“Beer for My Horses….”

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

Sorry for the Toby Keith reference, but since the topic this week is vaccines (“shots”) for our pet animals, I could not resist.

For the past several years, the recommendation of annual vaccines for dogs and cats have been challenged.

The argument FOR is that annual boosters is what the label directions have required, and that we almost never see the diseases that these vaccines protect you against. Additionally, the pets seeing the veterinarian every year could result in disease being spotted early, when we would have a better chance to handle it.

The argument AGAINST it is that the protection likely last far longer than 1 year, and over-vaccinating could create harm to a pet or to a person, for that matter. And, you can still take your pet to see the DVM even without vaccination boosters.

So, what to do about pet vaccination? (The following is opinion only)

Always complete the initial puppy or kitten vaccine series exactly as your DVM recommends. Also, do the same at the one year point to ensure that immunity is in and protective.

For later years, have a frank discussion with your veterinarian about how to proceed. What diseases could your pet be exposed to that may require annual vaccination? Together, determine a rational plan.

Always follow local law, which will determine the requirements for Rabies vaccine.

Always have your veterinarian perform the physical, vaccinations, and routine testing such as heartworm and fecal. Your feedstore vaccine may just break your heart when you need it the most.

Always provide safe, climate-controlled quarters for you pet, and a high-quality diet. Good rest and nutrition alone provide a huge boost for your pet’s immune system.

Only board your pet at a facility that requires correct vaccination. This will protect your pet as well.

Be very careful about dog parks and other large gatherings of dogs that may be carrying disease.

So, there you have it. My opinion on protecting your pets from disease.

See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.

That is all.

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

Ha!… Ha!… Ha!… Ha!… Stayin Alive. ….Stayin Alive

Many of you remember the movie Saturday Night Fever that included the famous BeeGees disco song “Stayin Alive.”

And did you know that “Stayin Alive” can help your pet to stay alive by making CPR easier?

CPR (Coronary Pulmonary Ressussitation)  is a set of lifesaving actions taken when a heart stops. It includes “pumping” the heart at a certain speed  to try to restart it . And it just happens that the rhythm of “staying Alive” matches the rhythm of correct CPR.

Regarding CPR on your pet, here are a few bits of info….

1- There are some somewhat new standardized actions now published for pet CPR. (This has been complete in humans for many years, but in veterinary medicine, universal guidelines had never before been completed)
2- CPR for a pet (or even a person) with severe multi-organ disease is often unsuccessful, even if the heart is restarted initially.
3- CPR for an otherwise healthy pet or person who “codes” under anesthesia or in unusual situations has a far better chance of success.
4- Remember this paddles you see on every TV medical show? These are often useful on humans but not so much on pets, because the cause of heart stoppage is different.
5- A good CPR team drills and practices to try to give a pet the very best chance whenever a cardiac arrest occurs.

So, there you have it. Heart-stopping information in case a heart stops.

See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.

That is all.

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

Pot and Pets

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

Lately, I have been hearing about the use of marijuana for pets with painful illnesses and in some cases for pets WITHOUT painful illnesses.

As you know, there are several states that allow medical use of marijuana in humans. In fact, Louisiana will soon be joining this list. And there are also several states that allow this drug to be used recreationally. So, the question is, would pot be helpful for painful illness in pets? Would it be ok just for fun?

I do not necessarily know the answer to the first question. Though pot seems to help people in pain, we do not really know whether it is good for pets. It has not been properly studied and there would be plentiful roadblocks to doing those studies. You should not let your dog be the guinea pig.

Regarding question 2, is it ok to give pets pot, I can tell you from experience that we have seen numerous pets who had been given or who had “scored” pot on their own, that were extremely ill and we were concerned may not survive. I think that this probably has to do with the dose per pound body weight. An amount that is small for a 200lb human may be huge for a 10 pound dog.

So, here are my thoughts on pot and pets:
1- I would in general avoid giving pot to any pet for any reason, since it is possibly very dangerous and it is also illegal.
2- If you enjoy the odd joint for yourself, be very careful to ensure that your pet absolutely cannot get to it.
3- One of the things that happen when we see pets who have ingested pot or other drugs is that the owner is reluctant to tell us that this has occurred. Then, because of vague symptoms, we run a large number of tests in an attempt to get a diagnosis. So, if your pet gets some of your “stash” for some reason, please let us know so we may treat your pet correctly.
4- Remember that, even if you had a legitimate medical “reason” for your pet to be given state-legal medical pot, the drug is still considered illegal according to Federal law. Thus, you could still be at risk for prosecution despite being  State-legal.

When I was in college, I knew a lot of people who smoked marijuana, and it was almost mainstream. For many years, it was far less popular. But not, it is again becoming a favored drug.

So, until it is a proven and legal therapy, avoid it and seek other pain control measures.

See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.

That is all.

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

Halloween Time…

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

During Halloween, every year, Pet ER treats numerous dogs that were poisoned by chocolate or that started vomiting due to eating numerous unhealthy goodies.

So, the advice for the week is very very short.

1- Control your pet during times, like Halloween, in which lots of unhealthy food is about. AND…

2- Remember that chocolate, in any form, is toxic to dogs. (The darker the chocolate, the worse it is) AND…

3- If you call the ER asking if the amount of chocolate your pet ate was a toxic amount, our response will ALWAYS be to bring your pet in for evaluation. The risk if we get it wrong when guessing  is just too high.

Hope that you have a fun, incident free, Halloween!

See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.

That is all.

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

Treats! Treats! (The Wonderful Fruit.)

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

As many of you have learned, I am not a big pet treat fan for several reasons, but I do understand that many of you are.

 

You may remember the discussions about Chicken Jerky treats causing real problems up to death in thousands of dogs since 2006. The problems occurred most often in treats that, though from American companies, were actually produced in China. To this day, we do not know the entire problem with the treats.

 

A recent report indicated that the problem with chicken jerky treats for dogs has reduced dramatically, though there still are cases. Not all the cases were from Chinese product, and, again, we never totally discovered the cause of the problem.

 

So, I recommend that you never feed chicken jerky treats to your canine friends in any case.

 

If you are a real pet treater, and feel you must treat…

 

– Use a product, preferably one made in the US that is known to be safe.

– Do not feed large quantities of treats, as they are often rich and cause upset stomach and sometimes diarrhea.

– Avoid “tipping,” meaning giving your dog a treat every time he does what he is supposed to anyway.

– Use lots of attention and petting and talking to in lieu of large amounts of treats, and your dog will be happier and lighter.

 

So, there you have it. My take on treats….

 

See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

Make Memorial Day 2016 a Good Memory

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

Memorial Day 2016 will be here very soon. This important holiday, which informally marks the start of the summer season, was established to honor all Americans who died while serving in the military. It was originally called “Decoration Day” and was first observed in 1868.

 

Every year, we all get together to celebrate, be together, maybe cook delicious food, and enjoy ourselves. And every year, we, as loving pet owners, determine to share “just a little treat” with begging Fideaux of the big sad eyes!

 

And every year, we at Pet Emergency Clinic treat a large number of those “begging Phydeauxs of the big sad eyes” for vomiting and diarrhea. Never fails.

 

So, why am I combining Memorial Day with diarrhea? Because they seem to go together as regards pets. That’s why!

 

Well, what can you do…???? I thought you would never ask!!

 

1- Do not feed your pet ANY new food during this time. Rather, give the pet lots of love and attention in lieu of diarrhea-causing treats and people food.

 

2- Keep your pet contained this holiday. The next most popular holiday fare at the ER is “Big Dog- Little Dog” fights and wounds.

 

 

Memorial Day is an important day on which we honor our American heroes. Do 1 and 2 above so the focus may stay on the heroes rather than the pets we have maybe made ill.

 

 

See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

Peanut Butter Poisoning?

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

You may have seen in the news that some peanut butters may be toxic to dogs because they contain the sweetener Xylitol. Xylitol is a natural sweetener that is fine for people and is most often found in sugar-free gums.

But, in dogs, the product radically lowers the blood sugar to a point that could even be fatal. (This would be similar to a diabetic having an overdose of insulin) Do understand that the severity of the problem is usually related to just how much your dog got. That is, a tiny amount may be zero problems but a large amount may be a big problem.

So, if, like many pet owners, you give your pet pills in peanut butter, avoid any that are sweetened with Xylitol.

Some brands that use xylitol include: “Go Nuts,” “Hank’s Protein Plus Peanut Butter,” “Krush Nutrition,” “Nuts n More,” and “P28.”

There are several other names used for xylitol that include anhydroxylitol, birch bark extract, xylite, xylitylglucoside, and zylatol.

We have seen xylitol poisonings at the ER related to ingesting sugar-free gums, but so far no peanut butter problems.

As always, preventing problems with superior knowledge and planning trumps treating problems every time!

And finally,” Choosy Mothers Choose Non-xylitol-sweetened Peanut Butters.” So true!

That is all.

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic