Holiday Pet Safety Tips

Holiday Pet Safety Tips from

The holiday season is here!  Are you ready to spend quality time with your family, friends, and pets?  Here are a few ways to help keep your pets safe through the holiday season!

Five Holiday Safety Tips:

1. Secure Your Christmas Tree

Whether your tree is real or fake, make sure that it is secure.  You don't want your tree to fall and injure your pet! 

2. Avoid Using Fertilizer

If you purchase a real tree this year, don't use fertilizer in your tree's water.  Your cat or dog can get an upset stomach if they accidentally drink it.

3. Keep an Eye on Burning Candles

Make sure that you keep holiday candles out of reach.  Place them high enough where your pet cannot accidentally knock them over.

4. Be Mindful of Holiday Plants

Poinsettias and mistletoe are festive decorations, but keep them out-of-reach of your pets.  These popular holiday plants are toxic to cats and dogs.

5. Don't Decorate with Tinsel

Sparkly tinsel and ribbons can be attractive to pets.  However, these colorful decorations can get stuck in your pet's digestive tract if they are ingested.  Be sure to keep them out of reach!

If you have any questions about how to celebrate a pet-friendly holiday season, contact our office!  

Have a safe and Happy Holiday season!

Pet Costume Ideas

Halloween is right around the corner.  Did you pick out a costume yet?  More importantly, did you choose one for your pet?

We scoured Pinterest to find the best pet costumes and give you some suggestions.  If you dress your pet up, please share the photo of their costume below, or add it to our Facebook Page!

Here were a few of our favorites-

The (Not So) Evil Darth Vader

Is it Taco Tuesday Already?

I'm Batman

Martini Anyone?

3 Heads are better than 1

The Reunion Veterinary Hospital is located in Davenport, FL, less than 15 minutes from DisneyWorld.  Do you have any questions about your pet's safety this Halloween?  If so, please contact us at ReunionVetHospital@gmail.com.

The Reunion Veterinary Hospital Celebrates a Pet Friendly Halloween

Halloween Safety Tips from Reunion Veterinary Hospital

Halloween is right around the corner.  As you and your kids get ready for the festivities, don't forget to keep your pets in mind!  These Halloween safety tips can help make sure your whole family enjoys a safe and Happy Halloween.

Place Candy Bowls Out-of-Reach - 

While trick-or-treaters love candy, your pets don't. Chocolates & other Halloween candies with xylitol can be poisonous to pets.  Be sure to keep your candies in a safe place when waiting for visitors.

Light Your Jack-o-Lantern Safely - 

Candles and jack-o-lanterns should be out of reach of your pet.  If your pet gets too close, they may accidentally knock it over, burning themselves or causing a fire.

Try On Pet Costumes Beforehand -

Not all pets like to wear costumes.  However, if you are planning a Halloween costume for your pet, make sure that it is comfortable.  If your pet seems anxious or stressed while wearing the costume, celebrate with a festive bandanna instead!

Keep Pets Away From the Door - 

Your door is constantly opening and closing on Halloween as strangers come to visit.  Keep your pet in a safe place to prevent them from running out the door or growling at trick-or-treaters.

Our experienced veterinarians can help you and your pets enjoy a fun and safe Halloween.  If your pet does ingest anything toxic this Halloween, contact our office immediately.  

Are You Ready To Bring a Pet Home?

When people think about bringing an animal into their home to live with them, there is always a risk that this animal can bring sickness or disease.  Without the proper precautions animals can bring germs that can spread to humans, particularly children under the age of 5.  This is a reason to be more cautious with animals, not a reason to not have a pet!

To ensure safety, we should become familiar with the most common forms of germs and diseases that threaten us.  Streptococcus is a form of bacteria that causes strep throat and skin infections.  Your pet can carry ticks that cause Lyme disease; these ticks can hop from your pet to you and put you in risk.  Salmonella, Campylobacter  e. Coli, Giardia and Cryptosporidium can spread through anything contaminated with an infected pets stool.  

Toxoplasma is a germ found in cat stool, that can affect the brain and eyes in infants, and a pregnant mother can pass these effects to her unborn child.  Worms, which can also be spread through contact with infected stool, can cause fever, rash, allergic reactions, eye, liver and lung disease, and brain infections.  Finally rabies, which is usually found in wild animals, can also affect your pet and can be transmitted to humans through scratches and bites.  This all seems like a lot and a huge risk to take, but all these diseases can be avoided very easily.  

To prevent getting an illness from your pet, take new pets to the veterinarian as soon as possible.  Take them back to the vet regularly for checkups and shots.  You always want to wash your hands with soap after cleaning up after your pet goes to the bathroom. Clean litter boxes daily and never let your children play where your pet goes to the bathroom.  Never let your pet eat any raw meat, also drinking from the toilet is very unhealthy and unsanitary.  This all seems like a lot of work and a lot to remember, but once you get into a routine its is very simple.  

The reward is much more than the slim risk you take when adopting a pet.  Pets make wonderful playmates for children! They keep them physically active and teach them responsibility! 

The Reunion Veterinary Hospital is located in the Ovation Shopping Center in Davenport, Fl.   The veterinarians at our practice have a combined 80+ years of experience caring for pets.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

World Rabies Day is September 28th

This Sunday, September 28^th is World Rabies Day!  It is a day created by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control group and is recognized by over 150 nations.  The goal of World rabies day is to promote information on rabies control and reduce the amount of rabies cases by maintaining proper animal vaccination and control, as well as providing access to the necessary medical care for those infected. 

“Rabies is completely preventable.  We want people to understand the importance of vaccinating against the disease,” said Dr. Leon Russell, a professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.  Even with treatment available, more than 55,000 people per year die from a rabies bite worldwide.  Rabies can be contracted from dogs and cats to skunks and raccoons. 

In addition, Russell recommends that owners should take the necessary precautions and pets should always be routinely vaccinated against rabies.

If your pet is in need of vaccination, or treatment please contact us at the Reunion Veterinary Hospital for the best services!  Visit us at www.ReunionVetHospital.com for more information. Also, visit our Facebook page, linked HERE! 

Here are the Benefits of Therapeutic Laser for You Pet

Benefits of MLS Laser Therapy

Clinical Benefits

Manage Pain. Reduce Inflammation. Speed Recovery.

The benefits of veterinary laser therapy are relatively new in the veterinary industry. Despite this, veterinarians are quick to adopt the technology as they see a marked improvement in their patient’s quality of life, and most notably in the reduction of pain and swelling and the increase in mobility.

MLS Laser Therapy technology is the most advanced laser therapy system on the market.  Reduction of response times, and therefore overall treatment times, distinguishes MLS Laser Therapy from traditional laser therapy with reciprocal advantages for both the operator and the patient.

10 Benefits of MLS Laser Therapy

• Anti-Inflammatory Effect
• Analgesic Effect
• Accelerated Tissue Repair and Cell Growth
• Improved Vascular Activity
• Increases Metabolic Activity
• Stimulation of Trigger Points and Acupuncture Points
• Reduced Fibrous Tissue Formation
• Improved Nerve Function
• Immunoregulation
• Faster Wound Healing

MLS Laser Therapy effectively treats pain associated with:

• Arthritis
• Tendonitis
• Wounds
• Post-Surgical Swelling
• Inflamed Ears
• Lick Granuloma
• Hip Dysplasia
• Disc Disease
• Lameness
• Sinusitis
• and much more!

- See more at: http://www.celasers.com/veterinary/mls-laser-therapy/benefits-of-mls-laser-therapy#sthash.tZPIAvNj.dpuf

The Most Advanced Veterinary Laser on the Market Today

The Cutting Edge Mphi MLS Laser represents the most advanced veterinary laser on the market today. The technology delivers continuous and pulsated emissions each of which provides advantages that benefit pets in many different ways.

Continuous emission stimulates an anti-inflammatory effect and edema re-absorption, but with secondary analgesic effects.  Pulsated emission has a more intense analgesic action, but the effect on the inflammatory process is reduced.

The Cutting Edge Mphi MLS Therapy is the first laser to incorporate both continuous and pulsed emissions, simultaneously.  Rhythm, perfection of intervals and intensity, and maximum coordination are of the essence.

- See more at: http://www.celasers.com/veterinary/mls-laser-therapy/small-animal-products/mphi#sthash.P9EOm7HG.dpuf

Getting A Dog Can Help You Stay In Shape

Are you looking for a workout buddy? Someone you can rely on to always be ready to go for a walk or jog, who won’t get bored of the workouts and someone to keep you motivated? Get a dog!  

A recent article published MSNBC pointed out the health and fitness benefits associated with being a dog owner. 

“Studies show dog owners walk more, walk faster and are more likely to enjoy an active lifestyle because of their companion animal.”

Dr. Sandra McCune, co-editor of the book, “The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for People and Pets,” said she is fascinated by what a “great motivator dogs can be.” Lack of motivation is at the top of the long list of reasons why people stop exercising. 

The article stated, “Dogs are the reason behind two-thirds, 66 percent, of the walks their owners take each week, according to a recent survey of more than 1,011 adults commissioned by pet food company Mars Petcare.” 

Having a dog will hold you accountable for keeping exercise in your daily routine. Whether it’s raining, snowing, freezing or hot, your dog needs to be walked which means you will be out there alongside him.

To help keep you and your dog active, this fall YMCAs in several US cities are hosting their version of “dog days” called “The Power of Pets” which includes programs like dog runs/walks, dog yoga and other dog fair activities. “Families with dogs tend to be more active,” said Katy Leclair, executive director of the Lake View, Illinois YMCA. 

Dogs are the best workout partners, offering energy, enthusiasm and the social support so crucial to sticking with an exercise program. So, if you’re looking to take a few inches off your waist, or live a more active lifestyle, get a dog!