Every year the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) releases the top 10 categories of toxins that affect pets. The 2017 list was based on 199,000 cases of potential poisonings. This is not the same ratio I see at Garden Ridge, but it is interesting to see the trends.
1.Human prescription medications: 17.5%
At the top of their list is prescription pain medicine, antidepressants and heart medicines. They are usually accidental exposures
2. Over-the-counter medications: 17.4%
Just like last year, OTC came in 2nd place, and this includes vitamins, NSAIDS( like Tylenol, ibuprofen, and Aleve), antihistamines, cold medicines and probiotics.
3. Food: 10.9%
Some food may not be safe for pets, including, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, avocados, macadamia nuts, alcohol, raw yeast bread dough and xylitol ( an artificial sweetener).
4. Veterinary products: 8.9%
This is usually over ingestion of flavored or chewable veterinary products. I once had a dog eat an entire bottle (30 doses) of a chewable Rimadyl, an arthritis medicine. We had to induce vomiting on that one.
5. Chocolate: 8.8%
In 2017 the Animal Poison Control Center fielded more than 48 calls a day about chocolate! It is a common problem around Valentine day, Easter and Christmas.
6. Household items: 8.6%
The Tide Challenge for dogs. These laundry pods are a problem for pets too.
7. Insecticides: 6.7%
The most common sources of insecticides are ant baits, bug strays, and yard products. I don’t see nearly as many of these as I used to.
8. Rodenticides: 6.3%
I would put this much higher on my list. While anticoagulant rodenticides are still available, bromethalin, a neurotoxin, is also seen and also very serious..
9. Plants: 5.4%
Plants like lilies (Lilium sp and Hemerocallis sp.) pose a serious danger for cats while Sago palm and oleander plants continue to be a serious danger for both dogs and cats. I have treated several dogs of the years for Sago palm liver toxicity. I wish plant nurseries would stop selling them.
10. Garden products: 2.6%
Garden products are another category that many pets find very tasty. Fertilizer, bone meal and compost are all garden products dogs find irresistible. APCC also gets a fair number of calls about herbicides. While not as tasty, use of herbicides in areas that pets frequent is usually the cause of those calls.
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/top-10-animal-toxins-2017
#50 National Poison Control Prevention Week- March 18-24, 2018
Every year, the 3rd week in March is the National Poison Control Prevention Week. It is more geared for humans, but pets can be poisoned too.
As a vet, I get to see lots of accidental exposures to poisons in dogs and cats. The most common ones are chocolate (saw one today), rat poison, insecticides, sorbitol (an artificial sweetener), and human pharmaceutics (heart meds, ADHD, birth control pills). Fortunately, I seldom see the nasty ones like Tylenol toxicity in cats, antifreeze, and marijuana toxicity in dogs,
Just like we have to be careful with medications around children, we have to do the same around pets, especially the “my dog will eat anything” kind. So lock them up, use baby latches for cupboards, and store them up high. Don’t assume a childproof bottle will keep a determined Labrador out. It won’t, because they just eat the plastic! And just because your mom’s medicines are on her nightstand, don’t assume the cat won’t explore, knock them on the floor for the Chihuahua to eat. I’ve seen that.
But accidents sometimes happen, and they we go into Poison Control mode. The first step is always:
WHAT did he eat? Not as easy as it sounds when the bottle is missing, or the chocolate bag is shredded. But it is imperative that you bring in the box/wrapper/whatever with you for a possible toxicity. We can look up the exact ingredients. I have even had clients use their cell phones to look up the product on Amazon where they bought it. That helps.
HOW MUCH did he eat? Again not always easy, but we make our best guesses.
WHEN did he eat it? I used to think this was easy, but what if you just came home at 5 pm, and found chewed up pill vials. We never know if they ate it at 8 am or 5 minutes ago.
WHO ate it? I have had numerous cases of multiple dog households where we weren’t sure WHO at the rat poison. So we had to make them ALL vomit. They we could tell. Sometimes the answer is ALL of them.
WHY did he eat it? I never ask that. But I did have one dog that got into bags of Easter Candy not once, but twice before Easter. I did wonder why the owner bought more candy and assumed the dog wouldn’t get into the pantry again.
You can’t just call 911 and get a pet poison control. The best one for pets is Animal Poison Control Center, 855-764-7661, and it costs $59. It’s the one vets use.
# 49 National K9 Veteran Day March 13, 2018
Next Tuesday, March 13 is National K9 Veteran Day. There is a fascinating history of “War Dogs” in the US that started with the “K9 Corp” during WWII. Of course, dogs have been used for centuries during war, sometimes not very humanely. But during WWII they resurfaced as sentries for military bases and to prevent sabotage. They were used extensively in Vietnam and lately in the Middle East. I liked the recent movie Max which is about a Malinois service dog that comes home to “Texas” after his handler dies, is placed with the handler’s family, with adjustment problems. (They were wearing sweaters at July 4th picnic, with mountains in background, so I doubt it was filmed in Longview). I recommend checking it out.
I imagined most K9 Corp dogs were German Shepherds or Malinois, but there was a famous Yorkshire Terrier who strung communication lines and a Newfoundland who played fetch with a Japanese hand grenade. In 2015, there were about 2500 dogs in the military and 700 overseas. For more fascinating history of war dogs: http://www.uswardogs.org/war-dog-history/world-war-2/
And if you know or see a K9 veteran, thank him for his service.
For more information:
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-k9-veterans-day-march-13/
https://www.facebook.com/NationalK9VeteransDay/
#48 What comes after the rain? March 1, 2018
Goodness knows the lakes needed the heavy rains of the last two weeks, but I am ready for some sunshine, and so are our dogs and outdoor cats. I am seeing a lot of puddles, standing water, & soggy grass instead of rainbows. What I can’t see are some hidden dangers.
Leptospirosis- This is a common bacterial disease in our area. It harbors in the urine of wildlife, and can easily get into our parks and yards. Dog can get exposed by drinking the contaminated water or just even splashing in mucous membranes like eyes. This little spirochete then gets into the bloodstream and can cause liver or kidney failure. Symptoms include fever, nausea, diarrhea, yellow tinge to membranes, and death. And it can then be spread to humans if we get exposed to the urine of infected dogs. Cats rarely get this disease, but cattle can too. The local vet emergency clinic in Flower Mound routinely sees cases of canine Lepto. Fortunately there is a vaccine that we recommend for all dogs in our area, but it only lasts for year.
https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Leptospirosis.aspx
Giardia– All the wetness is a perfect place of lots of intestinal parasites, but especially giardia, which is a protozoa, not a “worm”. It causes mild to moderate diarrhea, soft or mucoid stools, gassiness, and is highly contagious. We see it mostly in puppies or kittens, or families that just got a puppy or kitten. It is highly contagious, and difficult to clear a household. It isn’t controlled with heartworm prevention unlike hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms. Humans can get giardia too.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_multi_giardiasis
Mushrooms– We have all seen mushroom pop up in our lawns after rains. These are just the fruiting bodies of many types of normal fungus that live in our soils, not just one kind. Some can be poisonous (hallucination, excessive salivation, or liver failure), others just cause GI upset. It is best to prevent ingestion. I rarely see mushroom toxicity here in Lewisville. If you suspect toxicity, try to collect a sample of the mushroom when you bring the dog to the vet.
http://americanmushrooms.com/lawnandgarden.htm
Mosquitos (think heartworms)– Hopefully, we all know that mosquitos are the carrier of heartworms, and nasty little blood suckers too. This is another reason to keep your dog and outside cat on year-round heartworm prevention.
https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm-basics
Antifreeze– Good ole ethylene glycol that keeps our car engines from overheating in the summer, and freezing in the winter. Unfortunately, it has a very sweet taste that many dogs and outside cats like. Even a small amount of antifreeze is very toxic to the kidneys and usually causes death. Most of us are very careful if we change our own antifreeze, but it could be a problem in parking lots with standing water where someone else has dripped antifreeze on the pavement. Best not to drink from puddles.
http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/antifreeze/
see our Facebook page about cats hating to get wet
https://www.facebook.com/Garden-Ridge-Animal-Hospital-371475996712/
#47 Chinese New Year 2018- The Year of the Earth Dog- Feb 20, 2018
Each year around this time the Chinese celebrate the New Year based on the lunar calendar. They are named around the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Last year was the Year of the Rooster, and this is the Year of the Dog. Also, different elemental signs are also associated with each year, which makes this Year of the Earth Dog. 1982, which happened to be the year I graduated from Vet School at Texas A&M University, was also a Year of the Dog
The dog is the symbol for loyalty and honesty. Humans born in the Year of the Dog may possess traits like honesty, friendliness, faithfulness, loyalty, and intelligence. But they may also be self-righteous, stubborn, cold, and critical. I think the positive traits sound like a perfect canine companion.
Traditionally, the New Year celebration is the most important festival of the year, a time of renewal, clearing out the bad and starting fresh. It lasts for 15 days, with different activities each day, culminating in Lantern Feast on the 15th day. Each food has symbolism, with lots of red and oranges (for luck) items. Many whole fish and uncut noodle dishes are served. Money is often given as gifts in little red envelopes. I have had the good luck to attend 2 feasts in Richardson where 12 people sit around a round table, and course after course of traditional foods are served family style. Yum. Day 2, Feb 17th this year, was the birthday for all dogs.
So let’s enjoy this Year of the Earth Dog. Celebrate those ideal canine qualities. (We can’t celebrate Year of the Cat because they aren’t on the zodiac- but that is a different story) Next will be Year of the Pig. And this Thursday, February 22 is National Margarita day! Ole!
#46 Valentine’s Day Doggie Treats
So you want to celebrate this holiday with your best 4 legged friend. But you know that chocolate is “bad” for dogs and cats. Actually, it is the theobromine and fats in chocolate that are bad, toxicity is dose dependent, and dark chocolate is loaded with more theobromine than milk chocolate. So the dose is relative to the size of the dog and the darkness of the chocolate. I have seen large dogs accidentally eat a large amount of chocolate and still be OK. I have seen a basset hound eat a whole big heart shaped box of assorted chocolates, and get a raging case of pancreatitis from the fat ingested that require hospitalization. I have seen a tiny 10 # dachshund eat a 12 oz bar Hershey bar (a potentially toxic dose)and we needed to induce vomiting. But if your dog eats a few M&Ms, it probably isn’t an issue.
That said, it is still safer to make some dog and cat friendly non-chocolate Valentine treats. Here are some recipes.
Carob Doggie Delights- from Dogington Post
Making homemade dog treats is a fun way to let your canine companions know they are your special valentines.
Carob Doggie Delights
1 1/2 Cups Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Carob Powder
1 Tablespoon ground Flax Seed (Optional)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Honey
Instructions:
In a small bowl combine the wheat flour, rolled oats, carob, flax seed, and baking powder. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat together the egg, water, and honey. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended and forms a stiff dough.
Place on floured surface and roll to desired thickness. Cut into heart shapes. Bake at 300 degrees. If rolled to 3/8″ baking time is 30 minutes to 35 minutes.
Tip: Make these valentine dog treats something really special by drizzling with carob. Melt carob chips in the microwave or double boiler and drizzle over treats.
Tuna Catnip Kitty Treats from Joy the Baker.com
1 (5 ounce) can tuna, no salt added and packed in water, drained
1 cup oat flour*
1 large egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon dried catnip
*It’s easy to make your own oat flour. Simply grind old-fashioned oats in a spice grinder (or a super clean coffee grinder) until it is transformed into a light powder. There you have it — oat flour!
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, combine drained tuna, oat flour, egg, olive oil and catnip. Blend until mixture is smooth. It will be thick but pliable and not terribly sticky.
Roll dough into 1/2 teaspoon balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Use a skewer to press an X-shape into each cookie ball.
Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until they are dried on top and slightly browned. Allow to cool completely before offering to your kitty.
Place treats in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
https://www.rover.com/blog/homemade-valentine-dog-treats/
http://www.dogingtonpost.com/valentines-day-dog-treat-recipes/
http://joythebaker.com/2014/01/tuna-catnip-kitty-treats/
#45 This Is Us Spoiler- Feb 8, 2018
I am a big fan of the TV series “This is us”. It has been no secret that the dad, Jack, dies when the triplets are teenagers. But we didn’t know exactly how he died until the show after the Super bowl, last Sunday. Here is the spoiler- it was heart disease, not the fire.
And this is National Heart Month. People wearing red dresses to raise awareness, Valentines and all that.
How is this related to heart disease in pets? Many people don’t know that dogs, cats, and ferrets can get heart disease. Mostly we see congestive heart disease and cardiomyopathy, not myocardial infarctions, aka “heart attacks” like Jack did. Humans do get congestive heart disease 2nd to valvular disease, and some poor young athletes have dropped dead on the playing field with cardiomyopathy that they didn’t even know they had.
What’s the difference? What do all these words mean?
Congestive heart disease is where the blood is not pumped 100% forward through the heart because one or more valves doesn’t close all the way, leading to fluid” backing up”. And the most common valve affected in the mitral valve on the left “high pressure” side of the heart, so it backs blood up to the lungs. This is the most common type of heart disease that I see as a general practitioner. It is usually in smaller dogs, older dogs, and ones that have had some teeth/gum disease. There is definitely a gum disease/valve link. I will usually hear a heart murmur, which is actually the sound of the turbulence of the blood in the leaky valves. It can later progress to the dog coughing on exertion, or when they have been sleeping on one side. When this occurs in humans, they have the option of open heart surgery and valve replacement. The procedure was actually pioneered on dogs as surgery model but it is seldom done on geriatric canine patients. We manage it as clinicians and owners with rest, blood pressure medicines, diuretics to move the fluid away from the lungs, and a drug called pimbobendin (Vetmedin) that helps the heart pump stronger. It replaces the digitalis medicine that we used years ago. Thankfully, I don’t see congestive heart disease in cats, or ferrets. Unfortunately, King Cavalier Spaniels as a breed have a high incidence of congestive heart disease, even at a young age, so there seems to be a genetic component is some breeds.
Cardiomyopathy means disease of heart muscle. The actual muscle becomes weak, stretches out slowly, making it larger and harder to pump blood efficiently. We see it in some breeds of dogs, like Boxers, Dobermans, and some cats like Maine Coons. It is a tragic disease because it is hard to manage and the pets die young. In the 1980s we were seeing a lot of cats of all ages with it. Veterinarians discovered that cats needed a unique amino acid called taurine for heart health, and it was absent in some cat foods. Once that amino acid was added to cat food, this form of cardiomyopathy all but disappeared. Thus we discovered that cats aren’t just little dogs, and you can’t feed them dog food exclusively.
Ferrets also get cardiomyopathy. We haven’t found a genetic or nutritional link in this species, and it is difficult to manage those “big” hearted fellows too.
Heart attacks in pets? Probably not the same underlying coronary artery disease as humans, but they certainly can die suddenly from heart disease of any kind.
I wish I had great news about ways to “cure” heart disease, but I don’t. Pets and people die when the ticker gives out, just like Jack did. And we cry.
For more information:
http://newsroom.heart.org/events/february-is-american-heart-month-6669831
article on mitral insufficiency- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1968
canine cardiomyopathy – http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2496
feline cardiomyopathy- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2507
#44 Your pet might need a teeth cleaning – Feb 1, 2018
February is National Pet Dental Health Month, again.
In the great tradition of Jeff Foxworthy, let’s play “Your pet might need a teeth cleaning”
1. If your dog’s mouth smells worse than his butt…
2. If you smell your dog before you see him…
3. If your dog pants in your face and your eyes water…
4. If you have to feed canned food because she can’t eat kibble anymore….
5. If his pillow is wet in the morning from drool…
6. If the edges of the sofa are stained with blood from her rubbing her mouth on it…
7. If she flinches when you pet her face…
8. And last – If you have to chew your pets food for him…
Actually, these are examples of oral and gum disease gone WAY past needing a “just a cleaning. “
Let us help BEFORE it gets that bad.
February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Here at Garden Ridge Animal Hospital, we offer 15% off dental cleaning procedures during February. All animals will have pre-anesthetic bloodwork, be fully anesthetized, monitored, and on fluids during the ~30-45 minute procedure. The entire mouth will be fully examined, probed, cleaned, polished & fluoride treatment applied. If we find problems like teeth that need extractions or oral masses, you will get a phone call with a plan. It is a day procedure. We don’t perform dental radiographs, but if they are indicated, we will refer your pet to the local veterinary board certified dentist.
Test Yourself!
How much do you know about your pet’s dental health? Take this quiz to find out. http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2511639/169767dabec4
https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Pet-Dental-Care.aspx
#43 Essential Oils and Cats- Jan 24, 2018
I want to comment on a topic that has been running around Facebook that essential oils are poisonous to cats. This is complicated, and there are lots of “it depends”.
What is an essential oil? They are defined as organic constituents of plants which are volatile and contribute to fragrance and taste. They are extracted from plants and are used in aromatherapy, personal care products, flavorings, and liquid potpourri. I personally use several essential oils topically and even have used a passive aromatherapy diffuser with lavender at the animal hospital as part of our Fear Free plan. In general, I like and use essential oils around myself.
There are many variables that affect their safety and toxicity. Some essential oils can be toxic to cats, especially orally or topically, or in high concentrations or large volumes. The veterinary literature has definite reports of certain classes of chemicals that might be toxic to cats based on their different liver pathways of metabolizing compounds in the body. Commercial essential oils aren’t regulated like prescription drugs, so quality, purity, and concentration vary quite a bit, and their testimonial claims can be quite grandiose. The other big variable lately is the active nebulizing diffusers that actually pump out tiny micro droplets of the essential oil into the air, greatly increasing the exposure to cats over the former passive diffusers.
I haven’t seen ANY cats with suspected poisoning from inhaled essential oils, but I have seen some bird with respiratory problems on the old fashioned potpourri that resolved when they removed that scented product from the house. I have seen some small dogs with symptoms from skin contact with the owner’s topically applied hormone creams. The feline symptoms listed at the Pet Poison Helpline (http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/blog/essential-oils-cats/) are drooling, vomiting, tremors, ataxia(wobbliness), respiratory distress, low heart rate, low body temperature, and liver failure. Cats showing these symptoms should be moved immediately to fresh air, and seek emergency veterinary care if they don’t quickly resolve.
I am sure this will be a hot topic for some time since so many pet parents are using essential oils at home for their own health, so we should be careful around cats. I currently recommend not using them topically or orally in cats, using care when handling cats after application of EO on your skin, avoiding the nebulizing diffusers, and choosing the passive diffusers instead. We also need better reporting of suspected toxicity just like we do with prescription drugs, diets, and household chemicals like rodenticides. It would also be great to have some evidence-based university sponsored research for efficacy and safety of common essential oil products, not just testimonials.
Stay tuned. Essential oils will be a topic I actively follow.
https://www.today.com/pets/essential-oils-danger-cats-warning-signs-look-t121300
https://www.snopes.com/are-essential-oils-poisonous-to-cats/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social
http://www.animaleo.info/
#42 Lewisville Animal Service and dog park updates- Jan 18, 2018
I reached out to the staff at the recently renamed Gene Carey Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, aka the Lewisville Animal Shelter. They had reached capacity a few weeks ago for large dogs, and put a notice out on Facebook. Fortunately, they were able to reach out to the SPCA and placed 11 large dogs and now aren’t at capacity anymore.
The volunteer program is up and running, accepting new applications. They even accept teenagers 16-18 years old. You must complete an online application, and the next orientation is in February. Volunteers help with many day to day operations, including hands on animal experience. The popular “jog a dog” has been restructured, and is now tier based.
For more information- https://www.cityoflewisville.com/about-us/city-services/animal-services/volunteer-with-animal-services
They also accept donations, including cash, treats and blankets.
The Dog Park at Railroad Park is still open despite the freezing weather. They have no updates. It should be a marvelous weekend to be outside after all the cold weather. It is open daily from 8 am until 10pm during the winter.
For more information– https://www.cityoflewisville.com/about-us/city-departments/parks-recreation/park-listings/dog-park