Cat Saves Woman's Life

It's always nice when cats get some recognition for being such great companions too. I saw this story this morning and thought it was really cool. 


READING, Pa. -- Cats may have nine lives, but humans have only one.

Claire Nelson of Reading is crediting her 10-year-old cat, Rusty, with saving her life.

Nelson, a retired nurse, said she was experiencing chest pains on June 8 when Rusty sensed something was wrong.

"Rusty kept following me around, no matter where I was standing or sitting, and jumping up on me with his front paws, letting out these guttural meows," said Nelson.

Nelson, 66, said her 22 pound cat usually has a relaxed and laid back personality, so she knew the way he was acting that morning was not normal.

"Finally, I said, 'Oh darn. Maybe this cat knows something I don't,'" said Nelson, who added that Rusty's behavior prompted her to take the bus to visit her doctor.

As time passed, Nelson said her condition grew worse. While at the bus terminal in downtown Reading, Nelson called 911 and was rushed to St. Joseph Medical Center.


The rest of the story AND a brief video can be found here:

http://www.wfmz.com/health/28236778/detail.html

They Thought She Had Lyme Disease

A dog came in today that had signs of Lyme and since she had it previously in the past AND the owners had removed a lot of ticks from her in the past few months, it was a reasonable thought.

Dogs that have previously tested positive on the in house Snap test we run, often stay positive on THAT test for a while - even possibly years (it's simply an exposure test). So we generally will send out a blood test called a C6 Quantitive antibody level.  This test gives us a number. Anything >30 on this test tells us we can treat. That test will tell us whether Lyme is the cause of the signs.  However there was some question as to whether we'd do the SNAP again. I felt strongly that we should, simply because it had been > 2yrs since we had done one AND if it wasn't a strong positive, I would probably not treat but wait for the C6 to come back.

Well, what happened was a "dot" on the test came up that I was NOT expecting. It was  the Heartworm positive indicator!!  This dog had NOT been on consistent monthly heartworm prevention and had never left Northeast PA. Now, had she been on consistent prevention AND the dog came up positive, guess what? The manufacturer would've paid for treatment - they guarantee the product!

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here (of course, I would NOT really do that being the animal lover I am) but prevention is better and less expensive and hey, less problematic for the dog. We don't know how long this dog has been harboring heartworms in the chambers of her heart and her pulmonary vessels. The longer they are there - the more damage they do. PLUS, when we kill these off, there is always the chance of more damage, obstructions, blood clots, etc.  I could tell her this - it was infected at least 6 months ago, because we know that from the time of a mosquito bite to the time of the infection being detectable (based on the heartworm life cycle) - it's a minimum of 6 months!

Isn't Calcium a Good Thing??

Sunday I mentioned that one of my cats had some blood work that showed an elevated calcium level. I'm sure most people wouldn't think that was a big deal. Calcium is important and we all know it's "good for us." But too much of ANYTHING is bad. In the case of calcium, it can signal bad things and if it remains elevated, can CAUSE bad things.


We call elevated blood calcium hypercalcemia. In dogs this is generally a level above 12.0 mg/dl (milligrams/deciliter) and in cats, above11.0 mg/dl.  What is measured in a pet's blood work is the total calcium. The level can be affected by some things:
- dehydration (from many causes)
- blood protein levels (notably albumin)
- fat in the blood (lipemia)
- growth (it IS normally elevated some in growing kittens and   
             puppies)


In a normal, healthy animal, and barring any of the above listed situations, the pet is able to maintain calcium within a specific range in the blood. It doesn't matter what they eat, how much of it they eat, if they are athletic or not, etc. This is how the system works:

From a human resource but it's the same in our pets.

Very often, there are no signs in these pets. Sometimes I hear that a pet is drinking and urinating a lot (this is because the body is ATTEMPTING to bring this level down but cannot). 


So we often see it because we are doing screening blood work or we are working on another problem. When I see an elevated Ca level, I do one of two things depending on the amount of elevation and how the pet is doing: repeat blood work in a few weeks/months or go further with diagnostics ( more extensive bloodwork, xrays/ultrasound). 


The first NEXT test is a more involved blood panel that measures parathyroid levels (PTH) and ionized Ca (these things will tell us if the body's feedback system for controlling Ca levels is working ok). 


The reason is that outside of one of those benign things causing Ca to rise, most of the time there is a pathologic or bad reason. The most common reason in pets is cancer. There ARE some cases of parathyroid problems (a small gland that is involved in control of Ca levels). 


But why does cancer cause this? Some tumors make a molecule that acts just like PTH. The most common ones that do this are: lymphomas and anal sac adenocarcinomas (hence the reason all dogs with this should get a rectal exam). A few other, less common cancers do this too.


The other thing of concern is that having an elevated calcium, especially as it gets a few points above normal, can result in kidney damage AND calcification of organs leading to systemic organ failure.


So we need to do things if your pet has an elevated calcium level: 
1. Find out why - this will involve expense and probable multiple hospital visits
2. Bring this level down as soon as we can - in some cases, we will use oral steroids to help this, in cases where the animal may be going to chemotherapy, we have to hold off on this and use fluids and other drugs


In Skittles' case, she has, as is more common in cats, idiopathic hypercalcemia (meaning we don't know why).  This does happen in some cats, they "think" because of some little pumps that move Ca in and out of cells being abnormal or absent in some cases. In her case, it's not high enough to cause damage but it's something I keep an eye on with yearly blood work. 

Thanks!

I will be blogging about an animal topic later today, but I wanted to say THANKS to several people who have been so kind to promote my blog in various ways: word of mouth, Facebook, their own blogs, etc. And now it's MY turn to promote their blogs!


First, thanks to Donna Baver Rovito, who has spoken highly of this blog on her Facebook page, in comment sections of OTHER blogs AND in face to face dealings with other people. She is a friend and someone I work with on healthcare reform. I can't say enough about her tireless efforts, as well as her incredible wealth of knowledge on the subject. Her blog is Health and Liability News Update. The fact that a journalist of her caliber thinks MY blog is good and well written means quite a bit to me (and inspires and pushes me to do better.)


At the end of last week, I met someone, who has already promoted me on HIS blog. Mr. Bernie O'Hare's blog Lehigh Valley Ramblings is NOT animal related but it is always an interesting read. Be warned: he doesn't mince words. Good for him. 

Just for fun -another Cape May Zoo resident - Bengal Tiger

Skittles

Skittles is a 12 yr old spayed, front declawed sweetheart of a cat. She came to me that way when she was 2 yrs old, so I have no kitten photos of her :( 

The funny thing is that I ended up with her because she was supposedly "vicious." Yeah, right. Not even close. This poor girl hid for 2 days when I first brought her home. They were giving her up though and if my employer at the time had seen her, I am 99% sure, he would've just euthanized her. THANK GOD, I was on! 

She, of ALL my cats, has taught me that cats can literally change over months to YEARS in how open they can become. I've seen small changes - where she wouldn't be in the same room as Chris to big leaps: went from NEVER being on the couch at all to being a total coach potato.  It was all at her own will and choosing of time. She's why I advise cat owners: don't give up and you never know how far out of a shell your cat can come. Let them decide. 

She came from a home with very young boys and based on what the owner told me, I suspect she was tormented by them. Only she would sooner run than bite someone.

About the only "biting" she does is what cat owners affectionally call "love bites" - these are when you are petting and stroking the cat, stop and she gently reminds you that it is NOT OK to discontinue the affection. Truly it's more of a nip. No skin is broken.

She has gorgeous eyes. I admit to being a bit biased.

Her favorite activities -not surprisingly like most cats - are eating and sleeping.   For a while there, she was getting skinny, so I'd give her some food separately in a downstairs bathroom (she tended to get bullied out of her food bowl). Now she's got a decent belly. Ok, maybe she's a little thicker than her veterinarian mom thinks is acceptable.


I should make a point that she trained me to know when I bought things that weren't seafood - namely tuna - flavored - as she'd flat out refuse them and give me a look. Then I'd look at the bag and go "ohh..this comes in poultry too??" *sigh* "Ok, Skittles, I'm sorry."  LOL...I'm VERY well trained don't you know??!

Gee she's lounging on the back of the couch..big surprise!

Her and I bonded almost immediately though as we were (at that time) the only females in the house. I had 2 other cats and they were boys plus Chris. I added a few more cats along the way and it wasn't until the last two, that the number of females in the house swelled to 3 cats and one human. 

She initially only felt safe with me. When Chris was gone, she'd find my lap. Almost every night she sleeps with me, curled up behind me as I sleep on my side. Here's what she does when I'm laying there reading..she's TRYING to get me to pet her. So cute. But if you do - be warned - you may not get back to that book for a while!

A few years ago, she gave me a scare. I had run some blood work on her since she was getting older. It was just a baseline screen. The next day, when the blood was scheduled to come back, I was at a veterinary conference in Baltimore. I called my one tech thinking "oh, it'll be fine." Um..no. Her calcium level came back elevated and in pets, that often = cancer. I FREAKED OUT!!!  I'll discuss more on this in another blog. 

Thankfully, after a work up only a medical professional would do (remember, we see the worst, so we think of the WORST possible things!), she turned out fine. AND it was 4-5 years ago...uhh..rather UNLIKELY she had cancer then and is fine now.

Anyhow, while I love all my pets I do think she has the most beautiful face. And she never starts any trouble...except with my OLD man - Arizona (17yrs and still going!).

Breed of the Week: American Hairless Terrier

This is the puppy I saw last week.

I admit to not knowing much about this breed. I hadn't seen one EVER until last week. While generally I am not as big on "hairless" breeds, I have to tell you this dog was REALLY adorable and so velvety to touch.  What a sweetie too!

Taken directly from www.dogbreedinfo.com:

In build, the American Hairless Terrier is identical to the medium-sized Rat Terriers, from whom he is directly descended. The American Hairless is a well-muscled dog with a deep chest, strong shoulders, solid neck, and powerful legs.

American Hairless Terriers are intelligent, alert, playful and loving dogs. Very inquisitive and lively. This affectionate dog makes an excellent companion for anyone. They are good with children...

They reportedly live 14-16 years, as one would expect for a dog this size (between 5-16 lbs).  There are not many health issues listed for them and, as I've never seen one before I can't report any of MY personal experiences with them. They only report minor skin issues - rashes/irritations - as this breed does have sweat glands. They need to be protected from sunburn as well.    

Who Knew?: Part 2

Since I was unable to post yesterday, I'm going to give you all a bonus and post twice today! 


I really didn't know they had dogs that sniff out allergens. This story about dogs that help children avoid nut allergens got me thinking about several things. I'm all for dogs that can help us, but when did this become such a huge problem? I mean, I know nut allergies are REAL and can be SERIOUS. So can shellfish and latex allergies. 


BUT we need dogs to sniff this stuff out now? What did people do 20 years ago? Where there even that many affected by these allergies? Frankly, I don't know. I do know that the more people try to protect their children's immune systems and avoid all "germs" the worse allergies are: studies have proven out that pet owning children have a LOWER incidence of allergies.  The immune system needs to be stimulated in order to grow and develop properly.  


Anyhow, here's the story:

Special dogs track allergens to keep kids safe

By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press – 2 days ago

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Boo and Riley are more than affectionate, protective family pets. To their owners, the specially trained dogs are a furry layer of security to sniff out peanut products and other life-threatening allergens.

The dogs' Connecticut owners are among many people nationwide turning to allergy-sniffing service dogs, who accompany their handlers to detect allergens and their residue at school, during social events and in other everyday activities.

As their popularity grows, though, some owners are having mixed success in convincing businesses, schools and those in charge of other public venues that the dogs must be accepted as service animals, just as dogs whose handlers' disabilities are more readily apparent.

They're already specifically recognized as medical service dogs in recent updates to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, but some parents are taking it a step further by lobbying their local and state officials to update their regulations, too.

"The dog is just one way we can help our daughter have a more normal life," said Pam Minicucci of North Haven, whose 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, is constantly accompanied by her allergy-sniffing St. Bernard named Boo.

Minicucci asked Connecticut lawmakers this year to add allergy-sniffing dogs to the state statutes to mirror the ADA language, but the bill languished in a committee without full General Assembly action.

Gianna's allergy to peanut products, tree nuts and their residue in the air or on surfaces is so severe that even minuscule particles can trigger hives, itching and difficulty breathing that has sent her to the hospital several times. She carries an inhaler, wipes, Benadryl and EpiPen injectors everywhere in case she encounters anything to which she's allergic.

She and Boo get mixed reactions as they go to public venues and school, even though the dog wears a vest identifying it as a service animal.

"Our goal is for the dog to be with her everywhere she goes," Gianna's mother said. "I don't expect people to change their world for us, but I do expect them to allow us to protect our child in the way we need to."

State and federal agencies do not track the number of allergy-specific service dogs in the nation, but handlers and trainers say they're fielding more inquiries and orders in recent years. They attribute it to a growing awareness about the allergy-sniffing dogs and an increase in peanut allergies among many of today's children.

That's my emphasis there. The rest of the article can be found here:  Allergen Detecting Dogs

Who Knew?

Dogs are amazing - they can sniff out bombs, drugs, cancer and now this:

Bedbugs going to the dogs at Philadelphia event

By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press – Jun 2, 2011

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dozens of dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds are in Philadelphia to see if their sniffers are up to snuff in the battle against bedbugs.

Hundreds of people from around the country are attending the National Canine Conference this week. As part of the event, 30 dogs and their handlers are trying for official certification as bedbug location canines.

The dogs and their owners are taking part in exercises in which they walk down a hallway lined with containers — some with bedbugs inside. The dogs have to pick the right containers to get certified.

Bedbug infestations are tough to eradicate. The apple seed-size critters have been found in hotels, movie theaters, retail stores and homes nationwide. Some are even developing resistance to insecticides commonly used to kill them.

Costs and Veterinary Medicine

I was out and about last week when someone, who knew I was a veterinarian, commented to me about the cost of their dog's vet visit (they are NOT my clients) and the vaccines that the dog needed. 


I explained the cost they were given was absolutely within the standard for the area AND why their vet recommended the vaccines they did. I explained what they vaccines were for and the importance of some versus others based on lifestyle.  


She said someone told her about X vet hospital which may be cheaper. My response to that is, if you feel comfortable, trust, and are happy with your vet, money is NOT a good reason to leave. I've seen countless people make the mistake of going somewhere else because they saved $30 bucks only to be unhappy with the practice, staff or how their pet was treated medically/surgically. THE driving reason you should pick and go to a veterinarian should be based on the relationship and trust you develop. 


Two things that bothered me here though. One, did HER vet or their staff not really explain to her why they recommended those vaccines?  She didn't seem to be aware of what I was telling her. If so, that's a failure on their part.


What most people don't stop and think about is what a veterinary hospital is: A HOSPITAL. Unlike your doctor's office, your pet can get nearly all the diagnostic testing he needs (x-rays, blood work and ultrasonography, to name a few), surgery (the anesthesia, machines, surgical instruments, sterilizing equipment, etc that ALLOW us to do all those procedures) and most of his medications WITHOUT ever having to leave the building. Then there's the staff.  Oh yeah, and the overhead, the insurance costs, etc. 


All of this is very expensive - namely the cost of stocking ALL the medications we have available for you. Think of the immense convenience your veterinarian's office provides for you. You don't have to go to location A for an x-ray and then location B for blood work and then location C for a procedure AND oh by they way, in most cases you get results within minutes to hours (and sometimes at most - days!).

This is NOT Feline Asthma

Just for fun, I thought I'd share some x-rays with you. These are from a 12yr old cat, who had worsening signs of what the owner and previous vets had thought was asthma. Now, this cat had "asthma" for years. 


The owner mentioned a few key things that told us we needed some chest films- notably a significant change in the frequency and severity of these signs and some new signs - PLUS the age of this cat. 

There is a mass in the chest above and behind the base of the heart

This mass can be seen on the left side of the chest

This cat's current problem was NOT asthma. There was clearly a mass like lesion in the lung fields. Without a sampling of cells from that area (ie, referral to a specialist), there is no way to say with 100% certainty but this lesion is NOT consistent with asthma or infection and is MOST likely cancer (primary or metastatic but either way NOT good!).


In any case, steroids are the treatment of choice and will provide some relief and possibly some shrinkage of the mass - at least for a time.


Note: VERY unlikely this lesion was there for years. The cat may have had asthma for most of it's life but one can't assume   the same thing is going on even if it "sounds" similar. Sometimes the smallest thing an owner tells you can be a HUGE clue to go further. It's why it's important to find a doctor that TRULY listens!

Top 10 Reasons to Be a Vet (hahahaha)

From a T-shirt: 

10) Because you're in it to makes lots of money....yeah right!

9) Unlike human medicine, castration is still a treatment option for horny dogs.

8) You love it when people say "Oh, you're not a real doctor?"

7) Because everyone wants to be like the crocodile hunter when they grow up

6) If you lose your ring during rectal palpation you know how to get it back

5) Our patients don't complain

4) When it comes to treating species, the more the merrier

3) Because mom always thought you were the smart one

2) Wearing scrubs and carrying a stethoscope is a great way to get a date

1) Unless you're a proctologist, when else can you be covered in crap and still have people call you doctor?

New Breeds in AKC

In February, as my friend was showing dogs at Westminster, I posted about a few new breeds accepted into the show ring.


Recently, the AKC has added 3 breeds to it's registry. 


1. The American English Coonhound
2.  The Finnish Lapphund
3. The Cesky Terrier


According to the article on this:

The American English Coonhound belongs to the Hound group — if the term "Coonhound" wasn't a straight giveaway — and is known for its speed and loud bark. These dogs were originally bred as hunters in the American colonies, but nowadays, they are affectionate companions who are happiest when they're active.

The Finnish Lapphund is a herding dog that originated north of the Arctic Circle, where it worked and lived outside. Its fluffy, thick coat reflects those roots by allowing it to withstand extremely cold temperatures, while its friendly face reminds us of a huggable teddy bear.

The Cesky Terrier is the national breed of the Czech Republic, and has a soft, silky coat and short, muscular frame. Originally a pack hunter in the forests of Bohemia, the Cesky is known to hunt fox, rabbits, ducks, pheasants, and even wild boar — something to keep in mind if you want to add a Cesky to your family.

Honesty IS the Best AND Safest Policy

I can't believe I even have to say this - but please do not lie to your veterinarian (or your own personal doctors) about what you are giving your pet (or yourself), what you are and are not doing with them, etc. It could be harmful or even fatal (so if you do lie and something bad happens, don't YOU dare sue!).


I had a client that has a young cat with a potentially serious medical condition. After much discussion, I finally got to her to go a specialist for some necessary diagnostics.  She went first, not to a SPECIALIST, but another vet that ran these tests for less money (but remember, they are not boarded in said specialty that kitty needs) AND proceeded to tell them what tests she wanted/didn't want. I just figured fine, whatever. Just get the tests done.  Miraculously, she ends up going to the veterinarian I had originally recommended. They fax me their findings and get the kitty started on appropriate medication.


The clients calls me a few days later, expressing concern about every side effect listed on this drug and saying her cat is showing these signs. Now just know that this cat has a condition that could be fatal - and suddenly so. AND some of the signs of the disease process are similar to the "potential" side effects of the drug. So we agreed she'd see how the cat did over the following few days and set up a recheck, which the cat needed anyhow.  


I recently see this client with this cat, because this cat is now having worsening signs.  Interestingly, she tells my technician the cat has not been on the RECOMMENDED medication but is on "herbs" that SHE herself picked out on-line for the cat. YES, people really do this! Now mind you, there are veterinarians out there that are "holistic" and have a lot of knowledge about which herbs and other natural remedies can and can't be used, how they interact, which species they can be used on, doses, etc. Had she wanted this, I could've helped her seek knowledgeable, professional help.


Well...so I had a little word with her on this: One, lying to me is totally unacceptable. I was giving advice based on HER lie, which could potentially harm this cat. Oh and this cat's condition has progressed by the way and I don't know if it's because of what she used, NOT using the recommended medications or simply that it would've anyhow.  

There's No Substitute

...for cutting through REAL tissue. I am all for using computer technology in medicine and science, but there IS no way this replaces dissecting real animals or doing procedures on REAL animals. Trust me. I speak from experience. I wouldn't want to spay even an unowned, stray cat without having actually EVER done any procedure on a real animal - alive or sometimes recently deceased. Sounds "horrible" to some I'm sure. It's not. They are not in pain. 


Recently, a bill in Connecticut's House of Reps recently passed that would allow students to opt of out animal dissections. It still needs to make it through the Senate.  Fine. If they want to be English majors let them. They won't be MY doctors and I won't refer my friends to them should they pursue veterinary medicine either. 


The article can be found here.

Taking Your Dog's Heartworm Risk Seriously

I've always advocated year round heartworm prevention.  In my March 21st blog, I discussed what heartworm disease is, how dogs (and cats) get it and what excuses people have to NOT have their dog on preventative.


I was at a meeting the other night where some statistics really brought this to the forefront of my mind again. While many states (especially the drier, western states) haven't had heartworm in their mosquito populations, a little natural disaster called Katrina, has essentially brought heartworm to the entire lower 48.  


First of all, approximately 93% of dogs from New Orleans (and areas surrounding the city) ARE heartworm positive (and were at the time of Katrina). Mosquitoes thrive there and most of them ARE carrying the parasite. In addition, due to the area being generally economically depressed (for a LONG time), most people do NOT have their dogs on prevention.


There is NOT a single state or virtually any veterinary hospital that hasn't known at least one "Katrina dog" rescued by someone in their practice.  There were 80,000 dogs rescued from down there. Many of them were brought up here to the Northeast. I've seen quite a number of them over the past few years in several practices where I've worked. 


Compounding THIS entire problem is that little disease I mentioned in the blog April 8th  (that I told you WAS absolutely going to affect you as a consumer and even as a pet owner). As it turns out, a single bat can consume 800 mosquitoes PER HOUR. Yes, so multiply that by hundreds, even thousands of bats. AND now, they are saying that it is looking like we are going to lose the majority, if not ALL, of our bat population. No I am not kidding. 


So, we brought heartworm dogs up to our area (which already had some positive mosquitoes) and now we have one less predator for those nasty mosquitoes.  


The key thing on this is that in the next 5-10 yrs we can expect to see an increase in cases here as this truly becomes endemic to most areas.  


As for the felines, 90% of cats will clear the infection and never get the adult heartworms, but for those that do, sudden death can be the only "sign" - if you can call it that! Indoor kitties need to be on prevention too (do you get mosquitoes IN your house? I know I do!). My favorite product for them is Revolution - a topical once a month treatment. 


We have products that are nearly 100% effective and backed by the companies that make them.