PetMeds^® Blog

One of the most difficult decisions that almost any animal guardian at some point must make is when they must wish their canine or feline companion a compassionate goodbye,  by choosing humane euthanasia for a chronically ill, untreatable,  or suffering elder pet.   As in human medicine, animals are living longer and longer in recent years, and with age come many chronic degenerative diseases. Organ failure including liver or kidney failure, degenerative joint or spinal disease, declining cognitive dysfunction, and cancer of any organ system all top the list of chronic diseases in aging pets.

And while there have been many medical and surgical advances in helping palliate many of these conditions, there does come a time when an animal guardian must make a decision on continuing management of these and other conditions versus the difficult decision of humane euthanasia when quality of life of most days is very poor. Certainly having a long term relationship with a trusting and kind small animal veterinarian who knows you and your companion best,  and who can help you sort through treatment options is an essential part of caring for an ill pet,  who may be approaching a transitional period of life, and/or where treatment is no longer helping.

While many animal guardians would prefer their pets pass peacefully in their sleep and/or at home, many dogs and cats can linger for weeks or months in states of suffering, that often only the trusted family veterinarian can assess in an objective, nonjudgmental fashion.  While there are some veterinarians who utilize homeopathic medicines in assisting the transitional process, most of the time chemical euthanasia, through the painless injection of an anesthetic, offers the best option for most animal guardians.   This difficult decision is one that can only be made after careful consideration, thought and discussion with your family veterinarian.

The most frustrating external parasites we deal with in small animal veterinary medicine involve flea and tick infestations on dogs and cats. Not only are these pesky pests irritating to pets, often leading to excessive skin itching, allergies, and secondary skin infections, but they also carry many diseases that are a risk to both the pet and their human family. Thus, thorough and effective flea/tick control is an essential part of owning a dog or cat.  Over the past decade there has been a tremendous expansion of effective  flea/tick product options, many of them involving easy to apply topical medications often between the shoulders or behind the neck. Some of these include Frontline Plus, Advantage, K9 Advantix, Comfortis, Promeris for Dogs, Promeris for Cats, Revolution, and Bio Spot to name the most common ones used.

However, there has been recent concern of short and long term safety with the expansion of use of these products. Prompted by a spike in the number of reported adverse reactions to spot-on flea and tick control products from 2007 to 2008, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Health Canada in April 2009 both began an investigation into the safety of the treatments.

Currently there are no definitive conclusions regarding certain products. Some of the reported reactions, which manufacturers are required by law to notify the EPA, when reported by pet owners, ranged from mild effects (skin irritation/hair loss/itching at application site) to more serious side effects (seizures and in very rare cases death). And while the EPA is intensifying its reaction of all spot-on products, most animal guardians are still finding these products safe and effective in the vast majority of their canine and feline companions, and that reactions are rare.

However, long term exposure and cumulative exposure to both active and inert ingredients do remain a concern to some animal guardians and many veterinarians. For those dogs or cats that are very sensitive to topical products, oral alternatives for flea control such as Program may be an option. Herbal flea and tick products can also be an option, as well as Be Flea Free Shampoo and Miracle Mist Skin Spray, which contain essential oils that can be effective in repelling fleas and ticks. One must be extra careful in using essential oils on cats because for some cats tea tree oil can be toxic. And while natural products do present an alternative to those very sensitive pets, they are often not as effective as the more commonly used and prescribed topical flea/tick products mentioned above.

No matter which approach an animal guardian chooses, it is essential to keep up with flea and tick control in both dogs and cats to avoid not only physical discomfort but the transmission of diseases carried by these pests to both pets and people. Stay tuned for the EPA’s findings on this hot topic likely soon to be released sometime in 2010, relative to which products may pose excessive risk of reaction.

Behavioral problems in dogs and cats are amongst the most frustrating problems presented to a general small animal veterinary practitioner.  Amongst the more common problems include:

-         The kitty who is defecating and/or urinating outside of the litter box

-         Aggressive pets who bite

-         Separation anxiety causing a pet to be destructive, vocalize excessively and/or urinate or defecate in the home when left alone for short periods

Because many of these behavioral problems have complex causes and many possible treatment approaches, they are often quite time intensive and often difficult to fit into a routine conventional veterinary 15 to 20 minute office visit.   And while veterinarians will often use prescription drugs like Prozac or Clomipramine to treat some of these disorders, the best long term treatment results also depend upon behavior modification techniques, in addition to drug therapies.  Often referrals to veterinarians who specialize in behavioral medicine yield the best results.  Sometimes natural calming agents like Be Serene, Composure Liquid, or Quiet Moments can help in certain cases.

There is an excellent well known veterinary behaviorist named Warren Eckstein, whose website www.thepetshow.com contains lots of useful behavioral information for animal guardians, as well as two wonderful books on the topic. No matter which approach is taken, treating any behavioral problem takes much time, patience, and commitment on both veterinarian and animal guardian’s part.

One of the more stressful times for both animal guardian and canine or feline companion is when a pet needs to be boarded at a local boarding or veterinary facility. While it would be ideal if we could have pet sitters take care of our pets in our homes while we are away or unavailable, there are times when it becomes necessary to board pets at these outside facilities. There are certainly both emotional and physical stress when boarding, in addition to the increased risk of stress induced infectious illness such as Bordetella infection in dogs and/or cats, as well as other upper respiratory or gastrointestinal infections. And while many kennels and boarding facilities require Bordetella/kennel cough vaccination, I find that this vaccination is one of the least effective vaccinations we have.

Most recently many kennels are requiring or suggesting the new canine influenza vaccination. This currently “conditionally-approved” vaccination has not been out long enough for me to comment on its safety or efficacy, so it is one also that I currently do not recommend. There are many things that an animal guardian can do for their pet to help ease the physical and/or emotional stress of boarding. Bringing the pet’s normal diet to the boarding facility is very important in reducing stress on the digestive tract and in cutting down risk of diarrhea and/or vomiting from sudden dietary changes. This is a great situation to use a probiotic such as NaturVet Enzymes & Probiotics, as well as Fast Balance available to enhance digestive tract immune system function while boarding.

Vetri-DMG liquid is also a wonderful oral immune stimulant that I often find helpful in both boarding dogs and cats. There are some great natural remedies to help with emotional stress such as Be Serene, Composure Liquid, and Rescue Remedy, which can easily be administered to boarding animals and can help cut down on emotional stress.

Finally, I find it quite important that animal guardians always visit a facility beforehand to get an idea whether pets are housed properly in adequate spaces and that the facility is kept neat and clean, and free of excessive odors. By following my advice here, I find that such simple steps can help insure that the boarding experience is as least stressful as possible, and cut down on increased risk of stress-induced diseases in our pets.

An emerging topic both in veterinary and human medicine is the recent concern of overuse of antibiotics.  With the emergence of resistant bacteria known as MSRA (methicillin resistant staph bacteria) and other resistant bacteria, many medical experts are cautioning health care practitioners to use antibiotics wisely, and only when there is clear evidence of bacterial infection.

When antibiotics are indiscriminately used in medicine, especially for nonbacterial conditions, that is what leads to this unfortunate set of circumstances. While antibiotics can certainly be life saving drugs, there are certain principles and ideas to keep in mind when and if these drugs are used. The first and most important is to use the most appropriate and least number of antibiotics for a particular body infection.

For example, in urinary tract infections of dogs and cats there are certain bacteria that are more likely to be seen, which will influence which drugs veterinarians should choose. Many times staph infections and/or E coli bacteria are involved with these urinary tract issues, which are usually easily resolved with prescription antibiotics such as drugs of the penicillin class like Amoxicillin or Clavamox, as well as cephalosporins like cephalexin.   It is not necessary to use the “big gun” antibiotics on simple urinary tract infections such as Baytril, as this practice can lead to bacterial resistance. If a pet has recurrent urinary infections, then sterile urine collected by the veterinarian and submitted to a laboratory for a urine culture will generate a list of which, if any antibiotics should be prescribed.   This is especially important in cats with urinary tract inflammation, known as feline urologic syndrome (FUS), where greater than 90 percent of the time, even cats with active straining and blood in the urine do NOT have any bacteria involved in their condition.

If an infection is localized to the airways, then antibiotics such as Doxycycline and Baytril are often preferred due to their coverage against bacteria commonly involved with infections of the airways. And while many veterinarians will prescribe multiple antibiotics for pets with any infection, I highly discourage this practice due to the risk of bacterial resistance, and patient side effects most commonly involving the digestive tract.  Even in pets with nonspecific fevers, this indicates that a pet has inflammation, and not necessarily an infection. For example, many cats with sneezing and nasal discharge most commonly have viruses such as calici virus and/or feline herpes virus involved with their symptoms and would benefit from immune boosters like Vetri-DMG liquid from and/or echinacea and goldenseal rather than the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. Over the counter products like L-lysine can also be of help in these cats. One of the more disturbing trends I have seen in recent veterinary graduates is the overuse of multiple antibiotics for any illness in a pet.

I hope that with increasing articles about the risks of antibiotic resistance in medical journals, and the increasing public awareness about this concern, that antibiotic use of the future will be wisely and not overused.