Dog Regains Mobility Thanks to UC Davis NeurologistsMay 2, 2016Not too long ago, Leah, a 4-year-old female Border Collie, got loose from her owner and went missing for the night. When a local veterinary facility found her the next day, the staff immediately called her owner and informed her that Leah had been injured. She had a facial laceration that might have been from a deer kick. Otherwise, she appeared normal, and so her wound was repaired, and Leah was on her way home. Two days later, however, Leah became acutely non-ambulatory. She had minimal motor function in all four limbs, and was unable to sit up on her own. Leah was then hospitalized with a suspected case of tetanus. She was treated with an anti-toxin and other supportive care and monitored. Her severe tetraparesis did not improve for three weeks. Leah’s veterinarians no longer suspected tetanus and were much more concerned that she might have a spinal cord injury. That was when they referred her to the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. Once at UC Davis, specialists in the Neurology/Neurosurgery Service performed a …
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As Nasal Tumor Cases Grow, So Do OptionsApril 22, 2016Nasal tumors are rare in companion animals, but experts are reporting more cases of the potentially deadly condition. And, rather than being random outbreaks, they may be a function of greater life spans. “We are seeing more cancer in animals, and some of that probably is related to better care and animals living longer,” said Nicole Northrup, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, an oncologist and associate professor at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Ironically, pet owners may have something to do with the anecdotal increase in the incidence of nasal cancer. More clients are willing to pay extra for diagnostics such as CT scans and biopsies to catch cancerous tumors in time to begin treatment, experts say. Just how many more cases experts have come across is not an exact science, said Philip J. Bergman, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM. In fact, Dr. Bergman, director of clinical studies for the VCA hospital chain, said more tumors of all types are being discovered as the pet population lives longer. “As we get better with preventive medicine and continue to be …
When to Use Miniplates for Mandibular FracturesApril 12, 2016Jaw fractures happen. Sometimes they occur due to trauma, but I see just as many pathologic fractures due to periodontal disease in small-breed dogs. Pathologic fractures are challenging when they are unilateral, but when they occur bilaterally, they affect normal function in a life-threatening way. Whenever possible, I repair a mandibular fracture with a noninvasive technique involving interdental wiring and composite splinting (see Dental Pearls, October 2015). This is an elegant technique that utilizes teeth adjacent to the fracture line as anchors by weaving wire between the teeth, etching the teeth and placing plastic composite over the teeth. Unfortunately, dogs with pathologic fractures secondary to periodontal disease usually require widespread extraction of diseased teeth in the area of the fracture. Therefore, inter-dental wiring often is not an option. In these cases I like to use miniplates. Miniplates have been documented as a valid option for maxillofacial fractures in dogs and cats for over 20 years.1 Case Discussion Bigger isn’t always better. Take, for example, the case of Taz, a 9-year-old Chihuahua. Taz presented to Dr. Bonnie Shope at Veterinary Dental Services in Boxborough, Mass., with severe halitosis, decreased appetite and lethargy. A …
Merck Unveils Diabetes AppMarch 31, 2016Merck Animal Health is throwing a bone to U.S. pet owners and the hundreds of thousands of diabetic dogs and cats by offering the free Pet Diabetes Tracker app. “To help ensure the longterm health and well-being of a pet, successfully managing the various facets of the disease and treatments is critical,” said Madeleine Stahl, DVM, associate director of scientific marketing affairs at the Madison, N.J., veterinary drug maker. The Pet Diabetes Tracker enables owners to use a smartphone or tablet computer to input daily information, such as blood glucose levels, food and water intake, body condition and weight—all factors in keeping a pet’s diabetes in check. The app also allows the pet owner to track insulin dosages, set reminders for when to re-administer doses or reorder insulin, and send status reports directly to the veterinarian. Merck Animal Health. Screenshot of app. “I think pet owners, especially those with a newly diagnosed pet, will find this app an incredibly useful tool because it puts all the pertinent diabetic health information at their fingertips,” Dr. Stahl said. The app may be downloaded from
Dog With Severely Injured Neck Recovering From Emergency SurgeryMarch 22, 2016Clover is a 6-month-old Shepherd-Pit Bull Terrier Mix. She was recently found by a property manager who saw that she had severe lacerations in her neck – to the point where she could have been decapitated. She had been tied to a banister in the home. “It was an actual plastic coated cable, wrapped around her neck, and because it was hooked to itself, it kinked, so the hook couldn't slide. I didn't even see the problems with her neck until I bent down and I had to lift her head up,” Humane Society Police Officer Ron Riggle told ABC 6. “The dog chewed itself off the cable; it might have taken a while, but when they got it out, it still had the remainder of the collar in its neck,” added Kenny Gee, the man who kept an eye on Clover while the property manager called for help. “It was bad; I couldn't see having a kid and a dog in that house.” Clover was rushed to the Delaware County SPCA where she underwent emergency surgery to clean the lacerations and remove any diseased tissue. Clover …
How to Treat Gingival HyperplasiaMarch 22, 2016My February column — What to Do When Gums Overgrow Their Boundaries — discussed possible etiologies of gingival hyperplasia. Recall a 5-year-old male Rhodesian ridgeback who was presented for evaluation of proliferative gingival enlargement and focal areas of gingival recession over most of the lateral surfaces of the maxillary canine teeth (Figure 1-A). Nearly every tooth in the mouth was affected at least mildly by gingival enlargement, though the canines and incisors were most severely affected (Figure 2-A). This month we will discuss the treatment of gingival enlargement. JOHN LEWIS, VMD, FAVD, DIPL. AVDC Figure 1-A: The right maxillary quadrant showing generalized gingival hyperplasia and gingival recession over the labial (vestibular) surface of the right maxillary canine tooth (tooth 104). Terminology Last month we discussed the terminology of gingival enlargement vs. gingival hyperplasia. Worth discussing here are terms related to the surgical treatment of gingival enlargement. The two terms often used are gingivectomy and gingivoplasty. Human textbooks refer to gingivectomy as the excision of gingiva to eliminate periodontal pockets, including reshaping, or “-plasty,” of the gingiva as part of the process. At least one veterinary text refers to excision of gingiva to remove periodontal …
5 Pets Celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Veterinary ClinicsMarch 17, 2016St. Patrick's Day is day anyone can celebrate, even pets at the veterinary clinics. Here are 5 pets doing just that: First, there is this cat, nicknamed Mr. B, has the luck of the Irish, since he is 5-year survivor of meningioma. Kitty Barnabus Skipper sure has the luck of the Irish! Mr. B is a 5-year survivor of meningioma after receiving treatment at our hospital. #Repost @tpancotto A photo posted by Virginia-Maryland Vet Med (@vamdvetmed) on Mar 17, 2016 at 9:02am PDT Then there's Lucy, looking glorious in green at the Kimberly Crest Veterinary Hospital, P.C. in Davenport, Iowa. Lucy came in to see us today in her St. Patty's day attire! She's such a fashionista! Happy St. Patrick's Day!! #veterinary #vetmed #vettech #dogsofinstagram #stpatricksday #green
How a Misplaced Sponge Can Return to Bite YouMarch 15, 2016Forgetting a surgical sponge inside a veterinary patient is a taboo yet all-too-common situation. Because of blatant underreporting, reliable statistics do not exist in veterinary surgery, and few are available in human surgery. Sponge retention is a risk any time sponges are used in surgery, regardless of the procedure. Since retained sponges were first described in human surgery in 1884, they remain the most common accidentally retained surgical foreign bodies. This can lead to many complications after surgery, not to mention the potential of resulting medicolegal implications. Understanding the reasons for sponge retention can help you devise strategies to avoid this embarrassing pitfall. Small sponges, especially when soaked in blood, can be difficult to see in the surgical field. Not discarding used sponges immediately increases this risk. In deeper surgical areas, such as thoracic or abdominal body cavities, the use of small sponges creates an unnecessary risk of retention because they easily may become lost in the process. Also, using free small sponges without first attaching them to a hemostat or sponge forceps increases this risk. Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ A retained lap sponge attached to …
Veterinarian Proves It: Cats See Better in the DarkMarch 3, 2016No surprises here: Cats see way better in the dark. But Liz Bonnin, host of the BBC show “Cats v Dogs: Which is Best?” wanted to find out how much better they could see, and put together a test with the help of a local veterinary college. Bonnin went to the Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom to talk to Rich F. Sanchez, DVM, CertVOphthal, DipECVO, FHEA, MRCVS. Dr. Sanchez is a senior ophthalmologist and a Lecturer of the Ophthalmology Service at the college. He created a maze for his test subjects — a dog named Fen and a cat named Oedipus — that they would have to navigate in complete darkness. Once they reach the end, they get a food reward. It ends up taking Fen 43 seconds to get through the maze, being guided by the voice of his owners. Oediupus, however, takes 5 seconds. Watch it here: You may know why cats see so well in the dark, but do your clients? Give them this fun tidbit from the Catster.com article, “Four Cool Facts About Your Cat’s Eyes:” Our feline friends can see well …
Veterinary Dentist Starts ‘Tooth Fairy Fund’ for Pets Needing Dental WorkFebruary 25, 2016February is National Pet Dental Health Month. It’s the perfect time to inform clients of the importance of keeping their pets’ teeth healthy. You may have come across a client or two (or perhaps dozens) who say they can’t afford the dental care their pets need. Enter Brook Niemiec, DVM, DAVDC. Dr. Niemiec, who owns Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties and Oral Surgery in San Diego, Calif., understands the disconnect between dental care for pets and shelter animals and the money to pay for it. To combat that disconnect, Niemiec set up the Tooth Fairy Fund. It was designed to help those who cannot afford dental care for their pets. Fox 5 San Diego reports that last December the Tooth Fairy Fund helped pay for the dental care of several shelter animals that had serious dental issues. The program is designed so that veterinarians nationwide can implement it in their practices. Niemiec told Fox 5 San Diego that $1 for every tooth extracted in any of the practices participating in the Tooth Fairy Fund is donated to the program. The money raised for Tooth Fairy Fund covers dental surgery and anesthesia.
