 As people who love and live with dogs, unfortunately dog bites are something many people experience at some point in their lives. Over 50% of the victims of dog bites are children. Often children are bitten by dogs due to circumstances that could have been prevented with a little training. Any dog can bite under the right circumstances, especially when frightened. Teaching children the following tips can help to decrease their chances of being involved in a dog bite:
For additional dog bite related resources, visit AVMA.org Dr. Leah Thies
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 How many times have you thought about skipping your yearly trip to the vet? Our cat never goes outside or our dog seems perfectly fine. I don’t need to take them in- right? Wrong. Having your pet examined annually is a crucial part of keeping your pet living comfortably for as long as we can.
The owner, doctor and technician’s conversations about things at home can lend clues to a potential body part that needs closer examination. Is there a limp, a lump, a change in odor, itching/scratching, lethargy, changes in appetite or water consumption? Even before the exam begins- has there been a change in weight? All of these questions provide pieces to the puzzle that we are putting together during the appointment. Exams are done systematically on all body parts. Early diagnosis of all problems can result in a more easily treatable condition. Infections of the ears can come on quickly and be severe, or may start slowly and not show any sign of irritation. We can help get pets comfortable far more rapidly if treated early in the course of disease. Dental disease, fractured teeth, or items stuck in the mouth have all been found on routine exams. Seeking treatment for early stage dental disease can preserve teeth before the disease worsens further and extractions are needed. Dental disease also predisposes the body to unwanted bacteria in the bloodstream that can set animals up for heart and kidney disease. Heart changes are sometimes very difficult to diagnose by just visibly looking at a pet. A history and physical examination with a stethoscope will be able to pick up on changes to the heart before the animal is showing distress. Lumps and bumps, skin disease and parasites such as fleas and ticks are found each and every day in the exam room on a pet of an unsuspecting owner. We can again take corrective measures to get your friend feeling like themselves in no time! Senior pets often need blood work to look for potential changes to an organ's function. This can guide dietary decisions or even medication decisions that allow you’re pet to live as long and comfortably as possible. As you can see, the above reasons are all important reasons to schedule your annual (or more often) exam. The sooner we catch a potential problem, the faster we can address and make changes to keep your friend happy and healthy! Do you have a dog that has separation anxiety? Purina Calming Care Canine Probiotic supplement can help maintain calm behavior. This probiotic also helps dogs cope with external stressors like unfamiliar visitors, novel sounds or changes in routine and location. I just started my two year old lab on this and the difference it has made is unbelievable! What I thought would take weeks to make a difference, showed on the first day of use. He used to rip holes in pillows, walls, floors, and even bent the wiring to his metal crate trying to get out when I wasn’t around, but no longer does he do this! He is much calmer. Also, must be very tasty to him because he eats it as soon as i put it in his food bowl. Stop by and talk with Dr. Weber today, she highly recommends it.  Is your dog scared or resistant to getting into the car? Talk to us about your pup’s most recent road trip experience. There may be an easy solution to getting you and your pup on the road. Whether you're at home or away, your life would not be complete without your dog and your dog feels the same way about you. That’s why it’s so hard to leave a dog behind at home or at a kennel. It’s really sad when the only thing preventing you from taking a trip together is something as common as your dog getting carsick. As many as 1 in 5 dogs suffer from canine motion sickness. Sometimes the vomiting may discourage dog owners like you from taking their dogs on trips or to receive necessary grooming, training or even medical care. CERENIA® (maropitant citrate) Tablets
  If you've ever lost your pet, you know that terrible feeling at the pit of your stomach that you'll never see them again. Microchipping is the best way to make sure your pet makes their way back home. If your pet is already microchipped, is it up to date? Have you moved or do you have a new cell phone number? August 15th is National Check the Chip Day. Please review our commonly asked questions on Microchipping your pet and if you have not had your pet Microchipped, call today to schedule! Take advantage of our Microchip special during the week of August 13-17th, for $34.99 (HomeAgain Microchip registration and enrollment included) Not sure where your pet’s chip is registered? Visit the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool at petmicrochiplookup.org. To update your pet’s registration, you’ll need your pet’s microchip number. If you haven’t already created an account with the manufacturer, you’ll need to do that as well so you can access the registration in the future to update the information. Make sure all of the information, particularly your phone number(s) and address, is correct. Can I track where my pet goes if they are microchipped? No, the microchip is not a tracking device. Only your veterinarian or a location with a universal scanner can scan your pet’s microchip. Learn more about what a Microchip is and how it can be the best way to make sure your pet makes their way back home. What is a Microchip? A microchip is a permanent identification that can be placed just under the skin of your pet. If your pet gets lost and is taken to an animal shelter or veterinarian, they will scan the microchip to read its unique dog or cat ID code. Each ID code is unique to their owners name, address, and contact information so you can easily be contacted when the pet is found. The best part is, it's affordable! How is it implanted? It may sound "high-tech," but dog and cat microchipping is a simple procedure. A veterinarian simply injects the microchip (which is about the size of a grain of rice) beneath the surface of your pet's skin between the shoulder blades. The process only takes a few seconds and is similar to a routine shot. Bonus: No anesthetic is required!   Cancer does not discriminate between the species that it invades; dogs and cats are just as much at risk for developing cancers as people. Maggie, an eight year old Labrador retriever, was one of our patients to be diagnosed with a high grade Mast Cell tumor. Because of the aggressive nature of her tumor, she was seen by the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine surgical team for surgery to remove as much of her tumor tissue as possible. At that time, it was recommended that Maggie undergo a three month course of chemotherapy for the best chances at remission. Chemotherapy in people often makes them tired, nauseous, possibly lose hair or weight, as well as a whole host of other unpleasant side effects. Luckily for our pets, they do not often have these side effects. Most dogs and cats never lose large patches of hair and with the new anti-nausea medications vomiting is quite rare. The type of chemotherapy that Maggie was to undergo required a half day stay at the hospital once a week for four weeks, and then every other week for four additional treatments. Maggie’s trips to us involved spending the morning getting her blood drawn, rechecking the previous incision sites and lymph nodes for any changes as well as getting lots of pets and love from doctors and staff. During her stays, she received an anti-nausea medication which helped Maggie not get sick from any of her treatments! With each visit, Maggie had an intravenous catheter placed into her front leg and received her chemotherapy right in our exam room with all of us gathered around on a large fluffy blanket. She always sat so nicely, typically cuddling in and resting her head on Katie’s leg. She knew that following the treatment there would be more treats and pets. Maggie received all of her treatments on Fridays. When Maggie had progressed through her treatments and moved to every other week, she still wanted to come weekly for her visit. The owner stated that the days Maggie did not need to come, she sat ready and waiting to go! Maggie was able to finish her chemotherapy treatments the first part of June, 2018. She has had her six week follow-up at which time there was no evidence of disease! Maggie is currently in remission and hopefully will be for a very long time.   Have you ever looked at your pet and wondered why they ate something they should not have? Most times, whatever they have eaten will pass without any issue but there are times when it does not. This is a story about one of those times. We would like everyone to meet Harrold a 3.5 year old Spaniel who decided it would be fun to eat carpet.... It did not appear he ate a lot, nor did he initially appear sick. Harold was seen and x-rays were taken which confirmed that he did indeed have carpet in his stomach and part of his small intestine. While preparing for surgery, Harold did vomit a very large amount of carpet. Repeat x-rays showed he did empty his stomach, but had a large quantity remaining within the intestinal tract. He required two incisions to completely remove the blockage and the surgery was a success! Due to the intensive nature of any intestinal surgery, Harrold would not be fully out of the woods until he can continue to keep oral medications and food down without showing pain or signs of infection. Harrold excelled at this and was able to be discharged and recover with his family! What should you do if your pet ingests something they shouldn't? Knowing specific amounts, brands, ingredients and approximate time of ingestion can be of the utmost of importance. Contact us immediately if there is any questions about what to do for your next steps following an ingestion.  Congratulations! You just brought a new furry bundle of joy into your family! Here is a quick checklist of things to follow to keep your new puppy healthy: 8 Weeks Old
  Ahna Brutlag, DVM, MS, DABT, DABVT & Renee Schmid, DVM
During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is easy to let your guard down when it comes to preventing toxic exposures to your pet. While the holidays bring more challenges to the already difficult winter months, we cannot forget about outdoor toxin concerns frequently seen this time of year. Below is a list of holiday-related decorations, plants and food items that the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline recommend keeping away from pets. Holiday Ornaments and decorations: When decorating for the season, consider your pets. Holiday decorations such as old-fashioned bubble lights may contain poisonous chemicals. If a pet chews on them, the liquid inside could be dangerous to their health. Methylene chloride, the chemical in older bubble lights, can result in depression, aspiration pneumonia, and irritation to the eyes, skin and gastrointestinal tract. Glass ornaments that shine and shimmer are often an enticing toy for your pet. However, if they were to bite in to, or break one during play, the small glass pieces can lead to lacerations to the skin and mouth, as well as damage to the esophagus and gastrointestinal tract. Homemade dough ornaments pose a risk for causing elevated sodium levels that may lead to severe neurologic abnormalities. If any of these types of tree decorations are being used for your tree, it is recommended to keep them towards the upper portion of the tree, where they are less likely to be accessed by your pet. Many animals develop electrical burns in their mouth from chewing on strands of lights, particularly cats and puppies. It is ideal to minimize dangling light strands to make them less appealing to pets. Tinsel: Another holiday ornament to avoid is tinsel. If you own a cat, toss the tinsel! What looks like a shiny toy to your cat can prove deadly if ingested. While tinsel itself is not “poisonous,” it can result in a linear foreign body when eaten. A linear foreign body occurs when your pet swallows something “stringy” (like ribbon, yarn, tinsel, etc.), which wraps around the base of the tongue or anchors itself in the stomach, rendering it unable to pass through the intestines. As the intestines contract and move, this string or linear foreign body can slowly saw through the tissue, resulting in severe, potentially life threatening damage to your pet’s intestinal tract. Ultimately, pets run the risk of severe injury to, or rupture of, their intestines and treatment requires costly abdominal surgery. Save your holiday bonus for yourself instead of your pet’s surgery, and keep tinsel, ribbon, yarn, thread, fabric, etc. out of reach! Liquid Potpourri/Oils/Candles: Filling your house with the smell of nutmeg or pine for the holidays may seem inviting—but if you’re partial to heating your scented oils in a simmer pot, know that they can cause serious harm to your cat; even a few licks can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing, and tremors. Dogs aren’t as sensitive, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry—so scent your home with a non-toxic candle kept safely out of kitty’s reach. Dry potpourri may also cause chemical burns in the mouth, and also potential foreign bodies and gastrointestinal upset depending on the size of animal and amount ingested. While candles are often scented with oils, the largest concern with ingestion is a foreign body and potential obstruction. In addition to an upset stomach, surgical removal of the candle may be necessary in severe cases. Plants: Though they have a bad rap, poinsettia plants are only mildly toxic. Far more worrisome are holiday bouquets containing lilies (Lilium spp), holly, or mistletoe. Even bouquets brought into the house by holiday guests should be thoroughly inspected, as lilies are one of the most commonly used. Just one or two bites from a lily can result in kidney failure in cats – even the pollen and water that the plant is in are thought to be poisonous! When in doubt, don’t let these bouquets in a cat-loving household! Other yuletide plants such as holly berries and mistletoe can also be toxic to pets. When Christmas or English holly is ingested, it can result in severe gastrointestinal upset thanks to the spiny leaves and the potentially toxic substances (including saponins, methylxanthines, and cyanogens). If ingested, most pets smack their lips, drool, and head shake excessively due to the mechanical injury from the spiny leaves. As for mistletoe, most of us hang it high enough so it’s out of reach of our pets – nevertheless, it can also be toxic if ingested. Thankfully, American mistletoe is less toxic than the European varieties. Mild signs of gastrointestinal irritation are seen, although if ingested in large amounts, collapse, hypotension (low blood pressure), ataxia (difficulty walking), seizures and death have also been reported. Recently, florists have started to use Japanese Yew (Taxus spp.) to make wreaths – all parts of this evergreen except for the flesh of the red aril are very poisonous, as they contain taxines, a cardiotoxin. If ingested, this plant can result in dizziness, an abnormal heart rate (initially elevated, then slowed), hypotension, dilated pupils, coma, and death. As horses are very susceptible to yew poisoning, make sure not to have this around the barn or pasture! Alcohol: Most people know not to give alcoholic drinks to their pets; however, alcohol poisoning in pets is more common than you think. This is because alcohol can be found in surprising places! Rum-soaked fruitcake, or unbaked dough that contains yeast, result in alcohol poisoning and other problems. Rising dough will expand in the warm, moist environment of the stomach and can result in a bloat, which can then progress to a GDV or gastric-dilitation with volvulus (twisted stomach). Signs of this include vomiting, non-productive retching, distended stomach, an elevated heart rate, and weakness or collapse. Secondly, alcohol from the fermenting yeast is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and affects pets quickly. Ingestion of alcohol can cause dangerous drops in blood sugar, blood pressure, and body temperature. Intoxicated animals can experience seizures and respiratory failure. Holiday Foods: With the holiday season comes a delightful variety of baked goods, chocolate confections and other rich, fattening foods. However, it is not wise, and in some cases, quite dangerous, to share these treats with your pets. Keep your pet on his or her regular diet over the holidays and do not let family and friends sneak in treats. Foods that can present problems include:
Ice melts are commonly used around entryways and sidewalks and the containers that are filled with these products are often left within a pet’s reach. There are numerous formulations available, many of which contain salt (sodium chloride), and small exposures typically lead to stomach upset, and dermal and paw pad irritation. Larger ingestions may quickly cause salt poisoning which can result in a rapid onset of vomiting, excessive thirst and seizures. If your pet has consumed any amount of ice melt, it is important to call for help. When it comes to the holidays, the best thing a pet owner can do is to become educated on common indoor and outdoor household toxins and pet-proof your environment accordingly. If you think your pet has been poisoned, contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680, with any questions or concerns.  A passing comment led to a program that is benefiting students and community members alike in Ottumwa, Iowa. Jen Chesnut teaches science at Ottumwa High School and would often bring her Goldendoodle dog, Gus, to school with her on teacher work days. One day a school administrator remarked that Gus was so well-behaved that he should come along to school all the time. The idea took hold, and Jen began looking into options to train and certify Gus as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs are used to provide emotional and physical support in a number of settings, including schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Gus began the training program when he was four years old with the goal of passing a certification test through the Therapy Dogs International organization. “He was already a well-behaved dog,” said Jen. “When we decided to move ahead with training him as a therapy dog, we went to an advanced obedience class and a therapy dog preparation class in Des Moines.” Special training for therapy dogs focuses on a number of skills beyond basic obedience, including making sure the animal can ignore other dogs, will not be too social with people, will be comfortable with equipment in schools, libraries and other facilities, and learning how to approach people who may be in wheelchairs or using crutches or walkers. After about six months of focused training, Gus passed the therapy certification test on his first try. In 2016 the Ottumwa Board of Education approved a board policy on therapy dogs, allowing Jen and Gus to fill that role. She began bringing him to her classroom for a few hours a day, a few days each week. Shortly after Gus completed his training, Jen also got a new puppy. Piper is a Shepadoodle who began obedience and therapy dog training at six months old. “We weren’t able to fit the Des Moines classes into our schedule, so I trained Piper at home and around town,” said Jen. “We worked a lot in the aisles of Tractor Supply to get used to being around people and maneuvering around equipment, and we practiced in the lobby of Pipestone Vet Clinic to be able to ignore other dogs and pets.” Piper was able to take the therapy dog certification test after she turned one year old, and also passed on her first try. She was the youngest dog to receive certification that day, said Jen. Gus and Piper now share duties at Ottumwa High School. “I take one of the dogs to school with me most days, unless we are planning laboratory work in science class that would present a safety issue,” she said. “They spend most of the time in my classroom and are available for students to sit with them during independent study time.” Some students practice giving presentations to the dogs, and other students with test anxiety can spend time with the dogs to relax and help them focus. Both dogs have become important members of the school family, with Gus’ photo even appearing on the faculty page of last year’s yearbook! “There are also times when the school social worker will bring students who are stressing out or having a difficult time to spend time with the dog to help them regroup,” she said. Both dogs play roles in other community programs. Jen takes Piper to visit the behavioral health unit of a local hospital once a week. She walks through the ward to visit patients in their rooms. Gus has been visiting the local public library for about two years for program where children can read to him. “For many young students, reading aloud in class is stressful. They can practice reading aloud to Gus without the stress and have more fun,” said Jen. “I’ve heard from some parents that some students have started reading to their pets at home, too.” Gus and Piper visit Pipestone Vet Services in Ottumwa regularly for yearly wellness checkups, vaccinations and prevention programs. In addition, a veterinarian must sign a certificate each year to verify that therapy dogs are healthy for interaction with students, patients and others during their activities. Dr. Lori Hickie, veterinarian at the Pipestone Veterinary Clinic in Ottumwa has been impressed with Gus, Piper and other therapy dogs, as well as with owners like Jen. “It is phenomenal to see how interactions with the therapy dogs can have such a positive impact. The dogs just seem to have a sixth sense to be able to provide whatever is needed to help students read, study or focus better,” said Dr. Hickie. “It also takes a very astute and mindful pet owner to train and care for therapy dogs.” |
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