Charlotte NC Veterinary Blog

One of the biggest reasons cats come to the vet less than dogs is the stress involved with transporting cats to the clinic. Bringing the cat to the vet typically involves the following steps:

1. Act casual so as to avoid tipping your cat off that something is up
2. Sidle up to the cat and slowly pet them to get in optimal grab position
3. Fail to secure that cat and watching them dash off into another room
4. Enlist someone to help you flush the cat from their hiding spot
5. Shoo the cat from under furniture, only to watch them skirt pass the person in charge of catching them
6. Get into an argument with your helper over whose fault it is that the cat eluded both of you
7. Call the clinic and reschedule your appointment
8. Pour yourself a drink and collapse on the sofa
9. Pet your triumphant feline who hops into your lap for petting, knowing that they’ve won the day

Believe it or not, you can train your cat to go into their carrier willingly. The first step is to select the correct cat carrier. The best carriers are medium sized with a hinged door and a top that is easily removed for vet visits. To start,

• Leave your carrier out with the door open. The best places are up off the floor in a secure location on a chair, sofa or in quiet area where your family relaxes.
• Put a small blanket or pillow in the bottom, and toss a catnip toy or a few of their favorite treats inside.
• Let her explore the carrier at her leisure: no stress, no drama. For extra de-stressing power, spray a little Feliway “happy cat” pheromone, inside. If your cat has bad memories of the carrier, it may take a week or more for your cat to begin exploring the carrier. Be patient.
• Once she is comfortable, close the door for a few minutes, and then open it so she does not feel trapped. Over a period of several weeks close the door for longer periods of time, carry her around the room, around the house, always returning to the starting spot and opening the door. Some people even feed their cats in their carriers.
• Now it’s time to take her for short rides around the block and back to her starting point.

Following these tips should help make traveling with your cat a more relaxed and stress-free experience. This will make both of you happier and healthier in the long run.

The most important thing to understand with puppy biting is that this is not a show of aggression.  When puppies in a litter play together, the lay their mouths on each other and give each other mock bites.  This is how puppies naturally play and therefore they attempt to play with us in the same manner.  It is up to you to teach your puppy an acceptable way to play.  Never use your hands only to play with your puppy.  Always, always use a toy or ball to play.

When puppies squeeze a sibling to hard with their teeth, the littermate will respond with a “yipe!” and stop playing.  The offending puppy has just learned an important lesson- if she bites too hard, her playmate gets upset and the fun stops.  In this way, puppies learn that it doesn’t take much pressure for a bite to hurt, and that if they are going to bite, biting softly is the socially acceptable way to do it.

It’s important to teach your puppy bite inhibition and playing games is a great way to do this.  Puppies get excited when playing and naturally use their mouths a lot in the middle of a play session.  You are bound to feel your puppy’s  needle sharp teeth on your hand while playing with a ball or toy.  You will notice that some mouthings are harder than others.  Use the opportunity of one of the harder mouthings to act like a puppy and squeal “yipe!” in a high-pitched voice.  Stop playing!  Now wait until your puppy relaxes and resume playing.  After a few of these incidents, your puppy will start putting her mouth on your hand more softly.  You have now used interruption (the yipe) and a negative (stopping the game) to control the pressure of her jaws when playing with you. 

Once your puppy is using her mouth softly, you can teach her to avoid putting her mouth on you altogether.  Whenever she puts her mouth on you, give a yipe, then declare “game over,” and put the toy away.  Do not resume playing again for at least a few minutes.  When she has calmed down, you can resume playing.  You are now teaching your puppy to only use her mouth on toys, not people. 

Halloween is just around the corner! With Halloween being the second most common holiday for pets to go missing or end up ill/ injured, we here at Clear Creek Animal Hospital would like to share some tips for keeping pets healthy and safe:
Continue…

4 Ways to Care for Your Senior Pet When You’re on a Budget

When your pet starts getting older, it is normal for you to start worrying about how you will take care of it. The needs of a senior pet are different from that of a young animal, which comes with its pros and cons. On one hand, your pet is likely to be calmer and easier to keep up with, but on the other, you will need to keep a much closer eye on their health. Here are four areas of budget-friendly pet care you should start getting familiar with as your pet begins to age.

Continue…

Hill’s has added a few more foods to their recall list, but these foods are not considered unsafe.  See below for more information:

The select canned dog food products listed in Appendix B do not pose a safety risk to healthy pets. Hill’s has made the decision to voluntarily withdraw these canned dog food products from your inventory (3 Hill’s Prescription Diet & 3 Hill’s Science Diet SKUs) due to levels of Vitamin D that do not meet our product specifications. The list of affected canned dog products, their SKUs, lot numbers and date codes are attached in Appendix B.

Please note that the voluntary recall, as well as the voluntary withdrawal, are isolated to only the specified SKUs and therefore no dry dog foods, cat foods (dry or canned) or treats are affected.

Hill’s has identified and isolated the error and, to prevent this from happening again, we required our supplier to implement additional quality testing prior to their release of ingredients. In addition to our existing safety processes, we are adding our own further testing of incoming ingredients.

For further information, please contact Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. at 1-800-445-5777 Monday-Friday during the hours of 9am-5pm (CST) or at contactus@hillspet.com.

Appendix B: Voluntary Withdrawal

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Voluntarily Recalls Select Canned Dog Food for Excessive Vitamin D

Hill’s Pet Nutrition is voluntarily recalling select canned dog food products due to potentially elevated levels of vitamin D. While vitamin D is an essential nutrient for dogs, ingestion of elevated levels can lead to potential health issues depending on the level of vitamin D and the length of exposure, and dogs may exhibit symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss. Vitamin D, when consumed at very high levels, can lead to serious health issues in dogs including renal dysfunction. Pet parents with dogs who have consumed any of the products listed and are exhibiting any of these signs should contact their veterinarian. In most cases, complete recovery is expected after discontinuation of feeding.

The affected canned dog foods were distributed through retail pet stores and veterinary clinics nationwide in the United States. No dry foods, cat foods, or treats are affected. Pet parents who purchased the product with the specific lot/date codes listed should discontinue feeding and dispose of those products immediately. To have discarded products replaced at no cost, please contact Hill’s via our website or at 1-800-445-5777.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition learned of the potential for elevated vitamin D levels in some of our canned dog foods after receiving a complaint in the United States about a dog exhibiting signs of elevated vitamin D levels. Our investigation confirmed elevated levels of vitamin D due to a supplier error.

We care deeply about all pets and are committed to providing pet parents with safe and high quality products. Hill’s has identified and isolated the error and, to prevent this from happening again, we have required our supplier to implement additional quality testing prior to their release of ingredients. In addition to our existing safety processes, we are adding our own further testing of incoming ingredients.

For further information, please contact Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. at 1-800-445-5777 Monday-Friday during the hours of 9am-5pm (CST) or at contactus@hillspet.com.

This voluntary recall only impacts canned dog food and primarily in the United States. It is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Impacted products outside of the United States will be subject to separate notices on the country-specific website. If you are outside of the United States, please check your own country’s Hill’s website for more information.

How To Identify the SKU and Date Code:

Locate affected products in the table below

Call us toll-free from anywhere in North America at: 1-800-445-5777 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.

Call us toll-free from anywhere in North America at: 1-800-445-5777 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.

Written by guest contributor, Jessica Brody.

Are you thinking about adding a new pet to your life? If so, get ready for all the love and cuddles you can possibly handle! Pets are a great source of comfort, but you also should make sure you, and your home, are ready for your new friend. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re a first-time pet owner.

Continue…

You better watch out

You better not bite,

You better not scratch cuz’ Santa’s in sight!

Santa Claus is coming to Clear Creek Animal Hospital to take photos with your pets…

Continue…

Come see the new Clear Creek Animal Hospital!  We are so excited to finally have everyone come out and celebrate our new home with us!  There will be tours of the clinic, great food and fun for everyone!  Check out our dental and surgery suites, expansive treatment areas, exam rooms and more. Continue…

Welcome to our new pet care blog! Please keep yourself amused while we work on our first post!