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Shoal Creek News | |
| Volume 1, Issue 2 | Fall 1995 |
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Seasonal safety precautions bring happy holidays for all
As the holiday season approaches, we look forward to joyful moments. However, this festive time of year can present dangers to our pets. Simple safety precautions can ensure a happy holiday for all.
-Chocolate can be toxic to pets. Be sure to keep the Halloween candy out of pets' reach.
-Some people use Halloween as an excuse to harass or harm neighborhood pets. Keep your pets confined to house and yard.
-Knock on the hood of your car or honk your horn before starting the engine. Cats often climb on car engines to stay warm.
-Ensure proper shelter for outdoor pets. A house which is out of the wind, sealed against the rain, and has dry bedding material (straw or blankets) is essential.
-Avoid giving pets holiday left-overs. Our pets should not be used as garbage disposals. Veterinarians see most cases of gastroenteritis during the days following Thanksgiving and Christmas!
-If you use tinsel on your Christmas tree, be sure to place it out of reach of cats. Tinsel is often the cause of linear foreign body obstruction, requiring surgery, and can even be fatal.
-When traveling with pets, always use a crate or carrier, attach I.D. tags to collars and pack your pets food and water dishes, bedding, and favorite toy. Also, reduce food prior to traveling as some pets get motion sickness.
Public health is a very important part of veterinary medicine. Our concern is not only for the health and welfare of companion animals, but for their owners as well. Did you know that many intestinal parasites which infect our pets can also affect humans? Hookworms, heartworms, tapeworms, and roundworms are just a few of the animal parasites which can affect people in some manner. People become infected with pet-related worms primarily from objects contaminated with pet feces. Another route of infection is direct skin contact with the larval form of certain worms. The Center for Disease Control reports that there are an estimated 10,000 human cases of roundworm infection each year in the United States. Of these, more than 700 result in vision loss due to larval worm migration in the eye. Public health concerns are a key factor in the regular exams, treatments, and preventive measures veterinarians recommend. Shoal Creek Animal Clinic sends parasitic examination reminders every six months. Deworming our pets when necessary will eliminate the public health threat parasites present.
Following coverage of microchip identification on NBC's Dateline, the American Kennel Club announced a 40% discount on HomeAgain microchip registration. The discount is in effect from October 1 through December 31, 1995. Microchipping is quick and painless. Now is the time to protect your pet with the HomeAgain pet retrieval microchip service.
How many times have you fought to open one of those childproof prescription bottles? If you're like most, you would rather leave the lid off than go through another wrestling match! However, the importance of those special bottles cannot be over emphasized. It is important to note "childproof" does not always mean "petproof". A determined pet can open any medicine vial. Therefore, it is essential that we keep all medications out of our pets' reach. The Animal Poison Control reports that pets are poisoned each year by ingesting medication owners had unwittingly made accessible. Most of these poisonings are not from prescription drugs but from simple over-the-counter products such as antihistamines and Tylenol (which can be fatal to cats). Many veterinary drugs are also a source of poisonings as they are formulated to taste like a treat. Take the time to make sure that all prescription and nonprescription medications are out of harm's reach.
-In Beijing, China, pet owners must pay up to $600 per year for a pet license. This is equivalent to two years salary for the average worker.
-A dog's nose is a precision instrument with over 200 million olfactory receptors...twenty times that of a person. In one reported test a police dog found an ounce of illegal drugs in a box of black pepper hidden inside a container of mothballs!
-Do dogs have sweat glands? Yes, but they play only a small part in
cooling the body. Most cooling occurs via panting.
Copyright 1995 Shoal Creek Animal Clinic
Permission to reproduce or retransmit expressly
denied.