Top tips for boarding your pet this summer!!

It’s official! Summer is finally here, and with it comes road trips, vacations with the family and long weekends with friends.  Unfortunately, your best friend isn’t always invited. There are several dangersWhile you’re looking for a trusting source to leave your furry friend, (or scaly sidekick) here are some points to look for when selecting a facility to board at.

What kind of exercise will my pet get?

So admittedly this will vary with the type of pet you have (it’s rare that a cat enjoys a leash walk, but it’s always available) but you exercise your pet when you’re around, why should it be a couch potato while you’re away?  We include four outdoor walks a day at our hospital for all dog’s boarding (large dog’s stay exclusively in large runs), and cat’s have the option of condo’s to stretch and jump from level to level.  It’s important to maintain your pets active lifestyle, outdoor bathroom habits, keep them in the fresh air and sunshine and interacting with people on a daily basis!

What monitoring services are available?

We know your pet get’s a lot of attention at home, why should it stop while you’re away?  By monitoring your pet’s daily actions, they can see if there is any abnormality in their daily behavior.  In our experience it isn’t usual, however once we received a dog from an outside kennel that hadn’t been urinating for an extended period of time (more than two days before it was noticed!).  It turned out that this Dalmatian was suffering from bladder stones, and actually ended up with a tear in it’s bladder.  Fortunately, our very own Dr. Stockmal was able to accurately diagnose and perform the life saving surgery before the dog suffered septic poisoning.  Without proper constant monitoring, this best friend may not have been around to greet it’s owner when they came home.

What kind of environment do they stay in?

Many pet’s can be anxious when they’re away from their owner.  You should check to make sure that the facility is playing calming music, supplies toys to keep your pet’s mind active and that they have plenty of fresh blankets to sleep with. 

What access is there to a veterinarian?

Most facilities will not have a veterinarian on hand 24/7, but they should at least have a standing relationship with a local veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic!  At American Animal Hospital we’re fortunate to be an animal hospital first, so there are multiple doctors on hand six days a week and a veterinarian on call, and it makes a difference when we have a boarder that may need regular shots or has medical conditions that require more attention during its stay.  Be sure to check your pet’s needs with the facilities abilities.

And of course, how does your pet relate with the staff?

You wouldn’t stay at a hotel where you constantly think the staff is inattentive, so why would your pet?  A loving and gentle kennel attendant can make a huge difference.  Our borders occasionally join us for lunch or spend some time with our receptionists in addition to their daily walks; and you may notice this comment on your pet’s report card! Keeping a personal relationship between the facility and your pet makes it easier for them to adjust when you’re forced to say goodbye.


Hopefully these tips will help your pet have just as much fun as you do this summer!

Congratulations Amber Schwartz!

Amber is the lucky winner of this year's 23rd Annual Open House at the American Animal Hospital.  She beat out some fierce competition, including a beach bum, a blind dog, and a bad girl!  It was Amber's attention detail including straw and accessories that made her the Scarecrow to beat.  She gladly took home the grand prize, a bag of doggy treats and pet accessories.  It was so hard picking a winner, with all these great costumes!

One Cool "Beach Bum"

The "Blind Dog" and "Bad Girl"

Open House This Saturday!

We'll be celebrating our 23rd Annual Open house this Saturday!  There's a great list of guests as that will be able to answer questions, and you'll get to see what's next and new in the world of veterinary medicine.  Also, you'll get a "behind the scenes" look at what goes on when your pet comes in for a dentistry, surgery or even a stem cell therapy!  Our doctors and technicians will show you how they use preventative medicine in pets just like yours to ensure it's living a healthy and happy life.  And of course, all proceeds go to the Randolph Animal Shelter, so don't forget to bring your gently used towels and blankets! Here's a short list of what you can expect:

• Guest Speakers!
• Rich Weinnsen: HiddenFence.com
• Rich is a long time friend of the American Animal Hospital and a great trainer.  He also wrote the book about training pets safely with the Hidden Fence. 
• Lori Day:  Space Farms Zoo and Museum
• Lori Day will be bringing a variety of live animals to show and tell about!  Talking birds, snakes and much more.
• NJSAR:  New Jersey Search and Rescue
• NJSAR Search and Rescue K-9 team will be bringing their dogs and teaching the benefits of their talented handlers and team. 
• Pet Costume Contest
• Every year we host a Pet Costume Contest!  Dress your four legged friends to impress this Saturday for some friendly, creative competition.
• Face Painting
• Raffles, Giveaways and Goodies galore
• We're fortunate enough to have generous sponsors donate some great prizes!  We won't divulge it all, but you can be sure that guests four legged and two legged are sure to have plenty of drool worthy options!
• Stem Cell Demonstrations
• Did you know that Dr. Voynick and the American Animal Hospital have been performing Stem Cell procedures on animals since 2005? Now we can do the entire procedure in house and were one of the first clinics in the US (first on the eastern seaboard to be exact!) to adopt this great technology.  Dr. Voynick will be here answering questions and entertaining skeptics and believers alike.  Checkout our YouTube and Facebook accounts to see some amazing video :) 
• Acupuncture Demonstration
• Both Drs. Cheng and Voynick have been practicing Eastern philosophies for quite some time!  Join them for demonstrations and questions.
• Laser Surgery Demonstration
• As one of the first hospitals in New Jersey to use a surgical laser, we know it's the most humane and minimally invasive way to operate.  Check out how it works and see how it aids in all surgical procedures.
• Surgical Suite Tours
• See what its like in a veterinary surgical suite.  Be as close as you can get without scrubbing up!
• Digital Radiology Example
• Did you know that our digital radiology (dental and x-ray) uses less than 10% of the radiation of traditional x-rays?  This is safer for your pet, the environment and uses less energy!  Check it out up close Saturday!

See you and your pet there!

April Pet of the Month-Our first blog!

Congratulations BRADY! The Brauner family of Mendham adopted their special little Cavalier King
Charles when he was just 10-weeks old. He came from a breeder in Chester. “Brady” was to be a gift for the Brauner’s three young boys, ages 7, 10 and 13. He quickly adapted to his new home and loves every member of his family, but has become especially attached to his new “mom,” Mrs. Brauner.
Brady is an exceptional little puppy! Not only is he one of the cutest we’ve ever seen, he is certainly one of the smartest! At a mere 6-months of age, he has already learned that by ringing a bell when he has to go outside, he will be given his very favorite treat, mozzarella string cheese, when he comes back in. And he will be waiting at the refrigerator until he receives his reward!
Brady’s favorite food is “Taste Of The Wild,” a dry food which comes in several flavors. He so loves this food (every flavor), that Mrs. Brauner says he gobbles it up in 4-seconds flat -- no exaggeration! Not surprisingly, when asked what Brady’s favorite activity is, eating was number one!
He also loves to go for walks -- on nice days. He does not like to go out in the rain, however, and will do so only because he knows his special treat awaits him when he comes back in. As you can imagine, Brady has lots and lots of toys and he can often be found playing with them. He has several favorites, but one is a soft carrot toy he seems to especially enjoy.
Snuggling with his family is another favorite of Brady’s, and of course, he just loves to snuggle with his mom. In fact, soon after he gets up at 6:30 am, he’s ready to get back in bed and snuggle with Mrs. Brauner.
Another unique trait the Brauner boys wanted us to know about Brady was the fact he can jump really high. It’s easy to tell that Brady is so very much loved by his family, and that he is indeed, a very special puppy! We at AMERICAN ANIMAL HOSPITAL are very happy to recognize and celebrate Brady as our Pet Of The Month for April, 2011! One of the Brauner boys pretty much sums it up when he referred to Brady as “the world’s best puppy!” Congratulations Brady Brauner!