Puppy poison control: the phone number that could save you dog’s life
By Allen St. John for Forbes.com
It turns out that Tessie, my golden retriever, likes brownies. Which are poisonous for dogs. Fortunately, she lived to tell about it.When we found her with her face in a pan of Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies yesterday evening, we knew what to do: Call the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center.
Here’s the number: (888) 426-4435
(Enter it into your cell. Right now.)
- Tessie’s weight, age, sex, breed
- What she ate, how much, and when
- Her symptoms
- Information from the package of the poison if possible.
Armed with this info, a vet walked us through the procedure for inducing vomiting. (Which is only indicated for certain kinds of poisons.) Fortunately, Tessie was lucky. She didn’t eat that much, we called immediately, and she’s young and in good health, so today’s she’s none the worse for the experience. And it was well worth the $65 consultation fee.
If the incident had been more serious, we would have been instructed to take Tessie to our vet or to an emergency vet clinic. (Search for your nearest emergency vet right now and enter that number in your cell and add it to your household emergency numbers.) Even if the dog is sick enough that a trip to the vet is clearly necessary, a call to the Poison Control Center can be a lifesaver because they’ve got Antox, a database with over a million animal exposure case histories. So if it’s an unusual–or unknown–poison, the database can help the vet identify the poison quickly and accurately and zero in on the best treatment. (If you do take a dog to the vet, remember to bring anything that’s left from the suspected poison, including the packaging or the plant, as well as any thing the dog may have vomited or defecated.)
Of course most of the substances that are poisonous to humans are also harmul to dogs but here are a few items—like the brownies–that are delicious for people but potentially poisonous to a dog.
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Avocado
- Macadamia Nuts
- Grapes and Raisins
- Gum
- Onions, Chives, Garlic
- Salt
In addition to a fresh bottle of hydrogen peroxide, here’s a link to a few things that should be in every pet owner’s medicine cabinet.
Canine Bloat
Bloat, or gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), is when the stomach fills with gas and flips over. This twists blood vessels, blocks blood flow and traps gas. The gas and pressure builds up, forcing the stomach to expand. Within a few hours or less the stomach is extremely stretched and hard, and the stomach tissue begins to die. Circulation is cut off, causing the dog to go into shock. Without emergency treatment GDV is fatal. Even with aggressive therapy, some dogs do not survive.
What does a dog with GDV look like? Dogs with GDV are very uncomfortable – as you can just imagine! They act restless and try to vomit but nothing comes up. As their stomachs fill with gas, their abdomens appear bloated just behind the ribs. If you think your dog has these symptoms, regardless of the breed, take him or her to your veterinarian immediately.
What causes GDV and what breeds are at risk? No one knows exactly what cause GDV. Past cases show the biggest risk factor is a big, deep chest. The risk increases as a dog gets older and the ligaments around the stomach stretch out. The breed most at risk is the Great Dane; about 2 out of every 5 have GDV. Some other breeds at risk are St. Bernards, Setters, Weimaraners, Standard Poodles, German Shepherds, and the list goes on.
What can be done to prevent GDV? A surgery called a gastropexy can prevent GDV. In it, the stomach is sewn to inside of the body wall, preventing it from flipping over. This surgery can be done safely with either a laparoscope or traditional surgical method. It’s typically done at the same time a deep-chested or large breed dog is spayed or neutered. Aside from a gastropexy, there is no guaranteed method to prevent GDV. Another factor to consider is that emergency GDV treatment and surgery can range from $3000 to $7000, depending on the hospital, while a preventive laparoscopic gastropexy is about a third of that cost.
If you’re concerned about bloat, talk to your veterinarian about a gastropexy. In my opinion, it is absolutely worth the peace of mind!
Cause of pet vomiting could be serious
When we see our pets vomit, we get a sinking feeling. As we are cleaning up the mess, we are deciding if the episode warrants a trip to the vet.
There are some cats and dogs that occasionally vomit and don’t appear to be affected by it. There are the cats that vomit up hairballs or undigested food that they ate too quickly. Those cats can be given a hairball gel or fed small meals.
But for some cats, vomiting can be a sign of an underlying medical condition. Cats are very good at hiding illness, and if vomiting is associated with other signs, it is important to get it addressed.
If there also is diarrhea, poor appetite, lethargy or weight loss, it could indicate a liver, kidney, pancreas issue or diabetes, especially in older animals.
Younger cats, meanwhile, love to eat things like string, needles, thread, fishing line, yarn and tinsel. The longer the string, the more likely it is to get caught up in the intestinal tract and require surgery. These cats are generally very sick and vomit a lot and become very uncomfortable. Delaying treatment can allow the string to bunch up the intestinal tract like an accordion and damage it.
Then there are the dogs that vomit up yellow bile in the morning or after eating grass. Sometimes feeding them a late night snack will keep enough in their stomach overnight to give the bile something to work on. Grass is more complicated as sometimes they just like the taste of grass, but sometimes they eat it to try to settle their stomachs, which can indicate a bigger problem.
Dogs are worse than cats for eating things that they shouldn’t. They eat toys, clothing, things out of the garbage, and other animals’ feces. At the very least, these things can cause an upset stomach but they also can obstruct the intestinal tract and cause irreversible damage. When something is stuck, dogs will vomit very frequently, not eat, and act painful.
Very serious issue
One issue that is unique to dogs is Gastrodilatation and Volvulus, or GDV for short. It is a gastrointestinal issue that can occur in any dog but is mostly seen in deep-chested large breed dogs.
When it occurs, the stomach gets bloated then twists and rotates in the abdomen. This is a life-threatening situation that requires immediate attention and surgery.
Dogs with this condition do not vomit and cannot vomit because the twist blocks things from coming out of the stomach. They retch without bringing anything up and they often develop a noticeable, firm bloated abdomen.
So don’t think that because nothing is being vomited up that everything will work itself out.
Vomiting can be just a thing a pet will do occasionally, but it also can be an indication of an underlying medical condition. You can never be too safe by having your pets seen by a veterinarian for vomiting.
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.
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): A Common Problem in Cats
Monday, June 18, 2012 – From the Animal Endocrine Clinic by Dr. Mark E. Peterson
Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure, which is a common problem in older cats. In cats, hypertension is commonly found as a complication of other underlying medical conditions (so-called secondary hypertension). However, primary or essential hypertension (i.e., hypertension that develops without any underlying medical disorder) may also be seen in cats (1).
- Hyperthyroidism (caused by a tumor of the thyroid gland that oversecretes thyroid hormone).
- Hyperaldosteronism or Conn’s syndrome (usually caused by a tumor of the adrenal gland that secretes too much of the hormone aldosterone)
- Diabetes mellitus (caused by lack of sufficient insulin secretion by the pancreas, or resistance to the action of the body’s insulin)
- Obesity (yes, fat tissue is the bodies largest endocrine gland, so obesity is a common endocrine disease)
- To reduce the blood pressure using anti-hypertensive drugs
- To search for an underlying disease, such as kidney disease, which has caused the hypertension. In some cases, for example hyperthyroidism, treatment of the underlying disease may also resolve the high blood pressure.
- To assess what complications of hypertension are present (such as ocular disease)
Cats vary in their response to anti-hypertensive drugs and some will require dose adjustments to normalize their blood pressure. Once stabilized, hypertensive cats should have their blood pressure monitored every 2 to 4 months to ensure that the pressure remains normal.
References:
- Jepson RE. Feline systemic hypertension: Classification and pathogenesis. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2011;13:25-34.
- Stepien RL. Feline systemic hypertension: Diagnosis and management. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2011;13:35-43.
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.
Tips for addressing urination problems in cats
There are a number of reasons why a cat will not use a litter box when urinating and there are a lot of cats out there who have this problem. Trying to find the ultimate reason for each particular cat can be time-consuming and frustrating for the owner, the cat and the veterinarian!
Some of the basic reasons that might cause this behavior revolve around the litter pan itself. The placement of the litter box is very important. Litter boxes should be in quiet, low traffic areas of the house. Also, you should have one litter box per cat in the household. Sometimes cats do not like the texture of the litter, so changing the litter can be helpful. If you have recently changed the brand of litter you use, your cat may not agree with your choice.
Also, make sure you are keeping the litter box as clean as possible because most cats are very particular about not using a dirty litter box. If you have a multiple-cat household, then making sure that one cat is not harassing the other cat in or around the litter box is also important.
Stress can also cause a cat to quit using the litter box appropriately. If there have been changes in your household, for example, if you are under stress, your pet may be picking up that feeling from you. This kind of household stress can often cause pets to exhibit inappropriate behavior as a release of the tension they feel.
If you feel that you have addressed all these issues, then the next question becomes Is this health-related? Does your cat have a disease that is causing this behavior? It is essential to rule out other issues, such as a urinary tract infection, metabolic disease, pain, etc., that might be inciting the behavior.
If this has become an “ingrained” behavior then, once all medical issues have been ruled out, your veterinarian might have you try some behavior modifying drugs to see if that will help with curbing the inappropriate urinations.
You can reach at Dr. Miller at drmillercph@gmail.com.
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!
Grading system helps form prognosis for cats with kidney failure
By Ann Hohenhaus, DVM
An annual visit to your cat’s veterinarian will result in blood tests being submitted to a veterinary laboratory to test for a variety of diseases such as hyperthyroidism and chronic kidney disease. To the typical cat owner, a diagnosis of kidney disease sounds ominous, but it’s not always as bad as it sounds. Take for example my nephew cat BeeDee. He had a rough start in life, abandoned as a kitten at The Animal Medical Center following a head trauma incident. My sister adopted him and he lived a good life, twenty-one years to be exact, despite having been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at age eighteen.
Kidney disease: The diagnosis
Estimates suggest one to three percent of cats will develop kidney disease during their lifetime and one in twelve geriatric cats has kidney disease. The diagnosis of chronic kidney disease in a cat like BeeDee is based on elevations in two blood tests: blood urea nitrogen, commonly abbreviated BUN, and creatinine plus evaluation of urine-specific gravity. In chronic kidney disease, the urine-specific gravity is neither concentrated nor dilute; it falls in a middle range known as isothenuric because the impaired kidneys no longer have the ability to concentrate or dilute the urine. Creatinine and BUN can be elevated in disorders other than chronic kidney disease such as a kidney infection or dehydration. Taking a urine sample from your cat to his annual examination will win you a gold star from your veterinarian and allow the urine to be tested to determine if chronic kidney disease is likely. For suggestions on how to collect feline urine, click here.
Severity scoring
The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) developed guidelines to grade the severity of chronic kidney disease in cats and dogs. The IRIS guidelines rank kidney disease from stage I to stage IV as the creatinine increases. Since as many as twenty percent of cats with chronic kidney disease have hypertension, your cat’s veterinarian will recommend blood pressure monitoring. Blood pressure, urine protein level, and organ damage from hypertension all play a role in IRIS staging. As your cat’s stage increases, so does the need for treatment.
A low score wins!
A study of 211 cats with chronic kidney disease, performed at The AMC, showed IRIS stage based only on creatinine levels in the blood correlated with the cat’s longevity. Cats diagnosed with Stage IIb had a creatinine >2.3 mg/dl, stage III greater than 2.8 mg/dl and stage IV greater than 5 mg/dl. Those cats with IRIS stage II kidney disease survived on average over 1000 days, stage III cats nearly 800 days and stage IV cats only about 100 days.
If your cat’s diagnosis is low IRIS stage chronic kidney disease, try not to worry. Treatment can help keep your cat around for years to come. I can’t guarantee your cat will do as well as my nephew cat and live to the ripe old age of 21 – but you never know!