In our house, and probably in yours, pets are family. Please spend a few moments this week, making sure they’re safe and can be quickly returned to you in case they’re lost. Pet parents know that a missing pet is scary and upsetting. In general, one of the biggest issues in returning a missing pet to his proper home is a lack of proper identification. Microchips and tags mean pets, and their parents are reunited far more quickly. This week is pet ID week, so it’s a good time to look more closely at pet IDs and how to make sure your pet can be brought home quickly.

If your pet does become lost, act fast and don’t wait! While this may sound obvious, many pet owners assume their pet will simply turn up on their own. The truth is that the sooner you start looking, the more likely it is that you’ll find your pet. Make posters with a picture of your pet and your phone number and hang them in the area your pet was last seen. Contact the animal control officer in your area and alert local shelters. Most lost pets don’t stray too far if you start looking right away.

A simple collar and ID tag is always a great first step to keeping your pets properly identified. It should contain their name, your name and your phone number.

YAH is a big advocate of microchipping your pet. Particularly in the case of cats or smaller dogs, collars easily get caught on bushes and safely break away to prevent choking your pet. However, once they’ve fallen off, they don’t help your pet get back home. Having your pet microchipped is an important safety net. Shelter workers and veterinarians can scan for the chip and contact you based on that information. Consider keeping your microchip information updated, now’s as good a time as ever!

As we move into the warmer months, our thoughts move towards the beautiful Carolina spring temperatures, the flowers and trees blooming, and….heartworms in our dogs. Well, while we associate heartworm threats with the warmer months due to the increase in mosquito, fleas and tick populations, heartworms are in fact a year-round issue for us to manage here in the Triangle due to our moderate temperatures in the winter. April is designated each year as the national month for awareness and prevention, and this month YAH wants to make sure we’re helping you keep your pets safe.

This month, if you buy a 6-month supply of heartworm prevention medication, YAH will offer the test involved for FREE (a $35 value). We’re still happy to offer our traditional prevention medications such as Heartgard, Revolution, Trifexis, Interceptor and many more. This year we’re excited to include a new medication recently released by Zoetis called Simparica Trio. Simparica Trio is a once-a-month chewable that is clinically proven to kill 5 types of fleas and ticks found in our area. It differs from the original Simparica in that it also protects against heartworm instead of only a flea and tick preventative. It’s FDA approved and available right now at YAH!

As always, the best way to book your appointment at YAH is through our app, which is downloadable from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Follow this link to download today and make your appointment!

YAH is excited to announce the newest member of our clinic family, Dr. Dawn Lanza!

Dr. Lanza grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana.  For undergraduate, she went to the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University where she was a SEC swimmer.  She obtained her DVM at LSU Veterinary school in Baton Rouge, La.  After graduating, she practiced one year in New Orleans as a general practitioner.  Dr. Lanza and her husband then moved to North Carolina and settled in Wake Forest.  For the next 13 years, Dr. Lanza practiced as an overnight Emergency Veterinarian.  After many long and exciting nights, she is looking forward to returning to General practice where she is excited to get to know her patients, their families, and help keeping fur babies happy and healthy. 

She lives in Wake forest with her husband and two your children.  She has a cat named Stoli and a French bulldog/boston terrier mix baby named Rocco.  A fun fact-Dr. Lanza fell in love with and bought Rocco after she delivered him by an emergency C-section when his mother could not have him naturally.   She enjoys exercising, cycling, eating out, binge watching Netflix, and going to the beach with her family.   

Dr. Lanza’s first day with YAH will be next Monday, April 5th. She’s already accepting appointments, so book yours today to stop by and say a hearty HELLO!

With a very heavy heart, YAH is extending our most heartfelt best wishes to Ms. Ashley Lloyd as she is entering her final week with us. Ashley has been such a wonder member of the YAH family the past almost 5 years, being with us from nearly the beginning of the clinic. Ashley’s grown into a tremendous veterinary technician, showing the utmost focus on her patients and customer care. We wish her all the best in life as she transitions into her next chapter and hope you’ll also take a minute to give her a big thanks!

The third week in March is annually designated as National Poison Prevention Week. According to the National Safety Council, thousands of lives have been saved due to physical barriers like child-resistant packaging and awareness campaigns.

“Every year, we receive thousands of phone calls from pet owners, veterinarians and veterinary technicians about potentially poisoned pets,” said Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC and Associate Director of Veterinary Services for Pet Poison Helpline. “Fifty percent of the calls are for pets that have been accidentally poisoned by something that is safe for humans, but toxic to pets. It only takes a few minutes to educate yourself on how to avoid these situations. Appropriate pet-proofing and awareness of what to do in the event of a pet poisoning situation could spare you and your pet trips to the veterinarian for expensive, but life-saving treatments.”

Below are the most common household items that are toxic to pets. Ensuring that your pet doesn’t ingest them will be well worth the time and effort needed to keep them a safe distance away.

Xylitol

Many sugarless gums, including some Trident™, Orbit™, and Ice Breaker™ brands, contain xylitol, a sweetener that is toxic to dogs. Candies, mints, flavored multi-vitamins, desserts and baked goods may also be made with xylitol. Even small amounts when ingested can result in a life-threatening drop in blood sugar, or with large amounts of ingestion, liver failure. Signs of xylitol poisoning include vomiting, weakness, difficulty walking, tremors and seizures.

Human medications

Common human drugs including NSAIDs (e.g. Advil®, Aleve® and Motrin®), acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol®) and antidepressants (e.g. Effexor®, Cymbalta®, Prozac®) can cause serious harm to your pets when ingested. NSAIDs can cause serious stomach and intestinal ulcers as well as kidney failure. Acetaminophen can damage red blood cells in cats, limiting their ability to carry oxygen, and in dogs, it can lead to severe liver failure. Ingestion of antidepressants, which, of all human medications account for the highest number of calls to Pet Poison Helpline, can lead to neurological problems like sedation, incoordination, agitation, tremors and seizures.

Flowers

With Easter and spring right around the corner, flowers will begin to bloom. As beautiful as they are, some flowers can cause severe toxicity, or even fatalities, in animals. Certain types of lilies including tiger, day, Asiatic, Easter and Japanese lilies, are highly toxic to cats. Severe kidney failure can result from ingestion of even a few petals, leaves, or even the pollen. In addition, ingestion of certain spring bulbs (e.g. daffodils, tulips) can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. More serious reactions include abnormal heart rate or changes in breathing.

Chocolate

With the Easter bunny on his way, make sure your kids hide their candy from your dog. While the occasional chocolate chip in one cookie may not be an issue, certain types of chocolate can be very toxic. Baker’s chocolate and dark chocolate pose the biggest problem. The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more dangerous it is to our pets. The chemical toxicity in chocolate is due to methylxanthines (a relative of caffeine) and results in vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and possibly death.

Fertilizers

Many fertilizers are basic gastrointestinal irritants. However, some are often combined with dangerous chemicals and compounds called organophosphates or carbamates, which can be harmful or deadly to pets. Ingestion can result in drooling, watery eyes, urination, defecation, seizures, difficulty breathing, fever and even death.

Pest Control Products

Rodent, snail and slug baits are often used to keep pests at bay. However, if ingested, these poisons are extremely harmful to pets. They are highly toxic and without immediate veterinary attention can be fatal. Rodent baits typically can result in blood clotting disorders, brain swelling or kidney failure, while snail and slug baits can result in severe tremors or seizures.

Remember that what is safe for humans isn’t always safe for pets. If you think your pet has ingested something poisonous, it is always better (and less expensive) to get help immediately, rather than waiting until your pet is showing severe symptoms. Contact YAH or Pet Poison Helpline immediately at 800-213-6680 for life-saving help.

Pet Poison Helpline recently worked with VPI pet insurance to produce several videos with helpful and interesting information about keeping your pets safe from toxins inside and outside the home. They are available here: http://petpoisonhelp.wpengine.com/Ask-the-Vet-Videos.

We’re so excited to ‘officially’ welcome Kenia Roa to the YAH family! Kenia’s been doing some required educational hours at the clinic recently as she pursues her veterinary technician degree and certification, and we’re happy to announce she’s joined the staff full time! So, please help us in giving her a warm welcome next time you come by the clinic.

Originally from Louisburg, NC. Kenia attended Louisburg college where she played soccer for two years and earned her associates degree in general art. She’s always had a passion for animals and has personal experience in caring for all her family dogs. She has two dogs of her own whom she loves to take on hikes and to dog parks. In her spare time, Kenia enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with her boyfriend Luis and her two pups. 

Welcome Kenia!!!!

International Women’s Day is today, March 8, and an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world and promote gender equality. YAH is so proud of the accomplished, professional women at our clinic. In what’s been such challenging times, you all have been a shining example what being a professional veterinary staff is all about.

To Dr. Bailey, Ashley, Katrice, Kaitlyn, Terri, Julie and Kenia – our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your dedication to the health and happiness of our clients and patients!

YAH’s new online appointment service is up and going! Our new and improved user interface makes it easier than ever to see when we’re available to see your pet, complete with your favorite doctor, date and type of service.

You can check it out today by clicking here to make an appointment!

We are currently experiencing issues with our online appointment scheduler. At this time, we appreciate you dialing the clinic directly (919-494-5511) or using the YAH app to schedule your appointment. We apologize for this inconvenience and the staff is working diligently to correct the issue.

YAH is operating under normal conditions as of 6:30AM. All scheduled appointments are being seen as normal. Please be safe! If you feel the conditions are too severe for you to make your appointment, please contact us via the YAH App or call the clinic @ 919-494-5511 to reschedule.

Pending future weather developments, any further updates to our operations will be reported via our blog, Facebook and Twitter.