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

Why Dogs Bark and Growl

Does your dog growl or bark when a stranger approaches your house or when something goes bump in the night? If so, you’re not alone.


 Most dogs will vocalize when they are exposed to new or different situations, including strange people or animals entering their territory; being separated from their pack, mother or even your family members; or new or alarming sounds.

Dogs may also bark or growl when they see prey, such as squirrels, and they may bark for attention, food or if they are anxious. Dogs often growl when they are fearful or trying to assert themselves in a situation. If the dog’s fear or assertiveness is alleviated by growling or barking, the dog will learn that his behavior is acceptable and the behavior may become more frequent or severe. Some medical problems may cause growling or barking and older pets experiencing senile changes may have barking problems. Intense and continuous barking may be considered compulsive. Check with your veterinarian to evaluate your pet’s barking or growling problem. Behavior training and drug therapy may be helpful in reducing barking for pets with medical, geriatric and compulsive disorders.

Socializing your puppy can help

 Acclimate your puppy to a variety of different people, environments, situations and noises to help lessen anxiety as your puppy grows. Make sure your puppy spends time alone so that he doesn’t develop separation anxiety while you are away from him. Proper training is essential to preventing behavior problems, such as growling and barking. Ask you veterinarian for more information about puppy training.

Correcting a barking or growling problem

Correcting a barking or growling problem first requires that you have effective management of your dog. Once you have achieved this, you can begin to train your dog to lessen his barking or growling behavior by using rewards for quiet behavior. The reward should be something that the dog really likes such as a favorite treat, tummy rubs, or a favorite toy. Punishment is generally ineffective in correcting barking problems. Too much punishment may even exacerbate the behavior and cause the dog to be fearful or aggressive.

 Begin your training with situations that you can easily control (such as a family member making a noise that causes the dog to bark) before moving on to difficult situations (such as a strange animal in your yard). When your dog barks at the stimuli (for instance, a doorbell ring), immediately interrupt the barking. When the dog is quiet offer the dog a reward for their behavior. Without the reward there is no incentive to remain quiet.Reward your dog when, at your request, he has stopped barking. Only reward the dog when he is quiet and gradually increase the amount of time that the dog needs to be quiet for him to receive a reward.

As the barking or growling problem decreases, make sure to direct your dog to more appropriate behavior, such as play, and the problem should lessen over time. Don't forget to discuss training options with your veterinarian to find the one that will work best for your pet.

Source: http://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/pet_health_library/dog_care/behavior/barking_and_growling.aspx

Labor Day Safety Tips for Pets

1. Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals.

 2. Always assign a dog guardian. No matter where you're celebrating, be sure to assign a friend or member of the family to keep an eye on your pooch-especially if you're not in a fenced-in yard or other secure area.

 3. Made in the shade. Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water, and make sure they have a shady place to escape the sun.

 4. Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of paws' reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing-or even kidney disease in severe cases.

 5. Keep your pet on his normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pet severe indigestion and diarrhea.

 6. Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingesting any of these items can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression in your pets, and if inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia.

 7. Never leave your dog alone in the car. Traveling with your dog means occasionally you'll make stops in places where he's not permitted. Be sure to rotate dog walking duties between family members, and never leave your animals alone in a parked vehicle.

 8. Make a safe splash. Don't leave pets unsupervised around a pool-not all dogs are good swimmers.

 Source: http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/labor-day-pet-safety-tips

Car Sickness In Pets

Does your dog throw up in the car when you go for rides? He may be experiencing typical motion sickness, just like some people do. Motion sickness usually begins very shortly after starting the car ride. The dog will begin to drool and then vomit. It’s not serious, but certainly not something that we like to clean up! To solve the problem, first try acclimating the dog to car rides. Do this by simply putting him in the car for a few minutes each day without going anywhere. Then try just going down the driveway and back, and the next day going around the block. Gradually build up the distance and time the dog rides in the car. 

 Sometimes this will help to decrease the dog’s anxiety over riding in the car and may help to decrease vomiting. If that doesn't work, there are some over-the-counter medications you can try. The medication will need to be given about an hour before the car ride. Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation as to what drug to try and the dosage for your pet.

(Never give any medications to your pet without your veterinarian’s advice!) These drugs are safe, with drowsiness usually the only major side effect. But since your dog isn’t driving the car, that shouldn't be a problem! If over-the-counter drugs don’t work, your veterinarian may be able to suggest another method for curing the car sickness.

Source: http://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/pet_health_library/dog_care/general_health/car_sickness.aspx