News from the Visiting Vet

September 2007

the Visiting Vet Newsletter
19th ISSUE

In This Issue

Glaucoma Is A Pet Emergency!
Did You Know?
$$$ ANNOUNCING THE PET EMERGENCY FUND $$$

Welcome to September! September is Eye Health and Safety month! This months newsletter will include an article about Glaucoma in Pets, fun facts, and 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 the newsletter and I thank you for your time! Thank you to Julie for writing great and educational articles for our newsletters!

Glaucoma Is A Pet Emergency!

Glaucoma is a very common eye disease in humans and pets. Glaucoma results from high intraocular pressure in the eye. Untreated, Glaucoma can lead to blindness.
Cells inside the eye produce clear fluid that maintains the shape of the eye and eye tissues. In glaucoma the normal drainage system for the eye fluid becomes clogged and pressure in the eye increases. Both humans and pets have a normal intraocular pressure between 10-20mgHg. Glaucoma is considered an emergency in pets because the intraocular pressure for pet glaucoma is much higher and much more painful than human glaucoma.
Glaucoma can occur from a genetic breed related cause or result from another eye disease or injury.
Signs of pet glaucoma in one or both eyes include:

painful eyes
dilated pupils
red bloodshot eyes with cloudy cornea
vision loss
decreased appetite
irritability

If your pet has signs of glaucoma seek immediate veterinary care! Your veterinarian can start medical treatment and refer your pet to an eye specialist if necessary. Early detection of glaucoma is the key to saving your pet's vision.

Did You Know?

Did you know that 1 in 10 cats will have a litter box issue at some point in their life?
To help prevent litter box problems:

Call your veterinarian to schedule an exam appointment for your cat at the first signs of a problem. Your cat may have a medical condition.
Place the litter box in an accessible location with some privacy for the cat.
Provide an open large box like a sweater box filled 2/3 full of litter. Provide 1 litter box per cat if possible and in a multi level home, 1 litter box per level.
There are many types of cat litter. Find the one your cat likes best.
Avoid moving the litter box.
Keep the litter box clean. Scoop out solids at least once per day.

$$$ ANNOUNCING THE PET EMERGENCY FUND $$$
thanks to our donors!

We have now started an official Pet Emergency Fund! Monies from this fund will be available at doctors discretion and when available to assist owners and pets for needed veterinary care when money is tight. Thank you so very much to an anonymous donor for a recent donation to help pets in need of veterinary care. We have also received contributions from Kelly W. in memory of Buiser. If you would like to contribute or have any questions about this fund just let us know. Contributions may be made in any amount and "in memory of" a beloved pet or "just because." Thanks again to the generous donors! Your kindness is greatly appreciated!!!

Promotions

Trivia

The trivia question for September is: What is the name of the dog movie star of the 1920's who made 24 pictures for Warner Bros. and earned $1000 per week? The answer to the August trivia question: How much do Americans spend annually controlling fleas? 9 billion dollars! Congratulations to Amy L. who was the first to contact us with the August trivia answer. A five dollar credit has been applied to her Visiting Vet account. Good Luck next month!

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 locally at Discount Pet Store on Gull Road and also offer individual and neighborhood 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 to our clinic, both of you will be entered in our 2007 referral drawing program for many great prizes. Our next drawing is December 2007. Please see our web site for more information about our prize drawing. Good Luck!! Our previous newsletters can be found on our web page.

Sincerely,

Dr. Seely Rotigel

the Visiting Vet