Meridian Park Veterinary Hospital

Ingredients:

- ¾ cup whole wheat flour

- ¾ cup quick-cooking rolled oats

- 2 tablespoons grated cheese (any kind)

- 1 cup frozen spinach (thawed but not drained)

- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350º. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Using your hands or a small ice cream scoop, shape the mixture into golf ball-sized treats. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool then refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 months.

Recipe taken from Every Day with Rachel Ray Magazine

*If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not a specific food item is safe for your pet contact your veterinarian. You can also check on http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/. If your dog or cat has any specific dietary restrictions, be sure to contact their general care provider before trying any of these recipes.

*HEARTGARD PROMOTION*

Come in today and Buy 12 Doses (as little as $5.16 a month) and receive $12 off your purchase!

Heartworms and intestinal parasites are extremely detrimental to your pet’s health, whether they are strictly indoors or live outside. Heartworms are spread through mosquito bites and can grow up to 14 inches long inside your dog or cat’s heart, blocking blood from being pumped throughout the body and resulting in cardiac problems and often death.

Golden Koi Cookies

These non-gluten treats are great for dogs with gluten allergies.  Remember, the drier the cookie is, the less fishy it will smell.

Ingredients:

-         1 (3.5oz) can sardines packed in tomato sauce

-         1 large egg

-         ¼ cup water

-         1 teaspoon ground tumeric

-         2 ½ cups garbanzo flour, plus more for rolling out

-         ¼ cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Lightly dust the baking sheet with garbanzo flour.  Using a fork, blend the sardines, egg, water, and tumeric in a medium bowl until the sardines are reduced to a fine texture.  Stir the garbanzo flour and oil into the sardine mixture with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.  Knead briefly to gather the dough into a ball and transfer directly to the baking sheet.  Flatten the ball and shape into a square.  Dust the top of the dough with additional garbanzo flour and roll into a 10 inch square.  Then cut into 1 inch squares.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned and dry.  Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before breaking them apart at the cut lines.

Recipe taken from Modern Dog magazine

If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not a specific food item is safe for your pet contact your veterinarian.  You can also check on http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/.  If your dog has any specific dietary restrictions, be sure to contact their general care provider before trying any of these recipes.

Check out this great website Worms and Germs! This site offers great educational information for pet owners about infectious and zoonotic diseases.  Call us today and we can schedule your pets’ routine de-worming and fecal examinations.

Some delicious treats for your pets to enjoy this Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

-         1 15-ounce can sweet potatoes, drained

• You could also use 1 ½ cups mashed, cooked sweet potato or pumpkin* in place of canned sweet potatoes

-         ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

-         2 tablespoons olive oil

-         2 cups barley flour

-         2/3 cups whole-wheat flour

-         ½ cup nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Process the sweet potatoes, applesauce and olive oil in a food processor until smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to blend until completely mixed.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and knead two or three times if necessary to completely incorporate ingredients.  Roll out to ¼-inch thickness, cut into shapes, and transfer onto prepared baking sheets.  Scraps may be rerolled and cut.  Score large cookies with a fork, if desired.  Brush lightly with olive oil and back for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and lightly brown.

Keep treats in an airtight container for short term storage.  To store them longer, put them in a zipper-lock bag in the freezer.

*If canned pumpkin is used, make sure to use plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling

If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not a specific food item is safe for your pet contact your veterinarian.  You can also check on http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/.  If your dog has any specific dietary restrictions, be sure to contact their general care provider before trying any of these recipes.

Here is just a start to our Halloween Costume display! Please feel free to e-mail us your furry friends attire for this holiday season!

Considering purchasing your pet’s medication on the internet or mail-order company? Read below for some tips before you decide to purchase online.

Knowledge of Appropriate Medications for Pets- Your veterinarian has received proper training and is best qualified to prescribe appropriate medications for your dog or cat. Not all medications are safe for pets. For example, some forms of insulin are not appropriate for certain diabetic patients. A pharmacist could suggest a substitution in medications for what was originally prescribed by your veterinarian.  You should always confirm with your veterinarian prior to administering any medications.

Dosage- Some human medications can be used in pets. Human pharmacists may not be aware that the dosages can be very different. An example is thyroid medication. Dogs require a much higher dose than humans. Human pharmacists since trained in human pharmacology might try and adjust the dose accordingly. Confirming with your veterinarian prior to any and all medication dispensing changes will be favorable to your pet, so they can benefit the most from treatment.

Care of Medications- Some medications need to be kept in controlled environments. When purchasing online the consumer may or may not know where exactly the product is being shipped from. You can be assured that medications purchased through your veterinarian have been shipped and stored properly. The drug manufacturer will stand behind their product in the event that an adverse reaction occurs, something that may or may not be guaranteed if the medication is purchased through an online source.

Safety- All medications prior to administering should be screened by your veterinarian. Determination if the medication is necessary and effective by the doctor is very important. Retail or human pharmacies are not equipped for screenings prior to administrating which could lead to serious complications later for your pet.

Cats and Dogs Are Different- Medications that are designed for either your cat or your dog are not interchangeable.  For example medications labeled Dog Only can be fatal if given to cats.  Your veterinarian will ensure that the medications received are species-appropriate.

Monitoring- Follow-up care and monitoring may be required prior to certain medication administration. Your veterinarian is the best qualified person to discuss with if you have questions about adverse reactions, possible side affects, etc. A relationship with an established veterinarian is the key to keeping your furry friends safe and living a long healthy life.

A Halloween treat for your special cat.

Ingredients:

-        ¾ cup flour

-        1 can tuna (5 oz.) in water

-        2 tbsp canned pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

-        1 tsp dried catnip

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing until a dough forms.  Using floured hands, pick off bite-sized pieces of dough (about ¼ tsp each) and place on lightly greased cookie sheets.  Bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 20 minutes.  Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

Recipe taken from Every Day with Rachel Ray magazine

If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not a specific food item is safe for your pet contact your veterinarian.  You can also check on http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/.  If your dog has any specific dietary restrictions, be sure to contact their general care provider before trying any of these recipes.

Every year, the canine themed magazine Dog Fancy chooses a town in the United States to be crowned DogTown USA.  This title is awarded based on the fact that the community has gone above and beyond all of the others to make their town dog friendly.

This year the honor goes to Bend, Oregon!  Last year, Bend was the runner up, losing out to Coeur D’Alene, ID.  But this year, Bend has proven itself to dog-lovers everywhere and Dog Fancy has recognized the efforts of the residents to make their city a canine heaven.

This city is the host of dog friendly activities year round.  In the summer months dogs can be found hiking, playing in the water or paddleboarding with their owners on the Deschutes River.  Wintertime brings snowshoing, cross-country skiing and even dog-sledding.

But the great outdoors isn’t the only place a dog can have fun in Bend.  Dozens of restaurants allow dogs in their patio areas, and local breweries have dog-friendly policies.  Many of the hotels open their doors to the four-legged family members and local shops sport pet-friendly products.

If you want to know more about the dog-friendly activities to be found in Bend, visit the website of the local dog advocacy group, DogPAC at http://www.dogpac.org/.

Ice Surprise*

This recipe provides a fun and tasty way for your cat or dog to cool off on hot summer day. It’s delicious for them and easy for you.

Ingredients:

- Ice cube tray

- Water (or, for cats, meat broth)

- Sliced banana

- Sliced carrot

- Sliced apple

- Peanut butter

- Blueberries

Dogs: Fill the tray halfway with water and add a slice of banana, apple, carrot, blueberries and a teaspoon of peanut butter to each cube. Freeze and serve.

Cats: Fill the trays with meat broth. Freeze and serve.

Recipe taken from Fetch! Magazine

*If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not a specific food item is safe for your pet contact your veterinarian. You can also check on http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/. If your dog has any specific dietary restrictions, be sure to contact their general care provider before trying any of these recipes.