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Have a Happy New Year

December 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment

fireworks Have a Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a great Holiday. I was blessed with a weekend with my kids and grandkids. jlandme 150x150 Have a Happy New YearHeather and Bird came up and brought Jaelyn who will be 3 in February and London who just turned 1. Dawn and Matt also joined us before they headed off to California. Dawn is the music director for the Conroe High School and Matt for the Willis School District. The Conroe band will be marching in the Rose Bowl Parade tomorrow morning on New Year’s Day. They will be band number 53, so if you are watching the parade, keep an eye out for them.

The clinic will be closed this weekend for the holiday and we will be open on Monday.

We closed early today, but before I could slip home, we did have to do an emergency surgery on Taz. Taz came in just before we were headed out not feeling well. Dad had given her a ham bone yesterday and thought that may be what was ailing her. A cursory exam revealed an enlargement in her belly. I wasn’t sure if it was from the ham bone or something else, but after taking some radiographs and an ultrasound, we discovered that Taz had some stones in her bladder and a few of the stones had slipped down into her urethra and plugged her up like a cork in a champagne bottle. (Since it is New Years I thought that description was aprapro).

She was not able to urinate and her bladder stones 1 Have a Happy New Yearbladder was distended and the urine was backing up into her kidneys causing her kidneys to start shutting down and toxins were building up in her body. Being New Years Eve, it was too late to try to find a surgeon for her and she definitely couldn’t wait, so Tamara and I sent everyone home, locked the front door, turned off the phones and got to work on Taz to remove the stones from her bladder and urethra. We flushed over a hundred smaller stones and I had to massage the larger stones out of her urethra and flush them out of her bladder. The surgery went well and Taz will be staying at the clinic for a few days until she is up and eating and can urinate on her own.

Taz’s surgery reminded me of all the other holidays and birthday’s I had to stay late for emergency surgeries. One year, an Irish Wolfhound got into some antifreeze on New Year’s Eve, and we had to spend all day on New year’s day giving her some alcohol as the antidote while we counted inventory.

Then there was the C-section I had to do on Good Friday, and a pyometra surgery I had to do on Heather’s birthday. precious Have a Happy New Year

But the new Christmas puppies I get to see like Precious, make up for all the late nights and extra hours.

I want to wish all my friends and pets a wonderful New Year and I guess I will see you Next Year.

Filed Under: Pet Health

SPCA ,City of Arlington and North Texas Humane Society Control Seize over 12,000 Exotic Animals

December 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Raid at Exotic Animal Complex in Arlington found hundreds of snakes, rodents, lizards and other exotic animals dead, starving or in deplorable conditions. Many were still stacked on top of one another in shipping crates without food or water. Estimates of over 20,000 animals including small primates, rodents and spiders were housed at the complex.

As of this morning 12,000 animals were recovered by the SPCA, City of Arlington Officials and members of the North Texas Humane Society. One respondent reported over 2000 iguanas were already dead and there were still more to be found.

A hearing will be held in 10 days to determine if the animals will be returned to the owner or left in custody of the animal shelters. Read more from the news by clicking the link below.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/091215-exotic-animals-raid

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Winterize your Pets

December 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Sporting the latest in fur coats, many pets prefer life outdoors, even in the winter.

But give them a break!  Winterize their environment to keep them comfortable during the colder months.

Providing adequate shelter from the elements is the key to a healthy outdoor pet.  The healthy animal that has a cozy refuge where he can seek from the cold wind, driving rain, sleet, and snow will be better able to tolerate cold temperatures.
Pet’s shelters should be tightly constructed so there are no big cracks or gaping holes for drafts to whistle through.

The doorway should be just big enough for the animal to get through, and positioned away from prevailing winds.  The shelter itself should be just big enough for the animal to stand up and turn around in comfortably. Any bigger than that is just extra space to be warmed by your animal’s body heat, requiring that much more energy to stay warm.
DogHouses.Com-Over 240 Styles! Winterize your Pets
Insulation may be added between the roof and an inside ceiling to help maintain a constant temperature.  Building the shelter up off the ground several inches and adding insulation underneath will greatly add to the animal’s comfort.

If you use commercial insulation, be sure it is sealed away from the animal, especially the curious chewer, by tight flooring and/or ceiling.  Since these materials can be harmful, if you have doubts about keeping them away from your animals, insulate with cedar shavings.

Adding bedding of cedar shavings will give the animal something to burrow into on extremely cold days, helping him to maintain a comfortable body temperature.

If you use other bedding, it should be changed at least once a week and checked frequently to be sure it is clean and dry.  Because it cannot be kept clean and dry, old carpeting does not make good bedding.  Besides, carpeting is a great temptation to many animals, who may respond to your good intentions by shredding it all over your yard.

Position the shelter where it will receive the most available sunlight.  Shrubs and bushes or solid wood fences on the shady side of the shelter will offer additional protection. Winterize your Pets

Sick, injured, very young or old, short-haired and habitually indoor animals should not be left outside for extended periods of time in cold weather.  These animals are more susceptible to harm from the cold, and may even suffer hypothermia, or too low body temperature.

Symptoms of hypothermia include altered consciousness, shallow and infrequent breathing a slow or absent pulse, delayed or absent reflexes, and dilated pupils.  Survival depends on how long the animal’s body temperature has been lowered and to what extent.

If your pet is stricken with hypothermia, wrap in blankets, being careful not to obstruct breathing, and bring to the clinic immediately.  Treatment must be directed at rewarming (internally as well as externally if hypothermia is severe), and maintenance of vital body functions.

Frostbite or freezing of tissue can also occur in winter, but is rare in healthy, well-nourished animals.

Frostbite of the tips of tails of cats and short-haired animals is probably the most common cold injury.  This usually requires no treatment unless secondary infection develops.

Deep-freezing of tissues rarely occurs except in animals that have been physically injured or caught in wildlife traps that cut off circulation.  In this type of situation, it is imperative to seek professional veterinary assistance, keeping the frozen part frozen and protected from trauma during transportation.  Avoid thawing followed by re-freezing, as this will result in more tissue damage.

No pet should be out in zero and sub-zero weather for more than a few minutes at a time without adequate shelter.  When the weather gets this cold, provide additional bedding or consider bringing the pets inside.
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Winter is not a time to begin keeping an animal outside.  Acclimatization should begin in warm weather, permitting gradual increase in hair growth as temperatures become cooler.

Be sure to feed adequate amounts of food to produce enough body heat to maintain normal body temperature.  Remember since their water will freeze outside, you will need to provide a fresh drink at least twice a day.

A little extra attention and common sense will keep your companion animals comfortable all winter long.

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Get a FREE $500 Gift Card for Your Pet From PETCO

December 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Treat your pet to a great Christmas with this $500 Gift Card from PETCO.
getimage.asp?m=1753&o=2378&i=34151 Get a FREE $500 Gift Card for Your Pet From PETCO
Terms and restrictions apply

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What is Kennel Cough?

December 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

If you own a dog or a puppy, you may have to board them in a kennel, take them to the groomers or take them to a dog park or animal hospital. When your dog comes in close proximity to other dogs,they are  exposed to a viruses that may cause your pooch to develop kennel cough. Kennel cough, also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis, is a highly contagious, acute respiratory disease that affects dogs and can infect your dog even if your dog hasn’t been in a kennel.puppy1 150x150 What is Kennel Cough?

Kennel cough is caused by an airborne group of viruses, the most common being  Bordetella Bronciseptica, Parainfluenza and Adenovirus – Type 2, and can be contracted any time your dog is near an infected dog, even if only for a short time because the tiny viral particles are suspended in the air and can be breathed in. It may take anywhere from  four to ten days after exposure to the virus before your dog develops the symptoms of kennel cough. The canine influenza virus is relatively new and if you board your dog a lot at the larger kennels, you may consider vaccinating him for the influenza virus as well. Your dog’s best defense against this disease is a strong immune system and preventative vaccinations.

kennelcough What is Kennel Cough?play What is Kennel Cough?

How can you tell if your dog has kennel cough? Dogs with kennel cough develop a dry, hacking, or non-productive cough (they do not cough up mucous or fluids). The cough can be quite severe and the more they cough, the more the throat gete irritated and the more they coug. They can last a short time or up to several minutes and can occur quite often throughout the day and may keep you up at night.

If your dog develops a hacking cough, a trip to the veterinarian may be warranted. Your veterinarian will then do an exam and rule out other problems that can cause the cough, such as an infected tooth, heartworms, distemper, canine influenza or perhaps a heart murmur. In most dogs with kennel cough, the cough can be triggered with gentle pressure on the trachea, the throat area just under the collar.

As with most viral infections, antibiotics are not be effective in treating this illness. Antibiotics are only used if there is a secondary infection because the coughing caused an irritation and resident bacteria may set up housekeeping. Your veterinarian will decide if the cough is indeed kennel cough and not something more serious. If it is kennel cough, it may take up to two weeks, just like the common cold, to make its way out of your dog’s system. Your veterinarian may prescribe a cough suppressant to help calm the cough.

You may have more than one dog in your family. If so, try to keep the one with kennel cough separated from the others. Of course, as contagious as this is, your other dogs will probably already have been infected before you realize it. Treat each of them, whether they’re displaying symptoms or not, and you’re sure to be rid of kennel cough soon.

The best way to prevent kennel cough is with vaccinations. We recommend the bordetella vaccine every year with the annual vaccinations and a quick booster vaccine prior to your dog boarding. Remember, that going to the groomers, a pet store or dog park can also expose your pet to viruses and diseases from other dogs.

You can find Christmas Stockings, Ornaments and Gifts for your dog at LuvUrDog.com


What is Kennel Cough?

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Some Tips for a Safe Thanksgiving for our Pets

November 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

As we gather with our family and friends this weekend for food, fun and football, remember that our furry friends cannot always eat the same foods that we can. To avoid an expensive trip to the Animal ER, here are a few suggestions to keep your pets safe this Thanksgiving weekend.

Foods to Avoid:

  • Chocolate – especially dark chocolate or baking chocolate can be toxic to our pets.
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Onions and garlic
  • Coffee
  • Alcohol
  • Grapes and raisins
  • Yeast Dough
  • Fatty foods – can inflame the pancreas
  • Bones – of any kind, can splinter causing perforations or can break teeth
  • Xylitol – a sugar substitute

If you need to give a pet a taste of Thanksgiving, some turkey meat and green beans are ok.

Accidental poisonings often occur from the pets ingesting their human’s medications. I have had dogs get the pill containers off the cabinets and chew the whole bottle. Place your medications out of reach of your pets and make sure your guests do the same. Also remember that Tylenol is lethal to cats. Always check with your veterinarian before you give any medication to your pet. What is safe for humans may be deadly to our pets.

Decorations can also impose a danger to our pets. Electrical cords can be bitten, tinsel and ribbons swallowed. The water for the live trees may also pose a danger. You may want to elect to put your Christmas tree in a room that can be blocked off from your pets.

Candles and patio fire pits can also cause burns in our pets. Just last week, one of my patients brushed up to the fire pit and received a burn to his side. Cats can flick their tails into the flame or knock over a candle resulting in a fire.

Holiday flowers can also cause problems with our pets. Although the poinsettia has gotten a bad rap, it is not toxic but other houseplants such as lilies, holly berries and mistletoe are.

Download my free e-book “Common Houseplants that are Toxic to our Pets”

toxicplantcover200 Some Tips for a Safe Thanksgiving for our Pets
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If you are traveling with your pet over the holidays, make sure they have all the required vaccinations and have id tags or a microchip implanted. There are also new GPS Trackers available for dogs. You can find more information at http://dog-gps-tracker.com/

If your pet accidentally ingests something harmful, emergency advice is a phone call away. Call your veterinarian, emergency animal hospital of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 ( a fee applies) or visit www.aspca.org/appc

Filed Under: Pet Health

Problems with Vetsulin for Managing Diabetes in Pets

November 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Vetsulin has been used to manage diabetes in our dogs and cats for years. Recently, batches of the crystalline zinc insulin may have made its way into the vetsulin batch. This may affect the duration of activity or have fluctuations in the glucose level. If your pet is receiving vetsulin to control his diabetes, you will need to contact your veterinarian.Vetsulin will probably not be available next time you refill and you and your veterinarian will have to transition your pet to a different insulin product and dosage. The alert from FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine Alerts is listed below.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health are alerting veterinarians and pet owners that Vetsulin®, a porcine insulin zinc suspension used to treat diabetes in animals, may have varying amounts of crystalline zinc insulin in the formulation. Because this Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health product is out of specification it could cause a delay in insulin action and an overall longer duration of insulin activity. Products having significant problems with stability can affect the management of chronic diseases. Unstable insulin products can result in unpredictable fluctuations in the glucose levels of diabetic patients. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health is unable to assure FDA that each batch of their product is stable.

FDA and Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health request that veterinarians closely monitor their patients receiving Vetsulin® for any changes in onset or duration of activity, or for any signs of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. The classic signs of hyperglycemia include increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss and lethargy. The classic signs of hypoglycemia would include disorientation, unsteadiness, weakness, lethargy, and seizures.

I have researched the Veterinary Information Boards and have included a few threads on recommendations of which insulin dogs or cats should be switched to. Please check with your veterinarian to see what you should do.

It is recommended to transition animals currently on Vetsulin to other insulins until this problem is resolved.
posted by Dr. Sherri Wilson ACVIM Small Animal Internal Medicine (1992)
“For CATS, I would change to Glargine (Lantus). As a second choice, try Detemir (Levemir)—some positive initial reports using this—seems to be very similar to Glargine but may work better in some cats. I would avoid PZI, as it is a compounded insulin–so its potency can vary from batch to batch

For DOGS, I would change to NPH as the first choice
- If there is a problem with the NPH taking too long to start working after it is injected, try 70:30 insulin (a mixture of 30% regular insulin and 70% NPH); note that this problem of delayed onset of insulin action can also be due to a post-prandial surge in the glucose levels; that can be addressed by giving insulin 30-45 minutes BEFORE the food is given (if the dog is a reliable eater)
-if there is a problem with too-short of an insulin duration with NPH, then try Glargine or Detemir, but be aware that these sometimes cause no appreciable lowering of glucose levels in some dogs and will be very expensive in large dogs

To clarify: when we change to a different insulin, there is unfortunately no predicting what dose to use for the new insulin. Different insulins have different potencies, so we have to start over (e.g. don’t transfer the same dose that you used for the Vetsulin to the new insulin).

Most endocrinologists recommend starting at 0.25-0.5 units/kg BID for a new insulin. Personally I go with the 0.5 units/kg BID. Then wait at least 1 week to run the first curve and adjust the dose accordingly.

The exception to the above is when we change to Glargine in cats—it can be remarkably more effective in dropping the glucose levels so it is recommended to do a few BG checks during the first few days on it (not complete curves) to make sure we don’t cause acute hypoglycemia.

Sherri Wilson, ACVIM (Internal Medicine)
Seattle, WA

I hope this helps

Debra Garrison, DVM

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Swine Flu and Pets

November 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Yesterday I got the news of a confirmed case of swine flu in a cat. The thirteen year old cat contracted the flu from his family and has recovered without problems. Most of the time we do not worry about giving flu to our pets, but with the swine flu, it may be different, especially with birds, ferrets, cats and pet pigs. There have been 2 confirmed cases of swine flu in ferrets which did result in a death of one of the ferrets. I have been fielding calls today about pets passing swine flu to people, but it is the other way around. Humans are passing the swine flu to their pets. So if you are feeling under the weather and possibly coming down with the flu, resist the temptation to snuggle with your pet while you are ill.

As of now, we have not seen swine flu infections in dogs, but their is an influenza virus that can infect dogs. There is a vaccine for the influenza virus recently approved as well as the Bordetella-parainfluenza-adenovirus (kennel-cough) vaccine that we regularly recommend for dogs, especially those that board or go to areas where other dogs frequent, such as grooming, pet stores, dog parks, etc. As of now, there is not a vaccine for the swine flu for dogs or cats, and because of such infrequency of getting the virus, there may be no need in developing one.

Filed Under: Pet Health

Houston Zoo Boo!

October 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

222 150x150 Houston Zoo Boo!Saturday is the final day for Houston Zoo Boo! Russell and I went to one of their Zoo Boo Fests a few years ago with our boy scout troop and we had a lot of fun. The kids can wear costumes and the Zoo goes all out with magicians, face painters and other fun things for the kids to see and do. So, if you want to do something fun and safe for Halloween, head on over to the Zoo Boo!  http://www.houstonzoo.org/

The Houston Zoo also had a new addition born this week. Noah is a new baby Nyla born on October 20. Here is their new video on Noah.

Filed Under: Pet Health

Halloween Safety for Pets

October 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment
9588895398192108 Halloween Safety for Petsplay Halloween Safety for Pets

Everyone loves to have fun for Halloween  and sometimes we want to include our pets in our festivities, but we must be careful because our pets can be “spooked” by all the noises, strange costumes and visitors coming to the door. Plan ahead and if your pet is one to bark at every visitor or try to bolt out the door, then confinement to a back bedroom may be warranted. Make sure your pet has proper identification such as an identification tag or microchip, and there are also new GPS Trackers for those frequent escape artists. harem 150x150 Halloween Safety for Pets

Halloween has the highest incidence of lost dogs, injuries from car accidents, and accidental poisonings than any other holiday. Halloween also has an elevated number of dog bites to children and people the dog is normally social around. You are responsible for controlling your pet and protecting him from escape or biting the little ghouls and goblins that come knocking at your door.

Costumes can be scary for pets, too. Be careful that your dog won’t be scared or try to attack the stranger in the costume. Some dogs may not recognize some one with a mask or large hat and  it can confuse your pet or  trigger territorial instincts even if they are normally very familiar with that person. My dog Jake, did not like the Monster that swallowed my son and tried his very best to pull the costume off my son. We had to take our son with the costume in a bag to his friends house to change and go trick or treating. We also tried to put a costume on Jake, and he did not tolerate that well either. Some dogs love it and some dogs loathe it. Chocolate Poisoning 150x150 Halloween Safety for Pets

If you want to dress up your dog for Halloween, make sure your dog is comfortable at all times. Do not use any costumes that use rubber bands or can constrict circulation or breathing. Be watchful for any toxic paints or dyes. You may want to dress him up a few days earlier to get him used to the idea rather than wait for Halloween when all the excitement is at its highest. Do not leave your pet unattended with the costume on. He may try to chew it off and can choke on it or have it cause an obstruction in his intestinal tract.  If your pet is uncomfortable in any way, get a quick picture, then let him “Trick or Treat” in his “birthday suit”.
Once your child returns with their goody bag, be sure to place the treats far out of reach of your pet. Chocolate is toxic to dogs and pets are known to eat the goodies; wrappers, sticks and all. Also, watch your treat bowl. An unguarded bowl with goodies is tempting to your pet.  Nothing ruins a Halloween festivity than a trip to the animal emergency hospital with a sick pet.
Halloween can be fun for you and your pet with a little planning and safeguarding your pet against escape, injury or poisoning.

Visit MyFavoriteHalloweenStore.com for great costumes for pets and people, as well as decorations, recipes, pumpkin carving kits, , treats and more.

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