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Pets First Monthly
July 2021
The Summer Vacation I’ve Never Forgotten
With the hot summer months coming around again, it’s the perfect season for two things: watermelon and summer vacation road trips. One of the most memorable vacations I ever took wasn’t in adulthood, although I’ve had my adventures — it was back when I was nearing seventh grade. My parents, my two older sisters, and I went on a giant, cross- country road trip in our four-door car with a pop-up camper, and it was a crazy, absolute blast. We saw every sight we possibly could. Starting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we drove across South Dakota and visited the Black Hills, including Mount Rushmore. My parents loved taking any opportunity to educate us on history and culture, and even as a young kid, I recall those moments fondly. We camped in the gorgeous Yellowstone National Park, where we saw some crazy kids teasing a full-grown female moose. If you’ve ever seen a moose, you’d know they’re often larger than horses. We were terrified for them, but they didn’t get hurt. Then, in my memory, we somehow teleported from Wyoming to California. In San Francisco, I remember our large car bumping through Lombard Street, hitting the curbs during every turn because we could barely fit in that one-car, one-way street! Then, we went to Los Angeles, then San Diego. We loved Universal Studios, seeing our relatives, seeing the beaches, and staying at a hotel or two at that point of the trip. On our way home, we stopped by Las Vegas and stayed at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. If you’re not familiar, it’s part of a hotel circuit built and designed for families, so we had a blast.
Although this road trip was considerably
long, we only stayed in hotels a few times during the whole trip. For the rest of the nights, we camped. That was a lot of fun! Although, being the youngest little brother, I had to learn some tough life lessons.
For example, I mostly got stuck in the middle seat in the back of our vehicle. And whenever my sisters wanted to sleep while there was still sunlight out, I’d help them take out their pillowcases and hang them by the shut car window. We put just a bit of the lip of the pillowcase on top of the car window, then shut it so it would hold like a curtain. But in a moving car, you have to keep the pillowcase from moving. I remember getting my finger jammed at one point and being in quite some pain that day! Thinking about those days puts me in awe of my parents’ pure love and desire to take us out on this long, epic adventure. Their patience gave me memories that will last for the rest
of my life. I think it’s important for us to provide experiences like that as much as we can. Now that vaccines are becoming more available and more states are opening up, perhaps
you’ll go on your epic vacation sooner than later! Whatever your plans are, I wish you and your family a wonderful summer and a plenitude of new memories along the way.
–Brad Petersen
www.PetersenPetHospital.com
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Border Collie Corner Our Coolest Tips for Pets Playing in Summer Sun!
A Lightning Quick Recovery
Hi again, newsletter friends! It’s Sam, and I’m back to tell you some of my favorite tips about keeping cool and safe in the summer. We’ve mentioned these tips in the past, but it’s always a good seasonal reminder to keep our pets safe, especially as we jump excitedly into all sorts of new, exciting adventures post-vaccine! Here’s how you can keep your pets up to speed and safe along the way.
First, remember that your furry best friends wear a winter coat all year round — and young dogs and cats especially don’t know when to stop playing under the beating summer heat. Your pets will likely want to continue playing no matter what the temperature is. Make sure you give them plenty of breaks
Puppies are adorable and mischievous — that’s why their injuries, while they can recover quickly, can sometimes be completely mysterious. One day the owners noticed that their 4-month-old puppy, a handsome American Eskimo dog named Bolt, wasn’t using his back left leg. Meet Bolt, Fully Recovered From Four Broken Toes
They decided to bring him into Petersen Pet Hospital, and we took a few X-rays to see what was going on. As it turned out, all four of Bolt’s metatarsal bones (aka bones located in the feet) were broken. Dr. McGinty and our team managed to treat the fractures with a splint, keeping the broken
bones from moving. The patient required a full month of rest (while wearing the splint) along with restricted activity. Thankfully, the amazing owners managed to help the patient achieve this goal, and the first follow-up X-ray showed that the bones had completely healed! Bolt was very lucky since young dogs can generally heal broken bones within 4–6 weeks. Although it’s never fun to have broken toes, Bolt was also an extremely good boy throughout the treatment. He loved getting rewarded for being so great, and he got to eat cheerios and squeeze cheese as treats. Congratulations, Bolt! We’re all very proud of your lightning quick recovery!
Sweet & Savory Pupsicles
Inspired by DaisyTheFrenchBulldog.blogspot.com
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Contact us! 319-743-0554
Here in the U.S., pineapple is considered a wild and controversial pizza topping. Even celebrities take a stand. Justin Bieber is pro-pineapple, but Jimmy Kimmel is against it. According to a 2019 YouGov Omnibus study, only anchovies and eggplant are more hated. But in other parts of the world, the tangy yellow fruit is far from the strangest topping you’ll see! Here are five wacky pizza trends from around the globe that will either make you hungry or inspire you to sprint the other way. You may want to order a comforting cheese pie from your favorite local pizzeria before reading this, just in case. 1. Banana-Curry Pizza (Sweden) —The Swedes first accessed bananas in 1944, and since then, they’ve put them on everything, including pizza which they top with tomato sauce, smoked cheese, banana slices, and curry powder. 2. Ketchup and Corn Pizza (Brazil) — According to several sources, Brazilians swap pizza sauce for ketchup or tomato slices and top their pies with strange combinations of local ingredients like corn, beets, hearts of palm, and potato sticks. 3. Haggis Pizza (Scotland) — Pizza may be the only semi-enjoyable way to eat haggis: a mix of sheep or calf offal, oatmeal, suet, and seasonings that are boiled in an animal’s stomach. Last year, Papa John’s got in on the action when it released a limited-edition haggis pizza in honor of a Scottish poet, Robert Burns. 4. Mockba Pizza (Russia) —This local pie comes topped with four kinds of fish (sardines, tuna, mackerel, and salmon), onions, herbs, and occasionally fish eggs. Most troubling of all, it’s served cold! 5. Chickpea Pancake Pizza (Argentina) — In Buenos Aires, locals top their super- cheesy pizza slices with fainá — chickpea pancakes cooked separately from the pies and balanced on top of each slice. Keep these pizzas in mind when planning your next international vacation! They might be tastier than they sound, and if not, they’ll still make great Instagram fodder. As actor Cole Sprouse once tweeted, “You’re losing followers because you’re not relatable enough. Try mentioning that you eat pizza. If that doesn’t work, play the ukulele. They Eat What on Pizza?! 5 Wacky Pizza Trends From Around the World An Important Notice From Dr. Brad Petersen Hello, friends! As we take on another veterinarian in our growing hospital, Petersen Pet Hospital is as committed as ever to providing the highest quality and most comprehensive care possible for your pets. That’s why, unfortunately, I will have less availability for seeing one-on-one outpatient appointments for the foreseeable future due to the hospital’s growing administrative and specialized surgery needs as our hospital expands. I will still be working at the hospital, of course! You’ll find me mostly in the surgery room and our admin offices. Please don’t hesitate to book appointments with our other fabulous veterinarians, who are just as dedicated and passionate about our patients as I am. Thank you so much for all your support, and I look forward to seeing you the next time you drop by. –Brad Petersen
and provide drinking water to ensure they don’t get dehydrated or overheat.
There’s another way to effectively help your pets cool down quickly — keep their feet cool! Some dogs love sprinklers, but one of my favorite parts of summer is standing or sitting in the little pop-up pool that Mom and Dad keep for me outside. It’s the best relief on a hot day!
Cats, on the other hand, might be a little more unlikely to stand in a pool of water … However, a cool damp towel, cooling mats, or even an ice cube (watch them play with it!) will offer them helpful cooling relief.
Also, be careful about playing on concrete or black tarmac! Those rough, hot surfaces can burn the bottoms of your pet’s feet, especially if they’re not accustomed to being outside most hours of the day. Painful sores on footpads is a very common injury during the summer and extremely painful for your pet. Try to limit your walks and playtime during the day and limit it to the early morning or later afternoon. Lastly, grooming your pet frequently in the summer can help them stay cool as well! Also, it makes their shedding much easier to deal with, especially for your longhaired pets. Thanks for joining me again this month, everyone. I can barely wait to play this summer, and I’m sure you’re just as excited to enjoy the sunshine! Have fun and stay safe out there!
With the dog days of summer in full force, your pup may need some help cooling down. These five-ingredient pupsicles are just the thing!
INGREDIENTS •
1 can pumpkin purée
• • • • •
1 strip bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup water
1/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 package rawhide sticks
Special equipment: plastic or silicone popsicle molds
DIRECTIONS 1. In a blender, combine pumpkin, bacon, and water, blending until smooth.
2. Drop 3–4 blueberries in each popsicle mold, then pour in the pumpkin mixture, leaving about an inch of space.
3. Insert a rawhide into the middle of each mold to serve as an edible popsicle stick.
4. Freeze for 4 hours or until solid, then let your pup enjoy the taste of summer.
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www.PetersenPetHospital.com
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1031 Kacena Road Hiawatha, IA 52233 www.PetersenPetHospital.com 319-743-0554
Inside This Issue
Mon–Fri: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. (Closed Fridays from 12:30–2:10 p.m. for teammeetings) Sat: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sun: Closed
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A Childhood Road Trip I’ve Never Forgotten
PRIMARY
A Lightning Quick Recovery: Bolt’s Success Story
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BLACK Border Collie Corner: Our Coolest Summer Heat Safety Tips 50% BLACK
PMS4655
Sweet & Savory Pupsicles
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5 Wacky Pizza Trends From Around the World
SECONDARY
Important Notice!
PMS292 The Miraculous Mountain Cat PMS5635 PMS1215
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PMS258
The Meow at 10,000 Feet
High on the slopes of Bristen, a mountain in the Glarus Alps in central Switzerland, a pair of skiers discovered something unexpected. At 4:30 a.m., the skiers climbed toward the summit of Bristen when they realized they weren’t alone. They were being followed by a cat — not a lynx or a wildcat, but a little mewling house cat. How does a house cat end up on the slopes of a snow-covered, 10,000-foot mountain? This was an answer the skiers wouldn’t get. They weren’t even sure what to do with a cat in general. It’s likely that it simply wandered away from one of the nearby towns or villages near the base of the mountain, but even for a human, that’s a major undertaking. Lost, the cat followed the only sign of civilization it could find: the skiers, Cyril and Erik Rohrer. “She started to shiver, and her paws began to bleed from the hard snow,” Cyril noted. “We picked her up and carried her when she was too exhausted to walk uphill anymore. We were definitely confused. I felt really sorry for the cat. She was really exhausted on the ridge underneath the summit.” The cat stayed with them for some time before they met up with another group of hikers who were headed down the mountain. The cat joined them for what would hopefully be a journey back home. And it was! Remarkably, the cat’s owners were found. They revealed that their cat had vanished four days earlier and apparently followed yet another group of hikers up Bristen. “Animals do weird things. And they are way tougher than humans. They’ll never give up. Even though they are hurting really, really bad,” Cyril said of his feline hiking companion. Hopefully, that will be the little feline’s last trip up for some time!
Contact us! 319-743-0554
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