Tucson Cold Wet Noses

Last Saturday we hosted the local rescue group, Cold Wet Noses at our hospital. Usually stationed at PetSmart, Cold Wet Noses brought out a dozen dogs and a couple of cats and set up in our largest exam room.

Please give me a home. I'm an Aussie, that makes me great!

In spite of the low gray clouds and persistent drizzle, many people came into the hospital looking for a new forever friend.

A 100% volunteer program that fosters dogs and cats, Cold Wet Noses helps unwanted dogs and cats find new and loving families. Cold Wet Noses currently has 130 dogs in need of forever homes. You can see pictures of pets up for adoption at www.Tucsoncoldwetnoses.com.

I want someone to throw a ball for me and take me for walks

During the month of February Ventana Animal Hospital is holding a raffle to benefit Cold Wet Noses. Please stop in and buy a few raffle tickets, the prizes were kindly donated by Patterson Veterinary (a veterinary supply company - thanks Todd!) and PetSmart. We have $70 dollars in gift certificates up for grabs, and 100% of the proceeds go to helping Cold Wet Noses provide homes for these dogs and cats.

Additionally, Cold Wet Noses is always looking for foster homes, so if you can provide a home for a while, please contact them. They can only rescue as many pets as they can place in foster care, so every little bit helps.

I can keep your feet warm.

Thank you to Ronnie who put this whole thing together, and to all of our clients who were so understanding of a slightly more crowded than usual parking lot and reception area.

All photos were stolen from the Cold Wet Noses website, and are dogs in need of forever homes.

January Success!

Whoops! it's been a while! We just got so busy with the holidays and Weight Loss Month that we let the blog slide.

Ventana Animal Hospital is not only a Certified Weight Loss Clinic, but we have two Certified Pet Weight Coaches (Liane our Hospital Manager and Rebecca a Certified Veterinary Technician). Both have taken the time to do 10 hours of continuing education to help our patients remain slim and healthy throughout their lives.

8 year old Aussie wrestling the stick from 13 year old German Shepherd

We decided to join the frenzy of weight loss habits changing at the New Year to kick off our own Weight Loss Month. So far so good. We have a poster up in the lobby with our weight loss candidates and they are currently vying for some really nice goodies for the pet who loses the most before the end of March.

Active breeds like border collies can gain weight quickly

Purina Pet Foods has helped us out by offering a whopping $10 off their excellent prescription pet food, OM and their senior weight loss diet (with glucosamine for joints) JM. Check out their weight loss plan online.

Most importantly we helped educate clients on the value of keeping their pets slim. Slim pets live an average of two years longer. They also live those two years (and countless more before) with fewer health issues and more mobility.

Many people think that pets slow down as they age, and while that may be true in some cases, in most cases, even as their racing days lie behind them, slender dogs remain happy and active throughout their lives. Weight gain makes dogs and cats uncomfortable. It makes joints ache and muscles strain. It can cause ligament tears and joint pain.

Kitty, an 8 year old Aussie playing in the mud

So, a huge THANK YOU to Rebecca and Ronnie who helped plan Weight Loss Month. Also a round of cheers to CJ, Gracie, Buddy, Misha, Frank, Pippin and Mary whose owners have stepped up in an effort to help them live healthier, happier, longer lives.

If you would like to know if your pet is overweight, just give us a call at 299-1146 and ask to make an appointment with Becca for a weight evaluation. She can help you formulate a weight loss plan.

Dental Month

February is Dental Health Month! For the first 20 clients who come in and discuss their pet's dental health with our staff, we will give away a CET trial size dentifrice and a CET dental chew. CET dental chews are American made. They are scientifically formulated to help keep your pet's teeth clean. CET provides numerous dental products including pet safe (and flavored) dentifrice, finger brushes, and water additives.

If the technician feels that your pet's teeth need a professional cleaning she will refer you to a veterinarian for an appointment (this may need to be scheduled on a different day, and depending on the timing of your last visit may include an exam fee.)

A dental prophy involves a full cleaning both above and below the gumline, polishing, a full oral exam and probing for disease along the gumline. This can only be done safely with anesthesia. Just as you cannot brush away all future dentist visits, all pets will ultimately need a dental cleaning at least several times in their life. Small pets, like chihuahuas, poodles and cocker spaniels will all likely have yearly dental prophys starting at a fairly young age.

I may be dirty, but my teeth are clean!

Cats can get a painful oral condition called Feline Oral Resorptive Lesions (FORLs). These painful lesions are caused when for unknown reasons the cat's body begins breaking down and reasorbing the roots of the teeth.

Cats will show no signs of this, though many cats after the teeth are pulled (sadly this is the only option for these cats) are much happier after the procedure! This is yet another reason all cats should see their veterinarian at least yearly.

This is what happens to dogs who play with tennis balls and rocks

If we perform a prophy on your pet during the month of February we will give you a coupon for $10 off Purina DH diets or CET chews, whichever you prefer. Purina DH is a dog and cat food made of larger than normal kibbles that are scientifically formulated to not shatter like normal food when chewed. Instead the food resists breaking apart creating a scrubbing-like action that helps prevent tartar buildup. You can feed DH as a full diet or feed as treats.

For dental month, CET is offering a special buy two get one free offer when you buy CET chews from your veterinarian. You have to go to their website to receive their free bag.

Of course, like us, the gold standard for dental care is brushing. Brushing your pet's teeth is far easier than it may seem. If you think your pet would be amenable to toothbrushing we will be happy to give you a demonstration. Just give us a call to make a free appointment with a technician.

Dirty teeth are not just ugly, the bacteria released by infected teeth and gums circulate in the blood and affect the heart valves, kidneys and urinary tract. Red gums hurt, and because pets need to eat, they will continue to do so even if it means that it hurts.

Some level of oral disease exists in up to 75% of pets over the age of 5, and while most of those are not yet diseased enough to need a prophy, all pets can benefit from preventive dental care. See us if you have any questions about your pet's oral health.

You can reach us at (520) 299-1146 or info@ventanaanimalhospital.com

What healthy teeth and gums look like, no redness along the gumline