As we approach Independence Day, it's crucial to prioritize the safety and well-being of our furry companions during the festivities. The Fourth of July brings excitement, but it can also pose potential hazards to our pets. In this blog post, we'll provide simple and actionable tips to ensure a safe and stress-free holiday for your beloved pets.
1. Create a Safe Retreat: Fireworks can be frightening for pets due to the loud noises and bright lights. Set up a cozy and secure space within your home where your pet can seek refuge during the fireworks display. Prepare a quiet room with some background noise, like soft music or the television, and ensure that it is escape-proof, with no open windows or doors. This will provide your pet with a comfortable retreat to help minimize anxiety. 2. Keep Pets Indoors: During Independence Day celebrations, it's best to keep your pets indoors, even during daytime activities. The sudden bursts of fireworks or noise from firecrackers can startle animals and cause them to become disoriented or run away. By keeping them inside, you reduce the risk of your pet getting lost or injured. Ensure all windows and doors are securely closed to prevent accidental escapes. 3. Identification and Microchipping: Accidents can happen, no matter how careful we are. Make sure your pet has proper identification tags securely attached to their collar with up-to-date contact information. Additionally, consider microchipping your pet for a permanent form of identification. Microchips greatly increase the chances of a lost pet being reunited with their family. Contact us for more information on microchipping and to verify that your pet's information is current. 4. Avoid Hazards from Human Food: During holiday gatherings, resist the temptation to share your favorite treats with your pets. Some common human foods can be toxic to animals. Steer clear of feeding your pets chocolate, alcohol, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, or any foods containing artificial sweeteners like xylitol. These substances can be harmful and potentially life-threatening. Instead, provide safe and pet-friendly treats or contact us for suitable options. 5. Firework Safety: If you plan to set off fireworks at home, always prioritize the safety of your pets. Ensure they are safely indoors, away from the launching area. The loud noises and bright lights can cause extreme anxiety and stress in pets. Consider alternative options like visual displays or silent fireworks to minimize the impact on your furry companions. Contact us for more information on pet-friendly firework alternatives. 6. Calming Techniques: If your pet experiences anxiety or fear during fireworks, there are calming techniques you can try. Contact us for more information on natural remedies such as anxiety wraps or pheromone diffusers that can provide a sense of security. Additionally, create a soothing environment with dimmed lights, comfortable bedding, and familiar toys to help your pet feel more at ease. As you prepare to celebrate Independence Day, remember to keep your pets safe and secure. By following these simple tips, you can ensure a stress-free and enjoyable holiday for your furry friends. Contact us for more information about pet safety during this festive time. Let's make this Fourth of July a wonderful and pet-friendly celebration while safeguarding our beloved companions. Have a safe and joyful Independence Day! As spring brings warmer weather and blooming flowers, many of us also experience the woes of allergy season. Over-the-counter medications can help alleviate our symptoms, but it's important to be aware of potential toxins that could harm our furry friends!
While some over-the-counter allergy medications like cetirizine or diphenhydramine may be safe for pets, always follow your veterinarian's instructions and check the label for any additional active or inactive ingredients that may be harmful. If you suspect your pet has ingested a toxin, contact your veterinarian immediately or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's 24-hour hotline at 888-426-4435. As veterinarians, we understand the importance of spending quality time with your furry friends, especially during the spring season when the weather is perfect for outdoor activities. However, as much as we love to have fun with our pets, it's crucial to keep them safe while enjoying the outdoors. Here are some Springtime tips for safely enjoying the outdoors with your dog.
We recommend that you request refills at least one week prior to running out of medications or prescription food. This will allow enough time for the veterinarian to approve the prescription and for the VetSource website to ship the medication to you within 3-6 days. Why "Other" Online Pharmacies are UNSAFE:
![]() Veterinary medicine has advanced leaps and bounds over the past few decades. Laser therapy is one of the most recent additions, allowing us another method to safely treat a wide range of conditions in dogs and cats. We use our Companion Therapy Laser every day to enhance healing for surgical patients, decrease pain and inflammation from infections and injuries, and improve mobility for arthritic pets. Many clients ask about how laser therapy works, and how it affects their pets. Here are answers to our most common questions: ![]() New texting and mobile app now available! There are two new convenient ways to contact us: our new mobile app, and two-way texting! Our new mobile app is called Pet Health Network. You can use it to request an appointment, view your pet’s vaccination history and prescription details, request prescription refills, and access information about our practice. To start using the app, download Pet Health Network from the iPhone App Store or the Android Google Play store. Whether you have the mobile app or not, you can text us anytime at 724-397-3041. IMPORTANT NOTES:
We look forward to hearing from you! Update January 4, 2023: We created this page nearly two years ago as a reference for our clients in response to the negative press that Seresto collars were receiving in the media. Since then, we have received dozens of messages and questions from pet owners across the country. If you are looking for more information about how to verify whether your collar is legitimate, please review the manufacturer's information page and contact them directly using this link. If you came across this page via a Google search, please note that we are NOT the Seresto collar's manufacturer. We are a small animal veterinary office. We cannot look up lot numbers or verify the validity of your collar purchased elsewhere. Please contact Elanco directly using the link above or call them at (800) 255-6826 with any related concerns. Thank you! Dear Pet Parent,
A recent USA Today article regarding the safety of Seresto collars has gone viral, prompting an influx of calls from concerned clients. We're reaching out to provide information and assurance based upon reliable science and our firsthand experiences using this product for nearly a decade. The article claims to reveal information linking the use of the Seresto flea and tick collar with illness (specifically seizures) and death of pets. This article appears to be a sensationalized misrepresentation of the data collected by the EPA. Here’s the trouble: these data are simply collections of spontaneous reports made to the agency directly by consumers. The purpose of such reporting sites is to create a place for people to raise concerns. Public health agencies collect and monitor these spontaneous reports for trends that suggest a problem that merits investigation. If a pattern is seen that suggests there might be a safety issue, the agency can investigate to determine if there is a real concern or not. Investigations have not been done to show the reports in this article are accurate or that there are legitimate connections between the product and the events described. To illustrate why this raw data is not reliable on its own, consider that the same issue has arisen numerous times over many years with regard to vaccines and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), managed by the CDC and the FDA. VAERS collects unsubstantiated anecdotal reports about possible harm from vaccines. Despite the overwhelming evidence for the safety of vaccination and most vaccines in common use, these reports are frequently cited by anti-vaccine activists in an attempt to “prove” that vaccines are causing tremendous harm. One doctor actually submitted a report that a vaccine caused him to turn into the Incredible Hulk, and this report would still be in the VAERS database if he had not allowed the government to delete it - his point was to show that any claim can become part of the database, no matter how outrageous or improbable. The USA Today article conflates a different pesticide with a high level of toxicity (a crop insecticide for agricultural applications) with the well-studied chemicals that are used in the brand name Seresto collar, which have decades of safe use in dogs and cats. Peer-reviewed, published studies provide scientific data proving the safety and efficacy of these ingredients used in combination in the Seresto collar; here is a 2012 study done in Europe (with higher regulatory standards than the US) and a 2015 international study that tested the collar alone and when used concurrently with other common antiparasitic treatments. One critical issue that this article fails to address is the prevalence of knockoff or lookalike products. Unfortunately, if a veterinary product is successful, greedy companies try to capture some of the market by producing products that appear similar but contain different ingredients, or a different proportion of ingredients. It is not unusual for counterfeit replicas of a brand-name product to be produced in foreign countries and sold online posing as the original product. These knockoffs are convincing but have not passed the regulatory testing required of properly approved products to confirm safety and efficacy. Well-meaning consumers that have inadvertently purchased these products online or in retail stores may observe adverse effects in their pet and submit a report vilifying the brand-name product, even though that is not what caused the side effects. Know that we have full confidence in the Seresto collars sold in our hospital, as we purchase directly from the manufacturer and can guarantee the legitimacy of our stock. Our doctors and staff have been using this product consistently on their own pets since Seresto first entered the market in 2012 and will continue to do so for convenient, safe and effective flea and tick control that we trust. We have seen a small percentage of dogs and cats with localized reactions (skin irritation/hair loss around the area of the collar), in which cases we have immediately addressed any issues and developed a new prevention program using an approved alternative product. We have always recommended that clients choose a preventative program that best fits their pet, lifestyle and comfort level. Your pet's safety and health remains our priority and if any legitimate concern were to arise involving any products or medications provided to your pet, we would reach out to you immediately with information and a recommended course of action. Thank you for your continued trust in our care, Your pet's health team at Tender Touch Veterinary Hospital Your pet's oral health is about more than fresh breath! Advanced dental disease can cause illness elsewhere in the body as bacteria enters the bloodstream through inflamed gums. This can cause infection in the kidneys, liver - even the heart! Dental disease is also painful. As tartar builds up, the gums become red and irritated. Tartar buildup creeps below the gumline, eventually eating away at the structures that secure the teeth. A loose tooth is a painful tooth! What is a dental prophylaxis?![]() A dental prophylaxis (or dental cleaning) is the only way to thoroughly remove tartar buildup from all of your pet's teeth and allow for a "clean slate" to provide at-home oral care & maintenance (and hopefully prevent the need for future anesthetic procedures) ![]() For your pet's safety and to ensure a thorough cleaning, this procedure must be performed under general anesthesia. Precautions are taken to optimize safety, such as pre-anesthetic bloodwork, EKG & radiographs of the chest to detect abnormalities that may affect your pet's ability to handle anesthesia. All pets are monitored both manually and with electronic biometric equipment throughout anesthesia. Once under sedation, we use an ultrasonic cleaner to remove all traces of tartar that has accumulated on the surfaces of the teeth, as well as the calculus that we cannot see below the gumline. We use a special probing instrument to measure the gingival depth surrounding each tooth. This helps us locate pockets of bone loss that may identify a diseased tooth that otherwise appears healthy to the naked eye. ![]() In addition to physical measurement, we use dental radiography to locate signs of disease. Look at tooth #105 in this photo. To view it from the outside, it looks perfectly normal - but the dark shadows around the root in the dental x-ray reveal bone loss all around. This is a diseased tooth that will cause pain and discomfort very soon if not extracted. We ask for pre-authorization for extractions when you drop your pet off for his procedure. Our goal is to minimize anesthetic time, and don't want to extend it if we're unable to reach you by phone. Know that we only perform extractions if absolutely necessary (i.e. the tooth is or will soon be causing pain to your pet). The veterinarian will use local anesthetic injections prior to extracting diseased teeth, and post-operative laser therapy is performed afterwards to minimize inflammation and jump-start the healing process. Can't I just brush my pet's teeth?![]() YES, we strongly encourage everyone to include daily toothbrushing in their pet's routine. However, brushing alone is not enough to remove tartar that has already hardened on the teeth. It's as tough as cement, and adheres so strongly to the surface of the tooth that it must be removed manually with an ultrasonic cleaner. After we've removed all the calculus, we polish your pet's teeth with a fluoride toothpaste (using a prophy cup just like at your dentist). This smooths out any microscopic scratches from the cleaning and provides a clean surface for you to start at-home oral maintenance. How much does it cost?Because every case is unique, we will provide a written treatment plan with an estimated range at the time of recommendation. The size of your pet and the severity of dental disease are the primary reasons for variation.
February is National Dental Health Month - check out our special offers here! Click here for answers to your cat's most pressing FAQs about life. :) |
Archives
June 2023
Categories
All
|