The Preventive Vet
Please help me publish my pet safety tip books. I’ve got 30 days to raise the funds and awareness necessary to get them out there. Visit www.IndieGoGo.com/ThePreventiveVet to see the campaign/rewards, contribute, and (very importantly) help spread the word :-) Please leave a comment there, too. Together, we’ll show the world that we care about pet safety!
Halloween is just around the corner, and what a fun time of year it is. For those of you with pets though, you should be aware that, as with many holidays, there are certain pet emergencies which occur more commonly on and around Halloween. And so, ‘All Hallows Eve’ may not be as fun a time for your cats and dogs.
However, if you’re aware of the potential for these emergencies and take the easy steps provided here, you’ll be far more likely to have a Halloween full of fun and great memories with friends and family, rather than one full of memories of a night (and a sizable chunk of change) spent in the local animal ER.
Do you like to dress your pets up for Halloween? Many people do. But keep these tips in mind when choosing their costume to keep them safe and out of the ER.
Many of us will be celebrating (mourning) the official end of summer today. Don’t forget about the safety of your pets though as you fire up the grill, frolic at the lake, or jump in the car to head out of town. The typical BBQ, jaunt to the lake/ocean/river, and an unsecured drive in the family car are all potential ‘emergency minefields’ for your dogs (and, to a lesser extent, your cats too). Aside from the illness, pain, and potential death that such accidents, poisonings, and other emergencies can cause for your pets, they can also deplete you of your hard earned savings and relaxation. Though they are one of the last places that many of us would want to spend our Labor Day holiday, the veterinary ERs across the country fill up on this day year in and year out. Read on to learn what you need to know and what you should do to avoid being one of the people sitting in your local pet ER. Good luck, and have fun!
As I found out for the first time in November 2009, and again this August, welcoming a new baby into your family and home is truly one of the greatest joys in life. If you’re a pet owner though, this great joy can be shattered by a host of emergencies that can happen to your children and pets when they share a home.
Of course I’m not saying this to ‘bring you down’ from your elation of becoming a parent, or (heaven forbid) to encourage you to give up your pets; rather I’m trying to bring to your attention a reality that’s best faced early on and with full awareness. After all, the dangers of not facing this reality, or of not preparing for it, are many, and some can prove debilitating, disfiguring, emotionally scarring, and even fatal - for children or pets. And thats on top of the heartbreak, stress, inconvenience, and expense that you will likely experience!
Did you know…
- Over 400,000 children aged 12 years and under are treated for dog bite injuries each year. And most of those bites happen in their own home and are inflicted by the family dog.
- Because of their aggressive behaviors towards children, or the anticipation of such behaviors, thousands of pets are relinquished to shelters each year when a new baby is brought into the household.
- Bringing a new baby into the household can be one of the most stressful events in your pet’s life - and that stress can lead to injuries for baby or pet.
- Many common diaper bag & baby nursery items are harmful to pets - some fatally so.
- Most pet emergency visits cost owners several hundred to a couple thousand dollars and precious hours of free time - both commodities that are typically in very short supply for new parents.
Fortunately though, with some prior knowledge and planning, you can greatly decrease the likelihood that your children or your pets (or your wallet, for that matter) will wind up in the ER.
It really is this simple. Heat stoke is debilitating, distressing, and deadly. Don’t mess about - this is one very easily prevented pet (and child) emergency. Spread the word. The more people who know about this, the better. Also check out my previous post on Heat Stroke, click here.
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My aim with this post is not to make any of you feel as if I am personally attacking you or calling you careless pet owners, but rather to inform you of the importance of your dogs safety in the car.
Not long ago a friend of mine’s step-father put their Golden Retriever puppy in the bed of his…
Here it is, installment #2 in the summer pet safety blog series…
Heat Stroke
You’ve seen it, the pet locked in a parked car on a warm day. Maybe you’ve even done it yourself? What you may not know though, is that such a situation can quickly lead to severe, expensive, and often fatal, problems for such a pet. Read on to find out why…
When a pet’s body temperature rises and stays above 104oF for even a short period of time a myriad of problems can ensue. Without going too much into the physiology and biochemistry behind it, at such temperatures the enzymes and the vital metabolic reactions they are involved in cease to operate properly - and the result is dysfunction of multiple different body systems. This dysfunction may manifest as collapse, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal bleeding, kidney failure, liver failure, seizures, and even death. There is good news though, and it is this… Heat Stroke is typically a completely (and easily) preventable emergency.
Summer is officially here! And the BBQs, trips to the river/lake/beach, and the 4th of July fireworks are right around the corner. This is a great time of year, and one typically filled with lots of fun and time spent with friends and family - hopefully including those of the four-legged persuasion too. And while the nicer weather will likely bring with it more exciting outdoor adventures for you and your dogs, it also brings with it an increased risk for a lot of different pet emergencies - for all of your pets, cats included.
This series of blog posts is dedicated to increasing awareness and knowledge of some of the pet emergencies that happen with increased frequency during the ‘dog (and cat) days of summer’. Of course, being The Preventive Vet, I’m also including steps that you and your friends can (and should) take to decrease the likelihood that you and your pets will be spending unexpected time (and money) in the veterinary ER this summer - rather than out enjoying the beautiful weather and all that comes along with it.
* As always, if you have any pet emergency stories that you’d like to share - either from a pet owner’s perspective or as a veterinarian - please do. Sharing your stories can help to personalize these debilitating, inconvenient, frequently expensive, and (sadly) often fatal experiences and help others to avoid suffering the same experience. Theres a variety of easy ways to share your stories. You can share here on the blog, on the Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ThePreventiveVet), or directly through the website (www.ThePreventiveVet.com). And so, without further ado, let’s start with the one that’s right around the corner… the 4th of July!
