Having a Happy Thanksgiving with Pets

Reposted from Dr. Brita Kiffney, DVM, DABVP

Thanksgiving stress and how to avoid having to go to the veterinarian the day after!

We all know spending time with family during the holidays can be stressful. Arguments break out over the smallest things. Fights erupt over deep-seated issues. It's hard to remember the topics not to discuss; there are the obvious ones like religion and politics, but don't forget your aunt just divorced, (maybe best not to speak of men?) or your step sister hates her new haircut...

It is easy to spoil your pets in response to all this stress- hey, they don't argue about politics or care about the tattoos your son has acquired!
Just remembers that some treats can lead to injury or illness for our pets. The following are some tips for a happy holiday with you pet. 

1. Fatty Foods:  Foods high in fat can give your pet pancreatitis or gastroentertitis. Avoid feeding your dog or cat turkey drippings, turkey skin, bacon, or other high fat foods
2.  Alcohol: Cats and dogs are very susceptible to alcohol toxicity- they don't just get drunk , they can die from alcohol ingestion. All poisoning problems boil down to the amount (dosage) of alcohol ingested compared to weight. Most of our pets are much smaller than a typical adult human. Within 30 minutes of a pet drinking alcohol, symptoms can appear: staggering , depression, and stumbling. Keep alcoholic beverages and medications out of your pets reach during the holidays. 
3. Bones:  Bones can lacerate or obstruct your pets' insides. Save the bones for soup - not your dog. 
4. Onions:  Onions and onion powder can cause destroy your dog or cat's red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. 
5. Grapes and Raisins:  Grapes and raisins  can cause kidney damage to both dogs and cats.
6. Chocolate:  Death by chocolate- it can actually happen to  your dog or cat; so keep the sweets  out of reach.
7. Fresh Water:  When there are a large number of people in the house, there's a good chance to bump into the water bowl leaving your pet dry. 
8. Quiet Time:  Cats and dogs need to have a place to escape from all the holiday festivities. Make sure there is a quiet room, crate or other location they can escape the curious grandchildren, or drunken adults!
9. Garbage:  The garbage is sure tempting to your pet during thanksgiving. Its full of food wrappers (that can cause a gastrointestinal blockage if eaten) , high fat foods like grease, corn on the cob (can cause obstructions) and spoiled items. All of which could lead to vomiting, diarrhea and a trip to your veterinarians office.
10. Bread dough:  Some dogs will  ingest raw bread dough. The yeast added to bread dough converts the carbohydrates to alcohol and in the process, carbon dioxide is released which makes the dough rise. This same reaction occurs in the stomach once the bread dough is swallowed. Not only can this result in alcohol overload (see above) but the stomach distension can cause serious breathing and heart problems

Happy Cats

We all want our cats to be happy but they are sometimes a perplexing species.   As I write this, my cat, Mango, is happily climbing into the paper recycling bin in my office.  Somehow, that is logical to him.  More to the point, when our cats are unhappy, or stressed, they may do things that make our lives more difficult such as inappropriately urinate.  Thank you to the AAFP for sharing the following information
Behavioral problems are the number one reason cats are surrendered or euthanized.  When we understand cat behavior we enhance their health and well being and even save lives.  They have environmental and social needs just like everyone else.  In considering these needs, remember that cats are:

1. Solitary hunters that need to protect themselves from danger.
2. Cats use vocalization, posturing, and scent to communicate their stress if they feel threatened
3. Cats are territorial and will feel threatened if that they perceive that territory is challenged.
4. They have a very strong sense of smell and hearing and may be threatened by smells and sounds that we don't think are significant.
5. Cats are social animals but don't really like living with other cats, unless they are siblings.  Cats often don't live in a three cat household.  If a dwelling has three cats, they actually live in a three cat apartment building with distinct regions for each and that can create stress.

To meet the environmental needs of your cat

1. Provide a safe environment.  Cats prefer to rest alone in an enclosed space with several avenues for exit. 
2. Provide separated and plentiful key environmental resources.  All cats need access to litterboxes, food and water without the threat of challenge.  This usually means one of each resource per cat plus one (ie, a 3 cat household would have 4 litter boxes).
3. Provide play and predatory opportunities.  Use of interactive toys like feathers and strings pulled across the floor trigger necessary activity
4. Provide positive and predictable human to cat social interactions.  Each cat has an individualized amount of interaction it needs regularly.
5. Provide an appropriate environment for their sense of smell.  Keep odors to a minimum but avoid harsh detergents and over sterilization of their environment.  They mark their world with their face and body.  If that is removed when a new cat is in the environment they may find that stressful.  Feliway, or other synthetic pheromones may be calming.

A happy cat equals a happy owner.

Timothy R Kraabel, DVM, DABVP (Canine/Feline Practice)

Outreach Chairman, American Board of VeterinaryPractitioners

Pet Vehicle Safety

I was driving the other day and saw an all too common sight.   A lady in a big truck was in the left hand turn lane and her dogs were in the passenger seat of her truck wandering loose.  Those dogs have little chance of survival in a significant accident.

Dogs in loose in vehicles today remind me of vehicle safety for kids in the 1970's.  My mom tells of my first car seat.  It was a platform that hung over the front seat giving a mom a place to set the baby while driving.  It was essentially a springboard that ensured a clear path to the windshield with sudden changes in force.  Our family went on many drives to the Oregon coast with my brothers and I loose in the back of the family station wagon (you know the one - Faux wooden paneling on the sides) with our comic books, pillows, and blankets.  Cars had seat belts but no one used them.  Only the dorky parents made their kids wear them.

Things have changed though.  No one would leave their child unbuckled anymore.  Childhood is a progression though a series of the appropriate car seats.  Yet, the dogs are wandering about the car.  If they are up front, airbag deployment can be lethal.  Loose anywhere and they can become a projectile in an accident and be thrown around the car and may injure others in the car.  There are number of commercial harnesses available.   While they are a good start and a good idea, little to no independent testing has been done on them.  Alarmingly, the Center for Pet Safety reports a high failure in crash test simulations they have performed on common brands.  Their website does have one brand they certified.  Crates are commonly thought of as a safe option.  They can collapse in an accident though and their structural stability has rarely been tested.

So, many questions remain about how to achieve safe car travel for pets but following some basic principles can be lifesaving.

1. No pet should ever be in the front seat.
2. Small dogs and cats may be kept in carriers.  The carriers should be placed in the back seat on the floor behind the front seats.  Do not belt these to back seat seat belt.  The carriers may collapse under force.  
3. Do not use booster seats.
4. The safest place for a dog is in the back seat in a Center for Pet Safety approved harness, properly attached to the seat belt system.  Do not attach tethers.
5. Without the harness system, larger dogs are safest further back in caged cargo area systems as shown.  A carrier in the back is the next best option.

Timothy R Kraabel, DVM, DABVP (Canine/Feline Practice)

Outreach Chairman, American Board of VeterinaryPractitioners

A Boy and His Dog

     Amidst the many tasks I was trying to accomplish this evening, my daughter Aubrey asked me to read her essay for English.  Aubrey is a high school junior and an emerging writer.  She wrote about our old dog Jack and her older brother, Geoffrey.  I brought Jack home as a little puppy when Geoffrey was 5.  I had seen his litter for 8 week vaccinations and he was one of the puppies that didn't have a home yet.  He came home with me that night.  Geoffrey is off at college now and Jack has been gone for several years.  As Aubrey writes, he was always Geoffrey's dog.  I was there for his passing that she writes about and remember it like it was yesterday.  It is interesting to hear it reflected on through someone else's eyes.  I was so moved by what she wrote, I asked her if I could post her story as a "guest blog".

                                                  A Peaceful Companion by Aubrey Kraabel

Jack was our old wise guard dog. From the moment he came into our family, he fit in. He was a big silly lab as a puppy and a calm, stable companion in his later years. Jack was a family dog. We all loved him but none of us could deny the fact that he was really Geoffrey’s dog. Geoffrey used to let him sleep on the beds and couches and could spend hours on the floor playing with him. It wasn’t hard to tell that Jack felt the same way about Geoffrey. Jack was loyal to us all, but the rest of us were like distant relatives compared to Geoffrey.

           Jack stayed with us for nearly twelve years, through moving to a new house, the addition of our younger brother and several changes in our cast of pets. Jack died in the fall, as the days were getting colder. We were all there when he let go. It was cold out on the grass of the lawn, but there was a heavy chill in the air that had nothing to do with the temperature. We said our last goodbyes, petting his soft black fur and telling him we loved him. My parents had done everything they could for him, but there was no cure for his old age.

The afternoon ticked on after Jack’s heart stopped, oblivious to the pain in our chests. One-by-one, my family and I trickled back inside, all except Geoffrey. Geoffrey stayed curled up next to Jack. Geoffrey remained there for hours, spread out on the grass. Jack was at his side, finally peaceful and free of the pain from his joints.   

I had never seen anything like it before. My closed-off, “tough guy” brother was laying in complete silence next to his companion’s body. Geoffrey has never been an emotional person, nor has he ever been a “family man”. He spent most of his high school days either at work, school, sports or a friend’s house. He was rarely home. So much so in fact that it became the family joke that he really just stored his stuff at the house and stopped by to change and eat the contents of the fridge.

That day, however, he stayed home. He was at Jack’s side until the light faded to a soft grey against the surrounding trees. Geoffrey returned all the favors that Jack had done for him, protecting Jack and staying faithfully at his side until the last moment.

I remember standing on the smooth wood of the kitchen looking out into the yard. Seeing Geoffrey show such loyalty and love for Jack gave me a new understanding of my distant older brother and brought us together. I knew exactly how he felt. Although Jack was not really my dog, I’d been through it all before. My family has always had pets. We learned from a very young age what it’s like to lose them. My brother will always remain a mystery to me, but I know we can always find a common ground when it comes to our pets.

When Geoffrey finally came inside, we didn’t say much, just letting him have his space. That night at dinner we ate together like always. Somehow we found ourselves smiling and laughing as we shared all the old stories about Jack. Today, Geoffrey still has Jack’s ID tag on his keychain, carrying a memory of his best friend with him wherever he goes.

That Fall day, Geoffrey was there for Jack in his final hour and my family and I were there for Geoffrey afterwards. Jack’s health had been rapidly declining. We all knew there was nothing else that could be done. Jack had reached a point where he didn’t need anymore fancy treatments or anymore fighting for what was already lost; he just needed a loyal friend to be by his side at the end. Geoffrey fulfilled that need. Although my brother has never been as good at being there for his human family, I know that he can rise to the occasion when he needs to.

Geoffrey’s actions demonstrate a lesson for us all. We should all remember to be there for each other. Whether that means keeping a friend’s spirits up when all they want to do is eat ice cream and cry over The Notebook for the hundredth time, or just having a presence within your family. We all have hardships and challenges. Facing them is much less intimidating when you know you are not alone. The world is a much better place when we work to understand and be there for each other.

After all, I think we all need someone who will be there for us until the very end.

Your Itchy Dog - The Usual Suspects

Image Source:  Novartis AH

     "My dog won't stop scratching" is a typical lament around here in the fall.  We see itchy dogs all year but it is more common now.   Last week, I often had several appointments in a row for itching.  It can be frustrating.  The dog is usually uncomfortable.  His people can't sleep with the collar jangling all night.  Mange or infections may cause itching but allergic dermatitis, in its multiple forms, is the most common cause.  Allergic dermatitis may be caused by food allergy, inhalant (atopic) dermatitis, contact dermatitis, bacterial (or Staph) hypersensitivity, or flea bite hypersensitivity.  Or, put more succinctly, a dog’s skin may react to things they eat, anything they breathe in, anything they touch, their own bacteria, or bites from things that crawl on them, fleas being the most common.

     It is commonly thought that food sensitivity is the biggest player in creating itchy skin.  The true incidence of food allergy is 0.9% of cases.  So, if we only approach the problem from a dietary perspective we are merely scratching the surface :).  Food allergy is most often a non-seasonal problem.  It is usually generalized over the majority of the body but doesn't really follow any specific pattern and can mimic other causes of itching.  

     Inhalant allergy, or atopic dermatitis, is an itchy skin reaction to things in the animal environment.  These allergens were long thought to enter the body only through inhalation but we now know they can enter through the skin as well.  When they enter through the skin, a breakdown of the normal epidermal barrier has occurred in that creature’s skin. The breakdown allows the allergen unwelcome entry to the animal’s immune system. These allergens may include things like grasses, pollen, shrubs, molds, cat and human dander, and dust mites.  The potential list is lengthy.  This allergy is often seasonal.  It typically involves the feet, face and ears but not usually the back and up over the tail base.

     Contact dermatitis is less common but includes specific skin reaction to things the animal touches.  This may include grass and plants they run through, bedding, or the backing of carpeting.  This allergy may or may not be seasonal.  It usually affects the area under the forearms (axillary region), the groin (inguinal area), or the belly.

     Bacterial hypersensitivity is a reaction to the normal bacteria on the skin.  Any of the other allergies can lead to bacterial overgrowth and secondary infection.  Bacterial infection and reaction are most common on the belly and inguinal region of the body. Certain breeds like the German Shepherd and Golden Retriever are more prone to bacterial infections in general.

Source:  elanco.us

     Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy we see this time of the year.  Flea allergy may be seen any time of the year and we won't always find fleas, even when we know that they are the cause.  An important distinction needs to be made between a flea infestation and a flea bite hypersensitivity reaction.  A dog may be covered in fleas but not be reactive to them.   Another dog may get a single flea bite and have his system react to the flea saliva from the bite.  That dog may itch intensely for an extended period of time. This is a very important concept because when flea allergy is on our list of possibilities for your animal, we are going to recommend flea control whether we saw an actual flea or not.  Flea hypersensitivity usually results in itching on the lower back and over the tail base and spreads down the back legs and on to the belly.  

      It is also important to consider that any given animal doesn't have to have just one of these causes.  They often work in concert especially in dogs that we see multiple times during many different seasons of the year. It is quite common to see a flea allergy reaction in a dog with atopic dermatitis and a secondary infection.  It is not surprising for that dog to also have food sensitivities.  We also keep in mind that there may be other complicating factors in some patients.  Concurrent yeast infections or hormonal imbalances, such as low thyroid may play a role.

     This is the list of possibilities that runs through our heads when evaluating an itchy dog (the list is pretty similar in the cat, as well).  Remember that flea allergy is very common. In the fall in the Northwest, if a dog has itching on their back and at the base of the tail, they have a flea allergic reaction until proven otherwise.  This is true whether we find fleas or not.

     So, keep your pet on flea control!  This will avoid the most preventable itching. 

     

Timothy R Kraabel, DVM, DABVP (Canine/Feline Practice)

Outreach Chairman, American Board of VeterinaryPractitioners

Reflections on an Anniversary

The 17^th of this month is the anniversary of when I started at Lien Animal Clinic.  I have been at Lien for 24 years. I have practiced veterinary medicine now for half of my life. You’d think I’d get it right by now and stop calling it practice. J

I graduated from WSU in 1989, a few months after my 24^th birthday. I was very young and desperately wanted to be good at this. I accepted an internship in Rochester, NY at a group of seven hospitals to pursue that goal. I worked the hours. I saw the emergencies all night. I lived and breathed the profession in lieu of all else. At some point, I looked up and it was going well. There were teachers among the doctors, there were staff who helped me learn and there were clients that had faith in me. I walked out of the experience fundamentally changed from when I had walked in. I drove away in my little yellow truck with Dr. Fritzler (then she was just Beth), our two dogs, Camille and Cloie, and “New York is Not My Home” by Jim Croce queued up in my cassette player. We took a month to meander back across the country.  There’s a small motel in Illinois whose baseboards were never the same; Camille was just a puppy at the time and may have needed something to chew on.

            Beth still had a year of veterinary school left in Pullman. I moved back to Seattle to work for a year and then we planned to reconsider where we wanted to live. I interviewed at seven clinics. I remember being annoyed at trying to find parking at Lien when I went to interview. Completion of an internship played well and I had offers at all of the practices. Some of them were much bigger. Most of them were nicer facilities.  Anyone who knew the old Lien clinic knows that it was not a place of fantasies. My first desk was in the treatment room next to the only treatment table. Surgery had no windows. The building in general was very dark. The waiting room paneling is somewhere in a museum to the 1970’s next to an avocado colored refrigerator. But, there was something about Dr. King. Larry was genuine. You trusted him instantly and you knew he cared. I liked and trusted his wife Connie as well.  I chose them over glitzier surroundings and I can look back on that decision as one of the best gut decisions I ever made. 

So, on September 17^th, 1990 I started working at Lien. It was just Larry and I. He had been by himself for many years.   I still don’t know how he did that. We were busy. I saw tons of cases and we helped each other. We did good work. He and I shared emergency calls 24/7 and it was daunting. When that first year was up, I stayed. I liked my job, the clients and the people I worked with.  Beth came over to the west side after graduation. We moved off and on for several years trying to stay close to both our jobs.  We got married in 1992 and moved to Vashon Island in 1994. On the island, we could have our horses and we planned on raising a family. Our first son, Geoffrey, was born in 1995 and Beth joined Lien part time in 1996. She joined the clinic with the intent that we would eventually buy it from Larry and Connie.

So Beth and I started practicing together 2 days a week in 1996 and it was fantastic.  It has been a positive shared experience. Even in the small confines of that building, it was never too much togetherness.  We each had our own patients and surgeries but we always had each others backs. We could always relate to each others struggles and triumphs. In December of 1997 our daughter, Aubrey, was born. We bought the clinic in February of 1999.

Ownership has brought an enormous set of challenges and required the development of a very different array of skills. Our youngest son, Nick, was born in 2002. While the struggles have been great, so too have the rewards. We were able to replace the old building in 2009.  There are now seven doctors working at the clinic. 

            I grew up here and I have watched the clinic emerge into the bustling entity it has become.  I watched the profession grow and change.  I also have seen my kids grow up here.  Nick wants to be a veterinarian.  Aubrey works now as a receptionist.  Geoffrey just applied to veterinary school at WSU. 

Sometimes one ponders what they have done with all the time.  For me, at least during insightful moments, I can see the years weaved into all that surrounds me.

Timothy R Kraabel, DVM, DABVP (Canine/Feline Practice)

Outreach Chairman, American Board of VeterinaryPractitioners

How old is my pet?

While we all know that pets age faster than their owners, it is not always clear how much.  Conventional wisdom has typically estimated pet aging at about 7 years per year of human life.  This rule-of-thumb becomes obviously inadequate for cats and large dogs.

Many factors come into play in determining lifespan.  Species, breed, size, heredity, diet, spay/neuter status, veterinary care, and lifestyle (such as, indoor or outdoor for cats) all factor into length of life.  In dogs in particular, size matters.  Big dogs don't live as long.  Small dogs may not be "senior" until 10-12 years old, while giant breeds may be "senior" at 5 years old.  Routine physical examinations, proper nutrition,  preventative care, and appropriate senior care are the best ways to tip the lifespan balance in our favor.

The chart below is a rough guide to consider your pets real age.

Timothy R Kraabel, DVM, DABVP (Canine/Feline Practice)
Outreach Chairman,  American Board of VeterinaryPractitioners