Fall 2004 Petnews Issue
Fall PetNews Issue.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please send them to us by email at shawpethospitals@shaw.ca or by fax at (250) 6524338 and we will be glad to answer them.
SMALL ANIMAL NEWS
Poisonous
Plants at home
By M.
Gavar
Most of us may have
not realized that some plants we have at home can cause harm to our pets. Dogs
and cats will eat almost anything from chocolates, to sewing needle, to owner’s
underwear or socks and it is not surprising that they can get attracted to
daffodils or lilies in your front yard. Whether it is a flowering plant or an
onion in the garden, they contain toxic substances enough to cause serious
problem. Cats may be more sensitive to
certain substance compared to dogs but both species are at risk depending on
the amount of toxin ingested. An animal
may die, may be disabled permanently, or may recover completely, depending on
the poison and amount of plant material ingested. Some plants cause immediate
sickness or death after ingestion but others may take several days before signs
of poisoning develop. While many toxic plants cause gastrointestinal effects,
other may result in kidney, liver or neurological problems.
Clinical signs of
plant poisoning in animals may vary depending on the type of plant, amount of
toxin and the time from when the animal ingested the plant to onset of clinical
signs and when treatment was initiated. The longer it takes to initiate
treatment, the more serious
damage it can cause due to the
rate of toxin absorption by different body organs through the blood. Signs vary
from gastrointestinal upset (vomiting and diarrhea), neurologic signs (seizure
to convulsion), muscle twitching, generalized weakness and depression, skin or
mouth irritation, paralysis, cardiovascular and respiratory signs, and in
severe cases of highly toxic dose of certain plants this may lead to coma or
sudden death. Even when an animal recovered from poisoning, damage to the liver
and kidneys where the toxins are metabolized is another concern thus supportive
treatment is usually indicated.
Here are some common poisonous
house plants that are worth identifying. It is helpful that these plants are
recognized so when the unexpected happens, you can be prepared and treatment
can be initiated promptly by your veterinarian.
- Aloe, Amaryllis, Asparagus fern, Autumn Crocus,
Azalea
- Buckeye
- Ceriman (Cutleaf Philodendron), Clematis,
Christmas rose, Cyclamen
- Daffodil,
- English Ivy,
- Foxglove
- Gladiolas
- Heavenly bamboo, Hyacinth, Hydrangea
- Iris
- All members of Lily family
- Macadamia nut, Marijuana, Mistletoe, Morning
Glory
- Narcissus
- Onion
- Poinsettia
- Rhododendron
- Tomato plant (green parts only), Tulip
Oh and by the way, dogs may
not have a say on the issue of legalizing Cannabis
sativa but we would rather they stay away from it anyway.
References:
Veterinary Information Network: http://www.vin.com
Peterson and Talcott: Small animal
Toxicology.
Pup of a Different
Kind!
By Michelle Krasnicki R.A.H.T.
On September 7th
of this year the Central Saanich Animal Hospital (CSAH) had a patient admitted
for surgery, a 2 month old Pacific Harbour Seal pup. He traveled by both car
and ferry from the Island Wildlife Natural Care Centre (IWNCC) on
Common
Medical Problems of Rabbits
By
Michelle Krasnicki R.A.H.T.
The following is a
brief discussion of a few medical conditions that are regularly seen in
rabbits. Always consult a veterinarian when you have any concerns about your
pet.
Incisor
Overgrowth
Incisors grow continually but
are normally worn down to appropriate lengths by constant chewing of
hay/greens. When the front teeth are overgrown, the rabbit is unable to
eat/hold food in its mouth. Common causes of dental malocclusion include
genetics and improper diet. When teeth are not aligned properly, the animal
should not be bred so this trait is not passed on to their young. A rabbit’s
front teeth should line up so the bottom incisors sit just behind the top
incisors hitting the small peg teeth (these sit immediately behind the top
incisors). When rabbits are fed an inappropriate diet such as too much pellets,
treats and no hay, the rabbit cannot wear the teeth down. Eventually the teeth
will overgrow leaving the rabbit unable to eat. Regular teeth trimming by a
veterinarian and a diet rich in hay will provide your rabbit with a healthy
mouth. Rabbits can also develop problems with their back teeth and these may
require examination under general anesthesia.
Hairballs
(or Trichobezoar)
This condition is caused by a
build up of hair in the GI tract usually from grooming. Symptoms generally
include loss of appetite and fewer feces. Rabbits on high fiber diets that
include plenty of grass hay and greens are usually able to pass hair through a
normally functioning gut, if the gut slows and hair is able to accumulate or
cause a blockage then nothing is able to pass through. This is a serious
problem and can even lead to death. Since rabbits (unlike cats) are not able to
vomit therefore ridding themselves of the hairball, they must pass the hair. If
the condition is not too severe your vet may choose a medical approach to deal
with the problem. Here the rabbit will be treated with oral medications that
help flush the hair through the gut, if this is not possible then surgery is
warranted to physically remove the hairball. To avoid this problem, feed high
quality hay (and lots of it!) and brush your rabbits coat regularly.
Snuffles
(or Pasteurella Multocida)
This is a bacterial condition
which is passed from rabbit to rabbit or by contaminated objects. It can infect
all major body systems but primarily affects the respiratory tract. Signs will
generally include congestion and discharge from the nose, inflammation and
redness around eyes, head tilt, skin infection/abscesses. Treatment by your vet
will likely include antibiotics and supportive care.
Sore
Hocks (or Ulcerative Pododermatitis)
The hock is the joint located
in the middle of the hind leg, this area can first become irritated and sore then
progress to ulcerations. This is generally a result of poor husbandry (improper
flooring, sitting in a damp/dirty environment, small cage) or obesity. This
problem is often treated with antibiotics, wound cleansing and improved
husbandry.
Injuries
from Improper Handling
Improper handling can result
in severe injuries particularly to the back. This happens when the rabbit feels
unstable when held, as they push away with their powerful hind legs they risk
fracturing their delicate spine. Picking up and holding a rabbit should be done
carefully and if you are new to handling you should start by working closely to
the floor. See the following illustration on the proper way to pick up and hold
your rabbit (and remember, rabbits should never be picked up by their
ears)
. Victoria Pet Adoption Society
Updates
By M. Gavar
The Victoria Pet Adoption Society (VPAS) would like
to thank everyone for the continuous support to our pet adoption program
through a joint project with True Value Foods. Your generosity and support by
means of donations help us provide the veterinary services and care these
animals need under this program. At Shaw Pet Hospitals the veterinary staff
ensures that all the animals taken into our program receive the best veterinary
care before they are sent to their new homes. Some of these animals were either
feral/stray brought in by concerned people. Others are animals that the owners
were no longer able to keep for a variety of reasons. The animals health is
examined and their suitability for a new home is assessed by our veterinarians.
From early this year to present, we have the following animals re-homed and
adopted out; female Cats = 69, Male Cats = 43, Female Dogs = 2, Male
Dogs = 6.
The Shaw Pet
Hospitals have also taken in feral cats from individuals for no-charge spay and
neuter surgeries under our
“catch and release”
program. To date, our doctors have offered their services and performed pro
bono surgeries on these feral cats brought into their clinics; 12 feral cat
spays and 9 feral cat neuters.
We at the
Victoria Pet Adoption Society ask that you continue to support this program for
our small furry friends through True Value Foods. Please ask that your purchase
points from True Value Food be donated to VPAS program. Donations in any form
from individuals or groups are also welcome. Please contact Louise at 652-4312
for more information about VPAS.
Basic Rules for
Cats Who Have a House to Run
Doors
- Do not allow closed doors in any room. To get a
door opened, stand on your hindlegs and hammer with your forepaws
(screaming like you are being injured helps, too). Once the door is
opened, it is not necessary to use it. After you have ordered an outside
door opened, stand halfway out and think about several things. This is particularly
important during very cold weather, rain, snow, and mosquito season.
Guests
- Quickly determine which guest hates cats the
most. Sit on that lap. If you can manage to have Friskies Fish ‘n’ Glop on
your breath, so much better.
- For sitting on laps or rubbing against trouser
legs, select a fabric color that contrasts well with your fur. For
example, white furred cats go to black wool clothing.
- When walking among dishes on the dinner table, be
prepared to look surprised and hurt when scolded. The idea is to convey:
“But you allow me on the table when company is not here.”
- Always accompany guests to the bathroom. It is
not necessary to do anything, just sit and stare.
Work
- If one of your humans is sewing or knitting or
writing and another is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called
helping, otherwise known as hampering.
- For book readers, get in close under the chin,
between the eyes and book (unless you can lie across the book itself).
- When supervising cooking, sit just behind the
left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better
chance of being stepped on and picked up and consoled.
Play
- It is important. Get enough sleep during the
daytime so that you are fresh for playing catch-mouse or king-of-the-hill
on your humans bed between 2:00 and 4:00 A.M.
Begin people training early.
You will then have a smooth household. Humans need to know the basic rules.
They can be taught if you start early and are consistent.
AUTHOR: Unknown cat
Equine
Parasite Control
(more
than just deworming)
Routine parasite
control is one of the most important components of your horses preventive
health care program.
Horses grazing on pasture may become infected
with many species of parasites. These parasites can cause diarrhea, weight
loss, colic and other serious intestinal problem. While deworming products are
important, other measures are equally key to an effective parasite control
program.
In addition to anthelmintics (drugs used for helminth
parasites), an effective parasite control also requires non-drug/chemical
means. To better understand the non-drug parasite control, it is important to
review the basic life cycle of parasite infection, so we can identify the
opportunities for intervention.
Parasite
Life Cycle
Female parasites
living inside the horse’s gut lay eggs that are passed into the environment
with manure. Under conditions of favorable temperature and humidity, worm eggs
hatch and develop into infective larvae. Infective larvae survive in the
environment for varying intervals, depending on climatic conditions. Pastured
horses swallow infective larvae as they graze or feed from the ground. Larvae
mature within the horse, develop into reproductive adults, the cycle starts
again with the next worm generation. During their life cycle in the horse, some parasites remain confined to
the gut while others migrate through other internal organs including the gut
wall, the walls of major arteries, the liver and the lungs. It is during this
migration that parasites can cause a great deal of irreversible damage to the
horses health resulting in ill thrift, colic and even death.
Because each
individual parasite begins life as an egg in a pile of fecal material,
preventing primary fecal contamination through prompt and thorough removal of
manure from the environment can be very beneficial. Eggs hatch and develop into
infective larvae under conditions of moderate temperature and moisture. Freezing
cold slows the rate of development or stops it altogether, and excessive heat
kills eggs and larvae. Proper composting of manure and soiled bedding will
generate relatively high internal temperatures, and most infective larvae in
manure are virtually eradicated by exposure to temperatures over 90 F for a
minimum of 2 weeks.
A deposit of horse
manure in a pasture can serve as a protective reservoir for parasitic larvae.
This is especially true if the manure dries gradually over a period of several
weeks. Larvae within fecal masses can be killed by chain-harrowing pastures to break up manure
but this is only true in hot weather. In
milder weather, harrowing may serve only to spread the parasites out and make
the pasture more infective to grazing horses. Here in southwestern BC we rarely get hot enough weather to make
harrowing a safe bet. Even in hot
weather, (over 30C) harrowed pastures should not be used for grazing for three
weeks to fully kill parasite larva.
Another method of
pasture parasite control that may be more appropriate for our location is
physical removal of horse feces. Depending on the number of horses and the size
of the pasture, removing feces on semiweekly to biweekly basis should provide good control in most situations. Paddocks should also have manure removed but generally on a more
frequent, ideally on a daily,
basis. Finally, feeding horses in a
manger or a hay net rather than on the stall floor or paddock ground surface
will help reduce contamination of feed materials with parasites.
We are frequently
asked about the recommended frequency
for deworming. For most situations, deworming every 2 to 4 months is adequate.
The exact frequency should depending on the number of horses housed, the size
of the pasture and the type of animal husbandry practices being employed. For
more intensive situations or where husbandry is less than ideal, more frequent
worming is indicated. For low density situations with excellent husbandry with
good husbandry, less frequent worming may be adequate.
Recently it has
been suggested that tape worms may be worthy of more attention than we have
paid them in the past. A new product,
Droncit Equine Paste is particularly effective against tapes. Tapeworms have a unique life cycle involving
a second host (a small mite). These worms can cause ill thrift, poor feed
utilization and very occasionally colic. It may be prudent to consider using a
cestocidal agent such as Droncit on a once per year basis. Remember that these
products do not kill other parasites so this must be given in addition to your
regular worming program. In the near
future, (already in the
Clearly the control
of internal parasites is a very important subject. To see if your parasite
program is working we recommend a fecal exam be performed on an annual basis.
The best time to perform this exam is immediately before a scheduled deworming
during the spring or summer months.
For specific
product recommendations, please feel free to contact Dr Shaw or Dr Ball at the
office.
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Saanichton, BC V8M 1S8
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