Permanent Identification For Your Pet

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO FOR A PET? is an article I recently

read and shared on Facebook and Google+.  This article relates a

recent event where a lady lost her pet dog and has spent the last

several months looking for him.  She has done an extraordinary job

in her search for her dog. Even though she has had no success in

finding her own dog, she has helped many other owners recover 

their own pets.

I could never imagine losing my

pet dog, Flojo, and not being

able to find her.  And the question

arises in my mind, "How far would

I go to get Flojo back?" I have

done the basic that is expected

and recommended to prevent her

loss: 1) She has a personalized

collar and tags, 2) she has an implanted and registered microchip,

3) I keep current pictures of her, and 4) she is licensed in the city

where we reside.

The current recommendation is to identify your pet in several ways.

1) Make sure they have a well-fitted collar around their neck with

current and updated information identifying your pet, and contact

information. 2) Follow local regulations regarding pet registration

with the city or county. 3) Provide permanent, non-alterable

identification for your pet in the form 

of an implanted microchip that can be

traced back to the owner. The brand

and microchip service we use at 

Dr. Sam Pet Hospital is 

AKC-Companion Animal Recovery

which includes registration at no

additional charge.

One additional tool that may be used

in the protection and identification of your pet is to publish a simple

website with your pet's information, and the site address printed on

the pet's personal tag, or using QR Coded tags. When scanned,

these tags direct to inquisitor to a website with the pet's updated

information.

Choosing any of these tools, or a combination thereof, to protect

our pets may help us reduce the odds of one day asking ourselves:

"HOW FAR WILL I GO FOR MY PET?"

Memory Lapse and Reminders

A routine veterinary day at Dr. Sam Pet Hospital is difficult enough,
but when an important component is forgotten, a routine day will
become extremely frustrating.  Let me explain.  I normally leave my
house at 4:50 am, drive for about 2 1/2 hours and arrive in Wendover,
UT some time past 7:00 am.  This routine occurs each and every
time we are open for business at Dr. Sam Pet Hospital.  When I arrive,
 all the supplies are unloaded, taken into the clinic, we set up for the
day, and begin seeing veterinary patients until we close between
6:00 and 7:00 pm.

However, on March 13th, 2013, this routine was a little different.
The difference was that I had forgotten all my business keys at home.
So, when I arrived to Wendover, I got out of the car, unloaded
some supplies, approached the entrance door, and in a frightening
moment I realized my keys were two and a half hours away.
Imagine my surprise, anger, desperation, stress, frustration, etc.
I have come to realize my memory is not as great as I wish it was,
and as a result I placed myself in quite a predicament that morning
jeopardizing my patients' wellness care, my business and the staff's
compensation.

In a similar fashion, it is very easy to forget our pets' routine
veterinary care at home.  It is quite simple not to remember when
"Fido's" vaccinations are due.  It's easy to simply forget to give
"Max" her "heartworm pill" each month on a particular day.
There would be no surprise to forget that "Fifi's" veterinary
appointment was yesterday.  Or, how common is it to forget to
give "Wolfie" his antibiotics and pain medications a few days after
his neuter surgery?... especially when he's now "acting normally?"
We are all human, with an very imperfect memory, and we simply
forget things (e.g. keys).  We can easily forget simple things that
our pets need; thus, jeopardize their well-being.  Nevertheless,
we have a responsibility to our non-human pals in providing them
with the care they deserve.

How can we make sure to remember our pets' veterinary care?
Simple... using reminders.  At Dr. Sam Pet Hospital we strive to
send out mail reminders for routine wellness and preventative care
for our patients.  We make reminder calls 1-2 days prior to a
veterinary appointment.  I personally call all surgery and dental
patients the following day to follow-up and remind to start certain
medications and treatments.  We post a calendar on our website
for our clients' reference.  Heartworm medication packaging
includes reminder stickers that can be applied to a calendar as a
reminder.  There are computer  websites and smartphone apps that
help us keep a calendar and serve as reminders. Please don't follow
my example of forgetfulness, but strive to do what may be necessary
to remind you about your pet's scheduled and timely wellness and
preventative care.

Protect Your Pets From Parasites

It has been a long, cold, snow-filled Winter here in Utah.  Finally,

a beautiful day, reaching 46 degrees F, enriched our lives today. 

The sun came out, the snow has melted, and our pet's dropping

were now thawed and dried on the yard, covering the dead grass

underneath.  It was time to put that "poop-scoop" to full use.

For a moment, I reflected on how unhygienic it is NOT to pick up

after our pets, and how easy it could be for other animals and even

children to pick up those droppings.  However, this thought was

interrupted by the realization that my own dog is "dewormed" 

monthly with a pill that kills a wide range of common and uncommon

intestinal parasites and heartworms.  Not to mention that her stools

are routinely tested for intestinal parasites.  As a result of both these

practices, I know very well that she is, and has been, parasite-free

her entire life.

So, why do I bother with the monthly "broad-spectrum dewormer"

for my dog? Well, while cleaning my own dog's droppings, I

stumbled onto a few piles of deer droppings in the front yard. 

These wild animals make it to my home, my dog's environment, my

child's play area, and spread their own feces all around.  While I

can control my dog's health, I cannot control other pets and wildlife, 

and she will always be exposed to parasites from other sources

(like those deer using my front yard as a latrine).

We have an arsenal of medications that help us treat and prevent

parasitic infections in our pets.  It is recommended that our pets

be tested, at least annually, for intestinal parasites and heartworms.

Also, the current recommendation is to keep them up-to-date on a 

monthly heartworm-preventative, and at least an annual general 

"dewormer" for intestinal parasites.  Many "heartworm pills" today 

also contain the general "dewormer", and if it is given monthly to 

our pets, we are preventing parasitic diseases in our pets and also 

protecting our families.

For more information please visit:

http://www.doctorsam.net/veterinary-articles/wellness-preventative-care

Animal Bites

Today was not a very fun day!!
A particular female dog was due for her vaccinations, came in to the
 clinic, but was not very friendly.  With all confidence I approached
 her and attempted to place a slip leash around her neck.  In a
fraction of an instant she turned her head in direction towards my
hand and, without obvious warning, managed to bite my right hand,
 leaving a puncture wound in three distinct fingers.
I immediately washed my hand twice, applied a bandage around
each finger, and made a report of the incident.  The technician verified
that this patient was up-to-date on her rabies vaccination, and the
animal was assigned to home quarantine and observation for the next
10 days.  My wounded hand was appropriately treated at an urgent
care clinic, and I received a Tetanus booster and antibiotics. I'm sure
I'll survive to see another day.

There are instances when our pets do not act or respond the way we
 want them to while in public.  In an extreme event one of those pets
will attack another animal, or worse, a person.  There are many
factors that may contribute to animals attacking other living beings,
which may be out of our control.  However, there are some factors
that we do control, and it is our responsibility to make sure we have
done all that is required of us to reduce the severity of an attack or its
consequences.  In my experience today, the owner had been
responsible in keeping her dog up to date on her rabies vaccine, which
 was quite the relief for me.  On the other hand (no pun intended), the
owner did not warn us about the dog's aggressive behavior, and did not
 tell us that her dog had acted in a similar fashion the previous time she
received vaccines.  Further, this dog had received no previous training
and was not well socialized.

My only invitation today is for all to be responsible pet owners with
our pets and with the public, such that in cases when animals bite,
we may reduce possible consequences.