Current Veterinary Info

Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics

2008-11-16T17:35:00.001-06:00

Here we go again….. In the last issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, there was a letter to the editor complaining about low cost spay and neuter clinics. I’m tired of defending myself and people who want to try and make a difference so I let it go. Someone did respond, though, and the original author got to respond as well. The response was even more offensive than the original letter so here we go again. Let’s get rid of some myths, shall we?

1) Spay/neuter are bad medicine. There are no bad clinics, there are only bad people. We can use a ton of examples here. A knife can be used to kill someone or feed your family. A hammer can be used to build a house or end a fight. “Clinics” don’t decide to do surgery without pain medication, bad doctors do. Banning spay/neuter clinics is not the answer. Taking the license away from bad doctors is.

2) Spay/neuter clinics perform subpar surgery. Really? I have a doctor here in my town that does surgery all day out of 1 surgery pack. This is fine unless he opens a low cost clinic? That’s crap. If your spay/neuter clinic is run by a bad doctor than you should file a complaint with your state board.

3) Unless a surgery is performed under university hospital conditions, it’s unacceptable and dangerous. More crap. As long as you get a sterile surgical pack, pain management and a safe anesthetic protocol, you are getting an acceptable surgery. Think it’s wrong that the low cost clinic doesn’t put a catheter in every surgical patient? Go pay full price. The fact of the matter is, some people want a Timex, some want a Rolex. You can shop at Wal-Mart or Tiffany’s. But don’t tell people who are poor that they should go without a watch.

So why does your veterinarian tell you that the low cost spay/neuter clinic is committing animal abuse?

1) They are greedy. News flash: some veterinarians are bad people. They will abuse your trust to make sure that you only spend your money at their hospital.

2) They are elitist. Some people think you should only own a pet if you can pay top dollar for “the best” care. This is wrong on two levels: first, maybe people who can’t afford pets and kids shouldn’t have they, but they do. The pet should not suffer just because people won’t take care of them. Second, ask them what happens when someone gets injured at their practice. EVERY veterinarian I know has sutured up a person. Why didn’t they pay for their staff to get “the best” care?

3) They are bad doctors and business people. You need to remember that being a veterinarian means running your own business. If all you do is give “shots” and spay/neuter, then you are in a dying business. These guys are afraid to change. They can’t all of a sudden become doctors again, so they fight every threat to the status quo. Once it becomes proven that you don’t need to vaccinate your pet every year, these guys will go out of business.

As hard as I‘ve been on low cost clinic detractors, let’s end on some of their valid points and hope that we can correct these problems to help make sure that less animals get put to sleep each year.

1) Low cost clinics enable people to have more animals that they should have. Having worked in this field for more than 10 years I know this is true. I see people come to these clinics and the kids have no shoes, the parents need medical treatment themselves and you told them not to get any more pets last year. But without a low cost option would these people just not get any pets?

2) People abuse the free spay/neuter clinics. Yes people lie, they make up fake names and they fake tax records. I’ve even seen some people show up with grandma and tell us she owned the 80lb pit bull. I always agree this is a problem. But is the fact that some people will abuse the system, a reason to deny everyone help? There would be NO social programs if we operated under that assumption.

3) Lost cost clinics are cutting some corner. Yes, they are. Either your pet is going home shortly after surgery, your pet is not getting a catheter and fluids during surgery, or they are going to do 50 that day and no one will watch your pet wake up from anesthesia. It is NOT the same procedure you are getting at the full service hospital. Your veterinarian is not trying to screw you. Veterinary medicine is just like every other business; you get what you pay for. You have to decide if you want the Timex or the Rolex.

So there it is, my rant on this topic…again. Here’s my recommendation for you if you believe that low cost clinics are eating your lunch. Spend more time telling people the difference between your clinic and the free clinic. Most of the people who go to the low cost clinic are there because they want to be there, not because they have to be there. They don’t value a full cost clinic’s services. Let them go and take better care of the people who want what you have to offer.

If you’re considering a low cost clinic, ask questions. Ask the staff what you are getting. If you don’t like that answer call another clinic and ask why there is a price difference.

Get Ready for an Emergency!

2008-07-30T07:04:00.000-05:00

Here's the homeland security's guide to caring for your pet during a major disaster:

http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/pets.html

Why Your Cat is Fat

2008-05-27T21:12:00.003-05:00

Let's start with one of my favorite topics: fat pets. I was out this weekend and heard so many stories about how people's pets were fat, but there was nothing they could do about it. They tried giving pet food, but the pet wouldn't eat it. They tried exercise, but the pet just wouldn't do it. Diet food? Too expensive, but didn't work anyway. The only life the pet seemed to tolerate was people food and laying on the couch. Usually this story was presented to me by someone who was not in shape.

However, this article was new to me: Inactivity, Not Dry Food, Leads to Diabetes in Cats. (It's a review of Indoor confinement and physical activity rather than proportion of dry food are risk factors in the development of feline type 2 diabetes mellitis. Singerland LI, et. al. VET J. Oct 2007.)

I know that people blame all kinds of things on pet food, ranging from cancer to behavioral problems. However, this one takes the cake, pun intended. Please listen to me. I'll be as gentle as I can: It's your fault. Now, do some cat's have thyroid issues, sure. But, it's not that common. Is your cat diabetic? Maybe, but the research is clear: your cat was probably fat first, and the diabetes may go away if you get the weight off. Think I'm a jerk? Fine. Prove me wrong. Take your cat to the vet and get the blood tests run. If they all come back normal, odds are you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Time for the good news: you can keep your cat around much longer if you get the weight off. First, ditch the "it's not my fault, he's big boned" attitude. Second, get some light cat food and some ear plugs. Put only the amount recommended by your veterinarian in the bowl and wait. If your cat eats all the food and cries, take the amount he's supposed to get for a day and split it up into 4 or 5 meals. Lastly, encourage the cat to move. Buy a toy or a harness. Pick the cat up from his favorite place in the middle of the day and take him to the opposite end of the house.

This isn't going to be easy, for your or him, I'm sorry. But when is the easy way ever the best way to get something done?

Books you can read with your dog

2008-05-21T23:43:00.002-05:00

These books were suggested in an article by Susan Mayer MLIS in JAVMA, vol 232, No. 10, May 15, 2008: A librarian's guide to providing resources to pet owners.

Most people don't go to the library anymore, which is a shame. At the University Of Tennessee we had a special library for the Vet School and a great staff that helped in so many ways I couldn't begin to state them all.

Here are some books that will help you understand your pet better:

The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book of Wellness and Preventive Care for Dogs, Darlene Arden

The Pet Lover's Guide to First Aid & Emergencies, Thomas K. Day DVM

Complete Care for your Aging Dog and Complete Care for your Aging Cat, Amy Shojai

The Cat: It's Behavior Nutrition, and Health, Linda P. Case

Grieving the Death of a Pet, Betty Carmack

Are you at risk?

2008-05-13T15:54:00.002-05:00

I know I've talked about zoonotic disease (diseases that pass from people to animals) before, but it's so important I thought we'd do it again. I get all kinds of calls about this because nobody talks about it. So here goes.....

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself, and be honest!

Do you have contact with animals?

Are those animals vaccinated for rabies?

Do those animals have contact with other animals....Birds, raccoons, feral cats, loose dogs?

Are you young? Do you have a disease or on medication that suppresses your immune system? Are you an older adult?

Do you wash your hands after handling your pet, or their waste? (Really wash?)

Is your pet dewormed on a regular schedule?

Do you apply flea and tick medication to your pet?

Do you travel with your pet?

Do you use mosquito repellent on yourself?

Do you wear gloves when you garden?

Do you cover the children's sandbox when not in use, or cover pools that can collect water?

Do you feed your pet raw meat?

Do you clean your cat's litter box daily?

Are you overwhelmed? Don't be. The purpose of this list is not to scare you, it's not supposed to. The intent is for you to think about these things so that you don't take unnecessary risks. Now talk to your veterinarian about your specific risk. And if you have a medical condition, make sure your doctor knows what type of pets you have at home.

Lyme Disease Facts: Dogs Are Not Humans

2008-05-12T18:10:00.002-05:00

One of the jokes that is constant through veterinary school is that cats are not small dogs. As a student, you try to make as many similarities as possible between the two species because the volume of information can be overwhelming at times. It's also why most veterinarians own a shirt at some point in their careers that says "Real Doctors Treat More Than One Species".

Which brings me to today's topic: Lyme Disease. Many people know that ticks carry Lyme Disease, but they are only familiar with the human signs. And with good reason, it can be deadly in humans. However, some dogs may be carriers and show no or vague signs thus leaving a reservoir of risk right in their home.

So here they are: Things You Need to Know About Lyme Disease:

Dog's do not get the "Bull's eye" rash.
It generally takes 60 days from the time of infection to time signs show up so there is no acute inflammation at the site of the tick bite.

Clinical signs of Lyme Disease in the dog are vague and confusing.
Signs include: painful joints, lameness, fever, loss of appetite.

Dogs do not only show signs of Lyme Disease during the summer.
Signs can take up to 6 month to show up.

About 90% to 95% of dogs that acquire the disease will never show signs.

Human Lyme disease has been reported in all 50 states.
You do not live in an area that is free from Lyme Disease.

A tick must feed for about 50 hours before they can transmit the disease.
This means you can prevent most cases of this disease with a good tick product (Frontline, for example).

Infected dogs may still carry the parasite after treatment.
Treatment will help with clinical signs, but may not rid the dog of the parasite.

There is a vaccine available.
You should talk to your veterinarian to see if the vaccine is right for your dog.

But Doc, It's his leg that's broken.....

2008-05-08T21:50:00.002-05:00

Most of the time when I have to see a dog or cat that has undergone major trauma the owners are concerned about the broken bones. They remind me of the first video they show you in Human First Aid. If you took the course you know the one. The little girl is in the pool and she drowning. The instructor then asks how many of you would jump into the pool. Of course, everybody in the class raises their hands. The camera then pans out and you see the electric pole that fell into the pool. You just jumped in to a pool filled with electricity. I missed the obvious by not assessing the situation first.

Before we get too far in, of course the pain needs to be dealt with. But we need to make sure the important functions are working. So I thought I would give everyone a short list of the way we assess a patient that has been presented after a major trauma. This should help you too in the unfortunate circumstance that you have to deal with a pet that has been in an accident.

In the field the first thing you should do is avoid getting yourself injured. Make sure the area is safe for you to approach.

Just like in the human field, the ABC's are the first area to assess (Airway, Breathing Circulation). However, in animals, we proceed very carefully with assessing the airway. Many of these animals are in pain and I'm not all that interested in putting my hands in a painful cats mouth.

Next, we assess the patients breathing. In the hospital, we have the aid of a stethoscope. But you can get a good read on a patient's respiratory status by just looking. First, look for obvious trauma to the chest wall. Next, you want to observe the rate, pattern and sounds.

Circulation can be the hardest part of the evaluation. The gums of a healthy dog should be pink. However, the shock of pain can make a dog's gums white. I usually use the tongue as my gauge. Painful dogs generally still have a pinkish tongue. Estimating blood loss can be difficult even for someone with training. A little blood on the ground always looks like a lot.

The next thing to look for is the animal's mental status. Does the dog know what's going on? Does she respond to you when you talk to her? Are her pupils even?

Finally, I'm looking at broken bones. Unlike people, dogs and cats don't die from complications of broken bones in the short-term. They need to be addressed for pain and future repair, but they are not usually life threatening.

For tips on how to move a dog or cat that has been traumatized the American Red Cross has a great website:

http://www.redcross.org/news/hs/firstaid/010801petfirstaid.html

For the Birds

2008-05-07T11:43:00.003-05:00

I am not an exotic animal specialist, but I do see a fair amount of birds, reptiles, hamsters and guinea pigs. I have to. The other emergency clinics in Middle Tennessee won't touch a dieing exotic pet with a ten foot pole. I feel that I have some obligation to at least try to stabilize the patient until someone who knows what they are doing can fix the problem. That's not to say that I don't know what I'm doing. I pull blood feathers on birds, I've taken foreign bodies out of ferrets and I've treated hamsters with mites. But I do understand the other emergency clinics concern about treating these pets.

For starters, people who have never taken these pets to a veterinarian before demand a specialist at 3am. And in the age of litigation, I understand the that veterinarians are afraid they are going to do more harm than good and end up in a legal battle for their license just for trying to help. At my place we tell people when they call that I don't do exotics regularly, but I'm willing to try. If they want an expert they should keep calling around, I'm not their man.

With birds, most of the time there isn't much I can do. I know that people always say that "this just started today", but most of the time it didn't. Birds are very good at hiding illness so by the time you notice something is wrong, it's very late in the process. that's not to say that they can't be saved, but they need a bird doctor, not your dog and horse vet who took a weekend continuing education seminar on "Basic Bird Care". So, here is a list of things that I see on emergency that should have been addressed long before I got my hands on the case:

1) Lethargy for any more than 1 day. A bird that is not moving is food for some other animal. If they already are lethargic, they are in trouble.

2) Burns. Birds fly into frying pans, or try to perch on hair irons and they need their feet to live. Plus, all the Neosporin in the world isn't going to pain that bird is in.

3) Loss of appetite for more than 1 day. They have a very high metabolic rate and eat all the time.

4) Sitting on to bottom of the cage. There a reason he's there and watching him for a day or two isn't going to alter that reason.

5) Blood anywhere. They don't have much of a blood volume and small amounts of blood loss can be lethal.

Which leads me to my last piece of advice: find a veterinarian that deals with birds as soon as you get a bird. Most veterinarians who deal with exotics have an emergency plan for established clients. (and I don't blame them for turning away non-established clients. Who wants to get up at 3 am to hear, "I only paid $5 for this bird, why should I pay you $70 for an exam!" and then get stiffed?)

Like with the rest of life, a little bit of preparation may prevent a whole lot of heartache.

Why you should wash your hands after playing with turtles.

2008-05-04T22:28:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid, my mother was constantly telling me to wash my hands before eating. Most of the time, I tried to get around it. Now that I'm older I wonder how I got this far. It turns out that many kids get Salmonella from playing with turtles. So many, in fact, that the CDC put out a report on it:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5703a3.htm

Who knew?

Your Kid Can Be A Veterinarian Too!

2008-05-04T22:21:00.002-05:00

It's estimated that by 2050 we will need more than 26,000 more veterinarians than we have right now. Here are some tools to help teach kids about what veterinarians do: http://www.avma.org/educators/ I don't know if your kid wants to inspect meat or watch pigs grow, but this would be a great place to find out!

Cat Fights

2008-04-29T14:31:00.004-05:00

Sometimes my job can be a real pain in the butt. I work for a humane society that provides free spay/neuter to certain groups of people and my hospital performs low cost spay/neuter to anyone who has $40. Yet, some people just can't seem to get there. I mean they make appointments and just don't show up. It's not just that they don't care about their animals, they take up a spot from someone who might actually show up. At the humane society we get about 50% of the appointments to show up. I love the people we call only to wake them up. It's free and they can't even be bothered to get out of bed!
Alright, that rant was brought on by an article in JAVMA Vol. 232. No. 8 page 1152 on Feline Leukemia (FELV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and cats presented for being in a cat fight. So let's discuss the viruses first.
FELV and FIV are common retroviruses found in cats. The viruses are acquired by direct contact with infected body fluids, and are not contagious to humans. However, like the most widely known retrovirus HIV, there is no cure in cats, it can be difficult to detect in the cat and some cats may be carriers with no apparent clinical signs. Unlike HIV, there are vaccines for both FELV and FIV.
The study involved almost 1000 cats that were presented to a veterinary hospital for treatment of an abscess or bite wound. At presentation, about 20% of the cats were positive for FELV, FIV or both. Cats that were negative for both were told that retesting in 6 months was necessary to make sure that the cats didn't acquire a virus during the current episode. Only 5% of the owners returned to have the cats retested. Here's the kicker: the clients were paid to get the tests run on their pets! Didn't get that? Let me quote the article, "Financial incentives were provided to veterinarians and clients to promote compliance."

So let's summarize this article:
FELV and FIV and deadly diseases that are completely avoidable by keeping you cat inside, or current on his vaccinations.

People and their cats were enrolled in a study to see how many cats that got into a fight had contracted either FELV or FIV.

Even though the clients were being paid to do what was right for their cat, 95% couldn't bother.

Like I said some days my job is a pain in the butt.

It's not all bad news: Here are the AVMA's current recommendations on vaccinating your cat against this common killer.

http://www.avma.org/vafstf/rbbroch.asp

Cat Vitamin Recall

2008-04-28T21:36:00.002-05:00

Hartz recently recalled two batches of cat vitamins for potential Salmonella contamination. There have been no reported cases of sickness, in cats or in humans. The lot numbers affected are: SZ-16371 and SZ-22771. If you have any questions about the products you should call Hartz at 800-275-1414.

Lyme Disease

2008-04-28T21:30:00.002-05:00

We have a lot of people who come into my clinic and find a tick on their dog, only to pull it off and ask me for some place to throw it out. I always have to fight the urge to cringe. I know it's pretty rare for a human to catch a disease this way, but ticks transmit a bunch of diseases you never want to catch. Which brings us to today's topic: Lyme Disease. It's a nasty little bug that can cause arthritis, kidney disease and even death, in both you and your pet. There is a vaccine available for dogs, and the maker of the vaccine has chosen April, the start of tick season in most areas, as Lyme Disease Prevention month. The website is www.LymePrevention. com.
Yeah, it's a website commercial, but it's got some good information.

Rabies

2008-04-23T09:54:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we actually had a rabid dog at our clinic. It was a major fiasco. The state veterinarian told us there was no point in getting my staff treated for the exposure. physicians had any clue about what they needed to do for my staff. And nobody was willing to offer an opinion because they were afraid of the liability. This was very frustrating for all of us. Rabies is a deadly disease and all I got were people covering their own asses! It turns out my experience may have been typical:

Date: Wed 9 Apr 2008
Source: PostStar.com [edited]

Man bitten in attack by rabid fox
---------------------------------
A Lake George man was bitten and scratched by a rabid fox Monday
night [7 Apr 2008] as he attempted to fend off repeated attacks while
he and his fiancee walked up the steps to their 2nd-floor apartment.
Later that night, the fox repeatedly bit the right front tire of an
SUV driven by a responding officer with the state Department of
Environmental Conservation. It was the 1st confirmed case this year
[2008] of a rabid animal attack in Warren County.

The couple, both 23, had exited their car behind their garage
apartment on state Route 9, between Warrensburg and the village of
Lake George, at about 10 p.m., with the woman walking ahead of the
man up the 10 steps of the back stairs. "We both heard something. We
turned around. Right behind our back tire was a fox, not even 5 feet
away," she said Wednesday [9 Apr 2008]. "I started screaming really,
really loud. [My fiance] started kicking to get him to go away," she
said. "It just kept coming back and attacking him. It seemed like
forever, but in reality it was probably 3 minutes."

The man was bitten and scratched on the left ankle as he tried to
keep the advancing animal away from his fiancee. At 1st, he said, he
thought the attacking gray fox was a cat and he kept pushing the
animal back down the stairs with his feet and yelling to his fiance
to get inside. "It didn't really hurt," Bishop said. "I still think I
won that fight. I just kept kicking him in the face. He got up and
ran back. I wasn't kicking him that hard, though. I'm not a mean person."

Once in the apartment, the couple closed the door and peered through
a nearby window to see the animal. "When we slammed the door, you
could see the fox trying to get in," the man said. His mother, who
had earlier walked to the apartment from her home next door to take
care of the couple's 2-year-old daughter, called 9-1-1. About 25
minutes later, the couple had another close call when they decided to
open the door to see if it was safe for the mother to walk home. An
outdoor floodlight, which goes on when there is movement in the yard,
had turned off, and he said they believed the animal had left the
area. But it hadn't.

"Right when we opened the door, the fox ran up the stairs again," she
said. She went to close the door, but a loose shoe kept the door from
closing and allowed the fox to stick its snout through the opening
before the door could be shut all the way.

The woman said the attack left blood and scratches on the door. "It
felt like we were being hunted," she said. When Environmental
Conservation Officer George LaPoint arrived on the scene at about
11:20 p.m., the fox ran down the apartment stairs toward his vehicle.
LaPoint estimated that the animal attacked one tire on his SUV
between 7 and 10 times, apparently biting it each time. LaPoint drove
back and forth in the driveway and tried to use his handgun to shoot
the fox from the driver's side window. But the fox remained elusive
and kept darting between the vehicle, the stairs and the woods, he
said. Eventually, the fox was hit and killed by the SUV's
undercarriage. But the animal's brain, which is used in rabies
testing, remained intact. LaPoint said the fox was the most
aggressive animal he has encountered in his 9 years as a conservation
officer. "This was a 4- or 5-pound animal attacking a 3000-pound
vehicle," he said.

The Warren County Department of Public Health expedited testing of
the fox in a state lab in Albany on Tuesday [8 Apr 2008], said
Ginelle Jones, the department's assistant director. Health officials
notified the man later Tuesday that the animal had tested positive
for rabies. That same day, he began treatment for the disease, which
involves a series of shots administered in his ankle, arms and upper
hip in 5 sessions over a 25-day period.

[Byline: Bob Condon]

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

*****
[2]
Date: Wed 9 Apr 3009
Source: todaysthv.com [edited]

A Polk County family's dog has been confirmed to be infected with rabies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The family, living on Highway 71 near Hatfield, says the dog became
ill around 1 or 2 Apr 2008 and was aggressive and biting. It
progressively became worse until it was euthanized and submitted for
rabies testing on Fri 4 Apr 2008.

Anyone who was bitten by a dog in the area should contact the Polk
Co. Health Unit in Mena at (479) 394-2707. The dog ran free and was
unvaccinated. The dog had killed a skunk several weeks earlier.
Authorities say that skunk undoubtedly was rabid and was the source
of rabies to the dog. Other dogs, cats, horses, cattle in the area
could also have been bitten by the rabid skunk.

Rabies is a virus that attacks the brain and spinal cord and is a
fatal disease. It is most often seen in animals such as skunks, bats,
and foxes. Cats, dogs, ferrets and livestock can also develop rabies,
especially if they are not vaccinated.

In 2007, Arkansas had 33 rabies positive animals, including 23
skunks, 7 bats, one cow, one fox and one dog. So far in 2008, the
state has had 8 skunks, one bat, one goat, and now 2 dogs test
positive for rabies. One of the skunks also was in Polk Co. but in Mena.

The 1st sign of rabies in an animal is usually a change in behavior.
Rabid animals may attack people or other animals for no reason, or
they may lose their fear of people and seem unnaturally friendly.
Staggering, convulsions, choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis
are often present.

Skunks may be seen out in daylight, which is an unusual behavior for
them, or they may get into a dog pen or under a house. Many animals
have a marked change in voice pitch, such as a muted or off-key tone.
An animal usually dies within one week of demonstrating signs of
rabies. Not all rabid animals act in these ways, however, so you
should avoid all wild animals, especially skunks, bats and stray cats and dogs.

If you think you have become exposed to an animal with rabies wash
your wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention
immediately. Contact your physician and county health unit
immediately and report the incident. The animal in question should be
captured, if possible, without damaging its head or risking further exposure.

All dogs and cats in Arkansas are required to be vaccinated against
rabies yearly by a licensed veterinarian. This not only protects the
animal, but also acts as a barrier between the wildlife exposures of
rabies and people, as our pets are more likely to be exposed to a
rabid skunk directly than we are. Children especially should be
reminded not to touch wild animals and to stay away from stray pets.

If an apparently healthy domesticated dog or cat bites a person, it
must be captured, confined and observed daily for 10 days following
the bite. If the animal remains healthy during this period of time,
it did not transmit rabies at the time of the bite. The brain tissue
of all wild animals must be tested for rabies if human exposure has occurred.

What can we do to protect ourselves against rabies?
- Be sure your dogs, cats and ferrets are up-to-date on their rabies
vaccinations
- Do not feed, touch or adopt wild animals
- Keep family pets indoors at night
- Bat-proof your home or summer camp in the fall or winter (The
majority of human rabies cases are caused by bat bites.)
- Encourage children to immediately tell an adult if any animal bites them
- Teach children to avoid wildlife, strays, and all other animals
they do not know well

Report all animal bites or contact with wild animals to the Polk
County Local Health Unit. Do not let any animal escape that has
possibly exposed someone to rabies. Depending on the species, an
animal can be observed or tested for rabies in order to avoid the
need for rabies treatment.

[Byline: Arkansas Dept. of Health]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

******
[3]
Datw: Thu 10 Apr 2008
Source: TriValleyCentral.com [edited]

Pinal issues county-wide rabies advisory
----------------------------------------
The Pinal County Public Health Services District is issuing an
advisory for animal rabies to all residents of Pinal County. On 31
Mar 2008, a bobcat bagged in the Peppersauce campgrounds near Oracle
tested positive for rabies at the Arizona State Public Health
Laboratory. The bobcat attacked and exposed at least 2 individuals at
the campsite. Both individuals are currently receiving a series of
shots to prevent contracting the rabies virus.

Anyone who has been at this campsite recently and had physical
contact with a bobcat should contact the Pinal County Public Health
Services District at (520) 866-7347 immediately to determine whether
treatment is needed.

This is the 5th animal to test positive in Pinal County in 2008. The
identification of rabid animals statewide serves as a reminder of the
potential for rabies in wild animals in Arizona. Rabies is an
infectious disease that affects the nervous system, including the
brain and spinal cord of animals and humans. It is caused by a virus
present in the saliva of infected animals and is transmitted to
humans through contact with the live virus. Rabies is fatal to humans
once symptoms appear. There has not been a documented case of human
rabies in Pinal County for decades.

While human exposures to rabid animals are rare, family pets are more
often exposed to wild animals, including wild animals that are rabid.
Vaccination against rabies is available through your veterinarian or
Pinal County Animal Care and Control. This will prevent them from
getting rabies if exposed to a rabid animal. If unvaccinated
household pets come in contact with a rabid animal, the pet must be
put to sleep to eliminate risk to humans or other animals.

"When the family dog gets into a fight with a skunk or the cat brings
a bat home, that family pet is at risk of getting rabies," said Pinal
County Public Health Director Tom Schryer. "We need to consider this
risk in public health. If it is possible that the family pet could
get rabies and give it to a family member, animal care andcontrol
agencies have no choice but to remove that pet from the home.
Unfortunately, the majority of household pets identified with
exposures to rabid animals in 2007 were not vaccinated and needed to
be put to sleep. A simple shot at the vet's office could have
protected both these animals from rabies."

Feel free to contact Pinal County Animal Care and Control for more
information concerning rabies vaccination for pets and vaccination
clinic times and locations at (520) 509-3555 or toll free at (888)
431-1311. While rabies can occur in animals anywhere in the county,
in the last few years the southern and eastern portions of the county
have had the most activity. Rabies is found mainly in wild animals
such as bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons, bobcats and coyotes.
Unvaccinated cats, dogs and livestock can also become infected with
rabies if they are bitten by rabid wild animals. Rodents such as
rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs and squirrels are not likely to be
infected with rabies. Wild animals exhibiting unusual behavior should
be reported to local animal control officials. The best way to
protect yourself and your family is to avoid touching, handling, or
adopting wild or stray animals.

The 1st sign of rabies is usually a change in the animal's behavior.
Animals may act more aggressive or more tame than usual. Animals
usually active at night such as skunks, foxes and bats may be out
during the day. Rabid animals may appear agitated and excited or
paralyzed and frightened. Sometimes, rabid animals do not show any
signs of illness before death from rabies. That is why contact with
wild animals should always be avoided.

Pinal County Public Health Officials recommend the following
precautions: Keep people and pets away from wild animals. Do not pick
up, touch or feed wild or unfamiliar animals, especially sick or
wounded ones. If someone has been bitten or scratched, or has had
contact with the animal, report it immediately to animal control or
health officials. Do not "rescue" seemingly abandoned young wild
animals. Usually, the mother will return. If the mother is dead or
has not returned in many hours, call the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Vaccinate all dogs and cats against rabies. Pets should be kept in a
fenced yard. Take precautions when camping, hunting or fishing. Avoid
sleeping on the open ground without the protection of a closed tent
or camper. Keep pets on a leash and do not allow them to wander.

Do not disturb roosting bats. If you find a bat on the ground, don't
touch it. Report the bat and its location to your local animal
control officer or health department. Place a box over the bat to
contain it. Be careful not to damage the bat in any way since it must
be intact for rabies testing.

For more information about rabies, call the Pinal County Public
Health Services District at (520) 866-7347, or the Arizona Department
of Health Services at (602) 364-4562.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

*****
[4]
Date: Thu 10 Apr 2008
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press onllne [edited]

Fox attack shows need to prevent rabies
---------------------------------------
A bite from a rabid fox in Whitfield County, GA, underscores the need
to aggressively combat the deadly disease, officials in Georgia and
Tennessee say. Chad Mulkey, environmental county manager in Whitfield
for the North Georgia Health District, said the attack illustrates
how development crowds wild animals and humans closer together. Mr.
Mulkey wasn't surprised Jimmy Cooper encountered a fox near his home
last week [31 Mar - 4 Apr 2008]. "Up there where this bite occurred,
I'd say the habitat being destroyed is what pushed this fox out," Mr.
Mulkey said. He said raccoons, skunks and bats also are primary
carriers of rabies.

Whitfield County wasn't included last fall [2007] when vaccine-laden
baits were put out in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia to
battle the spread of rabies in wild animals. "Baits are typically
used to create a buffer between a population that has rabies and a
population that doesn't have rabies," Mr. Mulkey said.

Tennessee Public Health veterinarian John Dunn said the raccoon
strain of rabies, which can be transmitted to other species and
appears to be moving west, "is the reason for the baiting." Oral
vaccine baits scattered by hand and dropped from planes last fall
targeted raccoons and skunks, according to USDA Wildlife Services
reports. The program started in Tennessee in 2002 and Georgia in
2003. In Southeast Tennessee, 340 345 baits were dropped in the
10-county area, according to National Rabies Management Program
reports. In Northwest Georgia counties west of Whitfield, 89 560
baits were dropped, reports state.

The disease usually is spread to humans through the bite of a rabid
animal, but is occasionally transmitted by infected material such as
saliva, officials said. Mr. Dunn said bats are a special case because
their teeth are so small a bite might not be noticed. "Most of the
human cases we've had over the last 20 years have been associated
with bat rabies," he said, noting pets can be infected just as
easily. Pets that are vaccinated create another barrier between wild
animals and humans, because rabid pets are certain to come in contact
with their owners, he said.

Mr. Dunn said while skunks are a common carrier, larger animals such
as raccoons and foxes are more dangerous when they get rabies because
they are more aggressive and have little fear of people or pets. Mr.
Cooper, a retired salvage yard owner who lives near the
Whitfield-Murray county line at the Tennessee border, said his
neighbor called him last week saying a fox was trying to jump through
their screen door. "It was jumping up at them, trying to bite them
through the door," he said. The fox retreated under the porch before
Mr. Cooper got there, then "came out trying to bite me in the face,"
he said. "I got back up kicking at it, and kicked it a couple of
licks. Finally, it jumped up and bit me right above the belt line."
Mr. Cooper got a gun from his house, shot the animal and turned it
over to authorities. Now he is taking a series of injections, which
he says are not painful, to stave off the disease. Rabies is nearly
always fatal once symptoms develop, officials said. Mr. Cooper said
he never worried about wild animals before.

Mr. Mulkey said Whitfield, like many counties, offers low-cost rabies
vaccine clinics every year to keep pets safe and to remove them as a
link in spreading the disease. And a vaccinated pet doesn't have to
be killed for testing if it bites someone, he said. Vaccinated pets
can be held for 10 days so officials can watch for rabies symptoms, he said.

Rabies poses a serious health risk that's easily preventable, Mr.
Mulkey said. "People sometimes don't take it seriously enough," he
said. "It's an ounce of prevention kind of thing."

Some rabies facts:
- Exposure occurs from direct contact with infected central nervous
system tissue or saliva.
- Rabies virus can't penetrate unbroken skin or survive on an animal's fur.
- A pet exposed to rabies does not become a danger to its owners
until it becomes ill.
- Bats can bite unnoticed. Anyone exposed to an infected bat should
see a doctor.

[Source: Georgia Division of Public Health. N.B. A list of the number
of baits applied in each county has been omitted from this
transcript. - Mod.CP]

Armadillos and Leprosy

2008-04-21T21:45:00.002-05:00

I used to work at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI with a great guy named Dan. He knew how every animal in the zoo would kill me. It made me a real kill-joy when I go to zoos with my wife. I was explaining this character flaw to some friends this weekend, when I was describing why I stay away from wild animals now. This lead to a conversation on wild animal brought into veterinary clinics. Nobody would believe me that Armadillos carry leprosy, so I had to do some research:

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990219.html

You can read all about why you should stay away from random animals found on the side of the road!

Grand Bahamas HS Press release

2008-04-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

Humane Society of Grand Bahama
MEDIA RELEASE
April 21, 2008

West End Spay & Neuter Clinic

The Humane Society of Grand Bahama, in partnership with The Kohn Foundation, is pleased to report their third successful field spay/neuter clinic, which was held in West End from April 14 – 18, 2008. This clinic had a few new challenges, which included a mad scramble at the eleventh hour for a clinic venue, and the distance from Freeport. All were overcome in the end and the clinic ran very smoothly.

The clinic was held in the Burrows Investment building on the back road of West End; in what was formerly a small grocery store. It was a bit smaller than our previous venues but it worked out very well. The HSGB thanks the Garvey-Burrows family for making the space available and supporting this project.

A total of 189 dogs and 25 cats were sterilized during the week, for a total of 214 animals. 222 were checked in, 8 were either previously spayed or too sick for surgery (but treated and HSGB will follow up for future surgery). 3 dogs were treated for transmissible venereal tumours. One little dog was successfully treated for a horrendous abscess on his side, which required daily treatments and care all week. Numerous eye and skin ailments were also treated. One dog had a badly injured paw; two of her toes were amputated. She will be able to get around just fine; left untreated, she might have faced leg amputation or even death.

All the dogs and cats received flea/tick preventative, vaccines if needed and deworming, which should lead to a healthier overall pet population. They also had their nails trimmed and ears cleaned while in recovery. Pet owners received educational information on how to better care for their pets.

15 dogs and 40 puppies were surrendered to the HSGB during the clinic. 8 dogs were euthanized, which were too sick, or too feral or aggressive to potentially rehabilitate or re-home. The rest are at our shelter. 12 puppies are going to Florida Tuesday, April 22, to a rescue group that has been standing by ready to assist. More puppies will be going to Florida and New York in the next week or two. The HSGB is pleased to have the support of several rescues and shelters that are willing to help save these puppies while we work very hard to eliminate the surplus through this project. Local residents who have been thinking about adopting a dog or puppy; we have never before had such a variety of gorgeous puppies so please come in and have a look.

The total of 269 animals either sterilized or relinquished means that we have (conservatively) prevented at least a thousand unwanted puppies and kittens born in the next six months alone. Sterilization is the proven, best answer to a pet-overpopulation problem. The HSGB asks all pet owners to be responsible and spay and neuter their pets. Our ongoing voucher program is still active and any residents we missed can call the HSGB at 352-2477 to schedule their pets for surgery.

The HSGB is grateful to the West End Foundation for funding this clinic, and to Old Bahama Bay for providing accommodation for our visiting veterinarians and technicians. Our Freeport volunteers were amazing and tireless; and provided invaluable assistance and support, as always.

Veterinarians for this clinic were chief vet Dr. Robin Brennen of New York City, Dr. Bridget Barry of Ithaca, NY, Dr. Louis Lembo of Columbia, TN, Dr. Deborah Sonnen-Campbell of Boston, MA, and Dr. Kristi Crass of Madison, WI. Technicians/assistants included Gregory Carastro of Amity Harbor, NY, Sloane Smith of Columbia, TN, Stephanie Neufeld of New York City, Amy Brinkman of Stoughtman, WI, Dustin Dennis of Ithaca, NY, Kristin Dennis-Peralta of Rio Rancho, NM, and Martha Kohn of Syosset, NY.

The HSGB is overwhelmed once again at the generosity of these professionals who willingly give up their precious vacation time, and even pay their own way here, to help Grand Bahamas’ animals. The goal is an island with no roaming, diseased, starving dogs and cats and it is attainable with the support of the entire community. For ways you can help us continue this vital project, please call the HSGB at 352-2477.

Individual Care

2008-04-16T20:41:00.002-05:00

Every patient at our clinic gets individual attention.

Our Fearless Leader

2008-04-16T20:36:00.002-05:00

Our leader is on the left. Greg is a licensed technician who is responsible for getting the animals under anesthesia.

Sloane Says Hi!

2008-04-16T20:25:00.000-05:00

Wednesday in the Bahamas

2008-04-16T17:41:00.003-05:00

Today we spayed and neutered 55 animals in The Bahamas. This is a picture of my wife Sloane preparing one of the day's surgeries.

Puppies

2008-04-15T16:28:00.001-05:00

Here are 2 of the puppies that we spayed at the clinic in the Bahamas.

This Week in the Bahamas

2008-04-15T16:21:00.002-05:00

This week Sloane and I are in the Bahamas spaying and neutering local pets in an effort to help curb the feral dog population. This clinic is being held in a store front, where over the past two days we have performed 85 surgeries.

This Week's Blog

2008-04-13T20:33:00.001-05:00

I'm in Freeport, The Bahamas this week performing spay/neuter for the humane society ( http://www.gbhumane.org/). I hope to post pictures of the pets we are helping and the people doing the work this week.

Cheap Prescriptions

2008-04-10T20:36:00.001-05:00

OK, the other veterinarians in my circle may start throwing rocks thought my windows, but here it is: You know how Wal-Mart and some other pharmacies are advertising $4 prescriptions? It turns out the offer includes some drugs I use every day in my practice. Some now I only keep a very small amount on my shelf and I send people to the Kroger down the road. The clients save money and I don’t have to pay my staff to count pills. They have more important things to do. The lists are almost the same from place to place so here’s the Wal-Mart link (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=546834). Next time you need some medication for your dog or cat, you should check out the list, and send me a finder’s fee!

RAW Diets

2008-04-08T22:56:00.003-05:00

Then other day I was learning about food allergies on the web, at a site set up by some drug company. It's a good relationship, I get free continuing education, they try and sell me something. It works well when the company really tries to teach as well as sell. But, I made the mistake of typing "food allergy dog" into a search engine. It seems everybody thinks dog food is like feeding your dog poison. They all want to sell you something "organic" or "homemade" or my favorite "hypo-allergenic". Look up "hypo-allergenic" in the dictionary. You get a more specific definition for the word "thing". I don't know what any of those words mean on a bag of dog food.

One of the most violent reactions I get in the exam room is when someone wants to discuss raw diets with me. For those of you not familiar, raw diets are just what they sound like: uncooked meat. I wouldn't feed it to my dog, but I know people who feed this type of diet without any problems. Maybe I'm just lazy, but I like to just scoop the food out of a bucket and into a bowl. And, I've removed enough bones from dogs to think twice about willingly handing one over to a dog. Also, I've read some studies on the subject: how raw diets are incomplete or how they contain harmful bacteria. I'm not going to tell people not to feed a raw diet, but I think the arguments for a raw diet are a little flimsy.

Consider these two common arguments:

1) "It's what the dog would eat in the wild". Well, that may be true, but considering the average dog only lives in the wild for about 3 years, it doesn't seem that what it eats is as important as IF it eats. Also, I don't think your dog would last long outside your home. When the last pack of wild chihuahua you've seen on the nature channel?
Many of these people will feed horse or beef meat. Your dog in the wild would be eating much less appetizing fare.

2) "The processing causes food allergy, thyroid disease, cancer, etc...)
My only answer for this is that we eat nothing but processed foods and we do fine. As a matter of fact out food is getting MORE processed and our life span is getting longer. Pet food is whole lot less processed than some of that stuff you ate from the gas station in college and your doing just fine....

HIV and Pets

2008-04-07T22:53:00.000-05:00

Most of us who wanted to become veterinarian did so because we couldn’t bear the thought of dealing with people and their problems all day long. That’s one of the problems with deciding on a career path in your early twenties: you’re still dumb enough to be arrogant. Did I really think the dog would just drive itself to the office? It never really catches up with you until you get to veterinary school and you realize how important you are going to be in some people’s lives.

Not too long ago I had a man come to my office because he knew I worked with the local shelter. He needed to give his cat up, but couldn’t begin to think about the cat being put to sleep. He wanted me to watch the cat and make sure he went to a good home. I told him I really couldn’t do that, because I just didn’t have that kind of pull at the shelter. I suggested that he hang on to the cat for a while and we could find the cat a home. That’s when he broke down and told me he had HIV and his doctor told him to get rid of the cat. The man agreed to wait a couple of days and let me do some research.

It turns out if you have an immune-related disease some doctors just tell you to move the pets out, without any thought as to what this is going to do to the mental health of their patient. It’s just not always necessary. There are some risks involved with keeping a pet under those conditions, but they are not absolute. Here are two great sites:

http://www.aegis.com/pubs/step/1993/STEP5108.html

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/pets.htm

That incident was the first time I realized that I needed to pay attention to everyone in the family, not just the pet I was trained to help. Now I ask all kinds of questions: Is anyone in the house allergic to the medication I’m giving your pet?, Do you have children you visit?, Does anyone in the home have an immune-related condition? I’m not blaming the medical profession for missing the boat on this stuff; they have a hard enough job dealing with what they deal with. However, it turns out sometimes that I have to help them, whether the client knows it or not.

Cognitive Dysfunction in Dogs

2008-04-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

Nothing frustrates me more than hearing someone say, “There’s nothing wrong with my dog, he’s just old.” Most of the behavioral changes people associate with “old” are actually disease processes that can be altered with medication, diet or changes to the environment. For example, many dogs that don’t want to play anymore are painful, not “old”, and a simple diet change may return them to their old selves. I have to dogs with hip X-rays so bad you cringe just looking at them. Both dogs are on Hills J/D and both get around just fine.

Some of the behavioral changes people associate with getting old may actually be Cognitive Dysfunction, or “Doggie Alzheimer’s Disease”. That’s right; dogs get many of the same brain changes seen in people with that debilitating disease. Most of the time, it’s the changes people notice. Changes such as: play, responses to commands, sleep patterns, interactions with people, pacing, staring into space, elimination areas.

While there is no cure, there are several things that can be done. Changes in diet and the environment along with new medications can extend the life of your pet and make that time more enjoyable for both of you. If you are noticing any of the changes noted above, have a talk with your veterinarian.

http://www.cdsindogs.com/
This is Pfizer’s site to sell you medication, but it’s still pretty good.

What age should I spay my pet?

2008-04-03T21:00:00.003-05:00

I get this question all the time. I recommend 4 months of age for most dogs and cats. Yes, there is some evidence that spaying early may lead to an increase in urinary tract issues in dogs. However, we know for sure that the chance of getting mammary cancer goes up dramatically if the dog has a heat cycle first. Also, dogs and cats can get pregnant as early as 6 months in some areas of the country. If you want to avoid a litter you need to get your pet spayed before the first heat. So here are my recommendations:

Female Dogs: 4 months.

The risk of urinary tract infection is far out-weighted by the risk of mammary cancer. It's also easier on the dog. A 4 month old dog can be spayed in as little as 6 minutes. Once they get to 60lbs., it can take 30-45 minutes.

Dog Neuters: 4-6 months

You can wait a little longer in the males because most of the effects of testosterone will be reversed once the source is gone. Waiting longer does have some risk. Some behaviors, once learned, may stay with the dog after the neuter, such as marking territory and aggression.

Female Cats 4 months.

Many people find cat's behavior during estrus undesirable. And that's being nice. Cat's in heat howl and carry on, and worse, they are induced ovulators. This means they won't go out of heat until they breed. You will like your cat much better if you get her spayed before the first heat.

Male Cats 4-6 months.

Once a cat sprays in your house you will wish you had him neutered before the spraying started. And neutering him may not stop it.

You should talk with your veterinarian about the optimum age to have your pet altered. You may want to wait for a variety of reasons: breeding the dog, showing the dog or waiting for male characteristics to develop. I just like people to keep in m ind two facts: 1) Most pets that are relinquished to a shelter are there for behavioral reasons, and 2) A Cesarean section (surgery to remove puppies or kittens from mom) costs more than $1000 in most places. Get the dog or cat spayed or neutered.

Not on Topic

2008-04-02T14:00:00.002-05:00

I was sent a this website by a friend. It's a great little book for children who are going to the doctor or the hospital. Who doens't need a little friend when we're scared at the doctor's office?

http://www.joshandfriends.com/

Caues of Urinary Tract Infections

2008-03-31T20:50:00.003-05:00

This weekend at my practice we saw a dog that ate rat poison LAST WEEK. The dog was bleeding from everywhere and had bruises all over her body. Fortunately, we were able to save her. However, treatment was delayed for at least 3 hours because of malpractice. They called their regular veterinarian who told the clients that the dog had a urinary tract infection and would be fine until Monday. That dog would have been dead on Monday. So here is a partial list of things that can cause your dog to drink more water and urinate more:

Diabetes Insipidus (A hormonal disease)
Diabetes Mellitus (too much sugar in the blood)
Kidney Failure
Drugs, Toxins
Hyperadrenocortisism (Cushing's Disease, too much steroid hormone)
Hyperthyroidism
Hypoadrenocortisism (Addison's Disease, to little steroid hormone)
Cancer
Kidney or Bladder Infection
Pyometra (Infected Uterus)
Feline Lower Urinary Tract disease

This list is not intended to scare you, but once again remind you why we can't diagnose over the phone!

FYI

2008-03-31T20:42:00.002-05:00

Two items of interest that I came across this weekend: First Progressive Auto Insurance now covers your pet if they are in the car with you. According to the press release they will pay for up to $500 for injuries received during an accident. Wonder if this covers your hamster when he steals the keys to the Barbi Ferrari?
Second, this spring the American College of Veterinary Surgeons will start to accredit veterinary technicians in a surgical specialty. This may seem a bit odd to you, especially if your veterinarian hires high school grads to care for your pet, but it's a big step. Surgery in pets have gotten as complicated as it is in humans. My practice has a veterinarian who applies plates to broken legs, fixes bad backs and has removed damaged lung lobes. We only use veterinary technicians (and technician students from the local college) in our practice. Our clients want the best, and this is one way of improving the quality of care.

NSAIDS and Pain, Why They Don't Mix

2008-03-30T17:13:00.000-05:00

This is another in the “MYTH” series. It’s an expansion of a handout provided by a magazine called Clinician’s Brief Vet Team advisor. (www.cliniciansbrief.com).

Here are the top myths surrounding Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (i.e., Rimadyl, Duragesic, Previcox, and on….)

1) If a dog is not showing signs of pain, it’s not painful.
This one should be obvious. For starters, the dog or cat may be lying around because it hurts too much to move. How many times have you pulled a muscle and then went for a run?

2) If a pet doesn’t respond to one type of medication, then they won’t respond to any.
This is not true at all. I have allergies. Some antihistamines don’t work at all. Some make me a functional person. If I had given up on the first one I tried I might have doomed myself to a lifetime of suffering.

3) Once your pet starts feeling better you can stop the medication.
Again, your veterinarian is not trying to rip you off; the medication may need to be given, at least occasionally, for the rest of your pet’s life. The medication makes the dog fell better and gets rid of the pain, but right now we don’t have any medication that reverses the changes that occur to your pet’s joints and bones. Those of us in our 40’s wish that medication would hurry up and find its way to market!

4) NSAIDS cause ulcers
Yes, when given in the wrong dosage or to pets with other medical conditions, ulcers can be a problem. And yes, they do occur without warning in some pets. However, the potential risk of a side effect is very small and in many cases the risk-reward is worth it for pets in pain. Just for fun, pick any medicine in your cabinet and ready the warning section. That should make you think twice about just popping pills.

5) Labradors are more sensitive to NSAIDS.
This is just false. Labs are more likely to have bad hips, and therefore more likely to be on medication. For example, you’re more likely to die in a car wreck if you have a driver’s license.

6) A dog on medication for pain will become more active and further hurt themselves.
Think about this for a second. You are choosing to leave your pet in pain so that he will live a longer life. Kind of the way you want to go? This also is based on 1960’s thinking. Pets that move around will actually help themselves by building muscle and losing weight.

7) NSAIDS will cause liver failure.
Again, we have dogs on this medication for years and this has not turned out to be true. Now, we also have the ability to support the liver with new medications and testing.

Spay/Neuter Laws

2008-03-27T20:34:00.003-05:00

Los Angeles passed what is being called one of the most strict spay/neuter laws in the country.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/02/27//news/state/16_37_312_26_08.txt

The city will require everyone without a specific exemption to spay/neuter their pet by 4 months of age or face fines. And, of course, a bunch of people who don't think you should even own a pet (ie. Humane Society of The US) showed up to praise the law. I'm not against spay/neuter programs per se, but laws like this only punish the law abiding citizen. As far as I can tell, they only fine you if you register the dog for a tag. That means people who chose to forgo the legal route of registering their "pets" will continue to avoid detection.

We can also agree to disagree, but spay/neuter is only part of the solution. Without education, this will be nothing more than a way for LA to collect taxes. It's my experience that lack of education and just plain laziness cause more animals to be put to sleep than all the other causes combined. People will feed a cat for years off the back porch, but still call it a "stray" when it comes to getting the cat vaccinated. People will not take a dog to the shelter because they are afraid it will be put to sleep, but will let the dog get run over by a car, get eating by a bigger dog, or let it starve to death by leaving it on the side of the road.

I'm tired of putting animals to sleep. I've worked at high volume, municipal shelters and I've done more than I care to remember. (Know those gray laundry buckets on wheels you see at a hotel? I've seen them filled, dumped and filled again.)But you have to be realistic. Watch the news at night. Look at the way people treat each other. Do you think some law is going to make them treat their "pets" any better?

Healthy Horse Website

2008-03-26T20:41:00.001-05:00

Here's a great website to learn more about taking care of your horse:

www.Americashealthyhorse.com

Dilated Cardiomyopathy

2008-03-26T20:30:00.002-05:00

Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a disease where the heart muscle progressively becomes weaker. In about 17% of large breed dogs, blood levels of taurine is low. Taurine is an amino acid that is not thought to be essential is dogs. Other studies have demonstrated low taurine and carnitine in dogs with DCM. Some of the dogs with low levels of these two nutrients showed improvement in cardiac function with supplementation. This is good news for dogs with a progressive, debilitating disease.

Dog Wheelchair

2008-03-26T20:23:00.002-05:00

USAToday did an article on wheelchairs for dogs who are paralyzed. These are are great option for certain dogs: those that are calm enough to handle one. Anyway, here's a site if you are interested.

www.eddieswheels.com

Doesn't Seem Right

2008-03-25T21:41:00.001-05:00

Here's the story of a veterinarian who needs a vacation, and why I really believe some lawsuits would help our profession:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/109282/
court_rude_veterinarian_cant_be_punished/

Why Does My Dog Vomit?

2008-03-23T20:27:00.002-05:00

Before you call my receptionist and complain that she only tells you the dog or cat needs to be seen, I'd like to give you a list of the most common reasons a dog or cat will vomit:

Dietary Indiscretion or Intolerance
Includes road kill, hairballs and Gorilla Glue

Drug Related Problems
Includes side effects and the dog getting into your "medication"

Toxins
Includes that house plant you kept from college

Motion Sickness
With the way you drive, is it a surprise?

Metabolic or Infectious Disease
Diabetes, Kidney failure

Disorders of the Gastrointestinal Tract
Parasites, Parvo Virus

Abdominal Disorders
Pancreatitis, Liver Disease

Now which one would you like my receptionist to guess your pet has?

Why Dogs Eat Grass....Maybe

2008-03-23T20:15:00.002-05:00

A case study of a dog that was a chronic grass eater was published recently. The authors told the story of a dog that ate grass and subsequently vomited for 7 years. They ran all the usual tests and even conducted a food trial and endoscopy to help find this dogs problem. In the end they increased the dogs fiber intake. The vomiting and grass eating stopped and had not returned at 13 months. While not a scientific study, it raises the question that maybe some dogs eat grass because they are not getting enough fiber in their diet.

This lead me to two conclusions:

First, each patient is an individual. While some dogs may do very well on one type of dog food, others pay actually be harmed by it. This is why when you go to the vet's office they want to run tests. If we start treating every dog the same, we will injure a lot of dogs.

Second, there is still so much we don't know. Chasing down these cases is what makes medicine so much fun.

Source:
A high fiber diet responsive case in a poodle dog with long-term plant eating behavior. Kang B-T, Jung D-I, Yoo, J-H, et al. J VET MED SCI 69:779-782, 2007.

Nutritional Requirements of Cats

2008-03-19T21:26:00.002-05:00

Here are some random facts about cat nutrition, in no particular order:

Cats require about twice as much protein per unit of body weight as dogs do, and more than 3 times as much as rats

As is the case for many of the cats peculiarities, the liver is responsible for the higher protein requirements. The cat liver can't decrease protein use when protein is scarce.

Most carnivores require 8 amino acids as essential, cats have 10.

Deficiency of the amino acid Taurine cause problems with cat's eyesight and heart failure.

High intakes of sugar can lead to glucose in the urine, extremely uncommon in most animals.

Providing glucose only diets to cats can kill them. They die from dehydration trying to rid themselves of the sugar.

Cats are unable to make enough Vitamin D even if they are shaved and subjected to intense light. (don't try this at home, they also get sunburn very easily!)

Rabies

2008-03-18T18:54:00.002-05:00

We had dog test positive for rabies at the Emergency Clinic this weekend. Now, more than 20 people may have to get post-exposure injections and 3 more dogs may have to be put down. Here are some links on Rabies and please get your pet vaccinated:

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/

Rabies laws by state:

http://www.zbirdbrain.com/VAX/RabiesLaws.pdf

Rabies Education for Kids:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/kidsrabies/default.htm

And bite Prevention (this is a little dry, but VERY useful)

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/biteprevention.htm

Tests for Your Pets

2008-03-17T19:53:00.002-05:00

Find out what what breed your mutt is:

http://www.biopetvetlab.com/dnahome.htm

Or, just find out how smart your dog is:

http://www.abc.net.au/animals/dog_test/

Now you can feel as smug about your dog as you do about your kid!

Portosystemic (Liver) Shunts

2008-03-16T17:04:00.002-05:00

We had a dog in the clinic this weekend that was pretty sick. And she had very little chanced of getting better. Not because the disease in untreatable, but because the veterinarian in charge of the case is bowing to the client's wishes. See, the client doesn't want to spend any money. So instead of telling the client the truth, the veterinarian is just placating the client until the dog passes away. The dog truly has a portosystemic shunt.

A portosystemic shunt is a fairly uncommon occurrence. In the womb, a fetus doesn't need to use their liver to detoxify the blood. Mom's liver does that for both the mom and the fetus. Mom's liver also makes enough glucose for both as well. Sometime (hopefully soon!) after birth a little vessel, or shunt, between the intestines and the vena cava closes. In some dog's this may take up to a year, if they live that long. The other way this disease can occur is if these shunts develop within the liver itself. Dog's that are born with this condition are fairly easy to diagnose. They typically have trouble regulating blood glucose and are much smaller than the rest of the litter. (Don't confuse this with the "runt", which statically speaking grows up to be the largest adult.) Many times these dogs present because they are disoriented, or actually have seizures. Simple blood tests usually confirm the diagnosis, but an ultrasound of the abdomen and a biopsy of the liver are sometimes need. Older dogs can acquire a shunt at any time, but these are more difficult to diagnose.

Treatment for mild cases is conservative. Feeding the dog a special diet, along with some medication to help control toxin buildup in the blood stream may be all some dogs need while the body stabilizes. Surgery to repair shunts outside the liver are controversial. The last paper I read about 50% of the dogs did not survive very long after the correction. However, some dogs did do very well, so it may be a good choice if the symptoms are too sever to control with diet and medication.

This site gets more in-depth on the topic:

http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/pss.htm

Acute Renal (Kidney) Failure in the Cat

2008-03-13T14:39:00.003-05:00

Kidney failure is quite common in the cat. Most cats (something like 85%) of cats over the age of 12 years have some form of chronic kidney failure, although most owners don't know it until it's too late. It's not all their fault. The most common tests for kidney failure don't demonstrate a problem until 2/3 of the kidneys have been destroyed. Also, the owners are part of the reason for the problem....well, sort of. Well-fed, well-treated cats can live to be 18, 19, 20 or longer. Given that most estimate of cats in the wild are in the 3 year range, it should not be surprising that pets that live 15 years or more past their "wild" lifespan would begin to break down.
Since chronic kidney failure in the cat is a constant worry, veterinarians are always concerned about threats to a cat's kidneys. Whether we are concerned about medications, anesthesia or anti-freeze, how a cat's kidneys will handle the crisis is always a concern.
Which brings us to today's article: Acute intrinsic renal failure in cats: 32 cases (1997-2004), JAVMA, vol 232, No 5 728-732, by S. Worwag and C. E. Langston.
These two researchers studied the records of over 32 cats that presented to a referral hospital for kidney failure that came on suddenly. Most of the cases (18) were due to the ingestion of some toxin. Seventeen of the cats survived (53%), which is on par with humans and dogs. (This seems worrisome to me, the human hospital has way more tools than I have and still only 1/2 survive!) All of the cats that did not survive were not producing urine at the time of admission. And, an increase in potassium usually meant a decreased chance of survival.
This is bothersome to me. First, it means once a cat's kidneys shut down there may be very little I can do to get them working again. Second, at least in my neck of the woods, potassium is very rarely run on a routine blood panel at the veterinarian's office. The lesson here is to keep things that may be toxic to your cat locked away.

Toxic Pet food Update

2008-03-12T19:31:00.001-05:00

Apparently, there has been a $3.1 million settlement in the Diamond Pet Food lawsuit. Details at:

www.recalledpetfoodsettlement.com

Claims must be submitted by April 15, so you need to hurry.

So you want to be a veterinarian?

2008-03-12T19:27:00.002-05:00

Here's your first step:

http://www.youtube.com/AmerVetMedAssn

Most of the veterinarians who I met before I went to veterinary medical school were small animal veterinarians. Of course, I grew up in Rhode Island, so there weren't too many cows around. This is a good place to see what the other half of my profession does for a living.

Canine Heartworm Disease

2008-03-11T18:07:00.000-05:00

I’ve seen the first mosquito! That’s means it’s time for dogs (and cats, and horses, and people!) to catch heartworm disease. No fear though, it’s my favorite diseases: one that I never should have to treat. Just 1 tablet per month, at a cost of $5-10 per month and you don’t have to worry about it. Ok, I put the cart before the horse. First, go here:

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=17

These guys will tell you everything you need to know about heartworm disease.

Now, go to your regular veterinarian and get the heartworm test, to make sure your dog is not already infected. Once you get your dog’s negative result you can start giving the pill once per month. That’s all you need to do!

What do you do if your dog is positive? That’s more complicated. I can tell you that dogs which are not yet showing signs have a very good prognosis, if you do it right. Let’s get on to the first myth, shall we?

Myth #1: I don’t need to get the expensive heartworm treatment, I can just put my dog on the prevention for 6 months and he’ll be heartworm free.

This myth has killed more dogs than I can count. The monthly prevention, when given for 6 months or more, will render the female worms sterile while shrinking both sexes, but not kill them. The worms can live for up to 2 years in this state. Since most of the current tests react to the proteins produced by fertile females, the test can be negative long before the worms are dead. To sum up: You give heart worm prevention for 6 months, you get a negative test, your dog still had heartworms for up to 1.5 years.

Myth#2: I don’t need to give heartworm prevention; I use a product that repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes.

This has yet to be proven. And since 1 mosquito can transmit up to 10 heartworm larvae, I think you should err on the side of caution. How well does your citronella candle work?

Myth#3: My dog’s heart is fine, he can’t be that sick.

Heartworms are so named because that’s where they live. They actually cause most of their damage in the lungs. The heart “damage” is actually caused by high blood pressure in the lungs, which explains why much of the “damage” goes away when you kill off the worms.

Myth#4: Heartworm treatment is dangerous.

This is only partially true. Most of the time I hear this just because people don’t want to spend the money. Most of the dogs I treat do just fine. In fact, out of over 100 dogs I treated post-Katrina the only one that died came to me so sick we actually discussed euthanasia instead of even trying to treat her. She died within hours of the injection.

Heartworms are completely preventable, and the stuff is cheap. There is no reason for me to ever lose a dog to this disease.

International Health Certificates

2008-03-10T19:34:00.002-05:00

Every couple of months I get an update on my malpractice insurance. The update comes with a summery of "closed cases", basically examples of cases gone wrong where someone has sued, or threatened to sue. It's always a fun read. Usually the cases fall into one of two categorizes: 1) "I waited 6 weeks to get my cat treated and now he's dead, someone has to pay", or 2) The veterinarian left some cow on the table to fix lunch and the cow died, now someone has to pay". I read them as a reminder to make sure I answer all peoples questions. (Something like 85% of all malpractice lawsuits result from miscommunication)

However, this month's capsule was different. We all write health certificates for pets traveling to different states and there is a HUGE gap between what the certificate says and what most clients believe the certificate says. Here in Tennessee the certificate states, "the animal is free of communicable disease". Notice, it does not say that the pet is "healthy". Theoretically, I could write a certificate for travel to a dog with a broken leg, but not to a dog with fleas. Veterinarians who misunderstand what these certificates mean get sued all the time. I know of one lawsuit where a veterinarian wrote a health certificate for a dog with skin problems only to have the family receiving the dog come down with ring worm. Not good.

Back to the capsules: there were 4 different lawsuits filed over dogs that were brought to different countries with incorrect health certificates. This is clearly the veterinarians fault, but since a lawsuit does nothing to get your pet out of 6 months( that's right, 6 months!) of quarantine, I'm posting the link to the US Governments website to help guide you.

www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ncie/iregs/animals/

I would also strongly recommend that you check with the country you plan to travel to, in order to make sure you have the most recent information.

How often should I vaccinate my dog?

2008-03-09T22:32:00.004-05:00

I was going to summarize this article, but I think it's better if you just read it yourself.
http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol2Iss4/
GILLIJARVMVol2No4rev.pdf

Most current veterinarians wish we could vaccinate less, but we were hindered. First, none of the products on the market were labeled for 3 year cycles. This meant that we exposed ourselves to tremendous liability if we used the vaccine against label directions. Second, while we strongly suspected the vaccine was good for more than 1 year, there was no scientific evidence supporting the increased time between vaccinations. And lastly, the old guys in town were telling everybody that if we didn't vaccinate every year the dogs would die a horrible death and it would be all our fault.

But now we have a choice. Major veterinary organizations have changed their recommendations to better reflect the current information.

http://www.dvmnews.com/dvm/article/
articleDetail.jsp?id=46546

Now, this is not an excuse to NEVER vaccinate your dog, or to skip the annual exam. Dogs die from Canine distemper every day. I've seen it and it's not pretty. Plus, since your dog or cat can't talk to you, an annual physical is important. And I would go to any doctor who just gave me my shots and turned me out the door.

Why does my dog chew? Because he has teeth!

2008-03-06T17:06:00.001-06:00

Chewing in dogs is a common problem that causes many people to give their dogs to shelters and shy away from the wonderful experience of owning a pet. That’s the bad news. The good news is that most of the time it’s the owners fault and with a bit of education, the owners can be fixed. One of the best ways to avoid the puppy chewing phase is to adopt an adult for the shelter. But sometimes even they chew, so let’s get to the causes….

The first thing we always do here is to find the cause of the problem that was we can fix the actual problem and not just treat the symptoms. Young dogs will chew as play behavior. Dogs that chew the garbage might be food seeking. Food seeking could be play behavior (who doesn’t like a good carrot?), normal food acquiring, or hunger from an incomplete or calorie restricted diet. Chewing on windows or doors may be due to separation anxiety or attempts to make contact with something outside, such as another dog for breeding or fighting, the mailperson, or passing cars. Random objects may be chewed for attention. Lack of exercise or mental stimulation can lead to chewing problems as well. (Don’t laugh; I’ve met families where the Border Collie was WAY smarter than the children….) And lastly, some dogs will have true compulsive disease which may require medication. So the first thing to do is figure out why the dog is chewing. Take some time to assess the situation. It may help to talk it out with your veterinarian or a licensed technician with a behavioral focus to help you identify the underlying cause of your dogs chewing. I know this sounds like a lot of work to just hear, “Give the dog a chew toy”, but if this blog gets one point across it’s this: You can’t fix the problem until you know what it is!

So now you ask, “How do I fix this?” Well, the solution depends on the problem. I can tell you one thing that will never work: punishment. Hitting, scolding, or yelling after the fact will only make the dog afraid of you and unwilling to respond to your attempts to modify the underlying behavior. Dogs ruled by intimidation will act one of two ways: fight or flight. How is you getting bit going to help anything?

While your situation will require a specific solution there are some things that will help in most cases. First, if you don’t want your dog to chew your new shoes, put them in the closet. He can’t chew what he can’t get at. (I know, people actually pay me for this type of advice!) And more importantly, teach the dog which chew toys are acceptable. Your dog doesn’t know the difference between your $10 slippers and your $400 “get to know me” pumps. They just know they both smell like feet and taste good. If you see the dog chewing on something inappropriate change the object out with something appropriate and praise the dog when they take the new toy. You should also make sure toys are always available for play. Provide the dog more exercise. Just like your kids, dog do much less damage after a day at the park playing soccer. Get the dog spayed or neutered. They are less likely to want to get out to breed if they don’t have that equipment. Feed the correct amount of an appropriate diet and put the garbage in a place the dog can’t get it. Also, you should see my earlier post on crate training. Lastly, if all the easy stuff fails, you should have your dog checked out by your veterinarian. Although rare, true compulsive disorder does occur in the dogs and may take some specific training methods combined with medication.

See:
Chewing in Dogs by Debra Horwitz, Clinician’s Brief November 2007 (5:11, 15-16)

Eye Exams

2008-03-05T19:51:00.002-06:00

Eyes are the hardest organ system to treat for the regular veterinarian. For starters, we are terrible at running the necessary test. And since most people don't even notice a problem until it's advanced, the treatment is usually out of our reach even if we can identify the problem correctly. Therefor, I'm not even going to attempt to explain how we go about doing an exam. I'll let these guys:

http://www.animalhelp.com/pets/articledetail.cfm?artid=133

How $5 can save your child's eyesite

2008-03-04T15:05:00.002-06:00

Every year 800-1000 child become blind from parasites that are common to every dog or cat. Most of the time they DON'T get the infection from their family pet, but why take the chance?

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxocara/default.htm

A new study put out by the CDC demonstrated that 14% of the population is infected with Roundworms (toxocara).

http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/DPD/parasites/toxocara/Toxocara_announcement.pdf

That means if you are talking to a group of 7 people, one of them has worm. (Well, if none of them have worms, that means it's YOU)

I'm going to go wash my hands......

New Dog Food

2008-03-03T20:49:00.001-06:00

I was at PetSmart this weekend and I ran into a sales representative selling dog food. Now, normally I just smile and nod and don’t tell them what I do for a living. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in dog food. I understand the whole reasoning behind the raw food diets, but I just can’t picture a toy poodle out on the range chasing down an antelope. I’m a big dog food fan: it’s easy to feed, the dog’s like it, and the pet food companies have spent millions and years researching the diets.

The main problem I have is with the advertising. Many of the dog foods that say, “Lamb and Rice” on the label actually have some other form of protein in them. Who knows what “meat meal”, “protein broth” or “animal fat” means? I’m not saying these are bad ingredients; I just want to know what I’m recommending to my clients. Needless to say, I’m a little picky about the dog food I put my name behind.

This brings me to a new diet on the market: WholeMeals. The ingredients are not new, but the concept is. Instead of kibble form the food is in the shape of a treat, with a hard outer shell and a chewy center. The shape of the bone, along with the hard out shell, has some distinct advantages. First, the dog can take the bone to the place where he wants to eat. I think this will be a great advantage to multiple dog households where there are food aggression issues.

The other places I really like this product is in large-breed, deep-chested dogs or dogs that gulp their food. While not proven, it’s suspected that dogs that eat their food to fast may be at higher risk of bloating. Giving them a food that needs to be worked on should decrease that risk.

The last use I can see for this food is in dogs that have separation anxiety. Since most of the damage done by dogs with this behavioral problem is done in the first few minutes, giving them this food may keep them occupied while they get over the fact that you are not home.

This food does have some drawback. For starters, it’s made with beef and chicken, so it may not be suitable for dogs with food allergy. The hard outer shell may make this food a problem for dogs with few or no teeth. And lastly, the food looks like it’s not a full meal. Some people may not feel good about giving their dog such a small amount of food. However, if the company is right and all that extra stuff is just fuller, not only will the dog get a complete diet, but you may have less to clean up after.

Dr. Lembo does not receive any compensation from the makers of this dog food and does not sell it at his clinic.

New Kitten in the House!

2008-03-02T18:29:00.000-06:00

It’s that time of year: time for new puppies and kittens to be born. Here’s a list of things you might consider getting before you head to the shelter to pick up your new kitten:

Collar, I.D. Tag
Litter Box, Litter
Carrier (for those trips to the vet!)
Kitten Food
Treats
Toys, Scratching Post or Mat (helps save the couch)

Food and Water Bowls
Flea and Tick prevention
Nail Clippers (get them started early and you have a better chance of saving your furniture without a declaw procedure)
Brush for the long hair cats

Before you go, you might want:
Book on kitten care
Advice from your veterinarian about what to look for
A family discussion to make sure everyone wants a cat!

Traveling Emergencies

2008-02-28T15:40:00.001-06:00

I came across a book today that lists emergency and 24 hour pet hospitals across the country for those of you who travel.

http://www.petemergencybook.com/

Which dog should you get?

2008-02-27T20:37:00.002-06:00

Ok,
I'm working this week, so I'm a little behind on my writing. The following link is my attempt to phone in today's column. It's a dog personality matching program. Just take the test, go to the shelter and get yourself a friend!!

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselector.do

Kennel Cough...or is it?

2008-02-26T19:11:00.002-06:00

I see a lot of "kennel cough" here in my county. I see so many coughing dogs because my local shelter is a mess, with little hope of getting better. Many dogs that come from high volume, poorly run shelters will come out with some minor upper respiratory disease. Even in high volume, very well run shelters you will see this from time to time. Most of the time it's no big deal. Almost all the of the adult shelter dogs I see that have a cough are better in 3-5 days.

But even dogs that haven't been to the shelter are at risk for kennel cough. Dogs that board, go to day care, visit the dog park or are on the show circuit can be exposed to this disease. As always, prevention is always better than treatment and knowledge is always the best vaccine, so here goes:

What is Kennel Cough?
We'll let's start with some definitions. "Kennel Cough", as a diagnosis, is a bit outdated. The current term is Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis (CITB). That's because we now know that while the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptic, can cause a cough, it is not always the primary problem. Canine parainfluenza, canine adenovirus type 2, canine herpesvirus, and canine reovirus are viruses that have also been implicated in causing an infectious bronchitis in dogs. Infection with bacteria can be secondary to these viruses. So, when a dog walks into my clinic with an infectious cough, what am I really treating with my antibiotics, the dog or the owner? (For those of you not in on the joke, many veterinarians will give antibiotics to known viral infections just to make the owner think they are doing something. And they are: wasting their the owner's money and contributing to bacterial antibiotic resistance!)

So how does CITB cause my dog to be sick?
The purpose of a cough is to clear mucous and debris from the trachea. The cough is a result of a failure of the body's normal mechanism to clear these products. The trachea is lined with cells that contain "tails" that beat in rhythm to move particles in the throat out of the way. CITB infection destroys these cells and the body's ability to keep the trachea clean leaving a cough as the only way to clear the airway. This can lead to infections deeper in the respiratory tree (the lungs) as the body can no longer move bacteria out efficiently.

How should this be treated?
The latest information I've seen indicates that antibiotics may shorten the course of the disease in most cases. However, you must remember that in many cases a virus is playing a significant role. Since, viruses are not responsive to antibiotics, they may not always be helpful.

Is there a vaccine?
Yes, however, which one to use is subject to a lot of debate. There are two different vaccine delivery systems for CITB: intranasal (in the nose) and injectable. Which one you should use depends on your situation and should be discussed with your veterinarian. The intranasal vaccine is thought to act most quickly, but not last as long. Many veterinarians recommend vaccination every 6 months with the intranasal variety. The injectable may take several days to work, but can last up to a year.

Does the cough always go away?
This is the hard part about this disease. At one time it was thought that if your dog caught the bacterial form of "kennel cough", then it would cough for the rest of it's life. We now know that ANY dog that gets CITB can acquire a permanent cough. This is because once permanent damage has been done to the cells of the throat they may never be able to properly clear debris again. Fortunately, this is pretty rare, but it means that dogs should be seen at the first sign of a cough to prevent permanent damage.

Bathroom Humor

2008-02-25T19:51:00.003-06:00

I got an e-mail this week asking why this person's dog eats feces. This tends to be a common problem, and like the question,"Why does my dog eat grass?", there is no "true" answer. It's thought that corprophagia (the technical term for poop-eating) occurs more in female dogs than in males. This has lead some people to speculate that it is related to maternal behavior. Most female dogs will "clean up" after her pups for the first few weeks.

Some people have suggested that these dogs may have a nutritional deficiency. However, there are a few studies on pancreatic insufficiency, another fairly common disease that occurs when the dog's pancreas no longer produces the enzymes necessary to digest food properly. Most of these studies report corprophagia as a presenting symptom. This makes nutritional deficiency unlikely.

Other theories suggested include, poop being similar to bugs in the earth (I'm not making that one up....), dogs trying to cover their tracks and various mental defects. I don't have a good answer, but the one I think will win out in the end: because it tastes good to them. Listen, your talking about a species that would rather drink out of the toilet than the fresh water you just put down. There's perfectly good dog food in the house, but they would rather have 3 day old possum. As much as I like my dogs, we're not talking about nuclear scientists here....

As for ways to stop the behavior. Like most behavior problems, you can use food additives (such as Forbid, which does work well in my opinion), avoidance collars, and all kinds of voodoo. The best way to fix the problem.....you're just going to have to pick the stuff up.

Why I do this!

2008-02-24T17:52:00.003-06:00

Ok, I got this e-mail from someone who has a large breed dog that is demonstrating obvious signs of arthritis. She brought the dog to her veterinarian who prescribed Rimadyl (carprofen). In order to be diligent, she went to the web to research the drug. So far so good: I encourage people to go to reputable websites to do their research. What's a reputable site? In my opinion, it's one that uses research and fact. Unfortunately, this person went to a website run by someone who had a bad experience with the drug.
Here's some background. When Rimadyl first came out, it was touted as the new wonder drug. And with some good reason: it worked, with very few side effects. Until that time all we had was aspirin. Aspirin was alright, but it made many dogs sick to their stomach, had to be used very cautiously in old dogs (because of the effects on the kidneys) and as we later found out, kills off cells that keep joints healthy. So we started using Rimadyl, in large quantities. However, Rimadyl, like any other drug has potential side effects. Some of the early users just ignored the warnings and gave the drug to dogs that never should have had it. Others got sick for reasons we didn't understand. And the websites popped up. And the lawsuits followed.

Myth #1: Rimadyl is more toxin to Labs. This came out of the initial confusion. Labs are one of the most common breeds to have arthritis in their hips. So more Labs get Rimadyl than let's say Terriers. So if you look at the number of dogs that get sick from Rimadyl by breed, Labs have a much higher representation than terriers.
This study here showed no signs of breed predilection: Vet Rec. March 2007;160(13):427-30

Myth #2 Rimadyl is dangerous. Look, I'm not going to say it's the only choice you have, or even that you should use it for your particular dog. However, the evidence is pretty clear that this drug is safe. A study published in 2003 (J Small Anim Pract. May 2003;44(5):202-8) showed that the chances of Rimadyl causing a problem in about 7.5 out of 10,000 dogs given the drug. the average veterinarian will never even see a true case of Rimadyl reaction.

So please, don';t get your information from one person who had a bad experience with a drug. Get some real information and make an informed decision.

And, by the way, if your dog has arthritis, you should talk to her about J/D from Hill's. It's loaded with fish oils that will help your dog walk better without any drugs. I have 2 dogs that swear by the stuff!

Dental Disease

2008-02-21T21:18:00.000-06:00

The previous post on the safety of anesthesia was a direct response to yet another client who absolutely refused to let me clean her dog’s teeth. I can only imagine the pain these animals must be in. I would love to talk about prevention, but let’s be honest, most people are not going to brush their dog’s teeth. I’m lucky to get them to agree to a treat or toy that scrapes the film that develops over time. I would like to spend this blog on why you should keep your pet’s mouth healthy.

I do feel we need to spend some time on prevention. Brushing is the best way to avoid tartar buildup. However, they make tons of treats and toys, available for very little money, available at any pet store or veterinary office. I really like the nylon strand toys that scrape the teeth each time the dog bites into them. (http://www.funnfloss.com/Products%201.htm I get no money from them). If you’re going brush your dog’s teeth, it’s best to do it before a meal (as it is for us, we’ve been told wrong all these years http://www.emaxhealth.com/79/1063.html)

Ok, on to why your pet’s dental health is so important. Check out the human advice: http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic936.htm. All that stuff goes for your pet as well. And only 35% of pets with grade 2 dental disease and 15% of pet with grade 1 dental disease get treated. Those are the two worst grades, but still only 50% of pets with dental disease get treated! And, the consequences are profound: increase risk of cardiac disease, pneumonia. Most cats with diabetes have dental disease (cause and/or effect?) In a 2006 study by IDEXX ( a maker of in-house blood tests for the veterinary profession found that 14% of cats with retroviral disease had oral cavity infections, compared with 3% who were virus negative. Could a bad mouth be the first sign of something serious?

Acute Disk Herniation Study

2008-02-20T19:49:00.001-06:00

Here's a new study for intervertebral disk disease. If I had a dog that was prone to this disease, I might look this information up now. This way if your dog does get this disease you will already have the information handy.

www.cvm.ncsu.edu/doc/neuro/acutedischerniations.html

Most Expensive Conditions to Treat

2008-02-20T19:23:00.002-06:00

Ok, I know I talk a lot about getting pet insurance, but here goes again. VPI just released the most expensive insured conditions to treat. This list is not a guide to prices, but does show how expensive it can be to treat your pet some very common problems.

Dogs:
Intervertebral Disk Disease ("ruptured disk") $2844
Lung Cancer $2032
Gastric Torsion (Bloat) $1955
Foreign Body Removal $1629
Cruciate Repair $1517

Cats:
Foreign Body Removal (intestines) $1629
Urinary Tract reconstruction $1399
Foreign body Removal (stomach) $1011
Bladder Stones $989

Incidence of these disease:
Ruptured Disk (1.2-3.8%)
http://www.ivis.org/special_books/ortho/chapter_62/IVIS.pdf

Bloat (2.3-2.6%)
http://www.sunstrike-great-danes.com/health-bloatdw-art.htm

Crucitate Disease (up to 80%)
http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/ccl/index.shtml

Feline Obstruction (1%)
http://www.vet.uga.edu/sams/courses/urology/lectures/Lecture06_FelineIdiopathicCystitis.pdf

New Parvo Virus

2008-02-19T20:41:00.001-06:00

There has been a new strain of parvo virus identified in the US. Right now, there is no indication that the current vaccine won't protect against the new strain. However, it bears watching.....

http://www.cvhs.okstate.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=437

Canine Heart Disease

2008-02-19T17:18:00.002-06:00

There's a new study opening at The Ohio State University to detect and identify the different stages of canine congestive heart failure. Any dog with mitral valve disease or dilated cardiomyopathy is eligible for the study as long as they are not on high doses of diuretics. Dogs that are currently suffering from another systemic disease are also not eligible.
Owners who place their dogs in the study are given substantial discounts on treatment. You can contact the senior cardiovascular technician at Schober.4@osu.edu.

Anesthsia Complications

2008-02-18T18:15:00.002-06:00

One of the most frustrating clients I run across is the client who's pet has a problem I can fix, but the client won't let me because of their stubborn attachment to outdated or just wrong information. It's one of the reasons I write this blog. One of the worst offenders are owners who pets have dental disease. Have you ever had one tooth that was infected? I have, and it hurt like heck. I can only imagine the pain some of these dogs feel when their whole mouth is covered in tartar!

I'll get to dental disease in another blog, seeing as how dental disease leads to heart problems, kidney problems, liver problems.... However, today I want to talk about the excuse that you don't want to put your dog under anesthesia. It always makes me wonder, if Grandma broke a hip, would these people tell the doctor that she's too old to handle the anesthesia? Yes, anesthesia in pets is different, but not all that much. We have new drugs and protocols that make anesthesia of the dog and cat as safe as it's ever been.

Take this study for example: Perioperative deaths in small animals: findings so far(Vet Rec. April 2004;154(17):516-7). Here are some of their findings:

in the canine population

- healthy dogs had a mortality rate of 1 in 1795

- 33 deaths associated with anesthesia or sedation

- sick dogs had a mortality rate of 1 in 64

- 70 deaths associated with anesthesia or sedation

in the feline population

- healthy cats had a mortality rate of 1 in 872

- 53 deaths associated with anesthesia or sedation

- sick cats had a mortality rate of 1 in 118

- 69 deaths associated with anesthesia or sedation

And the results appear to indicate that things are getting better:

- in a similar study in the mid‑1980s, 1 in 679 healthy dogs and cats died primarily due to anesthesia

- North America studies in the early 1990s estimated 1 in 1000 for cats and dogs

The fact of the matter is anesthesia in the dog and cat is relatively safe. Since that study was published we have newer and better anesthetic protocols. We do a better job of screening patients and better monitoring equipment. Anesthesia is getting safer all the time.

Bloat

2008-02-17T14:13:00.000-06:00

Bloat is the common term for Gastric Dilatation with Volvulus. This occurs when the stomach twists so that both the esophagus (intake) and pylorus (outflow) are blocked. This is a life-threatening disease that can kill up to 40% of affected dog.

Occurrence:
Most cases of bloat occur in deep-chested, large-breed dogs. Think German Shepards, Great Danes, St. Bernards, although, you can see this occur in almost any breed of dog. I’ve actually seen this in a Beagle and a Shitz Tzu. Most of the dogs that bloat are over 7 years old, and dogs that have bloated once tend to do so again.

Causes:
Many causes have been associated with this disease, although no one knows for sure. It is thought that there needs to be a loosening of the ligaments that hold the stomach in place. But, since there are so many ways for the stomach to flip in a deep and narrow chested dog, it’s unlikely that one factor will emerge as the sole cause. Some factors that may be associated with bloat include: drinking large amounts of water; eating a single, large meal daily; fearfulness, anxiety; exercising just after eating. I strongly recommend that people not exercise their large dogs for 1 hour after meals to help reduce the chances of bloat occurring. My last bloat was an 8 week old puppy that rolled over on his back to be petted just after eating.

Signs:
Most professors will tell veterinary students that bloat is the only disease you should be able to recognize while driving by a dog on the street. The tell-tale sign for veterinarians is an abdomen that is swollen on the left side. Most clients will bring that dog in because “he acts like he’s trying to vomit, but nothing comes up”. This sign is an emergency that requires you leave the house with the dog, before you call the emergency clinic. By the time the dog is doing this you have about 30 minutes before the dog will die, in most cases. Other signs that can occur are often vague and confusing to the owner: the dog will appear restless, the dog will hunch-up, some dogs will appear to try and defecate repeatedly. All large-breed dog owners should be concerned about bloat whenever the dog is not feeling well or refuses to eat. In many cases, the dog will swell and deflate several times before the stomach finally twists.

Treatment:
The best thing you can do for your dog is to be prepared. You should know where your closest emergency clinic is. And I also recommend all owners carry pet health insurance. Often the treatment for this disease will run more than $1000.
Once the dog is at the emergency clinic, they will take X-rays to confirm the diagnosis and begin to prepare the patient for surgery. This disease always requires surgical replacement of the stomach, with or without removal of the spleen. In my experience, about 50% of the dogs also have a spleen that has twisted, which requires removal of that organ as well.
Outcome:
The prognosis for dogs with GDV is generally fair to good. The highest mortality rates appear to be associated with:

Increased levels of lactate at time of presentation. Since lactate accumulates when tissues are deprived of oxygen, it’s safe to assume that high levels of lactate would be associated with tissue death.

Increased length of time between insult and presentation. The longer it takes for the veterinarian to decompress the stomach the more damage is done.

Financial Reasons. Many of these dogs that are savable are euthanized due to the cost of the surgery.

Inadequate veterinary care. I know I’m biased because I own an emergency clinic; however, it’s just not possible for one doctor to treat this disease, by himself late at night. For one thing, the surgery is very demanding. There is no way for someone to do this surgery and monitor the patient at the same time. Before surgery, these patients require a catheter, fluids, antibiotics, pain medication, tubing of the stomach to let the gas out, X-rays and continuous monitoring. You may very well save some money, but you be doing so at some risk to your dog.

Here are some references for you:

http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm
http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/gdv/symptoms.shtml
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1571&articleid=402

Treatment of Itchy Dogs

2008-02-14T21:06:00.002-06:00

It's important to remember that skin disease is almost always a secondary condition. In order to provide the dog relief, you need to fix the primary problem.

Once I've ruled out metabolic diseases, the first thing I always do is put some flea medication on the dog. Many people don't know that it only takes 1 flea for a dog to have a full-blown reaction. Flea saliva has more than 17 different allergens.

The next step is to change the pet's diet. Most dog foods contain beef in some form or another. It's also known that many dogs that react to beef will also react to venison. It's important to feed the dog a single protein source, so I try to steer people toward duck and potato, fish and potato or something exotic like ostrich or kangaroo. However, the best diet is a modified protein diet such as Hill's Z/D. It's also important to feed the dog only the new diet for a minimum of 8 weeks. If the dog gets anything else, it may make ruling out food allergy more difficult.

Finally, I try antihistamines. There are at least 5 different antihistamines that have been shown to be effective in the dog. Before you try any antihistamine in your dog you need to speak with your veterinarian. I will even add omega-3 fatty acids or fish oils to the mix in extreme cases.

This is about as far as most general practitioners can take a case. If these steps fail, the next step is a veterinary dermatologist. These specialists can test your dogs specific allergies and make a vaccine to help control your dog's allergy.

Many veterinarians will attempt to control itchy dogs with steroids. This is great for business. The dogs get better and the clients love the convenience. Remember, though, most skin diseases are secondary problems. Masking the signs of allergies doesn't fix the primary problem. Also, just like the antihistamines, the steroids will eventually fail. Plus, excessive steroid therapy has the added effect of leading to liver failure, urinary tract infections and stomach ulcers.

Dogs that Scratch

2008-02-13T19:26:00.002-06:00

Itchy dogs probably account for about 25% of the dogs I see in practice. It's a very common problem that you think you have have a simple solution. If all these dogs have this problem, then why can't we figure out what the problem is? Well, actually, most of the time we can. It just takes patience and money. Most of my clients only come in the exam room with one of them....

First, let's look at what diseases will make a dog itch. Basically, you can divide most itchy dogs into 4 broad categories: 1) Fleas (and other external parasites), 2) Food Allergies, 3)Metabolic Diseases, and 4) Atopy (or inhalant allergies).

We'll leave fleas out of the discussion for now. Since I've beat the flea topic to death lately, let's start with food allergies. Many dogs I see with food allergies tend to have itchy feet and ears. However, they can present with any type of scratching. The good news about food allergy is that in theory it's easy to fix. Switching the dog over to a new protein source, or a specialty diet, such as Hill's Z/D should help the dog. However, switching the dog over to a protein source that the dog has never seen before can be difficult. Many dog foods that say "Lamb and Rice" on the label also contain other protein sources. I often tell people not to open the bag before they bring it to my clinic for me to read. This allows them to return the food if its not right. (Of course, it would be easier if they just bought the right food from me, but some people really think I'm trying to overcharge them. I promise most practices make so little off of dog food, they would rather it was easier for you to buy it somewhere else.)

Although rare in my experience, metabolic diseases such as thyroid and adrenal gland disease can cause itching. Most of these dogs also have other clinical signs, but many times the owners (or their veterinarians) don't recognize them. In dog's that are unresponsive to initial therapy, I always recommend a full blood panel.

The last area is the most broad, least understood and the hardest to treat: Atopy. The term atopy refers to inhalant allergies. In most cases, this is going to require a referral to a veterinary dermatologist.

Tomorrow we will discuss potential treatments. As always, though, you should speak with your veterinarian about your dog's specific condition.

Pyrethrin Poisoning in Pets

2008-02-12T14:17:00.000-06:00

This weekend at my emergency clinic we almost had another casualty to the “Frontline and Advantage as too expensive for me” excuse to save a couple of dollars. A client put an over-the-counter flea medication on her cat. About an hour later, the cat was having a seizure and was unresponsive. A night in the hospital and a couple of hundred dollars later, we were able to send the cat home. Not all of those patients are so lucky. I found a great website that describes what pyrethrins are, how they work and why you probably shouldn’t use them on any of your pets.

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/pyrethrins-ziram/pyrethrins-ext.html

I know we talked about this before, but I wanted to let people know that there are at least 2 new products on the market.

Promeris: It’s a completely new compound that works on both dogs and cats. Since it’s labeled for killing fleas for more than 4 weeks, there should be very little problem with the product being overwhelmed by a large infestation when used monthly. (www.promeris.com)

Comfortis: It’s a monthly pill that kills fleas. One of the most common reasons given for flea medication failure is incorrect application of the product. Oral administration should fix that problem. The major drawback of this medication is that is doesn’t work on ticks, so you would need to use an amitraz collar alongside the monthly pill. (www.comfortis4dogs.com). It would be great if someone mixed this product with a monthly heartworm preventive.

Flea season has already arrived in parts of the South and it won’t be long before its warm enough for these little pests up North. Now is the time to start your flea control program. Remember, only 5% of the fleas in an environment are in the adult stage. Or, for every 5 you see on your dog, there are 95 in your carpet!

http://frontline.us.merial.com/fleas/sub3_flea2.asp

Furunculosis

2008-02-11T20:46:00.000-06:00

Furunculosis in the dog is a painful disease which stymied the veterinary profession for years. Most of the time, the disease affects adult German Shepherds. The treatment of choice, at one time, was massive doses of steroids and antibiotics. The steroids provided a double whammy. First, the steroids caused all the usual side-effects: excessive urination, excessive water consumption, liver failure, gastro-intestinal trauma, etc. Second, in a breed that was already prone to hip dysplasia, the steroids hastened the painful degeneration of these already damaged joints.

Since most dogs with furunculosis had a horrible infection, the next stage in the treatment of this disease was to remove the tail. The theory behind this treatment was that if the skin had access to open air, then bacteria would have a more difficult time setting up an infection. That treatment option very rarely went over well with owners, but a lot of dogs got better, so it was often done as a treatment of last resort.

Next on the list of treatments was cyclosporine. Since this medication, like most of the medications we use in veterinary medicine, came from the human medical field, it was expensive. The cost of cyclosporine has come down dramatically since it was first used and now is a standard of treatment for dogs with furunculosis along with surgery to remove the diseased tissue.

A recent study just came across my desk (Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy and surgery as a treatment for furunculosis; Klein A, et. al; Vet Surg 2006; 35:759-768). In the study they compared two different immunosuppressive therapies along with surgery to determine how effective therapy might be in curing this disease. The authors were able to conclude that surgical therapy combined with pre-surgical medical therapy can be effective in preventing recurrence of furunculosis.

The study does have some limitations. For starters, it was a retrospective study. This means they looked up cases that had been treated without regards to a standard protocol. There also was no control group to compare with the treated groups. These are significant drawbacks, if we were looking for definitive proof. However, since many dogs suffer from this disease and treatment can be frustrating and expensive for the owner (not to mention the dog!) it makes sense to attempt these therapies while we wait for a definitive cure.

Separation Anxiety

2008-02-08T22:42:00.000-06:00

Separation anxiety is one of the most stressful behavior problems I deal with as a veterinarian for 2 reasons: 1) Since it's one of the most common reasons people give their pets over to the shelter, treatment failure often ends in euthanasia and 2) most people wait too long to bring the dog in to the office to alter the behavior patterns. Once the patterns have been imprinted, they can still be changed it just takes more time and effort to make the change. Many people give up because it can take a while for the changes to occur, or because the damage to the pet (or the house) just overwhelms them. It can be very trying on the whole family. As with most diseases, prevention is always better than treatment. My blog on punishment has a great behavior website and there are many books out there that can help with puppy training.

Some examples include:

How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Clarice Rutherford and David H. Neil

The Art of Raising a Puppy by The Monks of New Skete

Good Dog, Bad Dog, New and Revised: Dog Training Made Easy by Mordecai Siegal and Matthew Margolis

Treatment is a whole other ballgame. As with any treatment, I recommend that you have your pet examined by your veterinarian. She can make sure there is not a medical problem that is causing the bad behaviors (for example, urinary tract infections that cause accidents in the house, dementia is old dogs, and behavior problems other than separation anxiety just to name a few).

Some of my favorite tricks include:
Giving the dog something to focus on just after you leave. Most of the destructive behavior occurs in the first 5-10 minutes after you leave. Giving the dog a toy (like a Kong toy, www.kong.com) can occupy the dog for the initial period after to leave and redirect the destructive behavior.

Training the dog to sit-stay before he gets anything. This is also known as the nothing is free method. The dog has to sit, stay and focus on you before he gets anything: food, treats, let outside, played with, etc. This teaches the dog how to act when he wants your attention.

Be low-key on departure and return. If the dog associates "play time" with your arrival or departure, it may increase the excite that causes some destructive behavior.

Drop the dog off at day care. Ok, this does not alter the behavior. However,it does save the curtains and keeps your dog safe while you work on the other problems.

None of these methods will cure every dog. You should have a plan that is individual to your dog's specific type of behavior problem. For that you need to talk to your veterinarian.

Loss of a pet

2008-02-07T16:00:00.000-06:00

I came across this today: http://www.shebapetlosshotline.org/index.php. It's a great site for people who are grieving the loss of a pet, or for those who would like to help those who have lost a pet.

Disaster Relief

2008-02-07T15:44:00.000-06:00

I've been a little behind on post this week because of the storms that have swept through Tennessee. I know this is little off topic, but I work for Nashville Humane ( www.nashvillehumane.org ) Right now people from there are out in the field helping people without homes care for their loved ones while they put their lives back together. It's heart-wrenching work. And it brings me to my point: if you're going to donate money to a relief organization, you should do it to a local one. National organizations like HSUS take some of your money and use it to hire big name people to run big name projects. I know no one at Nashville Humane has a car that costs as much as some of the jewelry worn by the people at the top of HSUS. (I have worked for HSUS. You won't see my picture on their website. Most of the people you see in those pictures were on-site for less than 10 minutes. That's all it takes to get your picture taken.)

Need an example? Here's Tennessee's animal friendly plate. It costs an extra $35 to support community spay/neuter. (http://tennessee.gov/revenue/vehicle/licenseplates/misc/miscdesc.htm). A whopping $15.38 goes to the spay/neuter program. That's right, less than half. The rest goes to various state agencies, as a form of voluntary tax, if you will.

Wouldn't it be better if you gave the whole $35 to your local shelter? (It would for you, you could take the whole amount off your taxes in most cases!) In addition to spay/neuter, you would promote disaster preparedness, education and a better community. Isn't that a better use of your money?

Pet Food Recall Indictments

2008-02-06T15:40:00.000-06:00

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2008-02-06-pet-food-deaths_N.htm?csp=34

Looks like they found enough evidence to arrest those who poisoned all those dogs and cats.

Punishment as a learning tool

2008-02-05T15:44:00.000-06:00

I love when people come into my office and tell me, "This is my Alpha-Female dog so you better watch it". Or, "This dog is an Alpha-Male. If I don't put him on his back every so often he'll think he's in charge." Bad trainers, especially with TV shows, and ignorant lazy people on the internet only make things worse. Punishing your dog, especially after the fact usually only makes things worse.

Consider these statements culled from the American Veterinary Behavior Society website (www.avsabonline.org) as summarized in the January 2008 Compendium for Small Animal Practice:

It is difficult to correctly time punishment.

Punishment can make the undesirable behavior worse.

To be effective punishment must be sufficiently intense, but when administered at high intensity, it can lead to physical harm (to both the pet and the owner).

Any punishment may make the dog fearful, which may lead to fear behavior at other times.

Punishment may intensify or even initiate aggressive behavior.

Punishment may cause unwanted behavior changes, some of which may mask early signs of aggression.

Punishment may associate the wrong trigger (such as the owner, an environment or other animals)with the unpleasant experience.

Punishment often does not address the actual problem, or show the animal the correct behavior. (Rubbing the dog's nose in poop just makes him run when you come home. It does nothing about the fact that you were to lazy to house train him properly.)

The AVBSA website is a great source of information. As with any program though, you should talk to your veterinarian before you start a program. You would be surprised at how many dogs that just started peeing in the house had urinary tract infections, or how many new biters had arthritis.

Pet Insurance

2008-02-04T21:58:00.000-06:00

I was reading a magazine the other day and came across an advertisement for HomeAgain microchipping (www.homeagain.com). They now offer up to $3,000 of pet medical insurance if your pet gets injured while he is lost. They are not the only company to make such an offer: VPI (www.petinsurance.com) gives you a collar tag when you sign up for insurance. If your pet comes into my hospital without you, I can call VPI, verify that the coverage is current and begin to treat your pet while they attempt to contact you. The ASPCA also has pet insurance (www.aspcapetinsurance.com ). Even the Kroger grocery store when I shop has a pet insurance plan! Most of the basic plans are very affordable, carry only a modest deductable($50-100) and have a fairly generous benefit schedule (the ASPCA plan for example covers each accident up to $2500, $8000 yearly benefit for about $100 for a dog). Many of these plans exclude diseases the dog was born with, but you can get plans that cover vaccinations, spay/neuter, teeth cleanings, and yearly blood work. Some even offer rebates on heartworm prevention and flea control.

Now, I don’t get anything for selling you insurance. You may say that I do benefit from the insurance because I can run up the bill. This begs the question, if you think I am doing that, why are you bringing your pet to me? If you truly feel that your veterinarian is running up the bill you should change doctors. Do you think he only lies to them? Too many of us put animals down because the owners can’t pay to have them treated. Too many pets suffer needlessly because the owners can’t/won’t pay for the proper tests to achieve a diagnosis. Too many veterinarians don’t offer the full diagnostics because they fear the clients will get angry with them.

Let me give you a scenario I see over and over (and over and over!). Person brings a dog into the hospital with a “lump”. The veterinarian says, “It’s just a lipoma, we can take that off and the dog will be good a new.” The veterinarian takes the dog to surgery, removes the mass and throws the tissue into the garbage! How would feel if this was you on the table? You underwent anesthesia, someone cut you open and then instead of finding out what was wrong with you, the doctor just through the tumor into the trash. And yes, lipomas are tumors. About 1 in 100,000 is malignant. Now with insurance, it’s the same price to you if throw the tumor n the trash or I send the mass to a pathologist and she tells me if further treatment is necessary, or if your dog is now cancer free. Where’s the down side to this for the dog? And what do I make on the deal? An extra $30. But more importantly, I get to sleep at night knowing I did the best I could for my patient. That’s why I want you to have insurance.

One last thing: my practice takes Care Credit (www.carecredit.com) as well. This allows people to pay over time when a sudden emergency occurs (up to 18 months with no interest in some cases). Many dentists take this medical credit card also. When you combine the Care Credit card with the insurance, you can pay with the Care Credit card and pay no interest until the insurance check comes in. Then, you just pay off the Care Credit bill. Top-notch treatment for your pet without worrying about your financial health, that’s really what most veterinarian want.

TN Politicians and your dog

2008-02-01T15:30:00.000-06:00

You should also know that Tennessee was one of the last states to make animal cruelty and dog fighting a felony, passed on legislation to make it illegal to ride around with your dog in the bed of your truck and specifically exempted veterinarians from the new law allowing people to sue for the wrongful death of your dog. But they are the first to scream if you show us as a bunch of hillbillies on the silver screen.

Banning Pit Bulls

2008-02-01T15:28:00.001-06:00

Or, “How to try and Legislate Morality”
Or, “How the Rich make Rules only the Poor have to Follow”
Or, “Another way to Pander for Votes”
Or, “I’m paying my Senator for this?”

I could keep going all day with this. It seems Nashville and the State of Tennessee are again trying to ban Pit Bulls and other “dangerous” dogs. Like the war on drugs and prohibition, this approach never works. You can’t tell people something they want to do is wrong and just ban it. It doesn’t work.
For starters, let’s say you want to protect yourself. (I won’t say you are a drug dealer. This assumes that everyone who owns one of these dogs falls into a certain category: criminal and poor. In my example you are a country music singer who lives in a 1 million dollar Nashville home, has a wife, who volunteers at the local food bank and two kids in private school.) You don’t want a pit bull, those dogs are dangerous! You’re going to pay $2000 for a German-bred German Sheppard. Then, you’re going to spend $3000 for someone to train the dog, Schitzen-trained, of course. Life is good and you haven’t broken any laws. Until the neighbor who always comes over to borrow some tools in the garage comes over. See, he told you he was coming over a couple of days ago, but you were so busy you forgot. Now you hear a strange noise and give the dog the attack command. As you rush to follow the dog and find him on top of your neighbor, you forget the release command in your panic. Eventually you grab a 2x4 and beat the dog off the poor soul, but it’s too late, your neighbor is dead. Are you now a criminal? Would this scenario be any worse if the dog was a pit bull? Or, the owner of the dog was a black drug dealer?

People tend to fixate on the fact that most fatal dog-bite attacks are perpetrated by pit bulls. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf and http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047723.htm ) But if you look closely at this study, it reports only fatal dog attacks and the incidents are culled from media reports of dog bites. If I get bit by a dog, it causes an abscess and die 3 days later, what are the chances of a reporter showing up to cover that story? Ok, I’m willing to concede that most dog bites that result in fatalities are covered by media, but you have to concede that “Pit Bull Bites Child” makes a much better story than “Yorkie Terrorizes Veterinary Office”. Of course more big dogs will be represented in the fatal bite statistics. The bite from a 100lb Rotti will always cause more damage than a 10lb Teacup Poodle, but which one occurs with more frequency? Come to my office and stick your hand out, see which one is more likely to come and get ya’. I’ll take my chances with the Rotti all day long.

Now I’m not saying that people shouldn’t take responsibility for their pets. But, most dog bites are from large breed dogs that are kept for protection. (http://www.avma.org/reference/zoonosis/zndogcat.asp) Banning one breed of dog will just make these people got out and get another dog that is not on the “banned list”. You would have to be an idiot not to see that coming. How about enforcing the laws already on the books? If you cause someone’s death, by gun, by car or by dog, you should be punished. That law already exists. Can’t handle your gun? We take it away from you. Can’t drive your car safely? We take away your right to drive. Can’t handle your dog? You shouldn’t own one. Period.

Foods Your Pet Should Never Eat

2008-01-31T06:30:00.000-06:00

Two articles in a row on people food might seem to be a bit excessive, but at the emergency clinic we have a saying “if people fed their dogs pet food and walked them on a leash, we would be out of business”. Most of what we do involves dogs and cats that ate something they shouldn’t have. It’s easy to explain the toxins that most people know about: antifreeze (http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/Pet_tips/antifreezeandpets.cfm); rat poison (http://www.marvistavet.com/html/rat_poison.html); chocolate (http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/pdfs/allpets/chocolatetoxicity.pdf). But there are so many foods out there that are toxic that it’s difficult to keep up!

Here’s a PARTICIAL list of toxins:
Alcohol – fatal in very small quantities
Coffee – Contains the same toxins as chocolate
Macadamia nuts – as little as 4 or 5 nuts can be fatal to a 10lb dog
Garlic – can causes anemia over time
Grapes and raisins – can cause a fatal kidney failure
Onions – can damage a pet’s hemoglobin and impair the ability to use oxygen
Chewing gum – Xylitol (a sweetener) can cause a fatal low blood sugar

It’s important to remember that these are just foods that contain known toxins. Most fats can cause pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas, http://www.myspecialdog.com/PetPancreatitis.aspx) and any plant can cause irritation to gastrointestinal tract.

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/protect_your_pet_from_common_household_dangers/foods_potentially_poisonous_to_pets.html
http://www.petshed.com/petcyclopedia/all-about-toxic-foods-for-dogs.html
http://www.calpoison.org/public/pets.html

Obesity

2008-01-30T06:43:00.000-06:00

I was reading some of the recent articles on how diabetics who underwent radical surgery to lose weight went into remission (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=86575) and got to thinking about how many of our pets are overweight. It’s a difficult subject to broach as a veterinarian seeing as how so many of our clients are overweight as well (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-10-03-weight-trends_x.htm). However, the dangers of obesity are clear: higher blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and a shorter life span (http://www.50millionpounds.com/the_challenge/dangers_of_obesity/default.aspx). The same is true for pets. In a paper in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association (June 1, 1998:1725) the authors showed that overweight cats had twice the risk of developing skin disease, four times the risk of diabetes, and five times the risk of developing a lameness requiring veterinary attention. All of this just from being overweight. The worst offenders are usually the owners who care the most. They want their pet to be happy and when is your dog happier than when he is munching on a potato chip, or sharing your ice cream?

There is hope. It’s a three step program.

Step One: Take your pet to the veterinarian. Many dogs that are overweight actually have medical conditions. Thyroid Disease and Cushing’s disease can make a dog overweight. Treating the disease can return your dog to his proper weight. Dogs and cats with arthritis may be reluctant to exercise and this may be the sole cause of your pet’s overweight condition. Since we will be changing your pet’s diet you will want to make sure their liver and kidneys are functioning normally.

Step Two: Change his diet. We start with removing all the treats and snacks. Most of the treats we give to our pets are empty calories, nothing more than us eating Marshmallow Fluff. For cats I usually recommend a light or less active diet. Since cats have so many specific requirements, it’s difficult to manipulate their diet too much. Also, most cat owners rarely use treats and snacks, so just changing the diet is enough. For dogs, I generally recommend a “senior” diet. Most senior diets contain joint supplements ( such as glucosamine chondroitin) and extra antioxidants in addition to being lower calorie. These are extras that can help even middle aged dog feel better and lose weight.

Step Three: Exercise. For cats this may be a little tricky. Some cats don’t like to play. Some cats just don’t like people. However, they make many toys, which are available at any pet store, to entice cats to move. We had a blast last week with the pet store cat and a new laser pointer. Just be inventive. Dogs are a bit easier. Just 30 minutes of walking three times a week is all it takes. It’s not the speed of the walk, it’s the time. Studies in humans have shown that the number of calories burned is directly proportional to the time spent exercising, not the intensity. You can also buy the dog a toy (my favorite is the Kong toy, http://www.kongcompany.com/ ). My dogs spend hours playing with their toys.

It’s clear that dogs that eat less, live longer (JAVMA May 1, 2002:1315). If you really want your pet to be around longer, you need to watch their weight too.

Update on Fleas

2008-01-29T13:35:00.001-06:00

Fleas: This is one of my favorite topics. Nothing I come across on a daily basis is more misunderstood than these tiny little creatures of disease spreading vermin. That’s right I said “disease spreading”. They don’t just look bad on your dog and make pets itch, they pose a real hazard to humans. Although rare, fleas can pass The Plague (http://www.avma.org/reference/zoonosis/znplague.asp) and Cat Scratch Disease (http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/bites/024.html ). Now before you get all worked up, that’s the bad news. The good news is that they are very easy to treat.

First, though, let me give you a little (very little) history. When I started in veterinary medicine, fleas were a huge pain. There were powders, sprays, foggers, foams, shampoos and all sorts of crazy stuff that was toxic. And they all smelled bad and tasted worse. Put some flea powder on an angry cat and see how much you ingest! People looked for anything to feed their pets to keep the little pests away. Then came Frontline. By the time I graduated veterinary school, we had Frontline. No more fleas! Now we have at least 3 products that (Frontline, Advantage and Revolution) that have been tested to be both same and effective on dogs and cats. So why am I writing this column? These products should sell themselves.

Well, the reason for this column was an article in USAToday, dated December 19, 2007 that reviewed a study that shows that fleas can be killed by vacuuming. This is wonderful news. I have been telling people for years now that you don’t need powders, sprays, house foggers. I firmly believed that just putting the Frontline on your dog or cat would do the trick, now I can tell them to speed the process up with their vacuum cleaner. As it turns out vacuuming will kill most of the adult fleas (95%) and all of the juveniles (100%) that the machine picks up. So put your pets’s Frontline on and vacuum the carpet.

Some of the questions I get:

I don’t want to put chemicals on my pet. How much garlic or Brewer’s yeast can I use?

Brewer’s Yeast may or may not work (yes: Vet Med and Small Animal Clinician 1983; 78(7): 1042; 51; no: AVMA 1983; 183(2): 212-4), so no one knows the right amount. In my experience, most of the people who use this are also doing other things: bathing the dog, vacuuming, washing the bedding, etc.

Garlic is another story. I could find no studies either way on fleas. However there is evidence that garlic can be harmful. (Am J Vet Res 2000 Nov;61(11):1446-50; Hematologic changes associated with the appearance of eccentrocytes after intragastric administration of garlic extract to dogs) Once again, the people who use this are usually doing other things.

Frontline is too expensive. Isn’t the stuff in the store just as good?

Yes, the stuff in the store is cheaper and somewhat effective. However, I see cases all summer long of dogs and cats that are poisoned by overdoses of these medicines, even at the doses recommended on the label. There is even evidence that cats can be affected by pyrthroid products placed on another animal. I believe people should use these products at their own risk and spend the money they save on pet insurance because they'll need it.

I’ve used Frontline, Advantage, Revolution, etc. and it doesn’t work.

OK, I know that’s not a question, but there are multiple studies that show that these products have not lost their effectiveness. There are many possible explanations for apparent failure of a product. It’s possible you are putting it on wrong. It’s possible there are so many fleas in the environment that the product may become overwhelmed (remember each time a flea takes a bite of the product that’s less product on the dog!). It’s also possible that particular product doesn’t work on your dog, try another. I have put Frontline on THOUSANDS of dogs in shelter situations and I have never seen a failure.