Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital – Rochester Minnesota

Please check out an article I wrote for the Post Bulletin:

“Pet Vet: Back-to-school may create stress for Fido”

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=53&a=467734

- Dr. Ann M. Anderson

     Many people are buying both prescription and over-the-counter pet items on-line nowadays.  Subsequently, there are increasingly more companies promoting themselves as “veterinary pharmacies” on-line.  As a pet owner, you need to be very careful.  Searching on-line for the absolute lowest price you can find may be detrimental to your pet.  According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), some of these sites with “too good to be true” prices are actually illegal businesses selling counterfeit, mislabeled, outdated, contaminated and unsafe medications.

    So how can you tell the good from the bad?  Before considering any purchase from an on-line website make sure it is an accredited pharmacy.  Here is the current list of on-line veterinary pharmacies that have been approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy http://www.nabp.net/programs/accreditation/vet-vipps/find-a-vet-vipps-online-pharmacy/.  As you may notice, it is a very short list (six companies at this writing).  In contrast, here is the very LONG list of NON-recommended on-line websites http://www.nabp.net/programs/consumer-protection/buying-medicine-online/not-recommended-sites/.  Since this list includes both human and animal “rogue sites,” you will need to page down to check if the one you are interested in is on there.  Using this link, our hospital has compiled a list of the on-line non-recommended sites that sell veterinary products, and will no longer be approving prescriptions to these sites in order to serve the best interests of our patients. 

     Other big “warning signs” to watch for:

1)      the site does NOT require a prescription for prescription items

2)      the site does NOT have contact info listed (address and phone number)

3)      the site is NOT located in the United States

4)      the site ships you flea or prescription medications that look dramatically different than what you are used to

5)      the site’s prices are so much lower than anyone else’s prices- again if it looks too good to be true, be very suspicious

 Perhaps this blog has given you something to think about.  If you have any questions, please call Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital at (507) 285-1059.

- Dr. Ann Anderson

You might already be aware of the statistics.  Studies report that approximately one in three pets and adults in America are overweight, putting themselves at higher risk for heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and a shorter life span. 

Since most dogs and all cats weigh considerably less than we do, sometimes it’s hard to put their few extra pounds into perspective.  Let’s try a few examples. An extra four pounds on an eleven pound cat is equal to an extra 45 pounds on a 125 pound woman.  An average framed Yorkie weighing 12 pounds is comparable to an average framed woman weighing in at 218 pounds.

Now if you feel inspired to take Fido out for a few extra walks, be forewarned that it’s not enough.  A consistent decrease in the amount of food fed to your pet is necessary to turn things around, although adding exercise into the package helps in many ways.  Bluntly put, the feeding recommendations listed on dog and cat food are usually 30 percent too high.  This is because these recommendations are based on intact (not spayed or neutered) animals leading very active lifestyles.

In contrast, here is a list of the daily caloric needs for indoor adult spayed or neutered cats and dogs exercising less than thirty minutes a day.  This information, and so much more, can be found at http://www.petobesityprevention.com.  

A ten pound cat needs 180 to 200 calories per day.

A ten pound dog is 200 to 275 calories per day.

A twenty pound dog is 325 to 400 calories per day.

A fifty pound dog is 700 to 900 calories per day.

Here are some startling calorie counts of common pet treats taken from the same website.  Take note that the daily calorie needs of ten pound dog are fulfilled with just one extra large Milk-Bone treat.

Extra large Milk-Bone biscuits =225 calories

Large Busy Bone Chew treat = 600 calories 

Large DentaBone = 300 calories

I am not trying to criminalize treats.  My own dog is a big fan.  The important thing to keep in mind is that even if they look small, treats may be an important factor in weight gain.  Think of them as dessert- best taken in moderation.  Another option is to find other low calorie options.  Some people have been successful at using the following as treats:

½ cup carrots = 35 calories

½ green beans = 22 calories

I hope this did not feel like a lecture.  I hope you can take this information and use it to you (and your pet’s) benefit.

Good luck and good health,

Feel free to call Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital with any further questions you may have on this or any other topic,

-Dr. Ann Anderson

1) Merrick Pet Care’s previous recall due to POTENTIAL salmonella contamination now includes the 10 oz. size Texas Hold’ems Beef Filet Squares for Dogs item no. 60016, lot no. 10127 with a best by date of May 6th, 2012.  The previous recall was for the same product with the lot no. 10084TL7 and a best by date of March 24, 2012.  For more information, call 1-800-664-7387 or click on this link http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm221198.htm.
 
2) Natural Balance has recalled both the five and twenty-eight pound size bags of Sweet Potato and Chicken Dry Dog Food due to a POSITIVE Salmonella test.  The involved bags have a best by date of June 17, 2011.  Minnesota is one of the states involved in the recall.  For more information see http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/letter_from_president.html.
 
If you have any questions, please call Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital at 285-1059.

On July 30th, 2010 the Procter & Gamble company voluntarily expanded their recall to include veterinary and specialized dry food diets.  So far no actual salmonella-related illnesses have been reported but there is a potential for salmonella contamination of these foods.  Included in the recall are all the dry versions of the Eukanuba Naturally Wild, Eukanuba Pure, and Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin diets.  Please find complete lists of the recalled products at www.iams.com and www.eukanuba.com.  The company has recommended that consumers discard any of the potentially contaminated products.  Both people and pets can become infected with Salmonella.  Watch for the following symptoms: loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, or fever and report to the proper health care professionals.  For questions, product replacement or a refund call P&G toll-free at 877-340-8823 (M-F 9-6pm EST).

Dr. Ann M. Anderson

Although the phrase “fat cat” often refers to somebody wealthy and privileged enough to contribute large amounts of money to a particular political campaign – let’s not talk politics here, let’s just talk veterinary medicine.

Depending on the study cited, side effects from overweight cats are arthritis, diabetes, fatty liver disease, lower urinary tract disease, and a shortened life span. But what causes this and how can it be prevented?

Spayed and neutered pets receive many benefits including decreased risk of certain cancers, less straying, and less fighting. The benefits to the owners are also numerous- less spraying, less aggression, and most importantly a reduction in the number of unwanted litters. However, there is one effect of spaying and neutering that is not discussed enough, and that is the lowered metabolism which begins immediately after surgery. This puts the FULL responsibility of weight gain on the owner’s shoulders. So what can you do to help?

The first thing to do is to stop free-feeding. This can be a difficult lifestyle change for some, but free access to food all the time is similar to offering an all-you-can-eat-buffet (and we all know there is a tendency to eat far too much in such a setting). The next is to NOT follow the feeding instructions on the bags or cans of cat food you purchase. According to Debra L. Zoran DVM, MS, Phd, DACVIM in an article titled “Feline Obesity: Clinical Recognition and Management” published in the Compendium veterinary journal in June 2009 most cat food labels are based on young, active, non-spayed and non-neutered cats. This is the same thing as a fifty year old couch potato being told they need the same calorie intake as a twenty-five year old in training for a triathlon. Therefore, these cat food labels tend to recommend feeding 30% MORE than necessary for the average indoor cat with a relatively leisurely lifestyle.

Other general recommendations to help cats either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight are to feed smaller amounts at more frequent times throughout the day (this gets difficult on weekends off, but there are timed feeders available for purchase), make food times more work and more interesting for cats (toys that dump out kibble as the cat plays with them, etc), and feeding less overall per day (30% less than recommended on the label). Some sources advise using a canned food diet rather than a dry diet to get a higher protein to carbohydrate ratio.

Hopefully this short commentary will either give you some ideas to try at home or bring up some questions you wish to have answered with more discussion. Please call Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital at 285-1059 if you have any such questions.

On July 2, 2010 the United Pet Group voluntarily expanded its recent Pro-Pet Adult Vitamin recall (which was reported earlier on the June 24th entry on this website).  This recall now includes multiple brands of nutritional supplements (Pro-Pet, Excel, Doctors Foster and Smith, Nature’s Miracle, PetCo, DDS) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

The following website http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm217999.htm?sms_ss=facebook includes a list of recalled products,consumer contact numbers and even photos of the product labels.

Please call Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital at 285-1059 with any questions.

Dr. Ann M. Anderson

Another cat in Minnesota was diagnosed with rabies disease on June 24th, 2010.  This is the second cat this month and the fifth domestic animal in Minnesota this year testing positive for this fatal virus.  This farm cat exposed family members, at least one dog, and potentially other animals as well.

In Minnesota a family-owned cat tested positive for rabies on June 16, 2010.  The Clay county family of five is currently undergoing rabies post-exposure injections.  Their other animals are still under investigation.

This is already the fourth domestic animal in Minnesota testing positive for rabies this year.  Two cows and one dog were also found to be rabies positive.  Last year 69 animals tested positive for rabies in Minnesota.  The breakdown was 29 bats, 27 skunks, 5 cats, 4 dogs, 3 cows, and 1 horse.

Rabies is a fatal disease for both humans and other mammals.  This virus is transmitted when an infected animal bites the victim.  In Minnesota the most common animals afflicted with rabies are skunks and bats.  Cats, dogs, ferrets, cattle and horses are usually infected by skunks or wild carnivores.  People are usually infected by dogs, cats, livestock or bats.
Signs of rabies in domestic animals include neurologic signs such as staggering, circling, paralysis, agitation, lethargy, and behavioral changes.

The Minnesota Board of Health wants to remind people that rabies is still a relatively common disease in animals in Minnesota.  This is why it is so important to keep your pets current on their rabies vaccine.  Rabies vaccines protect both your animal and yourself from this fatal disease.

For more information visit these websites:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/rabies/index.html
http://www.edinapethospital.com/sites/site-2424/documents/Special%20Edition%20Rabies%20June%2024%202010.pdf

-Dr. Ann Anderson

On June 22, 2010 United Pet Group announced a voluntary recall of ALL unexpired lots of Pro-Pet Adult Daily Vitamin Supplement tablets for dogs due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Signs of illness due to Salmonella infection may include vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss, lethargy and abdominal pain.  People may also become ill with Salmonella poisoning if exposed to contaminated products.

Please call 1-800-645-5154 ext. 3, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST and/or check the website listed below for more information.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm216903.htm

- Dr. Ann M. Anderson