Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital

Be a Responsible Pet Owner; Spay and Neuter

Have you had your pet spayed or neutered? When male and female puppies reach 6 months, many pet owners choose to neuter or spay their pets. Likewise, responsible pet owners always leave breeding to professionals who can follow the genetic lines. Most owners understand the many health benefits of having this procedure done for their pets.

Studies have shown pets that have been spayed or neutered usually live longer. Wouldn't you want your dog to live one to three years longer, or cat to live three to five years longer? This medical procedure offers benefits for both males and females.

With females, spaying will decrease the risk of them developing tumors of the mammary gland, ovaries, or uterus. In some cases, the possibility is eliminated entirely, especially when the procedure is done before they have matured sexually.

Males should also be neutered before they have reached sexual maturity. This will eliminate the risk of testicular cancer as well as prostate issues. Likewise, neutering will also prevent those unwanted male behaviors associated with testosterone, including urine marking, aggression, and roaming behaviors.

Both males and females will do their best to roam the streets whenever they are not neutered or spayed. The instinct to mate is strong and your female will attract male suitors into your yard, while your male will try to escape your confines to find a suitable female to mate.

Your dog's safety will be in jeopardy while he is roaming the streets. Some of the possible problems include car accidents, fights with other animals, or even getting dognapped and taken to an entirely new home. You can avoid these potential problems with a simple medical procedure.

DOG KISSES – Why do they do it?

We love having our dogs lick our faces -- but why do they do it? Surprisingly, there are a number of reasons why dogs initiate treating our faces like a lollipop! Reasons for “kisses” or more accurately, face licking will vary from dog to dog. Some licking most certainly is a comfort behavior – perhaps related to the licking that occurred between mother and pup. For others, it can be a demonstration of submissiveness or an appeasement behavior if they feel like they did something wrong in our eyes. Likewise, some dogs will lick to displace nervousness. Of course, don’t forget that one of the most important reasons dogs use their tongues this way - grooming behavior! And if you have food on your beard, or the “death by garlic” rigatoni dinner lingers on your breath, what self respecting lab can resist that! Lastly, some rascals will take up face slobbering as an attention demanding behavior. These little (or big) rascals know they will get a rise out of us and they enjoy it!

I’m not trying to throw water on the slurpy love fest going on between you and your pet. I know many of you are saying, “I just know Snicker doodles gives me kisses ‘cause he just LOVES me!” I do believe that some dogs lick as a gesture of affection and goodwill, but most “kissing” is probably more often related to a biological behavior rather than “love”.

Help the World – and Your Pet Too! Some of the Benefits of Spaying and Neutering Pets

By getting your pet spayed or neutered, you will completely eliminate the possibility of them producing a litter. If your un-neutered pet frequently roams, then he or she can contribute to the very serious pet overpopulation problem we have by getting someone else’s pet pregnant or getting pregnant themselves. Stray cats and feral cats are already a problem in many places in the U.S. and around the world.

You can do your part to help reduce the problem by simply getting your pet neutered or spayed. Doing so will also benefit his or her health. It is important to note pets that undergo this surgery live on average 2-5 years longer than pets that don't.

The surgical procedure of neutering and spaying (OVH or ovariohysterectomy) is usually done when your pet is around five or six months old. However, it can also be done safely on adults. It is usually best for you to have your dog or cat neutered or spayed before they reach sexual maturity since doing so will decrease the risk of health problems in the future.

Pets that are not fixed are more likely to suffer from diseases affecting their reproductive systems. Whenever they go in heat, their behavior will change dramatically as well. They will want to escape and mingle with other cats or dogs in the area. Oftentimes, this will result in fighting or car accidents resulting in unexpected veterinary bills. In addition, many behavioral problems with your pet are prevented by spaying or neutering. In some cases, pets will become destructive. Male dogs and cats are especially known for urine marking to mark their territory. Your dog may even start biting people and acting aggressively. You can avoid all of these problems simply by spaying or neutering your pet.

Reminder: February is Pet Dental Health Month

If you are the type of owner who has not been paying much attention to your pet's dental health, then now is the perfect time to start. With February being Pet Dental Health Month, professional dental organizations and veterinarians are stressing the importance of proper dental health. Many hospitals, including Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital in Beaverton, Oregon are offering a discount for professional cleaning during this time.

You may not know much about periodontal disease, but you should know it can lead to serious problems in your pet. This disease becomes a problem when you don't care for the teeth properly. The bacteria growing inside your dog's mouth can cause problems with the kidneys and liver. The heart can also be affected, leading to strokes and heart attacks. In all cases, untreated periodontal disease will shorten your pet’s life.

Over eighty percent of all pets have some form of dental disease. While this can be very painful and cause them to be hesitant eating, many pets do not show outward symptoms. If you are paying close attention and your pet is having severe problems with oral pain, then you may notice symptoms.. Increased drooling, bleeding from the mouth, facial swelling, and frequently pawing at the face are all common signs you should be looking for.

Make sure you brush your pet's teeth on a regular basis at home but discontinue if bleeding occurs or your pet shows discomfort. Remember that one year of your pet’s life is like one of ours, so make sure you budget for an annual professional cleaning with your veterinarian. Feeding you pet a dental diet or special dental treats will help with proper dental health care too.

Do you brush your dog's teeth?

It's Valentine's Day – Is it Safe for my Dog to "French – Kiss" me?

We love having our dogs lick our faces – but is it safe? After all, dogs use their tongues as toilet paper. And how many of our furry friends love to snack on stool – whether it is their own, other dogs, or that special treat above all others: “Kitty Roca”.

All of us baby boomers grew up with the comforting counsel from Dear Abbey that dog mouths were cleaner than ours. HMMMM……. See the first paragraph. That being said, the dangers really aren’t so bad for a healthy person. Thankfully, our immune systems are strong and we probably see worse than what’s on a dog tongue every day.

Still, there are a few things to be aware of. Dogs do get worms and other parasites and some of these parasites are transmissible to us. The usual victims? Toddlers and young kids! They’re not as careful about where their hands go and also not as careful about washing their hands. Not to mention the tongue in the mouth thing. The solution? Follow the Companion Animal Parasite Councils recommendation and de-worm your dog monthly with a product like Sentinel or Heartguard, have your pets stool checked by your veterinarian at least once per year, and teach children to keep their mouths closed when Fluffy gives her kisses and to wash hands after playing with the dog.

Other issues to be aware of include Strep throat in the house. Pets don’t give us Strep but we can give it to them! Our pets can effectively act as reservoirs for this disease. They can only give it back to us if we have already given it to them (through kisses?). Make sure your veterinarian and physician are aware of pets in the house if anyone suffers from recurrent episodes of Strep. Likewise, there could be a concern if your pet is on a raw food (BARF) diet. Studies show that approximately 75% of all raw food diets are contaminated with pathological bacteria such as Salmonella and others and that these bacteria are shed in stool of dogs. Most healthy pets are not seriously affected by these bacteria but we are putting immunocompromised people and pets in danger. Do the right thing and do not feed raw protein to your pets.