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Smoking Can Harm Animals Too

January 15, 2016 by palmer

If anyone made a New Year’s Resolution to quit smoking and is having a heard time quitting, the health of your pet might be a reason to help you quit.  Smoking causes about 90% of all lung cancer deaths, and also causes a number of other illnesses, including heart disease and stroke.  However, smoking affects people around the smoker as well.  Within the last 50 years, approximately 2.5 million non-smoking people have died in the United States due to exposure to second-hand smoke.    Smoke can also cause other problems in our pets such as bronchitis or asthma, which can be a life-threatening disease.

A professor of medicine and oncology performed a study to see the effects of smoking on household pets.  She analyzed the nicotine levels in the fur of animals and looked at the condition that the animals’ cells were in.  She found that there were higher levels of nicotine in the animals that lived in smoking households.  She found that cats had more nicotine than dogs in and concluded it was because the cats spent more time grooming their fur, and ingesting more nicotine.  The professor discovered, that compared with pets in non-smoking houses, pets in smoking households are at greater risk of cell damage, cancer and weight loss.

In addition to this discovery, research was done on how to reduce these risks.  The professor found that in houses were people smoked only outside, the nicotine levels in the pets were significantly lower.  So before you feel the urge to smoke and break that resolution, think of the effects it can have on your four-legged friend.

Filed Under: Email, News

Holiday Hazards for Our Hairy Friends

November 13, 2015 by palmer

The holiday season has just begun, and as many of us begin to decorate our homes and cook family meals, there are many dangers from which you need to protect your pet.  You should never feed your pet human food.  Many foods that we eat cause problems in our animals.  Chocolate and candy are popular presents and may be left accessible to both people and pets around the house.  Make sure your pet cannot get into these because chocolate can cause toxicity when eaten, and candy is likely to cause vomiting and diarrhea.  Roasted turkey, ham, and other popular meal choices, especially those with a high fat content, can trigger very serious episodes of pancreatitis and vomiting.  Also, if bones of any kind are eaten, they can cause obstructions of the stomach and intestines, or even worse, punctures of the gastrointestinal tract leading to peritonitis.

Decorations used during the holidays can also be dangerous to your pet.  Many plants such as mistletoe, lilies, and poinsettias are toxic, so be sure to keep them out of reach of your pets.  Ensure that the leaves and berries do not fall where your animal can eat them.  Electric lights and displays have wires that pets can chew and become electrocuted.  Tinsel and other string-like decorations are commonly eaten by pets and lead to intestinal obstructions, especially in cats.  And of course, you need to make sure your pet is not exposed to the unsafe conditions outside, such as extreme cold, ice, snow, and salt.  If you have any questions about keeping your pet safe, please feel free to contact us.

Filed Under: Email, News

PAH Website Update

November 10, 2015 by palmer

We have recently had our website updated.   You may not notice much change  in appearance, but the main objective was to make our site mobile-friendly so that it can be more easily accessed by mobile devices and so that we will continue to recieve preferential treatment by search engines.   All of our postings will also automatically be posted to our Facebook page and sent out to those on our email subscription list.

Filed Under: Email, News

The Importance of Routine Wellness Exams

September 18, 2015 by palmer

If it only took thirty minutes to save the life of your pet, would you take those thirty minutes to go to the vet?  Here at Palmer Animal Hospital routine wellness exams take only thirty minutes and are critical to the health of your pets.  We perform a “Nose-to-Tail” exam on your animal and during this exam, the veterinarian screens the animal to see if it has any diesease or other ailment.  Early detection of some problems within the animal such as cancers, infections, or even organ failure can allow it to be treated earlier with less expense and better success. After the animal has been checked, vaccinations are given based on the age of the pet.  Puppies are recommended to be 6-8 weeks old when they come in for their first wellness exam and cats beween 8-10 weeks.  Some of the vaccinations for canines include Rabies, Canine Distemper, Lyme Diesease, and Canine Influenza.  The feline vaccinations given are Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Feline Leukemia Virus, and Rabies.  Both the dogs and cats are dewormed if parasites are found during their exam.  Other important information such as the recommended nutritional and dental care is discussed during these exams.  Animals need wellness exams just like humans and also like humans, animal wellness exams are different based on the age and lifestyle of the animal.

 

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Oldest Living Cat in the World

September 4, 2015 by palmer

Almost two weeks ago, on Sunday, August 23, Guinness Book Of World Records recognized a Maine Coon in Oregon, USA as the new oldest living cat in the world.  Courduroy, a 26 year and 13 day old feline was pronounced the oldest living cat in the world two months after the former record holder, Tiffany Two from San Diego, died at 27 years old.  Courduroy at this age is more than twice the average life expectancy of a cat!  The average lifespan of a household cat is 12 to 15 years and the average lifespan of a Maine Coon is 10 to 12 years.  Although Courduroy and Tiffany have been called the oldest cats in the world, they do not come close to the oldest cat that has ever lived.  That record is held by a cat named Creme Puff that lived Austin, Texas and was born on August 3, 1967 and died on August 6, 2005.  This record of 38  years and 3 days has not been broken for over 10 years!

Photo: Courduroy at 26 years and 13 days old is now the oldest living cat in the world.

 

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Canine Influenza Update

June 11, 2015 by palmer

It has been about a year and a half since the outbreak of Canine Influenza in August 2013 in Montgomery county. Not much has been heard about Canine Influenza since then, but this spring there was a major outbreak in Chicago, and in May 2015, at least one case was diagnosed in Maryland.   The troubling fact about these two most recent outbreaks is that they are a new strain of Canine Influenza (H3N2) that is different from the available vaccine strain (H3N8).     This H3N2 strain is almost genetically identical to an Asian avian influenza virus that was believed to be directly transferred to dogs.    This same strain was also found to cause disease in a number of cats in South Korea in 2010, although no cats in the U.S. have been diagnosed with CIV H3N2.

So what can you do to protect your dog?  Avoind exposing your dog to obviously sick dogs, and if there is a CIV outbreak in your area, avoid taking your dog to areas where dogs gathers (dog parks, kennels, etc).  Talk to your veterinarian about your dogs risk of exposure to CIV and if the Canine Influenza vaccine is right for your dog.     Be sure to wash your hands after handling any dog, especially after handling a sick dog, and do not share equipment (bowls, collars, leashes, etc) between sick dogs and apparently healthy ones.

A Palmer Animal Hospital, we recommend (but do not absolutely require), Canine Influenza vaccination for dogs that are boarding with us.   To our knowledge, there has not been an outbreak in our immediate area, but as of now it is unknown where the most recent Maryland outbreak occurred.   We will post any updates when we get them.

 

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BUTTONS: April 22, 2000-Feb 19, 2015

February 19, 2015 by palmer

We are sad to report that Buttons finally succumbed to the heart and kidney failure that has been affecting him since last September.   He will be greatly missed

Buttons001

“Cute as a Button”

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“What are THESE things?”

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Glamor shot!

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“Merry Christmas—NOT!

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Box Inspector

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“Bring It On!!!”

Buttons005

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Buttons Snowman

November 18, 2014 by palmer

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PAH Staff with Buttons and “Snowman”

Here is our “Buttons Snowman” that will be displayed in Myersville this holiday season.    Be sure to check it out as you drive through town!

 

 

Filed Under: Email

Holiday Schedule

November 18, 2014 by palmer

Here is our office schedule for the upcoming holidays:

Wednesday,  Nov 26th:  8AM-5PM (Regular Hours)

Thursday, Nov 27th:  THANKSGIVING DAY — CLOSED

Friday, Nov 28th:  8AM05PM (Regular Hours)

Wednesday, Dec 24th:   8AM-12Noon — Christmas Eve

Thursday, Dec 25th:  CHRISTMAS DAY— CLOSED

Friday, Dec 26th:  8AM-5PM (Regular Hours)

Wednesday, Dec 31st:  8AM-5PM —New Years Eve (Regular Hours)

Thursday, Jan 1st:  NEW YEARS DAY— CLOSED

Friday, Jan 2nd:   8AM-5PM (Regular Hours)

 

Filed Under: Email

Fall Flea Surge!

November 5, 2014 by palmer

As a reminder to all of our clients, we usually see a “Flea Surge” each Fall as these pests seem to make an effort to find a cozy spot for the winter.   Usually this happens in October, and seems to coincide with heat kicking on in our clients homes.     This year, the surge appears to a bit later as this week we are definitely seeing an increase in the number of fleas on our patients.   Be sure to check you pet for fleas, and if you find them, now is a good time to treat your pet and home for these pests.   Remember we recommend year-round flea and tick treatment for our patients!

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Palmer Animal Hospital

9405 Baltimore National Pike
Myersville, MD 21773
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