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Pet Tales: |
News and Information from
Alta Rancho Pet & Bird Hospital |
April 2008 |
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How Can You Be Sure If Your Pet is
Really Healthy?
We all want to make sure our pets are as
healthy as possible. There are many
steps you can take to do this, including
proper nutrition, regular exercise, good
oral hygiene, regular internal and
external parasite control and regular
physical examinations.
Despite all of our best efforts,
however, disease processes develop,
often undetected, until there has been
significant damage to your pet's health.
Since our pets cannot talk to us and
explain what is ailing them, we have to
rely on laboratory testing and
diagnostic imaging to give us a more
accurate picture of our patient's
health.
We believe strongly in preventive
medicine here at ARPH. As such, we are
designating April as "Disease Detection
Month". We will be offering substantial
discounts (20%) off of the cost of all
elective screening tests for the month
to help you get the peace of mind you
desire about your pet's health without
insulting your pocketbook.
During April, if you bring in the coupon
below, you can get 20% off of the normal
fees for a comprehensive blood panel and
urinalysis. Moreover, we are offering
20% off on routine chest and abdomen
x-rays as well as abdominal ultrasound.
We recommend blood and urine testing on
pets of all ages. Radiographs of the
chest and belly along with ultrasound
are recommended for pets over 5 years of
age, but can be done at any age if you
are interested.
If you have been thinking about getting
a more in-depth understanding of y our
pet's health status, you can do so now
with savings into the hundreds of
dollars.
To be clear, these savings are offered
for pets who are not presenting for
acute illness. There is no limit to the
number of pets you can have screened in
your household. Appointments are
required. Please call our reception desk
today to schedule your pet's good health
screening tests.
Follow this link to find out about what
blood tests tell us!
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Dear Reid,
Greetings friends,
Spring is exploding around us--blossoms
everywhere, clear skies, snow capped
mountains, can you ask for more?? This is a
great time of year for people and their
pets. With the longer days and beautiful
weather there's plenty of time to get out
and enjoy your pets. Please keep in mind
that your pets, like ourselves, may have
been a bit more sedentary in the winter, so
ease into exercise for both of your sakes!
February's Dental Awareness month was a huge
success, with many of our patients smiling
through their comprehensive oral health and
treatment evaluations. If you missed your
opportunity, we've included a coupon in this
letter to help you share in the savings.
As a group we are committed to giving you of
unparalleled service. Please feel free to
call or email any and all suggestions, which
can help us achieve this goal.
Sincerely,
Reid Shufer, D.V.M.
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Case of the Month
Old Age doesn't limit care!
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Pebbles is a 22 year old, beautiful domestic
long haired kitty who presented to us with
sudden lameness of the left hind limb.
Pebbles lives in the house and has been
healthy up to this point according to the
owner. The owners do not know what could
have happened to cause the lameness as
Pebbles was fine the day prior to the onset
of the lameness.
On physical examination, Pebbles was bright
and alert. For her age, she looked really
good! Her left leg was swollen and painful
in the area of the thigh (femur). Due to
Pebble's age, we recommended blood tests and
radiographs to evaluate her problems.
Despite her age, Pebbles blood tests were
quite normal. We gave her a mild sedative an
took radiographs of her leg and chest.
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To read about the case prior to this point,
click here |
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Itchy Pets?
Could Food be the Problem?
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Many pets are presented to us for
problems associated with itchiness. This can
range from ear infections, to chronic foot
licking, scratching, greasy skin, flaky skin
and sores. When we are presented with itchy
dogs we check for the most common source of
itchiness which are external parasites such
as fleas, ticks, ear mites and mange mites.
Fleas and ticks are diagnosed by careful
examination of the skin. Mites must be
diagnosed by microscopic examination of skin
scrapings.
If parasites are not present, we have to
entertain the possibility of allergies as
the source of the itchiness. Pets can have
these symptoms from food allergies or
inhalant allergies. For pets with itchiness
involving the head, ears and feet as the
primary problem, have an increased
probability of having food allergy, whereas
pets with inhalant allergies tend to have
more body itchiness especially in the
armpits and belly. Symptoms overlap quite a
bit, and pets can have both food allergy and
inhalant allergies. |
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Click here to find out more Food Allergies |
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Continueing Education Keeps Our Staff Sharp!
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We pride ourselves on our commitment to
educating our clients about veterinary
medical issues. In order to do that we
continually train our staff. This month, our
entire staff attended a 2 hour seminar on
nutrition presented by Hill's Pet Nutrition.
The seminar focused on food
hypersensitivities and their manifestations
in skin disease and gastrointestinal
disease. Scientific data were presented to
show the incidence of hypersensitivity, the
symptoms and the response to various
different feeds. Common misconceptions, such
as "corn causes allergies" and "all foods
are really the same" were clarified and
explained.
Everyone came out of the seminar feeling
even more prepared to help you with your
pet's nutrition needs. |
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Click here to find out more about selecting
pet food! |
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Give the Gift of Health and Everyone Save!
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The greatest compliment you can
give us is your personal
referral to friends and family.
We have created our "Gift of
Health" program to help you
encourage referrals to our
practice. Here's how it works:
Refer your friends or family
members to us and as new client
referrals they will receive
their 1st visit at 1/2 off the
normal fee. That is a $19.00
savings.
When they come in, we will send
you a thank you letter with a
coupon for $10.00 on any
veterinary services (food, drugs
and supplies are not eligible).
After you refer 10 clients to
us, you will become a permanent
"Good Health Ambassador" and
receive 10% off on all your
veterinary services for the
year.
If you are happy with the
services we have been providing,
spread the word and give the
Gift of Health to all your
friends today.
We appreciate your support!
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