Holiday Pet Decorations Safety Tips

While you’re decorating for the holiday season, make sure your home remains safe for your pets. Glass ornaments, tinsel, garland, ribbons, and artificial snow products all can be harmful if swallowed.  Choking and toxins are also potential problems.  Don’t forget about poinsettia plants.  These highly toxic plants could seriously harm your pets if they chew on the leaves. Consider safe, silk plants instead.

Top Ten Winter Skin & Paw Care Tips

Exposure to winter’s dry, cold air and chilly rain, sleet and snow can cause chapped paws and itchy, flaking skin, but these aren’t the only discomforts pets can suffer. Winter walks can become
downright dangerous if chemicals from ice-melting agents are licked off of bare paws.

Says Dr. Louise Murray, Vice President of the ASPCA Animal Hospital, “During the winter, products used as de-icers on sidewalks and other areas can lead to trouble for our animal companions, potentially causing problems ranging from sore feet to internal toxicity. Pet parents should take precautions to minimize their furry friends' exposure to such agents.” To help prevent cold weather dangers from affecting your pet’s paws and skin, please heed the following advice from our experts:

• Repeatedly coming out of the cold into the dry heat can cause itchy, flaking skin. Keep your home humidified and towel dry your pet as soon as he comes inside, paying special attention to his feet and in between the toes. • Trim long-haired dogs to minimize the clinging of ice balls, salt crystals and de-icing chemicals that can dry on the skin. (Don’t neglect the hair between the toes!)

• Bring a towel on long walks to clean off stinging, irritated paws. After each walk, wash and dry your pet’s feet to remove ice, salt and chemicals—and check for cracks in paw pads or redness between the toes.

• Bathe your pets as little as possible during cold spells. Washing too often can remove essential oils and increase the chance of developing dry, flaky skin. If your pooch must be bathed, ask your vet to recommend a moisturizing shampoo and/or rinse.

 • Dressing your pet in a sweater or coat will help to retain body heat and prevent skin from getting dry. • Booties help minimize contact with painful salt crystals, poisonous anti-freeze and chemical ice-melting agents. They can also help prevent sand and salt from getting lodged in between bare toes, causing irritation. Use pet-friendly ice melts whenever possible. • Massaging petroleum jelly into paw pads before going outside helps to protect from salt and chemical agents. And moisturizing after a good toweling off helps to heal chapped paws.

• Brushing your pet regularly not only gets rid of dead hair, but also stimulates blood circulation, improving the skin’s overall condition.

• Pets burn extra energy by trying to stay warm in wintertime, sometimes causing dehydration. Feeding your pet a little bit more during the cold weather and making sure she has plenty of water to drink will help to keep her well-hydrated, and her skin less dry.

• Remember, if the weather’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pet. Animal companions should remain indoors as much as possible during the winter months and never be left alone in vehicles when the mercury drops.

 SOURCE: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/top-ten-winter-skin-paw-care-tips

Part 2 of our discussion on pet dental care! By Dr. Jones

In a prior post, we discussed preventative dental care tips for your pet that you can institute at home.  Just like if you or I didn’t brush our teeth for years, pets who don’t receive routine preventative dental care will inevitably develop diseased teeth and gums.  Common problems include 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 an anesthetized dental procedure for your pet to fully evaluated and treat the issues present.

However, for the same reasons that we recommend preventative home dental care for your pets (and that our human dentists recommend twice annual cleanings in the office!), our goal is always to address dental disease well before it gets to an advanced stage.  Once we see early signs of tartar buildup on your pet’s teeth, we recommend scheduling an anesthetized oral examination and dental cleaning right away.

Before we go further, I want to address a common question we hear in the exam room: “Doc, why is anesthesia necessary for the full oral exam and cleaning?  My dentist cleans my teeth without sedation.”  Well, if we could ask our patients to calmly hold still with their mouths open for 20-40 minutes while we use motorized scalers and polishers (not to mention take x-rays!), then we certainly wouldn’t need to use anesthesia either!  J  Yes, there are some non-veterinarians out there offering “anesthesia-free” dental cleanings.  Unfortunately, these procedures cause unnecessary stress and pain for many pets, and often mask or even cause severe tooth and gum issues.  You can read more about this issue here:  http://avdc.org/AFD/. 

It is also important for our pet parents to know that we are an AAHA- accredited veterinary practice (American Animal Hospital Association (https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/), and as such, we adhere to the highest levels of anesthetic care and monitoring.  While some practices have a sole individual responsible for cleaning a pet’s teeth and monitoring their anesthetic episode, we actually have three medical staff involved in each procedure!  These include an anesthesia nurse whose sole job is to monitor every aspect of the anesthetic episode (our dental suite resembles a human operating room!), a “dental hygienist” who will perform the cleaning and charting, and a veterinarian who will assess and treat any disease present.

Once your mind is eased about anesthesia, you might be surprised to find out that your pet’s dental procedure itself actually includes a total of twelve steps! 

1)     Oral examination on the awake pet

2)     Oral examination under anesthesia

3)     Plaque and tartar removal above the gumline using calculus-removing forceps, hand instruments, and power scaling equipment

4)     Scaling below the gumline to remove hidden plaque and tartar

5)     Polishing the teeth to eliminate crevices and scratches in the enamel that would encourage future tartar buildup

6)     Irrigation to remove diseased tissue and plaque from any gingival pockets

7)     Fluoride treatment

8)     Post-cleaning exam and diagnostics, including digital dental x-rays when indicated to evaluate the tooth roots for abscess, fractures, etc.

9)     Medical charting to record any disease present prior to treatment

10)  Therapy to treat any lesions noted.  This might include, among other things: tooth extractions, oral surgery, removal of excessive gum tissue, and injection of antibiotic-impregnated gel into gingival pockets to help prevent future infection.

11)  Detailed communication with pet parents about what was done and our recommendations going forward for home care or future dental procedures.

12)  Follow up progress visits—our dental procedure cost includes at least one progress visit so we can reassess your pet’s mouth and discuss any concerns you have been having, what sorts of home dental care has been working (or not!) for you, etc.

“Wow!” is the typical response I get when I have these conversations in person.  Most parents are shocked to find out the detail and level of care that is involved in our dental procedures at PAH & CCC.  I hope this post has been enlightening for you as well!

Please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions your may have or to schedule an oral evaluation for your pet.  We can assess your pet’s current level of dental health and either help you tailor an individual preventative care plan to implement at home or, if needed, schedule your pet for a sedated oral examination to fully evaluate the oral cavity and discuss treatment option for any issues that may be present.  Don’t forget: dental month is coming up in December!!

Ó 2014 Princeton Animal Hospital All Rights Reserved

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