Kennel manager playing with puppy on a very cold morning!

Dr. Conner captured on a below freezing morning our kennel manager, Jennifer Stanley, playing with one of our boarders. Thanks for your hard work and dedication!!

 

 

Pre & Post surgery pictures of 15lb tumor!

Here are pre and post surgery pictures on the 15lb malignant tumor that was removed from Heidi. Heidi is a 10 year old Lab that had been carrying around this tumor for over one year. She is doing great after surgery!

Please read...Miss Kittie's story could save injury to your small pet or child.

Hi, I’m Miss Kittie.

I was a happy, healthy 10-year old tuxedo cat until my life was tragically cut short on Nov. 22, 2013, when I was crushed by a closing garage door.

It was a cold day. In the afternoon, my person-dad, Sam, and I went outside to the mailbox. When Papa Sam got back to the garage, he saw that I was still sniffing around in the yard. He hit the garage door closer and went on inside.

I decided that I wanted to go inside, too, so I ran as fast as I could to get back in before the door closed. I wish I had used my kittie door like I usually do, but I was running fast, and I thought I could squeeze under the door before it closed.

I didn’t make it, and the door started pushing down on me hard. Papa Sam doesn’t hear well and he must not have had his hearing aids in and didn’t hear me calling for help. 

A little later, my next-door neighbor Donnie came over and found me. He tried very hard to revive me, but it was too late.  He, his wife Diane, and Papa Sam were terribly upset. And all of them were shocked that the garage door did not come back up after it started hitting my body. 

That’s why they are helping me tell my story. They want to be sure that everyone who had a garage door with a motorized opener gets it checked out to be sure the settings would prevent death or injury to small pets or children.

There are two things to check: the height of the reversing sensors/electric eyes and the downward force setting.  

You can test your garage door with a roll of paper towels and see what happens. If the door keeps closing on the paper towels, then you need to get with a garage door opener company to send a technician to change your settings.

The downward force setting seems to most often be set on the highest force level. That can also be set lower; it might just take more time to fine-tune the setting so the door works properly. 

Most reversing sensors are set higher than they need to be. It seems that installers usually put them 6 inches from the floor. They actually can be mounted as near the floor as possible.  If the ones on our garage door had been lower, they might have sensed me trying to scamper under and caused the door to go back up.

My neighbors Donnie and Diane loved me just as much as they love their own four cats. So, in my memory, they have made a $1,000 contribution to the Snuggles Park Memorial Fund to Help Animals here at All Creatures. (See Nov. 21, 2013, blog post about Jasper the Dachshund for more information about the Snuggles Fund.)

Snuggles was a brave, old cat with what he went through for years, going to All Creatures twice a week for his fluids and shots. When Snuggles died, his family wanted to do something so that his death could bring about some good for other animals. By telling my story about the garage door, they want to be sure that at least my death might prevent deaths or injuries to other small pets and children.

I hope all your pets live long and healthy and that they love you as much as I loved my people!

Miss Kittie

Screech owl ready to be released after two months!

One of the many advantages of working at a vet clinic is seeing amazing creatures like this Screech Owl come in.  This little guy came in with a broken wing after being hit by a car.  After a few months the wing has finally healed and as soon as the weather clears we will release him back into the wild. 

Important message about antifreeze!!!

Antifreeze poisoning is one of the most common forms of poisoning in small animals, and this is because it is so commonly found in households. Antifreeze poisoning typically happens when antifreeze drips from a car’s radiator, where it is licked off the ground and ingested by a pet. Your dog may also come into contact with antifreeze that has been added to a toilet bowl. This occurs in homes where the residents will use antifreeze during the cold months to "winterize" their pipes. Even if you do not take this action in your own home, it is something to be aware of when visiting other homes, or when vacationing at a winter residence.

It is the toxin ethylene glycol that makes antifreeze lethal. Because of this, dogs will consume great quantities of ethylene glycol before being repulsed by its aftertaste. By then, it is too late. It does not take a significant amount of ethylene glycol to cause fatal damage to the system; less than three ounces (or 88 ml) of antifreeze is sufficient to poison a medium-sized dog. Antifreeze poisoning affects the brain, liver, and kidneys.

Ethylene glycol is also found in engine coolant and hydraulic brake fluids.

Symptoms

Some common signs of antifreeze poisoning in dogs and cats include:

• Drunken behavior
• Euphoria/Delirium
• Wobbly, uncoordinated movement
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Excessive urination
• Diarrhea
• Rapid heart beat
• Depression
• Weakness
• Seizures/Convulsions/Shaking tremors
• Fainting
• Coma

Prevention

Antifreeze poisoning can be easily avoided by following a few simple precautions:

1. Keep antifreeze containers tightly closed and stored out of the reach of pets.
2. Take care not to spill antifreeze, and if it is spilled, ensure that it is immediately and thoroughly cleaned up.
3. Dispose of used antifreeze containers properly.
4. Check the radiator of your car regularly, and repair leaks immediately.
5. Do not allow your dog to wander unattended where there is access to antifreeze (e.g., roads, gutters, garages, and driveways).
6. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has labeled propylene glycol safe and it is now used for antifreeze. Look for antifreeze with this ingredient instead, to keep your pet safer from accidental poisoning

If you think your pet has ingested antifreeze or has any of the symptoms listed above contact your veterinarian immediately!

Think you got your butt chewed...

This is "Rex". He was attacked by two neighborhood dogs. As you can see his injuries were severe but he is healing really well.  The wounds were sutured but because of loss of blood supply to the skin a large area died and sloughed off. This left a large open wound that will take months to heal. He has a loving family that is doing a lot of home care to keep the area clean and to promote skin regeneration. 

Holiday pet saftey tips!!

As you may know chocolate, coffee, mistletoe and holly can be toxic to dogs and cats.  But here are some of the other common dangers pets face during the holiday season that you may not be aware of:

*lights and extension cords

*tinsel and ribbon

*holiday meals

*sweet treats

*holiday plants

PLEASE KEEP YOUR PETS SAFE DURING THE HOLIDAYS!!