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. 

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 Erin Lawrence!

Meet Erin Lawrence! Erin, is a Certified Veterinary Technician, that works at our Chandler location. She has worked for 1st Pet Veterinary Centers, for over 7 years now in our Emergency and Critical Care Department. Her love for animals has always been part of Erin. Growing up, she participated in 4-H and was involved in gymkhana. Prior to working at 1st Pet, Erin worked 2 years at an emergency veterinary hospital in California, and as a groomer 2 years prior to that. Erin loves caring for our critical patients at 1st Pet. Seeing them go home after being hospitalized is very rewarding. 

One of her favorite memories is regarding a cat that was hospitalized for a month and no one could get the cat to eat any food. The kitty ended up eating for the first time for, Erin! Erin, describes the emotions by saying, “ It is one of the best feelings in the world when you can get a sick cat to eat. When she went home it was both sad and happy tears that were shed from me.” We truly love our patients as they are our own here at 1st Pet!

In addition to caring for the patients, Erin, loves training new Technicians and Assistants that join 1st Pet. She has worked hard to grow and learn and become a Certified Veterinary Technician during her time here at 1st Pet! Now she passes on what she has learned to others. When not at work, Erin, enjoys spending time with her husband and young daughter as well as their 2 cats and 3 dogs! They enjoy camping and fishing and hanging out together. Erin, is truly an asset to our 1st Pet Team!