Posts Tagged ‘veterinarians Edwardsville’
Pet Obesity Awareness: Tips For Keeping Your Pet Slim & Trim
Do you know what 88.4 million dogs and cats have in common? They are obese. In a recent study, it was found that 53 percent of adult dogs and 55 percent of adult cats in the United States were classified as being overweight or obese by their veterinarians. Many of these pets were not characterized by their owners as being obese. So in simple terms, fat pets are the new normal in pet ownership.
Even though they may be cute, being overweight may be detrimental to your pets health. These extra pounds can put the pets at risk to other disorders such as painful arthritis, heart disease, breathing difficulty, diabetes and even bladder cancer. Obesity not only affects your pets health but also their quality of life.
Certain pets are more likely to be obese. These factors include but are not limited to:
- Breed—Certain breeds such as the Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniels and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels tend to more likely affected.
- Age – Older dogs are less active, have less energy, and require less calories.
- Neutering/ spaying – Clinical trials have shown that the basic metabolism is lower in neutered dogs, so they require less calories.
- Medical Problems – Sometimes weight gain can be associated with a medical problem, so a specific treatment may be required.
- Overfeeding – This tends to be the most common problem. Dogs having an unlimited access to food tend to eat more than they need. Also many commercial foods are loaded with salt and fat to improve the taste. This could make your pet want to gorge.
- Feeding habits – Feeding table scraps and “people food” can lead to obesity
- Lack of exercise – As with people, too much food and too little exercise produces a typical result. Obesity
An owner can assess their pets’ weight at home and contact your veterinarian if you think that you have a problem. To do this, I would suggest the following.
- By running your hands along your pet’s ribcage, you should be able to palpate the ribs covered by a thin layer of fat. If you cannot feel the ribs, that could be a sign of an overweight pet.
- Look at your pet from the side. You should see an upward tuck of the abdomen. An overweight pet will have very little to no tuck.
- View your pet from above. There should be a moderate narrowing at the waist just past the ribcage. A straight or bulging line from the ribcage to the hips can indicate and overweight pet.
- A lot of pets will gain weight in the neck area. So if the collar needs loosening, this may indicate obesity.
The most effective way to achieve a healthy weight is to combine increased exercise with changes in your pet’s food or nutrition program. An exercise program should include walking your dog at a constant pace to help burn calories. The program should also include encouraging it to play in the yard or at home. Tossing a frisbee or a ball can also help burn excess calories. It is important to remember that when starting an exercise program, make sure that you ease into exercise. Because an overweight pet is more prone to injury.
A proper diet is essential for your pets overall health and well-being. Balanced nutrition is an important part of an active, healthy lifestyle. A low fat and low calorie diet is essential in helping your pet lose weight and stay fit. Fiber is also an important ingredient since it helps your dog eat less while keeping full. It is important to avoid table scraps and make sure that you account for the treats when considering how much to feed your pet during meals.
Weight loss is important, and your veterinarian is a good place to start. If your pet is obese, a veterinarian can help rule out ailments that can cause obesity and give you advice what foods might be best for your pet. Monitoring its weight loss is also important. A dog should typically lose about 1 pound per month, so monthly weigh-ins will help determine if the program is working for it.
Most things are easier said than done, but that doesn’t always need to be the case. Remember that you are your pet’s will power and are in control of its health. Allowing it to become obese is detrimental, and we know that you don’t want your pet leaving your side any sooner that it needs to. Maintaining a healthy weight is essential to maintaining a long, healthy life. With time and effort on your pet, it will be happier and healthier than ever.
Caring For A Deaf Dog
It is human nature for everyone to boast that they have the perfect family, including their pets. But sometimes life throws us a curveball and we have to adjust to make it the best possible. Our pets sometimes have impairments like deafness that make it harder for them to adjust to everyday life. During the third week of September we recognize this impairment as Deaf Dog Awareness Week. Whether it is congenital or acquired it can lead to frustrations in training the pet, which isn’t the pet’s fault.
Deafness can be caused by some hereditary issues which is known as congenital deafness. Hearing loss can also happen due to an ear infection, injury to the ear or it may be due to old age. Loud noises may also cause hearing loss, as can certain drugs.
Congenital deafness is most commonly related to the white coats of dogs. The white coats have unpigmented skin which produces white hair. If there is unpigmented skin in the inner ear, the nerve endings atrophy and die off in the first few weeks of the puppy’s life, resulting in deafness. This deafness can affect both ears or it can affect only one ear.
Early signs that your pet may be deaf is that it plays more aggressively or bites too hard because it is not deterred by the other puppy’s yelp of pain. It may not awaken during feeding time unless it feels vibrations or is bumped by a littermate. The owner may notice that it doesn’t respond to being called when sleeping, too far away or looking at you. There are several tests that you can do at home to assess that your pet is deaf, but the most reliable method is BAER testing. It is 100% reliable in determining if your pet is deaf. This test is a procedure using computers to record electrical activity of the brain in response to sound stimulation.
Outside of the obvious physical defect, deaf dogs are just everyday normal dogs. They play, sleep, and share their lives with us as companions, but they just don’t hear. A person that discovers this will be often faced with many negative warnings from misinformed people but with proper training, your impaired pet can lead a happy and active life. There are very few health considerations that apply to all deaf dogs.
Most people think that they are hard to train which could not be farther from the truth. They just need to be trained with the positive reinforcement approach to training. Since they can not hear, they rely on using visual signs instead of sound. This can be an advantage, since they are more focused and doesn’t have the noise distractions from other pets in the class. They may need more available time spent with them to build a solid foundation for training. So a person that has little time to train them may not be a good match. It is also good to have them interact frequently with other people and dogs.
Since a deaf pet cannot hear, it may be best to take steps to assure their safety. To prevent them from running off, it is important to exercise them on a leash frequently or have them in a fenced area. There are vibration collars available that can aid in getting the dog’s attention to call them back with hand signals.
Pets are always perfect in our eyes, even though some of them are impaired to some degree. If you have any concerns or questions please feel free to contact us.
FAQ’s About Pet Vaccinations
Vaccinations are part of a basic pet wellness program that the Olsen Veterinary Clinic administers in Glen Carbon and the surrounding area. If you are not familiar with veterinary concerns or have never owned a pet up to this point, it is understandable that you might not know exactly what the pet vaccinations can do to safeguard your pet’s health. As August has been designated National Immunization Awareness Month, here are some frequently asked questions we get from pet owners regarding dog and cat vaccinations.
What is a vaccination?
A vaccination is an injection that is given under the skin to stimulate the production of antibodies by the pet’s immune system against specific infections. They are needed once the antibodies transferred from the mothers to the newborn puppies and kittens wears off, which usually occurs within weeks of birth.
Are pet vaccinations harmful to my pet?
A vast majority of the vaccinations are actually quite safe and cause no illness to the pet. However, some pets may have mild side effects that can include fever, swelling, redness and digestive upset. If this has previously occurred it may be important to let your veterinarian know so that steps can be made to prevent or minimize the side effects.
What are “core vaccinations”?
Core vaccinations are vaccines that protect your pet against a handful of common and dangerous illnesses. Rabies is among the most important, because it is fatal to pets and can be spread easily to humans and other mammals. Because of this, it is important to vaccinate both cats and dogs against rabies. Other vaccinations that are considered core vaccines for your dog include canine hepatitis, parvovirus and canine distemper. While in cats, the core vaccinations include feline calicivirus, feline distemper, and Feline Herpes Virus along with the rabies vaccine.
What other vaccinations should I consider?
There are other diseases that can affect your pet. Here we tailor the vaccinations depending on the probable risks that your pet might incur. If your dog is quite mobile, groomed or boarded, or is in contact with other dogs, we would recommend vaccinating for Bordetella or as it is commonly known as “kennel cough.” Another disease that is becoming more prevalent seen in dogs is Canine Influenza. This disease is also contracted by contact with infected animals, so this may be one to consider. Finally if your pet is in contact with a lot of ticks or is in the woods, I would possibly recommend vaccinating to protect your pet from Lyme disease which is carried by the deer tick.
Why does my pet need booster shots?
Just as the original immunity provided from the mother’s milk fades over time, prescribed vaccines have a limited protective span. They can wear off over time and then your pet will be vulnerable to the diseases which can be deadly. The booster shots help keep the level of immunity consistent to ensure the best possible protection for life.
How often must the vaccinations be updated?
The vaccinations provide protections for different lengths of time. Some may be one year, for example rabies, while some can be longer. Since we tailor the vaccination schedule to meet your needs, we can provide you a schedule showing when each vaccine should be updated. If you happen to miss a scheduled update, it is best to bring your pet in as soon as possible so that the protection will not decrease.
The Olsen Veterinary Clinic urges pet owners to schedule the necessary pet vaccinations and updates with your veterinarian. By keeping your pet vaccinated properly, you will help to ensure that your pet has a long and healthy life.
Three Keys To Water Safety For Dogs
Oh, the sounds of summer! Many people and their pets will spend numerous hours this summer basking on a beach, boating in a lake, or even lounging by a pool in their own backyard. Many pets love being around water, but each year approximately 40,000 pets lose their lives in drowning accidents. You need to look out for your pet around water, since even the strongest, most enthusiastic swimmers can get into trouble. The keys to water safety for dogs are prevention, preparedness and awareness.
Prevention
Believe it or not, not all breeds are Micheal Phelps-type swimmers. For example, the Bassett Hound and English Bulldog just are not built for swimming, so it is important to have a secure fence and gate around your pool and never leave your pet unsupervised.
Make sure that your pet can get out of the pool. If it jumps or falls in, it may panic and drown. Even the strongest swimmers can tire easily.
If you are taking your pet boating or in a river or ocean, it may be wise to invest in a dog floatation device and use it. Just like people, it’s easy for your pet to develop a cramp and become exhausted too far from shore or get overwhelmed by the tides.
Preparedness
Since pools are filled with chemicals that control the water and algae, and lakes and ponds can be a common source for parasites, it may be a good idea to bring fresh drinking water for your pet. The chemicals and parasites can cause your pet to become ill, which may lead to vomiting, diarrhea and other health issues.
One of the best things that you can do is to take courses in pet first aid and CPR. These are available at many local Red Cross chapters and sometimes taught by a local veterinarian. A near-death dog rescued from the water may be saved by your prompt actions—if you know what to do.
As I mentioned before, if your dog isn’t much of a swimmer or is older and debilitated, get him a personal floatation device. These are especially great for family boating trips, because most have study handles for rescue when a pet goes overboard. It is also important to keep a long leash on the boat at all times in case you need to restrain your pet for any reason.
It is also important to bring fresh water to rinse off your pet after swimming to get out the chlorine and other pool chemicals, as well as bacteria and dirt he might get on him from an ocean or lake. Don’t let your dog sit in a wet collar as hot spots can develop as well.
Awareness
Be aware of your dog’s condition as he plays. Remember that even swimming dogs can get hot, so bring fresh water and offer it at every opportunity. When your dog is tiring, call it a day. A tired dog is a good dog, but an exhausted dog is in danger of drowning.
Be particularly careful with young and old dogs. Young dogs can panic in the water and old dogs may not realize that they aren’t as strong as they used to be. Keep them close to shore, and keep swimming sessions short.
During the hot summer, many dogs are drawn to water to cool off and swimming also meet your dog’s exercise needs with a low-impact option of movement. But accidents can happen in a hurry. So try to prevent these accidents by being prepared and aware. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us.
Should I Adopt A Cat Or A Dog?
It is always a good time to adopt pets, but June has been designated cat adoption month. By far the most common pets are dogs and cats. If I asked a person the difference, I would probably get a strange look and an answer like “one barks and growls, where the other meows and purrs.” But there are other differences that affect them as to whether they may be the right pet for your family.
First off, dogs need to be cared for, whereas cats are independent. Dogs are descendants of pack animals. Dogs like company and will never be bored if one spends a lot of time with it. Their pack mentality allows the dogs to be trained more easily as they crave attention. On the other hand, cats love to spend a lot of time alone. Cats are solitary hunters that are more attached to their environment than they are to other cats.
The pack behavior also relates to how a dog is built physically. In the wild they are designed to run down their prey. This translates to dogs being built as long distance runners. Dogs need a lot of space as they love to run around. Cats are designed to stalk their prey. Their instincts lead them to sneak up on their prey and then pounce. This leads to cats being built more as sprinters rather than long distance runners. Contrary to dogs, cats are very happy in small places.
When looking at the nature of dogs and cats, the former loves to please you, but the latter always love to please themselves. Well, dogs are more affectionate when compared to cats. Dogs will wag their tail, and even their whole body, to show affection. A cat will only show affection by allowing you to scratch it behind the ears.
Unlike dogs, cats are lap animals. A cat will tolerate being smooched, but on the other hand, you will be smooched by a dog. Dogs are happy to see you when it is awaken from sleep, but a cat will just pretend to be sleeping, even if you try to wake it.
Dogs tend to be your friends at night and protect you from harms way by scaring the intruders. Cats, they will just run for cover.
By knowing your lifestyle, you can determine what pet is best for you. Dogs are more social, require more attention and space. Cats on the other hand tend to be happy being by themselves and don’t require as much attention and space. Both species can be rewarding pets.
If you have any questions about the right pet for you, please contact our office!
Questions For New Pet Owners To Ask Their Vet
Congratulations! Welcome to the world of pet ownership. This might have happened to you over the holiday season. As responsible pet owners, it is important to keep your pet healthy and a good way to do that is to develop a relationship with a veterinarian. As with a person choosing their own physician, it is important to find a veterinarian that meets their needs, as well as getting the right sense of education, experience and personality.
Before you meet with a potential veterinarian, learn as much about the practice as you can by reading the clinic’s website, search the vet’s Facebook or Twitter page and see what their clients are saying. Maybe look for testimonials and note any red flags that may present. It may be helpful to schedule a meeting with the veterinarian-not for an exam, but to see what chemistry the veterinarian has with your pet. And then take the information gathered and decide if maybe they might be a good fit for you.
A pet owner must consider the health of their pet and tailor questions to address any needs or conditions that he or she has, especially if your pet may need specialized care in the future. The owner needs to consider the veterinary clinic’s policies and make sure that they meet the owner’s criteria. As in almost every situation, communication is important. It is important that you can get in touch with your veterinarian when you need to. Make sure the practice and your specific vet have open lines of communication, and know all the channels you can use to contact them.
With that in mind, here are some possible questions that you may want to ask a new veterinarian.
- How many veterinarians are in the practice? Will you see the same veterinarian every time or do the doctors switch or rotate without notice?
- How far in advance does the practice typically schedule appointments?
- If you need same-day care, will the practice see you or refer you to an emergency veterinarian?
- What are the qualifications of the technical staff? If your pet needs a simple procedure can you see a tech or do you need an appointment with the main vet?
- If your pet has a specific disease or ailment, does the veterinarian have experience treating that condition?
- Are the veterinarians open to alternative treatments like chiropractic care or acupuncture?
- Does the practice offer emergency or after-hours care? If not, where would the practice send you?
- In case referral work is needed, where does the veterinarian send them?
- What is the best way to contact the veterinarian during the business day and after hours?
- Is the veterinarian willing to answer questions via email?
There are many good veterinarians in practice out there, so finding an appropriate one may take some time and extra research. But in the long run, the task may be less challenging and lead to fewer problems by taking time to find one that meets your criteria.
Tips For Taking Care of Your Aging Pet
Regular professional veterinary care is essential to the health of your older pet. Not since your pet was a puppy or kitten have regular check ups and vaccinations been so important. Preventive veterinary care can add years and quality to the life of your older pet. Consider yourself, your pet, and your veterinarian and staff a team whose main goal is to keep your pet happy, healthy and in a loving relationship with your for as long as possible.
Dogs and cats are living longer than ever and that phenomenon is directly related to the fact that today people take such good care of their animals. Important changes affecting 85% of pets today, with a focus on nutrition, rapidly advancing veterinary care and loving environments are responsible for the life expectancy of animals to be extended, in general, a five years longer across the board than was previously the norm. The human-animal bond is strong. Many people today take fantastic care of their pets and have educated themselves on the best protocols for these important friends. Every aspect of how to care for the family pet is considered in terms of diet, vacations, exercise, entertainment, grooming, wellness comfort, aging and more.
Three important aspects of the aging pet we consider are:
Diet: Obviously starting early is important. Two things can happen to the aging patient: becoming either over or under weight. It is easier to prevent a pet from being overweight than it is to diet him but we are successful at helping the committed owner who wants to help their pet lose weight. This involves selecting the correct snacks, as well as the appropriate food. The underweight and aging pet can be a bit more of a challenge and the underlying causes must be diagnosed but in most cases we can help clients maintain a healthy weight in the elderly pet. One of the most important aspects of diet in the geriatric pet is being aware of the changes going on with respect to his or her vital organs and metabolism and selecting the best diet, supplements, and snacks for his or her particular condition.
There are several prescription foods available that directly target the aging brain. We would be happy to discuss and make recommendations of the excellent choices that are out there.
Preventative Care: As you are aware, pets are very stoic in the face of considerable disease and one of the difficult aspects of care in veterinary medicine is the fact that we ofter do not see the pet until a disease process is very advanced. A well-thought out and followed preventative plan is a great way to minimize testing and monitoring and can offer tremendous insight to what is going on inside the pet. There are medications available that target the diseases and changes that adversely affect the older patient and we can guide you toward those after an evaluation that will tell us if your pet is in need of preventative care.
It is very comforting to pet owners when an elderly patient has a normal physical exam and consult, blood pressure, ECG, and urinalysis. We ask specific questions to discern if there are subtle changes in the animal that might lead us to want further diagnostics.
Exercise: Exercise should be maintained for the elderly patients. Did you know that 15 minutes 3 times per week of forced exercise will go a long way in maintaining a healthy metabolism in your friend? As with diet, exercise should be implemented at a young age and adjusted as the pet ages.
Cognitive function can be supported in the geriatric pet with specific supplements and there are medicines available if your friend is found to be in need. Antioxidants, healthy fats, and pain medications can keep the old aches and pains away just like us! Certain activities and ideas to encourage the older pet and suggestions to protect them, especially when he or she is alone, are available if your need them.
Older pets need regular veterinary care to prevent disease and/or diagnose it early in its course. Many veterinarians have special programs to monitor dogs in their later years of life. Good communications between the owner, dog and veterinarian can keep the pets healthy and make their senior years to be wonderful years. At the end of your pet’s life, your veterinarian can help you in making decisions, provide support, understand and share your grief and celebrate, with you, the life of your pet.
As always, the health of your pet is of utmost importance at our office. Please CONTACT US if you have any questions.