Holiday Pet Safety Tips

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Of course you want to include your furry companions in the festivities, but as you celebrate this holiday season, try to keep your pet's eating and exercise habits as close to their normal routine as possible. And be sure to steer them clear of the following unhealthy treats, toxic plants and dangerous decorations:

Amaryllis (with red or red and white flowers) is very popular during the holiday season. It is the flower that is most toxic. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, depressed appetite, excessive salivation, tremors, and occasionally abdominal pain.

Christmas cactus only blooms around Christmas time and is generally used for center pieces. This plant is mainly toxic only in large quantities. Vomiting and diarrhea sometimes with blood and depression are the typical symptoms.

Holly is used in making wreaths or decorating mantles. It is the berries that are toxic. The severity of the symptoms usually correlates with the number of berries eaten. The symptoms seen after ingestion are vomiting, diarrhea, and depression.

Mistletoe can cause significant vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, decreased heart rate, erratic behavior, sudden collapse and even death.

Ponsietta is probably the most frequently displayed holiday plant. It is the sap from the leaves, not the flower, that can be irritating if ingested. If enough is eaten it can cause vomiting.

Tinsel can cause an intestinal obstruction if swallowed. Cats are often fascinated by shiny tinsel and love to carry it around in their mouth.

It is extremely important to contact your veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic if you suspect your pet has ingested a toxic plant. The more information you can give your veterinarian the better. Knowing what type of plant was ingested, how much was ingested, the time of ingestion, and what symptoms your pet is showing will help you veterinarian take appropriate action.

Happy Thanksgiving!

With the holiday season upon us, there are a few safety concerns you should keep in mind when it comes to your pets.

If you are hosting a large Thanksgiving Day dinner, you will want to take a few precautions. One of the most common reasons for a trip to your veterinarian, post-Thanksgiving is because your cat or dog ate something they shouldn’t have and is now experiencing vomiting and diarrhea.

An over-indulgence in rich, fatty foods can even lead to a bout of pancreatitis! Click of the following links for information on pancreatitis and your dog or cat. To keep your pet healthy this holiday weekend, take a few precautions:

• As tempting as it might be to give your cat or dog table scraps during a holiday dinner, avoid foods that are rich and high in fat content such as turkey skin, stuffing and gravy.
• Do not give your pet bones from your turkey carcass. These bones are known to splinter and can cause major health problems!
• Once you’ve carved your turkey, bag your carcass and take it out of the house immediately. Your pet will be tempted to investigate the wonderful smells coming from a container inside your home. Once outside, dispose of your turkey carcass in a pet-proof, garbage can with a tight-fitting lid.
• Don’t allow your pet to eat grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions or yeast dough.

If despite your best efforts, your pet DOES manage to get into something harmful, contact your veterinarian, or the closest animal emergency clinic right away. We will be closed on Thanksgiving day, but you can call the following animal emergency clinics:

The Animal Emergency Clinic in Lee's Summit 816-554-4990

The Veterinary Speciality and Emergency Center 913-642-9563

Mission MedVet 913-722-5566

They will care for you and your pet until we open again at 7:00am on Friday!

Pet Photography Tips

Temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing colors and falling... Fall is a great time to take outdoor pictures of your pets! We wanted to share these photography tips we found on msnbc to help you take great digital photos of your pet.

Lyme Disease and your dog

Lyme disease is a bacterial disease spread by ticks. A bite from a tick, most commonly the black legged deer tick, transmits the bacteria to dogs. Wooded, dense areas are common locations for these ticks. When attached to a host, ticks spread Lyme disease through their saliva. It is not spread from person to person or dog to human.

A rash may develop around the tick bite after infection; however it may not be noticeable if your dog has a lot of fur. Other common symptoms include fever, lethargy, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite and limping. Some infected dogs don't show any symptoms making it difficult to diagnose. We recommend an annual heartworm test which also tests for Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis another tick borne disease.

Lyme disease is treatable but treatment can take months or longer, and is most successful when started within a few weeks of infection.

It is best to avoid areas that are heavily infested with ticks and to protect your dog with a topical tick repellent product. You can remove attached ticks by grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling it straight out. Do not apply an insecticide or a hot match -- this may increase the amount of saliva released by the tick. After removing the tick, clean the area with an antiseptic soap and wash your hands.

Flea, Ticks, and Mosquitoes ...Oh My!!!

Part 2 Ticks

With the warmer weather upon us, ticks are beginning to emerge in the environment. They feed on blood but are not as irritating to dogs as fleas are. Ticks carry many infectious diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or even tick paralysis.

A tick's life cycle can last up to 2 years with the larvae, nymph, and adult stages all able to feed on pets and people. Right before a female tick lays eggs, she consumes a massive amount of blood (up to 600 times her body weight in blood). These are the engorged ticks you find on your pet.

Ticks tend to gravitate to vertical objects to lay eggs or to wait for a passing host they can jump on. Carbon dioxide, as well as heat and movement, stimulate them to seek out a host. They will often be found on or around bushes or rock walls, and are rarely found out in the middle of your yard. Dogs who like to investigate bushy areas or wooded areas with heavy brush are at risk of picking up ticks.

Fortunately, there are several good tick preventions products that both kill and repel ticks that are combined with a flea control so that you only need to apply one product monthly to control both ticks and fleas. Please feel free to contact our office at 816-353-6681 for our current recommendations.

2011 Sausage Sprint

Put your dachsund in their running shoes because it is time for the 9th Annual Sausage Sprint & All Breed Dog Costume Contest at the Raytown Summerfest - BBQ Cookoff.

When: Saturday June 11th at 1:00 pm

Where: Raytown Summerfest -- Downtown Raytown (just north of 63rd st and Raytown rd)

Who: Anyone who thinks their dog can take the prize!!!

Prizes will be awarded to the sprint winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd). Other contests will be the Vienna (smallest), the Big Link (largest), and the Tail Wagger (slowest).

There will also be a costume contest for the best dressed dog!

Contest entry forms are available at our office or the Raytown Chamber website.

Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes...Oh My!!!

Part 1 Fleas

Along with the arrival of warm weather, Mother Nature annually re-introduces large populations of bugs. Spring is an active period for many pests, including fleas and ticks. Fleas are the most common parasite affecting dogs and cats. They can jump onto your pet, or you, from infested environments such as homes, yards, wooded areas and parks. Adult fleas live on the pet, they generally do not jump from pet to pet or pet to human.

Once a host has been found, they typically stay, feed and mate. Female fleas start laying eggs 24 hours later, 40 - 50 eggs every day, laying up to 2000 eggs over their lifetime. We used to think that fleas jumped off their host to lay their eggs in dark crevices in or around the house, now we know that fleas don't leave their host. Laid in the fur of our pets, the slippery eggs roll off -- ending up in the carpet or outdoors, wherever our pets spend most of their time.

In a flea infestation, only 5% of the fleas are adults living on your pet, the remaining 95% live as immature stages in the pet's surroundings. Even if all adult fleas are killed, the immature life stages will continue to develop into adult fleas and reinfest your pet for months. This is why it is important to protect your pet monthly, the flea life cycle is constantly in action producing new adult fleas from eggs laid 3 weeks or more ago.

The two most common health issues fleas can cause are tapeworms and flea allergy dermatitis. Fleas carry tapeworms, which are transmitted to your pet after ingesting a flea, usually by grooming in cats and chewing in dogs. Flea allergy dermatitis is one of the most common skin allergies seen by veterinarians, usually causing pets to itch and scratch themselves by their tail.

Consistency is the key to controlling flea populations. You must treat your pet each month to continue to kill the new adult fleas that are emerging from the environment. Fortunately, there are several flea prevention products for your pet that work well. Please feel free to contact our office at 816-353-6681 for our recommendations.

Easter Safety Precautions

As you get ready to celebrate Easter with family and friends, keep the health and safety of your furry family members in mind. The following common Easter decorations and treats can be toxic.

Easter Lilies: Easter lilies are deadly to cats, so make sure you keep them completely out of their reach. Other potentially poisonous flowers may include tulips, Calla lilies, daisies, crysanthemums and baby's breath.

Easter Grass: Easter Grass can be life threatening for cats if ingested. This material can wrap itself around your cat's intestines and cut off circulation, requiring immediate medical attention.

Chocolate: Chocolate is very toxic for pets, especially dogs. Even small amounts of chocolate can be dangerous. The toxic component of chocolate is theobromine which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactiviity, seizure and abnormally elevated heart rate. Dark chocolate and baker's chocolate contain the highest levels of theobromine and are the most toxic.

Sugar Substitutes: Xylitol, a popular sugar substitute used in gums and can cause hypoglycemia with incoordination, collapse and seizures. One or two pieces of gum could cause hypoglycemia in a 22 lb dog.

A complete list of plants that are toxic to pets is available on the ASPCA pet poison information center.