Halloween Safety

Hi y’all! CJ here and, as always, I have my good pal Rex with me. Rex, it’s getting chilly at night! “Woof, yes it is! But I like it – it means Halloween is coming, woof woof! I like treats.” Yes it does, but remember Rex, Halloween isn’t always about fun and treats, it’s also the time of year porcupines and skunks come out to play, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like playing with them. “Me either, stinky and poky!” The other day I was at Bulverde Animal Hospital and our friend Rufus, the little guy with the go lucky smile, well he was covered in porcupine quills, and it wasn’t a costume… “woof, woof ouch!” Yeah, Rufus is going to be uncomfortable for a few days, but Dr. Kothmann took good care of him. My story doesn’t end there, Rex… when I was leaving I got a strong whiff out of one of the examining rooms – turns out a local kitty cat got skunked. It smelled something terrible. “Yuck, P.U. that happened to me once. I smelled so bad no one wanted to spend time with me. “What did that teach you, Rex? “When I see a skunk I run the other way, and go home for a treat, woof woof.” Good plan, I hope Rufus does the same when he sees a porcupine. I’ve heard some buzz around the hospital that dogs and cats just aren’t staying away from these silly creatures, but pet owners are asked to keep an eye out and, if possible, keep them off their property. “Good luck with that one, woof! I’ll remind all of my buddies to steer clear of the poky and stinky animals!”

How to Prevent Fleas & Ticks this Summer

Woohoo summer is FINALLY here! Hi y’all, CJ here and I’ve got my good pal Rex with me. We hope your summer is starting off on the right foot – ours sure is! We love the warm weather and being able to spend more time outdoors. Actually, the only thing we can’t stand about summer are these itchy itsy bitsy little creatures that live on us (can’t they find a motel??) – you know them, fleas and ticks! Humans hate them, but imagine being a dog and being covered in them all of the time, plain awful!

Hey Rex, remember earlier this month you had fleas and ticks something awful? “Woof, yeah, I was so itchy I couldn’t even play - woof woof.” Oh man, Rex, I’m sorry to hear that. How are you feeling now? “I feel super – woof woof! My mom took me to see Dr. Kothmann, and he put me on a new medicine called Bravecto.” Oh wow, that’s great Rex! I’m afraid to ask though, how often does your mom give it to you. “Once every 12 weeks – woof woof – and it’s yummy! I just chew a tasty treat and the tiny little bugs check out of my fur– woof woof!” That’s great to hear, Rex! I’ve heard it kills fleas within a few hours and ticks within a day – sounds like a miracle worker to me! “Yup, it’s the bees’ knees – woof woof!”

Well, Rex usually I do most of the talking, but today YOU taught me something! I’m going to make sure all of my friends visit Dr. Kothmann for Bravecto, then we can all enjoy our summers!

Protect Your Pets from Toxic Plants

Happy Spring, Y’all! It’s your pal, CJ and as always I have my friend Rex here with me! Rex, you know what was a bummer last week? “Your mom didn’t give you an treats?” Rex, no, not everything revolves around food! One of my furry friends got sick from eating a lily. She was rushed to the vet. She is doing better now, but it was a close call. It makes me worried about our other furry friends. Ya know what I mean, Rex? “Yeah, I stay away from plants, I only eat meaty foods – mmm meat!” Alright, well I guess that’s good, but anyway, I want to make sure our friends stay safe, so I put together a list of poisonous plants I heard Bulverde’s doctors discussing recently.

• Daffodils
• Lilies
• Azaleas
• Begonias
• Tulips
• Chrysanthemum
• Rhododendron

A good rule of thumb? If you don’t know what it is don’t eat it – better safe than sorry! If your mom or dad isn’t sure about the safety of a plant just have them call Bulverde Animal Hospital, they’ll be able to give you the information you need! Right Rex? “Woof, yup, want to go eat lunch?” Oh Rex… sure, why not, just nothing plant based! ;)