HEARTWORM AND MOZZIES

Heartworm is another one of those diseases mozzies spread, and is quite an important disease for all dog owners to be aware of.

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a parasite that lives in the main blood vessel between the heart and the lungs. The adult worm produces infectious stages called microfilaria, which are discharged into the blood stream. These are then picked up by mosquitoes when they bite, develop a bit more in the mosquito then are injected into another dog when the mosquito bites. For heartworm to spread in a population of dogs you need two things – mosquitoes and infected dogs.

Fortunately in Bunbury we are in a lower risk area, although we do see the occasional case. We obviously have a LOT of mozzies, but few infected dogs (though those numbers can increase over summer when holiday makers from Perth bring their dogs with them). Perth, north of Perth and inland are much higher risk areas. In one study, 18% of unprotected dogs in Perth were found to have Heartworm.

The first sign of heartworm disease is normally the dog coughing. This is caused by the worms creating blood clots which lodge in the lungs. The cough can be quite severe, and in some cases fatal. Infection is normally confirmed with a blood test.

We recommend all dogs in this region have Heartworm protection. Although we are a relatively low risk area, the disease is very difficult to treat. We use a product similar to arsenic to kill the worms, and dead worms can break away to lodge in the lungs, causing potentially fatal respiratory problems.

We normally start using Heartworm preventing medications from around 12 weeks of age. For puppies less than 6 months we recommend monthly products such as Advocate which also protects against fleas and other parasites. We recommend the use of Proheart injections for adult dogs, which are given annually and provides year-round protection.

Please ask your vet about Heartworm, or give us a call on 97215999 if you have any questions. Once again, this is a disease where prevention is much better than cure.

Cost Versus Value

Why does the cost of having your pet desexed vary so much between clinics? After all, isn’t it the same no matter where it gets done? There are actually a lot of reasons why the prices vary from clinic to clinic.

The first thing to check when asking for a price is what’s included. We believe that when you get a price, it should include everything your pet needs. The price we give people includes everything including the surgery, a collar to stop them licking the wound, and pain killers to go home with. Some clinics will give you a lower price when you phone for a quote, but don’t include things like pain killers. We don’t see pain relief as an “optional extra”, so it’s included in the price we give.

A recent study from Murdoch University has shown that 85%of dogs undergoing routine desexing will experience low blood pressure (hypotension). This hypotension increases the risk of major organ damage, as well as leading to a slower recovery, delayed wound healing and an increased risk of post-operative infections. Based on these results, we have decided that all dogs and cats undergoing anaesthesia at the Bunbury Vet Clinic will have intravenous fluids administered to help prevent this hypotension.

The level of anaesthetic monitoring and intraoperative care also varies considerably. All animals undergoing anaesthesia at the Bunbury Vet Clinic are placed on a heating mat or warm air blanket for the surgery and recovery, and undergo continuous monitoring of blood oxygen levels. For animals undergoing major surgery we will also use our state of the art Surgivet monitoring machine. This allows us to run a continuous ECG of the heart, monitor core body temperature and even measure the amount of CO2 in the animal’s breath so we can gauge the animal’s respiration and metabolism. This level of monitoring allows us to recognise very early signs of problems with the animal and take corrective actions, massively increasing the safety of our anaesthetics.

The skill and experience of the staff also varies between clinics. All our vets have over 12 years experience, and our vet nurses are all fully qualified and experienced. Many vet clinics have less experienced staff, and many of their “nurses” may not actually be qualified.

When you compare prices for a procedure, ensure you are comparing apples with apples. What might seem more expensive may actually be better value.

Cruciate Ligament Rupture

On of the more common causes of lameness we see in dogs is a ruptured cruciate ligament.

Many people would be familiar with cruciate ligament rupture after watching a bit of footy. It is quite a common injury in football players when they land awkwardly or have a bad knock to the legs.

In dogs, ruptured cruciate ligaments are often what we consider a degenerative condition. That is, rather than the ligament rupturing with significant trauma, there is a weakness in the ligament that leads to it rupturing with normal activity.

Because of the underlying weakness in the ligaments, if a dog ruptures the ligament in one knee, they have about a 70% chance of rupturing the ligament in the other knee.

The normal sign of a ruptured cruciate ligament is the dog becoming suddenly lame. This may be when chasing a ball, or even undertaking gentle activity such as walking around. We can confirm cruciate ligament rupture but checking for instability in the joint combined with xrays.

In people there is often no need for surgery as our legs are straight so the cruciate ligament doesn’t have much use in gentle, day to day life. Of course for athletes or very active people surgery is often indicated.

Because a dogs leg is bent the cruciate ligament is used in every step, so for most dogs surgery is required. This normally involves cleaning up the damage within the joint, then creating a prosthetic ligament to stabilise the joint. We use the Ligafibre Iso-toggle Technique. We prefer this technique as it gives consistently excellent results while still being affordable. We are lucky to have Dr Joc Bunny at the Bunbury Vet Clinic, who has her Memberships in Surgery, meaning she has undertaken extra training and examinations in surgery. With Dr Joc performing these procedures we find the dogs return to good function quite quickly.

Early surgical treatment of cruciate ruptures gives much better results as the damage to the knee joint is minimised, so any back leg lameness in a dog should be examined quickly to help minimise arthritis in the future.

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Hot Dogs

With the hot weather arriving, we need to take extra precautions to protect our dogs from overheating.

The two most common causes of overheating we see are dogs being left in cars, and dogs exercising during the heat of the day.

Unfortunately we see several dogs each year that are left in cars on hot days. This is extremely dangerous. Just like children, you should never leave your dog unattended in a car. I have seen dogs suffer from heat stroke when left in a car on a day that was only around 20 degrees. The inside of a car can heat up to over 40 degrees on a 20 degree day and over 60 degrees on a hot day. These temperatures can be reached in as little as 10 minutes, so what might seem like a quick trip into a shop can be fatal for your dog.

Dogs exercising in the heat of the day can also be dangerous. A dog’s cooling process is not as efficient as ours, and dogs are also much more likely to overdo things when they get very excited, like when chasing a tennis ball. Dogs can also burn their paws on hot bitumen or sand, so remember to check how hot the ground is when you take your dog anywhere.

For a dog to cool itself, it pants. The panting process itself uses a lot of muscles, which in turn creates more heat within the dog. Once a dog is overheating, the panting it is doing to try to cool down can sometimes make things worse. For this reason it is important to recognise overheating early to prevent a potentially fatal situation.

Dogs with short noses such as bull dogs and pugs, and overweight dogs are especially prone to overheating, so they should never be exercised on hot days, and should be kept inside or in a cool place during the heat of the day.

If your dog is overheating, these are the steps you should take:

·         Bathe the dog in cool (not cold) water, ensuring you wet right down to the skin

·         Place the dog in front of a fan or air conditioner

·         Place cold packs in the dogs groin, armpits and on the base of the neck (wrap them in a tea towel first so the cold doesn’t damage the skin)

·         Call the vet for advice

Thunderstorms and Fireworks

With the recent thunderstorms, I thought it would be a good time to talk about noise phobias.

Many dogs have phobias of loud noises such as thunderstorms and fireworks. This can show up in behaviours such as shaking and nervousness for the more mild cases, through to destructive and escaping behaviours for the more severe cases. I have seen some animals end up with quite severe injuries after they panic with loud noises, so it is a problem that needs to be taken seriously.

During a thunderstorm, it is important to act normally. If you act nervous or try to comfort the dog, they will pick up on the changes in body language and this can increase their stress levels. Also try putting on a radio or television to help drown out the noise of the thunder or fireworks.

Desensitisation to loud noises can work well in many cases. CD’s of thunderstorm and fireworks noise can be purchased, which can be played at gradually increasing volumes to get the dog used to the sounds. This can eventually “cure” the phobia once the dog realises the noises are harmless.

There is a new product available called a “Thundershirt”. This is a specially designed, tight fitting shirt that can make the dog feel much more secure. The shirt is applied at the first signs of a storm, and can work in around 80% of cases.

For the more severe cases, we often find that medication is required. The older style medications that used to be prescribed were heavy sedatives. These worked well to stop the dog escaping or injuring itself, but did little to stop the anxiety and fear. We now tend to use medications that combine a sedative and anti-anxiety effect, as this protects the dog as well as easing the dog’s distress.

If you need further advice about noise phobias or any other stress related problems, please contact us at the Bunbury Vet Clinic.

Painted Dogs Escape at the Zoo

When I was a student, I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks working with the vets at the Perth Zoo. When I arrived, I was told to sit down and read the Emergency Procedure Manual. “Don’t worry”, they said, “nothing ever happens, it’s just procedure”. Famous last words.

We went out to treat an elephant with conjunctivitis when we received a call that three of the Painted Dogs were down in their enclosure and not moving. We raced across and saw that one of them was already dead, two were still breathing, while another two seemed unaffected but very agitated. It turns out they had been fed meat from a horse that was heavily contaminated with a powerful anaesthetic.

The decision was made to chase the two unaffected dogs into their night enclosure. The keepers started making a loud noise, which caused the animals to panic and they jumped out of their enclosure. We all raced for cover in the cars and quickly planned how to dart the escaped dogs so they could be recaptured. Fortunately it was before opening time, so there was only zoo staff to be moved into the safe zones.

I was given a fire extinguisher and put on an exit from the savannah area, with instructions not to let the dogs past me while the vets and nurses set about darting the dogs. I don’t know what I would have done if the Painted Dogs came my way, as there was nowhere to hide if they did. After a few terrifying minutes, I received a radio call that the dogs had been darted and recaptured, so we set about working on the two dogs that were down in their enclosure.

Over the next week, the vets and nurses worked tirelessly to save these two dogs. The head vet didn’t leave the zoo for five days, and we all took turns trying to keep them alive. At one point we had to breathe for one of the dogs for over 24 hours.

After 5 days, one of them died. We all were devastated, but the other one was starting to recover so we kept going. We spent another 3 days medicating and feeding this dog with a stomach tube before it was strong enough to eat on its own.

The day we released it back into its enclosure with the other dogs was unforgettable. We were all tired and emotional, but it all felt worth while.

Sun and Skin Cancer

Skin cancer in dogs and cats is one of the few truly “preventable” cancers in our pets. We frequently see a type of skin cancer call “squamous cell carcinoma” (SCC) in white cats and dogs with unpigmented skin, such as Bull Terriers and Staffies. The ways to prevent this type of cancer are very similar in dogs and cats when compared to people.

1.       Slip – Slip on a sun suit. There are sun suits specifically designed for dogs. Many of these can be worn in the back yard, down the beach, in fact pretty much anywhere the dog goes.

2.       Slop – Slop on sunscreen. We recommend you use a sunscreen designed for use in animals to ensure there are no problems with toxicity. Using sunscreen is particularly important for white cats, as the nose and tips of the ears (which can’t be protected by sun suits) are the most commonly affected areas of cats. For dogs, sunscreen can be used on the head and any areas of unpigmented skin.

3.       Slap – While you can’t put a hat on a dog, you can make sure they are provided with plenty of shade. Some dogs love sunbaking. For these dogs it may be necessary to confine them to shady areas during the day to stop them from lying in the sun. Remember dogs don’t understand that sunbaking causes cancer, so it’s up to their owners to protect them from this.

The first signs we get with an animal developing SCC’s are little wounds or scabs that never quite seem to heal. As the cancer gets more advanced, the wounds may get bigger and be prone to bleeding. If caught early, we can often use cryotherapy (freezing) to treat the lesions. More advanced cases may require surgery to remove the affected skin.

These cancers are very invasive, so early detection and treatment is important. However, prevention is much better than cure so please make sure your pet is protected this summer.

Lumps and Bumps

One of the more common things we see pets for are lumps and bumps. It is almost always a stressful visit, as people often worry that the lump may be cancerous.

For far too long the vet profession has approached cancer as a "sorry, your pet has cancer. There's nothing we can do" disease. That has all changed now, but the single most important thing that determines what we can do is how soon we see the case.

When you bring a pet in to see us with a lump, we will normally ask a few questions about when it was first noticed and how fast has it grown.  Depending on the nature of the lump, we may take a sample with a needle in the consult room and examine it under the microscope. This will often tell us if the lump is inflammatory or if it may be a cancerous lump.

For most cancerous lumps, we need to do further test to determine if it is a benign tumour (the "good" kind, which do not tend to spread), or if it is malignant (the "bad" kind, which may spread and invade surrounding tissues). This further testing may be in the form of an incisional biopsy, where we remove a small part of the lump and send it to the lab for analysis, or an excisional biopsy, where we remove the whole lump and send it off to the lab. Which technique we use will depend on the location of the lump, and what we have found on the needle sample.

The vast majority of lumps we see can be cured surgically if we see them soon enough. Even the more aggressive tumours can be fully removed if they are operated on while small. In cases where the tumour can’t be completely removed, or to avoid the need for amputations if the tumour is on a leg, we may recommend daily medication to control the tumour.

If you find a lump on your pet, please see us straight away. Early diagnosis can make a huge difference. In most cases, a vet properly trained in treating cancer can make a significant difference to the quality and length of your pet’s life.

Dr Braden Collins BSc BVMS CMAVA has completed Medical Oncology and Surgery courses through Sydney University, and has an interest in cancer treatment. He treats dogs throughout the South West region, including Bunbury, Australind, Eaton, Gelorup and surrounds.

Pet Insurance

We are lucky to live in a world where our ability to treat our animals is improving at an amazingly rapid rate. Even since I graduated, many conditions that where owners were told “there’s nothing we can do” are now very treatable. The unfortunate side-effect of this is vet bills are getting bigger. A broken leg can cost around $2000 to repair, cancer treatments can cost $4500, and cases referred to specialists in Perth can cost over $10000. This is why pet insurance is now so important. Pet insurance gives you the ability to obtain the best treatment for your pet without having to worry about the cost.

Like any product, pet insurance varies depending on the policy type and company providing the policy. These are the things we recommend you look for when considering a pet insurance policy:

·         Cover for the duration of each condition: this means that if your pet develops a chronic condition such as arthritis, skin problems or any other ongoing condition, the insurance policy will keep covering the bills. Some policies only cover for 12 months from when a condition is diagnosed, which are ok if the pet breaks a leg or has an acute illness, but are not much good for chronic diseases.

·         Cover bilateral conditions: We recommend policies that will cover illnesses if they occur on both sides of the animal. For example, a dog that ruptures a cruciate ligament has around a 70% chance of rupturing the cruciate ligament in the other leg. Ensure your policy will cover both legs

·         Cover for life: We also recommend policies that will keep covering your pet even when they get old, as many policies only cover the animal until around 10 years of age. Like people, when pets get old they tend to need more treatments an medications, so it is important to have a policy that will keep covering your pet as they age

At the Bunbury Vet Clinic, we can offer 4 weeks FREE pet insurance for healthy dogs and cats between 8 weeks and 12 months of age. Please feel free to ask us about this offer when you’re next in, or phone or talk to one of our qualified nurses.

Should I Sterilse my Dog Part 2

The Benefits of Sterilising Part 2

The benefits of sterilizing male dogs are a lot less clear cut than females. It has been shown that males castrated at a young age will have a very similar life expectancy to entire males. They will however be prone to a few problems.

The main benefit of castration is behavioural. Castration is likely to reduce aggression as well as wandering tendancies in a dog. The benefits of this are most pronounced if the dog is castrated prior to sexual maturity. A castrated male will often be less affected by stress than an entire dog.

The medical reasons for castration relate to testicular and prostate problems. Obviously, if a dog is castrated it can never get testicular cancer. This is especially important for dogs that have undescended testicles, as these testicles are around eight times more likely to become cancerous, so should always be removed.

Dogs, just like people, are prone to prostate enlargement as they age. This can lead to problems urinating or defaecating, as well as prostatitis. The prostate gland is very testosterone responsive, so generally castration will help treat these conditions, but early castration can prevent them from occurring in the first place. Castration has no effect on the risk of prostate cancer in dogs.

 The main downside of castrating dogs is the risk of obesity. Testosterone drives metabolic rate, so castration leads to a lower metabolic rate. This can easily be prevented with reducing the calorie intake or using specifically designed foods.

In large breed dogs such as Great Danes, there is a very weak link between castration and bone tumours. The risk from this is small, but it is often worth waiting until these large breed dogs are 10-12 months old before castrating them.

The majority of dogs tend to have fewer health and behavioural issues if castrated young, but we would encourage you to discuss your own pet with your vet to determine what is best for them.

Bunbury Vet Clinic: Serving the animals of Bunbury, Australind, Eaton, Gelorup and Surrounds.

Dental Disease

One of the more common problems we see in dogs as they age is dental disease. While dental problems are a normal part for the ageing process, good care for our pet’s teeth can have significant benefits for their health and wellbeing.

The early signs of dental disease in our pets are often quite subtle. Redness of the gums and a build-up of calculus can often be seen by lifting up the lips, and bad breath (halitosis) can be noticed when you are close to the animal.

As the problem progresses, we rarely find that animals show any outward signs of pain. We often see dogs with tooth root abscesses where the owner didn’t realise the dog had a problem until the face started to swell, but once the teeth have been removed or treated the dog will be noticeably happier and more active, with some owners saying they are like a puppy again. Cats are more likely to show signs of pain when they eat, with the cat approaching the food bowl as if hungry then backing away quite quickly.

Dental disease can have wide-ranging effects on the body. A recent study showed that dogs with advanced dental disease had a significantly higher risk of liver or kidney damage. We believe this is because large numbers of bacteria are able to enter the bloodstream from the diseased mouth, which are then filtered out by these organs.

Good dental care starts at home. Diet is one of the main factors that influences an animals dental health. Food can be used to physically clean the teeth with a scraping action. Animals that are fed a diet entirely of tinned or soft food will be at an increased risk of dental disease as the soft food does little in the way of physically cleaning the teeth, and can leave the teeth coated in food remnants, encouraging bacterial growth.

The use of bones to help keep teeth clean is controversial. Chewing bones carries the risk of tooth fractures, bones becoming stuck in the intestine, or constipation. Personally, I think the benefits of bones outweigh the risk in most cases, so I do recommend feeding bones. Bones should always be raw, and avoid bones like chop or neck bones that could become stuck in the throat or intestine if swallowed whole. If you pet has a history of constipation, pancreatitis or other illness then talk to your vet before feeding bones.

Specialised diets specifically designed to protect your pet’s teeth can be fed, and the Australian Veterinary Dental Association also recommends brushing your pet’s teeth daily – there is even chicken and beef flavoured toothpaste for pets.

The next time you see your pet, have a quick look at its teeth and gums. If you pet already has established dental disease, treatment at the vets is often needed. Otherwise a few simple things can help prevent a big problem.

Bunbury Vet Clinic - Modern Medicine, Compassionate Care for the animals of Bunbury, Australind and surrounds.

Should I Sterilise My Dog?

The Benefits of Sterilising: Part 1

A lot of people ask us whether they should sterilise their dogs. For female dogs, the answer is a clear yes. For males, the answer is not always so straight forward. This week I will discuss the benefits of sterilising females, and next week will discuss sterilising males.

The first benefit of desexing is the obvious one. No unwanted pregnancies. As anyone who works with a rescue organisation such as SAFE or SWAR will tell you, there is already more puppies out there than good homes. If more people sterilised their bitches early, this problem would be reduced.

The second reason is to reduce the risk of mammary tumours (breast cancer). If you sterilise a bitch before her first season, she has almost no risk of ever developing mammary tumours. After the first season her risk is 1:200, which is still pretty low. By the time she has had three seasons, the risk is 22%. This risk is then life-long, regardless of whether you then sterilise her or not.

The third reason is the risk of a uterine infection called a pyometra. Dogs have evolved to have puppies almost every time they come into season. If they have several seasons without becoming pregnant the lining of the uterus can get thicker, which can lead to an infection. This is potentially life threatening and requires urgent treatment.

Some people ask if they should let the bitch have one litter for their temperament. Studies have shown no benefit in doing this, and I have seen a case where a good tempered bitch bit a child when she was trying to protect her puppies. There are no health benefits to letting them have a litter.

The risks associated with sterilising are increased risk of obesity, and a small risk of urinary incontinence. Obesity can occur because the bitches metabolic rate drops after sterilising, but this is easily managed by reducing the amount fed or by using specially designed foods to prevent weight gain. The urinary incontinence is normally mild and responds well to medication, so although inconvenient it is generally easy to manage.

Recent studies have shown that sterilised bitches have a significantly longer life expectancy than entire bitches, so it is definitely recommended.

Snake Bites and Your Pets

Did you know we see more snake bites in spring than summer? In our experience, October and November seen to be the worst months for snake bites in dogs and cats. This is for two main reasons. Firstly, the temperatures are a bit lower, so the snakes are a bit sluggish. This means they don’t get out of your pets way quite as quickly. Secondly, they haven’t hunted for months, so their venom is very concentrated. This means a bite can deliver a much higher dose of venom.

With snake bites, early recognition is important. Rapid treatment will make a huge difference to the speed of recovery and the amount of antivenom required.

For dogs, the “classic” presentation is the dog is outside then collapses suddenly. Within a few minutes the dog seems normal again. THIS IS A CRITICAL WARNING SIGN! A dog that does this has possibly had a lethal dose of venom. Contact your vet immediately for advice, as your dog will start to become severely affected very soon, possibly within a few minutes. Rapid treatment at this point may save your dogs life and will mean less antivenom is needed, so will also save you a lot of money.

For cats and some dogs, especially when a lower dose of venom is injected, we see the animal becoming progressively weaker. The classic cat presentation is what we call the “plastic cat” – the cat is so floppy it is like it is made out of plasticine. A dog that has received a lower dose of venom may look much the same, or just a bit weak and staggery.

Many people don’t see the pet being bitten, and you will almost never be able to find the bite wounds when a pet has been bitten by a snake. The tooth marks are very small and there is rarely any bleeding, so not being able to find tooth marks doesn’t mean your pet hasn’t been bitten. High dose Vitamin C doesn’t work, so please don’t waste time trying to give this.

We have a type of antivenom in stock that covers Tiger and Brown (Dugite) snakes, so knowing what type of snake bit your pet isn’t critical. Please don’t kill a snake to try to identify it, as you risk being bitten yourself and once again time is important and trying to kill a snake will take valuable minutes.

One Medicine

A lot of people ask how vets manage to learn how to treat such a wide range of animals, when doctors only have to learn one species. The fact is that many animals use the same basic “blueprint”, and as vets the trick is to know where the differences exist, as most things are pretty similar.

This similarity actually extends to people as well. As vets, we see humans as “just another species”, and hence the medicine in people has a lot of similarities to medicine in cats, dogs and other animals. Did you know that the genes that divide an ant’s body into a head, thorax and abdomen are exactly the same genes that do the same to us?

The realisation that there are so many similarities between species has brought forward the concept of “One Medicine”. Basically, it means that vets are learning more and more from doctors, and doctors are learning from vets.

One of the areas we see the most benefit from this approach is in cancer patients. For example, each year in the US approximately 1000 people develop a type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. In the same time, around 100000 dogs will develop the same tumour type. This gives us the exciting opportunity to learn about treating this disease in people and dogs.

Before the “One Medicine” concept became established, vets and doctors would independently research a disease with almost no cross-over of knowledge. This meant neither progressed as quickly as it could. It also meant a lot of research was performed in laboratory animals which were artificially given diseases, and the research then applied to human medicine. It also meant that funding was difficult to obtain for veterinary research as it wasn’t as lucrative an area.

Now, with One Medicine, we are seeing the knowledge applied both ways. Using the bone cancer example, human researchers have potential access to 100000 cases to learn from and trial different treatment, while veterinary researches have access to improved funding, and the knowledge gained flows back to benefit animals. And in the meantime, the number of lab animals used is reduced. A real win-win situation. In fact, some human Oncologists now spend 2-3 days per week working with Veterinary Oncologists so they can learn from our animal patients.

For vets to keep up to date with their knowledge, they need a true dedication to continued learning. If your pet is ever diagnosed with cancer or any other serious condition, make sure your vet’s knowledge is right up-to-date.

Dr Braden Collins from the Bunbury Veterinary Clinic has undertaken additional training in Surgery and Medical Oncology, is a Member of the Veterinary Cancer Society, an affiliate member of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology, a member of the Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association, and a Chartered Member of the Australian Veterinary Association.

 

Another reason being a vet is harder than being a doctor....

When we qualify as vets, we are unleashed on the public as fully qualified, ready to go vets. Unlike doctors, vets don’t go through an internship, or have several years of close supervision after we graduate. We can be on our own, making life and death decisions with very little real-world experience. The first two years after graduation are absolutely terrifying, and unfortunately things can go wrong. Normally, things can be fixed and disaster averted, but occasionally animals die as a result of our mistakes.

My first job was in Esperance. Around four months into the job, I was called out to a “downer cow” (a cow around calving time that can’t get up). I drove the 90 minutes out to the farm, and the cow was ANGRY! There is a condition in cattle where the blood magnesium levels drop, which makes the cow very weak but also makes them very aggressive. I checked the cow over as best I could, diagnosed low blood magnesium and decided to give it some magnesium into the vein. The problem with magnesium into the vein is that it can stop the cow’s heart if given too fast.

It is a very difficult condition to treat when the cow is trying to attack you while you are giving it an intravenous injection. I raced in, gave it a dose, then bravely ran and hid behind a tree…..no response. The cow still down, and still angry. I repeated this process twice more. On the third dose, the cow took a deep breath, and died. I had given the magnesium too fast.

The farmer was furious. He said the cow hadn’t calved yet, and I had killed them both. Trying to think quickly, I decided that I would do an emergency caesarian and save the calf. Working as fast as I could, I opened the cow…..and the uterus was empty. She had already given birth and the calf had either wandered off or been left behind. This obviously didn’t help the farmer’s opinion of me.

Feeling sick at what had happened and very upset, I then had to drive the 90 minutes back to the clinic to tell the boss. As soon as I walked in the clinic, I asked the boss to talk to him in his office. I burst into tears and told him what had happened. This is where I was very lucky to have a great first boss. He told me he was glad I had talked to him straight away. He phoned the farmer and paid him the value of the cow and calf, and the problem was settled.

Itchy Dogs and Pollen Allergies

Itchy Dogs

As we approach spring, we normally see an increase in the number of dogs suffering from itchy skin. If your dog has itchy skin, it may have a pollen allergy. The areas most commonly affected include the paws, belly, ears and armpits, although any part of the body can be itchy with pollen allergies.

We normally expect pollen allergies to start between 18 months and 5 years of age, with certain breeds such as Staffies, West Highland White Terriers, Bull Dogs, Boxers and Retreiver breeds being amongst the most commonly affected.

Many people find their dog also becomes quite smelly when they are itchy. This is normally due to a secondary infection with bacteria or yeast, and this can contribute quite a lot to the itchiness.

To treat dogs with itchy skin, we firstly need to confirm the diagnosis. The itchiness being seasonal, especially in Spring gives us a a pretty good idea that the dog may have a pollen allergy. We also check the dog for other causes of itchiness such as fleas, mites and other allergies.

Once we are reasonably sure we are treating a pollen allergy, we look towards long term control of the condition as well as improving the skin in the short term.

Much of our long-term treatment is based around trying to eliminate or at least reduce the need for ongoing steroids. I do this by recommending the following:

·         Fatty acid supplements such as Nutricoat: helps restore the normal oils in the coat (I use this product for my own dog who has a pollen allergy and I haven’t needed any steroids for him for over two years)

·         Good flea control: to minimise another major cause of inflammation within the skin

·         Antihistamines: these can be a bit hit and miss so often we need to trial several different antihistamines before we find one that works

·         Regular bathing with a low-irritant shampoo: I normally recommend an oatmeal based shampoo but care needs to be taken as occasionally dogs will react to the oatmeal. I recommend weekly washes, allowing the dog to be wet for around 10 minutes

·         In some cases, specific tests and hyposensitisation injections may prove useful

For dogs experiencing a flare-up or severe problems, my approach is more aggressive initially, but I will normally try to transition them on to the long-term options above once controlled. Short-term treatments commonly used include:

·         Antibiotics and antifungals: to treat any secondary infections

·         Steroid: orally or injection until skin settles, occasionally longer term

·         Topical lotions and treatments: to help moisturise and soothe the skin

·         E-collars: if significant self-trauma

The key to successful outcome with itchy dogs is early diagnosis and treatment. If we can control the condition before secondary infections occur we can minimise the need for steroids and other aggressive drugs, and keep the dog comfortable in the long term.