Most of the information you need to determine the quality of the food that you are feeding your pet can be found on the product package; however, even after reading the label it's not always easy to tell what you are getting. If you find information on the label that you don't understand call the manufacturer. ASK QUESTIONS! The ingredients that are used to make your pet's food determine the quality of the food; the better the ingredients the better the food. Most pet owners never fully realize the impact that the choice of food has on their pet's lives. The pet's personality, appearance, and short and long term health conditions are all impacted by his or her food.

The ingredient weighing the most (prior to cooking) is listed first; the second heaviest ingredient is listed second, and so on. For example, if the first ingredient listed is corn, then there is more corn (by weight prior to cooking) in the food than anything else. Dogs and cats have digestive systems designed to process MEAT proteins. Dogs and cats have mouths with sharp teeth designed for tearing meat and short digestive tracks ideal for digesting meat. Most pet foods contain very little if any MEAT protein. Check the first 4 or 5 ingredients of your pet's food to determine whether or not your pet's diet is primarily vegetable or meat proteins. By-products are, as the name suggests, leftovers from human food production. Having been condemned as unfit for human consumption, byproducts are very inexpensive. So always try to buy a pet food that has fresh meat as the first ingredient. Always check your pet food label.

We encourage people to check with us before changing a pet's diet. As always with any food change, it should be done gradually. Please call our office for help with a food change or if you need to speak with Dr. Pfaff about your pet's diet. You can call or e-mail us your questions. (540) 948-6876 / mcah@verizon.net

What we do know is that catnip is a member of the min family Lamiaceae. When the branches are broken and bruised, the herb releases nepetalactone. It triggers a pleasure center in the cat's brain. These effects on the cat's nervous system last about 10 to 15 minutes, during which cats roll, rub, salivate, play, jump and generally act foolish. Cats have a special receptor for the nepetalactone molecule that activates when they inhale the scent - even though your cat eats the herb, that won't cause the reaction. It has to be breathed in.

Not all cats react to catnip. A dominant gene - inherited from one or both parents - causes the response. About 25 percent of cats don't respond at all. Kittens won't be affected until they're about three months old.

When shopping for catnip make sure to look for catnip that is greenish and check the packaging dates to ensure freshness. We have catnip available in two sizes. Stop by and get your kitty some catnip today. She will thank you for it. Happy Catnipping!

Q: Should I let my dog have one heat cycle before I get her fixed?

A: Dogs and cats do not need to have one heat cycle before being spayed. You will reduce the chance of many health problems if you have your pet spayed or neutered at 4-6 months. Ask us for more information.

Q: My pet's hair is matted, should I brush it out?

A: Mats are very painful. They need to be carefully taken out by a groomer. We have a professional groomer on staff that can help keep your pet beautiful. Call us for an appointment.

Dog Talk: Training Tips From MCAH

So you think only Dr. Dolittle can communicate with the animals? Not so - at least when it comes to dogs - according to animal behaviorists. Most dog-person relationships are reaffirmed by exchanging communicative signals. Interpretation of a dog's emotional state, such as anger, fear, or excitement, is based on recognition of visual signals, or what a dog does with his ears, tail, eyes, and other parts of his body. Being aware of such signals and responding to them is crucial to predicting and managing a dog's behavior.

Dogs, as well as people, need to learn which canine signals and behaviors are associated with dominant and subordinate roles. According to the University of California at Davis' Center for Companion Animal Behavior, that means being "top dog." Dogs feel more secure when they have a defined role in a social hierarchy, whether that position is dominant or subordinate. If an owner doesn't define the dog's position, the pet may try to challenge his authority by being aggressive.

Being "top dog," according to the Center, also means being able to take food away from the subordinate dog, being the first through the door, deciding when attention and food is given, making the dog move rather than going around it, being able to roll the dog over, and grabbing the dog's muzzle. But communicating with your animal, as trainers know, also means giving positive and negative feedback to the right behaviors. Timing and consistency are essential in behavior management. A positive reward is usually the most used system. This way any negative behavior is ignored if possible, and a positive behavior is rewarded. Therefore, the dog will begin to associate the behavior with the positive reward that will follow. Continue with consistency and your dog will know exactly what you want from him.

If you have any basic behavior questions, you may call our our office or e-mail us at mcah@verizon.net. (540) 948-6876

We Accept Pet Insurance
Did you know there is Pet Insurance? Any pet over 6 weeks of age can be covered, and there is no age limit. You will insure that your pets have protection for unforeseen medical problems and you can better budget for their health care needs. Need more information? Call 1-800-USA-PETS or click here: www.petinsurance.com.

Preventive medicine is certainly the fashionable phrase in all current healthcare plans, but I feel it's really important in veterinary medicine. I'd like to talk about a disease in which prevention is definitely better than treatment! Heartworm Disease! Heartworm can strike dogs, cats, or ferrets. As its name implies, heartworms live in the blood of an animal's heart and adjacent blood vessels. The adult heartworms living in the heart produce offspring, called microfilariae, which circulate in the infected animal's blood. When a mosquito "bites" an infected pet, it sucks blood containing the microfilariae. After about two weeks in the mosquito, the microfilariae become infective larvae. This step is necessary for the transmission of heartworm. When the mosquito bites another pet, the infective larvae are transmitted. A small amount of blood is all that's necessary for a preliminary heartworm screening test that is very accurate in detecting the presence of heartworm. This is the only test needed before starting a preventative program. The preventative is given monthly. It is inexpensive and easy to administer - most dogs love it.

Although Heartworm is seen less frequently in cats and ferrets, the disease poses a much greater danger. The outcome is often fatal. There are no consistent clinical signs of heartworm in cats. Common clues include coughing and rapid breathing. Other signs include weight loss and vomiting. However, all of these signs are also common in other diseases. Diagnosis is difficult for veterinarians and may include outside laboratory tests, radiographs, and ultrasound studies. The good news is that there are heartworm prevention drugs available for cats. If you live in a heartworm infested area, or plan on visiting a heartworm area with your cat, your veterinarian can prescribe a preventive medication. These drugs are given once monthly and are very effective in cats and kittens. Call our office for more information about heartworms and what you can do to help protect your companion animal.