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March 2006 |
Pet Tales |
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News from Alta Rancho Pet & Bird Hospital |
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In this issue |
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Flea Season is Upon Us. Are you ready??
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Beware of Springtime Poisons!
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Heartworm Prevention more critical after
heavy rains!
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Case of the Month:
Art Cures Cancer!
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Flea Season is Upon Us. Are you ready??
Spring and summer in southern California set the
ideal conditions for fleas to proliferate. Are you
and your pets ready to win the war on fleas??
Fleas are the most common cause of skin disease in
dogs and cats. Their bites are very irritating and
some pets actually become allergic to the proteins
in their saliva to the point where a single bite can
cause them to itch all over the body.
Fleas live on the blood of your pets and in a pinch
will even suck your blood for a meal. When there is
a heavy flea burden, your pets can become anemic and
very weak.
You may not know that fleas also transmit tapeworms
to your pets! Tapeworm eggs are inside most fleas,
and when your pet eats the flea, the egg is released
into the intestines where it grows up to be a large
nutrient sucking parasite.
In the past, flea control was a constant battle that
most people would lose. Fortunately, new drugs such
as Frontline are extremely effective in eliminating
fleas from your pet and your environment. Frontline
is applied as a single spot-on dose on the back of
the neck once a month. Once it is applied, it will
kill all the fleas and ticks on your pet within 24
hours. It will not wash off and continues to work
for a month or more. Frontline is safe even in
puppies and kittens.
To help you get a jump on the fleas, print out the
coupon below to get 1 free month supply when you buy
6 months worth.
Quick links
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Dear Reid/Brenda,
Spring is in the air and its time to update
you on important issues regarding your pet's
health. We'll use this issue take a look at some
of the issues that you and your pets may face as
the seasons change.
Check out the case of the month for an
interesting case report.
If you have any suggestions or comments that
would help us improve these newsletters, please
feel free to e-mail them to me.
We hope you find the information informative and
enjoyable.
Sincerely,
Reid Shufer, D.V.M
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Beware of Springtime Poisons!
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The heavy winter rains we've been
experiencing are bound to bring out a
heavy load of snails and slugs this
season. If you value your landscaping,
or just can't stand to have these little
guys around, it may mean its time to
reach for the snail bait. It is
important for you to understand that
snail bait is highly toxic to all pets.
Even small amounts can be deadly to the
curious pet who gives it a taste.
The active ingredient in most snail bait
is Metaldehyde. This toxin affects the
neuromuscular junction and causes the
pet to go into seizures. Without
aggressive treatment, most pets will die
from ingestion within hours to days.
The best defense against this toxin is
simply not to use it at all! Snail bait
remains toxic for months once it is put
on the ground. It is not inactivated by
rain or sunshine. If you have pets that
are out of doors in an area plagued by
snails, you can use a pet friendly snail
bait whose active ingredient is Ferrous
Sulfate. This is an iron compound that
will kill the pests but leave your pets
alone. Be sure to check the active
ingredient list on any snail or slug
bait before applying it to your yard to
be sure that metaldehyde is not
involved.
If your pet is exhibiting muscle
fasciculation or seizure behavior be
sure to seek veterinary attention
immediately. If you've put out any
poisons in the yard, bring the label
from the box to the vet with you to help
in the diagnosis and treatment.
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Heartworm Prevention more critical after
heavy rains! |
Heartworm disease is a devastating
disease caused by a parasite called
dirofilaria immitus. Heartworms are
transmitted to dogs from infected
mosquitoes. With the heavy rains we've
been experiencing, the mosquito
population this spring promises to be
way above normal. As such, the risk of
heartworm infection becomes greater.
Heartworm infection is deadly to dogs if
left untreated and the treatment is both
potentially dangerous to your pet and
quite costly. We highly recommend
placing your dog on heartworm preventive
medications. These medications are
administered once a month in a chewable
form that most dogs love. The medication
has the added advantage of protecting
your pet from Roundworms and Hookworms,
which are the most common intestinal
parasites.
We must perform a quick bloodtest to
make sure your pet does not have
heartworm prior to administering the
preventative (infected pets may have an
adverse reaction to the preventive
medication). The test takes just a few
drops of blood and the answer is
available within minutes.
To help you protect your dog, we are
offering a discount coupon for heartworm
testing in this newsletter. Print it out
and bring it in and start protecting
your pet today!
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Case of the Month:
Art Cures Cancer! |
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In search of the perfect Christmas gift,
I visited my friend and local artist to
view his artwork. While perusing the
gallery I was introduced to Choir Boy,
his 17 year old cat. As I was petting
him, I couldn't help but feel his
abdomen and found what I thought was a
mass. After discussing it with my
friend, we set up a time to come in for
a workup.
Click the link below for the details of
what we found...
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Give the Gift of Health and Everyone
Saves! |
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 the program
works:
Refer your friends or family
members to us and as new client
referrals they will receive
their 1st visit at 1/2 off. That
is a $17.00 value.
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 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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