Seasonal Tips
Especially Fur You.
New Tips Coming Soon!
The fact that your pet needs heartworm prevention and testing annually is common knowledge among pet owners, but other information about this serious disease sometimes lies shrouded in fiction. Understanding the truth about the cause of heartworm disease, the noticeable illness signs, available treatments, and how to best prevent the disease will go a long way toward protecting your pet from disease. Read on, to decipher fact from fiction about heartworm disease in pets.
Fireworks stands will soon be lining the streets and the familiar booms will be echoing in the night sky. Whether you love lighting firecrackers or wish we could fast forward to August, fireworks are a common fixture during the summer months, and noisy celebrations aren’t likely to disappear any time soon. While people associate fireworks with patriotism, barbecues, and celebrations, for pets they symbolize something quite different—loud, scary noise. Many pets feel a tremendous amount of fear, confusion, and anxiety at the sights and sounds of fireworks. Fortunately, you can alleviate these fears while keeping your pet safe and secure with these five tips from our Narcoossee Oaks Animal Hospital team.
As freshness fills the air during the season of renewal, there’s no better time to clean your home from top to bottom. However, many ingredients in cleaning chemicals are toxic to pets. Cleaning products to keep away from your pet include:
- Bleach — Bleach, which contains chlorine, is found in basic laundry and dishwashing detergents, toilet bowl cleaners, and all-purpose cleaners. Bleach ingestion can result in oral ulcerations, drooling, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
- Ammonia — Cleaning solutions for ovens, windows, stainless steel, and floor wax contain ammonia. This chemical can burn the mucous membranes in the lungs, and, when mixed with bleach, can create a deadly poisonous gas. Ammonia toxicity signs include loss of appetite, irritability, confusion, lethargy, aggression, seizures, and coma.
- Glycol ethers — Glycol ethers are found in liquid soap, spot removers, carpet cleaners, and glass cleaners, as well as some “natural” home cleaning solutions. Glycol ethers may lead to liver, kidney, and nerve damage, in addition to gastrointestinal issues.
Nothing brightens up springtime more than fresh blossoms bursting forth from a well-tended flower bed. However, your garden can contain several plants and products that could harm your pet, including:
- Tulips and hyacinth — The toxic portion of these plants is concentrated in the bulbs versus the leaf or flower, so prevent your pet from digging up the bulbs. When your pet chews the plant parts or bulbs, oral and esophageal irritation can result. Typically, you’ll see profuse drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. If they consume large amounts, you may notice an increased heart rate and respiratory changes.
- Daffodils — Daffodils contain an alkaloid compound with strong emetic properties. Ingestion of any plant part triggers severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and potentially cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory depression.
- Lilies — Peace, Peruvian, and calla lilies, which are more benign flowers than true lilies, cause only minor drooling, but true lilies, which include tiger, day, Asiatic, Easter, and Japanese show lilies, are potentially fatal for cats. Ingestion of only two or three petals or leaves, or the vase water, can result in severe kidney failure.
- Crocus — The crocus that blooms in the spring is more common, and causes only general gastrointestinal upset when ingested. The autumn crocus, on the other hand, is highly toxic, and can cause severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and kidney damage, and respiratory failure. Signs may be seen immediately, or delayed for days.
- Lily of the valley — Ingestion of this plant can cause vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in heart rate, severe cardiac arrhythmias, and possibly seizures.
- Fertilizers — Fertilizers can contain blood meal, bone meal, organophosphates, or iron, which can be toxic to pets. Vomiting, diarrhea, pancreatitis, salivation, tearing, urination, defecation, seizures, and cardiac and respiratory effects are potential side effects from ingesting fertilizers that contain these ingredients.
- Insecticides and pesticides — Most insecticides or pesticides that come in spray cans are only irritants and not a huge concern. However, some contain organophosphates, which can be life-threatening to pets when consumed in large quantities.
To determine if your planned plantings should be kept out of paws’ reach, check the ASPCA’s list of toxic and non-toxic plants.
New Tips Coming Soon!
The fact that your pet needs heartworm prevention and testing annually is common knowledge among pet owners, but other information about this serious disease sometimes lies shrouded in fiction. Understanding the truth about the cause of heartworm disease, the noticeable illness signs, available treatments, and how to best prevent the disease will go a long way toward protecting your pet from disease. Read on, to decipher fact from fiction about heartworm disease in pets.
Fireworks stands will soon be lining the streets and the familiar booms will be echoing in the night sky. Whether you love lighting firecrackers or wish we could fast forward to August, fireworks are a common fixture during the summer months, and noisy celebrations aren’t likely to disappear any time soon. While people associate fireworks with patriotism, barbecues, and celebrations, for pets they symbolize something quite different—loud, scary noise. Many pets feel a tremendous amount of fear, confusion, and anxiety at the sights and sounds of fireworks. Fortunately, you can alleviate these fears while keeping your pet safe and secure with these five tips from our Narcoossee Oaks Animal Hospital team.
As freshness fills the air during the season of renewal, there’s no better time to clean your home from top to bottom. However, many ingredients in cleaning chemicals are toxic to pets. Cleaning products to keep away from your pet include:
- Bleach — Bleach, which contains chlorine, is found in basic laundry and dishwashing detergents, toilet bowl cleaners, and all-purpose cleaners. Bleach ingestion can result in oral ulcerations, drooling, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
- Ammonia — Cleaning solutions for ovens, windows, stainless steel, and floor wax contain ammonia. This chemical can burn the mucous membranes in the lungs, and, when mixed with bleach, can create a deadly poisonous gas. Ammonia toxicity signs include loss of appetite, irritability, confusion, lethargy, aggression, seizures, and coma.
- Glycol ethers — Glycol ethers are found in liquid soap, spot removers, carpet cleaners, and glass cleaners, as well as some “natural” home cleaning solutions. Glycol ethers may lead to liver, kidney, and nerve damage, in addition to gastrointestinal issues.
Nothing brightens up springtime more than fresh blossoms bursting forth from a well-tended flower bed. However, your garden can contain several plants and products that could harm your pet, including:
- Tulips and hyacinth — The toxic portion of these plants is concentrated in the bulbs versus the leaf or flower, so prevent your pet from digging up the bulbs. When your pet chews the plant parts or bulbs, oral and esophageal irritation can result. Typically, you’ll see profuse drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. If they consume large amounts, you may notice an increased heart rate and respiratory changes.
- Daffodils — Daffodils contain an alkaloid compound with strong emetic properties. Ingestion of any plant part triggers severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and potentially cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory depression.
- Lilies — Peace, Peruvian, and calla lilies, which are more benign flowers than true lilies, cause only minor drooling, but true lilies, which include tiger, day, Asiatic, Easter, and Japanese show lilies, are potentially fatal for cats. Ingestion of only two or three petals or leaves, or the vase water, can result in severe kidney failure.
- Crocus — The crocus that blooms in the spring is more common, and causes only general gastrointestinal upset when ingested. The autumn crocus, on the other hand, is highly toxic, and can cause severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and kidney damage, and respiratory failure. Signs may be seen immediately, or delayed for days.
- Lily of the valley — Ingestion of this plant can cause vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in heart rate, severe cardiac arrhythmias, and possibly seizures.
- Fertilizers — Fertilizers can contain blood meal, bone meal, organophosphates, or iron, which can be toxic to pets. Vomiting, diarrhea, pancreatitis, salivation, tearing, urination, defecation, seizures, and cardiac and respiratory effects are potential side effects from ingesting fertilizers that contain these ingredients.
- Insecticides and pesticides — Most insecticides or pesticides that come in spray cans are only irritants and not a huge concern. However, some contain organophosphates, which can be life-threatening to pets when consumed in large quantities.
To determine if your planned plantings should be kept out of paws’ reach, check the ASPCA’s list of toxic and non-toxic plants.
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Dogs: Rabies, DHP-Parvo, Bordetella, Influenza, Negative Fecal Test within Past 6 Months.
Cats: Rabies, FVRCP, FeLV, Negative Fecal Test within Past 6 Months.
If your pet is not up to date on any one of the above health requirements, we can bring them up to date for you at an additional charge. Please ask for details and pricing.
Doctor-supervised sedated grooming is available at an additional charge. Please ask for details and pricing.
All shampoos are soap-free and cruelty-free with a soothing aloe and oatmeal based formula and are available for purchase for at-home use. Regular scent: Pina Colada
*PLEASE NOTE: Prices may vary based upon coat type and condition. Additional charges may be added for behavior and handling issues, de-matting, or for breed specific maintenance. Final prices determined at the discretion of the groomer based on criteria listed above.