“Decisions to make before you declaw your cat” by Dr. Carla Case-McCorvey, veterinarian and owner of Case Veterinary Hospital

Decisions to make before you declaw your cat

Obviously, the decision to have your pet declawed should not be taken lightly. There are legitimate reasons why having a pet in the home using his/her claws could be unacceptable. For example, if you have young children, elderly adults, immune-suppressed individuals or individuals with blood clotting disorders in the home, frequent scratches even from “play” cannot be tolerated.

Veterinarians are not naïve to the fact that many clients choose to have their pets declawed primarily to protect their furniture. This is why declawing a cat has become such a controversial issue. Many feel that it is a gruesome and cruel procedure done for the owner’s own convenience. But if having a pet declawed enhances the bond between a cat and his owner allowing that pet to remain indoors with the owner, where he is much safer from different diseases and other hazards outside, then declawing that cat is in that cat’s best interest. I must stress, however, that it is a permanent alteration to your cat’s anatomy and there are certain decisions that need to be made.

Understanding the declawing procedure
Having your pet declawed is not just removal of the claw as the term implies. It is the removal of the last portion of their “finger” from which the claw grows. Imagine removal at the first joint, which includes the end of your finger and its associated fingernail. At Case Veterinary Hospital, we only use Laser technology for the surgery, which allows us to dissect the joint without ever touching it. The Laser also seals nerve endings and blood vessels as it “cuts”, thereby decreasing bleeding and pain. Therefore, the post-operative healing period is shorter and the pet is much more comfortable. Cats are usually up and about the same day and go home the following morning. If complications do arise it is usually because the cat is allowed to lick at the incisions. Excessive licking can open the incisions, causing them to bleed and be susceptible to infection.

What to expect after your cat is declawed
Declawing is a permanent decision. The declawed pet must absolutely, for no reason, ever be allowed outside. Without claws, a cat is rendered defenseless in a fight. The pet is also unable to escape as claws are used to scale fences, climb trees, or otherwise get away from an attack. Allowing a declawed cat to go outside is simply irresponsible. Before deciding to have the surgery done, it is important that you decide that this pet will permanently, for the life of the pet, remain an indoor pet. This includes when you move to a new house, transfer ownership to another person, etc. We must also consider that the declawed cat is defenseless inside against other indoor pets as well.

About the author: Dr. Carla Case-McCorvey, veterinarian and owner of Case Veterinary Hospital, grew up in the business that was first begun by her great-grandfather in 1909. After graduating from the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999, Carla followed both her grandfather and father and now enjoys being the 4th generation (yet first woman) to run the family practice, which is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in Savannah, Georgia.

For more information about Savannah’s full-service small animal hospital, Case Veterinary Hospital, go to http://www.casevet.com

Pet weight gain and neutering – are they connected? Dr. Carla Case-McCorvey, veterinarian and owner of Case Veterinary Hospital,

Pet weight gain and neutering – are they connected?

Neutering not only helps to control the pet population, but it also decreases inappropriate elimination and destructive behavior, as well as decreases or eliminates the potential for many health problems.

Some owners notice that their pets gain weight in the months following the surgery, but research has not proven a direct relationship between neutering pets and subsequent weight gain. Though some pet owners report that their neutered pets have gained weight, we should not assume that one caused the other. Most pets are neutered at 6 months of age, which is the stage in their life in which they may begin to gain weight regardless of whether they are neutered. The bottom line is that our pets, like us, will gain weight if they consume more calories than they use.

Some pets may “slow down” somewhat once they are neutered. Sometimes, this is one of the reasons a frustrated owner of a particularly hyperactive or destructive pet chooses to neuter. But that only means that that particular pet needs to be given fewer calories to combat weight gain. The benefits of neutering pets far outweigh the slight possibility of needing to reduce their food consumption or increase their exercise.

Make the choice to have your pet neutered, then focus on maintaining a healthy weight if weight gain even becomes an issue.

Pets gain weight because calorie consumption exceeds calorie expenditure. Simply put, they’re eating more than their activity level requires.

There are three areas in which this balance can be adjusted:
1. Decrease the amount of food our pets eat by focusing on portion control.
2. Change their diet to a food lower in calories.
3. Increase their exercise.

Your veterinarian can help you determine the correct amount of food that your pet requires, which is very dependent upon the type of food being fed. Often, owners are unknowingly giving their pets twice the recommended daily allowance, which would pack the weight onto any pet – neutered or not. There are many commercial diets available with fewer calories, increased fiber, or specific protein and carbohydrate ratios formulated to encourage weight loss. Your veterinarian can prescribe an appropriate diet tailored to your pet’s specific needs.

Keeping your pet at his or her ideal weight will have a tremendous impact on their health, comfort and quality of life. Being fit decreases the potential for diabetes, heart disease and many other health-related issues. Carrying less excess weight also alleviates stress on joints thereby decreasing arthritis pain as our pets age.

About the author: Dr. Carla Case-McCorvey, veterinarian and owner of Case Veterinary Hospital, grew up in the business that was first begun by her great-grandfather in 1909. After graduating from the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999, Carla followed both her grandfather and father and now enjoys being the 4th generation (yet first woman) to run the family practice, which is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in Savannah, Georgia.

For more information about Savannah’s full-service small animal hospital, Case Veterinary Hospital, go to http://www.casevet.com

Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)

(Chatham County, GA) The Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) wants to ensure that business owners in Chatham County understand how to create an effective and reliable Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) so to ensure that the capability exists for all businesses to continue essential agency functions across a wide range of hazards. Does your business have a COOP in place? If not, here’s how to get started:

First, all businesses need to understand a COOP’s planning objectives. A COOP:

● Ensures continued performance of essential functions.

● Reduces loss of life and minimizes damage.

● Ensures succession to office of key leaders.

● Reduces or mitigates disruptions to operations.

● Protects essential assets. ● Achieves a timely recovery and reconstitution.

● Maintains a test, training, and exercise program for program validation. Check back next week for more tips from CEMA on COOP planning. For further information about COOP planning, please visit CEMA’s website at http://www.chathamemergency.org/businesses/ or contact Courtney Cunningham at (912) 201-4500. The Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) wants to ensure that your business has an effective and reliable Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) in place. The first step in COOP planning is to understand the basic COOP planning objectives. Second, there are several critical planning considerations for any COOP plan. COOP’s must:

● Be capable of implementation anytime, with and without warning, during duty and non-duty hours.

● Provide full operational capability for essential functions not later than 12 hours after activation.

● Be capable of sustaining operations for up to 30 days. Agencies must develop operating procedures and acquire resources necessary to sustain operations for up to 30 days.

● Include regularly scheduled Training, Testing & Exercises (TT&E). Agencies must train members of their emergency staff and practice COOP procedures to ensure their skills stay current. Equipment and communications must be tested periodically to ensure that they are operable. Check back next week for more tips from CEMA on COOP planning. For further information about COOP planning, please visit CEMA’s website at http://www.chathamemergency.org/businesses/ or contact Courtney Cunningham at (912) 201-4500.