SUBWAY’S Advice Alley
LESS STRESS ABOUT GOING TO THE VET!
Hi friends! It’s your buddy Subway here, and my human took me to the vet recently. If you could hear my sad meows and watch me as I tried to paw my way out of my carrier, you could obviously tell I wasn’t a fan. I got so worked up that I pooped in my carrier (sorry, Mom/Dr. Saunders)! Although I was being very difficult, I got tons of treats while getting checked out. At least I was a good boy when Dr. Saunders was examining me! But this experience got Dr. Saunders thinking: How can cat owners make going to the vet easier for themselves and their feline friends? Before I share her suggestions, I want to say that these tips are 100% Subway approved! Since my incident at the vet, my human has used these strategies with me, and it’s made driving in the car and visiting Petersen Pet Hospital more enjoyable for both two-legged and four-legged friends. First, your cat may be afraid of their carrier because they aren’t used to seeing it or only seeing it when you have to take them somewhere. Instead, keep the carrier out for about a week or even a month before your next vet visit. When we’re used to seeing it, we won’t run and hide when you decide to put us in it!
How Roxie Found Her Forever Home Saving a Stray On a Friday in March, Dr. Knutson and her team had the pleasure of meeting and helping Roxie, a young adult Lab mix. She was found along the side of the road that morning, extremely malnourished. You could easily see all her ribs, her hips jutted out, she had scabbing along her ears, and thinning hair around her eyes and nose. No microchip was found, and despite her new owner’s best efforts, a previous owner did not come forward to claim her. Since Roxie was the sweetest girl, she was now in her new, forever home. Roxie was thoroughly examined during her visit. Complete bloodwork was performed to look for infection, underlying liver or kidney disease, and to evaluate her electrolytes. Bloodwork revealed mild anemia and some changes due to muscle wasting. We were pleasantly surprised when she tested negative for heartworms, tick- borne diseases, and no parasites were noted on her fecal! It appeared Roxie simply needed a loving home and good food. Since Roxie was so thin, she needed to be reintroduced to food slowly to avoid a rare but potentially severe complication called Refeeding Syndrome. Refeeding Syndrome typically occurs within the first five days of starting to feed malnourished pets. The fluid and electrolyte shift of obtaining adequate nutrition can cause muscle weakness, cardiac arrhythmias, difficulty breathing, and even seizures. A plan was made to gradually reintroduce a quality diet over the following week. Roxie was also started on a canine multivitamin and Simparica Trio, a monthly heartworm and flea and tick preventative. Roxie returned after three weeks for a recheck exam, bloodwork, and to start vaccines. She had gained almost six pounds, and the thin areas on her coat were filling in. Her bloodwork also showed notable improvement.
Tasty Tuna Crackers
Dr. Knutson and everyone at Petersen Pet Hospital are so happy that Roxie found a wonderful, loving home and look forward to continuing her care for years to come!
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