Sharon Lakes Animal Hospital Blog

A member of our Sharon Lakes Animal Hospital staff recently received a surprising diagnosis for her cat. Her experience is one I thought fellow feline parents would appreciate. So, please welcome our “guest blogger” — Kim Winslow, Reception Supervisor & Registered Veterinary Technician.  Here is her story:

I’ve owned my 9 1/2 year old cat, Ghirardelli, since she was barely two months old. She’s always been very healthy and has had a normal indoor, spoiled rotten cat lifestyle over the years.  Given my professional background (working as a veterinary technician for more than ten years and currently as a veterinary receptionist), I have been sure to provide the best healthcare possible for her by having her examined by a vet twice a year, keeping her on heartworm preventative, feeding her a quality diet, and, of course, keeping her vaccinations up to date.  All this is in addition to the TLC provided by my own family!  I have always been very confident that I would notice if ANY health changes occurred in one of my cats, no matter how subtle the signs. After all, even though I’m well aware that cats are masters at hiding any illness, I have a trained eye and helping sick pets has been my lifelong career!  So how did I miss this?

I had absolutely NO reason to suspect that Delli’s routine wellness exam and annual senior labwork in early September would show anything other than perfect health.  I was taking very good care of her at home, and she seemed perfectly normal to me. I had no idea I was missing anything.

When Dr. Moore was examining Delli, she noted a weight loss of 1.5 pounds since her last exam.  That’s a significant amount of weight for a cat to lose in 6 months!  I was surprised, because Delli didn’t look or feel any different to me, and she’d been eating quite well at home.  Dr. Moore recommended checking her thyroid level with the rest of her annual labwork. A Thyroid test is always recommended for cats 10 and older, but while Delli wasn’t at that age yet, this weight loss worried me, so we did the test!

The next day, Dr. Moore told me that Delli’s thyroid level was 10.4. I was SHOCKED, considering that the normal range is 0.8 – 4.0, and last year Delli’s level was 2.2. What a difference in just a year!  Dr. Moore started her on thyroid medication right away.

Hyperthyroidism is a common disease in middle aged to older cats. It is a condition in which the thyroid gland becomes overactive, producing excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. The symptoms are weight loss, increased appetite, vomiting, behavoir changes, and changes in hair/coat.  Again, I saw NONE of these signs.

I cannot stress enough the importance of twice yearly physical exams for our pets — I always knew this was important, but now I truly understand why.  They age so much faster than we do, many potentially serious illnesses show very subtle signs in the early stages (especially in cats!), and our pets cannot tell us when they don’t feel well or something is not “right” with them. If I hadn’t taken Delli to see Dr. Moore for her semi-annual exam, the weight loss would have gone undetected, we would not have run a thyroid test, and she would have eventually become very sick.  I’m not thrilled that she has this condition, but I’m talking with a local specialist about a cure (which involves radiation) because Delli is still “young” and we caught her condition, thankfully, before she became too ill.

I really hope my story will help another cat (or dog) & it’s owner avoid a serious illness through preventive care.

Okay, I realize flea and tick prevention may not be exciting to the average person, or even the most dedicated pet owner. But, hey, we work and live in this field, so I hope you can understand how we’d get excited about such things! And honestly, we have some great news to share, so read on…

This summer is a little different than usual, with several  new flea and tick products hitting the marketplace, an established product going generic (read that as cheaper!), and some new risk concerns in our area regarding Lyme Disease (see Lyme Disease Moves South for details). The internet has changed both how pet owners shop for medicines and how they care for their pets (have you tried to “GOOGLE your pet back to health”, only to come see your vet days later and find the internet’s diagnosis wasn’t quite right?!). We know you’ve probably been reading about and seeing ads for new products over the past few months. Regarding parasite prevention, it’s most important to use the product that makes the most sense for your pet and your family in terms of both what the product DOES and what it COSTS. We see so many people who mistakenly select an inappropriate product and either spend way too much money for what they need, or get a product that doesn’t do what they really want.

FOR DOGS…
The defining question is “do you need tick control?”  If the answer is “NO”, we continue to  believe that Sentinel (oral) andAdvantage Multi  (topical) are the two best products from a value perspective to protect your dog; both provide heartworm, flea, and GI parasite control at an attractive price, with 12-packs always costing you less per month. For flea allergic dogs or severe flea problems, Interceptor (HW/GI parasites) and Comfortis (fleas) may be a better combination, but at a higher cost.

Should the answer to the tick question be “Yes, I need tick control!”, we have 3 great products, two of which are brand new.

K9 ADVANTIX II is a monthly topical flea/tick drop that repels and kills fleas, biting flies, and ticks (about 70% of ticks will decide not to bite your dog, and the ones that do will die in 1-2 days).

SCALIBOR Protector Band is a new tick/flea prevention product for Sharon Lakes Animal Hospital, but it has been the #1 product in Europe for six years and is standard issue for US military working dogs. It is a protective band worn around the neck, no odor, no residue, lasts 6 months, and is completely waterproof!  This is NOT your old fashioned tick collar! It is extremely SAFE because of the controlled release of the active ingredient. It should be started 2 weeks before expected tick exposure. The monthly cost of this long-lasting product is about 1/3 that of all other options.

As you may have heard, the primary active ingredient in Frontline (Fipronil) has gone generic. So, we are pleased to announce that we now offer PARASTAR, a new topical flea & tick prevention product from Novartis (makers of Sentinel &  Interceptor), at a much lower  price than Frontline! In fact, you will find that if you are buying HW prevention at the same time, you can buy PARASTAR at prices as low as or even lower than you might find other generic brands at your local superstore.We will have Parastar available around July 1st.

FOR CATS…

We continue to feel that Revolution, an easy to apply monthly drop, is the best overall product for all cats; it provides protection from heartworms, fleas, GI parasites and ear mites all in one dose, and is less expensive than using 2 separate products.

Easy Spot is a new product for cats this summer- essentially a once a month flea/tick control for your cat at a very attractive price. This could be an option for individuals with cat flea & tick control concerns who do not wish to pay the extra cost for the added protection Revolution provides. Easy Spot will be available for purchase around July 1st.

(We also still offer Heartgard for cats, which provides heartworm and GI parasite control, and is an option for indoor cats who have no exposure to outdoors  and no dogs in the house who may bring in fleas. Remember, if your dog brings fleas into the house and your cat is unprotected, your flea control may be severely compromised! So you would want to use Easy Spot in conjunction with Heartgard.)

We have been actively seeking out new opportunities to provide great protection at a great price, and we are excited to have these new choices available for you this summer. Yes, we get excited about these things, and we’re here to share our knowledge & excitement with you. We encourage you to talk with your Sharon Lakes veterinarian about what product or combination of products suits your pet and your family best!

Here’s to parasite-free summer!

Lyme Disease — a tick borne disease that affects dogs and humans — has traditionally been a problem only in the northern atlantic coast region.  However, in the last 3 months, Sharon Lakes Animal Hospital has found 4 dogs with confirmed Lyme Disease. The disease is spread by tick bites, and only about 25% of positive dogs are actually ill when they are diagnosed. So, obvious symptoms may not always be present. The disease is caused by a bacteria called “Borellia”, which tries very hard to sneak into our bodies without much inflammation or illness, but over time starts to cause serious problems. In humans, there is often a unique “target” or “bulls-eye” lesion, which appears as a red circle around the tick bite location. In dogs, we rarely observe this due to the heavy hair coat.

Because of these confirmed cases, we have begun testing all dogs with either a history of tick bites in the last few years, dogs who have traveled into the Atlantic seaboard states north of North Carolina (these states, including Pennsylvania, are hotbeds for Lyme disease), and dogs with vague signs of illness including joint pain, fever, not acting right, etc.  We are very interested in seeing how prevalent this disease in our population of dogs. So far, the dogs that have tested positive for Lyme represent all 3 of the risk categories – dogs who have visited high-risk areas, dogs who have moved here from high-risk areas, and  a dog from the Charlotte area who had not traveled out of state. One of the families of the positive dogs has a grandchild also positive for Lyme disease; while only spread through tick bites (not from the pet), our concern is that dogs tend to be markers for the disease in a given geographical area, and we are suspicious that this disease is slowly moving into our area.

If your dog fits these risk descriptions, we would be happy to talk with you about testing, vaccination, and preventive options (there are several new tick control products available, which we’ll highlight in our next post). The good news is that a Lyme screening test can be done as an addition to a heartworm test for only five more dollars.

We place a high value on consistently educating ourselves and our clients, and providing preventive care that keeps our patients living long, healthy lives. Lyme Disease screening and regular use of tick preventative can help ensure that you and your pets to enjoy a healthy and safe summer!

Our doctors and staff are here if you have any questions, just give us a call.

Dr. Steve Weaver

In March, Dr. Weaver & I attended the annual American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Conference in Toronto. Yes, springtime in Toronto – what an experience!

Regardless of the weather or location, we really look forward to this meeting each year, because the educational opportunities in a setting that is smaller than most national conferences are superior.  Dr. Weaver furthered his education on pain management, surgery, GI issues, Lyme disease and much more. I focused on customer service, new communication technology, and client education — all helpful in my role as Office Manager — as well as pet obesity/weight management.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share some of the exciting things we’ve learned.  Likewise, over the course of the year, I’ll have guest bloggers from our Sharon Lakes team – as we all participate in numerous continuing education events and venues as part of our dedication to providing the best, most compassionate care to our patients and clients.

Pet weight management is an interest of mine, primarily due to the fact that it’s so important to the health of my own dog, Maddux, who has hip dysplasia.  He is less active & limps more frequently when the pounds creep up because I give too many treats or am too generous with his J/D food! When his weight is where it should be, he’s a different dog. So, I’d like to share some interesting facts I took away about pet obesity & weight management:

• Did you know that when your pet gets spayed/neutered it changes their metabolism?
• Did you know that 1 Busy Bone Chew Treat (sm/med dog) = 3 McDonald’s Chocolate shakes for an adult human?
• Did you know that obesity is the #1 risk factor for development of Type 2 Diabetes in cats?
• Did you know that a 10-pound dog eating 1 Good Life Recipe Wholesome Mini Bone = a human eating 3 Hershey Bars?
• Did you know there are NO official guidelines to dictate what food may be called “weight management” or “healthy weight”? And pet foods marketed as “Light” or “Reduced Calorie” are often only about 10% lower in calories that regular food? (Whereas R/D Prescription weight loss food is 40% lower in calories!)
• Did you know that there are 27 obesity-related disorders recognized in dogs and cats?

Just like in humans, our pets live healthier, even longer lives when they are not obese. But unlike humans, they have no control over their weight – it’s all up to us!

Oscar McGill is an adorable 10 year old Dachshund, whose owners would do anything for him! The McGill’s called Sharon Lakes to schedule a new patient exam for Oscar because they were concerned that the vet they’d been seeing was missing something. Oscar’s breath was terrible and they thought something might be wrong with his mouth.

During the exam, Oscar was found to have severe dental disease and several rotten teeth. Upon review of his records (received from the other vet) we were surprised to find no mention of any dental exams or issues with Oscar’s teeth. In addition, the McGill’s were surprised to learn Oscar was overdue for all of his vaccines and annual lab tests.

Although money was tight, the McGill’s wanted to do whatever was best for Oscar, understanding the untreated dental disease can not only cause bad breath & great pain, but can also lead to other organ damage. They scheduled the dental surgery for the next day and took care of all of Oscar’s past due vaccines & lab services. They were up front about what they could afford regarding the surgery using their Care Credit account & cash. (Care Credit is an excellent resource accepted at both veterinary & human medical offices, whereby account holders enjoy extended no-interest payment options. Visit www.carecredit.com for an instant application.)

So severe was his dental disease, that Oscar’s dental cleaning & evaluation required 9 tooth extractions. Because of this, the surgery cost exceeded what the family had told us they could afford. The doctor & staff involved wanted to help this family that was so willing to do what’s best for Oscar, and who never asked for any financial help. So, when the McGill’s arrived to pick up Oscar in the afternoon, we told them about the Sharon Lakes We C.A.R.E. Fund and that we would be using some of this fund to pay a portion of their bill. It warmed our hearts to see the joy on their faces & their deep appreciation for not only helping them financially, but giving Oscar the medical care he needed.

And what makes this story have an even happier ending, is that a few weeks after the surgery, we received a thank you note from Oscar and the McGill’s with a donation back to the WE C.A.R.E. Fund and a message that said “we care too.”

We know you’ve heard that Poinsettia’s are poisonous, but how about that fruitcake or those lilies? And how much truth is there in all of these warnings? How do you separate the urban legend from the real concerns?

Here is a great quiz to test your knowledge of what is myth & what is fact about holiday pet hazards! We think you’ll have some fun with it, and learn something new as well.

We hope you & your furry family members enjoy the magic of this season!

“Tucker” is a 9 year old Retriever-Chow mix who visited us for one of her twice yearly Comprehensive Wellness Exams in late September. Other than working on her weight control program, her owners thought she was doing quite well.

We call this a Comprehensive Wellness Exam because our doctors evaluate the whole dog or cat. During Tucker’s exam, Dr. Weaver noticed a very serious pre-molar 4 tooth fracture in the very back of Tucker’s mouthwhen he performed the intra-oral portion of his physical exam. This tooth is one of the primary “chewing teeth” in the upper arcade, and is the most common tooth fracture we see. However, it is so far in the back of the mouth that most pet owners would never notice it.

Because the nerve of the tooth was exposed and dead, this tooth needed to be removed by oral surgery. The surgery was successful, removing both the infection and the pain, and preventing a future abscess. Tucker was placed on antibiotics and pain control meds for 1 week, plus a soft diet for 1 week.

This case is a great illustration of the value of twice a year exams (even when we, as pet owners, haven’t noticed any problems!) and the severity of pet dental problems that we, as owners, don’t notice on a day to day basis. In this case, a potentially risky infection was avoided due to the findings of the exam, and the owners placing value on semi-annual Comprehensive Wellness Exams for Tucker.

Remember, an annual wellness exam for your pet is like a human going to the doctor for a physical only once every seven years! Our pets age more rapidly than we do, and they cannot always “tell” us when something feels wrong. This is why we strongly recommend twice yearly exams – it’s key to catching illness and other problems before they become serious and more costly to treat!