Incestuous Relations

"They wouldn't do that! They're brother and sister!"

No, it's not some twisted new reality show. Or Flowers in the Attic. It's the littermates in the kitchen.

News flash- seeing incest as wrong is a human issue. Your pets don't care. Sure, given the oppurtunity, a group of animals may instinctively seek out a non-relative with whom to procreate- that way they get the genetic diversity that can help increase the groups ability to survive. But the cats in the neighborhood or the dogs in your yard just don't care.

All they know is that there is a female in heat, rarin' to go. And that testosterone is saying- let's do it!  There is no yuck factor for your pets. There is only urge. They don't think it through. They just act.

Hormones are strong, as we can all attest, right?  And without the social mores, without the ability to think a situation through, there is no reason not to act on those hormones.  This is how we get inbreeding.

In all honesty, inbreeding is how we have gotten many of today's recognizablw breeds of dogs and cats. People deliberately bred siblings, or mothers and sons, or fathers and daughters. They did this to try to preserve desirable traits in the dogs or cats. They did it often enough that they got consistent results- and viola- Labradors. Or Siamese. Or whatever.

One can argue that this inbreeding- be it many generations ago- is why purebreeds are more prone to certain diseases. They have less genetic diversity.

The point is this- if you have not spayed or neutered in the mistaken belief that "they won't do that," you are in for a surprise. Spay. Neuter. Save yourself a shock to your system. Save your vet a rant.


Enjoy your pets!

No shots for you!

So, let's say you are totally, completely against vaccines. Or you are the proud pet parent of a dog who has allergic reactions to vaccines. Now what?

This is where the art of medicine starts to play more of a role. Each pet is an individual. And we, as veterinarians, need to keep this in mind and be ready to tailor protocols to meet the individual's needs, keeping health and safety in mind at all times. This, folks, is the basis of the concept of holistic medicine- treating the whole patient. We vets do it almost without thinking every day. There is very little that is set in stone for us.

Vaccines are very important. They keep our pets protected from life-threatening diseases, and some diseases that may not be life-threatening, but can be debilitating. These same vaccines also help protect the people in our pets' lives, as well. There are several diseases that we can catch from the animals in our lives. Rabies is one obvious one. Leptospirosis, a bacteria that affects the liver and kidneys, is another. If a pet is able to get a recommended vaccine, I strongly urge owners to comply.



But some won't, and some can't. So now what?

There are a few options for vaccines. If you have a dog or cat that gets a mild reaction to the vaccine (like hives or mild vomiting) we can pre-medicate with a steroid and Benadryl, or a steroid or Benadryl. This helps to decrease the immune system's response to the perceived immune trigger. Most of the time this seems to help.

If, however, your pet has had a more severe reaction, or has had a reaction despite pre-medication, we may consider other options. One option is to choose to stop giving vaccines. I cringe a little as I type this, because discontinuing the vaccines carries inherent risks. Therefore, anytime I have this discussion with a pet's people, I try to make it very clear that we are balancing risks and benefits, and in choosing to not vaccinate we are incurring some risks that need to be known. We are knowingly leaving a gap in out pet's immunity. The risk of life-threatening parvo or distemper in an adult, otherwise healthy dog that has at least had the puppy series of vaccines is probably fairly low. But it does exist. There is always a risk of being exposed to, and contracting, kennel cough. Or lepto.

Choosing to stop vaccines means most kennels and pet resorts will not board your pet. You may need to make other arrangements when you go out of town. Some groomers require up to date vaccines for grooming appointments. Don't be mad at them- they have responsibility to keep all of the pets in their care safe.

There are tests for the level of immunity in a pet's system. You may have heard of titer tests. If you are against vaccines on principle, you may have discussed them with your vet. Titer tests can be helpful, but they are not perfect.

A titer is the concentration of something. A titer test is a test to determine the concentration of that thing. The way this works with immunity, a blood sample is drawn at the vet's and sent to a laboratory. The lab technicians (or a machine) place drops of the blood sample into small vials. They serially dilute each sample. In other words, the vials will have all blood, 1/2 blood. 1/4 blood, 1/16 blood, 1/32 blood, etc. They then check to see at what dilution the blood sample stops reacting to an analog for the disease. The last one to react is reported back to us. I get a report that says something like- titer IgG parvo 1:400 (making up the details here). Then I compare that ratio number to what is generally considered to be protective immunity. This gives us a yes or know answer to the question: is my pet protected from this disease?
Sounds cool, right? Blood test says yes, there is protection, then there is no need to vaccinate this year. Blood test says no, then we need the shot. Great. Next patient, please....

Problem is this- titer immunity does not necessarily correlate to true protection. UGH

We use the test anyway. I get titer tested periodically to see if my rabies vaccines I got a decade ago are still effective. We send blood to Kansas to be tested for pets going to Hawaii or Europe- they must be rabies titered. But I don't titer my own pets in place of vaccines. I give the shots.

fotosearch.com

Why? I believe that the immunity given by the shots is important. I believe that the titers are useful, but not absolute. I believe that the risk associated with vaccines is much smaller than the risk of disease. I want to take advantage of the amazing, incredible protection modern medicine is able to provide. But that's my decision, for my pets. If you want to discuss the ins and outs of vaccines for your pets, I will. I have many pets that have altered vaccine schedules, a few that I do not vaccinate at all. Holistic. Individual. Tailored.

Enjoy your pets!

Shooting the grown-ups

I hope those of you who are checking this out now feel you have a better understanding of the importance of the series of puppy vaccines vets recommend. It's a fairly straight forward recommendation, and as for as I know pretty much every veterinarian makes the same recommendations.

Things get a little bit murkier once the pets are grown up- say, over a year old. This is where having one group making protocols that we all follow might help, but the independant nature of vets doesn't really allow that. For now.

Last time we talked about immunity, and the fact that when we give the last set of puppy shots, we expect the body to make and store a blueprint of the fighting factors it can use against specific diseases. These blueprints are stored for a time, but not forever. So we generally recommend vaccinating again about a year after the dog or cat had the last in the series of vaccines. This puts them in the office at about 1 1/2 years of age. They get their good, complete exam (which, frankly,  is the most improtant part of the whole visit), and a repeat of the shots they had as a youngster.

Which vaccines, you ask? OK, this is part of the variation.

Which vaccines are used can depend on several factors. Let's talk dogs first. There are three vaccines that are considered "core." These are the shots that are recommended for all dogs, regardless of lifestyle or where in the states they live. Those are rabies, parvovirus and distemper virus.

Then there are non-core vaccines. These can be given based mainly on lifestyle or location. Lyme disease, leptospirosis, bordetella, canine flu are included in this catagory.

vetmed.auburn.edu

Most vets will give core vaccines to every patient, then add non-core based on that individual patients needs. Lyme for those in lyme endemic areas or hikers, leptospirosis for those expected to be exposed to wildlife or standing water sources, bordetella for those who will be staying at a kennel or  going to the groomer. Canine flu is usually resaerved for dogs kenneled or shown. So this is why your veterinarian or vet tech/nurse will ask about lifestyle. We need the information to develop a plan to keep your dog safe.

Cats have two core vaccines- rabies and feline distemper, also called FVRCP, CVR, and a few other things. Plus non-core vaccines like feline leukemia, FIV, and FIP. The decision to add the non-core generally is based on whether your cat is indoor or indoor/outdoor. Be honest with your vet. We just want what is best for your cat. And yes, even cats that are indoors all the time need that exam and the core vaccines. Rabies is required in much of the country for all cats and dogs.

Sounds simple, right?

After that 1 1/2 year old appointment, things get tricky. The core vaccines have been reliably shown to provide immunity that lasts at least 3 years. But not all vets give the shots every 3 years. Some still give them yearly. Some give all three core shots once every 3 years. Some divide them up, so your dog gets one shot each year, on a rotation. Confused yet? I don't blame you.

Let's throw more into the mix. The non-core vaccines tend to have immunity that does not last 3 years. In fact, there's evidence that the bordetella vaccine may only last 6-8 months. So what to do? It depends. No, really. Some places require bordetella every 6 months, some yearly. The other non-core shots are generally boostered every 12 months.

So, the bottom line here is each veterinarian develops a protocol based on current information that he or she is comfortable recommending. Talk to your vet. Ask about the protocol they employ.

Here's my opinion at this time. The exam is the most important part of the whole vet visit. Yes, I can do a complete exam in just a few minutes. Usually while I'm taking to you, asking quiestions. That few minutes of exam is a distillation of 8 years of college and 12 years experience. I could make it take longer, but it wouldn't be any more complete. Just sayin'.

I come from a practice that has been using a 3 year rotating protocol for dogs. We do all core vaccines as puppies, and at the 1 1/2 year appointment. Then we divide them out- distemper, parvo, rabies- one each year on a rotating basis. This means fewer shots at each of those yearly visits. Non-core are all yearly, as needed based on lifestyle.

Cats get baby series, then both core vaccines at 1 1/2. Then FVRCP every 3 years, but rabies yearly. This has to do with the type of rabies vaccine we use for the cats. Ask us. Ask any of us vets at anytime. We are happy to discuss our vaccine protocols and the reasons behind them.

Enjoy your pets!

SHOOT!

Let's talk shots.

I like lemon drops. And my brother once got smashed on something called a Louisiana leg-spreader.

But that's not really what I want to discuss. Sorry. Instead, let's talk about the shots we vets give your pets. The vaccines.

Some people will have you believe that vaccines are not important for health. Some will tell you that vaccines are actually dangerous. Some will tell you that they are absolutely essential at every annual or semi-annual vet visit. So what is the truth?

The truth is fluid. We are constantly re-evaluating the risks and benefits of all vaccines. This is actually true on the human side of medicine as well as on my side. So there may be changes in the recommendations of which vaccines to give, when in life and how often to give them. Even the best methods to administer them. Vets "in the trenches" are left to shuffle through the evidence and the recommendations and develop protocols for our patients that we are comfortable with.

And herein lies one of the basic issues. I'm not exactly sure just how it works with people, but at the pediatrician level at least there appears to be one set code of rules for vaccines. These are set by a group and are followed by all pediatricians. Schools require that these codes are followed. There is consistency. Vets get recommendations from groups such as the American Animal Hospital Association or the Association of Feline Practitioners, but we don't have a group that we allow to set the rules that we all follow. Veterinarians are pretty independent by nature, and we don't like to be dictated to.

So this leaves us in something of a quandary. Where do we get our information? Who do we trust? Do we trust the companies that make the vaccines to have the best, unbiased information? We need to know the agenda of whomever we are trusting for the data that we use to set our vaccine schedules. We hope that our associations will look at all the evidence available and help develop recommendations that are based on good science. Are they?

This is why the protocols we all follow may change from time to time. We are all, as a group and as individual veterinarians within our own practices, continually re-examining the evidence we have at hand. We are sometimes slow to change, but that is because we need to be convinced that the change is safe and effective. So this month I want to talk shots. I will not claim to have all the answers. I may well ruffle some feathers. I hope to make you think just a little about some of the blanket statements you hear.

Then maybe we can go out for a lemon drop or two.

Eat to Live, obesity part IV

OK, guys, so we've discussed how obesity is a health issue of epidemic proportions. And that it is our fault as pet parents. So what do we do about it? Well, the concepts are simple, but I'm the first to admit that the execution can be difficult. Not impossible, though, and well worth the time and effort you will invest.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Sayings like this are out there because there is at least a grain of truth to them. Start early. Roly-poly puppies are cute, yes, but lean pups are healthier. I don't mean ribs-poking-out skinny, just not watch-the-fat-rolls-shift-as-he-runs chubby. Many puppies come from the breeder a little overweight. They are eating solid foods, but may still be nursing, so they can be over-nutritioned. That's OK, just keep in mind that you will want to monitor weight gain to allow them to slim down as they approach adolescence. In other words, we want to be sure the baby fat goes away.

For dogs, a complete, balanced puppy food will do fine until they either reach a year old or are spayed or neutered, at which time a complete and balanced adult dry food will be fine. A treat of canned food is ok, too, just be aware that the canned foods tend to be calorie dense. You can start with the recommended amount of food on the bag, but if your pet is spayed or neutered, or over the age of 3, he/she will likely need a smaller amount than their bag recommends. So be prepared to cut back. I like to recommend feeding at least twice daily, but you can certainly decrease the amount per feeding and feed more frequently, allowing your dog to share in mealtime patterns. Some vets will tell you that feeding carrots or green beans can add bulk and promote a feeling of fullness with each meal, or as a snack in between. I agree.

The prevention method is good for cats, too. But there are some differences. Cats have very limited calorie requirements compared to dogs. Cats require more protein than dogs do, so their food is higher in protein and sometimes fat. But dry food still has a large percentage of carbohydrates present (that's how it is made into dry food). An increasing number of veterinary nutritionists are recommending a paradigm shift- it is very likely healthier for cats to be on a canned food exclusive diet. I know, this is very different from what we have been told for years- dry food for dental health, right? Not so. Cats on canned food get more protein, which their bodies need, less carbohydrates, which their bodies do not need, and generally seem to do better. The canned food also forces more water into their systems, which is very helpful.

Starting kittens off on canned food diets is great. If you have an older cat who has only eaten dry food, she might not realize canned food is food. Don't panic, and don't force. We adjust all plans to suit the individual.

So, what to do with a pet that is already overweight? Diet, diet, diet. Start by talking to your vet. Make a detailed plan for calorie control, exercise, and periodic weigh-ins. You might be shocked at how much you will need to cut back in calories to get good weight loss, but we are not talking fad diets, or getting into those old jeans in a week!  Weight loss needs to be gradual. Especially for cats. Cats that loose weight too quickly can actually get sick. Their bodies mobilize fat, but instead of using it for energy, they store the fat in their livers, which makes the liver unable to function properly. This is called hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease. It can be life-threatening. So proceed with caution. Dogs are more resilient, but we will get better long term results taking the weight loss slowly.

Good luck! And always enjoy your pets!

dailypets.co.uk

obesity part III- special effects

Obesity is not just cosmetic. It is truly an illness, and increases the chances of developing other illnesses. This is a true for our pets as it is for us.

Arthritis pain can be increased by obesity. All that extra weight increases the impact on joints, aggravating the pain that may have already been present from arthritis, hip dysplasia, or intervertebral disc disease.

surfdogrichocet.com

Diabetes is highly correlated with obesity in pets. Cats are at particular risk of this effect.

Hypertension. Again, cats are at particular risk of increased blood pressure. The hypertension, in turn can have terrible effects of other organs- kidneys and heart in particular.

Heart disease. If the heart has to work harder to push blood through more vessels supplying fat cells, it can show problems with it's ability to pump that blood effectively.

Respiratory (breathing) issues. Dogs that are overweight have an increased risk of cough. They tend to pant more- working harder to move those fat-covered ribs. They seem to snore more, too.

Infections. Skin folds create great spots for bacteria to overgrow and cause skin infections. Extra skin that flaps over the vulva can make dogs more prone to vaginal and bladder infections.

So, there you have it. None of this is new information, but it all leads into the importance of attaining and maintaining a healthy weight.

One last word today. Dogs can have a condition in which the thyroid gland (a gland in the neck that produces hormones that regulate metabolism) under produces thyroid hormone. This is hypothyroidism, and it can decrease the metabolism top the point that dogs gain weight even on reduced calorie diets. Cats are very rarely hypothyroid. Your veterinarian can do blood work to confirm or rule out hypothyroidism, and can prescribe medication when it is present.

Enjoy your pets!

Cats is cats

So my daughter explained to me yesterday as I was driving her home from the grocery store that she feels we should adopt a litter of kittens.

"How many?" I questioned

"I don't know, maybe ten. That way, they would all be friends, and if they weren't friends, we could give one away." Good 5 year old logic.

I like cats. Cats are like chips- most of us don't have just one. And they'll make more. There certainly isn't a dearth of kittens out there. Those of you who have experienced litter mate kittens playing together know just how much fun they can be. They bring joy to our life.

I grew up with Siamese cats, named for characters from Anna and the King of Siam. Then we added a rabbit to the mix. The rabbit lived in the house, free-roaming with the cats. Now some of you might be concerned that the cats would attack and possibly kill the poor bunny. We had some concerns, too. Until the rabbit took one look at the cats and attacked. Not in a Monty Python Search for the Holy Grail attack rabbit way, more of an annoying aunt backing you into the corner and talking your ear off kind of way. He backed those cats up and stared at them They hissed and hit him. He cocked his head to the side and wiggled his nose. The cats jumped over him and ran!

The cats could be seen huddled on the stairs, watching the rabbit hop down the hall. We think they were plotting his demise. Eventually, they reached a sort of truce and left each other alone. But the antics still make us grin.

And don't tell me animals don't have logic skills.

There was a period of time I made pets of field mice (yes, I was a little odd). I kept one in a cage in my room. On a bookshelf, 3 shelves up. One cat, Rorshack by name, black and white like an inkblot test, would sit on the floor in front of the bookcase, stare at the mouse in her cage, and plan his climb. He would look at the first shelf, turn his head slightly like he was imagining walking across the shelf, then look up to the second shelf. Then he would try his approach. Jump to the first shelf. Walk along the books. Attempt to get paws into position to get to next shelf. Fall to the floor. Sit on the floor and re-try the plan. Logic.

So, yes, I really like cats. But I don't want ten right now.