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As in growing children, growing puppies can sometimes develop mild self-limiting conditions that will resolve on their own or with minimal medical treatment. One of the more common skin conditions seen often during times when puppies are being vaccinated is the appearance of a rash most commonly on the abdomen known as Puppy Pyoderma. The rash which is often characterized by the appearance of white heads (known as pustules) and red blemishes may be due to hormonal factors or a mild reaction to puppyhood distemper vaccination. |
In most cases no antibiotics are needed, and this problem is usually more of a concern and bother to an over worried animal guardian than to the dog. Another common condition which can be seen is the appearance of a greenish to yellowish mucoid discharge from the vagina or penis of a growing puppy. In a male dog, this mucous buildup is known as smegma and most commonly does not need to be treated. And in the female puppy, puppy vaginitis is again a hormonal condition of young growing female puppies which is also self-limiting. Another big question we are often asked in the clinics is why a client’s puppy scratches so much. And while certainly excessive/intense scratching and secondary sores can have many causes from mange mites to allergies, many puppies simply itch more with no ill effect for no reason, which they often outgrow, or perhaps again due to hormonal changes.
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An often overlooked hormonal disease of dogs today is a condition known as Addison’s disease, which is an under active adrenal gland and fails to product adequate amounts of cortisol. This deficiency in cortisol is necessary for an appropriate stress response, as well as hormones necessary for appropriate water balance in dogs. This condition, which is often overlooked by veterinarians as a possible cause of chronic disease symptoms, has often been called “The Great Imposter” by veterinary endocrinologists, because it can mimic so many other more common diseases. |
Addison’s disease is most commonly seen in young to middle aged female dogs of all breeds, particularly in Standard poodles. However, either sex can be affected, and I have on occasion seen this disease in geriatric animals as well. Symptoms can vary widely from dogs who are simply “poor doers,” having poor appetites with trouble maintaining their weight, to dogs who present circulatory shock and kidney failure without warning. Between these extreme presentations, many dogs will have waxing and waning symptoms of various digestive symptoms ranging from intermittent vomiting to intermittent diarrhea.
Any pet with symptom histories like those stated above should have an ACTH stimulation test done at by their veterinarian to rule in or out this disease. Many vets will often only consider this disease when they find a low blood sodium and high blood potassium levels on routine CBC/chemistry blood screens. However, many dogs can have normal blood electrolyte levels. Again, it is important that if a pet has a clinical history possibly compatible with this condition, that an appropriate ACTH stimulation test be completed whether or not blood sodium or potassium levels are abnormal.
If your pet is diagnosed with Addison’s disease and is not in advanced kidney failure on presentation, than prognosis is usually excellent with once-a-month injections with a drug called DOCP. Some clients will opt for oral pills called Florinef as an alternative. Both are relatively expensive, and at the same time very low doses of prednisone are often prescribed as well. With early diagnosis and effective treatment, prognosis for a long life is certainly favorable.
| One of the more common yet over diagnosed hormonal diseases of middle age to older dogs (and to a much lesser extent cats) is Cushing’s disease, which is an overproduction of adrenal gland hormones. This can be due to either a small tumor in the pituitary gland, brain, or an adrenal tumor. Although Cushing’s disease is more common in breeds like Beagles, Boston Terriers, Poodles, and Dachshunds, this disease can occur in any breed and is more commonly diagnosed in females. |
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Symptoms most commonly include increased thirst, urination, and appetite, along with the development of the common pot belly appearance along with muscle wasting over back muscles. In addition, there is sometimes the development of symmetrical hair loss down the back, as well as thin skin prone to secondary infections. Many affected patients are prone to secondary urinary infections due to the immune suppressive effects of this disease, as well as rarely diabetes.
Many pets will develop excessive panting and in some cases the development of hypertension, blood clots, and/or secondary heart changes from elevated hormonal levels. Diagnosis is best made through the history of relevant clinical symptoms mentioned here, as well as blood, urine testing and ultrasound. One of the most common errors made by today’s veterinarian is the over diagnosis of this disease in dogs. Many vets will rely only on results of blood tests, while not taking into account if the pet has symptoms of this disease; the most common being excessive thirst/urination and appetite.
Because of this, many pets are mistakenly treated with potentially toxic drugs on the adrenal glands that actually don’t have this disease. Even in pets where I’m able to document this condition, it’s only in patients with severe clinical symptoms that I will treat because of the risk of toxicity of the drugs. Although there are newer pet meds like Trilostane, which is believed to be safer, there is still the possibility for serious side effects in sensitive animals.
Other drugs like Lysodren and Ketoconazole are alternative options in treating this disease. Any secondary urinary infection and/or high blood pressure should also be treated appropriately. However, before you start your pet on one of the drugs used to treat Cushing’s disease, I would make sure that a complete thorough diagnostic workup is performed and that your pet also has clinical symptoms compatible with Cushing’s before starting treatment.
| Two of the biggest infectious disease concerns of feline guardians are feline leukemia virus (known as FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (known as FIV). Both of these viruses belong to a class if viruses known as retroviruses, and are of the same category as human immunodeficiency virus. However, FeLV and FIV are not contagious to people or other species of animals. While feline leukemia virus is usually transmitted after prolonged contact in young cats under the age of two, feline immunodeficiency virus is most commonly transmitted by bites after fighting amongst outdoor cats, and can occur at any age. |
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Chronic infections with these viruses in most cases usually leads to life long disease, and predisposition to various immune suppressive disorders and secondary bacterial infections, as well as gum inflammation chronic respiratory or digestive symptoms, and in some cases tumor development down the road. Because of the more delicate and fragile immune systems of such cats, it is best to provide them with the best quality all natural diets you can, which include either a proper homemade diet, or natural commercial foods like Wysong or Pet Guard as my two favorite brands. I also recommend minimizing vaccinations in these affected cats to only those required by law such as rabies.
I also recommend excellent nutritional supplements for cats with these chronic infections such as Vetri-DMG liquid, extra vitamin C in the diet and immune boosters like Transfer Factor for pets. While FeLV virus is more likely to lead to premature death in infected cats, many cats with FIV infection can live normal lives if kept inside and minimally stressed. However, I have seen many FIV cats happily coexist with other cats who remain FIV negative, as the main transmission of FIV virus is by bite.
There are vaccinations available to prevent both of these diseases. In my opinion, the FIV vaccination has not been proven safe or effective long term. As for FeLV infection, if your cat is going to be spending a significant time outside, I would consider vaccinating young animals up through age three or four. After that, most adult cats, even those who are not vaccinated, are able to mount their own immune response and protect themselves against feline leukemia virus infection. Because of the rare complication of a tumor at the site of vaccination, I therefore do not recommend vaccinating feline leukemia virus negative cats over the age of four in my practice. .
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A common presentation in dogs is those with increased urgency or difficulty in urination, inappropriate urination, and/or bloody urination. If the dog is an intact male dog, than a prostate infection should always be considered, which can only be diagnosed by appropriate veterinary medical exam, urine analysis, and rectal exam. In other situations, either a urinary infection, urinary tract stones of the bladder, kidneys or urethra are possible, as well as polyps and tumors, especially in older dogs.
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While an animal guardian can try short term treatment by giving extra vitamin C in form of Ester-C to their pet, as well as cranberry supplements like Cranberry Relief to enhance antibacterial effect of the urine. However, any pet with severe or worsening symptoms should always be examined by a veterinarian. This is especially important in male dogs because there is always the risk of urethral blockage, which can be a surgical emergency.
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A client came in the other day and asked why her dog was having seizures and what her treatment options were. Unfortunately, seizure disorders are becoming more and more common in veterinary medicine. While genetic causes most certainly play a role, I strongly feel that there are many environmental and toxic factors that have played a role. In my opinion and experience, commercial pet foods that lack nutrients, as well as over vaccinating a pet has certainly played a role in pets developing seizure disorders.
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Sometimes sensitivity to both external and internal pesticide use can be another factor. If a pet experiences more than an isolated seizure, then a complete medical workup is recommended, including a full physical exam, blood CBC/chemistry/thyroid and urine profiles, as well as bile acids liver function testing.
For those who want to dig even deeper for underlying diseases, referral to a veterinary neurologist for an MRI and CSF analysis is recommended. (In isolated seizure events, sometimes no treatment is elected.) If this testing does not reveal a cause, and seizures occur more frequently than once every 4-6 weeks, or in clusters, then it is likely your pet has a diagnosis of epilepsy, which is a seizure condition of unknown origin.
While seizures occur more in some breeds, any breed or mixed breed dog or cat can be affected. Treatment options include conventional medical therapy with prescription drugs such as Phenobarbitol, Potassium Bromide or Keppra, as well as holistic options such as traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, herbal therapy, as well as homeopathy. No matter which option is chosen, any pet experiencing chronic seizures should be seen by a veterinarian and have a complete medical workup.
| One of the most widely publicized emerging diseases in veterinary medicine is the infectious bacterial disease called leptospirosis in dogs. One of the reasons for this intense interest in this disease is that this condition is what is known as a zoonotic disease, which means that it potentially can be transmitted from pets to people. While often acquired from contact with urine of local small mammalian wild life, most dogs that are exposed to leptospirosis show very little symptoms. |
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A small percentage of dogs can develop symptoms of general illness, including fever, lethargy, and vomiting, as well as acute or sudden liver or kidney failure. With early detection, most patients survive with aggressive treatment with antibiotics such as Penicillin and Doxycycline. Like its close relative Borrelia Burgdorferi, a causative agent of Lyme disease, it is now believed that a patient’s overactive immune response (i.e autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own self) is what leads to clinical symptoms in those select patients who do in fact develop illness. Because of the potential contagiousness of this disease to people, there has been a big push by many veterinarians to vaccinate dogs for this disease. And while the newer vaccines are claimed to safer and protect against the most relevant strains of this bacteria that cause clinical disease in dogs, these vaccines are still amongst the most likely shots to cause acute and/or chronic immune reactions in our pets in my opinion and experience.
Dr. Ron Schultz, DVM and one of the leading veterinary vaccine experts and immunologists in the country, has often called the emerging fear surrounding leptospirosis, “leptomania.” He has also considered his own state of Wisconsin, to be a hot bed for this disease, but Dr. Schultz does not recommend the vaccination. The argument of the potential spread of this disease to humans in pushing the vaccination falls short when one considers that even in vaccinated dogs, which show no clinical signs of illness, still shed bacteria in their urine. And while many of the vaccine companies and the vets they have on their pay rolls are pushing more and more of this vaccination on the public, the incidence of this disease has not truly increased in recent years. And as mentioned here, vaccination can even make pets more of a risk to the public, due to the shedding of the bacteria in dogs’ urine who have no symptoms that have been vaccinated. I have also seen many patients develop autoimmune diseases, as well as kidney or liver failure shortly after or in the months following leptospirosis vaccination.
I have also seen many pets develop chronic skin allergies shortly after receiving this vaccination. Immunity, if any is achieved, is very short lived. Given the potential risks of vaccination and the unlikelihood of clinical infection in most pets, this is a disease that can be most accurately be labeled as leptomania, and in particularly small breed dogs, I would emphatically avoid this vaccination if at all possible.
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Whenever I am asked over the internet about advice regarding a dog’s eye condition, I nearly always recommend a full veterinary ophthalmologic exam, as it is nearly impossible to diagnose an eye condition by simply describing it in words. There are also many possible eye disorders that pets can suffer from including simple eye allergies and clogged tear ducts, to more complex, serious and sometimes emergency eye disorders including corneal ulcers or scratches, glaucoma, cataracts, as well as problems with the retina that can result in blindness, if not appropriately diagnosed and treated.
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Many of these eye disorders can present very similarly. In the case of glaucoma, many of these pets can have very red and sensitive eyes, to more obvious cases with dilated pupils and protruding eyes, accompanied by varying degrees of visual deficits. While glaucoma is more common in certain breeds of dogs, it can occur in any pure or mixed breed canine. Early diagnosis is essential in order not only to preserve the vision in the affected eye, but to potentially prevent the problem from occurring in the other eye as well. Diagnosis is usually only possible through a proper veterinary exam using an instrument known as a tonometer. If the intraocular pressure is noted to be elevated on several readings of the tonometer, a diagnosis of glaucoma is confirmed. Your veterinarian will then prescribe potentially various topical and oral medications such as Timolol, Pilocarpine, as well as oral Methazolamide.
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One of the most common causes of acute and/or chronic diarrhea in dogs and cats today is the protozoan parasite known as Giardia. This parasite is most commonly acquired by drinking contaminated lake or standing water. While many pets can have few symptoms, others can develop progressive diarrhea and/or weight loss. For many years we had very insensitive testing in trying to detect this parasite in routine stool checks. |
However, with the recent development of the Zinc sulfate flotation method and the Giardia ELISA test, diagnosis of this parasite is now quite easy, as it is being increasingly recognized as a major cause of diarrhea in dogs and cats. This improved method of detection is especially important so that early treatment can be instituted, as Giardia is an example of an intestinal parasite that can potentially be transmitted to people. Treatment may include 5-10 courses of the prescription antibiotic Metronidazole, as well as a 3-5 day course of Panacur C, which will often treat resistant strains of this emerging parasite. It is important that if your pet has chronic or intermittent diarrhea that you ask your vet about testing the stool specifically for this organism. At the same time I will also recommend a good probiotic such as Fast Balance and NaturVet Enzymes & Probiotics during and after treatment for this parasite, in order to reestablish a normal and healthy digestive tract bacterial population.
| One of the most frustrating and confusing viral infections seen sporadically in cats is a disease known as feline infectious peritonitis, otherwise known as FIP. This is caused by the type of virus called a corona virus. In fact, most cats either have been exposed to or are carriers of many types of corona viruses. It is now believed that under certain circumstances, either because of physical, emotional or toxic stress, a very virulent strain called FIP can sporadically occur in cat populations. |
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Unlike many other feline viruses like feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus, which suppress the immune system, it is in fact the cat’s immune system’s over-reaction to the FIP virus which leads to the clinical symptoms seen. The symptoms can involve almost any organ system from respiratory tract, to digestive tract, to the eye and brain. While there are two common type of syndromes called the wet and dry form, depending upon whether there is fluid buildup in the chest or abdominal cavity, many cats can have combinations of these forms and/or varied symptoms. Many years ago when a FIP vaccination was developed, many veterinary experts, including myself actually saw those cats develop worse disease upon exposure to the FIP corona virus, so that is one vaccination I certainly do not recommend. Despite decades of research, we still have very poor abilities at diagnosing this infection definitively. Even the newer FIP specific Elisa blood tests fall short from being ideal in diagnosing many cats and/or in ruling in or out this disease.
Definitive diagnosis in most cases still for the most part can only be done by biopsy of affected tissues or organs. The best advice I give my feline guardians is to raise their cats in as minimally stressful, natural ways as possible. If possible, feed a proper homemade meat based diet, or at least one of the better naturally preserved diets like Wysong or Pet Guard. Do not over vaccinate especially indoor cats, as well as use excellent supplements like Vetri-DMG liquid, 1-800-PetMeds Soft Vitachews for Cats, as well as the supplement Transfer Factor to help bolster up the immune system of our feline friends, so as to lessen the likelihood of developing or contracting a virulent corona viral strain of FIP.
