Unless your dog is a Husky, Samoyed or Malamute, he’s probably not all that thrilled with winter weather and being outdoors for too long. Going on walks will be more challenging, but with a few precautions, you and your dog can continue to enjoy exercising outdoors.

Foot Care

Snow and ice will accumulate between the pads of your pet’s feet, especially if the hair is longer between the pads. These “ice balls” need to be removed from your dog’s paws whenever they come in from the snow. Lingering ice balls will scratch and irritate the pads, causing pain and discomfort.

Salt and De-Icers

When walking on sidewalks and driveways that have been treated with salt or de-icers, it is important to clean your pet’s paws as soon as you are indoors. Don’t give your pet the opportunity to start licking their paws, as these ice treatments can cause gastrointestinal upset. Use a damp cloth or towel to clean your pet’s paws before the de-icing agents cause chapping and drying to the paw pads.

Arthritic Pets

Pets with arthritis will be affected by cold, damp weather. Be sure to approach icy walkways with caution, so your pet doesn’t risk slipping and falling. In colder weather, cushioned and even heated bedding will benefit and relieve your arthritic pet.

Outdoor Cautions

The warm engine of your parked car may become a refuge for outdoor cats who are seeking warmth. Avoid injuries to them by knocking on the hood of your car or honking your horn before your put your car in gear.

Antifreeze is a lethal poison to animals. A few licks of spilled antifreeze can cause antifreeze toxicity, and a trip to the emergency hospital. Keep your antifreeze locked up in your garage and be sure to thoroughly clean all spills immediately to protect your pet.

If you suspect your pet has suffered a cold weather injury or illness, please call your veterinarian immediately. Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center support staff are happy to answer your individual questions at 317.257.5334 or 317.726.2701. Next week, our post will discuss emergency preparedness for the winter weather. Enjoy the winter months!

One American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) member veterinarian is chosen each year in recognition for their outstanding efforts to positively influence the lives of animals and people. This year, Dr. Heinz was nominated by one of her clients. This nomination was supported by two more client essays, telling the stories of their relationships with Dr. Heinz over the past few years.

Dr. Christine Heinz received her DVM degree from the University of Illlinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. Before becoming an Illini, Dr. Heinz was a proud Spartan, earning a B.S. in Animal Science and graduating with honors in 2002 from Michigan State University- Go Green!

Christine is a native of suburban Chicago, where her immediate family and most of her extended family still reside. While she greatly misses deep-dish pizza, Christine is very happy to call Indianapolis her home. She lives in the Broad Ripple area, not too far from BRAC, with her husband, Aaron, and their two dogs, Kodie and Staley. Kodie was a blood donor dog at the teaching hospital at Michigan State before Christine was lucky enough to be able to take him home. Staley came from the Indianapolis Humane Society and became a wonderful addition to the family and is a great “brother” to Kodie. Christine loves to be outdoors with Aaron and their dogs, will jump on the chance to do a little downhill skiing, and enjoys cooking and trying different ethnic cuisines.

Dr. Heinz’s philosophy of veterinary care: ” I love talking to people about their pets! I want people to understand what is going on with the health of their pet, so that they can feel secure in the decisions they make regarding their little ones. I think that everyone has a different and unique bond with their pets and it’s my job to treat not only their pets, but also their owners with the care, commitment, and compassion that they deserve.”

Dr. Heinz will be recognized at the AAHA Long Beach 2010 Conference in March 2010. She would like to thank everyone who supports her, and entrusts their pets’ care to her as a veterinarian.

• Monthly text reminders to give your pet their heartworm & flea prevention
• Pet health alerts (remember the pet food recall of 2008?)
• Special text offers
• Club member text discounts

We promise not to text you “willy-nilly”! We will use this service to enhance your experience as a loyal Broad Ripple Animal Clinic & Wellness Center client, offering a higher level of service and attention. To join, simply send the text message: bracpet to 69302. You can opt-out at anytime, if you wish to discontinue the service.

The 13-year old cat in Iowa developed signs of a respiratory infection after several people in the household became ill. Preliminary testing was positive for H1N1 on October 29 and the results were confirmed on November 2. This is the first report of a cat infected with the H1N1 influenza virus.

It’s important to seek veterinary care if your pet develops any signs of illness or respiratory problems. To help keep your pets healthy you should take preventative measures such as washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and minimizing contact with your pets while ill with influenza-like symptoms.

Diabetes is not a curable disease, but with proper insulin administration, this disease can be controlled.

Blood and urine sugar must be monitored very carefully until your pet’s condition is stabilized. Once your pet’s insulin requirements are determined and blood-sugar levels are stabilized, only urine sugar needs to be monitored.

Diet and exercise play important parts in managing your pet’s diabetes. Your pet should eat a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Exercise decreases the need for insulin. For proper regulation, the amount of daily exercise should be kept consistent.

During a diabetic pet’s maintenance therapy, there can be episodes when the body is getting too much insulin and the blood-sugar drops too low. This can happen at times of stress or when there has not been enough food intake to counteract the effects of the insulin. When this happens, your pet may become groggy, listless, cold, uncoordinated, or possibly unconscious. If this should occur, and your pet is conscious, immediately offer food. If your pet will not eat, repeatedly rub Karo syrup or honey on your pet’s gums. Swallowing is not necessary as the sugars are absorbed directly through the mucous membranes in the mouth. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

Hormones present during “heat” and pregnancy antagonize the effects of insulin. Diabetic females should be spayed as soon as their insulin levels are regulated.

During the early weeks of treatment, several medical progress examinations may be necessary with your veterinarian. Call your doctor when questions or problems arise. Make sure you fully understand all aspects of your pet’s home care.

Notify your veterinarian if any of the following occur:

• You cannot give the insulin as directed, or urine-sugar levels increase.
• Your pet’s thirst and urination increase.
• Your pet has diarrhea or vomits.
• Your pet acts weak or depressed.
• Your pet has repeated bouts of low blood-sugar.

November is National Pet Diabetes Month. To learn more about this disease, visit www.petdiabetesmonth.com or call us at 317-257-5334.

Despite all the fun, we can’t let down our guard when it comes to our pets’ health. Halloween candy can pose a serious health risk to cats and dogs alike. Dr. David Lee, of Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center says, “If your pet gets into your Halloween candy, contact your veterinarian immediately.”

In most cases, accidental ingestion of candy causes an upset stomach and perhaps bouts of diarrhea. But there are a number of other things to keep in mind.

• Chocolate can be toxic if eaten by your pet. Depending on the amount consumed, your veterinarian may need to induce vomiting with activated charcoal, hospitalize and observe your pet while offering supportive care. Dark chocolate is MORE toxic than equal amounts of milk chocolate.
• Some types of candy, especially suckers and lollipops can be quite dangerous. Your dog may eat the stick (or handle) of the sucker, causing a foreign body obstruction. In these cases, x-rays are in order, with a possibility for surgery to remove the stick.

Chocolate contains caffeine, so your dog may be displaying the same symptoms you might expect of a person who has consumed too much caffeine. They may act jittery, have tremors, or even begin to have seizure activity. If you see any of these warning signs in your pet, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The Doctors and Staff at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center wish you and your pets a safe and Happy Halloween!

Our pets crave structure and routine. Anytime we can anticipate a change from our normal routine, we should take into consideration the impact this will have on our pets. Are you ready for Halloween this year?

• Dogs can especially become frightened by strangers in costume. It is always a good idea to condition your pet to different types of clothing, so they can become accustomed to a variety of different types of clothing. At Bark Tutor School for Dogs, the instructors frequently play “dress-up”, donning an assortment of uniforms, costumes, hats and jackets. This helps socialize dogs to be less fearful of strangers.
• Be prepared to kennel or crate your dog at least 30 minutes before trick-or-treat begins. The doorbell is going to ring constantly for about two hours, and the safest place for your dog is somewhere familiar and comfortable, away from the front door, which will be open almost constantly that evening.
• The same is a good idea for your cat. Set them up in a spare bedroom with access to their litter box, food and water. This will prevent any accidental escapes out the front door.
• Once your children are home for the evening and sorting out the goodies they’ve collected, their candy is a source of danger to your dog. Chocolate, if ingested in a large enough quantity is extremely toxic. Make sure your dog cannot reach your child’s Halloween candy. If your dog finds and eats candy, always contact your veterinarian immediately.
• Costumes are fun, and pet costumes have become very popular. If your dog or cat are tolerant to being “dressed-up”, take some photos and post them to our Facebook Fan page! When dressing your pet up, it’s important to remember to supervise them at all times. If left alone, pets in costume have been known to chew up their costumes, or become entangled in them while trying to remove them.

We hope everyone has a fun, but safe Halloween this year. A little planning and precaution will go a long way in keeping your pet out of harm’s way, as well as keeping your peace of mind intact. Happy Halloween!

While rabies cases continue to exist predominantly in wildlife, our pets are still at-risk, especially cats. Why cats? Cats are curious stalkers and bats carrying rabies have exposed cats to this deadly risk…even indoor only cats! Most people can remember an instance when a bat has entered the home by way of the chimney, becoming trapped, unable to find its way back outside. It’s only natural that a cat’s instincts would kick-in when this happens, causing your mild-mannered house cat to pursue this tiny intruder.

Nationwide, rabies cases have dropped by 3.1% this year. But in Indiana the number of cases seen so far in 2009 has increased by 160%, reports the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. How does this impact you and your household? According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners, more work needs to be done when it comes to controlling rabies in pets, especially cats and dogs. Cats led the list of domestic animals with reported cases of rabies in 2008. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 294 reported cases of rabies in cats last year, up about 12% from the 262 reported cases in 2007. Dog-related cases totaled 75 in 2008, down from 93 in 2007. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) believes this is due to the fact that while more dogs are being properly vaccinated, cats are not getting to their veterinarian as often as they should.

The AVMA conducted a recent study that showed 36.3% of U.S. cat-owning households did not visit a veterinarian in 2006. In contrast, a similar study indicated that 17.3% of dog-owning households did not visit a veterinarian in 2006. Vaccination has been shown to prevent and control the spread of rabies in dogs, and now it’s time to make that same impact on our cat population. Protect your purring family member today, by seeing your veterinarian.

1) Twice-a-Year Wellness Exams. Because pets age seven times faster, on average, than people do, health problems can occur in a short amount of time. Six-month wellness exams allow us to diagnose, treat and even prevent health problems before they become serious.

2) Disease Prevention. When you bring your pet in for a wellness exam, we’ll conduct a risk assessment to determine your pet’s exposure to various diseases. We’ll also use a “Wellness Checklist” to design a vaccination and wellness plan to help protect your pet from disease threats.

3) Pet Health Insurance. When your pet’s wellness exams, vaccinations and other preventive care are covered by pet health insurance, both you and your pet benefit. And, pet health insurance provides greater peace of mind knowing your pet is covered when unexpected medical expenses arise. We can help you determine if pet health insurance is right for your pet.

Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center is one of 15,000 veterinary clinics nationwide participating in National Pet Wellness, an educational initiative sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Fort Dodge Animal Health and VPI^® Pet Insurance.

Want to know more about pet aging, wellness exams, vaccination or pet health insurance? Feel free to call us at 317.257.5334 or 317.726.2711 and visit NPWM.com for more information.