The origin of the word “spay”, according to Dictionary.com is from the “Middle English spaien , from Anglo-Norman espeier , to cut with a sword , from espee , sword , from Latin spatha ; see ‘spathe’ “. So to “spay” means “to cut”. But what are we cutting? When we do a spay, we are removing the ovaries and the uterus from the dog or cat. So we are doing what would be a called an ovariohysterectomy. The same surgery is done often in women for various reasons as well. The way we do this is by making an incision on your pet’s belly that is long enough for us to open up and get inside her abdomen and be able to reach the ovaries as well as the entire uterus. The uterus is shaped like the letter “Y” and at the top of each point on the “Y” is where the ovaries are. So all of this “Y”, including the ovaries, is removed when we do the surgery. This is a major surgical procedure, just as it is in women. It is done under complete anesthesia, in our surgical room under sterile surgical conditions. Once the uterus is removed and the incision is closed, your pet is allowed to recover at our hospital overnight. You wouldn’t want to be sent home right after you had your belly completely opened up! This allows your pet to get a good night of rest, we can check her incision in the morning, make sure she is not licking, and keep her from doing any strenuous activity, like jumping around, immediately after her surgery.

So, now you know what a “spay” really is! Go out and share your knowledge! The next time you hear someone say, my dog is getting “spayed”, you can tell them why it’s called a spay, what it really is, and how it is done and you will impress your friends and family!

So, what is distemper? Almost everyone has heard of distemper, but most don’t know what it is or what it does. Well, distemper is a nasty virus that will attack the respiratory system, the intestinal system, and sometimes the nervous system of puppies and dogs. It most commonly affects puppies under 16 weeks of age that have not been fully vaccinated but it can also affect unvaccinated or improperly vaccinated adult dogs. It can also infect foxes, wolves, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, and ferrets and often this is how it gets back into the pet population. It is most commonly spread through respiratory secretions of infected dogs but can also be spread through other secretions. Unfortunately, anything or anyone that comes in contact with these secretions can potentially spread the virus to other dogs. The one good thing is that the virus doesn’t survive for much longer than a few hours at room temperature and is pretty easily killed in the environment by bleach or quaternary ammonium disinfectants.

What are the symptoms of canine distemper? The first symptoms that we may see are a greenish or yellowish eye and nose discharge. It can be watery to very thick and mucusy. This can progress to a cough and in some cases into pneumonia. These dogs can be lethargic, may have a fever, and may lose their appetite. Vomiting and diarrhea may also develop. You may also see thickening of the nose and foot pads. The first signs of distemper can develop about 1-2 weeks after exposure to the virus but in some cases can take as long as 4-5 weeks. Often dogs with distemper may appear to recover from all of these symptoms, only to have the virus spread to their nervous system. About 1-3 weeks later they may develop neurological symptoms such as seizures, tremors or twitching, imbalance, or muscle weakness. These symptoms may progress to death, or can cause permanent damage to the pet. Some can recover from this is their immune system is strong enough.

Diagnosis and treatment of distemper are challenging. There are several ways to test for distemper. The problem is that recent vaccination may interfere with some tests giving a “false positive” result. “False negative” results are also possible with testing as the virus can be hard to find in some pets. For this reason, clinical symptoms combined with testing are used to try and diagnose distemper. The other challenge with diagnosis is that distemper can look like other diseases such as Kennel Cough or other respiratory infections, Parvo, or Epilepsy. As for treatment, we don’t have anything that will cure distemper. Treatment is aimed at helping the dog with the symptoms they have. Preventing secondary infections with antibiotics, helping with dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea with IV fluids, and treatment for seizures are some examples of helping dogs with the symptoms of distemper.

The good news in all of this is that distemper is a preventable disease. The vaccine for distemper is highly effective in preventing the disease. Puppies begin the vaccine at their veterinarian at 6 weeks of age and then receive boosters every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks of age, then they receive annual vaccination. We strongly discourage owners from doing their own vaccinations as we often see these vaccinations fail due to improper storage, improper handling, given in an improper series, or are just poor quality vaccination. In addition, when your dog completes it’s distemper vaccinations at our hospital, that distemper vaccine is guaranteed by the manufacturer. Don’t let your dog become a victim to distemper this summer. Call to get your dog vaccinated today!

When we received the results, there were some abnormalities that made us suspicious that Chewaca could have a disorder called Cushing’s Disease. The first signs of Cushing’s are usually drinking and urinating more than usual, neither of which she was doing. Despite this, the blood work was pretty convincing, so we pursued more testing to confirm our suspicions. Sure enough, she DID have Cushing’s Disease! We did a few other tests to look for problems that Cushing’s Disease can cause, such as urinary infection and high blood pressure. Fortunately, she did not have either at this point. With Cushing’s Disease, we only treat if the pet is having complications from the disease. The great thing is, now that we know Chewaca has it, we know what to look for and will be able to treat her symptoms much sooner, increasing her quality of life!

So, why does your pet need to have bloodwork at least once a year? We want your pet live as long and as healthy a life as possible. We can do so by finding and preventing disease early on. Having your pet’s blood tested at least once a year is one of the easiest and best ways to do this. This helps us to find early signs of illness, just like we did with Chewaca, BEFORE your pet is showing signs of illness. Often, by the time a pet is showing signs of being sick, it is too late to treat them. Just as our doctors screen us for heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc to find things or prevent them before they become a bigger problem, our pets need and deserve the very same! Call to schedule to have your pet’s blood tested today!

Hyperthyroid cats have a tumor that is producing too much thyroid hormone. Almost all of these turmors are benign but they are speeding up the cat’s metabolism, causing an increase in water consumption and urination, increase or decrease in appetite, hyeractivity or lethargy, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, even death!

Radioiodine is now the treatment of choice. It requires only one injection to cure your cat of hyperthyroidism. It destroys the thyroid tumor, wherever it may be, safely and effectively. Having cured over 35,000 cats, it is the best and most cost effective treatment for your cat! Learn more at www.radiocat.com.

STEP 1: Take your pet to the veterinarian for a dental exam. Don’t wait for his annual checkup if you suspect a problem.

STEP 2: Begin a dental care regimen at home. Your veterinarian can suggest steps that may include brushing your pet’s teeth. One of the most convenient and effective ways to combat oral disease is feeding specially formulated foods proven effective in combating plaque and tartar buildup. The Seal of Acceptance from the Veterinary Oral Health Council, an organization initiated by the American Veterinary Dental Society to guide consumers, appears on products that meet defined standards for plaque and tartar control in dogs and cats. For further information on the VOHC or their product standards, visit www.vohc.org.

STEP 3: Schedule regular veterinary checkups. These are essential in helping your veterinarian monitor the progress of your pet’s dental health routine. Your veterinary health care team can help you schedule the appropriate visits.

Please visit petdental.com for this article and for more  information on caring for your pet’s teeth!

Chubbs also benefits from the use of t/d, a tartar control food from Science Diet.  It is clinically proven to reduce plaque and tartar build up.  T/d works like an edible tooth brush- it is very hard and when she bites down into it, her teeth sink into the piece of food, which scrapes plaque off her teeth, much like a tooth brush would.  So each time she eats t/d, it’s like brushing her teeth.

A new thing I’ve started doing for Chubbs is when I start to see little bits of tartar (that yellow stuff that is hard and collects on your pet’s teeth along the gum line), I will have our technicians do a hand scaling for her.  They will use hand instruments and scrape the outside surface of her teeth to remove the small amounts of tartar that have built up.  This will help remove bacteria from her mouth that can damage her gums, teeth, and her overall health.  It will also help increase the times between her full dental cleanings.  I have this done about every 2-3 months.

The last thing that I do to keep Chubbs’ teeth healthy is anesthetize her as needed to have a full dental cleaning done.  We use an ultrasonic cleaner to chip away all the tartar that has collected on her teeth.  This allows us to reach all surfaces of all the teeth and to remove the tartar that we can see as well as the tartar we can’t.  This is so important because if that tartar was allowed to remain on her teeth, the bacteria that makes up the tartar would ease its way under her gums, up to the roots of her teeth.  This will damage the roots, leading to tooth decay, tooth loss, tooth abscesses, and pain.  This bacteria would eventually get into her blood stream and cause infections in her heart, liver and kidneys, leading to major medical problems and shortening her life.

I want Chubbs to live as long as she possibly can so I make her dental care a number one priority in my life.  I’ve seen too many a pet with dental disease so severe that we have to pull most if not all of their teeth.  These pets are in a lot of pain but owners are often unaware because pets are great at hiding illness.  But after these rotting teeth are removed, the owners can’t believe how much better their pet feels and wish they had known sooner.  I never want to Chubbs to have to experience that pain.  So I show her how much I love her by taking care of her teeth.  Show your pet how much you love them and make their dental care a number one priority in your life!  We offer free dental exams to evaluate your pet’s teeth and are offering 10% off dental cleanings under anesthesia for your pet during the month of February.  Call 757-7979 to make an appointment today.

The pancreas is a gland in the abdominal cavity near the stomach and liver that produces enzymes which aid in the digestion of food. The gland also secrete insulin, a hormone that helps to regulate blood sugar levels. A lack of adequate insulin results in diabetes. When the pancreas becomes diseased it will often release its digestive enzymes into itself rather than into the intestine where they normally go. The resultant tissue destruction is because the gland is digesting itself.

Symptoms:
1. Poor appetite
2. Fever
3. Pain / reluctance to walk or move
4. Vomiting
5. Diarrhea
6. Weakness / Dehydration

There are many different causes of pancreatitis. Excessive levels of fat or cholesterol in the blood can contribute to the problem. Obesity (overweight condition) also predisposes <> to pancreatic disorders. Infectious diseases can be the cause of the problem. Ingestion of rich or fatty foods is the most common cause of pancreatitis is pet animals. When pets are fed from the table (leftovers, etc.), get into the garbage, or are given numerous treats by well meaning house guests, pancreatitis may be the result.

Diagnosis is Based on the Following:
1. Presence of the above symptoms
2. Blood tests

In some cases, the following may be required:
3. Urinalysis
4. Radiographs (x-rays) of the abdomen
5. Exploratory surgery (for severe or chronic cases)
6. Ultrasound

Treatment:
The most important therapeutic measure is to withhold all food and water for the first 1-3 days (in dogs). If this is not done, the pancreas will continue to spill its digestive enzymes into itself “thinking” it is trying to digest food. Providing supportive care for a pet with pancreatitis is important. Hospitalization for IV fluids is usually required to prevent dehydration and to help correct electrolyte imbalances, along with anti-vomiting medication and pain medication being administered. Pancreatitis is very painful so pain medication is important. Antibiotics are generally not helpful and are rarely used in pancreatitis. Some pets can become so ill that they may develop temporary or permanent diabetes and need special treatment for this. Prescription foods are very important after the initial withholding period. These special diets may be recommended for the rest of the pet’s life if a chronic condition is suspected.