The Pet
Care Center
of Nassau
A Pet–Loving Publication From Your Friends At The Pet Care Center
•
Spring 2011
Our Passion is Pets
Since 2002,
The Pet Care Center
has specialized in the tender care
and treatment of your beloved
animal companions.
We are dedicated to enriching
the human-animal bond by
providing pet parents with the
care and knowledge to help their
pets live healthy, wonderful lives.
Thank you for the many wonderful
photos submitted for our Pet
Photo Contest. It was very hard
to pick a winner. Watch for more
winners in upcoming issues.
From the staff of
The Pet Care Center of Nassau
Photo Contest 1st Place Winner
Nole
Pet Events
by Denise Boyd
April
Prevent Lyme
in Dogs Month
The 90th Annual
Be Kind to
Animals Week
May 1 – May 7
National
Dog Bite
Prevention Week
May 15 – May 21
June
Adopt a Shelter
Cat Month
Friday, June 24
Take Your Dog to
Work Day
PET ALLERGIES:
Nothing to Sneeze at
O
nce again, new flowers will burst into life, plants
will thrive, and a sweet fragrance will fill the air. And so
will the symptoms of seasonal allergies – for animals
and humans alike.
Blooming plants, grasses and flowers can trigger allergic reactions, called atopy, in dogs and cats. Similar
to hay fever, pets with such allergies typically have
itchy skin and will scratch, bite or lick themselves constantly, often creating sores that become secondary infections.
Allergic reactions can be amplified by an unrecognized nutritional deficiency. Your pet’s immune system
must receive proper nourishment to do its job at peak
efficiency. One of the best things you can do is feed
your pet a premium, high-quality pet food. This will always help to keep your companion healthy and well
balanced.
In milder cases, medications may be used to control
itching. In more severe situations, skin testing can be
performed to identify the specific substances to which
your pet is allergic. Treatments for allergies may include immunotherapy, antihistamines, fatty acid supplements, soothing medicated shampoos, and
antibiotics for secondary bacterial infection. Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, are effective at reducing
the symptoms of atopy, but they can have many serious side effects that limit their long-term use and
should be administered cautiously.
Managing pet allergies takes some human patience.
However, by combining different methods of therapy,
paying attention to your pet’s environment, and observing your pet so that you can begin treatment as
early as possible, you can make your pet feel his best.
Talk to your veterinarian if you think your pet may
be suffering from seasonal allergies.
Best in Show
2010 Top 10
Cat and Dog
Breeds
OK, so it’s not exactly like being
voted into the American Idol
finals. But if your pet’s made one
of the lists below, he’s a top cat
or dog for sure.
Top 10 Dog Breeds
Prevention OF
Heartworm Disease
H
eartworm is an insidious disease
that affects cats and dogs throughout
the United States and Canada. Spread by
mosquitoes, areas most heavily populated by these insects have an even greater
incidence of the disease, but veterinary
experts suggest year-round prevention
regardless of where you live.
These lethal parasites can grow
up to one foot in length and live in
your pet’s heart for years, restricting
blood flow to the other organs. Without prevention, animals are exposed
to this disease which, in its early
stages, has no symptoms. If not detected and controlled with proper
treatment, heartworm can lead to
congestive heart failure and death.
Prevention requires a visit to a vet-
Labrador Retriever
German Shepherd
Yorkshire Terrier
Beagle
Golden Retriever
Bulldog
Boxer
Dachshund
Poodle
Shih Tzu
erinarian. Dogs must be tested to ensure
they don’t have heartworm. If your pet
gets a clean bill of health, that’s great.
But it’s important that you prevent any
possible infestation.
By federal law, heartworm preventative medicine is only available through a
prescription. Treatments include a tablet
or a topical liquid medicine that enters
the bloodstream when applied to the
What is FeLV?
Feline Leukemia Virus
greatly depending on their age, health,
environment, and lifestyle. In the United
States, approximately 2% to 3% of all
cats are infected with FeLV. Rates rise
significantly – 13% or more – in young
kittens and cats that are ill, or otherwise
at high risk of infection.
How is FeLV spread?
Top 10 Cat Breeds
Persian
Maine Coon
Exotic
Siamese
Abyssinian
Birman
Oriental
American Shorthair
Tonkinese
Burmese
skin, or a six-month heartworm prevention injection. These preventatives can
provide protection against not only
heartworm, but also other parasites such
as roundworms, hookworms, fleas, ear
mites and ticks.
Heartworm prevention is simply good
medicine. We advise clients to put their
pets on preventative drugs because it
protects them from heartworms
as well as a slew of other parasites
that can be transmitted from pets
to people.
Pet parents should discuss with
your vet which course of prevention will work best. Although cats
can be infected, heartworm is
found more typically in dogs.
Be vigilant about protecting
your pet – it’ll do his heart good.
F
eline leukemia virus affects a cat in
many ways. It is the most common cause
of cancer in cats, it may cause various
blood disorders, and it may lead to a
state of immune deficiency that hinders
the cat’s ability to protect itself against
other infections. The same bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi that may be
found in the everyday environment –
where they usually do not affect healthy
animals – can cause severe illness in
those with weakened immune systems.
These secondary infections are responsible for many of the diseases associated
with FeLV.
How common is the infection?
FeLV-infected cats are found worldwide,
but the prevalence of infection varies
Cats persistently infected with FeLV are
themselves sources of infection. Virus is
shed in very high quantities in their saliva and nasal secretions, but also in urine,
feces and milk. Cat-to-cat transfer of virus may occur from a bite wound, during
mutual grooming, and through the
shared use of litter boxes and feeding
dishes. Transmission can also take place
from an infected mother cat to her kittens, while they are nursing or even before they are born.
What are the signs of FeLV?
During the early stages of infection, it is
common for cats to exhibit no signs of
disease at all. Over time, however, the
cat’s health may progressively deteriorate or be characterized by recurrent illness interspersed with periods of
relative health. Signs can include:
• Loss of appetite
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Slow but progressive weight loss
Poor coat condition
Enlarged lymph nodes
Persistent fever
Inflammation of the gums and
mouth
Infections of the skin, urinary bladder, and upper respiratory tract
Persistent diarrhea
Seizures, behavior changes, and
other neurological disorders
A variety of eye conditions
In unspayed female cats, miscarriage of kittens or other reproductive failures
How can I keep my cat from
becoming infected?
The only sure way to protect cats is to
prevent their exposure to FeLV-infected
cats. Keep cats indoors, away from potentially infected cats that might bite
them. Adopt only infection-free cats into
households with uninfected cats. House
infection-free cats separately from infected cats, and don’t allow infected cats
to share food and water bowls or litter
boxes with uninfected cats. Consider
FeLV vaccination of uninfected cats. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of vaccination with your veterinarian.
Take a litter-trained cat or dog
that doesn’t bark or slobber
and won’t knock visitors
down at the door,
and Voilà …
you have a rabbit!
Petography 101
How to
Picture
your
pup
Capturing the beauty in the beast!
Silly rabbit
What’s Up, Doc?
R
abbits are very easy to love, but
not as easy to care for. Kept in a cage
all day, they have no choice but to sit
there and do nothing. Give a rabbit
the freedom to roam your house or
backyard, however, and they will
leave no stone unturned. They are inquisitive animals to the point of being
mischievous.
Hop it to Me Baby
Although rabbits are little, they still
need a roomy home. Cages for a sixpound rabbit should be at least 18
inches high, 24 inches wide and 24
inches deep. Layer the floor of a wire
cage with cardboard or paper. Always
house rabbits indoors and maintain a
comfortable room temperature.
Rabbits can easily learn to use a litter box. Don’t use cedar or other
wood shavings, which may cause liver
damage or trigger allergic reactions.
Instead, stick with organic litters
made of paper, oats, alfalfa or citrus.
If there were a food pyramid chart
for rabbits, timothy grass hay would
form the entire base. Timothy hay and
oats are better than alfalfa hay, which
is too high in calcium. Hay aids their
digestive systems and provides the
necessary fiber to help prevent health
problems such as hairballs, diarrhea
and obesity. Like people, rabbits prefer to eat what tastes good, not what’s
good for them. Avoid lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage or table scraps, which
can all cause bloating and diarrhea.
Keep fresh water available, preferably
in sipper bottles.
Bunny Style
Rabbits multiply – well, like rabbits.
For that reason, as well as improved
health and behavior, have your bunny
spayed or neutered.
Chewing is also part of a rabbit’s
natural behavior, but it doesn’t have
to be destructive. To keep rabbits active and amused, put untreated wood
blocks or cardboard in their cage.
Don’t give them objects with sharp
edges, loose parts, or soft rubber that
can be swallowed.
Caution: Handle with Care
Rabbits are fragile animals that must
be handled carefully. Their bones are
so delicate that the muscles in their
powerful hind legs can easily overcome the strength of their skeletons.
If not properly restrained, struggling
rabbits can break their own spines.
One way to take a rabbit out of a cage
is to gently gather a handful of loose
skin at the scruff of his neck, turn the
animal’s face away while pulling his
body toward you, and immediately
place your other hand underneath his
rump to support his body weight. Another method is to slide one hand underneath the front of the rabbit and
the other hand underneath his backside, lifting him carefully with both
hands. Never let his body hang free,
never lift him by the stomach, and
never – EVER – pick him up by the
ears.
A rabbit can be a charming companion. Once you open your eyes to
all the wonderful things the little rabbit has to offer, your heart will surely
follow.
2. Remove film disk from puppy’s
mouth and put in trash.
3. Remove puppy from trash and
remove coffee grounds from muzzle.
4. Choose suitable background
for photo.
5. Mount camera on tripod and focus.
6. Find puppy and take dirty sock
out of mouth.
7. Place puppy in prefocused spot
and return to camera.
Prevention OF
Lyme Disease
A
pril is Prevent Lyme in Dogs
Month. Its goal: to increase awareness
of the risks and encourage pet owners
to take precautions. Although it has
been found in every state, Lyme is
most prevalent in the Northeast and
upper Midwest.
Ticks are bloodsucking external
parasites that feed on humans, wild
and domestic mammals, birds, reptiles and others. They are totally dependent on the blood/tissue fluids of
the host. The longer an infective tick
feeds, the greater the chance of infection. A tick needs to be attached for 48
hours to transmit the Lyme disease
bacteria.
1. Find film disk and camera.
These tiny disease carriers are most
active during the spring and summer,
and can transmit Lyme disease to both
you and your pets.
Some infected animals will not
show symptoms, while others develop
fever, loss of appetite, joint pain, and
lethargy. Although humans can develop heart and neurological problems,
these issues are extremely rare in infected pets. However, if untreated, canine Lyme disease can cause kidney
damage.
When Lyme is detected early and
treated with antibiotics, pets recover
quickly. If you suspect your pet has
been infected, your veterinarian can
run a blood test to find out.
Although the prospect of contract-
8. Forget about wet spot and crawl
after puppy on knees.
ing Lyme disease or other tick-borne
diseases is a concern to us all, you can
still enjoy an outdoor lifestyle as long
as you take preventative measures.
Ticks thrive in damp, dense woods,
so walk your dog on trails and away
from vegetation, and keep cats indoors. Control tick habitation by
mowing your lawn regularly and removing leaf litter and brush piles.
Ticks are hard to find, but checking
your pets frequently can greatly reduce the chance of infection.
If you live in a high-risk area, your
veterinarian may recommend an annual Lyme disease vaccination, screenings, and a repellant. Safe, reliable
products are available from your veterinarian. Many prevent fleas as well.
9. Focus with one hand and fend off
puppy with the other hand.
10.Get tissue and clean nose print
from lens.
11.Put cat outside and put peroxide on
the scratch on puppy’s nose.
12.Try to get puppy’s attention by
squeaking toy over your head.
13.Replace your glasses and check
camera for damage.
14.Jump up in time to grab puppy and
say “No! ... do that outside!”
15.Sit back in chair for deep breathing
excercise and resolve to teach
puppy to “sit” and “stay” first thing
tomorrow morning.
The Pet
Care Center
of Nassau
850694 Highway 17
Yulee, FL 32097
Home Style Care
For Your Pets!
4 Paws Pet Clinic
Medical & Wellness Care
Kozy Kennels
Elite Boarding Services
Cat Condos
Ritzy Clips
Grooming Services
Dear Paw,
We were camping in an area known for ticks. What is the
best way to get a tick off a human body?
– Tick Check
Phone (904) 548-0015
Fax (904) 548-0023
www.petcarecenter.us
Hours
9:00am – 5:00pm
Sat. 9:00am – Noon
Emergency
7 days a week
Located on 4.5 acres
with 53 Runs
Deer Tick, (get it?)
Here is the proper way to remove ticks
from a human body:
Use a fine-point tweezer to grasp the
tick around its mouthparts, at the place
of attachment next to the skin.
Gently pull the tick straight out. Place
the tick in a small vial labeled with the
date, victim’s name, address, tick’s
description (e.g. if engorged, color),
and estimated hours attached. Mark
your calendar too! Wash your hands
and disinfect the tweezer and bite.
Teach kids to seek adult help for tick
removal.
Check your entire body for ticks. Do
this by looking at your clothes and by
running your fingers over your skin.
Don’t forget your hair, ears, and
underarms.
Call and let your doctor know you
removed a tick. The doctor may treat
the tick bite or may ask you to watch
for signs of infection.
– Your Paw
© Copyright 2011 The Paw. www.pawstreet.com. Portions of this publication have been reprinted with permission from The Humane
Society of the United States. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher. The articles in The Paw Street Journal are not meant to take the place of professional
advice or treatment. #37 3/11