Pet of the Month - September 2012 - Casey and Joey Schmadeke

Ida and Elmer Schmadeke have always loved animals, when their Yorkie died, they knew that they needed to find another animal to love and help fill the void that she left. They found a tiny Australian silky Terrier who was needing a home, whose litter mate had just been adopted. He was so sad, the kennel staff called him Cry Baby. They put a teddy bear puppy in the cage with him and they became inseparable. Ida and Elmer ended up adopting both dogs and named them Joey and Casey. They became amazing therapy dogs for Elmer as he struggled with Parkinson’s and gave him great comfort. Casey and Joey have become best friends and have helped Ida through the difficult days. They love to run and play in her fenced back yard. Casey will sit in the shade and watch Joey find something to chase and then he will join in. They have even begun to embrace Sophie the cat who decided that she liked the dog sleeping kennel better than the bed. They all now cuddle together in it. These animals have been constant companions for Ida – her life would not be the same without them.

Pet of the Month - August 2012 - Cinder Ella Smith

We would like to introduce Dr. Smith’s newest addition to his family, Cinder Ella Smith!  Cinder is a grey tiger stripe playful kitten who gets almost constant attention from his three children.  She has boundless energy, would play all day long with unsuspecting toes, fingers, pant legs, and anything else that happens to be on the floor.  She especially loves to harass and torment Dr. Smith’s other older cats.  She seems to think that they are constantly teasing her with their tails.  They are not so thrilled with her unending energy, but they will sit next to her when she is sleeping at least!  Cinder loves to snuggle up when she is tired, and first thing in the morning she wants as much attention as she can get.  She has become a vital part of the Smith family and we are thrilled that we get to share in her energy! 

Pet of the Month - July 2012 - Mica and Jake

Mica (10 years old) and Jake (5 years old) Young are Jenny Young’s “furbabies”.   This is how she describes them:

I had Mica 5yrs before I even considered getting another kitty. Jake was being fostered and both of his siblings had been adopted and I felt so bad that he was left alone. I debated back and forth on whether to bring a new kitty home because I was so concerned on how Mica would react....being the only spoiled kitty for 5 yrs. After much debate I brought Jakey home and it was the best thing I ever did for Mica and for myself. They are the best of friends. Mica has always been able to entertain himself with his toys....the boy LOVES his crinkle balls but Jakey keeps him a lot more active with chasing each other around the house, and wrestling. So now I have TWO spoiled kitties.

I have always loved cats and I can't imagine not having these two in my life. I love being greeted by them every time I walk through the door, I, for the most part, love being woken up by them in the morning and just having them there on the good and bad days....they can always sense when you're having a good/bad day. No matter how bad of a day I've had....just looking at them makes me smile and warms my heart.

They each have their little quirks....don't we all. Mica likes being picked up, having his head rubbed and playing with his "crinkle balls". He is not a lap kitty at all and is definitely the alpha kitty. Jakey is definitely my lap kitty. The minute I sit down or lay down, he has to be right on my lap. I can get up out of the chair ten times and each time he will get back up in my lap the minute I sit down. He LOVES having his belly rubbed and playing with his little furry toy balls.

Maisie and her brothers (Spenser and Fletcher, ages 7 and 6) were all adopted from Minnesota Old English Sheepdog Rescue (MOESR) in Bloomington, MN.  They have been a part of the Blair family for 6 years.   Maisie is the alpha dog in this sheepie three-pack.  She is 7 and a diva, no question.  She came from a surgeon's family with four girls.  They played dress-up with her, so she loves to wear clothes.  She also likes lattes if she can find one unattended.  She knew all about Starbuck's when she was brought home, and she orders at the drive-up.  The director of MOESR received a call from Great Clips asking if she had a suitable dog for their commercials.  She recommended Maisie, who is a splendid actress as well.  They  just tell her what the director wants and she does it.  All three sheepies love Dr. Jim, and hug him every chance they get. 

Laser Therapy Testimonials

Taylor Vet now offers laser therapy to help our patients speed their healing and decrease their pain.

“Laser therapy provides a sterile, pain-free, surgery-free, drug-free treatment which is used to treat a variety of injuries, wounds, fractures, neurological conditions, numerous dermatological problems, and pain. Whether your pet is rehabilitating from trauma or injury, healing from wounds, or simply aging, your companion will benefit from this revolutionary new approach to Veterinary medicine.

Laser therapy is the only course of treatment that actually stimulates the body to heal from within. Non-thermal photons of light are administered to the body and absorbed by the injured cells. The cells are then stimulated and respond with a higher rate of metabolism. This results in increased circulation from the body, an anti-inflammatory reaction, relief from pain and an acceleration of the healing process.”  ~Companion Laser Therapy website

Read the testimonials below from some of our owners who have seen how well the laser has worked for their pets.

"This summer (2011) we experienced success using the laser therapy with our dog “Skylar”. “Skylar” was obsessively licking a spot on the ankle of her rear foot; so much that it created an open, raw “hole” that would not heal and she would not leave it alone. After trying other treatments, Dr. Smith suggested using laser therapy. The treatments were easy on “Skylar” (and us) as they lasted only a few minutes and were pain free. The technicians were awesome by even getting on the floor to administer the therapy so that “Skylar” would not have to be put up on the table! After each laser treatment, “Skylar” would leave her leg alone, with the time between treatments increasing. We are happy to say that using the laser therapy broke the cycle! “Skylar” has stopped the obsessive licking, giving her leg time to heal. We were very satisfied with the laser therapy and would definitely use it again if needed.” ~ Clarence, Wende and “Skylar”

“We brought “Tuffy” in with a back injury that made him paralyzed in the back legs. Dr. Smith suggested that we try the laser therapy. He said it would help to reduce the swelling and make the healing process faster. Within a few treatments we noticed improvement. We have continued on with the laser therapy and now “Tuffy” can walk. It’s not pretty, but at least he can walk around now. I’m so thankful for all the helpful staff at Taylor Veterinary Hospital that helped with “Tuffy”. We believe “Tuffy” wouldn’t have gotten better without the laser therapy treatments.” ~ Nicki and Tuffy

“Spike” is a 12 year old German Shephard who is a guard dog at Precieux Art Jewelers, as well as a pet. He is constantly with me 24/7, so I am lucky to be able to observe even the smallest changes in his abilities and behavior. He developed a licking sore on his front leg joint, and he has failing hip strength from joint problems. Since he is already on powerful pills for Cushing’s disease, I didn’t want to use additional medication for his joints, so I looked into laser light treatments. I didn’t expect great results but they are inexpensive and have no side effects, so I figured I had nothing to lose. Wow! I was very surprised! The first treatment seemed ineffective for about a week, but after a week, his hips regained a noticeable and constant gain in strength and coordination, and the lick granuloma is virtually gone. “Spike” has had single follow up treatments as needed, which seems to be about 2 to 3 months apart. Every time I can see the difference, it is measurable with how high he lifts his rear legs as he walks on a flat surface. This has greatly extended his mobility, and therefore, his life. I recommend it without hesitation.” ~ Dave and “Spike”

“I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical when Dr. Smith suggested laser therapy for “Buddy”. However, after several treatments I must say I'm a believer. The laser therapy greatly helped reduce the inflammation around the area of Buddy's wound. It also aided in reducing the size of the wound. One more benefit was an increase in Buddy's mobility. He went from almost dragging the leg with the wound on it, to jumping around and even playing with my other dog. This laser therapy is well worth the cost.” ~Dan and “Buddy”

“Our Black Lab, St. Bernard mix “Simon” would chew on his once broken leg, because of the arthritic pain, during the winter until he had large sores. He was given several laser therapy treatments and the areas affected cleared up. Due to the laser therapy, now we have been able to maintain his pain with a small amount of medication in the morning and the chewing has stopped”. ~ Sandy and “Simon”

Heart Disease in Pets

Dogs and cats, like people, may develop heart disease as they get older, some are even born with some type of heart disease and some are genetically prone to it. A good physical examination will make the doctor aware of the problem but sometimes the owner will pick up signs before they are visible in the examination room. The most common signs are that your pet (cat or dog) is not running as well or for as long, is panting more, has developed a cough, difficult breathing or has a bloated abdomen. A less well known sign is a soft moist cough at about 3-4 am in the morning. This early morning cough will seldom awaken you but if you are up for any reason, listen for it.

When the veterinarian is concerned about the possibility of heart disease there are a series of tests that we use to confirm the diagnosis. The first is a good evaluation of the heart valves with a stethoscope listening for murmurs or abnormal rhythm. We usually follow that up with radiographs (X-rays) of the chest looking for changes in the heart’s shape. An electrocardiogram (EKG) will tell us about the electrical system that powers the heart. We use ultrasound to look for heart tumors. We also use a blood test called NT-proBNP. The blood test looks for the enzyme NT-proBNP that is produced by the heart when it is in heart failure. I spoke with the Iowa State Cardiology Department and they use this test only when there is a question of whether the dog or cat’s problem is respiratory in origin versus heart in origin. This helps separate the two. Sometimes it is very difficult to tell if a dog is in heart failure so this test helps on those occasions. After our detailed work up of your pet’s heart, and we are still not quite sure of the problem, we will ask for a second opinion at the Iowa State Veterinary College.

There a number of things that you as an owner can do to prevent heart disease in your pet. The most important thing that you can do for your pet’s heart health is to have a veterinarian do a good, complete examination of your pet each year. This allows the doctor to evaluate your pet, look at its history, talk to you about feeding, treats, exercise, symptoms of disease, and answer all your questions.

The next most important thing is to keep his/her weight under control. This requires several things. The first is to measure the amount of food that you feed. This keeps track of the major source of calories for your pet and if the weight goes up, we can show you, to the teaspoon, how much food to take out to lower the weight to the optimum level. Also remember that for every pound of fat on a dog or cat, there are an additional 5 miles of blood vessels for the heart to pump blood through.

The next item to look at is treats. I always recommend feeding baby carrots to dogs as treats and nothing else. This raw food is not digested in your dog’s intestine so there are no calories to cause weight gain. I believe cats should not have treats due to excess calories. The advertisements on TV make all of us feel guilty if we do not buy this treat or that treat. The problem is that they all taste good but just make your pet fatter. There is absolutely no benefit to feeding commercial treats. (Yes, I know some that claim to keep the teeth clean but weight gain is a far greater threat to your pet’s health.) The best “treat” that you can give your dog or cat is your undivided attention 2-3 times per day.

Exercise is always good. It keeps the muscles toned and helps to control weight by burning more calories. I want to point out that in late in 2010 the American Medical community came out with a position statement on exercise and weight control. The AMA said that you are more likely to gain weight from what you eat rather than from lack of exercise. This does not mean to stop exercising but it means we really need to control our food intake.

I hope this gives you an over view how to try to prevent heart disease and also how we diagnose heart disease. If you have any questions, please call us at 277-1883.

Pet of the Month - May 2012 - Mr. Wrinkles

Mr. Wrinkles was born on February, 13th 2010.  The Dittmer family got him about two years ago. He is a very friendly black Sphynx cat. The Dittmers have two children ages six and three and Wrinkles is very tolerant of them carting him around and loving on him. His skin is very warm, it actually feels like a hot water bottle. His favorite spot to sleep is under the comforter on the bed. His other favorite spot is on your shoulder.  Wrinkles likes to play with his little toy mouse and has torn nearly all of its appendages off. He also likes to chase after feathers on a string. Wrinkles does not eat any table food, nor does he get treats, only cat food. The Dittmers got Mr. Wrinkles from a breeder in Minnesota. They liked the Sphynx breed because they have no hair. No one in their family is allergic, but that wouldn't matter because he still has cat dander. They’ve had furry cats in the past  and they just didn't want the messy hair everywhere. Wrinkles does have very little hair around his paws, nose, and tail which feels like peach fuzz. Wrinkles is a good jumper. He can jump from the counter top to the top of the cupboards. He likes to sit up high and watch the activity.  It is also his safe spot from the children.  Mr. Wrinkles is a perfect addition to the Dittmer family.  What a lucky cat he is to be secure in his forever family!