HOT!

This week in Central Iowa there is one significant item of news: it is HOT!

Now we shouldn't complain, we have had a wonderful, pleasant summer. Hardly any days of oppressive heat. Until this past weekend, and this week: highs in the 90s, terrible humidity and the state fair is already passed.

This is enough for even Paul Berge to turn on the air conditioning. My husband, Paul, is widely known among my friends as hating AC. Most people in Iowa turn the air on in May or June. Paul waits for temperatures above 90, or for his wife to refuse to come home as she can't sleep in a house with no AC. Granted, we do live in a lovely shaded house in the country, but we also own BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOGs. This is a Swiss breed meant for Alpine climates; needless to say they have a lot of hair. Paul just says he hates the confinement and lack of fresh air that AC brings.

Finally, last week, Paul relented & turned the air on. Garbo and I are now happy.

So what can we do to help our pets beat the heat? Bring large breed or hairy dogs indoors. Short nosed breeds (brachycephalics like boxers and bulldogs) can't tolerate heat either. Only take the dogs walking early in the morning or late at night. No runs with the dogs unless the temp is below 70 degrees. Garbo and I did manage to get a mile of running in early yesterday morning, but she would have loved to go our usual 3-5 miles. For those crazy retreivers,  limit ball chasing and outdoor play sessions.

Luckily, cats can tolerate high temperatures better than dogs & know better than to exercise crazily outdoors during the heat.

Since we can't be running, walking or spending hours at the dog park, maybe we should start some indoor training sessions to keep the pups happy. Teach a few indoor tricks: sit, down, stand, roll over. Use treats and toys for motivation. See if you can get an indoor session lined up at Doggy Daycare or take dogs that enjoy swimming to the lake. The end of the year also brings some "dog swim" events to our local pools. Watch for these---great opportunities to play and socialize your dog for a nominal fee.

If you think Duke or Fido is getting too hot---pour cool water on his groin, stop activity & get him indoors. Call your veterinarian & discuss whether he needs to be seen. Unfortunately, dogs can die of heat stroke, a problem we want to avoid at all costs.

And remember the flip side; it's Iowa and soon we will be complaining about snow.

Cats just like dogs, need vaccinations. Even if kitties never go outside, they should be seen regularly by a veterinarian for appropriate vaccines.
The core vaccinations (that we recommend for all cats) include vaccination for rabies, panleukopenia, and rhinotracheitis. Other vaccinations are non-core vaccines and the need for these should be discussed between you and your veterinarian.

What are we vaccinating for anyway? Feline vaccinations

Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease that infects the nervous system of any mammal, including humans, causing behavior changes, paralysis, and death. It is transmitted in the saliva of infected animals and in the United States it is most commonly carried by bats, racoons, and skunks. Rabies is always fatal once symptoms appear so prevention through vaccination is essential. Rabies is the most important vaccine because it protects not just the pet but also the human population from this deadly disease.

Panleukopenia

Panleukopenia is commonly called “feline distemper” although the disease itself if more similar to canine parvovirus than canine distemper. Symptoms of panleukopenia include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and immunosuppression. The disease is especially severe, and often fatal, in young kittens so vaccination and frequent boosters are recommended between 6-16 weeks of age. Isolation and thorough cleaning are important in controlling the spread of disease as the virus can remain infective in the environment.

Feline Herpesvirus 1 (feline viral rhinotracheitis)

Feline herpesvirus is the most common cause of upper respiratory disease in cats. Common signs of an upper respiratory infection include sneezing, runny nose, watery or crusty eyes, and mouth ulceration. The disease ranges in severity from a mild cold-like disease to serious pneumonia. Once infected, cats often remain infected for life and may show chronic clinical signs or be asymptomatic carriers. Vaccination helps to prevent or decrease clinical disease.

Calicivirus

Feline calicivirus generally causes a mild upper respiratory infection with symptoms such as discharge from the eyes and nose, sneezing, and tongue ulcers. However, some strains can cause more serious disease including pneumonia and organ failure.

Feline Leukemia Virus

Feline leukemia virus primarily causes immunosuppression in cats, making them more susceptible to other infections, and about 1/5^th of infected cats will develop leukemia, a cancer of white blood cells. The disease has no cure and is somewhat unpredictable with some cases progressing slowly while others are quickly fatal. It is spread through direct exchange of saliva and other bodily fluids. Bite wounds and mating are the greatest risk, but nose-to-nose contact, social grooming, sharing bowls, and other casual encounters are also potential routes of transmission. Since kittens can be infected at birth, all kittens with an unknown parental history should be tested then vaccinated to prevent this deadly disease.

Hopefully, this helps to answer some questions about cats vaccinations. If you have more questions, please call us at 515-262-8535. 

Now that we've gotten the cat off the printer, I wanted to share with you a few tips about cats.

Cats are now more popular than dogs as pets. This is due to their adaptability and ease of care. Most cats aren't taken for long walks in the park & are ok with spending the day at home alone when you go to work. Cats are cuddly & friendly and can be taught tricks and to come when called, just like dogs.

Cats are true carnivores---they require meat in their diet, and cannot be fed a vegetarian only diet. They actually do best on canned (moist) foods as they are higher in water content and more like their natural diet of small rodents and insects. They do kill birds, if given the opportunity, which creates some controversy for cats that enjoy going outside. Most cats will adapt to an indoor environment, and it is definitely safer for them  to live indoors. It's also safer for the songbird population.

Cats reproduce readily in a semi-wild or feral state, which leads us to a problem in the summer---too many kittens! At the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, they call it kitten season, with litters of adorable kittens coming in on a daily basis. Many of these kittens get adopted, but sadly, not all. So, it is always best NOT to let your cat contribute to kitten overpopulation by having a simple & safe spay or neuter surgery done. If you can't afford the surgery, the ARL has some programs that can help with the cost.

If you are looking for a new dedicated & loyal friend, consider a cat. Contact us at East 6th & Walnut---we are ARL adoption partners.

Next week, we will have some information about cats and the need for vaccinations.

Perspectives from an upside down cat....

Good Morning Everyone! It's me, Venice the clinic cat. Dr. Kathy left her blog site up, so I decided to take a few minutes to write a quick note to you all. I am just so very excited, and must write quickly before Dr. Kathy comes back and kicks me out of her chair!

Did you know that if you hang upside down off a computer printer people will laugh hysterically at you? You see the picture above shows me demonstrating this very action

August heat

The State Fair is here!
And with it comes the hot humid days of August.
All Iowans know that in preparation for school to start, we must go to the State Fair, and we must endure some heat & humidity. This year has not been nearly as hot as some, but Iowa's humidity always makes the heat difficult to endure.

For our dog pals, that means shorter walks, walks late in the day or early in the morning and more time spent indoors with the air conditioning on. Cats tolerate heat better than dogs, as evidenced by their love of sunny windows, but indoor/outdoor cats often slow down considerably in the heat of the August afternoon.

With heat & humidity comes another problems: FLEAS. It is now officially flea season. August, September & October are the worst months for fleas in the Midwest. Fleas exist part of their lives in a pupal form & heat & humidity cause pupal fleas to hatch out to adults. Adult fleas create all the problems: itching, scratching, hot spots, and tapeworm transmission, to name a few.

The best way to deal with fleas is to prevent them: use of veterinary recommended products such as Frontline Plus, Trifexis and Revolution are the most effective preventives and should definitely be applied to all dogs & cats in August, September & October. If you have a flea problem, a visit with your pet to the animal hospital is best. The veterinarians can prescribe specific ways to control the fleas in your household. And get your pet the relief they need!

State Fair Parade update

We are very excited to report that we won an award!
A major award!

Our clinic has walked with our dogs in the Iowa State Fair parade every year for the last four years. The State Fair parade winds through downtown Des Moines the night before the opening of Iowa's State Fair. As all Iowans know, "our State Fair is a great State Fair, the greatest State Fair in our State!"

And this year, our entry was also great!
We won "Best Use of the Fair Theme" for a commercial entry in the entire state fair parade!

The fair theme this year was: Nothing Compares.
We continued with our moving display from last year of "Dogs on a Stick". Myself and my enthusiastic staff dressed as food vendors, we decorated a van with sheeting made up to look like a food truck, and the patient dogs wore harnesses with cardboard sticks coming out of their backs. A placard atop the van stated: "Nothing Compares to the World Famous Dogs on a Stick".

Garbo, the Bernese Mt Dog, Cloud, the dalmatian,  Breeze, the border collie, Max, the maltese, and Gulliver, the chihuahua loved being petted by hordes of kids along the parade route.
Evidently the Parade judges liked what they saw as much as our dogs liked getting petted.

We will be featured on Iowa Public Televisions: State Fair 2013 on Monday August 12.