The Whole Pet
News and Tips from Beverly Animal Natural Health Center
Happy WinterWith the Ground Hog seeing his shadow last week, we are in store for more winter! I personally love the snow so that makes me happy. I know a few huskies and some other pets that really love the snow too!
Hope you like the look and functionality of the new website. There are many parts of it still under construction but hopefully by spring I will get that all done! I am hoping that you will find the links very useful.
Please be aware that I will be on vacation with my family next week from
Feb 16th to the 20th. Dr Ricketts will be in Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Jenna will have the office open Tuesday from 12-6 and Thursday from 8-4
for prescriptions, appointments and general questions. Thank you!
All of us have been impacted by the recent economic turmoil in one way or another. This includes our pets too! To “weather out” this storm, here are a few recommendations I think will help with the pets of the family!
Keep the annual appointment!
The saying “an ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure” holds true for our pets. Between the fact that they age
so much quicker than people and that they tend not to vocalize about any
discomfort they may have, it is very important to have the annual exam. Dr
Ricketts and I obtain a detailed history then do a complete exam. Picking
up signs of early osteoarthritis, heart murmurs, periodontal disease can
help owners be more aware of serious health signs that will need intervention.
Do not skimp on parasite prevention!
We see pets with parasites very frequently
even in the winter. Interceptor protects against roundworms, hookworms and
roundworms as well as heartworm for our canine patients. Novartis also offers
a great twenty dollar rebate for every twelve pack. All you need to do is
send in the receipt with the rebate and you receive ten dollars now and ten
dollars in eleven months. For the cats, we have a topical dewormer now which
is so easy to apply and takes care of roundworms and tapeworms.
Tick and flea control is also important. We recommend K9Advantix for dogs and Frontline Plus for cats. You may be able to skip a month or so when there is a lot of snow pack and your dog may be outside less, but remember that ALL ticks can be found in winter. We don’t recommend over the counter flea products such as bombs, sprays etc as so often they do not contain insect growth regulators so they only take care of some of the flea life cycle!
Consider pet health insurance.
While this may seem counterproductive when
trying to save money, the investment in pet health insurance may save your
pet’s life if an injury or illness occurs. Not all conditions are covered,
so do investigate before purchasing.
You can check out this
website for more information.
Freedom of Bark/Meow
A new state bill would stop devocalization, the cruel practice of cutting a pet's vocal cords simply because he barks or meows a lot. Those who support devocalization for profit or convenience are aggressively lobbying the State House to kill the bill.
Your voice is needed to prevent dogs and cats from being robbed of theirs.
Please call your STATE rep and senator. Make sure your friends, family and neighbors call their state legislators too. Constituents rule!
Urge your rep/senator to support An Act Prohibiting Devocalization of Dogs and Cats, which benefits society as well as animals by encouraging responsible pet ownership over risky convenience surgery.
Who are your state legislators? Find out by calling 800-462-8683 during normal business hours.
Don't just leave a voicemail. Call until you reach an aide.
Keep it short, positive, unemotional--but strong. Let legislators know this is a front-burner issue for you.
A
few little letters, a one syllable word…but what a cat!
Boo passed onto Cat Heaven Monday after a battle with lymphoma. We kind of found each other back when I worked at Hawthorne Animal Hospital in Salem. She was found when the old Parker Brother Buildings were being torn down in Salem. She was flea infested, funny looking and lovable. She became my cat right away. I spayed her, took an intact chicken bone out of her stomach at the time of surgery and treated her for fleas.
She had fun adventures being a hospital cat. There was that time I took her to classroom presentation at Salem State and she fell into a small hole in the floor and was there for over 6 hours. And then she came home with me after I left Hawthorne. She “pined” at the desk for me so I luckily got to take her home, hoping that she would be my new hospital cat. Well, once you have slept on a person’s bed why would you ever take a little kitty bed? So she lived at home with us for the rest of her 12 years. She was always so social and silly. The kids loved her from when they were babies and she would cuddle up with them. She had a few more adventures and health issues but she was always smiling. As humans, we are truly blessed when a pet can bring us such joy and happiness and ask for nothing in return. I will miss her.
