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"People who don't respond to anything else often respond to the animals. Animal Assisted Therapy visits uncover avenues of communication that didn't exist before...As a result, (patients) feel more relaxed in their environment and, ultimately, are more likely to be open to rehabilitation and therapy," says Vicki Olivas, coordinator of Activities, Therapy, and Volunteer Services, California Pacific Medical Center.

WHAT IS ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY?

Animal Assisted Therapy is a program that brings the healing presence of animals to people in health care facilities and nursing homes. Volunteers often bring shelter animals or their own pets on visits to hospital wards, nursing homes, psychiatric clinics, senior centers, and special schools.

Animals Provide Therapeutic Benefits

The loving, nonjudgmental presence of animals creates a cozy, homelike setting in the institutional environment. And where humans sometimes fail, animals are often successful in cutting through the barriers that isolate people with physical and emotional difficulties.

Medical studies and field reports show animals have a comforting, reassuring effect on people. The therapeutic benefits of animal assisted therapy include:

• Decreased anxiety and depression in patients.
• Increased self-esteem.
• Stronger desire to communicate.
• Lowered blood pressure.
• Increased motivation to get well.
• Decreased need for painkilling medication in some post-operative patients.
• Increased willingness to interact with other patients and/or hospital staff.

Most local animal assisted therapy programs visit the following (but not limited to) locations:

• Children in pediatric wards.
• AIDS patients.
• Adults in acute care and physical rehabilitation facilities.
• Children with behavioral and physical disabilities.
• Hospices.
• Mental health patients.
• Frail and well elders in retirement communities and convalescent homes.

Animals Provide Emotional Support

THE ANIMALS

Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes, even turtles, make the rounds of participating AAT facilities. Each animal chosen for the program receives extensive medical and socialization testing before going out on visits.

About half of the animals used in programs are the pets of AAT volunteers. Dogs owned by volunteers are usually given a rigorous temperament test to make sure they get along well with people and respond favorably when placed in unfamiliar environments and situations. These animals also undergo comprehensive medical screening to ensure their good health.

If you are interested in participating in your local Animal Assisted Therapy Program, or if you have a pet that that meets their qualifications, please call your local animal shelter. Your local animal shelter most likely has the name and phone number of the person that heads the AAT program in your area.

Gerbils make good pets. They are more active than hamsters and have active periods during both day and night. They are friendlier and more docile than other members of the rodent family. Since gerbils are desert animals, they do not urinate or defecate very often. This is their way of conserving water in their natural (hot) habitat.

Gerbils Make Good Pets

Gerbils are relatively inexpensive to purchase and feed, and require only minimal space and care. They also make good solitary pets. Gerbils enjoy interacting with humans, and the more a gerbil is handled, the tamer it becomes. Gerbils that are not accustomed to being handled may bite.

Gerbils Are Easy To Care For

A small aquarium with a screen top is an ideal gerbil home. Aquariums are easy to clean, minimize drafts, and prevent paper or wood shavings from being kicked onto the floor. Gerbils are curious animals and sit on their haunches to view their surroundings. Gerbils also like to burrow. Give them plenty of bedding so that they can burrow. Enrich their environment with toys and tunnels. Paper towel tubes work well, as they can crawl in and chew them up.

Gerbil owners should feed their pet a commercial pellet feed made especially for gerbils. Fresh water from a hanging bottle should also be available at all times. Greens (lettuce) and seeds can be offered as occasional treats. Uneaten portions of greens should be removed before they rot.

If one gerbil is good, are two gerbils better? Gerbils should be kept single unless they are paired together at a young age. Even if they are paired young and then are separated for more than a few days, they won’t want a reunion. The likely result is a nasty fight. If you want more than one gerbil, get them young and keep them together. If you don’t want babies, get pairs of males or females.

Gerbils are sexually mature at two to three months of age. The pregnancy lasts 25 days and usually results in five babies. Both mother and father are good parents, and raise the litter together. Do not disturbe the new family by cleaning the cage or handling the babies for the first couple of weeks. It is best for them to have food, water, and privacy during this period.

One word of caution, though: don’t pick up your pet gerbil by the tail. The skin can slip off, leaving bone exposed and requiring the tail to be amputated. Pick up the whole gerbil in one or both hands.

Most gerbils live three to four years and have few health problems.

While the history of dogs and cats is more commonly known, rabbits actually hold a longer record for domestication. Commonly misunderstood to be rodents, rabbits belong to their own order and are a separate species from hares or jackrabbits. Further distinction must be noted when identifying domestic rabbits from wild ones. Although domestic rabbits originally descend from wild rabbits, there is such a variety of domestic breeds - more than sixty-five - that the evolution of wild rabbits and domestic rabbits has progressed separately for hundreds of years.

Champagne d'Argente

The rabbit, as we know it, has been in existence for thousands of years. Although there is very little evidence to pinpoint the domestication of rabbits, there is proof that rabbits were introduced to Europe as early as 1100 B.C. and brought over to Spain by the Phoenicians. The abundance of rabbits in this area is suggested by its appearance on the Roman-Spanish coins of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 A.D.). Rabbits, in general, have a long history in a number of areas. In China, rabbits were used in Confucian ceremonies while according to the Roman scholar Varro, rabbits were kept in leporaria or escape-proof enclosures. The Greek historian Polybius, made mention of the modern European rabbit when writing about Corsica in the second century B.C. He called them kunikloi.

The actual domestication of rabbits is attributed to the early French Catholic monks. Selective breeding produced what we know today as the Champagne d'Argente. Champagne refers to the region of France in which they were bred and d'Argente refers to the color of the pelt which turns silver after six months of age. The word "rabbit" was first applied in the 15th century derived from the French word "rabet". It is probable that most of the domestic rabbits we see today are direct descendants of the hutch-raised rabbits of the French monks.

Folklore has a number of stories involving rabbits:

• Easter bunny
• Lucky rabbit feet - especially the left hind one
• Symbol of fertility

Prior to the 20th century, there is little evidence to suggest domesticated rabbits in America, though their presence in the wild is undisputed. The Belgian Hare was the first rabbit to catch the public's attention as a fancier's rabbit. Despite it's size, having one as a pet came first, eating it for dinner came second. With time, this particular breed evolved to fill the needs of the fancier, the commercial meat market, as well as the fur industry. It is believed that the Belgian Hare opened the door for many other breeds.

Belgian Hare

The pronounced gentleness of the rabbit is the best known quality that contributes to its popularity as a pet. Rabbits are not likely to bite and can easily become tame and companionable. Treated with patience and consideration, they may allow themselves to be picked up and handled frequently. Rabbits are silent creatures, prompting many people to think they are voiceless. This is not the case. Generally when they are not happy they will grunt or make noises to indicate their dislike of something.

Rabbits can make great pets but, like most companion animals, require appropriate care. There is a variety of breeds, sizes, colors, fur type, and disposition from which to choose. It can be difficult to choose a particular breed for personality type since most rabbits are bred for a specific look. Some breeds are happy to live outside in a hutch while others may prefer to remain indoors. Unfortunately, rabbits are high-risk prey animals and should never be left outside unattended for long periods of time unless safely enclosed in a hutch. With so many breed choices, the domestic rabbit has clearly carved a spot as a companion animal with a long and varied history.

Dental care is vital to your pet's health! If you've already established a dental care program for your pet, you're off to a great start. But if your pet hasn't received a dental exam from your veterinarian, it's time to get started. February is National Pet Dental Health Month, the perfect time to schedule a dental exam for your pet and develop a home care regimen for your best friend.

Why is dental care so important for your pet? Periodontal disease is the number one diagnosed problem in pets - by the age of two, more than 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have periodontal disease in one form or another. The buildup of plaque and tartar on your pet's teeth leads to bacterial infections that can enter the bloodstream and infect other parts of your pet's body. Periodontal disease has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, osteoporosis and other problems.

The good news is that periodontal disease is easily prevented. Routine dental cleanings and a home dental care regimen can eliminate the plaque and tartar that lead to gum disease and oral infections. During a dental cleaning, your veterinarian also performs a complete oral examination of your pet. This includes screening for oral cancer, broken teeth and cavities. Spotting these problems early on makes them easier to treat and improves your pet's overall oral health.

Your pet's dental cleaning is more involved than the same process you go through at the dentist's office. Anesthesia is required to keep your pet still and comfortable during the procedure. Because of this, your pet undergoes a thorough physical examination before each dental cleaning. Laboratory blood tests, as well as other diagnostic procedures are also used to screen for potential problems and risks before anesthesia is administered. Using these results, we develop a safe anesthetic protocol specifically for your pet.

During a dental cleaning, tartar is removed from your pet's teeth with a hand scaler. Next, a periodontal probe is used to check for pockets under the gumline - where periodontal disease and bad breath start. An ultrasonic scaler is used to clean above the gumline and a curette is used to clean and smooth the teeth under the gumline and in the crevices. Finally, the teeth are polished and an anti-bacterial solution is used to help delay future tartar build-up.

Dental care doesn't end in your veterinarian's office. Brushing your pet's teeth at home is an added level of protection against gum disease. In order to be most effective, brushing must be done at least three times a week; however, daily brushing is ideal. Brushing your pet's teeth can be supplemented with antiseptic rinses. Some pet foods and treats are also effective in preventing plaque and tartar buildup. However, there is no substitute for regular brushing and professional dental cleanings.

Schedule a dental examination and cleaning for your pet today. Your best friend will thank you!

We are a nation that loves cats. More than 80 million share our homes and our lives. But, we often forget about an unseen population of cats that could be larger and has far fewer admirers. Feral cats live on the edge of our society, in alleyways and abandoned buildings. Often thought to have short and violent lives, these cats have become the center of controversies that pit animal lover against animal lover. Watch this video to learn how one group is looking to change the future for these forgotten felines.

Can fleas survive a typical Midwestern winter? How do you know the flea products your veterinarian sells are better than the ones in the pet store or grocery store? Have “super fleas” emerged that are resistant to these drugs? Conflicting and even confusing information seems to abound when people talk about these nasty parasites. Watch this video to get the straight scoop on flea myths.

 

You might not be surprised to see your dog eat grass out in the yard, but, when x-rays show knives, rocks or even diamond rings, it might cause you to wonder. Each year, Veterinary Practice News holds a contest known as “Your Dog Ate What?” and they receive thousands of x-rays from across the country. Want to see some bizarre things our pets ate? Take a moment to watch this video and find out which dog won the title for eating the most unusual object!