Strategies For Battling Cat & Dog Ear InfectionsJuly 31, 2012 Ear infections in pets are painful, itchy, stinky, greasy, puffy, raw and seem to come in every color of the rainbow. Just about everyone agrees that ear infections are disgusting, but hardly any two veterinarians treat ears the same way. Some practitioners go for a definitive diagnosis. Others treat with a broad-spectrum medication and watch for the response. One veterinarian swears by Animax ointment. Another reaches for Otomax or Tresaderm. Some consider cleansers a key component in ear treatment and care, while others take a conservative approach. Job OneTalking to vendors of ear-care products can be as overwhelming as trying to get veterinarians to agree on the best ones and how they should be used. Veterinary Practice News talked with two nationally known veterinary dermatologists on the subject, along with representatives from veterinary otic manufacturing companies, for a current sampling of remedies. Job One is to diagnose the underlying cause, said Paul Bloom, DVM, owner of the Allergy, Skin and Ear Clinic for Pets in Livonia, Mich. “If you ignore this, you are doomed to recurrence,” warned Bloom, a diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Dermatologists and the American …
SPONSORED CONTENTItch Relief for Canine PatientsA treatment for both allergic and atopic dermatitis that’s given just once a day. Visibly improves itch fast. + Learn More Now
There’s Never A Good Time For LymeJuly 27, 2012 With more than 20,000 human cases reported annually, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On the canine end, however, the number of Lyme-infected dogs is unclear because of the lack of a central reporting agency. Experts have found that veterinarians practicing in areas thought to be relatively free of Borrelia burgdorferi aren’t looking for Lyme disease. And in Lyme-endemic areas, the experts say, the disease may be overdiagnosed and overtreated in dogs. Though 95 percent of Lyme cases are found in just 12 states, specialists say using a single test—the SNAP-4Dx by Idexx Laboratories of Westbrook, Maine—can detect multiple vector-borne diseases. That means the bacteria/parasite presence in a particular region can be easily determined. “Veterinarians can take pre-emptive measures to detect exposure in pets, help draw conclusions if illness is present, and as public health professionals, use canine patients as sentinels for disease in the region,” says Andrew Eschner, DVM, senior technical services veterinarian at Merial USA of Duluth, Ga. “This organism has evolved to live in specific hosts and it doesn’t want to kill the host animal. It …
How To Adjust Abnormally Positioned Canine TeethJune 29, 2012 In my May 2012 article, “The Problematic Deciduous Canine Tooth,” I described how persistent deciduous teeth could contribute to chronic linguoversion (medial displacement) of permanent mandibular canine teeth due to attempts of the permanent and deciduous teeth to occupy the same area. When this happens, the permanent teeth may cause trauma to the palatal mucosa or to the maxillary teeth. Chronic trauma to the palate may result in development of an oronasal fistula and possible traumatic endodontic or periodontal disease of teeth meeting in abnormal occlusion (Figure 1). This month’s article describes treatment options for relieving palatal trauma in these cases. Abnormal Relationships Malocclusions can be of skeletal origin (for example, a jaw being shorter than normal) or of dental origin (for example, a tooth erupting in an abnormal position in a jaw of normal length and width). Normally, when the mouth is closed, the mandibular canine tooth sits in a space called the diastema between the maxillary third incisor tooth and the maxillary canine tooth. The three most common reasons for development of an abnormal relationship between these teeth are: …
A Natural Pet Food Choice In Proper BalanceJune 28, 2012It was not unusual that the client who recently inherited her son’s bulldog was proudly pointing out to me that all she fed him was a whole-ingredient dog food whose television commercials appeared every 30 minutes. But, poor guy, every day when she got home from work he had defecated in his crate again! Parasites and the usual culprits had already been ruled out by a veterinarian. Now she was standing in my exam room with her newly acquired love-bundle, desperate for a solution. Like it or not, advertising agencies daily become shrewder and more accurate at targeting consumers. And we all fall for it. As veterinarians, though, we find that watching actors pose as dog experts discussing scientific nutrition principles is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Hill's Pet Nutrition's online pet food comparison tool. The “whole foods” trend has captured the attention of the pet-owning public, who like the feeling they get by doing what those television actors would approve. But those television actors aren’t cleaning up the messes caused by so-called “balanced” pet foods that frankly aren’t. I tactfully suggested to my client a trail …
Picking Right Therapeutic Diet Is Hard With So Many ChoicesJune 28, 2012 The growing understanding of the link between animal nutrition and health isn’t fueling improvement in only therapeutic diets, but in commercially available diets, too. In fact, commercial foods are giving therapeutic brands a run for their money. “Manufacturers are always looking for ways to make their current products better and meet new needs,” says Grace Long, DVM, director of veterinary technical marketing for Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. of St. Louis. “Therapeutic diets can meet the specific needs of pets with diseases or uncommon nutritional needs that can’t be found in stores. But commercial brands are also offering foods that contain ingredients that will specifically help different life stages, breed needs and joint care.” Matching the proper nutrition to the individual animal can speed recovery from sickness, help an animal stay healthy longer and respond efficiently to disease challenges. This is something manufacturers want to make more readily available to consumers. “We have added colostrum to stabilize intestinal microflora in EN GastroENteric brand canine dry,” Dr. Long says by way of example. “Probiotics are the new big thing to help intestinal flora, but vets should be cautious of manufacturers who make claims that viable probiotic …
Dental X-Ray Unit Is Must-Have For Best Oral CareJune 27, 2012 Oral disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem in pets, yet it isn’t receiving the necessary attention from owners. Veterinarians must put the information in front of clients again and again. But many owners treat the obvious ailments and leave those disguised in the mouth to fester–literally. February celebrates those daily efforts made by veterinary teams that make dental care a core part of their protocol. Sponsors are uniting again this month to boost veterinary dental health care by promoting National Pet Dental Health Month, in hope of enhancing the 2 percent rate of client compliance for daily home dental care and professional exams. While more than 1,400 veterinary professionals are members of the American Veterinary Dental Society, only about 100 veterinarians are board certified in dental care. This isn’t to say more general practitioners and technicians aren’t interested in dentistry. But in large part vets aren’t utilizing the tools necessary to entice clients into complying with dental care recommendations. “More emphasis needs to be placed on the importance of year-round dental care,” says John Lewis, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, president-elect of the AVDS and assistant professor of veterinary dentistry and oral surgery at …
Don’t Drink, And Dog Paddle?June 19, 2012 We’ve all done it, I bet even you…we have all dressed up a pet at least once in our lives. Whether it was a costume celebrating Halloween (don’t you just love the HotDog costume for dachshunds?), a raincoat for drizzly afternoon walks, or little warm boots for walking in the snow, we’ve all done it. Of course, if you’re really brave, you’ve dressed up a cat; well, attempted to dress up a cat. It’s humorous to see cats when they’ve been dressed; they literally flop down on the floor and won’t move. (This is also how they react to a belly wrap in the hospital!) How about “dressing up” a non-typical pet for a walk, like a collar and leash on a cat, or a harness for a ferret or guinea pig. I don’t mean to burst any bubbles, but when it comes to these animals, you are likely letting yourself be walked by your critter, if they’ll walk at all. Some of these garments and such are purchased with a purpose in mind, such as the weather wear. Yet there is no real “excuse” for buying an elf costume for the cat at Christmas, or a …
When ‘Euthanasia’ Is Just KillingMay 25, 2012 It happened to me for the first time when I was only a month into my first job as a newly minted veterinarian. There I was, flying solo on an overnight shift, unblocking the variously obstructed and ministering to the mysteriously urticarial. I was finally getting comfortable living the satisfyingly routine life of an ER doc when one fine night a cat owner claimed to offer me a “simple” problem: “I just need you to put him to sleep.” This woman was the first in what proved to be a long line of similarly minded, morally challenged individuals seeking my services as executioner. I’m sure most of you are familiar with this crass breed: They’re the would-be pet owners who want little more than to tax our hard-won skills only as far as our way with a syringe-full of pink juice is concerned. Interestingly, I’ve found suburban versions of this individual to be surprisingly uniform in a couple of ways: 1) They inevitably supply one or more reasons for taking such drastic action. In this case, for example, the predominant complaint was that the cat urinated on everything and—sin of all sins—refused to live outdoors …
Regenerative Medicine Gives Back To Hero DogsMay 24, 2012 Two 9/11 search and rescue dogs suffering from severe degenerative joint disease are able to live out their days in greater comfort after receiving stem cell regenerative therapy. MediVet America donated the service because it wanted to reward the animals that responded with their owners after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said Katherine Wilkie, director of the company laboratory in Nicholasville, Ky. “We just want to make them comfortable and happy in their retirement,” Wilkie said. Wilkie was present at the Companion Animal Hospital in Goodlettsville, Tenn., where Bailey received her stem cell therapy last Veterans Day. Bailey had served at the Pentagon and had worked in search and rescue for several years before retiring. “It was pretty obvious early on that there was not going to be any live work” the day of the attacks, said Keith Lindley, Bailey’s owner. “Bailey was not a cadaver dog, so she became a therapy dog for the rescuers.” Bailey’s was the first stem cell procedure performed by Mary Ergan, DVM. Bailey presented with severe osteoarthritis of the elbows. “She’s about a 50-pound Labrador retriever, so a small-framed dog that was otherwise in good condition,” Dr. Ergan …
Education Dispels Myths Around Nutrition’s Role In GI DiseaseMay 23, 2012 Owners have a lot of choices when it comes to feeding their dogs, but they do not always make nutritionally sound judgments when selecting a pet food. This may be one reason why gastrointestinal problems are among the top 10 reasons that owners take their dogs to the veterinarian, according to the Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. “Often owners want recommendations for food,” said Davinne Glenn, DVM, co-owner of Veterinary Center of Liberty in Missouri. “Large retail stores have rows and rows of different foods, and owners can find many opinions about what makes a quality food from people who might not have any veterinary nutritional training. It can be overwhelming.” Owners sometimes fail to recognize the role a bad pet food can play in causing GI problems, nor do they realize that a good pet food can prevent some of these problems or keep a dog from suffering exacerbations of a chronic condition. Conditions “Gastrointestinal problems are the most common reasons owners bring their dogs to a veterinary hospital,” says Kara Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, a veterinary technician specialist at Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. in Topeka, Kan. “Owners fail to recognize that many GI disorders …
