Pet Meds

Happy Boxing Day to all my good friends in Canada & the UK!

 I’ll admit I had to do some research on this topic.  I have heard about it for years but never really understood it.  Well my American friends…. let me tell you what they do in the Great White North, Across the Pond, and in many other countries.

According to Snopes.com

Claim:  The name of Boxing Day comes from the need to rid the house of empty boxes the day after Christmas.

Status:  False

Origins:  Few Americans have an inkling that there even is such a thing as Boxing Day, let alone what the reason might be for a holiday so named.  However, before one concludes we’re about the rag on Americentric attitudes towards other cultures, we should quickly point out that even though Boxing day is celebrated in Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and Canada, not all that many in those countries have much of a notion as to why they get the 26th of December off.  Boxing Day might well be a statutory holiday in some of those lands, but it’s not a well understood one.

Despite the lively images suggested by the name, it has nothing to do with pugilistic expositions between tanked-up family members who have dearly been looking forward to taking a round out of each other for the past year.  (Darn — I liked that idea!)  Likewise, it does not gain it’s name from the overpowering need to rid the house of excess wrappings and mountains of now useless cardboard boxes they day after St. Nick arrive to turn a perfectly charming and orderly home into a maelstrom of discarded tissue paper.

Click the link below to find out what it’s really all about! 

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/boxingday.asp

happy boxing day

We wish you many CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS from our family to yours!

Oh, and from me and Jamey too!

Merry Christmas

Pet Dental Cleaning

Yes, pets have teeth too!  Or in Hanna’s case (my Dachshund) — she has teeth — just 8 less than she did a few days ago.  I am very happy to report that she has had absolutely NO down time from having these 8 teeth removed.  It is absolutely incredible!  I kept waiting for the meds to wear off and have her moaning around the house — not so!  She is still gets 1/2 a pain pill (Deramaxx) and 1/2 an antibiotic pill every day and that is it. 

I am not going to put her back on hard food for a few days yet.  Although she wants her dry food — I don’t think she will be too happy with it the first time she chomps down on it and remembers her gums are a bit tender.

So, what has Hanna’s Mommy learned from all this?  Pet dental care is important.  Here are some facts I dug up to share:

Periodontal disease affects 85% of adult dogs and cats and can lead to pain, bad breath and tooth loss.  Even worse, chronic oral infection can spread harmful bacteria to other parts of the body, including the lungs, heart, liver and kidneys.  Fortunately most periodontal disease is preventable through a program of oral hygiene and regular professional care.

Here is my Doxie Hannabell — doesn’t she have a purdy smile?

pet dental cleaning

Doggie Dental Work

It’s about 8:00pm now… we picked Hanna up from the vet around 5:30pm.  As I blogged earlier today, her simple teeth cleaning procedure turned into a nightmare and they ended up having to pull eight of her teeth!  

I’m happy to report that she looked great when we went to get her!  She was happy to see us (no kidding!)… and gave Crissy the Vet Tech many kisses so I knew she was happy with her treatment.  Crissy is just awesome anyway — she pays special attention to all the animals and she just so happens to love our Doxies!  (((Crissy)))

Vet says the usual  “go easy on the food and water” tonight and tomorrow… make sure she can keep it down.  He also talks about the extractions and tells us that she will have no problems going back to eating her dry dog food in a few days or so.  I am like….. how is she going to do that with EIGHT teeth missing?  He reassures me (Geez this guy knows me so well) that Hanna still has plenty of teeth left, still has her back molars top and bottom and she will be just fine.

I of course am skeptical — because I KNOW my dog.  So, $380 later and a bag full of pain meds, antibiotics and doggie mouth rinse — we walk out the door to take Hanna home.  We are both dreading the minute that her pain meds from the surgery wear off and she begins writhing in pain.  But so far so good… she is sleeping next to my feet and seems quite content.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings and I am not looking forward to it.

Doggie Dental Work

Pet Teeth Cleaning

For the past several years my Vet has been telling me that my baby weiner dog, Hanna, should have her teeth cleaned.  My Dachshund Hanna is 6 years old… and apparently she gets tarter build up.  I had no idea this could happen to a dog - but then again — why not?  They have teeth just like we do — I’m sure they have some of the same issues we do as well.  I buy her doggie dental treats and doggie chew toys to help with the situation - but we have never brushed her teeth, much to the chagrin of our Vet of 17 years.

We finally have been digging our way out of the financial hell we have been in with all the medical bills for Jamey’s cancer and for my foot surgery — and decided it was time to take Hanna in for her long overdue teeth cleaning.  We had noticed that she was having some difficulty chewing up her ritual “after meal cookie”.  So we figured it was time.  She had no issues with eating anything else and no bad breath — so we assumed all was well

I take her to the Vet today — which for her is a traumatic experience in itself.  This little Doxie is very sensitive — to everything.  I inform them that she is having a little difficulty eating her cookies and to please make sure they give her plenty of pain meds.  Usually after a teeth cleaning Hanna is down for three days…  and she “moans” in pain!  (((Hanna)))

So when Crissy the Vet Tech wisks her away to be put back in a cage until it’s time for her teeth cleaning — I watch Hanna’s little brown eyes look at me like  “Mommy — don’t leave me here!”  Even though I had assured her all the way over there that I would be back to get her in no time.  *Sigh*

The Vet’s office called me at 11:30am to inform me Hanna was out of surgery and doing well.  I non-chalantly ask if they had any issues or removed any teeth.  I fully expected them to tell me she had at least one that was bad…. but when they told me they pulled EIGHT TEETH — I almost dropped the phone!

OMG!  My baby had to have eight teeth pullled?  What kind of Mommy was I not to know that!  My husband and I looked at each other in horror… and counted the hours down before it was time for us to go and get her.  Eight teeth… pulled — that is all I could think about!  Poor Baby Hanna!  If she was down for three days with just a cleaning - how would she be with so many teeth pulled.  I felt sick to my stomach!

Pet Teeth Cleaning

Holiday Pet Health

Tis the Season… for our beloved pets to be exposed to many harmful things that aren’t all that common during the rest of the year.  Christmas should be a time for joyful celebration — make sure your pets are save during the holiday season by being mindful of the following information:

Tree Trimings:  Tinsel & ribbon (any “string-like” items) may be pretty but they can also be deadly for curious pets who may decide to eat them.  These linear foreign objects have been known to cause some serious intestinal damage. If the entire piece object does not pass through your pet there is the potential that a piece of it may get stuck while the rest is tearing at the intestines. 

I know it is horrible to even contemplate this scenario… but this is information that every pet owner should be aware of.  In my opinion, pet owners should not decorate with tinsel — and this especially holds true for households that have puppies and kitties. I haven’t had tinsel in my home for well over 27 years.

Christmas Lights / Electrical Cords:  What can I say except that we pet owners all know how tempting it is for our dogs and cats to want to play with and chew on these things. The end result can be electrical burns or electrocution. Diligence in monitoring your pets (especially the youngsters) is the best way to ensure they stay safe.  I also tend to “go easy” on the lights and cords when we have a new pet that has not been trained to stay away from these dangers yet.

Christmas Tree Water:  No worries here as long as you do NOT put any additives in the water to help preserve your tree. 

Poinsettias & Mistletoe:  Another beautiful but potentially dangerous decoration. If you must have these items… make sure they are in a place where they can not be reached by your pets (watch those cats!).  As soon as you see the beginning signs of dieing leaves it is time to get rid of them.

And last but not least:

Holiday People Food:  We all want to share in the Christmas Season by making sure our animals get some “goodies” too.  But let’s be mindful that there are a lot of people foods that are toxic to dogs and cats.  Number one on the list is Chocolate!  Make sure that all of your Holiday guests - especially the children know that it is not OK to share any good with your pets.

Have a safe and Happy Holiday Season!

 Holiday Pet Health

Toad Poisoning Prevention

Poisonous cane toads have been seen in Tampa, Florida!  Pet owners need to make sure they take measures to prevent their animals from coming into contact with these deadly toads.  There are several ways to control the toad population in your yard. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your pets are at a minimum risk.

• Toads are most active at night - make sure your pet does not go outside at night without supervision.
• Place a 1/8″ mesh screen around the outside of your fence.  The screen should be buried 4″ into the ground (to prevent toad tunneling) and at least 20″ above the ground (to prevent toad hop overs).
• During night time hours, you can try trapping the toads by placing a 5 gallon bucket of water near a light. Toads become attracted to the bugs because of the light, they then fall into the bucket and can’t climb out.
• Eliminate as much fresh standing water in your yard as possible. Toads look for fish free water in which to breed so if you have a swimming pool make sure you turn out the pool lights and outside lights as much as possible.

Knowing the signs of toad poisoning can save your pets life.  Rush them to the vet if you see any of the following symptoms:

• Drooling and/or pawing at the mouth
• Vomiting or dry heaving
• Weakness causing collapsing
• Blue gums
• Breathing difficulties
• Seizures

If you believe your pet has been poisoned, flush out their mouth with water (don’t allow them to drink the water) and seek immediate veterinary care.

Pass this information on to your friends and family with pets — you just may save a life.

toad poisoning prevention

Poisonous Cane Toads in Florida!
As if it’s not stressful enough to make sure our beloved pooches don’t get into any poisonous plants or worse yet — anti-freeze!  Now fellow pet lovers need to watch out for poisonous creatures that may hop right into our yards!Dogs and cats love to play with anything that moves… and hopping toads are no exception.  However, Cane Toads have killed animals that have gotten the toxin into their mouths.  Although cats are less likely to fall prey to a toad it has been known to happen.  Cats will very likely vomit and show hindquarter weakness and a fixed trance-like state. 

TOAD POISONING SYMPTOMS INCLUDE: Click here to continue reading »