Winter Newsletter 2024

With the heaviest of hearts, we would like to share with our clients that Erica Suarez, LVT passed away Friday, December 29th. Erica worked at our clinic for 21 years and in that time touched the hearts of countless animals, clients, and coworkers. There is no way to convey our sadness or fill her absence. Her tenderness with scared pets and passion to advocate for behavioral patients helped us be a better practice.

Please be patient with us while we mourn our co-worker & friend. Thank you.

Pet Selection Counseling:

***We have decided to run our newsletter with the article written by Erica last month. Her words of wisdom will be missed.***

Have you ever thought about adopting a pet, but were worried about which breed or type of pet you should adopt?

Pet selection counseling is a service in which a trained professional does a full lifestyle screening to help potential owners decide what type of animal would be the best fit for their home and lifestyle.

Pet selection is important because you are choosing to accept the responsibility of the health and welfare of a living being. This decision impacts your family, friends, pet (current or new), and community. Choosing the right pet for you is the first defense in the prevention of behavioral disorders, along with unrealistic expectations regarding time, effort, and cost of care. Pets with behavioral disorders are more likely to be euthanized, abandoned, rehomed, or relinquished to an animal shelter. Pet selection counseling helps to educate owners on normal animal behavior (with certain breeds), positive training methods, and preparing for new arrivals.

When considering which pet you should adopt, be sure to address the following:

• Can you afford the cost inquired in owning a pet? (food, shelter, veterinary care including emergencies)
• How long during the day will the pet be left alone? Certain animals require more exercise, feeding, grooming, and socialization than others.
• Who is going to care for the pet in your absence? (Vacation, work travel, hospitalizations, or even death)
• Does your housing accept only certain animals? (insurance companies, landlords, etc.)
• How many years are you willing to commit? Some animals can live even longer than humans.
• Do you have any current pets? Will they learn to cohabitate?
• What are you looking to gain from adopting a pet?

These few questions are a good start, but there are many things you should consider when making this life-changing decision.

-Erica Suarez, LVT

What to do if your pet ingests a toxin!

Unfortunately, each year thousands of dogs and cats suffer from accidental ingestion of household poisons. Most pet owners are familiar with the basic household toxins: chocolate, garlic, onion, lilies. But did you know grapes/raisins cause kidney failure? Sugar free products, such as gum, peanut butter, supplements, jams, some medications, etc. often contain an ingredient called xylitol that causes low blood sugar, seizures, and liver failure. Rich or fatty foods such as avocado, coconut oil, various meats, desserts, nuts, and the like can put your pet at risk for pancreatitis. Over the counter human medications such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Aleve, and Aspirin can cause liver and kidney damage. Macadamia nut ingestion by dogs can lead to a syndrome characterized by muscle weakness, central nervous system depression, vomiting, and increased temperature. Even the smallest amount of lily consumed by a cat can cause significant kidney failure. Rat bait, depending on the kind, will cause a pet to bleed, have kidney failure, or become paralyzed. Anti-freeze is very sweet and enticing to pets but causes kidney failure.

So, what do we do if we witness our pet eat something toxic? I recommend calling a pet poison control center such as ASPCA at (888) 426-4435 for $95 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 767-7661 for $85. Both numbers are available 24/7. They have round-the-clock on staff toxicologists and a system log of almost every substance you can think of. They use the information you provide, such as, your pets weight, the type of toxin, the amount ingested, time elapsed since ingestion, and current symptoms (if any). It is important to save any and all packaging information with ingredient lists for the product you’re concerned about. They will then use their database to inform you if your pet has consumed a toxic dose. If not, you don’t need to do anything else! If so, they may make the following recommendations: induce vomiting at home (and they will tell you with what and how much) and/or proceed directly to a veterinarian for treatments. They will provide you with a case number. Once you arrive at the veterinarian’s office, we use that case number to formulate a treatment plan. They tell us exactly what your pet needs, how much, and how long based on the ingested dose and potential side effects. We may do things like induce vomiting (which is most successful within 3 hours of ingestion), administer activated charcoal to bind any remaining toxins, provide fluid therapy to flush out their system, and any other supportive care and close monitoring they will need.

It is important to never treat at home without advice from a licensed professional. Accidental asphyxiation, oral or stomach ulcers, and even heart damage can occur with “at home” solutions found on the internet to induce vomiting. If you have questions regarding potential toxins, email us at [email protected].

-Dr. Hailee Cotter

Employee Spotlight:

Icela EuBanks, LVT (she/her):

Icela, better known as Ice, is a recently graduated Veterinary Nurse from MSU, who after just passing her VTNE, is now a Licensed Veterinary Nurse. She has always had a love for animals and has known from a very early age that caring for animals is what she wanted to do. Having never worked in a primary care clinic before, Ice came to us with a clean slate and was ready to put her technical skills and knowledge to the test. She has an interest in large animal and exotic medicine and has been actively seeking out and wanting to learn new things about exotic medicine. She also has interests in surgery, radiology, and dentistry. Ice lives in the South Lansing area with her three dogs, Beauty, Bre'ya, and Raven and her bearded dragon named Draca. She likes to often say "If it wasn't for my small living space, I would have a lot more animals!”