Your cats have visited us for their annual or semi-annual health examinations.  Your cats have been deemed healthy.  They have perfect (or near perfect) litter box use.  Here are some tips to help keep your cats using their litter boxes consistently!

• Count the Cats!  Count the Litter Boxes!  Make sure you have at least one more litter box in the house than cats.
• Easy Access – Set up at least one litter box on each level of the house.
• Litter – Try different litters until you find one your cat likes.  Many great ones are available.  We have not found a cat who does not like the litter Cat Attract!
• Bigger is Better!  Most cats prefer a litter box that is at least one and a half times their length and not too high.  For big cats, large plastic totes may work better than standard size litter boxes. 
• What Kind of Litter Boxes Would You Like, Kitty?  Most cats prefer litter boxes that are uncovered.  If you do not know for sure if your cat prefers uncovered litter boxes or covered litter boxes, offer both a covered and uncovered litter box side by side for a short time and keep the type that is used the most!
• Front and Center!  While we would prefer a litter box tucked into a corner, cats like to have at least one “escape route” especially if other dogs and cats in the home ever “crowd” them.  So while it is just fine to tuck the litter boxes into unobtrusive spots, make sure they are not in “dead ends” and that there is more than one way in and out from each litter box.
• Bathrooms are Always in the Back of the Restaurant.  Make sure the litter boxes are as far from the food and water as possible.
• Kitty Potpourri – If your cat likes Feliway or catnip or lavender or another kitty-friendly scent, have it near one or more of the litter boxes.
• Unscented Litter – Most cats prefer unscented litter, though some seem to have no preference.  If YOU have no preference, use unscented.
• No Dust!  Find the litter that produces the least dust possible.  Cats prefer low dust, and it is safer for their respiratory systems.
• Clean, Then Clean Again!  Scoop the litter boxes daily.  Clean the litter boxes completely weekly.  Do both more often if needed.
• This Litter Box Looks Just Fine…Let’s Replace It!  Cats are very sensitive to scent, and plastic holds scent well, even if we do not detect it.  Replace your cats’ litter boxes at least once a year, and they will thank you for the bathroom remodel!

Remember!  If your cat does NOT have perfect litter box use, this may be a medical red flag!  Schedule a medical consultation and examination as soon as possible. 

If your cat is unable to urinate, this is a medical emergency – call Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals or the Animal Emergency Clinic and schedule a visit right away.

What tips do you have for keeping cats using their litter boxes consistently?

Q: Dear Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals,

WHY should I have my pets on monthly flea preventative? 

A: Dear Client,

You should have your dogs and cats on monthly flea preventatives because fleas are gross.

Also, many dogs and cats are allergic to fleas, and preventing flea bites will COMPLETELY control their flea allergies!

Even in our pets without flea allergies, flea bites are uncomfortable and itchy!  Though fleas do not live on humans, they CAN bite us, and then we will be itching right along with our pets!

Fleas can cause flea bite anemia, a condition that is dangerous to very young, very small or debilitated cats and kittens and dogs and cats.  Since the use of flea preventatives has become so widespread and flea preventatives available are so effective, we see flea bite anemia much less commonly.

Fleas carry tapeworms, which, as we previously discussed in our opening statement about fleas, are gross.

Another Question:

What about the plague?

Answer:

You are correct that fleas carry the plaque, but the fleas that carry the plaque are the RAT fleas, and the common flea that infects our dog and cat friends is the CAT flea.  This is the flea species that we are preventing when we treat our pets with flea prevenatitve medication.

What products are recommended?

We recommend Frontline, Revolution or NexGard for flea prevention for dogs.  Frontline also protects dogs against ticks!

We recommend Revolution for flea prevention for cats, which also prevents heartworm disease.

In 2012 we started offering cold laser therapy at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals.  Cold laser therapy is one of several tools we use to keep your pets comfortable and pain free!

Dr. Finch's daughter Abby helps Dr. Jones with Max the Cat's laser therapy.

Therapeutic lasers have been helpful in treating many painful conditions in dogs and cats, including:

• Osteoarthritis
• Disk disease
• Ear infections
• Post-operative pain

Have your pets needed laser therapy before?  How has laser therapy helped your pets?  Have YOU been helped by laser therapy used in human medicine?

Healthy Mouth Dental Water Additive

In the fall of 2012, two of our doctors, Dr. Miranda Thomassen and Dr. Adrienne Kanne, attended continuing education meetings in Colorado hosted by Veterinary Dental Specialist, Tony Woodword. 

We have since expanded our dental practice to include much more restorative work, including more dental sealants, dental treatment, more digital dental radiography (x-rays) and surgical extractions.  As much as all of the doctors and technicians have loved learning advanced dental information and techniques, we love most of all when we can prevent dental problems in your pets in the first place!

One of the changes we are most excited about in the dental care at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals is the availability of a water additive called Healthy Mouth.

Healthy Mouth is a water additive for dogs and cats that slows the progression of dental disease.  Healthy Mouth aids in dissolving plaque before it hardens to tartar – that horrible hardened brownish yellow material on your pets’ teeth.  Healthy Mouth also contributes to gingival (gum) health.

Of course we would only offer this to you if we knew for sure that…

• Healthy Mouth is safe.
• Healthy Mouth does not taste gross.
• Healthy Mouth actually works!

We knew already that the Healthy Mouth water additive is 100% SAFE, so we enlisted the help of our own pets and set out to prove that Healthy Mouth does not taste gross AND it actually works.

First we asked Noodle the Poodle…

Then we asked Max the Cat…

In fact, we asked 35 of our own dogs and 35 of our own cats, and they liked Healthy Mouth water as much as plain water.  Success.

Next, we wanted to see how well Healthy Mouth actually worked.  We took these same good-natured pets of ours and performed dental procedures on the ones who were due and continued using Healthy Mouth water additive afterwards in place of their normal water.

And…YES!  It does work as it should.

So now, we offer it to YOU, with the promise that, as always, we will only offer you treatments, procedures and products that are so great we would give them to our very own pets!

We recommend Healthy Mouth water additive for every dog and cat to slow the formation of tartar and slow the progression of dental disease.  Use it with regular tooth brushing, regular dental check ups (which your pet receives with every medical visit!) and regular dental care.

Here’s to continued excellent dental health for your pets and ours!  We want only the very best for them all!

Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals’ Breed of the Month for December 2014 is…

The Boxer!

Baby Snookie Jones

Every month at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals we choose a breed to highlight online. Sometimes we choose the breed of the month based on rescue groups we love, sometimes we choose the breed of the month based on the pets we have in our own families and sometimes we choose the breed of the month because, in our professional opinions, the breed we have chosen to celebrate is just a great breed! 

Grown Up Snookie Jones

Boxers

The breed we have chosen to celebrate during December 2014 is the Boxer. We will spend the rest of the month celebrating this breed with you! 

Joining the Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals Breed of the Month Online Conversation:

Make sure to join us on whatever online forum you like best –

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

or right here on our blog in the comment section of this post. What questions do you have about Boxers? What do YOU love about Boxers? Let us know why YOUR Boxer or Boxer mix is great!  Send us your pictures, your health questions and your stories.  We are looking forward to this month with you!