Avoid Memorial Day Mishaps

Memorial Day Weekend is in a few days, and while it’s a great time to celebrate with family and friends, we need to be cautious of our pet’s safety.  Fireworks are a Memorial Day tradition, and while most of us enjoy the noise and flashes from a firework display, this can be extremely frightening to dogs.  Here are some tips to keep your dog safe during the holiday weekend.

• Keep your dog inside at all times.  It is easy to lose track of your pet when you’re entertaining guests.

• Be cautious of alcoholic beverages.  Make sure all alcohol is kept out of reach and guests are mindful where they place their drinks.

• Avoid offering table scraps.  Raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate and avocados are common snacks found at barbeques, but these are all toxic to dogs.

• Make sure your pet is wearing an ID tag or microchip.  If your pet becomes lost during the holiday commotion, they can be easily identified.

• Stay clear of glow jewelry.  Dogs can chew up and swallow the plastic jewelry, which can cause excessive drooling and gastrointestinal upset.

• Leave your pet at home when going to a fireworks display.  The combination of loud noises and unfamiliar people can be extremely frightening and traumatizing to your pet. 

Everyone at Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod wishes you a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.  We would like to honor all of the men and women who sacrificed their lives to serve in the U.S. Military and continue to serve to keep our Country safe. 

 

Summer Time Tips

As the weather warms up and summer approaches, we will be spending more time outside with our family, friends and pets!  Many of us will be having cookouts and spending our days at the beach.  Here are some helpful tips to keep your pet safe during these fun social gatherings.

• Save outdoor time with your pet during the early morning or later in the day.  Pets can easily succumb to heatstroke, especially pets who are older, overweight, or brachycephalic (has a flat-shaped face).  Always provide plenty of cold water and shade.  Avoid walking on pavement when the sun is in full force, as this can burn your pet’s paws. 

• Be mindful of food during barbeques.  Corncobs, chicken bones and ribs are just a few common foods that can cause obstructions if ingested by your pet, which may require surgery.  Keep food out of reach from your pet at all times and don’t forget to keep a tight lid on any trash cans.

• Avoid bringing your dog for a day at the beach.  While this may sound like a great idea, we recommend limiting your dog’s beach excursions to either early morning or late afternoon.  It is too hot for your pet to endure an entire day at the beach, which can result in heat stroke.  Dogs can ingest sand, come in contact fish hooks and drink saltwater, all of which can become very serious and require veterinary care.

As pet owners, we naturally want to involve our pets during social gatherings or day excursions.  However, we must always place our pet’s safety first and foremost.  Often times, this means keeping your pet at home in a cool and safe environment. 

 

The Importance of AAHA Accreditation

Did you know that Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod is one of only three veterinary hospitals on Cape Cod that is AAHA accredited?  In fact, we are the only AAHA accredited veterinary hospital located in the Mid Cape.  The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is the only organization to accredit companion veterinary hospitals.  AAHA accredited hospitals hold themselves to higher standards, placing pets as their #1 priority.  What sets AAHA accredited practices apart from non-accredited practices?

• Accreditation is voluntary – only hospitals interested in raising the bar strive for this accreditation

• Accredited practices undergo regular comprehensive evaluations by AAHA veterinary experts who evaluate the practice on approximately 900 standards of veterinary care

• Re-evaluations are required every three years to keep practices up-to-date

• Only 12-15% of all veterinary practices in the United States and Canada are AAHA accredited

We encourage everyone to ask if their veterinary hospital is AAHA accredited, regardless of where you bring your pet.  The AAHA evaluation process gives us the opportunity to continuously improve our practice and provides an atmosphere in which all team members work together harmoniously.  If you’ve never been to Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod, we encourage you to stop by for a visit!  We are confident that our hospital with both meet and exceed your expectations of a veterinary hospital.

 

Happy Vet Visits Part 8

A lot of changes have been made to help ease your pet’s fears and anxiety when coming to the veterinary hospital.  We understand that it can be nerve-racking when your pet is brought to the back for vaccines and bloodwork.  The inability to see what is being done to your pet can make you feel helpless, even if you know and trust your veterinarian.  For this reason, we are performing more vaccinations and bloodwork in the exam room with owners present.  Here are few changes you will see:   

• Lower-stress handling approach.  There are long-standing consequences for the future ability to handle your pet based on how your pet was handled in the past.  Our gentle, lower-stress handling approach will leave a positive experience in your pet’s mind.

• We believe in positive reinforcement and pets often appreciate treats as a reward.  Each exam room is stocked with plenty of treats.  We encourage bringing a hungry pet for exams.

• We try our best to examine your pet in their comfort zone.  Whether that be on the floor, an exam table, in their crate with the lid removed, or even your lap!   

We have made these changes to benefit both you and your pets.  If you are uncomfortable watching your pet receive vaccinations or other treatments, you are welcome to step out of the exam room or we can bring your pet to the back – the choice is yours.  Next time you come for a visit, we encourage you to take note of the changes we made.  We never want pets to fear going to their veterinarian and we’re hoping to make veterinary visits fun for both pets and their owners.  If your pet suffers from extreme anxiety, we encourage you to alert the client services representative when booking the appointment.  We will go above and beyond your expectations to make your pet’s visit a positive one!

 

Lending a Helping Hand

Most of us know Dr. Burns as a wonderful veterinarian that treats our cats, dogs and sometimes feathered family members.  Many of you may not know Dr. Burns’ passion for Ocean Conservacy – with particular interest in shark conservation.

Recently, Dr. Burns was in Hawaii.  While most of us would spend our time in paradise soaking up the sun with a tropical beverage in hand, Dr. Burns seized this opportunity to help an animal in need.  While out at sea, Dr. Burns noticed a plastic bottle on the surface.  Upon closer inspection, he realized that this bottle was attached to a female oceanic white tip shark. 

While it may not seem like much, this air-filled bottle was keeping this shark at the surface, tiring her, and would likely result in death.  Unfortunately, fisherman will occasionally do this as retribution to sharks that take baits and to keep them off their lines.

Dr. Burns and his team were able to corral her, and his teammate was able to cut her free.  She did momentarily “panic” towards Dr. Burns during the process, but eventually cruised away.  The team kept up with her as long as they could after cutting her free.  She resumed a normal swimming pattern and was rejoined by almost a dozen pilot fish.

Happy Vet Visits Part 7

Our canine companions can suffer from fear and anxiety when going to the veterinarian.  When redesigning our hospital, a major goal was to reduce anxiety for both pets and owners.  Visiting your vet shouldn’t be stressful, in fact, we think it should be fun!  Here are some changes we made specifically with your pooch in mind:

• Our scale is flush with the floor and equipped with an anti-slip surface.  The days of forcing your dog to step up on a cold metal scale are over!

• Expanded species-specific waiting area.  Even with multiple dogs, there’s plenty of room for everyone to sit and relax in peace.

• Plenty of treats available in our lobby and exam rooms.  Have a dog with food allergies?  No worries!  We’ve got you covered with hypoallergenic treats – just ask!

• Adaptil diffusers in examination rooms are continuously releasing calming pheromones.

• Soothing music in canine only examination rooms specifically designed to calm dogs.

• Complimentary thunder shirts are available during your dog’s visit to help ease anxiety.

We’re excited to offer your dog the very best during his/her visit to our newly redesigned hospital.  If you haven’t seen our new facility, we recommend to swing by!  Hospital tours are available upon request. 

 

Happy Vet Visits Part 6

When our hospital went under renovations, we made a point to make the atmosphere as relaxing and inviting as possible.  We understand that bringing your pet to the vet can be stressful, and while we touched upon some tricks that you can try at home, we made some major changes to the design with your comfort in mind.

• Large waiting area with high ceilings.  Even if you don’t suffer from claustrophobia, it can be stressful if you’re waiting for your appointment in a small waiting area. 

• Plenty of natural sunlight.  Our lobby is filled with large windows allowing natural light to fill our entire lobby.

• Pleasing color scheme.  The colors of our facility were carefully selected to be pleasing to both pets and people.

• Stunning 440 gallon saltwater fish tank.  Relax and watch our captive raised tropical fish and corals.

• Complimentary coffee, tea and bottled water is available at all times.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to stop by and see our newly renovated facility, we highly encourage you to.  All changes were designed to benefit both you and your pets.  Additionally, if you’re planning on going out of town, ask for a guided tour of our new Salty Paws Resort.  There’s no better or safer place to have your pets stay when you’re away!