Late Summer Dangers

Man, it's been hot! Too hot to do anything outside, but as Fall begins and the temperatures start to moderate a little, we'll be itching to get back outside and play with our pals. Just wanted to make you aware of a few things to watch for as you venture back into the outdoors with your pets.

First of all, the heat is still pretty oppressive right now but mornings and evenings are starting to let up a little, so try to have your four-legged friends do most of their playing during those times to avoid heat stress. Of course we've talked about the dangers of high temperatures before, but in case you missed it, click here.

In late summer, one thing we see commonly are eye injuries due to pets playing and running through the tall weeds and grasses. The stems and seed heads can scratch the cornea and cause lacerations and ulcerations that can easily result in severe vision loss if not treated promptly and appropriately by your veterinarian. We even find grass seeds that are stuck in the eyelids, causing constant pain and irritation. So after playing in the tall weeds and grasses, make sure you take a look at your pets eyes to check for these problems. Excessive tearing or eye drainage, excessive squinting of the eye, redness, or swelling of the eye could indicate a problem and should be evaluated promptly by your veterinarian. Waiting a few days for it to get better is not recommended with eye injuries, typically withholding treatment for even a day or two can lead to a devastating eye infection.

Fleas and ticks are always a problem, in our area, but ticks seem to really love the hot, dry weather of late summer; so be on the lookout for these critters. Ticks can carry a multitude of diseases, some of which can infect humans as well as the dog and cat. I am currently treating a canine patient for Ehrlichia, a rickettsial (bacterial-like) disease that ticks carry, which causes bleeding, lethargy, anorexia, fever, weight loss, trouble breathing, and other more severe abnormalities. Ticks can also carry other similar diseases that can cause deadly illness in the dog.

Keeping a good flea and tick prevention on your dog will definitely help protect him from the creepie crawlies and the diseases they carry. Flea and tick prevention products are quite numerous these days; it seems you can purchase them almost anywhere now. These products, when used correctly, work great to keep your pet parasite free; however, if not applied correctly, they can be harmful, too. When buying over-the-counter flea and tick products, there seldom is someone that can give expert advice on how to apply the product and which product(s) will be safe for your pet...so, see your veterinarian to purchase these products; your veterinarian will know what products work best for your pet and how to correctly and safely use them.

I guess it wouldn't be right to leave out the snakes and gators...they're still out there, if you're in the right area. Be careful when allowing dogs to swim in or around the Pearl River, the alligators are still very active; snakes too. Often, alligators and snakes can be undetected until its too late, so just avoid those areas, if possible. The alligators are obviously deadly for a dog; snakebites are often very treatable, though.

Just a few words of caution to keep your four-legged pals protected and safe while venturing outdoors during the late summer/early fall.

Breaking the Doggy Bank

The advance of medical technology is at warp speed; health care is constantly evolving and offering better and more advanced treatment options for both humans and pets, alike. The cost of these advancements is ever-increasing, as well. Human health-care and veterinary care costs continue to rise as the advancement and demand for newer, better treatments develop. Still the cost of veterinary care is only a fraction of the cost of the same procedures in human medicine.

Veterinary medicine is becoming more highly specialized than ever nowadays. Just 10 years ago, most veterinary clinics were small, private clinics in both rural and urban areas that performed most treatments and procedures in-house and occasionally referred more difficult cases to a veterinary teaching hospital. Today, more and more veterinary specialists are practicing in large private referral/specialty hospitals and the demand for their services just continues to rise. Pet owners are continuing to demand better and more specialized treatment for their animals. Cataract surgeries with lens implants are being performed on dogs; laparoscopic surgery, orthopedic surgery, endoscopy, echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT) and allergy testing procedures are all being performed daily at these specialty hospitals; and even at some small clinics today. Most of these specialty hospitals are by referral only and work with the regular veterinarian to diagnose and treat advanced cases.

Money is a consideration for the majority of people when dealing with the cost of health care for animals, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media.

While most pet owners, 62 percent, would likely get vet care if the bill was $500, the percentage drops below half when the cost hits $1,000. The number drops to 35 percent if the cost is $2,000 and to 22 percent if it reaches $5,000.

In our clinic, these numbers would be pretty close to what we actually see, in terms of actual decisions versus a survey report; however, I think the actual numbers are a little lower in all respects. Nevertheless, the cost of good veterinary care and the standards of veterinary practice have definately increased with the demand for it. This is making it increasingly difficult for some owners to afford the care that they desire for their animals. This situation often leads to pet euthanasia; but the issue of pet euthanasia is confounded by children and a stronger emotional attachment to pets these days, than in the past. We often will do what we have to, especially when children are involved. So when faced with a pet that is going to require a large, unexpected veterinary bill, it seems pet insurance may serve a need.

Many veterinarians seemed to foresee the day when pet health insurance would be available due to this rise in veterinary costs and the associated demand for newer and better care. That day has come; pet health insurance is becoming more and more popular, being offered by many employers as benefits to employees, and in many cases makes good sense. However, not all pet insurance policies are the same, and there are a few important things that differ about pet health insurance and people health insurance.

Most policies will exclude pre-existing conditions, so be aware of that before you buy. This makes it unattractive for older pets; however, covering younger pets seems to make alot of sense. Unlike human health care, the veterinary community has always been and remains today, a cash-and-carry type of system. In addition there is no system in place for Veterinarians to recieve payment from pet health insurers. So this means, pet owners must still have the money to pay their veterinary bills up front, and then be reimbursed by the pet health insurer. This may seem a bit of an inconvienience but it allows pet owners to use any veterinarian they choose with no exclusions.

Read the plans carefully before you buy insurance, different companies offer different benefits. VPI pet insurance is the nation's oldest and largest pet health insurance provider; this company blazed the trail for pet insurance in the U.S. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, VPI pays more claims annually than all other pet insurance companies combined. They offer three benefit packages: the most popular is their Superior Plan, which offers the best medical benefits and good cancer benefits with maximum reinbursement for eligible expenses; the next plan is called the Standard Plan, which offers good economical coverage with moderate reinbursement; and finally the routine care coverage called Careguard. To learn more about VPI, their policies, or to get a quote, visit http://www.petinsurance.com/

Liz Pulliam Weston of MSN Money says: "A few years ago, pet insurance would have ranked right up there with life insurance for children and dread-disease coverage on my list of policies you don't need. Now I'm not so sure. I still believe most people are better off forgoing pet insurance and instead putting the money they would have spent on premiums into a savings account...But if you're the type of person who would do anything to save your pet, including spend thousands of dollars on medical care, pet insurance might be a preferable alternative to going into debt." To read more of Liz Pulliam Weston's article, click here.

Here's a couple more reputable pet insurance companies to compare: PetCare Pet Insurance, and PetsHealth Care Plan.

Photo of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, N.J. by Steve Dunwell of Steve Dunwell Photography Featured in the March 2010 issue of Veterinary Economics.

I Care for Animals

Many of my clients adopt their pets from local shelters and many of these pets haven't had appropriate care prior to arrival at these shelters. It is a sad situation that these pets are in and the shelters in our area are at capacity. It was determined last year that approximately 109,000 animals enter Mississippi animal shelters each year and only 35,000 make it out alive. Yes that's over 70,000 animals euthanized each year. Unfortunately, those are the real numbers.

What can you do to help? Well, first spay and neuter your pets to prevent overpopulation. That's the obvious thing. Spaying and neutering also has other health and behavioral benefits for your pet. The prevention of cancers and other unwanted health concerns are at the top of the list, among other benefits. Secondly, if you're in the market for a pet, check your local shelters first; chances are, you just may find what you're looking for. Not in the market for a new pet, no problem, your local shelters are always in need of volunteers to help care for the pets they have. Lastly, there is a car tag program here in Mississippi called "I Care for Animals".

The "I Care for Animals" program allows Mississippians to purchase this license plate

for an additional $31. The money from each tag goes to city and county animal shelters, private animal shelters and humane organizations that submit grant applications for these funds. This program has helped homeless, injured and abused animals in shelters and humane organizations all across Mississippi.

Alternatively, you may wish to simply donate to the “I Care for Animals” program by sending a donation to the following address:

Mississippi Board of Animal Health

Attn: I Care of Animals

P.O. Box 3889

Jackson, MS 39207

For a list of animal shelters in Mississippi, click here.

What's In Your Dog's Heart?

Let's talk about something that's near and dear to my heart and your dog's...literally. This is a hot topic of discussion among many veterinarians and dog owners in the southern US right now; we're talking about Heartworm disease. According to the newest guidelines published by the American Heartworm Society..."It is estimated that currently more than 1 million dogs in the United States are infected with heartworms. This potentially fatal disease has been found in dogs native to all 50 states. Even as diagnostic methods advance, preventive therapies improve and disease awareness increases among veterinary professionals and pet owners, heartworm continues to present a serious threat to dogs’ health."

Heartworm disease is a deadly and devastating, parasitic infection affecting the heart. The parasite responsible for this disease is a long, slender worm called Dirofilaria Immitus. D. Immitus is the only worm that infects dogs in this way. The disease is not contagious; however, the disease is transmitted through a mosquito bite and cohabitating dogs may easily all be infected. Here in the state of Mississippi, the disease is widespread due to our overwhelming mosquito population. For some time, there have been products available to prevent heartworm disease. Almost all of these products are inexpensive and administered monthly. Speak to your veterinarian for specific product recommendations.

Life Cycle
The dog is infected by a mosquito bite, which transmits the heartworm larvae. (The mosquito is the only vector for transmission because the first stages of larval development must occur inside the mosquito.) From this point, the heartworm larvae mature and migrate to the pulmonary artery of the heart. After approximately six months, the larvae mature into an adult stage heartworm. These mature heartworms reside in the pulmonary artery and right side of the heart and feed off the blood in the heart. Adult male and female worms reproduce. Over the course of another 3-9 months (depending upon the size of the dog, season, etc.) these adults have multiplied from a few worms to possibly hundreds of worms.

Disease Stages
The heartworm can be readily picked up on a routine screen test at early stage disease. However, the dog will be asymptomatic (not showing signs of infection) during the early to middle stages. This is due to the fact that a low number of worms can be present and detected on a test but not cause enough damage or occlusion to create a problem in the dog. For this reason, we at Brandon Veterinary Clinic perform heartworm tests on every annual vaccination visit. Unfortunately, dogs that are not on heartworm prevention and that do not have routine, yearly tests may be infected without the owner realizing it. As the number of worms increases, the disease state also advances. If untreated, the large number of worms in the heart eventually begins to physically obstruct the chambers of the heart. The heart enlarges somewhat to compensate, but eventually is left severely strained and debilitated. At this point, the heart can no longer compensate by its normal mechanisms and blood begins to back up in the system. The overloaded blood vessels in the lung tissue begin to leak. This leads to congestive heart failure, which is fluid accumulation in the lungs and ultimately in the abdomen due to heart disease. The dog then begins to develop a cough (from the fluid accumulation and heart enlargement) and becomes lethargic, reluctant to exercise, and easily “winded”. Unfortunately, these signs only develop late in the course of disease. Thus emphasizing the importance of heartworm prevention and testing. If left untreated, the disease can be severely debilitating and even fatal.

Treatment
Heartworm treatment consists of a series of injections with a drug called “Immiticide”. It is currently the only FDA approved drug available for the safe and effective treatment of heartworm disease. The treatment is effective but can be costly, reaching into the thousands of dollars; severly affected dogs will be at considerable risk with treatment. Dogs must be evaluated thoroughly prior to the start of a treatment protocol; this includes blood work, x-rays, and a physical examination. Typically, one or more pre-treatment medications will be started to facilitate a safe and effective outcome. Dogs must also be confined and put on restricted activity during and after treatment. Many dogs have been treated successfully, but the treatment process is long, can be complicated, and is expensive.

Prevention
There are many heartworm prevention products on the market, most of which are very inexpensive, relative to the cost of treatment. Most prevention products are given monthly as a treat or as a topical application and although these products are effective, if heartworm prevention is not given every 30 days, a heartworm infection is likely to develop.

"As the United States economy continues to struggle, we as Americans closely inspect our monthly spending for what is and isn't necessary. It's tempting to cut preventative heartworm care for pets, but the cost of prevention is still relatively low compared to the cost of treatment if heartworm disease is diagnosed. Both dogs and cats may needlessly suffer and possibly die from this completely preventable disease. The risk from the increased mosquito population makes the need for prevention even greater this year," says Dr. Sheldon Rubin, American Heartworm Society president and Chicago area practitioner.

Heartworm Disease in Cats

Yes, your cat can get heartworm disease. Although it's really a canine specific parasite, the cat is the second most reported domestic species that can acquire the parasite. The cat is not very tolerant of the parasite either; it only takes a few worms to cause a devastating respiratory disease in cats. There is currently no FDA approved treatment for heartworm disease in the cat, however there are preventive products that are safe, effective and FDA approved for the cat.

As you can see, it is critical to keep your pet on monthly heartworm prevention to avoid this devastating disease.

To watch a video animation of heartworm disease click here.

For more information on heartworm disease visit http://www.heartwormsociety.org/

The American Heartworm Society, headquartered in Batavia, Illinois, is the global resource for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heartworm disease and was formed during the Heartworm Symposium of 1974. The American Heartworm Society stimulates and financially supports research, which furthers knowledge and understanding of the disease.

Off and Running

Alright, I've decided to start a blog after realizing that this may be the best forum to put my ideas, insights and random thoughts into the world. Primarily, I'd like this blog to be informative for our clients, fans and other interested readers; but from time to time we may stray a bit and just include some off-topic stuff. I'm gonna do my best to keep this casual and laid back, so those of you reading this, please feel free to send me an email with ideas for future topics, or general questions about your pets. I'll try my best to use them here on the blog. By the way, the blog's title may be a bit misleading as I do treat the feline species as well as the dog!