Avets

July 4th celebrations are quickly approaching! Ensure that your festivities are fun and safe for everyone - including your pets. Swipe to learn more about celebrating safely this week 🎆

As a reminder, our hospital is open 24/7 for emergencies. We can be reached at 412-373-4200 in case of a pet emergency.

Did you know that 6 minutes is all it takes for a dog to overheat in a hot vehicle and face lifelong or fatal consequences? ☀️🥵 Pets can still overheat even when the windows are down, or if the car is parked in a shaded area.

Our best advice is to not leave your dog in the car - take them with you or leave them at home with plenty of water and shade. They will happily greet you when you return!

We love to include our furry friends while outdoors under the summer sun. ☀️ Unfortunately, pets may have too much fun to take time to cool-down and rest. Especially with temperatures soaring this week - know how to recognize the signs of heat stroke and how to prevent it.

Continue reading on our blog: https://bit.ly/3GlABuB

In the event of an after-hours pet emergency, Avets is open 24/7/365 for emergency care:

📍 2674 Monroeville Blvd., Monroeville, PA
📞 412-373-4200

June is National Pet Preparedness Month 🚨 This month serves as a helpful reminder of what to do in case of an emergency or natural disaster. Here are some basic tips to help you prepare but be sure to create a plan that’s most fitting to your location, family, and pets.

✅ Ensure your pets have proper identification.
✅ Research pet-friendly hotels in case you need to evacuate your home.
✅ Keep your pets close and secure using a leash.
✅ Prepare an emergency kit with all the essentials for your pet.

Always have your pet emergency contacts prepared including your primary veterinarian and your local pet emergency service.

📍 2674 Monroeville Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
📱 412.373.4200

The Avian & Exotics service at Avets is available to evaluate, diagnose, and treat all non-traditional species, including amphibians, birds, fish, small mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. 🐁🐍🐟🐦

Services include:
-Soft tissue surgery
-Orthopedic surgery
-Anesthesia
-Hospitalization and treatment in a dedicated exotics ward
-Dentistry
-Wellness exams for avian and exotics patients
-On-site diagnostics

👉 To learn more, visit: https://www.avets.com/service/avian-exotics/

Please note: we are seeing Avian & Exotic emergencies on a pre-approved basis only.

Today marks the first official day of summer! ☀️

Your pet probably enjoys summertime fun as much as you do, and will readily join you for a hike, a game of fetch, or playtime at the park. However, your pet may have too much fun and forget to take cool-down breaks. 🥵

Know how to recognize the signs of heat stroke, what to do if your pet has it, and how to prevent it. Learn more on our blog: https://www.avets.com/2019/07/keep-pet-cool-prevent-heat-stroke/

Feline hyperthyroidism is a commonly found condition in older cats, but it can be difficult to spot as symptoms are often subtle and start slowly. When it's caught early, most cats can fully recover with treatment.

It’s important to keep an eye out for the most common symptoms:
✔️ Excessive thirst and increased urination
✔️ Increased appetite and weight loss
✔️ Anxious behavior including pacing, yowling, and restlessness
✔️ Changes in coat such as dull color, matted/unkempt fur, or bald spots
✔️ Vomiting and/or diarrhea

At Avets, we offer a treatment for feline hyperthyroidism called Radioactive Iodine Therapy (I-131). The I-131 treatment center is staffed by Avets clinicians and caregivers, allowing us to offer local follow-up. Because we are a 24-hour emergency and specialty veterinary hospital, our veterinarians and staff are always in attendance to your pets, including monitoring the video feed from the I-131 ward.

You can learn more about this service on our website: https://www.avets.com/service/radioactive-iodine-therapy-i-131/

Happy Father's Day to all the dads of both human and pet children! 🐾

Tomatoes are a popular garden crop this time of year. However, green tomatoes contain solanine which can put pets at risk. 🍅 In most cases, we can see gastrointestinal irritation even with a small amount ingested.

Symptoms with larger ingestions can include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weakness, confusion, dilated pupils, depression, and increased heart rate.

If you suspect your pet has consumed green tomatoes, immediately contact Avets at 412-373-4200. You can also contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

Did you know that Avets offers Neurology & Neurosurgery services?
We're available to evaluate, diagnose, and treat symptoms of neurologic dysfunction in pets. 🧠

We offer on-site neurological diagnostic capabilities (MRI, CT, Spinal Tap) and neurosurgery services including:

➡️ Intervertebral Disc Surgery
➡️ Spinal Surgery
➡️ Brain Surgery
➡️ Tumor Removal/Debulking
➡️ Nerve & Muscle Biopsies

Learn more about these services on our website: avets.com/service/neurology

Heading off to the pool or lake this summer with your furry friend? Check out these water safety tips to ensure your pet has fun while staying safe. ☀️

☑️ Pick a shallow spot to start and stay close to the water's edge.
☑️ Don’t force them to swim. Throwing a pet in the water who doesn’t want to swim can be traumatic and may prevent them from enjoying the water later on.
☑️ Get in the water with them. When they start paddling with their front paws, lift their hind end so they understand how to float.
☑️ Keep them on a leash at first so they can’t stray too far away from you.

🌡 Also, be sure to stay aware of the temperature! While swimming may cool you and your pet down, hot sand or pavement can injure your pet's paws. If you can't hold the back of your hand to the ground for at least 10 seconds without feeling a burn, it's too hot for your pet to walk on.

Remember, Avets is open 24/7 for emergency care. While we hope you will not need us - save our information just in case:

📱 (412) 373-4200
📍 2674 Monroeville Blvd, Monroeville, PA, 15146

As it continues to warm up outside, remember to help keep your pets safe in the heat with these tips:

☀️ Don't allow prolonged periods of time outside or outdoor exercise during the hottest parts of the day
☀️ Humidity makes it even more difficult for pets to cool down, especially short-nosed breeds
☀️ Be sure your pet always has access to shade and fresh water
☀️ NEVER leave your pet in a car unattended

If you experience an emergency with your pet this summer, contact Avets at 412-373-4200. We're open 24/7 for emergency care.

Happy Memorial Day!💙 Today we honor those who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military. Because of their bravery, we are able to celebrate today with our family and friends.

As a reminder, Avets is open 24/7 for emergency care - including on holidays. While we hope you will not need us - save our information just in case:

📱 (412) 373-4200
📍 2674 Monroeville Blvd, Monroeville, PA, 15146

While you're having fun with family and friends this Memorial Day Weekend, remember the following tips to help keep your pets safe this holiday:

⭐ Cookouts are popular this holiday weekend, but the food and drink you serve your guests may be dangerous for pets. A few especially toxic examples include alcohol, raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate, and avocado.

⭐ Never leave your pets unsupervised around a pool, lake, or ocean. If you take your dog on a boat, we highly recommend having them wear a floatation device and keep them from drinking salt water. Also, try to keep your dog from drinking pool water, which contains potentially dangerous chemicals.

⭐ Be sure that your pet has appropriate ID tags and up-to-date microchip information. People leaving doors open and loud noises such as fireworks or thunderstorms can all increase your pets’ chances of escaping.

⭐ Be sure your pet has easy access to plenty of water so they don't get dehydrated - preferably in a shady spot, especially if they are spending a lot of time outside.

As a reminder, Avets is open 24/7 for emergency care. While we hope you will not need us - save our information just in case:

📱 (412) 373-4200
📍 2674 Monroeville Blvd, Monroeville, PA, 15146

Male cats can easily develop an obstruction of the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder and out of the body. Male cats (neutered or intact) are at greater risk for urethral obstruction than females because their urethra is longer and more narrow.

Obstructions are often the result of plugs of inflammatory material, mucus, crystals, or small stones (called calculi) that have formed in the kidneys and have passed down into the bladder. If a cat is suspected of suffering from this condition, they must receive immediate veterinary attention. Once the urethra becomes completely blocked, the kidneys are no longer able to remove toxins from the blood or maintain a balance of fluids and electrolytes in the body. Without treatment, these imbalances can lead to heart failure — often in less than 24 to 48 hours.

Symptoms can vary from mild to severe and may include:
🐈 Straining to urinate with little to no amount
🐈 Frequent and/or prolonged attempts to urinate
🐈 Crying out while urinating
🐈 Excessive licking of the ge***al area
🐈 Urinating outside the litter box
🐈 Blood in the urine
🐈 Increasingly distressed

If you suspect your cat has a urethral obstruction, immediately contact Avets at (412) 373-4200.

May is National Chip Your Pet Month - which serves as an important reminder to have your pets microchipped. Microchips help increase the chance of being reunited with lost pets.

To learn more about the benefits of microchips and how they work, check out this article from our friends at the AVMA: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/microchips-reunite-pets-families

Be sure to ask your primary care veterinarian for additional information about microchipping!

Happy Mother's Day from all of us at Avets 💚 Whether your babies have fur, feathers, fins, or scales, thank you for opening up your heart and home to animals in need of a loving mom. We hope your day is full of love and appreciation for all you do. 🐾

Our next Employee Spotlight features some WILD photos 😉 Rachel is our Lead Avian & Exotics Technician at Avets. She and the entire Avian and Exotics department have been with Avets for two years! 🐍🐀🐦🦎🐇

Rachel has always had a soft spot for non-traditional species. The field of exotic animal medicine is advancing and growing, and she enjoys being a part of that change. These species deserve the same level of care as dogs and cats, and Rachel is proud to be able to provide that care!

She knew she wanted to work in the animal field but was wavering between veterinary school and veterinary technician school, but eventually decided on vet tech school. Rachel wanted to be hands-on with patients and clients, and to become an advocate for all her patients.

Before working at Avets, Rachel spent three years working in a veterinary ICU caring for critically ill patients, and she worked in research for about a year before that. She completed her externship for her degree at an all-exotic veterinary practice in Florida. She has volunteered at Animal Friends caring for rabbits and working the rabbit adoption events and also completed an internship at the Verona Wildlife Center helping rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife.

Rachel is someone who always wants to learn, and she is consistently doing everything she can to better herself as a technician for her patients and their owners. She is currently in the process of becoming a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Exotics Companion Animals. She was the ONLY candidate to be accepted into the program across the United States! 🤩

Becoming a Veterinary Technician Specialist in exotic companion animal medicine is a multi-step process requiring numerous years of experience caring for exotic pets, many hours of continuing education lectures, and writing many case logs and case reports. The final step is a written exam testing knowledge in every facet of this specific field.

Once Rachel achieves her VTS, she will be considered an expert in her field and will help further her knowledge and skills to provide even better care for her patients; She will also have a wider knowledge base to better educate our clients. Rachel plans to do a lot of teaching and lecturing to help others work toward their goals within exotic animal medicine.

Rachel chose to join the team at Avets because we are a multi-specialty emergency facility with a reputation for high-level care provided to all patients. The Avian and Exotics team has been working very hard to provide training for our emergency staff to incorporate exotic patients into the emergency service – as emergency care for exotic pets can be very difficult to find. The Avian & Exotics team is also able to consult with other specialists on cases that may require the input of a surgeon, internist, oncologist, etc. At Avets, we can provide advanced diagnostics and everything we need to practice the level of care that our patients deserve.

"My favorite part of my job is knowing that I am doing everything I can to improve my patients’ well-being and seeing improvement in their conditions," explains Rachel. She enjoys the variety in every day that comes with exotic animal medicine. In her free time, Rachel enjoys doing anything outdoors whether it be hiking, camping, or anything else. She is also a huge fan of card games and knows how to play probably every game out there. Her large collection of snakes also keeps her pretty busy! Rachel has around 48 snakes, and she is also a beekeeper!

We are so very happy to have Rachel on the team, and we are so proud of her many incredible accomplishments 👏

Coughing, choking, labored breathing, and swelling of the throat could all point to respiratory distress in your pet. It could mean viral or bacterial lung infections, allergic reactions to insect bites, sensitivity to medicine or vaccines, heart failure, or even cancer.

Take your pet to a veterinarian immediately if you notice any difficulty breathing.

📲 Call Avets at (412) 373-4200, we are open 24/7 for emergency care.

Did you know that Avets offers Neurology & Neurosurgery services?

We're available to evaluate, diagnose, and treat symptoms of neurologic dysfunction in pets. 🧠

We offer on-site neurological diagnostic capabilities (MRI, CT, Spinal Tap) and neurosurgery services including:
➡️ Intervertebral Disc Surgery
➡️ Spinal Surgery
➡️ Brain Surgery
➡️ Tumor Removal/Debulking
➡️ Nerve & Muscle Biopsies

Learn more about these services on our website: avets.com/service/neurology

If you live with a cat, we have some important information about one of Spring's favorite flowers! 🙀

Lilies are EXTREMELY toxic to cats. The leaves, petals, pollen grains, and even the water it's sitting in can cause your cat to develop fatal kidney failure in less than 3 days. Prompt veterinary attention is critical if ingestion occurs.

Cat-proof your house and garden by choosing safer flower alternatives. Check out this full list of toxic and non-toxic plants from the ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

If you suspect your cat has consumed lilies, immediately contact your primary veterinarian or Avets at (412) 373-4200.

You can also connect with the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

By now, we're sure you've heard about the total solar eclipse! 😎 The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen today - Monday, April 8, 2024. In Monroeville, PA we will have a max percent coverage of 97%!

The eclipse starts at 2PM and ends at 4:30PM. Maximum visibility will be at 3:17PM.

During the eclipse, we recommend keeping pets inside so that they are not confused by any commotion or change to their normal routine. Abrupt changes in light can be jarring to pets, and many may react the same way they do to fireworks or during a thunderstorm.

While we hope you will not need us, it's always good to keep our information on hand in case of a pet emergency 📱412-373-4200

Meet Dunkin! 🐶 Dunkin is an energetic 5-month-old Bernedoodle who visited our Emergency Department recently. Her owners brought her in as they noticed she was putting limited weight on her back leg after some playtime. Our emergency doctor examined Dunkin and found her in pain. After further diagnostic tests, we discovered a closed fracture in her leg, which required surgical correction to ensure proper healing and to prevent displacement.

Just like humans, fractures can be painful for dogs, and young dogs like Dunkin are often curious and active, making them more prone to such injuries. Dunkin's fracture was repaired by one of our board-certified surgeons, and our surgery team took excellent care of her, ensuring she was comfortable throughout the procedure. Dunkin spent a night under our attentive care before returning home to her family.

Over the next few weeks, Dunkin will need plenty of rest, and her family will need to ensure that she avoids running, jumping, and playing to prevent further injury. Dunkin will be visiting our surgery team for a recheck soon to ensure her fracture heals without any complications as she continues to grow.

We hope Dunkin feels better and can return to her playful self soon! 😍

To learn more about the Surgery service at Avets, please visit: https://www.avets.com/service/surgery/

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter!

We hope you won’t need us, but we're here if you do - Avets is open 24/7 for pet emergencies. 📱412-373-4200

With all the fun colors, furry ears, and sweet treats around, Easter can be full of unexpected pet hazards. 🐰 As a reminder, here are a few items to keep away from pets this time of year:

🍫 Chocolate and candy as they are toxic for both cats and dogs.
🥚 Eggs that have been left behind outside could look like fun colorful toys and real ones found a few days later can make your pet sick.
🍃 Artificial grass used in Easter baskets and decorations can get stuck in your pet’s intestinal tract. We recommend using paper or even real grass.
🧸 Easter toys that are small could be a choking hazard and should be kept out of paw's reach.

Meet Rizzo! 🐶 Rizzo is a 6-year-old dachshund who was referred to Avets' Neurology Service through our Emergency Department after having a seizure and progressive behavior changes at home.

From her history and exam, Rizzo was diagnosed with suspected meningitis (inflammation of the brain). In dogs, meningitis may be caused by an infection, or it may be caused by an autoimmune inflammatory response (where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues). The latter was the culprit in Rizzo's case.

The goal in treating Rizzo's meningitis was to suppress the immune system and treat inflammation within the brain. Our board-certified neurologist, Dr. Sandler, created a treatment plan with various medications, and Rizzo began to show immediate improvement in her behavior and signs at home. She continued to have quarterly rechecks with our Neurology team, with successful tapering of her medication doses at each appointment.

As of January, Rizzo's meningitis is officially in remission, and she has had no further seizures! 👏 We are thrilled with Rizzo's progress and so happy to share her success story with you. If you'd like to learn more about the Neurology service at Avets, please visit: https://www.avets.com/service/neurology/ 🧠

Spring has sprung!🌷Since the first day of Spring falls during National Pet Poison Prevention Week (and month!), we wanted to highlight some of the most common toxic plants and flowers so that you can keep your pets safe:

- Lilies (lethal to cats)
- Sago Palms
- Azaleas
- Daffodils
- Tulips
- Hyacinths
- Cyclamens
- Crocus
- Oleander
- Hibiscus

We recommend reviewing this extensive resource provided by the ASPCA to cross-check any flowers or plants in or outside your home: https://www.aspca.org/.../anim.../toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

If you suspect your pet has ingested a toxic flower or plant, contact us at 412-373-4200. You can also call the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for further instruction.

Meet Babe! 🐱 Babe is a 9-year-old domestic short-hair who visited her primary care veterinarian because her owners noticed a change in her eating habits. During her exam, Babe was diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism and was referred to Avets’ Internal Medicine Department for Radioactive Iodine Therapy (I-131). I-131 treatment includes iodine which is used by the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. When iodine is made radioactive and injected into the body, it accumulates in the thyroid gland. I-131 works by radioactive destruction of the overactive thyroid gland, and thus, reduction of thyroid hormones.

Babe received a dose of I-131 from our Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Geesaman. After her dose, she remained in our hospital in a separate ward and her radiation levels were monitored until she was well enough to go home. This usually takes about 4 days. I-131 patients continue receiving care once they return home. Babe needed to be confined to her home for 2 weeks following her discharge as she continued to expel the radioactivity. During this time, interactions must be minimized to avoid radiation exposure and litter must be disposed of properly.

I-131 is considered the most effective treatment for feline hyperthyroidism and most cats are treated with just one injection. Babe will need to have several recheck appointments, and six months after the treatment, we can determine if it was effective. We look forward to seeing Babe again at her next recheck!

Learn more about I-131 by visiting our website: https://www.avets.com/service/radioactive-iodine-therapy-i-131/

Avets AVETS is a multi-specialty and 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital located in Monroeville, PA.