News and Notes

The weekly wrap-up: Your new best friend is waiting for you

Monday, Feb 6th, 2012

Guess I was too busy first with church and then with all those Super Bowl ads* to get this done yesterday. But here’s what I wrote about last week for Vetstreet:

Adult cats have a hard time finding new homes sometimes, in part because cats are often shy around new people. And that’s a shame, because an adult cat is the perfect match for many living situations. Better yet, adopt a bonded pair. Here’s what to look for at the shelter.

That was Monday. On Tuesday, I went video, with segment on how to prevent illness in your cat:

Adult dog or puppy? As you can imagine, over my lifetime I’ve had great dogs of all shapes and sizes, and it hasn’t mattered if I adopted as an adult dog or found a great puppy from a reputable breeder. I’ve done both. On Wednesday, I offered some thoughts to a reader wondering what was the best choice. My answer? It depends.

Thursday, I got bumped off the schedule, but I don’t mind because it was for my daughter’s article on how to keep the family dog from chasing the family cat. Nice work, Mikkel!

I wrapped up the week with a topic very dear to my heart: How to plan now for the financial demands of a sick pet. There are few things more important to know when caring for your pet. Read and ask yourself: Am I prepared? Your pet’s life depends on your answer.

*Those Super Bowl ads: I loved the work my Vetstreet colleagues did in pulling them all together for our readers. What was your favorite animal-related ad?

Nutritional management of hyperthyroidism creating veterinary buzz

Friday, Feb 3rd, 2012

Have you ever had a cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism? If so, you may be surprised to know there’s a brand new option for managing the condition — and it has created a lot of buzz in the veterinary world.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition where the thyroid goes on overdrive. It’s typically a condition among older cats, and the symptoms including a dramatic increase in activity along with weight-loss. Left untreated, it’s bad news.

For years there have been three option for treatment: radiation therapy, daily medication or surgery.  All three have serious drawbacks from a pet-owner’s point of view. Now, veterinarians can offer a bold new approach to treatment — nutritional management.

One of the big buzzes at the recent North American Veterinary Conference was about Hill’s Prescription Diet y/d, which is a daily, low-iodine nutrition solution designed to manage hyperthyroidism in cats.

Why is it so exciting? Because food is more likely to get inside a cat every day than a pill is, and because, most of all, y/d is clinically proven to improve thyroid health in three weeks.

If your cat is diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, be sure to discuss this treatment innovation with your veterinarian. It’s a game-changer.

Cleaning house helps keep your pets healthier

Friday, Feb 3rd, 2012

At our Almost Heaven Ranch we have floors that are all wood (walnut) or tile with a few area rugs for comfort and contrast. While we deep clean the house top to bottom once a week, about every other day we use a Swiffer. Every time I slap one of those electrostatically-charged pads onto the extended handle and start cruising around the floors, I’m amazed at how it attracts the dog hair (I call our dogs “hairy hand grenades that explode in furry shrapnel”), picks up dust and dander, even the grass they track in. What I can’t see is the pollen and spores that are on the pad too. We have a large house and when I switch pads I’m grossed out by the composition and quantity of yucky gunk that’s trapped on the pad and almost feel like I want to wear gloves to take it off and toss it into the trash.

Dogs are basically Swiffers with four legs. Everything that’s on the floor is also on them and the more you use a Swiffer the less dirt, dander, pollen and spores gets on them. The less that gets on their skin and coat the less skin problems they’ll have with Atopy or Environmental Allergies. Environmental allergies manifest themselves by dogs face rubbing, licking or chewing their feet or paws, or licking/chewing/scratching other parts of the body, also chronic ear or anal gland problems. Skin problems are the No. 1 reason people take their pets to the veterinarian, and environmental allergies are one of the most common causes of skin problems. By using Swiffer products routinely, by cleaning with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter and by bathing dogs weekly you’ll keep your pet healthy, comfortable, with a shiny huggable coat and save trips to the veterinarian.

Little strip can make a big difference in a dog’s dental health

Thursday, Feb 2nd, 2012

What’s going on in your pet’s mouth? If you can’t say you’ve ever checked, I can tell you the news will likely not be good.

Periodontal disease is the No. 1 most commonly diagnosed pet health problem, with about 85 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats getting it by age 3. Periodontal disease may begin in small-breed dogs and cats as early as 9 months of age.

So how do you know if your pet has periodontal disease? It’s hard because the problem is present below the gum line  — it’s like trying to see the underwater part of an iceberg from a boat. Even your veterinarian, if using just a visual exam, hasn’t always been able to detect your pet’s periodontal disease. But it’s there, and it’s steady process of decay is causing suffering in your pet.

At  the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando last month, there was talk about a new “cool tool” to detect and monitor periodontal disease in dogs (a cat version is in the works). The OraStrip QuickCheck is a rapid, simple to use, surefire test strip that provides the veterinarian the opportunity to detect changes in gingival health that can’t be seen by visual detection. The OraStrip QuickCheck works by determining the level of critical chemomarkers called thiols generated by anaerobic bacteria associated with periodontal disease during infection and tissue destruction. The test strip is rubbed along the gum line and within 10 seconds the strip changes color if thiol levels are present, indicating disease activity such as gingivitis or periodontitis.

We’ve been using the OraStrip QuickCheck at Lakewood Animal Hospital for a couple of months now. Both pet owners and the veterinary healthcare team love it. The veterinarian can do the test in the exam room with almost instant results. No more guessing, visible proof if a pet is suffering. From there, steps need to be taken to regain his health.

Do dogs belong at the dining table? My daughter weighs in

Wednesday, Feb 1st, 2012

As everyone who knows me knows, I’m a very proud father. Teresa and I have always put family first, and we’ve been blessed with two of the most wonderful children any parents could wish for. Has life been perfect? Of course not! I remember their teen years with a mixture of gratefulness that I was there to enjoy the good parts and even more gratefulness that the bad parts are behind us all.

Yes, we’re empty-nesters now. Except, of course, for our four-legged kids.

Our son, Lex, is spending a year in Japan, studying.  Our daughter, Mikkel, is a hard-working writer and pet-trainer and mother of our only grandchild, Reagan. While our times together as a family are fewer now that everyone has grown and gone, the strength of our love as a family has never faltered.

We are fam-i-ly, as the song goes, and my family is truly everything to me.

And yet, I think as a veterinarian I’m capable of being somewhat objective about my daughter’s work. Honestly, I think she’s pretty fantastic, and I’m not the only one who thinks that, so I suspect I’m right.

The folks at Vetstreet agree. They have liked a couple of Mikkel’s recent articles so much they’ve shined a bright light on them to attract as many readers as possible.

First is a piece on how to train your dog to behave himself in a restaurant. While dog-friendly restaurants (and dog-friendly public transportation) are pretty widespread in Europe, in this country we’ve never really gone in for sharing diner space with dogs. Health and fear are the most commonly cited reasons why not, but really, it’s just a cultural difference. One that I suspect may be changing, considering how many of us share kitchens and even food without our dogs, with no problems. Writes Mikkel:

To find a pup-approved spot in your region, check out dogfriendly.com and petsonthego.com, which highlight dog-friendly restaurants around the country. Just be sure to call ahead and ask if the designated pet area is open, since many of them are seasonal. You can also ask around at your local dog park or even reach out to your favorite restaurants directly to see if they ever offer pet-friendly dining options.

You should also keep in mind that there may be children and dogs around, as well as loud talking and various other distractions, which may cause your pet to be fearful or react by lunging and barking. For some pets, the stress of the dining experience outweighs the positives, but for pooches who really enjoy dining out, there are some rules that you should follow.

Here’s the rest. Now, it was kind of interesting to me how many pet-lovers thought dogs should not be allowed in restaurants at all. Especially on my Facebook page.  Join the discussion!

I expect a lot more agreement for Mikkel’s assertion that you need to prepare your dog for the arrival of your baby. And I think she did a great job with this article:

It’s never too early to start getting your pets ready for the baby’s arrival; training should begin months before the big day. In fact, I’ve advised numerous pet owners to prepare their dog for handling a baby in the home even before becoming pregnant.

Planning is everything. So go read while this proud papa pops a few buttons with pride.