First Street Veterinary Hospital Newsletter - June 2008

Diabetes mellitus

This month I am going to focus on a specific disease and case. Diabetes mellitus is a commonly diagnosed disease of both dogs and cats. Average age of onset is 8 -10 years and risk factors include obesity and some medications (glucocorticoids such as prednisone).

Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism caused by an insulin deficiency. Early signs include increased thirst and urination, and weight loss. Later signs can include anorexia, lethargy, depression, and vomiting. Diabetes can be diagnosed on routine blood and urine tests.

Treatment of diabetes involves insulin injections. Usually the injections need to be given twice daily and generally it is for the rest of the animal’s life. While giving injections to your pet sounds scary to many people it actually becomes very easy. A fairly small amount is generally needed and the syringe has a very small needle. The injections are usually given under the skin in the scruff of the neck. Many animals don’t even react especially if they are being given a treat at the same time.

Treatment also involves a special diet to prolong the surge of glucose. The idea is to eat a diet that doesn’t give a surge of glucose all at once but that sustains the body over many hours. Another part of treatment is glucose testing. It is important to be sure the pet is at the right dose of insulin. The testing is much more frequent in the early stage of diagnosis and after a correct insulin dose is found and the pet stabilizes, testing should be done every 2-3 months. Often the owner can buy a glucometer and be taught how to draw blood and test at home.

While diabetes is a life-long disease with no cure it can be a rewarding disease to treat. With proper treatment and a committed owner, an animal with diabetes can expect to live a fairly normal life. Let me tell you about Charlie.

Charlie is a 10 ½ year old male neutered tabby cat that weighed 17 pounds when I first met him. Unfortunately I met Charlie for the first time as a euthanasia appointment. Since I did not know him or his owner I met with them to be sure we were considering the correct option. Charlie’s owner was pretty distraught at the idea of euthanasia but during the whole exam Charlie was purring and head-butting me. This did not seem like a cat that needed to “go to heaven”. Charlie had been diagnosed with diabetes elsewhere and also had some liver enzyme elevations. After discussion with the owner I realized she was not informed about diabetes and was under the impression it carried a poor prognosis. After discussion of treatment and costs involved (diabetes can be expensive in the first few months—often reaching $1000 by 6 months), Charlie went home for the weekend on his new special diet and returned the following Monday to begin insulin therapy.

We are now 5 weeks into therapy and Charlie has regained nearly 3 pounds, still purrs a lot, and takes his injections well. He has not quite regulated but is getting closer and his owner is learning to draw his blood at home for testing so he doesn’t have to come into the hospital as often. His liver enzymes have returned to normal as well. I am confident Charlie will continue to do well and may live to a ripe old age.

The moral of this story I guess is to make sure you understand everything the veterinarian is telling you (or your own doctor for that matter). As medical professionals sometimes we start talking and forget that the general public doesn’t have the advanced training in medicine and may not understand all the technical jargon. I am not offended at all if clients interrupt and ask lots of questions. Especially in complex cases the owner needs a full understanding of the disease process, treatment options, and probable outcomes. Remember also that questions may pop up at home or after you’ve had a chance to think about things. Write questions down and don’t hesitate to call. Communication is the key for a veterinary relationship to work well.

Our solar installation is now complete and online. We now boast an 11.5 kilowatt system that will produce an average of 40 kilowatt hours of electricity per day, or about 50% of the building’s energy needs. However, now that the install is complete and the sun is shining, everyone around here has been keeping a keen eye on their/our power consumption. That’s an interesting phenomenon that I personally experienced when I purchased a Toyota Prius for my business errands about a year ago. When I knew real-time how much my mileage was, the more I tried to up the mileage! It was a very competitive feeling.

So around here these are the things we’ve done well already and the things that are on the list to do better.

Things we can do better:

1. Updating our vaccine refrigerators to Energy Star certified models.
   
2. Replacing our clothes dryer to natural gas.
3. Deleting our water heater and installing local instant hot water systems where needed.
4. Updating our chest freezer to an Energy Star certified model.
5. Installing monitoring software to keep an eye on our usage.

These are the things we’ve done:

1. Converted all lights to florescent or compact florescent lights.
2. Cold water only on towel laundry washing.
3. Timer operated heating/cooling.
4. Filters on HVAC changed monthly instead of standard 3 months (helps with the animal dander and odors in the clinic).
5. Skylights in 5 areas. Doctor’s office, treatment area, X-ray prep, Surgery and Boarding kennels (also a nice back up in case the power goes out during surgeries!).
6. Computer monitors all LCD style.
7. Computers programmed to stand-by after hours.
8. Most computer stations mini-ATX form factors (smaller power supplies).
9. Digital Dental X-ray (and lower exposure to radiation with digital style).
10. Rechargeable battery operated lawn mower for our grass walking area (the walking area is open for all).
11. Installed low-E windows last year, replacing almost 40 year old glass!

Ways to prevent anxiety for fireworks

The Fourth of July celebrations can be lots of fun for us but can be very scary for our pets. And it seems fireworks start earlier every year so it’s not just a one or two day anxiety but often can last for a week or more. Many dogs are very noise phobic. Also often there is a lot more activity than normal.

The best thing for our dogs is to make sure they have a comfortable safe place they can go. This is another reason crate training is so important. I recommend having a crate that the dog is used to and placing it in a room that is insulated from most of the activity. Adult healthy dogs can stay in their crates for many hours. Remember that dogs in nature are den animals so to them a crate is a safe hiding spot. I do not recommend taking our dogs with us to festivals and fireworks if there is any chance they may be frightened. And if you are having people over make sure dogs and cats are not able to escape. This is also a good time to check ID collars and make sure they are up to date.

Finally there are medications that can help with anxiety of all kinds. These are generally prescription medications so you should consult with your veterinarian.

Two over the counter aids are DAP and Dr. Bach’s Rescue Remedy. DAP is a pheromone that can relax dogs for a short while (Feliway is the cat product), and Rescue Remedy is a flower preparation that also has relaxing properties. Both of these products can be found at many pet stores.

Kitten Season is here!

Spring and summer are kitten birthing times so there are lots of kittens available for adoption now. If you are considering a new addition to the family now is a good time. There are several excellent shelters in our area.

PAWS on Willamette Falls Drive in West Linn is one. They are a no-kill shelter and get maxed for space during spring and summer. They are also always looking for volunteers and foster families. The phone number for PAWS is 503-650-0855.

Cat Adoption Team (CAT) in Sherwood is also a no-kill shelter that is looking for foster and adoption families. The phone number for CAT is 503-925-8903. The website for CAT is www.catadoptionteam.org.

The Oregon Humane Society is located on NE Columbia Blvd and the phone number is (503) 285-7722. The website for OHS is www.oregonhumane.org.

In addition we have 3 2-week old orphan kittens that we are nursing and will be ready for adoption in 4-5 weeks. They will have had their first vaccinations and dewormings. There are 2 tabby males and one black male and right now they are just starting to open their eyes. I also have a good friend whose brother found a pregnant cat and now they are trying to find homes for the kittens. She said there were a couple that looked Siamese.

So if you are looking for a kitten (or two—who needs just one?) there are many places to find one.

Summer time - travel time

For those of you with summer plans that may not involve your furred family members I want to take this opportunity to remind you we have boarding available. Dogs have their choice of large cages or runs and can be with their other dog companions if they get along well. Dogs are walked 2-3 times daily and fed on your schedule. We can also give medications as needed for a small daily fee. For cats we try to keep them in cages away from any loud dogs and more than one cat can be in a cage together if they get along. We encourage you to bring their regular diet but feed Science Diet if you forget. You can also bring a special bed or toys so they feel a part of home still. We encourage you to call and check on your boarding animals if you would like. Charges start at $22 for cats and $25 for dogs per night. All animals need to be current on vaccinations. Call soon 503-697-5600 for reservations or if you have any questions.

First Street Veterinary Hospital travel plans

I wanted my clients to be aware of some of my summer plans. I am going on 2 family camping trips in the early summer and will not have a doctor here for a few days. On most days there will still be someone here to answer phones, sell food, and admit for boarding. I will be out of town June 19th, 20th, and 21st. We will close the office completely on Saturday the 21st. I will also be out of town July 3rd-5th, and the office will be closed on the 4th, and open only for boarding on the 5th. During the time I am away from the office, the staff can answer some questions and may be able to refill some medications but they cannot make medical decisions. We will be referring any emergency or urgent needs to Dr. Meg Frey at Groves Lake Oswego Veterinary Hospital. I hope you all understand my need for a few days away and hope all my patients remain healthy during the summer.