Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Pancreatitis in Dogs

2009-07-09T11:53:21-04:00

We had a good question from a reader about pancreatitis. I don't think we've ever done a post specifically on this subject before and since I'm sitting in a motel in White Sulfur Springs Montana with a good internet connection there is no time like the present.

By the way, White Sulfur is a current version of what Montana used to be; unpretentious, uncrowded and no Latte carts in sight. It's not Bozeman and that's a good thing. Pooooor Bobcats.

As the name states, pancreatitis refers to inflammation of the pancreas, an important organ attached to the small intestine. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin that is essential for glucose metabolism and important digestive enzymes that are needed to digest dietary fat and carbohydrate. This disease can be either acute or chronic. Both forms can be very painful and dogs with pancreatitis will usually vomit, lose appetite and have a hunched up appearance due to the pain. They may run a fever too.

There are a variety of causes including infection, drug interactions, certain metabolic disorders, chronic obesity and even trauma. In many dogs pancreatitis gets started after a bout of garbageitis. Garbageitis is the highly technical term for getting into the trash and eating what is left of the Thanksgiving turkey or some other high fat human food.

Treatment involves resting the pancreas by withholding food, fluid therapy to deal with the dehydration and electrolyte imbalances that invariably accompany pancreatitis and dietary intervention. High fat diets are to be avoided and pancreatitis dogs may need special diets that are highly digestible and low in fat.

Usually dogs are not fed anything for a few days and then the special diet is gradually introduced over a few days. The reason for this is that the presence of food, even the smell of food stimulates pancreatic enzyme production and that helps relieve the inflammation. In severe cases an inflamed pancreas can produce so much digestive enzyme that the organs surrounding the pancreas will actually be digested leading to permanent damage.

Many dogs will recover after a bout of acute pancreatitis but some may progress to the chronic form. These dogs may need treatment for life. They will surely have to avoid high fat diets and may need dietary therapy for life. They may also experience complications like diabetes from the damage to the insulin producing cells in the pancreas and dietary problems related to the lack of digestive enzymes.

These complications can be managed with insulin and digestive enzyme replacement. Obviously this is a serious management problem and digestive enzyme replacement can be very expensive.

Dogs without digestive enzymes will obviously lose weight even though they are eating more than normal and they will most likely develop diarrhea. And as our reader experienced they may have gas too. The presence of undigested carbohydrate in the large intestine is a perfect recipe for gas or flatus as we like to call it in vet speak. It's so much more professional to proclaim that one has had an attack of flatulence than er.. gas. Enzyme replacement can help with that.

Getting a Kitten? Start Here

2009-07-07T10:28:20-04:00

It's no secret that Purina sponsors this blog. And, it's also no secret that I have always fed my pets Purina pet food. So, when I write about Purina products, I do it from a place of trust.

No, Purina doesn't send me free food - they sponsor the blog, that's enough. However, occasionally, one of the brands sends me something interesting to write about, and that's the case here. This really hits home since I'm toying with the idea of getting a kitten. The Wabby will be a bit miffed, no doubt, but she'll keep her Queenly status - which any new pet will learn very quickly. (see previous post on kittens)

Purina Kitten Chow® has a new site that helps educate pet owners on kitten care. As they say, "Kittens are only kittens for a year..." so the more info you have going into your adoption, the better.

I wrote about the Kitten Connection™ in June, see link above, but today I'd like to share a video from the site. Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist, Dr. Karen Sueda, talks about kitten nutrition in this short video. "Imagine," she says, 'your human child growing into a teenager in one year!" Yikes, that's too scary too think about!

Naturally, she is recommending Purina Kitten Chow, but the overall message is about good nutrition. You'll be hearing a podcast with Dr. Grace and Dr. Larry soon about nutrition, also. It's not about the brand on the bag - it's about trusting the folks who make the pet food. As Dr. Larry says, read the label, and understand what the ingredients are for.

Funny, people accuse pet food companies of not caring about pets - but, my experience has shown me that the food I feed Wabby, and fed all of my dogs, kept them all very healthy. My pets live LONG lives! Well, that's my little rant...enjoy your next two minutes with Dr. Sueda.

Does My Dog Need to Be Vaccinated for Canine Influenza?

2009-07-06T06:12:00-04:00

Up until last week you did not have the option to be protected against this relatively new disease. The FDA gave conditional approval to Intervet-Shering Plough for a Canine Influenza vaccine on June 24Th.

Many of you may have never heard of this disease. It's only been around for about five years and the virus responsible was only identified in 2005.

You might recall reports of deaths in dogs due to a mysterious respiratory infection. These reports started out in Florida in 2004 and spread up the East Coast the following year. At first it was thought that Bird Flu might be the culprit. Viruses have the ability to mutate slightly and become infective to other species. The Swine Flu scare is a great example. Swine flu spread from pigs to people and caused huge pandemic concerns this spring.

Well, it turns out that this virus came from horses. Equine influenza has been a recognized problem for decades in horses. I used to routinely vaccinate race horses for equine flu back in the day when I was a track vet in Montana. When you think of the proximity of Greyhound and Horse racing tracks in the state of Florida you can imagine how easy it was for this virus to spread in that area.

Like many flu viruses this one spreads by direct contact. Infected dogs sniffing each other can easily spread the virus by exchanging nasal secretions. It can spread by fomite too. I just love the word fomite and I try to use it as often as I can. A fomite is an inanimate object that transfers an infectious agent from one susceptible critter to another. A person moving from kennel to kennel in a boarding facility can carry infected nasal secretions on their clothing and spread the infection.

So, back to the original question, should you rush out and get your dog vaccinated? Probably not in most cases, but in some cases it might be warranted. Canine flu has been reported in 30 states and it is highly contagious. Most dogs, like 80%, have the mild form of the disease, kind of like a mild cold. Overall it has a 5% mortality rate, meaning 5% of the dogs that are infected actually die. When you contrast that with something like distemper that kills most of the puppies that get sick, it's a rather mild virus.

Brachycephalic breeds, like our favorite the Pug, are more at risk due to their special anatomy. They tend to get pneumonia more often due to their short upper respiratory tract anatomy. Pekingese, Bulldogs, all the dogs with short pushed in faces are more at risk.

It could certainly continue to morph into a more serious virus as it continues to mutate. Even now most dogs have no natural immunity to dog flu because it is so new. An infection could spread like wildfire through a susceptible population housed in close proximity. If you frequently board your dog or if you take your dog to shows or obedience and field trials where they come into contact with lots of other dogs they are at greater risk. If you plan to head to the Pug National Dog show you should be concerned.

Your veterinarian should be aware of the magnitude of the risk in your area for your dog. Talk it over with them. They will give you the straight scoop. At least now there is something we can do about it.

Cedar's Hygroma - Still a problem

2009-07-04T06:00:00-04:00

You may remember that we did a story on Cedar, the English Mastiff and his hygroma back in May. As you may recall a hygroma is a fluid filled bursa that develops on the elbows of dogs, especially big dogs, as a result of constant pressure form getting up and down on hard surfaces. Not all dogs get them and most are not as severe as Cedar's.

Cedar's problem is complicated by the fact that his hygroma is ulcerated and open. It's like an open sore and our friends Mike and Ellie have been patiently bandaging and dressing the wound for weeks now. It does not look like it's getting much better.

I suggested that they purchase a Dog Legg adjustable padded bandage. They did get one and they have had mixed results. While the Dog Legg does a good job of padding the injury it also holds in the moisture from the wound and the result is a stinky mess. We are still using the padded bandage but the wound itself has to be changed daily.

I called my friend Dr. Bill Craig, the Chief Medical Officer at PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance and a board certified small animal practitioner. Bill had some good suggestions but also some cautious advice. First of all there is no fool proof way to deal with these things. There is disagreement among veterinarians on how to handle them. Some advocate surgery and other's don't. I'd have to say that Dr. Craig and I are in the same camp here. We would not advocate surgery as a general rule. They tend to come back after surgery and in some cases the surgery can make things worse.

When I described Cedar's condition to Bill he was sympathetic and had some suggestions. First of all he wanted to know if we had done all the basics; soft bed, padding etc. He was also suspicious of an infection. The wound itself could be infected and the infection could be deep in the tissue. This would explain the particular odor associated with the wound and it could be delaying healing.

So the first thing we'll do is a culture and sensitivity. We'll culture the tissue for the presence of pathogenic bacteria and then see what antibiotic would be the best to handle the bug.

Next we'll refine our bandaging technique and include a special topical antibiotic that can penetrate the mass of the hygroma. We'll change the bandage at least once per day and hope for the best.

We're visiting Ellie, Mike and Cedar at their beautiful home in Jackson, Wyoming. They have a good veterinarian here that is very familiar with Cedar. We'll visit him and see what he has to say and get the culture and sensitivity.

Hopefully, the next time we write about Cedar, he'll be better. I know if there is anything that Ellie and Mike can do, they'll do it. Cedar's family.

Rescuing Abused Animals is a Big Job: These Guys Can Handle it!

2009-07-03T06:30:00-04:00

If you Twitter, you know how many rescue sites there are on the net. At least, you know there are a whole LOT of rescue sites, and shelters, and such. Twitter is flooded with them, not the least of which is our own best buddy, Romeo the Cat.

It's sad, I think, that we need so many shelters and rescue sites, in addition to the Humane Society and local animal shelters. Why can't we just take care of our animals? Why can't we just accept that dogs and cats and pets are part of us - part of our families - part of the human experience? Well, I'm sure you can, and I know I can...but, apparently, not everybody else can.

It should be criminal. No, really. Not just a slap on the hand or a wag of the finger or a fine or a short jail term. It should be a felony and people who knowingly harm animals should be put away. IMHO

Well, the next time you see or think you know of an animal being abused, I know who you can call:

Rescue Ink, a group of burly bikers who don't like to see animals being abused. I first saw them on the Ellen Show, but I just discovered they are coming out with a book, Rescue Ink: How Ten Guys Saved Countless Dogs and Cats, Twelve Horses, Five Pigs, One Duck, and a Few Turtles - from Viking Press (a division of Penguin.com). (so...fact is, you can sic these guys on evil doers - and they will take matters into their own hands!)

My favorite is Big Ant - here's a bit about him: "At 6'1", weighing in at 320 lebs, it's easy to figure out why they call Anthony "Big Ant." From farms in Italy, to the streets of Brooklyn and Queens, Big Ant learned early on that respect is a way of life. A guy who looks like he could snap you in two, Big Ant is a caring and helpful person. Big Ant's household includes two dogs, a cat, a turtle, two rabbits, and a well-populated fish tank - all of which he has rescued." Wow. What's not to love about that?

And, National Geographic is giving them their own show! This sounds too good to be true. To know that big brands in publishing and TV are behind these great guys almost makes a girl wanna cry! I know I'll be tuning in to the show, and buying that book.

How about you?

Help for Navajo Dogs

2009-07-02T07:00:00-04:00

Yatehey.

Just can't get those Navajo dogs out of my mind. We were stopped along the road by a flag man as we moved through the reservation a few days ago. There was a modest house off to the left and we counted ten dogs of all ages, types and sizes running around in the yard. "Navajo's sure love dogs," my wife exclaimed.

In fact they do love dogs. Dogs have been an important part of Dine culture as long as anyone can remember. Dogs pulling travois made the original move from Western Canada to the Southwest possible over a thousand years ago. When the Navajo ruled Dinetah with their huge herds of Spanish sheep, dogs were instrumental in keeping the herds safe from predators and in moving the herds from one pasture to another. Often dogs lived their entire lives among the sheep herds and new born pups would imprint on the woolies, leading to a lifetime of interdependence.

There is even a particular look to some Navajo dogs that some researchers believe may trace back to the long ago days of their creation story.

The Dine know they have a problem with stray and feral dogs. They know they have a problem with dog over population in general. Some estimate that there are over 160,000 dogs living on the reservation and that's just too many.

An organization called Desert Animal Companions is trying to do something about the issue. Take a look at this web site and you'll see they are doing a good job of creating awareness for various animal welfare efforts including low cost spay and neuter and veterinary services at various places on the reservation. Take a look at this film entitled Rez Dogs to get an idea of the scope of problem.

Dinateh is a huge area encompassing 26,000 square miles in three states. The Dine are spread all over this place making this issue even more difficult to deal with.

At least someone is trying do attack this problem. The Dine have a long and storied love affair with their dogs, their horses and their sheep. If you'd like to help them out a bit go here and see what you can do.

Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud - Dr Grace and Dr. Larry Talk Indoor Cats Live Longer

2009-07-01T07:00:00-04:00

In this Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud podcast with Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace, we discuss keeping your cat indoors. Frankly, as Dr. Larry says, indoor cats live longer - and they're safer from harm. As well as keeping smaller wildlife (like songbirdss) safe, keeping your cat indoors is not a punishment, it's a responsibility.

But, listen to the podcast and learn (you will also learn that cats, like dogs, need to be treated for fleas...).

Who Says Cats Don't Show Affection?

2009-06-30T05:45:00-04:00

Whether or not cats show affection to their owners is a debate that seems to rage on and on. Those of us who have adorable, loving cats routinely defend the cat species as loving and attentive. Those who have only dogs, and have only met cats that are aloof, laugh at us and point fingers at the cats they know...who would never deign to sit upon a human lap.

Well, Tom and I spent 12 days in Colorado, returning home to Rochester, NY in the wee hours of the morning this past Saturday. (if this was a personal blog, I'd tell you about our not so great flight(s) home...but, that's for another blog - suffice it to say, fie on the airlines! Fie, fie, fie!)

Wabby - the resident Queenly kitty of the household - was fast asleep on our bed as we entered the house. She wakened right away and...she was very happy to see us! So there cat misunderstanders (I know, there's no such word)! Wabby meowed, sat up...she doesn't move as quickly as she used to...and she rightly and immediately asked for a treat.

Mind you, she was in good hands. My son took care of her, and he is very affectionate with her. She's a kitty that likes being petted and massaged. I'm sure he gave her lots of attention. I know he gave her lots of treats because he ran out and had to go to our favorite grocery chain, Wegmans, and get more. [the treats link is to the kind of treats my Wabby likes - after trying a number of treats, these are the ones she really goes for, that's why I linked to them]

Wabby has been extremely attentive since we got home. Not so much that she's acting as if she's afraid we'll leave again. She's not that far gone! But, she's hanging about...and yesterday she was watching me pretty closely. Right now she's asleep on the bed, having consumed her morning treats, and made herself comfortable near my pillow. Which is a problem because I'm actually allergic to her! (oh well, I'll just change the pillow case)

Granted, there are cats that aren't as friendly and loving as my Wabby. We had one, a bit ago. But, even HE had his favorite human (my daughter) and would curl up with her on a rainy afternoon, to get some warmth and loving.

Anyone who says cats aren't loving and caring and just as devoted to their pet people as dogs, doesn't know cats. Cats are very loving. And cuddly. And fun. So there.

Navajo Dogs

2009-06-29T11:33:34-04:00

I've always felt you can measure the health of a people by how they treat their animals. The Navajo don't seem to be doing so well.

We camped on the outskirts of Canyon de Chelly near Chinle Arizona for a night hoping to see some Ancestral Puebloan ruins like we saw last year at Chaco Canyon. We didn't see much of the canyon. You need a guide to go in and you pretty much have to go in jeep or some other four wheel drive vehicle.

We did see about a dozen stray dogs roaming the campground looking for scraps. They were all malnourished and at least three looked like they were nursing pups or had recently been nursing pups.

The Navajo ruled this part of the country for over 700 hundred years...

The Dine, as they prefer to be called, traveled down from what is now Alaska and NW Canada somewhere around 1000 years ago. They settled in the four corners area and roamed around northern New Mexico and North Eastern Arizona.

They were a powerful nation forcing many smaller tribes like the ancestral Puebloans, South and East, as they came. When the Spanish came to this area around 1600 they initially had friendly relations. That did not last long.

The Dine battled with the Spanish and their descendants for 300 years. Most of the time this consisted of back and forth raids mainly aimed at stealing livestock or trying to recover stolen livestock. The Dine got their sheep and horses from the Spanish and became an even stronger and richer people as a result.

When President Polk and other icons of manifest destiny started the Mexican war in the mid 1840's the Dine were the largest and most successful people in the Southwest and probably the entire west. They numbered around 14,000 and they were growing. They had prospered and had vast herds of sheep and horses. They were a constant threat to the Anglo and Mexican settlers in places like Santa Fe and Taos.

In short they were the most powerful force to be reckoned with west of the Mississippi. [pic from Navajo History for kids]

In 1846 Stephen Watts Kearny led 1700 Missouri volunteers down the Santa Fe trail with orders to take everything in his wake for the United States. The Army of the West took Santa Fe without firing a shot and soon after headed off to California with Kit Carson as their scout. They did not have time to deal with the Dine at that time but took note of the fact that they would have to be dealt with at some point. One of the benefits of being part of the U.S., General Kearny had told the Mexicans, was that the U.S. would protect them from the Dine.

A couple of years later, another bunch of soldiers led by a fellow named Washington, (not that Washington) led a force of 700 men into the land of the Dine. They managed to kill the great Dine headman, Narbona in a hail of bullets and shrapnel over a stolen horse. They marched headlong into the Dine stronghold of Canyon de Chelly in pursuit of the Navajo. If you have ever seen this country you know what a challenge that was. The Dine had relied for hundreds of years on the remoteness and inaccessibility of their vast territory. They could steal hundreds of Mexican sheep, cattle and horses and basically disappear into the vastness.

Well, Washington and his men kept after them in true West Point tradition, discovering many of their most sacred places and casting aside the myth of invulnerability of the Navajo. They convinced several Navajo headmen to sign some more worthless treaties and headed for home.

Some years later in the mid 1860's, Kit Carson pretty much finished off the Dine. Their defeat culminated in the notoriously brutal Long Walk where the Dine were forced to move from their rich homeland to the Bosque Redondo in Southeastern New Mexico. I disdain this part of my adopted state as almost Texas and it is pretty much useless. No game, no grass, no water, much misery for the Dine.

President Grant did allow them to return to what is now the Navajo reservation in NW New Mexico and NE Arizona but things were never the same. The White man's disease's and religion took their toll and a once proud and dominant people were forced to live like us, adopt our laws and culture or disappear completely.

The Dine have not disappeared but they have suffered as a displaced people like most of the other tribes in the West. Chinle, near Canyon de Chelly is a typical reservation town. Some rangy cattle ambled across the main drag as we drove through. We saw lots of what seemed to be wild dogs and feral cats. They may have belonged to someone but if was unclear. The dogs roaming the campground would slink off like a coyote if you approached them.

In my world, we deal with canine and feline obesity more than anything else. There were no fat dogs in Chinle. I spoke with a ranger that lived nearby and he told me that there was no vet around but that the county offered free Rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats. I would guess that Distemper and Parvo are rampant in this area, as well as intestinal parasites. Too dry for fleas.

It's hard to place blame or to come up with a solution to what we saw. Reservation towns all over the west look just like Chinle. We could have been in Browning Montana or any number of other reservation towns. When a nation is conquered and their way of life replaced by something strange and unfamiliar, there are consequences. Consequences that can last for 140 years or more - as people struggle to assimilate, and critters suffer, too.

Bark in the Park - Greyhounds, Pugs, and Tiny

2009-06-28T08:32:00-04:00

More good Bark in the Park video. Tom was busy moving around the Erie, CO event, capturing as much as he could. This shows the Greyhound Rescue folks, the Pug Rescue folks, and Tiny, a teeny, weeny, little poodle that gave everyone the "oohs" and "ahhs"...

In the opening clip you can see Chloe with Koa, and Miah with Twiggy (who is a bit hidden amidst all those other Greyhounds - she's the totally black one) and I'm there too, but I'm not telling you which one I am because Tom was not supposed to take picutres of me.

Does your local town or community hold dog events like this? We'd love to hear about it...and put video clips up for you. This Bark in the Park link seems to prove there are other areas doing the same thing. Everyone loves dog shows, even amateur dog shows, so we would love it if you'd share your content here.

Hey, speaking of dog shows...check out the Shine petblog in a couple of days - I have an interesting post on mixed breed dogs entering the AKC shows.