Thursday, December 23, 2010

Its the day before Christmas Eve and we are already seeing  ingestion cases of christmas trees, and decorationsand chocolate! Remember if your pet does ingest any of these, do not wait until they become sick. Notify your veterinarian immediately!

We will not be blogging over the holidays, so wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2011!
We will have some very exciting news for the new year, so stay tuned!

Cheers!

The Allandale Veterinary Team

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Thinking of a unique gift for or about your best friend? Take a look at some of these ideas...

 RUFF WEAR Bark'n Boots Grip Trex Dog Booties
Vibram® has long been the preferred choice of boot soles for hikers. Ruff Wear's Bark'n Boots™ Grip Trex™ booties let your four-legged friend enjoy the same durability and traction with booties that fit your dog how you want your boots to fit you. Protect the paws. ·        Vibram sole with omnidirectional lugs deliver stability and traction for your canine friend
·          Air mesh upper is comfortable, breathable, and drainable for all-season use
·         Built on an anatomical mold (just like your boots) for consistent fit, sizing, and shape
·         Expansion gusset makes the boots easy to put on and enhances fit
·         Hook-and-loop closure and grip cuff keeps bootie in place for all day comfort
·         Seamless construction reduces abrasion and improves fit
·         Reflective trim increases low-light visibility and safety
·         Non-marking sole can be worn in the house or on the boat 

Your pooch will be sporting adorable personalized style this Christmas with our exclusive Fleas-Navidad Dog Bandana!

Quality made of 100% cotton and printed with full color detail, our dog bandanas feature a convenient collar sleeve so you don't have to worry about tying a knot or your furry friend losing it during the seasonal festivities!

The bandana measures 19"W x 12"L to fit any sized dog perfectly.
We cleverly include your dog's name on the bone in the center of the design, along with any title you choose above!Makes a great gift for your favorite companion that he or she can use year after year!

Capture your furry friend's Kodak moment forever in our exclusive Man's Best Friend© Personalized Photo Frame.

Custom print any name below the photo opening, choose from our 4 exclusive color combinations and either vertical or horizontal orientation

Your pet's photo can be surrounded by both treasured and humorous sayings creating a one-of-a-kind personalized pet frame. Such as: man's best friend, spoiled rotten, bad to the bone, squirrel chaser, etc.

Ornament!...Four-legged family members rank top on the holiday list with our exclusive Top Dog© Personalized Ornament!

Professionally laser-engrave your loving pet's name and title along with any year, across the clever dog bowl design, complete with glitter accents and a dangling bone.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Holiday Plants N' Pets...


Holly

  • Holly (Ilex sp.). This plant, commonly found around Christmas time, can cause intense vomiting and diarrhea. Mental depression can also occur.

  • 
    Amarlyllis
    
  • Amaryllis (Amaryllis spp). Ingestion can result in vomiting, diarrhea, depression, lack of appetite, tremors, drooling and abdominal pain.

  • Mistletoe (Phoradendron spp.). This plant, another Christmas plant, can also cause significant vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, this plant has been associated with difficulty breathing, slowed heart rate, collapse and, if a lot is ingested, death has occurred.Some animals may even show erratic behavior and possible hallucinations


  • 
    Christmas Cactus
    
  • Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, Easter cactus (Schlumbergera or Zygocactus). In dogs, if large quantities of this plant are ingested, vomiting, possibly with blood, diarrhea, possibly with blood and mental depression have been reported. With small ingestions, typically there are no signs of toxicity. These plants are considered low toxicity plants.

  • Lilies are beautiful but deadly. Consumption of any part of the greenery or flowers can induce fatal kidney failure in cats. Just biting a petal or leaf, drinking water from a vase containing cut lilies, or licking lily pollen from his paws may kill a cat. Cats that don’t die outright from lily poisoning often require weeks of dialysis.
    If an owner suspects that his cat has been poisoned by a lily, he should seek emergency veterinary care immediately, as most cats suffer kidney failure in 36-72 hours without treatment. Symptoms of lily poisoning include:
    • Loss of appetite
    • Lethargy, vomitting

      
      Poinsettia
      
      Poinsettias The milky sap of poinsettias can cause irritation of the mouth and digestive tract. A cat that has consumed portions of a poinsettia may experience excessive salivation and vomiting due to irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, but this should clear up on its own.
  • Tuesday, November 23, 2010

    TCI (Transcervical Insemination)

    Transcervical Insemination

    Dr. Lechten travelled to Wisconsin to the MiniTube facility where Dr. Verstegen was teaching a hands on lab about the newest procedure of semen implantation.


    Transcervical insemination is an alternative method of inseminating frozen semen but for fresh semen, chilled semen, etc this method is widely recommended and generally successful. When frozen canine semen is placed into vaginal tract, the conception rate is lower then for transcervical insemination and surgical implant. 

    The bitch should have her rear end elevated for the artificial insemination procedure. This positioning facilitates the semen's deposition and flow to the cervical opening, a necessary for the semen being in position to be "pumped" into the uterus. The inseminator should digitally stoke the roof of the vaginal tract for 1-2 minutes after insemination. This technique simulates the tie of a natural breeding. The bitch's rear should be elevated for 2-3 minutes post-insemination.

    The necessity to bypass the cervix and place the semen into the uterine lumen is beneficial in improving the conception rates in numerous situations. These include the use of frozen semen, fresh cooled semen, poor semen quality and in situations where examination of the bitch's uterus is desired.

    Two methods are used to achieve the intrauterine deposition of semen, the transcervical insemination and the surgical insemination. These techniques each have their own usage guidelines and one does not replace the other as has been mistakenly represented to dog breeders.

    The transcervical insemination (TCI) is performed with the bitch in a standing position. No sedation nor anesthesia is required. A fiber optic cystourethoscope is used vaginally to visualize the opening to the cervix. A flexible catheter is maneuvered through the cervix into the uterus. It is important that the breeder realize that the veterinarian is not visualizing the inside of the uterus and this technique does not allow for evaluation of the uterus.

    The TCI procedure is visualized on a television monitor and does allow for examination of the vaginal tract, however. The semen is gently pushed through the catheter from a syringe. The veterinarian can visualize that the semen flows easily into the uterus and does not flow back into the vaginal tract.

    The transcervical insemination does not replace the surgical insemination as it does not allow for uterine evaluation, but is a significant improvement over the vaginal method of artificial insemination. The TCI is recommended for any type semen, especially frozen and fresh-cooled and can significantly increase conception when poor quality semen and lowered sperm numbers are used.

    Wednesday, November 10, 2010

    Winter blues, Winter do's

    Winter Blues, Winter Do’s
    Cats will curl up against almost anything to stay warm--including car engines. Cats caught in moving engine parts can be seriously hurt or killed. Before you turn your engine on, check beneath the car or make a lot of noise by honking the horn or rapping on the hood.
    If you live near a pond or lake, be very cautious about letting your dog off the leash. Animals can easily fall through the ice, and it is very difficult for them to climb out on their own. If you must let your dogs loose near open water, stay with them at all times.
    If you light a fire or plug in a space heater to keep your home toasty warm, remember that the heat will be as attractive to your pets as it is to you. As your dog or cat snuggles up to the warmth, keep an eye out to make sure that no tails or paws come in contact with flames, heating coils, or hot surfaces. Pets can either burn themselves or knock a heat source over and put the entire household in danger.
    It’s a good idea to have your furnace checked for carbon monoxide leakage before you turn it on, both for your pets’ health and your own. Carbon monoxide is odorless and invisible, but it can cause problems ranging from headaches and fatigue to trouble breathing. Pets generally spend more time in the home than owners, particularly in the winter, so they are more vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning than the rest of the family.
    Pets that go outside can pick up rock salt, ice, and chemical ice melts in their foot pads. To keep your pet’s pads from getting chapped and raw, wipe her feet with a washcloth when she comes inside. If your canine friend will tolerate it, there are special booties that can help protect their paws from the winter elements and any chemicals or salts on the ground. This will also keep her from licking the salt off her feet, which could cause an inflammation of her digestive tract.
    Keep an eye on your pet’s water. Sometimes owners don’t realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can’t get anything to drink. Animals that don’t have access to clean, unfrozen water are more likely to drink out of puddles or gutters, which can be polluted with oil, antifreeze, household cleaners, and other chemicals.
    When you’re outside with your pets during the winter, you can watch them for signs of discomfort with the cold. If they whine, shiver, seem anxious, slow down or stop moving, or start to look for warm places to burrow, they’re saying they want to get back to someplace warm.
    You can also keep an eye out for two serious conditions caused by cold weather. The first and less common of the two is frostbite. Frostbite happens when an animal’s (or a person’s) body gets cold and pulls all the blood from the extremities to the center of the body to stay warm. The animal’s ears, paws, or tail can get cold enough that ice crystals can form in the tissue and damage it. The tricky thing about frostbite is that it’s not immediately obvious. The tissue doesn’t show signs of the damage to it for several days.
    If you suspect your pet may have frostbite, bring her into a warm environment right away. It’s important that you don’t rub the frostbitten tissue, however--the ice crystals can do a lot of damage to the tissue. Once your pet is warm, wrap her up in some blankets and take her to the veterinarian. Your veterinarian can assess the damage and treat your pet for pain or infection if necessary.
    Hypothermia, or a body temperature that is below normal, is a condition that occurs when an animal is not able to keep her body temperature from falling below normal. It happens when animals spend too much time in cold temperatures, or when animals with poor health or circulation are exposed to cold. In mild cases, animals will shiver and show signs of depression, lethargy, and weakness. As the condition progresses, an animal’s muscles will stiffen, her heart and breathing rates will slow down, and she will stop responding to stimuli.
    Winter can be a beautiful time of year. It can be a dangerous time as well, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. If you take some precautions, you and your pet can have a fabulous time.