Pet Gazette

VO L 1 | I S S U E 3 | FA L L 2017 | F R E E

PET CALEND AR i nside!

OKC Zoo’s animal hospital

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Retail reptiles …and all things scaly

Protect your pet from holiday hazards

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Winter tips for pet owners Here’s how to protect your pets from cold-weather hazards.

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ets can suffer from frostbite and hypothermia just as humans can, say BluePearl veterinarians who treat dogs and cats all winter long for winterrelated injuries.

That’s why we have prepared a list of ways to protect pets from hazards such as frostbite de-icers and highly toxic antifreeze. These tips remain important even in areas where temperatures are expected to rise above freezing — paws that sink into slush can still feel mighty cold.

Don’t leave your pets in the cold for too long. Fur coats won’t protect them from prolonged exposure. Monitor your pets and bring them inside if they start to shiver or if you see redness in their tails or ears (which could be frostbite). Once inside, help them get the ice out from between their toes.

If you spread a de-icer on your driveway or sidewalks, find one that’s pet-friendly. Various toxins and even salt can cause problems for pets, who tend to lick the substances off their paws.

Don’t leave your pet alone in a car while you go into the store. It’s a bad idea in the heat and in the cold.

Pets sometimes spend more time in garages and basements in winter, so make sure to clear these spaces free of antifreeze and rat poison, both highly toxic. And remember, cats love to crawl into anything

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warm, including a nice cozy car engine. If Fluffy spends the night in the garage, make sure to locate her before starting the car.

Winter can make it hard for pets to find their way back home because ice and snow masks familiar scents and paths. Keep pets on leashes so they don’t get confused and lost. Be sure your dogs and cats are wearing identification tags. And don’t forget to have pets microchipped.

Your dog will never tell you, “Oh, my arthritis acts up in the cold.” Yet it does. If your pet struggles when getting up and moving around the house, make a trip to the veterinarian. Also, make sure your pets have soft, warm bedding.

Consider getting your dog a sweater or coat, especially if they are short-haired.

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Holiday hazards

Dogs who are given too much fatty human food over the holidays can get gastronenteritis, which involves vomiting and diarrhea, or pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas. If you’re dying to share the holiday meal with your pet, some very lean turkey meat or a cooked carrot can be safe options.

Don’t forget, pets also have a well-known tendency to eat food without asking permission, so make sure all your dishes are covered and out of reach. Who likes fruit-

cake? Rover, that’s who. But the raisins can make him sick.

While we’re talking about pet safety, here are a few other tips to make sure your pets remain happy and healthy during the holidays: Be careful of ribbons or any other especially long, skinny doo-dads that are likely to fascinate your cat and wind up in her belly. Avoid tinsel if you have cats.

As the doors to your house swing open with each new guest or family member, make sure your pets don’t take the opportunity to slip out, where they could run into traffic.

Don’t assume it’s safe to give bones to your dog. Turkey bones are not safe for them, and many other bones also can be a hazard.

Many foods that are safe for humans are downright dangerous for your pets. The sugar substitute xylitol — used in sugar-free gum and some candies — can be lethal to dogs. Other foods that can make pets sick include chocolate, onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, caffeinated drinks, alcohol and yeast dough. Surprisingly, canned tuna designed for humans can make cats sick.

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Pets can suffer from frostbite and hypothermia too. Don’t leave them out in the cold for too long. (Bigstock)

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ryan Swinney doesn’t remember his first encounter with reptiles — he only knows about it through family lore.

When he was 1 year old and his family was living around Marietta, he was crawling under his porch when he was bitten by a copperhead. His dad caught the snake, and his parents rushed him to the hospital, bringing the snake along in a jar.

“I didn’t die,” he said. “It was a dry bite, meaning it broke the skin without any venom being released, and I was OK.” Despite his inauspicious introduction to reptiles, Swinney became infatuated with them around the time he was 4 and the family had moved to Oklahoma City.

“I don’t remember ever not being fascinated by them,” he said. “They come in so many shapes and sizes and colors.”

His parents allowed him to keep anything he caught — mostly garter, black rat and coachwhip snakes.

Swinney’s love of reptiles has become his life’s work. With the help of his wife Tammie and his son Patrick, he runs Alligator Alley, a large reptile store at 4636 NW 10th St. in Oklahoma City.

When Bryan and Tammie started dating in college, he was well into collecting reptiles.

“She knew it was a package deal,” he said.

Patrick, age 28, was born into the business, which opened shortly before he was born.

At that time, the typical customer was a man in his 30s who had gotten started with reptiles in his teens or early 20s, Swinney said.

“Now we have a cross-section of people, including women and people of all races,” he said. “Almost every Saturday, two people will run into each other who know each other from school or work but didn’t realize the other one collected reptiles,” he said.

People often start with bearded dragons, which are easy to handle and are relatively inexpensive.

“They used to sell for $500 to $1,000, but they’re easy to breed and prices have come

Gator trader Bryan Swinney retails reptiles at Alligator Alley.

By Chris Eversole | Photos by Garett Fisbeck

Owner Bryan Swinney brandishes a boa constrictor at Alligator Alley.

down to under $100,” Swinney said.

Some reptiles, such as tree pythons, are too aggressive to handle.

“When people ask me why have them, I say, “You don’t pick up the fish in your aquarium, but you still enjoy watching them,” Swinney said.

Great variety

Alligator Alley is true to its name. It owns six alligators, one of which is on display in a tank at the front of the store.

There are snakes of all sizes and colors.

Ball pythons, which grow to 4 feet, occupy a section of the store.

“When I was a kid, they all looked the same,” Swinney said. “About 20 years ago, albinos were introduced.”

If you want something bigger, there are red-tail boa constrictors, which grow up to 8 feet long. “We used to say that a boa never killed anyone, but a few years ago, a guy in another state got drunk and a snake killed him,” Swinney said.

African tortoises fill a niche.

“We have to educate people who buy them,” he said. “We sell them when they’re young and weigh about 2 pounds, but they grow to 100 pounds and live to be 60 years old.”

Swinney likes to tell the history of crested geckos, a popular pet. They are abundant now, but in 1968, they were thought to be extinct. Then they were rediscovered on the small Isle of Pines in New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.

“Through breeding, there are a thousand times more crested geckos in captivity than in the wild,” he said.

Alligator Alley rescues iguanas. Owners offer to sell Swinney adult iguanas, but he tells the owners the animals have no value.

“They had all kinds of excuses for giving them up. ‘We had a baby. We’re moving.’”

Swinney doesn’t sell iguanas.

“I don’t want to be part of the problem,” he said. “Iguanas are cute as babies, but they generally can become aggressive as adults.”

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After the rainbow bridge Pet owners can avoid unnecessary grief by making memorial arrangements in advance.

By Ian Jayne | Photos by Garett Fisbeck

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he most painful part of pet ownership is always the passage “over the rainbow bridge” of a beloved companion. Pets enhance their owners’ lives in innumerable ways, but they also leave them after what always seems like too short a time spent together.

Although goodbye is inevitable, there are many ways that people can remember their four-legged friends and ease the process for themselves.

Founded in 1985, Precious Pets Cemetery, 5510 North Spencer Road in Spencer, offers a host of choices for pet memorials. Precious Pets also owns the Pet Memorial Gardens located at 17560 State Highway 9 in Norman. The cemetery is part of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories.

Planning in advance for a pet’s passing can remove the weight of death-related responsibilities during the grieving process.

Also, pre-planning for cremation, burial and other memorial practices can provide pet owners with options for ways to remember their animals.

“If they come out ahead of time, that’s a lot easier on them to make decisions … when they don’t feel like they’re in a rush,” said Linda McCullough, owner of Precious Pets Cemetery.

“It’s a lot easier … when they already know where their pet’s going to go and what’s going to happen,” McCullough said.

Many choose to place a deposit for their 6

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pet’s burial or cremation for financial reasons. Others simply want one less thing to worry about in the event of a pet’s passage.

At Precious Pets, those who bury their pets have multiple ways to remember them.

Precious Pets has a holding place for the pet’s body while waiting for the funeral. The cemetery also includes the Farewell Chapel, where pet owners can “see their pet and say their goodbyes,” McCullough said.

Funerals and pet memorial services usually are held one to two days after the pet dies, according to McCullough. Services include scriptures and poetry readings.

Pet owners can select their pet’s casket in advance, and they have the option of leaving after the service or attending the interment.

“Normally, we set a time for the funeral, and we have the grave all prepared,” McCullough said.

Precious Pets also provides different burial options, including above-ground interment and a family grave for multiple pets who have been cremated, or graves for smaller animals such as hamsters and birds.

Considerations for your pet

There are many factors to consider when choosing a pet’s final resting place, both economic and personal.

“We’ve been in business for 32 years, and when we started, it was more burials,” McCullough said. “But, of course, now, it’s probably 90 percent cremation, because that’s become very popular and there’s quite a difference in the price for the cremation versus the burial.”

Pet cremation, a national trend, has a base price of around $145 at Precious Pets, while burials start at around $250. The animal’s weight and the size of the urn or casket affect the total cost of pet interment.

As more people turn to pet cremation for their pet’s memorial, more options have become available for ways to mark and celebrate animals’ lives. McCullough said that Linda McCullough and the Farewell Chapel at Precious Pets Cemetery.

many pet owners prepay for the cremation.

Cat owners also can choose from a variety of bronze and resin urns and cat statues.

Precious Pets also offers urns for those who would like to remember their horse through a bronze bust or photo, as well as a resting place in “The Last Corral” memorial garden.

In addition to wood, metal and marble urns, Precious Pets provides creative ways for owners to keep their pets in their memories.

Wearable jewelry and accessories, such as necklaces, charms and keychains, can be made from a pet’s hair or its “cremains.”

Additionally, pet owners can memorialize their pet’s distinct step with a clay paw print.

Pet owners who do not want to purchase a large grave marker also have the option of choosing an etched garden rock to remember their pets. Name plates also are available as a reminder of a pet’s life.

Potential complications

While a pet’s impact on its owner’s life is permanent and incalculable, choosing a resting

A K-9 unit memorial statue.

place can have potential complications.

If a pet is buried on one’s property — an increasing rarity, and a burial method likely restricted by law — any future move to a new home could make it difficult to visit, potentially causing emotional distress for the pet owner.

“We provide a safe place for their pet that they can always visit, no matter where they live,” McCullough said of Precious Pets. “It’s common in Oklahoma to bury in your backyard. At least out here, if you move, you know where your pet is.”

There are a variety of spaces at Precious Pets that reflect animals’ different sensibilities, as well as their owners’ expressions and

celebrations of their life. Options include the St. Francis Garden; the Eternal Companions Garden, which requires grave markers; the Furry Friends Garden; and the Faithful Guardians Garden, for service dogs and police canines.

Precious Pets purchased the Pet Memorial Garden in Normal in 2003, and it serves as a formal cemetery.

“There’s lots of options. Several people

have been cremated and buried with their pets,” McCullough said.

Because the business of pet interment is highly subjective, there’s no one right option for every pet owner. Pre-planning, whatever one’s pet memorial choices, can be an effective way to both budget for and emotionally prepare for the eventuality of a pet’s death.

“It’s not for everyone, we know that,” McCullough said. “We try to treat their pets very respectfully, like we would want ours treated.”

While pet owners can never fully prepare for the loss of their pet, planning the practical aspects of a pet’s memorial through a pet cemetery remains an option for death care practices.

Precious Pets has secured an endowment in order to ensure its continuity, according to McCullough.

“We’ve been here a long time,” McCullough said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Visit preciouspetscemetery.com.

A statue of Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, stands watch over memorial plots at Precious Pets Cemetery in Spencer.

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Adopt A Pet

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his trio is a family unit. Sterling, the dad, protected his babies after they were dumped in the country. He watched over them so well that everyone trying to catch them thought he was their mama. Both puppies were very young, and they ran hard to keep up with Sterling as he moved looking for food.

He shared his food with them and kept them warm and safe at night. The dogs were roaming for about a week when someone contacted Haven of Hope, afraid they would be hurt or worse. Someone was able to get the puppies, and we went after them right away.

The next morning, the police called to let us know that “Mom” was howling and frantically looking for her puppies. We loaded the puppies up, and drove to where “she” was resting, exhausted after a morning of searching. We took the puppies out of the car with leashes, and sat down. This frightened dog covered the ground between us quickly when the puppies were spotted. Imagine our surprise when we learned she was a he.

These three need to find a home together.

The puppies might be okay separated, but Sterling probably wouldn’t be. He loves them, and they love him. Haven of Hope has made a commitment to do everything possible to find a home where they can stay together.

The pups are around 6 or 7 months old, and Sterling is an adult, probably around 2 years old. They are never very far away from each other, just as shown in this photo. They sleep together, eat together and need each other.

Haven of Hope Rescue Foundation 405-620-2411 havenofhoperescue.com

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Pet Calendar Fourth Annual Barktoberfest. Join The Underdogs Rescue, Tony’s Tree Plantation and Pet Vet Supply with special co-host GypsyGlam Roadshow for the Fourth Annual Barktoberfest. From selfie stations to pooch parades, games, food trucks and more, there will be something fun for everyone.

Admission is free and costumes are encouraged for all. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28, Tony’s Tree Plantation, 3801 S. Post Road. facebook. com/theunderdogs Howl-O-Ween Parade and Costume Contest. Dress your pups up in their best Halloween costumes and bring them to Frontier City for the Second Annual Howl-Oween Puppy Parade and Costume Contest.

Registration is $22 and includes entry into the contest and all-day admission to the park

once your pup is back home. Doggy bags will be given to the first 20 owners who register.

11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28, Frontier City, 11501 N. Interstate 35 Service Road. facebook.com/frontiercitywhitewaterbayevents.

start time. Registration is $20 per person and includes a doggy bag and a T-shirt if you sign up by Nov. 5. 8-10 a.m. Nov. 11, Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell Road, Edmond. facebook.com/ threedogbakeryok

Intersection: Oklahoma Link Coalition Annual Conference. Learn how animal abuse and family violence are connected at Intersection: Oklahoma Link Coalition Annual Conference. A forensic veterinarian as well as speakers from the Oklahoma City Police Department, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and more will discuss how working together on these forms of abuse can help create safer communities.

Conference registration is $15 and includes lunch and access to all sessions.

9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Nov. 7, Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive. oklahomalinkcoalition.org.

A Dog Day in December. Bring your pooch to Midtown Mutts Dog Park for a petfriendly Dog Day in December holiday party fundraiser benefiting Midtown Association. Your pup can be photographed with Santa, enter a costume contest for a gift card to a Midtown business or taste a puppachino from The Children’s Hospital Volunteers’ new Paws for Purpose program.

The event is free and open to all ages. 6-8 p.m. Dec. 1, Midtown Mutts Dog Park, 407 W. Park Place. downtownindecember.com.

Dog-N-Jog. Join YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, Red Coyote Running and Fitness and Three Dog Bakery Oklahoma for Dog-N-Jog at Mitch Park. Come to this family friendly event and get fit with your dog. This is a relaxed jog with no time limits or official

Festive Fridays: Santa Paws. Join Myriad Botanical Gardens for its first Santa Paws event. Bring Fido out to the dog park for photos with Santa, socializing with other dogs and making a paw print stocking to hold Christmas morning presents. Registration is $5-$10 and ends Dec. 5. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 8, Myriad Botanical Gardens Dog Park, 301 W. Reno Ave. myriadgardens.org.

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Zoo doctors Treating and teaching are all part of the job at OKC Zoo’s animal hospital.

By Chris Eversole | Photos by Garett Fisbeck

isitors to the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden can watch veterinarians work on animals of all sorts and sizes.

There are no limits.

A mother and daughter stayed through six hours of a dental surgery on a pygmy hippopotamus. People watched for hours during abdominal surgery on a bison.

“Nobody is grossed out,” said head veterinarian Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino. “It’s a great way to teach biology.”

The large glass windows on the elevated observation deck at the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital provide a clear view of the three-rooms veterinary medical suite — the treatment room, the X-ray room and the sterile operating room.

Video cameras on the operating and treatment rooms’ lights zoom in for close-ups. At times, veterinarians narrate their every move.

“Some of the kids watching us will be part of the next generation zoo vets,” D’Agostino said.

She had a less tactile exposure to zoo veterinary medicine when she was growing up in Michigan — through the subscription to Zoobooks magazine that her mother bought her. “At 7, I decided I wanted to be a zoo vet,” she said.

Long road

Ryan McCann and Julia Jones trim Zeppy's beak and claws.

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She worked hard to get where she’s at. She started as a volunteer zoo educator at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan, while an undergrad at Michigan State University.

After that, she completed her four-year doctorate in veterinary medicine at MSU, which included preceptorships at three zoos.

Next came a one-year rotating medicine and surgery internship followed by a one-year zoo and exotic animal internship at Kansas State University.

Head vet Jennifer D’Agostino gives a tour at Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital.

“They live much longer in the zoo than they would in the wild,” she said

In 2003, D’Agostino started a three-year residency at the Oklahoma City Zoo in conjunction with Oklahoma State University.

“When my residency here started, I finally knew I really would be a zoo vet,” she said.

After completing her residency, D’Agostino worked for one year as an associate vet under head veterinarian Gary West. When he moved to the Phoenix Zoo, she became the head vet.

“He was a great mentor,” she said. “I was sorry to see him leave, but I was glad to get the head job.”

Big team

Diverse practice

The work of D’Agostino and the two other zoo vets is diverse.

Every new animal is quarantined for 30 days after it arrives, and animal hospital staff checks it to be sure it’s healthy.

Animals get routine vaccinations, teeth cleaning, nail cutting and beak trimming.

Treating fish is tricky.

“We put a sedative in their water, then take them out of the water to do surgery,” D’Agostino said. “We keep water running over their gills during surgery.”

The smallest animal the staff treated was a poison dart frog weighing 2 grams. The largest animal was an 850-pound bison.

Elephants require house calls.

Broken wings on birds can’t be put in a cast, so inserting pins is the usual treatment.

Sometimes the vets put a wing in a sling.

For extraordinary cases, the zoo turns to outside vets.

That was the case when the zoo turned to OSU veterinary cardiologists and surgeons to treat a baby giraffe. As it grew, it vomited

everything it ate — caused by a cardiac blood vessel being wrapped around its esophagus.

When the baby giraffe was 6 months old and 7 feet tall, the OSU specialists operated to fix the problem, but, unfortunately, it died.

“That doesn’t matter,” D’Agostino said.

“We knew the risks involved with this case but we needed to try and save this animal.”

University of Oklahoma physicians did an ultrasound on a gorilla with a hernia.

“We needed their expertise for this case,” D’Agostino said.

An ophthalmologist at BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital does an occasional cataract surgery on several duck species that needs good eyesight to eat.

While most animals are naturally healthy, cataracts, arthritis and cancer plague some animals as they age, D’Agostino said.

The animal hospital’s staff includes the three vets, three registered veterinary technicians, one veterinary assistant, a hospital animal caretaker, a commissary staff of three and one record-keeper.

The commissary staff keeps busy preparing meals for the 1,500 to 1,600 animals (it’s hard to do a census on the fish) of over 400 species, D’Agostino noted.

The food includes fresh fruits and vegetables, dry food tailored by species and previously frozen fish and rats.

Record keeper Don Whitton, who has worked at the zoo for 42 years, has thousands of files from the entire history of the zoo.

The team was trimming the beaks of two macaws, Zeppy and Buster, when Pet Gazette visited.

“Most of the animals don’t like us because of what we do to them,” D’Agostino said when Zeppy squawked after her trimming.

Although the animals don’t realize it’s for their own good, D’Agostino was effusive about the difference she makes in keeping them healthy.

She also delights in kids’ sense of adventure in following her work.

“When we tell them that we removed a tumor from the eye of a koi fish, they love going around the zoo looking for the one-eye koi.”

Jerry Krausz preps meals for animal patients at Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital.

Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital at OKC Zoo.

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