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! 

Halloween Pet Safety Tips by Dr. Keith Joyner

It's about time for the annual visitation by all those little neighborhood ghosts and goblins, not to mention the ninja turtles and princesses.

It's always such fun.

But if we are pet owner's, we have the responsibility of keeping our pets safe and the visiting children and their families safe too.

Remember, some children are frightened by even small dogs and cats. And worse yet, some are so comfortable with them that they may rapidly approach your pet and startle it into a reactive self-defense snap or scratch!

Not to mention, the door opening so many times gives the pet a chance to run out of your house, and with people around, there are lots of distractions and excitement. Many pets become lost under such circumstances. Holidays like this always result in a surge of lost pets.

So, what should you do?

1. Put your dog on a leash before answering the door. That way you can control it and prevent it from going out the door. Some dogs, if they are too rambunctious, will need to be put in a crate for the evening.

2. Unless your cat is very social with strangers, you may want to lock it in a bedroom or utility room to keep it safe and calm. Social cats need to be on a leash so they don't run out the door.

3. Don't let your pet get close to other people's children. Unexpected things can happen very quickly. Safety first, always!

4. Dogs LOVE candy. Given the opportunity, they'll steal what they can. Chocolate can be toxic to dogs if enough is eaten, and can cause fatalities. Just sugar in candy can cause a toxic reaction if enough is consumed. So guard your supply and your children's collections.

Halloween is a great time for kids and pets, but let's keep both safe!

-Dr. Keith Joyner 

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!

Team Member Highlight: Viviane Ildefonso Williams

If you have come in to 1st Pet Veterinary Centers in Mesa, you have probably met our vivacious Veterinary Assistant, Viviane Ildefonso Williams. Viviane, has worked with us at 1st Pet for the past 7 years. Her favorite part of the job is helping sick patients and by helping them, they get to go home with their family. That’s the whole reason why we do what we do here at 1st Pet!

Prior to entering into the veterinary field Viviane’s life was all about swimming, even coming close to making the Olympics! Her love for kids and swimming are evident as she continues to teach her kids how to swim. Viviane, has been married for 13 years and together they enjoy their furry ‘kids’, comprised of 4 cats and a Border Collie puppy named, Frankie. We are happy to have, Viviane, on our Team at, 1st Pet!

Getting to Know Dr. Jennifer Fitzpatrick

Some of you may already know Dr. Jennifer Fitzpatrick, as she has been with 1^st Pet for about 8 years.  Currently working out of our North Valley Hospital, Dr. Fitzpatrick started out working in human hospitals as an ECG technician, patient care technician, and CNA. She graduated from Kansas State University as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 2003.  She worked at a small animal and equine hospital for her first 2 years as a Veterinarian. 

After moving to Arizona, she began working in small animal emergency at North Valley and has been there since! Dr. Fitzpatrick has loved getting to know clients and their pets over their long-term visits to the hospital through the years. One of her favorite memories is when she was able to come to the aid of a distressed client that thought she would have to euthanize her beloved dog due to pain and trouble moving around. Dr. Fitzpatrick was able to prescribe a combination of medications that were not sedating and helped the dog improve and feel so much better that the owner is able to go on hikes with her dog and spend more quality time with her friend. These are the types of long-term outcomes that she really enjoys most!

When not at work, Dr. Fitzpatrick is an avid horseback rider and loves competing in Eventing (a 3-day, 3-phase sport including dressage, stadium jumping, and cross-country jumping).  She even used to be a licensed jockey and exercise rider in Kansas and Nebraska!  She owns a 5 year old horse named EverClear, and she and her husband happily take care of their many 4-legged ‘children’, including 3 young Pitties and a 10yo Great Dane (even though one of them only has 3 legs J)