Petersen Pet Hospital PC - February 2025

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Pets First Monthly

February 2025

Pearly Whites for Precious Pets

Critical Care for Dental Health

Welcome to National Pet Dental Health Month!

February is full of memorable birthdays and celebrations of historic events, but the next few weeks also allow us to focus attention on our cats’ and dogs’ oral health. Being a good pet guardian means wanting the best for our beloved animal companions, so I’d like to provide a refresher on maintaining their dental health and some steps to address tooth issues when they arise. First and foremost, your pets should receive dental check-ups at least once a year. If your pet is over 8 years old, we recommend bringing them in for an oral health review every six months — and even sooner if you notice they have persistent bad breath, noticeably broken or loose teeth, or are experiencing any other problems with their mouths and gums. Here are a few things to watch out for: • Yellowed teeth, which is a sign of tartar buildup • Drooling • Blood coming from the mouth • Chewing differently than usual (such as chewing on only one side of the mouth) • Decreased appetite or none at all • Pawing at their mouths, which could indicate they’re in pain • Swelling around the mouth Most of these issues could be symptoms of infections, abscesses, tumors, or cysts in the mouth. On rare occasions, your pet could have a broken or badly injured jaw due to a traumatic accident. However, periodontal disease is the most common cause behind dental-related appointments at Petersen Pet Hospital. The vast majority of pets will show some evidence of the disease — even by the age of 3. The earlier we discover it in your pet’s mouth, the sooner we can treat it through professional teeth cleaning. We follow a thorough process to properly and compassionately clean your pet’s teeth. You and your dog or cat will start the day early with a consult appointment with one of our technicians, who will review the game plan. If your pet hasn’t had recent pre-anesthesia bloodwork, we’ll perform that process. We’ll also conduct a heart assessment test (EKG) and pre-anesthetic

exam before administering the anesthesia via an IV catheter. Once they’re under, we’ll X-ray their mouth to uncover any bad teeth or signs of infection. From there, we’ll clean and scale their teeth. Once the cleaning is complete, we’ll apply fluoride to the teeth and perform laser therapy on the mouth to promote healing. During the post-surgery consultation, we’ll provide you with any special instructions to prevent periodontal disease from recurring. Your pet may be drowsy that evening, so keep them away from stairs. In most cases, they can return to eating their normal food that evening. If one or more teeth were extracted during the procedure, they should eat only soft food for about a week. So, how do you protect the health and longevity of your pets’ teeth? Brushing them daily would be ideal, but that’s hard to do if they are not compliant. Giving your pets a dental chew is the next best thing. We have one called Veggiedent, which is vegetable-based, low in calories, and can prevent tartar buildup. We also have a product called Healthy Mouth that you can put in your pet’s water or on their food. No matter how you choose to help prevent the spread of bad bacteria in their mouth, you must do so, as it can enter their bloodstream and harm their organs and muscles. If you have any questions or concerns about ensuring your pets’ pearly whites last a lifetime, please schedule an appointment with us. Let’s work together to make this National Pet Dental Health Month the best yet!

–Dr. Emily Saunders

www.PetersenPetHospital.com

SUBWAY’S CORNER

DOG DIARRHEA DISMISSED

Greetings, feline friends and faithful human companions! It’s your favorite cat wordsmith here — back from a brief hiatus and ready to walk across the keyboard to form the words you’re about to read on a very important issue you need to know about! Besides being fantastic companions (in my ever-modest opinion), we cats are stoic animals who tend to hide our pain. Because we’re not big complainers, our humans may not realize we’re experiencing intense pain in our mouths due to “tooth resorption.” I’ll spare you some of the gory details, but it’s essentially when a cat’s body resorbs one or more of their teeth. The condition has no definitive cause, but it’s extremely uncomfortable for us. The signs of tooth resorption are easy for humans to spot. Your cat may have a hole in the enamel of one or more teeth, chew on only one side of their mouth, or swallow food without chewing it first. Oh, and they may also drool — a lot . If you try to touch the affected area, you’ll likely see our jaws chatter in pain. If you notice any of these signs, get your cat to Petersen Pet Hospital pronto! Hospital staff will put them under anesthesia, take X-rays, and see whether the bone under the tooth is going away. In a lot of cases, the tooth (or teeth) will need to be pulled. If that happens, fear not — your cat will feel amazing afterward! I can’t begin to tell you how bad tooth resorption feels, so I say, “Be gone, tooth!” Spotting Pain in Stoic Cats

A Dynamic Diet for Digestion

Studies show that 20%–30% of veterinary visits involve dogs presenting with diarrhea as the primary concern. Diarrhea can be mild to severe and has many causes. Sometimes, the primary cause is as simple as the dog eating something it shouldn’t — like garbage, “people food,” or something outside. Some dogs may have intestinal parasites, or the diarrhea may be secondary to a more serious situation like pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease. If your dog has a simple case of diarrhea secondary to stress, a dietary indiscretion, or another short-term concern, you can often get things back on track with supportive care. Hill’s Science Diet has created a formulated diet called GI Biome, specifically designed to help firm up loose stool in 24 hours

and reduce the risk of recurrence. This food is high in fiber and has prebiotics and probiotics to help

activate the gastrointestinal tract’s normal microbiome (the good bacteria). This food — which replaces the need for a separate antidiarrheal, a fiber supplement, and a probiotic — can be used for short-term or long-term diarrhea. For example, Cooper is a 20-week-old Australian Labradoodle puppy who ate things outside and disrupted the fairy

Cooper

garden. After he presented with diarrhea and an exam showed no other concerns, we started administering the GI Biome food in the short term, which resolved his diarrhea. Bingo, on the other hand, is a 3-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi who presented for coughing, although his guardian commented that he also had chronic soft stool. After Bingo’s exam, his guardian started mixing some of the GI Biome into his regular food, and his stools were formed for the first time in his life.

Bingo

Some dogs are good candidates for a food switch to GI Biome, but others need a more comprehensive work- up to investigate the underlying causes of their diarrhea. If your dog has diarrhea, call us to help guide you through the recommendations.

—Dr. Sarah Young

Cats are known for many things: their independence, impeccable balancing skills, and endless fascination with shoelaces. However, who would have guessed that our beloved feline friends have an innate GPS built into their brains? This furry tale of two kitties all started when a California couple, Benny and Susanne Anguiano, decided to take their two cats, Rayne Beau and Starr Jasmyn, on their first trip to Yellowstone National Park. The couple says this wasn’t the cats’ first rodeo. In fact, they loved looking out the big windows of the RV at the different wildlife. However, their epic park adventure turned into a nightmare on this particular trip. Shortly after arriving at Yellowstone, something startled Rayne Beau, and he ran into the forest. The couple searched for him for four days, leaving out some of his favorite treats and toys to lure him back to them. Unfortunately, Benny and Susanne’s efforts were short-lived, and they had to return home to Salinas, California. Susanne never lost hope and recalls a moment during their trek home when she saw a double rainbow in the sky. “That’s a sign for our Rayne Beau that he’s going to be okay,” she said. The Anguianos finally got the call they had been waiting for about two months after their Yellowstone trip. Their microchip enrollment company called and said Rayne Beau had been found and turned in to the Placer SPCA in Roseville, California (over 800 miles from Yellowstone and 200 miles from their home)! The next day, Benny and Susanne drove to Roseville to pick up Rayne Beau. Upon arrival, they discovered he had lost 6 pounds, had minor paw injuries, and was malnourished. While seeing their beloved fur baby in such a condition wasn’t easy, the Anguianos made it a point to fit their cats with AirTags and Rayne Beau with a GPS tracker. Rayne Beau’s ability to find his way back home remains a mystery. However, it proves that love (and feline internal GPS) can overcome any obstacle, no matter the distance. Lost but Not Forgotten A Determined Feline Finds His Way Home No Matter the Distance

This is Subway after his teeth cleaning was performed.

Tooth resorption can happen to cats of any age. As my meow-to-text app noted earlier in this article, there is no official cause. It could be diet, genetics, a cat’s history of frequent vomiting … or maybe some cats just have bad teeth. In any event, please seek immediate care for them as soon as you see hints that they may be in pain — they will be so thankful.

SIMPLE SWEET POTATO DOG TREATS Inspired by AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS • 1 large sweet potato • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

• •

2 large eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2. Using a fork, prick sweet potato several times. Microwave on high until tender, about 6–7 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle. 3. Cut potato in half and scoop flesh into a bowl, then mash with a potato masher until chunks are gone. Transfer 1 cup to a large bowl. 4. Mix in flour, eggs, and applesauce to the cup of sweet potato until a dough forms. 5. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter or cut dough into strips with a pizza cutter. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet. 6. Bake until crisp, about 35–45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on pan before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

www.PetersenPetHospital.com

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

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

Mon–Fri: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. (Closed Fridays from 12:30–2:10 p.m. for team meetings) Sat: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. | Sun: Closed

PRIMARY Inside This Issue

A Treat for Your Pets’ Teeth

PMS4655

BLACK

50% BLACK

Dependable Diarrhea Defense

Is Your Feline Friend Struggling?

SECONDARY

A Cat’s Pilgrimage From Yellowstone to California

PMS292 Simple Sweet Potato Dog Treats PMS5635 PMS1215

PMS258

The Haunting Story of an Amazonian Vampiress

The Legend of Camille Monfort Beautiful French Opera Singer or Mysterious Vampiress?

Everyone loves a good scary story. However, stories with unfinished and uncertain endings leave more spine-chilling options for the imagination. The ever-alluring legend of Camille Monfort will raise the hair on your neck and make you wonder what may have been behind her story. In 1896, Belém, Brazil (in the Amazon), emerged as a wealthy city filled with grand luxuries due to the rubber trade. The city’s newfound affluence brought extravagance in many areas, including Theatro da Paz , which brought European culture to the jungle. However, it wasn’t until the beautiful French opera singer Camille Monfort took center stage that the city’s mystery came to light. It’s said that Camille’s striking beauty and disregard for societal conventions cast spells of desire over rich men and spread great envy among their wives. Rumors spread that her pale skin tone not only meant she was a vampiress, but her beautiful singing during concerts hypnotized her audience so she could easily feed from them. Unfortunately, her mystery was short-lived. By the end of 1896, cholera devastated Belém, taking Camille’s life at age 25. She was then buried in the Cemetery of Solitude, but many believe her tomb is empty and her death was a ruse.

Stories of strange disappearances and whispered encounters surround Camille Monfort’s entire existence, making her haunting story a unique chapter in the history of vampires.

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