KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Winter 1999                                                                                     Page 1

FROM THE DOCTOR

by Dr. Rose Eger

I recently read an article in Ann Landers that I felt was very timely. It relates to spaying and neutering your pets and I have reprinted it below.

TEN WORST EXCUSES NOT TO SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR PET:

1. Just one litter then we will have Fluffy spayed. (Studies show that virtually the entire pet overpopulation stems from the "just one litter" mentality).

2. My dog doesn’t run loose so he doesn’t need to be fixed. (Murphy’s Law says otherwise)

3. We always find homes for the kittens. (and that means that an equal number of kittens at the pound will be killed).

4. I want the children to witness the miracle of birth. (Rent a video)

5. My dog is so cute and unique, there should be more of her. (The shelters and pounds are full of cute and unique dogs, most with only a few days to live.)

6. It’s not natural. (There hasn’t been anything "natural" about dogs since we began to develop breeds thousands of years ago.)

7 I just couldn’t look my dog in the eye if I had him castrated. (Watch it, your anthropomorphizing.)

8. A female dog or cat should have at least one litter for health reasons. (Medically, factually and ethically indefensible.)

9. Neutering my dog will make him fat and lazy. (Too much food and not enough exercise make a dog fat and lazy.)

10. Fixing my pet will change its personality. (The primary influences on an animal’s personality are the kindness and care with which it is raised

FROM THE MANAGEMENT

By Mike Eger

When I ask the staff for contributions to the newsletter it seems that many of the articles are about the same or related topics. The same is true with this newsletter and most of the articles are about spaying and neutering your pets and the pet overpopulation.

We do tend, from time to time, to get up on our soap boxes and preach about things that are very important to us. Everyone here at Kindness Animal Hospital is in this business because we love animals and want to do what we can to help them live longer healthier lives. It greatly saddens us to know that a small animal shelter, similar to the ones in St. Lucie and Martin counties may destroy 40 to 60 pets a week. If we take a moment to think about these numbers, that translates to an average of 2,600 animals a year at one local shelter. There are hundreds of shelters in Florida and thousands nationwide. Many of these are much larger than our local shelters, destroying many more pets per year. It may anger you that a shelter would destroy an animal rather keep him/her alive till they have been adopted but they have no choice. Pet overpopulation and owners that refuse to spay or neuter their pets are the real problem. A single female cat can come into heat six weeks after giving birth and the gestation period is approximately two months. One female cat can have four litters a year with an average litter size of 4 kittens. This is 16 kittens a year and if half are females then within 6 months of birth, these females can get pregnant. In year two, the

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Winter 1999                                                                                         Page 2

mother and her kittens can average 60 kittens, and so on and so on... Get the hint! There is just not enough space in the world to accommodate all these unnecessary births.

So if you are thinking about getting a new pet try the shelters or Try Dogs and Cats Forever. They have some great animals there and they will love you as much as some of those expensive store bought puppies and kittens. If you already have a pet, then make sure he/she is neutered/spayed.

TECHNICIAN’S TURF

by Lisa Johnson

I hope every-one has had a great summer. Now that winter has arrived so has our great newsletter. I would like to take this time to discuss what I feel is the hardest part of the veterinary field, dealing with the loss of our pets. I use the words our pets because I recently lost one of my own. Although I knew the time was coming, all of my preparation went right out the window when the event actually happened. As a close friend said to me, "Lisa what’s with all the tears you should be use to this by now". So as I thought about my friend's statement something did occur to me, I am no different from any-body else who has lost a pet, or in most cases a member of the family. So I would like to take this time to share with you what it is like for all of us here.

As far as me getting use to it goes, you never get use to it. Every patient at this hospital is considered a family member. The image of the veterinary and staff has always involved gentle and kind treatment of animals. We have felt that animals and their families appreciate this kind of care. It is what we all would expect for our pets. Coming to the euthanasia decision can also be one of the most trying times in one's life. We cannot make that decision for you. I know this for a fact. I too caught myself looking to the Doctor for the answer. Most decisions are based on the degree of suffering your pet is feeling. This is where the doctor can help. She can provide you with medical information that might make the decision easier on you and your family. We all approach the stages of decision making differently.

Some of you we have known for years others we are just getting to know. One thing I must say, however, all the animals that come in here are like family to us which makes this next issue a very tough one. Not all endings, requested by clients, are for medical reasons. Usually, in these cases, either the pet has become a problem or he/she is just not wanted any more. This is where the tough part begins. No matter how one looks at it we get caught in middle, experiencing doubt’s, and confusion over moral issues about participating in ending an animals life for reasons other than medical. This is an ethical dilemma that does not have an easy or even an absolutely right or wrong answer. It's an emotional issue that all of us struggle with individually. When new patients or patients we have not seen in years come in, we try to determine the level of suffering and the quality of life available. We want to be clear, in our minds, that euthanasia is the most humane course of action for the patient and not that it is the most convenient thing for the owner. This kind of compassionate care is the total package of health care we try to provide. We help you through the training and energetic puppy/kitten phase, to the problems of mid-life, and are there to help you when you have to make the toughest

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Winter 1999                                                                                         Page 3

decision you will ever make in your pet’s life. So I hope that this article helps you better understand our feelings in dealing with this emotional issue.

P.S. On a happier note I would like to thank everyone who participated in our food drive for the Humane Society and Dogs and Cats Forever. Thanks to your generosity, we collected a record total of 825 lbs. of food. The Humane Society and Dogs and Cats Forever were extremely grateful and the animals said thanks with their wagging tails and purring faces.

FRONT DESK FORUM

By Melanie & Tracey

With a little education many pet owners decide to spay or neuter their dogs. In addition to the obvious advantage of preventing unwanted pregnancies, there are many other reasons to neuter or spay your pet:

1. Absolute birth control: The one-time cost is good for a lifetime.

2. Relief from the following hormone-driven urges (most effective when done prior to puberty):

Aggression toward other dogs, especially male to male Territorialism: overprotection of the home ground.

Wanderlust: the call to see who’s on the other side of the fence or down the block.

Dominance

Marking with urine/feces, either at home or in new situations.

Overt sexual behavior, such as riding, sniffing, mounting, licking and arousal.

Frustration, which occurs when hormones urge the dog to do what its owners do not want it to do.

3. Protection (either partially or completely) from such hormone-induced conditions as:

Testicular cancer;

Benign prostatic hyperplasia;

Perianal gland adenomas (multiple tumors around the anal opening);

Orchitis (infection of the testicles);

Perineal hernia (abdominal organs bulging out of rectum);

Venereal tumors;

Inguinal hernia with potential organ strangulation;

Breast cancer Cystic endometrial hyperplasia and pyometra;

False pregnancies;

Mastitis can occur during false pregnancy;

Transmissible venereal sarcoma;

Ovarian and uterine tumors;

Cystic ovaries and hyperestrogenism;

Chronic endometritis;

Vaginal hyperplasis and prolapse;

Uterine torsion or uterine prolapse;

HOSPITAL GENERALITIES

Just a few reminders on our general hospital operations.

Hours: 8:00am-5:30pm Monday - Friday

9:00am-1:00pm Saturday

Please make an appointment if you would like to see the doctor. The order in which we see clients is as follows:

Emergencies

Scheduled Appointments

Walk-ins

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Winter 1999                                                                                     Page 4

Surgeries: We perform surgeries and dentals on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We normally do not take appointments at this time but if the surgery load is light, we may be able to schedule some late morning appointments.

Pharmacy: To avoid delays in getting your prescriptions refilled, please call ahead and we will get it ready for you. We understand that your time is valuable and sometimes it is difficult for us to fill your prescriptions in a timely manner on a walk-in basis.

PRODUCT REVIEW

CATS THAT SPRAY

Some of you may have cats that have started to spray in your house marking their territory. We know this is a major problem and until now there was not much that could be done with any great degree of success. A new product called FeliwayÒ has come on the market and it is a cat pheromone. You spray it on the areas that the cat has been spraying and it makes the cat think that it has already marked the area. It may take one to two weeks till you see progress but people who have tried it say that it does work.

FLEA & TICK CONTROL

Although not new, the number of these products on the market make it necessary to review what each does.

Programâ is a pill which is given once a month and it sterilizes (but does not kill) the fleas that bite your pet. This product is useful in keeping the flea population in your yard or house under control.

SentinelÒ -The makers of Programâ combined the heartworm medication Interceptorâ with Programâ so you have only one pill to give on a monthly basis. It is also a little cheaper than buying both separately.

Advantageâ is a liquid which is applied to one or more spots on the skin of your dog or cat once a month. This both kills and repels fleas and works well when there is a flea infestation or for flea allergic dogs and cats. We recommend that when using this product, bath your pet at most every two weeks with a mild soap free shampoo (the shampoo should say soap free or detergent free on the label) and apply the product monthly after a bath.

Frontlineâ comes in two forms, a spray and a spot on like Advantageâ . It is designed to kill both fleas and ticks and will not wash off with most shampoos. Our experience has shown that it does not spread over the body as well as Advantageâ but when it does spread, it does a good job in killing fleas and reducing the number of ticks.