Merry Christmas!

The beauty of Christmas comes with several warnings for your pets. The decorative plants you use to celebrate the season may be dangerous to your four-legged friends. As you decorate your home this year, keep in mind these potential dangers:

Mistletoe —

Severely toxic to dogs and cats. Eating this plant may cause erratic behavior, GI upset like vomiting and diarrhea, trouble breathing and complications with the heart.

Lilies —

Severely toxic to cats. Just 1 — 2 leaves can cause kidney failure. Non-toxic to dogs.

American Holly —

Moderately toxic to dogs and cats. Ingestion of this plant may cause vomiting, diarrhea or depression.

Christmas Tree —

Mildly toxic to dogs and cats. The oils from the tree are mildly irritating to the GI system and can cause excessive drooling or vomiting. The needles are not easily digested and may cause vomiting, obstruction or puncture the intestines.

Poinsettia —

Mildly toxic to dogs and cats. If consumed, nausea or vomiting may be seen.

Keep these plants out of reach of your pets.
If your pet eats any of these plants, please call the clinic to speak with one of our staff members.
You can also check out the toxicity of other plants in your house at the site:
www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

What is involved in an exam?

What is the benefit of having your pet examined when they are sick?
Why can’t Dr. Google just tell me what is going on?

There are many online sites that will give veterinary advice — are they credible is the question you need to ask? There are many sites that are designed to be a service unto themselves, i.e. you pay for their services. You have to know if you are getting advice from an actual veterinarian or is it someone who has no medical education and is giving you advice based on “old wives tales.” Would you fly on an airplane if the pilot was flying based on advice from an online site or would you rather fly with a pilot actually trained to fly the airplane?
So what is involved in an exam at the Glencoe Veterinary clinic? We take a complete history from you — many times asking you questions that seem unrelated —but actually give us information to your pet’s overall health. Next, your pet has 10 body systems we examine: Skin, Gastrointestinal, Cardiac, Lymphatic, Urinary, Reproductive, Muscles and Skeleton, Respiratory, Nervous and the Immune system. We look at how each system is working, is there abnormalities and if there are, what are they and how are they affecting the other systems.
A perfect example of this is a dog that comes to the clinic not wanting to play or eat. Through the history and physical exam, we gather that the dog has a painful back. What we picked up by the physical exam that would have been missed without it, includes the following:

The legs were numb and the dog was not sure where they were (Nervous system)
The dog is painful to walk, posture to go to the bathroom and also to lower its head to eat (Muscle and Skeleton system)
The dog is having a hard time pooping or peeing because his back hurts (Urinary and Gastrointestinal systems)
The dog is panting due to pain (Respiratory system)

All of these clinical signs can be gathered on a physical exam done in the clinic. We would then treat the dog for back pain.
Now how would this be handled by an on line veterinary site, especially if the advice was being given by an individual without a veterinary degree. The most common thing owners tell us when they bring this type of injured dog in is that the dog is not eating. So without a physical exam the online site may deduct that there was a gastrointestinal problem. The bad thing here is that if a back injury is not treated properly — the dog can progress to becoming paralyzed, not able to walk, which may be a permanent
So we always ask when we hear — “well on-line we were told it is this” — we always want to know — what veterinary college did the person telling you the information graduate from and did they make their diagnosis after examining your pet?

If your pet is sick — have an actual physical exam done to make sure your pet is treated correctly!

Pet Wellness

Training hunting dogs - getting them into shape:

It takes 6 weeks or so to get a hunting dog in shape. To start conditioning your dog, use a two - on, one - off program. Work your dog for two days in a row, then give one day of complete rest.

Utilize a slow pace, longer workout. Increase the distance before increasing the speed. Start with a 15 - 20 minute workout at a fast trot. (about 6 - 8 mph), then gradually increase the time up to an hour. Once your dog is in shape, maintain this by 3 workouts a week.

Key Safety Points

Make sure your dog stays well hydrated. Offer water before, during and after workouts.

Use a thermometer to monitor temperature. If it rises to 103 º F, stop training and wait for the temperature to come back down. Normal range is 101 º - 102 º F

Emergency Management of Rodenticide

Fall is the most frequent season for accidental rodenticide poising — New mandates by the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, have reduced and eventually will eliminate ACR, Anticoagulant Rodenticides. This has been the most common mouse/rat poison for many years. Ingestion of ACR’s cause internal bleeding over several days. When a veterinarian treats a patient for accidental eating of an ACR, they were able to use Vitamin K, an effective antidote along with rest and supportive care. With the introduction of new products to the market, this effective way of treating animals is about to disappear.

These two newer rodenticides act much differently in the animal. Bromethalin products — Assault, Tomcat Mole Killer, Clont, Real Kill etc. act on the brain. Neurological signs such as seizures, staggering and eventually coma develop in 2 to 24 hours.
Cholecalciferol products — Tomcat, is one of the most deadly and costly to treat rodenticides. 1 ounce can kill a 70 lb. dog. This product is toxic to the kidneys with signs developing in 1 — 3 days. Signs include increase thirst and urination, weakness, lethargy, no appetite, vomiting, and dehydration. Treatment regiment is several weeks of fluids and monitoring. Prognosis is often very poor due to kidney damage.

Poisoning with rodenticides can be very hazardous to your pet. If your pet consumes any amount of rodenticide, call your veterinarian immediately. It is imperative to know the name of the rodenticide that was used and if possible how much was consumed. Proper treatment as soon as possible and knowing which poison was eaten are critical, now that we are dealing with these new rodenticides on the market.

Reminder Programs
Here are different reminder programs that you can use to help you remember to give your Heartworm Prevention and/or Flea & Tick Prevention. If you have questions about any of these programs please don't hesitate to call us & one of our staff members can walk you through how to set up the program.

Heargard Plus, Frontline Plus or NexGard

Has a mobile App for Apple® Devices

http://www.heartgard.com/pages/pethealthservices.aspx

Remind My Pet - Generic

Has a mobile App for Apple® Devices

http://www.remindmypet.com/Default.aspx

Feliway

Has a mobile App for Apple® Devices

http://www.feliway.com/us/reminder/register

Equine Herpesvirus

With the recent outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus, the Glencoe Veterinary Clinic would like to send you information regarding this disease. We have not had any reported cases in McLeod County, and since this is a reportable disease, we will keep you up to date if any cases appear in the area.

Equine Herpes Virus Information:

Here are two links that provide excellent and reliable information about the Herpesvirus:

U of M EHV-1 Fact Sheet

http://www.cahfs.umn.edu/prod/groups/cvm/@pub/@cvm/@cahfs/documents/content/cvm_article_419930.pdf

U.S. Department of Agriculture EHV-1 Brochure

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/equine_herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf

Equine Herpes Virus Vaccination:

There are several herpes viruses that affect horses but equine herpes virus 1, or EHV 1, is associated with the nervous system. You may not recognize the name herpes virus as it was commonly called rhino in the past. Most adult horses have been exposed to the herpes virus already and are carriers. The neurological disease, although severe, is fairly rare when you look at the entire population of horses. It is not recommended to vaccinate exposed horses. Although vaccination will not prevent the nervous system form of EHV 1, it may prevent shedding of the virus and help protect other horses. If you and your horse(s) will be attending numerous shows or events, increased frequency of vaccination may be necessary. Please call and talk to Dr. Dahlke if you have questions.

Be cautious of over the counter products not recommended by veterinarians.

Sergeant’s Pet Care Product Inc. and Wellmark International have agreed to phase out the use of the chemical propoxur in pet flea collars.

The announcement Thursday followed the filling of a lawsuit in February by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which has been pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act on previous petitions that urged the government to ban propoxur in flea-control products. The timing of the lawsuit and the voluntary agreement between EPA and the manufacturers was coincidental, said council health attorney Mae Wu.

“More likely [the voluntary ban] was a result of the petitions that we filed many years ago,” Wu said.

Jim Jones, assistant administrator in the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, called the action “another example of EPA’s efforts to protect children from pesticide risks”

“This voluntary move will get to an expedient result that protects people’s health,” Jones said.

Propoxur is a neurotoxin and known carcinogen that authorities say poses a risk to the brains and nervous systems of children. People who handle propoxur pet collars may ingest the chemical if they also touch their mouth, experts state.

The agreement allows Sergeant’s and Wellmark to produce pet collars using propoxur April 1, 2015, and distribute them until April 1, 2016. Most flea collars have a shelf life of up to five years, according the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Sergeant’s based in Omaha, Neb., agreed to cancel EPA registrations for the Dual Action, Sendran and 933 Plus flea and tick collars, all of which use propoxur.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/04D96E6211E3C9CF85257C9B005950C9

Clinic Hours

Monday: 7:30am - 5pm
Tuesday: 7:30am - 5pm
Wednesday: 7:30am - 5pm
Thursday: 7:30am - 12pm; 1:15pm - 5pm
Friday: 7:30am - 5pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

For after hours emergencies, please contact

Bluepearl in Golden Valley: 952.942.8272
www.bluepearlvet.com