174 The Fleas are BACK!

This weird weather of 2021 has led some clients to relax on their flea vigilance, and “surprise”, fleas are back. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t see a pet with fleas, or symptoms of recent flea bites, often from people that have never had fleas before, or pets that never leave the backyard. I have been finding myself explaining the flea life cycle A LOT lately.


Fleas are the most common external parasite of companion animals. In addition to causing itching and other skin problems, fleas can transmit diseases to animals and people. Most of the flea population (eggs, larvae, and pupae) are found off the pet and around the home, where you can’t see them.
The ideal flea control program uses products that target all the various stages of the flea life cycle and treats the pet’s environment.


The Life Cycle of the Flea: Ctenocephalides felis
The flea life cycle consists of egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. Eggs are laid in the hair coat and are designed to fall off your pet and into your home. Larvae hatch from the eggs and develop in a pet’s environment by feeding on adult flea feces (looks like dirt but is digested blood) that fall out of the hair coat of the pet. Larvae eventually spin cocoons, often within carpet fibers, for pupation. Pupae are resistant to freezing, drying, and insecticides, and can lie dormant for many months! New fleas develop from pupae and can begin feeding within hours of finding a dog or cat. The entire flea life cycle can be completed in as little as three weeks.


Today’s Flea Control Products
In the past, veterinarians and pet owners had to try to control fleas by treating the environment of the animal for the immature flea stages. This approach was labor intensive and required frequent applications. Although some older flea control products could be applied to pets, these products did not kill fleas quickly enough or were not long-lasting.
In 2021, we have some great prescription systemic flea control products in our arsenal for dogs and cats. There are now many effective and safe new products to choose from. For dogs, we carry Credelio, which is in the same class of drugs as Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica and Simparica Trio. You can also order any of these at our online pharmacy, VetSource, with a link found on our website, gardenridgevet.com. For cats, we recommend Revolution, which we carry.


Flea Control Recommendations
• Treat all pets with a monthly flea control product. Do NOT use permethrin-containing products on cats. As fleas can live indoors even in the winter, your veterinarian may also recommend year-round flea control.
• Sometimes a pet’s indoor environment also needs to be treated for fleas using a flea spray designed to quickly kill fleas and stop their reproduction. To use a spray around your home:
• Remove your pets from the area to be sprayed.
• Wash all bedding.
• Vacuum all carpets and upholstery and then discard the vacuum bag. This will prevent the flea eggs from hatching in vacuum bags and spreading through your home.
• Spray all surfaces until damp to the touch.
Don’t get lax on your flea control in August (or September or October).

Remember to treat ALL your pets. And the oral systemics do work even better than OTC topicals like Frontline.

https://www.credelio.com/about-credelio

https://www.gardenridgevet.com/

172 Noise phobias- new resources

I have had numerous clients report to me that recent thunderstorms are upset dogs and cats. I looks like we might finally get a break in the rain and storms, but then July 4 and fireworks will come along.

I normally recommend a ladder of approaches. The lowest rung in calming phermones like Adaptil for dogs or Feliway for cats. I have had some good results with Thundershirts, and white noise machines.


For the more serious affected dogs, I recommended medications. I normally start with Trazadone, but can escalate to Sileo if severe.


And I always recommend letting the pet feel safe, where ever that is, without inadvertently “rewarding” the attention seeking with lots of attention.


For a long term approach when it isn’t thunderstorm season, I recommend a gentle approach of playing a CD or digital file of thunderstorms, first very softly, then gradually increasing the volume, while the pet is distracted with pleasurable stimuli (food, treats, toys) to help desensitize to the noise. When the real deal comes along, there is much more than noise, but it can help decrease the severity of the pets reaction, or postpone the anxiety.

For more info:
https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/kit/fear-of-thunder-fireworks/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=What+s+New+In+June&utm_campaign=20210601_Newsletter_FFP#blog_link1

169 In-Room Appointments starting in May 2021

Beginning in May, we will be offering in-room appointments with the owner present, social distancing, and masks on. Everything else will still be curbside (for now). Clients with appointments will call from the parking lot, history taken over the phone, and they will be escorted into an exam room, where they can be present with their pet. This is only for appointments, not medication refills, grooming, food, etc. And if the client does not wish to come in, we will be happy to offer curbside appointments like we have been doing for the last year.

This is our plan to transition back to “normal” since the Covid-19 case numbers are very low now in Denton County. Even the Lewisville Library has opened to normal visitation, with masks and social distancing.

Vet practices nationwide are experiencing problems with curb side care. The biggest one we have been encountered this week is loose dogs. Several dogs have simply slipped out of collars that were too loose, and even harnesses that were too loose. And we had one pit bull in the car for moral support for the tiny dog who had an appointment, and when the owner opened the door, it hopped out of the car, and ran around the parking lot. Fortunately, it was not fearful, didn’t bit any people, dogs or cats, and didn’t run out onto Garden Ridge Blvd. We have never had this many loose dogs on our parking lot before. So help us out my making sure your cat is in a carrier (we have loaners if you need one), and dogs are on a leash attached to a well fitted collar.

Call now to book your In-room appointment starting Monday, May 3, 2021

168 National Bite Prevention Week

April 11 to 17 is AVMA’s Dog Bite Prevention Week, co-sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association and State Farm Insurance. Any dog CAN bite, but most dog bites can be prevented by paying attention to dogs’ body language and health and by desensitizing dogs to certain external stimuli. Most homeowner’s insurance will pay for damages but might have breed restrictions. According to State Farm’s claim information, there were more dog-related injury claims in March 2020 than in any other month last year, with a reported 21.6 percent increase in dog bites compared to March of the previous year

Nipping and play biting might be cute as a puppy, but we never want it to escalate to the point of breaking the skin. Taking the Fear Free training has trained me to look at biting as much more than “aggression”, but a sign of dog pushed past their point of control with anxiety and fear. It might be triggered by new people, pushing past a dog’s comfort zone on their body, or defending what they perceive as their home, or their resources. Resources might be food, toys, sleeping places, or their owner’s attention.

We have been seeing more behavior problems in “pandemic puppies” due to lack of opportunities to exposed them to new situations. Trainers were closed but starting to reopen for classes.

To help our pets with this transition, the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition recommends the following tips:

  • Make sure your pet is healthy. Not all illnesses and injuries are obvious, and dogs are more likely to bite if they are sick or in pain. If you haven’t been to the veterinarian in a while, schedule an appointment for a checkup to discuss your dog’s physical and behavioral health.
  • Take it slow. If your dog has only been interacting with your family this past year, don’t rush out into crowded areas or dog parks. Try to expose your dogs to new situations slowly and for short periods of time, arrange for low-stress interactions, and give plenty of praise and rewards for good behavior.
  • Educate yourself in positive training techniques and devote time to interact with your dog.
  • Get outside for leash training and allow your dog to do more socializing.
  • Gradually start arranging play dates with other dogs and people as allowed, and carefully increase the amounts of time and freedom together. This will help your dog get used to being with other canine companions again.
  • Be responsible about approaching other people’s pets. Ask permission from the owner before approaching a dog, and look for signs that the dog wants to interact with you. Sometimes dogs want to be left alone, and we need to recognize and respect that.

If your puppy or adult dog (or cat) has triggers that might result in a “nip”, please call for a behavior appointment so we can “nip” it in the bud with helpful training tips for your pet and family.

https://www.avma.org/events/national-dog-bite-prevention-week



#167 April in Heartworm Awareness Month

Most pet owners have heard about heartworms but may be fuzzy on the details about the nasty little critters. I hear clients ask ”why should we do a blood test when they look at their dog’s poo and don’t see worms”, or that they are “just backyard dogs” and never encounter other dogs. Here are 5 IMPORTANT FACTS EVERY PET OWNER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HEARTWORM DISEASE (but were afraid to ask)


#1: Blame the mosquito! Pets do not infect each other with heartworms; pesky mosquitoes spread the disease. In fact, just ONE BITE from an infected mosquito is all it takes to infect your pet with heartworms.
#2: Heartworm infection has been diagnosed in all 50 states, but it is very prevalent in Texas. (Link to HW incidence maps- https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/incidence-maps)
We routinely diagnose 3-6 cases of canine heartworms a year at Garden Ridge Animal Hospital.
#3: Cats as well as dogs get heartworm disease. Fortunately, there is a monthly topical prevention for cats called Revolution, and it controls fleas and intestinal parasites too! Unfortunately, cats are not the correct host, and their immune system goes into high gear to fight the migrating larva, which causes severe, and often fatal, lung disease.
#4: There’s no season for heartworm disease. That is why the American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention.
#5: Heartworms are deadly, but heartworm prevention is affordable, highly effective and (usually) easy to give. The America Heartworm Society and Garden Ridge Animal Hospital recommend testing dogs for heartworm infection every 12 months and giving heartworm preventives all 12 months in a year. Here at Garden Ridge, we carry 2 affordable complete heartworm/intestinal oral preventions for dogs, and you can order ANY heartworm prevention brand from VetSource, our online pharmacy with a link on our website front page. (http://gardenridgeanimalhospital.vetsourceweb.com/site/view/HomeDelivery.pml)


Some dogs are extra picky and require some “pill pockets” or human food to hide the medicine. Our goal is for your dog to just think he is getting a “special treat” once a month.


Or we have a 12-month injection to prevent heartworms called Proheart 12. https://www.zoetispetcare.com/products/proheart


For more information about heartworms: https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources

166 Easter Dangers

Every season can have potential dangers and toxicity for our pets. According to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the top 4 dangers are chocolate, plastic Easter grass, plants, and pesticides/herbicides.

Here are my top dangers for Easter
1) Chocolate. This is easily MY favorite treat, but there is an ingredient, theobromine, that can be toxic to dogs, depending on their size. Theobromine is a relative of caffeine, and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, up to seizures. Dark chocolate is many time more toxic than milk chocolate, and white chocolate has no theobromine. If your pet eats chocolate, call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435) to determine if the quantity is in the dangerous range. One Hershey kiss isn’t going to kill any dog or cat, but a whole Hershey bar can. Be prepared tell the vet amount in ounces of chocolate, the type of chocolate ( dark, baking, or milk), and the weight of your pet. I had a patient many years ago that got into the Easter Candy stash not once, but twice, and had to hospitalized both times. Some dogs just really want chocolate.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_multi_chocolate_toxicity
2) Plastic Easter Grass. It looks edible, but it isn’t, and can cause GI obstruction
3) Easter Lilies. They are beautiful, but deadly for cats, causing kidney failure. Keep them away from cats, but they don’t seem to be toxic for dogs. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/lily
4) Xylitol. This is a common artificial sweetener, found often in sugarless gum, but there is a granulated version that some cooks use a sugar substitute. Symptoms are vomiting, seizures, low blood sugar, and liver failure.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/endocrine/c_dg_xylitol_toxicity
5) Candy wrappers, esp foil. Like the Easter Grass, they can really mess up a gut.
6) High Fat People Food like Ham, or Brisket. High fat can cause inflammation of the pancreas, with intense vomiting and diarrhea. I would not feed a cooked pork bone to dogs.


https://www.aspca.org/news/top-four-easter-hazards-pets

164 Free Free Cat Appointments

This cute picture of a cat with a grumpy looking face reminds me to talk about how to make cat appointments Fear Free.

Step #1– Make the appointment. If you know your cat is nervous/anxious, or just downright difficult to get into a carrier or cat, talk to our staff about some tips.
Step #2– Get the carrier out several days to weeks before the appointment. Clean it up so it is not scary. Put Fluffy’s favorite toys in it, snacks, anything that will create happy memories and experience associated with the carrier. In some cases, you may even have to take it apart into two halves to make it not scary.
Step #3– Get your cat used to being the carrier with the door closed for short periods of time. Make it a game. Wait until Fluffy is calm, then give treats through the door. Build special memories, then open the door. Pretty soon “carrier= treats/positive experience”.
Step #4 – Practice getting cat the carrier, putting carrier in car, wait until calm, give treats.
Step #5– Put cat in carrier, carrier in car, go for short trip, come home, give treats.
Step #6– Now we are ready to go the vet.
This is all classic conditioning to a new experience. We break it into lots of baby steps, with positive experiences at each step.

If you cannot get a calm cat in a carrier & into your car, we can also suggest adding calming pheromones (like Feliway spray by Ceva) sprayed onto a nice fluffy towel or fleece that is placed in the carrier. This is best done at least 5-10 minutes before attempting to put Fluffy in the carrier. We cannot smell these pheromones, but cats can get to their “happy place” easier. I compare it to humans and lavender.

If the pheromones are not calming enough, it is time to premeditated with gabapentin. This old human medicine for pain works on the nervous system of cats to blunt a panic attack. Better yet, it is a tasteless powder that comes in a capsule that you can open, sprinkle on some yummy, canned food, and most cats eat it without having to be “pilled”.

Our long-term goal is calm cats, not stressed out by carriers or car trips, so we can begin our vet experienced without fear.

https://fearfreehappyhomes.com/your-cats-vet-visit-begins-at-home/

161 Fear Free Level 2 Certification during the Snow Storm of 2021

Like many of you, the animal hospital did experience some power blackouts. We were indeed closed for 4 days due to impassable roads for staff and lack of power. We had no animals in the building. We had no pipes freeze, no internal damage. We will see what happens with the shrubs and pansies.

Anyway, we are back, still doing curbside (for now), and short staffed. We expect that to change soon.

So, what did I do during the long hours at home? I completed Fear Free Level 2, and several other modules. I learned so much that I want to share and utilize. I especially like the extra classes on Fear Free Nail trims, and Canine Enrichment. I will be writing about those later.

Stay tuned……

159 Going Back to Work Could Be Tough on Your Pet

As I prepare to return to being back in the building to see patients next week, I worry about my two little high energy terriers. They have LOVED this time when they were out in the country, running over acres, digging holes, and eating rodents and rabbits (yes Chuck eats rabbits now). I am anticipating some destructive chewing up the backyard, or the house if I keep them inside on a hot day.

Many of the owners I have talked with in the last two months have described good quality time with their pets since many are home more. Many of the behavior issue clients describe are better, except the thunderstorm phobias.

Veterinary behaviorists are predicting an increase in problems as many of us go “back to work” outside the home. I read a great article, which I will share rather than write my own. The bottom line is we need to train our pets to be OK home alone. Here is the link.



https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2020-05/as-people-return-to-work-those-who-adopted-a-dog-during-the-pandemic-could-be-in-for-a-rude-surprise/

“People are preparing to go back to work, but their new pets most likely won’t be going with them. And those who adopted a pet during lockdown could be in for a rude surprise once they get home.
While the number of pandemic-inspired pet adoptions may be less than media reports suggest, there are still a lot of new pet owners out there whose pets have never known anything but 24/7 attention from their owners.
And those new best friends who kept their owners from going crazy during lockdown are going to be faced with a lot of unfamiliar alone time.
That could mean problems.
“I think we’re being a little naive to think we can spend 24/7 for [several months] with these guys and then abruptly leave,” says Leslie Sinn, DVM, DACVB, CPDT-KA, a certified veterinary behaviorist and owner of Behavior Solutions for Pets, a consulting firm in Hamilton, Virginia.
Does that mean Sinn is expecting a huge wave of unpleasantly surprised pet owners? “Truthfully, yes,” she says.
Sinn told NEWStat that the primary issue is going to be separation anxiety. “With these dogs being used to having that social support and that social contact, and now being left basically alone under house arrest, I think that’s going to be rough for some of them.”
Sinn doesn’t blame this plethora of new pet owners for not expecting anxiety issues when the time comes to go back to work. “I don’t know that people are aware of [separation anxiety] as a problem in dogs and cats. So there’s been no reason for them to anticipate it [or] to take any particular steps.”
But Sinn says there are steps veterinarians can take to help their new patients and clients prepare for it.
“Hopefully, veterinarians have been having conversations with new owners about appropriate socialization in general,” Sinn says. That includes “encouraging independence and encouraging exposure to as many different people, places, and things as has been physically possible during the pandemic.” She acknowledges that introducing pets to the wider world can be difficult, given the CDC’s recent recommendations on social distancing pets, but stresses its importance.
The most important thing, she says, is “accustoming the pet to some period of time alone.”
For example: “In the past, if I had to run an errand, I’d take my dog with me when I left the house because it was a chance to spend more time with him,” Sinn says. But that’s the opposite of what you want to be doing during lockdown. “Now, when I go out for my [semimonthly] grocery run, I make a point of leaving the dog behind.” This allows for some much-needed separation between owner and pet, and gives the pet a chance to practice being alone.
Owners should avoid taking their dogs with them every single place they go, Sinn says. That way, it’s not such a shock when they have to leave for work.
Sinn says veterinarians can make these basic recommendations to owners to practice the healthy separation behaviors we want dogs to acquire while there’s still time: “The ability to be alone, the ability to be independent, the ability to settle without us having to encourage them to settle,” Sinn says. “Those are all things a new pet owner should be doing on a regular basis.”
Sinn adds that veterinarians who haven’t had this conversation with their clients yet should have it sooner rather than later.
“[Because] one way or another they will be having the conversation,” Sinn says. And if they’re having it later, then “it’s going to be a disaster-mitigation conversation versus a preventive conversation.”

https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2020-05/as-people-return-to-work-those-who-adopted-a-dog-during-the-pandemic-could-be-in-for-a-rude-surprise/

153 Tiger By the Tail

As you may have heard over the last few days, one tiger in the Bronx Zoo in New York City recently tested positive for Sars-Co-2 ( the virus that is causing Covid-19 illness in humnas). It really did. And that contradicts what we have generally thought about this corona virus.

I have spent a lot of time this week learning more about this situation in animals. This virus, Sars-Co-2, is new but the first one (Sars-Co-1) that caused SARS in early 2000s has been extensively studied in animals. First, animal get many corona viruses themselves. Dogs and cats have at least 3 that I have clinically seen, so they aren’t rare. They are as common as “the common cold”. Some cause respiratory symptoms, some cause gastrointestinal symptoms.

Researchers over the last 15 years have been seeing if the human Sars-Co-1 could infected animal species like dogs, cats, horses, and ferrets. It can. It rarely goes to dogs, occasionally to cats, and easily to ferrets. So it stand to reason that the new coronavirus could theoretically be transmitted to those species.

Tigers are in the same animal family as domestic cats. The Bronx Zoo cats were not in close proximity to a known infected human, but must have come in contact through the bars to an asymptomatic human zookeeper. One zookeeper noted that several cats has upper respiratory symptoms, and the decision was made to anesthetize ONE to test, out of an abundance of caution. So one tiger did test positive, and we assume all would have but weren’t tested.

So cats (all types) CAN contract the corona virus from humans. That is confirmed.

But can cats be carriers and spread it back to humans? That is the big question and several veterinary laboratories have been doing extensive ( >5000 tests) on cats, dogs, and horses worldwide since February to see if we have any positives in the population. All tests have been negative so far, and they think they have a very specific test. The test by Idexx isn’t available commercially where a vet like in me in private practice can order it, but if the situation changes, it might be.

So YES CATS CAN BE INFECTED from humans (reverse zoonosis), but we don’t believe them to be INFECTIOUS TO HUMANS.

We kind of already knew that after the 2 positive house cats in Europe (that were in households with sick humans) recently. Both of those cats has respiratory symptoms but neither required hospitalization.

Scarier still for my practice with ferrets, is that FERRETS are MORE susceptible to coronaviruses than cats.

In conclusion, if you are sick, stay away from your pets, especially cats and ferrets. Let someone else take care of them. And if we see a sick cat, we will assume it is a cat virus, keep it away from other cats, and maybe run some cat virus panels before we even think about Sars-Co-2.

https://www.idexx.com/en/about-idexx/covid-19-resources/