Stockton Hill Animal Hospital of Kingman, AZ

If your pet is scared of thunderstorms or fireworks, we can help!  We are offering a new class for pets to help desensitize them to the sounds of thunderstorms.  Your pet  comes in twice a week  for four weeks and is supervised and coached by our technicians during the entire class.  Each session is 2 hours long.  We also provide a bottle of Resources Anxiety and Stress supplement to help them as well as give you reports and advice on how your pet is doing and what you can do to help.  Our first class is finishing up this week and we have seen great improvement!  The class is $99.99 for the 4 week session and we are hoping to start our next class the second week of July pending enough interest.  To sign up, call Stockton Hill Animal Hospital at 757-7979 today!

Rattlesnakes are out in full force!  The following pictures are of “Sarah” a 4 year old German Shorthair pointer who was recently bit by a Diamondback and came to our hospital on emergency earlier this month.  These pictures were taken about 2 hours after Sarah was bitten.  Sarah was one of the lucky ones, her owners were able to afford treatment which included antivenom.  Sarah was NOT vaccinated with the Red Rock Biologics’ Rattlesnake Vaccination. If she had been, we could have expected her to have a less severe reaction, most likely would not have needed antivenom or hospitilization for 2 days and could have saved her parents a lot of money and worry.  The Rattlesnake vaccination helps to neutralize the toxin from a Diamond back bite immediately, lessening the severity of reaction to the bite.  We still recommend seeing your veterinarian if your dog is bit by a rattlesnake, even if it is vaccinated.  The Rattlesnake Vaccination is available now for dogs.  Visit http://www.redrockbiologics.com/ to learn more about this important vaccine. Please call 757-7979 to schedule to get your dog protected today!

Saying goodbye is never an easy thing to do, especially when it is to a dear friend and companion.  This past Friday I had to say goodbye to my dear kitty Maxie.  Maxie was nearly 17years old and her kidneys had failed in March.  With treatment, she was able to improve but over the last week, her quality of life declined and it was finally time to say goodbye.

Maxie was the first cat that I had that was all my own.  My parents were raising and showing Scottish Folds when I was in Veterinary School and they had a litter of kittens.  They happened to be born on my Grammy’s birthday and there were 3 girls in the group so they named them Dori, Maxie, and Nellie after Doris Maxine Nelson.  Maxie was a long haired Schottish Fold and at the time, they weren’t able to show long haired folds.  So my parents called me and asked if I might be interested in this little tortise shell kitten.  They sent me a picture and I have to say, it wa probably the cutest kitten I have ever seen.  Over the years I somehow lost this picture, but trust me, she was the cutest thing ever!  I told them YES and so my dad traveled across country to bring me little Maxie.

Maxie was such a funny little cat.  She was always very small, never over 5 1/2 pounds and she always had a mad look on her face, hence one of her many nicknames, “Mad Max”.  She also sat really strange, kind of like a person sat in a chair, and it always cracked people up.  Maxie developed pretty severe arthritis in her elbows as she got older and I always figured that would be her demise.  But with medication, Maxie lived years and did quite well.  She was always very sweet, had a cute meow, and you really couldn’t help but love her

I wish our pets lived longer.  Maxie lived to nearly 17 but it just never seems quite long enough.  It always seems a bit unfair that we inevitably have to let them go but such is the responsibility of a pet owner.  It is our job and our duty to take care of them, and sadly, that means letting them go when it is time.  Maxie’s time had come, and while I didn’t not want to do it, it did give me some peace and comfort to know she had lived a long and relatively healthy life.  It made saying goodbye a little easier as I knew it was right.  I tried not to focus on losing her, but focused on the joy and happiness she brought to my life.  While she will be missed, she will live on in many happy memories in the minds of many who knew her.  Good bye Maxie,  I love you.

Oliver and his new Family

Yesterday we had a client call up pretty frantic. A stray mother cat and her kittens had found their way into their vehicle’s engine area. Unfortunately, they had no idea this family was hiding out and when they started the engine…tragedy struck. The mother ran off but there were 4 babies that were badly injured. The client called us immediately to see if she could bring the kittens down as they needed to be euthanized due to their injuries. Unfortantely, they died in transit However, one little black kitten managed to somehow not get injured in this tragedy!

Well, it turns out that one of our good clients were looking for a new addition to their family. They came by yesterday to see this little baby and fell in love! They have adopted him into their family and have named him “Oliver Twist”. Oliver is very fortunate to have found a wonderful home with Zach, Tawny and their other cat “Orphan Annie”.

We would like to take a moment to explain why we feel the veterinarian is an integral part of your pet’s supplement care. Your veterinarian provides professional advice and care for your four-legged family member. The veterinarian optimizes the total care of your pet by coordinating all aspects, including that of supplementation.

1) Question: I don’t understand differences in supplement products.

Answer: Your veterinarian can help you make an informed decision, explaining how products are different, and why the brand that they recommend may include ingredients that are more beneficial for your pet’s individual condition.

2) Question: How can I be confident in the quality of the products I buy for my pet?

Answer: The veterinarian reviews testing and quality information, selecting high-quality products from a reputable company before making a recommendation for your pet’s health care. Clients may ask for testing information citing specific test methodology (such as Cetylpyridinium Chloride titration of Chondroitin Sulfate, Capillary Electrophoresis of Glucosamine and Gas Chromatography of Methylsulfonylmethane) to be sure the label claims are substantiated and they are getting what they pay for. This type of information is not usually available from their super store brand, so the pet owner would need to contact each company directly to find out if they have testing information available.

3) Question: The supplements my veterinarian sells may be more expensive than the ones from the super store.

Answer: While many products may initially “look alike”, there are many differences in ingredient strength/purity, amount and frequency of use. One bottle may last the average 75 lb dog three weeks, while a higher quality product will usually last almost three months. With the recent price increase (ranging from double to quadruple last years prices) of Chondroitin and Glucosamine, some companies selling over-the-counter (OTC) products may use the same amount of a lesser quality ingredient and still claim on their label that the product contains an equal amount of a critical ingredient. For example, a company may be replacing 90% pure Chondroitin with that of 16% pure Chondroitin (similar to adding water to a pure fruit juice). Therefore, it may be more expensive to keep buying a product with ingredients that may not have been tested to meet the label claims. The end result of lower ingredient concentration / quality may be observed as a decreased or lack of response by your pet to the supplement used. Consumers should be aware that cheap products are often cheap for a reason.

We thank you for the trust you have placed in Stockton Hill Animal Hospital to provide your pet with a high-quality supplement. Please contact us with any questions that you may have regarding our products.

Do you have an older cat that has been losing weight?  Does it feel good but seems to want to eat all the time?  Does it drink a lot or urinate a lot?  Does it sometimes have vomiting or diarrhea?  Your cat may have a hyperactive thyroid gland!

Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common illnesses we see in older cats.  We can easily diagnose this disease with bloodwork.  We often will find this disease on routine annual senior blood testing.  If your cat is diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, there are three options for treatment:

1. One permanent treatment involves a very safe injection of a special radioactive medicine that helps to shut down the overactive gland.  A 1-2 week boarding stay in the hospital is required.  Although the treatment is not inexpensive, it is a one time cost and usually only one treatment is necessary with minimal follow-up care.

2.  Surgical removal of the abnormal thyroid tissue is another permanent treatment for hyperthyroidism.

3. An alternative therapy requires daily administration of Tapazole (methimazole) for the remainder of the pet’s life.  This option is less expensive but does necessitate the inconvenience of a constant need to medicate.  Occasionally, these medications will have side effects (nausea, lethargy, anemia) and do need frequent blood monitoring.  They will not cure the disease but will reduce the side effects that the disease cause.

If your pet is experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned about or is a senior cat (7 yrs or older), then give us a call at 757-7979 to schedule an appointment and blood testing for your cat’s thyroid today!