4th of July

Have you thought about 4^th of July coming up and how your pet will react with the fireworks. Some dogs do not handle the fireworks very well, the sound can be overwhelming to them. If you know that your pet does not handle the sounds very well and gets upset, there are possibilities for helping your pet through the fireworks and you being able to enjoy them. 

You could board your pet in at a boarding facility. Just let the staff know that your pet is sound phobic so that they do not take him/her outside when the fireworks start. 

You can try natural remedies and see if those work for you, but sometimes they do need a prescription medication. A lot of people do not like to give their pets “drugs” to calm them down, but sometimes that is what is needed.  Talk to your veterinarian about what they recommend. 

You could try sound proofing a room that you are going to put your pet in. Make sure that there is a heavy curtain hung, close the windows and maybe play some softer music. 

If you know that your pet has a sound phobia, make sure that they are kept inside the house.  Some dogs get so scared by the sound that they will jump over a fence or dig under a fence. You have to take steps to reduce exposure beforehand. Have a safe and fun 4^th of July. 

Written by Angie Cordell (Tech Supervisor at 1st Pet)

Brotherly Love

It is always touching to see our children being kind to each other and that goes for our four legged children as well. Beefy loves his sister and is a great example of compassion. His dad noticed that it was a little too quiet so he went to check the back yard where the dogs were playing. He found that all the dogs had gotten out, frantically went out looking for them. He found 3 of them pretty quickly, but Beefy and Panda were missing. After searching his neighborhood, he found Beefy in the alley behind his house, instantly noticed blood on him, and that he was very shaky and not acting like himself. Dad quickly scooped him up, put him in his truck and headed to 1st Pet Veterinary Centers while still scanning everywhere he could to find Panda to no avail. Once at 1st Pet he sat Beefy on the counter to be quickly evaluated and was telling our team about how his dogs got out and how he found Beefy. Our team asked if he happened to have a black and white pit bull. He does.

In the same neighborhood, a good samaritan heard something scratching at his door. When he went to see what was going on, he found a beautiful black and white pit bull covered in blood pawing at his door as if to say, “help me”. The kind man called 1st Pet and asked what he should do and was instructed to bring her right in. Once here, she was treated immediately and scanned for a microchip, which she had, and a message was left on the phone since no one answered.

Dad was brought to the treatment room and confirmed that it was Panda they were treating and was told that she had been hit by a car. Once Beefy was examined, it was determined that, he too had been hit by a car, luckily without major injuries. As he was being walked back from the treatment area out to dad, Beefy walked over and put his nose up to Panda to check on her. 

Then he sat by her and didn’t want to move. He just wanted to sit with her. He wanted to protect her.

Panda escaped broken bones, but it is obvious she had been dragged by the car because her skin was terribly damaged. Skin wounds of this kind are very serious and take a lot of time to heal. She has had two surgeries to remove the dead skin and had a vacuum system placed  to help heal her wounds. The vacuum helps draw wound edges together and remove infectious materials etc.

Panda is such a sweet girl and we all love her!

Pet Allergies

Just like humans, dogs and cats can have allergies. Like in humans, the allergies can come from food, or inhaled allergens like trees, weeds, grasses, pollens, fungi, insects and mites. While there is no cure for allergies we can find ways to control the symptoms. To greater define your pet’s allergies you can have a allergy testing done.

Common signs and symptoms of food allergies can be gastrointestinal problems (i.e. chronic vomiting, regurgitation, diarrhea, or gas). Oral medications such as anti-histamines ore immune suppressants can be used. Pets that have food allergies can get tests done to find out what common food items they may be allergic to and then placed on a diet that is appropriate based on the results. The most common food allergens are beef, pork, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb, soy, rabbit and fish.

Inhalant symptoms include licking at paws, rubbing at face, hair loss, red skin, or itchiness. For inhalant allergies your pet can be placed on hypo-sensitization injections to help increase your pet’s tolerance to the allergens. This can manage the allergies and provide lasting relief. It can also be safe for long term and provide your pet with much longer-term relief than drug therapy, and without their side effects.

Please contact us at (480) 732-0018 if you suspect your pet to have allergies. 

All Staff Party and 2014 Team Member Awards

This past Saturday we held our annual All-Staff Party and award ceremony for our team members and their families. Despite the fact it rained all morning it cleared off just in time for us to have a great time at Mesa Dobson Ranch Library/ Park. We also held our annual Team Member of the Year Awards Ceremony. Congratulations to our winners. We at 1^st Pet can’t thank our team enough for the great job they do everyday.

2014 TEAM AWARDS

Team Member of the Year:  Trinity Taylor

Veterinarian of the Year: Dr. Heather Lindgren she also won Second Runner-Up Team Member of the Year

Technician of the Year: Naomi Moon she also won First Runner-Up Team Member of the Year

Client Service Representative of the Year: Patricia Morgan

Supervisor of the Year:  Meghan St. John

Excellence in Patient Care Certificates

Michelle Garcia

Dr. Emily Hemberg

Karen Hergert

Kristina Hobbs

Melinda Jean

Kimberley Jones

Dori Lamb

Tatijuana McMahon

Dr. Justine Mumaw

Jennifer Ripley

Viviane Williams

Excellence in Client Service Certificates

Angela Cordell

Mandy Dominguez

Elana Gulla

Yulonde Jakobsen

Christine Karber

Alyssa Main

Richarda Majkowycz

David Nelson

Aubrie Novotny

Cheryl Samuels

Dr. Kristie Stanton

Excellence in Teamwork Certificates

Heather Anderson

Ashley Arnold-Lewis

Dakota Bollinger

Ila Douglas

Staci Hineman

Darci Hoefer

Genessa Simotti

Trina Sipple

Johnathon Sullinger

Erica Urtuzuastegui

Sarah Willis

The Polite Thing To Do

By Cristi Edwards

Imagine. You walk in to your Dr.'s office and patients that are waiting in the lobby rush up to you and one starts yelling in your face. Another time a patient tries sniffing your back side, that's uncomfortable! How do you respond? Do you yell back, sniff back, or cower in fear? Are you the social butterfly that welcomes the new friends and attention or are you shy? Maybe you're having a bad day and just don't want to be bothered.

Remember this scenario the next time you take your dog to the vet. Now not all strangers are danger, but just because your pet is friendly does not mean the others are too. When entering the vet's lobby it is a good practice to have your pet on a secure leash and close to your body. Before approaching another pet ask the owner if their pet is friendly, and if it is okay for your pet to say hi. This is the polite thing to do and it can help avoid an unnecessary argument between pets. So here's to a happy and healthy vet visit!

Wool Suckling: a Cat’s Tale

Sully is a 6-year-old male Domestic Short Hair (DSH) cat, and he can’t resist suckling on his favorite blanket. Sound familiar? What he is doing is called wool suckling, or wool sucking. It is a fairly common behavior, especially for cats under a year of age.

Causes for Wool Suckling

There are several possibilities for what’s behind the wool suckling. A likely one is that the kitty was young when he or she was weaned or was weaned too quickly. For cats, wool suckling is a natural way to comfort themselves, but usually, this behavior ends before the kitty is a year old.

Sully was found when he was 7 to 10 days old. His mom bottle-fed him until he was around 6 weeks old and started offering him food (canned food mixed with milk replacer) as soon as he learned how to lap. This created a need for him to self comfort. He prefers really soft velvety blankets, probably because that is what his mom put in his box when he was little.

Another possibility could be stress or even anxiety related. If there are sudden changes in your home, it could trigger separation anxiety, all which could cause your kitty to need the comfort of suckling. Wool suckling is much like humans sucking their thumbs.

Some other reasons could be the lack of environmental stimulation or dietary fiber, nutritional deficiencies, or underlying medical conditions. Oriental breeds also have a greater tendency for wool suckling behavior than other breeds.

What Should You Do?

Experts say that in some cases, cats will just suck on the material without ingesting any of the fibers. However, ingestion of fabric or other materials could cause a dangerous abdominal blockage, which can require surgery to remove. If your cat fits in the first category, you may just wish to tolerate the suckling behavior and let your cat have that bit of comfort. But if you feel your pet's behavior is harmful or destructive, you should consider making adjustments. As a pet parent, you know your cat best and will have to decide what to do about the wool suckling, if anything.

Possible Solutions

If you do see that the wool suckling behavior is a problem then first have your cat examined by the veterinarian to rule out any potential underlying medical cause for the behavior. In addition, talk to your veterinarian about your cat’s diet in case there is a dietary deficiency.

Next, you can try a few things that have been known to help. You will probably want to begin with the basics and just to remove or hide the item or material that your kitty is sucking on. You can also divert your kitty’s attention with play, get a scratching post, or get a cat tree to climb. Also make sure your litter box and the area where your kitty eats are clean and he or she feels safe.

Sully’s mom hasn’t discouraged him from wool suckling because he doesn’t bite the material or break off fibers that could cause digestive issues, and it does give him great comfort. Sully’s house mate, Avery, doesn’t so much do wool suckling, but he does do a lot of kneading. Avery was also a bottle fed baby.

Get to Know Dr. Kristie Stanton!

Many of you probably already know Dr. Kristie Stanton.  She has been one of our General Practice doctors for the past 4 years at our Chandler location. Growing up in the small town of Parker, Arizona, Kristie, always had a love of animals raising and showing chickens and pigeons, as well as participating in 4-H.  Dr. Stanton, started working in the veterinary field as a teenager as a kennel attendant and then progressed to becoming a veterinary assistant.  

She achieved her DVM at Colorado State University in 2009. After graduation she pursued an internship in medicine and surgery at VCA West Lost Angeles Animal Hospital from 2009-2010 and then joined us here at 1^stPet-Chandler! One of her favorite things to do at work is performing puppy and kitten exams, but she has many stories of clients and patients that are dear to her heart. 

When not at work, Dr. Stanton, loves to go hiking and traveling. She recently hiked down to Havasupai, AZ and declares it to be one of the ‘most beautiful places I've ever seen.’  She also loves to be at home cooking and spending time with her fiancé (wedding in April 2015) and their 5 dogs and 2 cats!