Pumpkin for Pets

Pumpkin is a power food for your pets. Skip the stem, the skin and stringy gunk inside, but the flesh and even the seeds pack a powerful health punch. Here are 6 benefits pumpkin can provide your pets:

• Mashed pumpkin helps with regular digestion. Ironically, if your pet is constipated, or has diarrhea, a few teaspoons in his or her food will alleviate the symptoms.
• Pumpkin seeds contain antioxidants and essential fatty acids that help moisturize your pet’s skin and fur. Also, the fiber found in mashed pumpkin can help move hairballs through your cat’s digestive system instead of being hacked up on your shoes or carpet. It can also help prevent hairballs from forming in the first place.
• The oils in pumpkin flesh and seeds may help with urinary problems such as bladder and kidney stones.
• Pumpkin contains high amounts of beta-carotene and Vitamin A for vision health and Vitamin C for joint health and to boost the immune system. It also contains minerals such as zinc, potassium, magnesium copper and iron, which are essential to your furry friend’s health and well-being.
• Pumpkin is loaded with antioxidants that can help prevent some cancers and help your pet stay young and vibrant.
• Pumpkin can also keep your cat or dog fit and trim. Pumpkin has few calories, and the fiber makes your pet feel fuller so he or she eats less.

Serving Up Pumpkin

Both pumpkin flesh and seeds are good for your pets, and you can either use fresh or canned. However, don’t use the canned pumpkin pie filling, which is loaded with sugar, fat, and spices, and don’t use the jack-o-lantern that has been sitting on your front porch for a week as it may contain mold or other organisms that can be harmful. You don’t need to overdo it. Just a couple of teaspoons daily will provide the health benefits you’re looking for.

If you opt to go the fresh route, cut off the top of your pumpkin and scoop out the gunk inside as if you were going to carve it. Save the seeds for roasting. Cut the pumpkin into large pieces, place skin-side up in a roasting pan with a half cup of water, and roast at 350 degrees for about an hour. Remove the skin and mash or puree the flesh.

Spread cleaned seeds evenly on a baking sheet, coat with cooking oil, and roast in a 375-degree oven for 5 or 10 minutes. You can serve them whole as a training treat or grind them up and to your pet’s food. Save a few for yourself. They’re delish.

After constantly being bombarded with warnings about what you shouldn’t feed your cat or dog, it’s nice to find a people-food that you actually should feed them. So give them a treat this Halloween, and any day thereafter.

Powell Veterinary Service wishes you and your furry friends a happy and safe Halloween.

The post It’s Always Pumpkin Season for Your Pets first appeared on Powell Veterinary Service.

Ear infections are common this time of year, and we at Powell Veterinary Service are seeing quite a few cases. Many ear infections are due to foreign bodies such as foxtails, arrow grass, or plant awns—all the little sharp grasses that stick to your clothing and your dog’s fur. These nuisances can get into your pup’s ears and work their way down deep where they are difficult to remove. They cause irritation, which causes your furry friend to scratch and rub on the ear. This can cause open sores that allow bacteria and yeast to grow, causing an ear infection. Environmental or food allergies and damp ears can also cause ear infections.

So What Do You Do?

If you notice your dog incessantly scratching her ears, take a look. Are they red and inflamed? Is there a discharge or dark, crusty scabs? If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to consult your veterinarian promptly. A foreign body or infection can penetrate or spread to the middle and inner ear causing damage to the ear canal and ear drum, causing hearing and equilibrium problems

Treatment

Your veterinarian will take a look deep into your pup’s ear’s to see what might be causing her problems. If it’s an embedded foxtail or grass awn, it will need to be removed—sometimes requiring sedation. The doctor may also take a swab of the infected ear to determine the microorganism causing the infection so it can be treated appropriately. He or she will likely thoroughly clean the ear and send you home with cleaning materials and antibiotics.

Prevention

If you live in an area with lots of weeds and tall grasses or frequently visit them on your outings with you dog, it will be difficult to prevent contact with foxtails and other sharp grasses. But you CAN reduce the likelihood that the grass will cause an infection. After every outing, check your furry friend thoroughly for foxtails and other sharp grasses. If they are in the outer ear canal or ear flap and easily removed without getting into the ear, carefully remove it. If it is deep in the ear canal, Do Not try to remove it yourself, as you can push it deeper into the ear canal and perhaps rupture the ear drum.  And don’t forget to check her body, tail, belly and between her toes, as foxtails can bury themselves most anywhere and cause problems.

Summer may be ear infection season, but that doesn’t mean your pup has to suffer. If you notice your dog scratching her ears constantly or shaking her head a lot, give Powell Veterinary Service a call at 970-352-9164. We’ll uncover the problem and provide the appropriate remedy.

The post Excuse Me. Is That a Foxtail in Your Dog’s Ear? first appeared on Powell Veterinary Service.

However, some dogs do experience problems eating grain. They may be hypersensitive to certain grains, like wheat and soy, and develop allergic reactions when they eat them. Food allergies are the result of an over-reaction of your dog’s immune system to certain proteins in your dog’s food. Proteins are found not just in the meats in the dog food, but also the grains and vegetables. The top allergy-provoking ingredients are: beef, dairy, wheat, chicken, egg and soy. Therefore, switching to a grain-free diet may or may not solve the allergy problem.

So how do you know if your furry friend might have a food allergy? Signs to look for include:

• Itchy, red skin or a dull coat
• Chronic ear inflammation
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Shaking head or rubbing it on the carpet

Those symptoms are common indicators of many conditions, so owners don’t typically suspect food allergies. One reason is because their pup has been eating the same food for years. But food sensitivities usually develop and worsen over time.

The first step in diagnosing and treating a food allergy is to visit your veterinarian to rule out other conditions. If a food allergy is suspected, the next step is to determine which substance or substances are causing the allergy—and that can be a long, frustrating process. You can start by switching to a commercial hypo-allergenic dog food. If the symptoms improve in a few days, go back to your dog’s regular food. If symptoms reappear, you know your dog probably has a food allergy, but you don’t know which substance in the food is causing it.

Next, you could try a grain-free food to see whether symptoms improve. The results will tell you whether switching to a grain-free diet will help relieve your furry friend’s food allergies. If you find that eliminating grain doesn’t help, you’ll need to do food elimination testing to find the culprit. Your veterinarian can help set up a plan to systematically find the allergy-provoking protein. Do not do it alone as you could endanger your pet’s health by not providing essential nutrients.

If you live in Kersey or the surrounding area and suspect a food allergy, call Powell Veterinary Service, 970-352-9164. Together, we can determine the best diet for your canine companion.

The post Is Grain-Free the Right Option for My Dog? first appeared on Powell Veterinary Service.

As the 5th in our series of Top Five Tips for Assuring your Pet’s Health and Wellbeing we have compiled this general information to remember in handling your pets.

To see our 4 other blogs on this subject go to powellvets.com and select the Blog tab.

 Love & affection

• Just like people, pets thrive on attention! The more love you give, the more you’ll get back.  Studies show that a lovingly handled pet is a healthier pet. The touch of the human hand improves the function of virtually all of the sustaining systems: respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and so on, in newborn puppies. A frequently petted pet is not only healthier and happier; but also better behaved. Dogs, like humans, find solace in touching another living being, which is why they get along so well together
• Give your pet plenty of hugs, kisses, gentle pats, and love. Okay, so maybe you can’t pet a fish, but you can still show you care by talking to it, watching it, and feeding it special treats.

Exercise

• Dogs need plenty of exercise. Physical activity keeps them healthy, happy, and fit. Make sure you walk, run, hike, or play fetch with your dog every day. Not only is exercise good for your pup, but it’s good for you, too!
• Cats, especially if they live indoors, also love some quality playtime with you. This is a chance to have fun and get creative with cool cat toys.

Grooming

• It’s a good idea to brush and comb your pets every day to get rid of loose or shedding hair.
• Poke around to check for fleas, ticks, leaves, and other things that might be tangled in your pet’s fur.
• If you can, bathe dogs once a month in the summer, every three months in the winter using a hypo-allergenic conditioner (oatmeal). Most cats rarely need bathing. Cats do not care for baths, so if you feel that your cat needs a bath use a lingerie sack for bathing. But don’t overdo it! Too many baths take away the natural oils from a pet’s skin and can cause itching or rashes. Brushing both dogs and cats can often be adequate in most cases
• Cats will have fewer hairballs and shed less if they’re combed on a regular basis.

Training, if you have a dog

• Yes, Bowzer is your buddy, but you need to be his boss! If you don’t set up rules for him to follow, he may act aggressively and out of control. You don’t want your dog dashing into oncoming traffic, jumping on little kids, or growling at your neighbors, right? So you need to set up rules for him to follow and help him follow them.
• You can do this sometimes in a very gentle manner without raising your voice or becoming mean. Work with your parents to determine the rules of the house. If there’s a “no dogs on the sofa” policy, don’t let Spot on the couch the minute your parents leave the room. It’s best when all of you work together to teach your new family member how to behave.
• An obedience class is a great way to learn how to speak a dog’s language and teach her the rules of your household. But don’t expect her to be perfect — there will be accidents! Just be patient and loving, and eventually the hard work will pay off.

Pet Don’ts

• Don’t use insect sprays and weed killers around your pets or allow antifreeze to spill in any area where pets hang out. If animals get poisons on their fur or paws, then lick themselves, they can get very sick or even die.
• Don’t ever feed your pet chocolate, no matter how much they might beg. Dogs can die from eating too much dark chocolate.
• Don’t let your dog wander the neighborhood without you. She could get lost, hurt, or catch a disease from another animal. Always keep her on a leash when in public areas, like a park or busy street.
• Never give pets human medicine. Keep all medicines — human or pet — out of your pet’s reach.
• Never leave a pet alone in a car on a hot day-even with the windows cracked open. Temperatures can go up quickly and cause an animal to overheat, which is sometimes fatal.

The post A Lovingly Handled Pet is a Healthier Pet first appeared on Powell Veterinary Service.