Preventing Pet Overpopulation

Veterinary Wellness Partners • December 19, 2013

Veterinary Wellness Partners

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 3:26pm

Preventing Pet Overpopulation

By Tara Monahan

For Akron Barberton Veterinary Clinic

Do you plan to add a furry friend to your family? Did you just bring a new pet into your life? Did you know that one of the most important health decisions you will make is whether or not to spay or neuter your cat or dog. At Akron Barberton Veterinary Clinic, we are animal lovers ourselves and we see the negative effects of unaltered pets far too often. These negative effects include overpopulation, uterine infections, enlarge prostates and various reproductive cancers.

In Ohio, there are homeless animals in nearly every community. This includes our local communities of Akron, Barberton, Norton and all portions of Stark and Summit Counties. For comparison, there are 10,000 humans born in the United States versus the approximately 70,000 puppies and kittens that are born on a daily basis. As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all of the animals. As a result, millions of healthy, loving cats, dogs, kittens and puppies face early deaths as a form of animal control. Others are left to fend for themselves against automobiles, the elements, other animals and cruel humans. How can you help to stop the suffering? Spay and neuter your pets!

What is spaying and neutering? Spaying is a surgical procedure where the ovaries and uterus are removed from a female pet. Neutering is a surgical procedure where the testicles and spermatic cord are removed from a male pet. When done by a licensed veterinarian, routine spay/neuter surgery is actually less dangerous than the stress and complications possible in pregnancy.

Not convinced yet? Here are some more benefits of spaying/neutering your pet. The number one benefit is that your pet will live a happier, longer life. Spaying your female helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer. Spaying your pet before the first heat cycle offers the best protection from these diseases. Neutering your male pet eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and greatly reduces the risk of prostate cancer, prostatitis and perianal tumors. Altered pets have less desire to roam, therefore making her/him less likely to be injured in fights or auto accidents. It also eliminates or reduces spraying or marking in males neutered before six months of age or before the onset of these behaviors.

Contrary to popular belief, spaying or neutering does NOT lead to Obesity. The factors of increased age and neutering/ spaying your pet does decrease the baseline metabolic rate. This can be dealt with by giving the right amount of food and exercise. Due to the decrease metabolic rate, he/she will require fewer calories to maintain a proper weight and should be fed less. This means that he/she will be less expensive to feed! Altered pets are still good watch dogs. If anything, they are more content with home and family and are more devoted. An altered pet does not feel deprived by being spayed or neutered but an unaltered pet when in heat or when they sense a female nearby will feel extreme frustration. This frustration often leads to behavior problems and aggression.

Think it is too expensive? The cost of spaying or neutering is minor compared to the cost of feeding and raising litters. In addition, problems during labor and delivery could lead to a costly Caesarian section. An altered pet often requires fewer veterinary bills. The capture, care and eventual destruction of unwanted animals costs taxpayers and private humanitarian agencies over a billion dollars a year.

At our facility on Wooster Road, we are unable to perform surgery. We prefer to refer to one of our two sister clinics that are located in Seville or in Orrville. These locations are approximately 20 minutes from our front door. By using one of our own clinics, you continue to receive the top level of care that you have come to expect. In addition, we are able to provide follow up care at our office, since it was one of our doctors who performed the procedure.

At Akron Barberton Veterinary Clinic our staff members can answer your questions about spaying or neutering your pet or any other procedure your pet may require. Please don’t hesitate to ask. Contact us at (330)753-4114 or info@abvetclinic.com.

For more information, visit our website at www.sevillevetclinic.com.

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Pet Safety Tips

By Admin • February 7, 2024

Not all pets can swim – carefully monitor your pet near water until you are sure that he or she can swim without sinking. Xylitol is a sugar substitute commonly found in chewing gum and can be deadly to pets. This chemical is especially dangerous because it is sweet-smelling and tasting. Be sure to keep pets away from purses or contents of pockets, candy baskets, etc. Know your pet’s normal temperature, pulse and breathing rate; gum and inner eyelid membrane color should normally be a healthy pink hue. Take a picture of yourself with your pet for purposes of identification. This way, if your pet is lost or stolen, you can prove that the pet is yours. Never feed your pet chocolate, moldy cheese, onions, raisins, or grapes, as these are poisonous. Many common houseplants (poinsettia, varieties of philodendron) are poisonous to your pet. Keep a pet emergency first aid kit handy, complete with emergency phone numbers for your veterinarian and local 24 hour emergency facility. Think ahead and have an evacuation plan in case of emergency. Do you know which local hotels accept pets? Make sure your pet has an ID tag or microchip – especially when travelling. Never give your pet human medication unless it is prescribed specifically by your veterinarian. Carry an extra leash in your car to use as a collar/lead or muzzle. Watch your pet closely when mulching or gardening, as cocoa-scented mulch can be harmful to dogs if ingested. Never leave your pet in a parked car.

ARE COUNTERFEIT FLEA AND TICK PRODUCTS HARMING PETS?

By Veterinary Wellness Partners • December 19, 2023

The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.

SPORTMIX PET FOOD RECALL

By Veterinary Wellness Partners • December 19, 2023

The FDA announced a recall of certain pet foods from Sportmix Brand. These foods contain high levels of aflatoxin, a mold that typically grows on corn. This is in response to 28 deaths and 8 sick patients as of 12/31/2020. Pet owners who have purchased Sportmix pet food products should be aware that this brand is linked to the fatalities. The pet food in question was manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods. According to the FDA's release, aflatoxin is "a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food." In high levels, it can cause harm to pets. Clinical signs and sympotms include: sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice, and diarrhea. In some cases, it can cause liver damage and can even be fatal. If you happen to have any Sportmix pet food in your possession, the FDA suggests not feeding it to your pets and consulting a veterinarian if they've ingested it recently. In the organization's recall, they wrote that their investigation is ongoing and that as more information is available, they will update their post. Affected products iclude: (copied from the FDA website) The list of recalled dry pet food products announced by Midwestern Pet Food, Inc. on December 30, 2020 is: Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag Exp 03/02/22/05/L2 Exp 03/02/22/05/L3 Exp 03/03/22/05/L2 Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag Exp 03/02/22/05/L3 Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L2 Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM” Veterinary Wellness Partners recommends the following companies for pet foods, as these companies have higher certification levels and higher quality control measures than some of the smaller companies: IAMS/ EUKANUBA ROYAL CANIN PURINA Hill's/ SCIENCE DIET Article written and published by Dr. Jeffrey R. Fink

VETERINARY WELLNESS PARTNERS COVID-19 PLAN MAY 18TH, 202

By Veterinary Wellness Partners • December 19, 2023

With the continuing COVID-19 situation across the country, many veterinary clinics continue to provide curbside care to their clients and patients. Veterinary Wellness Partners, including our four clinics, are continuing with this same curbside care for the foreseeable short-term future. What is Curbside Care? Curbside care is the term used to describe the process that we use to accommodate the social distancing guidelines by having clients wait in the parking lot. We still perform a complete examination and discuss findings and recommendations with each client. How does curbside care work? Upon arrival at one of our clinics, clients are to call the front desk. We ask that all dogs are on leashes and all cats are in carriers, as they could easily get away if not properly placed in a carrier. We also request that clients wear a mask while interacting with our staff. Once the front offices checks your pet in, a medical team member will come out to the vehicle to bring your pet into the clinic. A valid cellphone number will be obtained, so as to allow for communication from the veterinary staff to the clients. A history will be taken either over the phone or discussed at the vehicle. Once your pet has been escorted into the clinic, he/ she will be weighed and then will have a complete physical examination. Following the physical examination, you will be called by the attending veterinarian to discuss our findings, as well as to go over our suggested treatment plan. At the end of the follow-up phone calls, clients will be placed on hold. This will allow the front office staff to discuss payment. A check can be written and given to the team member that returns your pet to the car, or a credit card number can be obtained over the phone. How long will curbside care last? We do not know the end date to this system at this time. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation and recommendations given by the federal government, as well as the government of the state of Ohio. In addition, we take the safety and concern of our staff into consideration. Our staff members are our greatest aspect of our clinics and we need them to be comfortable and relaxed as we proceed going forward. We have had some client feedback and requests for clients to be allowed into the clinics. We will continue to listen to feedback. Some of the challenges of the social distancing protocols centers around the limited spacing in the examination rooms. With many examination rooms being too small to allow the proper 6 feet of distancing with three to four people in the rooms (one client, the doctor, and a support staff are general required for each examination). Veterinary Wellness Partners want to thank everybody for their understanding. We have had 100% compliance with clients. There have been very few client complaints and a lot of compliments as to how this process is going. We continue to be thankful to be able to provide the best care to our patients and their families!

Preventing Pet Overpopulation

Pet Safety Tips

ARE COUNTERFEIT FLEA AND TICK PRODUCTS HARMING PETS?

SPORTMIX PET FOOD RECALL

VETERINARY WELLNESS PARTNERS COVID-19 PLAN MAY 18TH, 202

Veterinary Wellness Partners COVID-19 Plan May 18th, 2020

Farm Animal Coronaviruses

COVID-19 Update 3/23/2020

March Bovine Health

COVID-19 Update 3/19/2020

VWP 2020 Declaw Statement

CONTACT US

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