Grow a Garden for Your Pet

Gardening for Cats

If you have cats, try growing some catnip (also called cat mint) for them. You can give it to them fresh or dried. Some people even give their cats catnip tea. Cats also love to graze on wheat or rye grass, both of which are easy to grow outside or near a sunny window. If there are unwelcome cats in your garden, try planting a patch of catnip and wheat grass away from the garden. This will encourage them to stay out of your flowers or vegetables.

Gardening for Dogs

Fresh fruits and veggies aren't just good for humans- dogs can benefit too! Orange foods like carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin are all easy to grow and good for your dog to eat. Green veggies like celery, green beans, spinach, and broccoli are also good plants for your vegetable garden that you can share with your dog.  Feed broccoli in moderation- too much can alter thyroid function.
Most of these foods (like carrots, green beans, celery and broccoli) can be fed raw and unprocessed, but for your dog to get the most nutrients from them they should be lightly steamed, or processed in a blender first. Add blended veggies, pumpkin, or sweet potato to homemade dog cookies to give your dog some extra fiber and nutrients during snack time.
Try this recipe from Rodale:

Vegetarian Dog Treats
Substitute just about any fruit or vegetable in this great vegetarian dog-treat recipe to add variety. This recipe uses an egg as a binding agent, but if you want to make these treats vegan, just mix the dough longer and omit the egg.

Ingredients:
2½ cups flour
¾ cup dry milk powder
½ cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 vegetable bouillon cubes, dissolved in ¾ cup boiling water
½ cup carrots, green beans, apples, or blueberries
1 egg (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and form into a ball. On a flour-dusted cutting board, roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thick.

Cut with bone-shaped cookie cutter or any cutter shape your pet will like.

Dehydrate at the highest setting—145 to 155 degrees—until done, approximately 6 to 8 hours.

These treats should be very dry, so add time as necessary.

Blue-Green Algae

Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, is often present in fresh water ponds and lakes. Some types of cyanobacteria can produce toxins when they are present in large numbers. An overgrowth, or bloom, of blue-green algae looks like pea soup floating on top of the water.

These blooms are caused by many factors, including a high nutrient content and warm weather. There is no way to visually distinguish between blooms of blue-green algae that are safe and those that are toxic.
Drinking or swimming in water with toxic algal blooms can be especially life-threatening to dogs.
Symptoms of blue-green algae poisoning include the following:

• Vomiting, diarrhea, or black tarry stools
• Loss of appetite
• Weakness or lethargy
• Pale or yellowish color
• Excessive drooling or tearing of the eyes
• Muscle tremors or stiffness
• Inability to walk
• Difficulty breathing or blue gums

If you suspect your dog has been exposed to blue-green algae toxins, see your veterinarian immediately or come see us here at VACC. There is no antidote for these toxins, so the sooner you seek medical help, the better the prognosis. In this case, prevention really is the best medicine, so make sure to take a look at the water before your dog jumps in. Click here for a list of ponds and lakes on Cape Cod that have blue-green algae advisories. 

Garden Hose Hazards

In the summer we all spend more time outside with our pets, and many of us let our dogs drink from the hose, or use the hose for bathing our dogs.

An article recently published in the magazine Veterinary Medicine suggests that during hot days, using the hose for bath time can be dangerous. As the hose sits in the sun, the water inside can heat up enough to cause second or third degree burns. During one experiment, on a day when the temperature reached 94 degrees, the water inside the hoses reached 120 degrees after 2 hours in the sun. If you suspect your dog has been scalded by the hose, see your veterinarian or come see us here at VACC. It has also been suggested that the water sitting inside a hose can contain dangerous chemicals like BPA, and lead.
The safest thing you can do when using the hose with your dog is to let the water run for a few minutes before you start the bath or fill the bowl. Click here for more warm weather safety tips.

Thank You for Voting Us #1!

The 2012 Reader's Choice Awards have been announced, and Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod was voted number 1 animal clinic in Cape Cod, and in Yarmouth! Thanks to all who voted!

Therapeutic Laser

At Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod, our doctors have the option to prescribe therapeutic laser treatments to their patients. Laser therapy is pain-free and non-invasive, and can often reduce or eliminate the need for pain medications. The laser penetrates deep into the tissue of the patient and often results are immediate.

The therapeutic laser we use at VACC is the same one used in human medicine, and provides the following benefits for our patients:

• Pain relief
• Reduction of inflammation
• Acceleration of healing through tissue repair
• Improved circulation
• Reduction of scar formation
• Improved nerve and immune function
• Stimulation of acupuncture points

Laser therapy has a cumulative effect, but many owners report improvement after the first session. At VACC, we routinely use laser therapy immediately following certain procedures, like ACL repair.  Post surgical therapeutic laser treatment is also part of our laser surgery package. In addition to acceleration of post surgical healing, the laser can be used to treat the following conditions:

• Arthritis, hip or elbow dysplasia, or degenerative joint disease
• Neck or back pain
• Wounds
• Chronic ear infections, hot spots, or other skin conditions
• Muscle, ligament, or tendon injury

If your pet is suffering from a chronic condition, or is taking regular pain medications, you may want to consider non-invasive, side effect- free, laser therapy. To make an appointment to consult with one of our veterinarians, call us at (508) 394-3566.

A Laparoscopic Neuter at VACC

At Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod we are proud to offer our patients some of the highest quality care in the area. Our surgeons have a variety of options when deciding how to approach each procedure, including the use of laser and laparoscopic equipment. Recently a patient came in for a cryptorchidectomy with Dr. Burns (this is a neuter where one or both testicles are retained). In this case, one of the dog's testicles had not descended into the scrotum. Normally this would be a major abdominal surgery with a very large incision, but because we have the ability to perform procedures laparoscopically here at VACC, Dr. Burns was able to find and remove the retained testicle in a minimally invasive way.
In the video below, you can see the part of the procedure where the doctor locates and secures the retained testicle for removal.

Just after the video, doctor Burns used a piece of equipment called the LigaSure to detach the testicle from the body. The LigaSure is a device that uses a combination of energy and pressure to seal blood vessels as it cuts through tissue. When our surgeons use the LigaSure there is no bleeding, and no sutures are needed.

Laparoscopic procedures require more equipment, and therefore more training for our surgeons and technicians, but we feel that the benefits to our patients are worth it!

Feline Nutrition

Here is a video from our friends at the CATalyst Council with information on feline nutrition and tips on dealing with feline obesity. As always, if you have any questions about changing your cat's diet or exercise routine, contact your veterinarian, or come see us here at VACC.