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Last week’s blog talked about cats and what to feed them, so this week I thought I would talk about how to keep your pets trim. We humans aren’t the only ones battling weight issues – so are our pets. I hope these tips will help your pets stay trim. As with people, always consult with your veterinarian before starting a diet for your pet.

1. Count calories – the feeding guides on pet food bags are formulated for adult, intact cats and dogs (not spayed or neutered). Based on this you could be feeding 20-30% too much, especially if you have an older pet. As your veterinarian how many calories you pet should be taking in each day to maintain a healthy weight. A guide is to take your pet’s weight and divide it by 2.2, multiply this by 30 and add 70.
2. Measure meals – use a proper measuring cup to properly measure out the amount to fee your pet. Studies show that giving as few as 10 extra kibbles a day can add up to a pound of weight gain per year for indoor cats and small dogs. Once you calculate out how much to feed your pet, divide this amount into 2-3 meals per day. This will help stimulate their metabolism to burn off the calories.
3. Treats – if you want to feed treats, make sure they are good treats. Too many treats are full of sugar and fats. Try and find treats that are low calorie and sugar free. Make sure you consider the calories of the treats when calculating out how many calories your pet should be eating per day. As few as 30 extra calories per day can mean an extra 3 or more pounds in a year. Your pet won’t know the difference between getting the whole treat or just part of a treat. So break up the treat into pieces and consider only giving half.
4. Vegetables – sliced apples, bananas, carrots, green beans, broccoli and celery can be fed as treats. Stay away from onion and garlic – they are toxic. For cats, try some tuna or salmon.
5. Supplements – omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish oils, have been proven to help prevent numerous diseases because of their anti-oxidant effect. They also have anti-inflammatory properties. Almost every pet and people can benefit from taking these. L-carnitine has been shown to help with weight loss and promote lean muscle mass. Again, always consult with your veterinarian before starting supplements.
6. Strive for health – 20-30 minutes of brisk walking helps boost immune function in dogs. This also improves cardiovascular health and may reduce some behavioural problems. This is also true for people – well maybe not the behavioural problems. Cats should also be exercised at least 5-15minutes a day. Try a laser pointer or scrunching up paper into a ball, or some remote controlled toy. You could also place a treat (a good treat) up your staircase so that your cat has to work to get its reward.
7. Watch those carbs – as last week’s blog stated, our domesticated cats need protein from meats in order to obtain essential nutrients. So based on this, we like to see our cats eating canned food because they are high in protein. A high protein, low carbohydrate diet helps prevent obesity and since obesity can predispose cats to Diabetes Mellitus, we are also lessening the chance of diabetes. Look for a low or no-grain option with a protein source as the first ingredient.

Remember to keep track of our clinic cat Amber’s weight loss on facebook.

I hope this helps. All the best, Dr. Fulop.

Veterinarian Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

source article: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/01/seven-secrets-to-keep-your-pet-trim/

Last week’s blog on my thoughts about preventive veterinary care for dogs and cats sparked a lot questions this week particularly from my cat owners. I love seeing owners getting involved in preventive veterinary health care for their pets, and hopefully we will see more cats in for those yearly physical exams.

I think with all the recent “scares” with certain pet foods (see “In Vet News” for food recalls), a lot of the questions were about what they should feed their cats. I read a great veterinary article recently on this very question. Here are my recommendations based on my experience and the information in the article.

If we think of our “wild” cats, they are meat eaters or carnivores. So are our domesticated cats. They need protein from meats in order to obtain essential nutrients. So based on this, we like to see our cats eating canned food because they are high in protein. A high protein, low carbohydrate diet helps prevent obesity and since obesity can predispose cats to Diabetes Mellitus, we are also lessening the chance of diabetes.

The best time to consider nutrition is at the kitten stage. Feeding a combination of wet food and kibble is OK, but some cats really do get addicted to kibble. It gives them a sugar high.

So what is a low carb diet? Typically low carb means less than 10% carbohydrate. If your cat is a little overweight, it is important to feed a low carb, high protein diet sooner than later (get ready Amber). That’s why the diabetic diets are formulated that way and why it’s recommended to feed canned food to a diabetic cat.

Our clinic cat Amber is getting a little overweight and needs to eat canned food.

And if you have an older cat you can get them to switch over to a canned diet by slowly transitioning them onto the new diet – this can take up to 1 month. Recommendations are to mix 25% of the new diet with 75% of the old for 1 week, then go 50:50 for 1 week, then 75% new and 25% old for 1 week, and then onto the new diet by week 4.

This is another reason to stress preventive health care, as discussed in last week’s blog. The earlier we can catch something the quicker we can try and turn things around. Talk to your veterinarian about any concerns you may have. Consider examinations on senior pets twice yearly and get the blood work done – that’s the only way we can get a picture of true internal health. Really consider feeding your cats canned food.

I hope this helps. All the best, Dr. Fulop.

Veterinarian Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

Dr. Fulop applying flea and heartworm prevention to our clinic cat Amber.

I wonder if any of you can relate? Last night I got into bed early looking forward to a good night sleep and just as I was settling in, I heard the ominous buzz of a mosquito around my head. I turned the lights on to locate that pesky pest, but of course no mosquito in sight. I turned the light off and just started to settle in and that buzz surrounded my head again and then even worse – the buzzing stopped. To avoid getting bitten I turned the light on and jumped up on the bed scanning the room for that pesky mosquito. Needless to say after doing this several times I woke up the next morning with mosquito bites.

The reason I tell this story is to remind pet owners with indoors pets that they can still be at risk for Heartworm disease and fleas/ticks. Talk to your veterinarian about protecting your indoor pets. Interestingly, a recent Bayer study found that pet owners felt indoor pets need less veterinary care than outdoor pets. Unfortunately, indoor pets still get sick, with illnesses that affect us all, for example, diabetes, cancer, dental disease. Prevention is the best medicine. Visiting your veterinarian on a regular basis can help detect concerns early so that proper actions can be taken to help improve your pet’s quality of life. What my story illustrates is that outdoor pests, like mosquitoes, fleas and ticks, can make it indoors.  As a result, we protect our clinic cats against Heartworm (transmitted by mosquitoes) and fleas even though they don’t go outdoors. Again, talk to your veterinarian about how they can help keep your pets stay happy and healthy.

All the best, Dr. Fulop.

Veterinarian Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

Summer is here and the weather is hot in Pickering Ontario. That means fun in the sun. Hot weather does pose risks for our animal friends. With proper precautions you and your pet will enjoy a fun, comfortable and healthy summer.  Please stay safe.

Here are some tips from our veterinary staff at Amberlea Animal Hospital and our veterinarian Dr. Fulop.

My Yukon and Charley at the cottage staying cool by swimming in the lake.

Stay Hydrated

Make sure you and your pet have plenty of water available on these hot days and offer them something to drink every half hour. A rule of thumb is 1/8^th cup of water per pound of body weight, but they will require more than this on a hot day.  However, do not let your dog drink a lot of water before, during or after exercise because a condition called bloat or gastric torsion may result. Your dog can die from this.

Beware of Exercising your Pet on Hot Pavement

Because dogs don’t wear running shoes, they need pad protection. Your dog can get damaged or blistered feet if it doesn’t have time to build up its foot pads. Consider walking/running on roadside or grass.

Pets can get Sunburns

Especially the light coated or white pets. Areas of concern are the nose, face, ears and belly especially if they lay on their backs when sleeping, like my Yukon does. There are some pet safe sunscreens available but be careful -there are some ingredients that can be toxic to your cat. Always consult with your veterinarian before purchasing anything for your pet. Do not use human sunscreens on your pet.

Keep Bugs in Check

The flea population rises as the temperatures rise.  Flea control is important for several reasons. Flea bites can cause local skin irritation and swelling that may cause your pet discomfort. Some dogs and cats will develop an allergic reaction to flea bites and this intense irritation may result in constant scratching, which can lead to hair loss or a bacterial skin infection known as “hot spots.” Fleas are also intermediate hosts for tapeworms and can transmit bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.

Kitten treated for fleas at our veterinary clinic. Enlarge photo -- The black specks on the kitten and blanket are dead fleas.

Improper use or application of flea and tick control products is a common cause of pet poisoning in the summer months. Use such products responsibly and according to package instructions. Overuse and misuse can be deadly.

• Never apply 45-65% permethrin “spot-on” products to cats, even in small amounts. Highly concentrated permethrin can be extremely toxic to cats.
• If you have both dogs and cats in your household, you should be aware that using a permethrin “spot-on” product on a dog may cause illness or death in a household cat.
•  It is important to use only flea and tick products specifically designed for cats, and to administer the proper dosage. Never use flea medications intended for a dog on a cat instead.
• All flea and tick “spot-on” products—even ones with nearly identical brand names—are not alike. Always consult with your veterinarian before purchasing any over the counter product.
• Never use bug products meant for humans on pets. Ingredients such as DEET in mosquito repellant can be toxic, especially to cats. Only use products formulated for animals on your pets. Consult with your veterinarian for recommendations.  Mosquitoes are the vectors for Heartworm disease. Make sure your pet, even strictly indoor ones, are on their heartworm prevention during the appropriate times of the year. Again, consult with your veterinarian.
  

  My Yukon and Charley playing in the lake in Pickering.

Stay Cool

When temperatures exceed 95 degrees (35C)   – stay indoors. Use caution when exercising your dogs. Try walking early in the morning or late at night when the temperatures and humidity levels are lower. Don’t forget to carry fresh water for you and your pet.  Most dogs can tolerate half an hour of exercise when temperatures are around 85 (29C) degrees but be careful and watch them for signs of heatstroke, as discussed in a previous blog.

Wishing you the best, Dr. Kathleen Fulop.

Veterinarian Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

The weather has been unbelievable here in the Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Scarborough area. Now, I love the heat, but this is hot. Despite the heat and humidity I still went out for my training run last night. We were warned to keep properly hydrated and cut the run short if the heat was too much. We planned to run down by the Pickering – Scarborough waterfront – it could be cooler there.

The beginning of the run was great – we were in the shade.  After being in our air conditioned veterinary clinic all day I was actually looking forward to being outdoors. Ten minutes into the run I could feel my heart pounding. Man it was hot. And to think we were running 10km at a tempo pace, which means as fast as you can. My water supply was diminishing and we were only at the 2k mark. It actually wasn’t that bad until we turned a corner by the wind turbine in Pickering and we hit dead air. There was no wind, just heat and humidity.

My heart was pounding, my head was hurting and all you could hear was the heavy breathing of us runners. I started to think we were nuts running in the hot weather and the looks we were getting from passersby was incredible.  By the time we got up to Bayly and Liverpool I thought I had hit the wall. My legs were cramping, my head was hurting, my heart was pounding, and my breathing was heavy. I thought of the recent incidences of dogs being left in the car. This is probably how they felt.  At least we can sweat.

Heat stroke is serious. Why do people continue to leave their pets in cars?  One incident is too many but to now hear of 3. Has anyone experienced heat exhaustion/stroke?  Let me tell you what happens with your pet.

The first sign your pet may show is panting. The heart muscles become damaged resulting in heart failure. Blood flow is compromised and it becomes more difficult to breathe. Breathing may initially be normal but as the lungs fill with fluid, breathing becomes laboured and will sound noisy or wheezy. As the brain swells from fluid, your pet will act “drunk” and stagger around and may even seizure. The colour of your pet’s gums should always be nice and pink, but with heat stroke they can look red before they become pale or even blue in colour. They can also turn yellow indicating destruction of red blood cells or from the liver failing. The intestinal tract and kidneys can also be affected.  You may notice red pin point marks on the skin or gums or what looks like larger bruises on the skin. The result of this multi organ failure is Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) or in other words, Death Is Coming!

The goal of emergency treatment is to lower core body temperature as soon as heat stroke is suspected. This can be accomplished with tepid water baths, hosing down your pet and using fans to blow cool air onto them. Do not place your pet in an ice bath because this will impair heat dissipation. Even placing a cool towel on their body will impair their ability to cool.

Get your pet to your veterinarian as soon as possible so further measures can be taken. This is not to be taken lightly. Your pet can die from heat stroke.

As we were coming to the end of our run the sprinkler systems were on by an apartment complex. We ran through them like 5yr olds through the sprinklers. What a relief.

Wishing you the best, Dr. Kathleen Fulop.

Veterinarian Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

My Yukon and Charley keeping hydrated at a friend's house in Pickering Ontario.

Here in Pickering Ontario we are experiencing some extreme temperatures. As a result, our veterinary clinic has received a lot of questions about how to keep your pets cool. Here is a little known fact, dogs and cats have sweat glands in their feet. And cats will pant like dogs to keep themselves cool. So a quick way to cool your pet is to put their feet in cold water or let them wade around in water (courtesy of OVMA).

Please be careful this week. Not only for yourselves, but for your pets. Make sure you and your pets are well hydrated and ideally, stay indoors where it is cool.

Wishing you the best, Dr. Kathleen Fulop.

Veterinarian Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

One day in March we received a phone call at our veterinary clinic here in Pickering from a distraught client in Ajax – there was a cat laying on their porch with blood coming out of it’s nose.  “ Dr. Fulop, you have to help it. You have to put it out of it’s misery”.  Animal Control couldn’t come out for the cat until the next day and the client was afraid that the cat wouldn’t make it. I asked if they could bring the cat to the Amberlea Animal Hospital for me to look at. They were afraid to touch the cat but managed to get her into a cage and brought her to us.

Mrs. Pickles was very weak and dehydrated when she arrived at our veterinary clinic. Photo for the "Found Cat" poster.

Mortified at what we were going to see, we were prepared for the worst.  Blood from the nose – could she have been hit by a car? Could she have been attacked by another animal?  The client arrived in tears. My technicians brought the cage to the back treatment area while I went up to console this distraught client. I thanked her for bringing in the cat and told her that we would take care of the cat.

My heart was pounding as I walked back to the treatment area. All I had was a vision of a cat in very rough shape and had all intentions of humanely euthanizing this cat if it was suffering. As I approached the cage I could see the cat sitting up in the carrier. Ok, this is a good sign.  As I got closer I could see a bloody discharge coming from its nostrils. We didn’t know what to expect, but we took the cat out of the carrier and out came the skinniest cat you had ever seen. And she was purring!! We quickly checked for a microchip in hopes that we could contact the owner, but unfortunately there was no chip to be found. I performed a physical examination and other than the nasal discharge she didn’t appear to have any trauma to her. You could see the faces of my technicians light up as I said nothing was broken and no wounds were found anywhere. She was in rough shape though. She was missing a lot of fur, had large crusts all over, her ears were packed with ear mites and she was very itchy. Her eyes were very hazy and she was missing some teeth. Based on this she was assessed to be 16 yrs of age!!

I feel this cat had a story to tell us, perhaps about a long journey she may have taken and how she had to fend for herself. We offered her some food and she ate like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. Our hearts melted for this cat. I didn’t have the heart to call the Humane Society because we feared she would not be adoptable.  We treated her for an upper respiratory tract infection, treated her for ear mites and fleas, dewormed her and yes, she did have the scabies mite and we treated her for that as well. We are making every effort to find the owner of this cat. We have put up signs in the Ajax neighbourhood where she was found as well in surrounding Whitby and Scarborough area and we even posted her picture on Kijiji. Someone did respond to the Kijiji posting but in the end never even came to see if she was their missing cat. We are still looking for her owner, but in the meantime we have made the decision to keep her and we call her Mrs. Pickles.

Veterinary staff giving Mrs. Pickles' first bath in the veterinary clinic.

Veterinary staff having fun blow drying Mrs. Pickles.

Pickles is a character. She has her little routine every day. We greet her in the morning, she comes out for a stretch and heads up to the front reception area, scratches the carpet and has a good roll. Then she sits in front of the door and stares outside. I wonder if she misses her life outdoors or if she is thankful to be safe inside. We love her little strut, with her severely arthritic legs. She comes for her scratches and pets and then she heads back to her cage.

Here we are 3 months later. We love this cat. She had a bath the other day, which she actually enjoyed and didn’t even mind being blow dried. In one respect we are very saddened that no one came forward to claim Mrs. Pickles, but we are so happy that she did come to us and we have been able to nurse her back to health and provide her a safe environment.

Mrs. Pickles snuggling with Sam. Sam is one of our veterinary staff's Golden Retriever.

Wishing you the best, Dr. Kathleen Fulop.

Veterinarian Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

This past Friday the Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, and Scarborough area experienced an intense storm, which served as a reminder of the upcoming summer storm season in Ontario. So this week I thought it might be helpful if I talked a bit about what veterinarians call “storm phobia”. I have some experience with this topic as one of my  two golden retrievers, Yukon, used to be very afraid of storms. My husband and I got Yukon at 10 weeks of age from a family wanting to give him up, and we had no clue that he was fearful of storms.  I wish you could have seen the look on his face when he experienced his first thunderstorm with us. His eyes were huge. I thought they were going to bug out of his head, and then he bolted when the lightening struck. It was obvious that we needed to work with Yukon to help him get over his fears. Here is what we did:

1). We addressed Yukon’s symptoms right away. Since storm phobia is considered a progressive behavioural issue, meaning that it can get worse with each storm, it is important that even mild signs of anxiety to storms be addressed. Watch for signs of repeated yawning, lip licking/smacking, pacing, signs of restlessness, whining and howling, and shivering/shaking. Fearful pets often try to escape from storms by hiding in closets or under beds or the sofa.

Fear of storms can be debilitating for your pet.

2). We modeled “appropriate” behaviour. Given that pets often look to us, and other pets in the family to figure out how they should be feeling in any situation, it is important that you act calm and relaxed during storms. I think pets pick up on that energy and behaviour and adjust theirs accordingly. For Yukon, I think the fact my husband and I are not bothered by storms, and we tend to carry on business as usual during them, and the fact that our other Golden, Charley, tends to sleep through storms, was reassuring to Yukon that there was nothing to be afraid of.

3.) We also used distraction. In Yukon’s case he loves to play with the soccer ball. So during a storm we would take the dogs to the basement and my husband, Charley, and myself would play soccer. Because of his fear, Yukon was not very interested in playing at first, but eventually his desire to play overcame his fearful feelings and he joined in the game. Again, I think seeing the three of us having fun, even with the crashing and booming of the storm, reassured Yukon that things were going to be ok.

4.) We established a “safe” place for Yukon to escape to during a storm. We used a crate, and placed it in the basement where the sounds would be muffled and the lightning flashes were not as obvious. We placed a comforter in the bottom of the crate and heavy blankets over the top to help mute the sounds and left the door open because we didn’t want him to feel trapped. Before the next storm, we spent a lot of time associating his safe place with positive experiences, like treats, food, play, etc. This is important because you may not always be home when a storm occurs, and at least your pet will have a comforting place to ride out the storm in your absence.

Although we did not need to do this for Yukon, another technique is to desensitize your pet to the sounds associated with storms. I have suggested this technique to a couple of clients and they both found it helpful. Desensitization involves playing a sound recording of thunderstorms at a volume that is audible to your pet but does not create any fear or anxiety in your pet. Then, over repeated sessions the volume is slowly increased until your pet is no longer affected by the storm sounds. For this technique to work it must be done over several months, it is not a weekend fix. If you turn up the volume too quickly, before your pet is accustomed to the present volume, your pet could regress. You need to be patient. Also, this should be done during the non-storm season. If your pet is showing no signs of stress at a specific volume, you can give them treats, food, or play in order to associate the storm sounds with a positive experience – known as counter-conditioning.

Now, in Yukon’s case the level of fear was relatively mild, but with more severe cases of storm phobia medication may be required, in association with the techniques suggested above. There are medications that can be administered to help calm your pet and more natural products like pheromone diffusers and collars, the “Thunder Shirt” and other natural supplements. Each pet is different and some things may work better for some than others. Be prepared to try different things until you find what works best for your pet.

I hope these suggestions help. For Yukon they were effective, and he now sleeps through storms.

As always check with your pet’s veterinarian to discuss the best program to help your pet’s sensitivity to storms.

Wishing you the best, Dr. Kathleen Fulop.

Veterinary Clinic Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA

Dr. Fulop comforting a new member of the Amberlea Animal Hospital family after a spay.

It was a busy week last week at Amberlea Animal Hospital here in Pickering. We saw a lot of puppies and kittens, which we LOVE. Our veterinary clinic also performed a number of spay and neuter procedures.

As a result, we had many questions about spaying and neutering this week; “why do we need to spay or neuter our pet?”; “is the surgery dangerous?”; “what happens if we don’t spay or neuter our pet?”; “when is the best time to spay or neuter our pets?”; “can we spay or neuter pets when they are older?”

As a pet owner of two Golden Retrievers, I fully understand the concerns clients have about having their new puppy or kitten undergoing a surgery. At our veterinary clinic the decision is always with the owner, and we feel our job is to provide the latest information so that they can make the best decision for their pets. For me, I had my female spayed, and my male neutered.

Will I have behavioural issues if I don’t spay or neuter my pet?

As veterinarians, if a pet owner is not planning on breeding their pet, we tend to recommend spaying and neutering. Of course, spaying and neutering prevents unwanted litters. However, there are other advantages, for example:

• Managing intact animals is different than managing neutered ones. Hormones DO affect temperament and behaviour and the average pet owner may not be prepared to deal with this.
• Neutering of a male dog, or castration, reduces the risk of prostate issues. Neutering of a male cat will reduce the chance of urine marking.
• Spaying a female dog or cat prevents heat or estrus. Dogs in heat do bleed, and can bleed up to 21 days. It also prevents a uterine infection known as pyometra, which can be life threatening. Animals spayed before their first heat reduce their chance of developing breast cancer, and the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer is also eliminated.

Will my pet gain weight if they are spayed or neutered?

Obesity is probably the most commonly quoted disadvantage of spaying or neutering. In most cases it is the result of overfeeding and not exercising enough. By regulating your dog’s diet and caloric intake, you can prevent obesity in spayed or neutered pets.

Spaying or neutering does not cause a change in personality, guarding, instincts, intelligence, playfulness and affection. Rest and restriction of activity are the primary post-operative care you should provide. Most dogs can resume normal activity around 10 days after surgery. Until then, leash walks, lots of rest and no swimming or bathing, running or climbing stairs are the rule. Cats seem to recover more quickly.

In my opinion, the best time to spay a dog or cat is approximately 6 months of age. The best time to neuter a cat is approximately 6 months of age. The best time to neuter a dog depends on what the client wants. If the male characteristics are wanted e.g. the big head, the broad chest, then it is better to wait until the dog is older (over a year), otherwise approximately 6 months of age is recommended.

As always, don’t be afraid to discuss the topic of spaying and neutering with your veterinarian.

For great reliable information on spaying and neutering or any pet health topic see our “illustrated articles” section of our website.

Wishing you the best, Dr. Kathleen Fulop.

Pickering Veterinary Clinic Blog 2012
Amberlea Animal Hospital serving Durham, Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby, Scarborough, and the GTA