Dog’s down mood could be a sign of medical condition
When a dog’s behavior changes, it may be due to underlying illness or pain such as from arthritis, veterinarian Alex Herman writes in response to an owner’s concerns about a listless pet. A complete physical exam by a veterinarian along with blood tests and other diagnostics will help determine if illness is present, according to Dr. Herman. Medication, changes in the dog’s environment or behavioral consultation may be needed to help improve the pet’s condition, Dr. Herman adds. San Francisco Chronicle (12/4)
Q: Our 12-year-old dog is a mixed breed whom we rescued from the streets more than 10 years ago. We assume she had been abused because of her physical condition. She has always been a somewhat moody dog, often lying curled up in a ball when she is not the center of attention. She has seen two other pet dogs die, and it seems to have affected her badly each time. Now she is getting quite deaf and often lies curled in a ball and refuses to use her beds, preferring the doormat. She seems truly miserable. Do you have any suggestions for us?
A: It is unclear whether your beloved dog’s problems are behavioral or medical. Have her checked by your veterinarian with a physical exam, red and white blood cell count (CBC), and chemistries to check kidney function, liver function, electrolytes and thyroid level. Her doctor may also perform a blood pressure measurement, urinalysis and any other tests that answer questions raised by her exam.
She may be sleeping by the door because it’s cooler and that makes arthritic joints feel better. She may not want to sleep on her beds because it is difficult to position herself. Pain is hard to diagnose in dogs because they are so stoic. Often arthritis pain is interpreted as getting old or being sad or tired. If her doctor thinks she is uncomfortable, he or she might want to do joint radiographs or a trial of pain medication. If she has arthritis, a low, soft bed may appeal to her.
It may be that she has no medical problems and needs more attention. Owning a dog is a huge time commitment that can dramatically increase when they age. They require daily involvement in the form of grooming and play, lots of affection and exercise, which can be difficult for busy families.
If your dog gets a clean bill of health, a consult with the SPCA’s behavioral service may help you to understand her and improve her quality of life. Thank you for taking such good care of her.
Alex Herman, D.V.M., All Pets Hospital, San Francisco.
Owners and veterinarians concur: Preventive care is the best care
Owners and veterinarians are similarly focused on preventive care, including vaccinations and parasite control, writes veterinarian Ann Hohenhaus, who discusses the results of a survey. Owners expressed concern over pet medication costs, but Dr. Hohenhaus endorses veterinary-grade medications, noting the medications are specifically designed for animals. WebMD/Tales from the Pet Clinic blog
By Ann Hohenhaus, DVM
Pet owners said they were primarily concerned with vaccinations, fleas and ticks, heartworms, intestinal parasites, and spending money on medications. This list appears to overlap with the veterinary list on the topic of intestinal parasites, and both owners and vets are squarely focused on preventive healthcare; care to keep their favorite furry, feathery, or scaly companion healthy.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations float to the top of most pet owners’ lists because they save pets’ lives. Before vaccinations were available for common diseases like canine distemper and feline panleukopenia, these diseases spread through neighborhoods like wildfire, often resulting in the deaths of many pets. Decreases in the recommended frequency of some vaccines, coupled with the association between injections and tumors, has raised many questions in pet owners’ minds.
Intestinal parasites
Both pet owners and veterinarians agreed intestinal parasite control was an important issue for pets. How could it not be? Intestinal parasites are high in yuck factor, high in pet discomfort, and on the list of diseases people and pets can share.
Fleas and ticks
These critters are very similar to intestinal parasites with regard to yuck factor and pet discomfort. A pet with a flea infestation may mean you also have a house or apartment with a flea infestation since fleas spend more time off your pet than on. Pet owners want to avoid an expensive exterminator bill by preventing fleas on their pet. Pet owners also want to prevent fleas and ticks to protect their pet against diseases like Lyme disease and blood parasites.
Heartworms
Because heartworms are a serious health concern in both dogs and cats, they are an important medical issue for most pet owners. Nearly every state in the United States reports cases of heartworm in resident dogs and cats. This map shows heartworm cases by state.
Year-round heartworm preventative is a “two-fer” since most prevent both heartworms and some intestinal parasites.
Pet medications
Pet owners want the best for their pet. In my mind, the best are veterinary-specific products. I prefer to prescribe medications developed specifically for veterinary patients rather than human or compounded medications. Veterinary-specific medications assure you, the pet owner, the product has been tested in dogs or cats and will be absorbed, metabolized, and effective in your pet. But, because most pets do not have insurance and medications are paid for “out of pocket,” many times pet owners can be surprised at the cost. As a pet owner myself, I believe that these veterinary-specific medications are worth paying for.
After looking carefully at the two lists of pet healthcare issues, one from pet owners and the other from veterinarians, are they really so different? Both groups’ lists really have only one item and it’s the same one: healthy, happy pets.
FDA: Don’t feed certain Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog treats
Product may be contaminated with Salmonella
December 6, 2012
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning pet owners and caretakers not to feed their pets Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats with a lot code of BESTBY061913DEN because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The treats are made, packaged and distributed in the United States by Kasel Associates Industries Inc. (Kasel) and were sold at Costco stores in the Denver, Colo., area.
Kasel has declined to perform a voluntary recall at this time. However, Costco is working with FDA and has removed all of the affected products from its shelves. The company will also contact customers who may have purchased the product to provide additional instructions.
The product is sold in 3.0 lb. packages labeled as Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats. The product is packaged in flexible plastic which is yellow, blue, green and red, with black and white print writing. The packaging also has a digital photo of a dog on the front panel, and transparent sections to view the product inside. Lot code BESTBY061913DEN is located on the reverse side of the packaging in the transparent section immediately following the term “All American Dog.”
In September 2012, a retail sample of a Kasel dog treat product tested by the Colorado Department of Agriculture was found to be positive for Salmonella. An FDA follow-up inspection at the firm found certain finished dog treat products and 34 out of 72 environmental samples positive for Salmonella.
On October 2, 2012, the company recalled one lot of its Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats. However that recall did not extend to the lot code covered by this warning.
In November 2012, a retail sample of Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats lot code BESTBY061913DEN taken by the Colorado Department of Agriculture tested positive for Salmonella.
These treats are manufactured in the United States and are not associated with FDA’s investigation in reports of illnesses in dogs associated with consumption of chicken jerky treats.
FDA has not received any reports of illnesses associated with these treats. However, both people and animals can contract Salmonellosis from handling or eating contaminated products. People handling dry pet treats should thoroughly wash their hands after having contact with the treats as well as any surfaces exposed to these products.
Consumers should dispose of these products in ways that people and animals, including wild animals, cannot access them, such as placing them in a securely lidded garbage can.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their health care provider immediately.
The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to become severely ill from Salmonella infection. The bacterium can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in these vulnerable populations. Most healthy individuals recover from Salmonella infections within four to seven days without treatment.
Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may experience only a decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected product or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.
As with humans, dogs who are elderly, very young or have impaired immune systems are more vulnerable to Salmonella infection.
Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area or by reporting through the Safety Reporting Portal. Information on reporting consumer complaints can be found at: https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm1.
Bumper toys appear to leach plastic compounds, study finds
Plastic bumpers used to train retrieving dogs appear to leach bisphenol A and phthalates, according to research from Texas Tech University. The researchers found that bumpers exposed to artificial dog saliva and simulated chewing released the chemicals. It’s not known whether the compounds put dogs at risk of any health problems. EnvironmentalHealthNews.org (11/29)
Dog bites BPA: Chemicals leak from plastic training toys
Dogs that chew on plastic training devices and toys may be exposed to hormone-altering chemicals, according to research at Texas Tech University. Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates – ingredients of hard plastics and vinyl – readily leach from bumper toys, which are used to train retrieving dogs. The new study is one of the first to examine dog products as a potential source of exposure for pets. No one knows, though, whether the traces of the chemicals pose any health risk to dogs. “Some of the dogs are exposed to plastic bumpers from the time they are born until the day they die. We all want our pets to be healthy,” said toxicologist Philip Smith, co-author of the as-yet unpublished study.
Nov. 29, 2012
Dogs that chew on plastic training devices and toys may be exposed to hormone-altering chemicals, according to research at Texas Tech University.
The researchers found that bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates – ingredients of hard plastics and vinyl – readily leach from bumper toys, which are used to train retrieving dogs.
The new study is one of the first to examine dog products as a potential source of exposure for pets. No one knows, though, whether the traces of the chemicals pose any health risk to dogs. Previous research has focused on the risks to infants and toddlers from baby bottles, toys and other items that contained the chemicals.
“A lot of plastic products are used for dogs, so to understand the potential for some of the chemicals to leach out from toys is a new and important area of research,” said veterinarian Safdar Khan, senior director of toxicology research at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Poison Control Center in Illinois. Dr. Khan was not involved in the current study.
Philip Smith, a toxicologist at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech, became interested in chemical exposures from bumpers after using them to train his own Labrador retrievers.
“Some of the dogs are exposed to plastic bumpers from the time they are born until the day they die. We all want our pets to be healthy,” said Smith, co-author of the as-yet unpublished study, which was presented this month at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry conference in California.
“A lot of plastic products are used for dogs, so to understand the potential for some of the chemicals to leach out from toys is a new and important area of research.” -Dr. Safdar Khan, ASPCA Poison Control Center In humans and rodents, BPA and phthalates have been linked to a number of health issues, including impaired development of reproductive organs, decreased fertility and cancers. The United States and the European Union have banned some phthalates in children’s toys, and in July the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.
The researchers, led by Kimberly Wooten, a graduate student in environmental toxicology at Texas Tech, studied factors that affected how much BPA and phthalates leached from plastic bumpers into dishes filled with artificial dog saliva.
They tested orange and white bumpers from two unidentified makers. The bumpers subjected to simulated chewing leached more BPA and phthalates than brand new bumpers and those left outside to weather for a month.
Researchers said they suspect that the levels of chemicals observed from the bumpers would be considered very high when compared with children’s toys. “Think of the molecules that comprise plastics as bricks in a wall. With pet toys, wear and tear from chewing would place stress on the chemical bonds – the mortar – allowing individual molecules to be released,” said Laura Vandenberg, a reproductive scientist from Tufts University in Massachusetts.
Since simulated saliva was used, it is difficult to say how much actual leaching would occur in a dog’s mouth, the researchers said. “We don’t have enough information at this time to begin to estimate actual exposure,” Smith said.
Smith said they suspect that the levels of chemicals observed from the bumpers would be considered very high when compared with children’s toys.
The researchers also looked at phthalates and BPA from pet toys sold through major retailers. They found higher concentrations leaching from bumpers than from other toys but preliminary results suggest some store-bought toys might have leached other hormonally-active chemicals.
A previous study by the Environmental Working Group found that dogs’ blood and urine contained the breakdown products of several phthalates at levels ranging from 1.1 to 4.5 times higher than the average found in people.
“Dogs are closer to the ground than humans, so house dust is another potential source of exposure to environmental chemicals,” Dr. Khan said.
But little is known about any potential health risks for dogs exposed to hormone-mimicking chemicals.
Since little toxicity data exist for dogs, it is difficult to evaluate risks, Smith said. Nonetheless, “consumer education about potential risk seems to be warranted based on our data,” he said
Funeral home offers services for 4-legged family members
D.O. McComb & Sons’ Tribute Center in Indiana includes services for deceased pets such as burial, cremation and a private room for viewing by owners, reflecting pets’ modern status in many homes as family members.
Memorials to pets prove it’s more than puppy love
An unusual item appeared in the newspaper the other day. It was an obituary – for a dog.
The death notice identified the dog’s owner and even included calling hours at D.O. McComb & Sons new Tribute Center on West Main Street near Lindenwood Cemetery.
While the obituary was, as far as I can recall, a first for the newspaper, the concept of special treatment for a deceased pet is nothing new.
People have been falling in love with their pets since long before Rin Tin Tin, Lassie or Old Yeller came along, sometimes with good reason. A pet will never tell you you’re ugly or overweight, and it will never ask you where you’ve been when you come home late. It will just be delighted to see you.
While your kids may prove to be crushing disappointments, a pet generally doesn’t have the wherewithal to ruin the family name, get busted for selling drugs or sell your jewelry while you’re out of town.
Truth be told, for many people, a pet is the most loyal – even the only truly loyal – creature in their lives.
That has become evident to the people at D.O. McComb. A lot of people want a respectful exit for their pets, so when the funeral home opened the Tribute Center in October it included something unusual: a separate crematorium for pets, and a separate room, now called Emma’s Room, where a deceased pet can be briefly laid out and the owner can enter and say hello and offer one last goodbye before cremation, Dave McComb says.
It’s just a sign of the times, he said. Pets have become more important as members of the traditional family move to far-flung places. Kids leave. Wives leave. But pets remain as faithful companions and, McComb said, their status has become elevated.
Other animals, such as service dogs and police dogs, have earned a higher status in the minds of many. Maybe they don’t rate a funeral, but a thoughtful sendoff is soothing for the owners.
McComb’s can either cremate a pet and put its ashes in an urn, or arrange a burial in a portion of Riverview Cemetery that has been set aside for pets.
The funeral home hasn’t promoted the service yet, but at a Tribute Center open house, the concept drew a lot of attention and was well received, McComb said.
“We’ve had requests for even services for a while now,” McComb said.
While you won’t find preachers conducting funerals (don’t all dogs go to heaven anyway?) there can be services where an owner or friend might even eulogize an animal and friends or family members can show up and offer condolences.
“What we’ve learned is that people fall into two categories: pet owners and pet parents.”
To the pet parent, a pet becomes just as important as any other member of the family, somebody they will always remember.
The cost of a pet cremation? It varies depending on the size of the animal, which can obviously vary wildly, but the pet crematorium can handle animals up to 300 pounds.
Stop and think before giving a pet as a holiday gift, experts say
While a puppy or kitten under the Christmas tree may seem like the quintessential holiday gift, experts warn that pets given as gifts don’t always have a happy ending. Veterinarian Mollie Hurley advises against surprising people with animals as gifts, as they may not be prepared for the commitment. Animal shelter educator Deeann Schaefer notes that recipients of pets may not be financially or emotionally prepared for the responsibilities and often end up surrendering those animals to already overburdened shelters.
While the excitement of surprising a loved one with an adorable puppy or kitten may be tempting, pets are not like a sweater or piece of jewelry that can be easily returned or re-gifted.
“Pet ownership is not an impulse to jump into,” Dr. Mollie Hurley, of Stack Veterinary Hospital in Onondaga, said. “And by not talking it over with the recipient or really thinking things through completely, (giving or receiving a pet as a gift) might not be as enjoyable as it could be.”
Companion animals may live for 15 years, and need life-long care in homes where they are loved and treated as members of the family.
“We see it a lot,” Deeann Schaefer, humane educator at Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association, an animal shelter in Canastota, said. “The person they’re giving the pet to may not have time for it, they may not be able to afford a pet, and some of them may not even want a pet at that particular time.”
While a pet given as a gift initially costs the person on the receiving end little or nothing, there is no such thing as a “free” animal.
A spread sheet at aspca.org listed first-year pet care cost estimates — not including the cost of purchasing the animal — ranging from $1,314 for a small dog to $1,843 for a large dog, and $1,035 for a cat. Of course, that’s just for the first year, and as animals age, their need for veterinary care may increase.
Schaefer said that too often gift animals end up in shelters, which are already filled with unwanted pets. Or worse, they may be neglected, abused or abandoned. She estimates the number of dogs and cats at Wanderers’ Rest increases by at least 10 to 15 percent after the holidays.
“People realize they may have bitten off more than they can chew,” Schaefer said. “We see a lot of kittens and cats coming into the shelter six months later, when the cuteness has worn off. Same thing with puppies, eight or nine months later. Suddenly, it’s not the cute roly-poly puppy that was underneath the Christmas tree, it’s a dog that’s chewing up your furniture.”
Hurley said adding a young animal to a household at this time of year presents special challenges.
“During the holidays there’s a lot of chaos, it’s a hectic time. People have a lot of things going on and may not be able to pay attention to the pet’s needs,” she said.
Hurley also cited the health risks of young animals ingesting ribbon and other holiday items, and added, “Taking a puppy outside every couple hours to get it potty trained in the winter is certainly not easy,” she said.
Schaefer said the phones are already ringing at Wanderers’ Rest. “We actually have people calling and asking us, ‘When are you getting your puppies in?’ like we’re Kmart or something,” she said.
Schaefer recommends, instead, giving a pet-themed gift basket and a gift certificate from a shelter, which would allow the recipient to personally pick out his or her own animal.
If a person says they want to adopt a dog or cat to give to someone else, Schaefer said Wanderers’ Rest requires the recipient to come in and confirm that he or she does indeed want the animal.
“Is it going to ruin the surprise? Yes, but we want every family member on board.” Schaefer said.
Costs of owning a pet include expenses for: Food and treats. Collars and leashes. Bedding. Veterinary care, including vaccines, medications, spaying and neutering, heartworm, flea and tick prevention. Grooming. Training, boarding or pet sitting. Fencing or containment systems. Time to exercise, play with and train the animal.
Lazarus’ 3-week checkup
This picture shows Carolyn Davis and Lazarus and Agatha during Lazarus’s three week check up.
Lazarus had an amazing recovery from his bladder surgery despite his anemia and his liver issues.
But our concern with today’s physical exma on his three week recheck and suture removal
Is that he is experinecing some neurologic issues. This may be related to his liver’s inability to
Digest proteins in his diet. Last week this happened and Carolyn lowered the protein in his food
and Lazaarus improved. But it only took a little bit of fish protein in his diet this morning to bring
on the neuologic symptoms again. We are watching Lazarus closely with hope in our hearts!
How many more times can Lazarus defy the odds?
Lazarus, the Miracle Dog
Lazarus was well named by Carolyn Davis. She adopted him the day before he was to be put down as an unwanted stray at a pound. Lazarus has turned into my most miraculous patient because he escaped death from three terminal diseases.
In 2008, when Lazarus was eight years old, he developed stage five terminal leukemia. At presentation, Lazarus had been vomiting blood and had a white blood cell count (WBC) of 659,500! The WBC normal ranges from 6,000-18,000. He was at end stage crisis from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. His overall prognosis was poor (less than 4 months). Carolyn would not allow a bone marrow biopsy because she did not want the risk since he was so sick (risk:benefit ratio).
We entered Lazarus into our Pawspice program. Pawspice rhymes with hospice but it is much much more! Pawspice embraces palliative medicine (reduces the signs and discomfort of illness) and offers kinder gentler standard chemotherapy. Lazarus’ chances for a long life were grim but Carolyn felt that as long as he did not feel sick from the treatments, she wanted us to try to save him. She said, “I want to save him. I want him to be the miracle dog!” Lazarus responded to the gentle chemotherapy and he survived stage five leukemia!
Two years later in 2010, Lazarus was swimming in Lake Arrowhead. He developed a severe infection of his liver (hepatitis). The infection concentrated in the tiny pathways of his bile system. Lazarus developed yellow jaundice of his skin. He he had bloody small bowel diarrhea and extremely elevated liver enzymes. His liver biopsy diagnosed hepatitis with an infected biliary system (suppurative cholangiohepatitis).
Rcently, Lazarus started having blood in his urine. When we checked his bladder, we found a large tumor involving the apex of his bladder. We tried to control the bleeding with an infusion into his bladder. Despite our efforts, his urine continued to be bloody. It became obvious to all of us, especially to his mom, Carolyn, that Lazarus would need surgery to remove his bleeding bladder tumor. There was no other feasible alternative. Despite the risk, surgery had to be done because Lazaruswas losing so much blood in one week that he required blood transfusions!
Of course, Carolyn was on board for the surgery. She almost demanded the surgery. We had to remind her that Lazarus had a special pre-existing history and co-morbid conditions. Read about his skirmishes with death in my Lazarus blog of September 24, if you don’t remember Lazarus! He is the miraculous survivor of near-death liver failure, horrible hepatitis and raging acute leukemia. All these factors, including his severe anemia, put Lazarus into the “high surgical risk” category. I needed Carolyn to understand that Lazarus could die.
Dr. Villalobos founder of Pawspice (rhymes with Hospice) applied and received an Angel Fund Grant from the AHF-SCVMA. Thank you Dr. Villalobos!
Nearly lost, Gypsie is back!
In June, 2011, Kira Davidson’s boyfriend took her to Disneyland for her birthday. It was a great day – until they returned home and Kira found her dog, Gypsie, shaking and acting “really strange.”
Gypsie, a 4-year-old Manchester terrier Kira had rescued “straight off the street” a year earlier, was “shaky and she’d never been shaky before. I figured that maybe it was because it was colder that night. The next morning, I woke up and I went out to get her some dog food. When I came home, she was excited and jumping like she normally does and we went upstairs. The next thing you know, I turned around and she was falling and tipping over and then she really fell down and I freaked out.
“My first instinct was to feel her heart and I noticed it was very, very, very slow. So I took her to my local veterinarian in Pasadena. He said there was a heart murmur and it was beyond what he could do because he’s not a heart specialist.”
The veterinarian referred Kira, who lives in Temple City, to the Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Pasadena. Fearing an expensive treatment, Kira – who had been laid off from her job with an insurance company days before – went to a couple of other veterinarians first. She was told the same thing that the first practitioner had said. So she took Gypsie to Advanced Veterinary Care.
“They were very accommodating and we found out that her heart wasn’t working right and the only way to save her was to put in a pacemaker.” The hospital filled out forms for an Angel Fund grant to help Kira and AVCC matched the grant. “So basically they saved us $1,000 on the pacemaker. And within about a week I had found out what was wrong with Gypsie and she was on the surgery table. She has always been a very fit dog. She’s got a lot of muscle, more than fat. So she was the first patient of theirs where they actually had to implant the pacemaker under her muscle, instead of just under her skin. The pacemaker is the exact same thing they put in a person. And it turned out really good. Dr. [Sarah] Zimmerman said she loved the result. She said she wanted to do it that way on more dogs.”
Today, Gypsie is a healthy, normal terrier. She can keep up with other dogs. She jumps and runs and plays. “She’s fit!” Kira says happily.
But her dog would be gone by now, if she had not gotten the pacemaker, Kira believes. And she is delighted to have Gypsie back – just as she was before last June.
Pinky gets Angel Fund Grant
The Rodriguez family’s 12 year old pomeranian – Pinky – had bladder, ureteral and kidney stones that had to be removed surgically. In order for the family to afford the surgery, The Advanced Veterinary Care Center applied for an AHF-SCVMA Angel Fund Grant. This helped the Rodriguez family save the life of their beloved Pinky!