Fracture of upper 4th premolar (photo by J. Crosby, used with permission)

Give your dog a bone?

No–Chewing and ingesting bones can cause serious injury to your pet!

While dogs seem to love chewing on bones, they can cause painful and even life-threatening injuries. 

Broken teeth are the most common injury we see.  These fractures, usually of the carnassials, are very painful if the pulp cavity is exposed and can abscess.  Treatment and/or removal of these teeth can be very expensive and fractured teeth with exposed pulp cavity should never be left untreated.

Bones can also cause serious problems such as intestinal perforation and peritonitis, intestinal or gastric blockage, rectal bleeding, choking, severe constipation, and lacerations to the mouth, tongue, and esophagus.  Pathogenic organisms on bones may cause severe diarrhea and vomiting.

For more information, visit http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm208365.htm

Being sprayed by a skunk is never a pleasant experience for you or your pet!  Avoid letting your pet inside your house or car until at least one treatment completed–the smell can be very difficult to remove from your upholstery! 

This recipe is the most effective method we have found for de-skunking your pet:

1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)

1/4 cup Baking Soda

1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing soap

Wear kitchen gloves and old clothes during the bathing process.  Wet your pet well, then soak your pet with this solution, massaging it in well–keep it away from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.  Leave it in for 10 minutes.  Rinse with tap water, then repeat.  Allow your pet to dry.  Repeat process if necessary.

Now, cross your fingers and hope your pet has learned to avoid that black-and-white critter! 

Remove anything that may be attracting the skunk to your yard–pet food should not be accessible to wildlife.  Block or fence off hiding areas, such as under decks, garden sheds, etc.

 Be sure your pet is current on it’s vaccinations…

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, a time we take to increase awareness of your pet’s oral health, which can affect their overall health.  Dental disease can cause pain, tooth loss and bad breath.  It can also cause damage to other parts of your pet’s body, including the kidneys, heart, liver, and brain!

Brushing your pet’s teeth only takes a minute or so out of your day and the results are well worth the time!  While some pets will take to the brushing right away (my dog thinks brushing is a treat), it is usually best to introduce brushing gradually.  Start training your pet by gently manipulating the lips to view the teeth while using praise.  Don’t use excessive restraint or a harsh voice.  Keep the experience fun and low stress.   When safe to do so, you may start to rub your finger along the surface of the teeth that faces the lips and cheek.

Once your pet is comfortable with your touch, you can place some flavored pet dental paste on a brush (or broth or tuna juice) and gently introduce it to your pet (they will often want to lick the brush).  Using a gentle circular motion, brush the surfaces of the teeth that face the lips and cheek.

Repeat daily and get your pet’s teeth examined at least once a year.  We can recommend timing for professional cleanings and individualized recommendations during their regular annual exam.

If you can’t brush safely, consider using a nutritionally-balanced dental diet (with a VOHC seal), such as Hill’s Prescription Diet t/d.   You may also use a dental diet in combination with tooth brushing!

Not only will brushing help keep your pet’s mouth healthier, but it can make being near your pet a more pleasant experience.  Imagine the nasty morning breath you would have if you never brushed your teeth!  Yuck!

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Bacterium-Rickettsia) (Dermacentor)
Tick Paralysis (neurotoxin) (Dermacentor, Ixodes)
Babesiosis (protozoal blood parasite) (Ixodes)
Lyme Disease (Bacterial-Borrelia) (Ixodes)
Tularemia (Rabbit fever) (Dermacentor)
Tick-borne Relapsing Fever (Bacterial-Borrelia) (Ornithodoros)

Recommended Prevention:

Frontline Top Spot or Plus
Apply monthly during the warm months, usually starting in March-April.
Ticks will go through a hyperactive period before dying. You may see these ticks or dead ticks on their pets.

Important for any pets that wander through tall grasses, shrubs, any native habitat.
Recommend for pets traveling to west of the Cascades for flea and tick prevention any time of year.

What are ticks?

• Ticks are not insects, they are arthropods (related to spiders, scorpions, & mites). Count ‘em-there are 8 legs!
• Blood-feeding ectoparasites.
• Can transmit diseases during feeding (the BLOOD meal). Ticks transmit more diseases in North America than mosquitoes!

Tick Life Cycle

Most perch on the edges of low-lying vegetation and wait for an unsuspecting animal host to brush against them, while some ticks prefer to do their waiting in the comfort of the host’s nest. Once aboard, ticks crawl until they find a suitable spot to feed, then burrow their mouthparts into the skin for a blood meal. Ticks feed anywhere from several minutes to weeks depending on their life stage, type of host, and species of tick. Amazingly, their bodies slowly enlarge to accommodate the amount of blood ingested. Engorged ticks can be many times their original size! It is during feeding that infected ticks can transmit disease to their hosts.

Southcare Animal Medical Center in the news
Video: Dr. Benoit discusses the recent H1N1 feline case with KREM2 news.
Click here for KREM2 transcript.

Related H1N1 News

• Frequently Asked Questions by Veterinarians about 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus
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• Frequently Asked Questions about the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus and Pets
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• H1N1 (Swine) Flu Confirmed in Iowa Cat
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• H1N1 and Animals – News Archive
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From the AVMA
Backgrounder: Canine influenza

From the About.com Veterinary Medicine site:

Originally discovered in 2004, the canine influenza virus is believed to have jumped from horses to dogs in Florida. This virus, H3N8, is a subtype of the influenza A virus, a highly contagious pathogen that can cause disease by itself or in conjunction with other respiratory pathogens. Full article

Related: Canine H3N8 Influenza Vaccine