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

Take This!!!! (You Dirty Rat.)

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

Rat poisons have for many years been relatively easy for DVM’s to deal with, since they cause bleeding, and they take about two days to cause symptoms. They have a good antidote and are almost always curable if we have any ideas that are present. What’s not to like?

 

In the past few years, the bleeding type rat baits (warfarin or coumadin types) are being replaced by products that affect the animal much more quickly with much more severe symptoms, including sudden death. There are some reasons given why this is occurring, but I do not really understand them.

 

So, a few words to consider:

1- Be extremely careful with any rat poison, but especially with newer ones that are not “warfarin” type or “coumadin” type. If your pet ingests much of the newer type, he will be at severe risk of death.

2- If your pet ingests rat poison, or ANY poison for that matter, call the ER or your DVM NOW with the active ingredients. In many cases, vomiting is important and vomiting within an hour of ingestion may save a life. So have your container with label out when you call, and bring it with you to us.

3- An Animal Poison Control, which is current on all animal poisons, is available to us for a fee. Be prepared to allow us to use it if we need it.

 

As I always advocate, use good basic common sense in these situations, and you will often save the day.

 

 

See? Something CAN be done about preventing pet illness.

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

 

The Heat

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

It seems like just yesterday that we had that cool, low humidity “California” weather that we and our pets enjoy. It left.

 

Welcome back to Louisiana, where it’s not just the heat… It’s the humidity. I agree that the combination of high heat and high moisture in the air can be stifling.

 

So, this update is to remind you that the Louisiana heat is returning, having evicted the California cool.

 

Remember your pets in the heat.

 

-No pets left in cars, since the car will become a convection oven within several minutes.

 

-All pets that are outside need lots of shade, water, and maybe even a fan or two.

 

-Be very careful with exercising your athlete pets. I have seen retrievers that would not stop, even when overheating, until they collapse. So, maybe training early in the morning or late in the evening, maybe in the water, with very close monitoring.

 

Just keep your pets in mind and be sure you help them “beat the heat”.

 

 

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

Big Dog Little Dog (Again!)

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

On a recent weekend ER shift, I saw several cases that we call “big dog little dog” in which a larger dog bites a littler dog.

I believe that the recent cases will all be ok, but this is to remind you again about this topic.

Whenever you place two dogs that don’t know each other together, there is at least some risk of problems. Some larger dogs feel threatened or possibly insulted by the smaller dog.

Maybe the smaller dog is just annoying the larger one past the breaking point.

Maybe the larger dog just meant to issue a warning, but over-did it.

In any case, the smaller dog is hurt and probably needs care. Always get care on these, since sometimes; these injuries are worse than they look.

How to avoid?

-Keep dogs that do not know each other apart unless you can 100% supervise.

-Stay alert in these situations, since they happen very very fast.

-Gradually introduce new dogs to each other under controlled conditions until you are certain all is ok.

-Be very careful in dog parks, etc. since conditions exist in which injury may occur.

 

See? Something CAN be done about preventing injury.

 

 

That is all.

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

I (HEART) MY DOG

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

Recently, I had two pets on oxygen with heart disease at the same time at the clinic. So I thought I might review canine heart disease with you in my usual over-simplified fashion. (Sorry Dr. Guyton)

 

The heart is a pump that circulates blood through the body. Generally, it takes blood from the lungs that has picked up a load of oxygen, pumps that blood to the body organs that need oxygen, receives the blood that has dropped off the oxygen, pumps it to the lungs to pick up more, and then repeats.

 

If you think about it, it really is an incredible system that works very well, non-stop, for years.

 

But, as you can imagine, there are MANY spots along this path that allow a chance for something to go wrong. If any part is not working well, your pet will have problems.

 

In general, pets do not tend to get “heart attacks” like humans do. Rather, little dogs tend to have problems with the valves inside the heart, which may leak and make the heart “cavitate” and thus become inefficient. In larger dogs, the muscle of the heart may more likely have a problem and be weak,

 

Usually, older dogs will tend to have heart disease, though some occur in younger ones.

 

If your pet has exercise intolerance (gets tired really easily,) or has episodes of collapse, he may have heart disease.

 

The bad news is that we cannot cure this problem, but the good news is that we can control it with medicine and can buy your heart patient pet some good time.

 

If your pet shows any signs of heart disease, discuss it with your own DVM. There is a very good chance that something can be done about it.

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

The Canine Flu. NOW what?

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

You may have heard about the Canine Flu virus that has been going around and your pet may have been vaccinated for it. But just what is it and how much risk is there to your pet?

 

The first Canine Flu outbreak popped up a few years ago and was caused by a mutation of the Equine Flu virus. It caused severe disease or even death in a large percentage of dogs that caught it. It started in Florida with racing dogs and spread from there. It currently is considered endemic (permanently exists there) in Florida, Colorado, New York, and Pennsylvania. But, it has been confirmed in at least 41 states, and many local DVM’s choose to vaccinate for it.

 

Now, another strain has evolved. This strain started in China and Korea and evolved from an Avian Flu. It is not as famous, but possibly more contagious than the original illness.

 

A very important point regarding Flu viruses. They are chameleon-like, mutating and changing as circumstances change. They seem to cross species lines more easily than many other diseases, which more limit themselves to one species. It is even suggested that humans with the flu try to somewhat avoid canines due to the concern of a mutation affecting the pet.

 

So, should you vaccinate for Flu? That is a question for your day DVM. My approach would be to vaccinate if there appears to be a threat in this area, but not necessarily vaccinate for every possible Flu bug with every possible vaccine.

 

A key point is that the Canines Flu’s seem to be more dangerous to dogs than their human counterparts are to people. Again, in many cases, death occurs, and survivors can have permanent lung damage.

 

As always, excellent husbandry helps. Good shelter, rest, high quality food, and appropriate preventive care as recommended by your DVM will help mitigate problems.

 

Flu and all such challenges CAN be dealt with. Be sure you communicate with your own DVM to get the best plan for your own pets.

 

 

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

Et Tu, Brute?

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

A very common emergency we see at Pet Emergency Clinic is dystocia, or “difficult birth,” and a very common surgery that our doctors perform is the Caesarian Section, or C-section.

Interestingly, some version of the C-section has been recorded in history for as long as there is recorded history. The problem was, back then, the survival rate for the mother was essentially zero, so one might have thought twice about consenting. It is thought that Julius Caesar was in fact born by this surgery and that his mother actually survived the ordeal.

In any case, nowadays, C-sections are totally routine in human medicine and are pretty routine in veterinary medicine. I always like to point out that NO ABDOMINAL SURGERY can be considered totally and 100% routine.

If your pregnant female dog is near term (about 63 days) and is really pushing to have her puppies for over 1-2 hours, you need help. Go see a DVM. If your first time mother dog is near term and just acting antsy, nesting, and half-heartedly pushing occasionally, she is probably is stage 1 labor, which happens before “real”, Stage 2, labor. But call to be sure.

In some cases, dogs can have puppies with a medical assist, but in many cases, by the time we see the mother at PetER, it is time for surgery. Surgery consists of a modern general anesthesia product that affects the puppies less than older products, and a trained technician team to stimulate the new babies, gets them breathing, and keeps them warm. You get mother and babies back usually within an hour of surgery.

So, if your pregnant female dog is having any difficulty giving birth, either call your DVM (or Pet ER after hours) or just turn up. She probably needs some help.

What breeds seem to have C sections more often? Dogs with larger heads are likely culprits. It seems that we often see Chihuahuas, along with any Bulldog, especially the English.

 

What can you do to prepare?

1- If you have a large headed breed, or any breed known to often need a C section, be ready, especially near delivery time.

2- If your female dog is bred by a much larger dog, be ready.

3- Educate yourself on doggy labor, what to look for, and what is a problem. This will put you at cause.

4- Set some money aside or get a Care Credit (carecredit.com) account set up just in case. C-sections can be expensive.

5- Educate yourself on puppy care, since you may become the de facto mother, especially right after the surgery.

 

So, as you can tell, C-sections definitely “cut like a knife”, but do not necessarily “feel so right.”

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE or CRUELTY?

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

Should a pet have an invasive surgery to prevent a problem common to the breed that hasn’t happened yet?

In another part of the country, a breeder of Swiss Mountain Dogs asked a veterinarian to perform a preventive gastropexy (procedure in which the stomach is tacked to the abdominal wall to prevent stomach twists), This breed is known to very frequently be afflicted with gastric torsion (stomach twist). The breeder reasoned that she would not then have to worry about that condition. [This is not unreasonable. In many breeds that get gastric torsion, the stomach is tacked at the same time as a spay or other abdominal surgery is done.]

The breeder also requested a splenectomy (spleen removal) during the same surgery, since this breed also gets a large number of cases of splenic cancer.

The veterinarian was uncertain about doing all of this on an apparently healthy dog, since he was not totally convinced that the procedures were indicated (appropriate.)

You may have read about the famous actress who had a total mastectomy to prevent breast cancer when she found out that she carried a gene that would make breast cancer very likely. This would seem to be a similar thing.

Is it right to do aggressive surgeries to prevent the possibility of something that has not actually occurred? The human actress actually chose for herself. Our pets rely on us to do right and cannot choose for themselves. I do not know the right answer.

I suppose that, in any such case, the DVM and the pet owner should think hard about the risks and pain of the procedure contemplated versus the risks of having the condition.

Will the pain, trauma, and risks of major surgery be worth the benefit of eliminating the possibility of severe, life-threatening disease? That is what would have to be determined. As medical care for pets gets more and more advanced, we pet owners will likely be confronted with more decisions like this in the future.

That is all.

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic

HEALING SHOULD NOT BE A PAIN

Dear Fellow Pet Lovers,

 

Until about 20 years ago, pain control for animals was not a huge consideration for veterinarians. It was believed that pain actually assisted healing since it reduced activity. This idea has been considered false for the past many years.

 

It is now known that controlling pain effectively is a key part of faster healing. When the body is in pain, it is using resources to address pain and taking them away from healing. Though this seems obvious, it is still a relatively recent revelation in veterinary medicine.

 

Nowadays, pain control is a critical part of any after-surgery or any after-injury care. Your DVM will often send up to 2 or more types of pain control in such a circumstance. Pain meds are usually injected during surgical procedures to get the pain control started ahead of the severe pain.

 

A new thing that is being done to further reduce post-surgery pain is to inject local anesthetic around the surgery site, blocking pain for several hours. (This is similar in some ways to the nerve blocks used by your dentist for dental surgery)

 

So, you can see that pain is not a helpful factor in healing. Rather, it is harmful. When your pet is experiencing a painful situation, proper pain control is necessary for fastest healing.

 

At Pet Emergency Clinic, we work hard to treat and prevent pain, in order to get your pet healed as fast as possible.

 

 

That is all.

 

 

Dr. John Emerson, Pet Emergency Clinic