Pet Health Library – Marin Pet Hospital, San Rafael, CA
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2010 Summer Reading List
For all you avid readers out there, we compiled a book list of staff favorites for your summer reading pleasure.
1. A Dog’s Life by Peter Mayle
2. If Wishes Were Horses by Anne McCaffrey
3. Simon’s Cat by Simon Tofield
4. How to be YOur Dog’s Best Friend by the Monks of Newskeet
5. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
6. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
Flea control for dogs and cats has come a long way in the past ten years. At the Marin Pet Hospital, we currently favor flea preventative products such as Advantage and Frontline, which are topical liquids, and are safe for use on dogs and cats. When placed directly on the pet’s skin, these flea preventatives travel on the lipid layer of the skin. The flea then comes into contact with the flea preventative which acts to soften the flea’s exoskeleton, leading to the flea’s death. In addition, when the pet sheds skin cells, these cells are medicated with the flea preventative, and fall where larval fleas find and ingest them, in turn killing the flea larva.
If you suspect your pet has a heavy flea load, not only should he be treated with his flea prevention once a month, but you should be washing any bedding he sleeps upon weekly, as well as vacuuming any areas he likes to hang out in, weekly, to lessen the flea egg population as well. Be sure to vacuum baseboards and under furniture as well.
In the rare cases where a pet owner suspects the Advantage or Frontline to cause an allergic reaction, these products can be washed off with soap and water. This also means that these products are not entirely waterproof, and will lose efficacy on pets who like to swim. However, we still feel Advantage or Frontline are your best bet at this time for flea prevention.
Permethrin products should never be used on cats, as they are a neurotoxin. Permethrins can even be toxic to cats when placed on a dog inthe same household. Advantage and Frontline are NOT permethrin based products.
And lastly, one fun flea factoid: only 1% to 5% of a flea population are adult fleas. That means there are 95% to 99% of fleas in egg or larval form just lurking in the environment that you cannot even see.
Good luck in the battle against the flea!
Canine osteoarthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints. Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease. It occurs when cartilage in the joint is damaged, either following a traumatic event, when extra stress is put on the joint due to obesity, or if the joint has a congenital predisposition. When the cartilage in the joint is damaged, a cascade of inflammatory changes occurs, eventually leading to the destruction of the cartilage and subsequent damage to the underlying bone. Cartilage contains no nerves. Therefore, if your pet is showing signs of pain, the damage to the underlying bone has already started.
It is important to start treating osteoarthritis as soon as possible to slow the progression of the disease. Treatment should begin with a visit to the vet so your pet’s joints can be evaluated via palpation and radiograghs. Some steps to be taken can be simple, such as making sure your pet is at a slender weight, or changing his exercise routine from runs to walks, or getting a folding ramp to get into and out of the car. Other assistance may come in the form of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) which will reduce the inflammation in the joints and make your pet more compfortable. There are potential side-effects to NSAIDS, mostly GI and liver issues. Therefore, your pet should have blood work done prior to starting NSAIDS, and will need to be monitored every six months after starting the NSAIDS. You and your vet should discuss which course of action is appropriate for you and your pet.
Information in this post was originally written by Susan G. Wynn DVM, RH (AHG) in her article titled “What Can I Do About My Pet’s Arthritis?”