Wiggles & Giggles Halloween Bash – Fred Anderson Park, Thursday October 29, 2015

On the second night before Halloween please join the South Loop Dog PAC, West Town Walkers and the Greater South Loop Association for a FREE party at Fred Anderson Park for families with dogs, families with kids, and of course families with both!

Come on out and meet your neighbors to oooh and aaah over the cute costumes, do some Trick-or-Treating, and participate in a fun Costume Contest for both the kids and the dogs! There will be a Costume Parade at 7:00, followed by announcement of the prizes.

Costume categories are Child, Dog, and Ensemble (a combination of humans and dogs). The Ensemble category was added after last year's winners, the Viking Family, absolutely stole the show!

Great prizes have been donated by several local South Loop businesses, including Bentley's Corner Barkery, DoGone Fun!, Doggyloot, Kriser's, Soggy Paws, and also, our three veterinary hospitals, Burnham Park Animal Hospital, Metropolitan Veterinary Center, and South Loop Animal Hospital have contributed to sponsoring this fun Halloween party.

Keep Your Pets Safe This Holiday Season

By: Dr. Dan Sanchez,
Co-founder, South Loop Animal Hospital
www.MySouthLoopVet.com

The holiday season can be a surprisingly busy time at veterinary clinics. Decorations, treats and visitors can all lead to problems for pets. Although we always enjoy seeing our clients and their pets, we’d prefer that it not be for an emergency during the holiday season. So, here are some tips on how to keep your pets safe at Christmas, New Year’s, and during football bowl games.

1. Tag and microchip all pets

Even typically calm pets may run out the door when visitors arrive. It’s best to keep pets away from open doors, on a leash or otherwise under control as guests come and go. Be sure your pet has a collar with an address tag and a microchip with your contact information so it can be reunited with you if it does escape. Your veterinarian can quickly implant a microchip if your pet doesn’t already have one.

2. Keep pets and party food separate

Many nuts, spices and other human foods are toxic to pets. Onions, raisins, grapes or even just too many hot dogs snatched during a bowl game can mean trouble for pets. If possible, keep pets in a separate area during holiday celebrations to avoid any ingestion of human foods.

Chocolate, grapes, and onions are trouble for pets.

3. Don't share your drinks

Curious pets will also drink beverages left within their reach. Alcohol, eggnog, soft drinks and juices are all bad for your pets. Even small amounts of alcohol can have a toxic effect on your pet’s nervous system.


4. Sweet treats are not for Pets

Chocolate is toxic to both dogs and cats. The darker the chocolate, the greater the risk. Baking chocolate and dark chocolate have the highest toxicity levels. Sugar-free candies and gums that contain the artificial sweetener Xylitol are also extremely dangerous to pets.


5. Keep holiday decorations pet-friendly

Christmas tree ornaments can be a choking hazard
and tinsel is a no-no in a home with pets.

Holiday decorations with dangling ribbons or string are choking hazards for pets if they become entangled in them. These materials can also cause serious intestinal obstruction as well, requiring emergency surgery to remove. Christmas trees should be properly secured so that a curious cat or dog cannot knock it over. Place delicate ornaments above the reach of pets. Never use tinsel if you have pets as it can require surgery to remove it if swallowed.


6. Don’t let pets smell the flowers

Many flowers and plants popular during the holidays are toxic to pets. Mistletoe, holly and azaleas can make pets very ill. Lilies are so highly toxic to cats that they should not be brought into homes that have cats. If your cat consumes any part of a lily, please seek immediate medical attention. Poinsettias are actually not as toxic as most people believe, but ingestion can still cause stomach upset.


7. Don’t let purses and bags be a treasure trove of danger

Purses and bags left on the floor present a troublesome opportunity to pets. Curious pets are known to take medications, gum, make-up and other items out of unattended purses and bags. If you keep medication in your purse, please be aware of the name of the medicine, the dosage and the quantity. This information will be very helpful should a pet get into it.

Anytime your pet gets into something it shouldn’t, please contact your veterinarian, a veterinary poison control center or a veterinary emergency center immediately. Prompt action can make a significant difference in the outcome.

We wish you and your pets the very best this holiday season and throughout the New Year!


About the South Loop Animal Hospital
Located at 1640 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, South Loop Animal Hospital offers a state-of-the-art clinic and high-quality, individualized veterinary care. The clinic is open Monday – Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Stem cell therapy for pets offered at South Loop Metropolitan Veterinary Center

Veterinary medicine now offers hope for injured or elderly pets with stem cell therapy. Metropolitan Veterinary Center at 1556 S. Michigan Ave. #100, is introducing this therapy to the South Loop and Chicago, being one of the few veterinary centers in our area performing this innovative procedure. For pets with arthritis and hip dysplasia, stem cell therapy is life changing.

What is stem cell therapy?
Stem cell therapy introduces adult stem cells into damaged tissue to treat injury and/or disease. First talked about ten years ago as having great potential in the treatment of human sickness and disease, animal stem cell therapy has advanced faster with incredible success.

The Center includes a state-of-the-art operating theater.

With dogs, adult stem cells are harvested from the fat behind their shoulder. Cats have stem cells removed from the fat around their abdomen. These processed stem cells are then injected into the animal. The procedure is completely natural—animals use their own healing cells. It takes several weeks for effects to be noticed.

Safe for older pets
The procedure is safe for older animals, as long as they are in good health otherwise. Metro Vet Center is currently treating an 11-year-old dog. Stem cells can be banked for future use, which would eliminate the need for surgery.

Cost keep coming down
According to Dr. Kjerstin Jacobs at Metro Vet Center, pet stem cell therapy isn’t currently covered under pet insurance. However, pet stem cell therapy has been performed successfully for about nine years, which has helped bring the costs down.

For more information on this innovative procedure and how it might help your pet, call Metropolitan Veterinary Clinic at 312.583.1921. You can find Metro Vet Clinic on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Metropolitan Veterinary Center in the South Loop

If you’re a pet owner living in the South Loop, you’ve probably noticed Metropolitan Veterinary Center at 1556 S. Michigan Ave. But did you know that it’s a state-of-the-art pet clinic that offers in-house laboratory services, dental care, ultrasound exams, and overnight care?

Dr. Kjerstin Jacobs, DVM (far right) with staff

Two vets on staff
The two veterinarians on staff, Dr. June LaFave, VMD and Dr. Kjerstin Jacobs, DVM are the founding partners of Metropolitan Veterinary Center. Both have experience in emergency and critical care medicine and surgery, which they do at the Center.

Bright location

The Center includes a state-of-the-art operating theater.

The corner location at 16th and Michigan is ideal. The entire space is bathed in natural light. When rehabbing the building, they incorporated the existing windows on the east and south sides of the building into the design, creating a welcoming atmosphere that includes separate waiting areas for dog and cat owners. The walls are decorated with images of cats and dogs photographed in and around Chicago. To make dogs feel comfortable, there’s even an red fire hydrant applique on the wall.

Convenient hours
Hours at the Center are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. For more information, you can visit their Web site. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. If you have immediate concerns regarding your pet, please call them at 312.583.1921.