My Blog

GDV – A Life-Threatening and EXTREMELY Urgent Condition in Dogs.

11/13/2012 22:32:00

This weekend, I logged on to Facebook and one of my friends had posted that her extremely talented hunter, Boomer, had passed away on Sunday. Boomer was a young, vibrant, animated Chesapeake Bay Retriever in the prime of his life and hunting career. As I read the comments extended to Boomer’s parents, I soon found out that Boomer had passed away from GDV (Gastric Dilatation Volvulus), also known as “Twisted Stomach” or “Bloat”.

Boomer’s condition is very common in deep-chested, large breed dogs and unfortunately, we don’t know every single reason as to why dogs bloat. There are two things that actually happen during GDV. The first is that the dog’s stomach fills with air (Gastric Dilatation). A dog’s stomach can bloat and it can simply relieve himself through belching. Some dogs, often puppies, gulp their food down and take in a ton of air in the process. Their tummies become bloated with air and belch or sometimes vomit to relieve the pressure. Their stomachs return to normal after they expel all of the excess air and gas.

Where this can turn serious very quickly is where the stomach starts twisting on itself (Volvulus), sealing off both ends of the stomach, preventing the ability to expel the excess gas and air. This is absolutely a life-threatening condition and it is imperative you get your pet to a veterinarian immediately if you suspect a case of bloat.

Some signs your dog may have GDV are not subtle and include:

Bloating – your dog’s stomach will grow very big with air.
Episodes of unproductive belching, retching or vomiting. Your dog’s body is trying to expel the air collected in their stomach.
Intense abdominal pain that prevent the dog from moving around.
Shallow, rapid breathing and pale gums.

Again, it is extremely important to get your dog to a veterinarian or emergency clinic if it’s after hours. If your dog doesn’t get immediate veterinary care, his stomach could rupture and he could develop a fatal abdominal infection. There are risks during this surgery, but if not done, this condition is fatal.

To Boomer, from his parents:

“To my Big Brown Dog, Boomer, I will miss you so much. You were a great dog, a great hunter, snuggle buddy, protector of our house and family, squeaker of the squeaky toy. Although our time together was cut short, we had a lot of fun! We love you and know you are watching out for us. Thinking of you always, love Mom & Dad.”

Two weeks in...are your resolutions still intact?

01/18/2012 12:56:00

Losing weight. Finding love. Work on increasing your savings account. All very common New Years resolutions. The most common, however, is always to stop smoking. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that secondhand smoke is attributed with killing thousands of adult non-smokers yearly. I’ve never had to stop smoking, but on my 16 birthday, my dad made the pledge to stop, not only for his health but for the health of his children and people around him. Children and grandchildren are a great reason to stop smoking, but so are pets. More and more evidence is coming forward about just how dangerous secondhand smoke is to the animals that share our homes.

A recent study from Tuft College of Veterinary Medicine found a very strong correlation between secondhand smoke and some forms of cancer in cats. The most common one that was found was a certain form of mouth cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. This particular cancer was found at a larger number in animals living in smoking environments than in non-smoking households. The numbers rose even higher in cats that were living with a smoker for five or more years.

One of the reasons cats are so susceptible to these cancers are because of their grooming habits. Cats are constantly grooming themselves, therefore they are licking up all of the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on their fur. Dogs are more susceptible to cancers of the nose and sinus area. Colorado State University recently conducted a study that showed that dogs living in smoking environments had a higher percentage of nasal tumors than those who were living in non-smoking environments. The increased incidence was specifically found among the long nosed breed of dogs. Shorter and medium nose dogs showed higher rates for lung cancer.

Secondhand smoke is not the only danger faced by pets that live in smoke filled environments. Poisoning is another common risk. Curious pets can eat cigarettes and other tobacco products if they aren’t stored properly. When ingested, this can cause nicotine poisoning, which can be fatal.

The best choice that could enhance your chances of enjoying a healthier lifestyle with your family and pets would be to stop smoking all together. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2012!

Pre-Holiday "Weigh-In"

10/11/2011 20:59:00

Last night I had to run in to PetSmart to pick up some filters for my husband’s fish tank. Ahead of me in line was a gentleman with a very portly lab in tow. Ok, maybe I under-sold that. This pup was 25-30 lbs. over-weight. Well into the danger zone. While standing waiting to check out, I overhead the cashier ask what the dog’s name was. “Rufus*”, the guy replied. “Oh, how cute. Would Rufus like a treat?” The guy gladly replies “Oh yes, he loves treats!” All this time I’m thinking… Treats? Get this dog a treadmill and a Biggest Loser audition, stat!

There is no doubt that our beloved pets are getting fatter. Studies have shown that 50% of our nation’s cats and dogs are either overweight or obese. With increasing weights come increasing weight disorders, especially osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes. The first step to combating this problem is recognition. We hear all too often that Fido only gained 2 lbs. over the last year. Weight gained slowly it just as harmful as weight gained rapidly.

There are many things you can do to help get your pet back to a healthy weight. A couple easy ones that come to mind are…

1. Make sure you are feeding a high-quality diet. Read the ingredients and know what is in your pet’s food. You should always have a good quality protein source at the top of the ingredient list. You should never, ever see “sugar” anywhere on that list. Too much sugar does the same thing in animals as it does in people.

2. Along with feeding a high-quality diet, know how many calories your pet should be eating. Give us a call and we can help you determine how many calories a day your pet should be eating.

3. Limit treats! I know dogs go bonkers when you even say the word “treat” but you can still treat them with a small, healthy treat (or even some veggies) rather than with a king-sized milk bone every time they come in from outside.

4. Exercise! Whether it is a rousing game of fetch, a casual stroll around the neighborhood or a little catnip and a feather chaser, get your pet moving. Before too long the snow will fly and no one will be excited to venture out in the chilly air.

* While the events in this story are real, the names have been changed to protect the extra-large.

Loving pedicures like we do.

06/20/2011 17:52:00

So, you have finally mustered the nerve to carry out the task you’ve been dreading all week. Nail clippers in hand, you hunt for Fido throughout the house. “I got him. He’s over here,” shouts your spouse. The two of you conspire to hold the struggling Pug down to give him a toenail trim, but after just seconds, you both give up.

The majority of dog and cat owners are afraid or unable to trim their pet’s nails. This is an essential pet care taskthat all owners should be able to perform.

Untrimmed or worn nails can snag on objects and break, causing pain and a trip to the veterinarian or an abnormal walking gait. They can even grow so long that they curve around back into the pads, causing lameness, pain and infection. Long nails can also cause damage to furniture or hardwood floors and scratch humans who are playing with their long-nailed pets.

You might think you can avoid the issue by sending your pet to the veterinary hospital or groomer to have this task done, but many pets are just as bad there. Consequently, the event is extremely stressful.

It turns out that both dogs and cats can be trained to allow, and even enjoy, the toenail trim process. Although the overall process is easier if you start when your pet is young, the trick is to pair the event with something positive and to train in systematic steps.

For instance, to train a pet to tolerate toenail trims, we want to associate the procedure with good things. For pets that bolt at the sight of toenail trimmers, you can just place the trimmers near their food bowl so they have to walk past and be near them every day when they eat. You can also put a treat, such as canned food, peanut butter or spray cheese, on the nail trimmer handles so that the pet can lick the treat off every time they walk by. You may want to be holding the trimmers if you have a pet that tends to eat weird objects.

Once the pet consistently acts as if she’s about to get treats when she sees the trimmers, you can go on to the next step. The easiest variation uses two people — one to give treats and one to handle the feet. First, have the pet sit in a comfortable position. Start by giving treats and simultaneously rubbing just above the paw. The goal is to get the pet to focus on just the food. After several seconds, stop. Wait about five seconds, then repeat the procedure. You want to make it clear that handling the foot equals treats.

When the pet is good at this step, go to pairing foot-rubbing with giving the treats. With each step, handle the feet more vigorously. Next, practice putting the clippers over the nail so he gets used to the feel paired with treats.

The final step is pairing the actual toenail clipping action with treats. Beyond this, you can also progress to clipping the nail and giving the treats afterward too. Just be sure that when you clip, you avoid clipping into the pink part of the nail that contains the blood vessel and nerves (quick) or you will set the process back. It may be helpful to start by trimming a small part, then a little more, especially with pets that have dark nails that make it hard to see the quick.

Sometimes the training takes just minutes. Sometimes it takes up to a week with twice daily sessions. Just be sure to always stay below the level of handling that causes your pet to react.

Why does my dog's breath smell so bad?

06/05/2011 19:30:00

Most often, bad breath is caused by dental or periodontal disease. Some dogs do not adequately chew their food; thus they don't clean their teeth naturally by the chewing process. Also, some dogs and cats are just prone to dental plaque, tartar and disease. These pets may need more frequent dental cleanings and treatments.

Internal diseases such as kidney disease can also cause bad breath. A physical exam is recommended in order to pinpoint the cause of your dog's bad breath and to ensure he is in good health.

Royal Breeds-Do you know your palace pets?

04/30/2011 18:13:00

Experiencing withdrawals now that Kate and Will's wedding is over? Put on your royal thinking cap and test your knowledge of dog breeds and English royalty.

1. Kate Middleton may have only just become royalty but her pup, Otto, has already made a royal mistake—what’s his breed?

2. What type of princely pooch belongs to Prince William?

3. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has double the trouble—or fun—with her two dogs. What breed are they?

4. What type of pooch does Queen Elizabeth prefer?

5. This dog outlived his master, King Edward VII. What was his breed?

6. Queen Victoria had a gravestone made for her dog. What breed was it?

Comment with your guesses! Answers revealed on Monday's post. Good luck!

Lost Pet?

04/27/2011 08:27:00

According to the American Animal Hospital Association’s 1995 Pet Owner Survey, roughly 30 percent of pet owners have lost a pet at one time. With that in mind, we offer these tips for finding your pet.

-Rally your family and friends and go looking. This is especially important if you realize soon that the pet is missing.

- Call your clinic. If your pet is wearing a rabies tag on its collar, the tag number can be traced to our clinic.

- Call every animal shelter or humane organization in your area. Visit the most likely shelters in person because you know your pet better than anyone else. Keep checking daily!

- Check with neighbors and put up signs around your neighborhood (or area the pet was last seen) that include a photo or description of your pet, your phone number, and how long your pet has been missing.

- Call your local newspaper and place a "lost pet" ad. Also check the newspaper daily for "found pets" ads. Often they will print found ads for free.

Hopefully your pet will stay with you, safe and sound and you will never need these!

The truth about online pharmacies...it's not pretty.

04/05/2011 19:30:00

Spring is finally here!!! We waited through such a tough winter and we definitely deserve the warm weather that is ahead. Along with the warm weather, we unfortunately have to deal with all the critters that rear their ugly heads when the sun shines. Fleas and ticks and heartworms, Oh my!

Through the eyes of your veterinarian’s office, there is one more critter that rears its ugly head, especially around this time of year… the online pharmacy! 1800PetMeds, PetMedExpress, PetCareRx, EntirelyPets blah, blah, blah. The only praise I have for these companies is for their marketing departments. Cute, cheerful commercials, boasting on the ease and convenience of their service and “guarantee”. Without researching what these companies are really about, it looks like the perfect business. Well…I’ve done the research and it doesn’t look good. Several of these pharmacies have numerous violations against them, such as

Selling drugs that have been manufactured outside of the United States. There are 2 issues with this...

1. There is no FDA present to monitor or approve the medications that were not manufactured here.

2. Often foreign companies use the metric system for dosing. You may easily be under or overdosing your furry family member.

Selling imitations of the prescribed drug or not as the veterinarian wrote the prescription.

Selling prescriptions directly to consumers without a veterinarian-client-patient relationship.

Since the Grand Poobah of them all (1800-PetMeds) is a publicly traded company, lets make some of these violations public.

In 1998, The Florida Pharmacy Board, received several complaints against PetMeds for issuing medications to patients without a prescription. PetMeds was hiring an “alternate veterinarian” to write the prescriptions without having any contact with the patient. This complaint was settled in 1999 with a small fine and no admission of any wrongdoing.

In 2001, PetMeds was issued a “stop sales order” after selling a flea control product that had been purchased outside the United States and therefore gave their doses in metric numbers. The maker of the misbranded product, Novartis, also sued PetMeds and other online pharmacies over this issue.

In 2002, PetMeds was once again charged by the Florida Pharmacy Board with “operating an alternative veterinarian program”. Ohio and Texas soon followed with their own lawsuits. All suits were settled with penalties, probation and community service but once again with no admission to any wrongdoing.

In 2004, after PetMeds went public, six securities lawsuits were filed by shareholders, claiming that the company delayed disclosing their past problems in order to allow time for its executives, including founder, Marc Puleo, to sell off their shares.

Now I’m not sure about all of you, but this doesn’t sound like the kinds of companies I would trust with my girls’ medications. I’m not even sure it sounds like the kind of business ethics I demand from a company that I do business with. Please, please be careful where you are getting your pet’s medications from and always remember that the safest place is always through your veterinarian!

Test your cat knowledge.

03/28/2011 16:58:00

Here's a fun "cat" quiz!

1. My cat won't use the litter box because he/she is rebellious and wants to make me mad.
A. True
B. False

2. My cat scratches the furniture to:
A. Mark territory
B. All of these
C. Stretch muscles
D. Shed nail sheaths

3. What's the purpose in why my cat "kneads"?
A. A sign of being hungry
B. A sign of aggressiveness
C. A sign of affection
D. A sign of being unhappy

4. My cat leaves objects such as his/her toys in his/her food or water bowls just to drive me crazy.
A. True
B. False

5.Why does my cat suddenly bite me in an aggressive manner when I'm petting him/her?
A. My cat is mean
B. None of these
C. My cat doesn't like affection
D. My cat doesn't want to be petted anymore

6. My cat purrs only when he/she is happy and relaxed.
A. True
B. False

7. Is it normal for my cat to exhibit body movements during sleep?
A. Yes
B. No

8.Why does my cat insist on playing and ransacking the house after I have gone to bed?
A. My cat wants me to get up
B. My cat is a nocturnal creature
C. My cat likes to annoy me
D. None of these

9. Why does my cat scratch the floor around his/her food and water bowls after eating as if to cover it up?
A. To hide it
B. Doesn't like its location
C. It smells bad
D. None of these

10. Why does my indoor cat attack me or my other indoor cat(s) when he/she sees an unknown cat outdoors?
A. My cat is most likely showing he/she is in control
B. My cat is most likely showing displaced fear
C. My cat thinks of me or my other cat(s) as prey
D. My cat is most likely showing displaced aggression

Answers

1. B 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. D
6. B 7. A 8. B 9. A 10. D

You want me to do what???

02/20/2011 20:12:00

At some point in your cat owning career, the veterinarian will probably innocently tell you that you need to give your cat a pill. You may not think it's a big deal until you get home and then wonder how exactly you are going to get that large pill into that small uncooperative feline.

The easiest way to give a cat a pill is to put it in food. If you are lucky enough to have a cat that wolfs down anything put in the food bowl, he may not notice the pill. I crush Josie's nightly pill into a powder and mix it with a teaspoon of canned food. Of course, this approach only works if your cat eats all his food at one sitting. If the cat doesn't eat it all, she might either miss the pill or not get all the medication.

Some cats may tolerate a pill hidden in a special treat like a bit of tuna, cheese, or canned cat food.

If food doesn't work, you have to take the direct approach. You might have seen your vet quickly open the cat's mouth and stuff in a pill. Years of practice makes them good at the process; I can assure you, it's not as easy as it looks.

First take a moment to get yourself ready. Make sure the pill is out of the bottle and very nearby. Getting the pill into the cat is a two-handed process. Basically, you use one hand to open the cat's mouth and the other to place the pill as far back in the cat's mouth as you can.

The trick to opening the cat's mouth is to have your hand over the cat's head and grasp one side of the jaw with your thumb and the other side with your fingers. You press in a bit on the hinge of the jaw, and tilt the cat's head back. The lower jaw should open, so you can use your other hand to put the pill in as far back as you can get it.

When the pill is in, close the cat's mouth and hold it closed. You can try stroking her throat or blowing gently in her nose to stimulate her to swallow. Unfortunately, many cats are good at spitting out pills, so you may have to go for a second try. Plus, once you've gone through the process once, the cat is wise to you and will be less tolerant of later attempts. It can be helpful to wrap the cat in a towel to keep her in position. Of course, having someone to help you hold the cat is even better. Here's another hint. If you have to pill your cat, you might want to check the claws first. If they are really long, a nail trim is a good idea. Think about doing the trim long before you plan to give the pill. Most cats get annoyed being "messed with" too much in one sitting.

It is helpful to have your veterinarian show you the pilling process before you leave the clinic. Some vets also sell a special "cat piller" device that can help with difficult felines. If it's really a problem, you should ask about possible alternatives to pills.