Creating A Paw-sitive Veterinary Experience For Your Pet

It's normal for pets to display signs of fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) when removing them from familiar environments. Letā€™s face it, the veterinary office isnā€™t always their favorite place to visit. However, there are tools and tips you can use to help your pet have a fear free experience. Click here to listen to Dr. Dusty Andressen discuss a few of those tips and tricks to help create a positive veterinary experience for your pet.
Don't forget your pet' s
ļ»æ Flea and Heartworm Prevention!
Employee Of The Month

Our September Employee of the Month was Madison of our resort team. We appreciate her great work eithic and can't help but LOVE her positive attitude. She is so deserving of this honor and we want to say Congratulations, Madi!!!
10 Common Acts That Frequently Land Dogs At The Vet

1) Leaving Out Chip and Other Snack Bags
Doing so may lead to suffocation when dogs rummage for crumbs and get their heads stuck inside. Cut or tear all bags before throwing them away and keep your trash and recycling behind a securely closed door or with a secure lid.
 
2) Putting Down Your Purse, Backpack, or Other Bag
Placing a bag within a dog's reach provides easy access to any number of dangerous poisons and hazards that may be enclosed: sugarless gums and mints, pain medications, birth control, asthma inhalers, e-cigs, vaping liquid, and a whole lot more. The same goes for jackets and clothes that are left lying around. Hang all bags and clothing items in an elevated, sturdy location, or (preferably) in a closet.

3) Feeding Table Scraps
Eating people food can lead to inflammation of your dogā€™s pancreas, stomach, and/or intestines, causing vomiting and diarrhea. Donā€™t share your food with your dog, especially fatty or heavily seasoned foods.

4) Throwing Sticks for Your Dog
Chasing and/or chewing on sticks frequently result in mouth splinters, puncture wounds, and cracked teeth. These injuries can be quite serious, even sometimes fatal. Opt instead for appropriately sized, safe dog toys for fetch and chewing such as frisbees and ā€œstick-likeā€ toys.

5) Giving Bones, Deer Antlers, Cow Hooves, or Ice Cubes
Hard chews can easily crack a dogā€™s teeth, which is extremely painful as well as costly to repair. Choose safe chew toys based on your dogā€™s size, age, and chewing personality. 
 
6) Using Glue for Crafts & DIY Projects
Gorilla GlueĀ® and other polyurethane glues are attractive and tasty to dogs, but rapidly expand once in the stomach, quickly causing digestive obstructions that require surgery. If you use polyurethane glues, keep them completely out of your dogā€™s reach. Keep your dog out of the area when you're using the glue and be sure to carefully clean any spills and leftover materials.

7) Keeping Your Dogā€™s Food Bag Out
If a dog is able to help themselves to their food and gorge on an unguarded bag of kibble, it can lead to a condition called "food bloat." The typical symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. It's also quite painful and can lead to electrolyte imbalances and blood pressure problems that require treatment and hospitalization. Store your dogā€™s food bag behind a securely closed door or secure in a sturdy food storage container.

8) Baking
Baking goods are extremely tempting to dogs but they often contain poisons such as chocolate, xylitol, raisins, and nuts. Similarly, bread dough that contains yeast can cause stomach obstruction and alcohol poisoning when a dog gobbles it down. If you see your dog eat dough that contains yeast, immediately give them ice water to drink call your veterinarian. The warm, humid environment of your dog's stomach will quickly "activate" the yeast and begin the rising process, releasing carbon dioxide gas and alcohol into your dog's stomach and bloodstream. Ice water can help slow the activation process, buying you a some time to get your dog to the veterinarian for further treatment. Keep your dog out of the kitchen when baking and never leave things to rise, sit, or cool on an unguarded kitchen counter. 

9) Taking Your Medications and Supplements
Many of our medications and supplements can be toxic to our pets; especially at the doses we take them. Even dog medications and supplements can be dangerous when dropped or spilled, especially if a smaller dog gets to them first. Dispense all medications and supplements over a sink, bowl, tub, or toilet to better contain any spillage.

10) Giving Your Dog a Bath
Ear infections can develop from water getting into a pet's ears. Donā€™t dump or spray water over your dogā€™s head. Use a sponge to clean their head, then clean and dry the ears after their bath using a safe, effective cleaner.
DID YOU KNOW???
Have you ever noticed a flap of skin in the inner corner of your dogā€™s eye? Itā€™s usually brown, pink or black. You may notice it when your dog is asleep and their eyes are slightly open. This is your dogā€™s third eyelid, also known as a nictitating membrane or haw, and itā€™s common in many animals, but not humans.
Litter Box
Tip Of The Month

Size matters! Cats prefer and need spacious litter boxes with plenty of room to turn around, scratch and squat to do their business without touching the sides. A general rule of paw: the box should be at least as long as your cat from the tip of their nose to the tip of their extended tail.
Ear Grooming For Your cat

Have you ever seen a cat lick their own ears? Although cats have a reputation for being excellent groomers, their ears can be a bit of a challenge for them to keep clean. And they can get ear infections from unpleasant ear mites, yeast, or bacteria.

Your cat's ears shouldnā€™t have any visible ear wax, dirt, or critters. If you notice anything that looks like it should't be there or if their ears are giving off an odor, itā€™s time to see a vet. Get in the habit of looking inside your catā€™s ears often and youā€™ll be able to spot any abnormalities before they turn into problems.

To Clean Your Cat's Ears
  1. Prep your tools before bringing your cat into the mix. You can either add a bit of ear cleaning solution made for cats to a cotton ball or soft cloth or you can use pre-moistened wipes. Avoid using cotton swabs as they can easily slip into your catā€™s ear canal and cause damage.
  2. Sit with your cat in a comfortable position either on your lap or somewhere you both feel secure.
  3. Use one hand to support your catā€™s head and the other to gently dab away any dirt, debris, or excess ear wax. Try not to wipe, as this could cause the debris to scratch your catā€™s skin.
  4. Stay outside of the ear canal and only clean what you can see. Probing into your catā€™s ear too far can cause damage or even an infection.
  5. For most cats, once a month ear cleanings are enough. If your cat likes to roam outside, he may need them more often.

If you have questions, we're more than happy to assist and show you how to clean your cat's ears at your next appointment!
L afayette Veterinary Care Center
337-984-7611
info@LafayetteVets.com