Feline Diabetes: Five Principles Breed SuccessMay 3, 2012 Diabetic cats and the challenges associated with their management intrigue me, which is why I have about 75 diabetic patients in my practice at any given time. Successful management of a diabetic cat requires a multifaceted approach that begins with five principles: • Tight control is not essential and probably not even desirable. Cats tolerate hyperglycemia without significant consequences better than humans or dogs do. • Hyperglycemia is always better than hypoglycemia. The latter can be fatal. • As long as the cat is not ketoacidotic, it is not critically ill. You do not have to get the cat regulated in the first week, or even in the first month, after diagnosis. • Consistency is extremely important in maintaining regulation. The more things you can keep the same—diet, exercise, stress—the easier it is to regulate the diabetic cat. • Monitoring clinical signs is vital in achieving and maintaining regulation. With few exceptions, if the clinical signs and the blood-glucose level conflict, believe the clinical signs. What Can Be Done Based on these five principles, here are four treatment steps: • Client education. You are the coach on the sidelines. Your job is to instruct the quarterback so …
SPONSORED CONTENTProtect your patients from the start.Simparica Trio (sarolaner, moxidectin, and pyrantel chewable tablets) is the first monthly preventative of its kind. Combining three ingredients for month-long protection. + Learn more
The Changing World Of Veterinary Anesthesia Guidelines And MonitoringMay 2, 2012 UPDATE: AAHA released its anesthesia guidelines in early November. The American Animal Hospital Association is poised to release the first-of-its-kind small animal anesthesia guidelines. A task force comprising six board-certified veterinary anesthesiologists and a certified technician specializing in anesthesia created the approximately 10-page document in an 11-month timeframe. The AAHA guidelines is an all-inclusive, easily digestible document created for use by the entire veterinary team. With expanding anesthesia capabilities for the profession, Jason Merrihew, associate public relations manager at AAHA, says the association recognized the need to develop guidelines for veterinary professionals. He attributes the multitude of factors to consider when sedating or anesthetizing a healthy dog or cat, as well as the pet with one or more medical conditions a leading incentive. “AAHA’s guidelines include information on pre-anesthesia bloodwork, examination, equipment, staffing recommendations, monitoring from induction through recovery, pain management, drug choices, drug combinations, what drugs to use according to patients’ age, body type and temperament,” says Richard Bednarski, DVM, Dipl. ACVA, associate professor (anesthesia) at The Ohio State University in Columbus and chair for AAHA anesthesia guidelines. “These guidelines differ from the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists’ (ACVA) anesthesia monitoring guidelines because their …
Keeping Hospice In Veterinary HandsMay 2, 2012 Our focus with this article is on people who compulsively collect old or sick animals and proclaim themselves operators of pet hospice homes or sanctuaries. Unfortunately, most of these self-proclaimed hospice workers use little to no veterinary medical supervision. Their collected animals suffer to death without proper pain management, comfort care or the human-animal bond. They might have started out as good Samaritans, working alone or with a group, rescuing animals and keeping a few, then a few more. Over time, they develop a strong urge to “save” more old and sick animals that were “abandoned.” That urge develops into a compulsive disorder. They collect more and more old, sick and special-needs animals. When their animals die, they exhibit tearful distress, blind denial or experience a pathological enlightenment. Their compulsiveness to collect more animals winds up harming their animals, themselves, their neighbors and their communities. A certain percentage of compulsive collectors of sick and old animals can maintain their operations for a time. But eventually many find themselves overworked, in debt, depressed and overwhelmed. The tipping point is when they acquire more animals than they can properly care for and house. Another tipping point into …
The Problematic Deciduous Canine ToothMay 1, 2012 I received a call from a referring veterinarian. He saw on his appointment book that a puppy was scheduled to have its four firmly rooted persistent deciduous canine teeth extracted. His 30-plus years of experience led him to conclude that firmly rooted deciduous canine teeth were among the most challenging extractions to perform. I agreed wholeheartedly. Looking for Answers What causes persistent deciduous teeth? To answer, we need to know what causes deciduous teeth to be normally shed. Resorption of permanent teeth is a pathological condition, but resorption of the deciduous tooth root is considered to be a physiologic process in which osteoclasts, osteoblasts and tooth-resorbing cells called odontoclasts work in concert to allow for resorption of the deciduous tooth root as the permanent tooth root moves into the area the deciduous root once occupied. As a result, the deciduous crown is shed. In cases where no permanent tooth is present, or if the permanent tooth is not in the correct location, the physiologic resorption of the deciduous tooth root does not occur at its regular time, and it may take years for the deciduous tooth root to resorb. Note that I used …
The Benefit Of Low Fat Pet Food In Dogs With GI DiseaseApril 27, 2012 Lipids are water-insoluble molecules that have many crucial functions in dogs. There are a variety of different lipids, but the only lipids that are routinely quantified in dogs are triglycerides and cholesterol. Hyperlipidemia refers to a state of abnormally increased blood concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol or both. One indication for low-fat dietary intake in dogs with gastrointestinal disease is the management of dogs with hypertriglyceridemia with GI disease presumed to be due to or related to hypertriglyceridemia. The second indication is a group of dogs that have a normal serum triglyceride concentration, but have GI disorders resulting in difficulty to digest and/or absorb normal amounts of fat in pet food or dogs with lymphatic abnormalities. Hypertriglyceridemia is very common in dogs.1 In one recent study, 611 routine chemistry profiles in dogs performed at a private veterinary laboratory in Italy were evaluated and 33 dogs (5.4 percent) showed hypertriglyceridemia.1 Certain breeds have been identified as being much more commonly affected by hypertriglyceridemia. In a recent study of 192 healthy miniature schnauzers, 63 (32.8 percent) had hypertriglyceridemia.2 Definitive differentiation between primary or secondary hypertriglyceridemia is sometimes difficult, but is based on …
Feline Heartworm’s A Different AnimalApril 25, 2012 A recent study at Auburn University has shown us a new side of feline heartworms. Dillon and Blagburn, with the financial backing of Pfizer Animal Health of New York, performed an amazing study1. They infected three groups of cats with heartworm larvae. The first group was untreated to see what would happen from natural exposure. The second group was given ivermectin at the time in the life cycle that would kill the immature adults but not the adults. This group showed the pathology that occurs when the 2-inch-long immature adults die; the pathology that occurred was only due to immature adults, not to 6-inch-long adult worms. The third group was infected while receiving selamectin. This group was to demonstrate the efficacy of this drug in preventing heartworm infections; its high efficacy was clearly demonstrated. The following is a synopsis of what we now know about heartworm disease in cats. Life Cycle When a mosquito bites a cat, third-stage larvae (L3) are deposited on the cat’s skin. Within minutes they enter the subcutaneous tissue through the bite wound. The L3 molt within a couple of days to fourth-stage larvae (L4). L4 migrate …
Your Patient Swallowed What?April 10, 2012 Entries are being accepted for Veterinary Practice News’ seventh annual “They Ate What?” radiograph contest, which highlights the dietary indiscretions committed by veterinary clients’ dogs, cats, snakes guinea pigs, cows and horses. The entry deadline is June 30, 2012. A digital single-lens reflex camera is the grand prize. Two runners-up will each receive a point-and-shoot digital camera. Winners will be announced in the September issue of Veterinary Practice News. Sound-Eklin of Carlsbad, Calif., is sponsoring the contest.< “With the proliferation of digital technology over the past few years, we expect to see many well-defined cases presenting an even greater variety of findings,” said Greg Stoutenburgh, vice president of marketing for Sound-Eklin. High-resolution radiographs must be submitted electronically, with “contest” in the subject line, to VPNeditor@bowtieinc.com. The submitter must include his or her name, the clinic name and address, a telephone number and a brief explanation of the case. Entries become the property of BowTie Inc., which reserves the right to use them in any publication, media or promotion. Contestants agree that their photo, text, name and city may be posted on BowTie websites and, in the case of the winners, on sponsor …
Is It Who Pulls The Trigger?April 6, 2012 (Note: Due to the recent disturbing report of Nick Santinos’ suicide after euthanizing his pit bull, Rocco, I have reissued this blog from last year…) You may have heard it before, the reasoning that guns do not kill people, the people who pull the trigger do the killing. That’s pretty black and white in this instance…a gun sitting in a drawer or under a pillow isn’t going to go hurt someone on purpose; it’s not a living thing with thoughts, actions, and reactions. So what about a parallel, but altogether different, issue of banned dog breeds? Yes, we all know that it’s becoming more commonplace for laws to be discussed and passed that ban certain dog breeds of notably bad reputations, such as pit bulls. On the one hand, you may know a person or family member who has suffered due to a dog attack. On the other hand, I have never met a more loyal group of dog lovers than owners of pit bulls, and they would never trade their breed for any other! They argue that like guns, it’s the people who own the dogs that are calling the shots and have the responsibility …
Pelvic Limb Lameness: Palpate Early And OftenApril 5, 2012 Contrary to popular perception, not all pelvic limb lameness in dogs is joint-related, i.e., a “bad hip” or a “blown cruciate.” Definitive diagnosis is crucial, especially before pursuing surgery for the presumptive problem.1-5 Advanced imaging can help, as can arthroscopy, but neither method reveals soft tissue pain as a common source of the tension and altered gait in dogs. Only hands-on touch and informed palpation can “image” this source of discomfort and possible precursor to cruciate rupture. In light of this uncertainty of why a dog unweights a limb or displays caudal end weakness,6 clients who call a referral center for an evaluation are surprised when the receptionist asks them to set aside a surgery date.7 Even with a busy cutting schedule, why wouldn’t an orthopedic practice consider conservative care first? Tragically, some caregivers have complained of having to choose between only two options: costly reconstructive surgery or euthanasia. These caregivers are browbeaten into believing that if they refuse surgery, their dogs will without question suffer painful debilitation from arthritis.8 Is there not a kinder, gentler way? Different Viewpoints …
Managing Hyperthyroidism With Food? Check ComplianceApril 3, 2012 The team at VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital was puzzled. Veterinarians had recently begun managing feline hyperthyroidism with nutrition, using a pet food formally launched in October 2011, Hill’s Prescription Diet y/d Feline Thyroid Health. The food limits dietary iodine intake, and the staff was finding that in the majority of cats, thyroid levels returned to normal within three weeks of transitioning to the food. But one patient’s thyroid levels had barely budged—even though the owner insisted the cat had been fed only the recommended food. So team members started probing, says David Bruyette, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, medical director at the hospital. Was the cat getting treats? Never. Did it sneak bites from other food bowls? Not that the owner knew. Finally, a new fact emerged: The owner had been out of town for 10 days. And it turned out that when the affected cat’s food bowl ran empty, the owner’s husband had simply re-filled it with the same food that the other cats in the household ate, Bruyette says. Bingo. “This food is so good at limiting iodine that if the (cat’s condition) is not improving, there’s an incredibly high chance …
