February is for lovers...and TEETH!

Hi all, Gabe here!

This month we are talking about teeth. Pearly whites. Chompers. Whatever you choose to call them, they're really important to my furry friends' health!!

We know that you humans brush your teeth at least twice a day, and get dental check ups every 6 months. We also know that most dogs and cats aren't overly tolerant of teeth brushing, so our dental health becomes a bit more challenging. Even if your pet is chewing on dental treats, or you are using a dental water additive, your pet still may need a professional dental cleaning. What's a professional dental cleaning? Why does your pet need it? Lucky for you, my mom has given me some pretty interesting information to answer both of those questions!

First, lets talk about why your cat or dog might need a dental cleaning. Did you know that there is a TON of bacteria living in our mouths? No, really. This bacteria can cause really scary health problems depending on how long it stays in our mouths. These issues can be as simple as bad breath, and range up to heart and kidney problems. We frequently see pets needing dental care when they are already having trouble eating or drooling excessively, which we know is really painful and uncomfortable. Approximately 85% of pets over the age of 4 have some stage of periodontal disease, which is graded between 1 and 4. Dr Ray and Dr Merrick are able to look in your pets mouth and give you an idea of the grade they suspect. We even have picture report cards!

What goes into a professional dental cleaning? Well, it does involve anesthesia. In order for my mom's team to be able to effectively remove tartar and potentially remove really unhealthy teeth, cats and dogs must be sedated. You know when you go to the dentist and they scrape and polish? That's what happens when pets get their teeth cleaned. Before they go into surgery, Dr Ray's staff runs bloodwork for the pet just to make sure that everything on the inside is working properly. Once they are cleared for anesthesia, the girls place an IV catheter and get to work cleaning! They take before and after pictures so you can really see the difference, and call you when your pet wakes up to let you know how everything went.

I hope I was able to answer some questions for you, but if you have more concerns don't hesitate to call or come in to the clinic. The staff would love to talk to you about how we can make dental health more routine and enjoyable for your pet.

Since February is Pet Dental Health month, Dr Ray and Dr Merrick are able to offer some discounts for the cleaning. Make sure to come in and see them soon for your personalized treatment plan!

Happy Holidays...?

Hey everyone, Gabe here. I keep hearing people at the clinic wish "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas" to others. This is my first Christmas as part of Dr. Ray's family, so I'm really not sure what all of this means. I do know that some of my dog friends have some pretty scary stories about the holidays, so I'm really not sure what to expect. I wanted to take some time today to let you know what I've heard and share my knowledge with the hope that all of my friends can be happy and safe in these next couple of weeks.

My first and most obvious tip is to NEVER feed us pets table food. I know its hard sometimes with multiple people in the house that aren't used to having a cute furry friend around, but try to keep our human family in line. We can become very sick from all kinds of different foods, and I hate to see one of my friends in my mom's clinic being hospitalized. They can't enjoy their new presents if they are sitting here with us!

Something that people may not realize that a Christmas tree can be pretty dangerous for us. Try to make sure your tree is secured to something other than the stand. One of my mom's technicians ties the top of her tree with fishing line and secures the line to ceiling vents for extra protection. That tree can easily come down on top of us...especially if cats get mischievous and try to climb inside! Tinsel is also not a friend to pets. We get curious because tinsel is SO SHINY and magical looking. If we eat that tinsel, we can end up with a big problem in our intestines.

One last note, because we all know by now that I'm usually pretty jumpy. Loud noises and lots of people can really upset pets sometimes. We really would love a quiet place to go during festivities so we don't get nervous. A quiet room away from guests with our crate will work wonders for our nerves.

I hope my tips have helped to remind everyone how to make the holidays easier on your pets. We love spending time with everyone, but sometimes we just need peace and quiet. Call my mom's clinic if you have additional questions about your pet's safety this season, the girls would be happy to help you come up with an individualized plan that's right for your fur kid.

Have a great holiday!

My Battle with Heartworms

After I started to adjust more to being in Dr. Ray's home and around her family, I got some more confidence and started to come out of my shell. I have now started to fully be myself and really feel at home with Dr. Ray and her family. I still come to the clinic quite often with my two doggie sisters Holly and Chloe.

Thank you so much for reading about my journey, and I hope I have helped some of you understand more what it's like to take a rescue dog home. Patience and love are the two things that will help us shelter dogs the most!

Some of you have asked my mom Dr. Ray about me and my heartworms. I'm proud to say now that I am officially heartworm free! The road getting there sure was tough, but my family is happy that I can run free and be a true dog now. Many of my friends don't really understand heartworm disease, so let me help you with some facts. According to the American Heartworm Society, we have some of the highest incidences of heartworm disease in the country! This is due to the large population of mosquitoes we have, because that is how heartworms are transmitted. Basically, any time I get bit for a mosquito while I'm outside (or if one comes into my house), I'm at risk for contracting the larvae of the parasite for heartworms. Those parasites are called Dirofilaria immitis, and as the mosquito feeds off of my skin, the larvae are deposited into my bloodstream. When the juvenile worms mature into adult hood, they can reach between 10 and 12 inches in length! Heartworms are not fully detectable until between 6 and 7 months after the initial bite from the mosquito...and they can live for up to 7 years in the dog's system! If left untreated, these heartworms can lead to heart failure, coughing and fluid in the stomach. Our lungs start to sound bad and we start to get slower in our movement...basically, we don't feel very good at all. It's super important for all of my doggie (and kitty) friends to stay on their heartworm prevention, because treatment is pretty painful. When I was treated, I was on cage rest and could only be leash walked for 6-8 weeks following my injections. I got my heartworm treatment fairly soon after my test was positive here. Dr. Ray and the girls think maybe I was given away initially because of my heartworm status, and that since heartworms can be expensive to treat, especially in a big dog, my previous owners may not have been able to afford it. While I was being treated, I had to have big needles stuck near my spine so the medicine got into my body effectively. Man, they hurt, but I tried to be as brave as I could. My symptoms hadn't started flaring up at that point and I didn't want to go through the coughing and the exhaustion, so I just took the medicine like I was supposed to. I was so lucky to have such a good group of people who helped me through my heartworm disease, and now I take my Heartgard each month to make sure I don't have to go through this again.

If you don't have your fur kid on heartworm prevention, call my mom's clinic today and schedule an appointment for a test. I hope this has inspired some of you moms and dads to keep my friends healthy and happy with a delicious chew each month!!

Until next time,
Gabe

Day 10

I am losing weight now because I am too nervous to eat most of the time. Dr Ray has tried to feed me in different areas of the house, but I just can't bring myself to relax enough to eat my food. The only thing that usually helps me is if Dr Ray sits with me as I eat my meal. Having her there is reassuring and comforting to me, and makes me feel like it's safe for me to eat.

Day 7

I am starting to settle into my routine here : leash walk in the morning, car ride to drop kids off at school, then I go to work with Dr Ray, then another leash walk in the evening. The car rides are less scary but I still will not willingly jump in the car. Dr Ray has to pick me up to put me in the car. After work, we go back to Dr Ray's house. Loud noises, such as a chair being pushed in, toys being dropped, or something equally as common to other pets, still make me jump. I am absolutely terrified of the kitchen and laundry room...there are too many strange noises from those rooms! I find it best to just avoid them all together. The best thing that has been happening lately is the little mean dog that used to growl at me is starting to play with me and approach me happily.

Day 3

Everyone at Dr Ray's house seems to be kind. However, her son moves around a lot and it makes me very nervous around him. I think it is best to just avoid him for now. Her husband is a little intimidating, too. I just usually run from him when he approaches. I am afraid to go through door ways, which I wasn't really aware of until recently. Dr Ray keeps trying to coax me through them, but she always ends up just dragging me under them instead. I just cannot bring myself to go through a doorway! Maybe once I get more comfortable, I will be able to move past this hurdle.

I'm sure the next few days will be busy, keep checking back with me!

Day 2

Well, I survived my very first night at Dr Ray's house. The people here seem very nice, but anytime I hear a strange sound I instinctively bolt. There are 3 other dogs here and 2 of them are very nice to me. One of them, however, keeps growling at me and tries to run me off if I get too close. I think I will just stay away from her for the time being. The family takes me on frequent leash walks which are enjoyable. Dr Ray took me back to work today, and then back to her house...which meant two more car rides. I was less afraid this time but I still really don't like jumping in and out of the car.