Animal Care Clinic San Luis Obispo Veterinary Hospital
As we prepare for our big Open House and wine tasting Gala on April 6, 2008 I am reminded to warn you that grapes have been shown to be toxic to dogs. While this is a relatively recent discovery, we do know that some dogs will develop kidney failure in response to ingestion of any form of grapes. Dogs should not eat table grapes, raisins, grape skins or even a glass of wine! I have known many dogs who ate table grapes regularly without trouble, so apparently not all dogs are susceptible – but to be safe, if your dog consumes grapes (or indulges in a little vino,) you should seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »
As we continue to look at wellness and preventive care strategies, we must not overlook screening lab tests. Animals age more quickly than we do. Large dogs average only an 8-10 year lifespan, while cats and small dogs often live into their late teens or even early twenties. But when compared to human longevity, those are very short time periods. This means that a calendar year can age a pet 4-8 years! Additionally, animals are usually not whiners. This means that they can be in pain or discomfort, experiencing nausea or feeling tired – and they won’t tell us! In the wild, animals who show weakness are eaten by predators. Even our pets have some level of instinct to hide disease. Because of this we must seek out diseases associated with aging like aggressive investigators. Waiting for a pet to show signs of disease can be a death sentence. Read the rest of this entry »
I am writing this article just moments after admitting both of my dogs to the Tucson Emergency Vet Clinic. I am visiting my brother and just found that one or both of my dogs ate a whole bottle of doggy pain killers – the chewable kind that taste so yummy. Both of them appear perfectly normal even though I know one of them ate the pills about 10 hours ago. But I also know that this medication causes delayed effects on the kidneys and early intervention is life saving. Waiting to see if they get sick would almost guarantee permanent and likely fatal kidney failure. Read the rest of this entry »
I just had a fun conversation with my dentist, whose husband is a physician. We were remarking on how often well-meaning medical professionals do dangerous things to their pets, because they don’t realize that animals are not people. A single acetaminophen tablet (Tylenol‚) can kill a cat. Ibuprofen (Advil‚) can destroy a dog’s intestinal tract. Every animal species has some idiosyncrasy in it’s anatomy or physiology that keeps veterinarians on their toes. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week I saw Susie, a middle aged Labrador who suddenly went blind. Over the previous 18 months, there had been a few episodes of blood in one eye, but these had resolved. Now Susie had partially detached retinas, inflammation in her eyes and no vision in either eye. Examination revealed no other clues aside from high blood pressure. Since high blood pressure alone is not very common in dogs, an extensive evaluation was done to try to find the source of her hypertension and the cause of her ocular problems. Labwork, chest x-rays and infectious disease screening were normal. Read the rest of this entry »
My good friend just had parathyroid surgery and conversations with her family and friends have made me realize that most people don’t know the difference between thyroid glands and parathyroid glands. The thyroid glands are in the neck, usually just below the larynx (or voice box.) The parathyroid glands are very small and sit either on top of or inside of the thyroid glands. Thyroid disease is very common in dogs and cats, and also in women. Read the rest of this entry »
This past week we were able to work with one of those really gratifying cases: a pet that was in great danger of dying, but who hung in there and went home with a normal life expectancy. Gracie is an older Labrador who was perfectly normal in the morning. Later in the day she began clinging to her owner more than usual and wretched once or twice. He noted that Gracie’s abdomen seemed distended and firm, and luckily knew that could be dangerous. He called us and our wise customer service team told him to come in immediately. The timing could not have been worse. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week I mentioned wellness screening to help detect kidney failure before it makes pets sick. Part of our goal at Animal Care Clinic is to nurture the bond you have with your pets. This means we want to increase the quality and length of your pets’ lives while improving your relationship with them. We think that wellness is the cornerstone to the human animal bond. Wellness means disease prevention and early detection. It includes physical exams yearly for youngsters and at least twice yearly as pets age or develop chronic diseases.
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With the recent pet food recall, kidney failure has become a hot topic. The kidneys are responsible for many processes in the body. They maintain hydration, determine how much urine a pet produces, balance phosphorous and calcium levels, filter out toxins and breakdown products from protein use, maintain red blood cell counts and help to balance blood pressure. When these organs fail, things can fall apart quickly. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week we looked at normal bone function. One of the most common problems we see with bones is fracture. Most breaks are due to trauma; hit by car, falls, etc. These fractures are usually best treated with surgery to provide a very stable support with pins, screws, plates or other systems of fixation. Some fractures occur secondary to thinning of the bone. Thin bone, or osteoporosis/osteopenia can be due to nutritional deficiency of calcium or vitamin D, hormonal abnormalities or even kidney failure. These can be difficult if not impossible to treat. Bone tumors are relatively common. Many tumors will cause pain and limping before they become big enough to see during an exam. Tumorous areas of bone are more likely to fracture, so if we see a bone fracture in an older pet without a history of trauma, we need to consider that there may be a tumor within the fracture site. While some bone tumors can be relatively benign if treated early, most canine bone tumors are quite aggressive and painful. There are many developmental type bone diseases we can see. Young, fast growing large breed dogs often develop inflammation of the long bones called panosteitis. This can be like growing pains or can be a pretty debilitating disease. Some youngsters will develop inflammation of the growth plates. This can be painful and damage the growth plate. Any trauma to growth plates or developmental abnormality here will lead to abnormal bone growth. The result is a shortened bone or one with excessive curvature which leads to abnormal joint stress and development.
Next week we will look at joints and ligaments. If you have a pet with an orthopedic problem, give us a call.
by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP
