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The goal of allergy testing is to identify the specific allergen(s) to which your pet has an allergy. Allergy testing is done either with a blood test (sometimes also called 'ELISA' or 'RAST testing') or with intradermal testing (sometimes also called 'skin testing'). Following the identification of the allergen(s), your pet usually begins a series of injections of a dilute solution of the allergens, with the idea of "desensitizing" his or her immune system to future allergen exposure. This is termed immunotherapy. The exact schedule of injections is tailored to each individual case, but often begins as a once a week injection. The injections are usually carried out over the course of several months to years, and most patients require the injections for life.

Intradermal Skin Testing on a Dog

Skin problems (particularly itching) and ear problems are two of the most common reasons why veterinarians see pets. Unlike humans who react to allergens with nasal symptoms, dogs react with skin conditions. These problems may range from poor coat texture or length, to itching and chewing, to hot spots and eventually self-mutilation. Allergies may also play a part in chronic ear infections. To make matters more difficult to diagnose and treat, thyroid disease may add to the problem as well.

Many times, severe skin itching and inflammation is caused by allergies to fleas, foods, or environmental substances. If we can determine exactly what your pet is allergic to, it will allow us to provide more effective treatment. For pollen and dust allergies, it allows for the possibility of treatment with "allergy shots" (also called immunotherapy or hypo sensitization), which help to decrease the immune system's exaggerated response to these substances. Knowing exactly what the allergies are may also allow you to avoid things to which your pet is very sensitive...for example, fleas.

There are basically two types of allergy tests performed by veterinarians. The goal of allergy testing is to identify specific substances that are causing the allergic reaction, so that avoidance (if possible) and / or desensitization through allergy shots may be attempted.

As mentioned previously, allergy testing is done either by blood testing or by intradermal skin testing. The intradermal test involves clipping the fur from the side of the animal's chest and injecting very small amounts of pollens (from trees, weeds, and grasses), molds, and insect extracts into the superficial layers of the skin. Often, the test is administered under a light sedative/analgesic so that the pet (dog, cat) feels no discomfort. If the animal is allergic, a 'hive' forms at the site of one or more injections. This type of testing is more traditional, more involved, and more expensive than blood testing, but has very few false positive reactions.

For the blood test, a small amount of blood is taken and sent to a special laboratory. Generally, the test results come back in about 3 weeks. This type of testing is newer and less expensive; however, interpretation is more difficult.

Although serum allergy testing can give meaningful results, intradermal skin testing is considered to be more accurate and is the preferred method of allergy testing.

If you have questions regarding your pet's skin problem(s), do not hesitate to call your veterinarian.

So you've added a pet cat to your family. Maybe you imagined yourself sitting down with a big furry Persian in front of the fireplace, petting him and listening to him purr. Or maybe you liked the idea of having a perky little tabby greet you at the door after your work day was finished. Perhaps it was the thought of a playful kitten waking you up in the morning.

Cats can be wonderful companions. But sometimes things don't work out exactly the way you thought they would. Maybe your new cat would rather rest on the chair at the other end of the room than lie down on the sofa next to you. Or perhaps your cat has even hissed at or scratched you when you tried to pick him up.

Often, when people don't live happily with their cats, it's because the pet owners didn't establish a good bonding when they first brought the kitty home.

Bonding is the first step toward successfully living with your cat. Bonding means creating a personal relationship between you and your pet. This includes mutual respect, trust and love. You are a special person to your cat, and your cat should be special to you.

It's important that each member of the household develops his or her own unique relationship with the family cat. The person who bathes, feeds and trains the cat may bond as a substitute mother. A child who plays with the cat may relate to him as a brother or sister, and the person who sits quietly with the cat on his or her lap and pets him may bond as a friend.

It's easiest to bond with a new kitten, but even if your cat is an adult and you've had him for several months or even years, it's still possible to strengthen the bond you have with him if you are willing to work at it.

Here are 10 suggestions for building a solid bond with your feline friend:

1. Include your cat in your daily activities. Invite your cat to be with you while you clean house, watch television, sort through the mail, work at the computer or read the newspaper. The more activities your cat observes you doing, the more he will trust you in all situations.


2. Talk often to your cat. Verbal communication is one of the most important aspects of bonding. Don't feel silly sitting down and talking to your cat. He may not understand the words you use, but he can understand a warm, friendly tone of voice. Use your cat's name often. This will grab his attention and establish a personal relationship between the two of you.


3. Get to know your cat's individual personality. Every cat is different; some are shy and independent, while others are outgoing and crave attention. Adapt your lifestyle to the particular personality of your cat. Try different behaviors on your cat and see what works. If you want your cat to be affectionate, you have to determine what you can do to make him act that way.


4. Provide a consistent daily routine. Cats don't like surprises. They feel safe and secure with a routine. Establish an acceptable daily schedule with your cat early in the relationship. Let him know how often and when to expect meals, walks on the leash and play sessions. Don't spend two hours a day with your cat one week and only a few minutes a day with him the following week. You also should be consistent with the behaviors you allow and don't allow. Don't yell "no" when he jumps on the counter today and then let it slide tomorrow. If you are inconsistent in how you interact with your cat, you will confuse him and he won't feel as though he can trust you.


5. Give a new cat plenty of privacy. When you bring a new cat into your home, you should give him a room of his own for two to four weeks. Sit in the room for an hour a day, reading or just relaxing, but don't force the cat to interact with you. Make yourself available, but let your cat be the one to make the first move. If your cat starts walking toward you, put some catnip or other treat around your chair. This encourages the cat to move toward you. Never reach out to grab a frightened cat nor drag a cat out from under a chair. It's important that you respect your cat's fears and inhibitions. Remind yourself that he is in a new environment. Go especially slow with an older, adopted cat who may have been a stray. Give your cat time to see you're not a threat, and eventually he will leave himself open to develop a relationship with you.


6. Avoid harsh corrections. If your cat misbehaves, do not hit, holler or punish him. You can tell him "no," but do so only to stop unacceptable behavior. Don't yell or scream. You can use a squirt bottle or air horn to stop your cat from scratching your furniture or drapes, but be careful not to link yourself with the correction. Hide the squirt bottle as you spray. You want your cat to think the drapes have a life of their own, that the drapes did the squirting. If the cat thinks you did it, it may be harder to bond with him.


7. Provide frequent play and exercise. Play with your cat several times each day using tossed toys, fishing pole toys, rolled balls or other interactive cat toys. By playing with your cat and giving him things to do, you build a bond because the cat is thinking, 'when mom or dad is home, I have more fun.' This causes the cat to welcome you that much more. If you're a positive object in your cat's life, he's going to seek you out. Avoid tug-of-war and other games that encourage aggressive behavior. Resist the temptation to roll your cat on his back and rub his tummy. When you do that, you encourage the cat to use his claws and teeth on your hands. It seems like that's a lot of fun, but cats get overexcited and can become quite aggressive as a result.


8. Touch with affection. Show your cat you care about him - stroke his fur, pat his head, scratch behind his ears, even gently squeeze his paws. Physical contact is a wonderful way to make your cat feel loved. However, avoid quick, jerky movements that might startle him.

9. Hold your cat securely. Pick up your cat firmly, but gently, supporting his entire body. If you let his limbs dangle, he will resist and may struggle or bite you. Hold your cat by sliding your right hand between his front legs and around his upper body. Put your left hand under his rear end and around the outside of his body, pulling him into you so he feels secure. You want your cat to trust you; you don't want him to feel as though you're going to drop him.


10. Give your cat the time he needs. Some people buy a cat and want a best friend immediately. Bonding is not automatic. It may take a couple of weeks to bond with a kitten and several months to bond with an older cat. Having a strong bond with your cat takes time. Go slowly and don't expect too much too fast.

You will have both good and bad days with your cat. Like people, now and then cats get grumpy, be patient and understanding. Treat your cat as a good friend and sooner than later, he'll be one.

Puppies have 28 temporary teeth that erupt at about three to four weeks of age. They have 42 permanent teeth that begin to emerge at about four months of age.

Puppies should lose a puppy tooth before the corresponding adult tooth emerges. If a puppy tooth is still in place when an adult tooth begins to show, contact your veterinarian. He or she may advise extracting the tooth.

Studies show that by age three, 80 percent of dogs exhibit signs of gum disease. Symptoms include yellow and brown build-up of tartar along the gumline, red inflamed gums and persistent bad breath.

Small dog breeds are more likely to develop periodontal disease than large dogs. According to veterinary dental experts, this is because the teeth of small dogs are often too large for their mouths.

The canine teeth of working dogs are essential for the dogs to carry prey and other objects. If these teeth are broken, a canine dentist can prepare a crown.

A broken tooth is a common problem, especially among outdoor dogs. Aggressive chewing on hard objects, such as rocks, is a primary cause.

This is Part I in a series of articles on caring for rabbits. Look for additional featured articles in upcoming issues of our newsletter.

Rabbits make intelligent, friendly and quiet house pets. The average life span for a bunny is 7 to 10 years, with records of up to 15 years of age being reported. The following information is designed to help you take the best care of your pet and enjoy a happy, healthy life with him or her.

Diet

Rabbit Pellets: A good quality rabbit pellet may be offered daily but in limited quantities. The uncontrolled feeding of a pelleted diet can lead to obesity, heart and liver disease, chronic diarrhea, and kidney disease which results from the high concentration of carbohydrates, low fiber and high calcium levels in the pellets. Make sure that you buy pellets high in fiber (18 percent or more), and that you buy small quantities. Oxbow Hay Company sells very reasonable, high fiber pellets. You can find them on the web. Keep the pellets refrigerated or cool and dry to prevent spoilage. Old, rancid pellets can cause a rabbit to stop eating.

The following chart shows daily amounts to be fed to your bunny. Do not refill the bowl even if the pellets are all eaten before the next day. Overfeeding of pellets is the number one cause of health problems we see. Keep your rabbit healthy by not overdoing it!

*Rabbits up to eight months of age can have access to pellets free choice, because they are still growing rapidly. However, after eight months of age, they should receive the following maintenance diet.

• 2-4 lb. of body weight—1/8 cup daily
• 5-7 lb. of body weight—1/4 cup daily
• 8-10 lb. of body weight—1/2 cup daily
• 11 - 15 lb of body weight—3/4 cup daily

*Please note that these food amounts are for the maintenance of the non-breeding, mature house rabbit. If you intend to breed your pet, then we suggest increasing the daily pellet amounts by 1/4 cup during the breeding season. For does that are nursing babies, the pellets should be increased over a 4 to 5 day period to free-choice until the babies are weaned. After the breeding period is over, resume feeding at the maintenance levels as listed above.

In some situations, your veterinarian may recommend that pellets should be removed totally from the diet. Do not become alarmed, because your pet will be able to receive all the nutrients necessary from the hay and fresh foods that you will be instructed to feed. This is commonly the treatment suggested by our hospital for very overweight bunnies that need to lose weight safely.

*Avoid pellets with dried vegetables and fruits. These are not healthy for bunnies.

Hay: Timothy, Orchard, or other grass hay(but not alfalfa) should be offered daily in limited amounts. It is important that hay be available at all times for your pet. In fact, 90 percent of your bunny's diet should consist of hay! Rabbits tend to eat small amounts of food frequently throughout the day and withholding hay for long periods of time can lead to intestinal upsets.

We prefer the loose, long strands of hay, as opposed to the pressed cubes or chopped hay. The fiber in the hay is extremely important in promoting normal digestion and for the prevention of hairballs. Hay also contains proteins and other nutrients essential to the good health of your pet. We no longer recommend the use of alfalfa hay, particularly if it is being used along with pellets (which are already high in alfalfa), because it may provide too much calcium and extra carbohydrates, which may lead to serious health problems and digestive upsets. If the rabbit is on a no pellet diet, then alfalfa hay may be used in unlimited amounts, but weight loss may be more difficult to achieve.

Check with your local pet stores for timothy hay or other types of grass hay. They can be purchased on the web at Oxbow Hay Company. Also check with local feed stores and horse barns, because many of these places will sell you a "flake" of hay off a bale at a very nominal cost. Hay should be stored in a cool, dry place with good air circulation (don't close it tightly in a plastic bag). Discard wet or damp hay, or any hay that does not have a "fresh" smell. The best way to offer the hay is to use a hayrack on the outside of the cage. Your pet can pull the hay into the cage through the bars, as he or she needs it. This keeps the hay clean and eliminates much of the waste.

At certain times of the year and in certain locations, it may be difficult to obtain grass hay. At these times it is okay to use hays mixed with alfalfa, or use strictly alfalfa hay for a short period of time. The most important thing is to always have hay available to the pet. Remember, we are restricting the pellets, and the hay is a major source of fiber and nutrients.

Fresh Foods: These foods should be given daily. Rabbits in the wild eat primarily tough, fibrous leaves, bark and other difficult to digest plants. Their digestive tract functions best when it has the most work to do in breaking down cellulose. If your pet is not used to getting any fresh foods, then start out gradually with the green leafy veggies and add a new food item from the list every 5 to 7 days. If the addition of any item leads to diarrhea or unformed stools in 24 to 48 hours, then remove it from the diet.

Young bunnies should also be introduced to new foods gradually. However, once your pet is eating these foods, try to give at least three types daily. We find that the addition of these fresh fibrous foods, along with the hay, helps in the prevention of hairballs and other digestive upsets. Plus, your bunny will love you for it!

The following are all foods that you can try on your pet. The total amount of fresh food that can be given daily, once your pet has been gradually introduced to it as described above, is about one heaping cup per 5 pounds of body weight.

Carrot tops, beet tops, dandelion greens and flowers (these are excellent, but no pesticides, please), kale, collard greens, escarole, romaine lettuce, (don't give light colored leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce), parsley, clover, cabbage, broccoli (don't forget the leaves), carrot, green peppers, pea pods (the flat edible kind), brussels sprouts, basil, peppermint leaves, raspberry leaves, radicchio, bok choy and spinach.

Try to feed at least three different types of greens daily. Feeding just one type of green food only (especially broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and spinach) may lead to nutrient imbalances.

Treat Foods: In a small amount, you can give one of these "treat" foods daily, (give about one level tablespoon per 5 lbs. of body weight) - strawberries, papaya, pineapple, apple, pear, melon, raspberries, peach, pear or dried whole grain bread.

One can alternately give one level teaspoon per 5 pounds body weight of banana or dried fruit.

*WE DO NOT RECOMMEND GIVING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FOODS ROUTINELY BECAUSE OF THEIR POTENTIAL FOR CAUSING DIETARY UPSET AND OBESITY: Salty or sugary snacks, nuts, chocolate, breakfast cereals, and other grains (including oatmeal and corn). AVOID CRACKERS AND BREAD TYPE PRODUCTS.

Water: This should always be available and changed daily. A dirty water container can breed bacteria that can cause disease. The container can be either a water bottle or heavy bowl that is weighted or secured to the side of the cage so that it does not tip over. Do not use medications or vitamins in the water, because your pet may not drink if the taste or color is altered.

Vitamins: These are not felt to be necessary if the rabbit is getting pellets, hay and fresh foods in the diet. In fact, the indiscriminate use of vitamins may lead to over dosage and serious disease.

Salt or Mineral Block: Not necessary for the house pet on the described diet. You may want to have one available for those animals kept outdoors in warm climates and for breeding animals. (We do not recommend keeping pet rabbits outdoors.)

Night Droppings: It may seem strange to list this as a part of the diet, but these "special droppings" are an essential part of your pet's nutrition. During certain times of the day, usually in the evening, you may observe your pet licking the anal area and actually eating some of the droppings in the process.

These cecal (we are not confusing this with the word fecal) pellets are softer, greener, and have a stronger odor than the normal hard, dry round waste droppings. Your pet knows when these droppings are being produced and will take care of eating them himself. These cecal pellets come from the cecum, which is the part of the digestive system where fermentation of food takes place, and they are rich in vitamins and nutrients, which are needed by your pet to maintain good health. After eating these "vitamin pellets," he will redigest this material and extract all the necessary nutrients. This habit may appear distasteful to us, but it is normal and important for your pet.

Occasionally, a rabbit will drop these cecal pellets along with the waste pellets instead of eating them. They will be soft, brighter green, come in clumps and are misshapen, but formed and have an odor. This is not considered diarrhea, and, if it only occurs occasionally, is not considered a disease problem.

Pet owners and their canine and feline companions aren't the only ones who look forward to the warm weather. As summer approaches, pet owners must once again be on guard against fleas, the prolific parasites that can keep dogs, cats and humans alike scratching for months on end. In the northern United States, fleas are prevalent during the warm summer months, though the pesky parasites cause trouble year-round for pet owners in the south.

Keeping fleas off your pet and out of your home is about more than just stopping your pet's constant scratching. Aside from itchy, irritating bites, fleas can cause the skin disease flea allergy dermatitis in both cats and dogs, as well as miliary dermatitis in cats. Fleas can also transmit Dipylidium caninum, or double-pore tapeworm, a common tapeworm found in dogs and cats, as well as a number of other diseases.

Even if fleas aren't on your pet right now, they may be living in your home. There are four stages in a flea's life cycle: egg, larva, pupa and adult. It is only during the adult stage that the flea actually lives on an animal; during the other three stages, the flea lives in the surround environment. Immature fleas usually account for about 90 to 95 percent of the total flea population in a home. A good rule of thumb is that for every flea you find on your pet, there are about 100 more immature fleas living in the surrounding environment.

The average flea can live for anywhere between 12 days and 180 days, though the typical lifespan of a flea lasts three to six weeks. But even in that short amount of time, an adult female can lay more than 1,000 eggs, which means that even only one flea can result in big problems.

How can you tell if fleas have invaded your home and latched on to your pet? Scratching is often the first sign. During feeding, fleas inject saliva into the skin of the animal; this saliva contains proteins that cause allergic skin reactions, which leads to bouts of rubbing and scratching. Fleas are most commonly found on dogs and cats around the base of the tail and on the belly. If you suspect your pet has fleas but cannot see them, check for "flea dirt." This is the excrement of the flea and consists of a mix of feces and dried blood. To find flea dirt, have your pet lay on the ground and place a piece of white paper underneath him or her. Brush your pet and let the paper collect any dirt or debris. Next, add a few drops of water to the dirt on the paper; if dried blood is present, the water will take on a reddish color, indicating the presence of flea dirt.

If you are experiencing a heavy infestation of fleas, treating your pet is sometimes not enough. Home and yard treatments are also available to keep fleas at bay. Effective flea control measures include vacuuming several times each week and washing your pet's bedding once a week. For particularly bad infestations, try using an insect spray or fogger a few times. Outside your home, sprays can be used to hit fleas where they live. Fleas thrive in moist, shady areas, such as under bushes, mulch, porches and crawl spaces. Target these areas to reduce flea populations.

During the last several years, significant improvements have been made to flea control products. Oral and topical medications containing insect growth regulators (IGR) and insect development inhibitors (IDI) disrupt the flea's maturation process and stop infestations before they begin. These treatments are less toxic for pets and the environment and more effective in controlling fleas.

Topical treatments are more effective than past products because they remain on the surface of the pet's skin, where they are toxic only to fleas, rather than absorbed into the pet's bloodstream. There are many flea products and your veterinarian can recommend the product that is best-suited for your pet. Flea control products designed for dogs should not be used on cats and could result in serious illness or death. If you have multiple dogs, keep the dogs separated for an hour or two after applying each treatment in order to avoid oral ingestion.

Everyone knows how beneficial pets can be in our lives. But now, recent scientific evidence has actually proven what pet owners already knew. Heart failure patients who spent 12 minutes with a dog or cat had lower stress hormone levels, lower blood pressure levels, and a general brighter outlook about their recovery. Therapy dogs, and cats, have now started their rounds, under "doctor's orders". Watch this video to learn more.