A Safe Halloween for Your Pets

As the anticipation of a fun-filled Halloween draws near, don't forget to keep an eye on your furry members.  Halloween can be a dangerous time for any pet.  The following are some tips to ensure a safe and happy holiday.

Minimize the amount of time your pet spends outside alone on the days preceding Halloween, the day of, and for a few days after.  This is especially important for black cats.  There are numerous accounts of malicious pranks involving animals that can result in injury or even death.

Do not share your Halloween "loot" with your pets.  Items such as candy wrappers and lollipop sticks can be harmful if ingested, and chocolate can be poisonous.  If your pet does eat something inappropriate call your veterinarian to determine what should be done.  

Keep Jack-O-Lanterns with lit candles at a safe distance from pets.  Curiosity or a wagging tail could easily cause a pumpkin to get knocked over and potentially start a fire.  A lit candle could also singe an animal's fur or cause serious burns.

Many people love to dress-up their pets, but your pet may not feel the same way.  Some animals love the attention, but others are already nervous with the Halloween festivities, and a costume only exacerbates the situation.  Even the nicest animal can become aggressive if his/her breathing, vision and movements are restricted.  If you decide to dress-up your pet, choose an appropriate costume, and avoid using hair gels or paints as they can cause health problems if licked off and swallowed.  

Consider confining your pet to a separate room when trick-or-treaters start arriving.  Strange people in strange costumes can frighten animals and cause them to react in various ways.  Animals may feel the need to protect the house and its occupants and respond by barking or biting, or your pet may try to escape when the door is opened.  Make sure proper identification is on your pet's collar to make for a quick return in case your pet does escape.

There is no doubt about it, Halloween can be a stressful time for your pets.  As much as you would like to include them in your holiday activities, remember that pets don't understand what all the excitement is about.  Look at Halloween from a pet's point of view.  For more information on keeping your pets safe this Halloween, contact your family veterinarian.

Pet of the Month - October 2012 - Hambone Gibson

Hambone Gibson has lived a lot of life in his almost 16 months. He was adopted by Brian and Jody as a young puppy from a friend. When he was just 7 months old, he suffered a broken right front leg from jumping off a chair. Our doctors surgically repaired it in late January. Once the leg had healed, they removed the pin and sent him home. A few weeks later, Hambone was playing as puppies do, and jumped again. His leg broke again. Our doctors sent him to Iowa State Veterinary Medical Hospital in Ames. They fixed the leg again and put Hambone on strict cage rest. The Gibson family is thrilled that Hambone is once again whole and healthy with as much energy as he always had. He loves Gibson’s 4 year old son and is a vital part of their family. He has figured out that a favorite thing is watermelon and will run to the kitchen when anyone is eating it. The Gibson family can’t imagine life without Hambone, and we are all so thankful that he has healed and is able to live life to the full. 

 

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”