Official Representative of ABC Animal and Bird Clinic

 

 

 


April

National First Aid Awareness Day

National Pet Month

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month

April 10th: National Pet Day

April 26th: National Kids and Pet's Day

April 29th: Hairball Awareness Day


Springtime is lovely, isn't it?  Birds are flying around making all of those nests, butterflies are just begging to be caught and stray fleas are looking for new homes.

 

One thing that all of our pets need to watch out for are those springtime menaces that can get us into trouble.  I'm talking toxins, poisons and other nasties that can end us up in a tight spot.  

 

Here's some particular ones to watch for:

- Lilies (all parts - like the petals, leaves etc are extremely toxic to cats)

- Slug Bait: held together with molasses and bran, which is palatable to dogs, comes in pellets, granules, powders and liquid.

- Pyrethroids (topical insecticides used for dogs), products like Advantix are very toxic to cats if ingested, they are usually groomed off of themselves or a family pet

- Sago Palm: commonly found in this area, dogs will typically ingest 

 

Here is the ASPCA's top 10 list of common toxins in 2011:

10. Automotive Products

9. Lawn/Garden Products (3900 calls)

8. Plants (4% of phone calls, more cat than dog)

7. Rodenticides 

6. Veterinary Medications (watch those NSAIDs like Rimadyl)

5. Household Products

4. People Food - Chocolate and Xylitol; 7600 calls

3. OTC human medications

2. Insecticides (11% of calls)

1. Prescription Human Medications (Cardiac and ADHD topped the list)

 

Conclusions?  Keep any potentially dangerous chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides out of reach of any pets.  Keep an eye on those houseplants or outdoor blooming plants for bite marks or other signs of pet interest.  Think your pet ingested something it shouldn't have?  Call us immediately!  It helps to know what they might have ingested (if you have a product bag or something similar for identification purposes) and how long ago it was consumed.  

 

Enjoy the rest of the cool spring weather before summer hits!

 

Cheers!

Buster >'.'<

 

 

 

***
Let me get some introductions out of the way.  My name is Buster-Brown, Buster for those of you on a first-name basis.  I am barely a kitten at 16 years and due to my handsome black and white markings, can hardly keep the ladies away.  I have been with ABC since 2008 and in many ways my life didn't really start until I was adopted.  I came here in bad shape.  Wounds covered my body and were infested with maggots.  I tested positive for FIV and I couldn't remember the last time I had felt that sick.  The first part of my life I lived as a feral, street-cat who answered only to the moon.  Boy! I only thought I had the life.  Staying up all hours, filling my belly with only what I could hunt or salvage out of trash bins, fighting for territory, mates, or just because some bloke looked at me funny, and contracting diseases.  Little did I know what awaited me with this humble collection of animal lovers.  Now, I have a strict curfew (which I will occasionally try to fight by hiding), two square meals per day and medical care at the smallest twitch of a problem, and plenty of love and entertainment.  This is why I am the perfect representative for ABC.  Still doubt my qualifications?  Swing by to say "Hi," I'll make a believer out of you.