Dog-Friendly Treat Recipe

Here is a dog-friendly treat recipe that your canine companion is sure to love.
Holiday Dog-Friendly Treat Recipe:
ingredients
1 cup shredded roasted turkey meat
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 sweet potato--baked, skin discarded and potato coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce

directions
In a medium bowl, combine the turkey and breadcrumbs. Mix gently with your hands, then mix in the egg and sweet potato. Shape into two 1/2-inch-thick patties.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Top with the cranberry sauce and let your canine enjoy!

Cat-Friendly Treat Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup of hamburger

½ teaspoon shrimp paste (see Asian food section of your local grocery store)

¼ cup shelled shrimp, washed in hot water, and minced

½ teaspoon catnip

Directions:

Mix shrimp paste with the catnip and then hand work it into the hamburger.

Add minced shrimp to the hamburger mix and make into little meatballs.

These can be fed raw, or baked at 425° F for 10 minutes.

Watch Us Grow

We are so excited to now be in our new and improved facility! Our new hospital is 30% larger than our former facility. In addition to a 5th exam room and twice the space for dentistry, we now have a covered diagnostic and exercise area for day hospitalization patients and a larger staff room in which our entire team can train together on new continuing education topics. Instead of a standard heating and A/C system, we have invested in Geothermal Technology and will institute an aggressive recycling program. These photos show the progression of our construction! Feel free to visit us today to tour our new and improved facility!

Holiday Foods

Many of the foods that we eat during the holidays are dangerous for our pets to eat. Foods like turkey and turkey bones, sugary treats, candy, grapes, onions, and more are things that your pet should never eat. Make sure to keep an eye on them during the holidays and warn your guests not to give them handouts. 

Autumn Safety Tips

Ah, fall—there's nothing like crisp, cool air, the first months of school and luscious foliage to get you excited for the changing seasons. Your pet, too, is probably welcoming the break from hot, sticky weather. But pet parents, beware—fall is also a time of lurking dangers for our furry friends. From household poisons to cold weather hazards, the season is a minefield! Here are some tips to keep your pet snug and healthy during the autumn months.

• The use of rodenticides increases in the fall as rodents seek shelter from the cooler temperatures by attempting to move indoors. Rodenticides are highly toxic to pets—if ingested, the results could be fatal. If you must use these products, do so with extreme caution and put them in places inaccessible to your pets. 
•  It's back-to-school time, and those of you with young children know that means stocking up on fun items like glue sticks, pencils and magic markers. These items are considered “low toxicity” to pets, which means they're unlikely to cause serious problems unless large amounts are ingested. However, since gastrointestinal upset and blockages certainly are possible, be sure your children keep their school supplies out of paw's reach.
• Training tip: If you and your pooch haven't been active outdoors in a while because of the summer heat, do some remedial recall training. Dogs, like people, get rusty on their skills if they aren't using them.
• Fall and spring and are mushroom seasons. While 99% of mushrooms have little or no toxicity, the 1% that are highly toxic (PDF) can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Unfortunately, most of the highly toxic mushrooms are difficult to distinguish from the nontoxic ones, so the best way to keep pets from ingesting poisonous mushrooms is to keep them away from areas where any mushrooms are growing. Contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately if you witness your pet eating a wild mushroom.
• In order to generate body heat, pets who exercise heavily outdoors, or who live outdoors, should be given more food during colder seasons. Make sure horses and other outdoor animals have access to clean, fresh water that is not frozen.
• Autumn is the season when snakes who are preparing for hibernation may be particularly “grumpy,” increasing the possibility of severe bites to those unlucky pups who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pet owners should know what kinds of venomous snakes may be in their environment—and where these snakes are most likely to be found—so they can keep pets out of those areas.
• Many people choose fall as the time to change their car's engine coolant. Ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic, so spills should be cleaned up immediately. Consider switching to propylene glycol-based coolants—though they aren't completely nontoxic, they are much less toxic than other engine coolants.

Originally published by the ASPCA.

Woof in Boots Fundraiser

We are thrilled to announce our September fundraising event!

Please join us on Friday September 7 at 6pm for a Happy Hour at Woof in Boots (719 W. 8th Ave, Denver, Colorado 80204).

Woof in Boots is a dog-centered doggie day care and boutique. Check out their website at www.woofinboots.com.
For $5, we will have wine and appetizers for you to enjoy. You can also check out the many featured pet artists that have partnered with Woof in Boots! We will also feature a silent auction with all proceeds benefiting RROC!

Check out our Facebook event to RSVP for this exciting evening.

We are thrilled about this partnership with Woof in Boots, as they are committed to more than just sharing their space with us.

During the month of September, all dogs adopted through RROC will receive a free day of doggie day care, bath, and 50% off grooming at Woof in Boots! What a great gift to give to each of the new adoptive families.

For questions, contact Crystal Blaylock at crystal.blaylock@ymail.com

Lawn and Garden Safety Tips

Does your pet often get into things she shouldn’t? Pets left unattended in yards may often start trouble, whether by digging holes, rolling in nasty things, or chewing on things that don’t belong to them. It’s important to interact with your pet regularly to avoid the development of this kind of destructive, and potentially dangerous behavior. There are many hazards in the yard that many pet owners aren’t even aware of, from harmful fertilizer chemicals to puddles containing disease. Be kind to your pet, and give them something to do with you!

Camping with Your Dog

A family camping trip wouldn’t be complete without the dog, but make sure that you follow all safety precautions for bringing pets with you to a campground. First, check to make sure that your campground of choice allows dogs. Many do not because of the threat of large wild animals, such as bears. Then, be sure to pack plenty of dog food and water from the same provisions that your family will use—if you’re filtering water, don’t forget to bring a bowl for your dog, as drinking directly from natural sources is extremely dangerous. Once you take these precautions, don’t forget to have some fun!

Cleaning Your Pet's Toys

Did you know that it's very important to clean your pet's toys, just like you'd clean your child's toys? Your pet's toys are carried primarily in their mouth, so it's important to clean and sanitize them periodically. We recommend disinfecting your NON-POROUS pet toys with a properly diluted bleach solution, followed by a thorough rinsing and airing out to remove any residue, would not be expected to cause harm to your pet. However, if you prefer to use an alternative without the potential for harsh fumes, you can try using hot water along with a mild liquid dish soap, such as Dawn or Palmolive, to clean your pet's toys. Just remember, keep the toy AWAY from your pet until it's been properly rinsed and dried.

Pets & Cookouts

Did you know that some of the most common foods we eat during our cookouts are the most dangerous foods for our pets? Meat with bones in it, such as chicken and ribs, are extremely dangerous for our pets to get a hold of…bones can puncture the stomach and other organs if swallowed because they cannot be digested. Corn-on-the-cob can also be dangerous because dogs have been known to swallow the cob whole! What do you do to keep your dog busy with something else during the barbeque?

Meet Sally: June Pet of the Month

Sally was brought to us one Friday morning last Summer by a good samaritan who had found Sally on her porch, lying lifeless.  She was covered in fleas, had many bite wounds on her head and neck and a severely damaged eye.  When we first saw her, we didn’t think she was going to make it, but as she was being examined she wagged her little tail and we knew how strong she still was.  Unfortunately she didn’t have a microchip, which would have helped us find her family, so we put calls into the local animal shelters to see if anyone was looking for her.  While waiting to hear if a family was searching for her, Dr. Kriet made the decision to treat her wounds and see if we could help her recover from what was most likely a coyote attack. 

Sally’s severely damaged eye could not be saved, so we removed it surgically and we treated her bite wounds.  Her other eye was also damaged and required frequent eye medications to help it heal.  It now has a large scar, but is still visual and Sally is doing great!  Despite lots of attempts, we never found Sally’s family.  Sally stayed with the Kriet family while she was undergoing treatment; they fell in love with her (as we all did) and she never left!  Sally comes to work with Dr. Kriet and keeps the staff smiling as she asks for treats and belly rubs.  When you are in to visit us, feel free to ask to meet Sally—she would love to meet you too!

World Pet Memorial Day

Today is World Pet Memorial Day. The benefits of having pets are too numerous to count. They are our companions, our friends, and to some they are even considered family, but the one downfall of being a pet owner is that a vast majority of pets have a much shorter lifespan than their human companions. Today is a day to remember those departed pets and celebrate the time you had with them. What is the happiest memory you have of a departed pet?

Pets In Cars

Heat stroke can cause serious injury or death within a very short period of time. For example, leaving dogs in cars is a common cause of heat stroke. The temperature in a parked car can quickly reach over 150 degrees, causing your pet’s body temperature to rise to 110 degrees or more. This can cause irreversible brain damage or death within just a few minutes. If you suspect your pet is suffering from heat stroke, get them to us immediately.

June is Social PETworking Month

June is Social PETworking Month! This is a month designated to help pair families with homeless pets. The campaign allows Facebook, MySpace and Twitter addicts to put their hours online to good use by advertising adoptable pets to their networks to help get them seen and into loving homes. So if you know of any pets in need of good homes, take to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and get the word out this June!

Acupuncture at Mile High Veterinary Hospital

Mile High Veterinary Hospital proudly offers the services of a certified veterinary acupuncturist, Dr. Kriet, at our practice. Acupuncture is a useful pain management tool used to treat many conditions, but most commonly as a treatment for chronic pain. As a combination of the best of Eastern and Western medicine, it offers the body a means of healing itself. To learn more about the benefits of acupuncture, call us at 303-693-6484.

May is Chip Your Pet Month

It's Chip Your Pet Month! Is your pet an adventure-seeker? Make sure they’re protected by having them microchipped, if they’re traveling with you, or even if they just like to wander. Microchipping ensures that your pet has a permanent form of identification linking them to you, in case you should be separated. Have you ever lost your pet before...and how did you go about recovering them?

Pets & Lawn Fertilizer

Did you know that lawn fertilizer can be toxic to your pet if consumed? If your dog likes to roll in the grass, dig holes, or lick their feet after coming inside, you should use caution when choosing your lawn fertilizer. Always read all packages carefully before purchasing, as most manufacturers have specific recommendations about how long your pets should remain off the grass after application. When possible, use products specifically labeled as "pet-safe", to lessen the danger.

Pets & Allergies

It's that time of year again! Trees are budding, flowers are blooming...and many of us are sneezing from seasonal allergies. When our pets experience seasonal allergies, they may not get a runny nose like we do, but they could develop itchy skin rashes, flakiness, and other kinds of topical discomfort. If you notice your pet spending a lot of time licking its paws, scratching its ears, or rubbing its back against the carpet or furniture, you might have a case of seasonal allergies on your hands! Call our office for tips and recommendations about dealing with seasonal allergies.

Pets & Easter Lilies

Lilies are a popular Easter flower, but did you know that they can actually be toxic to your pet? Like the Christmas poinsettias, lilies can attract the attention of your pet, especially cats, and then have a toxic effect when ingested. Keep those Easter lilies far from your pet's reach this season, or look into artificial options. The art of artificial flowers have gotten so advanced that your guests won't be able to tell the difference...and your pet will be safe.

It's National Puppy Day!

Today is National Puppy Day! It is a day to celebrate the magic and unconditional love that puppies bring to our lives. Below is the list of Top Puppy Names of 2011. Did your puppy's name make the list? 

Bella

Bandit

Charlie

Cassie

Duke

Dutchess

Houston

Jasmine

Laddie

Lela

Maggie

Marmaduke

Molly

Sophie

Snoopy

Spike

Winston

Tillie

Truman

Zeus