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WHAT’S NEW
The ON-LINE edition of our monthly newsletter
MAKE YOUR DOG A “STAR” AND EARN $50 Got a Camcorder? Got a Dog? $50 could be Yours! The Animal Dermatology Specialty Clinic is performing a study of the behavior of itchy dogs. They have one problem doing their study, though: they need to compare itchy dogs to normal healthy dogs, and since their practice specializes in dermatology, they don’t have any normal dogs for comparison. That’s where you can help! IS YOUR DOG READY FOR HIS OR HER CLOSE-UP?
Inclusion Criteria are: Exclusion Criteria: What you are being asked to do: All information received will remain confidential. If interested, ask one of our receptionists for details (or if not in the area, eMail us for more information). [Back to Index at Top of Page]
COMING IN FEBRUARY! GET READY FOR: National Veterinary Dental Month 
Special Prices during February only:
Above prices also include a 4 lb (for cats) or 5 lb (for dogs)
All dental procedures must be scheduled in advance. Note: The difference between the “bare bones” clinic-style anesthesia and the Full Monitoring package is the amount of monitoring provided for your pet while under anesthesia. The “clinic-style” is the minimum monitoring as you would expect from a low-cost animal spay and neuter clinic. The Full Monitoring package includes the latest monitoring technology to make sure that general anesthesia is safe and routine, and is the standard we will use unless the pet owner specifically declines the Full Monitoring package and accepts the additional risks to their pet. For a complete description of the monitoring technology used at our hospital, [Back to Index at Top of Page]
 PET NUTRITION CORNER This Month’s Installment: In the last issue the Nutrition Corner, we reviewed the production of dry food. This month we review the production of canned food. The canning of food is a 200 year old process of nutrient preservation and was performed centuries before anyone had any knowledge of food poisoning bacteria. Moisture in food is normally an invitation to bacterial colonization but through canning and its associated vacuum and high temperatures, wet foods can be kept free of pathogens for long time periods. Here’s How It’s Done: STEP ONE: Animal proteins either fresh or frozen are ground and mixed together. STEP TWO: The meat mixture enters a “cooker” which is responsible for determining the ultimate texture of the food. The meat is mixed with grains, vitamin and mineral supplements, and water and all the ingredients are cooked together at a specific temperature which will yield the desired final consistency. STEP THREE:
STEP FOUR: The can has been sealed and is moved to a sterilizing machine called a “retort.” The food product will not be rendered completely sterile in a literal sense but will be rendered sterile of bacteria known to cause disease. A temperature at the core of the food in the can must achieve 116º F for 60-90 minutes. This temperature is not high enough to continue cooking the food but will be enough to kill bacteria. The cans are then cooled. STEP FIVE: The heat from the retort dries the outside of the can in preparation for labeling. The can is scanned electronically to ensure proper sealing. The cans are stamped with a date signifying the production date and adhesive and paper label are applied. Cans are then packaged into cases for distribution. Canning allows for a more palatable food. Gravies and jellies are created by adding gelling agents to the ingredient list. The point is that canning is not some kind of mystical process which involves heavy processing or removal of nutrients. Canning is an excellent method of food preservation when food moisture is desirable. The food material is not particularly different from that in dry food; it is simply prepared in a different way to yield a different consistency. Information for this article can be found in: Cowell, C.S., Stout, N.P., Brinkmann, M.F., Moser, E.A., Crane, S.W. Making commercial pet foods. In: Hand, M.S., Thatcher, C.D., Remillard, R. L., Roudebush, P. eds. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 4th Edition, Marceline, Missouri: Mark Morris Institute, 2000; p135-138. HUNGRY FOR MORE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION? We recommend the following web site which contains basic information about pet food, nutritional counseling, food calculators to compare food, and more. It is run by Dr. R. Remillard (one of the editors of the chief text used for this series and nutritionist at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston). Please visit
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The garden shops and catalogs are full of gorgeous garden shrubs and flowers. They tell us how to water and how much sunshine is needed, but rarely do they tell us if the plant is pet safe. We’ll try to help out. The following plants are considered safe:
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Thank-You for our New Referrals Here are the names of our clients who have referred their family or friends to our hospital in December 2000:
Thank you again for your confidence in us. [Back to Index at Top of Page]
WHAT’S NEW ON OUR WEB SITE (since last month) ORBIFLOXACIN [Back to Index at Top of Page]
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