Ostrander Veterinary Clinic

News and Current Affairs

This page is dedicated to areas of current interest, not only among our own staff, but also those relevant to special events. Monthly hot topics will be included - feel free to browse through and enjoy!

We are looking for action shots of your pets to post on our web site. Please e-mail them to us.

WE HAVE MOVED!

We moved in to our new facility on June 11, 2011!! The new location is at 332810 Plank Line (about 1 mile north on Hwy 19).

Celebrating Seniors

Our hospital is dedicated to making the most current veterinary health care practices available to your pet. Comprehensive physical examinations, vaccinations, parasite prevention and excellent nutrition all contribute to the health and well being of our precious pets. As a part of providing the best preventative health care to pets, we also encourage clients to have bloodwork and a urine analysis (or “wellness” profile) done on their pets annually. This is particularly valuable for pets who are 7 years of age or older.
Why pets of 7 years of age? The pet/human age equivalent chart below shows that pets at 7 years of age and older may be at an increased risk of developing age-related problems such as arthritis, diabetes, liver and kidney disease.

AGE	HUMAN YEARS	AGE	HUMAN YEARS
1	15	10	56
2	24	11	60
3	28	12	64
4	32	13	68
5	36	14	72
6	40	15	76
7	44	16	80
8	48	17	84
9	52	18	88

The “wellness” profile gives us a more complete picture of your pet’s overall health. It also provides a baseline for comparison with future profile results. If your pet is 7 years of age of older and has not had a “wellness” profile in the past year, we recommend that you call us to discuss the benefits of this testing for your pet.

Homemade Dog Cookies

¾ cup hot water or beef/chicken broth
½ cup margarine
½ cup powdered milk
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 egg beaten
3 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, pour hot water/broth over margarine. Stir in powdered milk, salt, sugar and egg. Add flour (1/2 cup at a time), mixing well after each addition. Knead 3-4 minutes, adding more flour as needed to make a very stiff dough. Pat or roll to ½ inch thickness and cut out desired cookie cutter shape. Place on a greased baking sheet and back at 325 F for 50 minutes. Allow to cool and dry out until hard

Your Pet's Photos

"Timbit" Gee an adorable Maltese/Poodle "just chill'n".

Here is a picture of Mercedes and Cricket - this is how they are often found having a nap!

Talk about an action shot! Look at those ears!!!

"Maggie" Westover, Winter 2008

This is Coco Chanel cleaning her teeth!!

Here is "Shilo" Arnold taking a nap!

"Misty" Wood in action!!

Ostrander Staff Active in Continuing Education

Here at the Ostrander Veterinary Clinic, we believe it is our responsibility to remain current and progressive in veterinary medicine. Much of this is done through continuing education through online articles and subscriptions, monthly "hot topic" staff meetings as well as various conferences and courses offered throughout the year. Some of the upcoming continuing education events include:

Western Veterinary Conference - February 2011

Dr. Julie Boutin attended various lectures at this conference with a wide range of small animal topics with focus on oncology, and dentistry.

Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians - London, February 2011

All of our Veterinary Technicians attended this annual conference with varied interests in a multitude of topics including hematology, anethesia, behaviour and internal medicine.

Ontario Veterinary Medical Association - Annual Conference, Toronto, March 2011

Dr. Julie Boutin, Dr. Karla Josephson, and Dr. Glenna MacGregor all attended this conference this year. This conference was held in conjunction with the American Animal Hospital Association.

Small Ruminant Veterinarians of Ontario - various events in 2010

Dr Julia Hodgins has participated in several events organized by the Small Ruminant Veterinarians of Ontario over the past year. Topics at these events have included small ruminant abortion, care of newborn lambs, CAE, and care of camelids. Dr. Hodgins is also an active member of the board of directors of this organization. Dr. Karla Josephson also attended some of these lectures.

Golden Triangle Lecture Series

Our small animal veterinarians all take turns attending these lectures on a monthly basis. Topics of these lectures have included ophthalmology, oncology, infectious disease control, and behaviour.

Why booster puppy vaccines?
Puppies receive a certain level of immunity from their mothers when they are born. This means, that if mom is current on her vaccinations, the puppies receive minimal protection for a short time. However, this level of immunity begins to decline after several weeks, at which time puppies should receive their first distemper vaccine (ideally at 8weeks of age). Puppies vaccinated at some point earlier than this may not fully respond to the vaccine since the mother’s immune protection may interfere in their response.
The distemper vaccine actually includes 4 different viruses (distemper, adeno, parainfluenza and parvo). This inoculation lasts approximately 3-4weeks, at which time immunity levels are dropping off again and another booster is required (ideally at 12 weeks of age). A vaccine given at this stage serves to stimulate the puppy’s immune response, no matter how they responded to the first needle.
Finally, at 16 weeks of age, the final vaccine of the puppy series is given (parvo portion only) as well as the rabies vaccination. Immunity levels are now such that the vaccination schedule is on an annual basis.

Watch Out---Skunks are Out and About!!!
Autumn is officially here and with that brings the array of changing colours, the fresh crisp scent of autumn air and unfortunately the not-so-fresh scent of SKUNKS!!! While there is not a miracle solution for getting rid of the odour a skunk may leave behind, here is a recipe that many have found helpful:

1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dish soap (we’ve heard lemon works well)

Bathe as normal (leaving solution on for 5 minutes) and be sure to rinse well with clean water. Use a moistened face cloth around the face to avoid contact with your pet’s eyes

**There are also several commercial shampoos available here at the clinic

Importance of Physical Examinations at Vaccination Time

Pets age faster than we do, therefore, a year in the life a companion animal can be anywhere from 5 to 7 years in a human, and most people would not go for that long without having a physical examination. In pets, many small yet detrimental changes can occur from one year to the next. These changes often go unnoticed until the condition gets worse or becomes life threatening.

Veterinarians are trained to look for these changes in pets during routine exams. For example, an owner might not have noticed a 1lb weight loss in his or her cat. The vet is also trained to ask owners certain questions regarding their pet’s health. For example, they may have noticed the cat’s water consumption has increased but might not have mentioned this unless specifically asked about it. Theses signs are often silent in the early stages and are easier and less costly to treat and the result is a better outcome than those in the more advanced stages.

When performing a physical exam the vet examines the pet from head to toe. Each area of the body is assessed for abnormalities. The body is examined not only for sign of discharge, sores, and masses, but also for the overall body condition. The heart and lungs are evaluated for murmurs or abnormal sounds, breath and heart rate. The abdomen is palpated for masses, pain and other abnormalities.

Some questions a veterinarian will ask the client are:

Is your pet kept indoors or outdoors
What kind of food are you feeding your pet
How much does your pet eat
Does your pet drink a lot of water
Does your pet urinate frequently
Have you noticed any vomiting or diarrhea
Are there any abnormalities that you have noticed
Have there been any changes in your pets behaviour

Seasonal Allergies

Is your pet losing patches of hair or have itchy skin?

These can occur in any of our pets large or small, long hair or short hair, male or female.

Seasonal allergies tend to have a breed predisposition, and most pets begin to show signs at 6 months to 3 years of age. Allergens can be inhaled, ingested, or sometimes absorbed through the skin, resulting in itchy skin and loss of hair.

If you see your pet licking excessively, rubbing, chewing, and/or scratching lots give us a call.