Pet parents often want to know more about their pets’ illness or condition before taking them to their veterinarian and will spend time researching symptoms online.
Veterinarians are learning to adjust to two important changes produced by our clients’ increased thirst for information.
Firstly, pet owners now regularly come to an appointment with a list of very specific opinions and questions about their pets’ medical condition and pages in hand of information they’ve downloaded. This can lead to a more satisfying, in-depth discussion and rewarding outcome for a pet if the information owners have uncovered is accurate and complete (sadly, often it isn’t).
Secondly, veterinarians sometimes blame “Dr. Google” (i.e., information pet owners find via web searches) for causing a delay in pet owners’ decision to seek medical care for their pets. Sadly, this can mean a pet’s condition is more advanced and often more costly to treat by the time they see the vet. The decision to delay seeking medical care can lead to an outcome no one is happy about.
Sites you can trust
Here are two excellent internet sites that offer quality content written by veterinarians you can trust:
Most dogs love to ride along in the car, and it’s usually fun to take them along – except when they’re miserable from motion or “car” sickness.
A medication called Cerenia is proving beneficial for dogs with motion sickness.
What causes motion sickness?
The cause of motion sickness is complex, and researchers hypothesize it’s caused by a conflict between signals to the brain about the body’s location, posture, and movement.
A dog’s brain senses motion through three different signals coming from the nervous system. The brain integrates signals from the inner ear (where the organs that govern balance and equilibrium are found) with information from the eyes (vision), along with information from proprioceptors in the body (providing information about posture). When these three types of signals don’t “match” or add up, the brain is confused and conflicted, resulting in nausea.
Effective medications
Older medications like Dramamine and meclizine are usually effective in lessening or preventing the symptoms of motion sickness. However, they often cause lethargy and sleepiness – not so fun if you’re taking a drive with your pooch for a hike in the woods or a romp in the park.
Cerenia doesn’t cause drowsiness. Dogs are alert and ready to hit the trail when you arrive at your destination. And, Cerenia lasts 24 hours – 3-4 times longer than the older medications. It can be given the night before an early morning departure (all anti-nausea medications must be given at least two hours before travel).
If your pooch suffers from motion sickness, we’d love to talk with you about how to help make the trip easier for everyone. Cerenia may be an important part of your strategy!
Learn more about Cerenia. Give Atlantic Veterinary Hospital a call at 206-323-4433, or e-mail us.
Our Care Coins Loyalty Rewards Program allows you to earn credit towards future care for your pet.
Every $100 you spend at Atlantic Veterinary Hospital on medications, food, flea prevention, products, and most services earns a Care Coin.
Care Coins never expire and may be redeemed towards anesthetic dental procedures (because we believe good dental health is important to your pet’s overall well-being, comfort, and longevity).
You can track your Care Coins balance on our new phone app, or give us a call at 206-323-4433.
Contact us through our free app
Our free phone app, PetPage, allows you to do so many things:
Send us a message
Track your Care Coins balance
Request medication or food refills
Request appointments
Get directions
Access your pets’ reminders
See appointments you have scheduled
Update information, manage your preferences, and more!
Thank you for your patience as we work to improve our facility’s flow and comfort during our major remodel. We’re about halfway there!
New Veterinary Rehab Department
The construction crew has nearly completed our new wing, which will house our new veterinary rehab department, conference room, and community classroom.
They’re done with the new HVAC system in the attic, new basement floor, and new roof.
They’re almost done with the new dog kennels and new grooming suite (pssst…our new grooming department opens this spring).
Up next:
Updated treatment room, surgery suite, lobby, and sign
We go to work in the dark. We come home in the dark. We often walk our dogs in the dark.
Light is an integral part of the traditions of Hanukkah and Christmas, both celebrated by many around the world, and beautiful candles abound.
Yet, the winter solstice and the longest night also occur this month, a time that can be very difficult for those who are dealing with major losses, disappointments, layoffs, etc.
Sadly, sometimes the lights of the season only feel like a reminder of the things we hoped had turned out differently, a time to “just get through” until the days get longer and life looks brighter again.
Fortunately, the furry loved ones in our families are ready, willing, and able to offer the kind of unconditional acceptance and love many humans especially need this time of year.
Our pets offer respite from the crazy, busy, over-scheduled pace we often find ourselves caught up in around the holidays.
They listen without interruption and keep advice to themselves.
They don’t care about our pay stubs and our worries, but will snuggle up whenever we ask to offer their healing physical contact.
Remember to stop a moment today to accept and return that love (without extra calories). Our pets need us too. It’s free; it doesn’t come with a gift tag; and it doesn’t require writing a thank-you note!
When I was 10 years old, our new kitten decided to conquer her personal Mount Everest, otherwise known as our Christmas tree.
When she made it to the summit, however, our shouts of alarm caused her to unbalance the tree, which she rode to the floor in style as we ran, in slow motion, towards the tree in an attempt to save it.
After that, my father wired the tree to the ceiling, we swept up the broken ornaments, and hid the smashed side of the tree towards the wall.
When I was 30, I had to reconstruct the severed Achilles tendon of a client’s kitty with a similar attraction for the challenge of climbing the Christmas tree. Since then, I’ve…
…removed strands of tinsel cutting into small intestines.
…bandaged paws that stepped on broken glass ornaments.
…treated diarrhea caused by cats licking up the water in the tree stand.
…provided pain relief for tongue burns from “tasting” electrical cords for a lucky cat that didn’t electrocute itself.
You might wonder, after all this excitement, if I’m even brave enough to have a Christmas tree in my house with our two cats, two dogs, and two children (the two fish don’t get out much).
I do, but the bottom half is decorated with homemade, unbreakable ornaments, the electrical cord is sprayed with Bitter Apple, and we don’t bother with tinsel. So far, we’ve been lucky.
Curiously, however, the cookies my kids left out last year for Santa had some feline-type bites missing from the corner. I suspect a furry bandit with a milk mustache.
Do you have a curious, Christmas tree-climbing cat at your home? Tell us about it!
The day after Thanksgiving can be one of the busiest days of the year at:
A) the local mall
B) Atlantic Veterinary Hospital
C) both of the above
If you answered “C,” you’re right!
Sadly, many family pooches also overindulge on Thanksgiving and we often see them the next day in the hospital for gastric disturbances.
In some severe cases, dogs can develop life-threatening—and very painful—pancreatitisrequiring hospitalization. Some of the common culprits include:
turkey skin
pie crusts
butter
gravy
bacon
fatty table scraps
other high-fat foods
Why not feed your pooch these goodies?
The high fat content in these foods causes high blood liquids. This de-stabilization of pancreatic enzymes causes the pancreas to digest itself instead of digesting food in the intestines.
Turkey legs and bones
Sharp bones can get stuck in your dog’s esophagus, or in the stomach or intestines, which could perforate or rupture the intestines.
Raisins, onions, and garlic
Raisins in mincemeat pie and carrot raisin salad can cause fatal kidney failure, while onions, leeks, garlic, and chives can cause liver failure.
While you’re cooking that feast…
Keep your four-legged friend out of the kitchen.
Make sure your guests know to keep their food out of your pet’s reach and to ask your permission before feeding your pet any treats.
While you’re enjoying your meal, don’t let your dog entice you (with those big, brown, sad eyes) to sneak him any high-fat foods under the table.
When you’re relaxing after dinner, make sure the food is put away and that the trash is dumped so your dog can’t help himself.
What’s safe?
If you must fix him a plate, a little lean turkey breast and some plain vegetables will do just fine.
Best of all, give him a hug and let him give you a big wet kiss. It’s Thanksgiving, after all, and the unconditional love you receive from your pet is love in its purest form. Be thankful!
After nearly a year of exciting and intensive planning, we started a major remodel of the hospital on October 10.
When we began planning, we envisioned adding additional exam rooms, space for our Veterinary Rehab and Acupuncture services, and maybe updating the lobby.
Well, you know how that goes! The remodel will now touch every aspect of the hospital – inside and out, floor-to-ceiling, roof-to-parking-lot – to improve the care we provide our patients and their families, as well as to improve our workflow.
A few things we’d love for you to know as this huge project moves forward:
We invite you to check out our plans on the blueprints posted in the lobby.
These plans, from layout to color choices, have been chosen with the new FearFree guidelines in mind, and we’ll be working to become FearFree-certified by spring 2020.
We’re making room for additional pet services, including Grooming and a dedicated, spacious area for Veterinary Rehab & Sports Medicine.
We’ve worked hard to minimize the impact to our patients, but there may occasionally be some additional noise overhead or a temporary shift in location of the reception desk.
We’re planning a BIG PARTY and OPEN HOUSE when we’re done in early spring, and YOU’RE INVITED! Come and let us show you around.
We’ll keep you updated on our progress on our blog, in our monthly e-newsletters, and via direct communication.
Thank you for your patience as we work to make Atlantic Veterinary Hospital the best it can be.
Did you know that domestic cats roam an average territory of 5 acres? That’s considerably larger than most people’s backyards (feral cats have even larger territories).
Outdoor kitties tend to exhibit fewer behaviors that humans find objectionable, like destructive clawing and urine marking, because their minds are stimulated chasing butterflies and checking out the neighborhood. They tend to maintain their body weight in a healthy range and refrain from excessive grooming because they get more exercise and don’t eat out of boredom.
Dangers to Outdoor Cats
But cats allowed outdoors face considerable danger — including death — from cars and urban predators (raccoon, coyote, eagle, and big dogs).
They often get into fights with other cats over territory boundaries, risking dangers ranging from minor bite wounds and large abscesses to life-threatening viral infections.
They frequently pick up internal and external parasites (worms and fleas), which they can pass to their human companions.
And ornithologists (scientists who study birds) blame them for dramatic declines in wild bird populations.
Some just plain get lost and don’t find their way back home.
Beyond appropriate vaccinations, parasite prevention medications, a microchip, safety collar, and ID tag, what can be done to keep outdoor kitties safe and healthy?
Outdoor Cat Yards
There’s a compromise that’s gaining popularity: outdoor cat yards, also called catios. I’ve seen an amazing variety of cat yards throughout the Seattle area, exhibiting cat owners’ creativity and love for their furry friend(s).
These owners have constructed outdoor spaces for their cats to play, lounge, and explore that keep the cats (and birds, for the most part) safe while providing exercise, mental stimulation, fresh air, and a place to catch a sunbeam in warmer weather.
Some of these enclosures resemble three-season porches. Others enclose a portion of the backyard, keeping Fluffy contained and other animals out. Still others are an enclosure attached to the side of a house with a cat door in a window, providing easy access.
Catio Spaces
A local company called Catio Spaces works hard to improve cats’ lives by providing DIY catio plans and custom catios. This video shows how one family transformed their deck into a delightful catio.
Purr…fect Fence
Companies like Purr..fect Fence specialize in helping owners configure the space available into an aesthetically pleasing (from both the humans’ and cats’ perspectives) space for outdoor play.
DIY Cat Yards
However, more than half the cat yards I’ve seen were constructed from scratch with re-purposed materials by an ingenious owner who didn’t have a large budget.
One owner created a Japanese-themed garden in his side yard with cat fencing hidden in a bamboo hedge.
Another created what she called an underground “chunnel,” connecting the only space available for a cat yard located 10 feet away from the side of her house.
Others were built underneath a back deck or overhang using deer fencing purchased at a hardware store, providing access through a sliding glass door beneath the deck.
Some used aviary netting on an existing cedar fence to enclose the entire backyard. Each of these enclosures was enhanced with climbing features, scratch-able features, and shelves for lounging.
If you’re interested in cat fending, there are lots of ideas and pictures on the internet to consider. Check it out! And please send us pictures if you build one for your lucky kitty.
We are continually exploring ways to make Atlantic Veterinary Hospital more environmentally responsible.
During our remodel (which started August 1), we are incorporating an all-new energy-efficient HVAC system, smart thermostats and lighting, and possibly solar panels on the roof.
We already have many environmentally friendly systems in place:
We use electronic medical records and are nearly “paperless.”
We use digital X-rays, eliminating the use of the chemicals, silver, electricity and water used to develop traditional X-ray film (and greatly enhancing our X-ray diagnostic capabilities).
Our appliances are Energy Star rated.
We work cooperatively with the City of Seattle to decrease our electricity and water use by upgrading our lighting, plumbing, and appliances.
We purchase “green power” from Seattle City Light.
Office and cleaning paper products we use are made of 100% recycled materials.
Our cleaning and laundry products (except small amounts of necessary disinfectants) are biodegradable and environmentally safe.
We compost, reuse, and recycle everything we possibly can.
How You Can Receive a 5% Discount When You Check In
Energy use makes our biggest impact on environment. So, if you walk, ride your bike, carpool, or use public transportation to reach our hospital, we offer a 5% discount on outpatient services.
**Please advise us when you check in for your appointment that you are eligible for this discount.
And please, share your ideas with us about how we can continue to decrease our carbon footprint.
