First Street Veterinary Hospital Newsletter - April 2008

Household dangers for pets

A greeting as the weather warms up. We are in the process of having our solar power panels installed and hopefully by the time the Oregon sunshine shows up we’ll be able to utilize the sun to power most of our operation.

First I want to spend some time talking about various dangers in and around our houses that our pets can get into. Some you may be aware of and some may come as a surprise.

Common household dangers include chocolate, garbage ingestion, and raw fish (can cause salmon poisoning even if not salmon). But how many of you know that grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs? Or chewing gum? And what about various houseplants?

The toxic principal of grapes and raisins is not known currently but symptoms can range from vomiting to acute renal failure and death. Some dogs are affected by a minimal amount of grapes while others are seemingly immune… it’s best to avoid grapes in all dogs at this time. Xylitol is a sweetener found in many sugar free gums and candies. It can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar when ingested that can lead to seizures and death. Some cases of liver failure have also been reported.

Poisonous plants can mean disaster for the family pet, whether this is from house or outdoor plants. Cornell University has a toxic plant index that can be searched, and includes many pictures, at www.ansci.cornell.edu.

One of the problems with knowing what plants are safe for your pets is that many different plants have the same common name, so try to keep information with scientific names if at all possible. Also remember that all parts of a plant can be toxic, including the bulbs… and some dogs just love chewing on newly planted bulbs.

And what Northwest garden is complete without slugs?? Snail and slug bait poisoning (metaldehyde toxicity) is one of the most common poisonings we see this time of year. Snail bait is commonly formulated in pellets resembling dog food and flavored with molasses… so dogs think it’s yummy. Very little snail bait is required to cause poisoning. Signs of poisoning begin fairly quickly and include anxious twitching that progresses rapidly to uncontrollable twitching, then seizures, then death. Muscle contractions also raise body temperatures to dangerous levels. Liver failure can occur 2-3 days later. There is no direct antidote for metaldehyde toxicity and treatment is aimed at controlling the clinical signs. While this is a very serious type of poisoning, most patients have a good chance at recovery if treated quickly and properly.

This time of year also brings many airborne allergies. Airborne allergies are known as atopy. Just as airborne allergies are common in people, it is also common in dogs and cats. Common allergens are pollens, dander, grasses, trees, and fabrics; any airborne particles can potentially become an allergen. Features of atopic dermatitis include a seasonal itchiness (although as time goes by the itchy period extends till it is nearly year round), itchiness that begins early in the pet’s life, itchiness that responds to cortisone-type medications, and irritation in certain parts of the body. In dogs, these areas are: around eyes and mouth, armpits, abdomen, around anus, on legs, ear infections.

In cats, the allergic pattern may be facial, may be reflected as hair loss, or may show as a rash of tiny seed-like scabs in various areas of the body. Treatments for atopic dermatitis vary depending on frequency and intensity of the outbreaks. Cortisone medications can be useful as the first line of defense against itchy skin. Cortisone can be delivered via pill or injection. Alternatives to steroids include antihistamines, fatty acid supplements, and topical therapies. While these are far less harmful than steroids they are often not as effective. However concurrent use of many of these can reduce the overall amount of steroid needed. Cyclosporine (Atopica) is a new product for dogs that has been shown to be as effective as steroids for treatment of atopic dermatitis. This product modulates the abnormal immune reaction in atopy. It is relatively expensive compared to steroids but does not lead to the long term debilitating side effects as steroids can. Hyposensitization (allergy shots) can also be helpful in pets but are not without difficulty. They can require 6-12 months to begin working, some atopic dogs will not respond, testing should be done by a dermatologist, and steroids need to be withdrawn for 6-8 weeks before testing.

As summer approaches many of us will be traveling and sometimes that includes bringing our four-legged members with us. Just as travel can be stressful to us, it can be even more stressful to our pets. There are several regulations regarding air travel for pets. Most airlines require a health certificate. This is a USDA certificate with specific regulations. It requires an examination by a veterinarian on the day it is signed and is generally valid for 30 days, although most airlines want it done no earlier than 10 days before travel. Rabies vaccinations must be current and information, including vaccine serial number, of the latest vaccine is required. Smaller animals (usually under 15 pounds) can fly in the cabin with you as carry on luggage. A larger animal must fly as checked luggage and there are even more stringent rules for these. The most important aspects include having an airline approved kennel the animal is used to and adhering by specific temperature guidelines. The temperature guidelines vary based on breed as short-faced breeds such as pugs, and heavy-coated breeds such as malamutes will have more problems with hot weather, while breeds with minimal fat such as greyhounds can have more problems with cold weather. Try to make arrangements for the shortest and most direct flights possible and time the flights for the best weather for that breed.

Another alternative to taking your pet with you is to board your pet or find a pet-sitter. If at all possible finding someone to take care of your pet in their own home is preferable. For dogs however this should include someone coming over at least twice daily for potty breaks and walks. Boarding is an alternative as well and there are several wonderful boarding facilities near by. We offer boarding here and I like to think we do a good job. The dogs get three walks per day and extra lovins as available. When picking a boarding facility here are some guidelines: what vaccines are required, how often are the pets taken out of the cage, how big are the cages or runs, do the animals interact with each other, what food is fed, what do you do in case of emergency?

To answer for our facility:

1. Vaccines required—dogs need current DAP, Rabies, Bordetella and cats need current FVRCP and Rabies—all vaccines must be given by a veterinarian and proof is required.
   
2. How often are pets taken out of cage—dogs get at least three walks daily (except Sunday for two only) and cats are loved on in the cage if they allow it.
3. How big are cages and runs—our runs are 6’ by 4’ and our cages vary in size from 24” by 24” to 48” by 48”.
4. Do animals interact with each other—no unless they are from the same family.
5. What food is fed—we recommend bringing their own food so as not to upset the stomach but feed Science Diet otherwise.
6. What about emergencies—we try to contact either you or anyone you list as an emergency contact. If no one can be reached we treat as we feel appropriate as if it were our pet.

Also: Due to insurance regulations we cannot allow any drop off or pick ups during non-business hours.

Love your pet? Have it fixed!

My last topic this month is spaying and neutering. There are many known and proven health benefits to spaying and neutering our pets. One of the best is reduction in pet overpopulation. Every year in this country between 6 and 8 million animals are euthanized due to lack of homes for them. But aside from pet overpopulation it just makes sense for the individual pet.

For female dogs spaying before the first heat cycle essentially eliminates the risk of mammary cancer. After the first heat, this incidence climbs to 7% and after the second heat the risk is 25% (one in four!). Cats are very similar. But is it too late if a dog or cat is already past her second heat? No, in fact spaying is important even in animals that already have obvious tumors. This is because many mammary tumors are stimulated by estrogens; removing the ovaries, the source of estrogens, will help retard tumor spread.

Pyometra is a life-threatening infection of the uterus, which generally occurs in middle-aged to older female dogs in the six weeks following heat. This is an extremely common disease of older unspayed female dogs. Pyometra is not something that might happen; consider that it probably will happen. Since spaying removes the uterus, pyometra is completely avoided.

For male dogs neutering benefits include avoidance of benign prostatic hyperplasia (a painful swelling of the prostate gland), and prostatitis (infection of the prostate). Neutering does not prevent prostate cancer, although neutering does prevent certain types of hernias and tumors of the testicles and anus. Excessive preputial discharge is also reduced by neutering. If a dog has an undescended testicle (called a cyrptorchid) this testicle can have a tendency to grow tumors or twist on itself and cause life-threatening inflammation. The retained testicle is sterile and under-developed. If there is one descended testicle the dog may be fertile, but since retaining a testicle is a hereditary trait, it is important that the dog not be bred.

The only behavior changes that are observed after neutering relate to behaviors influenced by male hormones. Playfulness, friendliness, and socialization with humans are not changed. The behaviors that change are far less desirable. The interest in roaming is eliminated in 90% of neutered dogs. Aggressive behavior against other male dogs is eliminated in 60% of neutered dogs. Urine marking is eliminated in 50% of neutered male dogs. Inappropriate mounting is eliminated in 70% of neutered dogs.

These benefits are comparable in male cats as well, and fighting between unaltered male cats is the leading cause of transmission of feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency viruses.

For all these reasons please consider having your pets spayed and neutered!