Warm Holiday Wishes to you...
A letter from Dr. Goodman...

Happy Holidays! It is Thanksgiving weekend and my Christmas lights are up, the house and the tree are decorated, and even my gutters are cleaned! Only the refrigerator needs to be restocked to be fully ready for the next big Holiday! (Well OK, there are a few gifts that still need to be bought). Why, you might ask, is Dr. Goodman so far ahead of me with his holiday preparations? Does he keep his Christmas lights up all year like my cousin in Miami?

The answer, my friends, lies in the return of our beloved children! You see, Pam and I officially became "empty nesters" this fall with Sarah attending the University of Oregon and Jenny preparing for her Nurse Practitioner degree in Colorado. The kids really look forward to all the hoopla that goes along with getting our tree and decorating the house (think National Lampoon"s Christmas Vacation) and we only had them home for the Thanksgiving holiday to do this - hence the Christmas tree and house being decorated.

Also, Jenny's boyfriend, Arne came to join us for the holiday - hence the empty refrigerator and clean gutters. You see, I don't like to clean gutters nor climb ladders to the second story, but I do like to see what my daughters' boyfriends are made of. Likewise, when they're staying at my house, I like to keep them tired. Arne hung the second story lights, cleaned my gutters, and did all the heavy lifting. It hasn't all been hard work for Arne this weekend though. After attending "A Christmas Carol" on Saturday night I had a Scrooge- like transformation and allowed Arne to take the day off and watch some football on Sunday. I like to think I'm a reasonable father of beautiful daughters. But does anyone think I went too far with surveillance cameras and trip wires in the guest bedroom?

On a more serious note, the holidays are a time to be thankful for the things that are truly important in life. It's a time to surround ourselves with our loved ones, to give to others, and to keep hopes alive for a better, brighter, New Year. I am truly thankful for the ongoing support you show our hospital. The wonderful cards and comments we receive throughout the year contribute to the energy in the hospital and my appreciation for the outstanding team of professionals I am blessed to work with. We are grateful for the trust you place in us to care for your best friends. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This issue of the Murrayhill Newsletter will cover important topics such as holiday safety tips for your pet, an H1N1 update, winter activities for you and your pet, and information on the always popular National Pet Dental Health month. Please visit our Web site at www.MurrayhillVetHospital.com for more information on these and other topics of interest. All of us at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital wish you a happy and healthy New Year for you and your pet(s).

Sincerely,
Dr. Laird Goodman

Dr. Goodman is the Medical Director and Practice Owner of Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital. He lives in Tigard with his family and enjoys spending time with his Golden Retriever, Zoey and his three cats, Lilly, Eileen, and Annie.

Dr. Goodman's Bio

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Safe Cold Weather Fun
by Dr. Michele Zawadzki

As an avid snowboarder, I frequently take my dog , Scarlet up to the mountain with me. While I hit the slopes she hangs out in my car in the parking lot at Mount Hood Meadows.

Although the ambient temperature appears cold, there are often blindingly sunny days up at the mountain. So if you are like me and enjoy bringing your dog along, please be aware that dogs do not have a way to readily cool themselves especially when left in the car. As a rule, dogs pant to help keep themselves cool and can disperse a little body heat by sweating through their foot pads. If possible, leave a window or 2 cracked and try to park in a spot that offers more shade or use a windshield cover to keep the interior of your car cooler and thus avoid your dog overheating. When you do take a break from the slopes so that your dog can stretch its legs, please be careful to monitor them in the parking lot where they may potentially be injured by another dog or vehicle.

If hiking in snow, please remember that your dog's feet can freeze in the snow and that ice can accumulate around their foot pads and digits. If possible, take a look at the underside of your dog's feet and make sure they have not sustained injuries or lacerations to their footpads and nail beds from running around on icy surfaces. For any dog spending time outside during the winter months, a commonly overlooked issue is a frozen water source. Even when you fill your dog's water bowl daily, the overnight temperature can cause the water to freeze, thus making it impossible for your pet to be able to drink. If you spend a lot of time outside with your dog during the winter months, consider investing in a coat or some booties for them.

Dogs and cats who are outdoors quite a bit should have some shelter from the cold weather as well. Also, Keep in mind that a common winter chemical in our garage, antifreeze, can be fatal to both dogs and cats even in very small amounts.

In Oregon, we are extremely lucky that we are close to both the mountain and the ocean. We also live in a very dog friendly environment that allows us to maximize our free time with our pets. Have a wonderful winter season, keep warm and take care.

Best wishes,
Michele Zawadzki, DVM

Dr. Zawadzki's Bio

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National Pet Dental Health Month is coming soon!
by Dr. Alicia Zambelli

The holidays are upon us, and I know what you are all thinking: what about my pet's teeth? What care should I be giving at home? Do my dogs and cats really need to get their teeth professionally cleaned?

Even though we do due diligence on our own teeth with daily brushing and regular visits to the dentist, it's easy to forget that our cats and dogs also need dental attention. In fact, 80% of dogs and cats by the age of 3 have some degree of periodontal disease! This can be understandably easy to miss at home, since most pets don't do a lot of grinning, and rarely come up to you to ask for a dental evaluation.

That's where we can help. One of the many important reasons your pet should have a physical exam every 6 months is for a thorough dental evaluation. We evaluate each pet on a case by case basis to determine if a professional cleaning is indicated, and what kind of home care would work best for you and your pet. In order for a comprehensive dental cleaning to be performed, the patient must be anesthetized. Fortunately, at Murrayhill, we use the safest anesthetics available, and are obsessive with our multi-parameter monitoring and IV fluid support. We tailor the exact medication protocol to each pet to help minimize risk.

The ultrasonic cleaning takes place both above and below the gumline, the gum surrounding each tooth is carefully probed, the teeth are polished, and a sealant is then placed on the teeth. We are proud to have digital dental radiography at Murrayhill. Just like in human dental care, radiographs are essential in evaluating what we cannot see beneath the gumline. This state of the art equipment helps us determine which teeth can be saved and which ones may have nasty surprises, like abscesses, hiding at the tip of a root. The addition of the digital radiographic unit allows for radiographs to be taken and evaluated much more quickly than with conventional radiographs, resulting in less anesthetic and a faster procedure.

One of the most important components of dental disease prevention is regular home care. Nothing takes the place of regular (ideally daily) tooth brushing for both dogs and cats. This remains the gold standard, but for the situations where this is not feasible, there are other approaches. For cats, catnip toys with rough fabric, various dental treats, and dental diets are all helpful. For our canine companions, a variety of dental chews and treated rawhides, as well as toys laced with canine toothpaste, are great plaque reducers. There are also dental diets designed for dogs that help keep teeth and gums healthy. Both dogs and cats greatly benefit from weekly home application of Oravet, the dental sealant we apply at the end of our cleanings.

The evidence is clear: as in humans, dental health correlates with systemic heath in pets. Dogs and cats with periodontal disease have much higher organ stress, as the body attempts to deal with the chronic bacterial loading through inflamed gums. Fortunately, we at Murrayhill can evaluate your pet and determine the best treatment plan to keep dental disease from shortening the life of your beloved four legged family member.

Sincerely,
Dr. Alicia Zambelli

Dr. Zambelli's Bio

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Holiday Safety Tips
by Dr. Chea Hall

With the cold weather already here and the holidays around the corner, we wanted to give you a few tips for keeping your pets safe and healthy during this holiday season. All of the decorations, feasts and treats that are around during holidays may seem to make the season brighter, however they could be dangerous for your pets.

When we think of holiday dangers for our pets, most of us immediately consider the dangers of the holiday feasts. Left over turkey, chocolate treats, table scraps and other treats can all provide very different concerns if your pet ingests them. Many pets are not used to the higher sugar and fat contents of these foods and eating them may cause a very serious illness, pancreatitis. Chocolate in particular can even be fatal if consumed by our four legged members of the family. Lastly, bones from the turkey carcass can be extremely dangerous and may even lead to intestinal obstruction.

Many decorations can be dangerous for your pets as well. Plants like Poinsettias can be very tempting to your kitties, but are also toxic as well as many other varieties of household plants. The holiday decorated and well lit tree may be very inviting and curious to kitties but can pose a danger if they try to climb up it! Wires from lighted decorations can cause serious damage if chewed on and candles can be dangerous as well. It is also important to note that ribbons and strings can cause very serious conditions in our pets if swallowed.

Take a minute to look at the decorations you typically have around and consider your pets when safety proofing your home. If however, against all your efforts, your four legged elves do get into some mischief, call us immediately and let us evaluate whether or not to be concerned.

Happy Holidays,
Dr. Chea Hall

Dr. Hall's Bio

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H1N1 and your pets
by Dr. Gabriella Flacke

With the H1N1 pandemic all over the news, it's hard to miss the fact that people are not the only ones susceptible to infection, as the name "swine flu" implies. However, this term is a bit of a misnomer as this flu variant did not originate from pigs. H1N1 originally was named the swine flu because six of its eight genes are similar to genes in existing swine flu viruses known to be transmissible from pigs to people. However, this H1N1 strain was seen in people long before it surfaced in pigs.

There is currently no substantiated evidence that animals infected with H1N1 virus are passing it to humans. To date, transmission appears to be a one- way street from people to their pets or livestock. As human infections become increasingly widespread this flu season, transmission of the virus from humans to other animals is likely to occur with greater frequency.

As of November 20th, pandemic H1N1 virus has been identified in pigs, turkeys, ferrets, domestic cats, and one domestic dog. So far, all of the confirmed cases in pets were associated with sick humans in the household prior to the onset of symptoms in their pets. There have not as of yet been any confirmed cases of H1N1 reported in pet birds (eg. finches, cockatiels, parrots, etc.); however, even prior to the emergence of H1N1, pet birds have long been known to readily contract the influenza virus from humans.

If your ferret, cat, dog, or bird shows respiratory symptoms consistent with flu-like illness, and you or anyone in your household is currently or has recently been (within the last few weeks) sick with the flu, please contact us immediately. There are tests which can be run to confirm the diagnosis of H1N1 if your veterinarian suspects this virus in your pet. Signs of illness include coughing, sneezing, lethargy, fever, and conjunctivitis (swelling and redness of the membranes around both eyes). Treatment is similar to that in humans - supportive care, keeping the pet hydrated, and preventing secondary bacterial infections.

Sincerely,
Dr. Gabriella Flacke

Dr. Flacke's Bio

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