Cattitudes by Moody

This is Lucky.  Some humans brought him into the hospital the other day after finding him in a creek, just lying there trying to die.  His fur was all matted and he was so weak that he could barely walk.  His toenails were so long that they were curling around into his pads.  Ouch!  His mouth was really infected and he needed to have a dental cleaning and ended up having 20 teeth pulled.  Lucky was really dehydrated, too, so the humans here gave him lots of fluids, started him on medication for infection and pain and have been taking care of him.   They found he is blind in one eye and has really bad arthritis in his knees and he doesn't hear too well.

Today Lucky is going home to his new family, which are the humans that found him.   Springboro Veterinary Hospital has donated all of his care through our Good Samaritan Fund, which is the fund to help people who are unable to afford emergency care for their animals that really need it. 

I just had to share this story with you because it is so great to see an animal that has been neglected and left to fend for itself get the care and medical help that it needs.  You go Lucky!!  So glad that you are better now and going home to your new furever home! 

Thanks for reading,

Moody

As a public service I have decided to post the ASPCA's list of the Top 10 Pet Toxins of 2011.  This is really important information to know to keep your pet safe!

1.  Prescription Human Medications

Pets, especially dogs, are notorious for ingesting any dropped pills.  (Stupid dogs, I would just play with the pill, not eat it!)  Cardiac and ADHD medications are the largest offenders.  Make sure you take your medications in a safe place away from your pets.

2.  Insecticides

Please read the label before you use any insecticide in your house, on the lawn, and especially on your pet.  NEVER use a product labeled for dogs on a cat.  Seriously, it's really bad and could kill them.  Overdoses of flea and tick products bought in a grocery store or drug store happen quite often, especially when something labeled for a dog is used on a cat. 

3. Over-the-Counter Human Medications

Ibuprofen and acetaminophen can kill your pet.  Never give any medication to your pet without asking your veterinarian first.

4.  People Food

Chocolate is still the number one people food that pets ingest which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, high heart rate and seizures.  The second most common food is xylitol (the sugar substitiute).  Xylitol can cause seizures and liver failure in dogs and is found in a lot of sugar-free gums.

5.  Household Products

Animals are notorious for finding anything and everything to chew up around the house. (We just can't help ourselves, sometimes)  Some household items may just cause stomach upset, while others can be deadly.  Always check with your veterinarian if your pet ingests something that it shouldn't to see if there could be a potential problem.

6.  Veterinary Medications

Chewable medications make it easy to give your dog or cat a pill but if the pet has easy access they will ingest all the pills in the bottle.  Always make sure to keep all medications out of reach and contact your veterinarian if your pet ingests more than the proper dose or ingests another pet's medication.

7.  Rodenticides

Bait to kill mice and rats is mostly grain based, which makes it very attractive to dogs.  Depending on the type of rodenticide, ingestion can cause internal bleeding, kidney failure or seizures, even death.  Please be careful putting out rodenticides.  Cats can find ant traps, too, and chew them up. 

8.  Plants

We cats love to chew on plants and thus will get sick quicker than dogs when it comes to plant ingestion.  There are many plants that are toxic to animals, such as Lillies, which can cause kidney failure and death in cats.  For more information please see the ASPCA's list of toxic/non-toxic plants on thier website  (http://www.aspca.org/).

9. Lawn and Garden Products

Fertilizers can be made of dried blood, poultry manure and bone meal and are very attractive to pets.  Some mulch can cause harm as well, so please check the label and the ingredients before using. 

10.  Automotive Products

Antifreeze, brake fluid, etc. can be highly life-threatening to pets.  Antifreeze is sweet tasting and smelling and will lure animals to lap it up off the ground.  If you are working on your car in the driveway ALWAYS rinse any fluids off the ground and out of the immediate area.  These also pose threats to feral cats that may roam your neighborhood, so please clean up after yourself. 

Hopefully, this information has been some help to you in understanding the threats to your pet that can exist in and around your home.  I do what I can to help the animal community!

As always, I am Moody 

Here I am before my bath: 

I know, I look like a homeless scruffy cat, scared and mad at the same time...

Here's me after my bath and cut: 

Still mad, just not scared any more.  I do believe I look just fantastic, though!  Do you agree?  Please let me know what you think of my new lion cut!

   As always, I am Moody!  You may admire me now!!  :)

Ahhh, seems to be that Spring is in the air.  I smelled the outside air the other day when our wonderful groomer Suzanne opened the window for me.  It was rather pleasant, but I didn't feel like going outside at the time, I'll wait till it gets just a bit warmer.

Since Spring is coming there are a few things I wanted to let you all know about.  First, thunderstorms are coming and with them alot of scared dogs (those big chickens!).  We have Thundershirts for sale in the office and they tell me that these things really help scared dogs that wear them.  Dr. Beall's dog, Carly, (whom I really don't care for, she chases me and barks at me, it's rather rude) just seems to love hers.  She actually goes looking for it when a thunderstorm is coming.  So, if your dog is a big chicken like Carly is and gets nervous in thunderstorms, or has separation anxiety or any kind of anxiety at all, stop in and pick them up a Thundershirt.  Couldn't hurt, right?

Second, Spring is the time to get your dog ready for the Summer with a good bath.  This time of year for the groomer starts booking up fast, so if you want to schedule a grooming appointment call the office and get it scheduled!  Suzanne is great, she's actually giving me my bath and lion cut tomorrow.  I'll pretend I don't know about this until the time comes and let those humans think they can get one over on me.  But, tomorrow morning, I WILL be hiding and they won't know where to find me because I know what they have planned!!!  I don't want them thinking that I really do enjoy my lion cut.  I'll post pictures tomorrow so you all can see how handsome I look.  People have been telling me I'm fat lately, but I'm really not, it's just all the hair.  You'll see tomorrow!  Maybe I'll even post before and after shots...  Anyway, call the office to get a grooming appointment scheduled, she's booking up fast.  Oh, and, Suzanne works Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri and Sat, all appointments come in at 8:30 and she calls when she is done.  If you need a quote on price, please ask the human that answers the phone when you call.

As always, I am Moody and I hope you all have a good day.  Or not.  Doesn't really matter to me, just thought I'd be pleasant for a moment.

Moody

Update on the stray beagle in our kennel:

His name is Dan and his humans came to pick him up this morning.  He was very happy to see them and to leave the kennel, which is very understandable because who would want to be locked up in a kennel for days and not have any freedom to roam?  Certainly not me!

The humans got a microchip inserted in Dan, too, before they took him home.  This is a very good thing because if he runs again, which I understand beagles have a tendency to do, his humans can be found easily!  Yay for Dan!

So, good ending to this chapter in my life at Springboro Veterinary Hospital!

Moody