KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1998                                                                                     Page 1

FROM THE DOCTOR

by Dr. Rose Eger

As a doctor, I always try to recommend what’s best for my patient (your pet). As a pet owner, you must weigh the medical options against the costs for each option. Sometimes my second or third choice is the most acceptable to the owners. In many instances, the problems we are trying to treat could have been prevented, if general recommendations had been followed.

Here are a few simple inexpensive recommendations that can help prevent more complicated problems in the future.

1. It has been proven in many studies that a dog spayed before her first heat has about a 0.5% chance of getting breast cancer. Waiting to spay her between her first and second heat increases the risk to 8 %. After the second heat, the risk increases to 26-33%. This occurs regardless of the breed, quality of breeding or if the female has babies or not. So for your dog’s sake, spay her before her first heat (between 6-8 months of age). Although this is true for dogs, studies have shown that there is no correlation in cats.

2. The gumline (or gingiva) is an area of incredibly high bloodflow in both people and dogs. This is evident when we floss and our gums bleed. Dogs and cats do not floss or brush regularly. They develop tartar or plaque which is really a hardened accumulation of bacteria. If the gums become swollen and inflamed, the bacteria will enter the bloodstream. The bacteria then go the organs with the highest blood flow such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. Heart valve infections cause murmurs and subsequent heart disease, lung infections cause bronchitis or even pneumonia. Liver and kidney infections can cause irreversible damage to those organs because we do not see the damage till it is too late. I have unfortunately put animals to sleep that otherwise could have lived many more years if the owner had followed advice about dental cleanings and regular home care.

3. The same rules that apply to our lives apply to our pets.   Outdoor animals live fast, dangerous lives.  They are wild children with no understanding of the dangers around them. We may romanticize their lives and say they are like wolves or panthers but they are far removed from their wild kin. They live very short, often stress-filled lives. Keep our "wild" children in check, under our watchful eyes. They need us more than we need them. For those pampered pets that never venture out and about, obesity is as bad for them as it is for us and also leads to shortened lives.

Animals have us to guide and protect them. That fulfills the promise we made when we adopted our "wild" children.

KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1998                                                                                         Page 2

FROM THE MANAGEMENT

By Mike Eger

For a long time the use of pain medication for injured or surgically treated animals has not been thought necessary. People have thought that dogs and cats can just handle the pain better than us humans. In reality, animals in the wild that show pain show the remainder of the wild their vulnerability and are therefore at a greater risk. What we see in the hospital is that many of the animals that are raised "as human" tend to show pain more than those that are not. From this we can conclude that the pain is there and it is just expressed differently by different animals.

The reason I am bringing this up is that I recently experienced a great deal of pain, more than I have ever experienced in my life, when I shattered my shoulder. I could have lived without pain medication but I would have been a lot more miserable. After experiencing this pain, I am amazed at how stoic some of these animals are when they come in here with major injuries. I also now understand why they try to bite when we try to move or fix an injury.

Sometimes pain is good. With some injuries or surgeries, if we relieve the pain the animal can reinjure themselves and make matters worse. We do try to manage and reduce the amount of pain our patients feel but if your pet is undergoing a major surgery or if you are concerned about your pet being in pain, then talk to the doctor. She can prescribe some medication if she feels it is needed (i.e. if it will not increase the chances of your pet reinjuring itself). Sometimes good old aspirin, in the right dosage, can be helpful.

TECHNICIAN’S TURF

by Lisa Johnson

As we prepare to zoom into the 21st century, veterinary medicine seems to be changing by the minute. One way veterinary medicine is moving into the new century is with the computer and America’s information highway - the Internet. By the year 2000, it is estimated that 80% of Americans will have a home computer. At this time I would like to say that I am one of those that have taken advantage of the home computer by way of the Internet. There are several Internet providers that can access these services.

The Internet has access to hundreds of pet care sites that are full of information-from buying your first puppy to exploring a certain breed. I have been all over the world on the Internet and it can be quite overwhelming at times. I have put together a couple of interesting Internet addresses that you can check out if you have an Internet ready computer. If you have America On Line, you can access the sites using key words.

KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1998                                                                                         Page 3

AOL keyword: VIN

This site will give you everything from breed information to allowing you to ask veterinarians questions on line to obtain general information about your pets.

AOL keyword: Petcare

This site allows you to share your experiences with others. It offers an open forum for pet owners to swap stories on certain breeds and to brag a little bit about their perfect pet. There is information on every breed possible. You can also purchase puppies and kittens in the breeders directory.

On the world wide web, you can use search engines which allow you to type in any word or phrase and it will search the web to find sites containing those words or phrases.

The list can go on and on. These internet sites can be fun and can be informative and should be used for just that purpose because nothing, not even 21st century technology can replace a gentle pat on the head of your pet and a friendly smile from your veterinarian.

FRONT DESK FORUM

By Melanie & Tracey

Since it is summer, I wanted to get in a few words about heat related injuries. There are a lot of factors that contribute to heat injuries but none is as important as our environment. It is just plain hot and humid here. In addition animals with heavy coats, preexisting medical conditions, heart disease, brachycephalic features (i.e. bulldogs, pugs) are even more at risk of heat stroke. Animals suffering heat stroke need immediate attention. Check the pet’s vital signs. While you are doing this you can start cooling the animal down. Do not waste precious time taking the temperature yet because starting the cooling process won’t hurt your pet, but delaying can. Use lukewarm water baths or cool water-soaked towels at first. Do not use ice water or ice baths; this causes the peripheral veins to constrict down, which can actually prevent the heat from leaving and trap it internally. Once you’ve started cooling, take a rectal temperature; you can stop cooling when the temperature gets to 102-103 F (normal is 101-102 F) You’ll need to go see a veterinarian immediately. Heat stroke is very serious and requires aggressive supportive care. And remember, never leave your pet locked in your car!!

HOSPITAL GENERALITIES

Just a few reminders on our general hospital operations.

Hours: 8:00am-5:30pm Monday - Friday

9:00am-1:00pm Saturday

Please make an appointment if you would like to see the doctor. The order in which we see clients is as follows:

Emergencies

Scheduled Appointments

Walk-ins

Surgeries: We perform surgeries and dentals on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We normally do not take appointments at this time but if the surgery load is light, we may be able to schedule some late morning appointments.

KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1998                                                                                         Page 4

Pharmacy: To avoid delays in getting your prescriptions refilled, please call ahead and we will get it ready for you. We understand that your time is valuable and sometimes it is difficult for us to fill your prescriptions in a timely manner on a walk-in basis.

Fridays: We have Dr. Diana Alexander here on most Fridays and she also sees birds.

PRODUCT REVIEW

CATS THAT SPRAY

Some of you may have cats that have started to spray in your house marking their territory. We know this is a major problem and until now there was not much that could be done with any great degree of success. A new product called FeliwayÒ has come on the market and it is a cat pheromone. You spray it on the areas that the cat has been spraying and it makes the cat think that it has already marked the area. It may take one to two weeks till you see progress but people who have tried it say that it does work.

FLEA & TICK CONTROL

Although not new, the number of these products on the market make it necessary to review what each does.

Programâ is a pill which is given once a month and it sterilizes (but does not kill) the fleas that bite your pet. This product is useful in keeping the flea population in your yard or house under control.

SentinelÒ -The makers of Programâ combined the heartworm medication Interceptorâ with Programâ so you have only one pill to give on a monthly basis. It is also a little cheaper than buying both separately.

Advantageâ is a liquid which is applied to one or more spots on the skin of your dog or cat once a month. This both kills and repels fleas and works well when there is a flea infestation or for flea allergic dogs and cats. We recommend that when using this product, bath your pet at most every two weeks with a mild soap free shampoo (the shampoo should say soap free or detergent free on the label) and apply the product monthly after a bath.

Frontlineâ comes in two forms, a spray and a spot on like Advantageâ . It is designed to kill both fleas and ticks and will not wash off with most shampoos. Our experience has shown that it does not spread over the body as well as Advantageâ but when it does spread, it does a good job in killing fleas and reducing the number of ticks.