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Pets First Monthly
July 2025
ROAM WITH REASSURANCE PERFECT PET SITTER PICKS
Summertime can be a wonderful experience for you and your family, but it can also be a time of great stress for your pets if you’re not careful.
high-energy border collie with someone who’s generally sedentary. You should also provide the pet sitter with exercise instructions and anything specific your pet likes to do for playtime and mental stimulation. Before you leave for your trip, make sure your pet sitter has the following items: • Your contact information in case of an emergency • A quick reference list with contact information for your current veterinary hospital and/or local 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic. • Food, specific feeding instructions, and information on your pet’s general feeding habits (e.g., whether your pet will eat everything in the bowl as soon as you put it down or prefers to graze throughout the day • Your pet’s potty habits • All medications, instructions for their use, and how your pet takes them (e.g., mixed in with food or hidden in a treat) • A blanket or T-shirt that smells like home can be put inside the crate or on the dog bed. If a doggy daycare business is your best option, research it in advance to see whether it has received negative reviews. Additionally, confirm how the business handles play groups. Not all dogs benefit from playtime with other dogs, as it can cause them anxiety. Naturally, not all travel is planned or pleasant. We all experience unexpected situations from time to time that require us to leave town at a moment’s notice. Do you have a reliable pet sitter who can care for your dog(s) or cat(s) without prior warning or arrangements? Suppose you’re unsure how a sudden trip would impact your responsibilities as a pet owner. In that case, it’s essential to consider your pet care options now before you’re stuck making last-minute decisions that may not be in your pets’ best interest. Vacations should be fun, but your great times should never come at the expense of your animal companions’ safety and peace of mind. By following these tips, your time away from home will be worry-free for you and your furry friends.
With many folks heading off on well-earned vacations this time of year, there is a need for dependable pet sitters who can help you relax knowing that your animal companions are in caring and capable hands. Sometimes, the hustle to get everything in order before you go away can lead you to overlook critical things you must do to ensure your little loved ones are well taken care of in your absence. Since no one wants their pet to have a bad time while they’re away, I’d like to share a few tips on choosing a great pet sitter and what you should provide them to make your pet’s time in their company comfortable and enjoyable. First and foremost, anyone you choose to watch your beloved pet(s) while you’re away should be able to connect with them positively. It’s always good to have your pet meet and interact with a potential sitter a few times to see how they get along. That way, your pet isn’t scared or nervous because they’re suddenly left with someone they’ve never met. Additionally, ensure the pet sitter matches your pet’s energy level. For example, you may not want to leave a
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SAM’S CORN Snouts, Sparks, and Safety Sm
EXTREME MAKEOVER:
Dental Edition
Greetings, canine campadres and human cohorts! I’m here this month with a hot topic that every pet guardian should know about.
In honor of National Pet Fire Safety Day on July 15, I want to inform you of common fire hazards that could seriously harm you, your pets, and your property. According to the National Fire Protection Association, pets have a part in starting about 750 home fires every year in the U.S. First off, I’ll state for the record on behalf
LUCY GETS A LOVELY SMILE We saw Lucy, a sweet 7-year-old pitbull mix, for a routine wellness exam and diagnosed her with a dental condition called gingival hyperplasia.
of all dogs and cats that we do not want to burn down your house — we’re just explorers prone to encountering things that lead us to start fires inadvertently. (After all, most of us have tails that wag and teeth that like to chew things, so … it happens.) These items include cooking equipment, fireplaces, chimneys, space heaters, lamps, cords, wiring, and candles. So, how can you help us keep our shared homes safe? Well, the big one is never to leave us alone near an open flame. Use flameless candles wherever possible. If you have an especially active pet who likes to get up on counters with their front feet, be sure to remove stove knobs when you’re not in the kitchen. If you have to go out, crate your curious kittens and puppies. Because many of us
Gingival hyperplasia is an abnormal or excessive growth of gum tissue in the mouth. Most animals respond to dental disease with receding gums, but dogs with gingival hyperplasia respond to inflammation and tartar on the teeth by making more gum tissue. The gums become thickened, firm, and irregular, sometimes covering most or all of the teeth. When this happens, dogs have difficulty chewing, their gums bleed, and the teeth that are covered can develop pockets and disease. Certain breeds, including boxers, bulldogs, and cocker spaniels, are predisposed to developing gingival hyperplasia. Certain drugs can also trigger its development. To treat Lucy’s condition, we performed a gingivectomy. This procedure was done under anesthesia during a dental cleaning. The extra gum tissue was surgically removed from around the teeth, restoring Lucy’s natural gumline and eliminating the pockets around her teeth that were trapping food and debris. After we removed the excess gum tissue, her teeth were thoroughly cleaned, scaled, and polished. Gingivectomy surgery is not curative, but it significantly improves the appearance of the mouth and alleviates any inflammation and discomfort. After two weeks of healing, Lucy’s mouth appeared brand new, and her owners loved her fresh breath and sparkling smile! Daily home dental care — such as brushing teeth, using water additives, and offering dental chews — can help slow the recurrence of plaque and bacteria in the mouth and the development or recurrence of conditions like gingival hyperplasia.
Please contact us at Petersen Pet Hospital with any questions or concerns about your pet’s dental health!
—Dr. Lindsey Leo
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love chewing wires and extension cords, make sure they’re placed underneath rugs or protective strips. There’s something huge that many folks don’t think to do: When you’re not home, ensure that we’re crated near
When a Colorado wildfire threatened one of Lockheed Martin’s plants last summer, the big defense contractor decided they needed better fire protection measures. Goats on the Job in Colorado Hooved Helpers Ward Off Wildfires
entrances. That way, fire personnel can find us quickly. Also, consider purchasing “pet alert” window clings on which you can write the number and type of pets you have. Oh, and be sure to test your smoke alarms monthly. By following these simple tips, humans can better protect their precious pets from unwittingly becoming destructive pyros. See you again in the issue after next!
–Sam
So, the company called in an unlikely emergency workforce — a battalion of 1,200 grazing goats.
Lockheed contracted Goat Green, a local Colorado company, to put its herd of hungry Cashmere goats to work clearing 98 acres of wilderness terrain near the company’s worksite, which includes a $350 million satellite-manufacturing facility. The terrain is too steep and hazardous for machine clearing or human crews, but it posed little challenge to the goats. Their mission: to eliminate fuel for future fires and clear paths for firefighters, if needed. The goats could mow down an acre of land dense with plants and underbrush in a day, eliminating invasive vegetation and reducing the terrain to a nearly level, trimmed surface. The goats’ work also prevents overgrowth near powerlines, where fires often start. Lockheed embraced this unusual fire-protection strategy after last year’s 580- acre Quarry Fire came within a mile of the company’s Waterton aerospace facility near Littleton. Five firefighters were injured battling the blaze, which forced the evacuation of 600 homes and put thousands of Colorado residents on edge. Goat Green has contracted with parks, government agencies, municipalities, farms, ranches, and private land owners across 15 states to provide low-tech clearing services. The company’s workforce consists of 1,500 Cashmere goats native to the Himalayas and comfortable in cold, dry temperatures. Unlike most domestic goats destined for the slaughterhouse early in life, Goat Green’s employees work for about 12 years for as many as 265 days a year. Kids are born on the worksites and learn to eat a wide range of weeds and forage as adolescents. These goats even have a retirement plan: After losing their teeth, they live out their final days in peace on a ranch. After a dozen wildfires in the last 10 years in the Littleton area, residents are bracing for another wildfire season. The area is a little bit safer this year, however, thanks to the goats. As one regional fire-protection official said on Facebook, “These goats are a wonderful partner to us.”
Homemade Pup-kin Spice and Oat Sticks Inspired by MyDogRecipe.com
INGREDIENTS •
1 cup pure pumpkin purée (unsweetened, no spices)
• • • •
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp natural peanut butter (xylitol-free) 2 cups oat flour (or finely blended oats) 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin purée, applesauce, and peanut butter until smooth. 3. Add oat flour and cinnamon and stir until thick and sticky. 4. Roll dough into sticks about 4–5 inches long and 1/2-inch thick. 5. Arrange dough sticks on the baking sheet and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the sticks are firm. 6. Remove from oven and let cool before serving to your pooch.
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1031 Kacena Road Hiawatha, IA 52233 www.PetersenPetHospital.com 319-743-0554
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PRIMARY Inside This Issue
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Fur-Folk in Fine Hands
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A Gum Glow-Up
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Paws Off the Pyro Hazards!
SECONDARY
Homemade Pup-kin Spice and Oat Sticks
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PMS292 Company Enlists Goats to Reduce Risk of Wildfires PMS5635 PMS1215
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The Surprising Ways Plants Support Each Other
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HOW PLANTS TALK TO EACH OTHER UNDERGROUND Nature’s Hidden Network
You probably don’t think of plants as chatty, but they have a lot going on underground. Scientists have discovered that thin fungus threads in the soil connect many plants — nature’s version of the internet. These threads help plants share nutrients and even send messages to one another. The fungi grow around and between plant roots, building a bridge from one plant to the next. If one plant gets sick or bug-bitten, it can send a warning. Neighboring plants “hear” that signal and might boost their defenses. It’s somewhat like a heads-up before a storm. It’s not just gossip, either. These fungal helpers also help shuffle nutrients around, especially from bigger, well-fed plants to smaller, struggling ones. In return, the fungi get sugars and energy from the plants. It’s a win-win.
This hidden teamwork has real-world effects. Farmers and gardeners who know about these underground networks can change how they treat their soil. If the fungi are wiped out — say, by chemicals or heavy digging — plants lose their lifeline. But if the networks stay intact, crops tend to grow better and fight off threats more easily. This is still a growing field of research, but it’s changing how we see plant life. If you want to dig a little deeper, check out a recent book, “The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth” by Zoë Schlanger. What looks like a quiet patch of greenery might be a neighborhood full of chatter. You just have to know where to look.
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