Larger predatory species such as foxes, coyotes, cougars, and bobcats are fully capable of killing and consuming cats, rabbits, small dogs, chickens and other pets who are allowed to roam freely.

These wild animals prey on small birds and mammals in order to survive. It would be extremely unrealistic to expect them to be able to make a distinction between a person’s pet and any other small bird or mammal they come across.

Be that as it may, it is devastating to lose a beloved pet, and wild animals are often vilified as a result of pet predation. This usually leads to the killing of the suspected wild offender. As you can see, when pets are allowed to roam freely unsupervised, even in urban and suburban areas as wild animals are all around us, both the pet and the wild animal lose in the end.

What can you do?

The following tips will help you keep both your pets and wildlife safe:

• Turn your outdoor cat into an indoor cat, or build an enclosure so your cat can safely be outside.
• Do not put bird feeders in your yard if you have free roaming cats on your property.
• When outside of a fenced yard or dog park, keep dogs on leash, or under close supervision.
• Feed pets inside, or if feeding outside, remove leftover food as soon as the pet has finished eating.
• Make sure that all outdoor caging for animals such as rabbits, chickens, and other pets, is secure against predators.

Seeking a second opinion from another veterinarian? As the saying goes, “two heads are better than one.”  This is often the case in medicine, especially for difficult diagnoses in specialized areas of knowledge.  So, there may be times when you would like to get a second opinion regarding the diagnosis or treatment of your pet.

It is important to remember that, like human medicine, veterinary medicine is an enormous field, and your veterinarian cannot be an expert on everything.  Because of this, most veterinarians are very comfortable with your seeking a second medical opinion.  In fact, your vet may even recommend this option, especially for a particularly difficult or unusual problem.  Your vet may refer you to a local specialist or to a veterinary teaching hospital (if there is one in your area), because these resources offer a great deal of additional expertise in specialized areas (eg, neurology, cardiology, oncology, etc).  Such expert consultation may involve significant added cost but is often the most effective way to get to the bottom of an unusual problem and obtain the best treatment.

A couple of notes of caution are warranted about seeking expert advice from books or online resources.  Print resources, Web sites, and online pet-friendly forums can often provide you with general background information.  However, sometimes the information is inaccurate or by nature incomplete, and these resources should never be considered a substitute for the skills of a qualified veterinary professional.  A vet who has taken your pet’s history and performed a physical examination is in the best position to diagnose, recommend additional testing (if necessary), and treat your pet’s problem.
**Adapted from webvet.com

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Royal Canin has raised their prices. Effective 1/1/14. More updates to come.

SFPC