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 …
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Use Of CO2 Lasers In A Feline PracticeJuly 27, 2012 I have used a CO2 laser for about 10 years. My initial interest in this tool was for declawing cats. I was told that using it would result in less bleeding and less pain. The difference between declawing with it and with a scalpel is not great in kittens, because they heal so rapidly; but the difference is obvious in adult cats, especially overweight ones. Consequently, we abandoned other methods and made CO2 declawing our only option to clients. As we proceeded to use the CO2 laser for declawing, creativity set in. I found that it is a tool that either exclusively permits accomplishment of certain surgeries or is superior to the other options. The following are applications that make feline practice more successful. 1. Lesions in Difficult Places Oral tumors are frustrating because most affected cats are presented for drooling, poor appetite or fetid breath. Owners typically think there is a dental problem that can be solved with a good teeth cleaning or a few extractions. They are shocked to find that an aggressive, malignant tumor is present and that it is beyond surgical removal …
Advances In Veterinary Medicine Improve Wound CareJuly 3, 2012 Wound healing is an uncomplicated process in animals for the most part, but challenges do arise. Fortunately, veterinary medicine has seen significant advances in wound management. “We have made great strides in our understanding of wound healing and the subcellular interactions that occur among growth factors, cytokines and other cells to create the extracellular matrix needed for wound healing,” says Bryden J. Stanley, MVetSc, MACVSc, Dipl. ACVS. “This understanding allows us to optimize the wound-healing environment.” Day 2 Most of the wounds that veterinarians treat are acute because of trauma, such as those suffered in a car crash or in a fight with another animal. Acute wounds include lacerations, punctures and degloving, or shear, injuries, according to Dr. Stanley, an assistant professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Nicole Heinrich, DVM, whose practice is limited to dermatology, sees her share of chronic wounds in patients treated at McKeever Dermatology Clinic in Eden Prairie, Minn. With animals, “chronic” describes wounds that heal slowly because of an underlying condition. After VAC therapy, Blueberry’s wound was sutured on day 4. Therapy …
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 …
Homer's OdysseyJune 1, 2012 Don’t cringe, this book from high school English is not about to haunt you again! Here’s this story… My family and I love Barnes & Noble. Despite the fact that the successful chain of book stores may have contributed to the closing of our downtown bookstore that is like 100 years old, we find pleasure in B&N’s huge selection (oh, and the Starbucks coffee for me!). At a recent trip to B&N, I passed by the clearance table and found this book called, you guessed it, Homer’s Odyssey (written by Gwen Cooper, published by Delacorte Press, 2009). Who can resist a feline on the front cover? The subtitle is quite descriptive: A fearless feline tale, or how I learned about love and life with a blind wonder cat! The book is about this blind cat and his extraordinary life, and it’s a wonderful, quick and easy, reading book (great for planes and hotels!). Now I’m reading it to my daughter. I wanted to give it a review, so thanks for indulging me! Homer is found just a few weeks old as a stray, and his eyes were so infected that he needed a bilateral enucleation (both …
Endoscopy’s Popularity IncreasesMay 30, 2012 From its early role in veterinary medicine as a minimally invasive way to get a better look at internal anatomic workings, endoscopy has developed into a burgeoning array of structural versions and medical and surgical applications. “I sometimes think, why should we as veterinarians talk about and learn these types of techniques?” said Kathleen Ham, DVM, assistant professor of small-animal surgery at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “I can break this up into two different categorical reasons: veterinary medical and client-driven.” Clients are requesting this level of minimally invasive surgery, said Dr. Ham, a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. “Minimally invasive surgery has become the standard of care in people, and many clients have had it or know someone who has, and they believe that it is an easier type of surgery to recover from,” Ham said. On the medical side, endoscopic surgery results in decreased patient morbidity, Ham said. “The patient has a smaller incision, which results in less pain, less chance of incisional complications and infection, less bleeding, less ileus, decreased recovery time and decreased hospital stays,” she said. “From the surgeon’s perspective, we have …
