Although cats tend to be picky eaters, they’re highly curious and playful. So, they might not see your newest houseplant as a meal, but they will likely view it as a perfect play-thing to be pounced, swatted, and chewed. Some plants that are poisonous for cats have to be ingested to have any adverse effects, but brief exposure to other toxic plants (lilies for example) can be fatal. 

Cats are agile, natural explorers, and it’s almost impossible to put a plant in a location that a cat can’t reach. So, it’s best for cat owners to completely avoid introducing toxic plants into their homes. 

• Scratching or itchiness
• Irritation around the mouth
• Watery, red eyes
• Swelling
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Irregular heartbeat
• Drooling
• Trouble swallowing
• Difficulty breathing

If you notice any unusual symptoms, behaviors, or bite marks on a toxic plant’s leaves, take action immediately.

When the average person thinks about the job of a veterinarian, they probably focus on the more positive aspects, like helping to keep pets healthy, petting animals, and saving fuzzy lives. But being a veterinarian is a difficult and, at times, anxiety-provoking job. Veterinarians have to make tough decisions every day. They share the saddest moments with pet owners, and – true animal lovers at heart – they bear the emotional weight of it all.

Due to these and other factors, suicide rates among veterinarians are disproportionately high. Compared to the general population, female veterinarians were 3.5 times and male veterinarians were 2.1 times more likely to die as a result of suicide, according to a study from the CDC that included more than thirty years of data.

The job itself has its own stressful responsibilities. It entails long work hours and heavy workloads. As veterinarians often oscillate between happy and sad appointments throughout the workday, the nature of the profession puts high demands on emotional energy.

In addition, financial burdens are a common denominator among veterinarians. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) found that on average, in 2019 veterinarians graduated with $150,000 in student loan debt, and more than 10% of graduates faced over $300,000 in debt. Coupling this with comparatively low entry-level wages, entering the profession can be burdensome for many veterinarians.

With constantly improving treatments and advancing medicine, there are often viable treatments available for pets that some owners simply cannot afford. Although most veterinarians view entering the profession as an enthusiastic expression of their love and compassion for animals, they must acknowledge the financial limitations of pet owners when practicing medicine. It is difficult to wrestle with the emotional fallout of offering high-quality care options and then being unable to provide that care. Besides the personal struggle this entails, these situations have also catalyzed a surprising amount of aggressive cyberbullying directed toward veterinarians.

The high rate of suicide among veterinarians has not gone unnoticed. Groups such as Not One More Vet, Vets4Vets and many others have developed as a response. These groups have been created to help support veterinarians and other members of the veterinary community who are struggling with the challenges of the profession. They offer resources in addition to a private place where veterinarians and staff can access support, lean on one another, and share their experiences. The AVMA has also taken steps to improve mental and emotional health outcomes for veterinarians. They provide free crisis management resources, suicide prevention training, and a cyberbullying hotline to members.

Acknowledging the mental health aspects of any profession is a vital part of leading a balanced life. A veterinarian or not, if you or someone you know is struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out, ask a professional healthcare provider for help, or call the national suicide prevention hotline.

For our patients’ safety and comfort, pet dental cleanings and exams are performed with pets under general anesthesia. This also allows for proper cleaning of the teeth under the gumline where bacteria and inflammation like to hide.

We’ll always schedule an exam and laboratory tests prior to your pet’s appointment to rule out any potentially dangerous underlying conditions and to ensure your pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia. During this exam, we’ll also weigh your pet to determine the proper anesthesia dose that will be administered during his or her upcoming dental appointment.

In addition, our veterinarian will provide you with a few instructions for the night and morning before your pet’s appointment. These might include food and water restrictions or potentially the administration of oral medications to ensure your pet’s safety.

We will then perform a visual oral examination and take dental radiographs (X-rays) which enable us to detect and address potential problems occurring inside a patient’s teeth or below the gum line. After documenting any disease, we will begin cleaning, scaling, and polishing your pet’s teeth to remove plaque and tartar buildup above and below the gum line. A member of our experienced staff will be dedicated to monitoring your pet’s vital signs and progress throughout the entire anesthesia, using state-of-the-art medical equipment, for the duration of the procedure.

If there is significant disease like loose teeth, broken teeth, tooth root infections, bone loss or other painful processes, we may recommend extraction of the tooth to relieve the pain and to prevent the disease from spreading to other teeth in the future. One of our veterinarians will explain if your pet might need extractions.

Following your pet’s appointment, we’ll provide you with verbal and written recovery instructions that will vary based on the extent of your pet’s dental treatment. We will provide you with medications and administration instructions, if necessary, and we might recommend feeding your pet a diet of soft food for a short period of time.

To learn more about the importance of pet dentistry or to schedule your pet’s next cleaning, we welcome you to contact Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital today.

To choose safe pet toys, be aware of the potential hazards. The following pet toy features can be dangerous for pets.

These features might look cute, but pets easily remove and swallow them. They’re a choking hazard and can also cause intestinal blockages or perforations.

Despite the photographic evidence, these are not safe for pets. They all carry a risk of strangulation and of intestinal blockage if swallowed. In addition, these objects can get wrapped around teeth and cause gum and tooth problems.

Avoid toys that contain stuffing (polystyrene beads, cotton batting, foam, or nutshells). Ingesting these can lead to intestinal blockages. You’ll find plenty of stuffing-free pet toys available.

Pets frequently tear open toys and swallow squeaker capsules. If you purchase a toy with a squeaker, make sure it’s very tough and watch your pet carefully to make sure they do not tear it open.

Never give a pet a battery-operated toy. Ingestion of batteries can be life-threatening

Avoid toys made of hard plastic or wood, as these materials can splinter easily. These splinters can get caught in between teeth, under the tongue and even penetrate through the gums. If swallowed, these splinters can result in a perforated intestine

Toys with a strong chemical smell or aromatherapy might pose a chemical risk to your pet. These toys could irritate or harm a pet’s eyes, nose and gastrointestinal tract.

Although these have been popular choices for chew toys, rawhides can actually be quite dangerous. They put your pet at risk of choking and suffering from dangerous intestinal blockages if swallowed.

These hard objects lead to many broken teeth which can be quite painful, and could also lead to tooth root infections which often requires surgical removal of the tooth.

If you’re not sure what toys are safest for your dog or cat, we always welcome you to talk with a veterinarian at Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital. We can help you select the most appropriate toys for your pet based on species, size, and age.

When choosing a veterinary practice for your pet, you’ll see different terminology in the names such as:

• Veterinary hospital
• Animal hospital
• Veterinary clinic
• Animal clinic

There’s no major difference between the terms “veterinary” and “animal,” but there is a difference between hospitals and clinics. Typically a veterinary or animal hospital refers to a full-service veterinary practice, and a veterinary or animal clinic refers to a practice that offers paired back or limited services.
The difference in titles has no bearing on the quality of care, but “hospitals” do offer a broader range of care services.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused by a spiral-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacteria is transmitted to dogs (and humans) through the bite of an infected tick. Lyme-infected ticks are endemic in the Northeast United States, putting us and our pets at risk.

In the past, Lyme vaccination was tricky because the bacteria that causes the Lyme actually changes once it enters the dog’s bloodstream. A technologically-advanced vaccine has been developed that attacks the Lyme-causing bacteria while it’s still inside an attached tick, effectively preventing transmission.

Lyme disease transmission can be significantly decreased with this advanced Lyme vaccine, which we recommend for all at-risk dogs living in the Northeastern United States. You can reduce your dog’s chances of contracting Lyme disease by using parasite preventatives and avoiding brushy, grassy, or wooded areas, but vaccination is a simple way to give your pet superior protection.

Although there’s no evidence that our pets can contract or transmit COVID-19, the AVMA still recommends that pet owners take precautions during the outbreak.

People and pets should follow federal and local social distancing guidelines. Restrict your pet’s contact with people and animals from other households. Since COVID-19 can survive on different surfaces for various lengths of time, pets that encounter sick humans or contaminated animals should not be allowed to have contact with other humans.
You should also have a supply of pet essentials (food and medications). If you become ill, you’ll need to self-quarantine with your pets.

Worries about novel coronavirus aside, there are many zoonotic diseases that can be passed between humans and animals. It’s always smart to practice proper hygiene when you come into contact with any animals. Be sure to wash your hands before and after playing or snuggling to keep your pets and your human family members healthy.

Becoming a veterinarian can require eight to ten years of education. Individuals who love animals and want to work in the veterinary field, but can’t commit to such a lengthy time in school, can become veterinary technicians more quickly.
In New York State, aspiring vet techs must complete an AVMA accredited veterinary technology program. They can either earn a 2-year Associate’s Degree in veterinary technology to become a veterinary technician or they can choose to become a veterinary technologist by attending a 4-year program to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in the field of veterinary technology.
After completing their degree, vet techs earn their licensure by passing the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE).
Just like with veterinarians, some vet techs decide to specialize in a certain area such as dental technology, anesthesia, internal medicine, emergency and critical care or behavior. These vet techs receive formal, specialized training, testing and certification and are licensed as Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTS).

The separation between these facilities and future dog owners keeps puppy mills in business. The puppies are typically sold online and in classified ads but puppy mills also act as mass-breeding centers, providing a steady supply of puppies to pet stores. As a result, many caring dog-owners never actually see the conditions in which their family’s new furry friend originated.

According to this The New York Times article, California, Maryland, and about 250 cities across the United States have banned the sale of puppies and kittens sourced from puppy mills and kitten factories. Since this article was published, additional municipalities have put through similar bans and New York State currently has a bill “In Committee” which would make it the 3rd state to prohibit such sales in pet stores. In spite of these curtailment laws and federal attempts to limit animal cruelty through the revision of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, there’s still an estimated 10,000 active puppy mills in the United States.

Stop and think about where that “puppy in the window” came from before visiting that pet store.

Adopting from a local animal shelter will save a pet’s life and take a burden off the community. You can also turn to breed-specific rescue groups. Purchasing a dog from a reputable breeder is another option. It is best to visit the breeder to make sure the breeder has a humane facility and prioritizes the health and wellbeing of their dogs. A good breeder will let you see where the dogs are housed and meet your puppy’s parents. They won’t separate puppies from their mothers earlier than six weeks of age, and they’ll give you their veterinarian as a reference.

For more information about responsible pet ownership and adoption, we welcome you to contact Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service dogs are any dogs that have been trained to specifically assist an individual with accessibility needs. Service dogs perform daily tasks for individuals that they cannot do themselves. For example, hearing dogs make their handlers aware of sounds like the doorbell or alarms; guide dogs help blind people find their way around the world; service dogs help individuals in wheelchairs access items or perform tasks they cannot; and medical alert dogs help protect individuals with unpredictable illnesses like epilepsy.

Service dogs undergo special training, which can take up to two years for the training, testing, and certification. Bad habits can be difficult to “unteach,” so it’s essential that dogs train with a reputable service dog trainer who is a fully accredited member of a certified training company such as Assistance Dogs International.

Since they undergo rigorous training and are essential to the wellbeing of their handlers, service dogs are allowed with their handlers in public spaces, as long as they do not act aggressively.

Working dogs are trained to perform tasks for a specific purpose, other than enhancing accessibility for a specific individual. The working dogs with which you’re probably the most familiar are police dogs that help law enforcement and herding dogs that protect their flocks, but there are all sorts of working dogs trained to perform a variety of jobs to help their human companions.

For example, search and rescue dogs are used in missing persons cases, emergencies, and natural disasters to help rescue teams locate people fast. Explosive detection dogs work with the police, military, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to detect and locate hazardous materials. Allergy alert dogs are trained to protect their handlers by sniffing out specific allergens, like peanuts, in everyday situations. Working dogs have even been trained to detect cancer cells in humans with incredible accuracy.

Most working dogs use a keen sense of smell to protect their handlers and help their human companions carry out important jobs. For this reason, breeds with exceptional noses, like bloodhounds and German shepherds, are often chosen for these tasks.

According to the International Association of Canine Professionals, there are a couple of different types of therapy dogs, but all of them are considered pets and are not provided public access under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The first type is group therapy dogs, which have been trained to work with groups of people, providing outreach and support such as to those spending time in hospitals, in assisted living facilities, or in prisons. For these dogs, early socialization is an essential part of their training, as reacting calmly to new people, loud noises, affection, and unpredictable situations is important for their ability to function as therapy dogs.

There are also emotional support dogs that provide comfort, companionship, therapy, emotional support, or therapeutic benefits to individuals suffering from depression and a variety of anxiety disorders. It’s not necessary for emotional support dogs to undergo any special training and the ADA does not permit them in public spaces like it does for service dogs. With a doctor’s letter, emotional support dogs are permitted to live in housing where pets are not normally permitted and depending on the specific airline’s policies, they are also usually allowed passage on airplanes with proper documentation.