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Pets First Monthly
August 2024
SAFEGUARDING YOUR PET AND THE COMMUNITY DON’T WAIT, VACCINATE!
Most pet owners understand that vaccinations are essential to responsible pet ownership and provide numerous benefits to our pets and public health. They strengthen the immune system, enabling it to fight disease more
Our veterinarians are ready to help protect your pet.
effectively. They offer critical advantages, including disease prevention, reduced illness severity, increased longevity, and cost-effectiveness. Since August is National Immunization Awareness Month, it’s a great time to review this simple procedure that packs a powerful punch. By vaccinating, you protect your pet and also do the rest of the community a big favor. A significant public health benefit of pet vaccination is the prevention of zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted from animals to humans. While some pet owners may be concerned about vaccine safety, adverse reactions are rare. The
“Ensuring our pets are vaccinated protects them from potentially deadly diseases and contributes to the broader public health goal.”
Lyme disease (spread by ticks) are also recommended, especially for dogs that spend time in areas where these diseases are prevalent.
The essential vaccines for cats include rabies and distemper as well as feline leukemia especially if they spend time outdoors. Vaccinating kittens against feline leukemia is paramount, as this virus can severely compromise their immune systems and is often fatal. While no vaccine guarantees 100% protection, they significantly reduce the disease’s risk and severity. Ensuring our pets are vaccinated protects them from potentially deadly diseases and contributes to the broader public health goal. Pet owners are encouraged to consult their veterinarians and stay informed about the recommended vaccination schedules to ensure their pets lead healthy, happy, and safe lives. Don’t be fooled; pet vaccines are suitable for your pet. If you have any questions about pet vaccines, contact Petersen Pet Hospital for guidance and advice. We want your pet to thrive just as much as you do, so don’t wait. Vaccinate!
benefits far outweigh the potential risks, making it a safe and effective way to protect pets. Veterinary professionals usually start vaccinating puppies and kittens between 6–8 weeks old, with a series of shots every few weeks until they are around 18 weeks old. After that, vets encourage annual booster shots to maintain immunity. Crucial dog vaccines include the rabies vaccine, which is mandated by law in many regions, including Iowa. Rabies is a fatal disease that can be transmitted to humans through bites from infected animals. Vaccination of pets against rabies protects them and safeguards human health. Distemper vaccines, which protect against multiple viruses such as hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvo, are also crucial. Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can cause liver and kidney failure and be transmitted to humans, is another essential vaccine. Vaccines for kennel cough (Bordetella) and
–Dr. Emily Saunders
www.PetersenPetHospital.com
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SUBWAY’S CORNER
PRIORITIZE TAKING YOUR PET TO THE VET REGULARLY Ivy’s Best Life
Hello humans! My name is Subway, and I am here to tell you something essential for us cats — taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that helps build the proteins we need to stay healthy. Unlike many other animals, we cats cannot produce enough essential taurine on our own, so we need to get it from our food. Taurine is crucial for our vision, digestion, and heart function. If we don’t get enough of it, our health can suffer. This is why dog food isn’t suitable for us — it doesn’t have enough taurine. If we don’t eat enough taurine, it can take months for symptoms to show up, but when they do, they are serious. Our eyesight can degenerate, leading to impaired vision or even blindness. Our heart muscles can weaken, causing heart problems like cardiomyopathy, and our digestive systems can become upset. If these issues are caught early, adjusting our diet to include more taurine can improve things. But if taurine deficiency is left untreated, it can lead to heart failure and even death. For pregnant cats especially, getting enough taurine is WHY DOG FOOD IS NOT SAFE FOR CATS
Ivy is a very sweet 14-year-old Shichon who first came in to see Dr. Carmo in December for a possible cut on her paw and not putting any weight on it. Once in the room, Dr. Carmo started her physical examination by checking everything else since that paw was so painful. Nothing else abnormal was noted. On the paw itself, first, we tried to localize where the pain came from: shoulder, elbow, wrist, or toes. In Ivy’s case, the toe was the source of pain. We examined it closer and saw some swelling; her nail looked slightly abnormal. At this point, we could be dealing with anything from a broken nail, infected toe, tumor, etc.
Since symptoms were acute, Dr. Carmo and Ivy’s owners decided to start her on pain medication and antibiotics. We scheduled a recheck for two weeks later. When it was time to see her back, Dr. Carmo did not notice as much improvement and decided to pursue further testing with radiographs. On the images, we could see what was going on much better. One of her nails looked thicker than the others, and the bone attached had lytic lesions. Lytic lesions on the bone must be taken seriously due to the high chance it indicates infection in the bone and cancer. Upon discussing the findings with Ivy’s owners, we decided the best route would be a toe amputation. We knew Ivy was older; however, her physical exam, bloodwork, and electrocardiogram had no significant contraindications for the procedure. In January, Dr. Carmo
performed a complete toe amputation and later sent the toe for a biopsy. Until we received the results, we made sure her incision was healing well. Two weeks later, we received her diagnosis, which was very surprising: a nail bed keratoacanthoma, which is a rare benign tumor. Despite being rare, removal is recommended due to being locally invasive and causing severe pain. Now Ivy is wholly recovered and living her best life. Dr. Carmo wants to emphasize the importance of taking your pet to the vet, even when it looks like a broken nail, especially if it is not healing. Please do not hesitate to contact us at Petersen Pet Hospital if you have any questions or concerns.
Simple Sweet Potato Dog Treats Inspired by AllRecipes.com
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Birds join together in the early morning hours — usually around 4 a.m. — in a chirping symphony, which scientists call the dawn chorus. I know what you’re thinking; that would be a great band name! You are correct; it would be, but it is also an astounding fact of nature that many birds choose to sing in the morning at great volume. There’s a reason for this behavior, or at least a couple of theories, and you can read about them here! Love Birds Birds are romantics at heart, and they start every morning with a lovesong in the hopes of stirring up romance — or, more accurately, finding a mate. It is primarily the male birds singing, and science shows that their ballads are loudest in the early morning hours. This is likely not to increase the range of their song but to increase its audibility and consistency, granting them the strongest chance of landing a partner. Opening Act All bands have an opener, and all great acts need to practice to reach their full potential. According to a report by PBS, another theory as to why birds sing their loudest in the morning is that they are warming up and will sing multiple times throughout the day. Nesting Grounds We can all agree there is nothing more irritating than the constant chirping of a bird first thing in the morning. So, it makes sense that birds sing to ward off competition. They want to let other birds in the area know this is their turf and do not want to share it with anyone else. One theory posits that male birds tend to sing in the earliest hours of the morning because it’s the most dangerous time of day for them, and they prove their strength and value as a mate by braving it anyway. THE DAWN CHORUS REASONS BEHIND BIRDS’ MORNING SONGS
essential for the kittens’ healthy growth and development. Without enough taurine, kittens might be underweight or have developmental abnormalities and delays. So, we must eat cat food, not dog food. Cat food is specially formulated to meet our unique dietary needs, including the correct unit of taurine. My sister, Smokey, sometimes tries to sneak some dog food, but it’s not good for her. Always make sure your feline friends eat food just made for cats; a proper diet is the key to a healthy and happy cat life. You help us maintain our well-being and soak up every moment with our humans!
INGREDIENTS • 1 sweet potato • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
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2 large eggs
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1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 2. Use a fork to pierce the sweet potato several times. Cook in the microwave for about 6 minutes or until tender. 3. Cut the sweet potato in half, scoop the flesh into a bowl, discard the skin, and mash the potato with a fork. 4. In a large bowl, add 1 cup of mashed sweet potato and save the rest. 5. Add whole wheat flour, eggs, and applesauce to the sweet potato and mix until a dough forms. 6. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness, use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes, and arrange the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet. 7. Bake in the oven for 35–45 minutes or until crisp. Let the treats cool for 10 minutes before storing.
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www.PetersenPetHospital.com
1031 Kacena Road Hiawatha, IA 52233 www.PetersenPetHospital.com 319-743-0554
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
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PRIMARY Inside This Issue The Importance of Vaccinating Your Pet PMS4655 BLACK 50% BLACK 1
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Doctor’s Case Study: Amputation
The Crucial Role of Taurine in Cats
SECONDARY
Simple Sweet Potato Dog Treats
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Why Birds Sing in the Morning
Meet Moose, the Great Pyrenees With a Hero’s Heart
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A FLUFFY GUARDIAN ANGEL HOW A DOG SAVED ITS FOSTER FAMILY FROM DISASTER
When a Virginia family of five decided to temporarily foster a dog in 2023, they weren’t expecting it to be a life-changing event. But they might not be here today if it weren’t for the Great Pyrenees named Moose that they took home for the weekend. Christopher Cushna and his partner, Sheila Janes, were looking for something fun and unique to do with their three children when they learned about the Paws Around Portsmouth program. This program allows people to foster dogs from the local Humane Society for a short time. They fell in love with big, fluffy Moose and decided to take him on a field trip around town. The family visited their own music shop, where Moose met potential adopters at an event sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard. The friendly dog later accompanied them to a farmers market, a community band concert, and a flea market, where they met a woman who wanted to adopt him. Moose returned to the family’s houseboat for the evening since the adopter could not bring him home that day. As everyone slept, Moose suddenly woke Christopher and one of their daughters, Anya. Though everyone figured the energetic dog wanted to go outside, he was persistent, and they quickly noticed
a neighboring houseboat engulfed in flames. As the fire began to spread, the family evacuated safely just minutes before the fire reached their boat.
“If Moose hadn’t gotten Anya and Chris up, we would not be here, as we were all sound asleep, and the fire spread very quickly,” Sheila said.
The family lost their houseboat and everything inside, but thanks to Moose’s heroic act, they are alive and grateful today. “What I like to think about is that we saved Moose from the situation Moose was in, and Moose saved us on the boat,” Christopher said. Moose’s life-saving actions made big news, and a local woman adopted him. Now, the hero dog is living his best life on a 5-acre farm, complete with a swimming pool. For this family, who had no idea just how transformative a doggy day out could be, Moose will always be their knight in fluffy armor.
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