Outbreak of Deadly Canine Virus Stirs Fear in Dog Owners by Kristen Polo, VMD

Two recent outbreaks of canine parvovirus, in Massachusetts in August, and in central New Jersey in September, has made the news in recent weeks. At latest report, 15 dogs had died in the Massachusetts outbreak, and dozens more in the New Jersey outbreak.

Canine parvovirus is transmitted by oral contact with feces from an infected dog. Because the virus is extremely hardy in the environment, it can also be passed via contaminated soil or other contaminated objects. 

Once a dog is infected, the virus attacks rapidly dividing cells of the body, which includes cells of the bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract. This results in decreased immune function as well as intractable diarrhea and vomiting.

The illness caused by parvovirus is so severe that most infected dogs will die without treatment.  There is no targeted cure for the infection, rather it is treated with supportive care.  This means that we provide the necessary interventions required to keep the organs functioning and animal alive long enough for the virus to run it's course. Even with rapid and aggressive treatment, many dogs do still succumb, which is why prevention through vaccination is so important.

At Princeton Animal Hospital, we see multiple cases of pets suffering with parvovirus each year. One recent case was an 8 week old mixed breed puppy named Tucker. The owner had gotten the puppy two days prior to presentation, from a friend. The puppy had not received any vaccinations, and was lethargic, not eating, vomiting, and having bloody diarrhea. Lab work showed a severe deficiency of white blood cells, due to the virus attacking the bone marrow, where the white blood cells are made. A test run on the pup's stool confirmed the presence of parvovirus.

After making the diagnosis, our veterinarians instituted immediate and aggressive supportive care. This included intravenous fluid therapy to restore hydration, dextrose supplementation to support blood sugar, and plasma transfusions to provide antibodies to support the immune system, as well as provide vital proteins.  Anti-emetics and anti-diarrheal medications were used to control for further loss of fluids and make the patient comfortable. Day by day Tucker showed minor improvements in his condition, and over the course of six days of intensive care, he recovered; from near death to a happy and thriving pup.

The vaccine for parvovirus is one of the core vaccines for dogs. It is most often administered as a combination vaccine along with distemper, adenovirus, and parainfluenza. When administered at the appropriate times in a dog's life, this vaccine provides highly reliable protection against these diseases. Puppies should receive this vaccine starting at 6 weeks of age, and then every 3-4 weeks until they are 14-16 weeks old. It is then boostered yearly, or at a minimum, every three years.

If your dog is experiencing any concerning symptoms, or if you are unsure if your dog is up to date on his or her vaccinations, please call us at 609-520-2000.

Have you or anyone you've known had a pet who contracted parvovirus? If so, we'd be interested to hear your experiences and comments.

(c) 2014 Princeton Animal Hospital All Rights Reserved

Heartgard Promo winners

Congratulations to our winners, Dianne and Lisa Johnson, of a new Kindle Fire Tablet in our Heartgard/Nexguard/Frontline promotional drawing we held this summer.

Preventative Dental Care by Dr. Jones

Imagine if you went for years without brushing your teeth!  Each time one of our veterinarians performs  a complete physical exam on your pet, he or she will look into the mouth and evaluate the teeth, gums, and general oral cavity—and boy do we see some impressive levels of dental disease on a daily basis.  While pets rarely get cavities like we do, they very commonly  develop heavy tartar and plaque buildup, serious gingivitis (gum inflammation/infection), recession of the gums, broken or damaged teeth, or even resorption of portions of the teeth (common in cats).  These issues can lead to infection, oral pain, difficulty eating, foul breath odor, and they can even impact other organ systems if left untreated (such as the heart and kidneys).  If our vets notice these issues, they will recommend we pursue a dental procedure for your pet—often an ultrasonic scaling and polishing followed by x-ray evaluation of any diseased teeth and then appropriate treatment to address what we find.  We will discuss these procedures in an upcoming blog post.

There is good news though!  Studies have shown that daily tooth brushing can actually maintain healthy teeth and gums and prevent the need for undergoing the dental procedures mentioned above.  Daily brushing might seem like a daunting proposition, but with a gradual, positive introduction, most dogs and cats will actually tolerate having their teeth brushed.  Many even enjoy it due to the yummy flavor of the pet toothpastes!  Mmm poultry!!

A video is worth a thousand words!  Click here to watch a detailed video demonstrating how to brush your dog’s teeth.     

In those cases where your dog or cat just simply will not tolerate tooth brushing, there are other dental care options that can be helpful as well--although none have been proven to have the tremendous preventative benefits of daily brushing.  Dental wipes can be used daily in place of brushing and can be quite effective in some pets.  Dental dog food such as Hills Prescription Diet t/d or Hills Oral Care are specially designed to clean teeth while your pet chews—much more so than typical dry food diets.  Certain pets (dogs or cats!) are good candidates for dental chews such as CET Enzymatic Chews or even Greenies Dental Chews.  (It is important to always supervise your pet with any type of dental chew however—depending on your pet’s chewing style, some chews can be a health or choking hazard.)

If you are interested in learning how to brush your cat or dog’s teeth, please don’t hesitate to call and schedule a demonstration!  We can assess your pet’s current level of dental health and help you tailor an individual preventative care plan to implement at home!

(c) 2014 Princeton Animal Hospital All Rights Reserved

Urinalysis Explained by Dr. Andersen

            If you have ever received a phone call from us about your pet’s urine test, you know it can be a long conversation – crystals and protein and blood, Oh My!  Hopefully the following entry will help explain why we check urine and why we are concerned, as your pets’ doctors, about the changes.

            “Normal” urine in dogs and cats is well-concentrated, slightly acidic, and free from protein, crystals, glucose (sugar), blood, white blood cells, bacteria, and other cells.   Normal, healthy kidneys filter the blood to remove waste and medication by-products and maintain the body’s water balance.  The part of the kidney that filters the blood is called the glomerulus (from Latin meaning “little ball of yarn”), a tiny tangled tuft of blood vessels.  A single cat kidney has hundreds of thousands of glomeruli all filtering the blood and creating urine!  Normally only water, waste products, and electrolytes can pass through the tiny holes in the glomerulus and enter the urine.  Larger items in the blood such as proteins and red and white blood cells are too big to pass through the holes and stay in the blood.

            Congratulations! You made it through your first foray into kidney function!  Now what you really want to know: what do the changes in the urine mean and why does my veterinarian care?  For that you must read on!

---Why is there protein in my pet’s urine?

            One of the common conversations we have with owners is about protein.  As you know from our previous discussion, there shouldn’t be protein in normal urine because it should not pass through the glomerulus.  On our urine test, protein can come from several places: it can come from the kidneys (renal), it can come from the bladder, urethra, and vulva or prepuce (post-renal), or it can be artifact (false positive).

Renal sources of protein can be from primary renal disease (kidney failure, protein-losing nephropathy, and infectious causes of kidney disease), systemic (whole body) inflammation, or high blood pressure.  In these cases, we try to use the rest of your pet’s blood work and his or her clinical signs at home to figure out where the protein is coming from. 

Post-renal sources of protein include urinary tract infections, blood in the urine, and a few other that are scary (and rare!) and I won’t discuss right now.  In these cases, there are usually other changes on the urinalysis such as bacteria, crystals, and red and/or white blood cells, and the extra cells are the source of protein.  We will likely discuss treating the infection with antibiotics or discussing ways to resolve crystals – but that is a discussion for next month!

If your pet’s urine is too basic (i.e. the opposite of acidic), or if it is very very concentrated, those can cause a “false positive” for protein.

If your pet is a first-time offender for protein in the urine with no other changes (no blood, bacteria, crystals, or white blood cells), we may just want to recheck the urine to see if it is repeatable – it could have been a fluke!  If we see protein in the urine over and over, we will likely want to run additional tests.  Possible causes of protein loss through the kidneys (as mentioned above) include metabolic disease, tick-borne diseases, high blood pressure, and kidney infections, and primary glomerular damage.

  It is important that we diagnose and treat the underlying cause for the urine protein because chronic protein loss can damage the kidneys over time.

Thanks for tuning in!  Come back next month for our foray into urine crystals!

(c) 2014 Princeton Animal Hospital All Rights Reserved

Halloween Costume Safety

Halloween can be a fun time for children, adults, and pets. We recommend taking some extra precautionary measures for Halloween to keep your pet safe. Keep your pet safe this Halloween with reliable leashes and safe Halloween treats for your pet. It can also be easy to forget about what our pets may be feeling. Fear, anxiety and household dangers can all pose as threats to our pets during Halloween. Below are some helpful tips to keep your pet safe and happy.

1. Be highly visible: Make sure the costume is very reflective so that your pet can be easily seen by drivers. You can buy reflective tape and add strips to the costume.

2. Check for loose ends and parts of the costume: Make sure there are no loose parts on the costume that your pet can eat. Objects such as loose fabric or buttons can become lodged in the intestines causing an obstruction. Loose parts can also cause your pet to trip or become tangled in the costume, resulting in fear, anxiety and a future dislike of this holiday.

3. Make sure the costume is not too tight: You should be able to get two or three fingers between your pet and any fabric or tie that goes around your pet, especially around the neck. Costumes that are too tight can restrict movement and breathing.

4. Do not pick a costume that is too heavy: Your pet could overheat if the costume is too heavy. A heavy costume will exhaust your pet as well as cause them to overheat. Take special care to check his level of comfort several times during the evening. Excessive panting or falling behind should signal you to remove the costume.

5. Use a leash: Your pet may become frightened or spooked by loud or unusual sounds and may try to run away from out of your reach and into ongoing traffic.

6. No tricks, no treats: Candy is for tick-or-treaters, not for your pet. Pets may often be tempted to taste treats that are not intended for them. Candy can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Chocolate in all forms is toxic to dogs and cats. Give your pet a Halloween Crunch Card or take some pet treats with you so he can get his own kind of goodies.

7. Strangers can be scary: Pets should be kept away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

8. Make sure your pet has their ID tag: Should your pet should get spooked and run loose an ID tag will help with your pet’s return.

9. Listen to your pet: If your pet doesn’t like their costume they will let you know by trying to take the costume off and by barking. Costumes may be cute, but they can also be irritating to a pet that does not want to be in one.

10. Practice: Get your pet used to the costume you have selected. Have him wear it several times before the actual day. He will be so busy watching all the Halloween activities that he should not have to worry about some strange new piece of clothing.

Source: http://www.entirelypets.com/costumesafety.html 

"Rescued kitten in Princeton, NJ" by Dr. Ross

Daisy was a starving, dirty, and scared kitten seeking help. Daisy was finally found by a kind passerby who heard her cries late on a Sunday evening. As Daisy was clearly unwell and close to death, her rescuer called Princeton Animal Hospital after hours and asked for the emergency on-call doctor to come into the hospital and do everything possible to give Daisy the best possible chance of survival. Upon examination Daisy was found to be malnourished, dehydrated, underweight, infested with fleas, intestinal parasites, ringworm, hypothermia, and an upper respiratory infection. She appeared to be approximately 6-8 weeks old, but weighed less than 1 pound which is half of what she should have weighed. Clearly, Daisy was one very sick little kitten. She was given fluids, antibiotics, dewormer medication, a warm air blower to help her body temperature come up to normal, a lime sulfur dip to kill the ringworm and small frequent meals to avoid re-feeding syndrome which can occur after a patient is starved and then given unlimited food. 

Daisy was affected by several “zoonotic” diseases meaning people can potentially be affected by them if precautions such as hand washing do not occur. Ringworm is a fungal infection that is commonly found in the soil and is easily transmitted from animals to people. This is an infection that causes hair loss and thickened dark skin in animals and red circular lesions in people. Anti-fungal topical and/or oral medication is needed to eliminate this infection. Cleaning of the environment is also important to avoid reinfection. Since Daisy was so weak, we decided to start with the topical treatment and planned to add the oral medication once she was a little stronger.

Roundworm is another zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to people. All kittens and puppies are born with roundworm. Roundworms are large 3 to 6 inch long white worms that fill the intestinal tract and can cause poor growth, diarrhea and vomiting. Most kittens become infected with roundworm from the mother's milk. The worms are encysted in the mammary glands and are able to infect the kittens once the mother starts producing milk. Adult cats become infected with roundworm by ingesting infected birds, mice, and other animals. The treatment for roundworm is safe and effective but only treats the adult worms not the immature forms. Therefore, most kittens or cats will need two to three treatments. This will ensure that all of the worms have been eliminated. The roundworm life cycle is approximately 30 days. So, typically 2 doses 2 weeks apart should be enough to kill them all. 

Daisy is now doing amazing and has become a healthy and happy looking kitten. She has tripled her weight and is now able to eat three times daily instead of every 4 hours, her fur is growing back, her cough is resolved and fleas and worms are gone. Daisy will still need multiple dips to ensure the ringworm infection is eliminated. Daisy is now in condition to start her feline “distemper” vaccination series. This will help to ensure she is protected against the common viral infections that cause illness in cats. Kittens should be vaccinated every 3 to 4 weeks starting as early as six weeks until they are 16 weeks old. A single Rabies vaccine should be administered after 12 weeks, but before six months. We look forward to seeing her for these well visits so that we can continue to watch her grow. Daisy is a lucky kitten and without intervention she absolutely would have died.

Remember to always have any new pets examined by a veterinarian to help diagnose and treat any problems early. Princeton Anlmal Hospital we are open Monday through Friday 6 am until 11 pm for appointments and emergencies, Saturday 7am-4pm, and Sunday 8am-4pm. For any emergency outside of the hours listed, a veterinarian is available on call.

(c) 2014 Princeton Animal Hospital All Rights Reserved