Capitol Illini Newsletter
In the SPRING 2013 Issue ...
DOWNLOAD PRINTED VERSION HERE, PDF FORMAT
We are now a certified cat friendly practice
Recently a new program called Cat Friendly Practice, endorsed by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), was introduced. This is a program geared toward educating staff at veterinary clinics and their clients on how to make visits to the veterinarian more pleasant and to provide overall improved care for cats.
Capitol Illini Wabash location is now certified and our Chatham office is finishing up the certification process. We decided to follow the recommendations of the Cat friendly practice program so we could do more to make our feline friends more comfortable while here at the clinic. Lowering stress in cats dramatically decreases the instance of anxiety related behavior at the clinic such as aggression.
We are committed to continued staff training and improvement in our Cat Friendly practice. We have made changes to the way cats are handled during exams, created a separate exam room for cats, and are in the process of separating a section of our reception area for cats only. Cats are highly stimulated by smells, noise, what they see; especially anything that is different. Keeping our cats as quiet and stress free as possible leads to a positive experience for the cat. Positive experiences lead to more positive experiences!
Please call us for more information on how to make your cat’s trip here more pleasant!
Beware… Tick season is starting!
Spring is here, the flowers are starting to bloom, the grass is growing and ticks are starting to emerge. Ticks are a pesky troublesome parasite that can prove to be very dangerous for people and pets. Ticks can be found anywhere and can even be a problem in town. Small areas of grass or trees can foster tick population with ready food sources such as rabbits, squirrels, birds, our pets and us! Diseases that ticks transmit to out pets include: Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia and many other tick borne infections. Symptoms vary and can include shifting leg lameness, fever, anorexia, depression, lymph node enlargement, spontaneous bleeding, respiratory difficulty, anemia, eye pain, and swelling. With reasonably early diagnosis appropriate treatment is generally effective and prognosis is good. Once the disease is severe it may be a guarded prognosis. Appropriate antibiotics and supportive therapy are crucial.
Prevention is key. For disease transmission to occur ticks must be attached for 48 hours. Most dogs benefit from a once monthly topical tick preventative as this will kill ticks in that crucial time period.. Frontline plus is great for most dogs and also takes care of fleas. For dogs with high exposure rates to ticks Certifect is the preferred choice. Certifect offers a much quicker killing of ticks and also treats fleas. Contact us for more information on tick prevention.
Certifect: tough tick protection
Certifect is a recent addition to our toolbox for parasite prevention. If your pet is in high tick areas it may be the best choice for flea and tick prevention. It is a once a month topical preventative for fleas and ticks. It uses the same ingredient as Frontline plus for fleas and tick but then adds another compound to greatly increase the effects on ticks. It starts killing ticks within 6 hours and has complete kill after 18 hours. It causes ticks to detach from their host and die. With such a quick kill it enormously decreases the possibility of disease transmission from the tick. When used monthly. It is also waterproof and keeps killing ticks and fleas for a full month.
Poison spring plants
As spring begins many plants begin to pop up and we are busy beginning to plant our gardens. It is important to take into account as this happens that many plants could be poison to your pets. Plants including Iris, Lilies, hyacinths and tulips are toxic just to name a few. I recommend every pet owner consult the ASPCA poison control website to see if their garden or household plants are a risk to their pet.
The web address is: Animal Poison Control Center
Environmental Allergies are itchy!
With spring comes allergy season for us and our pets. Animals can be allergic to pollens, grass, weeds, molds, and much more, Even indoors can be an issue for some pets. If we can be allergic to it, so can our pet. Itching can cause pets to be miserable but we can get them some relief. Allergies can cause generalized all over itch, dryness of the skin, secondary skin infections, ear infections, sneezing, facial rubbing, paw licking and irritated eyes. Some pets have it worse than others but there are many treatments available that can make your pet comfortable. Allergy testing and allergen injections (desensitizing injections), antihistamines, Atopica or corticosteroids can be used depending on severity and the veterinarians’ recommendations. Weekly bathing is often be IMMENSLY helpful to your pet’s comfort! Getting on top of allergies before they get really severe is also important. A dermatological exam by a veterinarian can determine if allergies are the cause of your pet’s itch and decide which treatments will be most helpful for your pet. Allergies never go away but should be properly managed to provide your pet the comfort he or she deserves.
