Getting Your Cat To The Vet

One of the most important parts of the veterinary visit actually starts at home.  This is the "art" of getting your cat into the carrier, then into the car, then into the clinic - without raising their "FAS" or Fear/Anxiety/Stress scale.  The more fearful, anxious and stressed they are, the less we are able to handle them and ensure they have a pleasant visit at the vet. 

Among cat owners, 44.9 percent did not take their cat or cats to a veterinarian during 2011, up from 36.3 percent in 2006. People don't take their cat to the vet because it is stressful to their cat - therefore making it stressful for the client!

One of the ways you can begin to ensure your cat has a fear free visit is to get them used to their carriers.  That means, don't get the big scary box that only transports them to the big scary vet the day of the visit!  Cats should be trained to love their crates and find them a safe, happy place to sit.  Leave the carrier out all the time - or at least several days/weeks prior to the visit.  Put their bed in it.  Give them yummy food and treats in it.  Cats love boxes...make them love their crate!

One of our awesome kitty clients, the Thomas family, leave their crates out before visits and look how relaxed their cats are!  They didn't drag them from under a bed and shove them into the carrier and toss the carrier in the hot car and bring them to the scary vet.  They slept in their crates willingly because it is a safe place to them.  

  <<<<<Meet Punkin and Max Thomas 

Another important part of the kitty transport is getting them into the car.  You should let the car cool off (or heat up in winter) to ensure they are comfortable.  They should be covered with a towel so they don't see anything scary.  The car should have on soft music (it shouldn't sound like a concert hall) and the windows should be up.  

They should be placed in an area where their crate remains still and doesn't slide all over the trunk or back seat.  They should be carried into the clinic in their crate with a towel covering them like this (like a heavy box that is steady): 



They should not be carried like this (swinging from side to side):

        

Please help your cat to have a better visit by ensuring the process to get them TO the vet is stress free!  The more your cat likes getting here, the better we can make their visit!  To read more about getting your cat to the vet click the links below:

http://catfriendly.com/be-a-cat-friendly-caregiver/getting-cat-veterinarian/

http://www.catalystcouncil.org/

http://catfriendly.com/keep-your-cat-healthy/cat-friendly-practice/can-benefit-visiting-cfp/

Moth balls

It's that time of year again for the snakes to come about.

Some people will use moth balls as a snake repellent, but these are actually toxic to dogs, cats and other animals. Plus, they don't work well at repelling the snakes.

Dogs like to eat anything smelly so moth balls may be yummy to dogs even though they smell horrible to us. If a toxic amount is ingested it can cause a severe hemolytic anemia. This disease often needs blood transfusions to treat it.

So, keep your pets safe and avoid the moth balls.

http://www.ahrdvm.com/

Hair Ties Not so Fun for Some Cats

Hair ties not so fun for some cats

Hair ties can be very entertaining for a lot of cats and provide hours of fun. But these are not good toys!  Many cats actually eat them and have to undergo surgery to remove them. Here's and x-ray of a kitty who had eaten multiple hair ties and got very sick from them.



www.ahrdvm.com

Cats and Arthritis, It's a Real Thing

In one recent study 90% of cats over 12 years of age had radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative, progressive and irreversible condition. It's also PAINFUL!  The elbows and hips are the most affected joints in cats but all joints are at risk. Our kitties are very good at hiding the signs of pain. Here is a video of a kitty with arthritis in her hips. Note how she bunny hops down the stairs instead of having a separate stride for each back leg.  

There are medications to help these kitties feel better and be pain free. If your note that your kitty has slowed down in their older years or isn't making as many or as high of jumps they may have osteoarthritis. Ask our veterinarians about options for treatment to help keep your kitties comfortable!

Parasites Pets and Kids

Parasites, Pets, and Kids

Authored by: Tiffany J. Rule, DVM

Know the facts:  Don’t expose your children!

• Hookworms and roundworms can be harbored by your dog or cat and transmitted to children who are living in homes with pets.  In some cases these parasites can cause blindness in humans.  It is thought that 30% to 50% of dogs and cats carry gastrointestinal (GI) parasites and that 1 to 3 million people in the U.S. have infections from the same parasites carried by pets.  Children, the elderly and immunocompromised people are at high risk.
• Dogs get infected with hookworms and roundworms by walking places where other dogs have defecated.  The microscopic roundworm eggs and hookworm larvae end up on your dog’s feet.  Your dog then licks his feet and infects him or herself with these GI parasites.  Three weeks later, your dog is shedding hookworm eggs and larvae from his GI tract.  If your dog licks his anus and then licks your child, or if your child pets your dog, he or she can become infected with these parasites.
• Dogs can get ticks that spread Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and tularemia, which can affect people if the ticks detach from the dog and attach themselves to your child.  This could be a risk factor for your children if the family dog or cat sleeps in their bed.
• Cats get infected with hookworms and tapeworms by hunting prey.  Even if your cat lives indoors, the ingestion of one house mouse can expose your cat to GI parasites.  Cats with a flea infestation can spread cat scratch fever to children, elderly people, or immunocompromised (AIDS, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients) people.

How Can You Prevent the Risk of Spreading Parasites to Your Children?

• Keep your dog on monthly heartworm preventative all year.  This medication helps to prevent hookworms and roundworms in your dog.  Keep your dog on topical flea and tick control all year.
• Scoop the yard where your dog defecates at least weekly, ideally daily, as worm eggs and larvae are found in stool and can contaminate the environment.
• Bring your pet’s stool sample to your veterinarian at least twice per year and ideally four times per year.  You do not have to bring your pet into the veterinary hospital for this service.  The stool should be fresh.  Many veterinarians will provide a special cup that allows specimen collection without touching the stool.
• Keep your cat on heartworm prevention once per month all year.  This medication eliminates hookworms that could be potentially spread to humans in the household.  It also kills fleas, which can be culprits in spreading cat scratch disease (cat scratch fever).
• Teach your children to wash their hands before eating, especially if they have recently handled their pet.

www.ahrdvm.com

Rabies Outbreaks

Rabies is a deadly virus for animals and humans. It's state law to make sure your dogs and cats are up to date on their rabies vaccines and are registered within the city you live in.  

Outbreak-alert.com is a website that records animals that tested positive for rabies by location.  Take a look and see how close Rabies is to your house. 

www.ahrdvm.com 

Toxic Mother's Day flowers

Lilies and cats are a bad combo

As Mother's Day is fast approaching, please remember lilies are highly toxic and potentially deadly for our cats. There are many varieties of lilies. The genera Lilium and Hemerocallis are the genera that have been associated with renal failure in cats. All parts of the lily (flower, stem, leaves) are toxic and cause kidney damage and or failure. Most of the time symptoms do not arise for 12-36 hrs post ingestion and death occurring 3-5 days after exposure. If your kitty happens to eat a lily please bring them in ASAP to start treatment and also bring the remaining part of the lily with you so we can try and identify it. Many cats can survive the toxicity with prompt medical care.

So, if you're ordering flowers for a loved one with cats, make sure the florist puts a hold on the lilies!

Love, Dr. Carter

 

 www.ahrdvm.com

Nurse appointments can save you money $$$

Did you know that AHR doesn't always require you to see the doctor?  We don't always charge an exam for every visit and we never charge an "office visit" fee.  Once your pet has established a relationship with AHR, they can come in for wellness items with a nurse if their physical exam is current with us.

If you bring them in on January 15 for an exam with the doctor, they can come in until January 14 the next year for vaccines including Rabies, DHPP, Bordetalla, Lepto, Lyme, Rattlesnake, Flu, nail trims, anal gland expressions, teeth brushing, vaccination boosters, intestinal parasite exams, labwork, heartworm tests, chronic medication monitoring, etc.

This is a great way to save money between visits or to break up wellness services to split up the payment a bit.  Just another way AHR tries to help save you money!

If you come in for a sick exam with the doctor, it updates your wellness exam reminder so that you don't have to come back for another year.  If the doctor recommends a recheck after a sick visit, the recheck exam is discounted if you come back within 4 weeks.

Ask about our Super Savers and low cost spay neuters next time you are in....or check out our February and October dental cleaning specials!  We also have a promotion on acupuncture right now! Call or email us for details!

www.ahrdvm.com

We love Dr. D

We decided to share a popular facebook post on our blog too =)

I just have to say how proud I am to work for AHR. I love how the vets care about the animals like their own family.

I'm sure she'd be mortified to know I wrote this, but Dr. Downes told a story today with literal tears streaming down her face. She cried because she cares about how animals are treated - no matter where they're treated.

Her mommy took her cat to a vet closer to her home to confirm a ringworm diagnosis (Dr. D couldn't confirm via a texted picture and her mommy doesn't live locally).

The veterinarian scruffed her cat (even though it will let you do anything to it without any restraint at all) and they administered an unnecessary antibiotic (one that we save for critical things so they don't become ineffective from too frequent use so now we can't use it when the cat has future flare ups of an unrelated issue) and they administered another drug that wasn't needed at all. They didn't give any antifungals for the ringworm and they used an ear cone for a large dog instead of a small cat which caused the kitty to cry and put its paws over its ears as if to say "stop it".

She cried, y'all. Tears welled up in her eyes as she talked about how scary that must have been for the kitty. All the vets at AHR commiserated with her and said they couldn't believe it. It's sad for our profession that not everyone cares and provides the same level of care.

I'm just thrilled to know I work somewhere that they will always treat my animal with a gentle touch, they'll always respect me and my pet and will always provide the TOP level of medicine.

I also read on a friends Facebook status just to the other day that Dr. Downes sat in an exam room and cried with them. They came in for a quality-of-life discussion and to start making plans for an elderly pet that may not have much longer. It's so special to me to know that our doctors care about each and everyone of their patients like it's their own pet.

Anyway, sorry to be so long-winded. Let's give this post some "likes" to give some support to our veterinarians, who love each of our animals and provide the best care on earth. It's a very difficult, emotionally draining job… And we're so happy that they are here to do it.

- Christen, practice manager (although, I know I speak for the entire staff when I say this…)

#ahrdvm #fearfree #lowstress #lowstresshandling #cheesewizontap#loveanimals

Exam Room Assistants

If you have been into the clinic in 2017, you may have noticed some pretty big changes with our exam room flow.  While some of the familiar faces from the front desk may not be there to greet you, we want to be sure that you realize this change is to improve the client/patient experience!

Some of our more tenured, full time CSR staff have been moved into a role that we like to call ERA, or exam room assistant.  Each doctor is paired with a primary ERA who will be with the doctor at all times.  Their role is to enter exam notes so that the doctor can spend more time focusing on you and your pet, without having to escape to the computer constantly.

We want you to get to know your doctor's primary ERA...as they will help answer questions for the doctor when messages are left in their box, they will be the one calling to confirm your appointment and will be the one watching the appointment book to hopefully communicate to you if the doctor is running ahead of schedule (or behind schedule).  Dr. Clary's primary ERA is currently Cara, Dr. Carter's is Fallon and Dr. Hurley's is Adrienne.  Jessica is with Dr. Downes frequently at our Heath location.

Each Doctor/ERA pair also has a daily secondary ERA.  The role of the secondary is to meet you at the front door to greet you and immediately show you into an exam room (as long as one is available).  This prevents your dog or cat from having any run-ins with other pets in the lobby, keeps smells to a minimum and hopefully decreases any fear they have when coming to the veterinary clinic.  They will provide treats and low stress handling during the examination.

If your pet is timid and prefers to remain in the examination room with you for the entire visit, we can do vaccines, blood draws and nail trims in the room with you.  If they love to explore and meet with our clinic pets (Stone, Maggie, Sheldon, Bob, etc) they we can have a nurse perform those items in the treatment area while you chat with the Doctor.

We hope this provides a faster visit for you - because we know that nobody wants to spend hours at the vet office (no, seriously...studies show this! and don't worry, it doesn't hurt our feelings).  We hope it tones down the anxiety your pet might get waiting in the lobby with other animals coming and going.  We hope it allows you more quality time with the doctor and your pet.  We love our new flow and we hope you do too!

We invite you to come by in 2017 and check us out.  See how we are different from other practices in the area and make AHR your home away from home.  As always, we look to improve every interaction with you.  If you have any feedback, please fill out our client satisfaction survey and receive a $5 credit on your account!

http://ahrdvm.com/for-our-clients/customer-satisfaction-survey/customer-satisfaction-survey

The Amazing Zeke

Zeke is one of our awesome kitty patients at the Animal Hospital of Rowlett.  Zeke came to us very ill in 2012.  He was limp and lifeless and had labored breathing.   Dr. Clary ran some labwork, took some x-rays, and did an echocardiogram.  Zeke was diagnosed with Histoplasmosis.

Zeke stopped eating and was not feeling good at all.  Dr. Clary placed a feeding tube to help Zeke get the necessary nutrition he needed to survive.  The thought of a feeding tube can be really scary to people, but luckily, his daddy was willing to proceed in hopes that the feeding tube would help save Zeke's life.

Now, 4 years later, Daddy is glad he made the decision to continue treatment and says that Zeke does something funny every day that brings joy to his life.  Here are some videos of Zeke!

https://youtu.be/1rbEkna5BOs

https://youtu.be/r-kbGhihnLE

Things I've learned...

As many of you know, I've been out on an "extended maternity leave". It wasn't intentional - I had some pregnancy complications that prevented a return to work after my 20 week appointment. To say this was unexpected is an understatement. I cried in the office when I found out I was being admitted to the hospital. My first phone call (before my parents even) was to Dr. Downes. I remember crying and saying I couldn't come back until I had the baby. She cried too. 

I'm lucky though. My absence showed me the capabilities of my amazing staff. Everyone chipped in. People requested additional responsibilities. Managers took on extra roles. Staff continued working their hardest and attempted to handle situations that arose so they wouldn't "bother me". I worked from a hospital bed for months behind the scenes while they continued to shine at the office. 

Managers, Cassey and Brittany, continued hiring processes set in place to grow our team. I am super excited to get back to the office and meet our newest team members! They handled employee concerns and ran Monday staff meetings each week. They placed orders and ran errands and kept things running smoothly. They did so much more, but it would be impossible to detail here. 

Reception staff (Aaron, Adrienne, Cara, Cassey, Fallon, Jenny, & Meleah) continued helping clients. They rarely left messages for me about situations they needed help with because they took on handling payment plans, VetSource orders, restocking of retail shelves, and made sure that people were happy. They emailed me ideas of things they thought would be helpful to them and allow them to provide better service. They rocked the client service aspect and continue to do so daily. 

Nursing staff (Brittany, Dorothy, Jacqueline, Laura, Logan, Matt, Mary, Memory & Zak) continued helping patients. They posted pictures of surgery pets, they scheduled surgeries and monitored patients. They cleaned and organized and kept their area sterilized. They learned our digital radiology equipment and continued following AAHA guidelines, even without me standing over their shoulder. 

Kennel staff (Ana, Jacquelyn, Kaylee, Kerri & Lizbeth) continued caring for boarders. They texted pictures to anxious moms and dads while they traveled. They bathed dogs and helped create new standard operating procedures to keep our pet hotel running smoothly. They let management know when washers and dryers needed repair and when food needed to be ordered. Kerri continued beautiful grooms and worked to take extra dogs/cats when the busy summer rush came around. 

You may have heard of "act as if". What is the as-if principle? This principle says that we can create outer circumstances by acting "as if" they are already real; for example, we can be happy by acting as if we are happy. 

I can say our whole staff acted "as if" the entire time I was gone. They acted as if their manager was standing over their shoulder, watching and assessing. They didn't slack on tasks, knowing nobody was there to notice. The office ran smoothly because of how awesome each of my co-workers are. It ran smoothly because they are all passionate about what they do for a living. It ran smoothly because they worked as a team towards a common goal. It ran smoothly because of awesome clients who want the best care for their pets. It ran smoothly because my team acted "as if". 

This experience taught me that whether I am there or not, the show goes on...and they deserve a standing ovation! The show continued beautifully, like a well oiled machine, and I couldn't be more proud of each and every employee of Animal  Hospifal of Rowlett. 

I'm sad to leave my new baby, but I'm trilled to go back to work with such an amazing group of individuals. See everyone Monday the 19th! 

-Christen Lynch, Practice Manager

(Mommy, Liam and Bo) 

 

Rabies is all around us in North Texas!

Please find attached the Texas Department of State Health Services, Region 2/3, Animal Rabies report for January through March 2016.

There were 38 laboratory confirmed positive animal rabies cases reported between January through March, 2016.

Of these 38 cases, there were 35 skunks, two cats and one dog reported.

For more information on Rabies prevention please go to http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html

The Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis control website is currently not available. If you have questions about rabies virus prevention, control or questions about other zoonotic disease, please call 817-264-4920.

Dryer Sheets Being Removed from Kitty

Check out our video on YouTube!  The doctors used our endoscope to see if there was an obstruction or problem with a kitty that presented with vomiting and lethargy.  

What we found when we put the scope in was pretty exciting!

Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a oet's digestive tract. Using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it, your doctor can view pictures of their digestive tract on a color TV monitor.

Pet visitation in progress

Pet visitation at hospitals is so therapeutic. There are many benefits to snuggling a pet - lower blood pressure and lower stress included. 

Consider bringing your pet to hospitals or retirement homes to visit with patients. 

Parvo

Cute kitty boarders

Hannah enjoying rubbing her head on anything she could find. 

Nova wanting to be up close and personal with the camera 

Allison snuggling in her hammock watching the fish 

Sally scarfing down her food and meds on the bird view window side. 

Does Your Vet Practice Fear-Free Handling?

Animal Hospital of Rowlett was an early adopter of the "fear free movement". We've always used low stress handling techniques and methods to ensure our patients have the best experience possible when they come to our office. We have the opposite of a "get 'er done" attitude - it's not about quantity, but rather quality.

Here is a video of us working with a timid young patient of ours to ensure that she has a happy visit to our clinic. Any stressors as a young patient can make our break how they are able to be handled in the future. While we could just "hold her and vaccinate", we instead want to teach her that we are gentle and loving and will not hurt her. We allow her several minutes to get acclimated while in our treatment area. We give her treats and cheese, pats and sweet talk.

You can visibly see her relax as the video progresses and you'll notice she wags her tail throughout vaccinations. This is just a little something extra - a promise from us that we will always take it slow and give your pet the best experience possible. You're always welcome to be present for vaccinations and we can do the same thing with you in an exam room, though some patients are less protective away from mom and dad.

Thanks for trusting us with your baby! Come see/feel the AHR difference!

http://www.ahrdvm.com/

Travel Anxiety

Does your dog or cat get stressed out by car rides or trips to the vet's office?  At best the anxiety they feel in the car or hospital is unpleasant.  At worst, it can create a potentially dangerous situation for pet owners and veterinary staff alike.  Anxious or fearful pets can bite or scratch owners or staff members, even though they might never do this at home. 

The good news is there are things we can do.   We already have several methods of stress reduction in operation at the Animal Hospital of Rowlett, such as DAP and Feliway diffusers in all exam rooms that release comforting pheromones specific to species.  There is music in all exam rooms to block out background noise from other dogs, cats or people.  The dog and cat areas are on separate sides of the lobby, and the cat lobby is enclosed to further isolate cats from dogs.  The entrances for cats and dogs are separated.  The hospitalization areas for dogs and cats are separated as well.  We provide lots of treats to distract the food motivated pets from things like nail trims and vaccines.  We provide cats with thick soft blankets to lay on or hide in.  Sometimes, however, these things are not enough. 

The dogs and cats that are not comforted adequately by routine stress reduction methods need additional measures.  It's important to realize that not one size fits all when it comes to optimizing things for stress reduction, and it can take time and multiple visits to desensitize the pet to traveling or being at the vet's office.  We should never force anxious pets to accept procedures or restraint that obviously scares them.  It all the pet can handle is one vaccines without excessive restraint, we should try to perform other services at another time, if possible.   Some pets just need several visits where nothing happens except scritches and treats to relax.  Some pets need to have their visits only when it's quiet and calm in the building.  For cats, using crates that are left out all the times as beds at home can provide them some comfort.  Sleepypods are crates where the top half of the crates can be removed to be a comfy pet bed.  Cats, in general, do better in smaller crates, rather than large roomy crates.  Some pets do better with their housemates, some do better without.  Pets are frequently far more relaxed after exercise. So, play or walking prior to visits can help. 

In the car, motion sickness and pain should be addressed if present.  Many dogs suffer from motion sickness.  Most don't actually vomit.  Some may drool excessively.  A test dose of Cerenia can help determine if car anxiety is related to motion sickness.  Older dogs can be reluctant to get in cars if it aggravates osteoarthritis.  Pain control prior to getting in the car may help sort this out. 

Some dogs and cats are so stressed, that they need antianxiety medication to learn to accept the car or the hospital.  There isn't one medication that is perfect for every dog or cat, and the optimum dose may take some time to figure out.  We recommend that pet owners give their dog or cat a test dose of the antianxiety medication and then try to come to the hospital.  It will be readily apparent whether the dose given is enough.  If it's not, the pet goes right back home with nothing bad happening and the dose is increased by the veterinarian.  The process is repeated until a dose is given that provides enough anxiety relief that the pet can be handled without excessive fear.  The multiple trips while figuring out the dose also helps to desensitive. 

If your pet is overly stressed about cars or vet visits, we can help come up with a desensitization program to make it a much better experience.  Please contact us at 972-412-0101 to discuss a protocol that fits your pet's specific needs.

Animal Hospital of Rowlett

Displaced boarding pet

This is one of the cuties that came to us after the storms. She lived with us for a few weeks until her mommy and daddy could get settled into a new place. 

She would stand up to look out the door everytime we walked past. How could you ignore this face!!! *swoon*