Vet Supplies : What Is Osteoarthritis? And What Can I Do For My Pet?

Osteoarthritis affects over 20 million people in the United States alone. But we’re not the only ones at risk! Our pets can also develop this crippling form of arthritis. Below I will answer a few questions about osteoarthritis and what you can do to help your pet.

So, what exactly is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease in both humans and pets. It’s a type of arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage in the joints. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis, becomes more and more frequent with age, affecting the hands (or in this case paws), feet, spine, and the large weight-bearing joints such as the hips and knees. The resulting stiffness, swelling, pain, and loss of mobility can seriously degrade your pet’s quality of life. Treatment is usually given in the form of an anti-inflammatory to help ease the individual’s discomfort.

What causes Osteoarthritis?

Most cases of osteoarthritis have no clear known cause. These cases are referred to as “Primary Osteoarthritis.” In the event that the cause is known, the condition is referred to as “Secondary Osteoarthritis.”

Primary Osteoarthritis is usually related to aging. With age, the protein make up of cartilage degenerates resulting in arthritis. Repetitive use of the joints over years also irritates and inflames the cartilage causing pain and swelling. So those dogs who loved to play fetch for hours when they were younger may very well be paying for it now! As osteoarthritis progresses, the cartilage continues to degenerate and in advanced cases, there can be total cartilage loss in the joint. This causes friction between the bones leading to pain and limitation of joint mobility. Cartilage loss occurs only in the most advanced cases; however it usually calls for surgery. While surgery is the less desirable treatment, in the event the condition has become unmanageable, surgery can greatly improve the quality of life.

Secondary Osteoarthritis is caused by another disease or condition. Some of the conditions that lead to Secondary Osteoarthritis include obesity, repeated trauma or surgery to the joint, gout and diabetes. Obesity leads to osteoarthritis by increasing the stress on the cartilage. Next to aging, obesity is the most common and powerful risk factor for osteoarthritis. It’s important to keep your pet lean and fit to help them fight the onset of osteoarthritis! Hormone disturbances such as diabetes and growth hormone disorders are also heavily associated with early cartilage wear; making it another common risk factor for Secondary Osteoarthritis.

This all sounds bad, what can I do for my pet?

Well, it might be time to move your cat’s litter box up from the basement and your dog’s water dish in from the garage. Osteoarthritis can make movement very painful, so be kind to your pet- move their essential items to an area that is easily accessible to them. It may also be time to trade in that door mat they sleep on for a nice comfy pet bed!

Now, outside of a few household changes, your pet will also need treatment to help ease their pain and the progression of the cartilage breakdown. Typically, treatment comes in the form of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, usually referred to NSAID’s for short. NSAID’s are widely used and are proved effective in reducing clinical signs and discomfort from osteoarthritis. A very effective treatment for dogs is Cosequin DS Chewable Tablets. These tablets are well tolerated by dogs and are proven to help with the pain and discomfort from osteoarthritis. Available in a variety of flavored tablets, they provide the nutrients the body uses to replenish cartilage. These pills are all natural and developed for long term use.

We recommend Cosequin : http://shop.corneranimal.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=Cosequin+&Search.x=119&Search.y=14

Keeping Your Pet Safe During The Holidays

The holidays are a time to create and share memories, laugh and eat great food; however, there are many hidden dangers that are lurking around your home that can cause serious injury or even death for your four legged family members. Here’s a list of some common holiday dangers to look out for:

1. Holiday Plants: even though they are beautiful, they are also poisonous if ingested. Some poisonous plants include holly and holly berries, ivy, lilies, pine, mistletoe and poinsettia. If your pet ingests these plants, common symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, drooling and lethargy.

2. Christmas Trees: Using a tree stand with water that your pet can drink from is very dangerous- the water may be contaminated with chemicals or insecticides leached from the tree itself. Also, look out for the metal hooks that display your ornaments, you don’t want your pet swallowing them for obvious reasons. Most cats love to play with string, ribbon, rubber bands and tinsel. What cats don’t know is that if these items are ingested, they can cut their intestines.

3. Food: Unfortunately, you can’t share your holiday food with your pets. Turkey and ham should never be given to your pet because they contain large amounts of dangerous bacteria. Do not feed your pet bones- especially poultry bones that splinter easily. Each year, pets are treated for consumption of splintered bones which cause pain and sometimes death. Sweets, chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins, grapes, coffee, alcoholic drinks and even bread dough can also be fatal if your dog ingests it.

4. Toys: Be sure that small toy pieces, crayons, and paints are put away in a safe place. More often than not, ingested plastic or cloth toys must be removed surgically.

5. Other Holiday Items: Wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, candles, and styrofoam.

If you are hosting the party, surely you will have some form of stress getting everything ready. What you forget is that your pets can usually feel that stress too, since they are much attuned to your emotions and what you are up to. During a party, make sure you have a place to bring your pet to relax from all the commotion. The excitement can sometimes stress them out. Also, be sure to have a collar on your pets- with the front door opening and closing constantly, there will be no doubt that your pet will think of this as an opportunity to take a little walk around the neighborhood. Be sure that they are safe and not walking around in the streets- with people rushing all over the place, it just takes one driver to ruin your holiday spirit.

We hope these tips will help you and your pet this holiday season!

The Corner Animal Hospital is an online pet pharmacy/ store (www.shop.corneranimal.com) and veterinary service (www.corneranimal.com) in Long Island, NY. Other services include : annual physical exams, vaccines, heart worm tests and preventative measures, dental exams and cleaning, spays and neuters, x-rays, soft tissue surgeries, ultrasound, endoscopy, orthopedic surgeries, and boarding. Opened in 2000, The Corner Animal Hospital is owned by Ivy League Educated Dr. Dorothy Hayes and Dr. Judith Lombardi Daniels. "We treat your pets as family members. Their health and comfort are our primary concern."

Veterinary Products : Keeping Your Pets Tick Free

It’s important to keep your pets tick free for their own safety. But most of us have adventurous little critters that want to run and play in the grass, leaves, and wooded areas where ticks are just waiting to drop off their perch and right onto your pet! Here are a few things you should know about ticks and your pets.

Ticks Are Disease Carriers!

It’s easy to underestimate the dangers of ticks since they are such small insects, but they actually pose a great threat to us and our animals, since ticks often carry diseases. Diseases that ticks can transmit to animals include Lyme Disease, which is transmitted by the deer tick and causes symptoms similar to that of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever which is primarily found in New England and the West is a disease that causes depression, fever, rashes, skin hemorrhages, and joint disease. Dogs who live in wooded and mountainous areas often are at risk for this disease. Other possible diseases include Ehrlichiosis, a bacterial infection, and Babesoisis, a blood disorder.

Safe Tick Removal.

It’s important to check your pets often for ticks, especially during tick season and if they have been outdoors. The most common places ticks like to hide on animals are:

· Head
· Neck
· Ears
· feet

The following are the proper steps to help you safely remove and dispose of a tick you’ve found on your pet.

1. If you find a tick on your pet, remove it immediately! The longer it is attached to your pet, the greater the chance of disease. First to protect yourself, put on a pair of gloves so you do not have to touch the tick.

2. Use a pair of tweezers to carefully grasp the tick near the pet’s skin and gently pull until it lets go.

3. To help prevent inflammation and other infection, you may want to apply an antiseptic to the bitten area on your pet. Especially if it has left an open wound.

4. It’s important to properly dispose of the tick now that you have removed it from the animal. Acceptable methods include wrapping it in tissues and flushing it down the toilet or dropping it into a small container of rubbing alcohol. Don’t use water; ticks do not drown in water! And do not crush or burn them either, this may spread any infectious bacteria the tick may have.

Tick Prevention!

Pet owners should brush their pets often to check for ticks, especially after walks and trips outside in the woods or mountains. If you thoroughly comb and check your pet over within a few hours of being outside, you can greatly help prevent your pet from becoming infected by a disease from a tick. The best thing you can do for your pet is use some kind of tick prevention on them. Frontline is considered the #1 recommended tick and flea preventative by veterinarians. Frontline Plus will kill up to 100% of ticks on your pet within 48 hours and continue to keep them tick free for an entire month! (And the same product also keeps your pets protected from fleas too!) Many people enjoy ordering such products online because it’s so simple and reliable.


Here are the Corner Animal’s Flea & Tick products availble in our online pet pharmacy : http://shop.corneranimal.com/category_s/77.htm

Veterinary Supplies : Pet Grooming and Health

Grooming is an important part of caring for your pet. Not only does it make them look and feel beautiful, it helps keep them healthy too!

Benefits to Grooming Your Pet :

A good grooming session with your pet can be greatly beneficial to both you and your animal. The best part is that there are a lot of grooming methods you can do yourself at home! Granted, there are benefits to using a paid professional because they are trained to not only groom, but spot potential health risks before they develop into major complications. Every so often, you may want to take your pet to a professional groomer.

Regular grooming develops a strong bond between you and your pet. An animal that lets you brush out its fur and clean its ears is showing great trust in you. Grooming involves a great deal of petting and handling which also benefits the pet’s emotional state too. Regular grooming also may uncover any potential health risks- for example, when brushing your pet; you may find a matted section of fur that is hiding some form of skin disease or irritants like clinging plant pods or thorns. Small irritants like these can develop into infection and disease if left uncared for. You should also clean any dirt out of their ears before it becomes compacted and causes complications.

The two greatest benefits to routine pet grooming are, one, it allows you to make observations that may uncover issues like weight problems, vision trouble, skin disease or tumors before they develop and become untreatable. And two, it allows you and your pet to develop a deeper and more trusting relationship together!

How to Properly Groom Your Cat :

Cats clean themselves, so do you really need to groom them too? Yes! Although they spend a great deal of time cleaning their own fur, they still need a little help from their owner. Plus, why would you pass up such an opportunity to bond with Fluffy?

Ideally, you want to start grooming your cat when it’s a kitten. If you start young, it will become routine and normal to them. However some cats, at any age, don’t take kindly to grooming, so don’t force it! Do very short grooming sessions where maybe you only brush one part of its body and another tomorrow. Gradually increase grooming seasons until they are more receptive to this routine.

When grooming your cat, you want to relax them first, so spend some time petting them to get the cat into the idea that you’ll be handling them for a little bit. Then gently begin to brush their fur- hold the brush in one hand and use the other to smooth down their fur in front of the brush to feel for any lumps and matted fur. If you do find matted fur, gently brush out one layer of fur at a time. If it seems to be causing your cat discomfort, slowly brush it out over a few days. If at any time the cat lets you know that it is uncomfortable, be sure to stop and find out what is causing the stress- don’t force additional grooming. Cats need to know they are in control, otherwise they may not trust you next time. One handy trick that works for my frisky cats (who like to attack their brush) is that I try not to let them see the actual brush. For some reason this works- they love the feeling of the brush but don’t like looking at it. Usually, most cats don’t like to be brushed for a long time anyways, so doing a little each day will be more efficient than trying to brush them out for a long time. And always remember to brush in the same direction as their hair is growing.

How to Properly Groom Your Dog :

Now, dogs typically don’t spend as much time self-grooming as cats, so they’ll be relying on you a bit more for their personal hygiene! Brushing your dog before you give him a bath will remove any loose fur which increases the effectiveness of the shampoo. When brushing your dog, be systematic, start at the head and move your way to the tail. Be firm but gentle with your brush strokes to be sure you get the job done but not to hurt your pet or cause them any stress. You want them to enjoy grooming sessions with you! When you find any tangles or matted areas, don’t brush at them firmly! This will hurt the animal’s trust in you- gently and slowly try to detangle the knots and brush the fur free.

When bathing your dog, you have to find a suitable location. Sinks and basins work great for smaller dogs while bathroom tubs or portable pet tubs are best for larger dogs. Using an outside hose is convenient, but not a great alternative. The cold water makes your pet uncomfortable, plus the shampoo won’t work as well in cold water. Never use a shampoo made for humans! Our shampoos contain harsher detergents that may damage your pet’s hair or sensitive skin. When it’s time to dry off, use a cotton towel for short haired dogs and rub the fur vigorously with the grain and then against working head to tail. For long haired dogs, you should comb out the fur to prevent tangles.

Clipping your dog’s nails can be a little tricky, so you’ll need to get clippers specifically for dog nails. You have to be careful not to trim too far back- inside your dog’s nail is a vein referred to as the “quick”, and cutting the quick of the nail can cause pain and bleeding. The longer your dog’s nail, the longer the vein extends into it. So if you haven’t done it in a while, you'll have to cut their nails in phases. First, taking off just a little bit at the tip and then waiting a week. After the first cut the quick will retract further back away from the tip. Then cut a little more, again waiting a week allowing the vein to retract. Once you get the hang of it cutting your dog’s nails will be as easy as cutting your own!

Products :

Since you’ve already made the choice to properly groom your pet, you also want to be sure you’re using the right grooming supplies! Contact your veterinarian to help you decide what types of products you may need. There is an array of antibacterial shampoos and solutions to choose from, so do your research for Fluffy and Fido and they will look fabulous for you in return! Benzoyl Plus Shampoo is a great choice- it is anti-bacterial, keratolytic, and follicular flushing. It also degreases and rehydrates your pet’s coat. Plus, it’s safe for use on dogs and cats!

Click here to get Benzoyl Plus from our online pet pharmacy http://shop.corneranimal.com/product_p/10737.htm