All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

Will your dog benefit from elbow surgery?

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

Whether your dog has a genetic condition, arthritis, or an injury, there may be a time your veterinarian recommends elbow surgery. Is that the right choice for your dog? One reader asked me about her dog’s arthritic, injured elbow:

Q: My Lab was chasing a tennis ball and jumped up to get it. When he landed, he cried out and appeared to be in a lot of pain. The vet says his elbow is really arthritic. What can be done for him? — via Facebook

A: The elbow is a complex joint, and the canine elbow gets quite a workout because a dog’s front legs bear about 60 percent of his body weight. A number of dog breeds, including Labs, can develop elbow dysplasia, an assortment of conditions that can occur when the elbow joint is deformed or doesn’t mature properly. Whatever type of elbow dysplasia a dog has, the eventual result is painful and often crippling osteoarthritis. Common signs include limping, tiring quickly from play or reluctance to play.

Depending on the condition that’s diagnosed, your dog has a couple of options. He may benefit from arthroscopic surgery if he has osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) or fragmented medial coronoid process (FMCP). It’s minimally invasive and involves removing a broken fragment of bone or damaged cartilage. It can improve the condition for a time, but may not be a permanent fix.

A new technique is elbow replacement surgery. The surgery takes two to three hours to complete, and it requires careful attention to detail. A slick new mechanical joint replaces the damaged one. Afterward, the dog may spend five days in the hospital before going home, and require five to six months for complete recovery. The cost is approximately $6,000.

If your dog is not a candidate for surgery, medical management techniques may help reduce pain. They include weight loss, limiting activity, providing pain relief with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and giving nutraceuticals such as glucosamine and chondroitin to protect and build up cartilage. Your dog may also benefit from rehab, such as workouts on an underwater treadmill.

Read more, including how to handle urban coyotes, in this week’s Pet Connection!

3 major problems that could be causing your dog’s bad breath

News

Does your dog’s bad breath mean he has dental problems? Probably, but it could also be a sign of a serious health problem.

While we sometimes tease about “doggy breath,” most pet owners know it’s typically the sign of dental disease, and that’s no laughing matter. Commonly diagnosed (as a matter of fact, the single most commonly diagnosed problem in veterinary medicine), periodontal disease is a medical diagnosis and one that comes with a treatment plan to help keep not only your dog’s teeth and gums healthy, but the entire body healthy.

Sometimes, however, your dog can have a funny smell to her breath that’s indicative of a potentially far more serious health problem. Here are three serious conditions that can cause distinct (or should I say dis-stink) oral odors:

1. A sweet, fruity smell. Can indicate diabetes, especially if you also notice your dog drinking and urinating more.

2. A smell like urine. Could be indicative of kidney disease, particularly if also accompanied by an increase in water consumption, more frequent urination and decreased hunger.

3. Foul play. A mouth odor that veterinarians and pet owners just describe as “horrific,” when accompanied by vomiting, loss of appetite, swelling of the abdomen and yellowing of the whites of the eyes, could indicate a liver disorder.

Whatever’s causing your dog’s bad breath, it’s not normal or healthy — but it is a sign you need to see the vet!

‘Home Depot Cart’ dog, Ike, loses his fight with cancer

News

His story swept across the Internet when Ernesto Moran and Justin Wadman, two employees at a California Home Depot, crafted a cart to help 15-year-old dog Ike get around when cancer made it difficult for him to walk.

Now Ike’s free of pain, although he’s left a hole in the heart of his mom, Risa Feldman, whose visit to Home Depot that day started an unexpected groundswell of support and love for her beloved dog. She told ABC News she only asked for help in creating a cart herself when Moran and Wadman told her to let them build it for her.

I spoke with Risa, who told me she let Ike go last Tuesday. “I laid him down to sleep,” she said. “Over the ocean on a hilltop. Amongst some special friends. At sunset he was so content. But ready to go.”

Rest in peace, dear Ike. You had so many friends you never met, and we’ll all miss you!

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3 ways to prevent a mess when your pet just can’t hold it

Veterinary Medicine

Nobody likes to find a puddle on the tile floor, or walk across the carpet with bare feet or socks and get that “sinking feeling” when your toes touch the tinkle.

It’s normal for puppies to make mistakes, and many pets with bladder problems have accidents because of urinary tract, kidney, metabolic and neurological issues (which is why you should always take a pet who is urinating more frequently or having accidents to the veterinarian for a checkup before assuming it’s a behavior issue).

But some older pets, just like older people, can’t hold their bladder as long anymore, or at all. So even if your veterinarian can’t provide a specific diagnosis and effective treatment plan, there are some things you can do to help keep your house dry. Here are my top three tips:

1. Nip the nightcap. Unless it’s medically contraindicated, limit the amount of water your dog has access to in the evening and during the night.

2. Put Mother Nature on speed dial. Most senior pets need more opportunities to relieve themselves. Take pets outside as soon as they wake up and as within 15 minutes of them eating or drinking. You may also have to add one late night potty to the list as your pet ages. For example, I have a senior dog who can no longer hold it between the time we go to bed and and when we wake up. And neither can I, so I take Quixote outside to do his business just before bedtime, then when I get up during the night, I let him out at the same time.

3. Doggie diapers. Don’t laugh. Pet diapers are available at pet stores and online. Better in the diaper than on your carpeting, upholstery, bedding or floors. Make sure to change frequently so that your dog doesn’t get a moist dermatitis (also known as diaper rash).

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What you need to know about dogs and liver disease

Veterinary Medicine

Liver disease is dogs is, to put it mildly, strange. So it’s no wonder many pet owners have questions about it, like this reader who wrote to ask about her dog’s liver disease diagnosis:

Q: My Labrador retriever has been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis. He’s being treated, but do I need to worry that he could pass on the disease to family members or friends? What can you tell me about this disease?

A: First things first: The good news for you is that canine chronic hepatitis is not a disease that can be transmitted to people.

Canine chronic hepatitis is a weird disease. It’s not actually a single disease, but a group of liver diseases, none of which we understand very well. Some forms appear to be autoimmune-related, while others are associated with high levels of copper in the liver. Sometimes, cases are associated with infection or drug toxicity. When the cause is unknown, the disease is referred to as idiopathic chronic hepatitis.

Clinical signs tend to be vague — poor appetite, weakness, yellow tinge to the whites of the eyes — and may not become apparent until the condition is far advanced. Vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and excessive thirst and urination can also be signs of chronic liver disease. Canine chronic hepatitis usually affects middle-aged dogs, male or female, but adults of any age can be affected.

It may also impact certain breeds more commonly, including cocker spaniels, Doberman pinschers, Dalmatians, Labrador retrievers, Skye terriers, standard poodles and West Highland white terriers. In Bedlington terriers, chronic hepatitis is caused by a buildup of copper that eventually damages the liver.

Depending on the apparent cause and stage of the disease, treatment may involve antibiotics, medications to help support the liver, anti-inflammatory drugs or drugs that treat or prevent the buildup of copper in the liver. Your veterinarian may also recommend certain dietary changes or vitamin supplements to help reduce the level of copper in the body or help the body excrete copper more effectively. It’s a good idea to test dogs at high risk for chronic hepatitis early in life.

Read more, including about tick diseases that affect people and pets, in this week’s Pet Connection!