Happy Howl-O-Ween!

As Halloween is approaching, many of us will be celebrating with costumes, candy, visitors, and activities.  This season can be fun for the whole family, including our beloved furry family members. While enjoying this festive season, we also need to keep in mind the safety of our pets. 

Pets are attracted to the smell and taste of all the treats we hand out to our trick or treaters. Chocolate is one of the most common toxic foods that our four-legged friends indulge in when left unattended.  Chocolate of all types can be very dangerous to our pets (the worst being baker’s chocolate). Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. Raisins and artificial sweeteners are also toxic and should be avoided. Scruffy and Fluffy will not unwrap the candy prior to snacking which may lead to wrappers in their stomachs. This could cause an extremely upset tummy, and should be avoided! This is the pet poison hotline’s busiest time of year. Please make sure that all candy is kept away and out of reach during this Halloween season. Mysteriously missing candy may also be cause to check on your pet. If you suspect your pet has indulged in candy, please contact the ASPCA pet poison hotline at (888) 426-4435.

Dressing up your pet for Halloween can be enjoyable. Some pets love to make a debut in their costumes. Scared or stressed pets should only be dressed in their "birthday suits".  Avoid costumes that may restrict your pet’s eye sight, hearing, or breathing. Do not leave your pet unattended in a costume.  Please "like" us on Facebook and show us your pet’s costume in our annual Halloween pet costume contest!

Candles and electrical cords are common items used to decorate during this season.  These can lead to burns (or worse) on their noses and tails. Battery operated lights and fake candles are a great, and safe, alternative to these hazards.  A chewed electrical cord could lead to shock and death of your pet. 

Keep your pets from running out the door when trick or treaters arrive, and make sure they have proper identification on them just in case! Microchips are a permanent identification tracker that can help fluffy or scruffy find their way back home in the unfortunate circumstance that they run away. Consider keeping your pets to a closed off area of your residence during busy trick or treat hours.

We hope you have a happy howl-o-ween!

Dr. Erica Stephenson

www.hillcrestah.com

Pets Have Teeth Too

   

   Dogs and cats, at their primitive core, are predatory animals that thrived in the wild only if they were healthy and strong.  As natural selection has been replaced by selective breeding, some aspects of health have declined.  One very notable shortcoming is dental health.  Animals can have extremely severe disease which can be impossible to detect from changes in their behavior at home.  If you or I had a toothache, it would be painful and we would seek medical help right away- pets hardly ever decrease or stop eating, even when all of their teeth are falling out from disease!

   By the age of 3, 80% of pets have some degree of periodontal disease, which if untreated can lead to pain, tooth loss, and infection which can spread to major organs like the heart, liver and kidneys which can be life threatening.  However, we often see pets that improve greatly from corrective measures that have a noticeably brighter attitude, eat better, play more, and are happier pets! 

   An oral exam is a part of a thorough comprehensive physical exam.  We take note of any diseased teeth, receding gums and bone loss, bad breath, inflamed gum tissue, oral masses, fractured teeth, and how the jaws fit together.  At early stages of dental disease, the changes in the mouth can be reversible so it is very important to have regular exams and to heed recommendations for dental therapies.  In some cases, the disease can become so severe, that teeth need to be extracted to improve your pet’s quality of life but we always want to avoid this so early intervention is key.

   There are things that you can do at home to help!  Think of what you do for your own teeth- brush twice a day, mouthwash, flossing (maybe?) and you still get professional cleanings every 6 months and have the occasional cavity filled, root canal, etc.  Think of what your teeth would look like if you did not do any of that…..that’s what your pet’s teeth look like!  Don’t worry; I’m not suggesting that you floss your Frenchie or Waterpik your Westie, but a little brushing would go a long way! 

   Brushing your pet’s teeth just once a day would go a very long way to prolonging the time between necessary dental cleanings.  Feeding a diet specifically made to scrape the teeth like Roycal Canin Dental or Hill’s T/D and using an enzymatic water additive, tooth gel or sprays can help too!  We get a lot of questions about whether a specific chew is a good one- the best thing to do is to only use products listed here that have been approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC): http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm.  Products that are not on this list are either not effective or potentially dangerous and not recommended.

   Oral health is an often overlooked, but very essential component to your pet’s health and happiness.  We have lots of tips and tricks to help you and would be happy to talk teeth with you at your next appointment!  

Dr. Stacy Logsdon

www.hillcrestah.com

864-967-7387

Back to School

August has arrived and with it the sad fact for kids everywhere and happy relief for parents that school is starting!  This means back to school shopping and a major schedule change for everyone in the household, and even though we don’t usually include them in this it also means a big change for our fluffy and furry members of the family.  

Often we get so caught up in getting back into the school year routine that we forget about the new dangers around the house for our pets.  New school supplies such as erasers, scented markers, and glue sticks can be very enticing for curious dogs and cause gastrointestinal upset.  Also lunch boxes with snacks like grapes and raisins can cause serious kidney damage.  Chewing gum containing xylitol can also be very dangerous to our pets.  It is important as school starts to remember to keep lunch boxes and backpacks out of reach of our pets to prevent contact with these dangerous items.  

It is also important to remember to give our pets extra attention during this transition time.  Our pets are very schedule oriented so a quieter house during the day is a large change to our pet’s normal routine and this can cause anxiety.  If your pet gets into your new school supplies or is having a hard time with the transition to their new schedule please do not hesitate to contact one of our Doctors.  

Dr. Morgan Watkins

www.hillcrestah.com

STORM THE WEATHER

At this moment, a typical late afternoon summer thunderstorm has arrived. The sky darkened, wind gained momentum, trees are swaying, grumbles of thunder shake the house and unpredictable cracks of lighting startle all members of the household, including the dogs.

Thunderstorms can create marked anxiety for our pets. The stress can be so intense that serious injury can occur. However, there are some simple steps you can take to help ride the storm.

It's important to have access to a safe haven in the house, someplace familiar and peaceful, areas where traditional rest and quiet take place.  Providing calming music and aromas, such as pheromones, a hormone produced by pets, have been shown to promote calm and secure behavior.

The Thundershirt is not just for show, there is real value to its use. This velcro jacket applies gentle, constant pressure, similar to swaddling an infant. In addition, calming supplements, such as Composure, which have ingredients including tryptophan and colostrum can be given.

There may not be one solution to assist with thunderstorm anxiety. It may take a combination of some of the aforementioned ideas. For some, all of the above is not enough. Therefore, a conversation with one of our veterinarians about prescription medications may be warranted.

- Dr. Michelle Mayers

Hillcrest Animal Hospital
www.hillcrestah.com

Hillcrest Animal Hospital is proud to serve our neighbors in the Greater Simpsonville area since 1986 with the highest quality veterinary care for your pets. Voted "Best Veterinarian of the Upstate" you can be confident knowing your pet is in good hands with our experienced veterinary team backed by a compassionate and caring staff that treats your pets as if they were our own. 

We are an AAHA-accredited veterinary hospital. That means we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Pets are our passion. And keeping them healthy is our #1 priority.

We love our pets as much as you do. Our veterinary team looks forward to the lasting friendships we will build with your family and are honored to contribute to your pet's health and well being.  

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about our veterinarian services or your pet's health care needs.  Please contact us at (864) 967-7387 or www.hillcrestah.com.