Today is Take Your Cat to the Vet Day

Did you know that your cat should be in to see us at Riverside Veterinary Hospital once a year all their life, and sometimes twice a year when they’re over seven years of age? Today is National “Take Your Cat to the Vet” Day—if your cat is due for a visit, call and schedule one today. Regular visits can help your cat live longer, because we can identify and treat problems sooner.

Pets & Swimming

Does your pet like to swim? Many pets enjoy the water and love to jump in the pool on hot summer days. Don’t forget that it’s just as important to supervise your pet while swimming as it is to supervise your children. Pets especially may accidentally swallow pool water while swimming, causing them to consume harmful and sometimes toxic chemicals. Instead of letting your pet swim in your family pool, consider getting them a kiddie pool filled with water for them!

Prevent your pet from starting fires

Extinguish open flames: Pets are generally curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home.

Remove stove knobs: Be sure to remove stove knobs or protect them with covers before leaving the house – a stove or cook top is the number one piece of equipment involved in your pet starting a fire.

Invest in flameless candles: These candles contain a light bulb rather than an open flame, and take the danger out of your pet knocking over a candle. Cats are notorious for starting fires when their tails turn over lit candles.

Beware of water bowls on wooden decks: Do not leave a glass water bowl for your pet outside on a wooden deck. The sun's rays when filtered through the glass and water can actually heat up and ignite the wooden deck beneath it. Choose stainless steel or ceramic bowls instead.

Pet proof the home: Take a walk around your home and look for areas where pets might start fires inadvertently, such as loose wires and other potential hazards.

Keep your pets safe

Keep pets near entrances when away from home: When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.

Secure young pets: Especially with young puppies, keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home, such as in crates or behind baby gates in secure areas.

Practice escape routes with pets: Keep collars and leashes at the ready in case you have to evacuate quickly with your pet or firefighters need to rescue your pet.

Consider using monitored smoke detection services: As an added layer of protection beyond battery-operated smoke alarms, smoke detectors connected to a monitoring center help save pets who can't escape when left home alone.

Affix a pet alert window cling: Write down the number of pets inside your house and attach the static cling to a front window. This critical information saves rescuers time when locating your pets. Make sure to keep the number of pets listed on them updated.

Pets In Cars

Summertime is almost here and that means a wonderful time to be outdoors and enjoy longer days with our pets, but caution is advised; danger lurks on these bright beautiful days. Driving around, parking, and leaving your pet in the car for "just a minute" can be deadly. Just a few minutes in a car during the summer months can raise the temperature to as much as 120 degrees -- even with the windows cracked.

Tomorrow is 'If Pets Had Thumbs Day'

November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know?
-Cancer accounts for nearly 50% of all disease-related pet deaths each year
-One in four dogs die of cancer.
-Approximately 1 in 4 dogs develops a tumor of some kind during his lifetime.
-Just like in humans, cancer can occur in any part of your dog’s body.

Are you aware that November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month? Run your hands over your pet and feel for any unusual lumps or bumps. If you feel something new or unusual, let's take a look at it. Dogs and cats can get benign lumps such as lipomas and sebaceous cysts, but they can also get much more serious tumors, like mast cell tumors, melanomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and many others. Many of these can be diagnosed with a simple in-office procedure involving a needle aspirate and then a microscopic exam of the cells obtained. A fine needle aspirate is generally less painful than a vaccination, so don't hesitate to get that lump checked out. The importance of annual check-ups regardless of the age of your pet is critical in the prevention of cancer. 

Here are the top 10 early warning signs of pet cancer listed out by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

1. Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow
2. Sores that do not heal
3. Weight loss
4. Loss of appetite
5. Bleeding or discharge from any body opening
6. Offensive odor
7. Difficulty eating or swallowing
8. Hesitation to exercise or loss of stamina
9. Persistent lameness or stiffness
10. Difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating

Better to be safe than sorry, and much better to catch something sooner rather than later!

November is National Senior Pet Month

November is Senior Pet Month. Do you have an older cat or dog sharing your home? If so, you know the joys of pets who might have less spunk but more soul. Here are five reasons to love a senior pet.
1. Distinguished look
You know how as we age, we are said to look distinguished? The same is true for our pets. I think senior cats project an air of peaceful dignity. And who can resist the precious gray muzzle of an older dog?
2. Laid-back lifestyle
For kittens and puppies, most any time is play time. Older pets, however, don’t need to release all that youthful energy. They are quieter and often content to just watch what’s going on in the living room or outside the window. Cuddling next to you takes precedence over most anything else.
3. Fewer demands
Older pets still need love and attention, but they don’t require babysitting like a frisky puppy or curious kitten. Some older pets have special medical needs, but after all they’ve given us through the years, it’s an honor to take care of them in return.
4. Wisdom of the ages
When I look into the eyes of a senior dog, I see a world of experience and wisdom. Older pets know what to expect, and are generally reliable and even. They require little training since they already know the rules.
5. They might be just like you!
As we get older, our needs and routines change. We might prefer quiet evenings at home rather than going out on the weekends. We still like to exercise, walk, or even run—but sometimes we go at a different pace. We might even nap in our chair occasionally. If you have a senior dog, you might find that he’s just like you!

Take Extra Precautions For Your Pets On Halloween

Holidays are anything but fun for many pets. While we humans love the change in routine, the parties, the guests and the decorations, our furred and feathered family members too often find the disruptions disturbing, and sometimes dangerous. If I had to pick a holiday that's the least compatible with pets, it would have to be the Fourth of July. Fireworks are flat out distressing to many animals. Many spend the holiday on tranquilizers, while others (who probably should have been sedated and certainly confined) take off in terror from their yards. The lucky ones are found by neighbors or land in shelters, but there are always those animals who are hit by cars or are simply never heard from again.

The Fourth of July may be a pet's worst nightmare, but Halloween is pretty close to the tops of the list in terms of risks, too. The two biggest problems with this ghoulish holiday are frightened pets and poisoned pets, and animal emergency clinic traditionally see plenty of both. With the increase in activity, cats and dogs get nervous and some will take off if they can. That means an increase in animals hit by cars. Other animals may be a cause of injury: All those costumed young visitors can trigger territorial instincts or fear responses in some dogs, who may then become a bite risk.

The best solution for nervous pets is to confine them for the evening in a crate or a quiet room far from the front door or any holiday festivities. Many animal welfare groups warn that black cats are at special risk around Halloween, claiming that cultists pick up the animals for ritual torture. Such concerns have led many shelters to halt the adoption of black cats in the days before Halloween. In truth, such cruelties are so poorly documented that they surely happen rarely, if at all. Most fall in the realm of urban legends. Your black cat is more likely to be killed by a car than a cultist, but the threat of either is more than a reason to keep him inside. If you keep your pets confined safely inside the house, you will eliminate one source of risk. Keeping them away from the goodies will take care of the other.

Candy is a problem more for dogs than for cats, because cats are generally picky about what they eat. Not so for most dogs, who'll wolf down candy wrappers and all if given the opportunity , giving many a serious case of what veterinarians call "garbage gut." Any candy can trigger a bout of intestinal upset, but chocolate can do much worse. The small dog who gets a large amount of chocolate could end up dead without prompt veterinary intervention.

Some people put costumes on their dogs, and that's safe enough if you use common sense. You can find ready-made costumes in most pet stores, in almost as much variety as you'll find in stores for children. Homemade costumes can be fun, too, and you'll find a surprising number of pet costume events where you and your dog can show off your handiwork. The standby costume for my black retrievers has always been to put round white stickers on them, creating "reverse Dalmations." Such a costume meets the commonsense standard: It's comfortable and nonrestrictive, and it doesn't involve anything that could be hazardous, such as dye or paint.

While pets may not be holidays as much as we do, any celebration can be made pet safe with just a few basic precautions. Be sure to take them, because veterinarians would rather hand out candy to children than medicine to pets on Halloween.

7 things you can do to make Halloween safer for your pet

Trick or treat? Halloween means it’s time to keep your pets away from all the goody bags your children bring home. While everyone is getting in on the fun, be sure to include your pet. Make sure you keep plenty of their special treats on hand and keep the candy out of reach.

1. Don't feed your pets Halloween candy, especially if it contains chocolate or xylitol (a common sugar substitute found in sugar-free candies and gum);
2. Make sure your pet is properly identified (microchip, collar and ID tag) in case s/he escapes through the open door while you're distracted with trick-or-treaters;
3. Keep lit candles and jack-o-lanterns out of reach of pets;
4. If you plan to put a costume on your pet, make sure it fits properly and is comfortable, doesn't have any pieces that can easily be chewed off, and doesn't interfere with your pet's sight, hearing, breathing, opening its mouth, or moving. Take time to get your pet accustomed to the costume before Halloween;
5. Keep glow sticks and glow jewelry away from your pets. Although the liquid in these products isn't toxic, it tastes really bad and makes pets salivate excessively and act strangely;
6. If your pet is wary of strangers or has a tendency to bite, put him/her in another room during trick-or-treating hours or provide him/her with a safe hiding place;
7. Keep your pet inside. 

Pet of the Month- Dee Dee

Our October Pet of the Month is Dee Dee! She is an 11 year old Shih Tzu and is currently living at Riverside Veterinary Hospital waiting for a new home! She is extremely loving and is full of energy. Call us at 252-442-3636 if you would be interested in giving Dee Dee a FUR-ever home!

 

Employee of the Month

We are proud to honor Martha Perry as our Employee of the Month! Martha is a Technician and we are very thankful to have her as a part of our team!

 

Teamwork has never been more adorable

Wackiest Pet Names of 2011

Ozzy Pawsbourne and Almost-A-Dog top this year's list of quirkiest monikers.
Fido, Spot or Fluffy? For some peculiar pet owners, these names are just too traditional. Although "Bella" and "Max" currently lead the pack as the nation's most popular pet names, thousands of other four-legged friends have much more distinctive names.


So drumroll, please... the 10 Most Unusual Dog and Cat Names for 2011:
Dogs

1. Almost-A-Dog
2. Franco Furter
3. Stinkie Mcstinkerson
4. Sir Seamus McPoop
5. Audrey Shepburn
6. Dewey Decimell
7. Knuckles Capone
8. Beagle Lugosi
9. Shooter Mclovin
10. Uzi Duzi-Du

Cats

1. Ozzy Pawsbourne
2. Mr. Meowgi
3. Murderface
4. Fuglee
5. Scruffernutter
6. Corporal Cuddles
7. Cat Masterson
8. Spam
9. Tape W. Orm
10. Louisiana Purchase

Happy Cat Month

The CATalyst Council has declared September as Happy Cat Month. This month is dedicated to finding ways to keep our feline friends happy, healthy and purring all year long. Click the link for tips to keep your feline friend happy.

Pets of the Month

Riverside Veterinary Hospital is proud to honor Elmo and BeBe as our Pets of the Month this August! They are siblings and are looking for a home to grow up together. If you or someone you know would love to give these furry felines a loving home, please call us at 252-442-3636.

 

Don’t run the risk of losing with your pet with no chance of reuniting. Even if your pet never wanders away, remember that in old age, pets have a tendency to lose their scent and can wander too far to retrace their steps. At Riverside Veterinary Hospital, we recommend a microchip for every cat and dog.

 

Employee of the Month

Connie is our employee of the month. She is a veterinary assistant at Riverside Veterinary Hospital. She is extremely compassionate about all our patients and comes in every day with a BIG smile on her face. Her happy disposition is contagious to others. She cares about her job very much and works hard everyday, taking great pride in her job. Even on our slower days, she will find something to do to keep herself busy. Connie says, "I truly enjoy my job at Riverside. Helping animals feel loved and comfortable while visiting the clinic is my goal everyday!"

 

Today is National Assistance Dog Day! Assistance Dogs transform the lives of their human partners with physical and mental disabilities by serving as their companion, helper, best friend and close member of their family. We would like recognize and honor the hardworking assistance dogs and honor the puppy raisers and trainers of assistance dogs as well as recognize the heroic deeds performed by assistance dogs in our community.

 

Pet of the Month

We are proud to honor Blackie as our Pet of the Month. He was hit by a car and lost the feeling in one of his legs. He is not able to use that leg anymore.  He was surrendered to Riverside Veterinary Hospital and is going to have the leg surgically removed. Once he has healed from surgery he will be available for adoption to a forever home.  He is extremely sweet and loves to be held and petted. He's quite social! If anyone is interested in giving this sweet guy a loving home, please let us know.

There was a very special companion that passed away on 7.11.11. His name was Barney and he was a dog unlike any other. Barney came to Riverside many years ago after his owners could not keep him any longer. Early on, each person that met him would instantly love him. He would be shy at first but once he got to know you, he was your friend for life. Barney had been up for adoption since he first came to Riverside, but truth be told, the team at Riverside had already adopted him into their hearts. He had the sweetest big brown eyes and he always looked like he was smiling. 

As a tech at Riverside, I became very attached to Barney. I guess you could say I “unofficially” adopted him. Every day on my lunch break I would go and get Barney and we would spend that time together walking outside and enjoying our lunch. He was happy with the simple things. Barney could be found sleeping at my feet or staring at the microwave waiting for the food to come out. People would come in the break room just to say hi to him. When I would go to put him back inside he would crawl up onto his bed and then wait for me to give him his treat. It was very hard when he passed away but he had a very full life. Everyone at Riverside loved Barney. He will never be forgotten.