January February 2013

Volume 6 - issue 1

Tails from the ER

News and updates from Happy Tails Veterinary Emergency Clinic
Dear friends, Did you know that if your pet stays at your regular veterinarians overnight, there is not a veterinarian in the hospital to provide continuous supervised medical care? If your pet requires overnight or weekend care when your regular veterinarian is closed, you should consider taking advantage of our Transfer Patient Partnership Program. This program is designed to provide your pet with continuous supervised medical care by a veterinarian at a discounted rate. If you would like more information, please feel free to ask. Sincerely, Kelley Gebhardt, DVM

Deicer Products and Your Pet

Cold weather, snow and ice are upon us. Ice-melting products contain various salts, rock salt, and urea. These products will cause redness, irritation and swelling of the feet after prolonged contact with the skin. Your pet may lick at the irritated paws. If the pet ingests a large amount of the ice melt, they can become ill. Remember to wipe your pet's feet after returning inside. If your pet has a large amount of ice-melting product in the fur (from rolling around or playing outside), bathe your pet. A safe alternative may be to use cat litter or sand for traction combined with the ice melting products for the best of both worlds.

What is a pet emergency?

Vomiting/diarrhea Eye problems Fever Pain Not eating Trauma Trouble breathing Seizures Trouble walking Bite Wounds Trouble urinating Lacerations Bloody urine Trouble delivering puppies/kittens Foreign Body ingestion Allergic reactions Drug/toxin ingestion Just not right Any time you are concerned about your pet For more information on knowing when your pet needs emergency care: www.ovrs.com/blog/ howdo-i-know-when-my-petneeds-emergency-care/

We all know the hazards of smoking tobacco in humans and that even secondhand smoke has been shown to cause illness and death in non-smokers. Recent studies have shown that secondhand smoke may also cause severe disease in our pets. Cigarette smoke contains many harmful and carcinogenic ingredients, and these chemicals are found in high concentrations on the furniture and carpeting in the homes of smokers. Pets will ingest these toxins off of the floor and from their fur when grooming. Also, pets noses are very close to the ground , and they will inhale toxins that have settled on the carpet. Exposure to these toxins has been shown to lead to an increase in the number of dogs with nasal cancer who live with smokers in the home, and it may increase the risk of lung cancer as well. Cats are especially susceptible to the toxins of secondhand smoke as they groom themselves frequently and ingest more of the toxins. It has been shown that cats that live in homes with smokers have 2-3 times the occurrence of a malignant cancer called lymphoma. Another serious cancer with links to secondhand smoke is called squamous cell carcinoma, which is an oral tumor that occurs in both dogs and cats. Clearly, secondhand smoke causes major health problems in our pets. The best option is to quit smoking, but this may be difficult. If you are unable to quit and have pets or children in the house, smoke outside. Do not smoke in the car if your pets or children are with you, as rolling down the window does very little to decrease secondhand smoke. If you note any masses in your pets mouth, or coughing, contact your veterinarian. Second Hand Smoke - www.veterinarypartner.com/Content. plx?P=A&A=
3412; Authored by: Dr. Bob Judd, DVM.

2936 Battleground Ave. Greensboro, NC 27408 (336) 288-2688 www.happytailservet.com 2013 Happy Tails Veterinary Emergency Clinic, P.A.