Posts in Category: Healthy Pets

Cancer is the foremost killer of older dogs and cats, but pets stricken with the disease are gaining new options from clinical trials for new treatments that hold promise for helping animals and people. A team of physicians and veterinarians has launched the National Veterinary Cancer Registry to help pet owners find trials that might offer their animals more time while helping advance science. Cats and dogs are often afflicted with many of the same types of cancers as people, including lymphoma, leukemia and bone cancer.

U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News (6/14)

By Barbara Bronson Gray
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) — If you hear that a friend’s beloved family member has joined a clinical trial for cancer treatment, don’t assume the patient is human.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in older dogs and cats, and clinical trials offer hope that effective medications will be developed — for humans and their four-legged friends, cancer experts say.

The new National Veterinary Cancer Registry, launched last month by a national team of animal and human cancer doctors, will point pet owners toward clinical trials that might benefit their beloved companions and speed up the development of life-saving therapies for humans.

“We will be able to decrease the cost and beat the time involved in drug discovery,” said the registry’s founder, Dr. Theresa Fossum, a professor of surgery at Texas A&M University’s college of veterinary medicine.

Because many similar diseases affect people and their animals, veterinarians and physicians say a lot can be learned from studying how treatments work in cats and dogs.

The drug-assessment process could be accelerated by a simple fact: dogs age many times faster than humans, and their cancers progress more rapidly too. Also, many canine and feline cancers — including sarcoma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; leukemia; mesothelioma; and bone, ovarian, kidney, uterine and oral cancers — are virtually the same cancers humans have.

Experts not involved with the registry said the concept of the database looks promising.

“These clinical trials would be more real-world than a lab experiment,” said Dr. Peter Rabinowitz, associate professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine and head of the Yale Human Animal Medicine Project, which studies clinical connections between human and animal medicine.

Dogs often are an interesting model for better understanding environmentally induced cancers, Rabinowitz said. “Asbestos causes cancer in humans 35 years [after exposure], but if you’re a dog, you get it in four to five years, so we can see how the cancers develop more naturally,” he said.

Fossum said she has always been bothered by the slow and cumbersome way drugs are tested. “If it’s a cancer drug, they’re going to put a human tumor in a mouse … but it’s not very predictive of how drugs will work in people,” she said.

Then, after tests to see if the drugs might be toxic in humans, the drugs are evaluated in human clinical trials, which take more than a decade to conduct. “So the drugs that are coming out now were starting [to be evaluated] 12 years ago,” she said.

Testing the drugs in pets speeds up the process, allowing researchers to determine if a medication works before taking it to human clinical trials, Fossum said. With a pet owner’s informed consent, “we can try a new drug that seems promising a lot sooner,” she said.

The concept of a cancer database for dogs and cats could expand to include other diseases, such as diabetes. About 800,000 dogs have type 1 diabetes in the United States, Fossum said. Other conditions that a veterinary registry could serve include endocrine, neurological and cardiac issues.

About 6 million dogs and 6 million cats in the United States receive a cancer diagnosis each year, according to the Animal Cancer Foundation, in Norwalk, Conn. If your dog or cat is one of them, you can register your pet with the National Veterinary Cancer Registry.

The registry was created by a consortium of animal and human cancer doctors, including specialists from the Baylor Healthcare System in Texas, the Texas Veterinary Oncology Group and the CARE Foundation, a Florida-based animal rescue and wildlife education organization.

Because the registry is new, it may take some time before effective clinical trial matchmaking can occur between animals and drug developers, Fossum said.

More information

Learn more about the connection between animal and human health from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jun 1, 2013 By: Timothy M. Fan, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (internal medicine, oncology) VETERINARY MEDICINE

Q. I’ve heard about studies linking neutered dogs with an increased cancer risk. Should I take this into consideration before performing routine spays and castrations?

Dr. Timothy M. Fan

A. The epidemiologic findings in a recent study provide indirect and foundational evidence for the participation of gonadal status in susceptibility to or protection from various categorical causes of death in companion dogs.¹ Based on the retrospective analysis of a very large cohort of female and male dogs, which were either gonadally sterilized (neutered) or intact, the findings of the study indicate that gonadal sterilization not only significantly impacts when companion dogs might die, but also provides novel information pertaining to why individuals die.

The study’s specifics

Specifically, gonadal sterilization significantly increased life expectancy in both male and female dogs by 13.8% and 26.8%, respectively, in comparison to sexually intact individuals. Importantly, the study findings identified a substantial effect of gonadal sterilization on the cause of death, with sterilization of dogs being significantly protective for fatality associated with various categorical pathologic processes including infectious, traumatic, vascular, and degenerative disease processes.

In contrast, sterilized dogs were significantly more likely to experience fatality associated with select neoplastic and immune-mediated processes. The identified association between increased fatalities of sterilized dogs from either neoplastic or immune-mediated diseases has the potential to direct future hypothesis-driven experiments that specifically address the participatory roles of chronic gonadal hormone exposure on tumorigenesis and immune surveillance.

In the context of cancer, sterilized dogs had a significantly increased risk of death, independent of age, associated with transitional cell carcinoma, osteosarcoma, lymphoma, and mast cell tumors; however, the increased death risk from cancer was not preserved across all tumor histologies, as sterilization status did not significantly influence the incidence of mortality in dogs with other common cancers such as prostate carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

More research needed

Based on these initial epidemiologic study observations, prospective investigations addressing the putative and mechanistic roles of chronic gonadal hormone exposure and specific cancer-related death risks are well-justified. However, at this point before additional hypothesis-driven experiments can be conducted, it would be premature and imprudent to recommend the avoidance of elective gonadal sterilization because of concerns of increased death risk from cancer in companion dogs. Future rigorous and definitive cause-and-effect scientific studies are required before changes in sterilization practices should be considered.

Timothy M. Fan, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (internal medicine, oncology)
Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Illinois
Urbana, Ill.

REFERENCE

1. Hoffman JM, Creevy KE, Promislow DE. Reproductive capability is associated with lifespan and cause of death in companion dogs. PLoS One 2013;8(4):e61082.

Pets with allergies are often extremely itchy and uncomfortable, sometimes causing harm with their excessive scratching, writes veterinarian Donna Solomon. Most commonly, dogs exhibit allergic symptoms through their skin, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract, according to Dr. Solomon. Coordinating diagnosis and care with a veterinarian is the best way to establish a plan that will fit each pet’s symptoms. The Huffington Post/The Blog (6/4)

We all scratch our head or rub our eyes once in a while and think nothing more about it. Most dogs and cats will occasionally lick their feet or rub their face against the carpet and it too, means absolutely nothing. There are some pets, however, that are consumed by this activity to the point that they traumatize their skin till its raw and inflamed. These pets are suffering and need a therapeutic plan of action to help control their itching.

Itchy pets may be suffering from parasites, like fleas and mites, food allergies, autoimmune diseases, skin infections, inhalant allergies or contact dermatitis. The exact etiology for a pet’s itchy behavior can be determined by a comprehensive physical examination by a veterinarian along with a good history provided by its pet owner. Regardless of the cause, the following discussion hopefully will be helpful to a pet owner and their itchy pet.

My response to six questions a pet owner may ask about their itchy pet:

1. What are the symptoms of an allergic pet? A classic allergy patient may have all or some of the following symptoms, which I am going to group into two broad, but not exclusive, categories: the respiratory allergy patient and the dermatological (skin) patient. Similar to people, the respiratory allergy pet may have red eyes, clear runny nose, dry cough and sneeze. The dermatological allergy patient may scratch its ears, rub its face, lick its paws and anus and scratch its sides and between its legs. For food allergy patients, it is rare for them to show just gastrointestinal signs like vomiting or diarrhea. They frequently show dermatological signs as well. Your allergy patient may do all of the above with varying severity or maybe just do one or two of these activities.
2. How do I know if my itchy pet has allergies? Your history plus a good physical examination by your veterinarian will help lead to the appropriate diagnosis. In addition, your veterinarian can collect a blood sample and send it to their laboratory to identify which allergens your pet is allergic to by measuring your pet’s antibody levels to specific allergens. Alternatively, a veterinary dermatologist can perform an Intradermal allergy test to identify which allergen your pet is allergic to. This test does require sedation, shaving your pet’s fur and multiple skin injections. I recommend allergy testing your itchy pet if you are going to proceed with a desensitization program. The desensitization program involves giving your pet “allergy shots” at home to decrease your pet’s immunological response to allergens in its natural environment. Desensitization helps 50-75 percent of the patients by reducing the severity of their allergic presentation. It does not cure them.If your veterinarian suspects food allergies, there is NO RELIABLE blood or skin test available to date to identify which ingredient your pet is allergic to. The only way to identify food allergies is by performing an eight to twelve week food trial where you feed your pet only one protein and one carbohydrate source during this trial period. If the pet’s itchy behavior diminishes during this food trial, the owner can then introduce one new ingredient each week to see how the pet responds. If the pet starts itching on the new ingredient, then the owner will avoid feeding it in its future. If the pet does not improve on this new diet, I’d recommend trying another protein source. Food trials can be time consuming to perform but can be really rewarding if successful.
3. Why does my pet have allergies? You may think of your pet’s skin, gastrointestinal or respiratory tract as a porous membrane that allows allergens to pass through. Your allergic pet is immunologically responding in an exaggerated manner to these intruding allergens. This exaggerated response may manifest itself by itching, sneezing, coughing or diarrhea.
4. Why does my pet only itch sometimes? Some itchy pets have seasonal allergies, which means it is only problematic at a specific time of the year. For instance, tree pollen is worse in the spring. Grass allergies during the spring and summer. Ragweed is usually problematic in the fall. Most allergy pets have multiple triggering allergens and may show their symptoms multiple times throughout the year.
5. Why does my pet itch all the time? Pets with food, dust and mold allergies may itch all year round. Unfortunately, some pets may initially present as seasonal allergy patients but as the years go by, may proceed to year round or non-seasonal itching.
6. What can I do to make my pet more comfortable?
   • Keep your pet’s hair short. Long hair can act like a dust mop and hold onto the environmental allergens.
   • Bathe your pet with hypoallergenic shampoo at least once or twice weekly. Use cool water. If your pet has a skin infection, make sure you’re using a shampoo that can help flush the hair follicles and remove the cellular debris. If your pet has a highly resistant staphylococcus skin infection, make sure your shampoo contains chlorohexidine. If your pet has a yeast infection, I recommend ketoconazole-based shampoos.
   • After bathing your pet apply a moisturizing conditioner on your pet. This helps rehydrate and calm the skin.
   • Spray a topical anti-inflammatory or immune modulating product on your pet’s skin. There are a number of pharmaceutical products that help strengthen your skin’s barrier to intruding allergens — just ask your veterinarian which one would best for your pet. One of my new favorite products is called Duoxo Seborrhea Microemulsion Spray. It’s extremely safe and you just mist it on your pet’s skin.
   • Give your pet an antihistamine. There are numerous antihistamines on the market. I believe that every antihistamine has a 50 percent potential to make your pet less itchy. For dogs, I like to use Zyrtec or Clariton. For cats, I like to use chlorphenaramine. Ask your veterinarian for a dosage for your pet.
   • If an antihistamine alone does not work, try a combination of antihistamine with a touch of a steroid, called Temaril P. This product enables you to give a steroid to your pet at a much lower dose than if you would give a steroid to your pet on its own. This product is available by prescription only and dispensed by your veterinarian.If your pet is severely itchy and uncomfortable, in some instances, I will prescribe immuno-modulating drugs, like oral steroids or modified cyclosporine. A steroid, like prednisolone, can be given orally once or twice a day and provides great quick relief to your allergy pet. I never recommend long-acting steroids, like Depomedrol, which can stay in your pet’s body up to one to two months. The potential negative side effects of long acting steroids (like liver and kidney disease and aggravating diabetes mellitus) are too high for me to risk. Modified Cyclosporine (Atopica) is a great drug to reduce your pet’s inflammatory response to allergens. It is a more expensive drug than prednisolone, but has less overall side effects for your pet. Cyclosporine may take a week or two to work but it is very effective. The most common side effects of cyclosporine are diarrhea and loss of appetite but I rarely see this in my allergy pets.
   • Don’t overlook a secondary skin or ear infection. If your pet has a skin or ear infection as a result of traumatizing its skin, you must treat with antibiotics or anti-fungal medication for an appropriate time period. Don’t stop your antibiotics prematurely. I recommend at least 2 to 3 weeks of antibiotics beyond the last appearance of a bacterial skin lesion. To help your pet’s skin recover from a skin infection, I frequently prescribe a topical spray, called Vetericyn VF, to speed up wound healing and kill bacteria. For fungal skin infections, I may continue the anti-fungal medication for at least 1 month after it’s disappearance. If you are not having success with your antibiotic, have your veterinarian do a bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test to make sure you are giving your pet the right medication. In addition, a skin biopsy may be indicated to confirm or dispute the diagnosis. For chronic re-occurring ear infections secondary to allergies, I have had great success with a new product called Easiotic. After the ear infection has resolved, I have the clients treat prophylactically ONCE weekly during their allergy season to decrease inflammation in the ear.
   • Make sure your veterinarian skin scrapes your dog for a mite infestation prior to placing it on medication, especially steroids. It is not uncommon in my young itchy pets to discover an underlying mite problem. The treatment for a mite problem (like sarcopte and demodex) is dramatically different than an itchy allergy patient.
   • Give your pet Fish Oil. Fish oil is a great source of Omega 3’s (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid), which helps moisturize and decrease inflammation in the skin. This can be purchased at a veterinary clinic or drug store. Ask your veterinarian for your pet’s dose. I typically dose 20 mg /lb of body weight ONCE daily of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). If you dose correctly for EPA in most fish oil products, the docosahexanaenoic (DHA) dose will be correct. For instance a 40 lb dog would get 800 mg EPA per day. (On the bottle of your Fish Oil it should list how many mg of EPA are in each capsule and dose accordingly.) It takes up to six weeks to see the benefits of fish oil on your pet.
   • For my respiratory allergy patients I frequently prescribe an inhaler with a steroid, called Flovent, to help reduce their coughing. It’s really simple to use and takes only 15 to 30 seconds to administer once or twice a day. Since it takes around one week to see the benefits of Flovent, I will frequently prescribe an oral steroid to help them during the first week of therapy. Ask your veterinarian which product is best for your pet.
   • For red runny eyes I always recommend flushing the eyes with an over-the- counter saline eye irrigating solution two to three times per day to help flush the allergens out of their eyes. I especially recommend using this on your allergy pet after it has played outside. In addition, I frequently recommend using an eye lubricating solution, like Refresh, to help lubricate their eyes during their allergy season. Finally, in some patients that are only showing red eyes and not responding to the previously mentioned products, I will prescribe topical steroid ophthalmic drops to help with their burning red eyes.
   • For my outdoor allergy pets, I think it’s a good idea to wipe their feet when they enter the house with hypoallergenic children’s diaper wipes to reduce some of the outdoor allergens that they can tract into the house.
   • Don’t forget your flea and tick control. I’m shocked how many times I find fleas on my itchy pets. Buy it and use it!

Allergies in pets are not only frustrating for the pet but also for the owner. No one likes to be woken up in the middle of the night to hear their pet chewing on its feet or scratching its sides. Although this list of things to do for your itchy pet may seem daunting and time consuming, the rewards can be very dramatic and fulfilling to all involved. So, let’s begin today to help reduce your pet’s allergy symptoms by discussing my advice with your veterinarian. I hope you and your pet have an itch-free summer!

Exercise is good for pets and people. Dog owners reap such benefits as better heart health and lower stress levels. In places such as Mississippi, where dog longevity is particularly low, according to the Banfield Pet Hospitals 2013 State of Pet Health survey, people are encouraged to get active with their pets. Veterinarian Troy Majure recommends that owners and pets engage in at least a half-hour of activity each day, and with dog-friendly exercise classes and gyms popping up, owners and their furry friends have many options. The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.) (tiered subscription model) (5/31)

urns out, man’s best friend also can be man’s best fitness buddy.

In Mississippi, where pet longevity is among the lowest in the nation, a neighborhood stroll or a Frisbee toss can prove beneficial for both dog and master.

In the 2013 State of Pet Health survey compiled by Banfield Pet Hospitals, a national pet hospital chain with locations in PetSmart stores in Jackson, Flowood and Gulfport, dogs in Mississippi have the shortest average life span in the nation, with Alabama and Louisiana coming in second and third, respectively.

The survey took in 7,354 dogs and 913 cats in Mississippi. The results are based on spay and neuter rates, incidents of pet disease such as obesity and arthritis and other environmental factors.

Troy Majure, a Jackson veterinarian and co-host of Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s “Creature Comforts” pet talk show, suggests pet owners aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise daily while keeping their four-legged friend — and themselves — hydrated.

“I do believe my clients are more aware of obesity than they were 10 years ago,” Majure said. “You don’t want to do too much too quickly, but steady improvement will help as far as exercise.”

Owning a pet, especially a dog, seems to have heart health benefits, according to the American Heart Association. Dog owners are 54 percent more likely than other adults to get recommended levels of exercise. In addition, a pet can lower stress, and pet ownership is associated with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and less obesity. Some dog owners get in two-a-day workouts because they don’t consider taking their dog out as exercise, so they still workout on their own time.

Other dog owners have gone beyond the neighborhood stroll, enrolling themselves and their dogs in group fitness classes with names like Bow Wow Bootcamp, Tai Chi Wa Wa and Pupilates at K9 Fit Club, a chain of dog friendly gyms with locations in Illinois, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Florida.

K9 Fit Club founder Tricia Murray told Reuters that a serious purpose lies behind the cutesy class names.

“Some people I deal with are morbidly obese. They’re intimidated by gyms,” Murray said. “The dog’s not going to judge you. And they’ll never cancel on you.”

But cats, Majure says, are a different story.

“You can’t make a cat do a lot of things. However, there are games you can play,” Majure said. “Everybody thinks cats are pretty sedentary, but they have their moments.”

Luxating patella, a painful condition in which the kneecap slips out of position, is common in smaller-breed dogs but can also occur in larger dogs and cats, according to veterinarian Roger Grothaus. Four grades are used to evaluate the severity of the condition, notes Dr. Grothaus. Surgical repair is indicated for grades two through four, the most severe. Owners may not realize the knee is the source of their dog’s pain, but a veterinarian can make the diagnosis with a physical exam. “A lot of times an owner will come in and they will think it’s the dog’s hips that are bothering them, but it’s actually the knees,” Dr. Grothaus said. The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) (6/3)

Liz Dickens’ dog Winston is able to paint again thanks to a surgery he had on a faulty kneecap.

The sassy English toy spaniel enjoys creating watercolors with the help of his owner, but before he had his luxating patella repaired, he couldn’t even walk without crying out.

A luxating patella is a condition in which the groove the kneecap glides in is too shallow, causing frequent dislocation. It is a common congenital, developmental defect in small-breed dogs.

“He started to scream when he moved and would shake,” said Ms. Dickens of Toledo. “Now he is a brand new boy. He even greets me at the top of the stairs, which is something he had stopped doing.”

The 7-year-old dog, whom Ms. Dickens adopted from an animal shelter in California where she used to live, started acting strangely early this year.

“He would isolate himself, and I just thought he was just out of sorts, so I left him alone,” she said. “Then it got worse. If one of my other dogs brushed by him, he would scream.”

Ms. Dickens’ vet, Dr. Roger Grothaus of Reynolds Road Animal Hospital, diagnosed Winston with a grade three luxating patella. The ailment has four grades, with four being the worst.

“With grade one, it can be managed with joint lubricants and anti-inflammatory drugs and weight reduction, but in Winston’s case, he definitely needed surgery,” Dr. Grothaus said.

Ms. Dickens could not afford the expensive procedure, but at the suggestion of friends and family, she started a chip-in page to raise funds. Within 24 hours, the popular dog — who has his own Facebook page — had received enough donations to pay for the surgery, which was performed Feb. 6.

One of his other kneecaps has the same defect but not to the same degree. Ms. Dickens is saving money for the second surgery.

Dr. Grothaus saw Winston every week for a month after the surgery and used laser therapy on the repaired knee to help it heal faster. Ms. Dickens also took Winston to the Toledo Pet Farm to use their hydrotherapy tub.

Luxating patellas can occur in larger dogs and even cats, Dr. Grothaus said. Diagnosis is made through palpation of the knee to see if it slips inside the joint more than would be expected, he said.

In grade one, the patella can be manually luxated but returns to the normal position when released, Dr. Grothaus said.

In grade two, the patella can be manually luxated, or it can occur spontaneously. The patella remains luxated, or dislocated, until it is manually put back in place by a human or when the animal extends the joint and moves the leg in the opposite direction of the luxation to restore it without help.

In grade three, the patella remains luxated most of the time but can be manually returned into place by a human, but the animal can’t do it itself. In grade four, the patella is permanently luxated and cannot be repositioned manually.

Grades two and higher require surgery, which typically runs $1,500 to $2,000. The repair is aimed at deepening the groove for the kneecap and correcting the misaligned kneecap mechanism, Dr. Grothaus said.

The condition is very painful and affected dogs will cry out in pain and hold the leg up. Over time, the chronic dislocation will lead to arthritic changes in the knee; loss of motion and pain are common problems, he said.

“A lot of times an owner will come in and they will think it’s the dog’s hips that are bothering them, but it’s actually the knees,” Dr. Grothaus said. “Knees are the most common injuries in canines in general.”

Now that Winston has had his knee surgery and recovered, he is back to painting again. Ms. Dickens puts the paint on a piece of paper, and Winston walks on it to create the artwork.

“He likes the treats he gets while painting, but he doesn’t like the bath afterward,” Ms. Dickens said. “He also likes to eat the yellow paint. Just the yellow.”

Veterinary Pet Insurance recently released its top 10 list for dog and cat claims in 2012. Skin allergies, ear infections and skin infections were the top three dog claims, while bladder infection, dental disease and overactive thyroid were most commonly dealt with in cats, according to VPI. Many common health problems can be detected early and treated or even prevented with regular veterinary visits, even for animals that seem healthy, says veterinarian Carol McConnell, VPI’s vice president and chief veterinary medical officer. Yahoo/Vetstreet (5/1)

By Linda Fiorella | vetstreet.com

When you bring your pet to the veterinarian, it’s natural to wonder what brings all the other cats and dogs to the waiting room. If they aren’t all there for a checkup, there’s a good chance at least one of the dogs will have a skin allergy or infection and that one of the kitties crouched in a carrier is suffering from a bladder infection.

Those are the findings of a recent analysis of claims filed with Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s largest and oldest pet insurer, which tabulated the top 10 dog and cat medical conditions of 2012 and calculated a combined $58 million spent by their policyholders on them.

Skin problems, as well as ear infections, took the top three spots in 2012, while bladder conditions topped the list for felines.

From Vetstreet.com

Ailments Claiming the Top Spots

Ear infections traditionally top the list for dogs. Dr. Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI, believes skin allergies may have jumped ahead of ear infections because veterinarians are getting better at diagnosing allergies as the root cause of ear infections. “In the old days they used to write ear infection as the diagnosis and didn’t give us the more complicated version of the story,” says Dr. McConnell, who points out that underlying food, flea and even seasonal pollen allergies show in the skin of pets, and can then lead to skin and ear infections.

Topping the list for cats are bladder infections. A more serious urinary tract condition, especially in male cats, is the urinary obstruction. In these cases, crystals, stones or plugs can form in the urine and block the urethra (the tube leading from the bladder on out of the body). It becomes a medical emergency when these cats are unable to urinate. “Then they get in real trouble,” Dr. McConnell says. “When the cat is straining to produce urine in the litterbox, you get that cat to a vet, even if it’s Sunday at 2 a.m.”

How to Spot Chronic Illness

Some conditions, like arthritis (in cats and dogs) and chronic kidney disease are often associated with aging pets, but many of the conditions on the list can affect animals of any age. Therefore Dr. McConnell suggests pet owners “familiarize themselves with their pets’ daily routine in order to identify abnormal behaviors that might indicate an injury or illness.”

Among other things, this could help you notice the warning signs of an overactive thyroid in cats, and bruising or contusions in dogs, also known as “soft tissue injuries.” Other types of soft tissue injuries include muscle strains and injured tendons or ligaments. “These can be as simple as a dog that was running in the dog park and got so excited he body slammed into another dog, or he goes up for a frisbee and comes down and strains a muscle,” says Dr. McConnell.

Subtle Signs of Serious Problems

With serious chronic problems like an overactive thyroid in cats, she explains, being aware of changes in behavior is especially important. Dr. McConnell notes it’s common for owners to think their older cat is healthy, and they’re thrilled that their 12-year-old cat has so much energy.

“Then you notice ‘Oh, she’s not grooming,’ and ‘Oh, she feels greasy, and when I pet her I can feel bones, and she eats and drinks a lot of water.’ And the owner takes her to the veterinarian and finds out she’s had thyroid disease for a month to a year.” The sooner you notice the signs and bring your cat to the vet, the more likely it is that your cat can be diagnosed and treated before the disease has progressed very far.

See Also: How to Know When It’s Time to Euthanize Your Pet

And for conditions like feline diabetes and even chronic kidney disease, the symptoms are often so subtle you often can’t tell something is wrong until the veterinarian examines the pet and runs blood tests, so even owners who keep good track of their pets’ behavior need to bring all their pets, including cats, to the vet regularly.

“It is critical for people to take pets to the vet, even if your dog is happy and bounding, and the cat is still running around the house and climbing the curtains. These animals are often doing a really good job of not showing that they’re sick or injured,” says Dr. McConnell.

Cat Visits on the Decline

Cats, in particular, don’t get enough veterinary care, she says, and the number of cat visits has plummeted. She thinks this may explain why some of the conditions on the top 10 list for cats are more serious than those for dogs. They can also be more expensive; the priciest condition on the list for dogs is arthritis at an average of $258 per visit, while, for cats, the bank breaker is lymphosarcoma at an average cost of $415 per visit.

How Cancer Really Ranks

Although lymphosarcoma is the only cancer on either top 10 list, VPI received nearly 50,000 total claims for all cancerous conditions. Combined, cancer would rank as the fifth most common medical claim processed. In part because of its association with feline leukemia virus (FeLV), lymphosarcoma is quite common in kitties. But it also ranks higher than other cancers because owners choose to treat it more often.

“Because it’s more treatable is another reason we see it on a top 10 list,” says Dr. McConnell. With lymphosarcoma, clients tend to follow through on treatment and return for rechecks, which result in more claims, according to Dr. McConnell.

Since taking pets to the vet is critical for their health, Dr. McConnell says preventive care plans where veterinarians offer creative financing to make pet treatment more affordable for owners, with or without insurance, are gaining in popularity and may help turn around the declining number of vet visits. With these plans, owners can spread out payments over 12 months. According to Dr. McConnell, “Pet owners are responding really well.”

It’s Pet Cancer Awareness Month, and pets diagnosed with the disease have a fighting chance thanks to advancements in veterinary care and new cancer treatments, according to veterinary oncologist Gerald Post. Dr. Post provides a list of signs that may indicate cancer, including swollen lymph nodes, bleeding with no clear cause and lameness. “Just like in people, the earlier you find certain cancers, the more likely we are able to cure them,” said Dr. Post. FoxNews.com (5/1)

In 2011, Peggy Graney took her Chihuahua, Jennie, to Petco for her usual grooming appointment.

It was Jennie’s long-time groomer who found a lump on Jennie’s leg and suggested Graney take Jennie to the veterinarian for a consult.

Sure enough, the lump was cancerous, and Jennie was referred to a veterinary surgeon who could remove the tumor. The surgeon told Graney he couldn’t promise her that Jennie wouldn’t lose her leg.

“I was devastated,” Graney, who is retired and lives in Glendale, Ariz., told FoxNews.com. “That’s my little girl.”

Graney, 78, described Jennie as an “alpha female who tells me what she wants, and she always wants something.”

Graney discussed the situation with her two daughters and son; her daughters encouraged her to go ahead with the surgery, while her son told her not to let the surgeon take Jennie’s leg.

Torn, Graney didn’t know what to do – but when she looked into Jennie’s eyes, she knew it was better to have her dog alive with three legs than not to have her dog at all.

The surgeon allowed Graney, her daughter and granddaughter to watch the procedure online, and when he lifted the sheet off of Jennie, revealing all four legs at the end of the operation, Graney said she “thanked God.”

“It was such a beautiful feeling when I saw all four legs on that little one,” Graney said. “It was so marvelous to have her safe, alive and the bonus – all four legs. And since then, I’ve called her my little miracle girl, my little fighter. She’s just so precious to me.”

May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month, and the most important message one veterinarian oncologist wants the public to know is that cancer in animals is no longer a death sentence.

“Just like in people, the earlier you find certain cancers, the more likely we are able to cure them,” Dr. Gerald Post, a board-certified veterinary oncologist and owner of The Veterinary Cancer Center in Norwalk, Conn., told FoxNews.com. “The treatments we give nowadays, like radiation, chemo or targeted chemotherapy, are generally well-tolerated by pets. We’ve gotten much better at determining what’s the best dose, what’s the best interval – and there are many new drugs on the market that mitigate the side effects of chemo.”

Post said about one in four dogs will get cancer in its lifetime and about one in five cats will get cancer, which equates to approximately 4 to 8 million new cases of cancer in dogs each year.

There are certain  breeds that are more susceptible than others, Post said, but “now that we have a dog genome sequence, we can take a look at what breeds are more prone.”

As a pet parent, there are signs you can lookout for when it comes to detecting cancer, Post said.

They include, but are not limited to:
• Swollen lymph nodes: Located throughout the body, they are easily located behind the jaw or the knee.
• An enlarging or changing lump:  Any lump on a pet that is rapidly changing or growing should be biopsied.
• Abdominal distension: If the belly becomes quickly enlarged, this could suggest a tumor. A quick ultrasound can detect the problem.
• Unexplained bleeding: Bleeding that is not due to trauma should definitely be examined.
• Lameness: Unexplained lameness, especially in large dogs, is a common sign of bone cancer, and a radiograph can determine if there’s something wrong.
• Straining to urinate: Straining to urinate or blood in the urine can indicate a urinary tract infection, but if it’s not controlled with antibiotics, a biopsy of the bladder may be needed.

Click here for more warning signs of cancer.

Groomers can help in checking for cancer, too. According to Wendy Weinand, a master pet stylist and master groomer for Petco in San Antonio, Texas, it is very common for Petco groomers to thoroughly check each pet who comes to their salon and make sure the pet doesn’t have any abnormalities.

The company has a seven-point checklist, which is used on the pet upon arrival. The answers to the checklist are recorded, so when pets come back, they can be evaluated and compared to previous visits. And if something is amiss, pet parents can take their dog or cat to be checked out at the veterinarian.

“It’s a unique program, which engages the pet parent and the pet in finding the best solution for the pets when it comes to the parent’s lifestyle,” Wendy Weinand, a master pet stylist and certified master groomer for Petco, told FoxNews.com.

The seven points include:
• Eyes: Are the whites of the eyes white; are they sagging; do they look healthy; is there goop in them?
• Teeth: Are the gums nice and pink? Do they have plaque or tarter?
• Ears: Do they look normal for the breed; are they red or swollen; do they contain a funky odor; are they compacted with hair; is the ear housing anything that shouldn’t be there?
• Nose: Is the nose dry, cracked or brittle looking?
• Skin/coat: Does the fur look shiny and healthy, or is it dull; is the skin healthy or oily? Based on the animal’s age, are there cuts or abrasions; have they been scratching or itching; are there any abnormal lumps or are they aging spots?
• Underside: Does the belly look and feel good? Are there any lumps, bumps?
• Paws: Are the nails cracked, dry or brittle? Are the pads moist, red or swollen?

Homes with dogs have more bacteria and greater diversity of bacteria than those without dogs, according to a North Carolina State University study, but that doesn’t necessarily mean people living with canine friends face any additional health risks. Most of the bacteria identified were not pathogenic, and they may even have some benefits for humans. “We know we have all these bacteria in our home,” said researcher Holly Menninger. “Let’s learn to live with them.” NBC News/Vitals blog (5/22)

A dog may not only fill a home with joy, it fills a home with a whole lot of bacteria, new research suggests.  But that doesn’t mean you have to kick your pooch out of the bed.

Research from North Carolina State University published Wednesday in the journal PLoS ONE found homes with dogs have both a greater number of bacteria and more types of bacteria than homes without dogs.

The findings were part of a larger study that analyzed the types of microbes living in 40 homes in the Raleigh-Durham area of N.C.  Participants swabbed nine areas of their homes and informed researchers about aspects that could influence bacterial life, such as whether there were dogs or cats and how many people lived in the home.

“The project was a first step toward making an atlas of microbes found in the entire home and how they may affect our health and well-being” said Holly Menninger, a co-author and director of public science at NC State’s Your Wild Life program.

Of the places where household bacteria were found, pillowcases and television screens had the most detectable dog-related microbes.

“Some of the microbes we know come from dogs themselves,” said Menninger. “Some of these bacteria come from the outdoor environment, such as dogs bringing bacteria from the soil and into homes.”

The researchers were able to identify a few classes of bacteria linked to dogs, and certain microbial classes that may cause disease in humans, such as gingivitis and pneumonia.  However, genetic testing of the bacteria was not specific enough to determine whether any harmful strains were there.

All those germs tracked in on dirty paws don’t mean dog-free homes are necessarily healthier, though. While the researchers did not identify the specific species of bacteria living in each household, they were able to say that most of the organisms they found are not disease-causing – and may actually provide some benefits.

“We co-exist with bacteria and healthy, small exposures to bacteria do not pose any risk and might, on the other hand, be beneficial, as long as we keep a good hygienic environment,” said Dr. Rani Gereige, director of medical education at Miami Children’s Hospital.  Gereige was not involved in the research.

A recent study found that exposure to a microorganisms from a pet during a child’s first year of life of life may help ramp up the immune system, lowering the risk of developing allergies later.

“Research has actually shown that mothers who live with dogs while pregnant are less likely to have children with conditions like atopic dermatitis or to develop allergies,” said veterinarian Dr. Andy Roark of Greenville, S.C.

Certain bacteria from dogs – such as salmonella and listeria — can cause infections in humans, however, so it is important to be vigilant, he cautions.

“It is always a good idea for both adults and children to wash hands after playing with pets, especially before eating,” said Roark.

The study did not control for certain factors that could affect bacterial growth, such as household climate and cleanliness, and there were not enough homes with cats to accurately analyze the feline contribution to residential bacteria.  The researchers did not analyze whether certain dog breeds harbor more bacteria than others.

The microbes found throughout the different homes fell into three general groups: those that come from skin and live on surfaces we touch, such as door knobs and toilet seats; bacteria linked to food found in kitchens; and organisms found in places where dust gathers, such as television screens and moldings.

Menninger added that the research team is in the process of analyzing samples and other data from a total of 1,300 homes across the United States.

“We know we have all these bacteria in our home,” said Menninger.  “Let’s learn to live with them.”

Just like their human companions, pets are gaining girth, with more than half of dogs and cats tipping the scales, according to a survey of veterinarians by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Yet many owners with obese animals believe their pet’s weight is normal, according to veterinarian Joe Bartges, an internal medicine specialist at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and association board member. A proper weight loss plan, developed with the help of a veterinarian, includes increased activity and appropriate food intake. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model)/Daily Dose blog

Rebecca A. Johnson, University of Missouri, USA (Co-Author of “Walk A Hound, Lose A Pound)

ABSTRACT for AVMA Convention, 2013, Human-Animal Bond Track

A large share of the industrialized world is recognizing and struggling to address an epidemic of overweight and obesity which has also extended itself to companion animals. Creative strategies are needed that transcend species and help to facilitate physical activity. The nature of human-animal interaction (HAI) as a key facilitator of physical activity for both ends of the leash will be explored. In particular, what components of HAI and the human animal bond are most likely to facilitate cross-species physical activity, what role dog walking can play when it is incorporated into treatment plans for people and companion animals, and what arethe theoretical and empirical bases for advocating dog walking?

The potential for dog walking as a communities-wide intervention and its applicability across cultures will be discussed. Attention will be paid to clinical implications around dog walking and its potential for advancing One Health practice in a variety of disciplines.  This work grew out of my research on relocation of older adults in which I found that physical limitations were common reasons for them to relocate to a nursing home. In our first study we achieved significant weight loss among participants. Subsequent studies showed that older adults’ normal walking speed increased
significantly after dog-walking and that dog walking was associated with increased physical activity outside of the dog walking. The findings show that HAI can have important implications for health and well-being.