Dr. Burns and Dr. Zarif appear in a new book about pets!

Two of VACC's doctors appear in a new book, Unconditional Love: Pet Tales to Warm the Heart by local author Brian J. Lowney.  Dr. Zarif talks about the importance of dental health for your pet, and Dr. Burns discusses the dangers of summer heat.  Find the book here on Amazon!
Stay tuned for a book release event.

National Guide Dog Month

September is National Guide Dog Month.  Have you ever wondered what to do when your pet meets a guide dog? Here are some tips, courtesy of The Seeing Eye:

10 Ways to Protect Dog Guide Teams:

• Learn about and obey your state and local leash laws. In many states it's a criminal offense to permit your dog to attack or interfere with a dog guide.
• Never let your pet near a dog guide, even if your dog is leashed. Dog guides are working animals and must never be distracted from their duties.
• Alert the blind person of your dog’s presence when passing by the team. A simple greeting of “Hi, I have a dog with me” is often appreciated.
• Keep your dog under good control at all times. Using a retractable leash in populated areas and leaving your dog tied up outside unattended in a public place endanger both the dog guide team and your own dog.
• Never allow a child or anyone unable to control your dog to walk it on a leash.
• Learn as much as possible about your family pet and its breed characteristics, especially relating to temperament.
• Enroll your dog in obedience classes. Properly socialized and trained dogs make better pets.
• Immunize against rabies and spay or neuter all dogs.
• Report any loose dogs roaming about in your neighborhood to the local police and animal control offices. Unsupervised pets in unfenced yards should also be reported.
• Offer assistance to a blind handler if you witness an attack or interference on a dog guide. If it is your dog that causes harm, take responsibility for its actions.

Feline Agility

Feline agility can be a fun way to help your cat shed those unwanted pounds. The obstacles for a feline agility course are similar to those used in canine agility, only they are smaller.
Here are a few pointers on getting your cat started:

• Many people use toys such as feathers or laser pointers to lure their cat through the obstacle. 
• Treats can be used as rewards during training, but if your cat is overweight don't use too many!
• Remember to use baby steps. If you are teaching your cat to jump through a hoop, Start with the hoop on the ground, so she can just walk through the first few times. You may even need to reward her for just sniffing the hoop at first.
• There are organizations that hold feline agility competitions. Their websites are a good place to look whether you would like your cat to travel to agility competitions, or just perform some tricks on a home made living room course.
• Cat Fanciers' Association
• International Cat Agility
• Many agility obstacles can be made at home using inexpensive items, like PVC tubing or cardboard boxes.
• Don't forget the point is to have fun! If you start to feel frustrated with your cat, move on to something else.

The Health Benefits of Pets

We all know our pets make us healthier. Just petting them can lower our blood pressure and heart rate, making us feel calm and relaxed. Results of a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics show that children exposed to dogs during their first year of life had fewer health problems. Specifically, children who lived with a dog had fewer respiratory infections, fewer ear infections, and needed fewer antibiotics than children who lived in pet-free households. The study concludes, "during the first year of life, animal contacts are important, possibly leading to better resistance to infectious respiratory illnesses during childhood."

Surgical Laser

The surgical laser is just one of the tools we use to provide your pet with the best care possible.  At VACC our surgeons are happy to have the option of using the surgical laser for their surgical procedures.The surgical laser offers the following benefits:

• reduced pain
• reduced bleeding
• faster recovery

For some procedures, such as a feline declaw, the surgical laser is always used, with great results. In addition to reduced bleeding, pain, and recovery time, the patients also have less swelling than they would if the procedure were done using traditional methods. The surgical laser also allows our surgeons to remove tissue with great precision. As you can see in the photo below, the surgical laser was used to draw a smiley face on the surface of the egg yolk without rupturing it.

 

Severe Allergic Reactions in Dogs

Recently at VACC, we saw a patient who was having an allergic reaction to greenhead bites. The family was visiting a Cape Cod beach when the dog started shaking her head excessively. A short time after, her face swelled up, and her family called us. As you can see in the photo below, her face was very swollen by the time she got here. She also had multiple welts on her legs where she was bitten by the flies.

Luckily they were able to get here quickly, and after a steroid injection and some observation she was able to get back to her vacation.
Severe allergic reactions like this can be dangerous because the swelling can potentially obstruct the dog's airway. If you notice your dog has any of the following symptoms, get her to a veterinarian right away:

• facial swelling
• hives
• difficulty breathing
• loss of consciousness

Severe allergic reactions can be caused by many things, including insect bites or stings, vaccines, medications, foods, or certain chemicals. Sometimes the reaction can be treated with over-the-counter Benadryl, but it is still important to contact your veterinarian to get the proper dose, and often Benadryl alone will not be enough to stop the reaction.

Mosquitoes and Heartworm Disease

Mosquitoes are an unfortunate reality of summer. While they may just be annoying to you, they can be dangerous to your pets. Mosquitoes transmit heartworm disease, which can be deadly if left unchecked.
The best thing you can do to protect your dog is to use a monthly heartworm preventive.
Watch the video below to learn more about the disease.