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To ensure our clients are properly informed about animal health care, we are publishing a quarterly newsletter providing seasonal health care tips and current news events at Fisher Glen. We also have a monthly calendar. The calendar and newsletters are now online. If you can't print these out, or if you just like the paper copy, drop by the clinic and you can pick them up on the front counter.

Autumn 2010

The crunch of fall leaves underfoot and the crisp autumn air calls. It's the perfect time to head out on a walking trail and watch the colours change, or stay closer to home and frolic in leaf piles. The outdoors in autumn has so much to offer. Enjoy it while you can, soon we will be shovelling snow...

Make sure you're continuing your pet's heartworm medication into October and November. Forgotten a month? We recommend testing next year. All dogs and outdoor cats should be on preventive heartworm medication from June until November. Please ask one of our technicians for more information.

Have you noticed that your cat isn't as active as he used to be and he doesn't jump and play as much? Ask our technicians about a new mobility diet for cats that we have started carrying.

**Please note: Starting February 1st we will discontinue nail trim day. In order to serve our patients better, we will now give each pet a nail trim once monthly. Owners must call ahead to book a time and each pet's vaccines and annual exam must be up to date.

Leptospirosis

We now strongly recommend the leptospirosis vaccination for all pets in the city and the country, as the strains we have here are spread by raccoons and skunks, which are mainly city dwellers these days. This is a serious disease, which can cause liver and kidney failure in both pets and humans.

Feline leukemia and immunodeficiency viruses

Feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus (cat AIDS) are contagious viral diseases that can affect any cat, either through transmission from the mother or direct contact with other cats (fighting, sharing food or water). We recommend that all kittens be screened via a simple blood test, and that at-risk outdoor cats be annually.

Why Do I Need To Bring In A Stool Sample For My Pet?

Why should you bring in a sample of your pet's stool?

When you bring in a fecal sample it is sent to our lab, where it is processed and checked for microscopic parasites or parasite eggs (especially for parasites we do not routinely deworm for).

Some intestinal parasites found commonly in dogs and cats can also infect humans, especially children, the elderly, or people who are immunosuppressed.. In humans, the larva of these parasites travel through the body and cause serious illness, including blindness.

In the United States three to six million people are infected with roundworms each year, and some areas almost a quarter of the population have had positive blood tests, indicating that they have been exposed to a parasite. A recent study in Halifax showed that over 25% of school children had antibodies indicating exposure to roundworms.

Even pets that don’t leave the house can carry immature forms of parasites they had as puppies or kittens and can become reinfected, and there are plenty of chances for your outdoor pet to pick something up. A good prevention program, including fecal exams and regular deworming (at least 4 times per year), can help keep both you and your furry companions healthy.

According to the results of a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 14% of the U.S. population is infected with Toxocara, or internal roundworms, contracted from dogs and cats.

We recommend deworming your pets a minimum of four times yearly, and running a fecal test at their yearly exams.

What I Should Know About . . . Annual Wellness Screening

Did you know that 10-14 percent of pets brought to veterinary clinics for checkups have some type of underlying disease or illness? Many of these pets who seem normal and healthy upon a physical exam have a disease or illness that could go undetected without an annual wellness test- a blood test designed to detect underlying organ problems.

The development of disease can be subtle. When an organ system starts to fail, the organ will try to compensate, bringing its function back as close as possible to normal. Over time, this compensation mechanism will fail and the pet will become ill. Once the pet is in organ failure, treatment options are limited, expensive, and the prognosis may be poor.

Our lab performs annual wellness tests using a sample of your pet’s blood, checking your pet’s liver, kidneys, pancreas, electrolytes, minerals, and blood sugar. These tests can also alert us to infection, inflammatory disease, and anaemia. We usually have results within 24 hours, and if necessary we can make appropriate treatment recommendations at a point when treatment will make a difference to your pet’s health. If you can prevent an illness early on it’s easier on your pet, you and your pocket book.

For more information regarding annual wellness testing, please speak with one of our technicians.

What I Should Know About... Stem Cell Therapy & My Pet

Stem cell therapy is on the forefront of veterinary medicine, it is showing promise in the treatment of arthritis and tendon injuries, and also there is hope for it to be used in heart disease, lung disease, and many more conditions and illnesses. A stem cell has the ability to mature into any kind of cell, creating all the tissues of the body.

Where can stem cells be found? Embryos contain cells that have the potential to produce any cell that is needed, including stem cells, although use of embryonic tissue in the human field has sparked many ethical and moral debates. Adults do however retain some stem cells, and harvesting non-embryonic means patients can be helped and ethical problems can be avoided.

Stem cells used commercially in dogs are created from the patient’s fat. A few tablespoons of fat are taken from the shoulder or abdomen of the dog while under anaesthetic. Stem cells are harvested from this sample and re-injected into the joint of the sedated patient. Pain will begin to be reduced, mobility will increase and the dog will have more energy. The joint has begun to repair itself. Approximately two thirds of dogs show improvement ranging from mild to significant. Research focused on using stem cells to help cure neurological and cardiovascular diseases are ongoing. Currently there are more questions than answers regarding the uses of stem cells and what possibilities may lie in the future. The next few years will be very revealing and hopefully provide benefits to our canine companions.

Massage Therapy For Your Pet?

You might ask yourself, what does the staff of Fisher Glen do in their spare time?

Cheryl Doyle, one of our R.V.T.’s, is currently studying to complete the EQUISSAGE© Canine Massage Therapist Certification Program.

Equissage was first performed on racing and show horses to speed up the healing of muscle injuries and improve performance, and after seeing the amazing results the creator of Equissage was flooded with requests to start teaching the therapy to others. A certification program in Equine Sports Massage Therapy was created. In early 2000, Equissage added a home study certificate program in canine massage therapy. It has proven to be every bit as successful and popular as the original equine massage

Canine massage can be offered for relaxation, rehabilitation, or competition - “sports massage” - purposes. The benefit of massage to dogs is equivalent to the benefit experienced by humans. Massage therapy has many physiological effects for the subject. Animal experiments were conducted as early as the 1800s to document these effects. The physiological effects of canine massage include the following:

• Improved circulation

• Endorphin release

• Increased toxin excretion

• Relaxation and tension relief

• Reduced stiffness helping to restore mobility to injured areas

• Injury prevention by increasing range of motion and enhancing muscle tone

• Improved athletic performance and endurance

• Posture maintenance and balance

• Improving mental focus and attitude

• Healthy skin and coat promotion by distributing natural oils.

Canine massage therapy should not be used as a substitute for veterinary medical care. However, when used in combination with medical care, it can help enhance the recovery process in many medical cases. In particular, canine massage used for rehabilitation purposes can include the following benefits:

• Help to relieve age related problems

• Reverse muscle atrophy from inactivity or disuse

• Provide relief from muscle tension, soreness, spasms, and weaknesses

• Provide relief from chronic pain and discomfort from arthritis, hip dysplasia, etc. through the release of endorphins.

In addition, canine massage can provide emotional well-being for the animal. Massage therapist often work with animals to calm hyperactivity, anxiousness, and nervousness.

New Finds At Fisher Glen

We here at Fisher Glen are very excited to say that we are now carrying Nature's Dentist.

"Nature's Dentist is a flavourful powder that when sprinkled onto your pet's food will remove plaque, whiten teeth and freshen breath. Nature's Dentist is designed for use between veterinarian dental cleanings, to promote oral health and decrease the incidence of gingivitis and the more serious, periodontal disease."-Taken from the Nature's Dentist website

At Fisher Glen, we have discovered a new tool in the fight against dogs that pull when on leash. It is called the “Easy Walk Harness” and it is designed to gently discourage your dog from pulling while walking on a leash. Traditional harnesses use the “opposition reflex” this reflex is what causes sled dogs to run and can encourage your dog to pull harder.

The “Easy Walk Harness” uses a front-chest leash attachment which is unique to this harness, it stops your dog form pulling by tightening slightly across their chest and shoulder blades. The gentle pressure turns your dog sideways which redirects their attention back towards you. The Easy Walk Harness will not cause coughing, gagging, or choking because the chest strap rests low across the breastbone, and not on your dog’s tracheal area. It’s humane and we’ve seen proof that it works. See our staff for more information.

Clinic Corner

We would like to extend a warm welcome back to one of our RVTs, Jolanda is back from maternity leave!

Next time you visit our hospital you may notice new friendly faces at our front desk. We would like welcome Bess and Theresa our two new part-time kennel students.

Finally, hockey season is over for the Sens this year. Most of us here at Fisher Glen are proud that they did their best in the playoffs. That is, with the exception of Katie, who has been quoted as saying "at least the Sens won two more games than the Leafs did." Could it really be true, could Katie actually be showing signs of becoming an Ottawa fan? Now, I think that's wishful thinking! Well there's always next season!