Pet Health Hospital will be officially opening for business on Monday, January 27 2104. We look forward to providing you with the highest quality veterinary services and animal care in Las Vegas. Please contact us directly to arrange for your appointment at our new facility, and feel free to stop by and see the new animal hospital for yourself. Dr. B and the staff are anxiously waiting to see you again, and welcome you to the Pet Health family.

Our philosophy is different than other veterinarians. We believe that animal care is most effective through prevention of disease and maladies, and our primary focus will be to prevent the costly surgeries and longtime care that complicates so many pet owner’s experiences. Through ongoing, small preventive services and care, we have found that many cases of sickness in animals can be prevented, saving the thousands of dollars in treatment and potential heartache that comes with a sick pet. We feel that through ongoing wellness plans we will more effectively lengthen the life and happiness of your pet. We will be performing the services that you will find standard at all veterinary hospitals, but will also be offering this unique approach to animal health to those who choose it.

When you visit our new facility, be sure to inquire about our feline and canine wellness programs, and get a sense as far as the added quality of life that these approaches to veterinary medicine can bring. We want you to be involved in your pet’s health plan, just like you would be for yourself or your children. After all, aren’t those furry little guys your kids anyway?

OVERVIEW

Over half of pets are considered overweight or obese, and according to studies, the number is climbing every year. It is the most common concern for pets in our society today when it comes to nutrition-related health.

The obvious, and most primary, cause of obesity is too much food and not enough exercise. As pet’s overeat without burning off excess calories, the calories become stored as fat. For some owners, it’s difficult to recognize that their pet has slowly become overweight until they visit their veterinarian for another reason. This creeping weight gain can be subtle and dangerous.

Sadly, pets that are overweight or obese may have difficulty breathing, walking, playing, exercising, and tolerating heat, just like humans.

DIAGNOSIS

Your veterinarian will give suggestions for weight loss. They should also recommend overall health examinations and tests along with possible diagnostic tests to determine the best, and safest, treatment for your pet’s obesity.
A diagnostic test will likely include:

• A veterinary exam that includes a measure of body weight and a body condition score. A review of past body weight and its incline may be helpful in detecting a pattern in weight gain. It may even help identify a certain event or environmental change that relates to the weight gain.
• Routine blood work that contains a serum profile and complete blood cell count. These and a urinalysis are needed to find out if there is any underlying disease. If these are normal, a weight loss program can begin. Otherwise, if the results show a problem, more diagnostics may be needed for further identification before a program can be safely applied.
• An assessment of your pet’s complete daily caloric intake and exercise schedule. It’s important to calculate any and all food, treats, snacks, and table foods your pet ingests daily and see if their regular exercise balances it out. If the calories exceed the amount of energy burned by activity, it’s clear that this is the cause, or at least a great contributor, of the pet’s obesity.

TREATMENT

It is recommended to treat any disease that affects obesity.

• You can easily lower your pet’s caloric intake by changing the type of food to a diet formulated for weight loss. Whether you change the type of food or not, it’s a good idea to change the amount you feed to the amount recommended by your veterinarian.
• An increase in fiber or water intake may be needed to keep your pet satiated.
• Increase your pets exercise activity. This can include long walks to vigorous play. A variety of leashes and toys are available to improve activities.

HOME CARE

Weight loss will only be successful if it is considered a family endeavor. Your family must all agree and admit that the pet is overweight and commit to the pets weight loss program. It might be a good idea to make just one person in charge of the feeding of the pet. Also, monitor how many treats the pet is getting. The family could even keep a log to keep track of food intake and exercise.

If your pet is obese, you need to change their food to a diet specifically designed for weight loss. If you simply change the amount of food you feed your pet, it’s not likely you’ll get a significant amount of weight loss. One way to find out the right amount to give your pet is by checking the bag to see if they have a measurement specifically for overweight pets. However, the best thing to do is consult your veterinarian for advice. Treats should be minimized as well. The best treats to give an overweight pet is something light, like air popped popcorn or pieces of vegetables (like carrots).

Medical progress exams with your veterinarian are very important to keep up with every 4 to 6 weeks to monitor weight loss. Adjustments to the feeding plans are often needed and, as your pet approaches their ideal body weight, caloric intake will need to be reduced further to maintain the weight loss.

The majority of pets will need an 8-12 months weight loss program to get to their ideal weight. This can only be achieved when the owners and all family members are committed to improving their pet’s health. When the pet reaches their goal, most owners will continue to feed them the weight management diet, but at a larger food dose. That way the pet maintains their ideal weight.

Recommendations depend on the underlying disease. For obesity due to:

• Excessive caloric intake. After the pet’s ideal weight is reached, the low-calorie diet should be continued, treats should keep being regulated, and the exercise program should continue.
• Diabetes mellitus. Medical progress exams are needed to monitor insulin dose and effectiveness, and to measure any changes in the pet’s weight.
• Hypothyroidism. Medical progress exams are needed to keep track of thyroid dose and effectiveness, and to measure any changes in the pet’s weight. If the pet is losing weight, blood thyroid levels should be checked as well.
• Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease). Medical progress exams are needed to monitor medical management, and to measure any changes in the pet’s weight.

IN-DEPTH INFORMATION

Obesity in pets more commonly is due to over-eating than disease, but whether your pet is obese due to an overfeeding problem or an underlying disease, in the end they are still consuming more calories than they are using. These excess calories are stored as fat by the body.

Some other causes of obesity are due to a changed energy metabolism. The following are diseases that contribute to obesity:

• Diabetes mellitus. Overweight and obese animals will become insulin resistant. The early signs of diabetes mellitus in an animal are an increase in hunger, thirst, and urination. The pet will eventually lose weight as the disease progresses.
• Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease). This disease happens when the pet’s adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone cortisol. Pet’s with Cushing’s don’t usually gain weight, but will have fat redistributed to the abdomen, causing a pot-bellied appearance that looks like weight gain.

You want to talk to your veterinarian if you think your pet is overweight, experiences difficulty breathing, exercising or getting comfortable. They will be able to determine if any of these abnormalities are present before beginning a weight loss program.

IN-DEPTH DIAGNOSIS

Your veterinarian will want to perform diagnostic tests on a pet that is overweight or obese to determine if there are any underlying problems. These include:

• A comprehensive physical examination with a precise measure of body weight and a judgment of body condition score.
• Review of your pet’s intake of food, treats, and table scraps daily along with exercise.
• Routine blood work that will show a serum profile, complete blood cell count, and urinalysis. With normal blood work results, the obesity is likely the result of excessive calorie intake, and reduced energy use. However, if the test results are abnormal and indicate a problem, more tests would be needed for an accurate diagnosis. These additional tests may include:
• Urine cortisol:creatinine ratio. The disease Hyperadenocorticism should be suspected with a high ratio.
• ACTH stimulation test. For a better diagnosis, an adrenocorticotrophic hormone stimulation test is used.
• Low dose dexamethasone test. This test gives the doctor a definitive diagnosis of hyperadenocorticism and is used in concert with the urine cortisol:creatinine ratio and an ACTH stimulation test.

IN-DEPTH TREATMENT

Before you start your pet on any kind of exercise plan, make sure you talk to your vet to rule out any major disease that could be causing the obesity.

Recommendations for obesity due to excessive caloric consumption:

• Change your pet’s caloric intake to 50 percent less than what your pet needs for his ideal body weight.
• Here is an idea what to check on the food before you buy it:

1. less than 340 kcal per 100 grams of food on a dry matter basis
2. between 5 to 10 percent fat for dogs, 7 to 12 percent fat for cats
3. between 10 to 30 percent crude fiber
4. reater than 25 percent crude protein for dogs, greater than 35 percent crude protein

• Keep our pet on this diet with the prescribed amount numerous times daily.
• Give treats sparingly only as directed. It’s best to use low calorie treats or vegetables.
• Increase your pet’s daily exercise.
• Swimming is an excellent way for a pet to lose weight and it also helps patients with orthopedic disabilities, so try to get them to swim.
• Visit your veterinarian monthly for a medical progress exam and so any adjustments to the diet or exercise can be made.

Recommendations for obesity due to diabetes mellitus:

• When controlling diabetes, a special diet will most likely be required. The new pet food should have a moderate level of fiber (5 to 10 percent) with lowered levels of readily available carbohydrates.
• Insulin treatments will vary depending on the patient.
• Sometimes in patients with diabetes, a pet will lose weight. This usually means the clinical signs of diabetes are no longer there and treatment is unnecessary.
• Recommendations for obesity due to hyperadenocorticism:
• Any pet with ACTH need to do medical progress exams every 3 to 4 months. The treatment will usually involve maintenance medication doses.
• Generally, a weight loss program is unnecessary to arrive at an ideal body weight.

GRIEF IN PETS WHEN LOSING A COMPANION

Our pets can’t talk to us to tell us what they’re thinking. Because of this, we have to base their emotional status on their actions and behavior.

An animal that loses a companion animal or human may react similarly as when a person experiences the death of a loved one. People are able to communicate how they feel in their grief, but many times it’s the actions that really tell us that they are suffering. A grieving person may become disoriented, listless, confused, and lose their focus even with regular daily activities. Sometimes they won’t eat, become disinterested in what’s going on around them, cry often, and sleep too much or too little.

Monique D. Cretien, MSc, AHT, Animal Behavior Consultant says, “Some animals can actually become depressed when they lose a loved one. They show symptoms similar to humans such as loss of interest in their favorite activities and sleeping more than usual. However, sometimes dogs and cats hide and sleep more than usual when they are ill, so you should consult with your veterinarian before seeing a behaviorist if your pet exhibits symptoms such as these.”

Your pet may become less interested in food or playtime, or act more clingy. Sometimes, if their companion was taken to the veterinarian to be euthanized, or passed away in a hospital, they may spend days watching and waiting for their return. Veterinarians and behaviorists call this highly emotional state separation anxiety.

In 1996, the well-known American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, performed a Companion Animal Mourning Project with cats. The study established that 65% of cats grieving for their lost companions showed four or more behavioral changes. In appetite, 46% ate less and, in very extreme cases, the cat even starved to death. Around 70% of cats changed their meowing habits and were more vocal or less vocal. Most cats changed their amount and location of sleep and more than 50% became more clingy with their care givers.

Try giving your pet more affection and attention if you notice they are taking the loss of their friend, human or animal, hard. “Try to take her mind off it by engaging her in a favorite activity,” recommends Chretien. If your pet is a sucker for the company of humans, invite friends they are comfortable with and spend time with her. You could also try environmental enrichment techniques like treat filled balls to keep her busy, or even hide treats and toys around the house for her to find.

We all know the saying “Time heals all wounds.” Sometimes it takes a while for your pet to become okay enough with her loss to respond to activity. “Time is one thing that may help,” Chretien says.

If your dog is becoming more vocal after the loss, like barking and whining to extremes, be careful not to reinforce the behavior. If you give her treats to distract her, she thinks her vocalization is acceptable and even encouraged. “Giving attention during any behavior will help to reinforce it so be sure you are not reinforcing a behavior that you don’t like,” says Chretien. “Give attention at a time when your dog is engaging in behaviors that you do like, such as when she is resting quietly or watching the birds. As the pain of the loss begins to subside, so should the vocalizing as long as it is related to the grieving process.”

Chretien also advises consulting with your veterinarian about drug therapy to help decrease your dog’s anxiety.

It’s very important to wait until you and your surviving pet have adjusted properly to the loss of a companion before adding another pet to the family. You pet is already anxiety-ridden and emotional. Having to get to know a newcomer will only add to her distressed state. Please be patient with a grieving pet. She may miss her loving companion as much as you do.

WORMS

Most people are aware that their pets have worms, but just what are these worms, where do they get them and how do you get rid of them? When pet owners talk about worms, they are really talking about all gastrointestinal parasites. And there are several gastrointestinal parasites that commonly affect our dogs and cats.

ROUNDWORMS

Roundworms are visible in your pet’s stool or vomit. They are long and thin, similar to thin spaghetti. This parasite can pass through the placenta (only in puppies), through the milk (puppies and kittens) or be ingested (puppies and kittens). Some animals become infected after ingesting another animal with roundworm eggs. It is thought that nearly all puppies are born with roundworms since they pass through the placenta. In kittens, most become infected after nursing.

The roundworm that affects dogs is Toxocara canis. The roundworm that affects cats is Toxocara cati. The roundwormToxascaris leonina is shared between dogs and cats. The roundworm eggs are very resistant to chemicals and weather and remain infective in the soil for years, which can result in repeated reinfection.

Typically, the eggs are found on the soil or grass. As the dog or cat walks by, the eggs are picked up on the animal’s fur. During normal grooming, the animal then ingests the eggs. After reaching the stomach, the eggs hatch. The developing larvae continue to mature in the small intestines and become adults in about three to four weeks. At this point, the mature worms are able to reproduce and shed more eggs. These eggs pass out the intestines in the feces. Once in the soil, the eggs will become infective in about one week.

WHIPWORMS

Whipworms are another type of gastrointestinal parasite that affects dogs. The most common whipworm is Trichuris vulpis and it is a significant cause of large bowel diarrhea. The whipworm eggs are quite resistant and can live in the environment for up to five years.

Typically, a dog becomes infected after ingesting eggs from the environment. The eggs then hatch once they reach the stomach. It takes about three months for the eggs to mature to adults and being shedding eggs. The adults then burrow into the small intestine and feed on blood and tissue. The eggs are intermittently passed in the feces and become infective in about one month. Since the eggs are not shed all the time, repeated fecal examinations may be necessary to diagnose whipworm infection.

HOOKWORMS

Ancylostoma caninum is the most common hookworm in the dog. Ancylostoma tubaeforme is the most common hookworm in the cat. The eggs are relatively susceptible to cold weather and the eggs are usually destroyed after a hard freeze. Hookworm infection can occur as the worms pass through the placenta, are spread during nursing, penetrate through the skin or are ingested.

After ingestion, the eggs hatch in the stomach and develop into adults into about two weeks. If the larvae penetrate the skin, it takes about four weeks for the larvae to mature. Once mature, the worms begin reproducing and shed eggs in the feces. It then takes two to eight days until the eggs are infective. The adult worms attach to the lining of the small intestine and feed on blood. In a severe infection, profound anemia can occur.

GIARDIA

Giardia are pear-shaped, one-celled organisms that infect the small intestine of dogs and cats. Most cases of Giardia in young animals cause explosive, watery diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss and an unkempt appearance. Adult animals are capable of harboring the infection without showing clinical signs.

The eggs are susceptible to chemical disinfection. Once ingested, the infective cysts develop in the small intestine. Diarrhea can begin as early as five days after exposure and cysts can appear in the feces one to two weeks after exposure. Most domestic animals contract Giardia from drinking contaminated pond or stream water.

TAPEWORMS

Tapeworms are very common in dogs and cats and, despite what you may think, rarely cause illness. Most people see the tapeworm egg packets as they pass out the rectum and crawl on the animal’s fur. These egg packets, referred to as proglottids, contain multiple eggs and appear about six to eight weeks after ingestion of an infective tapeworm egg. In order to become infective, the tapeworm egg is either ingested by a rodent, rabbit or flea. The egg then matures and becomes infective. Eggs or egg packets eaten after they pass out in the stool are not infective and do not result in more tapeworms.

There are two types of tapeworms, Taenia and Dipylidium. Taenia tapeworms are acquired when an animal ingests an infected rabbit or rodent. Dipylidium tapeworms are acquired when an animal ingests an infected flea. Once the tapeworm egg is ingested, it hatches in the stomach and begins to invade the walls of the intestines. The worm then matures to a larva and then to an adult. About 35 to 80 days later, the adults begin to shed egg packets, which pass in the stool. The adult tapeworm can survive in the intestine for about seven to 34 months.

Animals infected with tapeworms may scoot on the floor since the egg packets tend to crawl on the skin, causing itchiness.

COCCIDIA

Coccidia are intestinal protozoa that invade and infect the lining cells of the small intestine. There are many species of coccidia and almost all domestic animals can become infected. Of the numerous types that infect dogs and cats,Isospora is the most common. Coccidia spread when an animal eats infected fecal material or an infected host, such as a small rodent. Many researchers maintain that virtually all dogs and cats have been infected with the organism at one time or another during their life.

Most coccidial infections are harmless, cause minimal symptoms and are eliminated by normal body defense mechanisms. More serious coccidial infections cause severe watery or bloody diarrhea and are often seen in high-density confinement situations such as kennels, catteries and pet shops.

Allergic dermatitis in dogs refers to inflammatory skin conditions caused by any type of allergy, and may be temporary or life-long. Aside from the common symptoms of the allergic condition itself, the pet will frequently suffer from more than one allergic condition at once. This, along with the propensity for them to develop secondary infections as well, can make the diagnosis and treatment of allergic dermatitis very challenging.

The most common classes of allergic dermatitis seen in dogs are flea bite allergy, food allergy, and atopy. Atopy, or atopic dermatitis, is a hypersensitivity reaction caused by inhaled allergens, or absorption of allergens through the skin. Some other causes of allergic dermatitis in dogs may arise from urticaria and angioedema, contact hypersensitivity, hypersensitivity to the bites of ticks, mosquitos, or other insects, ear mites, or intestinal parasites. Bacterial infections such as staph infections, or Malassezia overgrowth may also cause symptoms.

The clinical signs of most allergic hypersensitivity reactions display similar symptoms, including pruritis (itching), erythema (redness), hair loss, raised red pimple-like skin lesions with a scaly appearance, hyperpigmentation or discoloration of the skin, and lichenification (leather-like thickening from constant scratching, licking, or rubbing of the skin).

Some of the factors that may be responsible for the development of allergic dermatitis include the predisposition of certain breeds, genetic factors, and environmental or seasonal allergy conditions. Diagnosis can be complicated by the presence of secondary or underlying conditions, so other diseases and characteristic symptoms must first be excluded. Allergic dermatitis is generally diagnosed by collecting a thorough medical history, physical examination, skin scrapings, skin cytology, and bloodwork. Additional tests such as allergy blood tests, intradermal allergy testing, and dietary trials may also be necessary.

Treatment depends on the diagnosis of the disease, your individual pet, and your veterinarian. Pets with allergic dermatitis may be treated with special shampoos, topical medications, antibiotics, antihistamines, steroids, special diet or immunotherapy. Food allergies may be treated by experimenting with hypoallergenic diets or the exclusion of ingredients known to cause the symptoms. Treatments targeted at preventing insect bites are also helpful. Discuss treatment details with your veterinarian when your pet is diagnosed with this condition.