PET TALES
Newsletter from Countryside Veterinary Service
November 2007
NUTRITION FOCUS
After the recent food scares with both human and pet food, I thought this would be a good month to focus on nutrition. Although it is hard to build trust back up, it is important to have your pet on a well balanced pet food. It is very difficult, expensive and time-consuming to make a nutritionally balanced homemade diet. Although we are still monitoring for additional recalls, it seems safe to discuss food choices for pets again. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at the clinic.
FEEDING YOUR ADULT PET:
Young to middle age cats and dogs are those that are full grown (about 12 months) but not over 7 years of age or 5 years of age in giant dog breeds. The most important health issues at this age are dental disease, obesity, and kidney disease.
Dental disease can be controlled by feeding a hard food or tartar control treats, brushing teeth, and having your veterinarian check the teeth at least once a year. Occasionally, a dental cleaning under anesthesia may be necessary.
Obesity is a nation-wide problem in pets and their owners. The habit of loving our pets with treats and our busy life styles leading to less time for exercise and play has helped lead to this trait. Also neutered/spayed animals tend to have a lower metabolism. It is important to choose a diet that fits your pet’s lifestyle and age as puppy/kitten and working dog diets are higher in calories versus most standard diets. It is also important to weigh your pet regularly so you can be aware if your pet is losing or gaining weight.
Kidney disease is another disease we often fight in middle age to older pets. Although most kidney disease is not preventable, some diet changes can help to delay the signs of kidney disease. Protein and sodium are needed in foods, but too much can lead to kidney issues. High sodium increases blood pressure which can damage the structure of the kidneys. Increased protein makes the kidneys work harder to excrete the by-products of protein break down.
OBESITY IN PETS
It is everyday news that a large percentage of humans are overweight. Did you know that this is fast becoming the same percentage in pets? It is believed that 25-30% of our pets are obese which can lead to numerous health problems including diabetes, joint and bone pain, and heart issues.
As with humans, the best way to deal with obesity is to prevent it in the first place. Most dogs and cats are at their adult weight at 12 months. Giant dog breeds can take up to 18 months to reach this weight. Your pet should be weighed at this time so that you have an approximate weight at which to keep them. There will always be ups and downs especially with the season changes but the weight should be monitored to see if more or less food is needed.
To monitor weight you can either weigh your pet at home or the clinic, or you can monitor Body Condition Scoring ( BCS). BCS describes a system for rating weight based on the way a pet feels and looks. There are two systems that rate a pet out of 5 or 9 with both of these 5 and 9 being obese. (The 5 scale is below.) This scale requires you to feel over your pet’s ribs, waist, and tail base. This can be done at home or we can show you how to at any appointment.
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1/5 Very thin Ribs, vertebra and hips visible from a distance.
2/5 Underweight Ribs visible but hips and pelvis are covered.
3/5 Ideal Ribs easily felt under minimal fat and a waist is seen.
4/5 Overweight Ribs palpated with difficulty. Waist absent.
5/5 Obese Unable to feel ribs. Rectangular shape. Fat tail base.
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YEAR ROUND HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE
This is the time of year a number of pet owners stop using heartworm preventative. Although the risk for a heartworm- carrying mosquitoes has decreased please know that the risk for parasites is not gone. We had 12 cases of heartworm positive dogs this year and a few of the cases were given monthly preventative through October last year. Some of the intestinal parasite eggs can live through the cold of winter and still infect your pet. A number of these winter cases can be transmitted to humans as well. For the health of you and your pet, please continue monthly heartworm preventatives through the winter months.
TRAVELING
If you are traveling with your pet during the holiday season please make sure you have copies of your rabies certificate and a copy of important health records such as abnormal labwork or heath issues. Make sure to contact the transportation company if you are flying or taking a bus or train to your destination.
Please call us at least a month in advance if you are going out of the country as additional paperwork and labwork may be necessary and this can delay a trip if not started early enough.
Research has shown that feeding a cat dog food can cause blindness;
this is because dog food does not contain taurine, a nutrient essential for a cat’s health.