1. Hike at Your Dog’s Level
Owners of puppies, senior dogs, brachycephalic (short-muzzled) dogs, and dogs that are relatively sedentary should seek a veterinarian’s advice before they start a new fitness routine. When introducing your dog to a new exercise routine, it is recommended to start slowly, with short walks on a beginner-level hiking trail, before working your way up to more difficult hikes.

2. Safe Access and Wildlife Awareness
Before leaving, check that dogs are allowed on the trail or in the wilderness area you plan to visit. In addition, depending on where you plan to go hiking, be aware of any wildlife dangers. Bears, big cats, coyotes, snakes and other wildlife species all present a possible risk to your dog, especially if they are a small breed dog.

3. Bring All the Necessities and a First Aid Kit
Pack everything your dog might need:

• Food, water, and collapsible bowls
• Treats
• Extra leash
• Dog first aid kit
• Rain gear
• Towels to dry off wet paws

If you’re concerned about your pet’s fitness, parasite protection, or vaccines, we encourage you to schedule an appointment at Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital. We can help ensure your pet is well-prepared for hiking in the wilderness.

1. Monitor Costume Wear
Never leave a pet unattended while wearing a costume (or any other kind of clothing). Costumes can easily become caught on furniture or branches, putting a pet in danger. Additionally, do not force your pet to wear a costume if they seem frightened or uncomfortable in it.

2. Keep Them Secure Indoors
With so many people coming and going from your yard on Halloween, it’s best to keep your pets secure indoors. This protects them from potential pranksters, escaping out the front door when you answer trick-or-treaters, or becoming frightened and escaping your fence. Set them up in a closed, quiet, and comfortable room with their food and water dishes for the evening.

3. Use Pet-Safe Decorations
Decorating for Halloween to create a spooky space is one of the most fun parts of the season. However, many Halloween decorations can pose dangers to pets due to toxicity and electrical wires. Be sure to keep wires away from your pets and prevent them from getting into things like fake blood, neon glow sticks, or spray foams, as these contain chemicals that are dangerous for pets.

At Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital, we can help ensure your pets are easily identifiable with a pet microchip, a form of permanent identification. Microchipping pets greatly increases the chances of being reunited with a pet in the event they are lost or stolen. To learn more or schedule an appointment for your dog or cat, we welcome you to contact our office today.

Hip dysplasia in dogs is a hereditary disease which means that it is passed down from dog to offspring through the generations. Additionally, other things such as too-rapid growth rate, certain types of exercise, being overweight or obese, and lack of proper nutrition (especially as a puppy) can make this genetic predisposition worse.

The symptoms of hip dysplasia can vary from dog to dog, and in some cases, your dog may not show any symptoms at all. The most common symptoms include:

• Limping
• Shifting of weight to the front legs
• Reluctance to jump
• Loss of muscle in the back legs
• Bunny-hopping
• Difficulty getting up from a sitting or lying position.

Feline asthma is a condition that is caused by a cat’s immune system responding to inhaled allergens in an inappropriate way. Allergens are particles that, although normally harmless, can trigger an immune response in the body.

Common feline allergens include:

• Pollen
• Grass
• Mold
• Dust mites
• Perfume
• Tobacco smoke
• Cat litter dust
• Household cleaning products
• Certain foods

When these allergens are breathed in, most cats have no response. An asthmatic cat, however, will experience an allergic reaction that results in inflammation of its airways.

1. Weight Management
Extra pounds on overweight or obese dogs puts excessive pressure on their joints which can result in cartilage breakdown and decreased joint fluid production. Maintaining your pet at a healthy weight is one of the best ways to prevent arthritis, as well as a variety of other health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

2. Regular Activity
Keeping your pet in good physical shape with regular activity can help keep the joint fluid healthy and productive, which helps to prevent their joints from stiffening up as they age. Additionally, keeping pets in good physical condition will help to promote strong muscles that better support their joints, improve balance, and reduce the risk of injury.

3. Joint-Friendly Exercise
While it’s important for your dog to get plenty of exercise, it’s best to choose appropriate activities that won’t put excessive stress on their joints. For example, running a puppy too hard or taking an older dog for a long walk on hard pavement is not recommended. Instead, try playing fetch in the grass, walking on a soft track (if you have one in your neighborhood), or taking your dog for a swim.

4. Complete and Balanced Nutrition
Like all parts of your pet’s health, joint health is directly related to nutrition. Feeding a diet that meets AAFCO’s complete and balanced standards and is appropriate for their size and age will promote optimal bone and joint health. This is especially important for puppies while their bones are actively developing. Once they have matured (usually around 12 months), switching to an adult food is also important to help maintain a healthy weight as they advance into their adolescence and later years.

5. Joint Supplements
Conditions such as arthritis can be prevented, managed, or even slowed with proven joint supplements. Dogs who are at high risk for joint problems are working dogs, agility dogs or dog’s with underlying musculoskeletal conditions and can benefit the most from starting joint supplements early in life. Older dogs could also benefit from supplements, even if they are not pounding the pavement every day, as it is estimated that 20% of dogs will experience arthritis in their lifetime. Talk with one of our veterinarians about adding a joint health supplement to your Golden Retriever’s diet.

At Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital, we are proud to provide our patients with highly personalized care. We tailor our veterinary care to the specific needs of each individual animal based on their age, species, breed, medical history, and current condition, ensuring we provide them with everything they need to have their best chance at living a full, healthy, and happy life.

To learn more about the comprehensive, personalized care available for pets at Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital or to schedule your pet’s next checkup with us, we welcome you to contact our office today.

1. Heartworms Cause Permanent Damage to the Heart and Lungs
Pets get infested with heartworms when they are bitten by infected mosquitos that are carrying immature worms called heartworm larvae. Once injected into your pet’s bloodstream, the worms travel through the blood until they mature and get big enough to get lodged in the blood vessels of the lungs. After this happens, the worms continue to grow into full-sized adults and eventually start to reproduce. When enough heartworms get lodged in the lungs, they start to damage the heart and lungs and cause respiratory symptoms. This is called Heartworm Disease and if not treated can be fatal.

2. Prevention is Key
Heartworm infestation is easily preventable with monthly heartworm preventative medications. Since a heartworm infestation is so serious for pets, the American Heartworm Society recommends protecting pets year-round and not just during mosquito season. Continuous protection is the only way to ensure your pet is never exposed to the risk of getting heartworms. These preventatives are 99% effective when used appropriately.

3. Treating Heartworm Disease
Prevention is best, but if your dog tests positive for heartworms, the treatment and outcome will depend on how severe their symptoms are (if they have any at all). For dogs who do not have any symptoms of Heartworm Disease or who have minimal symptoms, treatment outcomes are usually good. The treatment involves a multi-month’s long plan of oral and injectable medications that need to be given according to very strict guidelines. For dogs who are symptomatic, the damage to the heart and lungs may be too advanced and treatment may not be effective.

4. Heartworm Preventatives Require a Prescription
Administering a preventative heartworm medication to an animal that has already been infested with heartworms can be detrimental in some cases. For this reason, heartworm preventatives are only available with a prescription from your veterinarian. If you have missed more than 2 months of preventative administration, it is best to call and speak to one of our veterinarians before restarting the preventatives.

5. Dogs Should Be Screened Annually
Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital recommends screening dogs annually for heartworm infestation, even if they don’t have symptoms of Heartworm Disease, because treatment outcomes are much more favorable if treatment is started before symptoms occur.
This screening involves a simple blood test that looks for evidence of the parasites in your dog’s blood. Doing this every year ensures that if your dog was infested with heartworms, it is found early so that treatment can be instituted immediately.

At Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital, we take parasite prevention seriously and ensure it’s a part of every one of our patient’s preventative care plans. We can talk with you about protecting your pet from heartworms in addition to helping you select a safe and effective flea, tick, and intestinal parasite preventative. We welcome you to contact our office to schedule a parasite prevention appointment for your pet today.

Floppy ears are a health risk because yeast and bacteria can grow and thrive in the warm, moist environment. For routine prevention of these infections Goldendoodle’s should have their ears cleaned once a month to remove any debris that may have accumulated. However, if you live in a humid climate, your dog goes into the water often, or has a history of multiple ear infections, you may need to clean the ears more often.

Conversely, cleaning too frequently can cause the ear canals to dry out which can also lead to pain and other problems. If you feel your dog needs more frequent cleaning, please speak to one of our team members for advice.

FLUTD can be painful and irritating, so it is important to know what signs your cat may exhibit when they are experiencing pain in their lower urinary tract. If you see any of the following, it could mean your cat is struggling with FLUTD:

• Posturing to urinate for an extended amount of time
• Frequent visits to the litter box
• Tail wagging while attempting to urinate
• Non-productive litter box visits
• Excessive vocalization when urinating
• Blood in the urine
• Accidents outside of the litter box
• Multiple, small amounts of urine production
• Excessive grooming of the penis/vulva