Archive for April, 2012

In honor of “National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day”, we wanted to talk about 3 special kitties that we have up for adoption:

Dickens

Dickens
Dickens is a lovely female domestic short hair with piercing green eyes and a tuxedo coat. She is about 4 years old and longs for the right forever home. Dickens is bright and affectionate, but like any cat she has a mind of her own! As wonderful a girl as Dickens is, she did not fit in at her first home. She prefers to be an only cat and if the forever home has children, they should be older- she is very hesitant around small children. Dickens has a weakness for fish flavored food and her green cat bed is her favorite possession.

Gray

Gray
Gray is a 10 month old female domestic short hair who came to us with her mother, Smokey. She is a gorgeous tabby, with tawny eyes and delicate stripes in her gray fur. She hasn’t known much of life outside of a cage and would love a home to explore and feel safe in. Despite her sheltered life, Gray is extremely loving and craves attention. She is still very much a kitten and looks forward to playtime and treats.

Smokey

Smokey
Smokey is a small 2 year old female domestic short hair who came to us in February 2012 with her daughter Gray. Smokey is a beautiful gray tabby with a special physical trait- she has fewer toes then the average cat. This cute little anomaly has no effect on her movement, but makes her even more endearing. When Smokey first came to us she was a very frightened little girl but with patience and kindness from our staff she has grown quite trusting and affectionate. Do not let the look on this pretty girls face fool you- although she has  come a long way, she is a bit camera shy and was not too thrilled to have her picture taken!

This is Mr. Ryan and Molly.

Mr. Ryan and Molly

“She means the world to me,”  he said, and we are sure Molly feels the same toward Mr. Ryan.

We had seen Molly for a routine visit, and although her exam was essentially normal, Mr. Ryan mentioned that lately her appetite seemed off.  Blood tests revealed pancreatic enzymes over ten times normal level and evidence of inflammation and infection. From that day on Molly quickly went downhill. She became progressively weaker, had episodes of repeat vomiting, and complete lack of appetite in less then forty-eight hours. An ultrasound revealed severe duondenitis, which is inflammation of the first part of the intestines. This is an unusual finding in that this degree of inflammation is not usually seen in such a small area. Supportive care, IV fluids, antibiotics, antiemetics (which are used to control vomiting) and pain medications did not help.

A second ultrasound done less than 24 hours later showed a “mass effect” in that same area of the intestine, and Molly was rushed to surgery. The operation revealed a large, irregular mass in the proximal (forward most) wall of the intestines close to the points where the duct systems for the liver and pancreas empty into the intestines.At this point, we were very suspicious of cancer.

Molly showed a slow but progressive improvement in the two weeks following the surgery. A biopsy revealed a blood clot in the wall of the intestine, which was probably the consequence of the severe inflammation in the pancreas. Luckily, there was no cancer.

Molly and Mr. Ryan are now doing fine and are happy to be together again. Not all lumps are tumors, not all old dogs are doomed and not all dogs and people are this lucky – we are so happy this story has a happy ending!

We have always had a house cat at Little Silver Animal Hospital, so it’s appropriate that our first pet profile is a pet familiar to our whole staff.

Our current house cat is a large, male kitty we named Cysto P. Blocker.

Cysto snuggling with a sweatshirt

Strange, yes, but there is a story behind his name! We named him based on his medical issues. Cysto, because in the veterinary world we do what is called a cystocentesis to extract a sterile sample of urine from the bladder. “P” is for pee, or urine, and blocker because when he was brought to us he had a urinary blockage.

Cysto was brought to the local Humane Society to be euthanized for his urinary issues. He was constantly urinating in the house, and at the time he was brought to us he had a urinary blockage. He was so sweet and friendly and we felt horrible that he was going to be euthanized when he was had such a nice personality. We had just lost our house cat a month or so prior, and since the practice felt empty without a cat entertaining us it was decided that we would keep him.

Cysto, who has stolen the dog bed from our head technicians 14 year old border collie Cody

And we have been entertained by him ever since. That sweet personality he had the day we met him was somewhat deceiving. He is one of the craftiest cats we have had as a house cat to date. He lies on the doctors’ charts and knocks them off the desks. If you walk past the area where he happens to be lying, he reaches out to swat you, and often he’s successful. If you leave a can of food open on the counter, even if it’s just to go find a lid to cover it, you’ll come back to find him sitting on the counter eating right from the can. And his food stealing isn’t limited to the food left on the counter- if he sees a bowl in a cage he will attempt to get to it, whether the cage door is open or closed!

Video: Cysto Stealing Food

He has a knack for disconnecting phone calls as well- so if your call is ever cut short you know why!

"Helping" Dr. Yacowitz by holding onto the labwork that needs his approval!

He’s not all bad though- he does have his moments of sweetness. Particularly if you have a CET treat in your hand, then he will be your best friend!

Cysto attempting to get to a package that formerly held CET Treats!

He loves to be petted under his chin, but only on his terms, and he makes sure to let you know when he’s had enough. Mostly he just loves to lie around and get in our way. The hospital would feel empty without him and we love him dearly!

Cysto, who is not to pleased to be in a sweater!

Hello everyone! Little Silver Animal Hospital is hosting a raffle to win 2 tickets to see the Yankees vs. The Indians on June 25, 2012! Tickets are $10, and all proceeds will benefit the Little Silver Animal Hospital Foundation for Animals, a 501c-3 charity organization.

Drawing will be held on May 16th!

Good Luck!!

Anyone who has ever lost a beloved pet or had a pet go missing knows the importance of having proper identification for your pet. According to HomeAgain Microchipping:

- Getting lost is the #1 cause of death for pets.
– 1 in 3 pets will go missing during their lifetime.
– Without some form of ID, 90% of missing pets will never be returned home.

Considering these statistics, it’s a simple conclusion that all of our pets need proper forms of identification to keep them safe and make sure they are returned to their owners as quickly as possible. Let’s look over the different forms of pet identification.

First, make sure your pet always has  a collar with an ID tag. This tag should have your pet’s name, your name, and a way you can be contacted, whether that is your phone number, your address, or both. If your pet has any special needs (ie- diabetic, blind, deaf, allergies, etc), you should make sure this information is on the tag, or get a special medical tag like one of these from Pet Health Alert.

To go a step further, get your pet microchipped! This is the only form of permanent identification for your pet. A collar is a wonderful item, but if the collar is removed or torn off, then your pet could wind up in a shelter without anyone knowing your pet has a loving home. The majority of shelters, rescues, and animal hospitals now carry microchip scanners, and the first thing they do is scan the pet to see if the pet is just lost and not homeless. Make sure the microchip company you choose uses a universal chip- this means that whether you’re in the US or another country your chip will be recognizable by international microchip scanners.

Another form of identification is the tattoo. While your pet is under anesthesia, your veterinarian tattoos an ID number and a phone number on the ear flap (sometimes it’s on the belly, but it’s most commonly done on the ear). Since the invention of the microchip, many people opt to not do tattoos. However, since a tattoo is visible, a person who finds a loose dog will know right away that the pet is lost. If your veterinarian offers tattoos and microchipping, we recommend doing both- it’s better to be safe than sorry!

We also recommend that you make a pet ID card for your pet. This could just be a large index card with all your pet’s pertinent information, or you can go online and find one of the many companies that make pet ID cards that look similar to a driver’s license. This way in the event that your pet goes missing, you’re not scrambling to find all the information you need.

This card should include:
- A clear, detailed photo of your pet.
-Your pet’s name.
-Your veterinarian’s name and phone number.
-All of the local shelters’ names and phone numbers.
-Local police names and phone numbers.
-The microchip number and the microchip company’s phone number (so you can call and tell them your pet is missing- this way they can put out an alert that your pet is missing).
- Updated vaccine history for your pet.
- A list of any medications that your pet might be taking.

Now, what happens if your pet does go missing? Your first instinct might be to go outside and run door to door calling your pet’s name, but that is not effective. You need to remain calm, and think clearly about the steps that need to be taken to make sure that your pet is reunited with you in a safe and timely fashion. Below is a helpful checklist on what to do if your pet goes missing:
1- Check all the obvious hiding places. Does your pet like to hide in closets or under furniture?
2- If you had your pet outside, check the fence. Are there any holes that your pet could have squeezed through?
3- Once you have determined that your pet is actually missing and not just hiding, pull out your pet ID card, call your veterinarian, the shelters, the police, and the microchip company to alert them that your pet is missing.  Make sure to give them a detailed description of your pet, and ask if they would like you to drop off a picture just in case someone finds your pet and drops him off.  Call and visit the shelters daily, or as often as you can, to see if your pet was dropped off.
4- Go door to door around your neighborhood, to see if anyone has found or seen your pet.
5- If your pet is not yet found, you can then make flyers and place them everywhere you can. Also, go on your Facebook or Twitter account and post that your pet is missing. You could even make a Facebook page just for the purpose of finding your pet and send it to everyone you know, and ask them to send it to everyone they know. You can reach hundreds, even thousands, of people this way.
6- Whatever you do, don’t give up. Stay positive.

Join us for a great day of baseball – come to a Blue Claws game on Saturday, May 12, 2012! Your tickets can be purchased for $10 at Little Silver Animal Hospital and will support animals in need through the Little Silver Animal Hospital Foundation for Animals.

The Little Silver Animal Hospital Foundation For Animals is a charitable organization created to help give a second chance to homeless pets and to pets in need. In our first year the foundation has provided support for rescue groups to save shelter pets, created a volunteer program, bought a snowplow for a rescue facility and provided surgical care for a kitten with a heart condition. We try to address the specific needs of each situation. Rather than direct funding, we purchase specific items and services with the donations that we collect.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you realize you forgot to give Fluffy her heartworm medicine, and then can’t even remember the last time you gave it?  If you have a smartphone, you will never have to worry about forgetting again! Heartgard offers a free iPhone app which reminds you monthly that your pet is due for his/her heartworm pill.

If you don’t use Heartgard the app can still work for you,  since all other major heartworm preventatives (such as Tri-Heart, Interceptor, Sentinel, and Revolution) are given monthly as well. For more information on this app, type “heartworm” or “Heartgard” into the search area of the iTunes app store, or click here: iPhone HeartGard App