Pet Nutrition

By: JaAnn Johnson

During the cold season do your pets seem a little slower?

Here is a food that can help their joints become more flexible and not so sore.
We have had many clients start to use Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D dog food, and have seen a drastic change within 2 weeks.

j/d™ Canine
Hill's® Prescription Diet® j/d™ Canine is an innovative dog food that helps maintain healthy joints and improves mobility in dogs. Its unique formula contains high levels of EPA (Eicosapentanoic Acid), an omega-3 fatty acid found in high concentrations in fish oil. Research has shown that EPA can help maintain joint function. Enhanced levels of glucosamine and chondroitin provide the building blocks of healthy cartilage, and L-carnitine, which helps maintain optimum body weight. j/d™ Canine improves the quality of life by helping dogs run better, play better, and rise more easily.

What to look for if you're pet has arthritis
Be alert and know the signs to look for in your dog. Watch for changes in mobility and quality of life that might point to a joint health problem. Watch the Videos on http://www.hillspet.com/ and see for yourself. A moving experience in as few as 21 days. See the dramatic difference Chandler and Gabby experienced after being fed Prescription Diet j/d dog food.

__Dental Health and Care__

February is Dental month for your pets. Believe it or not they need to have their teeth looked at just like us.

Feline Dental Cleaning

Canine Dental Cleaning

Hill’s Prescription Diet T/D is a food that we recommend and helps keep the tarter count down on their teeth by making them really crunch down on that tarter buildup.

Andrea, one of our nurses who loves to clean your pet’s teeth finished cleaning a feline client’s teeth. When we did our follow up call the owner stated that her cat is acting like a totally different cat, playing, loving and causing a little more mischief now.

Animals hide their aches and pains very easily. It could be as simple as a chipped tooth, abscess on the tooth or just tarter buildup. By fixing these simple aches and pains you can tell a tremendous difference in your pets.

A complementary check on your pets teeth by one of our nurses is recommended. Please call and make an appointment.

Until you decide to get those teeth looked at here are some methods and information that you can use to help your furry friends at home.

t/d® Canine
For the Nutritional Management of Dogs with Dental Disease
This painful and potentially serious problem is most usually a result of plaque and tartar buildup at and under the gum line. Prescription Diet® t/d® Canine dog food is formulated specifically for the nutritional management of dogs with dental disease. It's special fiber matrix scrubs the exposed tooth surface like an edible toothbrush, reducing bacteria-laden plaque. If left unchecked, this buildup can lead to gingivitis, a dental condition that can weaken the gums and tissues that support the teeth. The nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet® t/d® may also be useful for pets with a variety of conditions.

Dental Care for Your Dog/ Cat
There are several ways you can care for your dog/ cat's teeth every day.
A complete home dental care program for your dog/ cat often will include brushing as well as a special pet food that helps care for your pet's teeth while he or she eats. Learn more about pet dental care at PetDental.com

Even if you aren't able to brush your dog/cat's teeth every day, by incorporating a special pet food into there daily routine, you can provide the dental care needed to keep them healthy. Be sure to talk with your veterinarian about the options that exist and which are right for your dog.

At the Family Pet Hospital we offer a variety of dental tools to help with the at home dental care: toothpaste/ toothbrushes formatted for canines and felines, Biotene Drinking Water Additive (helps remove Plaque and inhibit Odor Causing Bacteria) that you put in the you're pet's drinking water. Plus other accessories.

Brushing Your Dog/ Cat's Teeth
STEP 1: Introduce a brushing program gradually. Avoid over-restraining him and keep brushing sessions short and positive. A small dog/ cat can be held in your lap. Praise and reassure your pet throughout the process.
STEP 2: At first, dip a finger into beef bouillon. Rub the soaked finger gently over your dog/ cat’s mouth and teeth. Make the initial sessions short and positive.
STEP 3: Gradually, introduce gauze over the finger and gently scrub the teeth in a circular motion.
STEP 4: Finally, you can introduce a soft toothbrush designed for pets. Use a sensitive or ultra-soft brush designed for people or a brush designed for pets. Special pet toothbrushes are available from your veterinarian or specialty pet store. Don't use toothpaste designed for people because it could upset your dog's stomach.

Pet Dental Disease

What factors contribute to dental disease in pets?

Andrea Goates
Studies show that 70 to 80% of dogs and cats suffer from some form of dental disease by 3 years of age!

Why?
· Lack of routine dental care at home
· Poorly positioned teeth due to crowding, rotated teeth, or retained baby (deciduous) teeth.
· Malocclusion (over or underbite) in which the teeth do not meet properly for chewing.
· Genetics: some breeds of dogs and cats (and some individual animals) are more prone to dental problems than others.

Dental disease starts with plaque, a colorless film, composed mostly of bacteria that forms continuously on the teeth and gums. As it mixes with food particles and minerals in the saliva, it becomes a brownish paste called tartar. Over time, it hardens into a cement-like material called calculus.

STAGE ONE The gums are swollen, red and sore (gingivitis). There may be a bright red line along the edge of the gums and the beginnings of bad breath. Note the inflammation (redness) along the gum line. This stage is reversible with early intervention and professional care. Left untreated, gingivitis progresses to periodontal disease. Calculus advances under the gum line, breaking the attachments between the teeth and their surrounding tissues. Bacteria invade the damaged tissues, causing inflammation and further damage to the teeth and gums.

STAGE TWO includes edema, which is noticeable swelling and bleeding of the gums upon probing. The tartar is thickened and the tooth becomes discolored. You may notice the tooth looks yellow, brown, grey, green, or black.

STAGE THREE includes inflammation, edema, pus, loss of bone around the teeth. When the infection spreads to the tooth roots and jaw, abscesses form and teeth are lost. At this point your pet may have difficulty eating due to pain. You may see bleeding when your pet chews. At this stage you will notice a severe foul odor to your pet's breath.

STAGE FOUR includes exposure of roots due to gum recession and bone loss.
Once severe periodontal disease has developed, much of the damage is irreversible. We can only do our best to improve the situation as much as possible with professional periodontal treatment followed by faithful home care.
As if this is not enough, the danger of dental disease is not confined to the mouth. The chronic infection in the mouth allows harmful bacteria to be absorbed into the blood stream. The kidneys and liver, which cleanse the blood, are damaged by constant exposure to bacteria and their toxic by-products. The lungs and heart are also at risk of damage due to long-term systemic infection. It has been shown that consistent dental cleanings and home care can add 2-3 years to your pet’s life.

Please call the Family Pet Hospital at 489-MEOW (6369) to set up an appointment for a complimentary dental evaluation with a nurse.

Pet Parasites

Are Your Pets Protected?
Amberly Pearce

There are six types of intestinal parasites most commonly seen in dogs and cats. The most used way of testing for these parasites is with an intestinal parasite screen. This test requires a small amount of fecal material to look at under the microscope.
The six common types of intestinal parasites are:

Roundworms: The adults live in the small intestine and the eggs are passed in the stool. Animals are infected by ingestion of other infected animals (ex. rats), fecal-oral transmission, or, by pre-natal infection. Eggs are passed in the stool 3 weeks after infection. Infection with roundworms can cause poor hair coat, diarrhea, ill-thrift, pot-bellied appearance, and sometimes a secondary bacterial pneumonia. Worms can sometimes be vomited up or seen in the feces.

Hookworms: These worms are most commonly seen in young dogs and cats. Adult worms live in the small intestine. Animals become infected with hookworms by eating infective eggs or larvae; penetration of footpads or skin by larvae; transmission through the milk while nursing; or, transmission from the mother into the fetus while still pregnant. It takes three weeks from the time of infection until eggs are passed into the stool. Hookworm infection can cause a severe and sometimes fatal anemia in the young, weak, or malnourished animals. Clinical signs are weight loss, diarrhea, and bloody, tarry stools. Sometimes the worms are seen in the feces.

Whipworms: Adults live in the large intestine and eggs are passed in the feces. Diagnosis can sometimes be difficult because whipworms are not prolific egg-layers. Infection is via fecal-oral transmission. Eggs do not appear in the feces until 3 months after infection occurs. Clinical signs that can be seen are weight loss and diarrhea, which may or may not have blood.

Tapeworms: Adult tapeworms live in the intestine of dogs and cats. Tapeworm is obtained by eating infected fleas or can be transmitted by eating infected mammals such as rats. Diagnosis is by visualization of the small, ‘rice-like’ segments in the stool, or seeing the eggs on a parasite screen. The eggs and worm segments are inconsistently shed in the feces. A negative intestinal parasite screen does not completely rule out the possibility of tapeworm infection. Clinical signs are rare since tapeworm infection rarely causes a problem. Some clinical signs can be unthriftiness, shaggy coat, irritability, diarrhea, or lethargy.

Giardia: This parasite lives in the small intestine. Infection is via the fecal-oral route. The incubation period is 1-2 weeks. Clinical signs can be inapparent, continuous, or persistent with diarrhea and weight loss.

Coccidia: Transmission is fecal-oral and usually due to unsanitary conditions. It is commonly seen in the young and immune suppressed animals. Clinical signs can be inapparent or entail weight loss, lethargy, and a mucoid diarrhea, with or without blood present.

Not only can these parasites cause problems for our pets, but many of the larvae can penetrate human skin and can cause skin and organ problems. It is recommended that no one goes around barefoot for 5-7 days after treatment to prevent infection.

To Spay or Not to Spay.

Recently, at the Family Pet Hospital, we have performed two emergency surgeries due to pyometra. Fortunately, both dogs recovered fully. Pyometra in a dog is a very serious condition. Before we look at what pyometra is, let’s review the best way to avoid pyometra….and that is the ovariohysterectomy (spay) procedure.

The word pyometra is derived from the latin “pyo” meaning pus and “metra” meaning uterus. The pyometra is an abscessed, pus-filled uterus. Toxins and bacteria leak across the uterine walls and into the bloodstream causing life-threatening toxic effects. Without treatment death is inevitable.

Usually, the patient is an older female dog. (Pyometra can occur in cats but it’s not nearly as common.) Usually, she has finished a heat cycle in the previous 1-2 months. Symptoms include a poor appetite and she may be vomiting or drinking an excessive amount of water. In the more common “open pyometra” the cervix is open and the purulent uterine content is able to drip out thus a smelly vaginal discharge is usually apparent.

In the less common “closed pyometra” the cervix is closed. In these cases, there is no vaginal discharge and the clinical presentation is more difficult to diagnose. These patients also tend to be sicker than those with open pyometra due to retention of the toxic uterine contents.

Lab work shows a pattern typical of widespread infection, which is often helpful in narrowing down the diagnosis. Radiographs may show a gigantic distended uterus though sometimes this is not obvious and ultrasound is needed to confirm the diagnosis.

With each heat cycle, the uterine lining engorges in preparation for pregnancy. Eventually, some tissue engorgement becomes excessive or persistent. This lush glandular tissue is ripe for infection. Bacteria ascend from the vagina and the uterus becomes infected and ultimately pus filled. A patient with a uterus swollen with a foul and putrid “soup”, is simply carrying a bucket of poison that would eventually kill the cat or dog. These pyometra patients, once recovered, act like puppies once their near death experience is over!

The usual treatment for pyometra is surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries. The surgery is not a minor procedure. It is crucial that the infected uterine contents do not spill and that no excess hemorrhage occurs. The surgery is challenging especially if the patient is toxic. Many of these patients require I.V. fluid therapy, antibiotics and nutritional support post-operatively.

The pros: once the infected uterus is removed (with an hour or two of surgery) the infection resolves rapidly. No possibility of disease recurrence.
The cons: Surgery must be performed on a patient that could be unstable.

Having your pet spayed represents complete prevention for this condition. A spay procedure cannot be over-emphasized. Often an owner plans to breed their pet or is undecided, time passes, and then they fear she is too old to be spayed. The female dog or cat can benefit from the ovariohysterectomy procedure at any age. The best approach is to figure that pyometra will eventually occur if the female pet is left unsprayed; any perceived risks of surgery are very much out-weighed by the risk of pyometra.

Local Animal Shelters, Humane Society, and Rescues!

By: Staci Blackett
South Utah Valley Animal Shelter 582 W. 3000 N. Spanish Fork, UT. 84660 Phone: 801-851-4080 Fax: 801-851-4089

Payson City Animal Shelter 143 West 900 North Payson, UT 84651 Phone: 801-465-4648

Mapleton City Police Department
Emergencies: Dial 911 or Dial (801) 851-4100Other calls: (801) 491-8048Address: 125 West Community Center Way, Mapleton Utah 84664

Utah Humane Society
4242 South 300 WestMurray, UT 84107
(801) 261-2919 242 SOUTH 300 WEST http://www.utahhumane.org/Home/tabid/379/Default.aspx

Pet Finder
You can search all the local shelters with this web address:
http://www.petfinder.com/ ( Home Page )
http://search.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?action=state ( Utah Shelters and Rescue Groups)

Utah Labrador Retriever Rescue ( Orem )
http://www.utahlabrescue.com/index.html


Artic Breed Rescue Group ( Provo )
Email: wmvhshelter@yahoo.com
http://arcticrescue.com/http://search.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?action=state

DONT LET YOUR PET GO TO DOGGY JAIL!

By: Staci Blackett
Mapleton City Animal Codes

Do you know the law?
Mapleton City requires that your dog or cat is licensed each year. If your animal is not licensed then you could be violating the law and be charged a fee for your animal(s). Please make sure you take a current rabies certificate to the Mapleton City Building and register your pet today.

Mapleton City Animal Codes:
Dog owners shall at all times keep their dog on a leash or within an enclosed area on their own property or the private property of another with the permission of the owner so as to prevent them from being at large or stray, from biting or harassing any person engaged in a lawful act, from interfering with the use of public property or with the use of another person's private property and from being in violation of this chapter. The owner or person charged with responsibility for a dog found running at large shall be strictly liable for any violation(s) committed by the dog, regardless of whether or not the person knows the dog is running at large. However, dogs may be at large while participating in field trials and obedience classes organized and sanctioned by recognized dog clubs, while assisting their owner or trainer in legal hunting or in herding livestock, while assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties, or while being trained for the above purposes on private land with permission of the landowner, as such dogs are under direct and effective sound-gesture control within sight of such individuals to assure that they do not violate any other provisions of law.
No person shall allow a dog in his custody to defecate or urinate on public property or any improved private property other than that of the owner or person having control of the dog to curb such a dog in order to carry out the intent of this section. An unsighted person while relying on a guide dog shall be exempt from this section. If a violation of the above occurs, such a person shall immediately remove any feces to a proper receptacle
All dogs over four (4) months of age owned, possessed or harbored by any person in the city shall be registered with the city and a tag shall be issued upon payment of a fee approved by the city.
Every owner shall be required to provide each dog with a collar or harness to which a current year's license tag is attached.
No license or vaccination tag shall be transferable from one dog to another.
The police department and persons employed for animal regulation purposes shall attempt to capture any animal found at large in violation of this chapter and may destroy an animal at large if in their judgment, such action is required for public health and safety.
The police department and persons employed for animal regulation purposes shall attempt to capture any animal found at large in violation of this chapter and may destroy an animal at large if in their judgment, such action is required for public health and safety.
Upon receipt of a lost or stray animal bearing a current year's license tag, the department and/or agents shall immediately telephone or mail to the owner of record at the address indicated on the license form, a notice of the location of the animal. Compliance with notice requirements of this section shall be deemed met if the department shall have mailed the notice to the owner of record at his address of record, postage prepaid.
The owner of an impounded animal may claim it prior to its legal disposition by providing proper identification meeting all the legal requirements and posting the applicable redemption fees for impoundment, board, medical care and/or other costs.
Dogs: The department shall hold an impounded, lost, or stray dog for not less than three (3) working days if it was not wearing a current year's license tag when impounded and for not less than five (5) working days after notice is given pursuant to this chapter if it was wearing a current year's license tag, so that the owner or custodian may claim it prior to other dispositions.
Cats: The department shall hold an impounded, lost, or stray cat for not less than twenty four (24) hours, if it was not wearing a collar or any means of identification, and appeared to be abandoned; and for not less than three (3) working days, if the cat is wearing a collar or tag that would indicate the animal is not abandoned, so that the owner or custodian may claim it prior to other dispositions.
The department may dispose of, humanely, or may transfer to a new owner upon payment of the applicable fee, any impounded animal not claimed by its owner or custodian within the prescribed holding time. Animals relinquished by their owners may be humanely destroyed without regard to the prescribed holding time in order to alleviate suffering or to protect other impounded animals from exposure to a contagious disease.
All persons bitten and the parents or guardians of minor children bitten by a dog, cat, skunk, fox, bat, coyote, bobcat, or other animal known to constitute a serious threat of rabies shall notify the police department or county health department immediately thereafter. Physicians treating such bites shall also be required to make a notification as stated. (1986 Code) These are just some of the rules and regulations for Mapleton City, for all the codes please go to: http://66.113.195.234/UT/Mapleton%20City/index.htm