<![CDATA[Welcome to the <br />Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital Family! - Blog]]>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 02:27:35 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Holiday Hazards by Dr. Amelia Hubbard]]>Thu, 27 Oct 2016 16:16:58 GMThttp://stokesdalevet.net/blog/holiday-hazards-by-dr-amelia-hubbardWith the holiday season approaching, I'm sure most of us may eat a little less healthy than usual and a few of us may eat enough that we need to sit on the couch and moan for a little while. While the holidays are usually a happy time spent celebrating and spending time with close friends and family, they can be a hazardous time for our pets. In addition to many foods that can be toxic to cats and dogs, there are also other things that we don't think about as commonly that can be harmful such as ornaments, decorations, and certain plants. Below is a list of some of the more common holiday hazards. Obviously, if you notice any abnormal signs in your furry family members, please call us or head to the emergency clinic if we are not open! Either Dr. Wesely or myself always has the on-call phone, even on the holidays, so don't hesitate to call if you’re one of our clients and just unsure.
 
FOODS:
•          Excessive amounts of turkey, chicken, ham, and poultry skin – Just like us, if dogs or cats eat too much of these foods they can show signs of lethargy and depression (commonly shown in people as sitting on the couch watching football after Thanksgiving dinner). These foods can also have a lot of fat and salt in them, which can cause pancreatitis and gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal/belly pain). Any type of animal bones (turkey, chicken, venison, etc.) can cause intestinal problems like diarrhea, vomiting, or blockage that may require surgery.
•          Grapes, raisins, onions, and garlic – Although these foods are healthy for us, they are toxic to the kidneys of dogs and cats. Grapes and raisins can cause acute kidney disease, which can get expensive to treat and often requires pets to be hospitalized on IV fluids and under close supervision for monitoring. Onions and garlic are part of the Allium family, which causes anemia from red blood cells being damaged.
•          Pie, mashed potatoes, gravy, and other fattening foods – Just like fatty meats, these food can cause intestinal upset and pancreatitis. If your pet is demanding some of your holiday dinner, make sure to give them small portions of healthier options such as green beans, carrots, or small pieces of lean non-salted meats.
•          Alcohol – Please be careful to keep your pets away from alcohol. Although most of us would not offer our pets alcohol, they can sneak a sip from drinks that are sitting on the table or counter, or if it spills on the floor. If your pet ingests alcohol, it can cause signs of incoordination, vomiting, disorientation, and more severe mental states.
•          Chocolate – Most of us have heard that chocolate is toxic to pets. Theophylline is the part of chocolate this is toxic to pets. Levels of this chemical are highest in baker's chocolate and dark chocolate, while milk chocolate and white chocolate have lower levels. Signs of chocolate toxicity include: vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, fast heart rate, and neurologic signs like tremors and seizures. The wrappers and boxes that chocolate is packaged in can also be a problem by causing intestinal upset and possibly causing a blockage that needs to be removed surgically.
•          Xylitol – This chemical is an artificial sweetener that is found in sugar free gums, artificially sweetened baked goods, and some other foods like certain types of peanut butter. This chemical can cause low blood sugar in pets, and also causes liver damage.
DECORATIONS:
•          Ornaments and tinsel – Although it is funny to watch pets, especially cats, play with decorations on the tree and in the house, these can be harmful if they break or are eaten. Typically cuts on pets paws and legs are not too difficult to repair, but do require sedation and stitches. When pets eat things that are not digestible, or able to be broken down in their stomach or intestines, we refer to this as a “foreign body”. Sometimes foreign bodies can pass with aggressive IV fluid therapy, which helps overhydrate the muscle layers in the digestive tract to help push the material out. For foreign bodies that do not respond to IV fluids, or that are too large to pass, surgery is necessary. IV fluid therapy with hospitalization, as well as surgery are both expensive, so it's much better to try to keep pets away from eating things they're not supposed to. With that being said, I do understand this can be difficult; trust me, I have caught many of my pets trying to eat things they're not supposed to!
•          Electrical cords – Burns and electrocution can be difficult and expensive to treat, so please try to keep cords off the ground or hidden so they are out of reach.
PLANTS:
•          Easter lilies, day lilies, tiger lilies – These types of lilies are very toxic to cats! If cats chew on the leaves, flowers, or ingest any part of the plant, they can develop severe kidney disease that can be expensive to treat and can be life-threatening. If you notice your cat chewing or eating any of these types of lilies, they need to be seen immediately! Waiting until you see clinical signs makes for a higher incidence of permanent kidney damage and sometimes even death. 
•          Mistletoe – Eating a small amount of mistletoe can cause mild gastrointestinal problems in cats (vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain), but larger amounts can cause more serious health concerns. If you notice your cat eating mistletoe, it is better to be safe and get them checked out.
•          Holly berries – These bright red berries can cause gastrointestinal upset as well as central nervous system depression: weakness, lethargic, depression, etc.
•          Amaryllis flowers – While all parts of this plant are toxic to cats, the bulb is the most toxic. Signs of toxicity include: drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. If part of the bulb is eaten, cats can show signs including: low blood pressure, weakness, ataxia (stumbling, wobbly while walking), tremors, and seizures.
•          Christmas trees and needles – Some cats enjoy chewing on the trunk of Christmas trees, but this behavior can cause signs such as vomiting, anorexia, depression, and abdominal pain. Cats may also enjoy playing with and eating Christmas tree needles, but sometimes these are hard for them to digest and they may need surgery to remove the needles from the digestive tract.
OTHER HOLIDAY HAZARDS:
•          Ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) – As the weather begins to turn colder, many of us begin using anti-freeze. If this chemical is left out, leaks from the vehicle, or creates a puddle on the ground dogs and cats commonly lick it up because it tastes so sweet. This chemical is very toxic to both dogs and cats! It causes acute kidney failure, which can be very expensive and difficult to treat. Some animals may even require diuresis, which is performed at NC State Veterinary School.
•          Anti-coagulant rodenticides – With the colder temperatures, small critters sometimes find their way into the house or garage for warmth. Certain rodenticides can be toxic to dogs and cats, and cause their blood to not clot like it should. If you suspect your pet has eaten a rodenticide, or a dead rodent that could have eaten rodenticides, please let us know!
•          Glow sticks – For New Year's Eve celebrations, glow sticks/jewelry are very popular. Animals, especially cats, can be fascinated by these, and may decide to try to play with them. Playing with glow sticks or glow-in-the-dark jewelry is not harmful, but if they accidentally bite or claw at it too hard, they can be exposed to the glowing chemical. This chemical is not toxic, but tastes awful! Many cats will run around meowing, hissing, drooling, foaming at the mouth, and vomiting. Most of the time, once they eat something else to get the taste out of their mouth, they seem to do fine. If you are worried, it is always best to get them check out with us to make sure everything else is ok.
 
I know there are a lot of things on this list to keep tract of. My hope was by making this list, it would give you a reference of things to avoid, and would also help everyone to remember their pet's safety during the holidays. The holidays can turn from happiness and cheer, to worry and anxiety quickly if your furry loved ones eat something or get exposed to something that is bad for them. If you notice your pet eating anything they're not supposed to, or they aren't acting like themselves, please let us know right away! As always, we are here to answer any questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call us with any questions or concerns!
 
Happy Holidays!
Amelia G Hubbard
]]><![CDATA[My Mistakes]]>Thu, 11 Aug 2016 23:21:15 GMThttp://stokesdalevet.net/blog/my-mistakesMistakes I've Made

When you graduate veterinary school, you take an oath. A part of that oath is to stay up to date on medical advances. As you know, medicine is ever changing in the latest and greatest. In North Carolina, we are required to take 20 hours of continuing education each year in order to renew our veterinary license. I believe very strongly this is something I owe to my you and your furry family members. Yes, sometimes with advances in medicine, veterinary services cost more money. Yes, not everyone can or wants to pursue every diagnostic or treatment for every disease process out there. Nor do I think all should be pursued. At the end of the day we keep the quality of life of the animal in mind and weigh risks versus benefits. However, it is my job to give you your options.
Not everything that is the “latest and greatest” has to cost an arm and a leg. I promise. Research is being done continually in areas that you use every day (nutrition, behavior, etc). It's my job to bring back to you not just fancy diagnostics and treatments, but things you can use to better your relationship with your furry family member. As research changes, so do my opinions and recommendations. This is one reason I recommend annual examinations. What I recommend one year may change by the next year. This may seem scary to some people, but it also means that sometimes I have to admit I'm wrong.
As some of our clients know, I was recently out of town attending Continuing Education Courses. It was in Texas and yes I had to try their barbeque and compare it to our great bbq here in NC. I also spend 25 + hours attending educational courses on dermatology (itching, scratching, etc), dental surgical techniques and problem solving, behavior courses, puppy socialization and more behavior courses, talks on clinical reasoning, emergencies, immune mediated conditions and treatment, chronic liver diseases, intestinal diseases, the list goes on. Some things were affirming that makes me happy we are offering still the “latest and greatest” and are ahead of the game on. There are also areas I need to personally improve on and I'm going to tell you the mistakes I've been making after two things I want to reiterate to our clients.
Things I'm proud of and believe in strongly
-Our Allergy treatments.
  1. There is no one size fits all! All patients need to be treated individually. We utilize all sorts of therapies including immunotherapy.
  2. I've been telling people for a long time if they are doing the food allergy testing they are wasting every dime they are spending on it. This is still true
  3. Doing over the counter allergy tests (even for environmental causes) are a waste of your money
  4. Only 1-2 laboratories have developed serum allergy tests that actually parallel intradermal allergy testing. There is only one in the U.S. Yes, we already have been using this one. Most, if not all, other labs are a waste of your time and money. If you're using over the counter testing, I promise you're not using this lab.
-Our Vaccine Protocols
  1. We still utilize the best standard of care for which vaccines we recommend and use.
  2. We are very proud of not just jumping on board with every vaccine out there and study the clinical data behind it first.


Things I have been failing at
Puppy Behavior
  1. I went to behavior lectures and puppy boot camp/training courses. I learned that I am recommending socialization a little too late. I have been so wound up in asking owners to wait until at least the 12 week-ish visit that I have been missing a huge window. The 8-12 week window has been found to be CRITICAL to socialize your puppy to the following things
    1. Other dogs -both dominant and submissive
    2. All races of people
    3. People in costumes
    4. People in wheelchairs or crutches
    5. Louder noises
    6. Healthcare visits
  2. This doesn't mean that socialization cannot be done at a later time, but almost always managing a problem is harder than heading it off before it starts.
  3. Things to do to keep your puppy safe during socialization
    1. Be sure your pet is only around other fully vaccinated pets
    2. Be sure your pet is in a controlled environment that could be sterilized if it recently had a parvovirus carrying or other sick pet in it.
    3. Use positive reinforcement to interrupt any negative behavior or play
  4. What do I plan on doing to resolve this issue?
    1. Obviously work harder on stressing socialization with new puppies in the clinic
    2. Having mini “healthcare training” visits for each new puppy
    3. Try to partner with other local veterinarians or trainers to get puppy classes more available to people.
Physical Therapy
Aster (Brandon's dog and therefore my “step-dog”) a 6.5 year old GSP x Lab injured her cruciate ligament. She resolved within 72 hours with rest and NSAID therapy (Yay!). She then reinjured it 8 weeks later and for the last 5 weeks has been toe touching lame. We had a specialist surgeon (Thank you TarHeel Surgical Specialists come to our clinic and she repaired the ligament and removed the meniscus with a TPLO surgery. Due to this coming up, I went to several physical therapy lectures and learned that I was failing in not recommending physical therapy enough.


Even with conservative management-physical therapy is a very important part of healing a cruciate injury. Even if an owner isn’t' going to pursue surgery it is important. Obviously this makes sense if you think about that many people need to go to pre surgical physical therapy and post surgical physical therapy. There is no way a human surgeon would perform a cruciate (ACL) repair if a patient's limb was not fit enough to handle it. There is also no way a surgeon would not recommend going to physical therapy after a surgery like this. In fact, many that I have talked to report a correlation with how well a patient does post op with how well the patient stuck to doing physical therapy. Obviously this is something we should be pursing more.

Do you know why we don't often pursue it? Because yes, these things can take time and money. Yes, a lack of time and dollarapenia (sciency pun there!) are the most reasons we cannot pursue the best care. However, not everything has to cost an arm and a leg.

What are we doing to do? Our technicians are going to work together to start helping teach clients how to do range of motions exercises and other activities at home. That way we can arm owners with at least a basic understanding of what is “too much” or “too little”. While this doesn't replace a trained eye on your pet during therapy, it is better than just sticking them in a cage and hoping their body will heal without hurting their range of motion! Obviously our technicians will be willing to help do the program for those owners that would prefer to have us do the physical therapy for their pooches.

Ok, this blog article is getting way too long. I could go on and on about things I'm so proud that we're ahead of the curve on and things that I'm so excited to bring back to help owners with.

Thank you for reading and we hope you continue your education in pet ownership!
Mindy S Wesely

]]><![CDATA[Why Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital?]]>Sat, 05 Mar 2016 20:29:51 GMThttp://stokesdalevet.net/blog/why-stokesdale-veterinary-hospitalPicture
As most clients know at this point, I have recently purchased Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital from Dr. Oglesby. I was looking at a number of hospitals when I started to look for a hospital to become an owner of. There are so many reasons I chose to go with Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital and many of those reasons are so very apparent with the challenges that have occurred since buying a practice. 


When you're looking at where you might want to set up your own future, you have to look at more than the business itself. You're going to make your life here. Being a small business owner is not just a short commitment, it's a lifestyle, as many others in our community know and understand. I have been here for not quite a year, but it was clear from the start that this community is one that I could make my home in. 

The clients that come here are as varied as the pets themselves. Every person feels differently about their animals, whether they are cats, dogs, farm animals, or their companion horses. What makes veterinary medicine challenging, but also very interesting is learning to practice the best medicine possible keeping the goals of our clients in mind. Some of our favorite clients come in and have limited funds and some are lucky enough to not have to worry about how much things cost. It doesn't change how much they love their pet and it doesn't change that we offer the best medicine to everyone. We always try to work with everyone as best as every one can to find the best medicine for their furry family member.  The thing about this community that I have found is that most everyone is honest and forthright about their goals with their pets. 

The clients are the reason we are able to help animals. Sometimes people come in and thank us for the work we've done, but without the owners that are trying their best, we would help a grand total of zero animals. I am happy to be a part of a community that helps make make my job easier. 

Robert and Janette Oglesby also have been so helpful in doing all they can to build up a practice that supports a community. They have done so much to help me in starting this new adventure from being a veterinarian to managing a practice. Dr. Oglesby has been a loved veterinarian here in this community and many clients are sad to see him cut back his hours. If it wasn't for their work, Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital would not have been able to serve the clients it does today. (For those that love to see Dr. Oglesby, he is still available every Monday!!)

The last and one of the biggest reasons I chose Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital are Hunter, Sirena, Michelle, and Ashley. If you have not met the staff, you're missing out. Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital, hands down, had the most caring staff you'd ever meet. As a veterinarian, we always get to see how the animals are treated behind the scenes. We get to see everything. This crew, from day one, cared about the comfort of the animals, and spending time with them to be sure they felt comfortable in the hospital; whether for boarding, surgery, or a sickness stay. The little things always count for so much. 

I'm not saying that these four (or myself!) never have bad days. We all get short sometimes or have trying days sometimes. However, I find that even when other things in life are bothering these four, they do whatever they can to treat the clients and patients with the utmost respect. I have not even been here a year, and I have seen so many tears shed for lost pets that have been coming here a long time. I have seen true excitement in the staff's eyes when a pet they care about so much is coming in. I also have seen them face some tough times or yes, sometimes some trying pets with respect. This meant so much to me in my decision of where I wanted to spend my life. 

Thank you all for making Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital the place it is today. I look forward to serving you all as time goes on!
Mindy S Wesely
]]><![CDATA[The Christmas Wish]]>Sun, 13 Dec 2015 14:58:51 GMThttp://stokesdalevet.net/blog/the-christmas-wishPicture
My Christmas Wish

Dear Santa,

I think I have been very good this year. At least I have tried to be. My family sometimes tells me I've done something wrong. I feel bad about that when it happens. My family is so great. I hope you have time to read their Christmas letters and bring them everything they want this year. They are so deserving! My parents work a lot and my brothers and sisters are very busy too. They try so hard at everything they do. They are probably the greatest people in the world.

Sometimes they complain about their hair, or their weight or they talk about things that they wish they could change about themselves. I honestly have no idea what they are talking about when they whisper these things to me! They are so beautiful to me! They are so perfect and they can't see it! Santa, if you have time, could you bring them the gift of seeing them through my eyes?

Sometimes I hear them talk about how they wish they had more time. I come home and they laugh and ask why I haven't done my chores during the day. Oh if they only knew I would do whatever they wanted of me. If I only knew what they meant. Sometimes when we go for walks, we don't always have time to stop and smell all the cool things and see all the beautiful things in the world around us. Santa, if you have time, could you bring them the gift of seeing the world through my eyes. Bring them happiness in the small moments it takes to stop and appreciate the things we have in the world around us?

Sometimes, Santa, sometimes I hear them complain about what other people are thinking about them or finding money to pay bills. Oh, Santa, if they only knew how cool they are and that we don't need anything else! There is nothing I would change about them. If I could spend every waking moment with them I would! I would never tire of their presence! Every word they say is interesting. Every game they play entices me to learn how to do it too! Here is my wish, Santa; If you have time, could you tell them that the only thing in this entire world I want more than anything that could be bought for me, is to spend some more time with them. Its the only thing I need in this world. Nothing, Santa, nothing would make me happier.

Thank you Santa,
The Smith's Furry Family Member

PS: I will leave dog biscuits out with the cookies and carrots as I know a fella as happy as you are must own a dog!

We at Stokesdale Veterinary Hospital wish all of those family members the world's blessings this Christmas season!

]]><![CDATA[December 01st, 2015]]>Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:31:49 GMThttp://stokesdalevet.net/blog/veterinary-care-is-expensive<![CDATA[How Animals Affect Our Health]]>Mon, 16 Nov 2015 18:15:20 GMThttp://stokesdalevet.net/blog/how-animals-affect-our-healthPicture
It is generally accepted that our pets can have a positive impact on our lives. Often this is in spite of what they can do that frustrate us at time. Our furry family members give to their families entertainment, love, promote exercise, and for some people, a sense of belonging and need. There are other proven health benefits we find our furry family members provide that are often not thought about but have recently been proven. 

One of these is that the affects on heart health and blood pressure. A study was performed in 2002 that measured changes in heart rates and blood pressure measurements among people that owned either a dog or cat vs those who did not, under periods of stress. This "stress" was performing a math timed test. It was shown that those that were pet owners had statistically significantly lower heart rates and blood pressure measurements while performing the test. They also had measurements that returned to normal much quicker than their non pet owning counterparts. 

There could be many reasons for this, such as owning pets can increase relaxation hormones overall, they encourage you to get up and do things if your pet is active, and encourage you to set a schedule as needed to care for your pet. Your own reason may be different. 

This was taken a step further. A dog's presence in a room was challenged against a commonly used medication that helps to lower blood pressure. The presence of the dog in the room proved to lower blood pressure better than the popular medication! Now, I am not condoning going off of blood pressure medications in the least bit. However, I am promoting quality relationships with your feline and canine counterparts!

There was also a study that correlated that babies that lived in pet owning homes have fewer colds and ear infections in their first year when compared to babies living in pet free homes.

Of course owning a pet is not for everybody. There are many things to consider. Cost, aggression, and allergies are three of the most commonly reported reasons a pet is not for every household. Cost is often the biggest downfalls of owning a pet. We will discuss costs of owning a pet in another upcoming blog, but will be the first to tell you that "There is no such thing as a free pet".

I, for one, know that my dogs make me get up and get going much more frequently than I might consider doing so. They give me a sense of being a caretaker and are always ready to go outside and play! When it comes to my cats, I find they often just want me to spend some time petting them. This often makes me slow down in our every too busy lives and just spend some quality time showing them love and affection. I am not sure who gets more out of this...them or myself....

For more information, I highly recommend you check out How Animals Affect Us: Examining the Influence of Human-Animal Interaction of Child Development and Human Health by Peggy McCardel, Sandra McCune, James A. Griffin, and Valerie Maholmes.  The book is based in part on a workshop sponsored by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars, Incorporated, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
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