Preparing for the Move with Your Dog

Most dogs seem to take moving in their stride and are content with moving as long as their social group people, other pets, remain fairly the same. Before the move three important issues should be considered; the change in routine, the new home and other pets or people in the new household. Routine should be established prior to move. A fairly structured daily program of feeding, exercise, play, and training and down times (such as resting, self-play and naps) can be very helpful to introduce a more predictable daily routine which can also be provided in new home. Older dogs and pets with chronic illnesses could be more sensitive to change. Drugs, supplements and therapeutic diets like CALM for the treatment of brain aging and general calming may be helpful. You should consult your veterinarian for special drugs and supplements suitable for individual pets.  While preparing for the move, the boxes and suitcases should be kept out of view of pet and pack the pets sleeping area at last, so that home remains constant as possible. If your dog seems overtly sensitive and anxious, it is advisable to have someone care for your pet, while you are packing and dismantling your house.   

Alternatively, if you have time, it might be possible to desensitize and counter condition the dog to the boxes and household disruption by providing favored toys, treats and play sessions in conjunction with the packing. During the actual move the dog should be securely confined or out of the home to avoid anxiety, injury or escape. 

To make your dog accustomed to new home more quickly provide an environment with all the amenities as much possible to the previous home, especially in regard to the sleeping, feeding and play area. If a dog bed or crate has been used in the previous home, then this may help the dog to better adapt. It is also better to introduce the dog to new rooms and storage areas yourself, while in a positive mode to avoid anxiety and unwanted chewing and or spoiling of belonging’s with urine due to their natural investigative behavior. The pheromone diffuser, DAP might help your dog to more quickly settle into its new home.

Most dogs adapt very quickly to their new home with the help of established routine. Play toys, affection, and food treats can help the pet to make the move to the new home a positive experience. In the beginning, it is best to match the time of your departure from home with a time when the pet is normally sleeping or playing with its own toys, and increase time alone gradually, allowing the dog to adapt. Same technique is used to introduce new pets and people. The basic principle is to associate all that is positive in the pet’s day with the new people in the household.

Winston Norman Rockwell is our June Pet of the Month!

Mr. Winston Norman Rockwell was born in the Interior on 12th August 2011 to Jack Russell/Border Collie/Mini Aussie parents. To his friends and family his is known simply as Sir Winston or Chill Winston. His favorite pastimes include catching and chasing after balls and chasing the odd bird.

World Pet Memorial Day

Today is World Pet Memorial Day. The benefits of having pets are too numerous to count. They are our companions, our friends, and to some they are even considered family, but the one downfall of being a pet owner is that a vast majority of pets have a much shorter lifespan than their human companions. Today is a day to remember those departed pets and celebrate the time you had with them. What is the happiest memory you have of a departed pet?

June is In-House Diagnostic Month

June is In-House Diagnostic Month at Oak Animal Hospital! This is a great opportunity to get ready for July’s Dental Month and take advantage of over $200 in saving! We are offering a 20% discount on in-house diagnostic services in June.

Here are our in-house diagnostic services we are offering at a 20% discounted price in June:

Pre-Dental Anesthetic Blood Testing
Fecal Testing
Feline FIV / FeLV Testing
Canine Hearworm 4DX Testing (Lyme / Anaplasmosis / Ehrlichiosis)
T4 / Cholesterol Testing
Urinalysis

Pets In Cars

Heat stroke can cause serious injury or death within a very short period of time. For example, leaving dogs in cars is a common cause of heat stroke. The temperature in a parked car can quickly reach over 150 degrees, causing your pet’s body temperature to rise to 110 degrees or more. This can cause irreversible brain damage or death within just a few minutes. If you suspect your pet is suffering from heat stroke, get them to us immediately.

June is Social PETworking Month

June is Social PETworking Month! This is a month designated to help pair families with homeless pets. The campaign allows Facebook, MySpace and Twitter addicts to put their hours online to good use by advertising adoptable pets to their networks to help get them seen and into loving homes. So if you know of any pets in need of good homes, take to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and get the word out this June!

May Pet of the Month: Sebastian

Our May Pet of the Month is Sebastian Kloss! Sebastian is well known to most people as Mr. Kitty. He was rescued on the side of the highway as a kitten, which was the start of his luck. He has moved from the interior of BC to Vancouver and enjoys taking road trips back to the interior on occasion. At Christmas last year he was at the Vancouver International airport where security made him come out of his crate so they could scan it. He got scared and ran through security but luckily his mom was able to run after him and find him. Recently he was hospitalized for kidney failure, cause unknown, and once again pulled through. Sebastian and his mom are hoping for a quiet, uneventful rest of the year. Mr Kitty enjoys cuddles, long naps, toy mice, and bird watching from his apartment windows.

5 Items In Your Purse That Could Poison Your Pet

You’ve probably dog-proofed your house…but have you thought about what’s in your purse? Did you know that there are 5 items in your purse that could poison your canine companion?

Here’s a look at the top five most hazardous handbook contents:

Sugarless chewing gum and breath mints

Many women carry chewing gum in their purses and don’t realize that, if ingested by a dog, it can be fatal. Most sugarless gums, including some Trident™, Orbit™, and Ice Breaker™ brands, contain xylitol, a sweetener that is toxic to dogs. Some sugarless mints and flavored multi-vitamins may also be made with xylitol. When ingested, even small amounts of xylitol can result in a life-threatening and rapid drop in blood sugar, and if large amounts are ingested, dogs can suffer from severe liver failure. Signs of xylitol poisoning include vomiting, weakness, difficulty walking, collapse, tremors and seizures.

Human medications
Many purses contain pill bottles and dispensers. They are irresistible to some dogs, as they resemble toys that rattle. Each year, nearly half of the calls to Pet Poison Helpline concern ingestions of potentially toxic human medications. Common drugs including NSAIDs (e.g. Advil®, Aleve® and Motrin®), acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol®) and antidepressants (e.g. Effexor®, Cymbalta®, Prozac®) can cause serious harm to dogs and cats when ingested. NSAIDs such as Advil can cause stomach and intestinal ulcers as well as kidney failure, especially in cats. A single Tylenol tablet containing acetaminophen can be fatal to a cat, and in dogs, a larger ingestion can lead to severe liver failure. Of all medications, antidepressants account for the highest number of calls to Pet Poison Helpline, and can cause neurological problems like sedation, incoordination, agitation, tremors and seizures.
Asthma inhalers (albuterol)

While asthma inhalers are often used in veterinary medicine for cats and dogs, when accidentally chewed and punctured by dogs, they can cause severe, life-threatening, acute poisoning. Because inhalers often contain concentrated doses (often 200 doses in one small vial) of beta-agonist drugs (e.g., albuterol) or steroids (e.g., fluticasone), dogs that chew into them are exposed to massive amounts of the drugs all at once. This can lead to severe poisoning, resulting in life-threatening heart arrhythmias, agitation, vomiting, collapse and death.

Cigarettes

As few as three cigarettes can be fatal to a small dog, depending on the strength or “lightness” of the cigarettes. After ingestion, clinical signs of distress can become apparent in as little as 15 minutes. Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and even gum (Nicorette®) contain nicotine, which is toxic to dogs and cats. Exposure causes high heart and respiratory rates, neurological overstimulation, uncontrolled urination/defecation, tremors, seizures, paralysis and death.

Hand Sanitizer

In recent years, hand sanitizer has become a common item in millions of handbags. Many hand sanitizers claim to kill almost 100 percent of germs, and this possible because they contain high amounts of alcohol (ethanol) – sometimes up to 95 percent. Therefore, when a dog ingests a small bottle of hand sanitizer, it can have the same effect as a shot of hard liquor. This can cause a severe drop in blood sugar, incoordination, a drop in body temperature, neurological depression, coma and death.

Whether you are the host or a guest at a holiday party, be sure that purses are placed in a safe location and out of the reach of pets. When in doubt, hang it up.

Pets & Allergies

Is your pet itching and scratching and feeling miserable? They could be experiencing a case of seasonal allergies. When our pets suffer from allergies, it's a little different from when we do. They don't sniffle and sneeze, they itch! Their skin may become inflamed and flaky, and they need a little extra loving care. We'll be glad to give you our advice for how to care for allergy symptoms in your pet. Call us today!