Baker House News | Baker House Animal Hospital

Its Chocolate Bunny Season - Chocolate can be Toxic to dogs

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:23:43 -0400

Our four handed friend are out hunting chocolate bunnies again click here to see if they ate enough to worry about.

Yummy - Bake me a Cookie!

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:16:41 -0500

Cheesy Treats

1 c. flour

1 c. (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

1 T. butter, softened

1/3 c. milk

1. In a small bowl, combine flour and cheese. Stir in butter until combined. Gradually add milk just until moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times.

2. Roll dough into a 12 x 9 inch rectangle; cut into 3 x 1 inch strips, or use cookie cutters for shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand in the oven with the door slightly open until cooled completely. Store in an airtight container.

Oatmeal-apple Cookies

4 c. whole-wheat flour

2 c. old-fashioned oatmeal

1 1/4 c. water

1/4 c. minced apple

3 T. cinnamon

2 T. vegetable oil

2 T. honey

1 T. ground cloves

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until combined to form dough.

2. Roll out dough on floured surface to about 1/4" thick. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters.

3. Place cookies on ungreased foil-lined baking sheets. Bake 30 - 35 minutes, depending on size of cookies.

Bone Appetit!!!

Seizures and Your Dog

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:31:05 -0500

By M. Lucinda Craig DVM

First let me tell you that my own dog is an idiopathic epileptic, and I know personally how difficult, frightening, and frustrating it can be to own a dog with seizures. Misha had his first seizure at eighteen months and had clustered seized (multiple seizures in a short period) before he was two years old. Even medicated, he seizes on a monthly bases.

In young puppies, congenital defects or low blood sugar are the most common cause of seizures. Toy breed puppies develop low blood sugar if they don’t eat frequently, at four to six hour intervals. A small amount of corn syrup or pancake syrup placed on the tongue can raise the blood sugar. Hypoglycemia is an emergency. Your puppy should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. A porto-systemic shunt is a blood vessel anomaly in which the blood from stomach shunts around the liver rather than through it. This will cause seizing following eating, especially if fed high protein food. Puppies with this disorder are frequently smaller and weaker than their litter mates.

A dog who begins seizing between one and three years of age with no apparent cause is most likely an idiopathic epileptic. This is an inherited disorder in dogs. I own giant schnauzers where epilepsy is becoming a serious problem because of the narrowness of the gene pool. Idiopathic epileptics require twice daily medication for their entire life. Most dogs are started on medication when the seizures become more frequent than once a month or if they have a long seizure or a cluster of seizures. Phenobarbital is still the first line drug for epilepsy in dogs. Many people are frightened by the potential side effects, but most dogs tolerate it well. Initially there will be sleepiness and ataxia (a drunken appearance). This will wear off in two to three weeks. In some dogs phenobarbital causes excess drinking and urinating; this side effect does not wear off. Depending on its severity, the dog may need a different drug. Potassium bromide is the traditional second line drug, and now some new human drugs have been used in dogs. The newer human drugs carry a significant expense and are more commonly used as an add on drug rather than alone. If you suspect, your pet is an epileptic, you should consult with your vet on appropriate treatment.

Radio Surgery vs Laser Surgery

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:28:51 -0500

At Baker House Animal Hospital, we use the Ellman radiosurgical device for many of our procedures requiring fine detail and cosmetic results. The Surgitron is a high frequency radiosurgical device that allows for precise surgery with limited bleeding and faster healing. We use radiosurgery for mass removal, declaws, surgery of the eyelids, and oral surgery. With the radiosurgery unit, your pet has faster healing and less pain.

Why Radio Surgery over Laser?

The scientific literature clearly shows that Laser Surgery causes a thermal injury to the tissue which slows healing. The surgeons at Baker House are trained in both Laser and Radio Surgery, and it is their opinion that Radio Surgery is the superior tool for most procedures being advertised for the Laser. One simple example is the feline declaw procedure - the radio surgery device is not only less traumatic but much faster. Laser Surgery has its place in veterinary medicine but it is limited.

Swine Flu and Your Pet

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:11:17 -0500

Until recently it was not believed that H1N1 would cross species to our domestic pets, but in October there has been reports of confirmed cases of H1N1 in two ferrets and in one indoor cat. There have been no reports of H1N1 in the domestic dog at this time. H1N1 is quite rare in domestic pets. Common sense precautions can help prevent cross transmission. If you are sick with flu like symptoms, wash your hands prior to handling your pet and try not to cough on your pet. It is probably best to not cuddle with you cat or ferret if you are ill with the flu. If your pet is sick, the same precautions apply to you. As always it is important to wash your hands. At this time there is no vaccination for H1N1 in domestic pets