Why Ticks Are Looming Large for Dogs and CatsApril 29, 2015Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Ticks have been steadily spreading across the United States in recent years, their incidence growing rapidly right along with the white-tail deer population. It’s still a bit early to say for sure, but it doesn’t look like that spread will be slowing this year. A parasite forecast published each spring by the Companion Animal Parasite Council gives veterinarians and pet owners a good idea of what they can expect in the way of tick, intestinal parasite and heartworm prevalence. “We expect to see—unless intervention is increased—continued spread of the tick-transmitted diseases and some continued small climb in heartworms,” said Dwight Bowman, MS, Ph.D., a Cornell University veterinary parasitology professor and CAPC board member. Tick-transmitted agents that test (Lyme, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia) are increasing in the percentage of animals positive within an area—and the current ranges are expanding too, he said. It’s always hard to tell what a year will hold in terms of parasites. Extreme cold and dry weather have a significant negative effect on flea and tick populations, and while much of the northern half of the U.S. has experienced cold and snowy weather, it has not been …
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Study Confirms Benefits of Pedicle Tie SpaysApril 24, 2015High-volume sterilization clinics may save time and money using a pedicle tie procedure when spaying cats, according to a first-of-its-kind study. Kirk Miller, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, a clinical instructor at the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, teamed up with four other researchers to compare the feline pedicle tie (PT) to traditional pedicle double ligation (PDL). They found that PT was safe, posed a very low risk of additional bleeding and slightly reduced the patient’s anesthesia time. Surgery took about two minutes less in PT cases. “Saving two minutes may not sound like much, but when you do thousands of these procedures every year, like we do, it can add up in savings of both time and money,” said Dr. Miller, who practices with the Oregon Humane Society in Portland. “Over the course of a year this may free up about two weeks of time for both the surgeon and anesthetist. “That increased efficiency means we can serve more animals, provide the care they need and make them eligible to find new homes.” The researchers performed ovariohysterectomies using the PT technique on 2,136 cats. They determined that the pedicle tie was effective at stopping blood flow through …
Vet Fired After Bragging of Killing CatApril 17, 2015 Facebook This photo appeared on Dr. Kristen Lindsey’s Facebook page. Click on the photo above to see the original image. (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT.) We'll be posting updates as they come in. Read the original story. Update 6 (4/18/2015, 7:45 a.m. PDT): The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners posted on their Facebook page that they are aware of the situation regarding Kristen Lindsey, DVM, and request people write to them via email. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has been made aware of the situation with one of our licensees. We will... Posted by Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners on Friday, April 17, 2015 Update 5 (4/17/2015, 6:45 p.m. PDT): KBTX.com has more reactions about the controversial killing. (Warning, video does contain GRAPHIC IMAGES.) Update 4 (4/17/2015, 6:15 p.m. PDT): There have been reports that the cat was being fostered by volunteer with True Blue Animal Rescue in Brenham, Texas. The organization has put up their own statement, …
Find Out Why Once Every Three Years is the Trend in VaccinationsApril 2, 2015Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News After speaking with hundreds of practicing veterinarians over the past two years about vaccines and vaccination protocols, Richard Ford, DVM, has found that practitioners are slowly trending away from all vaccines to all pets every year. “I believe it is fair to say that some trends are emerging,” said Dr. Ford, a co-author on both the American Animal Hospital Association canine vaccination task force and the American Association of Feline Practitioners feline vaccination advisory panel. He has noted a growing the tendency to incorporate triennial boosters for core vaccines in dogs (distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus-2) and cats (panleukopenia, herpesvirus, calicivirus). “In speaking with vaccine sales representatives from around the country, I would estimate about half of the practices today routinely incorporate the three-year recommendation for core vaccines,” Ford said. Ford sees this largely as a good thing. “The science is abundantly clear on this point,” Ford said. “While some vaccines must be administered annually to sustain a reasonable level of protective immunity, others – namely the core vaccines – provide years of protective immunity in the majority of dogs/cats that are vaccinated. There is simply no medical …
Why Feline Kidney Insufficiency is Still Tricky to TreatMarch 13, 2015Gary Norsworthy, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Feline), owner of Alamo Feline Health Center in San Antonio, believes veterinarians should be careful when using the term “kidney failure” in talking to cat owners. To determine kidney function, creatinine and BUN (blood urea nitrogen) tests are conducted. Kidney failure occurs in a dog in which the creatinine value from blood tests is over 2.5 mg/dl, giving a dog a month or two to live. A creatinine number over 2.4 signals kidney trouble for a cat, yet actual kidney failure for a cat doesn’t start until that number reaches 5.0 or 5.5 mg/dl, Dr. Norsworthy said. Poor word choice can come into play when a veterinarian gets blood test results back with a creatinine value over 2.4 for a cat, he said. “Many cats are diagnosed with kidney failure that don’t have failure,” he said. Insufficiency Norsworthy said that in such cases he advises practitioners to use the term “kidney insufficiency,” a phrase he considers more accurate to describe cats in this range. “That’s an important distinction,” he said. “If you use the term ‘failure,’ owners wonder if their cat’s about to die. So cats often get euthanized when they shouldn’t.” With proper …
What You Need to Know About Jaw LockingMarch 13, 2015Originally published in the February 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Last month, we discussed differential diagnoses for cats that are unable to close their mouths. One possible cause for cats’ and dogs’ inability to close the mouth is open-mouth jaw locking, which is rare enough that you may not have learned of it in veterinary school. Photo © 2012, John R. Lewis, University of Pennsylvania Figure 1: Open-mouth jaw locking in a Persian cat. Note the mouth is locked open so wide that there is no contact between maxillary and mandibular teeth. The slight shift of the mandible to the right suggests locking is occurring on the right. Clinical Signs and Etiology In cases of open-mouth jaw locking (OMJL), cats and dogs present with the mouth wide open, and the lower jaw often has shifted to the side where the coronoid process (the tip of the ramus) is locking on the ventrolateral aspect of the zygomatic arch (Figure 1). On presentation, patients may be drooling, pawing at the face and vocalizing. The defining clinical trait that allows OMJL to be distinguished from other possible causes of inability to close the mouth on conscious examination is that …
Rabies Booster Works in Some Exposed PetsJanuary 26, 2015Pets whose rabies vaccination has expired will likely survive exposure to the deadly virus if they are quickly given a booster, according to Kansas State University researchers. The discovery also means that pet owners potentially could choose short-term quarantine of such animals at home rather than euthanasia. Many states now require unvaccinated pets that are exposed to rabies to be quarantined for six months at an animal control facility, a costly proposition for owners faced with paying thousands of dollars in kennel bills. “This has the potential to save a lot of pets’ lives,” said Michael Moore, DVM, MPH, the project manager at the Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. “Our hope is that now animals with an out-of-date vaccination status that are exposed to rabies will be allowed to be handled the same as dogs and cats with up-to-date vaccinations. They will be given a booster and a 45-day observation at home.” The study, published Jan. 15 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, was the first to present scientific data on animals with out-of-date rabies vaccinations, Kansas State reported. Most of the 74 dogs and 33 cats that Dr. Moore and his colleagues …
How To Sort Out Cats That Can't Close Their MouthsJanuary 21, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News I’ve had a run of feline patients who presented with the inability to close their mouth. Coincidentally, a recently published review in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry discussed diagnoses behind the inability to close the mouth.1 Let’s review some of the more common causes. Differential Diagnoses When a cat is suddenly unable to close its mouth, there are only a handful of differentials: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) luxation; TMJ fracture or caudal mandible fracture; Open-mouth jaw locking; Acquired dental malocclusion; Mandibular neurapraxia (a.k.a. trigeminal neuropathy or trigemninal neuritis). The patient history and comprehensive physical examination provide clues for an accurate diagnosis. If no history of trauma exists and no signs of head trauma are seen, TMJ luxation and TMJ/caudal mandibular fractures are unlikely. Caudal mandibular fractures and TMJ fractures may result in a shift of the mandible and an inability to close the mouth. Symphyseal separation or parasymphyseal fracture will not typically cause an inability to close the mouth, therefore if a cat presents with symphyseal separation and is unable to close the mouth, this suggests additional trauma caudally, usually in the form of a TMJ luxation or caudal mandibular/TMJ …
Another Zebra Diagnosis: Feline Pyogenic GranulomaJanuary 7, 2015Originally published in the December 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Case Discussion Fonzie, a 12-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat, was presented for evaluation of a proliferative, bleeding, friable mass arising from the gingiva and mucosa of the dorsolateral surface of the right caudal mandible. Appetite was normal, but the patient did have a history of occasionally exhibiting abnormal chewing motions. The mass had been present for approximately three months and was removed by Fonzie’s primary care veterinarian approximately one month before presentation to me. Biopsy submitted by the primary care veterinarian revealed ulcerated and inflamed granulation tissue. Although the mass appeared to be completely excised on histopathology, it recurred within a few weeks postoperatively. At the time of presentation to me, the mass was approximately 1.5 mm x 1.0 mm x 0.8 mm, located in the area of a missing right mandibular first molar (tooth 409, Figure 1). John R. Lewis, Northstar Vets Figure 1. Pyogenic granuloma in the area of the missing mandibular first molar tooth of a cat. A dental radiograph of the right caudal mandible revealed no osseous involvement and no evidence of retained roots (Figure 2). No other areas of the …
Abbott Releases 24-Hour Feline Pain DrugDecember 23, 2014Cats recovering from surgery may rest peacefully overnight with the use of a new 24-hour pain control drug from Abbott Animal Health. The Abbott Park, Ill., veterinary drug maker today announced the launch of Simbadol (buprenorphine injection) across the United States, five months after the medication received Food and Drug Administration approval. Simbadol is indicated for postoperative pain control in cats and is formulated to minimize the need for overnight dosing. The drug is the first and only FDA-approved opioid analgesic for cats to provide 24-hour pain control in a single dose, according to Abbott. The Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine is among the first users of Simbadol. Tammy Grubb, DVM, Ph.D., an assistant professor of anesthesia and analgesia, called the drug “an important advancement for cats and for veterinarians.” “We can be comfortable that our patients have adequate analgesia, even through the night,” Dr. Grubb said. Available in 10mL multidose vials, Simbadol is distributed by MWI Veterinary Supply, Henry Schein Animal Health and Midwest Veterinary Supply.
