November starts the holiday rush. Packages need to be bought and sent, a turkey needs to be picked and making room for all those holiday guest becomes paramount. Making sure your pet is safe and sound is important to everyone in the family so here are AGA’s tips and tricks for a safe turkey season!

Pet Diabetes Month! Educate yourself!

‘What is pet Diabetes?

Diabetes or “Sugar diabetes”, as it is commonly known, is a condition that affect the way glucose is dispersed in your pet’s blood. Diabetes happens when your pet can not make enough insulin or does not process insulin the right way. The primary reason why diabetes happens in pet is unknown but some scientist say that genetics play a key role.

Not all of us are veterinarians, but we can make small steps to making sure if our pet is diabetic we can spot the signs or symptoms. Here is a key check list of markers that , if you see any, may be cause for a vet appointment and some routine blood work!

Remember these things are out of the ordinary of your pets natural behavior-

• -Your pet excessively drinks water. This does not mean when your are running or during a warm day. If your pet gets up frequently during the night to drink. Or your notice the water bowl emptying faster than normal.
• -Your pet urinates excessively. A pet who is housebroken has multiple accidents in the home or crate.
• -Your pet is ALWAYS hungry. He or she may also lose weight even though eating is normal or increased.
• -You notice cloudiness in the eyes or your pet that was not there before.

Many of these signs can be related to other things so to be sure make an appointment with your vet if your suspect something is wrong.

Managing diabetes is not a death sentence. Many pets live happy healthy regular lives once their glucose is regulated. Many of the key factors of managing diabetes can be done strictly with a change of food. You want to maintain a relatively normal glucose level and avoid spikes and drops. Much of the time a lifestyle change as in diabetic treats and food, as well as adequate exercise can be enough to help your pet. Sometimes in pets who can not produce insulin, regular injections must be given, to maintain the amount that is present in your pet’s body! Make sure your understand everything about what type of diabetes your pet has and understand that with a few changes life can pretty much go back to normal!

Check out this article for more information!

Turkey Trouble

Making the holiday safe & fun!

All those extra foods around your home this time of year call for Fido to be even more tempted to get on the counter or in the trash more than any other season. Turkey, Ham, Pies, some of the things that smell amazing to us, smell even better to your pet, and with all the shopping wrapping and invited guests, who has time to make sure the dog isn’t helping himself to an early Thanksgiving? This is the worst time of year for emergency Veterinary Hospitals. Pets routinely are seen with foreign bodies, i.e the turkey baster, Symptoms of bloat ( eating a whole pie) and chocolate toxicity, (who doesn’t love their Advent Calendar).

Pets just like us become stressed this time of year, the tree goes up, Uncle Ben comes over and falls asleep with his plate in his lap and toddlers are handing out the food they do not want. Making sure your pet is safe and sound and a Holiday Trip to the emergency room is not in your calendar is easy if you take the right precautions. Here are some tips !

• -Make sure your family know what can and can not be given to your pet!
• -Make your pet’s life as normal as possible, try to do the same things as your would normally.
• -Make sure your pet is secure when new people are coming to your home in a secure crate and or room.
• -Take all trash items containing deadly things like chocolate and turkey and ham bones immediately out of your home and place into a secure bin.
• -Make sure Holiday foods are put out of your pets reach

With these helpful tips there will be no need to spend all of your Black Friday Money on a costly trip to the vet, above all make sure your family has a safe and happy holiday season!

Cran-Pumpkin- Oat treats!

A whole Thanksgiving Dinner in a cookie recipe!

Try these amazing treats to give your pet a taste of the holidays!

Ingredients:

• -1 1/2 cups  whole wheat flour
• -1 1/2 cups  Oatmeal flour (simply place 1 1/2 cups of regular oatmeal in the food processor and grind till fine
• -1 cup of pure packed pumpkin…NOT pumpkin pie in a can…pure pumpkin
• -2 large eggs
• -1/2 cup peanut butter of your choice…smooth…chunky…natural…
• -1/2 – 1 cup of dried cranberries
• -1 tablespoon of  brown sugar

How to!

Use a standing mixer…crack your two eggs into the mixing bowl and beat for about 1 minute, then add the packed pumpkin, mix, add peanut butter and beat till everything is creamy.

Now slowly add flours and the dried cranberries until you get a nice thick not too dry dough…one that is perfect for rolling.  If the dough is a bit sticky…just add a little more flour and if it is too dry…a little bit more peanut butter or a little bit of milk.  Flour work area cut dough in half…and roll the dough to approximately 1/4″ thickness and then cut away with your favorite cookie cutter!

Line 2 cookie trays with parchment paper and load them up with the treats.  You can place close together since they do not rise.  Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes…depending on your oven a few minutes more or less. These amazing treats will stay in the freezer for about 6 months so make some for your local shelter pets while your at it!

Want a quicker way to some cookies for your pet? Come into AGA this month for our Turkey Bacon Me Crazy spa add on package. This package can be added to any groom or bath appointment and includes:

Hurry in today before they are all gone!