Mountain Pets

01/24/2025

Happy birthday Gabbers! You serve as everyone's anchor in this endeavor and I am grateful you are thriving at 13. ❤️🐾🐾🐾🥳🎉

01/12/2025

Every single time this golden went outside she gleefully rolled in snow. If I were a golden I’d be a snow covered hot mess too. 😂

01/08/2025

Moments in my day which bring me back down to earth

01/07/2025

PLEASE DO NOT FEED YOUR CATS RAW DIETS RIGHT NOW.

From the AVMA:

Avian influenza A (H5N1) in cats

Since the U.S. outbreak of avian influenza A (H5N1) in dairy cattle began in March 2024, dozens of cats are known to have contracted the virus, including barn and feral cats, indoor cats, and big cats in zoos and in the wild (e.g., mountain lions, tigers, leopards, and bobcats). Cats were already known to be susceptible to the H5N1 virus, with several feline cases linked to poultry or wild bird exposure before the cattle outbreak began.

Cats appear to be particularly susceptible to severe illness, often resulting in death. The good news is that infection can be prevented with a few simple practices.

How do cats become infected?

Recent investigations implicate food as a source of infection for cats, most often unpasteurized milk and raw or undercooked meat (e.g., poultry). Other potential sources include:

Raw colostrum and other unpasteurized dairy products (like cream)
Exposure to infected wild birds or poultry
Exposure to people who work on affected farms and to their clothing or other fomites
What are the clinical signs of H5N1 in cats?

Illness may start with loss of appetite, lethargy, and fever, then quickly progress, with cats exhibiting:

Neurologic signs (e.g., ataxia, circling, tremors, seizures, or blindness)
Severe depression
Copious oculonasal discharge
Other respiratory signs, including tachypnea, dyspnea, and possibly sneezing or coughing
What should I do if I suspect a cat has H5N1?

The risk of cats spreading H5N1 to people is considered extremely low, but is not zero. If you suspect a cat has H5N1:

Take steps to protect yourself and other members of your veterinary team, as described by the CDC.
Use your clinic’s protocols for isolating and managing patients with suspected zoonotic diseases. A good resource is the guidelines published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians.
Consider rabies as a differential diagnosis for cats with neurologic signs.
Report the suspected case to your state animal health official, state public health veterinarian, or state veterinary diagnostic laboratory. They may direct you to submit samples for testing.
For antemortem detection of the virus, oropharyngeal swabs and urine, serum, or whole blood are suitable.
For postmortem diagnosis, brain and lung tissue may be submitted.
What should cat owners do if H5N1 is suspected?

To play it safe, cat owners should:

Call their veterinary clinic—before taking cats in to be seen—and describe any clinical signs they have noticed so that the veterinary team can be ready when the patient arrives.
Limit their cat’s contact with immunocompromised individuals if any exposure to the virus is possible.
Protect themselves and others from influenza by following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Monitor their family and other animals that might have been exposed for signs of illness, and report any human illness to their local public health official.
How can H5N1 infection be prevented in cats?

Cat owners and caretakers are urged to follow these tips:

Refrain from feeding cats any dairy products or colostrum that have not first been pasteurized or thoroughly cooked to kill the virus.
Thoroughly cook meat before feeding, and avoid feeding raw meat-based treats or diets.
Keep cats indoors to prevent exposure to birds and other wildlife.
Avoid contact with sick or dead birds and other wildlife yourself.
Keep cats away from livestock, poultry, and their environments, especially in areas with known H5N1 outbreaks.
Take steps to prevent contact between captive big cats and wild birds (e.g., covering enclosures with netting and removing bird attractants nearby) in areas where H5N1 is circulating.
Thoroughly wash your hands after handling your cat and after any encounters with poultry, livestock, or wild birds and other animals.
Change your clothes and shoes, and thoroughly wash any exposed skin, after interacting with sick or dead animals that may harbor the H5N1 virus, and before interacting with your cat.
Immediately contact your veterinarian if you notice signs of H5N1 or think your cat might have been exposed to the virus.

12/26/2024

Remi (in the middle) is a new 15 month old spaniel client who has been here four days now. It usually takes about three days for a dog to settle in to a groove with us here. The transition is a bit more noticeable with young ones, as they are still developing in many ways and are impressionable. Can you tell that they are in groove with each other? I love it!

12/25/2024

Here with our pups and ‘Remi’ this Christmas eve and wishing you are all surrounded with the people and things that make you feel loved and happy. 🎄

12/20/2024

Gabby's professional massage at Zenpet yesterday, paired with her fun treat-based home exercises, has brought out a dazzling sparkle in her eyes tonight. She is 13 years old in January.

12/18/2024

Penn State students - looking for last minute, reliable, and professional care for your small pet over the holiday break. We are offering holiday boarding for reptiles, gerbils and hamsters for 50% OFF for students currently enrolled.

Mountain Pets welcomes you to the best services in farm sitting and pet boarding in the State College area, including dog boarding, bird boarding and small animal boarding.

12/11/2024

These three would like to present to you the availabilty of next years’ Centre County dog license tags and that they are RED this year.

https://www.doglicenses.us/PA/Centre/

12/03/2024

This sweet girl is here for an overnight boarding assessment. She gets exposed to our home environment and boarding service for 24 hours to see if she’s a good-fit Mountain Pets dog.

11/29/2024

Time to blaze up for rifle season, through December 14!

11/29/2024

Myself and one of my farm clients were interviewed in the writing of this article about farm sitters in Pennsylvania. Grateful for the spotlight and insight on farm sitting services!!

Pennsylvania has tens of thousands of farms, most family-owned. So who’s watching the animals when they’re gone?

11/25/2024

Jonathan is quite the ‘cool cat’ and feeling at home here in one of our enclosures….

11/22/2024

Meet Jonathan. I picked him up yesterday in this cute backpack carrier. He’s staying through Thanksgiving. More to come.

11/20/2024

Posting an update as I have not been as active on social media since summer. Everything has been going great but work has been somewhat slower since June due to personal matters and unknown economic trends. I have been taking advantage of the extra personal time!!!

I have turned down quite a number of same-week-new-client dog boarding requests this year due to our new overnight assessment requirement. It does take a special interest in what we have to offer here and a commitment to the time it takes to go through the process to get established. I remain committed to that process for the purpose of maintaining a high quality boarding atmosphere and will never waiver on that.

I also phased out pet sitting visits in August to open up more space and time for small animal and bird boarding and farm sitting. While that is still in transition, I am encouraged with the new requests coming in steadily for the upcoming next five months. It seems things are on an uptick!

As we close in on the end of November, I want to wish everyone a very good upcoming holiday season. You and your pet kids are all valued here at Mountain Pets. (Some pics from the last 3 months)

11/05/2024

Axel enjoying the wood pile while we split and stack on Sunday. Good off leash dog! 🐕

10/31/2024

Trixie taking in the breeze and our wide open space

10/27/2024

A cow trying to smell what I might have in my bucket