The Cost of Owning a Pet in 2012

It can be very rewarding owning a pet but it also creates financial responsibility as well.  The Ontario Veterinary Association created an approxiate cost of one's expense for the first year of owning a pet in 2012. This will help gain a better understanding  so that you are not caught offguard by the expenses incurred as a pet owner:

The fees shown are based on the OVMA's 2012 Suggested Fee Guide for Small Animal Procedures. As you also noticed no financial allowances like grooming was added in.  Food budgets were based on premium veterinary diet available only at a veterinary hospital.  A premium veterinary diet can save in the long run as it can help to prevent or manage a variety of health problems.

Fighting Fleas?

Tis the season for the fight against the dreaded flea.....
Types of commercial products available for flea control include flea collars, shampoos, sprays, powders and dips. These types of products are considered old, and don't seem to work as well.  Other, newer, products include oral and systemic spot on insecticides which tend to work much better.
In the past, topical insecticide sprays, powders and dips were the most popular. However, the effect was often temporary. Battling infestations requires attacking areas where the eggs, larvae, pupae and adults all congregate. Because some stages of a flea's life can persist for months, chemicals with residual action are needed and should be repeated periodically.
Treating animals and their living areas thoroughly and at the same time is vital; otherwise some fleas will survive and re-infect your pet. You may even need to treat your yard or kennel with an insecticide, if the infestation is severe enough.

The vacuum cleaner can be a real aid in removing flea eggs and immature forms. Give special attention to cracks and corners. At the end of vacuuming, either vacuum up some flea powder into your vacuum bag, or throw the bag out. Otherwise, the cleaner will only serve as an incubator, releasing more fleas into the environment as they hatch.

Treatment & Prevention

As one might expect, flea control through these methods is very time consuming, expensive and difficult. The good news is that currently, with the newer flea products on the market, flea control is much safer, more effective and environmentally friendly. Current flea control efforts center on oral and topical systemic treatments. These products not only treat existing flea problems, they also are very useful for prevention. In fact, prevention is the most effective and easiest method of flea control.

One group of products works to control fleas by interrupting the development fleas by killing flea larva and eggs. These drugs are called insect growth regulators (IGRs). These products do not kill adult fleas, but they dramatically decrease the flea population by arresting their development. One common oral product used is lufenuron (Program®). Lufenuron is given monthly, and is combined with heartworm protection in the product Sentinel®. 

Other products kill the actual flea (adulticides) and work quite rapidly. These include both spot-on and oral products. Spot-on products are usually applied on your pet's skin between the shoulders. The medication is absorbed into your pet's skin and distributed throughout the body. Fleas are killed rapidly on contact with the skin. Spot-on products include  imidacloprid (Advantage®), and selamectin (Revolution®).

A recently developed oral adulticide also given monthly is nitenpyram (Capstar®), that when given begins to kill fleas in 30 minutes.

All these products are safe, easy to use and, if used correctly, the most effective method of flea control. Additionally, some have the added benefit of efficacy against other parasites.

With all these choices it is best to consult your veterinarian as to the best flea control and prevention for your pet. The choice of flea control should depend on your pet's life-style and potential for exposure. Through faithful use of these systemic monthly flea products, the total flea burden on your pet and in the immediate environment can be dramatically reduced. Keeping your pet on monthly flea treatments especially in areas of high flea risk is an excellent preventive method of flea control. These products often eliminate the need for routine home insecticidal use, especially in the long run. Although it may still be prudent in heavy flea environments to treat the premises initially, the advent of these newer systemic flea products has dramatically simplified, and made flea control safer and more effective.

 

"Flea Dirt" found in amongst the hair

 

Well our pet fair organizing is well underway.  We have been very busy scheduling our demonstrations, vendors and more. Enjoy our delicios charity BBQ with jumbo hot dogs and backbacon sandwiches.

This year we plan on having facepainting and a  bouncy castle with slide for the kids. A "Wet the Vet" dunk tank, you'll have a chance to buy 3 balls and try to dunk our veterinarians! The Chay 93.1Fm fun team will be here handing out prizes, but get ready to enter our contests to win great prizes!

1. Best trick - start practicing
2. Best Dressed Pet
3. Happiest wag

Contests will be judged by our "local celebrity " judging panel. We are very excited!

This year we also will be hosting the Jungle Cat World. You will have an opportunity to learn about the amazing animals. The staff will educate on endangered species and how learning about these creatures actually help preserve them! A wonderful interactive safari experience!

We also have a 16 G ipad WiFi +3G that we will be raffling off. Tickets are available at our check out counter(located in our hospital), come on in! Tickets are 2$ each or 3 for 5$. The ipad winner will be announced the day of the pet fair (You don't have to attend the pet fair to win the ipad), but we  hope to see you there!     


Held at Allandale Veterinary Hospital
66 Caplan Ave Barrie
Sunday August 19th, 2012
12- 4 pm


Bring your furry friends!

It’s the time of year to be digging around in your garden—But if there are pets running around the yard, be cautious of what you plant because the flowers that make your garden pretty could be toxic to pets.

We recommend the safest, pet-friendly plants:

Astilbe
Bee Balm
Begonia
Bugbane
Butterfly flower
Calendula
Catmint/catnip
Coleus
Columbine
Coneflowers
Coral Bells
Cosmos
Goat’s Beard
Impatiens
Nasturtium
New Guinea Impatiens
Petunia
Phlox
Primrose
Queen of the Meadow
Roses
Snapdragons
Spider flower
Violet Yellow
Corydalis Zinnia

The non-plant concerns in the garden include fertilizers, pesticides, slug bait, mulch, and garden tools. Talk to your local nursery about the safest options, read labels carefully, and store everything safely in sealed containers or out of reach. Try natural products like vinegar for weeds, coffee grounds, beer, and salt for slugs, and soap and water as a natural pesticide. Avoid cocoa mulch as it comes from chocolate manufacturing and can contain substances that will cause minor chocolate poisoning (vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity) as well as general irritation to the mouth, stomach and intestines.

Many mature dogs (and almost all cats) are discriminate. They might sniff, but they're not inclined to eat plants. Grass is often the exception and in small amounts, common grasses are safe. Ornamental grasses can be irritating to the mouth, throat, and nose so if you have a big grass eater, it is safest to avoid these plants.

Remember that puppies and kittens are an exception. They will eat anything. It still makes most sense however to always pick the safest plants possible for flower gardens and deck pots.

Two different doctors' offices

Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement. The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day, and has time booked for surgery the following week.
The second patient sees his family doctor after waiting three weeks for an appointment, then waits eight weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray which isn't reviewed for another week, and finally has his surgery scheduled for six months from then.
Why the different treatment for the two patients?

The first is a golden retriever. The second is a senior citizen.

Microchipping your pet =$70...Peace of mind =Priceless

Losing a pet can be heartbreaking. Pets are part of our family! Implanting a chip is safe and easy and can be performed during a routine office visit. A small microchip is placed under the skin(almost the size of a grain of rice) injected by a needle. 
 It is activated when the scanner(wand) is waved over the area and identifies a number. Even the most diligent pet owner can have their pet slip out of its collar and run away or even get out the front door. Did you know that 75% of lost dogs and cats that were microschipped were returned to their owners because they had a microchip? Call our office today to ensure your pet is chipped!

Fire Safety!

Last week here at the office, we had the Barrie Fire Department come in and give us a seminar on the types of fire extinguishers along with the types of fires associated with each extinguisher. Afterwards we headed outside, and actually put out a few fires (controlled of course) of our own! Here are a few pictures from the day.

Nathan putting out his fire

The staff testing fire extinguishers

Don't forget the countdown is on, 95 days until PET FEST! We have an action pack line up for the day! We are excited to have the CHAY FM fun team out, we really hope the weather will co operate with us! Let it be nice and hot, so everyone can come out and play "Wet The Vet" in our dunk tank! More to come on Pet Fest 2012!
Remember if you are planning on vacationing this year, and leaving your pets behind, we do board pets here. Be sure to reserve as soon as possible to avoid dissapointment, especially our Luxury Themed Boarding Suites- complete with internet video camera, so you can always check in at any time.