The $10,000 DogNovember 1, 2011 When Christine Gowen took her 7-year-old Labrador retriever, Shelby, to the veterinarian for a cough in January 2010, she could not have been less prepared for the eventual outcome. After an initial diagnosis of kennel cough, a few days on medication and several follow-up calls to the veterinary hospital, alarm bells started going off all the way around. Gowen, an employee of Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) in Brea, Calif., has seen many examples of veterinary medical issues that were more serious than they originally appeared, so she and her family were concerned. The veterinarian took some radiographs, and the journey to the $10,000 medical bill began. Shelby presented with no history of trauma or cardiac/respiratory disease, had not been to the dog park, boarding kennel or groomer recently, and appeared to have a normal appetite and energy level. Her owner indicated that she was breathing oddly, taking deep, slow breaths, and was coughing occasionally. The exam was relatively unremarkable, although her respiratory rate and heart rate were elevated at 28 and 90, respectively. Diagnosis Shelby was re-presented on emergency a week later. She was in obvious respiratory distress, was tachypneic and had decreased …
SPONSORED CONTENTHow can you help new pet owners keep their new dogs protected?See why new dog owners and their pets can benefit from simple triple protection in one monthly chew. + See the Difference
Lavage Or Drug—What’s The Right Treatment?November 1, 2011 When a horse or companion animal becomes sick or lame, the owner turns to his trusted veterinarian for a diagnosis and the best proven treatment to make his animal better. However, what is prescribed might not always be the best option, as when a lavage solution is injected systemically. So do you treat with an FDA-approved drug, a generic drug, a medical device or a compounded product? In considering this question, Jeffrey Berk, VMD, a veterinarian at Equine Medical Associates in Lexington, Ky., says two things need to be considered very carefully. “You need to consider the safety of the patient and the liability or legal issues regarding the use of those products,” says Dr. Berk, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. FDA-Approved Products “It’s important for veterinarians to understand that they are not guaranteed the same level of quality, i.e. potency and purity, that you would be with an FDA-approved product,” Berk says. “And if there is a therapeutic failure, the veterinarian has more legal exposure when treating with medical devices or compounds than when he treats with FDA-approved products.” Some experts estimate it takes …
Banishing The Bane Of BandagingOctober 27, 2011 “Bandaging is the bane of my world.” These words were recently spoken by Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, the world-renowned veterinary orthopedic and neurosurgeon. This echoes the sentiment of many in our profession. Bandages are ancient, dating back to the early Egyptians, and many chapters in veterinary texts and even entire books are dedicated to their design and application. Although many other areas of veterinary medicine have radically changed, bandaging techniques have changed little. How many of the bandages you have recently applied look like something out of King Tut’s tomb? The materials that we now commonly use—such as Vet-Wrap, Elasticon, nonadherent semi-occlusive sponges, hydrogel dressing and calcium alginate dressing—have superior properties for bandaging and have replaced white linen strips and cotton batting. The aural compression bandage. Yet we still use some techniques from the King Tut days with honey- or sugar-based bandages. We would all like bandaging to be a science, masterable by the majority of practitioners simply by exact and consistent following of a set of well-understood steps. The reality is that it is currently more like an art, where skill and imagination applied to basic materials are uniquely combined. Two …
Case Study: Managing Feline Hyperthyroidism With NutritionOctober 21, 2011 Veterinarians have a new option in feline hyperthyroidism management: nutrition. Until now, they have typically relied on radioactive iodine, thyroidectomy and antithyroid drugs, options that can prove expensive and have varied side effects. This new therapy is expected to transform the management of feline hyperthyroidism, according to Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. of Topeka, Kan., which is launching Hill’s Prescription Diet y/d Feline Thyroid Health in both dry and wet formulations this month. Chad Dodd, DVM, a senior brand manager for Hill’s, said the company has spent about 10 years studying the relationship between dietary iodine and feline hyperthyroidism. The theory was if iodine is an essential component of all thyroid hormones, then limiting dietary iodine in hyperthyroid cats would result in normalization of circulating thyroxine concentrations. Hill’s studies proved the theory correct. A technician and Dr. David Bruyette examine Billy while owner Judy Bernath looks on. The next task was manufacturing a pet food that was limited in iodine content without being iodine deficient. The result: Prescription Diet y/d Feline. The therapeutic pet food has an iodine content of 0.1 ppm – 0.3 ppm, compared to 1.5 ppm - 99 ppm found in …
Compounding Pharmacy Sets Its Site HighAugust 17, 2011 For those who order compounded medications from a pharmacy, the words “fun” and “easy” can sometimes seem far more than a click away. But when Wedgewood Pharmacy officials decided to create a brand new website to serve the veterinary community, the concept of enjoyment was right beside efficiency at the front of their thinking, said Marcy Bliss, executive vice president of Wedgewood, a compounder with more than two decades of experience. “We wanted it to be as fun and easy to make an appropriate selection as it is to buy shoes on Zappos,” said Bliss, referring to the online shoe seller famous for its customer service and the devotion of its clientele. Like customers who shop on the best consumer websites, Wedgewood veterinary clients want to swiftly maneuver through a large number of choices, Bliss said. It’s just that instead of size, style, color and price, they navigate dosage forms, strengths, flavors and quantities. Oh yeah, and price. “Our inventory includes 14,000 unique preparations and we’re adding a couple of hundred a month to meet veterinarians’ requests,” Bliss noted. “Any one chemical need might come in 10 dosage forms and 30 flavors. Those kinds of …
‘I’ve Got My Boy Back’June 21, 2011 The prospect of curbing cognitive decline brings light to a shadowy place. It has hovered like a dark cloud over many a senior pet wellness exam: the consideration of euthanasia because of cognitive decline. Karen Martin, DVM, already knew the pain of tackling such considerations, but the issue really hit home when her beloved 121⁄2-year-old boxer, Takeo, started wandering around aimlessly and didn’t recognize things that used to bring him joy. “When that object of affection no longer barks as you come in the house, or doesn’t even look at you, that’s very difficult to deal with,” said Dr. Martin, owner and operator of East/West Veterinary Clinic in Thousand Oaks, Calif. “They’re the ones who are supposed to keep us sane so we can deal with all of the other things going on in our lives.” But these days clinicians such as Martin are finding that questions about cognitive function don’t have to come with ominous overtones. In fact, she now makes such inquiries a routine part of senior wellness checkups, and she speaks with optimism about a growing number of treatment options. To her arsenal she has added Neutricks, a product released …
Boosting Equine Joints’ Wear And Repair CycleMay 23, 2011 When the natural “wear and repair” process in a horse’s joints is disrupted, non-infectious degenerative joint disease (DJD) begins. This disease is a vicious cycle of destructive enzymes attacking the fluid and cartilage. Continued disruption to the joint fluid can lead to irreversible cartilage fragmentation, and eventually the complete destruction of the cartilage. DJD is estimated to cause one-third of all lameness cases. Balanced Joint A healthy equine joint is a complex system of internal and external tissues that provide stability and protect the joint while allowing for freedom of movement. During routine activity, a functioning balanced joint is in a constant state of wear and repair. As normal forces are exerted on the joint, cells are actively regenerating and repairing the components of damaged cartilage while replacing the synovial fluid in the joint. This constant renewal, repair and replacement cycle assures that no cartilage loss occurs and a functionally balanced, healthy joint environment is maintained. The synovial membrane is the inner layer that acts as a permeable barrier and is very important to the joint’s balanced “wear and repair” cycle. This membrane filters blood, excludes the protein and adds hyaluronic acid (HA) to form …
Breaking The Cycle Of Recurrent Urinary Tract InfectionMay 23, 2011 As much as any practitioner does, Dr. Joseph Bartges enjoys an engaging challenge that tests his veterinary skills. But if diagnosis and treatment dissolve into the “antibiotic alphabet game,” count him out. When treating recurrent lower urinary tract infections, he notes it’s easy to get caught up in such an A-to-Z game. You know the potential progression: Start with amoxicillin and hope to hit on something effective before working through to Zeniquin. “The practitioner may not even have proved that the patient has an infection,” says Dr. Bartges, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVN. Dr. Bartges is professor of medicine and nutrition and the Acree Chair of Small Animal Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee. If what has been diagnosed as a lower urinary tract infection is not responding initially, “Changing antibiotics is not the way to go,” he counsels. “Looking harder is a better option.” It’s time to do a urine culture by cystocentesis (to help ensure its accuracy), as well as perhaps take radiographs, do an ultrasound or MRI and get a full blood workup, say both Dr. Bartges and Ronald Lyman, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, founder and …
Laser Therapy Helps Heal Victim’s BurnsApril 18, 2011 By all odds, the spunky little Jack Russell mix with the incredibly bright eyes and growing affinity for chasing birds really shouldn’t be alive today. She was locked in a crate at home when the building caught fire, generating so much heat that the plastic crate lid melted and dripped, leaving her with nasty burns over most of her body. The lone reason she even made it as far as the St. Charles Hospital and Clinic in St. Charles, Mo., was that the ambulance she rode in after being rescued happened to be outfitted with an oxygen mask for small animals. It was the only one of 22 in the area so equipped. “Her burns were extensive and she was unconscious when she got here,” recalled Mike Crecelius, DVM, a small-animal practitioner who treated her at the clinic. “Her prognosis was quite poor.” That now, five months later, the puppy is doing quite well is a testament to a number of factors—among them the attentive care of clinic staff, a swiftly implemented care plan that included laser therapy, and, in no small measure, the will to survive exhibited by the dog herself. …
Infection Type, Cause Determine Otitis CareApril 15, 2011 Otitis externa in canines can stem from myriad causes, including allergies, parasites and foreign bodies. Thus, any dog can develop an ear infection. However, certain breeds are at greater risk than others. In these instances, owner education and preventive measures can be critically important. Carlo Vitale, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, a veterinarian at San Francisco Veterinary Specialists in California, says allergies—primarily atopic dermatitis and, to a lesser extent, food allergies—represent the greatest otitis risk factor in dogs. The breeds he sees as most prone to ear infections are those with a higher incidence of atopic dermatitis, including most terriers, Labradors, golden retrievers, Dalmatians, Shar Peis, chow chows, Shiba Inus and pit bulls. Marcia Schwassmann, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, a veterinarian at Veterinary Dermatology Center in Maitland, Fla., notes that the breeds in which veterinarians most commonly see allergy-related ear infections will differ by region, as popular breeds and types of allergens are not consistent across the country. Every veterinarian might have a unique list of the breeds that seem most prone to allergies—and thus, ear infections. Nicola Williamson, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, owner and practitioner at Veterinary Dermatology of Richmond in Virginia, also says allergies represent the greatest …
