Pet and Wellness Fun this Saturday, May 18, 2013

Looking for a fun, outdoor activity for the whole family this weekend? Join us at The AMC’s Annual PAW (Pet and Wellness) Day celebration in Carl Schurz Park (84^th Street and East End Avenue, 10am – 1pm), where every family member, including the furry ones, will find special activities designed just for them.

Doggy massages and more
Members of The AMC’s Tina Santi Flaherty Rehabilitation & Fitness Service will teach two sessions on how to relax your dog with yoga and massage. Veterinary staff from The AMC will provide free screenings for canine high blood pressure (hypertension), tooth brushing lessons, obesity assessment and many other hands-on health activities.

There will also be two sessions entitled, “Pet First Aid for the Pet Owner,” presented by one of The AMC’s board certified emergency and critical care veterinarians. Other specialist veterinarians from The AMC will be on hand to answer questions about pet health and disease. They will distribute pamphlets and fliers as well as free samples of treats and pet products.

Kid’s stuff
This year, PAW Day will feature a dog well known to children – Clifford, the Big Red Dog, from the PBS series of the same name. Another PAW Day highlight for children will be the stuffed animal veterinary clinic. Children may bring their favorite stuffed animal for a veterinary examination and treatment or adopt an animal at the event. Children attending PAW Day can also purchase a veterinary kit and receive instruction on examination techniques by the highly trained AMC veterinarians.

Over 400,000 children receive medical treatment each year for dog bite injuries. Since children are the most common victims of dog bites, every parent should be concerned with teaching their child how to safely interact with dogs. Children attending PAW Day can practice the four steps of being safe around dogs with friendly dog volunteers who will be on-hand. If children are shy around dogs, they can still learn about safe interactions with dogs at the coloring book station, which will be in a dog free zone.

PAW Day is free and open to the public, so stop by and say hello to your favorite AMC veterinarian! Check out The AMC’s website for additional information about the event: www.amcny.org/pawday2013. 

Household Cleaning Products: A Pet Danger

X-ray of a cat that has eaten a metal mesh scouring pad

It’s spring cleaning time, but if you have pets please clean cautiously since some of the most common cleaning agents can be toxic to your pet. Birds are especially sensitive to the fumes from household cleaning agents.

Chlorine bleach has an extremely wide spectrum of activity against common bacteria and viruses. Its low cost makes bleach an attractive disinfectant and laundry additive. Bleach disinfects by oxidizing cell membranes, rupturing and killing cells. Bleach has the same effect on the gastrointestinal tract if your pet drinks undiluted bleach or chews on the bleach container. A splash of bleach into the eye of a curious pet can cause tearing, irritation and even an ulcer.

Some websites recommend the use of phenol-containing pine scented cleaners as a deterrent for cats who urinate outside their litter boxes. If you use these products, you may no longer have a healthy cat and the litter box issues will seem insignificant. When walking across your freshly mopped kitchen floor, your cats get phenol on their feet. Phenol is caustic to the delicate paw pads. Then, when cats groom, they ingest the cleaner which damages their liver and kidneys. When compared to dogs, cats are extremely susceptible to phenol toxicity since their liver lacks an important enzyme for metabolism of phenol.

Although not technically toxic, steel wool and metal mesh scouring pads can cause intestinal obstruction if consumed by your pet. At first glance these products do not have much culinary appeal, but when encrusted with steak bits from the grill or some scrambled eggs from the frying pan, a scouring pad becomes a tasty treat for your dog or cat. As you can see in the x-ray, the scouring pad unravels and prevents food from normally passing though the intestine. The sharp strands can also slice into the intestinal wall. Emergency surgery is required for removal.

Quaternary ammonium compounds are disinfectants with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against bacteria, viruses and fungus. These compounds are popular cleaning agents colloquially called “quats.” Serious injury can result to both pets and people if they inadvertently come in contact with quats. Caustic burns, convulsions, low blood pressure and even death occur following ingestion or contact with the skin.

The AMC Emergency and Critical Care staff recently teamed up to save the life of a young Yorkshire Terrier with severe oral swelling and respiratory distress from ingestion of quaternary ammonium. Read his story: Yorkie Ingests Deadly Poison and Survives.

Not sure if a product is pet-safe? Download the material safety data sheet for any product you might purchase to prevent bringing a dangerous product home.

A Busy Night in the ER: Pet Toxicities

Every morning around 5am, the veterinary staff at The Animal Medical Center receives an email listing the cases admitted to the hospital overnight. I found last Sunday’s list particularly intriguing. Four dogs were admitted to the hospital suffering from ingestion of a variety of toxic agents. All four dogs ultimately recovered, but there are some important lessons to be learned from these cases.

High time to avoid marijuana

Despite his bold name, Tiger is a tiny Chihuahua. He came to The AMC’s ER in the middle of the night for being wobbly and weak. The veterinarians used a special drug test kit on his urine and found he had been exposed to marijuana. Small dogs like Tiger can easily become intoxicated by ingesting marijuana or. They develop clinical signs similar to humans, but in serious cases, signs may progress to seizures and even coma. Veterinarians in Colorado, one of the states where medical marijuana is legal, report an increase in canine marijuana toxicity in their animal ERs.

Just say no to human drugs

Charlie, a cute Yorkshire terrier, landed in the ER for one of the most common intoxications: ingestion of a human medication. His owners thought he was painful and administered just a sliver of a naproxen tablet. Naproxen alone is enough to cause a gastric ulcer as well as damage his kidneys, but Charlie was also taking a steroid medication. Steroids plus naproxen are a ‘one, two punch’ to the stomach lining and Charlie vomited a dozen times on the way to The AMC. After two nights in the hospital, Charlie was much better and was released.

Chocolates are no treat

Bibi, a chocolate colored standard poodle, gave herself an abnormal heart rhythm by eating one half of a giant dark chocolate bar. Chocolate contains theobromine, a stimulant related to caffeine. The ER staff administered activated charcoal to help decrease the absorption of the theobromine. The darker the chocolate, the greater the concentration of theobromine in the chocolate. The theobromine is responsible for the hyperactivity, vomiting and abnormal heart rhythms. Like most dogs, Bibi has quite a sweet tooth. This is not the first time she has eaten chocolate, but the first time she consumed enough to require medical attention.

A sugar-free spree

Rocky, a German shepherd was the least sick of the overnight admissions, thanks to the quick response by his family and the ER staff. He had chowed down on some sugar-free gum containing xylitol. Dogs react much differently to xylitol than we do. Just a few pieces of gum are enough to drop a dog’s blood sugar to dangerously low levels and also cause liver failure. Because his family saw him eat the gum and the ER staff forced him to vomit, the gum did not cause any problems for Rocky other than a night away from home and some lost sleep.

Keeping your pet safe from toxins

• The only medications your pet should receive should be those prescribed by your veterinarian. Although we often prescribe human medications, the doses used in pets may be vastly different than those used in humans, so never give your pet human medications without the approval of your veterinarian.
• Educate yourself about substances potentially toxic to your pets.
• If you must keep products which can be toxic to your pet in your home, put them away in a cabinet with a tight latch to avoid inadvertent exposure.

What’s New for Fleas and Ticks?

Ticks have been around forever. Even the ancient Roman author, Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.) was vexed by these creatures. He is reported to have said, “Ticks: the foulest and nastiest creatures that be.” Ancient Rome must not have had fleas, or Pliny would have included them on his nasty creature list as well. Besides being nasty, fleas and ticks spread disease to you and your pets.

A new kind of collar

Collars to prevent flea and tick infestations have been around a long time, but their effectiveness has been limited. A veterinary school professor of mine said, “The only fleas killed by a flea collar are those squashed when the collar is put around the pet’s neck.” Polymer technology has advanced flea collars from a dusty plastic strap to a timed release medical device, and in the newest version even repels ticks before they attach. For additional information on year-round flea and tick control, check with the Companion Animal Parasite Council.

A new way to remove ticks

One of my most frequent calls is from an owner who finds a tick attached to their dog or cat and wants to know how to get rid of the nasty critter. The internet is rife with misinformation on how to remove ticks – nail polish remover, smoking matches and petroleum jelly. All of these are bad ideas. Either grasp the tick firmly with tweezers or a tick removing device and pull the tick, head included, out of the skin. This is easier said than done in a wiggly dog with a teeny tiny embedded deer tick. Now, there is a way that will make pet owners ecstatic with an easier way! A new a non-toxic product has been designed and produced to loosen the tick’s grip on the skin and allow it to be lifted off your pet with a cotton ball or moistened pad.

A new method to decrease ticks in the environment

Currently under investigation for the control of Lyme disease are bait boxes for mice. This clever study aims to attack Lyme disease where it starts, with the deer ticks that feed on the reservoir host of the Lyme disease bacteria: the white footed mouse. Bait boxes are placed outdoors. Mice enter the box and a mouse sized dose of fipronyl gets rubbed on their back. Fipronyl is an Environmental Protection Agency registered product found in several top spot tick and flea preventative medications for dogs and cats. When applied to mice, it kills ticks, decreasing the number of ticks which can bite you and your family.

Do you still want more information about ticks? The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has an exhaustive tick handbook available online.

Confused about flea and tick preventatives for your dog and cat? Make an appointment with your veterinarian to find the right prescription for your pets. Follow their directions exactly, because reactions to flea and tick products are most commonly due to improper use of these products.

Ten Tips for Dog Safe Summer Exercise

Animal Medical Center Doggy Dash participants

With summer just around the corner, everyone, including your dog, wants to be in shape for summer activities. Outdoor activities can be a fun way to spend time with your favorite pup. The veterinarians at The AMC have the following suggestions to make exercise safe and healthy for your dog:

1. Have your pet examined by a veterinarian to ensure exercise is safe for your dog. Stop exercise and let your dog rest anytime he is resisting you, unable to keep up or showing other signs of distress.
2. Always warm up your dog with a 10 minute walk prior to jogging or heavier exercise.
3. Train your dog gradually to increase the amount of time and intensity of exercise over several weeks, just as you would train yourself.
4. Massage your dog and provide gentle passive range of motion for all major joints.  You may do this before or after exercise, but it is most beneficial AFTER exercise.  In a side-lying position, keeping the limbs parallel to the body, gently flex and extend each joint of the front and hind limbs. Check out these videos on forelimb passive range of motion and hindlimb passive range of motion.
5. Do not feed your dog a large meal for 2 hours prior to exercise. Exercising on a full stomach can predispose your dog to bloat, which can be life-threatening.
6. Give your dog small and frequent amounts of water.  To facilitate this, consider carrying a collapsible bowl or a specially made, dog-friendly, BPA-free water bottle.
7. Avoid exercising during the warmest part of the day, especially if you have a short-nosed dog.  Pugs and all types of bulldogs should stay in an air conditioned environment as much as possible and only have brief outdoor walks for bathroom breaks during peak heat.  When heat and humidity are high, short-nosed dogs cannot cool themselves by panting as efficiently as their long-nosed cousins and are more prone to heat stroke than the average dog.
8. Keep dark coated dogs out of direct sunlight while exercising.  Their dark coats absorb heat, making them prone to heatstroke as well.
9. Consider a cooling jacket for dogs exercising in summer heat.
10. Provide your dog a shady place to rest after exercising.  For elegant comfort, try these fashionable outdoor beds.

If you and your dog are running partners, consider registering for the Animal Medical Center Doggy Dash, a 5 mile run in conjunction with the New York City Triathalon.

Thanks to Dr. Leilani Alvarez from The Animal Medical Center’s Tina Santi Flaherty Rehabilitation & Fitness Service for her helpful hints on exercising your dog.

Avoiding the Knife: Preventing Pet Surgeries

At The Animal Medical Center, our board certified surgeons and neurologists perform approximately 1,500 surgeries each year. A recently released pet insurance study completed in 2012 listed the top ten surgery claims for both dogs and cats:

Survey attributed to VPI Pet Insurance 2012

Since none of us want our pets to be subjected to the difficulties most surgeries pose, I will devote this blog to suggestions on how to avoid some of the most common canine and feline surgeries.

Tooth extractions

Topping the surgery list for cats and coming in at number three for dogs were tooth extractions. Keeping your pets’ teeth healthy means daily brushing and annual dental cleanings. The American Veterinary Dental College website provides good information about home dental care in dogs and cats. Remember, doggy breath often means periodontal disease, so if your pet has smelly breath, see your veterinarian for treatment before extractions become necessary.

Skin abscess, inflammation and pressure ulcers

This list of skin conditions ranks number two as a reason for surgery in both dogs and cats. Pressure ulcers generally occur in older dogs with limited mobility. Padding, padding and more padding will help prevent pressure ulcers on their elbows and thighs. Investigate orthopedic beds for your dog and try to keep him from laying on hard surfaces like the bathroom tile floor which can aggravate pressure sores. Promote mobility in your dog through regular exercise and management of arthritis with diet and medications.

Feline bite wounds

When I was a veterinarian in a more suburban area, we treated cat bite wounds on a daily basis. Preventing cat bite injuries is as simple as keeping your cat indoors. Cat bites not only cause wounds which can become abscesses, but cat bites transmit the feline immunodeficiency virus and possibly blood parasites as well. Priceless is how I define the value of keeping your cat indoors and healthy.

Aural hematoma

The tenth most common surgery in dogs was to repair an aural (ear) hematoma. Cats can develop aural hematomas too, just not as commonly as dogs. This condition is essentially a blood blister inside the ear flap. Blood accumulates in the ear flap when your dog incessantly shakes his head or scratches her ears. Usually, the shaking and scratching is in response to an allergy or an ear infection. If you see this behavior, check inside the ear for redness or discharge. See your veterinarian immediately to treat the cause of the shaking and scratching to prevent the development of an aural hematoma.

While some surgeries are unavoidable, these are prime examples of how a visit to your veterinarian for routine preventive care can help your pet avoid surgery.

Drug Fright: Scary Medication Labels

Everyone has heard them: the rapid fire voiceovers on television advertisements for medications. They sound something like this, “Do not use this medication if you have serious heart disease, suicidal thoughts, liver problems or hangnails. Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you.” If you fast forward through commercials on your DVR and have missed the voiceover, then perhaps you have opened a bag from your pharmacy and found the accordion pleated paper, printed in size two font, containing drug information, warnings, contraindications, precautions, adverse reactions and risks.

Here is a portion of one for a commonly used human medication:

1. General: Urticaria, drug rash, anaphylactic shock, photosensitivity, excessive perspiration, chills, dryness of mouth, nose, and throat
2. Cardiovascular System: Hypotension, headache, palpitations, tachycardia, extrasystoles
3. Hematologic System: Hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, agranulocytosis
4. Nervous System: Sedation, sleepiness, dizziness, disturbed coordination, fatigue, confusion, restlessness, excitation, nervousness, tremor, irritability, insomnia, euphoria, paresthesia, blurred vision, diplopia, vertigo, tinnitus, acute labyrinthitis, neuritis, convulsions
5. Gl System: Epigastric distress, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation
6. GU System: Urinary frequency, difficult urination, urinary retention, early menses
7. Respiratory System: Thickening of bronchial secretions, tightness of chest or throat and wheezing, nasal stuffiness

Here is a portion of a drug label for a canine chemotherapy agent:

Anorexia, lethargy, vomiting, lameness, weight loss, blood in stool/GI bleed/hemorrhagic diarrhea, musculoskeletal disorder, dehydration, dermatitis, pruritus tachypnea, localized pain, nausea, general pain, polydipsia, pyrexia, flatulence, pigmentation disorder, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, increased alanine, aminotransferase, hypoalbuminemia, decreased hematocrit, hyperbilirubinemia, increased creatinine, urinary tract infection.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has strict regulations governing drug labels. Drug labels should be accurate and not promotional. The list of possible side effects is comprehensive to help prescribers, like me, alert their patients, like your pet, to possible problems that might arise while the medication is being taken. Without this critical information, you might keep giving a medication that is actually making your pet worse. The information on a drug label helps me to weigh the risk of not treating a disease with benefits of a medication used to treat the disease.

The warning labels for both the commonly used human drug and the canine chemotherapy agent sound moderately frightening and yet these drugs are critical to improving a patient’s quality or quantity of life. What the drug labels can’t substitute for is experience. Once your veterinarian or physician has used a drug on many patients, we know what to expect and what to tell you to expect. Reading the drug label is a good thing since it helps you to recognize any adverse reactions to medications early. Not giving a drug to your sick pet because the drug label is frightening is foolish, unless you tell your veterinarian about your concerns and together you decide the best course of action for your pet. Remember, we love to talk about sick pets and about medications; it’s what we do every day!

Oh, by the way, the human drug with the seven body system long list of adverse effects was Benadryl.