Traveling with your pets this holiday season?

The holidays are approaching and many people are traveling to visit their families. Do you have any interesting holiday pet travel tips or stories to share? Leave a comment telling us your pet travel tips.

Stocking up on all the holiday goodies?

Are you stocking up on all the holiday goodies?  Beware of guests who may give your pet cookies, chocolate and other sweets. Those treats are not healthy for them. Your pet’s digestive system is not adapted for such rich foods, and chocolate contains theobromine, which can be harmful and sometimes fatal. Keep plenty of treats especially for your pet around so they don’t get the urge to try and sample some of your holiday feast. Just a tip from Princeton Animal Hospital.

Holiday Myths Debunked!

Holiday Pet Poisoning Myths Debunked!

Veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline Clear the Confusion

Holiday festivities, decorations and rich foods can wreak havoc on undiscerning pets who love to taste test everything that appears new and interesting. While pet owners need to be made aware of the very real and dangerous threats to pets this time of year, the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline would also like to debunk several common myths that cause unnecessary stress each holiday season.

Holiday Myths Debunked!
According to the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline, these are the most common myths concerning pet safety during the holiday season.

Myth #1 - Poinsettias are highly toxic. Although they have a bad rap, poinsettia plants (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are only mildly dangerous to dogs and cats and their relative toxicity has been quite exaggerated. The most problematic component of the plant is its sticky white sap that may cause mild mouth or stomach irritation if ingested. Contact with the skin may also result in mild irritation. However, serious poisoning is not expected from ingestion.
Myth #2 - Mistletoe is toxic. Like poinsettias, American mistletoe, which is a popular plant used as holiday décor, also gets a bad rap. Rumors of its toxic nature are largely attributed to its cousin, European mistletoe. Though ingestion of American mistletoe leaves or berries may cause mild stomach upset, serious or life-threatening poisoning is not likely.
Myth #3 - Fruitcake is a healthy holiday treat. While fruitcake may be a fine food for people, it can actually be deadly to pets. Grapes, raisins and currants are common ingredients in fruitcakes and can result in kidney failure in dogs if ingested. Additionally, fruitcake that has been soaked in rum or other alcohol may also prove poisonous to your pet if ingested. Alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and can affect pets quickly, causing a dangerous drop in blood sugar, blood pressure and body temperature. Intoxicated animals can experience seizures and respiratory failure.
Myth #4 - Tinsel is a pet-friendly decoration. An ornament that pet owners should avoid is tinsel for decorating trees. If you own a cat, toss the tinsel! What looks like a shiny toy can prove deadly if ingested. While tinsel itself is not poisonous, it can result in a severe linear foreign body, which occurs when something “stringy” wraps around the base of the tongue or anchors itself in the stomach, rendering it unable to pass through the intestines. As the intestines contract and move, the string can slowly saw through the tissue, resulting in severe damage to your pet’s intestinal tract. Treatment involves expensive abdominal surgery. It’s best to keep tinsel, as well as ribbon, yarn and thread out of your pet’s reach.
“Dogs, cats, birds and other pets often use their mouths to investigate new things,” said Ahna Brutlag, DVM, assistant director at Pet Poison Helpline. “Much like small children, they simply cannot resist the temptation to chew on potentially harmful plants, foods and other ‘goodies.’  Thankfully, it’s easy for pet owners to educate themselves about common pet poisons. At www.petpoisonhelpline.com you can view and print our list of toxic foods and post it on your refrigerator as a reminder. This is also a way to discourage your holiday guests from feeding Fido poisonous people food!”

Real Holiday Dangers
Lilies, including tiger, Asiatic, stargazer, day and Easter, make lovely centerpieces but are also extremely toxic to cats. These beauties fall into the category of real and acute danger. As little as one or two petals or leaves, and even the pollen, can cause sudden kidney failure. They should be kept well out of kitty’s reach. Thankfully, dogs are not as severely affected by lilies with only mild stomach upset expected.
While not as toxic as lilies, ingestion of Christmas cactus by dogs and cats can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Likewise, the spiny and leathery leaves of the Christmas or English holly can result in significant damage to the stomach and intestines of dogs and cats. The holly’s berries have mildly toxic properties, but are fairly tolerable in most pets. While death is not likely, it’s best to keep your pets away from these holiday plants. 
Filling your house with the smell of nutmeg or pine is inviting, but if you heat scented oils in a simmer pot, be aware that it can cause serious harm to your cat. Some liquid potpourris contain chemicals called cationic detergents, which can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing and tremors. Dogs are not as sensitive to the chemicals but may still suffer burns so it’s still better to be safe than sorry. Scent your home with a non-toxic candle in a safe no-pet zone.
With the holiday season comes delightful baked goods, confections and other rich, fattening foods. However, it is not wise, and sometimes quite dangerous, to share these foods with your pets. Keep them on their regular diets over the holidays and do not let family and friends sneak them these kinds of treats. Some of the most dangerous foods are chocolate and cocoa, sugarless gum and candy containing xylitol, leftover fatty meat scraps, and unbaked bread dough containing yeast.
Make this holiday season merrier for you and your pets by keeping dangerous items safely out of their reach. If, however, you think your pet may have ingested something harmful, take action immediately. Contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680.
About Pet Poison Helpline
Pet Poison Helpline is a service available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. The staff can provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline’s fee of $35 per incident includes unlimited follow-up consultations. Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 1-800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.                       

Pet of the Month

In the year 2002 Mollie walked up to the front steps of a home and looked through the window.  She had wondered up to her house with her baby boy in tow.  She was very lucky that she found someone who would care for her, because she had several ailments!  She was positive for both heartworm and Lyme disease.  She also had intestinal parasites and needed treatment for all three.  They found her puppy a wonderful home and Mollie successfully completed treatment for all her conditions.
    Mollie passed her Canine Good Citizen test in 2004.  The Good Citizen program is run by the American Kennel Club. It is a 10 step training program that rewards dogs who have good manners in the home and community.  Mollie did well because she loves people and can’t get enough of them!
    Mollie is now, what is estimated, to be around a 14 years old pitbull mix.  Although Mollie is sweet, she has proven to be a very tough girl pulling through several surgeries in the past couple of years.  In 2005 she had a Mast Cell Tumor removed.  Mast Cell Tumors are histamine producing tumors of the immune system.  They can be fast spreading if not caught early.  Then in 2007 she needed surgery to fix the ruptured blood vessels in her ear that had caused a hematoma.
    In 2009 she went through one of her toughest surgeries when she had her spleen removed.  She pulled through with flying colors, but by this year she had another mass growing on her hind end.  The mass was aspirated and the cells were sent out to the lab to be evaluated.  It came back as an anal sac adenocarcinoma, or cancer.  The mass was removed and Mollie started chemotherapy.
    Mollie is currently receiving chemotherapy and is doing real well with her treatment.  Mollie is a favorite at Princeton Animal Hospital. She is a brave sweet soul who has been through a lot in her life. Keep her in your thoughts!

Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs make great family pets. They are one of my favorite small mammals.

They are friendly, very social, talkative and easy to care for. They typically live 5-7 years when cared for properly. Guinea pigs do best when kept in pairs, ideally same sex pairs to avoid breeding. Females kept in pairs rarely fight if introduced young.

An ideal environment is a cage that allows the guinea pig adequate space to move around and hide. Approximately 4-6 square feet is best with a wire top cage that allows adequate ventilation. An aquarium fish tank type cage is inappropriate, these cages do not allow adequate ventilation. If the cage has a wire bottom, a portion of the cage floor should be covered with soft bedding or a towel to avoid pressure sores on the feet. The safest bedding is a recycled paper called carefresh bedding. This has minimal dust and is unlikely to contain parasites like wood shaving type bedding. This will help avoid respiratory diseases and parasitic skin infections. Guinea pigs also like to hide, they should be supplied with houses or hollow logs to hide in.

The most important part of guinea pig care is the diet they are fed. If the diet is incorrect it leads to many health problems. Guinea pigs require 50 mg of vitamin C daily. Most animals can make vitamin C inside their body, guinea pigs cannot. The best way to supplement is to give a 50 mg tablet daily as a treat. Oxbow pet company makes a tasty chewable supplement. Vitamin C is added to most foods but is quickly destroyed when the food is exposed to air and light. Vitamin C can be added to the drinking water, but it is sensitive to light so if added to water it should be changed daily. Also, some guinea pigs do not like the taste of the vitamin c in the water and therefore will not drink enough water. Water can be fed in a water bottle or in a heavy ceramic bowl so it cannot be tipped over. Water should be changed frequently and plastic bowls should not be used because guinea pigs like to chew the plastic and bacteria will live on plastic bowls.

Hay is the second most important part of caring for a guinea pig. They should be offered timothy, oat or grass hay in unlimited amounts daily. Alfalfa hay can be fed in small amounts. Feeding hay will help keep their back teeth evenly worn. Guinea pig teeth grow continuously and need to be worn down by chewing or the teeth can become overgrown and cause sores in the mouth. This eventually causes pain and infection.

Pelleted food should be fed sparingly at approximately 1 tablespoon daily. Young guinea pigs can be fed alfalfa pellets and once they are fully grown adults they should be switched to timothy pellets. Only small bags of food and hay should be purchased at a time to preserve freshness of the food and vitamins inside the food.

When buying or adopting a guinea pig be sure to handle them and look closely at the eyes, nose, skin and coat. If you notice discharge from the eyes or nose, hair loss, scaly skin or extreme itchiness do not purchase or adopt that pet or be sure to have it examined by a veterinarian immediately. Also, do not purchase/adopt a guinea pig that is very nervous or attempts to bite when handled.

Guinea pigs should be examined by a veterinarian soon after purchase to be sure there is no sign of illness. They also should be examined as soon as you notice a problem. Guinea pigs become sick and get worse very quickly. If you notice that your guinea pig is not eating, drooling, has a runny nose or eyes, labored breathing, diarrhea, hair loss or appears very itchy please have them seen as soon as possible.

Kelly Ross, DVM


Websites for further information about guinea pigs
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/
http://www.carefresh.com/
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/

Decorating Dangers

The holidays are a great time for everyone, including your pet, but take precautions this decorating season. Glass ornaments and tinsel can be harmful if swallowed. Extension cords, if chewed, can electrocute your pet. Keep pets safe while decorating for the holiday season.

Christmas Pet Safety