🌳🐾 Great Outdoors Month is here! 🌞
Whether you're hitting the trails or enjoying your backyard, here are some tips to keep your pets safe and happy:
Hydration is Key: Always carry water and a bowl for your pet.
Paw Protection: Hot pavement can burn paws. Stick to grassy areas or use paw protectors.
Tick Check: After outdoor adventures, check your pet for ticks and use preventative treatments.
Enjoy the great outdoors with your furry friends safely! 🐶🐱 #GreatOutdoorsMonth #PetSafety
What to do if your mental health is causing you struggles at work…talk to someone! 🗣️ It’s common to feel anxious or down occasionally, but if you’re experiencing mental difficulties regularly, it’s important to reach out for help. It can be difficult to talk openly with someone about your life, however, it’s critical to keep in mind that those who care about you want to help.
In honor of #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, Veterinary Social Worker at our sister hospital in California, Alisha, is here to provide you with a few tips on how to guide the conversation about your mental health with your manager, supervisor, or fellow team member.
Remember: the bravest thing you can do is ask for help. 💚
To all our veterinarians, specialists, relief doctors, per diems, and residents – Happy World Veterinary Day! 🏥🐾 Sometimes this profession is anal glands, ear infections, and giving the pet insurance talk. But it’s also seeing your feline lymphoma patient go into remission, helping a spaniel with cataracts see again, that rewarding moment of extracting a tennis ball via endoscopy, and reuniting a dog with his owners after 6 nights in the ICU.
To all veterinarians today and every day, thank you for making the world a better place. 💚
Lola was in our care for seizure watch, and we sure watched her! 🥰 This sweet girl was recently one of our ICU patients and hospitalized to be closely monitored for seizure activity. Lola was wearing a bell collar which we use to better notify our team members if a patient starts to have a seizure in our care. And her bells sure were jingling- but for a different reason!
Lola was showing off her dance moves & adorable special tricks. She brought so many smiles to our face, and we were glad to be there for her. 💚
“Why is the wait so long, it seems so quiet?” – this is something we hear a lot! 🏥🐾 Even when the front lobby is empty & there are no cars in the parking lot, “out back” in treatment can look very different. Between a crashing cat who isn’t breathing, a hit-by-car case requiring multiple team members, and hospitalized pets occupying every ICU kennel, our team behind those doors is determinedly saving lives.
We know waiting in the ER with your pet can be stressful, but rest assured we are working hard to get to you.
Something’s wriggling in this dog’s blood sample! 🔬🩸 Meet “microfilariae,” the larvae of the dreaded female heartworm. After roughly 6-7 months, these larvae will mature into adult heartworms, grow up to 14 inches long (😳), and reproduce more offspring. Left untreated, this dog could end up with hundreds of them in his body causing long-term damage to the lungs, heart, and arteries and even sudden death. Since it was caught, he will undergo treatment which involves several months of medications, exercise restrictions, and hospitalization days.
Luckily, this is preventable! 🥳 Keep your dog on monthly heartworm preventative all year round – put it in your calendar, and don’t miss/skip a dose. And if you’re rescuing a dog (especially from southern states like Tennessee, Arkansas, & Mississippi), talk to your veterinarian about re-testing them for heartworm. #NationalHeartwormAwarenessMonth #heartworm
What makes you happy? 😄 We asked our veterinary staff members across the country and we're spreading some happiness for #InternationalDayOfHappiness! From dogs to snacks to rubber ducks, here's what makes us happy.
This video shows microfilaria seen in a blood slide. 🔍🩸
Microfilariae are the infective larvae of the female heartworm, which are spread via an infected mosquito after feeding/biting a dog. After roughly 6-7 months, the larvae can mature into adult heartworms which then mate and release larvae into the bloodstream. Microfilaria seen on a blood smear is indicative that adult heartworms are present.
To learn more about heartworm treatment, you can read our blog: https://www.ethosvet.com/blog-post/getting-through-my-dogs-heartworm-treatment/
And a “boop” for you from Mr. Archer, here! ☺️
Archer is a 4-year-old Golden Retriever who presented to our team in San Marcos for further evaluation due to concerns from his primary vet. Over the past few weeks, he has been experiencing intermittent vomiting, diarrhea, and a decreased appetite. The team recommended further diagnostics be done to help find the right treatment for Archer.
Let’s walk the dog! 🦮🚶♀️ Those magic words “do you want to go for a walk?” are more important than you may think. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and improve mental health for BOTH you and your dog! Be healthy together – you and your dog need each other! #NationalWalkingTheDogDay
“A port in a storm”. 💉 Placing an intravenous catheter is one of the first steps in urgent and emergent care. It allows us to safely & cleanly treat our patients. The catheter allows us to draw blood, administer fluids, and medications through one port. The process for veterinary catheter placement looks a bit different from a human. Take a peek at how we do this for our canine patients, demonstrated by one of our sister hospitals in MA!
Fun fact: placing your first catheter as a veterinary professional is a big achievement in developing clinical skills. It's one of those celebrated milestones!
The scariest thing we can think of? Puppy teeth! 🐶🦈
Wishing you and your furry friends a happy and safe Halloween filled with sweet treats and fun costumes! Speaking of costumes, post your pet’s costume in the comments below 🎃
Today is a special day 🥳 It is the Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs, better known as #DOGust! "Treat" your pup to these super easy & quick refreshing 1-ingredient Pumpkin Pops!
Ingredients:
Just 1 can pure Pumpkin 🎃
Be careful not to purchase pumpkin pie filling in a can as it's full of sugar. You can also mix in yogurt, peanut butter, or banana for an additional spin on this treat!
Check out our quick recipe video below, and a big happy birthday to all our amazing shelter pups! 💚
In honor of #WorldSpayDay this past week, we're switching up X-Ray Friday with a video question! Here's veterinary surgeon Dr. Thomson with a minimally invasive spay question:
👨⚕️ What is the difference between an Ovariectomy vs. an Ovariohysterectomy?
We'll post a video with the answer tomorrow morning!
Minimally Invasive Procedure Spotlight: the increasingly popular laparoscopic spay.
We love a happy pup! Ginger was overjoyed to be examined by her surgeon, Dr. Lindsay Nussbaum at Mass Vet, before she was put under anesthesia for a minimally invasive Laparoscopic OVE, or ovariectomy (spay).
Laparoscopic surgeries are gaining popularity in veterinary medicine. In people, minimally invasive procedures have revolutionized patient comfort and recovery. A laparoscopic spay allows veterinarians to provide the same benefits to our dogs and cats. Unlike a typical spay, a laparoscopic spay allows better visualization for the surgeon and overall improved recovery for the patient. There's less trauma to tissues, less risk of infection, and less bleeding. Ginger did fantastic during her procedure and was happy to go home the next day!
The PAWEDcast: Wildlife Rehabilitation & Rescue
