Dieting

Dieting is NO FUN! Take it from me, I've been yo-yo'ing with weight for many years now. If your a cat or dog it's even worse! As humans we can understand what is "bad" for us to eat and that we need to exercise more. We can communicate to our doctors that our backs hurt or our knees and that is why we are not as active as we need to be. Animals don't have that luxury. If we don't pick up on their needs they can go unmet.

Overweight dogs now have a friend on their side. Pfizer has come up with Slentrol, it the 1st FDA approved drug to manage obesity in dogs. It's a weight loss drug that helps them to drop pounds when combined with diet and exercise. To learn more ask one of our veterinarian's or go to the Slentrol website.

This handsome devil is Chancy,

a 4 year old cat that has been battling the bulge since 2005. Cat's can't take Slentrol but they can be put on a weight loss diet. It's important to get the weight off as being overweight can cause cats to be diabetic, have heart disease or become arthritic. Science Diet makes a formula called Prescription Diet® r/d® . He was put on a diet of 1/2 cup dry and 1/2 cup wet of the r/d® daily and has dropped 3.5 lbs. in 1 year! That is fabulous!! Prescription Diet® r/d® is low in calories, high in fiber and has the highest levels of L-carnitine to effectively reduce weight while increasing lean muscle mass to help cats feel full. Since it's hard to exercise cats it's very important to help them stay at a healthy weight by managing their diet. To learn more go to the Hill's website. We are proud of Chancy and his owners for sticking with his diet!!

Tell me your stories

Hi everyone! I'm looking for stories, your stories! These are stories I would like to share with our staff or use on our blog when I'm at a loss for words....I would like to request that our clients/readers tell me some stories about Blue Springs Animal Hospital and Pet Resort. I'm looking for anything amazing, cute, funny, touching, embarrassing, etc. and if you have a tale to tell about a certain doctor or staff member please mention their names. You can email me at: staffbsah@yahoo.com
or send the hand written story in to the hospital at:

Blue Springs Animal Hospital & Pet Resort
1201 W. 40 Hwy
Blue Springs, MO 64015

Attn: Stacey
or leave a comment below.

I would like to also have a copy of any photos taken of our staff or hospital over the years so if you come up with any of those I would be very grateful!
Thank you in advance for any and all efforts! Stacey D.

I need a HOME!!!

Foster needs a home!!
This little beagle boy came to us by accident and one of our doctors has been gracious enough to give him a foster home (therefore, he earned the name "Foster"). She isn't able to keep him but she has been utilizing the time they have together and working on some training with Foster. She reports that he is very stubborn but he seems to learn quickly.

Foster is a very sweet boy.

He is about 1 1/2 years old and he is neutered. He is current on all vaccinations, and is on heartworm and flea prevention. He gets along well with other dogs and loves to run and play. He may not be the right pet for a household with children. If you know anyone in the Kansas City, MO area that is wanting a sweet male beagle please send them our way.

Call Dr. Elise Lesko at 816-229-1544.
Leave a message in her voicemail if she is busy with an appointment.

TPLO is at BSAH!!

Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy- no wonder it's shortened to TPLO!
x-rays are measured & marked to prepare for surgery.an epidural is placed the day of surgery.

Here are a few photos of Dr. Rodier performing a TPLO surgery on Oliver. Tammy, one of our RVT's at Blue Springs Animal Hospital was his surgical nurse for this surgery.




Post op x-rays. ( Notice the plate)
Dr. Joe Rodier became certified in this fascinating procedure and has since performed it on many dogs with very successful results. There are many aspects to this surgery that require precise skills. Lots of measuring and calculating is required for this surgery along with skilled surgical hands and Dr. Rodier seems to have mastered them all, giving dogs a new chance with a stronger knee and a better quality of life.

TPLO is a surgical correction for cranial cruciate ligament rupture or in slang, "a torn up knee". This ligament provides structural support in the knee and without it there is severe pain and inflammation resulting in rear leg lameness. Many people will say that their dog was sprinting towards a squirrel or playing with another dog when they cry out in pain and start limping. It begins with a sudden non-weight bearing lameness in the affected leg. If the ligament is only partially torn then the dog may only suffer from mild episodes of lameness until it completely ruptures. Once the tear is complete, there will be a period of non-weight bearing lameness, which may be followed by the dog gradually starting to bear partial weight on the leg again. Smaller breed dogs my recover normal use of the leg with only mild arthritic changes but large breed dogs generally require surgical intervention or they will have debilitating long-term arthritis and pain in the joint.

Oliver was a recent surgery for Dr. Rodier. His owners brought him in for consultation after Oliver began limping. Oliver's owners were greatful that they had VPI pet insurance which helped take the financial burden off of them. If your pet does not have health insurance we highly recommend it. You can enroll by going to www.petinsurance.com In order to diagnose cranial cruciate ligament ruptures the joint must be palpated (moved/felt) under anesthesia. If Dr. Rodier can move the tibia back and forth under the femur freely, called a positive drawer motion, then that would indicate the cruciate ligament is not intact. An x-ray would be taken and measurements made that will be used in the TPLO surgical procedure. Post operative x-rays are also taken so Dr. Rodier can check and measure his surgery. You can read more in depth about TPLO symptoms, causes, diagnosis, etc. on our website or call our office (816) 229-1544 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Rodier. Oliver is doing great!

I need a name!

My family is having a hard time thinking (and agreeing) on a name for me. I welcome your comments and suggestions and maybe you can help them decide on something soon!! Otherwise, this girl is going for the other shoe!!

New Puppy?

This little pup was worried about his first visit to the vet. It is pretty intense. All that oowing and awwing from our staff!
A puppy's first visit, and every visit after, includes a good physical exam. Even if the person you got your puppy from says that all the vaccines are current it is really important to let a veterinarian check your pup over for any signs of illness that may pose a threat now or in the future. Also, make sure and have the puppy checked for parasites! All puppies and kittens have worms, it's the way the roundworm life cycle works. They can have a multitude of other parasites as well, some live in the gut, other's on the skin or in the ears. We want to give them the best shot of starting off as a healthy member to your family and we Y them very much so that makes our jobs so much easier! Please call us if you have any questions at all about your puppy's first visit, we would love to meet them and maybe even get a "worried" picture or two!

Money Saving Tip for Cat Owners

The last time I purchased litter box liners I got them from a discount store & paid under $2/box and bought about 25 boxes. Needless to say, I ran out. I went out shopping for liners and realized the price has gone up considerably since I last looked!

My cat's litter box at home is roughly 7" deep by 15"wide and under 25" long. I decided instead of purchasing a box of 10 liners for $5 plus that I would buy some large trash bags. I chose the 33 gallon size (2ft 9 in x 3 ft 2.5 in .8mil) and I got 120 bags for a little over $12. I put my litter box inside the trash bag and I used a file folder rubber band to go around the rim of the litter box to hold the trash bag in place. (I purchased those at Office Depot for $3 for a box of 25) I've also found that if your trash bag is large enough that you can stretch it around the box and still rubber band it in place.  This keeps the cats from pulling in any excess part of the trash bag into the dirty litter box. I also made sure the bag laid flat against the bottom of the litter box so the cats were stepping into a solid foundation not one with a lot of "air bubbles".

When it came time to change the litter box I just removed the rubber band, turned the trash bag in on it's self so that all the dirty litter was now bagged up and ready to be tied and hauled to the trash can. If you stretch the bag then just take the rubber band off and bring the bag sides up to tie.  The rubber band can be used again. Very easy & cheap! I hope this tip helps save someone else some money too!