Dr. Elizabeth Jolin, along with a few key team members of Martin Downs Animal Hospital, will be attending the Florida Veterinary Medical Association's 82nd Annual Conference later this month.  The conference will be held April 29th to May 1st at the Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa across the street from Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida. 

The FVMA conference provides attendees with resources that enable them to build dynamic veterinary teams by providing cutting edge continuing education in the delivery of new techniques and advancements in veterinary medicine.  There will be Wet Labs with hands-on, interactive courses available for the entire veterinary team.  A wide spectrum of education will include Ultrasound, Dental Extraction (Canine & Feline), Canine Ear, Cruciate
Repair Lab, TTA, Patella Luxation Repair and the Neuro Exam for veterinarians. 

We look forward to this exciting, innovative conference.  There's something for every member of our team.

St. Patrick's Day in Jensen Beach

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth in Jensen Beach on Sunday, March 13th to help us celebrate St. Patrick's Day!  There was food and fun for all including our furry friends.   

Congratulations to the winners of the Resort & Spa drawing for three free nights in our luxury suites with a complimentary groom or bath.  

New Dog Park Opening  

Poppleton Creek Dog Park has recently opened in Stuart where unleashed dogs can run free and play together with other dogs.  For the Grand Opening this past Sunday, March 26th, a Party for the Pooches was held at the park.  Martin Downs Animal Hospital was proud to be a part of this opening celebration and was on hand to visit with the hundreds of people who turned out for the event.   Sherri, one of our veterinary technicians and Carolyn, who works in our Resort area, together manned our booth and handed out goodie bags to everyone who stopped by to say Hi!  We appreciate the support for the Foster Military Pets organization as we always have a donation jar at every event.    

Anesthetic Free Dental Day-April 14th

Thursday, April 14th will be Martin Downs Animal Hospital's next anesthetic free dental day.  Please schedule your appointment to have your pet evaluated if you haven't yet to take advantage of this special day.   

On March 10th, our last anesthetic free dental day, our first feline patient had a successful anesthetic free dental.  Simba is a very gentle almost 17 year old cat, who greatly benefited from not having to have anesthesia to have his teeth cleaned.  He has always had regular dentals under anesthesia in the past, but the last few times it took several hours longer for him to completely recover.   Very few cats will tolerate having someone clean their teeth without being put under anesthesia.   

Spring Fling Portraits by Wurzell

Martin Downs Animal Hospital is happy to announce we will have Wurzell Photography coming on Friday, April 22nd to do beautiful outdoor photographs of your precious pets.  They are using our natural landscaping for a background (weather permitting).  If not, they will provide indoor sets.  You will be able to view the photographs during your pet's sitting and pick out the package you would like.  Call to schedule your pet's appointment today-a nominal deposit is required.

Visit their website to see the beautiful photographs and portraits available. www.wurzellphotography.com  

Foster Military Pets Adoption Event

On Saturday, May 7th Foster Military Pets along with Martin Downs Animal Hospital will hold an Adoption Extravaganza in the Winn Dixie Parking Lot at 281 SW Port St. Lucie Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL.   Dogs & Cats Forever and Domino's House will have pets available for adoption to the public.  So while you are doing your grocery shopping, please stop by and check out these loving animals.  They are all looking for a good home and someone to care for them.      

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Karol Poderski, DVM

Dr. P. is of Polish descent.  He graduated from Wroclaw Nature University, School of Veterinary medicine and spent an additional three years working as an intern in the Small Animal Surgery Department at his alma mater.

Dr. P. is married to Robin and has two children:  Karolina and Aleksander.  He is a general practitioner with special interests in surgery, rehabilitation and endoscopy.  Dr. P. is a member of several professional organizations:  AVMA, AAHA, FVMA, TCVMA, PVMA & PCCC.  His hobbies include multiple recreational activities, traveling, gardening and being his children's father.  

Bridget is a beautiful white and cream colored Cocker Spaniel who is a frequent guest of Martin Downs Animal Hospital's Spa.  She is a very sweet girl and loves to spend the day and visit with everyone.  She comes every three weeks to keep herself looking good!  She gets a soothing Hydrosurge bath every time she comes to our Spa and every six weeks she gets a unique hair style from our Head Groomer, Cathy.   

Bridget enjoys all the personalized attention she receives while at the Spa being pampered and polished.  

Why not book a Spa day for your pet?  We're sure to spoil them and make them want to visit us, too.   

Recently one of our veterinary assistants shared her personal story with us regarding Africanized Killer Bees.  Her friend, Austin and his dog "Wrangler" were walking in their pasture west of Okeechobee off of State Road 441 checking on their cattle.  All of a sudden, Austin heard Wrangler start yelping behind him.  He ran back to Wrangler to see what was wrong and as he got closer, he could hear a noise that sounded like an airplane.  When he was about 50 yards away from Wrangler, he saw the scariest sight he had ever seen.  A black cloud of bees was covering his dog.  Austin ran over and picked up Wrangler and started running with him.  He ran about 200 yards and swam across a canal.  He finally ran far enough away where there were only a few bees following them.   Austin made it back to his truck and rushed Wrangler to his vet but on the way Wrangler went into shock from all the bee stings and died.  Austin had 43 bee stings on his face alone and in all 97 stings on his body.  He felt Wrangler must have disturbed an underground bee hive and hundreds of them came out of the ground and started to attack.

After doing a little research, we found Killer Bees are really Africanized Honey Bees.   These bees are descendants of southern African bees imported in 1956 by Brazilian scientists attempting to breed a honey bee better adapted to the South American tropics.  When some of these bees escaped, they began breeding with local honey bees.  In the past decade, Africanized Honey Bees began invading North America.  They have come by their "killer" moniker because these bees will viciously attack people or animals that unintentionally stray into their territory.  The bee colony does not have to be disturbed to provoke this variety of bee.  Simple noises or vibrations have been known to cause an attack.   The sting of the Africanized Honey Bee is no more potent than your garden variety of honey bee and they look pretty much the same.  What makes them more dangerous is that they are more easily provoked, quick to swarm, attack in great numbers and pursue their victims for greater distances.  The Africanized Honey Bee colony can remain agitated for a longer period of time and may attack up to a quarter of a mile away from the hive.  Their colonies can be very large and they proliferate because they are less discriminating in their choice of nests than native bees, utilizing a variety of natural and man-made objects including hollow trees, walls, porches, sheds, attics, utility boxes, garbage containers and abandoned vehicles.  Africanized Honey Bees are likely to develop hives near canals, drainage ditches and retention basins because they like to be near water. They also tend to swarm more often than other honey bees.  When they sense rain, they swarm.  

Here are some common sense tips to help you avoid having to deal with an angry swarm of killer bees:    

DO check around your house on a regular basis for bee colonies.   

DO keep children & pets inside when using lawn equipment that makes noise which could inadvertently disturb a bee hive.

DO be careful while moving or cleaning up debris or items that have been lying around outside your house.

DO notice if you see a few bees coming in and out of cracks in walls, utility boxes or other enclosed places.

DO wear light-colored clothing; not only around your house but when hiking or visiting unknown areas.

DO NOT wear floral or citrus perfumes or after shave lotion when doing yard work or hiking.

DO NOT try to remove bee hives without professional help.  

If a bee attack occurs:

Quickly get into a house, car, tent or other enclosure.  Close all doors and windows.

Do not jump into the pool.  The bees will wait until you surface for air to attack.

If you are attacked by bees, run away.  Don't play dead or swat at the bees.  Most people can outrun bees, but you might have to run a few blocks.

Protect your face to prevent stings to the eyes, nose and in the mouth.  Bees attack where carbon dioxide is expelled.   

Facial stings are much more dangerous than stings to the body.  Pull your shirt over your head if no other protection is available. 

Prevention of ear mites is an important process to avoid the hassle and pain of a miteinfestation.  Ear mites readily transmit from host to host by physical contact.  Ear mites come from some other animal with whom your pet has been socializing. Maintaining healthy dog and cat ear hygiene is one way to prevent the spread of ear mites.  The old topical remedies requiring several weeks of ear cleaning and treatment have largely been replaced by far simpler products.  Using a topical flea treatment is an easy way to help prevent parasites like ear mites.  Ear mites are very common, but still serious.  Left untreated, they severely damage the ear canals and eardrum and can cause permanent hearing loss.

One of the best topical treatments for ear mites is Revolution.  Revolution is the first-ever FDA-approved, topically applied medication for dogs and cats.  It is primarily used to prevent heartworm disease, kills adult fleas and prevents flea eggs from hatching and treats and prevents ear mite infestations in both dogs and cats.  It also treats and controls Sarcoptic Mange and American dog ticks in dogs.  Revolution treats hookworms and roundworms in cats. Overall, it provides systemic treatment against a broad spectrum of external and internal parasites.  Revolution works by entering your pet's bloodstream through the skin.  Concentrations of Revolution in the blood and tissues prevent heartworm disease. Revolution selectively redistributes from the blood to the skin, where it provides protection against fleas, flea eggs, ticks and ear mites.

Revolution is easy to apply.  Just a spot once a month in front of the shoulder blades is all your pet needs for protection.  It is quick-drying, nongreasy and waterfast, with no unpleasant odor, so you can pet and play with your pet as soon as it dries.  Studies show that Revolution is effective even if you bathe your dog two hours after applying it. 

Revolution is available by prescription only.

Many pet owners have heard of ear mites.  These mites are tiny organisms that live on the surface of the ear canal and sometimes outside of the ear on the surrounding skin of the face and head.  Ear mites are most commonly found in cats, with the highest incidents in kittens; dogs are less likely to become infected with ear mites.  Adult cats can be carriers of ear mites without showing any symptoms of mite infestation.  Ear mites are contagious and can be easily transmitted from animal to animal by physical contact.

Typically, animals with ear mite infestations develop dark brown waxy debris in their ear canals, which can resemble other types of ear infections, such as bacterial or yeast infections. In order to appropriately diagnose ear mites, a veterinarian should visually confirm mites under the microscope; though, occasionally mites can be seen with the naked eye.

It is important to determine whether a pet has an ear mite infestation or a yeast and/or bacterial infection, so that the proper treatment can be determined.  There are many different ways to treat ear mites.  Previously, ear mite treatment used to involve several weeks of topical ear medication.  Today, we now have many options for treating ear mites, including short-term topical ear medication, topical products that are applied to the skin and then absorbed into the body and injections.  The type of treatment used will depend on the severity of the ear mite infection and the presence of a secondary bacterial and/or yeast infection.  Because ear mites are contagious, treatment must often include all pets in the household.

Recently, we saw a case of ear mite infection in a young dog.  This dog was successfully treated for ear mites with topical ear medication and a thorough ear cleaning, but three other dogs in the household also became infected with ear mites due to close contact with one another.  As such, all of the dogs had to be treated for ear mites, and now they are all ear mite free!