Petersen Pet Hospital - August 2020

Monthly Pets First

August 2020

Summers in the Field THE LONG JOURNEY TO CORN ON THE COB

We’re in Iowa, so I don’t have to remind anyone that corn is scratchy. We all wore gloves while we were working to protect our hands. However, it was also the middle of the summer, which meant we were all wearing short sleeves. I’d come home from work at the end of the day and my arms would be all scratched up. It was hard, exhausting work, but it paid pretty good, especially if you were a teenager. I was definitely making more money than my friends in other summer jobs. “We’re in Iowa, so I don’t have to remind anyone that corn is scratchy.”

Here’s a quick lesson in corn biology: Every corn plant has both a male and a female flower. The tassel at the very top of the plant is the male flower, and the silk on each ear of corn are female flowers. A corn plant can pollinate itself, so detasseling is necessary in order to promote cross-pollination and produce better corn seed. These days, detasseling is mostly done with machines that chop off the top of the corn plant. But when I was 15, detasseling was done almost entirely by hand. My very first job was detasseling corn. You’re allowed to start working before you turn 16 if you get a job detasseling. My parents told me about the detasseling job, and I was ready to start making my own money, so I signed up. I was working with mostly other teenagers. We’d meet at the junior high parking lot in the mornings during the summer and get bused out to a large cornfield somewhere. At the time of the year, the corn was already 6 feet tall, so we had to climb into these baskets on a machine to reach the tassels. The machine had eight baskets and could carry 16 people, two in each basket. As the machine moved down the rows of corn, it was our job to pull out the tassel at the top of the corn plant. Teamwork was vital. If you weren’t working as fast as the rest of the crew, then the guy driving the machine would have to slow down so you could keep up. It was important that we removed all the tassels in the row. Otherwise, it wouldn’t help produce enough necessary corn seed for the next growing season.

I’ve had other difficult jobs in my life, like working on a dairy farm or cleaning kennels at a veterinary office, but detasseling corn really taught me the importance of working hard for my money. There have been few times in my life that I felt as tired as I did after a day of detasseling corn in the hot sun. I have great respect for folks who do that kind of labor, especially out on the farms. Those kinds of jobs ensure we all have food to eat. Veterinary work can be hard, but at least I get to do it in an air-conditioned building. The next time you’re buttering a corn cob or grabbing a can of corn from the grocery store, think about how much detasseling had to happen to get that corn to you.

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Border Collie Corner THE BEST WAY TO TEACH YOUR DOG NEW TRICKS

Hello, everybody!

A lot of kids will be starting school soon, ready for another year of learning new things! This got me thinking about all the things dogs

can learn and how our humans can help teach us better. Here are some veterinarian- approved tips to help with the training process.

Use the Quality Treats

Treats are an excellent tool for training, but don’t use the treats you give your dog all the time. I recommend breaking out the really good stuff, like cooked chicken or little pieces of cheese. Most dogs are willing to work a lot harder for special treats. Whatever you use, make sure it’s soft and easy to eat so you’re not waiting for your dog to finish chewing. It’s also a good idea to schedule training sessions when your dog is hungry, so their attention will be completely on you and the treats.

Your ‘Clean’ Workout Routine TURN HOUSEHOLD CHORES INTO EFFECTIVE EXERCISE Everyone knows how labor-intensive cleaning can be. A long day of scrubbing down your house is a great way to work your muscles and get your blood pumping, so crank up some tunes, grab a mop, and get ready to transform your cleaning routine into a great workout. To get physical benefits from cleaning, you need to turn up the intensity of your methods. Exaggerate your motions, pick up your pace, and keep your abs tight and knees flexed. Nearly any chore can be turned into an exercise, but here are some ideas to get you started. Vacuum: Vacuum briskly nonstop for at least 20 minutes, switching arms as you go. For an added challenge, do lunges as you vacuum and remember to keep your toes pointed straight ahead and your knees bent at 90-degree angles. Pick Up: Instead of simply bending over to pick up toys or clothes, do a squat with every item you grab. Remember to use your legs, not your back. You can also do squats while unloading the dishwasher or with any other chore that involves repeated bending. Wipe Down: Whether you’re wiping windows or scrubbing appliances, do big, exaggerated arm circles until your muscles start to burn and make sure you’re switching arms as you go. Cook: It’s not cleaning, but it’s still a chore with useful downtime. While food is simmering or thawing in the microwave, do some pushups, situps, or planks to get your muscles moving. You can implement dozens of exercises to turn mundane activities into beneficial workouts. Some chores will burn more calories than others, but every bit of activity helps. Now’s the time to work your way to a cleaner house and a healthier you.

Frozen PB&J Bites

Who’s Who? Checking in at Petersen Pet Hospital

Reward Good Behavior Quickly

If your dog successfully performs a trick or exhibits some other good behavior, reward them right away! We dogs are pretty forgetful, so if the reward comes more than a few seconds after the act, we’ll likely forget what we’re being rewarded for. Be quick to deliver treats or praise during training.

Things have been pretty wild at Petersen Pet Hospital over the last few months. We’ve had some new faces join the team, and we want to give them a proper introduction!

Practice With Patience

Linda Short

It takes time to learn a new skill. Think about how long it took you to learn how to ride a bike as a kid. Dogs also need time to learn skills. This includes tricks

Linda started her career in veterinary medicine in Independence, Minnesota, after graduating

from the veterinary technician program at the Medical Institute of Minnesota. After Linda and her husband, Mike, got married, they relocated to Marion. Shortly after, Linda stepped away from the veterinary field to raise her son, Trevor, but she always knew she’d be back.

like speak or shake, as well as good behaviors like going to the bathroom in the yard instead of on the rug. Don’t expect your pup to master any trick on the first day of training.

Every pet is unique, and sometimes you might need a little extra help to train your pet. If you’re looking for a reliable trainer, don’t hesitate

to ask for recommendations at Petersen Pet Hospital! We’ll be able to point you to a quality trainer who will be able to help your pet with whatever challenges they’re facing. –Sam

Now Linda is ready to get back in the field, and she’s joined Petersen Pet

Hospital as a veterinary assistant. Over the years, her genuine love and compassion for animals, her interest in science, and her desire to learn

have remained strong. At home, Linda spends time with her husband, their son, and Maui, their playful tortie the family adopted from the animal shelter.

Dane Popenhagen

The dog days of summer are here, which means we’re all looking for ways to cool off. Help your pup stay cool this summer with these easy-to-make frozen PB&J bites.

Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Dane has spent the summer as a kennel assistant at Petersen Pet Hospital. He has a deep love for cats and dogs, and his favorite part about working with animals is when a shy dog or cat opens up and trusts him. Dane is working to become a veterinarian so he can continue to help take care of animals who are unable to take care of themselves.

INGREDIENTS

4 spoonfuls xylitol-free peanut butter

• •

12 medium strawberries

•

1/4 cup cold water

Dane will soon be leaving the hospital to attend Iowa State University where he will finish his undergraduate degree in finance on a pre- veterinary medicine track. He plans to attend Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and become a successful veterinarian. We really appreciate all the hard work Dane has done for us and wish him the best of luck on his path to becoming a veterinarian.

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse strawberries and remove tops. Transfer strawberries to a blender and purée with water until smooth. 2. Pour mixture into preferred single-serving molds (like an ice cube tray) to 3/4 full. 3. Carefully place a dollop of peanut butter in each filled mold. Make sure peanut butter sinks into the mixture. 4. Place in the freezer for at least 5 hours or until frozen solid. 5. Serve frozen on a hot summer day!

Inspired by Pawsh-Magazine.com

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1031 Kacena Road, Hiawatha, IA 52233 www.PetersenPetHospital.com 319-743-0554

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Inside This Issue

Why Do We Detassel Corn?

PRIMARY

Exercise Your Way to a Clean Home

PMS4655

BLACK

50% BLACK

Top Tips for Training Your Dog

Easy Frozen Dog Treats

SECONDARY

Meet Linda and Dane

PMS292 Private Wojtek, Heroic Brown Bear of WWII PMS5635 PMS1215

PMS258

Private Wojtek, Heroic Brown Bear of WWII

Many brave soldiers answered the call to bear arms duringWWII, but one Polish artillery supply company took things a step further and armed a bear. That’s right — among the countless animal heroes ofWWII was a full-grown brown bear from the mountains of Northern Iran namedWojtek. Wojtek first joined the Polish soldiers as a cub. A young Iranian boy found him after a hunter most likely shot his mother. Then, when a group of Polish prisoners of war, recently released from Soviet gulags to join the Allied forces, passed through the town where the boy and the bear cub lived, they traded some of their rations for the cub and took himwith them. The soldiers loved the cub and named himWojtek, whichmeans“happy warrior” in Polish. They nursed himwith condensedmilk from a vodka bottle and fed him some of their limited rations. Over time, the bear grew to be 6 feet tall and over 400 pounds, but because he had grown up around humans, he was a gentle giant. He learned several mannerisms fromhis human friends and even took a liking to beer and cigarettes. For the many soldiers who had lost or were separated from their families, Wojtek was a welcome boost tomorale. When the soldiers reached the coast of Egypt, where they were to embark by boat to Italy, British soldiers wouldn’t letWojtek on board because he wasn’t a soldier. So naturally, the Polish soldiers gaveWojtek a service number, and he officially became a private in their company, complete with a rank and a paybook.

PrivateWojtek’s moment of fame came when his company fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino. The bear saw his human counterparts carrying crates of artillery shells, and he beganmirroring their actions. Throughout the entire battle, he calmly carried crates of

ammo, which would have required four men to lift, to his comrades. In honor ofWojtek’s service during the battle, the company changed its emblem to an image of a bear carrying an artillery shell, andWojtek was promoted to the rank of corporal.

After the war, Wojtek was moved to a zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he lived until he was 21 years old. There is now a bronze statue ofWojtek in Edinburgh’sWest Princes Street Gardens, ensuring that this brave bear will not be forgotten.

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