As cats continue getting older because of better nutrition and veterinary care, the cases of cancer have also been on the rise. The bottom line is that cancer becomes more common in older cats and a lot more cats have been getting older. The good news is that treatment options are much better today than even a few years ago. Back in the 80’s when I thought my cat “Lynx” had a tumor, I can remember my mom telling us that she didn’t want the cat to be in pain, to get dehydrated, or to starve. Those were the rules that had to be adhered to whenever a decision was to be made regarding cancer treatment in a cat. Read More »
It was quite upsetting to see a tick on my dog two years ago. I sprayed Arctick for Pets on it which immobilized the tick, enabling me to remove it with tweezers. All seemed well until I remembered what diseases can be carried by ticks, so I began to look for possible symptoms to see if a visit to the vet was warranted. The harder I looked the more I started to imagine symptoms that were probably not even there. Diseases that are transmitted by ticks are usually difficult to diagnose early on and are usually discovered much later. I was lucky that my dog did not get any diseases but many dogs are not so lucky. Ticks can and do transmit some very serious diseases that should be watched for and treated properly. Read More »
My dog Duke hadn’t been eating too well for about a week and I could tell something wasn’t right with him. His fur wasn’t as shiny and fluffy and his eyes didn’t look happy. All indications pointed towards him having some sort of stomach or intestinal illness that hopefully would resolve in a day or two. Well it didn’t. Another few days went by and Duke stopped eating altogether and started becoming very weak, so we did what anyone would have done and took him to the veterinarian. After several blood tests and an overnight stay, Duke was diagnosed with gastrointestinal inflammation and was sent home on a special diet. I was extremely happy to have Duke back and was also happy that basically he just had a stomach ache. Read More »
Distemper is a viral infection that is pretty similar to the measles virus in humans. Canine distemper is a major cause of death in unvaccinated puppies and older dogs and it affects respiratory, intestinal, and central nervous system. The good news, if there is any when talking about distemper, is that many dogs infected with this disease do not show symptoms because their body just fights the virus off. Now the bad news is that among the dogs that do get sick, about half of them will die from the disease. Read More »
The immune system is a fantastic defense network of antibodies, white blood cells, and other substances used to fight off infection and reject foreign proteins. Similar to a police force walking around and patrolling the body recognizing what is “self” from what is “non-self.” Sometimes however the immune system can unfortunately fail. Sometimes it fails by not doing its job well enough and sometimes it fails by doing its job too well. What results in autoimmune disease is when the immune system is unable to tell the difference between its own tissues and the foreign ones. “Auto” meaning “self;” therefore, autoimmune disease describes an immune system that is destroying parts of its own body: it perceives its own normal tissues as foreign and attempts to destroy them. Read More »
Feline distemper is a potentially serious and fatal intestinal virus most commonly found in unvaccinated kittens less than one year of age. This virus, more accurately known as panleukopenia, is closely related to parvovirus found in dogs. Symptoms of feline distemper include anorexia, vomiting and/or bloody offensive diarrhea. Rapid weight loss and dehydration is also seen in affected cats.
Transmission of this virus is usually through the fecal/oral route, and may be seen in crowded, unsanitary conditions, including shelters and pet shops. Diagnosis is usually made by clinical exam findings, as well as blood work that reveals severely depressed white blood cell counts, as well as often red cell and platelet numbers. There is no specific drug that cures feline distemper, with treatment usually being supportive, including IV fluids, antibiotics and adjunctive vitamin therapy. Prognosis in severely affected kittens is guarded. The disease is highly preventable through appropriate kittenhood vaccination up through at least 16 weeks of age. Vaccination usually gives years to lifetime of protection and immunity.
As the holidays are quickly approaching, many of us are planning to go out of town for vacation. With the costs of travel, the price of gas, and the current state of the economy, more people than ever are choosing to fly rather than drive. I know that my neighbors for example had planned to rent a motor home and take along the entire family including a friend of theirs “Toni,” and their German shepherd “Apollo.”
When they calculated all the costs however, they realized that the ten days away was going to cost a small fortune that they had certainly not prepared for. The best they can do now, instead of taking everyone on a road trip, is a flight to Arizona for the week. I’m certain that they will have a wonderful time taking in the beautiful picturesque scenery which includes mountains, something we don’t really have in “The Sunshine State” of Florida. Everyone was excited about this newly planned trip but now they were facing the problem of figuring out what to do with “Apollo” for the 10 days they’re away. Read More »
Kennel cough is a common infectious disease seen in dogs and less frequently in cats. Kennel cough complex is most commonly due to a combination of bacteria and viruses, which may include bordatella, mycoplasma, parainfluenza and other viruses. Symptoms may initially include ocular and nasal discharge, as well as sneezing, but usually results in a hacking or choking cough in many affected animals.
Kennel cough is most typically seen in areas of crowding or stress, including boarding kennels, pet shops, grooming parlors and dog parks. Diagnosis of kennel cough is usually made by typical clinical findings in pets with a history of exposure to other animals. Treatment consists of systemic antibiotics such as Doxycycline or Baytril. I will often use immune stimulants including echinacea and goldenseal, elderberry, and olive leaf extract. DMG liquid is also another effective immune stimulant that will increase antibody production against bacteria and viruses. There are several types of vaccination available for kennel cough, however in my experience I have not found these vaccines effective. In fact, in some cases I have seen pets more likely to develop symptoms of acute or chronic respiratory distress.
Around the time my daughter turned 2 all we kept hearing from her for a two week period was “dog,” “Ick,” “dog,” “Ick.” It would seem to anyone listening that she wanted a dog but that’s not what she was saying at all; Danielle was trying to tell anyone who would listen that her dog DeeDee was sick. The reason Danielle was able to detect that DeeDee had an illness without a stethoscope or a medical exam was because, unfortunately, DeeDee’s illness was extremely visible and not pretty to look at.
DeeDee had a condition known as Demodectic Mange and her infestation was particularly severe. From the time DeeDee got ill up until the time she was completely symptom free was an extremely difficult time for the whole family. Every time DeeDee would be spotted by any of the neighbors or guests that came over I had to answer a series of questions and explain that her particular condition, although unsightly, was not communicable to humans. Read More »
There are many potential causes of seizures in pets. Amongst the many causes include trauma, toxin and pesticide exposure, including allergic reactions to topical or oral flea or tick pesticides. Allergic reactions to vaccination can also result in seizures in some sensitive pets. Certain metabolic diseases of the kidney, pancreas and liver can lead to seizures in certain cases. Viral infections and tumors are also on the differential list when pets present with a seizure history. Pets with a genetic circulatory problem to the liver, known as a portosystemic shunt may develop neurological signs, including seizures.
Any pet with a seizure history should have a full medical workup, including blood work, urine analysis, and possibly imaging studies, as well as a consideration of an MRI if indicated. For those pets for whom we do not find an underlying cause of seizures, a diagnosis of epilepsy is likely, and if seizures are recurrent then long-term anti-convulsant therapy should be considered.
