Departments:

Staff news p 2

Seasonal Issues p3

Doggy Doo Doo p4

Kitty Capers p5

Animal Trivia p6

Humor Page p7

“Tails from the Dog House” is published quarterly by theSardis Animal Hospital 7236 Vedder RdChilliwack,British Columbia, Canada, V2R 5K7Phone 604-858-4415

direct inquiries can be made to:staff@sardisvet.com

website:www.sardisvet.com

Spring 2014Vol 12, No 1, pg 1

Tails from the Dog House The Quarterly Newsletter from the Sardis Animal Hospital

We have all smiled to ourselves when we see a person whose physical appearance roughly resembles their pet. For example, the short stocky fellow with a full face who has a Bulldog or Mastiff or the tall, slim lady with the flowing red hair who has an Irish Setter. How about the matronly elderly woman with the upturned nose carrying spectacles held in place with a decorative chain carrying her Pekinese. Yes these and many more have graced our hospital over the years and makes our lives more enjoyable. But the burning question remains, is there a correlation between the choice of pet and the personality of the pet’s owner.

Several studies have been done to look at this question. Some of these studies are better designed than others, but an interesting common thread emerges through their conclusions. A recent study involving 600 college students is typical of what is found in the literature. Students were asked if they considered themselves “dog people” or “cat people” or neither or both and were subjected to numerous questions to assess their personality types and what attracts them to their preferred pet.

60 percent identified themslves as dog people and 11 percent as cat people. The rest said they liked both or had no preference. Dog lovers found that the most attractive quality in their pet dogs was com-panionship, while the cat people liked the affection that their cats provide.

The question of whether each species personality matches that of their owners was also answered according to researcher Denise Guastello, associate professor of psychology at Carroll University in Wisconsin. Dog lovers tended to be more outgoing, sociable and energetic and were more likely to follow rules, while cat lovers were more introverted, more open minded, and more sensitive than dog lovers. Cat people also tended to be non-conformists, preferring to be expedient rather than follow the rules. Each group sounds pretty much like their preferred species! Since this study involved college students, it could not conclude if the results applied to other age groups.

A 2010 study of over 4,500 people of varied backgrounds also found that dog owners tended to be more extroverted and more likely to follow rules.

And finally, a finding that is sure to send some sparks flying, the study also found that cat lovers scored higher on intelligence tests than dog lovers. I look forward to your angry letters, but hey, I’m just the messenger. - Dr Anvik

Does Choice of Pet Reflect Personality?

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 12, No 1, pg 2

Staff News

Featured Staff

New Website

Banjo Says:Do not leave your pet in a closed car on hot days!! Heat stroke can result in a fatality in a surprisingly short time!!!

Our website; www.sardisvet.com is being re-vamped and will be launched in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for it. There will be updated staff photos and bios as well as helpful information on the services we offer and how to access us. There are also links to other usefull pet care sites

Chantelle Neufeld Registered Veterinary Technician

If you have been in the clinic recently you are likely to have been greeted by Chantelle’s smiling face and cheerful manner. Chantelle is from Chilliwack and is a graduate of Chilliwack Senior High. From there she studied Animal Health Technology at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. She has been working at the Sardis Animal Hospital since last summer and divides her time between front counter reception and technician duties in the hospital.

Chantelle resides locally with her dog Finn, her cat Mozart and four mischievous ferrets.

Her personal interests include gardening, reading and horseback riding.

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 12, No 1, pg 3

Seasonal Issues

Flea Season is upon us.

time to use flea prevention

Ah, the joys of summer!! Long warm summer nights, vacation,going fishing, camping, hiking, picnics at the lake, lazy hazy daysand ......... fleas!!Unfortunately, warm weather has one draw back if you havepets. Unless preventive action is taken, fleas have a way ofsneaking up on you and before you know it, your house and yourpet can be over run with the nasty pests. The good news is that alittle planning can keep fleas in check so no one has to suffer.

The best time to be taking action is before the hot weather comes. Although fleas can be found on pets year round, peak flea season in our area is July, August and September.

Adminstration of flea treatments such as “Advantage” is a wise precaution. It comes as a drop on vial for topical application. Advantage works by incorporating the active ingredients into skin oils at the surface so when fleas contact the product, they receive a minute amount of flea specific toxin. It’s toxicity to pets (and humans) is very low. Fleas do not have to bite in order to be killed. The product kills fleas within hours of landing on your pet. It is waterproof and lasts about a month, so repeat application every thirty days. Recently emerged fleas that have just landed on your pet may still be seen for a short while until the medication does its job. Allergic pets may still scratch at recent bites, so allergic pets may need some additional medications to stop the chewing and self mutilation triggered by the biting flea. If your pet has flea bite related rashes or hot spots, he should be seen by the veterinarian. Advantage is very effective when used properly and is our product of choice for de-fleaing an infested pet.

Here are some facts about fleas:

- transmission of adults hopping from one pet to another is not the main means of spread.

- pets acquire fleas mainly from cocoons that have hatched and “sprung” the flea out in response to motion or vibration from a passing host

- the fleas found on your pet are not “sand fleas” or “grass fleas” They are dog and cat fleas

- fleas can remain dormant in resting cocoons for up to a year under ideal conditions

- flea numbers can increase exponentially in an uncontrolled favourable environment.

- fleas can carry diseases and parasites such as tapeworms to your pet.

Its Scratching Time Again!!

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 12, No 1, pg 4

Doggy Doo-Doo

Dogs Are Able to Accurately Sniff Out Prostate Can-cer in Humans

Dogs have long been utilized for many tasks that make use of their superior sense of smell. Their talents include everything from finding lost kids to tracking down felons and escaped convicts. There are drug sniffing dogs working on our borders and airports and bomb sniffing dogs doing many types of security details.

In recent years dogs have been trained for medical purposes and are able to detect high or low blood sugar in diabetics as well as detect Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) associated with many cancers and other illnesses. A recent Italian study demonstrated that dogs can be trained to sniff out Prostate VOCs from the urine of human prostate patients.

This was a significant study involving 320 known prostate cancer patients with a range of cancer types and severity and 377 healthy controls. The results were amazing. Working in an environment free of olfactory distractions, the dogs were able to detect the cancer samples with a 98% accuracy!! The breeds of dogs that have proven to be the most trainable for sniff work are the usual suspects, German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers. Brings a whole new meaning to the term “Lab work” doesnt it!

The dogs accuracy exceeded that of any other medical tests available. So how practical is this? Only time will tell. So, gentlemen, the next time a dog snoofs you in your privates, he may just be giving you a free prostate screening.

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 12, No 1, pg 5

Kitty Capers

Feline Fun Facts

- A cat’s brain is more like a human’s than is a dog’s brain

- A cat’s collar bone is a floating structure buried in the muscles of the shoulder. This allows a cat to fit into any space he can get his head through (except fat cats). Dogs do not have a collar bone.

- Cats do not have true eye lashes mounted in their lids, dogs however, do.

- Ancient Egyptian family members shaved their eyebrows in mourning when a beloved family cat died.

- The domestic cat is the only species that can hold it’s tail vertically while walking.

- Cats usually have 4 rows of whiskers. The top two rows can move independently of the bot-tom rows

- Normal body temperature for a cat is 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Life expectancy of cats has doubled since 1930, from 8 years to 16 years

- Paleontologists believe that the first true cats came into existence 12 million years ago.

- Historians believe that cats have been domesticated half as long as dogs have.

- The first domesticated cats to appear in Europe arrived on Phoenician cargo ships about 900 BC.

- Despite its reputation for being finicky, the average cat consumes about 127,750 calories a year, nearly 28 times its own weight in food and the same amount again in liquids. In case you were wondering, unlike dogs, cats are true carnivores and cannot survive on a vegetarian diet.

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 12, No 1, pg 6

Animal Trivia

A cow can give as much as 200,000 glasses of milk in her life time.

A father Emperor penguin withstands the Antarctic cold for 60 days or more to protect and warm his mate’s eggs, He keeps them on his feet, covered with a feathered flap. During this entire time he doesn’t eat a thing. Most father penguins lose about 25 pounds while they wait for their babies to hatch. Afterward, they feed the chicks a special liquid from their throats. When the mother penguins return to care for the young, the fathers go to sea to eat and rest.

A rat can last longer without water than a camel can.

The colour of chicken eggs is determined by the genetics of the hen. Certain breeds such as Leghorns produce white eggs and others like Rhode Island Reds lay brown eggs. There is no relationship between colour and nutritional value. Taste can vary with the hen’s diet. Eggs from free range chickens tend to have darker yolks and thicker, stronger shells.

The hummingbird, the loon, the swift, the kingfisher, and the grebe are all birds that cannot walk.

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 12, No 1, pg 7

Chuckle Page

Old Vet: I can still do chest surgery but I just can’t remember where I left my keys!

Young Vet: As long as you didn’t leave them in the chest.

Old Vet: What do you do when you have 3 balls on an Elephant?

Young Vet: Walk him and pitch to the Rhinocerous

Dr Jack’s Wisdom

“At my age, I’ve given up on winning and just try to lose as slowly as possible.”

Old Vet: I went to the auto parts store and got some windshield wipers for my ‘78 Ford Pinto

Young Vet: Sounds like a fair trade.