Tails from the Dog House The Quarterly Newsletter from the

Sardis Animal Hospital

Summer 2003

Vol 1, No.2, pg 1

Feature Articles

DepartmentsDepartmentsDepartmentsDepartmentsDepartmentsStaff News p 2

Seasonal Issues -Fleas p 5

Medical Miracles p3

Animal Crackers p7

Veterinary Trivia p 4

Featured Product p8

Questions&Answersp6

Tails from the Dog Houseis published quarterly bythe Sardis AnimalHospital7236 A Vedder Rd,Chilliwack, BritishColumbia V2R 5K7CanadaPhone 604-858-4415

Distributed free by e-mailto our subscriber list.

Direct inquiries to:

staff@sardisvet.com

Website:

www.sardisvet.com

- Animal Viruses p 1

- Permethrin poisoningin cats p 2

Animal Viruses in the News If you have ever wondered whether animals and their diseases have any real consequence in thegeneral scheme of things, all you have to do is turn on your TV or pick up a newspaper and you willfind the answer. One sick cow managed to shut down an entire industry with serious repercusionsto the Canadian economy, international trade, politics, and the livelihoods of thousands of people.Dead crows and mosquitoes? Who would have thought that would be important? But breathe thewords “West Nile” and the picture takes on a whole new dimension. Now, the words “SARS andCoronavirus” have been added to our vocabulary of fear because of an apparently mutated animalvirus being spread around the globe by air travel. Hospitals, schools and public buildings areshutdown and whole cities are blacklisted to travel, trade and commerce. And now Monkey Pox!

We live in an age when air travel has shrunk the globe, and economies have become so inte-grated and interdependent that when a Canadian cow stumbles, borders are closed to trade, whena mosquito buzzes around we react like never before and when someone who has been in Asiasneezes on a bus we panic and look for surgery masks. Are our fears justified or are we victims ofmedia hype?

As ordinary citizens going about our daily lives, we find ourselves searching for truth, guidance andreassurance which may be all too elusive, trapped somewhere between the media hype and theuncertainties and complexities of science being applied to situations that we have never confrontedbefore.

Is there a good side to this? Takecomfort in the knowlege that Canadahas a food inspection system thatranks among the best in the world,that Canadian veterinarians, physi-cians and biomedical scientists arevery well trained, globally respected,and that our public health and animalhealth infrastructures have systems inplace to identify and respond to suchproblems.

So far, one sick cow removed from the food supply at source is no threat to human health, and aslong as it’s an isolated case and not the tip of a very ugly iceberg we can still eat hamburgers andenjoy summer barbecues. (Now if only the cholesterol ....... Oh, let’s not even go there!) Betweenupgrading mosquito control, vaccinating horses and using a little “OFF,” we can reduce the risk ofWest Nile Encephalitis. And SARS? No evidence whatever that pets are involved in the origin ormaintenance of infection, in spite of some misbegotten panics in Asia that resulted in the unneces-sary death of pets. Public health officials in Canada have done an incredible job of containingSARS. Hopefully, it will fade into the history books, like Spanish Flu, Swine Flu and the plagues ofages past. Let’s keep things in perspective. We take a greater risk crossing Vedder Road thaneating a burger, and around here, cat and dog bites are still more dangerous than mosquito bites.

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 1, No 2, pg 2

A New Face at the Counter-Sheila Hall

We thought you might like to know a little about Sheila, our new recep-

tionist. Sheila started working at the animal hospital part time last

summer as she was splitting her time between us and working as a

groomer and grooming instructor. She came on board full time in april

and is doing a great job.

Sheila brings a wealth of experience to the Sardis Animal Hospital, as

she has spent most of her life working in animal related fields. Born in

Nova Scotia and raised in Toronto, she has worked in grooming salons

and veterinary hospitals as a ward attendant, veterinary assistant,

receptionist and office manager. She has more years experience than

she is willing to admit and has some of BC’s top veterinary clinics on her

resume. Sheila has also operated her own boarding kennel and has

raised and shown several breeds of dogs.

Sheila enjoys living in Chilliwack

and shares her home with 2 dogs

(Brier and Yoshi), a cat (Emma),

and Rita, a very sassy parrot!

Sheila HallReceptionist

Preventing Permethrin Poisoning in Cats Preventing Permethrin Poisoning in Cats Preventing Permethrin Poisoning in Cats Preventing Permethrin Poisoning in Cats Preventing Permethrin Poisoning in Cats

In the summer when fleas plague our pets, well meaning pet owners occasionally make a seriouserror in de-fleaing their cats. The result is a very sick cat, an emergency trip to the animal hospitaland sometimes a very unhappy outcome. The problem comes from not reading the label onproducts sold over the counter in retail outlets. These products are sold under the trade names of “Hartz Control One Spot” and “Zodiac Power Spot” and contain the insecticide “Permethrin.”Although the product is useful as a flea control agent in dogs, Permethrin is highly toxic to cats!!The labels clearly state that the product is “for dogs” and carry a warning not to use the product oncats! The error made is in not reading the label or wrongly assuming that a cat is a small dog so “Iwill use just a small amount on kitty”. Sorry!! that assumption is very wrong. Cats are not smalldogs, and their body chemistry is very different. Cats are not able to handle certain drugs andchemicals that dogs can handle just fine.

If a Permethrin containing flea product is applied in even small amounts to the skin of a cat, theresult is muscle tremors and seizures that can lead to death!! READ THE LABEL!!! Use onlyproducts that are approved for use in cats. The products “Advantage” and “Program” are safe andapproved for use in cats. They are available on request at the Animal Hospital.

Well intended butWell intended butWell intended butWell intended butWell intended butdeadly !!deadly !!deadly !!deadly !!deadly !!

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 1, No 2, pg 3

Animal Poison Control Center launches “Read Label First”Campaign

The American Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with the ASPCA PoisonControl Center have produced an eduational brochure targetting pet owners . The bro-chure, entitled “Read the Label First” can be dowloaded from their Web Sitewww.apcc.aspca.org. Click on the “EPA’s Read the Label First” link on the right and thebrochure will load. It can be saved to your disk or printed. Many useful hints to pet ownerswill help keep both pets and kids safe from harmful chemicals and drugs.

The Web Site also contains some very good information on common poisons, drugs andplants that can harm your pet.

Hot Link ->

Medical MiracleMedical MiracleMedical MiracleMedical MiracleMedical Miracle

TransfusionTransfusionTransfusionTransfusionTransfusionsaves lifesaves lifesaves lifesaves lifesaves life

Transfusion from “Lady” Powell saves life of “Molly” KirkbyTransfusion from “Lady” Powell saves life of “Molly” KirkbyTransfusion from “Lady” Powell saves life of “Molly” KirkbyTransfusion from “Lady” Powell saves life of “Molly” KirkbyTransfusion from “Lady” Powell saves life of “Molly” Kirkby

Diane Kirkby and

Molly [left] thank

Lady Powell and

Lana for life-saving

transfusion.

On Monday May 12, Molly, a pregnant 4 year old Malti-poo belonging to Diane and Tom Kirkbyof Sardis came to the animal hospital with a complaint of hemorrhage from the reproductivetract. She had been bred recently and was thought to be expecting puppies. She was feelingreasonably well and a blood count revealed that the amount of blood loss had not been exces-sive. The tentative diagnosis was miscarriage in progress, and there was little to do but wait itout and monitor her condition. By the following evening The Kirbys knew there was somethingvery wrong. When they came home, Molly was weak and unresponsive. An emergency call toDr Anvik, who was the doctor on call that night, and a trip to the animal hospital resulted in somequick action. Molly’s blood count had dropped to a critical level in a very short time and neededan emergency transfusion.

Dr. A. called Lana Powell, one of our Registed Animal Health Technologists (and wife of Dr.Powell) and asked her to come in to assist in an emergency hysterectomy. He also asked her

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 1, No 2, pg 4

if she minded bringing “Lady,” the Powell family dog and “on call” blood donor. Lady very kindlycontributed a unit of her blood which was hastily administered to Molly. Within a short time Molly’sblood count had risen to a level safe enough for surgery and she had regained consciousness. Dr.Anvik and Lana took her immediately to surgery and performed an emergency hysterectomy.Molly had bled very badly into her uterus and would have died soon if it were not for quick actionon every one’s part. The pregnancy of course, had to be terminated, but the little mom’s life wasspared.

Its quite common for veterinarians to use their own pets as blood donors, and this is not the firsttime Lady has donated blood. Lady was adopted by the Powell family several years ago after anegligent pet owner had abandoned her at the animal hospital. She now has a good home, is agreat pet for the Powells and their 2 children and who knows who’s life she may save in the future.

Obscure factsfrom Dr. Dog

Here are some obscure facts about eyes courtesy

Dr. Terri McCalla of the Animal Eye Care Clinic in

Bellingham.

* Cats don’t have eyelashes* Dogs only have upper eyelashes* The first book on eye diseases in horses was written in 500 AD by theGreek veterinarian Vegetius

* Prior to 1940, cocaine eye solution was the drug of choice for topical ocular anesthesia. (ed note:that puts a whole new spin on the saying “high” as an elephant’s eye!)

* Corneal lipid (fat) deposits occur in the eyes of tree frogsfed high cholestrol diets. These diets often consist ofcrickets which were fed high cholesterol cricket food.Crickets NOT fed high cholesterol cricket food are safe tofeed to tree frogs.

Veterinary Trivia

In which Sherlock Holmes short story wasa cataract knife the most important clue insolving the Murder?a. Copper Beechesb. Silver Blazec. The Speckled Band(answer on page 8)

* The average intra-ocular pressure in the eyes of CanadianBeavers is 17 mm of mercury. (ed note: but Canadian Beavers hitin the eye with a lacross ball or hockey puck would be higher)

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 1, No 2, pg 5

Its Scratching Time Again!!Its Scratching Time Again!!Its Scratching Time Again!!Its Scratching Time Again!!Its Scratching Time Again!!Seasonal IssuesSeasonal IssuesSeasonal IssuesSeasonal IssuesSeasonal Issues

Flea season isupon us.

South West BC isthe flea capital ofCanada

Ah, the joys of summer!! Long warm summer nights, vacation,going fishing, camping, hiking, picnics at the lake, lazy hazy daysand ......... fleas!!

Unfortunately, warm weather has this one draw back if you havepets. Unless preventive action is taken, fleas have a way ofsneaking up on you and before you know it, your house and yourpet can be over run with the nasty pests. The good news is that alittle planning can keep fleas in check so no one has to suffer.

The best time to be taking action is before the hot weather comes. Adminstration of the fleapreventative “Program” is a wise precaution. It comes in pills for pooches, and a liquid for cats.There is also a long acting injection for cats that will protect for 6 months. We recommend yearround administration of Program for most pets.

Program works by inhibiting the maturation of flea eggs that have been laid by fleas feeding ona treated pet. It is very effective in preventing a build up of fleas in the pet’s environment. It isnot an insecticide, so it does not kill adult fleas. It inhibits an enzyme found only in the develop-ing flea. The enzyme is not found in mammals, so it’s toxicity to pets (and humans)is very low.

If you find fleas on your pet, or if you know he/she will be at risk for acquiring fleas in a certainenvironment, a good choice is “Advantage” applied every thirty days. Advantage will kill adultfleas, but it may take a few hours to kill them. Recently emerged fleas that have just landed jonyour pet may still be seen for a short while until the medication does its job. Allergic pets maystill scratch at recent bites, so allergic pets may need some additional medications to stop thechewing and self mutilation triggered by the biting flea. Advantage its very effective when usedproperly and is our product of choice for de-fleaing an infested pet.

Here are some facts about fleas:

- transmission of adults hopping from one pet to another is not the main means of spread.

- pets acquire fleas mainly from cocoons that have hatched and “sprung” the flea out in re-sponse to motion or vibration from a passing host

- the fleas found on your pet are not “sand fleas” or “grass fleas” They are dog and cat fleas

- fleas can remain dormant in resting cocoons for up to a year under ideal conditions

- flea numbers can increase exponentially in an uncontrolled favourable environment.

- fleas can carry diseases and other parasites (tapeworms) to your pet.

Interesting factsabout fleas

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 1, No 2, pg 6

Most elderlypets can besafely anesthe-tized usingnewer methodsof anesthesiaand prior bloodtesting

Questions and AnswersQuestions and AnswersQuestions and AnswersQuestions and AnswersQuestions and Answers

Items for this section are chosen from questions posed to us during consults or over the phone. Ifyou have a question of a general nature or about a specific condition, drop us a note atstaff@sardisvet.com suitable questions will be considered for future editions.

Question: Question: Question: Question: Question: My pet is quite elderly and has terrible breath and a lot of tartar and gum disease. I

worry about anesthetizing him/her and “putting him through” such a procedure. Are my worriesjustiied and are there other options.

Answer: Answer: Answer: Answer: Answer: The same question can also be applied to other “elective” procedures requiring

anesthesia that an aged pet may benefit from, like removal of a lump or cyst. It is natural to worryabout anesthetic procedures at any age and the real issue is whether or not the condition repre-sents a significant threat to the pet’s health and well being. Problems like fractures and severewounds make the decision easy, that is, they need to be repaired. But what about dental prob-lems. Well, the truth is that gum disease and severe tartar build up do represent a significantthreat to health, even though the threat may not be as visible as a wound or fracture. Severedental disease not only causes chronic pain and difficulty in processing food, but the conditionitself discharges bacteria and immune by-products into the blood stream which then circulate andcause problems elsewhere in the body, particularly heart and kidneys. That’s why your dentistcalls you in for cleanings every six months. It is well documented that pets that recieve regulardental care live longer and stay healthier. There really are no good alternatives to a properprocedure done under anesthesia. Unlike us, pets don’t sit in a chair and hold their mouths openfor an hour. Brushing a pet’s teeth, or feeding Hills t/d diet helps slow down the rate of tartaraccumulation, but once tartar is well developed and gum disease is present, the best solution isultrasonic scaling and possibly pulling some of the teeth.

As far as alleviating worries about anesthetizing older pets, modern anesthetics and prior bloodscreening have greatly reduced the risks. No surgical or anesthetic procedure is without anelement of risk but you would be surprized at some of the challenging geriatrics that we havesuccessfully anesthetized! For the last 15 years we have insisted on blood testing any pet overthe age of 8 prior to any elective anesthesia. With our new blood analyzers we can expand thattesting to greater detail (see spring newsletter). We also implement custom tailored drug andanesthetic protocols accordingly to geriatric and other “high risk” pets. The dentals are routinelydone on Isoflourane anesthesia, an agent with an amazing safety record. We also routinely use asopisticated body function alarm and monitor that displays EKG, blood pressure waves, heart rate,blood oxygen tension and respiratory rates during anesthesia. We also employ college trainedcertified technologists in working on your pet. We do every thing we know of to minimize risks andto do as good a job as is humanly possible.

Get the teeth cleaned! The risks are not as great as your fears. Your pet will thank you!!

(ed note: we will be adressing the issue of pre-anesthetic blood profiling in greater detail in the fallnewsletter)

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 1, No 2, pg 7

A man wakes up one morning and finds a gorilla in his tree. He gets out the yellow pages andlooks under “Gorilla Removal” and calls the service guy. The man asks the service guy if he couldmake a house call and remove the gorilla. “Is it a boy gorilla or a girl gorilla” he asks. It’s a boygorilla was the reply. “ In that case I can help you. I’ll be right over.”.

In a short while the service guy shows up with a long stick, a pair ofhandcuffs, a Chihuahua and a tranquilizer gun. He gave the mansome instructions. “I’ll climb up the tree and start poking the gorillawith the stick. When the gorilla falls out of the tree, the Chihuahua istrained to attack the gorilla in his private parts. When the gorillacrosses his hands in front to protect himself, slap the handcuffs onhim.”“Sounds easy” said the man, “but what is the tranquilizer gun for?”“If I fall out of the tree first, shoot the Chihuahua!”

Animal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal CrackersAnimal Crackers

a place to shareanimal humor.

Let Sleeping Cats Lie!!Let Sleeping Cats Lie!!Let Sleeping Cats Lie!!Let Sleeping Cats Lie!!Let Sleeping Cats Lie!!

(ed note: I must have looked at this picture 10 times before I real-ized that there were 2 cats!!)

Count the fleasHave you found all the fleas? How many are there? Answer at bottom of next page.

Tails from the Dog House

Vol 1, No 2, pg 8

Featured Product: Medi-Treats for CatsFeatured Product: Medi-Treats for CatsFeatured Product: Medi-Treats for CatsFeatured Product: Medi-Treats for CatsFeatured Product: Medi-Treats for Cats

A treat withmany benefitsfor your kitty:

Tartar control

Hairball control

Coat conditioner

Our featured product this issue is Feline Medi-Treats, anotherquality product from the folks at Medi-Cal. These incrediblelittle goodies are amazing, and most cats really enjoy them.They can be fed to cats of all ages, and are compatible withmany medical conditions including, heart disease, diabetes,kidney disease, liver disease, weight problems, fat intoleranceand urinary tract disease.

Use them as a reward for good behavior and to enhance theclose bond you have with your kitty. Cats will learn to comerunning when you shake the treat package. You can feed upto 12 a day without affecting the balance of the diet. Cats onweight loss programs may need some adjustment in intakedepending on numbers fed.

Medi-Treats are low in fat and calories, contain an agent thathelps reduce tartar, bromelain to reduce hairball formation,Omega3-6 fatty acids for skin and coat. Added anti-oxidantslower the risk of heart and joint disease and special agentsimprove digestion and intestinal motility to lower the incidenceof “chucking-up”

Med-i-Treats also help promote urinary tract health, have reduced levels of protein and phospho-rus making them suitable for geriatrics or cats with kidney and liver problems. They are naturallypreserved, highly platable and packaged in convenient re-sealable pouches.

How many fleas are there in this newsletter?. Including the one on the Medi-Treatbrochure on this page there are 16 !! Did you catch the one on Sheila’s knee? or the oneon Lady Powell’s back?

Question: How many would there be if the editor had applied “Advantage” to hisMacintosh?

Answer: None, but it would be a pretty stupid thing to do!

Sherlock Holmes

Flea Puzzle

Answer to Sherlock Holmes Question on page 4 is “b” Silver Blaze