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.

The Health Benefits of Pet Ownership.

Most people have pets for reasons other than good health. It is now recognised that pets can provide some very important health benefits to owners and the community in general. The health benefits of pets are even being discussed in medical journals. The Australian Family Practitioner had an article on the benefits of pet ownership in the June edition, which I have summarised here.

We get pets for companionship, for something to exercise with, for other recreational purposes such as obedience or agility training, and to teach kids the many lessons that come with pet ownership such as responsibility and even how to cope with death.

What many people fail to realise is the health benefits of pet ownership. It has been show that pet owners consistantly have better physical, psychological and social health than non-pet owners. There are many ways pets keep people healthy, but these are the most significant:

Physical Health:
Cardiovascular Health - pet ownership has been shown to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. We all know how relaxing and reassuring it is to simply sit and pat a dog, or watch gold fish swimming around. It has also been shown that pet owners have improved recovery from cardiovascular surgery.

Physical Fitness (especially dog owners) - dogs are great running or walking partners, and hence dog ownership comes with a reduced risk of obesity and better physical health.

Immune System Development - pet ownership and exposure to pets, particularly with children, has been shown to significantly lower the risk of developing allergies and asthma.

Psychological Health:
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) - this is where animal contact is used as part of a persons therapy to help with various conditions. AAT has been shown to increase morale, eating and overall health of Alzheimers patients, decrease violent behaviour and increase language and social skills in childern with ADHD, and reduce stress in children in clinical settines.

Mental Health: Pet owners are less likely to experience loneliness and depression as the pets provide companionship and a sense of purpose. Older people with pets are also less stressed by major adverse life events.

Child Development:Pets play an important role in the social and emotional development of children, including self esteem, independence and empathy. Children who own pets show increased trust, community feeling, safety, self confidence and self enhancement.

Social Health:
Pets as social enablers: Pets are a great way to meet new people, including strangers neighbours, as well as providing other social opportunities such as animal clubs and societies. Pet attachment is positively correlated with family cohesion and adaptability. They also improve social interactions for the elderly.

As you can see, the health benefits of pet ownership are many and varied. but I think that most pet owners already realise they get far more out of their pets than they have to put in.