Top 10 Tips for Safe Car Travel With Your Pet

 For some pet parents, a trip's no fun if the four-legged members of the family can't come. But traveling can be highly stressful, both for you and your animal companions. With thoughtful preparation, you can ensure a safe and comfortable trip for everyone.

Planning a road trip? Traveling with a pet involves more than just loading the animal in the back seat and motoring off—especially if you will be driving long distances or plan to be away for a long time. The ASPCA offers the following tips to help you prepare for a safe and smooth car trip:

1. Keep your pets safe and secure in a well-ventilated crate or carrier. There are a variety of wire mesh, hard plastic and soft-sided carriers available. Whatever you choose, make sure it's large enough for your pet to stand, sit, lie down and turn around in. And P.S., it's smart to get your pet used to the carrier in the comfort of your home before your trip.

 2. Get your pet geared up for a long trip by taking him on a series of short drives first, gradually lengthening time spent in the car. And please be sure to always secure the crate so it won't slide or shift in the event of a quick stop.

 3. Your pet's travel-feeding schedule should start with a light meal three to four hours prior to departure. Don't feed your furry friend in a moving vehicle—even if it is a long drive.

 4. Never leave your animal alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, even with the windows open, a parked automobile can become a furnace in no time, and heatstroke can develop. In cold weather, a car can act as a refrigerator, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.

 5. What in your pet's traveling kit? In addition to travel papers, food, bowl, leash, a waste scoop, plastic bags, grooming supplies, medication and a pet first-aid kit, pack a favorite toy or pillow to give your pet a sense of familiarity.

 6. Make sure your pet has a microchip for identification and wears a collar with a tag imprinted with your home address, as well as a temporary travel tag with your cell phone, destination phone number and any other relevant contact information. Canines should wear flat (never choke!) collars, please.

 7. Don't allow your pet to ride with his head outside the window. He could be injured by flying objects. And please keep him in the back seat in his crate or with a harness attached to a seat buckle.

 8. Traveling across state lines? Bring along your pet's rabies vaccination record, as some states requires this proof at certain interstate crossings. While this generally isn't a problem, it's always smart to be on the safe side.

 9. When it comes to H2O, we say BYO. Opt for bottled water or tap water stored in plastic jugs. Drinking water from an area he's not used to could result in tummy upset for your pet.

 10. If you travel frequently with your pet, you may want to invest in rubberized floor liners and waterproof seat covers, available at auto product retailers.

 SOURCE: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/car-travel-tips

Dr. Chalaporn Hathaidharm

We are proud to welcome Dr. Hathaidharm to Arguello Pet Hospital! 

Read her biography below: 

I am originally from southern California, and am looking forward to making the San Francisco Bay Area my permanent home and being a part of this wonderfully diverse community. 

I graduated with honors from UC San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a double minor in sociology and cognitive science.  I briefly worked in industry as a computer scientist at a startup company, went to graduate school, and eventually made the decision to switch career paths to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian.

After gaining experience as a volunteer at an animal shelter and working as a veterinary assistant, I was accepted to Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine.  I was inducted into the Phi Zeta Honor Society and graduated with honors in 2010. I completed a small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in New Jersey in 2011, and an internal medicine specialty internship at the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center of Westbury in New York in 2012. Before joining the team at Arguello Pet Hospital, I worked as a general practitioner and emergency relief veterinarian in California’s Central Valley.

My professional interests include internal medicine, critical care, ultrasonography, endoscopy, and laparoscopic procedures.  In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, birding, reading, photography, watching documentaries, and am enthusiastically taking piano lessons as an adult student.  I live with two cats, Cozy (a hurricane Ike rescue) and Minichuf.

Pet Safety Tips for Memorial Day

Like many Americans, you may be planning a festive Memorial Day, complete with barbecue and fireworks. It’s important to remember, fireworks and dogs don't mix.

Unlike people, dogs won’t associate the noise, flashes, and burning smell of pyrotechnics with a celebration. Fireworks will often cause panic and anxiety in dogs. It’s important to remember that dogs panic at the sound of fireworks and flee into the night, often winding up lost, injured, or killed.

Here are a few tips to help keep your pet safe this Memorial Day.

1.      Keep your pet indoors at all times, if possible.

2.      Use Pet Friendly Repellent.

3.      Don’t give your pet table food.

Source: http://tiny.cc/4x14ex

Spring Garden Safety

 As springtime nears, we are all preparing for warm weather by tending our gardens and getting our lawns in order. If you are using any kind of chemicals to perform these tasks, including fertilizers, weed repellent or killers, pest control, and more, make sure you follow all application instructions in order to keep pets and children safe. 

Most of these products recommend keeping pets off the application site for several days, for their safety. If you believe that your pet has accidentally ingested one of these poisonous substances, please contact us immediately.

Chemical safety is a big concern for pet owners, so some lawn care companies have met our requests for safer products. Next time you visit a home store in search of garden chemicals, ask for the pet safe products. Use your discretion: if the package doesn’t say it’s safe for pets, it probably isn’t. Be sure to follow all safety instructions to the letter.

Why Dental Care Is Important

You may wonder what the veterinarian is looking at when he lifts your pet’s lip to look at his/her teeth.  Just like us, pets can get dental disease and the veterinarian is actually “grading” the teeth based on the conditions present in the mouth.

The scale that the veterinarian uses is simple:  Grade 0 is the best (usually present in puppies, kittens and pets that have just had their teeth professionally cleaned.  Grade 2 is the most common in the pets seen at Cherokee, which indicates redness of the gums caused by plaque buildup.  As long as the tooth structure itself is not affected, this is the highest stage of dental disease that can be addressed with a simple “dental prophy”, or cleaning.   

Once the mouth reaches Grade 3 or 4, a full surgical dental cleaning is needed, which includes extractions, gum pocket treatment, antibiotic therapy and probably pain medication.  Obviously, the costs increase with this type of dental cleaning also.

Fortunately there are things that can be done to either eliminate or slow down the need for a professional cleaning.   Several products are made specifically for plaque control and dental disease prevention.  These will be discussed later in the month.

If you are wondering which “grade” your pet’s mouth received, it should be on the last report card that was given to you during your pet’s last physical examination.  If it has been 6 months or longer since that physical, chances are the dental disease has progressed.  We will always happily have a Registered Veterinary Technician grade your pet’s teeth at no charge.  Once the teeth are graded, he or she can discuss ways to improve the grade.

Please watch for further information on dental disease during February, National Dental Disease Prevention Month in the veterinary world!

Pets as Christmas gifts

Sometimes it may seem like a cute idea to give someone a pet as a Christmas present, but it’s important to give that some extra thought before you do it. Most pets that are given up lose their home because their owner loses interest in them or is unprepared for the responsibility of pet ownership. This is a huge problem seen among pet owners who receive their pets as “gifts.” Children especially are given the mistaken idea that pets are all fun and games, but they are not fully ready to take on the responsibility of feeding, walking, cleaning, and training their pet.

Instead of giving pets as presents, we recommend getting acclimated to the idea of bringing a new pet into your home. Bringing your children to volunteer at an animal shelter or babysitting the pet of a friend or family member can help. 

Children and potential pet owners (no matter their age!) need to be reminded that pets aren’t just cute; they are also hungry, need to exercise, and need to use the bathroom. They can be messy when they aren’t fully trained, and the training process can be difficult too. Please, don’t adopt until everyone in your family is READY.

Dental Care for your pets

Dental care for your pets is very important.  Schedule regular visits with us.  Call us today for more information about the dental services we provide or to schedule an appointment.  Check out the before and after of this cat who came for a cleaning. 


Before

After