Tails from the Dog House
The Quarterly Newsletter from the
Sardis Animal Hospital
Spring 2014
Vol 12, No 1, pg 1
Departments:
Staff news
p2
Seasonal Issues p3
Doggy Doo Doo p4
Kitty Capers
Animal Trivia
Humor Page
p5
p6
p7
“Tails from the Dog
House” is published
quarterly by the
Sardis Animal Hospital
7236 Vedder Rd
Chilliwack,
British Columbia,
Canada, V2R 5K7
Phone 604-858-4415
Does Choice of Pet Reflect Personality?
We have all smiled to ourselves when we see a person whose physical appearance roughly resembles
their pet. For example, the short stocky fellow with a full face who has a Bulldog or Mastiff or the tall,
slim lady with the flowing red hair who has an Irish Setter. How about the matronly elderly woman with
the upturned nose carrying spectacles held in place with a decorative chain carrying her Pekinese. Yes
these and many more have graced our hospital over the years and makes our lives more enjoyable.
But the burning question remains, is there a correlation between the choice of pet and the personality of
the pet’s owner.
Several studies have been done to look at this question. Some of these studies are better designed
than others, but an interesting common thread emerges through their conclusions. A recent study
involving 600 college students is typical of what is found in the literature. Students were asked if they
considered themselves “dog people” or “cat people” or neither or both and were subjected to numerous
questions to assess their personality types and what attracts them to their preferred pet.
60 percent identified themslves as dog people and 11 percent as cat people. The rest said they liked
both or had no preference. Dog lovers found that the most attractive quality in their pet dogs was companionship, while the cat people liked the affection that their cats provide.
The question of whether each species personality matches that of their owners was also answered
according to researcher Denise Guastello, associate professor of psychology at Carroll University in
Wisconsin. Dog lovers tended to be more outgoing, sociable and energetic and were more likely to
follow rules, while cat lovers were more introverted, more open minded, and more sensitive than dog
lovers. Cat people also tended to be non-conformists, preferring to be expedient rather than follow the
rules. Each group sounds pretty much like their preferred species! Since this study involved college
students, it could not conclude if the results applied to other age groups.
A 2010 study of over 4,500 people of varied backgrounds also found that dog owners tended to be
more extroverted and more likely to follow rules.
And finally, a finding that is sure to send some sparks flying, the study also found that cat lovers scored
higher on intelligence tests than dog lovers. I look forward to your angry letters, but hey, I’m just the
messenger.
- Dr Anvik
direct inquiries can be
made to:
[email protected]
website:
www.sardisvet.com
Tails from the
Dog House
Vol 12, No 1, pg 2
Chantelle Neufeld Registered Veterinary Technician
Staff News
Featured Staff
If you have been in the clinic recently you are likely
to have been greeted by Chantelle’s smiling face and
cheerful manner. Chantelle is from Chilliwack and
is a graduate of Chilliwack Senior High. From there
she studied Animal Health Technology at Thompson
Rivers University in Kamloops. She has been working
at the Sardis Animal Hospital since last summer and
divides her time between front counter reception and
technician duties in the hospital.
Chantelle resides locally with her dog Finn, her cat
Mozart and four mischievous ferrets.
Her personal interests include gardening, reading and horseback riding.
New Website
Banjo Says:
Our website; www.sardisvet.com is being re-vamped and will be launched
in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for it. There will be updated
staff photos and bios as well as helpful information on the services we
offer and how to access us. There are also links to other usefull pet
care sites
Do not leave your pet in a closed car
on hot days!! Heat stroke can result
in a fatality in a surprisingly short
time!!!
Tails from the
Dog House
Vol 12, No 1, pg 3
Its Scratching Time Again!!
Seasonal Issues
Flea Season is
upon us.
time to use flea
prevention
Ah, the joys of summer!! Long warm summer nights, vacation,
going fishing, camping, hiking, picnics at the lake, lazy hazy days
and ......... fleas!!
Unfortunately, warm weather has one draw back if you have
pets. Unless preventive action is taken, fleas have a way of
sneaking up on you and before you know it, your house and your
pet can be over run with the nasty pests. The good news is that a
little planning can keep fleas in check so no one has to suffer.
The best time to be taking action is before the hot weather comes. Although fleas can be found
on pets year round, peak flea season in our area is July, August and September.
Adminstration of flea treatments such as “Advantage” is a wise precaution. It comes as a drop on
vial for topical application. Advantage works by incorporating the active ingredients into skin oils
at the surface so when fleas contact the product, they receive a minute amount of flea specific
toxin. It’s toxicity to pets (and humans) is very low. Fleas do not have to bite in order to be killed.
The product kills fleas within hours of landing on your pet. It is waterproof and lasts about a
month, so repeat application every thirty days. Recently emerged fleas that have just landed on
your pet may still be seen for a short while until the medication does its job. Allergic pets may still
scratch at recent bites, so allergic pets may need some additional medications to stop the chewing
and self mutilation triggered by the biting flea. If your pet has flea bite related rashes or hot spots,
he should be seen by the veterinarian. Advantage is very effective when used properly and is our
product of choice for de-fleaing an infested pet.
Here are some facts about fleas:
- transmission of adults hopping from one pet to another is not the main means of spread.
- pets acquire fleas mainly from cocoons that have hatched and “sprung” the flea out in response
to motion or vibration from a passing host
- the fleas found on your pet are not “sand fleas” or “grass fleas” They are dog and cat fleas
- fleas can remain dormant in resting cocoons for up to a year under ideal conditions
- flea numbers can increase exponentially in an uncontrolled favourable environment.
- fleas can carry diseases and parasites such as tapeworms to your pet.
Tails from the
Dog House
Vol 12, No 1, pg 4
Doggy Doo-Doo
Dogs Are Able to Accurately Sniff Out Prostate Cancer in Humans
Dogs have long been utilized for many tasks that make use of their superior sense of smell. Their talents
include everything from finding lost kids to tracking down felons and escaped convicts. There are drug
sniffing dogs working on our borders and airports and bomb sniffing dogs doing many types of security
details.
In recent years dogs have been trained for medical purposes and are able to detect high or low blood
sugar in diabetics as well as detect Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) associated with many cancers
and other illnesses. A recent Italian study demonstrated that dogs can be trained to sniff out Prostate
VOCs from the urine of human prostate patients.
This was a significant study involving 320 known prostate cancer patients with a range of cancer types
and severity and 377 healthy controls. The results were amazing. Working in an environment free of
olfactory distractions, the dogs were able to detect the cancer samples with a 98% accuracy!! The
breeds of dogs that have proven to be the most trainable for sniff work are the usual suspects, German
Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers. Brings a whole new meaning to the term “Lab work” doesnt it!
The dogs accuracy exceeded that of any other medical tests available. So how practical is this? Only
time will tell. So, gentlemen, the next time a dog snoofs you in your privates, he may just be giving you
a free prostate screening.
Tails from the
Dog House
Vol 12, No 1, pg 5
Feline Fun Facts
Kitty Capers
- A cat’s brain is more like a human’s than is a dog’s brain
- A cat’s collar bone is a floating structure buried in the muscles of the shoulder. This allows
a cat to fit into any space he can get his head through (except fat cats). Dogs do not have a
collar bone.
- Cats do not have true eye lashes mounted in their lids, dogs however, do.
- Ancient Egyptian family members shaved their eyebrows in mourning when a beloved family
cat died.
- The domestic cat is the only species that can hold it’s tail vertically while walking.
- Cats usually have 4 rows of whiskers. The top two rows can move independently of the bottom rows
- Normal body temperature for a cat is 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Life expectancy of cats has doubled since 1930, from 8 years to 16 years
- Paleontologists believe that the first true cats came into existence 12 million years ago.
- Historians believe that cats have been domesticated half as long as dogs have.
- The first domesticated cats to appear in Europe arrived on Phoenician cargo ships about 900
BC.
- Despite its reputation for being finicky, the average cat consumes about 127,750 calories a
year, nearly 28 times its own weight in food and the same amount again in liquids. In case you
were wondering, unlike dogs, cats are true carnivores and cannot survive on a vegetarian diet.
Tails from the
Dog House
Vol 12, No 1, pg 6
Animal Trivia
A cow can give as much as 200,000 glasses
of milk in her life time.
A father Emperor penguin withstands the Antarctic cold
for 60 days or more to protect and warm his mate’s eggs,
He keeps them on his feet, covered with a feathered flap.
During this entire time he doesn’t eat a thing. Most father
penguins lose about 25 pounds while they wait for their
babies to hatch. Afterward, they feed the chicks a special
liquid from their throats. When the mother penguins return
to care for the young, the fathers go to sea to eat and rest.
A rat can last longer without water than a camel can.
The colour of chicken eggs is determined by the
genetics of the hen. Certain breeds such as Leghorns
produce white eggs and others like Rhode Island Reds
lay brown eggs. There is no relationship between
colour and nutritional value. Taste can vary with the
hen’s diet. Eggs from free range chickens tend to have
darker yolks and thicker, stronger shells.
The hummingbird, the loon, the swift, the kingfisher, and the
grebe are all birds that cannot walk.
Tails from the
Dog House
Vol 12, No 1, pg 7
Chuckle Page
Old Vet: I can still do chest surgery but I just can’t
remember where I left my keys!
Young Vet: As long as you didn’t leave them in the chest.
Old Vet: What do you do when you have 3 balls on an Elephant?
Young Vet: Walk him and pitch to the Rhinocerous
Old Vet: I went to the auto parts store and got some windshield
wipers for my ‘78 Ford Pinto
Young Vet: Sounds like a fair trade.
Dr Jack’s Wisdom
“At my age, I’ve given up on winning and
just try to lose as slowly as possible.”