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Canine Influenza, H3N8

Canine influenza is a newly emerging contagious disease that currently has been reported in 30 states, including South Carolina.  It is caused by the H3N8 strain of influenza type A. 

Because dog's immune systems are naive to flu viruses, it is believed that 100% of exposed dogs will become infected and therefore be contagious for Canine Flu.  A full 80% of exposed dogs are expected to show symptoms of disease.

Signs are a persistent moist cough, fever, lack of energy, nasal discharge, and appetite loss.  The cough can last up to a month.  Some dogs can develop pneumonia.

We currently recommend Flu immunization for dogs that

• Board or go to a doggie day care
• Go To Groomers
• Attend Obedience Classes
• Go to Dog Parks
• Participate in Field Trials or Dog Shows
• Go anywhere where a lot of dogs congregate together

These criteria are similar to those for dogs that we have always vaccinated for Bordatella (kennel cough).

H3N8 Canine Flu is not contagious to people.

H1N1 in Cats and Ferrets

Also Dogs

Additionally, there is growing concern about H1N1 Flu in cats, dogs and pet ferrets.  There have been documented cases of cats and ferrets getting the H1N1 virus from their owners.  One cat death has been confirmed.  

One case of H1N1 has been documented in a dog.

Laboratories are currently developing tests to screen for this disease in pets.

There currently is no vaccine for animals.

Until further notice, our On-line Pharmacy is closed.  This is due to a corporate merger of our suppliers, so circumstances are beyond our control.  We hope to be able to bring you an 0n-Line store again very soon.

We've added resQ Pet Microchips to our services offered at Holmes Veterinary Hospital.   

Millions of pets go missing every year.  Only 22% every come home.  Most are adopted by other families or worse, euthanized. 

Consider permanently identifying your pet with an easily implanted microchip in case he or she is lost or stolen. 

Pet Grooming by Vanessa Richey

Here at Holmes Veterinary Hospital!

Tuesdays and Thursdays--Call for an appointment

Diamond Cat Food Recalled

December 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — Diamond Pet Foods recalled select bags of dry cat food Tuesday after 21 reports of health problems in cats.

Select bags of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball could lead to gastrointestinal or neurological problems for cats because they do not contain enough thiamine, an essential nutrient for cats.

If cats fed these foods have no other source of nutrition, they could develop thiamine deficiency. If untreated, this disorder could result in death.

Initial symptoms of thiamine deficiency include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss. Later, neurological problems could develop including, bending the neck toward the floor, wobbly walking, circling, falling and seizures.

The company has confirmed 21 cases of thiamine deficiency in New York and Pennsylvania.

The recalled bags of food were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

For a full refund, consumers can return the recalled cat food to the place it was purchased. For more information call 800-977-8797.

May 28, 2009

Nutro Products Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Range of Dry Cat Food Products

Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with "Best If Used By Dates" between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

View the list of recalled pet food on Nutro Products Web site

NUTRO PET FOOD RECALL INFORMATION

Out of an abundance of caution, on May 21, 2009, Nutro Products
announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO(R)
NATURAL CHOICE(R) COMPLETE CARE(R) Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO(R)
MAX(R) Cat Dry Foods with "Best If Used By Dates" between May 12,
2010 and August 22, 2010. This recall is due to incorrect levels
of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a
production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected.  One premix contained excessive
levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix
under-supplemented potassium.  Both zinc and potassium are essential
nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO(R)
dry cat food.
As soon as we became aware of the issue, we made the decision to hold
shipments of affected dry cat product, and took immediate action to
verify with our mineral premix supplier that no other products were
affected. We then contacted the FDA to notify them of the voluntary
recall. A full list of affected product and available alternatives
for your clients is available at
http://aci-direct.net/c.asp?770197&0061200da101aeb0&1

We have completed a comprehensive audit of premixes for all NUTRO(R)
products, and have confirmed that this issue only affects certain dry
cat food products. No other NUTRO(R) products are affected, including
dry dog food, wet dog and cat foods and dog and cat treats.
 
Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately
discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another
product with a balanced nutritional profile.  While we have received
no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor
their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal
of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea.  We have suggested that
cat owners contact their veterinarian if their cat is experiencing
health issues or is pregnant. 

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall
should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for
another NUTRO(R) dry cat food product. 

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states,
as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are
working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both
the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are
not on store shelves.

At Nutro Products, our top priority has always been and continues to
be the health and welfare of pets and their owners. If you have any
further questions, including the need for additional information on
clinical signs, please call 1-800-833-5330 and identify yourself as a
veterinary professional or visit
http://aci-direct.net/c.asp?770197&0061200da101aeb0&1 

Late winter and spring are cat's mating season.  To avoid unwanted litters, get your female cats spayed now!

During the month of January and again in February, all female cats spayed here will be entered in a drawing to win a free six month's supply of Advantage Multi, the once a month flea drop.

Advantage Multi treats fleas, ear mites, hookworms, roundworms and also prevents heartworms.

 Call for your cat's spay appointment today!

If you have sent us photos of your pet over the years, he may be immortalized on our digital photo frame!  Dr. Burns has taken all of the pictures from our wall of fame and scanned them into a digital frame that plays a continuous slide show at our reception desk.

 Dr. Burns welcomes good photos of your pet to be added to the collection.

In Case of Snow or Ice

If there is snow or ice sufficent to close local schools or cause widespread power outages, there is a good chance we will not be open for business as usual.  Someone always makes in into the office to feed, water, medicate and exercise pets that are boarding or hospitalized. 

If your pet is here, don't worry, as he or she will be taken care of.  If we are not open, plan on picking him or her up the next working day.   

VOLUNTARY PET FOOD RECALL

September 15, 2008

Because of potential Salmonella cross-contamination, Mars Pet Care has recalled pet food

Locally sold brands can include Pedigree and Special Kitty.

 For more information, go to www.petcare.mars.com

It's fall, y'all...pets and people are moving around more due to cooler temperatures.  Fall is associated with increased accidental poisonings of dogs and cats and with increased gunshot wounds.  For your pet's safety keep them home and have them wear collars with tags for indentification.

For more information, see our page on Important Seasonal Information.

Sharp Increase in Heartworm Infections in Dogs!

For about the past year and a half, Dr. Burns has noticed a sharp increase in heartworm infections.  Of the outdoor dogs that she is testing for heartworms, close to 70% of these dogs are infected with Heartworms. 

We recommend that all dogs--indoor as well as outdoor--be tested for heartworms and be put on a simple monthly heartworm preventative medicine. 

If you have allowed your dog's heartworm medicine to lapse, call today and make an appointment to have him tested!

Holmes Veterinary Hospital has gone GREEN!

Dr Burns is coordinator for Earthworks Laurens, a Christian green initiative. 

Earthworks Laurens is a Christian environmentalist group, with emphasis on recycling, reducing post-consumer waste, encouraging sustainable agriculture and other green land/resource use practices and making more earth-friendly choices in our everyday lives.

At Holmes Veterinary Hospital, we are committed to the environment.  We are a deposit site for aluminum cans that benefit the Shriner's Hospital.  We also recycle the cardboard boxes in which our drugs and supplies are shipped to us.  They are picked up to benefit Open Door in Clinton. 

We're also using Comfortis, a GREEN once-a-month flea pill.  The active ingredient in Comfortis, spinosad, is the only green insecticide that can be used in organic farming and has won an environmental award. 

Fast facts:  did you know that the Laurens Country Library has a drop box for recycling used cell phones?  That Radio Shack will take dead batteries and return them to a recycling center?

More information coming soon.

 Welcome Dr. Suro!

In December of 2007, Dr. Burns and the staff welcomed Dr. Bill Suro to the Holmes Veterinary Hospital team.  Dr. Suro is licensed in both Colorado and South Carolina and he will be working at Holmes Veteinary Hospital part-time.  

 Dr. Suro resides in Gray Court with his wife Nanci and an assortment of dogs and cats.  His clincial areas of interest include radiology, internal medicine and endocrinology.  Dr. Suro enjoys painting, creative writing and gardening. 

News Archive March 2007 Pet Food Recall Notice

As of March 31, 2007, there are more than 90 different pet foods that have been recalled due to a toxin or toxins in the food.  These foods have been linked to renal (kidney) failure and fatalities have occurred.

Most of these are wet foods in metal cans or in pouches. 

As of March 31, 2007, only one dry kibble food has been recalled voluntarily by the manufacturer and that is Hill's Prescription Diet MD.  MD is a dry cat food made for cats that are overweight or diabetic. 

It is not to be confused with any Hill's Science Diet dry food products.  At this time, no Science Diet dry dog or cat foods have been recalled, either by the FDA or voluntarily by their manufacturer. 

For more information as it is made available by the FDA, go to:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html

For information about the Menu Foods Recall, go to:

http://www.menufoods.com

If you have questions about a specific pet food, look on the label for that individual food manufacturer's toll-free number or compare that specific flavor and lot of food to the lists published on the web by Menu Foods or the FDA.