AUGUST
2002 FYI
The first of each month is time to give your
dog or cat its monthly heartworm medication. It's also time to apply
Frontline Topspot for flea and tick control. DON'T FORGET
KEEP LUCAS COUNTY BEAUTIFUL
is a great program designed to involve the community in helping
to keep our roadsides litter free. Sylvania Veterinary Hospital
is responsible for 2.5 miles of Main St./ Holland-Sylvania from
the office south to Central Ave. Four times a year a group of Sylvania
Veterinary Hospital team members and clients gather to pick up trash
along our section of road. One of the interesting observations made
during our pick-up sessions is the huge quantity of cigarette butts
and filters found along the side of the road. Corners are the worst
but there is nowhere you can walk that butts are not the predominant
form of litter. We occasionally discover that someone has emptied
his or her ashtray in our parking lot. Cigarette filters contain
many toxins that can make animals very sick if ingested. They are
also not biodegradable so they remain on the roadside indefinitely
where any animal can get them. Please don't use our streets, roadside
and parking lots as ashtrays.
PS. our next pick up is in August. If you would like to help, call
and ask for Sarra.
NEW OFFICE PLANS ARE moving
along. It is not too late to submit any ideas or suggestions you
would like us to consider for the new hospital and boarding facility.
During August Dr. Bob will be interviewing architects and attending
a design conference in Kansas City. If all goes well, working plans
will be available by October. Fine-tuning and the development of
the specs will take until December. If you have thoughts about any
aspect of our building or service feel free to e-mail Dr. Bob at
drbob@sylvaniavet.com
OVERNIGHT LICENSED TECHNICIANS
are screening emergency calls. This triage service enables us
to determine the severity of an after hours problem and dispense
advice, consult the doctor on call or call in the emergency vet
and assistants if the case warrants. Val, Sherry, Mary and Rachael
are the four techs that provide this unique service. There is no
other veterinary practice that is available to you 24 hours a day
or that provides care for their patients or boarding guests after
closing the front door. We are proud to provide this unique and
high quality service.
THE SYLVANIA BLOOD BANK recently
donated its eighteenth unit of blood. We currently have thirteen
blood donor dogs in service and are still screening dogs for our
program. If you are interested in your dog becoming a donor contact
Dr. Jen at drjen@sylvaniavet.com.
THE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSISTANT
TEAMS (VMAT) were deployed to Virginia this April through July
to fight an outbreak of avian influenza. Dr. Jen was deployed for
ten days during May. Avian influenza is a respiratory virus that
causes illness in turkeys and chickens. Nearly 5 million birds had
to be destroyed and over 190 farms were affected. Currently the
disease seems to be at a standstill. No new cases have been reported
in nearly a month. Poultry purchased in grocery stores is not infected
and therefore does not pose a threat of harm for consumers. Dr.
Jen's duties were to test birds at surrounding farms to help isolate
the disease outbreak. Thanks to all the doctors at the hospital
who pitched in to help cover Dr. Jen while she was deployed!
EAR INFECTIONS ARE A COMMON PROBLEM of dogs and less frequently
cats. Clinical signs include head shaking, scratching behind the
ears, soreness, odor, discharge and occasionally swelling. Yeast
is the most common cause of ear infections, followed by bacterial
infection and finally, ear mites. Mites are small parasites and
are most frequently found in kittens, outside cats and sometimes
puppies. Mites are rare in adult animals. Regular cleaning of pets
ears with a specialized ear cleaner is useful to prevent infections
and important when treating infections. When we examine a pet's
ears for infection we will first use an otoscope. If evidence of
infection is found we will often do a cytology smear to identify
the offending organisms. This smear will enable us to more accurately
choose the proper medications.
Underlying allergies may cause recurrent ear infections. We do not
recommend that you buy any ear treatments from pet stores. The over-the-counter
medications are not precise enough and rarely contain appropriate
medications for the most common ear pathogens.
CATS SHOULD BE GIVEN a
teaspoon of water after the administration of a pill or capsule.
Most of us wouldn't swallow a pill without drinking water to wash
it down. A recent study proved that this should be a regular practice
with our cats as well. Cats have an extraordinary high incidence
of inflammation of the esophagus if a pill is not followed by water.
Dogs have more saliva but using a water chaser to assist swallowing
the medication couldn't hurt.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK
TWICE before you buy a dog from Petland. Most of the dogs that
are sold there are not good representatives of the breed and are
over priced. In addition, Petland's dogs come from a puppy mill
called the Haunt Corporation. Many animal lovers have been so upset
by the living conditions of dogs at Petland they have picketed the
store. Quality breeders will not sell their puppies through pet
stores. That means that the very people who care most about their
breed will not provide puppies to the stores. The best quality puppies
can only be purchased directly from a breeder. Do not give in to
a spontaneous decision. Do your homework and find a high quality
breeder if you are in the market for a pure bred dog. We frequently
counsel clients about which dog breed would be best for their family.
Do not hesitate to ask us to help you find a breeder.
VETERINARY PET INSURANCE
is 20 years old. VPI was founded by a group of veterinarians in
California. It has grown to be the largest, most successful veterinary
insurance company with policyholders in nearly every state. VPI
offers insurance for dogs, cats and birds at various levels of coverage.
We recommend that everyone consider and investigate purchasing health
insurance for their pet. One of our prize patients, Charlie, the
Sylvania Township drug dog, is covered by VPI. We have VPI and a
competitor's insurance informational brochures or you may contact
VPI at 1-800-872-7387 or on line at www.petinsurance.com
HEARTWORM DISEASE IS A CONSTANT
RISK for dogs and cats in northwest Ohio and southern Michigan.
A recent study indicated that only 55% of dogs are on heartworm
preventative. We did a practice study and found that though our
percentage of dogs on heartworm preventative is above the national
average, it is not high enough. Protection against heartworm and
internal parasites with Heartgard Plus for a year costs less than
$2.00-$5.00 per month depending on the size of your dog. All of
our doctors recommend that every dog receive heartworm and internal
parasite protection every month, year round, no exceptions. We also
recommend that you protect your cat with Heartgard for cats. If
your dog has not been taking regular heartworm protection it must
be tested for the disease before starting. We recommend annual heartworm
testing during your pet's annual wellness visit. If you comparison-shop
you will learn that Sylvania Veterinary Hospital's prices for heartworm
medication is the most economical in our area.
WE HAVE KITTENS AVAILABLE
for immediate adoption. Recently, two litters of kittens were
dropped off at our office. We have examined, leukemia tested, wormed
and vaccinated each kitten. You can visit and enjoy the kittens
in their show cage in the education area of the hospital. There
is a $30.00 adoption fee. If you do not find the right kitten for
your family we suggest you contact PAWS, Project CATS or the Toledo
Humane Society.
FALL OBEDIENCE AND PUPPY
KINDERGARTEN classes are forming. These will be the final classes
that we host this year. Because we hold the sessions outside the
weather limits the number of classes we can hold. We recommend that
every dog attend both a kindergarten class as a puppy and obedience
class once they are more mature. Barb is our obedience instructor.
She can be contacted daily from 8AM until 1 PM, at 419-885-4421.
NEW AND EXPANDED SERVICES
WILL BE AVAILABLE when the new hospital is built. We anticipate
adding year round obedience and puppy kindergarten with classes
at several times and days. Doggy daycare is planned if there is
demand. Physical therapy, conditioning and weight loss exercise
will be available in our underwater treadmill. Regular walking for
day care guests and boarders will be available on our supervised
automatic dog-walking machine. We will be looking for staff to work
in these areas. Dr. Bob is particularly interested in talking with
a physical therapist that can design and implement our PT program.
Reach Dr Bob at the office 419-885-4421 or at drbob@sylvaniavet.com.
Barb would like to interview interested obedience instructors. Contact
her at the office 419-885-4421.
HELP WANTED SIGNS have
been posted by our boarding facility manager, Jodi. All our summer
help will be leaving in the next month. We will need to hire several
permanent employees to staff the boarding facility. If you or anyone
you know is interested in working at Sylvania Veterinary Hospital
call and ask for Jodi at 419-885-4421.
DID YOU SEE the great
article on Sylvania Vet. and Dr Bob in Toledo Parent Magazine last
month? The article highlighted several of our very special and unique
services with a primary focus on our volunteer Pet Pal program.
If you did not have the opportunity to pick up a free copy of Parent
Magazine, we have copies of the article posted in each exam room.
We will also be posting the article on our web site, www.sylvaniavet.com
DID YOU KNOW that only
one veterinary hospital in our area is ever inspected and certified
for the quality of their care? That's right, only Sylvania Veterinary
Hospital has elected to have their standards of practice evaluated
and certified by a national organization. There are no national,
state or local standards of practice or inspection processes to
protect the public and their pets from substandard facilities or
practices unless a practice chooses to join the American Animal
Hospital Association. Our membership in AAHA and our four-year certification
means we have been inspected and meet the organization's highest
standards. Over the next few months we will highlight the many areas
that the AAHA reviews and inspects to certify a hospital. You may
see the standard categories on the web site. You can learn more
about AAHA at www.healthypet.com
REFER YOUR FRIENDS TO SYLVANIA
VET and receive a series of free gifts and a credit to your
account. As you send us more of your friends and neighbors the gifts
get better with the ultimate being an 11% discount on your bill
for the next year. Ask any team member about the details of our
referral program.
Have a great August
Staff of the Sylvania Veterinary Hospital
