Pumpkin Hanaway

He was found by the Hanaway family as a stray, and they were kind enough to bring him into their home. They had seen something hanging beneath him, but only after they were able to gain his trust and bring him into their home, were they able to bring him to us. Only then were we able to identify the large lump as a huge abdominal hernia.

A hernia is an opening in the body cavity usually caused by trauma or birth defect. This one contained small intestines and abdominal fat and was 2/3 the width of a man’s hand.

After freshening the edges to allow better closure, Dr. Yacowitz used two types of suture material to close up the hernia. Doing this will create more of an inflammatory response, which causes tissue reaction and helps create a stronger seal. Usually you want to have wound closure with minimal scar formation, but in this case Dr. Yacowitz wanted the opposite.

Although Pumpkin is very shy, we suspect he will make an affectionate, and very appreciative pet for his new family.

Manasquan firefighters wade through nearly waist deep water as they battle a house fire on Brielle Road just after 8 am as Hurricane Irene hits the Jersey Shore. (8/28/2011) Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger

Some areas were definitely hit worse then others, and our area was extremely lucky. However, it made many people realize that while they may have set up an evacuation plan for themselves (or, for those who hadn’t, it made them realize they needed one), they never thought about what they were going to do with their pets! Our facility was filled to the brim as we tried to accommodate as many pets as possible, since unfortunately many of the evacuation centers set up around the area would not accept pets. The thought of owners having to make a decision to leave their pets unattended during a natural disaster is something we didn’t want, and we took in as many as possible to help our clients in need. We even went so far as to have a technician spend the night to make sure that our boarders and patients were properly taken care of in the event that no one was able to return to our facility to care for them.

Now, having said that, I think we all have realized that an evacuation plan needs to include all of our furry children. In honor of National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, we are going to discuss the ins and outs of creating an evacuation plan for your pets.

Many people (known as Dooms Day Preppers) have created different types of evacuation bags for themselves which are known as Bug Out Bags, GOOD Bag (Get Out Of Dodge Bags), or INCH Bags (I‘m Not Coming Home Bag). Some of these are simple and meant to have just emergency information and first aid kits, and some are very elaborate with supplies to last up to a week. We are only going to discuss the basics today, however there is a plethora of information for more elaborate bags. If you would like to purchase a pre-made, ready to go evacuation pack for your pets instead of making your own, we highly recommend going to Survival-Goods.com. They have two evacuations buckets, The CATastrophy Kit for Cats, and The DogGoneIt Kit for Dogs. Both kits include MRE food pouches (Meals Ready to Eat, with a 5 year shelf life), blankets, light sticks, bowls, leash/collar, water, 50′ rope, poop bags, can opener, blood stopper, 58 piece first aid kit, pet disaster information, and dog/cat toys. All of this is included in a 3 gallon bucket with lid. The only thing not included is a litter box and litter pan in the cat kit.

Here is a list of what should be in your Pets Evacuation Bag:
1- First Aid Kit. You can buy a pre-made kit, or assemble your own.
2- At least 3 days of food and water and bowls for each. Survival-Goods.com offers MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) dog and cat food that has a 5 year shelf life. This is very useful since emergencies where you would have to evacuate don’t occur often, and most commercial dog foods expire long before the 5 year mark. However, these foods should not be used if your pet has food sensitives or allergies. Collapsible pet bowls are also widely available to help save on space.
3- Blankets/Towels.
4- Up to date vaccine information and any medications that your pet is on.
5- Current photos and physical descriptions of pets, in case they should become lost.
6- Comfort items such as a toys or blankets.
7- Small garbage bags for waste.
8- A leash, harness and sturdy carrier or collapsible crate large enough to be used as a sleeping area for dogs.
9- For cats, a litter box, litter and a sturdy carrier.

Additional Information Sources:

http://thepetwiki.com/wiki/Prepare_Your_Pets_for_Natural_Disasters

http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/media_records/2484

http://www.livescience.com/15758-irene-evacuation-preparing-pets.html

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!

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!

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!

Drawing will be held on May 16th!

Good Luck!!

- 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.

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.

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

Question to Heloise:
“I am trying to get rid of fleas in my home, I do not want to use harsh chemicals. Please help me.”  From Denise, via e-mail.

Answer from Heloise:
“Happy to help, because no one wants fleas in their home! Here are some chemical-free things you can try:
-Vacuum your home daily, and place moth balls in the bag to kill the fleas. You are supposed to throw the bag away after each use, but as long as you are aware you may not have to.
- Wash the dog house, if you have one, with salt, water, and place fresh pine needles or cedar shavings under the pets bed. Check the bed daily for flea activity.
- Look for a dog shampoo containing pyrethrin (derived from chrysanthemum flowers) base. It kills fleas and is safe for dogs.
- To catch fleas, wrap adhesive tape around your fingers with the sticky side out and they will stick to the tape. Or place a shallow pan with soapy water. Use a 25-watt lamp above the pan. The light will attract the fleas but when they jump, they will land in the water.”

This entire article is full of erroneous advice.  Below is each “tip” and why it is  incorrect.

The First “Tip”-
Vacuum your home daily, and place moth balls in the bag to kill the fleas. You are supposed to throw the bag away after each use, but as long as you are aware you may not have to.
According to Dr. Stacey Kilcullen, this is something that was commonly done 20 years ago, and is now known to be ineffective. This method is also by no means natural considering that mothballs are a toxic chemical. From the National Pesticide Information Center Website:

“Mothballs are nearly 100% active ingredient, and the active ingredient may be either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Each active ingredient can cause different health effects if the exposure is high enough. Mothballs slowly turn from solids to toxic vapor. When you smell mothballs, you are inhaling the insecticide. Mothballs can also be dangerous if they are chewed or eaten. Children, pets and wildlife may mistake them for food or candy and eat them. One mothball can cause serious harm if eaten by a small child.”

Also- seriously, who actually has time to vacuum their house daily?!

The Second “Tip”
Wash the dog house, if you have one, with salt, water, and place fresh pine needles or cedar shavings under the pets bed. Check the bed daily for flea activity.
This one at least has a little merit.  Salt acts as a dehydrating agent, drawing out all the moisture from the fleas bodies causing them to die. However, this will only kill adult fleas, not the flea larvae, which means that you will still have a flea problem. Cedar shavings and pine needles may or may not repel fleas. We have not been able to find proof that it does. Also, checking a pet’s bed is not effective, because you can only check the outside of the bed. Even if you can take the outside cover off, you cannot fully check the bed without completely removing the stuffing, and even then the odds of finding every last flea are slim. That coupled with being unable to find flea larvae (being that it is microscopic), makes this time consuming and ineffective.

The Third “Tip”
Look for a dog shampoo containing pyrethrin (derived from chrysanthemum flowers) base. It kills fleas and is safe for dogs.
Just because something is derived from a plant, and is labeled “natural”, does not mean that it is safe or non toxic!  Pyrethrin is actually the main ingredient in many canine topical flea and tick preventatives. Most people who are looking for a natural preventative are trying to get away from topical products.

The Final “Tip”
To catch fleas, wrap adhesive tape around your fingers with the sticky side out and they will stick to the tape. Or place a shallow pan with soapy water. Use a 25-watt lamp above the pan. The light will attract the fleas but when they jump, they will land in the water.
This is just silly! Unless the fleas are on you, there is no point to wrapping tape around your finger and trying to “catch” fleas. By the time you wrap tape around your finger, the offending flea will have disappeared.
One of the our technicians,  Mandy, said that she did use the shallow pan with soapy water method once before.  However, she had been told that this was only to be used to determine if you have a flea problem in your home, not as a preventative measure. You also cannot do this for long periods of time because if left unattended, the pet may try to drink the water, or they could knock the light into the pan which is a serious hazard.

The main problem with all of these “tips” is that they are short term fixes. None of these will completely rid your home of fleas. Any flea shampoo you use will only last at most 72 hours. If you stop vacuuming your house the fleas will come right back, and none of these methods address flea larvae, only the live adult fleas. This means that when you stop any/all of these methods because you think your problem is gone, the larvae will hatch, growing into adult fleas and you’ll have fleas back in less then a week.

What actually works for fleas? Obviously a topical flea preventative is best (such as Frontline, Revolution, Advantage, or Advantix), but if you would like something more natural then we recommend using a product called Vetri-Repel made by Vetri-Science. It is a combination of all natural oils (Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Sesame, and Castor oil), and it really works, but it does need to be applied daily or twice daily depending on how active your pet is. This product can be purchased at your local veterinary office.