Dog-friendly beaches a rare, treasured resource
They can be hard to find, but “off-leash dog beaches are a canine’s dream come true,” according to Lisa Porter, owner of the travel site Pet Hotels of America. The best beaches offer amenities for pets such as showers, bags for waste cleanup and the option for off-leash play. Efforts to develop more oceanside spots for dogs have stalled in some areas amid fears of wildlife impacts and mess, but those who support the beaches say they are good for people in addition to pets. Detroit Free Press/The Associated Press (5/22)
LOS ANGELES — When Craig Haverstick approaches the beach with his dog in tow, Stanley instinctively knows he’s in for a treat. His ears perk up and he starts sniffing the salty air.
“Chesapeake Bay retrievers are like plants, they need to be watered every now and then,” Haverstick said of the 9-year-old he’s been taking to the beach in San Diego weekly for eight years. “We have some great dog beaches. Dogs and people both drool over them.”
Dog beaches account for a tiny fraction of the thousands of miles of U.S. shoreline, but they are treasured by pet owners and their pooches.
“Off-leash dog beaches are a canine’s dream come true,” said Lisa Porter, owner of Pet Hotels of America, a travel website that lists thousands of beaches and parks where dogs are allowed on leash or can run free.
Every beach has its own draw. San Diego offers three off-leash options: Fiesta Island in Mission Bay is great for swimming; Ocean Beach Dog Beach is good for dogs to play together; and Coronado’s Dog Beach is described as magical.
Beaches where unleashed dogs are allowed complete freedom are typically fenced, offer drinking water and showers for dogs, bags to pick up dog feces and trash cans.
Dog lovers say the biggest problem is that there aren’t enough beaches for their pets and parking is often scarce.
■Related story: Togs day afternoon: Dress your pooch for the beach
Efforts to create more pooch-friendly beaches, such as one that died in Santa Monica two years ago, have run into resistance from California State Parks.
Critics say letting beaches go to the dogs threatens species such as shore birds, jeopardizes the safety of visitors, ruins the experience for beachgoers and can pollute water and sand with poop and urine.
Fans who frequent the beaches say they provide a great playground for their hounds and can even be therapeutic.
When Carol Kearney first adopted Buddy, an abused 70-pound, 2-year-old Staffordshire terrier mix, he was afraid of noises and terrified of water.
“When he heard traffic, it was like he was trying to get out of his skin,” Kearney said.
Letting him run on the beach less than a mile from her 14th floor home in a Coronado high-rise was the only way to calm him down.
Now he digs in the sand, chases his dog pals or swims through the waves to retrieve float toys.
Other top West Coast off-leash dog beaches recommended by Porter include Huntington Dog Beach in Huntington Beach, one of the best known dog surfing beaches in the world; Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach; Cannon Beach in Oregon; and Double Bluff Beach on Whidbey Island in Washington.
East Coast recommendations are Duck Beach in Outer Banks, N.C.; Bonita Beach Dog Park in Bonita Springs, Fla.; and Paw Park in South Brohard Beach, Fla.
Some beaches, such as Fisherman’s Cove Conservation Area in Manasquan, N.J., require a leash. That law wasn’t enforced until after Superstorm Sandy did a lot of damage and the county decided to start ticketing offenders, said Monmouth County Parks Manager Drew d’Apolito.
Similarly, Live Oak Beach in Santa Cruz County was known as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” beach until recently, said Ingrid Wander, who let Asia, her chocolate Labrador retriever, run free.
Wander got a $160 ticket in January.
She still takes Asia there at low tide. Wander walks, collects shells, takes photos of sea life and watches out for the law as Asia fetches balls in the water.
Animal friends appear to help human hearts
Pet owners can add “heart health” to the list of reasons they love their animals. According to the American Heart Association, owning a pet is associated with more physical activity, lower blood pressure, better lipid levels and better acute coronary syndrome survival. “Pet ownership is an important nonhuman form of social support and may provide cardioprotective benefits in patients with established” cardiovascular disease, according to the AHA. USA Today (5/9), MedicalDaily.com
Pets don’t just make lives fuller. They may help make them longer, says an official statement from the American Heart Association.
Owning a pet – especially a dog – seems to have heart health benefits, the group says in the statement published Thursday in the medical journal Circulation.
“The data is most robust for people who own a dog,” says Glenn Levine, a cardiologist with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. But he says there’s reason to believe cats and other pets are helpful, too.
Levine led a scientific committee that reviewed the research on pets and heart health. The group says the studies are not definitive but do suggest:
• Dogs may keep owners active (with all those walks). In one study, dog owners were 54% more likely than other adults to get recommended levels of exercise.
• Interacting with a pet can lower stress responses in the body.
• Pet ownership is associated with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and less obesity.
In one of the best-designed studies, Levine says, researchers compared people with borderline high blood pressure who adopted dogs with others who also wanted dogs but were randomly assigned to delay the adoptions for purposes of the study. Those who brought home their dogs saw declines in blood pressure and were less likely to see their blood pressure and heart rates rise in response to stress. A study with cats and dogs produced similar results in people with high blood pressure and high-stress occupations, he says.
Most other studies involved comparing pet owners with those who did not have pets, meaning researchers could not rule out the possibility that people who had pets were just healthier to start with.
In any case, the experts don’t recommend that people with heart health problems adopt, rescue or buy pets just for the potential heart health boost.
The main reason to get a pet should be “to give the pet a loving home” and enjoy the relationship, Levine says.
“We also not do not want someone to go out and buy a dog and then be content to sit on the couch and smoke.”
Cicadas pose no major threat to pets
Cicadas do not pose a major health risk for pets, according to experts including veterinarian Padma Yadlapalli, who says pets will likely spit out any cicada they try to eat. If ingested, gastrointestinal upset or possibly blockage could occur, so veterinarians advise discouraging ingestion. However, there is no danger of disease: “While they might be a nuisance, they don’t sting, they don’t bite, and they don’t carry disease,” says veterinarian Shelly Rubin. The Baltimore Sun (5/15), DogChannel.com (5/15)
As these red-eyed screechy little bugs begin emerging from the ground, concern among pet parents rises as well. This brood is different from the one we saw in 2004 and its appearance in this state will be limited to parts of Southern Maryland, which is good news. There are several thing pet owners should keep in mind during cicada season:
1.They are not toxic to pets. Most of the time, they are more of a nuisance than a health hazard.
2.Your pet might be interested in trying to eat one, but most likely would spit it back out right away. Cicadas might cause upset like vomiting or diarrhea if eaten, but this would be temporary and respond to conservative treatment.
3.Rarely, if your pet decides to overindulge and eat them like chocolate, they could technically cause an obstruction because your pet would not be able to digest them. But most likely they will just pass on and be seen in the stool.
4.Cicadas cannot transmit any diseases.
5.They do not bite or cause any skin irritation or other dermatological issues
The bright side of all of this is that cicadas are beneficial to the environment because they aerate the soil as they emerge. Our guests are only here for a short stay!
This week’s expert is Dr. Padma Yadlapalli with Freetown Animal Hospital in Columbia. Send your questions to sun.unleashed@gmail.com.
A night in the life of an emergency room veterinarian
Veterinarian Anne Currah has been working the graveyard shift at Southeast Portland VCA Animal Hospital for nine years, and this article shares a typical night. The hospital is filled with animals suffering from trauma, intestinal obstruction, pancreatitis and asthma, and the waiting room is full, too. Treating animals in such serious condition means dealing with death is inevitably part of the job, alongside delivering life-saving care. Discussing euthanasia is difficult, according to Dr. Currah, but important. “You have to have a really big conversation up front,” she said. “Do we continue, considering the prognosis and the cost?” The Oregonian (Portland) (5/6)
“Go tell Watson’s owners they can come say goodnight,” Currah, 38, tells a nurse.
She has her night cut out for her. As the only doctor on staff at the Southeast Portland VCA Animal Hospital tonight, she’ll deal with countless emergencies dire enough to compel pet owners to visit the vet at ungodly hours.
The nighttime routine:
Tonight is a bad one for emergency room visits, and already the waiting room at 13830 S.E. Stark St. is backed up with asthma attacks, severe arthritis flare-ups and unspecified illnesses.The swing shift doctors have already seen twenty walk-in patients, plus the usual flow of appointments. The parking lot is packed.
When she arrives, Currah drops her bags, slings a stethoscope around her neck, and immediately begins treating patients.
Just like the emergency room, a brigade of nurses does the initial work of taking temperatures and checking heart rates. Then Currah steps in. Her first patient is an asthmatic cat.
“It’s a common cat thing, especially during changes of season” she says, flipping the pages of Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook to find the appropriate dose of medicine.
Next, an old dog with a horrible ear infection.
At about 11 p.m., Currah gets her biggest challenge of the night thus far. An extremely overweight miniature pinscher whose arthritic back hips have him yelping in pain.
Currah’s bedside manner with the family is as professional as they come. She soothes the dog, who remains calm while she gently pulls his hind legs and feels his spine in search any hidden problem.
“It could be bone spurs or a pinched nerve, but it’s hard to tell without further tests,” she tells the owners.”
More likely, it’s a flare-up aggravated by the dog’s weight problem. She leaves the owners to consider whether they want to proceed with further tests.
A rare trajectory:
Currah is among the tiny fraction of people who have had the same career ambitions their entire life.
Before she could read or write, she wanted to be a veterinarian.
“That’s all I wanted to do, and all I thought about,” she says.
When fellow teens were scooping ice cream and flipping burgers, Currah spent summers volunteering, then working for pay, at vet clinic.
She attended undergrad at The University of Findlay in Ohio, then returned to Oregon for veterinary school at Oregon State University.
She got in on her first try, a rarity in a career track with an admissions process more selective than medical school.
Currah has spent nine years working nights. She doesn’t mind.
The long shifts — typically from 9 p.m. until at least 7 a.m. — mean she only works three to four days each week, leaving more time to spend with her three young children. Currah sleeps while they’re at school, and has time to make dinner and tuck them in before leaving for work.
Tonight, she’ll be on her feet until the daytime doctors come in to relieve her.
“Sometimes, you don’t have time to eat or pee,” she says. “Other nights, I could sit and read a book all night.”
Just like the ER:
The VCA hospital is a far cry from your family vet’s office.
Their relative level of sophistication and size is akin an emergency room versus a family doctor’s office.
As patients drop in, nurses write their name and condition on a clear glass wall. Doctors hustle back-and-forth from exam rooms to the wall, where they scrawl their initials next to the patient they’ll help next.
It’s organized chaos in here, but things usually die down by 3 a.m., Currah says.
Just past the entryway from the waiting room, a small, gray shaggy dog is in rough shape. He’s not moving–not even his eyes–and hospital staff members crowd around him. Things look bad. Bad is common on the night shift, where most visitors are coming in from car accidents or dog attacks.
“You have to have a really big conversation up front,” Currah says. “Do we continue, considering the prognosis and the cost?”But if this shaggy dog can be saved, VCA is as well equipped as any to perform the procedure.
There are digital X-ray machines and heated ventilators against the far wall, centrifuges for blood work against the front wall. The air smells of cleaning solution. Fluorescent lights shine down on polished linoleum floors. Animals recovering from surgery sleep in cushy beds with intravenous liquid drips hanging from the cage door.
Cold, brightly-lit surgery rooms and a dental station await use at the building’s rear, while consultation rooms are located just beyond the reception desk.
Room 6 is the saddest room. No operation tables or medical equipment reside here. Just a black leather couch, soft lighting and calming floral art on the wall. This is where Currah takes people whose pets are being euthanized.
Some owners make the decision easily, with the belief that veterinary treatment shouldn’t be pursued beyond vaccinations and minor health issues. Others will spend thousands trying to save a beloved family dog, even when success isn’t guaranteed.
Currah knows it’s not an easy decision. Like most vets, she has pets. Two family dogs, Honey and Chelsea, recently died. They’ll get another someday, but for now the Currah household includes two cats and a tankful of hermit crabs.
“We’ll get another little doggie, when the right time comes,” she says.
For tonight, she’ll get her doggie-petting fix in the hallway, where a happy golden retriever awaits his owners after successful treatment.
–Kelly House
Dogs and owners share bacteria
People living with dogs harbor betaproteobacteria and actinobacteria, microbes that normally inhabit the tongue and feet of dogs, as part of their microbiome, according to a recent study. Whether the bacteria pose health concerns was not addressed in the research, but previous work has found that exposure to bacteria can help humans prevent infection and even allergies by priming the immune system. National Public Radio/Shots blog
Well, it looks like there really is such as thing as a dog person.
Humans who share their homes with canines also share the similar bacterial houseguests on their skin, ecologists Tuesday in the journal eLIFE.
In fact, two dog owners who don’t even know each other have about as many of the skin bacteria in common as a married couple living together.
The signature doggie blend is a mixture of harmless bacteria from their tongues and paws, the report finds. Microbial sharing from pooch to person occurs primarily through two routes: tongue to skin and paw to skin.
That’s right, dog owners have bacteria from Fido’s tongue and paws flourishing all over their bodies.
There wasn’t an analogous germ signature for cat owners, the scientists say. Cats are more selfish?
Dogs, cats and people are all coated in microscopic critters. They cover our skin, grow in our mouths and completely dominate parts of the gut. Your body has about 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells and up to a thousand different species.
Collectively, this microscopic zoo is called the . And it plays a in human health. It helps to set your metabolism, fine-tune your immune system and even freshen (or sour) your breath.
To see how canine cohabitation could alter the species in this zoo, and his team at the University of Colorado, Boulder, characterized the bacteria shacking up with 60 families – 25 of them had at least one dog, including big breeds, like German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and huskies.
The scientists took samples from each inhabitant’s forehead, palms or paws, tongues and poo. They then sequenced the DNA in each sample to determine which species of bacteria were living there.
Humans living together shared similar bacteria at all three body sites: skin, mouth and gut. But for dogs, it was all about the skin.
Two types of pooch bacteria were flourishing on dog owners’ skins: , a group of critters that hang out on dogs’ tongues, and , which live in soil and like to nestle in the nooks of dogs’ paws.
These findings are “consistent with a common occurrence of oral–skin transfer between dogs and their owners,” the authors write.
Looks like, all those slurpy dog kisses really do have a long-lasting effect on your skin’s ecology.
Could they also affect your health?
This study can’t say. But we do know that innocuous bacteria on the skin the immune systems learn the difference between good and bad germs. And allergies can crop up when this ability short circuits.
Recent have even linked up contact with pets when we’re young with a decreased risk of allergies and autoimmune disorders later in life.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go snuggle up with my very stinky German shepherd.
Tool designed to shed light on feline cardiac health, quality of life
Tufts University veterinarians Lisa Freeman and John Rush have developed a cardiac health questionnaire and scoring system for use in cats, and they say it helps veterinarians and owners start conversations about overall cat health in addition to providing an accurate assessment of feline cardiac disease. Symptoms of feline cardiac disease are subtle because cats are adept at masking their symptoms, Dr. Freeman says. She says the Cats Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health gives veterinarians another way to refine their assessment of feline health. The research was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. PhysOrg.com
Cats hold their own counsel. Independent, solitary, even mysterious, they’ve long fascinated their owners with their aloofness. But the very qualities that appeal to their human companions can also make it difficult to tell when they’re sick. One of the most common feline ailments, for example, is heart disease, which affects 10 to 15 percent of cats. All too often, though, the signs are noticed too late.
Even when heart disease is diagnosed, owners still can find it difficult to tell how much their pets may be suffering. “They might keep eating and acting normally,” she says, “but when owners look back, they may realize they missed quite subtle signs.”
For that reason, Freeman and Tufts veterinary cardiologist John Rush have developed a questionnaire for cat owners and veterinarians to determine how heart disease affects feline quality of life. The survey, known as CATCH (Cats Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health), will be helpful in testing new treatments for heart disease.
Studies of humans with heart disease have found a relationship between quality of life and survival rates. In companion animals, where euthanasia is an option, quality of life can help owners make end-of-life decisions about their pets.
Studies published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2010 and the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) in 2008 found that 93 percent of cat owners and 86 percent of dog owners, respectively, would trade a longer life for their pets for a shorter, higher-quality one.
Another study by Freeman and other researchers published in JAVMA in 1999 found that 79 percent of dogs that were euthanized were considered by their owners to have had fair or poor quality of life—most likely the case with cat owners as well. Seven years ago, Freeman and Rush helped design another questionnaire to help owners of dogs with heart disease assess their pets’ quality of life.
The 18-point canine questionnaire asks owners to identify symptoms—difficulty breathing, coughing and trouble eating and sleeping—as well as behavioral changes, such as less time spent with family and the inability to play fetch. Called FETCH (Functional Evaluation of Cardiac Health), it rates dogs on a scale of 0 to 5—with 0 meaning “not at all” and 5 meaning “very much”—for an overall score of 0 to 65.
Adapting the canine questionnaire for cats proved challenging. While some criteria, such as difficulty breathing, could signal heart disease in both cats and dogs, others, such as coughing, are uncommon in cats with cardiac problems. Still other behaviors, such as difficulty taking medicine or seeking out solitary locations, could point to cardiac problems in dogs, but are common in healthy cats.
Freeman, Rush and their colleagues piloted the questionnaire with owners of 75 cats at three veterinary hospitals: Tufts’ Foster Hospital for Small Animals and hospitals in Pennsylvania and California. After tweaking some of the questions, they administered it to a larger group of 275 cat owners. In the end, the researchers found a close correlation between the results of their survey and the International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council classification for feline heart failure. They published their findings in JAVMA last spring.
The CATCH score also provided broader information about the general well-being of cats beyond the diagnosis of heart disease—data that could offer a better basis for determining the effectiveness of new drugs and other treatments in clinical trials. “We are really working on better ways to diagnose, prevent and treat heart disease in cats, and this is just one of our tools to get to that goal,” says Freeman.
In addition to its benefits for clinical research, Freeman says cat owners could use CATCH to assess overall quality of life in their pets. In fact, the CATCH score might be less important than the questions themselves, which may give owners and their veterinarians a jumping-off point for conversations about the well-being of an animal.
“A lot of vets have expressed interest in this because cats are so hard to evaluate,” Freeman says. The CATCH questionnaire may make cats a little less mysterious—at least when it comes to diagnosing heart disease—but no less captivating to owners who care about their pets’ quality of life.
Journal reference: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 
Provided by Tufts University
Is your veterinarian America’s Favorite Veterinarian?
If you think your veterinarian should be recognized by the AVMA at this year’s AVMA Annual Convention, nominate him or her for the American Veterinary Medical Foundation’s America’s Favorite Veterinarian contest by writing about him or her on the organization’s Facebook page. The winning veterinarian and the client each receive $250 cash, as well as travel and lodging for the award event in Chicago. The winning veterinarian also receives free registration to AVMA’s conference.
Is your veterinarian your hero? Would you like to see your veterinarian honored at the upcoming convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation?
The story you tell may be dramatic, a veterinarian saving a pet’s life….or might be a story of compassion, how end of life was handled. Maybe your story is a bit off-beat, about a veterinarian helping a turtle to win a race.
You can enter your story in the contest, America’s Favorite Veterinarian, conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. Any story about any veterinarian, if the story touches you – it will likely touch the judges. Those judges will narrow the entries to a final 12 – then it’s up to you to vote. So, appropriately, America will chose America’s Favorite Veterinarian.
Clients are encouraged to nominate their veterinarians through the Foundation’s Facebook page. Submit a photo of the animal alone, with themselves, or with the veterinarian, along with a short story—250 words or less—on why the veterinarian deserves to be America’s Favorite Veterinarian.
The winning veterinarian will be honored at the AVMF Impact and Partner Breakfast July 21 during the AVMA Annual Convention in Chicago. The winning veterinarian and the nominating client will each receive a $250 cash prize. In addition, each will receive a free night’s stay in Chicago, plus travel expenses for those outside the area. The veterinarian will also receive complimentary registration to the convention. Perhaps, best of all – you can thank, you can celebrate your veterinarian in a public way.
The contest runs through June 1. Nominations will be presented to a panel of judges: Dr. Bernadine D. Cruz, a chair of the former AVMA Council on Communications; Ginger Brainard, chair of the America’s Favorite Veterinarian Task Force; Kimberly Topper, from the AVMF board of directors; Dr. Susan Giovengo, senior director of Central Garden & Pet Co. and myself, and this is a great honor for me. Tell your friends. Share this post. And write about your veterinarian.
Everything the non-profit American Veterinary Medical Foundation does is designed to benefit veterinary medicine, promote animal well being, and enhance research, so that we will be even better prepared to deal with difficult problems of animal health today and in the future. The AVMF also facilitates the rescuing of animals in times of disaster.
Protecting pets from household toxins
Pets are exposed to the same potentially harmful substances as the humans they live with, possibly to a greater extent because they are smaller and closer to the ground, according to this article. Simple changes can reduce pet — and human — exposure, including vacuuming frequently and keeping potentially harmful substances such as medications in a safe place. Emergency veterinarian MeiMei Welker discusses the harms of slug bait, rodenticide and marijuana poisoning, while veterinarian Marli Lintner explains the uniquely sensitive nature of birds to home toxins, such as fumes from nonstick pans, due to their respiratory systems. The Oregonian (Portland) (3/1)
We think that our indoor pets are safe from predators, cars and disease, but our homes may be exposing our pets – and ourselves – to risks of a different realm.
Everything from the mattresses we sleep on to the motes of dust on the shelves may contain flame retardants or other chemicals, says Laurel Standley, an environmental consultant and author of “#ToxinsTweet: 140 Easy Tips to Reduce Your Family’s Exposure to Environmental Toxins.”
Standley began studying the effects of household toxins in pets after she, her mother and sister all lost pet cats to cancer.
She grieved the losses but Standley, who earned a doctoral degree in chemical oceanography, also grew concerned about what made them sick in the first place.
She worries about the prevalence of chemical flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) found in many electronics, polyurethane foams, carpet padding, furniture, mattresses and other common household items.
“Each time we sit down on couches with foam cushions, dust particles fly out and fill our homes with dust containing flame retardant chemicals,” Standley says.
The products are being phased out after growing concern about their health effects. Last month, California Gov. Jerry Brown proposed new standards to reduce use of fire-retardant chemicals in furniture and baby products.
Some studies have associated hyperthyroidism in cats to the presence of PBDEs, including one published in February 2012 in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.
“Proving cause and effect is extremely difficult,” Standley says, “But that’s not an excuse to not protect our pets.”
Plastics also contain harmful chemicals, including bisphenol A and phthalates that have been associated with reproductive and other endocrine effects.
Some of these chemicals have been restricted from children’s products (such as the Multnomah County ban on sippy cups and baby bottles made with BPA).
“The same chemicals haven’t been regulated for dog or cat toys,” says Jennifer Coleman, outreach director at Oregon Environmental Council. “They could still have an impact on endocrine systems.”
Like infants, pets are also smaller than adults, metabolize more quickly and are closer to the ground. This makes them more vulnerable to harm from many of the products humans use, she says.
One way to reduce their exposure is by replacing plastic food bowls with those made from stainless steel, ceramic or glass instead, Standley suggests.
The fish in those food dishes can also be toxic; fish living in polluted streams can accumulate toxic substances in their systems, she says.
Even the plastic liner of the cans they come in may leach BPA.
Pigments and dyes are also likely to contain chemicals, so look for toys without a lot of color or bleaching, Coleman advises.
“My strategy with my own dog is to do the simple things that make the most sense to me,” she says.
She avoids vinyl and PVC plastic and opts instead for those made from rubber or fabric, such as tug ropes and stuffing-free toys. Even tennis balls can be toxic; the ones designed for dogs often contain lead.
Of course, some toxins will make your pet sick sooner rather than later.
At DoveLewis, veterinarians see some toxins more often than others. Metaldehyde slug bait ingestion can cause major muscle tremors that can be fatal, as well as liver problems, says staff veterinarian Dr. MeiMei Welker.
The emergency animal hospital also sees a fair number of dogs sick from marijuana ingestion, while rodenticide toxicity – suspected in the death of a prize-winning Samoyed recently– is a near-daily occurrence.
There are several kinds of rat bait, but the anticoagulant rodenticides are slower to act and allow more of a window of time to administer the antidote.
If your pet consumes poison of some sort, it’s best to bring the packaging to the veterinarian so he or she can treat it most effectively.
Other common toxins seen at DoveLewis include raisins and grapes; the sugar substitute Xylitol; Easter lilies; chocolate; ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve); and acetaminophen.
The canary in the kitchen
Birds are uniquely sensitive to their environment; there’s a reason the phrase “canary in a coal mine” became so popular.
They’re very sensitive to aerosols, and their respiratory systems are very different than ours, says Dr. Marli Lintner of the Avian Medical Center.
Bird lungs are designed to breathe in very clean, thin air, so breathing in some toxic inhalants can kill them immediately or make them very sick.
“Any sort of fume that makes your nose tingle or your eyes water is bad news for the birds,” Lintner says.
Fumes from nonstick pans pose one of the biggest threats to our feathered friends.
Once the pans overheat – usually when the temperature reaches above 530 degrees Farenheit – a gas called polytetrafluoroethylene is released, says Dr. Deborah Sheaffer, staff veterinarian at the Audubon Society of Portland.
They can die very quickly, so if you see your bird panting or having trouble breathing, you should take it to the veterinarian immediately.
Lead poses another common avian household hazard. Paint, stained glass window frames, curtain weights, costume jewelry; foil from champagne bottles; and old bird cages can all be toxic.
“When people have pet birds, they really need to be cognizant of what’s around them,” Sheaffer says. “They’re curious and inquisitive and they like to chew on things.”
This may be a lot of information for you to chew on too. Just remember that making your home safer for your pets makes it safer for humans as well.
How to help reduce toxins in your home
Vacuum frequently, preferably with a cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter, even on tile or wood floors (the goal is to not sweep dust up from the floor).
- Eliminate carpet wherever possible; the less carpet you have, the easier it is to control dust.
- Use rugs made of natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool or jute.
- Vacuum your couch regularly.
- Dust with a simple damp rag. Dry dusting can stir dust back into the air.
- Replace plastic food dishes with those made from stainless steel, ceramic or glass instead.
- If you have birds, avoid using nonstick pans whenever possible.
- Don’t expose birds to smoke or household aerosol products such as harsh cleaners, perfumes, hairspray, etc.
- Keep pets off the countertops and secure medications and other toxins safely in cupboards.
- If you’re afraid your pet ingested something he shouldn’t have, call the Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680 (consultations cost $39).
- Don’t try to make your pet vomit; in some cases it could make the situation worse.
Resources:
- Audubon Society of Portland: audubonportland.org; 503-292-6855
- Avian Medical Center: avianmedicalcenter.net; 503- 635-5672
- DoveLewis: dovelewis.org; 503-228-7281
- Oregon Environmental Council: oeconline.org; 503-222-1963.
- (Download a copy of the Eco-Healthy Homes Checkup Kit here.)
- Laurel Standley: clear-current.com/; 650-245-5415
- Pet Poison Helpline: petpoisonhelpline.com; 800-213-6680
The most common toxicity cases at DoveLewis last year include:
- Total toxicity: 512
- Food toxicity (chocolate, grapes, salmon, Xylitol, raisins, Methylxanthine, alcohol, mushrooms): 121
- Plant toxicity: lilies (19) and marijuana (125) = 144
- Medication: 161 (includes NSAID, Albuterol, Cholecalciferol, Ibuprofen, Phenlpropanolamine, Acetaminophen, Ivermectin, Vitamin D, Metronidazole)
- Household: 71 (includes Anticoagulant Rodenticide, Metaldehyde, Bromethalin, Ethylene Glycol, Zinc Phosphide, OrganoPhosphate)
- Flea product toxicity: 15
Pets are masters of deceit
More than 80% of pets over 8 years old have an illness their owners aren’t aware of, writes veterinarian Donna Solomon, who says it’s not because owners aren’t looking. Rather, pets are masters of deceit, deftly hiding symptoms or exhibiting only barely noticeable changes in behavior because that’s what their wild ancestors had to do to stay alive. Regular veterinary examinations are the best way to ensure covert illnesses may be detected in time for intervention. The Huffington Post/The Blog (3/11)
In a recent focus group study presented at the January 2013 North American Veterinary Conference, veterinarians were asked if they found it challenging to diagnose medical conditions in dogs and cats. Fifty-seven percent of the veterinarians found it challenging to diagnose conditions in cats and 34 percent challenging in dogs. Now, imagine asking pet owners who have no medical training the same question. I’m confidant that the percentage of people finding it challenging to diagnose conditions in their dog or cat substantially higher. In fact, many clients do not even recognize their pet is ill or in pain. Did you know that over 80 percent of all pets over eight years of age have at least one unrecognized disease by their owners?
Why is it so difficult to recognize a sick pet? First, pets do not clearly articulate what is wrong with them. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your cat told you the reason she is urinating in your bathroom sink is because she has a bladder infection? Second, dogs and cats hide their illnesses for instinctual purposes. In the wild, pets that are ill and display overt signs of not feeling well will likely fall victim to predators.
To highlight the difficulties of recognizing an illness in your pet I would like to present you three recent medical cases I have seen at Animal Medical Center of Chicago.
Case 1: The case of the fighting brothers.
Last week I had the pleasure of examining two beautiful Somali cats for their annual physical examination. Historically, these 2-year-old cats were loving brothers. They played, groomed and slept curled around each other every night. Recently, however, the owners had noticed that the cats were fighting more and not sleeping together. On physical examination of both cats each had severe stomatitis — which is a term reserved for severe inflammation of the gum tissue. The gums were ulcerated and cherry red in color. I informed the clients that both of their cats needed immediate dental care, which would include a dental cleaning, probing, radiography and oral surgery to remove numerous problematic teeth. The owners were shocked that they did not notice any problems. The cats were eating well and showed no obvious dental pain like drooling, difficulties chewing or facial swelling. I told the clients that pet’s can be very secretive about their pain — it is an adaptive response to living in the wild. To temporarily reduce their pets’ discomforts, I sent the clients home with pain medication and antibiotics. We scheduled oral surgery for the following week. Two days later I called the client for an update and the pets were doing great. They were playful and positively interacting with each other again. As the client reported, “They are acting like kittens again.”
Case 2: The case of the stoic shelter dog.
Approximately two weeks ago a client rescued a really sweet, probably 2-year-old pit-bull, named Pilot, from a local shelter. Pilot had been sitting in a shelter cage for almost four weeks after being abandoned on the streets. The dog walked with a slight limp on his left hind limb. When he was standing still, I noticed that he would shift almost 75 percent his weight onto his right hind limb. A pelvic radiograph revealed multiple pelvic fractures. Although it was tragic that this pet was in a shelter cage for almost a month without any medical care, this benign neglect worked to his benefit. His immobility allowed the fractures to almost heal by itself. Since the fracture was healing nicely on its own, I recommended to the owner to start anti-inflammatory and pain medications along with some nutra-pharmaceutical drugs to help with wound healing. I told her to continue to severely limit his activity and repeat pelvic radiographs in four weeks. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately??) Pilot has an extremely high pain threshold that masked his true problems. I believe the well-intentioned shelter workers did not perceive Pilot in discomfort and therefore, did not seek appropriate medical or surgical care.
Case 3: The case of the playful Labrador retriever.
Just the other day one of my clients brought in her playful 8-year-old Labrador retriever, named Bentley, for a yearly examination. When I entered the room Bentley was jumping up and down off our examination table looking for treats. I asked the owner routine questions like, ” Is Bentley eating well? Is he having normal stools? Any signs of orthopedic discomfort, like difficulties going up and down stairs or stiffness after rising?” The owner told me that after daycare Bentley is exhausted and can barely walk. She told me that she thinks he is just tired and that’s it. During my physical examination, I discovered that Bentley was moderately painful when I palpated both hips and shoulders. I told her that her dog is most likely suffering from degenerative joint disease (arthritis) and not exhaustion. I recommended radiographs of the problematic joints. The owner had not perceived Bentley in pain or suffering from any musculoskeletal problem given her dog’s energetic personality but it was obvious from my examination that he was uncomfortable.
These three cases are perfect examples of pet’s hiding their illnesses or diseases from their owners. Every day clients bring their “apparently healthy pet” to see me for their yearly examination and I frequently discover a medical condition that the client did not recognize. It is not that my clients are not observant or loving, it is that a pet will do their best to hide a problem.
Given their secretive nature, if your pet’s behavior deviates from its normal routine, please take note of it. Maybe he/she is trying to discretely tell you something. If he/she is sluggish, seeking more or less attention, or not eating with the same gusto as it normally does, this may be your only sign that something may be awry. Please contact your veterinarian for advice.
Be observant. Be your pet’s best advocate for good health care. Don’t let your pet keep secrets!
Be vigilant about aging cat’s health
To maximize the length and quality of an aging cat’s life, veterinarian Julie Damron writes that owners should schedule semiannual veterinary exams and have regular lab work and routine dental care performed. Be sure vaccinations are current, feed a high-quality diet to provide essential nutrients and maintain a healthy weight, and keep cats indoors, Dr. Damron advises. Owners must remain vigilant because cats are good at concealing health issues, and subtle changes may be difficult for owners to detect, according to Dr. Damron. The Record (Stockton, Calif.) (tiered subscription model) (3/9)
It’s important to keep close watch on your feline during his or her golden years. Traditionally, cats are considered senior when they reach age 7. At this point in life, their bodies will change more rapidly and there can be several health issues of concern.
Make sure your feline has a veterinary exam every six months. This is important. Although your cat may appear healthy to you, there are subtle changes that can be occurring within his or her body. Cats are very good at hiding disease. Because they are smaller, it can be difficult to notice changes in weight.
Keep your cat’s vaccines current unless otherwise recommended by your veterinarian. Even indoor cats can be exposed to illness. Routine RCP vaccines, which protect from viral rhinotracheitis/herpes and calicivirus, should be given to help protect from respiratory infections as your feline ages. It is also important to keep your feline protected from rabies.
Have lab work done at least once a year. Felines are very prone to develop organ disease as they age, especially hyperthyroidism and kidney disease. Symptoms and physical exams can suggest maladies but these illnesses can only be diagnosed through blood and urine analysis. When a medical problem is identified in the earliest stages and treated promptly, it allows for the best outcome.
Provide a high-quality diet that is designed specifically for senior cats, given in the correct quantities. Feeding a premium pet store-quality diet makes a big difference in the longevity of your feline companion. The phrase “you are what you eat” applies to felines as well as people. A higher quality of nutrition is directly connected to longevity in cats. It is also just as important to control caloric intake in our companions as it is in people. Cats that are obese are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and other issues just like in people. If you have more than one cat, feed them individually, so that you can be more aware of how much each feline is eating.
Provide routine preventive dental care. Dental disease affects much more than the wellness of your cat’s mouth. Bacteria from infection of the mouth can be spread to other organs in the body, bathing them in pathogens. Pain and inflammation at the mouth can also lead to decreased appetite, causing a cascade of illness. Tartar on the teeth leads to inflammation along the gum line. Over time, the gum tissue will recede from the base of the teeth. Continued infection allows for loosening of the ligaments that hold the teeth in place. Eventually the teeth will fall out.
There is a lot that you can do to keep your feline’s mouth healthy. A high-quality dry food helps to reduce tartar development. Routine oral care in the form of brushing, treats and rinses can help to reduce plaque buildup. Dental cleanings can help to treat and limit the advancement of dental disease.
It is recommended that all cats are spayed or neutered, and this is especially important for older felines. Older females that are not spayed are more prone to infections in the uterus as well as mammary, ovarian and uterine disorders.
It is also best to keep felines mainly indoors, especially when older. When cats live outside, they are at risk of ingesting toxins, being attacked by other animals, being hit by a car, and other hardships.
Consistency with these steps in combination with love and attention will help to improve the quality and quantity of the years with your feline companions.
Julie Damron is a veterinarian at Sierra Veterinary Clinic in Stockton. Contact her at features@recordnet.com.