Calling all dog owners!

Attention all dog owners!  I was informed of an uproar of feline favoritism about a recent blog with cat quotes.  Since cats are the best I thought it only proper to point it out.  However after a lengthy discussion with the technicians and a couple doctors, I was "told" to talk a little bit about dogs. 
So here goes.....

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

~Josh Billings

 If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
~Will Rogers

If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.
~Roger Caras

 
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. 

~Ben Williams

Dogs' lives are too short.  Their only fault, really. 

~Agnes Sligh Turnbull

One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why.
~Author Unknown

A dog can express more with his tail in seconds than his owner can express with his tongue in hours. 

~Author Unknown

Bulldogs are adorable, with faces like toads that have been sat on. 

~Colette

No matter how little money and how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich.

~Louis Sabin

 

Every boy who has a dog should also have a mother, so  the dog can be fed regularly.

~Anonymous

A good dog deserves a good home.

~Proverb

 

Intelligent dogs rarely want to please people whom they do not respect.

~W.R. Koehler

The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind.  
~Theodorus Gaza

A good dog never dies, he always stays, he walks besides you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and winter's drawing near, his head within our hand in his old way.

~Anonymous

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

~Unknown

 

Merry Christmas

I was dressed up again, against my will, by the technicians. However you can print these out and add them to your Christmas tree to make it even more amazing. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Be safe and stay away from the tinsel, you will never catch it.....its everywhere!

For all you cat owners out there

Happy Fall everyone!  Thought you might like a change of pace from my extremely informative blogs and liven it up with quotes and sayings about the all important cat!  Many of them are true....a few I disagree with only because as a cat I know where I stand....way above the humans of course. 

But also on an informative note, don't forget to keep up on your furry friends heartworm prevention and flea control.  Even though the weather is cooling off as we head towards winter, it is ever important that us pets receive our monthly preventatives because we live in such a mild climate.  Mosquitoes and fleas are here year round and I hate being itchy scratchy!!  Enjoy!

 Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. ~ Anonymous

No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. ~ Leo Dworken

After dark all cats are leopards. ~ Native American Proverb

A cat's eyes are windows enabling us to see into another world. ~ Irish Legend

Even cats grow lonely and anxious.~ Mason Cooley

The cat could very well be man's best friend but would never stoop to admitting it.  ~Doug Larson

There's no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat.  ~Wesley Bates

Cats come and go without ever leaving.  ~Martha Curtis

Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later.  ~Mary Bly

Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose.  ~Garrison Keillor

Most cats, when they are Out want to be In, and vice versa, and often simultaneously.  ~Louis J. Camuti

People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life.  ~Faith Resnick

Kittens are angels with whiskers.  ~Author Unknown

No heaven will not ever Heaven be unless my cats are there to welcome me.
~Author Unknown

I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul.  ~Jean Cocteau

A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes.  ~Indian Proverb

Cats never strike a pose that isn't photogenic.  ~Lillian Jackson Braun

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.  ~Colette

One cat just leads to another.  ~Ernest Hemingway

A cat is a tiger that is fed by hand.  ~Proverb

If only cats grew into kittens.  ~R. Stern

Hallween Fun and Safety! Boo!!

Halloween is almost here!  Time for lots of candy, scary costumes and lots of trick-or-treaters!  Its also that time to be careful of potential dangers for us pets! 
 First of all, pets HATE to be dressed up!!  See my picture below, do I look happy??!! The technicians insist upon dressing me up every year, this time I am a cowboy!  I'm a girl by the way!!

If your pets like to be dressed up, take some precautions.  Never leave them unattended with their costumes on, especially if it has small pieces affixed to it that could be easily swallowed.  Make sure the costume doesn't impair vision, movement or air intake.  If you feel like your pets would like their fur dyed or colored, consult the veterinarian first as some can be toxic to pets.

With regards to candy and chocolate....chocolate is a huge threat to dogs, especially Baker's chocolate, which can make a 50 pound dog very sick!.
Sweets candy if ingested in a large quantity can cause pancreatitis which can be potentially fatal or cause organ damage.
Candy wrappers are off limits too because of the risk of causing bowel obstruction which may require surgery. 
Candles can cause great injury to curious noses and wagging tails.  In order to prevent burns, keep your pets away from any flames.
And last but not least, don't forget to have fun as well as being safe! 
For further info regarding Halloween safety please see the following link: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/2012/10/pet-poison-helpline-warns-pet-owners-about-halloween-dangers/

Happy Halloween goblins!! 

Betty Crocker

(Please see below more ridiculous photos of me)

 

 

Back to school!

 

Going back to school!!

It’s that time again kids…..back to school!!  Luckily since I am a cat and know EVERYTHING I don’t have to attend school.  Most kids are getting new pencils, notebooks, pens and an all new wardrobe.  Kids might also be getting vaccines or immunizations.  Don’t forget your pets!

Dogs and cats need to be kept up to date on their Rabies vaccine, which is required by CA state law.  There are also some other core vaccines that they need to keep them healthy and safe.  Dogs and cats need yearly blood work to monitor their overall health as well as being current on heartworm prevention and flea control.

Be sure to call us to set up an appointment today to get your pets current on vaccines, blood work and heartworm and flea control.

Toodles, Betty Crocker

Foxtails!!

Its that time of year again everyone......foxtail season!!  At Cordova Veterinary Hospital we have seen our fair share already of foxtails in the eyes and ears of both cats and dogs. 
I'm sure you have seen those fan tail weeds that grow during the spring and turn yellow towards the start of summer.  The annoying weeds that get stuck in your shoes and socks when your out walking?  Or perhaps you have a few of them growing in your back yard? 

Since I'm an indoor only cat and refuse to get my paws dirty, I have decided to send out two of my field reporters for this story.  Dookie, a 2 year old American Bulldog and Dustmop (what an ugly dog) who is a 1 year old Poodle mix to scout out the foxtails.  As the pictures show, you can see that longer haired dogs like Dustmop are a magnet for weeds, such as foxtails, and smoother coated dogs not as much.  However, don't let that fool you!  Foxtails can also become lodged between the toes especially in dogs like Dustmop with furry feet. 

Foxtails are very adept at making their way in small crevices like ears, eyes and the nose of either dogs or cats.  This can cause great injury if left untreated.  Warning signs to look for if you suspect your pet has a foxtail:

• shaking of the head nonstop
• sneezing uncontrollably (if in the nose)
• discharge from the nose such as blood
• pawing at the face/eyes
• discharge/weeping/squinting of the eyes
• ears can be painful when touched
• paws can become swollen as well as have small wounds in between the toes

So to summarize, foxtails are a bad deal and need to be addressed immediately!  Check your pets feet, furry or not, for foxtails after your walks, and try to steer clear of tall weeds.  Keep your yards free of these nasty weeds and dispose of the foxtails in your green waste to avoid any problems.  And be sure to contact us, Cordova Veterinary Hospital if you have any questions or fear your special pet has a foxtail. 
Thanks to Dookie and Dustmop for their great reporting skills.  I guess Dustmop isn't so ugly after all!

~Betty Crocker

Heartworms! 'Tis the season.....

Hello all,
Hope ya'll have been enjoying the warmer weather we have had lately. With the warmer weather, comes a few unwanted guests, namely mosquitoes.  Did you know that mosquitoes help to transmit heartworm disease?  A mosquito takes a blood meal from an infected animal like a dog or coyote and then as it bites an uninfected animal, the microfilariae, or the larval stage of the parasite, enter in the blood stream and from there take about 6 months to develop into a full grown adult.  The adult worm makes its home in the heart, hence the word Heartworm disease.  Heartworm disease can be fatal if left untreated!!

The current treatment for a dog with heartworm disease is a very costly and the medication is on an allocation basis only.  However this diease is preventable!!  Here at Cordova Veterinary Hospital we recommend giving your dog a once monthly pill such as Interceptor or Sentinel to help prevent this disease, which is much more cost efficient, on top of being easier to do.  We also recommend that dogs be heartworm tested annually, even if they are on a preventative.

Cats should not be forgotten in this potentially fatal disease!  We are also susceptible to this awful ailment.  Cats should be given Revolution once monthly as this protects us not only from fleas but heartworm disease too.  Even though I live in an air conditioned castle, a.k.a. Cordova Veterinary Hospital, I am given Revolution on a regular basis, because you never know where mosquitoes are lurking. 
**My information was taken from http://www.heartwormsociety.org/ which has helpful information that I encourage you and your pets to read.  Also below is an interactive map to find confirmed cases of heartworm disease as well as tick borne diseases.

http://www.dogsandticks.com/diseases_in_your_area.php


http://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm.html#where

Thanks for you undivided attention, I've got to get back to filing, its never ending here!!