Canine

Vet Shares His Story Of Putting His Dog To Sleep

May 23, 2014

Douglas Palma, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM) spoke in empathetic tones when any of his clients lost a pet. But he couldn't truly feel that empathy. He had never gone through that loss. As a veterinarian, Dr. Palma dealt with the difficulty of euthanasia every day. Part of his job is to help clients come to the best decision regarding their pets, and to help them when that decision involves loss. Chances are the day that decision was made will be stuck in his clients' minds for years to come. Three years ago this August, Palma received a call at work from his wife Eileen. Their beloved yellow Lab-Border Collie mix hadn't eaten that morning. A pet skipping a meal may provoke concern in some pet owners; some may wait to see if their dog eats later on then opt to take them to the vet that evening or perhaps even the next day. But Palma's response was a little more urgent. "Bring him to the hospital," he told Eileen, according to ABC News. It's been said that parents who are also doctors hear their child cough and fear …

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With evolving parasite threats, traditional preventatives may not be enough. Discover how innovation is changing the landscape of protection.

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Moist Food, Environmental Enrichment Can Fight FIC In Your Cat Patients

May 6, 2014

Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. For cat-owning clients, caring for a pet with feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) can be frustrating. As one type of feline lower urinary tract disease, FIC causes a range of aggravating clinical signs in cats, signs that often lead to trips to the veterinary office—or to the local shelter. "FIC is an unfortunate disease," says Kara Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, of Wamego, Kan., president of the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians. "Owners don't quite understand what's happening when their pets [eliminate] outside the litter box. It ends up being one of the top reasons owners bring their cats to the veterinarian, and then why they relinquish them to shelters." Besides describing signs like urinating outside the litter box, clients with FIC-afflicted pets may also report frequency or straining when their cats urinate, vocalizing or perceived pain when they urinate, or blood in the urine, says Claudia Kirk, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVN, head of the department of small animal clinical sciences at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Veterinarians and their health care teams can help, Burns says. "We in the profession can help …

Non-Healing Facial Wounds: A Tale of Two Terriers

March 13, 2014

Endodontic disease has long been known as a common cause of a non-healing facial wound.1 The most common manifestation of this is the slab fracture of the maxillary fourth premolar tooth, which often results in pulp exposure, endodontic infection and a draining cutaneous tract below the medial canthus of the ipsilateral eye. This column compares two persistent cases I’ve seen recently that presented with similar problems but different etiologies. Jasper the Westie Case No. 1: Jasper, a 5-year-old male neutered West Highland white terrier, was presented to me with a three-month history of a non-healing wound beneath his left eye. The wound resolved when the primary care veterinarian placed Jasper on antibiotics, but recurred once antibiotics were discontinued. One year earlier, Jasper had received a dental cleaning and extraction of the left maxillary first molar due to severe periodontal disease. Jasper was presented to me for evaluation of any other dental issues that might be causing the non-healing sinus tract and scabbing beneath the left ventral eyelid. On conscious examination, Jasper was reluctant to allow for a good evaluation of the left maxillary quadrant, but I determined that the left maxillary fourth premolar (tooth 208) was present and did …

A Disaster Turns Into A Happy Story

March 13, 2014

Daisy, a 9-year-old diabetic miniature Schnauzer was diagnosed with a mucocele. Four months prior, Daisy had been seen for a splenic mass. We performed a c. Sadly, the biopsy revealed malignant histiocytosis. She recovered well from this procedure, but never 100 percent, according to the owner. She returned for an abdominal ultrasound after the referring veterinarian noticed an enlarged liver on palpation. In addition, the owner complained of Daisy's abdominal discomfort, decreased appetite and abnormal demeanor. Ultrasound confirmed hepatomegaly. The gallbladder was mildly distended and a small amount of free fluid was noticed around the liver. Blood work was supportive of liver disease with gallbladder involvement. Among others, she had an elevated bilirubin and high liver enzymes: alkaline phosphatase (alk. phos.), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Exploratory surgery was recommended for what was considered by the ultrasonographer to be an early mucocele. A standard laparotomy and cholecystectomy were performed. Patency of the common bile duct was reestablished through a duodenotomy. All other abdominal organs appeared within normal limits. After lavage of the abdomen, closure was standard. Daisy recovered uneventfully and went home the next day. It was that simple. Overall …

Certain Cats, Dogs Deemed Best Pets for Allergy Sufferers

February 13, 2014

Sneezing, runny noses and itchy eyes are the bane of people allergic to their pets. Now, an air purifier manufacturer and an environmental consulting firm have released their list of the top allergen-friendly pets. Making the cut this week for the Allergen All-Star Pet Awards was: • Bedlington terrier • Javanese cat • Schnauzer • Devon Rex cat • Labradoodle • Yorkshire terrier • Irish water spaniel • Labrador retriever • Maltese • Italian greyhound • Iguana The effort was sponsored by Kaz Inc. of Southborough, Mass., which makes the Doctor’s Choice True HEPA Air Purifier under the Honeywell trademark. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America found that 15 to 30 percent of Americans are allergic to cats or dogs, said Ted Myatt, a senior scientist at Environmental Health …

Three Techniques to Treat Toe Fractures

January 22, 2014

Although metacarpal and metatarsal fractures are fairly common injuries in cats and dogs, the best way to treat is somewhat controversial. Incomplete or complete fractures of one or two metacarpal/metatarsal bones can be treated with external coaptation. The splint should immobilize the carpus/tarsus completely to be effective. Generally, external coaptation requires six to 12 weeks to achieve bony union. Splints should be changed at least weekly to decrease the risk of pressure sores in an at-risk area because of the lack of soft tissue coverage. If three or four metacarpal/tarsal bones are fractured and displacement is present, external coaptation may be a poor choice. When multiple bones are fractured, the splint cannot maintain reduction properly, and while union may occur, the recovery will be prolonged and deformity is likely. Surgery is considered a better choice in such cases. Indications for surgery Internal fixation is used for simple or comminuted metacarpal/metatarsal bone fractures or in patients with three or four fractured bones. In multiple bone fractures, the fixation can be used for all fractured bones or for metacarpal/metatarsal bones 3 and 4 only, i.e. weight-bearing toes. Options for fixation include plating or wiring (rarely performed), …

More "Zebras": Mandibular Swellings

December 17, 2013

My November and December columns focused on zebras. Not the actual animals, but rather the zebra diagnosis, that rare clinical presentation that may mimic a more common abnormality. I finished my November column by asking readers to share with me any zebras they have encountered. Linda Molesworth, VMD, of Huntingtown, Md., sees a zebra more frequently than most of us, because she is the proud owner of Zena (see photo above). Let’s continue to discuss dental/orofacial zebra diagnoses, in the context of mandibular swellings in dogs. Signalment—age, breed and sex—may be a very important component of the information gathered when creating a list of differential diagnoses. Take the example of a patient that presents for a ventral mandibular swelling. Many a mandibular swelling has been caused by a nonvital tooth with endodontic infection, often as a result of a tooth fracture, or extension of periodontal disease to the level where it can invade the endodontic system of a tooth. However, numerous other possible causes exist. If unilateral mandibular swelling is seen in a 14-year-old dog, the nonzebra diagnosis of neoplasia would come to mind. However, if nonpainful swellings were occurring in both mandibles of a …

The Lastest On The Deadly Canine Parvovirus

December 3, 2013

While parvovirus’s clinical signs and treatment principles haven’t appreciably changed in recent years, our knowledge base on disease transmission and patient prognosis has vastly improved. At the CVC veterinary conference in Kansas City in August, Stephen C. Barr, BVSc, spoke to attendees on all things parvo. Some of his key points follow. Parvoviruses are extremely hardy, and remain infectious in the environment for more than five months. Not all disinfectant products work on parvo. Barr recommends a 1:30 bleach solution (5 percent sodium hypochlorite). Leukocyte numbers, character help track the course of parvo By Lou Anne Epperley, DVM For Veterinary Practice News The ELISA “snap” test for canine parvovirus is an efficient initial diagnostic test. Then, leukocyte counts and character can provide hints of the virus’s progress and the patient’s prognosis, according to Stephen C. Barr, BVSc, infectious disease specialist at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Barr told veterinarians at the CVC veterinary conference in Kansas City that CPV-2 infection causes necrolysis of myeloid and erythroid stem cells in bone marrow. …

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