Veterinary Help

There are many reasons that spaying or neutering your dog or cat is important. Spay is the term used for the surgical removal of the female’s uterus and ovaries. It is also called an ovariohistoretomy. Neuter is the term used for removal of a male’s testicles. Also called surgical castration.

The obvious benefit to spaying or neutering you pet is to prevent breeding. Without reproductive organs there is no chance of unwanted litters. This helps with the massive problem of pet overpopulation in this country and prevents owners from the surprise of unintended expenses associated with raising puppies or kittens that were not planned.

There are also multiple health benefits associated with spaying and neutering. When a female is spayed prior to her first heat cycle it significantly decreases her chance of breast cancer as she ages. With every heat cycle she has, the chances of breast cancer slightly increase. While this is certainly not a cancer seen in all older intact females, it is easy to help decrease your pets chances of developing this disease. Another benefit of spaying a female is that you can prevent pyometra. Pyometra is a potentially life threatening uterine infection that often requires emergency surgery to remove the infected uterus. With a spay surgery, the ovaries are completely removed with the uterus thus preventing heat cycles and ovarian cancer. Even female dogs that are used for breeding will benefit from being spayed after their breeding days are over.

Neutering male dogs can prevent testicular cancer. It also decreases the incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (benign enlargement of the prostate) which is hormone driven. Intact male dogs also seem more prone to prostate inflammation and infection. Any prostate enlargement, if significant, can lead to problems with urination and defecation. Males that have been used for stud benefit from neuter once they are done breeding.

Altering your pet can also decrease their urge to roam and find mates, so you may have less problems with pets that run away and/or fight. Because of this, spayed females and neutered males (in particular) seem to have less incidence of contagious disease simply due to their decrease in exposure to other animals.

Spaying or neutering your pet is almost always recommended at some point in their life - while young for pets not being bred and for those that are used in breeding programs, once they are done with breeding. Please speak with your veterinarian to discuss each particular procedure in more detail.

Onions and garlic are toxic to pets!

On a recent episode of Good Eats - a cooking show hosted by Alton Brown on the Food Network - the host feeds his dog Matilda left over onion, garlic and salt pork! Now this is intended in jest but in real life could be disastrous. Onions and garlic can be toxic to dogs and cats and salt pork may cause another set of problems.

Onions and garlic can lead to damage to red blood cells which in turn can lead to severe anemia. This includes raw, cooked and dried versions of these plants. Individual animals appear to vary in how susceptible they are to the toxic effects. When the anemia is severe it can lead to lethargy, weakness, organ failure and death. In severe cases treatment may require blood transfusions and significant hospital time.

Salt pork is problematic due to its fat and salt content. The fat could lead to severe gastritis/enteritis or pancreatitis. Clinical signs would include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and not eating and these diseases range from mild to life threatening. Salt can also cause significant intestinal upset and be even more problematic for an animal with underlying kidney or heart disease.

Moral of the story is do not feed your pets people food because even seemingly harmless vegetables can be toxic. If you pet ingests onions, garlic or salt pork, contact your veterinarian for advice immediately.

Sarcoptic mange is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei and can lead to severe pruritus in dogs. It is contagious from dog to dog and can also be transmitted to humans.

The most notable clinical sign is a severe pruritus. Unlike itching due to allergies, it is minimally if at all responsive to steroids. Dogs typically also have hair loss on the ear tips, elbows and hocks. With chronic, untreated infestation, hair loss may also be seen on the trunk. The hair loss can be severe with crusts, thickening of the skin and secondary skin infections.

The mite is transmitted by dog to dog contact. The mites do not live in bedding or on surfaces as fleas do. Infected dogs will develop clinical signs several weeks to over a month after contact. Dogs are the preferred host but the mite can temporarily cause problems with humans leading to a pruritic rash that usually resolves after treatment of the infected dog. A physician may need to be contacted in cases of human infestation.

A positive diagnosis can be made by finding the mites or their eggs on a skin scraping. The mites and eggs can be very difficult to find so in cases of suspected infection these dogs are usually treated even with a negative test.

Treatment is most often application of several doses of selemectin which is the main ingredient in a common monthly heartworm prevention. Since some dogs can be asymptomatic carriers, all dogs that the infected dog is in contact with need to be treated. A response to treatment is usually noted in 1-2 weeks. Secondary bacterial skin infections need to be addressed as
well.

Hypothyroidism is caused by a decrease in production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. This usually occurs due to either atrophy of the thyroid gland where thyroid tissue is replaced by inactive tissue, or immune mediated inflammation where the immune system inappropriately destroys thyroid tissue. It is very uncommon for hypothyroidism to be due to a tumor or the thyroid gland or surrounding tissue.

This disease typically occurs in older, large breed dogs. Clinical signs are usually vague, affecting multiple organ systems and slow to develop. The changes that appear are often initially attributed to “old age” by owners. Affected dogs tend to be less active, less interested in their surroundings, intolerant of cold and prone to weight gain.

Changes in the skin and hair coat are often noted including dry flakey skin, thinning of hair, dry coat, loss of coat luster and an increase in skin infections. In rare cases some dogs will develop edema in the face causing puffy eyelids, forehead and cheeks.

Reproductive problems and decreased fertility can occur in both males and females if dogs are intact.

Hypothyroidism can also affect the nervous system. Neuropathy can occur leading to weakness, exercise intolerance, ataxia or paralysis. Changes to the vestibular nerve which controls the vestibular system in the ear can cause “stroke like” episodes where the dogs are having trouble righting themselves and are unable to stand. They may have drooping of one side of the face and drooling if the facial nerve is affected.

Congenital hypothyroidism, also called cretinism,is very rare in dogs and leads to failure of these pets to grow properly.

Diagnosis of hypothyroidism is made based on clinical signs and changes on blood work. The most commonly evaluated value is the total T4 which is a good screening test for hypothyroidism. In some cases where the total T4 level is low normal and hypothyroidism is still suspected it may be necessary to evaluate additional thyroid hormone levels.

Treatment is supplementation with a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, usually given twice daily in pill form. Side effects are rare but can include excitability, nervousness and panting if the dose is too high. Activity levels often increase after 1-2 weeks of therapy. Improvements in weight, skin condition and other clinical signs take longer to appear - often 4-8 weeks or longer. 4-8 weeks after starting dogs on supplement, a recheck of thyroid hormone levels is needed to ensure they are at the proper dose. Form there levels are typically checked every 6-12 months or as clinically indicated.

Idiopathic vestibular disease is also referred to as old dog vestibular disease or geriatric vestibular syndrome because it is typically seen in older dogs. Clinical signs are acute in onset and are often described as a stroke. This is due to disruption of the peripheral vestibular system that controls balance.

Signs seen with this disease are consistent with those expected in other peripheral vestibular diseases - peripheral meaning not involving the brain but the vestibulocochlear nerve in the ear. Patients may be unable to stand, fall to one side, tilt the head to one side or have an abnormal flicking of the eyes called nystagmus.

Diagnostics involve ruling out other potential causes of peripheral vestibular disease that can be treated. The most common being middle or inner ear infection. This involves an otoscopic exam - in some cases anesthesia is required. X-rays of the skull may be indicated to evaluate the inner ear. Lab work is evaluated to rule out hypothyroidism as a possible cause.

Treatment is supportive as the clinical signs will typically resolve on their own over a few days to several weeks. Some patients are nauseated so anti-emetics are indicated in these cases. Intravenous fluids can be given if the patient will not eat.