Vomiting and diarrhea can be symptoms of many conditions
Vomitus Doggy-Us
I think I am old enough now that I can use the phrase, “You remember the good old days.” If you listen to the “older than me timers” you could feed your dog scraps, bones, pork or anything else lying around. They wouldn’t get sick and still live forever. And that’s a long time. I am not sure how true all this is, but I still hear it said by many of our charming senior clients. These days, we get several calls about vomiting or diarrhea patients every single day. Our patients compared to the past seem to have a much more “sensitive constitution,” as my grandma would have said.
There is good news and bad news with these symptoms, which often go hand in hand. Fortunately, the vast majority of our cases are nothing more than an upset stomach for some very simple reason. Unfortunately for us as veterinarians, vomiting and diarrhea are such vague signs that they can be associated with hundreds of diseases, from benign to deadly. Fortunately, we don’t have to work up every case with blood work, radiographs (x-rays), ultrasound, ct scan, exploratory surgery, etc. to diagnose a cause. Unfortunately, sometimes we do. Fortunately, most vomiting and diarrhea cases are really easy to treat, oftentimes with things you can do at home and with over-the-counter medications you may already have. Unfortunately it may take a few days to get things under control. Fortunately, most of these cases will be normal very quickly.
As summer begins learn about heatstroke in dogs
Even when it’s only moderately warm outdoors, the interior of a home or car can quickly become an oven.
Heatstroke, an excessively high body temperature, can cause brain damage, kidney failure and, in half its canine victims, death.
We dogs are particularly susceptible because we can’t regulate our body temperatures very well, especially if we’re young, old, overweight, have breathing difficulties or have heart disease or other medical problems.
Signs of heatstroke include rapid breathing and heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea and then collapse.
Treatment is aimed at lowering body temperature and preventing damage to the brain and other organs through intravenous fluids and medications.
If Eddie ever has a repeat episode, spray him with a garden hose or immerse him in cool water, but not ice water, before you transport him to the animal hospital. Once he’s in the car, position him by the air conditioner vents.
Pain leads to aggression in some dogs, study says
Sudden changes in a dog’s temperament, for example episodes of aggression, could be related to some internal pain they are feeling, which sets them on edge if they are touched, new research indicates.
“If the pet is handled when in pain, it will quickly act aggressively to avoid more discomfort without the owner being able to prevent it,” study researcher Tomàs Camps, of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, in Spain, said in a statement. “Dogs that had never been aggressive before the onset of pain began to behave in this way in situations where an attempt is made to control them.”
Irritability from pain can make otherwise affectionate dogs violent and already aggressive dogs even more aggressive. As such, the researchers say, their findings support the importance of the diagnosis and treatment of pain in dogs.
Age is not a disease
Just a few days ago a client asked me how old my dog was, and I actually had to think about it. My first impulsive answer was that he was four years old, but I instantly knew that this was not correct since we adopted him when my oldest son was still in elementary school, and now he is in college. After a few seconds passed, I realized that my dog, Zack, is 9 years old. My client said, “Oh, he’s getting old!” I was shaken a bit by her response. I never thought of him as “old.”
As a veterinarian, I am keenly aware that pets age much more rapidly than humans, and that we have to be proactive with their health care. That night I returned home to re-examine my “older” dog and was pleased to have found him in good health.
The misconception that 9 years of age is old for a dog brings me to a phrase that I frequently say in my examination room, “Age is not a disease.” In addition, age should not be a reason to decline health care advice or treatment. My dog Zack may be older than he was one year ago, but he’s in great health, and I am not going to treat or think of him as a declining pet just because of his numerical age. He’s got a great spirit, good blood work and last year got a new left artificial hip to help his gait.
As a veterinarian, I would like to share with you some ideas on how to keep your aging pet as healthy as possible. Here’s my list of things that I do for my dog, two cats, and thousands of aging pet patients:
1. Keep their weight trim. Carrying extra weight around is a tremendous burden and a strain on joints, heart and blood sugar control. It is important to exercise your pet. For dogs, it’s walking 20 minutes a day, playing in the yard or park, and swimming if you have access to water. For cats, I recommend playing fetch with a foil ball, hiding food around the house for them to find, putting dry food in a “food-dispensing ball” and let them bat it around the house, and my favorite is laser tag with a penlight. Exercise is not only a great way to help keep down body fat, but it also is great for mental stimulation and maintaining good muscle mass.
2. Take them at least once, or best twice yearly, to your veterinarian for a complete health examination and blood work, called a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and Chemistry Profile (evaluates your pet’s organs). Be pro-active with your pet’s healthcare. It’s amazing what we discover each day when running yearly wellness blood work on our patients. It is best for all to uncover problems early so that we can try to correct or adjust our veterinary care as quickly as possible. In addition, pets are extremely stoic and do not easily show pain or distress until they are fairly sick (especially cats). In fact yesterday a client came to see me with their 12-year-old dog for her yearly examination and vaccination appointment. During this yearly check up, I discovered a grapefruit-sized mass in her caudal abdomen. I asked the client if she noticed any changes in her pet’s behavior. She answered, “No, but for these last few months she does want to go outside to urinate more frequently. When she was younger she could hold her urine for eight-to-10 hours, now she wants to go outside every five-to-six hours. I just thought she was getting old.”
Dogs do get older when they age, but that does not mean that all changes in their activity or behavior are simply a result of their body naturally deteriorating and that there is nothing we can do to help them. In this particular situation, this dog’s increased frequency of urination was due to the abdominal mass putting pressure on her bladder and not simply the fact that she was getting older and losing her ability to control her bladder function. In this situation, surgical intervention could be potentially curative.
So, don’t think your pet is slowing down just because he or she is getting older, maybe there is something medically wrong that can be addressed by your veterinarian. For the sake of your pet, don’t assume nothing can be done unless you speak to your veterinarian. You’ll be amazed at how advanced veterinary medical care has become and what we can offer you and your pet for a better quality of life.
3. Feed your aging pet a quality diet that is nutritious and balanced. For dogs, I like to see protein in the 30 percent range of daily caloric intake. For cats, I like their protein to be in the 50 percent range of daily calories ingested. (You may want to read an earlier Huffington Post blog that I wrote about “Demystifying the Cat Diet” for more information on what to feed a cat.) I know clients feel good about giving their pets treats and food from the table, but those “table treats” add up in calories and are not necessary for pets’ well-being. In addition, clients like to buy pet food labeled “senior diet” for their older pets, which unfortunately has no consistent meaning in the pet food industry. Some senior food is low in calorie, and some is high in calorie. Some senior food is low in protein, and some is high in protein. Years ago, we would recommend feeding low protein formulated food to our senior pets thinking that this would help their kidneys. Regrettably, we were wrong. Low protein diets do not help senior pets, even those with early to moderate kidney disease. We actually discovered that restricting protein, especially in elderly cats, actually accelerates their muscle wasting. So don’t deprive your elderly pet protein unless directed by your veterinarian.
4. Help your pet move more gracefully and comfortably. There are a great number of anti-inflammatory drugs available for dogs and pain medications for both cats and dogs. If you see your dog having difficulties climbing up stairs or walking around the block, trembling, stiffness when getting up from rest, or slipping on the floors, go see your veterinarian. If your cat is having difficulties jumping onto countertops (I’m sure he/she is not supposed to be there anyways) or onto furniture, this is a sign that your pet may be suffering from arthritis. Your veterinarian may recommend radiographs of problematic joints to document the pathology and then, dispense an anti-inflammatory drug and/or pain medication to make your pet feel better. There is no reason for pets to silently suffer in pain today. In addition to anti-inflammatory and pain medication, we also have in our arsenal of care nutra-pharmaceutical products that can really increase your pet’s quality of life. Acupuncture and physical therapy is also available to help your pet’s pain management and increase their movement.
5. I recommend Omega 3 Supplements to all patients unless they have dietary intolerances to fish products. I believe fish oil supplementation is beneficial to the coat, it decreases inflammation in the joints by up to 20 percent, and it has a nice protective effect on the kidneys and liver. Please consult with your veterinarian if he/she may think this is a good product for your pet to take. Ask your veterinarian for the appropriate dose, too. For your information, all fish oil is the same — it does not need to be labeled for pets only. You can share your fish oil, which typically is lower priced than the fish oil supplement for pets, with your pet.
7. Watch for signs of pain — for pet’s it can be very difficult to assess. In fact, veterinarians themselves cannot agree on all the signs of pain in our patients. The obvious signs of pain are dull attitude, loss of appetite, decreased ambulation or limping and crying out. The more subtle signs may be restlessness — just unable to sleep or lay in one position for an extended time period-, decreased grooming (especially for cats), panting, quiet behavior, depressed appetite, salivation, less interactive, changes in water intake, not interested in being petted or weight loss. If you think your pet is in pain, contact your veterinarian. Hopefully, together with your veterinarian, you will be able to uncover the source and potentially find a solution to your pet’s discomfort.
8. Pet your pet! Check for lumps and bumps that just don’t belong there. If you discover one, see your veterinarian. Hopefully it’s nothing significant, like a fatty tumor, called a Lipoma, which is quite common in older pets. If it is something significant, the good news is that you may have caught it early and it can be surgically or medically addressed as soon as possible giving your pet the greatest chance of a successful outcome.
I know my dog is 9 years of age and is not getting younger, but that doesn’t mean that I’m ready to put him in a wheel chair and push him around. I believe in being proactive with his health and make his remaining years as enjoyable as possible. Yes, I will try to remember to brush his teeth daily. I will continue to watch his figure to keep him trim. He loves to swim in Lake Michigan on the weekends, and I look forward to years of throwing his tennis ball into the water for him to retrieve. He gets his daily Dasuquin with MSM (a glucosamine chondroitin supplement) and fish oil, along with an occasional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and monthly Adequan injections (helps lubricate his joints and provides some anti-inflammatory benefit) for his bad hip. It’s a little bit of extra work to keep him at the top of his game, but it’s worth it.
I believe that your pet’s senior days can be just as enjoyable as his/her younger days. Take active care of yourself and your pet, and enjoy the remaining days together. You’ll never regret it!
Keep Pets Parasite Free this Summer
When the school bell rings for the last time, many children have furry friends eagerly awaiting summertime outdoor adventures. Proper veterinary care and good hygiene can help keep pets and kids parasite-free.
Ray said as children play outside, they can contract parasites from contaminated soil.
“Infected animals that defecate on the beach or in the sandbox can leave behind parasites that can burrow into the skin or be ingested when a child eats dirt or gets sand in his or her mouth,” he said. “These intestinal parasites are easily controlled with most monthly heartworm preventives.”
Ray said children are at a higher risk for contracting zoonotic diseases — those that can be transmitted from animals to humans — because of their play habits and love for pets.
Giardiasis is a common parasitic disease with higher infection rates in the summer.
“It is spread by ingesting food or water contaminated by defecation from an infected animal or person – so campers, people who swim in ponds or kiddie pools accessible to animals, travelers and child-care workers are at a higher risk,” he said.
Ray said families can take several precautions against zoonotic diseases.
“Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them,” he said. “Cover the sand box when it is not in use. Remove feces from the home and backyard, and use proper hygiene when handling it. Wash hands properly. Do not allow pets to roam freely because they can come into contact with infected animals. In some areas, keep your pets on heartworm prevention as well as flea and tick control every 30 days year-round.
“Use insect repellant liberally when in flea- or tick-infested areas. Shower thoroughly and check for ticks after being outside. Keep grass cut short for better flea control,” he said.
Animals Help People in Interesting Ways
You’ve seen police on horseback or drug-sniffing dogs. But those aren’t the only animals with jobs that help their cities. From the most adorable lawn-mowers ever to man’s best bedbug hunters, here are five ways animals are helping address nagging urban problems.
As Brush Clearers
Photo courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar/Flickr
In Seattle, there are two constants: hills and blackberry bushes, the latter of which spread quickly through gardens and green spaces. Combine the two and you’ve got a real headache for the city’s public works department. But there’s one animal that thrives on hills and thorny bushes: goats.
The city’s department of transportation hired 60 goats to clear a hill of brush that was deemed too dangerous for humans to navigate. Seattle City Light, the city’s electric power utility, and the Seattle Parks and Recreation department have also hired the goats for brush clearing. One goat owner who rents them out to the city told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “They suck down blackberry vines like it was spaghetti. I don’t understand it, [but] the thorns don’t bother them at all.”
As Bedbug Finders
Bedbugs are a nightmare to get rid of and they thrive in urban environments. But many cities are finding success employing dogs to search out the elusive pests. City housing authorities from Seattle, Milwaukee, and New York have purchased bedbug-sniffing dogs. Just as dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs and bombs, certain dogs can be trained to find bedbugs.
But these specialized canines come at a high price. In 2009, Milwaukee purchased Gracie, a 12-pound Jack Russell terrier, to go on bedbug-hunting missions throughout the city’s 5,300 units of public housing. Gracie cost the city $10,000, but one city official explained to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel why she’s worth the money:
The advantage is that the animal can pinpoint bedbugs without having to go through all the units in a building, or trying to treat a whole building with various methods like raising the temperature in a building to 120 degrees.
And to stay off this list, we’re guessing it’s worth the cost.
As Natural Pesticides
In Thousand Oaks, California, native Modesto ash trees were being held captive by whiteflies and aphids (“plant lice”). Fortunately for the city, ladybugs have big appetites for these calamitous critters.
Last month, the city’s public works department deployed 720,000 hungry ladybugs to keep the plant destroyers in check. The beetles, which can consume about 5,000 of the insects throughout their two-year lifespan, cost the city about $2,000 per year. Much cheaper than the hundreds of dollars per vial of pesticide, according to the Ventura County Star.
As Lawn Mowers
Vacant lots have become a major problem in struggling cities during and even before the recession, costing taxpayers big money in maintenance and clean-up fees.
In Cleveland, officials came up with a cost-effective alternative: a flock of sheep (along with one llama). “We found that we could reduce the cost of mowing up to 50 percent and, of course, there is significantly less environmental impact,” Laura DeYoung of Urban Shepherds told The Plain Dealer.
As Mosquito Killers
Austin rather famously stumbled across its unlikely non-human ally: bats.
When the Congress Avenue Bridge was constructed in 1980, its crevices proved particularly hospitable to bats. Some Austinites wanted to see them gone, but the city decided to let them be. Today, the bridge is home to about 1.5 million bats, making it the largest urban bat colony in the world.
This has provided Austin a number of benefits. On a typical night flight the colony can consume 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of insects, including agricultural pests and mosquitoes. The bats have also become a popular tourist attraction. It’s the 21st ranked tourist attraction in the city and it’s estimated that hundreds of thousands of people visit the site each year.
Preventing Dog Bites
Nice weather drives people outside. It also brings more dogs outside; thus, increasing the chance of possibly being the victim of a dog bite.
June 06, 2012 10:45 pm • By Joanne Fox with the Sioux City Journal
Each year, approximately five million dog bites occur in the United States, nearly 50 percent of which are unprovoked according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Dr. David Ray of Perry Creek Animal Hospital listed a few reasons a dog will bite.
“Fear. Being backed into a ‘corner,’ kind of a fight or flight attitude. Pain. Poor boundaries of behavior set by the owner when dog is a puppy or the dog is trained to bite,” he said.
Most often, a biting dog is a product of poor ownership, Ray stressed.
“Now there are always a few dogs that are just poor dogs to own due to their own behavioral issues,” he said. “These are the type of dogs that the ‘Dog Whisper’ is so famous for.”
Ray has an edge in the veterinary profession. Those trained in that vocation soon learn what to be watching for when a dog might be considering an attack.
“Watch the eyes. Curling lips. Head turning away and down,” he said. “What is the tail doing? Listen for the low growl. Are you a threat to them? What is your body language like?”
Contrary to popular belief and a city council ordinance on pit bulls, Ray felt certain breeds are not prone to more biting.
“The smaller the dog, the less severe the bite usually is,” he said. “But small dogs bite more than bigger dogs. You should know your breeds and how they behave.”
If you’re walking down the street and a dog approaches you, how you react will depend on the dog’s behavior, Ray said.
“If the dog is just walking along with tail wagging and head up, let the animal approach you at its pace,” he said. “Allow them to sniff the back side of you hand. If tail and head are still up, then you may slowly pat or stroke the top of the head and behind the ears.”
If a dog seems to be thinking about coming after you, walk, don’t run, Ray recommended.
“Walk toward a safe place or to an object of protection,” he said. “Never run! That is like giving the dog permission to chase and bite.”
Siouxland plastic surgeon Dr. Kelly Gallego with Tri-State Specialists, LLP in Sioux City has joined the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) efforts to educate pet owners on the prevention and impact of dog bites.
“I treat one to two dog bite injuries each month just from the area,” he said. “While some are relatively minor, other cases are much more serious, requiring multiple procedures and leaving patients and families emotionally traumatized.”
Fortunately, fatal attacks are extremely rare. However, dog bites can occur anywhere on the victim’s body. Children sustain more injuries to the head and face while adults typically experience injuries to the upper extremities. Gallego estimated some 30,000 victims nationwide will require reconstructive surgery this year alone to repair injuries sustained from dog bites.
“It is important that victims seek immediate medical attention,” Gallego said. “Educating dog owners is vital to decreasing the number of dog attacks.”
Ray echoed those sentiments.
“It is important to understand that it’s the owner of the animal that is totally responsible for what that animal does,” he said. “Owning a pet is a responsibility. It isn’t a right.”
It’s also an entirely different situation if one’s family pet becomes aggressive, Ray pointed out.
“A owner should never be fearful that their dog will bite,” he said. “If they are, they need to question their training techniques or the type or temperament of the dog they own.”
Hot Spots Cause Problems for Pets and Owners
A hot spot is a focal moist dermatitis that is hard to prevent, per se. They can come on quickly and grow from the size of a dime to a very large area in just hours! Dead hair that is trapped next to the skin and a lack of grooming can cause this, but usually it is a bug bite, parasites, allergies, grooming or some other local insult to the skin.
These fast-growing problems can occur almost anywhere but often are on the side of the face just below the ear, under the neck, or near the back end of the dog. Given where your dog had her hot spot, I would make sure the anal glands are not full, potentially causing local irritation and causing the dog to chew the area.
At this time of year, the pollen count is high and dogs with allergies itch and scratch, which could be the cause. I see a lot of these hot spots in the late spring and early fall and attribute them to possible allergic re-sponses. Shaving and cleaning the area is a must because the skin often produces a wet sticky film on the area that needs to be removed. I often suggest that owners put hydrogen peroxide on the cleaned area three times a day for one or two days after I have given the dog a shot of corticosteroids and started them on an antibiotic like Cephalexin. Sounds like the treatment worked and is similar to what I would have done.
John de Jong, D.V.M., is the owner/operator of Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and CEO/director at Boston Animal Hospital.
Deaf Dogs Can Be Trained with Hand Signals
Nearly 100 breeds of dogs are recognized to have congenital deafness, meaning a defect that has been present since birth.
Dalmatians, bull terriers and Australian cattle dogs are overrepresented. Cats can be deaf from birth but exactly which breeds are predisposed is less understood. Deafness in either species seems to be linked with white coats and/or blue eyes but not always.
An animal can be deaf in one or both ears, but we often don’t pick up on any deficiency in those that are deaf in just one ear. Deafness in dogs is more quickly recognizable since we expect them to respond to the sound of our voice or loud noises. Since humans as well as the world at large are frequently ignored by cats, it’s a little tougher to tell when they can’t hear. In either case, deaf animals should never be bred, since the trait will be passed down to subsequent generations.
The only completely accurate way to determine if a dog is deaf in one or both ears is to perform a Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) hearing test. The test uses a computer to record the electrical activity of the brain in response to sound stimulation. Since the BAER test was developed for use in humans, it does not measure the full range of canine hearing. But enough data can be gathered to determine if the dog can hear within the normal human range.
The CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital can perform this test to determine if an animal is deaf in one or both ears.
Dogs that are deaf from birth can be trained to respond to hand signals and still be wonderful pets. The trick to training them is getting their attention so they can look to you for a signal. Vibrating collars often are used to train these animals. The dog is taught that when it feels a vibration from the collar it should look to its owner.
Dogs and cats can have acquired deafness, meaning they become deaf later in life. Causes of acquired deafness include chronic ear infections, noise trauma, certain drugs used in topical ear preparations, geriatric changes and rarely general anesthesia. Dogs with acquired deafness also can be trained to respond to hand signals.
It’s important to remember deaf animals need to be protected from dangers that would give auditory cues to a hearing animal, such as oncoming cars. Children need to be instructed on how to approach a deaf animal so they do not startle it.
The website lsu.edu/deafness/deaf.htm is maintained by the school of veterinary medicine at Louisiana State University and is an excellent resource about congenital and acquired deafness in dogs and cats. Helpful tips on training deaf dogs can be found at www.deafdogs.com.
Christie Long is a veterinarian at the VCA Fort Collins Animal Hospital. Once a month, she will answer questions from her readers regarding pet health issues. Call her at (970) 204-4567 or send email to thepetdoctor@gmail.com.
Veterinary Nutritionist Advises Avoiding Chicken Jerky Treats
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)– Chicken jerky dog treats sourced from China have federal health officials urging caution as a link between the products and illness is being looked into. A local pet nutritionalist advises against giving your pet the dehydrated chicken product.
Dr. Kathy Michel is a professor of nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She says it’s still unknown what causes the toxic factor, but says what is clear is a kidney syndrome is showing up in many dogs that have ingested the treats.
“We know there is a problem with chicken jerky at this time. We don’t know what the problem is. We don’t know how to detect it. So we don’t know how to screen what chicken is safe and what isn’t. And the best that I can offer at this time is I would avoid chicken jerky treats.”
Dr. Michel says some companies will say they only source ingredients from the United States, but that is not necessarily a verifiable statement.