Smith Veterinary Hospital

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Wishing You Another Beautiful Autumn from SVH
Autumn, 2011: By Dr. Jamie Drooker


We at Smith Veterinary Hospital hope you and your pet(s) enjoyed
the warm summer days and are getting ready for all the autumn
beauty ahead. As always, we encourage you to visit What's New at
SVH.
We welcome your comments about our website and any suggestions you
may have that will serve you better. 

LEAVES CHANGE COLOUR..... MAKE SURE YOUR DOGS & CATS DO NOT! 

In keeping with an autumn colour theme, here are some suggestions
of things to watch out for this autumn. With the summer sun not
shining as long these days and with back to school or back to work,
there can be a change in our activity levels and those of our pets.
Exercise really is an important part of a pet's health so in order
to avoid weight gain, let the autumn colours inspire plenty of
outdoor activity. Let's get out and enjoy the reds, greens, and
yellows of the autumn leaves with walks in the countryside. Pets
carrying extra weight run the risk of health problems like
diabetes, high blood pressure, and many others. The benefits are
there for us too. Also, with the approaching holidays, don't spoil
your pets too much with those Thanksgiving leftovers and watch out
for bones which they might accidentally get a hold of. Let's all
stay fit and healthy this autumn!

Let's keep our pets from turning blue! Remember, with autumn comes
a change in temperature often fluctuating from mild to cold. Watch
out for breezes, open windows, or any temperature changes which
might leave your pet feeling uncomfortable. 

There are also many potential toxins which can be health hazards to
our pets. At this time of year here are some colours to steer away
from: brown chocolate, blue/pink (or other dyed) antifreeze, and
blue (or other dyed) rodent pellets.

Keep dogs away from that brown chocolate! With the holidays and
Thanksgiving desserts, sweets and chocolate in particular around
the house can often be most enticing for pets. Did you know that
chocolate can be dangerous to your pet? Chocolate contains
chemicals called methylxanthines which include theobromine and
caffeine. In general, bitter chocolate tends to be more dangerous
than milk or white chocolate. Signs of toxicity in your pet can be
seen with an ingestion of as little as 20 milligram of theobromine
and caffeine per kilogram of animal weight. Reactions may include a
fast heart rate, excitation, muscle twitching, vomiting, diarrhoea,
and even death if enough is consumed. If your pet has ingested
chocolate, check in with the hospital immediately. We will try to
calculate the amount of toxin that was eaten and determine a plan
of action. If you need to bring in your pet, the sooner your dog
gets treated, the sooner we can get him back to health. 
With the colder driving weather, out comes antifreeze. That
blue/pink (or any other colour) dyed fluid keeps us safe on the
road but it can be extremely dangerous for our pets. Antifreeze
contains ethylene glycol which unfortunately some pets find very
tasty. If ingested, it usually leads to vomiting and leaves animals
dull and depressed. Pets can look as if they are drunk! They can
stumble, look wobbly, and even have trouble moving about.
Ultimately, the kidneys are affected and renal failure can ensue.
This is a very serious toxin! Like with any other toxins which are
ingested, the sooner you can get your pet to the hospital the
better so we can start supportive treatment to reverse its ill
effects. Even better--keep that antifreeze safely stored where pets
can't get to it!

If you are having troubles with rodents--in the house or the
yard--trying to get rid of them can be difficult. Autumn might be
the time these critters try and hide out in the warmth of our
homes, attics, or garages. It is important to realize that the use
of rodenticides and rodent baits can be hazardous to your pets. Try
and keep pets well away from them. Those blue or dyed pellets if
ingested by your pet can lead to a severe bleeding disorder. The
products affect the body's ability to form a blood clot. As a
result it is more difficult to stop bleeding and pets can find
themselves in serious trouble if there is a lot of blood loss. If
you suspect that your pet has gotten hold of these products you
should get in touch as soon as possible. The sooner we can examine
your pet the sooner we can try and help. Because there as so many
rodent baits on the market try and keep the packaging and even
bring it in so we can see which chemicals the product contains. 

Remember that many household items can be toxic to pets as well, so
keep animals away from acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen to name a
few. 

We are all wishing you a very happy and healthy autumn season!