Seaside Animal Care was founded in 1993 by Dr. Ernest Ward with a simple mission: “provide the most advanced and compassionate in pet health care for those who choose it.” To fulfill our mission, we strive to offer the highest standards of veterinary medical care in a caring environment. Whether your pet requires advanced diagnostic tests, surgery, behavioral counseling or annual wellness care, our commitment is to always “do what is in the pet’s best interest.” If we ever fail to meet your expectations, please feel free to contact us at anytime.

9256 Beach Drive Calabash, NC 28467 910.579.5550 www.SeasideVet.com2009Seaside Animal Care december

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Make your Holidays Pet-SafeThe holidays are a time of good cheer and thanksgiving. To make sure your pet enjoys the season as much as you do, follow these tips:

Traveling to Grandma's can be tough on older dogs with arthritis. To ease getting in and out of cars and easing the pain of climbing stairs, try this portable dog ramp. It easily folds and weighs less than 6 pounds. http://www.petstep.com/totenstore-dog-ramp.htm

Double your pet’s omega-3’s (Welactin) starting three days prior to travel. This may help reduce stress and anxiety.

Talk to relatives and friends about not feeding your pet extra goodies before you visit. This is especially true in pets with sensitive stomachs or with medical conditions such as kidney disease, heart disease or diabetes.

Take your own food and water bowls to avoid doggie and kitty confrontations.

When selecting toys, use these guidelines:- Avoid dog toys with squeakers. Many dogs will attempt to destroy the toy to "quiet" the squeaker. If a dog aggressively tears a toy, it may

swallow pieces and become obstructed.- Avoid cat toys with strings, feathers or parts that dangle. Cats can swallow these parts and become obstructed. Use only under close supervision.- Don't buy dogs laser pointer toys. Some dogs may develop a compulsive behavioral disorder that can quickly escalate.- Don’t buy hard plastic or rubber chew toys. These can splinter a tooth resulting in pain and require tooth extraction. Soft rubber toys designed for dogs and cats are recommended.- Avoid any toys with small button batteries or magnets. continued...

Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season!

We have great all-natural dog cookies for that special canine in your life. Hurry, they’re going fast!

Happy

Holidays!*

- Be careful when purchasing toys with buttons and sewn-on eyes or decorations. Many pets will diligently work until they remove them; then promptly swallow them whole.- Do not purchase any toy made with real animal fur. In addition to being dangerous, the fur is often obtained in a less-than-humane manner.- Do not purchase raw-hides, beef-chews or pig ears. These products are often contaminated with pathogenic bacteria that can infect both you and your pet. Purchase toys and products made of recycled goods whenever possible.

Traveling, parties and bright lights can create stress in your pet. Try to keep as normal a schedule as possible: waking and bedtime, feeding schedules and diet. Sticking to a schedule and keep everyone happy and healthy and avoid an emergency room visit. When stressed, take a walk. It’ll help both of you.

Avoid tree-extender chemicals. These chemicals are toxic to many curious pets, especially cats.

Check all tree lights, even if you've just purchased them, before hanging them on your tree. Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.

Be careful with candles. Dogs and cats often find them irresistible resulting in inadvertent burns.

Dogs and cats can choke or suffocate on deflated balloons. Remove strings and ribbons from toys before leaving them unattended with your pets.

Dogs and cats seem to like cocktails as much as we do. Don't leave half-empty glasses laying around for curious critters. Alcohol, even in small amounts, is toxic to pets.

Pets can get swine flu from you. If you're sick, you could give it to your pets. Use the same precautions to prevent spreading

H1N1 to your pets. They'll often want to curl up next to you in bed to help; unfortunately, they could contract H1N1.

Always thaw meat in the refrigerator, never on the countertop. Pets could contact a contaminated surface such as a cutting board and contract E. coli or Salmonella.

Throw away all wrapping and packaging so it doesn't become a choking or suffocation hazard for inquisitive and playful pets.

Just because you stuff yourself doesn't mean you should stuff your pet. While I'm all for sharing a holiday feast with your pet, keep the portions sensible and feed nutritious foods such as sweet potatoes, vegetables, pumpkin and fish or fowl.

Mistletoe, ambrosia, amaryllis, and lilies are all toxic to pets. Poinsettia can cause excessive salivation or GI upset.

Upcoming Events

Calabash Community Christmas Tree LightingFriday, December 4 - - 6 to 7 pm

Callahan’s Parking Lot

Entertainment, parade, free food, lighting the community

Christmas tree and Santa Claus! Come join the area’s largest

Christmas celebration!

Pictures with Santa PawsSaturday, December 5 - - 12 to 2 pm

Seaside Animal Care

Our 16th year hosting our Prayer for Animals fundraiser. Bring your dog to have its

picture made with Santa Paws. $5 suggested donation per picture. Free food and fun.

Start the holiday season by helping those less fortunate.

Prayer for Animals FundIn 1996, Dr. Ward established a 501(3)(c) non-profit to raise money to help needy

animals in our area. To date, Prayer for Animals has helped local shelters, provided

care for injured stray animals, provided spay/neuter services to over 150 feral cats and

dogs, and aided numerous families in distress.

Weight of Pet (lbs)

Amount of Ingested Chocolate to cause Toxicity (oz)Amount of Ingested Chocolate to cause Toxicity (oz)Amount of Ingested Chocolate to

(lbs) Milk Chocolate

Semi-sweet Chocolate

Baking Chocolate

5 2 0.7 0.210 4 1.4 0.520 8 2.8 0.930 12.3 2.8 1.440 16.4 5.5 1.950 20.5 6.9 2.860 24.5 8.3 2.880 32.7 11 3.7

Motion Sickness making travel with your pet a mess?

Ask about Cerenia, a 24-hour motion sickness tablet

for dogs. This is quite simply the best anti-nausea

medication I have used in almost 20 years of

veterinary practice. Give it one-hour prior to travel

and no upset stomach during your trip!