Lost Pet tips from Animal Control, Fall pet tips, products, and more

Upcoming Dates of Interest:

Canine Massage:  October 6, appointments still available.  Call us at 816-331-1868 to schedule your dog!

Dr Sandi out of office and change in hours thusly:  October 20 and 27, Dr Leonard will not be in the office.  We close at 3 p.m. on those days.  Also, looking ahead, she will be lecturing at a chiropractic conference November 10-12, so with travel times will be out of office November 9-13.  Debbie will be in the office for shortened hours during this time.  Please plan ahead for any routine care.

Product Update:

1-TDC— this is a fatty acid supplement derived from beef tallow and fish oil.  The little heart-shaped capsules have a twist or cut off stem making it easy to squeeze the contents out if you prefer not to use as a pill.  This product is popular among people with performance dogs, and is actually dual-purpose.  Used intact, it aids in reducing joint inflammation.  When you open it and squeeze the contents onto your dog’s gums, it also reduces gingivitis, the gum inflammation caused by dirty teeth.  It seems to be fairly palatable and is easy to use.

Inaba cat treats are flying off the shelves!   We call it Go-gurt for cats.  This meat paste in seafood broth in 8 different flavors is a great treat for cats and can also be used to get sick cats eating and for administration of medications.  We can even get kitties in our exam rooms to eat it very willingly—will YOUR cat take a treat at the doctor’s office?  We can now get 50-packs of Chicken in Scallop tubes.  We’ll try to keep a couple in stock at all times, but if you’re thinking Christmas presents for your furry babies, let us know and we can order some extras. 

Fall Pet Tips:

Now that the weather is cooling off, we should start to see a decrease in the itching and skin rashes some of our pets have been suffering from.  And hopefully also a decrease in the tummy upset some of our patients have gotten from snacking on locusts!

However, in fall, we may see other issues arising.

Keep your curious puppies from eating fallen acorns.  They are essentially indigestible, and can cause GI upset or even blockage.  The tannins in them are also irritating to the tummy. 

As the weather cools and cold fronts pass through, our older pets may suffer from more joint aches and pains.  If your older pet isn’t on a joint supplement, come in and discuss their needs with us.  We carry several of different strengths and would be happy to guide you.  If the supplement isn’t enough, remember treatments like chiropractic and cold laser, and ongoing acupuncture therapy, can really help ease their pain and give them a better quality of life. If that still isn’t sufficient, we also carry several different medications we can try in different combinations.  Old pets don’t have to hurt!

Tips from an Animal Control Officer:

Imagine coming home from work and not being able to find your pet.  What a horrible sensation!  We are lucky to have a part-time animal control officer working in our clinic as an assistant, and she offers these tips.

1. ALWAYS keep some kind of ID on your pet.  A name tag WITH a phone number, your number written on their collar in permanent ink, or better yet a microchip with your contact information kept current with the company.  Make sure the company keeps the database for life without extra charges, and has a search function.  Found Animals is a free registry for ANY microchip you purchase as well.  Don’t let your pet outdoors without that collar!
2. Make sure all exits are secure inside and out before you leave the home to prevent escapes. Consider locking gates if your dog has access to the yard when you aren’t home.  Some breeds are notorious for jumping fences, you may want to have a covered run for them.
3. If your pet escapes, notify your local animal control immediately and they will come assist you in locating your animal.
4. If a pet hasn’t been located, check all local shelters. Notify all of them within 20 miles of your location with your contact information and the pet’s identifying details.  Do this within 24-48 hours to make sure your pet isn’t adopted by another family or transferred to another shelter.
5. Check all local shelters every day. Don’t rely on a description of your pet for identification.  Not all shelter employees and volunteers will recognize the breed or mix and it may be recorded incorrectly.  You need to go yourself and see every animal in the shelter to be sure one of them isn’t yours.
6. Use social media! Facebook may have groups for Lost and Found pets local to your area.  Try searching using your city or county name and “lost pet” to help you find them.  There may also be local community pages you can post on.  Your local animal control also likely has a page.  Post to them all!  NextDoor is another online app that can help you. This is a good reason to be sure you have good head and side views of your pet on your computer or phone—a picture is worth 1000 words!
7. You can post posters with photos of your pet and your phone number in your area as well, since not everyone is on Facebook. Contact all your neighbors, have your kids tell all their friends….just in case someone has your pet you want all eyes looking for it!
8. Look for local online resources like Lost Pet Registry, that will actually send out pictures and descriptions to veterinarians and shelters.