The Whole Pet
News and Tips from Beverly Animal Natural Health Center
Greetings all! Hard to believe it is already September! The
time goes by so fast! Mia is now 6 and Amy will be 4 in October so
life is quite busy. It has been a great summer with lots of fun.
I also completed my first half ironman at Timberman in Gilford NH on Lake Winnipesaukee. It was great!
We have also had a busy summer at the clinic with some of the usual seasonal maladies such as hotspots, flea dermatitis and seasonal allergies.
There have also been a number of dogs develop lyme disease. We do
recommend K9AdVantix for all our dog patients to help protect against Lyme,
Anapalsmosis and Erhlichia.
K9AdVantix has also been labeled for flea, mosquito and fly repellant. We have had ticks in our own yard, first time in years. There are some dogs that may get itchy at the site of the application of the K9Advantix. For those dogs, you can wash off the application site 36 hours later. There may be some dogs that do better with Frontline Plus. Otherwise, you do have to resort to sprays which need to be applied more frequently. At this time, we only stock K9Advantix and Bug N Out Spray, a natural spray that needs to be applied daily.
Outdoor cats can also be protected from ticks and fleas with Frontline. K9Advantix is ONLY for dogs and should never be used on a cat. Cats do not get tick borne diseases but we do not want them bringing ticks in to the home. Advantage is a great product for fleas only in cats.
We are also thrilled to have upgraded to digital dental radiography. This allows us to get radiographs of the teeth even faster than we were able to in the past. It will also allow us to be able to email clients the radiographs once we get that part of the system installed.
Many of you are aware of the deadly potential of this sugar substitute, but it is worth addressing again!
Xylitol is a sugar substitute and can be found in gum, chocolates, even toothpaste! In dogs, xylitol can cause a drop on blood sugar, with difficulty walking, collapse and seizures. It can even cause liver failure and death.
If you believe that your dog ingested any product with xylitol in it, please call the office or if after hours, the emergency clinic right away to determine best decontamination procedures for your pet.
Don’t forget, human products are not always safe for pets, including foods! Here are a few other toxic items commonly found in homes and yards:
- Tylenol KILLS cats. Never give any over the counter medication to your pet without checking with a veterinarian.
- GRAPES and RAISINS can cause kidney failure. Exact cause unknown. Obviously, some dogs and cats have been eating grapes as treats for years without any problem but best not to give!
- COCOA MULCH Do not use this product for gardening in your yard if you have a dog that likes to eat mulch. Just like chocolate, it can cause heart problems in dogs as they are not able to metabolize theobromine, the active ingredient in chocolate that is like caffeine.
Please make sure you get a special 10 year anniversary BANHC
Chico Bag. It is a great washable, compact reusable grocery bag. They
hold up to 20# and are so small you can fit them in your purse or pocket
so you don’t forget them in the car!
We also have other bags for sale with all proceeds going to my daughter Mia and Amy’s school.
BANHC
lost our good friend, Seamus, at the beginning of the summer. Seamus was
a frequent visitor to the clinic, as his owner is not only a long time client,
but our web designer as well. Seamus was well known throughout Beverly. Rough
coated collies are not very common in New England, and Seamus was a memorable
figure wherever he went in town. He loved to go to the beaches, parks
and neighborhoods of Beverly and made friends wherever he went. His
owner, Janet, worked for years with the Beverly Animal Resources Coalition
(BARC) to try and obtain some legal off leash space for Beverly dog owners. Photos
of Seamus not only appear on our website (he’s the collie in our homepage
banner), but on many other pet-related websites, including the BARC website.
Seamus also was a frequent visitor as a therapy dog at nursing homes, hospitals
and rehab centers. He was especially popular with the elderly, who
often had loved a special collie in their youth, with children who loved
to hug him, and with the baby boomer generation who grew up watching Lassie. No
matter where Seamus went, people wanted to meet him and say hello. A
gentleman in every sense, he was a wonderful ambassador for our Beverly dogs. True
to the collie nature, Seamus was even known to step between dogs whose play
got too rough, and separate them before any real trouble began.
We will miss Seamus, but we’ll always remember his gentle nature and his kind spirit. Seamus loved everybody and simply expected that everybody would love him in return. We can all learn a lot from our dogs. Seamus taught us that when we approach people with a smile and assume the best in people, they most often will return the favor. What a great legacy to leave behind! Thank you Seamus!
In the market for a new dog or cat? Please consider adopting from one of the many shelters and rescue groups.
Locally, there is the recently relocated Northeast Animal Shelter of Salem. MSPCA has Nevins Farms, a great facility located in Methuen.
We also recommend Animal Rescue Network Of New England which operates out of Pelham, New Hampshire.
Please check out these websites before you call a breeder or go to a pet store!!
Northeast Animal Shelter www.northeastanimalshelter.org
MSCPA Nevins Farm www.mspca.org
Animal Network of New England
www.arnne.org