2010 News Archive 

October 2010
Pet food recall - Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo Company Ltd. is recalling select dry dog foods sold under the BLUE brand, because they could contain excessive levels of vitamin D. Dogs with elevated levels of vitamin D in their systems may show signs of lethargy or exhibit unusually frequent water consumption and urination. The company has received 36 reports of dogs with symptoms. The recalled products were sold nationwide.
FDA Safety webpage


Pet oxygen mask donation
Did you see us on the news??? Scott County Animal Hospital has obtained 18 sets of pet oxygen masks for the Medic Ambulance service in Scott County. In a partnership with the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and Invisible Fence, a program called Project Breathe has been created to donate oxygen mask sets to first responders all over the country. These pet oxygen masks are specially-fitted for pets, as opposed to the human masks used in the past. This allows for immediate treatment of pets in fires or accidents right on the scene, hopefully improving survival of our dear friends. This donation was exceptional, because of the large number of mask sets obtained. Now a pet oxygen mask set will be on the scene of almost every fire and every accident in Scott County. Click on the links below to learn more!
Video of presentation from WQAD news
Link to North Scott Press article
The story online at QCOnline
Medic EMS service
Project Breathe information


September 2010
FDA urges caution with internet pharmacies
The FDA recently issued a warning on its website to pet owners who purchase prescription products, including flea, tick, and heartworm medication online through internet pharmacies. The FDA urges pet owners not to purchase these products online, after it discovered multiple cases of unscrupulous pharmacies selling prescription drugs without prescriptions, unapproved medications, and counterfeit products.
USA Today article
FDA Article about Internet Pharmacies


Our renovated lobby!
Be sure to stop by to see our new reception desk! We've been waiting for the new desk for quite a while, but it has finally been installed. Our receptionist Ashley is very happy with her new "home". We hope the two workstations will help us serve you better as we can now check out two clients at the same time.

August 2010
Penn Hip Certification
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Dave Eaton and veterinary technician Tonya Young have completed their training in the Penn Hip method of hip dysplasia testing. Scott County Animal Hospital is now able to perform both the OFA hip certification and the Penn Hip certification for owners wishing to certify their breeding dogs, or evaluate their pets. Both these techniques can be performed at the same time, if desired, and both will utilize our digital x-ray machine for the best images and the ability to immediately transmit the images for evaluation. Please call Dr. Eaton to schedule an appointment for your dog! A link is included below to both the Penn Hip website and the OFA website.
Penn Hip website
OFA website

Horse Owner Field Day
The Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital has just announced that it will hold an Equine Health Care Symposium on Saturday November 13. Hours are 7:00AM to 5:30PM. The symposium will be held at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Ames. Cost of registration is $50 including breakfast and lunch. Many speakers will present a variety of horse-related topics including lameness exams, feed safety, deworming, and foaling. Wet labs will also be available for hands-on experiences with nutrition, teeth, first aid, and equine afterbirth examination. To register, or for more information, click on the link below. This promises to be a very informative day. Registration is limited, so call today!
ISU Equine Health Care Symposium

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 National 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, Kansas. 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.