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Pets First Monthly
December 2021
THE PORCELAIN BIRD HowMy Family Traditions Help Us Enjoy the Gift of Generosity
Growing up, I used to always sing Christmas carols with my family, and we’d have different booklets with a variety of classic songs. Whenever we sang “12 Days of Christmas,” I was always the “four colored lights.”While I loved it, it’s far from my most favorite holiday tradition. In the 1990s, my parents received a porcelain clay bird from my uncle. The bird sat in my parents’ house and would get decorated for all kinds of holidays. For Easter, the bird would have its own little basket. For our high school graduation days, he’d get his own little custom gown and cap to match us. And for Christmas, the bird would wear a little Santa’s hat. It always gave us a big smile to see the bird dressed for the occasion — but at some point, after my siblings and I grew up and left home, our parents decided it was time for the bird to flock to our homes.
Embracing a generous spirit is good for the soul. I’ve even found
research showing that acts of generosity help reduce blood pressure as much as medicine or exercise (although both of those are often equally important for your overall health
too!). Expressing generosity and gratitude also lowers your risk of dementia, reduces anxiety and depression, improves chronic pain management, and much more, according to numerous studies, including some by Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh. In the moment, though, generosity doesn’t make us think about the ways it’s benefiting us — it’s all about putting a smile on someone else’s face that makes us smile back. Although I’ve certainly inherited many of my family’s holiday traditions, there is one Christmas tradition that’s mostly my own, and it starts in late November. Right after Thanksgiving, I start baking and freezing cookies in large quantities so we can prepare all our giant gift tins of cookies and candies. We make all kinds of Christmas-themed cookies and candies, and the kids pitch in with their help too. For the past eight years, these tins have gone out to many different friends and families, and I love doing it every single year — especially peanut butter balls. They’re super fun to decorate! No matter what your traditions are, I think all of the family reunions this winter are a great time to try and focus on a way to make someone laugh or smile this year. Whether you embrace the old traditions or start a whole new one, I hope you will all have a very generous, merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Now, every few years, the bird finds a new home. I got the bird two years ago, and he comes with a big box of all his outfits he’s had over the years. Even though it’s an odd tradition,
it still gives us a lot of joy to dress him up and continue to share that tradition with my own kids! Soon, though, I’m pretty sure it’ll be time for him to find another home, and that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s a great source of joy to pass this unique family heirloom around the family. Fear might make someone paranoid about what will happen if the bird is ever tipped over, but the act of passing on the tradition puts us in too good a mood to think about it that way.
–Dr. Emily Saunders
www.PetersenPetHospital.com
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SUBWAY’S Advice Alley
Finn’s Success Story
Meowlo, newsletter friends. The name’s Subway, and if you need cat advice, that’s right up my alley. I’m a cat myself. Sam’s a real cool canine, but we agreed that I should probably tell you all some kitty safety tips during the holidays. To be honest, I don’t really remember agreeing to this. I think I agreed just so I could get back to my cat nap, but I digress. For my first appearance in this newsletter, here’s what you need to know before embracing your holiday holly and cheer! 5 Tips for Making Your Holidays Cat-Safe
No. 1: Avoid placing tinsel in your home, if possible. There’s absolutely no force of nature that can stop us cats from attacking your holiday tinsel. Not gravity, not height, not physics, and certainly not aerodynamics. If it’s shiny and stringy, we will find a way—and we may celebrate doing so by biting and swallowing it, causing serious damage or obstruction in our bodies. (Exposed ribbons and yarn can encourage similar mistakes.)
Dr. Knutson Comes to the Rescue!
Finn is a 3-year-old male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He’s one of the cutest, sweetest dogs you will ever meet, but he also has a mischievous streak. He has an affinity for eating things he’s not supposed to. In fact, he was brought in for an exam with Dr. Knutson one morning because he had vomited up a face mask overnight and then proceeded to vomit many more times. The owner was worried Finn may have eaten something else. Finn’s physical exam was fairly normal, but his abdominal X-rays revealed a different story. There was a region of dilated small intestine that appeared to contain cloth- like material (see red oval on X-ray). Due to Finn’s condition and the location of the material, surgery was required to save him. Dr. Knutson and her team performed emergency surgery to remove yet another cloth face mask! The surgery went smoothly, and Finn recovered well from anesthesia. Finn was hospitalized overnight, where he received IV fluids and supportive care. By the next morning, he was eating a bit of canned food and doing well. He was discharged home feeling quite dapper in his medical shirt, which he wore to protect his incision. The rest of his recovery was smooth sailing, and his skin staples were removed two weeks later.
Dr. Knutson and everyone at Petersen Pet Hospital wish Finn the very best and to keep that sweet nose out of trouble!
Your Cat’s Favorite Trout Dinner
Inspired by Cats.LoveToKnow.com
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No. 2: Make sure your holiday tree is secure. Did you know that Christmas trees aren’t intended for jumping and climbing? Honestly, I always forget, and your cat probably does too. That’s why you have tomake sure your evergreen non-cat tree is safely secured to the ground and that there’s no exposed water if it’s a live tree. Your cats might get curious about drinking that yucky, bacteria-filled water over time and get really sick. No. 3: Be wary of candles. As cats, we forget how long our whiskers and tails are. That’s why it’s not difficult for us to get our fur or whiskers burnt while
walking near your hallway candle display. Try to get candles encased in long cylindrical glass vases to prevent unintentional singeing and make sure it’s heavy enough not to be knocked over. No. 4: Place ornaments higher in the tree. Apparently, ornaments are not meant to be prey. The best way to discourage cats from getting doe- eyed over your family heirloom glass ornaments is to place them higher on your tree and loop their hanging strings around the branch a few times.
How to Wake Up Refreshed
The Type of Sleep You Get Matters!
No. 5: Don’t hang mistletoe or holly. If a cat mistakenly eats your hanging mistletoe or holly, it’s not romantic, trust me. We can get serious stomach problems, heart issues, or even kidney failure that can lead to death. Be careful with these jolly yet dangerous plants.
Are you getting enough shut-eye but still feeling groggy when you wake up? The type of sleep you get matters, and a sleep schedule can help ensure you’re cycling through all the stages of sleep your body needs. Sleep is broken up into four different stages. During the first stage, which only lasts about 5–10 minutes, your body is softly drifting off, and as your brain slows down, your breathing and heartbeat slow as well. When you transition to the second stage, you become less aware of your surroundings, your eye movements cease, and your body temperature drops. Moving into the third stage, your body will drift into a deep sleep, where you will not be awakened by small noises and your muscles are completely relaxed. In the fourth stage, your body is in a deep, restful state. In stages three and four, you’re getting REM sleep, which is when your body is in its deepest sleep, and your breathing, heart rate, and temperature all reach the lowest level. In these stages, your body is able to fight sickness, begin repairing itself, and commit information to memory. During REM sleep, which occurs about 90 minutes after your head hits the pillow, your body is completely relaxed, and you begin to dream. Throughout the night, you will progress through these stages of sleep multiple times, but usually not in a perfect sequence. You will likely be in each stage of sleep about 4–5 times per night, and one cycle typically lasts about 90–110 minutes. Too much or too little REM or non-REM sleep can affect the quality of your sleep and how refreshed you feel. Quality sleep is important to make sure you are recharging your body, strengthening your mind and immune system, and prioritizing your health. If you never achieve deep sleep throughout the night, sleep deprivation sets in, and you won’t get the proper rest you need to recover. By setting a sleep schedule, you can make sure you are hitting the hay each night at a reasonable hour and allowing yourself to properly cycle through the different stages of sleep. Be sure to clear your mind before tucking yourself into bed and make sure your bed is comfortable to promote the best possible sleep — your body counts on it!
I hope these tips help. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask our humans at Petersen Pet Hospital for help. As for me, I’mgetting back tomy nap.
Like their wild, big cat ancestors, domestic felines are carnivores. So, have some fun and give your favorite kitty the purrfect meal this holiday season.
INGREDIENTS •
1 cup cooked trout (remove all bones)
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1 egg yolk, cooked
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1 tbsp broccoli, steamed and chopped
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2 tbsp sunflower oil
DIRECTIONS 1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend. 2. Refrigerate for up to three days.
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Inside This Issue
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Why Generosity Gives More Than You Think
PRIMARY
BLACK Finn’s Success Story Make Your Holidays Cat-Safe 50% BLACK
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Get the Most Out of Your Sleep
SECONDARY
Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Win
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NO MONKEYING AROUND Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Win
You’ve heard of service dogs, but what about service monkeys? For many years now, capuchin monkeys have been lending helping hands to people with disabilities! Helping Hands Monkey Helpers, located at Monkey College in Boston, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization designed to help people with disabilities and mobility issues, such as quadriplegia, by pairing them with a monkey service animal. These simian helpers are specifically trained to help with daily tasks while providing companionship, happiness, and a renewed sense of purpose that many struggle with when navigating an injury or disability. When monkeys graduate, they will have developed the ability to navigate major household appliances and electronics as well as basic items within the home. They can even retrieve a canned beverage from the refrigerator, open it, and put a straw in it!
pushing buttons on electronic devices, and performing other menial tasks within the home.
Each human applicant and the capuchin monkeys undergo a pairing process to find the best fit for placement! A social worker and placement specialist work together to sift through applications and
determine which monkeys will be the right choice for the applicants based on lifestyle preferences and the tasks that will be most helpful to the person with disabilities. Plus, Helping Hands Monkey Helpers ensures that the monkeys are completely free of charge to the recipients! The human-animal bond created along the journey after placement is absolutely beautiful. Helping Hands Monkey Helpers brings love, companionship, and laughter to many who are fortunate enough to work with the organization. These monkeys are the best, hands down. And, monkeys, thank you for going to monkey college, and thank you for your service!
A service monkey can also assist with retrieving things that are dropped or out of reach, turning pages in a book, scratching an itch,
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