Understanding and Treating Smoke Inhalation in Your Pet
An unexpected fire, whether a residential or an environmental wildfire, can be a devastating and stressful experience. Multiple fire-related events are dangerous for people and their pets including burns, toxic chemicals, and smoke inhalation, but many problems are not immediately obvious following fire exposure. The National Volunteer Firefighter Council estimated that more than 40,000 pets die each year in fires, and most are from smoke inhalation complications. Our Animal Emergency Care team wants to ensure pet owners can recognize the signs, and react quickly if your pet is exposed to any type of smoke.
When Water Is Dangerous: Algae Poisoning in Pets
Warmer weather often means more outdoor adventures with your favorite four-legged companion. Many pet owners enjoy summer hiking and camping trips and more time in the backyard garden, but you can easily become distracted when you are outside with your pet. Curious canines may want to investigate your favorite birdbath or may wander off in the park to chase a duck into the local pond. Many pet owners and their pets may be tempted to jump into a cool pond or take a sip from an inviting stream after an active day outside. However, standing, fresh, or brackish water can be dangerous and may contain deadly bacteria. Algae poisoning is a devastating illness in pets, and our Animal Emergency Care team wants to ensure you recognize the warning signs of dangerous water. We discuss poisoning signs, treatment, and prevention.
Let’s Get Physical: Exercise Intolerance in Pets
Many pet owners enjoy their four-legged companion’s company on long hikes or during their morning run especially as the weather improves in the spring and summer months. However, our pets are natural people pleasers and cannot always communicate to their owners that they are tired or unable to complete a long hike. Pets who are out of shape or overweight may have limited energy and be unable to exercise for prolonged periods whereas other pets who become fatigued easily may be sending a warning of an underlying illness. Our Animal Emergency Care team wants to ensure your pets are healthy enough to enjoy hikes with their favorite humans. We describe exercise intolerance causes, signs, treatment, and prevention.
Silence Is Golden: Understanding Fireworks Trauma in Pets
Summer is filled with celebrations, outdoor cookouts, and extra time with your two-legged and four-legged family members. Many enjoy the majestic colors of Independence Day fireworks as well as the displays that take place during the weeks leading up to July Fourth. Many pet owners want to include their pets in the summer festivities. Unfortunately, Independence Day is the busiest day for animal shelters because of the large numbers of pets who go missing since they have a noise aversion to fireworks and respond with fear. OurAnimal Emergency Care team wants to ensure your pets are safe during summer celebrations, and we discuss fireworks trauma, signs, treatment, and prevention.
Pet Poison Prevention: Understanding Slug Bait Toxicity in Pets
Many people take advantage of the warm spring and summer months to cultivate and tend to their garden. Whether you are growing food, ornamental plants, or colorful flowers, seeing the fruits of your garden labor is extremely rewarding. However, garden pests can make a successful harvest a challenge. Snails and slugs are the bane of many gardeners and you may be tempted to purchase a bait or multi-use insecticide to get rid of them and other flower-eating pests. Most commercial snail and slug baits are toxic to pets and can be fatal without treatment. Our Animal Emergency Care team wants to ensure your four-legged garden partners are safe outside and we describe slug bait toxicity signs, treatment, and prevention.
Pet Poison Prevention: Understanding Alcohol Toxicity in Pets
Family gatherings with festive foods and drinks including cocktails and special libations are a common part of the holiday season, and many pet owners want to ensure their four-legged companions are included in the celebrations. However, kitchen chaos, large family meals, and a revolving door of guests can lead to pet injuries or accidental poisonings. Additionally, many pets like to serve as the cleanup crew for dropped food or spilled drinks. Ingestion of human food and drinks and especially alcohol-based beverages or treats can lead to potentially life-threatening toxicity in your pet. Our Animal Emergency Care team wants pet owners to understand the dangers of alcohol and what to do if your pet accidentally becomes poisoned.
Happy Pawlidays: 5 Holiday Safety Tips for Your Pet
The holiday season is a special time with friends and family including your four-legged companions. The dropping temperatures, twinkling lights, and crackling fires provide a festive atmosphere for cozy celebrations. Holiday festivities are extra special when shared with your pet but many traditions and meals can be dangerous for curious furry pals. Many holiday treats such as chocolate sweets and marinated meats are the culprit in unexpected trips to the emergency veterinarian. Avoid a pawliday disaster by following these five safety tips from our Animal Emergency Care team.
Happy Pawlidays: Five Pet-Safe Gift Ideas
Holiday celebrations are in full force and the hustle and bustle of the season includes family meals and marathon shopping sessions. However, the season of giving is not just for humans anymore. According to pet retailer Zulily more than 50 percent of Millennial pet owners purchase monthly gifts for their pets. Our pets are family and we naturally want to include them in our celebrations and gift-giving festivities. The plethora of pet influencers and online stores with their endless gift recommendations can be overwhelming. So our Animal Emergency Care team has chosen some of our favorite gift categories to ensure your four-legged companions have a safe and fun pawliday season.
A Complex Cat Condition: Understanding Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
Cat owners know the challenge of deciphering their feline companion’s likes, dislikes, and desires, beyond a full food dish. Cats have unique personalities and ways of communicating. Some will shift from purring to hissing in what seems to be a nanosecond while others are constant cuddle buddies who rarely make a sound. Cats thrive on a consistent routine, good nutrition, and regular exercise. Subtle changes in your cat’s routine may lead to a complicated medical problem called feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) which can be life-threatening in some cases. OurAnimal Emergency Care team wants to ensure cat owners understand FLUTD signs, treatment options, and ways to prevent this complex condition.
When Less Is Not More: Understanding Nutritionally-Mediated Dilated Cardiomyopathy In Pets
Our pets are family and regular veterinary checkups, exercise, and preventive care are critical to ensure they remain healthy through all life stages. Proper nutrition is also a vital component of your pet’s organ function and overall health and pet owners have a wide variety of choices when it comes to deciding what to feed their pets. Food choices include the popular grain-free and limited-ingredient diets. However, recent research has shown these diets can be dangerous for pets and cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) which can be fatal. Our Animal Emergency Care team wants to ensure your pets are properly nourished and disease-free, so we describe nutritionally-mediated DCM signs, treatment, and prevention in pets.
