Is there a safe, effective flea treatment for your home? Yes!

Get a jump on flea season – don’t wait until it’s too late! 

Here’s why we’ve been using and recommending Fleabusters Powder for over 15 years: 

Fleabusters Rx for Fleas Plus

Fleabusters Powder (also known as Rx for Fleas Plus) is…

*Formulated to kill fleas in your carpet and upholstered furniture physically, rather than chemically, so fleas won’t become immune to its effects. 

*Safe for people and pets (it has a neutral pH of 7.0), so there’s no need to leave home during or after application.

*Safe on all carpets and fabrics.

*Perfect for baseboard areas of non-carpeted rooms.

*Odorless.

*Designed to keep killing fleas for a full year – with a guarantee to back it up.

*Packaged in a 3 pound canister – enough to treat five average-size rooms.

*Sold through Little Creek Veterinary Clinic. Get yours today!

 

Family Fun at the Virginia Zoo

News from the Virginia Zoo:

Endangered Species Day at the Zoo is tomorrow!

Friday, May 17, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

 

Your actions make a difference for endangered species, and this event will highlight ways to help animals locally and around the world. You’ll also find out how the Zoo helps endangered birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.  Activity stations will feature hands-on activities and lots of easy ideas for how you can help!

 

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ROARchestra: The Virginia Zoo presents the Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Friday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. (gates open at 6:00 p.m.)

 

The Virginia Zoo presents the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in an outdoor concert 7 p.m. Friday, June 7, 2013.

 

Conductor Benjamin Rous will lead the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in playing family favorites ranging from the Pink Panther to the Lion King.

 

“Concerts at the Zoo are a perfect evening activity for families,” said Greg Bockheim, the Virginia Zoo’s executive director. “It’s a safe environment for enjoying classical music together, while indulging in some of your favorite summer foods and beverages – and it’s a fantastic value!”

 

Special admission prices for the event are: General admission – $10; Zoo members and Symphony subscribers – $5; and Children 5 and under are FREE!

 

Visitors should pack their own blankets and lawn chairs. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the performance begins at 7 p.m.

 

Note that no outside food or beverages are permitted inside the Zoo. This concert will take place as scheduled, rain or shine. No coupons, discounts or passes will be accepted for this event.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Reported Dog and Cat Medical Conditions of 2012

Nation’s Largest Pet Insurer Reveals Most Common Causes of Veterinary Visits

Brea, Calif. (April 2, 2013) – Just like their human counterparts, when pets are afflicted with even seemingly minor ailments such as an ear infection, stomach ache or cough, it can prompt a visit to the doctor. While the majority of these conditions are rarely life threatening, they can become chronic and expensive to treat. Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) policyholders spent more than $58 million in 2012 treating the 10 most common medical conditions affecting their pets. VPI, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, recently sorted its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to determine the top 10 dog and cat medical conditions in 2012. Below are the results:

 

Top Dog Conditions	Top Cat Conditions
1. Skin Allergies	1. Bladder Infection
2. Ear Infection	2. Periodontitis/Dental Disease
3. Skin Infection	3. Overactive Thyroid
4. Non-Canerous Skin Growth	4. Chronic Kidney Disease
5. Upset Stomach/Vomiting	5. Upset Stomach/Vomiting
6. Arthritis	6. Diabetes
7. Intestinal Upset/Diarrhea	7. Intestinal Upset/Diarrhea
8. Bladder Infection	8. Skin Allergies
9. Periodontitis/Dental Disease	9. Lymphosarcoma (Cancer of Lymph Node
10. Bruise or Contusion	10. Upper Respiratory Infection

 Compare this list with the Top Ten Medical Claims of 2010 and Top Ten Medical Claims of 2011.

“Although a few of the top 10 dog and cat conditions can be associated with an animal’s natural aging process, many of the conditions listed above can occur in any pet,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “Regardless of the age or breed of the dog or cat, pet owners should familiarize themselves with their pets’ daily routine in order to identify abnormal behaviors that might indicate an injury or illness.”

In 2012, VPI received more than 68,000 canine claims for skin allergies, the most common cause for taking a dog to see a veterinarian. The average claim fee was $96 per office visit. For cats, a bladder infection was the most common reason to take your kitty to the veterinarian. VPI received more than 4,000 medical claims for this ailment – with an average claim amount of $251 per office visit.

The most expensive canine condition on the list (arthritis) cost an average of $258 per visit, while, for cats, the most expensive condition (lymphosarcoma) cost an average of $415 per visit. In addition to familiarizing themselves with their pets’ routine and behavior, pet owners should schedule their pets’ semiannual veterinary examinations on a regular basis to help prevent and identify certain conditions before they become serious or costly.

Hermitage Concert Series – Outdoor Fun for Dog Owners

Mark your calendars!

The Hermitage Museum & Gardens presents its popular annual concert series, Sunsets on the River.

Coming up:

The Michael Clark Band on May 16th

and Jesse Chong on June 6th.

The fun starts at 6 PM and lasts until 9 PM.

Bring your lawn chair or blanket and claim your spot —

or just hit the dance floor!

Well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome to join their owners for fun and socializing.

Admission is FREE for Members and for children 12 and under; Non-members and kids over 12 pay $10 each.

Since it’ll be dinnertime, try some tasty treats from the Hubcap Grill and Twisted Sisters Cupcakes trucks.

Be sure to stroll the grounds between sets and check out the view, like I did. 

Photo by Jen Miele.

Photo by Jen Miele.

Photo by Jen Miele.

Photo by Jen Miele.

Photo by Jen Miele.

 

 

What do UFOs and string theory have to do with your pet’s poop?

You might imagine that the most interesting thing we find in a pet’s stool sample is a parasite or two. 

The truth is that we are occasionally surprised by an object hidden within the sample. Anything the nature of which is undetermined is classed as a UFO: Unidentified Fecal Object. Sometimes we have to rely on the (surprised/chagrined) pet owner for interpretation of the uncovered ingesta. Oftentimes, the object is easily recognizable.

Following is a sampling of items we have discovered during routine fecal examinations. I have added the pet’s breed, age, and weight, if known.

Baby wipe, ingested and passed by 3 mo. old Boxer pup, 13 lbs.

Ear plug, ingested and passed by 9.5 week old German Shepherd pup, 20 lbs.

Rubber ring, ingested and passed by 4 mo. old Maltese pup, 5.75 lbs.

Nail, ingested and passed by 3 mo. old Labrador pup, 15 lbs.

Elastic string, ingested and passed by adult cat, age and weight unknown.

The pets that passed the items above are alive and well, with no surgery required. Other pets are not so lucky.

As veterinary professionals, it is not difficult for us to imagine any of those objects becoming embedded or entwined in a pet’s stomach or intestines, provided it passes through the esophagus to begin with. Cats, in particular, are susceptible to swallowing string, which can strangle the intestines.

A pet that has swallowed an object it cannot pass may exhibit vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss. If you suspect your pet has eaten a non-food object, take him to your local veterinary emergency hospital immediately. X-rays and surgery may be necessary to remove the item.

Particularly when introducing a new puppy or kitten* to your home, pet-proof the house to remove tempting objects from their reach. Remember: Not everything eaten is actually food.

*Even adult pets are known to swallow non-food items.

Nervous about bringing home a new pet? Try these tips.

Take the time to properly introduce your pet to its new housemate. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.    

     Will you be introducing a new pet into your household this year?  If you have a pet already, you’ll want the transition to go well.  Our pets can be territorial and possessive of us; competition for affection, as well as sleeping space and food, is not always welcome.

     Here are some steps you can take to ease the introduction of a new pet:

1. Choose a neutral space (like a park) to let the pets meet each other.
2. Place the new pet in a pet carrier, if it is small enough.  This allows the pets to see and smell each other, but prevents one from doing harm to the other.  Also, you can separate pets in the home with gates that allow the pets to see, hear, and smell each other, but not allow full access.
3. Rub your pets’ coats with a clean, scent-free towel, and alternate between them.  This is a safe way to introduce the pets to each other’s scent, so it becomes familiar to them.
4. Feed them at separate times or even in separate rooms, since dogs can be aggressive at mealtime.  This may also be the best way to keep an adult pet from eating puppy or kitten food, which would not be healthy.
5. Supervise their interaction until you are certain they get along, if you do not trust one or both pets.
6. Ignore them until they calm down, if your pets aggressively seek your attention.  Dogs, especially, should be trained to understand they will receive your affection equally, but only when they behave.
7. Re-home one of the pets if aggression is unresolvable. Pets may try to assert dominance; even newcomers will do this.  Some “wrestling” is normal, but pets injuring each other is not acceptable.*  In cases where pets do not adjust to each other, a behaviorist may need to intervene.  In more serious cases, the owner may need to make the difficult decision to give up one of the pets.

     *Pet owners are at risk of being bitten or scratched when attempting to break up a fight between pets.  Try yelling “No!” in a loud voice.

     Some sources recommend distracting the animals by throwing a large blanket over one of them and then picking him up, but the owner still risks injury when attempting to remove an animal using this technique.  Using a loud noise to distract the pets may be safest. 

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Original image can be found here on Wikimedia Commons.

This article was originally posted on May 6, 2011.

Circle of Life: April 2013

WELCOME:

• Rajah
• Sweetpea
• Webb pups
• Bella W.
• Stella W.
• Laddie
• Brownie
• Maverick
• MacGyver
• Gino
• Bella C.
• Pretty Girl
• Stella B.
• Koala
• Coco
• Brooklyn
• Odin
• Ivan
• Jackson

 

WE REMEMBER:

• Milton
• Abby
• Misty
• Sophie
• Dexter