In The News

July 2010
Storm anxiety? Does your dog need help?
Does your dog cry, howl, hide, shake, tear up the house, or drive you crazy during storms? What about fireworks? If so, please call us for help! We have a variety of new medications, supplements, CDs, and training techniques which can help your pet be calmer and happier when the "booms" and "crashes" happen.

June 2010
Pet Food Recalls
Two new pet food recalls have been issued. The first is from Natural Balance pet foods and involves Salmonella contamination of their Sweet Potato & Chicken dry dog food. See the link below for further information. The second recall is for Iams canned cat food due to inadequate vitamin B1 levels in the food. See the link below for further details.
FDA Pet Food recall notice - Natural Balance
FDA Pet Food recall notice - Iams canned cat food

The FDA Safety webpage is an excellent resource for information about all pet food and treat recall notices. It can be accessed at the following link - just enter pet in the search box, or scroll down the page to see the most recent recall notices.
FDA Safety webpage

May 2010
Heat can cause serious problems
As temperatures around the Quad Cities rise, be sure to protect your pets from the heat and humidity. Dogs and cats left outdoors must have access to shade and to an unlimited supply of water. Pets who are not normally outside for long periods may experience heat stress if they are outdoors for very long, or if they overexert themselves outside in the heat. Signs of heat stroke include collapse, weakness, seizure, vomiting, and pale gums. Heat stroke can be life-threatening if not treated! If you suspect your pet has heat stroke, call us immediately. In the meantime, get the pet to a cool place. Of course, NEVER leave a pet in a car or truck - temperatures rise extremely quickly in a vehicle. Remember that heat can affect horses and livestock also - they also need shade and water.

New drug and food safety portal
The Food and Drug Association and the Naational Institute of Health have created a new website for the reporting of problems and adverse reactions to drugs and pet foods. Anyone can make a report on this website, which will be a central database for reporting of problems. Click here for the website.

National Dog Bite Prevention Week
May 16-22, 2010 is designated National Dog Bite Prevention Week by the AVMA. Each year 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs. Most are children. Be sure to educate your children about how to avoid becoming the next victim. Check out the AVMA dog bite prevention website for educational materials.
AVMA Website

EPA has new restrictions for flea products
The Environmental Protection Agency has recently completed a review of over-the-counter flea and tick pesticides due to an increase in the number of adverse reactions. The increase in adverse reactions was deemed to be caused by a combination of confusing labeling and misuse of the products by consumers. Most important were the use of improper dose size for the weight of the animal, failure to comply with age restrictions for use, and the use of dog products on cats. The complete report and new regulations the EPA has suggested are available on the EPA website at:
EPA Pesticide review

April 2010

Staff attends Hill's Pet Food meeting
Three of our staff recently attended a meeting at the Hill's Pet Food head office and research facility in Topeka, KS. Dr. Ewoldt, Kristal, and Ashley spent three days learning more about Hill's Prescription Diet pet foods and Science Diet wellness pet foods. They hope to use their new knowledge to better advise our clients on the choice of pet food, and on feeding pet foods properly. To learn more about Hill's/Science Diet pet foods, click on this link:
Hill's Pet Food Company website

Horse feed recall
For those of you who purchase Purina feed for your horses, be advised that Purina Mills has announced a recall of some of its Strategy Professional Formula GX Horse Feed products with manufacturing dates of March 24 and 25 after discovering metal fragments in the packages. Please check the Purina website for further information.

Grooming Problems at SCAH
Our groomer Shirley has recently had to have unexpected surgery on her shoulder. As a result, she will not be able to groom any animals for at least 8 weeks. We apologize for this problem, but hope you will join us in wishing Shirley a speedy and successful recovery. Those of you who had grooms scheduled have probably been contacted already. If not, please call today. We are currently unable to schedule any grooms until we hear that Shirley has been cleared to return to work, but we are keeping a priority list for those who will be given the first chance to schedule appointments when she returns to work. Shirley plans to resume her "Grooms for Greyhounds" after she returns.

Supporting the Greyhounds
Throughout the month of April, Shirley has elected to donate $1 from every groom she performs to the Quad Cities Greyhound Rescue. The clinic will match this donation, so for every groom, $2 will go to support this great rescue society. Be sure to schedule your pet's grooming during April to help us support the greyhounds. To learn more about the rescue society, click on this link:
Quad Cities Greyhound Rescue

March 2010

New Pet area on WebMD
Beginning this week, pet owners can seek information about their pets' medical conditions as well as their own through WebMD. The AVMA has teamed up with WebMD to create the WebMD Pet Health Exchange, where AVMA members will serve as experts to help guide discussions and satisfy pet owners' needs for accurate, easily accessible information in a user-friendly format. As always, this or any website should never be used as a sole source of veterinary information, or for emergencies. To check out this website, click on this link:
WebMD Pet Health Exchange

Sophomore Career Fair
Dr. Ewoldt and technician Kristal recently participated in the sophomore career fair for Eldridge and Maquoketa sophomore students. Over the course of 4 sessions, Dr. Ewoldt and Kristal told 60+ students about their great careers as veterinarian and veterinary technician. Hopefully, some were inspired to follow in their footsteps!
AVMA Veterinary Career Information page

Dog bite prevention
Researchers at the University of Alabama are testing software designed to teach children how to properly behave around pets in an effort to reduce the incidence of dog bites, which the Centers for Disease Control say affect 4.5 million Americans per year. The Blue Dog software is being tested on a group of about 100 children of dog owners. Blue Dog software has been developed to expand on the success of the Blue Dog books, distributed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
AVMA Blue Dog Kit page

February 2010

Our groomers have changed
Effective immediately, Jenny Gann will no longer be grooming for us.  Jenny has decided to pursue other opportunities, and we wish her the best of luck in the future.  Shirley Lee continues to groom for us, using her 34 years of experience to make all breeds of dogs and cats look fantastic!  Call for your appointment today.

January 2010

Our fish tank is all better!
After months of looking at a cloudy fish tank, we have finally got the balance right and the fish tank is clear! Now you can see our lovely yellow African Cichlids! Be sure to check them out the next time you're in the clinic.

December 2009

H1N1 virus diagnosed in cat in Los Angeles
A cat in Los Angeles has been diagnosed with influenza caused by the H1N1 virus.  The cat also tested positive for another type of bacterial infection of the lungs which can cause pneumonia.  It is suspected that the additional infection weakened the cat's immune system, allowing the viral infection.  Numerous pets have now been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus throughout the United States, most following close contact with sick owners.

H1N1 virus diagnosed in dog in New York state
A 13 year-old dog in New York state was diagnosed with H1N1 influenza after its owner was sick with the same virus. The dog tested negative for the canine influenza (H3N8), but positive for H1N1. It has been treated and is now recovering.
AVMA H1N1 Information page
Press release from Idexx Laboratories

November 2009

H1N1 virus diagnosed in cat in Utah, ferrets in Oregon
A veterinarian in Park City, Utah diagnosed a cat with H1N1 virus on Friday Nov 13. The case was apparently confirmed using the same methods as the case in Iowa. Several ferrets in Oregon have also been diagnosed with the virus and are recovering.

H1N1 virus found in a cat in Iowa
The H1N1 influenza virus was recently found in a 13 year-old cat in Iowa. Its owner had experienced flu-like symptoms prior to the cat becoming ill. For more information, see these links to the Iowa Department of Health press release, and the AVMA information pages.
Iowa Dept of Health press release
AVMA H1N1 Information page
AVMA H1N1 FAQ pages
AVMA Press Release

Canine Influenza Vaccine released
The H3N8 strain of influenza virus which can affect dogs now has a new vaccine available. The vaccine was released in June 2009 and is now readily available for all dogs. For more information on the vaccine and on canine influenza, see the links below.
CDC Website info page on canine influenza
AVMA backgrounder page on canine influenza
Schering-Plough canine influenza vaccine - news release

New microchip lookup online
A collaborative effort by AAHA and microchip registration companies has resulted in a new online microchip lookup. This website allows a one-stop lookup for microchips registered with many companies, rather than having to contact each company individually when a lost pet is found. This should speed return of lost pets to their owners.
AAHA Pet Microchip Lookup website

September 2009

Rabies increasing in cats
An annual report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association indicates that although rabies incidence is decreasing overall, the incidence rate in cats is increasing. This should prompt all cat owners to ensure that their cats are up to date on rabies vaccination.
Read the article online from JAVMA

Scott County Animal Hospital doctors now Pet First Aid instructors!
Drs. Sampson and Ewoldt recently completed training as certified Pet First Aid instructors through the American Red Cross.  Through the Red Cross, they will be offering Pet First Aid courses at our hospital in Eldridge.  Call the American Red Cross or click below for more details about course schedules.
American Red Cross Quad Cities

August 2009

New Veterinary Assistant at our clinic
Kara Curtis has just joined our staff after graduating from the Veterinary Assistant program at Kirkwood Community College. She replaces Shirley Lee, who will be switching back to grooming after working as a Veterinary Assistant with us for several years.

June 2009

Dr. Ewoldt becomes a columnist!
Dr. Jennifer Ewoldt recently began writing a column in the Quad City Times. Her column about her family's farming operation appears every second Monday in the Quad City Area section of the paper.
Link to Dr. Ewoldt's columns