Terrier, Cricket, come running into the house, my heart sank.  She was running on three legs and I could tell by the way she was carrying her rear leg, she had injured it.
  The common injuries for rear legs are often times very bad and require a surgery that is done at a specialty clinic.
My heart sank as I thought of the cost of this surgery to repair Cricket’s knee, but knew it would be done if needed.  I could not let her suffer.
 “Of all the time for this to happen, I thought, “Christmas, we are already financially stressed.”  We are like many people who tend to stretch their budgets over the Christmas Season to give those special gifts to loved ones and friends.  Dr. Graf and I are no different.  We understand that financially this can be a stressful time of year. 
  Every year during this time we see numerous pet owners whose pets have become sick or injured and they “have no money to have them treated.” 
  Our hearts go out to them and their pets and it can be very difficult when we can’t help them all. 
  As I was thinking about what to write in my article, I thought of the usual “keep your pets safe at Christmas” articles, like, don’t feed them ham, pork, other people foods, watch out for the electrical wires, tinsel, etc.   Although this is a very important message, it is easily available online.
   If you do have any questions concerning your pet’s healthcare over the Holidays, please call the clinic and we will be happy to assist you. 
  But, back to the topic, it may be too late this year to consider this for Christmas, but planning ahead is usually the best way.

  I can’t tell you the cases that the clinic will have come through the door where the dog ate the ham or the cat got into the tinsel, the two pets got into a fight, or the kitty just isn’t acting right and need emergency surgery, medications, or hospitalization.  Now, here’s the hard part.  Fountain Creek Veterinary will do everything we can to help your pet, but we are not a non-profit hospital.  Our cost on some commonly used medications has gone up 1600% (no that is not a typo) it is actually 1600 percent.
Veterinarians are being forced to raise prices to keep their doors open and continue to help clients and patients.  Who wins in the end?  I’ll leave that answer up to your judgment, but maybe we should ask who loses.
 First, the pet loses if the cost to offer optimal care is prohibitive and some can’t afford any care for their pet.  Second, you lose as your pet suffers. 
 
 Here’s just a thought.  I’m not in any way asking for people to donate less to charities this time of year as the dedicated people ring the Christmas bells to raise money for various causes, however, maybe if you have a little extra you could offer to help care for a pet through your veterinarian clinic that might not otherwise be able to receive the medications or care needed.
 Let’s remember our furry friends this time of year also.  Next, try to plan ahead.
I know in this economy it is very difficult to “put money aside” for pet care.  But, if you are the person in that emergency with your pet and have no way to care for them, it may be too late to consider this.
 Each month set that small amount back in case of a medical emergency for your pets. 
   Be prepared.  Which of us ever expect an emergency or accident to happen? 
  And don’t forget, there is pet insurance, and much like human insurance, there are different levels for different costs. 
  There is also Care Credit that can be applied for in advance and kept for that emergency. 
  As the economy becomes scarier and for many more difficult, try to plan ahead, expect the unexpected and be prepared to care for your pet when a situation occurs. 
  Once again, if you have any questions concerning your pet’s healthcare, please contact the staff of Fountain Creek Veterinary Clinic and we will be happy to assist you.  Have a wonderful Christmas
and a very Happy and Healthy New Year.