Breed of the Week (Cat): Abyssinian

Lest anyone think this "breed of the week" feature was all about dogs, here is our first cat breed.

Notice the gorgeous "ticked" fur on this fine feline specimen.

This is one of the oldest known breeds of domestic cats. 

They come in a variety of colors: ruddy, blue, fawn, chocolate, lilac and silver. The ticked fur, which is the alternating dark and light bands, really gives them a "wild" cat look. Similar to what the coat of a mountain lion is like. 


A little known "secret about me": Although I have always rescued cats, the one cat I WOULD consider getting from a reputable breeder is a blue Aby (they are frequently referred to by this abbreviated name). I saw one at a cat show and she was stunning. 

Above are two images of Blue Abys

I have only seen a handful of this breed in 13yrs of practice.

They are known to have a few medical problems though not as many as some of the other breeds I will cover in the future.

One of the big ones is called renal amyloidosis. Basically, amyloid (a substance made of proteins that is not broken down by the body) accumulates in kidney cells causing destruction and ultimately kidney failure.  It is a genetic disorder that attacks them from 1-5yrs of age. There are varying degrees to which the cat can be affected. Some cats decline rapidly while others can be managed for years.

They can also have retinal atrophy, resulting in vision deficits of varying severities. 

I have seen several that have inflammatory bowel disease though it is not necessarily a "breed" specific thing. 

They are very active playful cats and not "lap" cats. 

Some photos and more info here

Another group of cool large photos of Abys

Keeping An Eye on Things

I wanted to expound on a few of the eye problems I saw this week.


1. Proptosed eye aka popped out eyeball. This doesn't happen too often fortunately. It requires some trauma to do too. I've seen it with animals hit by cars, one dog that had his head accidentally slammed in a sliding glass door and most recently, from a dog attack. The brachycephalic breeds (short noses - ie pugs, shih tzu's, etc) are more susceptible to this.


In those cases, with a little lube (and sometimes sedation), I was able to gently push the eye back in and because they were seen immediately after the trauma, the eye remained visual. The longer it's out, the less likely you will retain vision in that eye. In some severe cases, surgery is needed to close the eye in and give the tissue time to heal OR the eye simply needs to come out (too much damage).




2. Cherry eye - a gland in the third eyelid prolapses or pops out. It NOT painful to the dog but always seems to bother the owner more. In any case, it can be left alone, removed (with the possibility the dog will have permanent dry eye in that eye) or surgically corrected (by creating a pouch that it gets tucked back into).  This is most common in Cocker Spaniels, Bulldogs, Pugs/Puggles, and Boston Terriers and is typically seen when they are young. 

Cherry eye in the dog's left eye.

3. Glaucoma. As with people this is increased pressure in the eye. It IS painful. There are numerous causes including trauma and genetics. In any case, the goal is to get the pressure down, hopefully save vision and at LEAST control pain.  To diagnose it we need to take a pressure measurement using a digital pressure reader called a Tonometer. Many ophthalmologists use this. I have had it used on me. If the pressure is elevated, we need to use certain types of drops to get it down and address any underlying issues that may be related to this. We often also give oral pain medications.   If it has gone on too long, vision will be lost. However, since dogs don't need to read or drive, they can be fine with one good eye or being totally blind. The question becomes, is the dog painful? If we can't get that eye pain under control, we need to surgically remove the eye. They do great! 


4. Corneal ulceration. Oh this is most definitely painful. Again trauma is the usual cause though in this situation it's usually another pet, the animal self traumatizing via scratching/rubbing or bumping into something inside or outside (sticks, bushes, etc).  This is easy to diagnose with a simple stain. Treatment can be prolonged in some cases (notably Boxers). These cases need to be followed closely as they can go south quickly. The pet MUST be prevented from rubbing at the eye and sometimes we have to switch meds a time or two. Lately, veterinarians have had many of our eye ointments taken off the market or marked UP tremendously, limiting what we can offer to clients.  In some cases where healing is NOT going as we expect, we may recommend surgical interventions that include scraping the cornea (to encourage healing) and closing the eyelids or conjuctiva/third eyelid over the eye as a "bandaid."

Stain uptake showing the ulcerated area.

A Really Cool Place

Tonight I attended a continuing education meeting at a place in Bethlehem called the Venel Institute. This is a brand new 12,000 sq foot training facility for surgeons. 


The vision and creation of this place is due in large part to Dr. Stephen Brigido, a foot and ankle surgeon. He also happens to be the person that finally gave Chris relief after two years of foot pain. Thank God for wonderful surgeons!! 


Anyhow, this place is really amazing. There is a classroom with remote links to the other room, a 3,000 sq ft room with all sorts of laparoscopic, endoscopic and arthroscopic equipment and multiple TV monitors, a cafe area and locker room facilities.


At this time, I'm not sure what we veterinarians will be able to do with this facility. They have a relationship with Valley Central Referral Center (who helped sponsor the meeting and gave the presentations tonight). It was nice to be able to put names to faces too. 


There is a really amazing place in Las Vegas called the Oquendo Center that does veterinary surgical and medical training. I'd love to go out there and do some things but it can be difficult to take the time off and obviously there are additional costs associated with this type of trip. 


I would love it if we could have some of that training available RIGHT here in the Lehigh Valley. The impression I got was that they want to train veterinarians in minimally invasive procedures. The biggest question I always have is...are clients going to pay for it? Training costs $$, the equipment costs $$ and yes, it should cost MORE ..but will the economy support it if we do it?

Dogs of All Sizes

A few weeks ago my husband asked me how it's possible that a chihuahua and a Great Dane are the same species. There is absolutely incredible variation in the animals known taxinomically as Canis lupus familiaris. 

I told him that, as with other species (cows, horses, etc), a lot of it LIKELY has to do with selective breeding and/or accidental traits that come through that someone likes that they, then, perpetuate through breeding.  It also has to do with environments of where these dogs were originally domesticated.


I found a cool article that touches on evidence of small "lap dogs" found in France: 

Clues dug up: France and lap dogs go way back

Poodle-sized pups raise lots of questions about the earliest domestication

By Jennifer Viegas

updated 3/29/2011 1:32:49 PM ET

The oldest dogs from France were small, lap-sized canines that lived up to 15,000 years ago, according to new research.
These poodle-sized dogs raise a lot of questions about the earliest domestication of dogs, due to their impressive age and the fact that most other prehistoric pooches were much larger.
"One or many domestication events could have occurred in France and, more generally, in the western part of Europe," Maud Pionnier-Capitan told Discovery News. She led the French project, described in a paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
"Eurasian archaeological data plea for multiple and independent domestication processes throughout the Old World," added Pionnier-Capitan, a researcher at the National Museum of Natural History in France, as well as at Claude Bernard Lyon I University.
She and her colleagues analyzed the remains of animals once thought to be dholes, a type of wild canine. The fossils were unearthed at Pont d'Ambon and Montespan in Southwest France and Le Closeau in North France.
Radiocarbon dating and detailed investigations determined that the fossils all belonged to small Upper Paleolithic dogs. These, together with a few other finds, confirm the presence of small dogs in Europe from at least 15,000 to 11,500 years ago.
Pionnier-Capitan believes these dogs had a height below about 17 inches.
The Rest of the Article Can be Found Here
Also: History of the Dog  - now this is a wikipedia site so take it as such. I read through it and it sounds pretty reasonable and in line with other sources I've read on domestication of wolves to dogs. 

Another Day at the Office

What do a euthanasia, a coughing puppy,  a popped out eyeball, a lacerated cat tail and a dislocated hip all have in common?

Dog with a "cherry eye" 

They are all part of a "routine" day in the life of a veterinarian.

It's true. No day is like any other. I suppose that's why we like it. Each day presents its own challenge. We never know what is going to walk in the door.  

Funny enough - and you wouldn't believe me unless you worked in this field - we see things in groups.

Yesterday, I had a string of appointments of limping dogs - everything from a puppy with a swollen front leg that turned out to be caused by Lyme, to an older dog with a sore upper front leg (that for now, thankfully, is NOT bone cancer) to a dog that jumped off a deck and dislocated his hip.  

Today the theme of the afternoon was ophthalmology - everything from a dog with cherry eye (a prolapsed gland in the corner of a dog's eye) to a dog with glaucoma (eye pressure that should read <25mmHg was reading >70!!!).  And there were a few other "eye" problems in there too.

It is very weird but any vet or tech can tell you that we see things in groups of 3 or more in a few short days -  cats with urethral obstructions and dogs that ate "foreign" things and need surgery. The list goes on.

Ahh but that's not the only "challenge." The other end of the pet..ie, the owner..can present it's own set of unique challenges. These include but are NOT limited to: not showing up on time, not showing up AT all, showing up with more pets than the appointment was set up for, not believing you because you are not Doctor "X" or because you don't have a penis (haha..no..I am NOT kidding),giving the technician and doctor completely different and often contrary history on the patient (yeah he vomited..no, he's not vomiting/can we get vaccines today?), not understanding the costs or medical situation DESPITE a lengthy explanation, grief over the loss or illness of a pet and family disagreements in the exam room about how to proceed with the pet. 

Salmonella Dangers of Pets

This is primarily an issue with amphibians and reptiles.  


As a recent article documenting a wide spread salmonella outbreak states:

Frogs aren't good pets for young kids 

Children younger than 5 are among those at highest risk for salmonella infections and CDC officials warn that water frogs are not appropriate pets for kids that young. Officials say the frogs should be kept out of homes with young children, children's care centers, hospitals and nursing homes.

Health officials warn that salmonella infections can be spread not only by water frogs, but by other amphibians and reptiles, such as turtles. People should wash hands thoroughly after handling the animals and anything that comes in contact with their habitat.

Kitchen sinks should not be used to empty or wash the frogs' habitat, such as aquarium or fish tank, because of the risk of spreading salmonella to food. If possible, cleaning should be done outside, using disposable gloves. Young children should not be allowed to clean the creatures' tanks or bowls.

Salmonella Spread to 217 people in 41 states
One Breeder Likely Responsible For Outbreaks of Salmonella

Allergic to Cats? Help May be On it's Way

Simple injection could cure cat allergies

Cat allergies could be cured by a simple injection, scientists hope.

By Martin Beckford, Health Correspondent 7:00AM BST 02 Apr 2011

Researchers are developing a vaccine that provides long-term protection against the itching, sneezing and watering eyes that cats cause in up to one in 10 people.

Early trials suggest the product is safe, effective and lasts longer than current treatments, which can also have serious side-effects.

If further tests are successful, the scientists behind the vaccine hope they will be able to develop similar products for the millions who suffer hay fever and other allergies, although experts warn this will be far more difficult to achieve.

Check It Out

Breed of the Week: Designer Dogs

Ok, I am not going to mince words here - when you mix breed "X" with breed "Y", it's a mutt. It doesn't matter what cutsie name you call it or that you can charge $1500 for it. As PT Barnum once said...well, you know. Apparently there is too.

Puggle (Pug x Beagle) puppy

This is from an article out of Canada:

Avoid flavour of month cross-breeds, says vet

Gates said designer dogs — such as the tiny dogs found in the handbags of Hollywood starlets — or any dog bred to extremes will often come with built-in medical problems.

Buggs, a cross between Boston Terriers and Pugs, often inherit the breathing issues of both breeds. Labradoodles, a cross between a Labrador Retriever and Poodle, are more vulnerable to hip problems or eye disorders.

"It's frustrating. People think they're neat but they don't realize some of the medical problems associated with those breeds and so then they get in over their head with bills," said Gates.

She said last week she pulled 10 teeth out of a pocket-sized dog. The $2,000 bill came as a shock to the owner, she said.

"These are tiny little dogs — three, four, five pounds," said Gates. "That tiny little mouth and they've got 42 teeth rammed into their mouth. And there's not room for that."

"Then [owners] complain the dog has bad breath and the teeth are falling out and the dog has a sore mouth," she said. "But this was all sort of a given from the beginning because we've bred them to be the way that they are."

It's true too..they often seem to get the worst of both parents in terms of health and behavior issues. I am NOT saying that ALL Labradoodles have problems or that all Puggles are fat and will bite when you try to restrain them. There are a lot of nice dogs out there PERIOD. 

That's just it though. There are ALREADY a lot of nice dogs out there. In shelters and foster homes and at reputable breeders.  

Why are we breeding all these? Well, because there is, apparently, a demand for them. They often cost just as much as a true purebred dog. 

In any case, as this article points out, if you are spending the rest of your checking account to get a designer dog, remember that ANY pet costs money to care for - including the necessary preventative medicine and vaccinations.  If it's too costly, seek an animal in need please. For $40-$100 (maybe a "little" more) you can get a wonderful pet and have money left over to CARE for that animal.

Equine Herpesvirus

This virus comes in two forms: EHV-1 and EHV-4


Both of these can cause respiratory disease and type 1 can cause abortions and neurologic disease as well.


This is a highly contagious virus, so when it appears in a barn or group of horses sharing a pasture, it is important that isolation and quarantine measures are instituted immediately!

The USDA has a good link to more info on this. The American Association of Equine Practitioners also has some great info at:
http://www.aaep.org/ehv.htm




Recently, Cornell's Veterinary Hospital had a few confirmed cases.  At a  New Jersey farm, one horse died and a few others became ill with the virus. After this story broke, they updated it to include another farm.  


What is going on here? Well, the problem is that since the incubation period can be a week or longer, an infected horse can be moved to another facility before clinical signs appear, spreading the disease amongst farm. In addition, humans caring for the horses or barn can spread this disease among the horses as well.

When It's NOT Time to Say Goodbye

A euthanasia appointment is one of the hardest parts of any veterinarian's day. This is especially true if we know the client and patient well.  In any case, euthanasia is the number one reason I've heard for people NOT going into the field of veterinary medicine. They say "Oh I wanted to be a vet, but I couldn't put animals to sleep."


Honestly, I think it's a privilege. I don't "enjoy" it but I also recognize that I have the ability and ethical obligation to relieve suffering. 


I had a dog come in the other day that the owner was going to euthanize but after discussing it with him and examining this dog, I didn't feel right about it. He really didn't want to do it and while the dog is at the upper end of his breed's general life span, he looked GREAT!  There were SOME health issues and some other issues surrounding it (financial and situational/family). It's hard because I am the ANIMAL's advocate but I am not unaware that I am also dealing with the people involved as well. I feel it's important to LISTEN to what they are saying. Sometimes, they aren't really "saying" it either. 


So, in this case, we were able to work a few things out and get the dog some pain relief and some ear medications. The time WILL come for this dog but that day was NOT it.


Veterinarians have an obligation NOT to euthanize an animal if we feel it's not time or not being done for the right reasons. Sure, they can take the animal down the road to some other vet who, maybe, will just do it or they may even try some way of doing it themselves. Ultimately, I have to live with myself and be able to sleep at night. I can't be responsible for anyone else's decision but my own.