Dr Deb's continuing education and your pets| perfect together

 

Dr. Deborah Breitstein recently returned from the 24th annual North American Veterinary conference held in Orlando, FL. This conference was her 11^th consecutive conference presence.  Dr. Breitstein concentrated her learning efforts in new diagnostic testing procedures and protocols for animals with heart murmurs that can allow indications of stress on the heart muscle and how to identify patients at risk for heart disease and/or congestive heart failure.  Other new and promising testing includes a sensitive blood test for animals that are at risk for pancreatitis that can give indication and direction for immediate and acute therapies to better aid the vomiting patient, the patient with a poor appetite, and those with unexplained weight loss.

Many people are also unaware that up to 20 % of healthy cats and kittens can carry the bacteria known to cause cat scratch disease.  This fact can be important for new kitten owners as well as seasoned pet parents as this disease is transmitted to people through play activity though scratches and/or "love nibbles". Dr. Breitstein and the doctors and team of Animal Health Care of Marlboro have advocated testing all new kittens at introduction into households  as well as those cats who may exhibit a myriad of clinical signs including, but not limited to, chronic upper respiratory problems, skin diseases such as acne and even is cases of premature or excessive dental disease.

For further information about any of these important diagnostic tests please contact us for more information at e-mail the animal health care team by barking back at us or follow dr deb on Twitter @yourpetsvet.

Veterinary hospital open house| pets and their people welcome!

Animal Health Care of Marlboro, an AAHA accredited companion animal hospital, is celebrating our new veterinary hospital with pets and their people. On October 21^st from 5-8 pm we are opening our doors to the pet loving community for a behind the scenes look and a front office tour to you the pet parents: both new and experienced owners and soon- to-be pet parents for a celebration of the human animal bond.

We're planning a great evening with dental demonstrations, exam room etiquette-what you can expect from the doctor-nurse team in a typical examination experience, rehab/physical therapy treadmill treatments, label reading lessons, Dr. Deb's calorie counting club for the weight challenged, and pain prevention practices, our medical boarding and kitty condos for boarding and much more!

We will have our Marlboro police dogs on premises, raffles and giveaways, and we're planning an early Howl-a-ween costume contest for our dogs and cats, too.

So Drs. Breitstein and Tepper invite you to come and meet your animal health care team who welcome you to come in "furr" a while and take a tour of our new dog house.

For further information about our open house please bark back at us at http://www.ahcmarlboro.com/and we'll be(agle) right back or e-mail the animal healthcare team yourpetsvet@ahcmarlboro.comor follow us @yourpetsvet on Twitter.com!

                                       

 

Back to school blues: your pets vet and separation anxiety

Back to school means new schedules for everyone, including our family pets. Dogs may feel the loss of extra playtime and companionship the most (especially newer additions who had so much attention during their initial training times) when they are left home as pet parents and children return to work and school on a more regular basis. 

Have you every returned home to find that in your absence the dog has chewed the woodwork into tooth picks or the pillows from the bed into a pile of fabric and stuffing?  Have the neighbors complained about barking and whining for hour after the car leaves the driveway?  Do you come home to a smelly surprise package waiting for you to clean up on the kitchen floor?

The types of experiences may indicate that your pooch suffers from separation anxiety.  Your veterinarian is the first person who should be called as we want to make sure there are no medical problems such as a bladder infection which can happen if there is not ample opportunity to go outside to eliminate (again related to that change in schedule), gastrointestinal disorders and/or neurological conditions.  If your pet is physically healthy then a series of relaxation and behavioral modification lessons can help with the coping skills and stress of not having constant human companionship.

Treatment for separation anxiety does NOT involve punishment of any kind.  We also do not want to encourage or compound the problem which can be difficult as the concerned pet parent want to console and reassure a visibly upset pet that everything is OK, but this actually validates the improper behavior.

The key to control can involve training, behavior modification, and sometime various medications useful in moderating the fear factor.  Separation is one of the consequences of our close relationship with our dogs. Your veterinarian is an integral partner in helping you and your dog deal with this stressful condition.  The end result is usually a happier pet and a less upset pet parent.

The NJVMA represents the state's 1400 licensed veterinarians and has provided some of the material used for this blog.

Drs. Breitstein and Tepper and Animal Health Care of Marlboro are members of the NJVMA and the American Animal Hospital.  For more information pet parents can also visit the AAHA website at http://www.healthypet.com/.