Category: Exotic

82 Vet News across the nation this week.

There was a lot of interesting pet related news articles this week that I wanted to share.

1.Texas A&M emergency veterinary team helping out in flood zone
The Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team was deployed to Junction, Texas, to provide veterinary care for search-and-rescue dogs working in a flood. “Our goal is always to keep them safe, see problems before they happen and to be there in case of a severe injury happens,” said veterinarian Wesley Bissett, a professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
KBTX-TV (Bryan-College Station, Texas)

2. You tube how to brush dog teeth– 5 min long
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB3GIAgrTPE&feature=youtu.be?utm_source=smartbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=smartbrief-article

3. Why do Siberian Huskies have blue eyes? It’s in the genes.
http://www.aaha.org/blog/NewStat/post/2018/10/08/437784/My-what-blue-eyes-you-have-and-now-we-know-why.aspx

4. Which nutrional websites to trust? Here are some guidelines. http://www.tuftscatnip.com/issues/26_10/feature/Which-Nutrition-Websites-to-Trust-986-1.html?ET=tuftscatnip:e2853:2127383a:&st=email&s=p_WeeklyUpdate100118

5.  Bees went silent during last year’s  total solar eclipse
Citizen-scientists placed microphones in flower patches at 11 locations in the path of the 2017 solar eclipse and found that bees behaved normally as the light grew dim and the air cooled, but they abruptly stopped buzzing during totality. The study was published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America.https://www.sciencenews.org/article/what-bees-did-during-great-american-eclipse

6. 3D-printed model improves veterinary surgery planning
Veterinarians at VCA Great Lakes Veterinary Specialists in Ohio worked with engineers at Case Western Reserve University on a 3D-printed model to prepare for surgery to mend a puppy’s severely fractured foreleg. Veterinary surgeon Andy Law said the model enabled him to correct the pup’s bone deformities with a minimum of cuts.
WEWS-TV (Cleveland) (10/10)

7. Distemper outbreak compels La. animal shelter to take action
An animal shelter in St. Landry Parish, La., had to euthanize some dogs, temporarily halt intakes and adoptions, and thoroughly disinfect the facility due to an outbreak of canine distemper. The outbreak might lead parish officials to pass new vaccination requirements, parish President Bill Fontenot said.
KADN-TV (Lafayette, La.)

62 Fruit and pets

I had the good fortune recently to be gifted with 60-80 # of small plums. They weren’t all ripe, so I was able to process then in several “batches” as they ripened. First I made plum wine (8 gallons), and then I made plum jelly (31 jars). Later I made Chinese Plum sauce, and lastly I made some plum jam with extra flavorings like cinnamon & orange zest. I went “plum crazy” and got “plum tired”. At one point I had a gallon pail of discarded plum pits and skins that I was planning to throw out, but still kept adding to it. I wondered what would happen if my Sheltie decided to eat the plum parts. After a little extra reading, I was glad he didn’t and I threw them away immediately.
I figure there are some common fruits that our pets might encounter: apples, bananas, strawberries, peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, grapes (raisins), watermelon (melons), and avocados. Most are very healthy for humans and dogs. I didn’t mention cats because they seldom choose to eat fruit, but if they did the same comments apply.
Health benefits: tasty, sweet treats with high fiber
Health hazards: pits, intestinal obstruction, GI upsets, extra calories. Stone fruits like peach & plum have cyanide in the pits. Raisins, grapes and currants can to be toxic, causing kidney failure. Avocados contain persin, which isn’t toxic for dogs and cats, but can be for birds. Those big avocado pits could be a problem with obstruction even for big dogs.
Fortunately, I seldom see any of these. I have seen puppies get a good belly ache from eating rotting peaches and crab apples that fell from trees.
So enjoy your fruit, share it in moderation with your pets, but be careful with those pits. Go “plum wild!”
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/5-fruits-and-veggies-that-are-toxic-to-your-dog/
http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/raisins/

Avocado

61 Early Heat Wave

With the unseasonably hot temperatures we are experiencing at the end of May (“hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk”), I thought I would remind every one of the dangers of the heat for our pet species.
Dog can’t sweat, except their foot pads. They can only cool themselves by panting, direct contact with a cool surface, or getting wet. They can get heat stroke on walks or playing at dog parks, so only play outside early in the morning or late at night. Burned footpads can really happen on a sidewalk. Would you walk on it barefoot? And use extreme caution with smushy face breeds, like Pekinese, Pugs, and Bull dogs.
Some heat prevention tips: Extra water, water with ice cubes, fans, baby pools, sprinklers, don’t leave in cars, and brush out undercoats.
Cats can heat stroke too, but they seem to smarter. I have only treated cats with heat stroke from being locked in a garage (by accident), or dryer kitties. A panting cat is really overheated or has heart and lung problems.
Tip for heat prevention in cats are similar to dogs: Lots of ways to drink ( ice cubes, drippy faucets), fans, brush out undercoat, and extreme caution with smushy face breeds like Persians
Pet birds are only going to get heat stressed if the AC fails. But a fan blowing on them helps if you see them holding their wings out from their bodies.
Outside bunnies can get heat stressed easily. Keep them in the shade, with a fan, and place frozen plastic water bottles in their hutch.
Even pet cold blooded reptiles have trouble > 100. Don’t put your snake or turtle outside in the sun.
Be smart & stay inside with the AC on.

https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-care/heat-wave-safety-dog/

52 Bunnies and Easter

As we get close to Easter this year, I began wondering why a rabbit is a common symbol for the holiday. And we have already started getting calls from clients that they have found an”abandoned” litter of baby bunnies in their yard.
Wikipedia had some answers to my Easter Bunny questions. In the 1700s, German Lutherans brought the tradition of the “Easter Hare” who was like a rabbit version of Santa Claus that judged children‘s behavior, would dress in clothes, and carry a basket with eggs and candy. Another theory has to do with the prolific reproductive abilities of rabbits to have many offspring, representing a fertility symbol for spring.
As a vet, I do see pet rabbits of all ages. But I don’t recommend “wild” rabbits as pets, which are not the same species as our common domesticated rabbits. Bunnies, like all live pets including dogs and cats, should not be “gifts” for children.
What should you do if find baby bunnies in your yard? There is some great information on http://www.wildrescuetexas.org/. Wild bunnies are prey, so they don’t stay at the nest like a dog or cat might. Mamma bunnies stay away, only coming in a few times a day, generally under cover of darkness, to quickly feed the babies and leave again. So it is perfectly normal NOT to see the momma bunny. Don’t panic, check out the website for tricks to see if babies are OK, and how to check if mom has checked on them. Fun fact, baby rabbits have their eye closed (like dogs and cats also) until they are 10 days old. By 3 and ½ weeks they are weaned, and by 4 to 5 weeks they are ready to go out in the world on their own.
What if your kids want to “see the Easter Bunny”? He will be at the Lewisville Mall (now called Music City Mall, 11am-7 pm every day until Saturday, March 31, and Easter Sunday he will be there noon- 6pm for pictures. http://www.mcmlewisville.com/ The Highland Village annual Easter Egg Hunt at Unity Park was last weekend, March 24. Last weekend was also the Funny Bunny Festival for Lewisville at Railroad Park with a petting zoo, train, egg hunts and pictures with the Easter Bunny.
There is a new event this weekend called Fido Fest 2018 at Westchester Park in Flower Mound, Saturday March 31, from 10 am to 1 pm. There will be a dog walk, contests, activities, vendors, and entertainment. Admission is free, dogs are welcome, but some activities have fees. For more info, HumaneTomorrow.org/FidoFest.
For more Bunny information:
http://www.wildrescuetexas.org/
https://www.greensourcedfw.org/articles/north-texas-wild-dallas-rehabber-wild-rabbit-rescues-multiply-spring