Did you know.....If you want to get festive, mix some of your pet's regular food with water to make a "dough" and roll out and cut into festive shapes, then bake until crunchy.

Thank you for all that helped support our Guatemala Bake A Thon. We were overwhelmed with the response to all the baking and all the buying!! We raised over 1600$ alone from the silent auction and bake sale! Hip hip hooray! Just a note to ensure that your pet stays safe over the holiday season, although we would love to see you, we also like your pets healthy.

Tinsel, Ribbon and other Pretty Things
Ribbons, wrapping paper, ornaments, tinsel, extension cords and gifts may be appealing "chew toys" that may make your pet sick.There is something about those shiny strands of Christmas tree decor, which drives kitties wild. Although the sight of your cat pawing at the tree may be cute, the ingestion of tinsel can be deadly. Eating tinsel or other string-like items such as ribbon (often called linear foreign bodies)  can cause serious damage to the intestine. One end can get stuck while the rest is pulled into the intestine as it contracts; the contractions may cause the ribbon or tinsel to saw through the intestine. If not caught in time, infection of the belly cavity develops and the prognosis for recovery becomes poor. Pets with linear foreign bodies quickly become ill with signs including vomiting, diarrhea, depression, belly pain and sometimes fever.
Eating other holiday decorations can cause signs ranging from mild depression to severe vomiting or diarrhea, depending upon whether or not the foreign matter can be passed in the stool or gets stuck along the way. Foreign matter stuck in the intestine often does NOT show up on "x-ray" but sometimes the foreign matter will trap air in the intestine, which helps your veterinarian make a diagnosis. Surgery is required to remove foreign matter that does not pass out on its own.
Holiday Lights
Decorative lights are another attraction for pets to chew on. Both indoor and outdoor lights should be carefully examined to ensure safety for your household pets. Electrical shock may occur from defective cords as well as from pets chewing on cords. Check cords for any signs of bite marks, loose or frayed wires, proximity to the tree's water supply or evidence of short circuits. Use grounded "3-prong" extension cords and strictly follow manufacturer's guidelines for light usage.
Electrical shock can cause burns, difficulty breathing, abnormal heart rhythm, loss of consciousness, and death. Call a veterinarian immediately if your pet has been injured by electrical shock. Treatment will be most effective if begun soon after the shock.
Water, Water...
Even though they have their own water bowel, there is something enticing about a novel source of water; whether it's the toilet bowl or the Christmas tree stand. If you add chemicals to the water meant to keep your tree fresh longer, be sure to read the label to make sure it is safe for pets.
Potpourri makes your house smell festive but may be another attraction for pets to drink. Make sure that potpourri pots are covered or otherwise inaccessible to pets.
It may be difficult to curb your pet's fascination with all those pretty decorations. Child gates can be used across doorways to keep your pet away from the Christmas tree and decorations at times they cannot be watched.
Overindulgence
Well-intentioned family and friends may share holiday foods with pets causing the pet to develop a stomach upset or worse, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) which can be caused by eating fatty foods. To control excessive food intake by your pets and meet your guests' desires to feed the pets, dole out the treats your pets would normally receive and let your guests "treat" the pets. If you want to get festive, mix some of your pet's regular food with water to make a "dough" and roll out and cut into festive shapes, then bake until crunchy.      
Chocolate
What would the holidays be without boxes of chocolate and warm cocoa in front of the fire? However, chocolate can be toxic or even fatal to dogs and cats. Chocolate may be mistakenly given to pets as treats and may be irresistible to the curious canine. Chocolate poisoning occurs most frequently in dogs but other species are also susceptible. Theobromine is the toxic compound found in chocolate. Signs which may appear within 1 to 4 hours of eating chocolate include:

• Vomiting 
• Increased thirst 
• Diarrhea
• Weakness
• Difficulty keeping balance
• Hyperexcitability
• Muscle spasms, seizures, coma
• Death from abnormal heart rhythm

The amount of theobromine in white chocolate or chocolate flavored dog treats is usually negligible. As with any poisoning, call your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary hospital immediately if you suspect your pet may have ingested chocolate. Have the product label information available when you call your veterinarian. There are national and regional poison control hotlines for animals. In general, the treatment of poisonings is most effective if begun soon after eating the poison, before large amounts are absorbed into the blood.
Poinsettias & Mistletoe
Poinsettias fill homes with color during the holidays. Poinsettias have received bad publicity in the past whereas in fact, poinsettias are not very toxic to pets. They do contain a milky sap that can irritate the mouth but if signs develop they are usually mild.
Mistletoe can be very toxic to animals and you should seek veterinary consultation immediately if your pet has potentially ingested any part of the plant. Mistletoe can cause vomiting, severe diarrhea, difficult breathing, shock and death within hours of ingestion.
      
  Pets as Gifts
A cute, cuddly puppy or kitten may seem to be the perfect gift but unfortunately after the holiday season the population of animal shelters explodes with these "surprise gifts". Owning a pet is a long-term commitment that not every one can make.


From all of us at the Allandale Veterinary Hospital, best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season for you and your pets.

Goodies, goodies, and more goodies!

 

Tis the season! FOR EATING BAKED GOODS!

Although some of us may be watching our waistlines, lets be real, most of us are waiting to start (once again) in the new year. In the meantime, why not help us out in our fundraiser! On Monday Dec 9th and Tues Dec 10th, Allandale Veterinary Hospital will be hosting a very large bake- a thon, with 100% of the proceeds going towards the Todos Santos adventure in Guatemala. Dr. Lechten is bring down a veterinary team to Guatemala, to  help the village of Todos Santos spay/neuter pets and vaccinated against rabies. Through the organization of "Vets without Borders" this program decreases pet population and the prevalence of rabies in the area. There will be tons of

human treats along with a few doggie baked goods as well. The cost is $6.00 for 1/2 dozen and $12.00 for a bakers dozen. It's for a great cause, so we hope to see you come out. The bake- a thon information is also posted as an event on our Facebook page. It will be held in the conference center room within the hospital, and the will run all day and all night long until closing at 8:00 pm (Monday and Tuesday).
On the same note, some of our staff have painted some pottery which will be available at our silent auction featured at the bake sale with proceeds also going towards the same fund. We will also feature some surprises that have been donated  for the silent auction...shhh we' can't tell you yet! We have teamed up with  Creative Café of Barrie, so when you visit creative café mention our name and 20% will be donated back to the Guatemala fund. Thank you all for your support! See you soon!

Dangers of Halloween and our pets....

Chocolate. Of all candies Chocolate poses the biggest threat to dogs. Many like the smell and are attracted to it. The darker and more bitter the chocolate the more dangerous it is. Can you imagine ingesting dark chocolate covered espresso beans? Yikes...A single ounce of bakers chocolate can make a 50 pound dog very sick. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are the least dangerous but should still be kept out of reach.  If you think your pet has ingested chocolate please call our hospital immediately. Do not wait for digestion to occur. Signs to watch for include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, agitation, increased thirst, elevated heart rate and in severe cases, seizures.  In smaller dogs even the wrappers can cause secondary obstruction in the stomach or intestines.

Raisins. Mini - boxes of raisins can be a healthy treat for tick-or-treaters, but are extremely poisonous to dogs. Dogs can experience kidney failure after ingesting very small amounts of raisins (including similar products with grapes and currants). Signs of this toxicity include, vomiting, nausea, decreased appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, excessive or decreased thirst and urinations, bad breath and rapid onset of kidney failure.

Glow sticks and glow jewelry.  Cats being the curious critters they are, love to explore. Cats often ingest glow sticks or jewelry accidently because they are bright and fun to chew. The contents in the sticks can cause mouth pain irritation as well as profuse drooling and foaming. Bathing the chemical off the fur is important too as grooming can contribute to further poisoning.

Candles. This one is kind of self explanatory. Curious noses and wagging tails have a way of finding lit candles. Keep out of reach to avoid injury.

Costumes. Everybody loves a dressed up pet. Just make sure it doesn't impair vision, or movement of air intake. If it has metallic beads or snaps or other small pieces be aware especially ones that contain zinc or lead.  


Don't forget to check out our Facebook page as we are having a Halloween costume contest! Happy Halloween Everyone!

Seeing is believing

 

 

 

                  Call our office to inquire about laser therapy with either Caitlin or Dr. Rogers.

these shoes were made for walkin....

We cannot express word to thank you ALL for the generous amount of pledges for our Guatemala Walk A Thon. The rain held off - thank you rain gods, and were were able to complete our journey. No where near the journey that people in Guatemala walk to come and have their pets vaccinated or have surgery! We were able to raise close to 3000.00$ from this event. Were are planning a few more events before the trip this winter. Be sure to stay tuned, as we will be hosting a bath a thon, and bake sale at the beginning of December. Here are a few photos from the walk a thon. Many thanks to whose you attended, and participated.

and the winner is...

Today was the day. The day we were presenting our hospital as voted - best designed of 2013. It had a feeling like you were at the Juno's or something. We have some video for you, although we must

Dr. Ross Clark and Dr. Lechten before the presentation

warn you, the quality is not very good. Dr. Ross Clarke, a member of the Vet Economics advisory board led the introductions, the award was presented to us, then it was off to the races.

Dr. Lechten rocked the show (not literally) but well spoken to a room packed of people. There

and the floor is all hers...

were laughs and chuckles as Dr. Lechten added in some humor about the pitfalls of building a new hospital, but never the less, a very well informed presentation. There were very few questions to answer at the end of the show, as Dr. Lechten was so thorough, she covered pretty much everything you needed to know. Many people came up to us afterwards to congratulate us on the win. It truly was a proud day. Afterwards the Veterinary Economics magazine had a brief interview with us about how the team was so involved with the building of the new facility.

showcase of hospitals that were in the running this year

Brendan (Vet Economics Editor) with Dr. Lechten

Interview post presentation with Vet Economics

all in a days work

Testing one two three, we are blogging from KC, Missouri! Today was another hot one. It started early with getting up and dressed and heading over to the registration desk to sign in. Upon arriving at the registration desk we took a stroll along the Merit Winners row of all the hospitals that had entered the hospital of the year contest. In the middle was this:

 

and for all you people out there that are like me and need assistance with their vision, I took a close up as well.....

there is was beautifully displayed on an easel in the center. What a proud moment. We then carried on with the registration process, finding out where we will be presenting tomorrow, and ran into  Wayne Usiak the architect from Albuquerque who created AVH. From there it was back to the hotel where we both did quite a bit of paperwork/computer work - the work you can't get done while at the hospital. It turned out to be a productive day. Dr. Lechten then slipped out and she was involved with a group discussion about owners who are interested in building their own hospitals. Once back we decided to go down to the very well known "Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue". Which we both had a very well known dish to kansas city - burnt ends. Let me Wikipedia that for you:

Burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the point half of a smoked brisket. A traditional part of Kansas City barbecue, burnt ends are considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking. Either the entire brisket is cooked whole, then the point end removed and cooked further, or the point and flat are separated prior to cooking. Due to the higher fat content of the brisket point, it takes longer to fully cook to tender and render out fat and collagen. This longer cooking gave rise to the name "burnt ends". Sometimes when the flat is done, the point is returned to the smoker for further cooking. Some cooks re-season the point at this time.Kansas City style burnt ends are usually served cubed with sauce either on top or on the side. A "proper" burnt end should display a modest amount of "bark" or char on at least one side. Burnt ends can be served alone (sometimes smothered in barbecue sauce) or in sandwiches, as well as in a variety of other dishes, including baked beans^[1] and gumbo.

Following the fab meal, we obviously had to walk it off home and enjoyed the sights of the downtown city area at night. Despite the very loud "screaming coming form the trees" I asked Dr. Lechten (a native to Missouri) what the heck is that it sounds like a bird stuck somewhere- she laughed and said oh those are "cicada's". They are an insect that makes that noise at night. What an awful screeching sound, and let me tell you if I could have voice recorded it for you I would have!

The adventure continues, until tomorrow folks.... signing out...Lisa and Dr. Lechten...

"Cicada" pronounced "Sih-cada"

Downtown KC at night

 

burnt ends with potato salad and cheese corn - delish