Maple Knoll Welcomes Dr. Kressin-Veterinary Dentist

On May 15th 2014, the staff at Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic was pleased to welcome Dr. Dale Kressin, board certified veterinary dentist and owner of Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery Specialists, LLC. for an afternoon of continuing education with a focus on dental radiography.

 Dr. Kressin has dedicated his career to learning and practicing cutting edge veterinary dentistry as well as providing support and education to other veterinary professionals. All four of our veterinary technicians as well as Dr. Julie Johnson worked with Dr. Kressin in a hands on lab, taking dental radiographs with the goal of improving our skills. Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic has included dental radiography as part of our Oral Asessment and Treatment Plan since February 2011 and it has proven to be an invaluable tool that provides necessary information used to diagnose and treat dental disease. The staff at Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic is always excited to sharpen our skills and learn ways to improve the quality of service we provide to you and your pets. We are looking forward to using the additional knowledge and tools provided by Dr. Kressin to help keep your pet’s smile healthy!

What’s “bugging” your pets? And what can you do about it?

Preventing parasites from “bugging” your pet and infesting your house and lawn is important for all pet owners.  Parasite preventatives can do just that--keep those nasty critters from bugging your four-legged friends.  They also help prevent an infestation which can start when those pesky bugs try to take a free ride on your cat or dog into your home.  For many, keeping bugs out of the house and off of your pets is reason enough to use parasite preventatives.  However, the issues go much deeper than the cleanliness and comfort of a home.  Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies, lice and mites are not just pesky, they also cause and transmit serious, and sometimes life threatening diseases.  The list of diseases carried by the previously mentioned parasites includes Lyme disease, heartworm disease, Anaplasmosis, Cat Scratch Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and tapeworms just to name a few.  Here is the worst part; your pets are not the only ones at risk of contracting these diseases.  Many of the diseases listed above, and many more not mentioned, can be transmitted from your pet to you!  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are diseases of animal origin and 60% of all human pathogens are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between species.

So what does all this mean?  It means that Fido is not the only one who benefits from parasite preventatives.  You, your children, your neighbors, and your friends are all at risk when your pet is not protected from parasites.  Your pet needs protection all year long; and this can be achieved with once-a-month treatments.  Cold weather is not a good reason to stop using preventatives on your pet.  Biting parasites, including fleas, ticks and mosquitoes can survive through the fall and winter months.  Last winter, despite the cold weather, our clinic saw pets every month with fleas—including January and February.  Even if your pet only rarely goes outside, anyone who has been outside on a hot July day in Wisconsin knows that it only takes seconds before a mosquito takes a lunch break on your arm.  Within only a few minutes of being outside, your pet is exposed to a wide variety of the disease carrying parasites.    

Many parasite preventatives will only kill the parasite after they have taken their first bite of your pet.  Unfortunately, it only takes one bite for your pet to be infected by a disease carrying parasite.  The best type of preventative will not only kill parasites that land on your pets, but they will repel parasites as well. The veterinarians at Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic, along with the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) and the CDC recommend routine use of monthly heartworm and intestinal parasite preventative as well as flea and tick control year-round for the safety, happiness, and health of your pets, your family, and our entire community.      

Tori's Bad Day

When Tori's owner came home the other day, she came home to an awful mess.  Tori was in her kennel.  There was foul smelling blood all over the inside of the kennel and all over Tori.

Tori had been feeling a little off for a few days—not eating as much, lethargic and drinking and urinating more than normal.

Tori’s owner brought her to the clinic right away where Dr. Julie performed a physical examination noting some pus coming from Tori's vulva.  Dr. Julie confirmed the diagnosis of uterus infection (also called pyometra) with an ultrasound which also allowed her to confirm that the uterus had not ruptured (which could have made the prognosis much worse).  Blood tests were also completed in order to ensure safe anesthesia since Tori now needed surgery.  Treatment of pyometra is an emergency surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries.  The surgery poses some special risks including rupture of the uterus during surgery and bleeding into the abdomen from the greatly enlarged blood vessels of the uterus and ovaries. 

However, without surgery, pyometra is life-threating.  The uterus may rupture and release its infected contents into the abdomen or bleed into the abdomen.   Luckily, Tori’s uterus had not yet ruptured and both her ovaries and her pus-filled uterus were safely removed. Within just 24 hours, Tori was no longer lethargic, eating some food, and feeling much better. Tori is expected to make a full recovery.

Dog Safety Tips for Memorial Day

Like many Americans, you may be planning a festive Memorial Day, complete with barbecue and fireworks. It’s important to remember, fireworks and dogs don't mix.

Unlike people, dogs won’t associate the noise, flashes, and burning smell of pyrotechnics with a celebration. Fireworks will often cause panic and anxiety in dogs. It’s important to remember that dogs panic at the sound of fireworks and flee into the night, often winding up lost, injured, or killed.

1.      Keep your pet indoors at all times, if possible.

2.      Use Pet Friendly Repellent.

3.      Don’t give your pet table food.

Source: http://tiny.cc/4x14ex

Waupun Area Animal Shelter and MKVC Collaboration

The veterinarians and staff at Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic have worked closely with the Waupun Area Animal Shelter (WAAS) since the planning stages more than a year before the shelter opened in 2005. Now, each week one of the doctors from Maple Knoll goes to the WAAS and spends time examining cats and dogs and performing minor procedures on the shelter animals.  Both Dr. Bev Martens and Dr. Julie Johnson have served on the shelter board.  Dr. Bev Martens volunteers her time as the Treasurer on the board of directors at the WAAS.  Dr. Julie has been the secretary of the board.  The staff at Maple Knoll perform laboratory tests for the shelter animals, such as intestinal parasite exams and heartworm tests.  The shelter also brings cats and dogs to our clinic for surgeries and other procedures that need to be done in a clinic such as spays, neuters, tooth extractions and cleanings and other things to ensure the health and happiness of our furry shelter friends.  Maple Knoll offers generous discounts to the animal shelter for all services used and inventory purchased.  In the year 2013 alone, Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic donated over $4,700 worth of goods and services for the medical care of the animals at the shelter.

Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic and the Waupun Area Animal Shelter have similar goals which allows for an excellent collaboration between all the wonderful volunteers at the animal shelter and the veterinarians and staff at a Maple Knoll. Both the WAAS and Maple Knoll believe that pets deserve long, happy, and healthy lives and seek to promote responsible pet ownership. One way we work to accomplish these goals is by spaying and neutering all the cats and dogs that come to the animal shelter. Maple Knoll provides the animal shelter with a 100% discount on all cat neuters and a discount on all other surgeries.  Maple Knoll performed 20 cat neuters for absolutely free and nearly 60 spays and neuters total in 2013.  In addition, over 55 ear cleanings and nail trims were done free of charge for shelter animals who visited the clinic..

Waupun Area Animal Shelter and Maple Knoll work hand in hand to improve the welfare of Waupun and the surrounding communities. We look forward to continuing to support the animal shelter's mission for many years to come.

http://www.waupunareaanimalshelter.org/

Client Highlight: Tiffany Rose

 It is often risky for Chihuahuas to deliver puppies due to their small size.  This was the case with Tiffany Rose.

She was bred in December and went into active labor on February 19th, 2014. Her owner called on the morning Tiffany Rose went into labor with concerns because she had been in hard labor for more than five hours but had not yet delivered her puppy.

Tiffany Rose came into the clinic and after examination and an ultrasound to verify that the puppy was alive, the veterinarian and veterinary technicians began to prepare for a Cesarean section.  But then, just minutes before Tiffany Rose was to be prepared and sedated for the surgery, she was able to push the pup so that it was within reach.

Now, with some assistance from Dr. Julie and Abby, a technician, the puppy was delivered without surgery.  It was fortunate that assistance was immediately available because the puppy became lodged in the birth canal.

There were no other pups to deliver.  Tiffany and her pup were able to return home with the owners not long after the delivery.  It was a very exciting day for Tiffany Rose's family!

Patient Highlight: REMI

We got the chance to meet Remi when she was only 2 months old, she was a sweet and boisterous yellow lab puppy. We got to watch Remi grow up, when she was seven years old, she came in for her annual exam in August, her owner mentioned that Remi had a lump that the veterinarian should take a look at. An in-house test determined that Remi's lump contained mast cells. Mast cell tumors are the most common malignant (cancerous) skin tumors in dogs.

A few days later, Remi was back at the clinic for the surgical removal of the mass. Upon further testing, it was determined that although the tumor was completely removed it would likely reoccur. Because of Remi’s diagnosis, we referred her to the oncology (the study of cancer) department at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.

Through careful collaboration with the veterinary school, the doctors and staff at Maple Knoll Veterinary Clinic treated Remi with 6 rounds of chemotherapy. After the chemotherapy treatments were complete, it was determined that…. Remi’s cancer was in remission. Remi will continue to be monitored for any future problems but we couldn’t be happier for Remi and her family.