Thoughts of Thanksgiving for me inevitably lead to food. Several pet dangers lurk in the sidelines of our gastronomical buffet. Make sure you dispose of any turkey or other food packaging quickly and appropriately. All the strings, plastic holders and bags become redolent with meat-smell, ideally designed to lure even the most snobby of pet gourmands. These items can be ingested before you know it, causing damage or blockage of our furry friends’ intestines. It’s also important to make sure you don’t leave these items unattended on kitchen counters or tables as pets can be very crafty about swiping things.

Once the food is cooked, feeding table scraps can cause trouble, too. Both dogs and cats can suffer from overeating (a common thing for all during this time of year) and, worse, can develop pancreatitis, a painful and potentially hard to treat condition that has been linked to excess eating and fatty foods. Remember too that certain food items are particularly toxic to pets and be sure that everyone in the family and those visiting know what it forbidden, such as chocolate and raisins. Make sure pets aren’t given any bones either. Though these seem like the ideal treat for that patient beggar they can splinter while traveling through the intestines causing all kinds of havoc.

Other dangers that can rear their ugly head at this time of year include “fiery” items. As the days grow colder and there is less light we tend to reach for winter favorites, such as fireplaces and candles. Pets may be drawn to either the warmth provided by a fireplace, or the flickering of a candle. Make sure to avoid all burn situations by protecting your pets from open flames, just as you would protect a small child. Be particularly careful with cats as they are notorious for jumping on tables with lit candles and flicking their tails through the flame.

Finally, decorations can pose yet another danger. Be they solid or liquid in nature, such as colorful fall table ornaments or candles, or scented liquids, the items can often attract unwanted attention from your pets. These items, when licked, chewed or eaten, can cause a variety of problems including irritation of the mouth or throat, blockages or toxicity. It is thus important to ensure that these items are out of the reach of inquiring mouths. Flower decorations can also pose a problem. Any time you are bringing new plants or flowers into the home, check on their potential toxicity by going to the ASPCA s Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants site.

However, don’t forget that this is a time to celebrate with friends and family, so do what I do and kick back on the couch with a nice hot cup of tea while enjoying the company of your pets.

The first time my dog Emerson, a Lhasa Apso, visited my Banfield veterinarian for a comprehensive exam, he suffered from what many in the medical community deem white coat syndrome. He was definitely a nervous patient, unsure of what to expect in his new environment. An apprehensive dog in general, I expected this, to some extent. When we arrived, he clung to my lap and trembled in reaction to all the new sights and smells. Soon after, the PetNurse walked in and greeted us warmly. Noticing Emerson’s nerves, she left momentarily and retrieved a soft towel for him to sit on during his exam on the table. Her instincts were spot-on — the soft surface helped him immensely.

When the veterinarian entered the room for the comprehensive exam, Emerson became nervous once again. He trembled and even let out a few, low grumbles. I, for one, was uneasy about how Emerson might react out of fear. To my amazement, both the veterinarian reacted with seasoned professionalism and compassion. They gave him time to calm down, speaking to him soothingly, petting him and even offering him a treat. Like most dogs I know, the way to Emerson’s heart is through a reassuring voice and the loving touch of a hand especially if it’s holding a tasty treat.

The rest of the visit and each visit since was seamless. I have a deep respect for our veterinarians and PetNurses. In their ability to adapt courageously and caringly to the unique temperament of each Pet (and Pet owner), those who care for and treat a Pet despite its disposition with kindness are the true mark of compassionate individuals.

• Item 1 — my kennels are not near exits, though they are in the house
• Item 2 — I need current Pet photos in case one of my Pets gets lost and I have to post flyers or for identification at a shelter.
• Item 3 — current ID tags and microchips for all

So here is a question to ponder if YOU needed to evacuate your home within the next 30 minutes how prepared are you to evacuate with your Pets?

The recent California wildfires have certainly alerted many home owners’ as to the need for revised evacuation plans.

Many areas across the country have wild fires that threaten homes, families, livestock, and property. Fires force many people to evacuate with their Pets. These families are subject to hazardous air quality for days or weeks at a time and may also face financial hardship as do the agencies funding the fire fighting.

Accidental home fires or other hazards in the home can subject families to emergency evacuation often with little warning time to act on the evacuation plan.

Regardless of the reason for the need to leave your home, a well planned evacuation saves lives. Having an evacuation/disaster plan ahead of time to care for people, Pets, and property is a great way to have peace of mind that you are ready if disaster strikes, natural or otherwise.

Evacuation plans and early warning systems are vital to keeping the entire family safe from the hazards of fire and other natural disasters. You can use the national Humane Society’s emergency preparedness planning information to determine how prepared you are currently. You might consider holding a fire drill to make sure that everyone knows what to do and what their role is in a real emergency evacuation. Keep in mind Pets are more likely to be frightened when they hear loud sounds, bad smells, and frightening sights. Here are a few Pet tips from the Humane Society. The American Red Cross provides these tips for home and family.

There are things you can do to help protect your home and property as well.

• Check the exterior of your house for ways to decrease a fire friendly environment
• Test smoke detectors because properly functioning home and garage save lives as well. Check yours twice a year and make sure to change the batteries as needed.

Depending upon the extent of burning & smoke or other pollutants, decreased air quality increases breathing difficulties, especially for those with asthma or other respiratory conditions. Seek medical attention for people and Pets with breathing problems or any other medical concern. It is wise to follow the instructions of your doctor and veterinarian and to continue treatment for as long as recommended. Keep in mind some issues related to poor air quality may not improve until the air quality improves too.

Far too many Pets perish as the result of natural disaster and with proper preparation we can help protect our Pets and families from suffering.

We talked about amputating his limb but our client was hesitant. I explained that cats and dogs can do extremely well on three limbs, especially if the hind limb is the limb that needs to be amputated. Following an in-depth discussion regarding the surgery and post-operative care, the client agreed to go ahead with the procedure. Harry’s hind limb was removed and he went home the next day on antibiotics and pain medication.

The amputation proved to be the best option for the young cat as he was walking around on his other hind limb within 12 hours of the surgery as if nothing ever happened. We rechecked Harry each week for the next four weeks following surgery confirmed that he was doing very well at home, running around on his three legs and has since become quite adept at chasing his fellow four-legged feline companions around the house until they give up!

If your Pet is bitten by a spider or other insect, they may experience side effects—from mild to extremely severe. Reactions often occur around the face because Pets have a tendency to try to eat bugs. Here are a few things to be vigilant of this time of year:

• Mild swelling , which you should watch closely and contact your veterinarian to discuss
• Any rapid swelling—especially around the face—could be indicative of a more serious reaction and requires immediate veterinary medical attention to help prevent the swelling from impairing your Pet’s ability to breathe.
• If your Pet is stung by a bee, attempt to remove the stinger and if any swelling is noted, consult your veterinarian immediately

There are also some precautions you can take if you’d like to reduce the likelihood of attracting spiders into your home

• Keep bushes, trees and other vegetation away from the house so it is not easy for spiders to step into your windows or doors
• Check the foundation and other areas of the outside structure of your home for any cracks that spiders can slip through. If you find any, these should be sealed with caulking or other appropriate materials.
• Vacuum up any cob webs or spider webs inside as well as those attached to the outside of your house. If the outside is not easy to vacuum, try using a broom to get rid of the webs.
• Spiders prefer covered areas, so they’re drawn to clutter. They can often be found in piles or pieces of clothing not put away (guilty), stacks of papers (guilty), and empty boxes. Curtains and drapes should also be checked and vacuumed to reduce spider hide-outs.
• Drafts by windows or doors also attract spiders so you may want to address those as well.

If you consider spraying to reduce or eliminate spiders or other insects, it is important to make sure any product you use is non-toxic to Pets and people.

If your Pet experiences any condition outside of the norm, it is best to contact your veterinary team to discuss.

Now, I know the following things about bunnies €“

• With some minimal preparation, they make great family Pets!
• With proper nutrition, good health care and a healthy home environment, bunnies can live as long as some cats and dogs. Living outdoors in a hutch and being exposed to all the elements and predators could potentially cut several years off their life expectancy as well as make for a frightening experience when you consider how many roaming neighborhood Pets and wild birds there are.
• Bunnies can and should be spayed and neutered to avoid unwanted pregnancy. When I was a kid, the strategy to avoid unwanted baby bunnies was to house males and females in separate hutches. Spayed and neutered bunnies are less likely to mark their territory with urine or by dropping pellets, which is a great benefit! Additionally spaying and neutering prevents infections and diseases associated with the reproductive tract.
• Caring for a bunny is similar to having a dog or cat€”they require time, attention and just as with dogs and cats, need food, shelter, love, training, toys, medical care and other preventive care.
• Litter box training for bunnies is possible, TOO! Who would have thought such a thing for a bunny?
• As part of their natural instinct, bunnies chew everything in sight including electric cords so Pet-proofing a home and constant supervision is a must!
• Bunnies can injure or paralyze their back if their rear legs are not supported while being held or sitting on a slick surface, which is unnatural for them. Knowing how to properly hold a bunny can prevent accidental back injuries, especially when bunnies kick back their legs.
• Animal shelters often have bunnies waiting for adoption that came from homes and families no longer able to provide them with care. Read more about adopting a bunny here.
• Bunnies may not be compatible with other Pets already in your home, especially if your bunny has occasional or continual free roam of its environment.

For additional tips about rabbit care, here are a few good resources from www.hsus.org:

How to care for a Bunny

Understanding Pet Rabbits, Video

If adopting a bunny sounds intriguing and you’re up for the responsibilities of caring for a bunny, it will be helpful to do some research before you bring home your bunny. Your Banfield veterinary team, humane society and local shelter will often have tips on training, nutrition, healthcare, housing, grooming and even litter box training techniques. Then it’s just a matter of picking up your supplies, Pet-proofing the areas your bunny can investigate (with your supervision), introducing other Pets slowly to reduce stress on your bunny and enjoying a great family Pet. Good Luck!

While at 12, this knowledge doesn’t much change the way we’ll care for Niko-if he were younger I truly believe this information would be extremely useful in helping to manage his health and care-it has been fun exploring the detail of the individual breeds that compose our dog. In addition to receiving a call from our vet and having a conversation about the results, we also received a results packet directly from Wisdom Panel. It contains information about the nature of the test itself and the amount at which each identified breed is detected, followed by some of the breed-specific information we’ve had so much fun digesting since receiving the news.

We’ve certainly found a multitude of Niko’s characteristics consistent with each of the three breeds and then there are some that, well, just seem unique to Niko. Part of that I imagine stems from environmental factors-those first critical nine months of his life spent with his original owners followed by the three months at the Oregon Humane Society. And while we would do anything to undo the wrong that was done to Niko when he was a young puppy (we’ve spent the past 11 years trying), we couldn’t imagine one thing different about him.

Signs of Niko’s age are showing everywhere-his arthritis flares up more frequently and severely and we’re finding our regular methods of increased care don’t seem to have the same level of effect. He’s also suffering from hearing loss and slight incontinence. When he’s in pain it’s hard to keep thoughts from racing to the worst, but much of the time he’s happy, otherwise healthy, loving his walks, friends, family and food. Which brings me to our second promise-our ritual birthday steak dinner. My husband made a special trip to the store and selected a choice cut of meat. Following dinner we took Niko for his evening stroll and afterward he lay out in the fading Oregon evening sun, which is when I snapped the photo below.

So, we now know where our loving, loyal, furry, squirrel-chasing dog came from and he reminds us that each day is precious and to be taken as it comes. I was going to close this posting by suggesting a new designer breed of Siberian husky, Doberman and Flat-coated Retriever, which could be called something cutesy like €˜FlatCoberMusky.’ But there’s no duplicating perfection-Niko broke that mold.

The puppy’s father has mitral and tricuspid valve dysplasia. Heart valve dysplasia is a congenital heart defect, which in dogs (and cats), affects the aortic, pulmonary, mitral and tricuspid heart valves. Dysplasia of the mitral and tricuspid valves can cause leakage of blood or stenosis, which is an abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel or other tubular organs or structures.

Based on this information, we decided to go ahead and do a workup. We did the basics including thoracic radiographs (chest x-rays), superchem/cbc/ua (bloodwork and a urinalysis), and an EKG here. We referred the puppy to the Banfield in Christiansburg, VA, for an ultrasound echocardiogram and then on to Virginia Tech for a consult with the cardiologist and final diagnosis.

It was determined that the puppy had a large ventricular septal defect (VSD) – a defect in the ventricular septum or the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart (which is also the number one type of cardiac defects in humans as well), along with pulmonic stenosis (the outflow of blood from the right ventricle of the heart is obstructed at the level of the pulmonic valve). This results in the reduction of flow of blood to the lungs.

The puppy is now 3 months old and we will monitor his PCV (packed cell volume) monthly. Aside from open heart surgery, there is no cure. Propranolol (a beta-blocker that decreases heart rate, cardiac output, the amount of oxygen the heart muscle needs and blood pressure) and therapeutic phlebotomy may help. Phlebotomy is the practice of obtaining blood from a vein for diagnostic tests or, in this case, to remove blood for treatment purposes.

This case was long and drawn out but had rewarding results. A six-year-old spayed Dachsund was originally brought in to us for licking the carpet and eating dirt. Upon examination, the Pet was noted to be very anemic. Following three blood transfusions and many consultations with specialists, it was deemed an “unusual case of immune mediated hemolytic anemia” (a relatively common syndrome in dogs where the immune system becomes active against normal cells or parts of the body, or against normal cells that have been altered by exposure to infectious agents, medications, or other disease processes in the body).

Due to the Pet’s unusual presentation and fair response to treatment, I encouraged the owners to allow us to do a bone marrow biopsy. The results showed a rare bone disease called Myelofibrosis. Myelofibrosis is the gradual replacement of bone marrow (place where most new blood cells are produced) by fibrous tissue which reduces the body’s ability to produce new blood cells and results in the development of chronic anemia (low red blood cell count). This disease is not a cancer of the bone marrow.

We administered EPO (erythropoiten), which stimulates marrow production and then started giving the necessary injections for sustaining blood cell count. At this time, we are in the early stages of treatment but the Dachsund has now survived 9 months since her initial visit. She is currently taking immunosuppressants. She continues to do quite well even in the face of chronic anemia. Her pack cell volume decreases with time, which means that when the anemia starts to become severe, we will once again transfuse her.

We continue to work for the best possible outcome.

Just after moving back to Oregon from the East coast in 1998, Rick and I adopted Niko from the Oregon Humane Society when he was about a year old. The adoption fee at the time for a dog his age and size was $40. On the way home from the shelter, we loaded up on supplies at PetSmart (this is before I worked at Banfield) and headed home. The first time we left Niko home alone, he ate our house— literally in four hours he chewed up everything in our house— walls, floors, furniture, curtains, you name it he tore it up. We spent $40 to adopt the dog and within two days were out a few thousand. We quickly learned that Niko had been abused by his previous owners and that a kennel was the best way to protect him (and our house) when left alone. At that point Rick and I made a promise to support Niko and help undo the wrong that was done to him in the early part of his life.

Niko is a gentle soul— you can see it in his eyes— he’s always been low-key and mellow— unless he’s left alone or you’re a squirrel and then all bets are off. He is everything we’d ever want in a dog. He is our best friend— he is likely my husband’s soul mate, and he’s as sensitive as any creature I’ve ever known. Our family and friends joke that Niko hit the jackpot when we rescued him but we’re convinced it’s the other way around. I’m sure it sounds silly to some but Niko has been our rock, making it easier to face some of life’s greatest challenges. We’ve often remarked that we don’t know what we would do without Niko.

Which brings me back to the harsh reality that Niko is 12. His age is showing in so many ways. He’s still having fun, loves his walks, treats, our boys and the dogs that live across the street. But his life is getting harder and each day is unfortunately a reminder that we will at some point have to face life without Niko— a reality none of us are ready for.

I’m thinking that aside from the steak dinner we’ll have for Niko’s birthday this year, I’m going to run a Wisdom Panel- on him. A Wisdom Panel is one of the available DNA tests for mixed-breed dogs designed to identify their breed composition— the results can provide insight into their behavior, appearance and help with customized care. Though it will be fun to find out what makes up the dog that has brought infinite joy and true companionship to our lives, there’s one thing it won’t tell us that we already know— Niko is truly handsome, inside and out.

If you have thoughts as to Niko’s breeds, I’d love to hear them. And I’ll keep you posted with the results later this summer.