Cat/Dog

Clients Like to Travel? Why You Should Talk to Them About Pet-Friendly Destinations

April 18, 2016

Is your veterinary practice ready to educate clients about including their pet in a family vacation? They’ll appreciate your help with tips for planning ahead to get the most from the experience. Many of your clients reduce the number of trips they take because they worry about boarding their pet too often. That’s true even when an outstanding boarding facility is available. Of course, the quality and attitude of lodging businesses vary a lot. Your practice can become a hero by guiding them through steps they can take for locating places where their pet will be treated with love and respect. Don’t miss this opportunity to make clients know, like and trust your practice even more. How to Help Your Clients Plan Ahead Preparing to take your pet on vacation is not an overwhelming task. But there are several smart planning moves that can easily be overlooked. Here are a few things you can remind clients to do. ID your dog. That means microchipping and ID tag on a collar. Health status. Carry a written record of current examination, vaccinations and parasite preventatives. A list …

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Canine Flu Was Transmitted to Four Cats

April 15, 2016

The canine influenza strain that struck thousands of U.S. dogs in 2015 has infected four cats at a northwest Indiana animal shelter. Sandra Newbury, a clinical assistant professor and director of the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, confirmed the diagnosis. “Suspicions of an outbreak in the cats initially were raised when a group of them displayed unusual signs of respiratory disease,” Dr. Newbury said. “While this first confirmed report of multiple cats testing positive for canine influenza in the U.S. shows the virus can affect cats, we hope that infections and illness in felines will continue to be quite rare.” Newbury and Kathy Toohey- Kurth, MS, Ph.D., of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, reported that dogs housed at the shelter also tested positive for the H3N2 strain. The feline link was not a total surprise. “Feline cases previously reported in South Korea suggested that the virus … was capable of making the leap from dogs to cats,” the university stated. “However, just one cat tested positive for H3N2 on a single occasion in the U.S. last year.” All the shelter animals were quarantined, and …

KSU Vet Researchers Successful in Treating FIP

April 14, 2016

A new research project from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine has been successful in treating a deadly cat disease that has previously been nearly 100 percent fatal. Yunjeong Kim, an associate professor in the college's diagnostic medicine and pathobiology department, has worked with collaborators in various fields to develop an antiviral compound for feline coronavirus associated with feline infectious peritonitis, more commonly known as FIP. Her article, "Reversal of the Progression of Fatal Coronavirus Infection in Cats by a Broad-Spectrum Coronavirus Protease Inhibitor," has just been published in the journal PLOS Pathogens. "FIP is caused by coronavirus infection," Kim said. "Coronavirus infections are very common among cats. However, in most cases, these viral infections cause mild and self-limited enteritis or no symptoms. But some cats will develop a fatal disease which is FIP." Kim said FIP is usually found in young cats that are less than 2 or 3 years old. "FIP arises from certain viral mutation that occur in the infected …

Funds Raised to Help Dog Whose Legs Were Broken on Purpose

April 13, 2016

A dog named Iris (nickname Dara’Lynn) came to the Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Ariz., last November with two broken legs. After examination, veterinarians determined that her legs had been broken for some time. Iris was treated, but even after four months, her legs still aren’t healing. Iris must wear splints, which cause problems of their own, including pressure sores and rashes. Go Fund Me Iris needs orthopedic surgery, so the Pima Animal Care Center put together a Go Fund Me fundraiser to help raise funds to pay for it. The surgery will be performed by Douglas A. Rohn, DVM, Diplomate ACVS of the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson. As they write on their Go Fund Me page: “It is going to cost $3,400 by Dr Rohn who has generously offered to only charge us for one fracture. Dr Rohn is an extremely experienced boarded specialist and he is confident he can help Dara'Lynn run and play again! Please consider donating. Together we can mend the wrongs that have been committed against this innocent little sweetheart.” As of press time, the fundraiser has …

Florida Dog Impaled While Playing Fetch

April 12, 2016

A young dog is recovering after he was accidentally impaled on a 19-inch-long stick and swiftly treated at a BluePearl Veterinary Partners hospital in Tampa, Fla. The injury to Radar, a 1-year-old Australian cattle dog, occurred April 8 as he and his owner played a routine game of fetch in a park. The 2-inch-wide stick is believed to have stuck vertically into the ground as Radar pursued it, and then he somehow ran or fell onto it, puncturing his chest 8 inches deep. "It was terrifying," owner Maya Niewiadomska said. "It was one of the most terrifying things I have seen in my entire life." Luckily for Radar, his best friend knew what to do. Niewiadomska is studying to become a physician's assistant, so she knew not to remove the stick, which could have caused even more damage. Niewiadomska rushed Radar to the BluePearl specialty hospital. BluePearl Veterinary Partners operates 54 hospitals in 17 states. Radar was placed under anesthesia, and Nick Rappa, DVM, and Michael Reems, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, performed surgery to remove the stick and close the hole. Dr. Rappa said Radar's rib cage prevented the stick from damaging major organs. "Everything went extremely well," he said …

When to Use Miniplates for Mandibular Fractures

April 12, 2016

Jaw 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 …

Pro Plan Adds Dry Urinary Food for Dogs

April 11, 2016

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets now offers a kibble recipe for dogs dealing with urinary issues. UR Urinary Ox/St Canine Formula joins a canned variety that was introduced in March 2015 for the management of struvite and calcium oxalate bladder stones. The additional formula is a needed option for veterinarians and dog owners, said Jason Gagné, DVM, Dipl. ACVN, director of veterinary technical marketing at Purina Pro Plan. “While many veterinarians recommend canned diets for urolithiasis patients, some dogs prefer a dry kibble or may even refuse to eat canned food,” Dr. Gagné said. The dry UR diet is formulated to control mineral levels and create “a urinary environment that is unfavorable to the development of both sterile struvite and calcium oxalate crystals,” manufacturer Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. stated. The veterinary-exclusive formula supports the elimination of sterile struvite uroliths and reduces the risk of recurring struvite or calcium oxalate uroliths, the company added. The dry food is made from corn, brewer’s rice and chicken byproduct meal, among other ingredients. The canned recipe starts with chicken, rice and meat byproducts.

Dogs Found Shot With Arrows are Now Recovering Thanks to Vets

April 6, 2016

A story that could have easily ended in tragedy for two dogs has a happy ending thanks to the efforts of a canine rescue organization and an emergency veterinary clinic. Two dogs were found injured and in pain and were taken to Tails of The Misunderstood Canine Rescue Society, in Calgary, Canada. They were then taken to the McKnight 24 Hour Veterinary Hospital in Calgary, which, to everyone's surprise, found arrows inside the dogs. "Not just any simple, little arrows — large, four-point arrows," said Kelly Cerato, president and founder of Tails of The Misunderstood Canine Rescue Society told CBC News. (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')); Update 2: Kitchi-The arrow was lodged in his arm and fractured his bone. My- Our decision did not come easily. We... Posted by Tails of The Misunderstood Canine Rescue Society on Saturday, April 2, 2016 “You can tell by how they were shot that these dogs were meant to suffer as much as possible,” Cerato, told the Calgury Sun. “The shafts …

Vet Assistant Saves Choking German Shepherd

April 1, 2016

A veterinary assistant is being called a hero after he saved a choking German shepherd. German Shepherd Nadia was out playing fetch with her owners when she swallowed the ball. When she passed out, her owners rushed her to the Fort Smith Animal Emergency Clinic in Fort Smith, Ark. Veterinary Assistant Justin Rouse, just arriving to start his shift, met them in the parking lot. “I saw some emergency flashers on their SUV and the back hatch was opened up, so I pulled in real quick, and I saw their dog kind of, I could see that it was kind of laying there, you know, it was lifeless,” Rouse told 5News. Rouse realized that the ball was still in the dog's throat. “I could feel the ball, so I pushed behind it and pushed up, and it lodged it out,” he said to 5News. After that, he took Nadia into the clinic for oxygen. When Nadia came to, aside from an irritated throat, she was fine. Nadia's owners were shocked and "mind-blown," according to 5News. Rouse said in his eight years working at the clinic, this was the …

ConsumerAffairs, VETgirl's Justine Lee Partner Up to Create Dog Dangerous Foods Tool