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Newsletters and specials>
Happy Valentine's Day!
February 14, 2010
Welcome to the inaugural edition of our e-newsletter!
In coming months we hope to provide you with information to help keep your animal companions healthy and happy. We'll also let you know of clinic specials and promotions.
Please let us know how we are doing and if you have any suggestions, never hesitate to give us a call or send us an email.
Best always,
Dr. Peggy, Bev and Staff
Why an Annual Exam?
A thorough annual exam is one of the most important tools to help maintain good health and prolong the life of your companion. This nose-to-tail exam checks all body systems and can help detect changes before they become life threatening.
Many dogs presented to our clinic have ear infections that the owner does not realize and these are found on the routine annual exam. Cats are frequently infected with ear mites that will cause problems if not found early. A dental exam is also performed that checks for dental disease and recommendations are made to prevent plaque and tartar buildup. If your pet has dental disease, which about 80% of them do, we will discuss treatment options. Left untreated, dental disease can lead to painful tooth decay as well as systemic illness due to chronic infection. The eyes will be checked for cataracts or glaucoma. Your pet’s heart will be checked for the presence of murmurs and irregular sounds. If abnormalities are found, an EKG and chest x-rays may be needed. Abdominal palpation is an important part of the exam to check for enlarged organs or masses in your pet’s abdomen. A skin exam will be performed and any abnormalities discussed. Vaccine history will be reviewed and vaccine decisions will be made after reviewing benefits, risks and lifestyle. We’ll discuss nutritional recommendations for your animal’s lifestyle.
What can you do to help this process? Prior to coming in, make a note of any changes you have seen in activity levels, eating and thirst habits, urinating and defecating habits, any behavioral changes or any other change you have noticed. Sometimes seemingly small things provide us with big clues. Also write down any questions you may have.
Every veterinarian can tell a dozen stories of serious problems such as cancer and heart disease that were discovered at an annual exam, even though the animal seemed normal at home. Early detection can help prolong your companion’s life. And, like all medical fields, veterinary medicine is in a constant state of change and advancement. New information is becoming available at an increasingly rapid pace. The annual visit is a good time for us to communicate to you any recent developments that could affect your pet's health.
The annual veterinary exam is a small investment of time, effort and money that will more than pay for itself in better health and longer life for your animal companion.
This Month's Special
Annual exams are one of the most important foundations of your animal companion's health. This month's special is 50% off any exam with a paid heartworm test.
Heartworm Disease
Heartworm disease is a common condition in many areas including ours. It is caused by the filarial (threadlike) worm Dirofilaria immitis that lives in the pulmonary arteries (blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs) in most infected dogs. D. immitis is injected into the dog by infected mosquitoes. Unfortunately, our Sierra foothills present ideal conditions for those mosquitoes.
An important distinction must be made between heartworm disease and heartworm infection. Dogs with heartworms in their bodies do not necessarily have adult worms in their hearts; they may have larval heartworms only in their skin. These dogs are certainly infected but they do not have heartworm disease. Dogs with heartworms in their bodies are not necessarily sick, either. Dogs with only larvae of one stage or another are not sick and it is controversial how dangerous it is for a dog to have only one or two adult heartworms. Dogs can be without symptoms if infection is light or has occurred recently.
On the other hand, dogs with heartworm disease are sick. They not only have the infection but they have any number of problems because of it, including:
Damage to the Pulmonary Arteries - Arteries do not do well with worms living inside them. The lining of the artery becomes damaged within days and cells of the immune system are called into the area, but the worm is far too big for these tiny cells to destroy. The resulting inflammation continues to damage the artery and coughing and exercise intolerance result as areas of the lung are affected. Nose bleeds may occur as may a form of non-infectious pneumonia.
Heart Failure - Blood normally is pumped with ease through the arteries of the lung. With the arteries plugged with worms, the heart must pump harder against the pressure of the plugged arteries. If worms begin backing up into the heart, there will be less space in the pumping chamber for blood to be pumped. In order to meet the body's oxygen demand, the heart must pump faster and stronger still. There may come a point when the heart simply is not strong enough. In any heart disease, arrhythmia is a possibility; when arrhythmia is a possibility, so is sudden death.
Chronic Immune Stimulation - When a dog goes without treatment for heartworm disease, its immune system becomes chronically stimulated. Antibodies, which are not only important tools of the immune system but are also inflammatory proteins, are produced in high amounts all the time and can cause tremendous tissue damage and pain in the delicate membranes of the eye, kidney, blood vessels, and joints.
Caval Syndrome - Caval syndrome represents an especially disastrous form of heartworm disease. Here, there are so many worms at one time (around 100) that the entire right side of the heart is filled with worms and they are backing out into the large veins that feed the right side of the heart. Usually there have been no signs of heart disease prior to the collapse, shock, and red blood cell destruction associated with this syndrome. Death usually occurs within 1 to 2 days and the only effective treatment is to open the dog's jugular vein and physically remove the worms with a special clamp. If enough worms can be removed to re-establish blood flow, the dog may survive.
All dogs living in a heartworm endemic area like ours are at risk. Fortunately, if a dog develops heartworm disease, treatment is available, but it is neither easy nor inexpensive and it does carry certain risks.
On the other hand, preventing heartworm disease is easy and affordable. There are several preventatives available and a six-month supply generally runs between $45 and $120, depending on your dog’s weight and breed. Talk to Dr. Peggy about the best one for your animal.
Congratulations!
Beth Delaney and Dale Harsy are the lucky winners of our drawing for a full dental treatment. Bella or Luna will soon be flashing a sparkling smile!
Do Cats get Heartworm?
The answer is an unequivocal yes but the feline situation is vastly different from the canine situation. While it is true that the feline infection is not as common as the canine infection, the feline infection has recently been found to be a much more widespread problem than previously believed. Recent research indicates that in heartworm endemic areas (like our Sierra foothills), the incidence of feline heartworm infection rivals or surpasses that of feline leukemia virus or feline immunodeficiency virus. An incidence of 2% to 14% of all cats has been reported for endemic areas, making heartworm a concern for any cat living where there are mosquitoes.
Cats are not a natural host for the heartworm, which means the migrating larval heartworm is not likely to complete its life cycle. Very few larval heartworms survive to adulthood in cats so an infected cat typically has less than six adult worms versus 26 to 50 worms in an infected dog. But, because the feline heart and blood vessels are so small, these few worms can wreak havoc.
In cats, symptoms of infection tend to be more immune-related than heart-failure related. Cats develop more of a lung disease, complete with respiratory distress, and chronic coughing or vomiting. Feline heartworm disease is often misdiagnosed as feline asthma. Sudden death may occur just as it may occur in infected dogs.
In dogs, diagnosis is usually not complicated. A blood sample is tested for proteins that can only be found in the body of the adult female heartworm. In cats, no single test is reliable. When heartworm disease is suspected, an antigen test and an antibody test are recommended along with chest X-rays and/or an echocardiograph.
The good news is that feline heartworm infection is 100% preventable. The American Heartworm Society recommends monthly preventive for ALL CATS in heartworm endemic areas. There are currently four products on the market that are reliably effective. Talk to Dr. Peggy to determine the best one for your cat.
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