Holiday travel

Are you traveling this holiday season?

How does this impact your furred & feathered kids?

Well, even your scaly ones..............most fish and reptiles do great if left at home. If gone for more than a few days, have a neighbor or friend come and check on these guys. Make sure not to change the thermostat too much. Ambient temperatures are very important for management of most caged pets.

Small furry friends can often handle 1-2 days by themselves. Make sure caged mammals have plenty of food and water or have a friend come check them daily.

Cats and rabbits can also do well at home, but generally a daily visit to clean litterboxes & replenish food is warranted. Some cats do best if someone sleeps at the house. My orange kitties, Heather, Roland & Antoine, would probably not be able to handle more than a day without a lap!

House bunnies and cats handle cold ok, and most rabbits actually prefer colder temperatures than we do, so this is a time you could turn down thermostats.

Now dogs are a different story! Most dogs left to their own devices for more than 12 hours, just get themselves in trouble. Even if paper or litter trained, the average dog couldn't handle that much alone time without chewing something, scratching something or just going a little stir crazy.

With such a social species, boarding, daycare or a housesitter are the best options for leaving your dog. Or how about taking them? Many hotels allow dogs, and if properly crate trained & socialized, dogs are good travelers. Bring a crate along---dogs look at their crate as a portable bedroom, where they can sleep & relax in a familiar surroundings.

If you board your dog, find a reputable kennel or ask your veterinarian. At All-Pets Hospital on Second Ave, we provide large kennels or runs for the dogs and allow playtime outside in a fenced yard 4 times a day. Dogs with appropriate temperaments also get some playtime with the All-Pets pack. Our pack consists of 3-5 of our staff's dogs, ranging in size from Chihuahua Lobo to Berner Garbo. Our behavioral specialist, Rachel, always evaluates dogs in the pack to make choices on who gets along with who. She may even do some clicker training to add some skills to your dog's repertoire!

Of course, we also board cats, rabbits and even the occasional bird!

Call us at 515-262-8535 for more information.

Christmas puppies?

We are starting to think a lot about Christmas.
In Iowa, it snowed yesterday & the temperature hasn't reached 15 degrees yet. Yes, it's cold............but that is expected in December. I love snow in December, not so much in February & March.

With this cold weather, come thoughts of Christmas & joyous times spent with friends & family.

We have some wonderful Christmas traditions: at All-Pets, we pick one day, usually the Thursday before Christmas and have games, food, drink & fun all day at work. That way no one has to fit another event into their busy schedule. We don't take any appointments, don't groom any dogs or do surgery. We will answer the phone & take emergencies. I don't see any way around that if we are going to have a party during work hours. Rachel's favorite event is stealing Santa. Everyone brings a gift & we can pick our gift from un-opened presents or take someone else's---if it strikes our fancy. We all enjoy loud board games, music and food all day.

For our family: each pet always gets one present, typically a toy. The dogs understand how to open the presents, with a little encouragement. The cats have not figured that out yet. We also go to the movies on Christmas eve. And we put up our Christmas tree! We are probably the last family in the United States to wait until Christmas eve. My husband's family always waited & he does insist. We always get an excellent price on our tree & since it's only up for about a week, the cats rarely knock it over.

Another Christmas tradition is to get a pet as a gift. When I was 9, all my dreams came true and Santa really did bring me a Christmas puppy. She was a cocker mix & I named her Crisi (for Christmas). She wasn't quite as smart as my expectations (Lassie set the bar pretty high), but she was a very sweet dog---good with kids & quite adorable.

My parents had thought long & hard about my wishes for a Christmas puppy & they made a good choice for the family: a small sweet dog, good with children. I showed a strong, consistent interest in dogs, & they also realized they would have to take care of the expense & help with her care.

It's not completely wrong to give a Christmas pet, but this should never be done on a whim. The receiver should sincerely want a pet. If a pet is given to a child, the parents need to be fully aware of the situation & understand that they (never the child) are the primary caregivers.

The best place to get a puppy or kitten is from a rescue group or quality breeder. Pet stores and commercial breeders are the most accessible, and often have more pets available at Christmas. You may get a wonderful, adorable pup from a pet store or commercial breeder. But, the real issue is finding out how the parents of that critter have been treated. Sometimes commercial breeders keep the dogs outside (even Chihuahuas & poodles), sometimes vet work isn't done, rarely are dental issues taken care of. These are questions you can ask when you buy a puppy: where does the mother live? how many dogs do you have? when did they last go to the vet? when was its last dental prophylaxis? All dogs should have regular checkups, and medical problems should be treated promptly. To most commercial breeders, dogs are commodities and they are not willing to invest money in quality vet care. The signs of a quality breeder: the dogs live in the house, the dogs see their vet regularly, the dogs have health testing done. Typically a high quality breeder will only have one breed that they are very invested in.  Most good breeders wouldn't let you take a pup home right at Christmas. The pup would come to your house after the excitement of the holidays, when the focus could be on the puppy. With a quality breeder, you may need to wait for a puppy, but its worth it.

So, make sure to get your pets an extra toy or treat at Christmas & enjoy this wonderful, chilly time with friends & family.

Fall is here!

We are really enjoying the fall colors here in central Iowa. My yard is ablaze with beautiful maple foliage. Such a lovely fall makes outdoor activities with big dogs more fun.

Garbo (my Bernese Mt Dog) and I are running 3-4 times per week.
Garbo is crazy about it! And has gone as far as 7 miles last weekend on the Summerset Trail. During the week, we ran from our East Village veterinary office all the way to Gray's Lake.

Garbo is super fit. Don't ever run with your dog unless you have her checked by your veterinarian first. For more information on running with your dog, come to the ARL's Running With Your Dog Seminar. This will be held on November 16 at 1 pm at ARL Main. Guess who will be speaking? Yep, yours truly, plus some other people who know more about running. I suppose I will be considered the dog expert.

We are continuing to see lots of fleas, since we have had a warm fall. Don't forget to continue to use Frontline, Trifexis, or Revolution for flea control. Call your veterinarian if you are seeing fleas---veterinarians and their staff are expert at talking you through all the options for flea control.

A few events we are looking forward to:
The Wild Rose Film Festival tonight! We will be seeing Butter Cow Productions new short: "Co-Pay", starring Des Moines' Greg Anderson. This film, directed by Paul Berge, doesn't have any dogs in it, but does show the vagaries of customer service in human medicine. As veterinarians, we think we do a much better job. If you see the film, check out the radiographs in the nurse's scene. Maybe there is a dog in this film?

East Village Promenade November 22!
This kicks off the holidays in the East Village. All-Pets East Village will be having an open house with decorated windows, hot hard cider, cookies & treats for dogs and humans alike. Our dogs will also be at the information table in the Historical Building. Bernese Mt Dog, Garbo, Dalmatian, Cloud, Welsh Springer Spaniel, Kendyll, and Chihuahuas Lobo & Gulliver are excited about the holiday season in downtown Des Moines.

So, enjoy our lovely fall, before the snow flies and the rush of the holidays.

All-Pets staff is very excited about upcoming events for Halloween.

The Susan G Komen Race for the Cure will wend its way around our East Village office tomorrow. We won't be running this year---work beckons. If you do visit us in the East Village, use the parking garage behind our office  (its the attached building), as street parking will be difficult.

Sunday is a big day! We start with the Spooky Paws Parade. All-Pets staff and dogs have big plans for the parade---think cold, think sinking ships & think icebergs. We are excited. The parade starts at 2 pm near Simon Estes amphitheater and ends with Jimmy John's sandwiches at Jett & Monkey's Dog Shoppe.  This downtown Des Moines event guarantees fun for people & pets.

After the parade, Dr Berge heads to Osceola Iowa for a Sneak Peek film event for a film she produced with her husband. The short film, "Co-Pay", sheds light on the current state of health care in America. The film, directed by Paul Berge, stars the hilarious local actor, Greg Anderson.

Next Thursday, Halloween hits the East Village with candy, dog treats, and costumes at All-Pets East Village from 5-7 pm. Please bring your kids, both 2 legged and 4 legged.

We love the fall & we love Halloween!

Sudden rear leg lameness in your dog

The most common reasons for sudden rear leg lameness in your dog are fractures, muscle tears and torn ligaments.

Fractures (broken bones) generally only happen with major injury such as when a dog gets hit by a car. However, in some toy breeds with fine leg bones, fractures can occur when the dog jumps down off a high object like furniture. We even saw a dog recently who got his foot stuck in a hole---the dog moved but the leg did not, creating a fractured tibia in the lower part of the leg. Stepping on a small dog can also break bones, but it would be unlikely in a large breed such as a lab or golden.. Dogs that have broken bones will be very lame---usually not putting their foot on the ground at all. Sometimes, if a small bone such as a toe is broken, the dog will bear some weight on the foot. Since dogs are four legged, they get around pretty readily on three legs, so will typically manage to be able to get up and move if only one leg is broken. With major injuries from trauma such as car accidents, multiple breaks can occur, causing greater difficulty getting up. This is especially true for a fractured pelvis. When I was a child, our boxer was hit by a motorcycle. He broke his pelvis and walked on his front legs only for several weeks. It is good for him that he was able to balance so well!

Fractures take a minimum of 6 weeks to heal. In older pets or severe fractures, healing can take even longer----up to 8-12 weeks. Broken bones cause severe pain and lack of function.  Most fractures need a splint or even bone surgery for proper healing and prolonged pain medication. Bone surgery is most often done by a specialist in veterinary orthopedic surgery. University veterinary teaching hospitals and specialty clinics are the best places for bone surgery.

Muscle tears, sprains and strains are typically much less severe than fractures & heal much more quickly. Radiographs (Xrays) are used to help differentiate fractures from soft tissue injury. Most dogs with muscle tears and strains should be rested to allow the area to heal. Ice can be applied for 10 minute intervals to the affected area, if your dog tolerates it. Many dogs with this type of injury benefit from a short course of muscle relaxants or anti-inflammatories.

Rest is also important for proper healing of breaks and strains. Many dogs will only rest if confined to a small area such as a kennel.

Like fractures, torn ligaments heal slowly and may require surgical correction. The most common ligament tear in the dog is the torn anterior cruciate ligament. This ligament crosses inside the knee joint---when injured it causes sudden and often severe rear leg lameness.

Next time, we will talk specifically about the ACL in the dog and options for treatment.

Tips, Tricks and Thoughts From All-Pets Hospital: Help! my dog won't use his back leg!

Tips, Tricks and Thoughts From All-Pets Hospital: Help! my dog won't use his back leg!: A common scenario we are presented with is a limping dog. A dog that holds his leg up completely & won't put his foot down, is defin...

Help! my dog won't use his back leg!

A common scenario we are presented with is a limping dog. A dog that holds his leg up completely & won't put his foot down, is definitely cause for concern. A dog that just hikes his leg, but will bear weight on it, should also be seen by a veterinarian.

Most lame dogs should be seen by your veterinarian within 1-2 days of when the lameness starts. If the lameness is sudden and severe, your dog should be seen immediately---an emergency visit may even be necessary.

For most lamenesses, the first step is an examination and radiographs (Xrays) of the lame area. The exam can help your vet pinpoint the location that should be Xrayed. Sometimes a tentative diagnosis can be made with only an exam.

Things that can cause lameness include: broken bones, torn ligaments, muscle tears or pulls, tumors, and inflammation of the bone or joints. Arthritis is a common cause in old dogs and can be seen with developmental problems such as hip or elbow dysplasia.

In most cases of lameness, pain medication is recommended. Dogs, just like people, handle non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs well. Rimadyl is a brand commonly used. Cats don't handle these types of medications wells & are more commonly treated with steroids for inflammation and opioids like buprenorphine for pain.

Next time, we will talk more about different problems that cause lameness & need for surgical correction.