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Dear Seely,
Welcome to May! I hope you are enjoying our
nice Spring weather. This months newsletter will
include articles about senior pet health, Avian
Flu in cats, fun facts and of course the monthly
trivia question. Remember we love input on the
newsletter so any recommendations or suggestions
of article topics are very welcome! I hope you are
enjoying our newsletters and I thanks you for your
time.
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Senior Pet
Health Early detection is
the key to living longer & better lives
The health of your pet can
change rapidly as he or she ages and changes
often go unnoticed. Early detection and then
intervention can lead to longer and healthier
lives. Your pet is considered a "senior" at the
age of 7 years old. Once your pet is 7-8 years
old it is important and recommended to see your
veterinarian for a full physical exam every 6
months verses every 12 months. In addition to
more frequent examinations, baseline bloodwork
and urine tests are recommended to identify any
health problems your pet may have. These tests
may include cbc/chemistry panel, urinalysis,
thyroid evaluation, ERD (early renal disease)
urine screen, ecg, x-rays, and other tests to
evaluate the health of an aging pet. Many
clients want "baseline" tesing done at an
earlier age which is a great idea and many
approve a mini bloodwork panel be performed at
the time of neutering or other surgery. For
senior pets I often recommend that a cbc &
chemistry panel and urinalysis be done. These
tests can rule out so many things including
diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease,
electrolyte abnormalities, bone marrow problems,
urinary tract infections or problems, and much
more. If the results are normal that is great
and we then have "baseline" results as a
permanent part of the patients file for future
comparisons. If there are any abnormalities
further testing, medications or specific foods
may be recommended to help your pet. Again, the
goal is to find any problems before we get
advanced disease or clinical signs of health
problems because then we can treat or manage the
disease earlier and slow the progression of
disease, not to mention make the pet happier and
healthier longer.
Find out more....
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Thank you for your time and I wish you a
fantastic month! We constantly strive to provide
the best care for your family pets and exceptional
service to our clients. I offer appointments while
parked at Discount Pet store on Gull Road and also
offer house calls as available. If I can be of
service to you, please give us a call at
269-731-7387 to schedule an appointment today.
Also, remember if you refer a friend or family
member, both of you will be entered in our 2006
referral drawing program for many great prizes.
Our drawings will be held the end of June and the
end of December. Thank You and Good Luck!!!
Sincerely,
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Return to the Visiting Vet Newsletter Archive Page 
Although Avian Flu has not
occurred in the U.S. yet, there are now
documented cases of domestic cats contracting
this disease in Germany, Austria and possibly
Asia. Martens, pigs and ferrets are also
susceptible to infection. Worldwide, there have
been 105 human deaths with 186 human cases
reported as of March 2006. Cats can become
infected by eating raw meat from infected birds.
Cats may spread this disease to other cats but
there is no evidence that it can be spread from
cat to human. There is of course no reason to
get rid of your cat but you should make sure
your cat food is cooked. Commercial food is safe
as it is cooked at high temperatures which would
destroy the virus. This is also a very good
reason to keep your cat inside (not to mention
all the other dangers such as cars, coyotes,
dogs, antifreeze, etc) and away from hunting and
eating birds. For more informational articles
see www.healthypet.com or www.avma.org
Yes, we recycle as much as
we can in the clinic! Many clients have asked if
there are recycled things that we can use. Yes,
we can always use old towels or sheets, plastic
pill vials and other medical supplies. If anyone
has a need for freezer/ice bags, cardboard boxes
or Styrofoam boxes/coolers just let me know as
we often receive these with medicine or vaccine
shipments. Also remember, the Kalamazoo Animal
Rescue and the Kalamazoo Humane Society can use
things such as pet supplies and pet food.