Surface Creek Veterinary Center - January 2021

Surface Creek Veterinary Center - January 2021

January 2021 www.surfacecreekveterinarycenter.com 970-856-4474

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INVENTIONS AND INNOVATIONS Human Care Influencing Pet Care

beneficial vaccines given to our pets, their life expectancy and the quality of their lives has increased tremendously. The second most significant development in pet care, as we stated above, is dental care. Just as with humans, our pets' oral health can impact their health overall. Poor oral health can lead to many health issues, including periodontal disease, loss of teeth, and gingivitis. When diseases such as gingivitis are not treated it can lead to an infection, which can enter into the bloodstream and affect other parts of the body. To ensure our pets’ overall health, veterinarians today will encourage pet owners to schedule regular dental cleanings and checkups for their pets. Today, our pets live longer and happier lives than ever before because of the inventions of our past. Yet, even more beneficial inventions are sure to come in the years ahead. We can’t wait to see those new developments! Dr. Susie & Jeff Hirsch

testing. With these types of equipment now used in every veterinarian office, veterinarians can offer more care, diagnoses, and treatments for pets who are ill. While our equipment has expanded the way we care for our pets — and ourselves — so too has our use of medicine. When it comes to our pets' lives, there are two inventions that we can think of that have significantly impacted them in the most positive way. One is vaccines, and the other is dental care. Vaccines have been used by people for hundreds of years, and eventually chemists began working toward creating vaccines for animals. The first animal vaccines were actually developed for farm animals to prevent diseases, such as chicken cholera (1879) and anthrax for cattle and sheep (1881). Then, in 1884, the rabies vaccine was created for animals, and after a year’s success, it was then used on humans. Ever since, vaccines have become a necessity for a pet’s health and wellness, and they have only improved in the last 100 years. One of the newest vaccine creations for the highly contagious canine parvovirus was created in 1979. With these, and so many other

B enjamin Franklin, who would celebrate his 315th birthday on the 17th this month, was known as an accomplished inventor. He is among many inventors over the centuries who have created objects that make our lives a little easier. Among many of these inventions and innovations is our understanding of medicine and health. Our knowledge has grown in such a way that we have increased our life spans exponentially and, in turn, these inventions have also benefited our pets. Despite that, many of the inventions we use were invented for humans, and they have also slowly been implemented into veterinary practice. X-rays, for example, were first used to see inside of human bodies in 1896. Yet, it was quickly adapted by veterinarians only a year after it had been invented. Today, veterinarians across the world use X-rays as well as ultrasounds, MRIs, and advanced laboratory

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Does winter weather leave your skin dry, itchy, and chapped? It can do the same to your pets! This is especially true for dogs that go between a warm house and the cold outdoors. Snow and cold bring their own challenges to pet care, so here are some tips to keep your pets warm and healthy. FEED FIDO MORE. You may notice your dog’s appetite increase in the winter months. That’s because they are expending extra energy to stay warm, especially if they spend a lot of time outdoors. If so, consider increasing how much you feed them in the winter and always be sure they drink plenty of water! This helps them stay hydrated and keeps their skin moist. BATHE LESS BUT KEEP ‘EM CLEAN. Give your pet fewer baths during cold winter months to avoid removing the important oils on their skin that help keep it from drying out. Instead, towel-dry your pet as soon as they come inside if their coat is wet or dirty, paying special attention to their paws! (See our next tip.) If you must bathe your pet, ask your veterinarian for a good moisturizing shampoo to use. PAUSE FOR THE PAWS. Your dog’s feet need special attention in the winter, especially when the weather gets snowy or icy. When you come inside from a wintry outdoor excursion, wipe your dog’s paws with a warm cloth, then dry them. This will ensure that any ice, salt, or snow-melt chemicals — which can irritate or cause your pup’s paws to sting — gets removed. This also gives you a chance to check their paw pads. To prevent cracking, massage a little petroleum jelly into your dog’s paws before they go outdoors. KEEP THEIR COAT ON. While it’s fine to give your pooch a trim or have them groomed to make sure their fur doesn’t become a snow or ice collector during the winter, resist the temptation to shave their coat down to the skin. That’s because their coats are, well, their winter coats, which help them stay warm. If your dog is short-haired, it might benefit from another layer. A cozy coat or well- fitting sweater can supplement their natural insulation and increase their cuteness factor. SNOW MORE TROUBLE FOR YOUR PET How to Stay Healthy This Winter The Best Companion

THE FIRST DOG TO WIN A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

Just this past October, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to what can only be described as one the world’s goodest boys — a dog named Foxtrot, known also to his Instagram followers (of which there are nearly 7,000) as humanitarian_pup. While Foxtrot wasn’t responsible for improvements to auction theory (like Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson, who won the Nobel Prize for economics) or for a standout career in writing poetry (like Louise Glück, who won the Nobel Prize for literature), this incredible canine shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the World Food Programme (WFP), for their work in combating world hunger. As the organization’s official mascot, Foxtrot shared in the win with the thousands of other WFP workers worldwide. Foxtrot lives in Bangladesh (one of the most densely populated countries in the world) at a WFP outpost that works to supply one of the world’s largest refugee camps. According to an NPR article that spotlighted Foxtrot and the efforts made by his WFP humans, they worked not only to get food to refugees but also to flatten hillsides to make room for shelters for Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar. Foxtrot himself became part of the effort to combat world hunger during a WFP beach cleanup in his home country. Workers found him as a 4-week-old pup, and after failing to locate his owners, took him in as one of their own. For the past two years, Foxtrot has helped however he can to further the WFP’s efforts to end hunger in Bangladesh. This usually includes accompanying his humans while they work, wearing an adorable custom-made WFP cape, and taking to Instagram to raise awareness about how anyone can join in the WFP’s mission. After learning that he and his humans had won the Nobel Peace Prize, Foxtrot didn’t waste the opportunity to share his excitement with his followers. “Woweee,” the pup said. “I … think it would be even more amazing if we didn’t need any peace prizes because peace was the status quo in our world.” Foxtrot’s Heroics With the World Food Programme

As a general rule, if it’s too cold for you to be outside for very long, the same holds for your pets. Let’s go fetch some snowballs!

If Foxtrot and his humans keep up the good work that won them the Nobel Peace Prize, it seems like that status quo could be within reach.

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MICROCHIPPING 101 The Tiny Tech Used to IDYour Pet If you’ve ever had a pet run away, you know the feeling of anxiety and fear that sets in until they’re found. Curious cats a routine process by one of our Veterinarians here at Surface Creek

Veterinary Center. For your pet, it will feel similar to any other shot they might get, and the procedure can be done during a regular visit office visit. How does it work? The microchip contains an identification number. It’s not a tracking device; it’s activated by a special scanner that reads the number. That number is housed in the microchip’s registration >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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