FROM OUR VETS: Dog Bite Prevention Always Worth Talking About

From Dr. Baillie:

As school gets out, and summer activities hit high gear, it's a good time of year to be talking about dog bite prevention;  almost 5 million dog bites occur every year in our country.   Bites accounted for more than one-third of homeowners' insurance liability claims in 2011 according to the Insurance Information Institute.  

Teaching children how to interact with dogs--even if you don't own one--can go a long way in preventing injury. Kids aged 5-9 years old are most often the ones injured, and usually the dog that bit them is not a stranger. The AVMA estimates that of the children under the age of 18 who have been bitten, family dogs are responsible for 30% of the bites, while the neighbor's dog is responsible for another 50% of the bites.

Tips from the AVMA include:

*Carefully select your pet,  considering the breed and your own lifestyle.  Puppies should not be obtained on impulse.  We are happy to consult with you about finding your best dog breed match (in fact, we love to talk dogs!)  

*Make sure your pet is socialized as a puppy so it feels relaxed around people and animals.

*Don't put your dog in a position where it feels threatened or teased.

*Train your dog. Basic commands help dogs understand what is expected of them and can be incorporated into fun activities that build a bond of trust.

*Walk and exercise your dog regularly to keep it healthy and provide mental stimulation.

*Avoid highly excitable games like wrestling or tug-of-war.

*Use a leash in public to ensure you are able to control your dog.

*Keep your dog vaccinated against rabies and preventable infectious diseases. Parasite control and other health care are important because how your dog feels affects how it behaves.

*Neuter your pet.

*Make sure gates are secure.

If you are bitten by a dog, here is a checklist of things you should do:

* If the dog's owner is present, get the owner's name and contact information, and request proof of rabies vaccination.  

* Clean bite wound with soap and water as soon as possible.

* Consult your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room if the bite occurs after office hours.

*  Contact the dog's veterinarian to check vaccination records.   

We have sent several Cedar Pet Clinic Lake Elmo staff members for special training in dog bite prevention and have, in the past, presented programs for day camps and elementary schools.  If you have questions or problems regarding dog bite situations feel free to call us at 651-770-3250 for help or advice.   

For more information on dog bite prevention, visit http://www.avma.org/public_health/dogbite/ for helpful tips and resources for the whole family.

Celebrating National Pet Week: Have fun!

National Pet Week is widely celebrated throughout the United States and other parts of the world. In 2012, National Pet Week is celebrated from May 6-12. The goals of National Pet Week are to promote responsible pet ownership, celebrate the human-animal bond, and promote public awareness of veterinary medicine.  We thought we'd celebrate by posting pet-oriented games for families -- enjoy!

Connect the dots activity (printable)

Poetry for Cedar Pet!

Stillwater poet Ann Bushnell offered a commissioned poem this winter as a fundraiser for her church, and we signed up.  She made several visits to the clinic, visited with Dr. Baillie, and here are the results.  We enjoyed it, and hope you do, too.  (We like reading it out loud!)

Poetry for Cedar Pet Clinic Lake Elmo
by Stillwater poet, Ann Bushnell

CEDAR PET CLINIC LAKE ELMO

Doctors Baillie, Ulfeng, Plantz

are here to offer a fighting chance

for those with feathers, fur or hide.

Sick or hurt, they're brought inside

so their lives can be enhanced.  

The entire staff helps everyone,

owners, patients, all who come.

On the counter sits big Kitty Moe

who watches the ever-changing show

and he may let you pet him some.

They'll treat a parrot or your pet rat,

a beagle, a basset, a calico cat,

lizards, chickens, chinchillas, too.

I bet they'd take a kangaroo

if it should come to that.  

Clinic's in Lake Elmo, a country town,

but people come from miles around,

bring Buddy and Max, Bailey and Beulah,

Fifi and Daisy, Amelia, Tallulah,

some striped or spotted, brindled or brown.

It's not just patients that come through

to visit the Clinic, it's Girl Scouts, too,

and each first grade class across the street

is shown around. They think it's neat, and

draw animal pictures to say, 'thank you.'

Doctors and staff have been together 

for so many years, they have the measure

of each other.  They know their need is

for owners and patients to succeed;

these efforts give them pleasure.

Essential to the clinic is Peg, Doc's wife,

who designs the website,, cheers his life,

reads telephone holds, writes the blog,

appreciates every cat and dog,

and knows they are treated right.

This clinic has been Doc Baillie's dream

for forty years and now it seems

at last it has been realized.

Lake Elmo knows it has a prize --

The Cedar Pet Clinic and its team.   

The Numbers are in! 846 pounds!

Clinic Kitty Moe Posing Atop the Pile

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to our annual Pet Food for the Food Shelf drive this year.  If you were in during the month of March, you will have seen the gigantic pile of pet food, for all species,  donated by the community as part of March FoodShare month.  Clinic kitty Moe got into the habit of posing atop the pile and demonstrated considerable interest in sniffing all the different kinds.   We eventually loaded it into staff vehicles and delivered it to the Valley Outreach Food Shelf in Stillwater, which weighed us in at 846 pounds of pet food.   The Food Shelf is grateful;  they know, as we do, that feeding a beloved companion animal is an important part of many people's lives.   Thank you very much;  next year we may have to add on a room to hold the donations!

THE SPIRIT CLUB VISITS CEDAR PET

Lake Elmo Elementary Spirit Club Visits Cedar Pet Clinic Lake Elmo

Last month, Dr. Baillie welcomed the Spirit Club from Lake Elmo Elementary, our neighbors across the street.  The after-school club makes monthly visits to discover what it takes to run a business, and all about being an entrepeneur.  In this case they only had to walk across the street to meet our clinic animals including front-office Kitty Moe, to receive a tour and a talk about being a veterinarian.   Dr. Baillie has been hosting visits and tours for young people for years, including dozens of Girl Scout troops who have played the X-ray guessing game, seen the 'backstage' spaces at the clinic, and learned about animal care.   

Everybody Wins Pet Show--2011!

Everybody Wins Children's Pet Show gives out 27 awards this year. Shown is Peekaboo the Pekinese with owner and Dr. John Baillie: Peekaboo's ribbon was for Kindest Eyes in the pet show! See all photos below:

CEDAR PARTNERS WITH VALLEY OUTREACH TO COLLECT PET FOOD FOR FOOD SHELF

During the month of March, we are partnering with Valley Outreach in Stillwater to collect pet food as part of their special FoodShare month-long drive. Details on how to donate are on our homepage, and here’s a little background information. The genesis of the idea came from our participation in 2005 in a pet supply collection organized by the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Local newspaper readers might remember this photo celebrating that effort. Our partnership with Valley Outreach is based on their concern about some clients who have needed to give up their beloved pets because of the expense of buying pet food. “Pet food is something people don’t always think about donating”, says Kate Krisik, the Executive Director at Valley Outreach. “It’s difficult for us to keep it in stock. We’re grateful to Cedar Pet Clinic Lake Elmo for the help in gathering up donations.”

National Public Radio aired a story… two years ago… called The Recession and Pets: Hard Times for Snoopy. Here’s a digest:

“Because of the economic downturn, Americans are being ousted from their homes and, in many cases, forced to give up their pets for adoption.

“Take, for instance, Snoopy, a 7-year-old Labrador-shepherd mix, and Sheba, a 5-year-old blue heeler mix. Their owner, Edward Jones, 43, was recently evicted from his rental house in Lakeview, Ore.

“For the past seven years, Jones has had steady construction work pouring concrete. When the economy turned sour, he lost his job, then his $400-a-month home. "I couldn't make the rent. Couldn't do it. Couldn't do it," Jones says. Finally the landlord tossed Jones — and his two dogs — out on the street.

“As stopgap lodging, Jones found a subsidized room at a local motel. But dogs are not allowed there. So, with tears in his eyes, Jones put Snoopy and Sheba in the back of his Jeep pickup, drove to the Oregon Outback Humane Society and gave his dogs up for adoption. "Hopefully," he says, choking back emotion, "they'll find a good home."

"The toll on pets is just as big as on people," says Dawn Lauer of the Humane Society of the United States. "We are seeing many more pets relinquished to shelters or abandoned because of the recession."