• ·      Evaluating your pet’s teeth to look for dental disease
• ·      Listening for a heart murmur which could indicate underlying heart disease
• ·      Assessing weight and body condition
• ·      Manipulating joints to check for arthritis

Photos Courtesy of ASPCA Website

New episode now available, please enjoy!



This can also be seen on YouTube by clicking here

Photos courtesy of James Robertson

If there’s one topic that I’m extremely passionate about, it’s the importance of getting our pets spayed or neutered. I can’t stress enough how much this matters. Just the other day, a good friend of mine from veterinary school who practices in South Florida sent me the following statistics:

Frank!

Even though the weather is cooling down and fall has arrived you must still be vigilant in using monthly heartworm, flea and tick prevention for your pets. I recommend that owners use these once monthly medications year round because here in DC mosquitoes, fleas and ticks are just waiting for a warm day to emerge and attack our dogs and cats.

If anyone out there thought I was insane before with all the animals I have please let me solidify this feeling with the announcement of my new puppy -- Frank!  I did not seek out a new addition to my already full house but I have been thinking for some time that Poppy would enjoy a larger dog to play with as her version of play with the Lilly, Sparkle and the cats really amounts to torture for them.


Out of the blue a ten week old labradoodle puppy needed a home and I knew he would be the perfect fit for me.  I brought Frank home Tuesday night and he and Poppy have not stopped playing since.  I have never seen her interact this way with another dog before and it makes me so happy that they have found each other.  As for the other animals, the cats really couldn't care less and the little dogs are happy to play with him on their terms.  This mean five minutes of play before they get bored and jump up on the sofa to avoid him.

This can also be seen on YouTube at the Friendship Tails channel

Poppy and Lilly have been coughing like crazy for the past few days.  At first I unsuccessfully tried to ignore it but now that is hasn’t gone away, I have had to diagnose them with kennel cough.  I thought this would be a timely opportunity to review what exactly the term “kennel cough” means.

This can also be viewed on YouTube.  Enjoy!

Happy September!  I apologize for my recent lack of posting but I took a little summer vacation from blogging during August.  I am very excited to report on my fall project with Poppy – agility class!

You can also view this on YouTube or read the article on The DC Ladies blog

Enjoy!

A diagnosis of cancer in any loved one is always heartbreaking and our pets are no exception. When discussing the possibility of cancer in one of my patients I will often hear owners say, “I didn’t know dogs could get cancer.” Unfortunately they can and it happens all too often, one in four dogs over the age of two will be diagnosed with some type of cancer.


Now that you know it is possible for your beloved pet to be afflicted with cancer what can you do about it? It is impossible to prevent cancer from occurring but you can take steps to catch any abnormalities as soon as possible. You should check your dog or cat frequently for any new lumps or bumps that might appear.

This can also be viewed on YouTube via the Friendship Tails channel

Listen to my interview with WAMU

With the warm weather and rainy days ahead you should be aware of a relatively unknown and quite nasty bacterial disease called Leptospirosis. We do have a vaccine to protect against Lepto but it is not considered a "core" vaccine and many dog owners are unaware of it's existence.

(photo courtesy of Rebecca Sheir, WAMU)

I am very excited to be speaking as part of the “How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend” panel at the DC West End Public Library tomorrow evening. I have posted a preview of the topics I plan on covering, each one of these is a vital component of wellness care for your dog.

1. Vaccine recommendations

It is very important to make sure your pets are up to date on their vaccines. I will discuss the vaccines that the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that all pets receive; these are called core vaccines as well as a few non-core vaccines I think are important.

All pets should be up to date on their rabies vaccines. This is part of the law for good reason, rabies is just about 100% fatal and not protecting your pet against it puts everyone in your family at risk. All dogs should also be vaccinated with a distemper/parvo/hepatitis combination vaccine. This group of infectious diseases can cause gastrointestinal, respiratory and neurologic problems that are often fatal.

So let’s talk about some of the vaccines that people may not know much about. These are not considered to be necessary for every animal but based on lifestyle instead. Leptospirosis is a bacteria transmitted via the urine of an infected animal, most commonly wildlife such as rats, opossums and raccoons. These animals urinate in standing water or moist soil, your dog then comes along and drinks the contaminated water and contracts the disease

Though Lepto can be treated with antibiotics, if the infection is not caught early enough it can permanently damage the kidneys and/or liver, resulting in organ failure. In some cases, the disease is too advanced by the time we catch it and ends up being fatal.

If you are putting your dog in a kennel or taking her to the groomers it is usually required that your dog be vaccinated against “kennel cough”. Kennel cough is a collective term for a highly contagious group of viruses and bacteria that cause irritation in the upper respiratory tract. It is important to realize that the vaccine only protects against the Bordetella bacteria, one of the many infectious agents that can cause “kennel cough”. If your dog is exposed to one of the many other viruses or bacteria that cause upper respiratory symptoms they can still get sick even with the vaccine. In addition even if a vaccinated animal is exposed to the Bordetella bacteria the vaccines does not prevent disease, it will only reduce the severity of clinical signs.

2. The importance of spaying or neutering your pet

I cannot stress this enough. In my opinion, spaying or neutering is the single best thing you can do, not only for your own dog but also for the millions of homeless animals living in shelters. Along with eliminating the chances for many types of cancer developing, spaying and neutering can prevent many behavior issues. I have said it before and I will say it again: female dogs in heat are messy and it is always embarrassing to have your male dog humping someone’s leg.

3. Heartworm and flea/tick prevention once a month every month

Heartworm disease is a parasitic infection transmitted when an infected mosquito bites your dog. While it’s true that infected dogs can be treated, the treatment itself is very dangerous—and can even be fatal. Left untreated, heartworm disease will kill a dog.

Protecting your dogs against fleas and ticks is important as well. Tick borne infections such as Lyme disease, Erlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are transmitted when an infected tick bites your dog. The best way to ward these infections off is with topical flea and tick preventatives like Frontline, Advantix, Revolution, or Advantage Multi. In a temperate climate like ours, these should be applied once a month, every month.

Fleas can be extremely itching and irritating to both you and your pets. Some animals are allergic to fleas and one bite can lead to a significant skin infection. Once a flea infestation invades your home it can be very difficult to clear it out. The best bet is to prevent that from happening by applying the same topical medications that protect against ticks.

Luckily, prevention is easy: just a pill and a topical medication once a month. If only everything were that simple.

4. Avoiding obesity

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates that 42% of dogs and 53% of cats in America are overweight. What’s worse is that an additional 10% of dogs and 19% of cats are considered obese. This means that over 50% of dogs and nearly 75% of cats are at increased risk for diseases that may be preventable. And if that’s not enough to get you motivated, consider this: one study found that dogs kept at a healthy

weight live on average two years longer than their overweight counterparts!

The best strategy for keeping your pet slim is to prevent weight gain in the first place. Never free feed. Instead, always measure out the amount of food you offer your pet. Also try to limit the treats you give to 10% of your pet’s diet. Feeding table scraps is strongly frowned upon. Give too many table scraps and your dog may end up with diarrhea or pancreatitis which can result in a hospital stay. Your pets already love you unconditionally; giving them treats doesn’t make them love you more.

5. Dental disease

Dental disease is one of the most common disorders diagnosed on wellness exams. It is estimated that 80% of dogs and 70% of cats over the age of 3 year old suffer from some degree of periodontal disease.

While a dental cleaning results in whiter teeth and fresh breath, the main benefit is to your pet’s overall health. Consider this: every time your pet chews bacteria is showered into the bloodstream. This then lodges in the kidneys, liver, lungs and heart causing damage and disease. In addition, open fractures, tooth root abscesses and worn teeth are painful and can act as a constant source of discomfort for your pet.

Rather than wait for a problem to develop, it is best to perform a dental cleaning when only mild gingivitis and/or tartar are present. This will maintain good dental health and prevent disease before it becomes a problem, which results in saving you money and more importantly keeping your pet as healthy as possible.

I realize a dental cleaning is not only expensive but it can be scary to put your pet under anesthesia. While anesthesia is daunting, at Friendship we do everything we can to make it as safe as possible with aggressive monitoring while your pet is under anesthesia. At Friendship we are convinced that the low risk of anesthetic complications is far outweighed by the benefits of good dental health. After your dental cleaning we will work with you to keep your pets teeth healthy and prevent tartar buildup. Schedule a dental cleaning and start enjoying those doggie kisses again.

Listen to this story on WAMU:
Summer Heat Dangerous For Dogs


Since we’re stuck in the middle of yet another heat wave in the mid-Atlantic region, I wanted to take a moment to warn dog owners about their pets’ risk of heat stroke. In the past few weeks a number of dogs have been brought into Friendship after collapsing due to heat stroke. Several dogs have even died, which is truly tragic since this could have been easily avoided.

One of the recent fatalities was a bulldog that was taken out for fifteen minutes around noon as part of a mid-day walk. He collapsed on his walk and was immediately rushed to Friendship. Sadly, despite aggressive treatment, complications from heat stroke damaged his organs so severely that he had to be euthanized the next day.

“Smushy-faced” (“brachycephalic” is the technical term) dogs like bulldogs and pugs are especially susceptible to heat-related illness. This is because breed characteristics such as narrow nostrils and elongated soft palates decrease their ability to effectively cool themselves.

drawing by Robert Cole

Though bulldogs and pugs have an especially tough time in the warmer weather, ALL dogs are more susceptible to heatstroke than their human companions are. As if wearing thick fur coats weren’t enough of a challenge, dogs have only two ways of dissipating heat: by panting, and through their paw pads. When the temperature rises, neither of these cool-down tricks works too well. Panting becomes much less effective when the weather is hot and humid and when your dog walks on a scorching sidewalk his paws stay too hot to help him cool down.

If you’re out on a walk with your dog and he collapses, becomes unresponsive or loses consciousness, seek veterinary care immediately. DO NOT try to cool down your dog on your own as bringing the body temperature down too quickly can make a dire situation worse. If for some reason you can’t make it to a veterinary hospital immediately, you can soak a towel in tepid (not cold) water, place it over your dog, and aim a fan at him. Take your dog to a veterinarian as soon as he is more stable.

What makes heat stroke potentially fatal is that the patient can develop a condition called disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) that causes massive and widespread damage to the blood vessels. This quickly results in multiple organ failure and the patient loses the ability to clot his blood. Treatment consists of aggressive supportive care and plasma transfusions, both of which are very expensive and not guaranteed to prevent death.

When it comes to heat stroke, the best treatment is prevention. Here are some commonsense tips to help you keep your dog cool and comfortable.

• Avoid taking your dog out during the hottest times of the day. (Quick rule of thumb: If it is too hot for you, then it is definitely too hot for your dog!)
• Keep an eye out for unusual behavior: If you are out in the hot weather with your dog and he slows down, lies down or acts reluctant to keep walking, you should let him rest, offer him cool water and head inside immediately.
• Make sure your dog has cool, fresh water available at all times.
• Never leave a dog (or any other pet) in a parked car when it is even slightly warm out. The temperature in the car can rise amazingly quickly and before you know it you have an overheated animal.
• Don’t take your dog running. (I am never a fan of running with your dog—check out this article to see why--but in this weather it is an especially bad idea).

As I get ready for the next Polite Puppy class this Sunday I wanted to be sure I didn’t neglect the kitty owners. The shelters are always overflowing with these tiny little balls of fur in need of a home. At Friendship we offer a Kitten Plan that includes all wellness kitten visits, fecal testing, deworming, core vaccinations and ten percent off the spay or neuter.

I can’t believe how fast time goes by! This week Friendship will welcome six new doctors into our 2010 intern class and it amazes me that another year has flown by already. I am reminded of my first day four years ago, fresh out veterinary school and completely terrified. There is no way I could withstand the rigors of the program today, a straight week of 14 hour overnight shifts - No thanks! That challenging year was well worth it and I can say with complete confidence it has made me a better veterinarian.

Friendship is one of the few veterinary hospitals in the area qualified to offer an internship program for recent veterinary school graduates. It makes huge contributions to our patient care and to those fortunate veterinarians participating in the program. Internships are highly competitive. Only the most talented and motivated of new graduates seek advanced clinical training. Friendship accepts only about one out of every five applicants to its internship program. We are proud of our program and I consider myself lucky to have completed it.

Unlike medical doctors--who are required to do an internship plus a residency before beginning to practice--most veterinarians enter general practice immediately after graduation and begin practicing medicine. Alternatively, a new graduate can apply for a position in an elective, year-long program of post graduate clinical training, working side-by-side with senior veterinarians with years of experience. These programs are provided by veterinary colleges or busy, multi-doctor hospitals like Friendship.

For the fortunate graduates who are accepted, this is an exciting opportunity to obtain an enormous amount of clinical experience while also being mentored by more senior veterinarians. These programs are completely optional and very demanding. At Friendship, our interns work grueling hours and commit an entire year of their lives so that they can become even better doctors. Some go on to complete residencies in the specialty of their choice, while others, like myself, enter general practice.

From time to time, I have heard pet owners say, "I don't want an intern working on my pet." My response is: Our interns are the best of the new vet school graduates. Not only have they just spent four years learning the latest advances in veterinary medicine from specialists at their respective schools, but they benefit from the fulltime mentoring of Friendship’s highly experienced senior veterinarians.

So let’s give a hand to these doctors for their enthusiasm, dedication to veterinary medicine, willingness to learn from their colleagues, and their desire to be the best veterinarian they can be. To learn more about our current inters please visit the Friendship Hospital for Animals website.

Episode 6 is here!



You can also watch via YouTube

Or you can visit the Friendship Tails channel on You Tube by clicking here

One of the many things I am very proud to say we do well at Friendship is attend to our patients’ pain. When I had Westin spayed in 1996 I was given the option to provide her with pain medication at an addition cost to the procedure. I was then and fourteen years later still am appalled that someone would not consider pain medication to be essential with intra-abdominal surgery. It seems like that was a long time ago but just last month I encountered a dog that had surgery at another clinic and was not sent home with any pain medication.

It was long thought in veterinary medicine that we did not need to address pain in our patients’ because “animals feel less pain than humans”, “pain is beneficial because it limits activity” and “analgesia hides clinical deterioration”. These rationales are now known to be false and in fact pain can take a tremendous toll on our patients.

Without providing proper pain management we put our patients at risk for delayed wound healing, increased risk of sepsis, prolonged convalescence, increased metabolic demand and cardiovascular stress. Studies in humans suggest that improperly controlled acute pain may precipitate a chronic pain syndrome that can be very difficult to control. Above all else, we have an ethical obligation to provide humane care to our patients.

Friendship provides our patients with multi-modal pain management before, during and after a painful event be it surgery, trauma or illness. We are also aggressive with controlling chronic pain such as that seen with arthritis. This consists of opioid drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, local anesthetic, constant rate infusions and the therapeutic K-laser.

Animals are very good at hiding pain and it is up to both veterinarians and owners to make sure that they are kept as comfortable as possible.

Episode 4 is here - Enjoy!

Our goal was to anticipate the changes the new baby would make to Brighton’s schedule, and then start introducing those changes five or six months before the baby was due. That way, Brighton would have plenty of time to get accustomed to his new routine, and there wouldn’t be so much to adjust to once Tyler arrived on the scene.

Brighton's owners set up a schedule that they hoped to maintain once baby Tyler arrived. Each day included at least ten minutes of uninterrupted "Brighton time" that would happen no matter what was going on with the baby.

Whitney created a beautiful nursery in preparation for baby Tyler. She and John always left the nursery door open so Brighton could explore the area and get used to the unfamiliar smells of baby powder and diapers. Though he was encouraged to investigate, Brighton was never allowed to sleep on any of the baby's furniture or belongings, because these would be off-limits once Tyler was home.

Once Tyler was born but still in the hospital with her mom, John brought home some of the clothes the baby had worn and left these around the house for Brighton to smell. This gave Brighton a chance to get acquainted with all the smells of a newborn baby, so he wouldn’t besurprised when Tyler came home.

When Whitney and Tyler were released from the hospital, John waited outside their home with the baby while Whitney went in to greet Brighton. Once Brighton calmed down from the excitement of not seeing Whitney for three days, John and Whitney set up a formal meeting of baby and dog. Whitney sat on the couch with Tyler, and John brought Brighton in on a leash. Whitney and John praised and petted Brighton while he approached and sniffed Tyler.

Whitney and John are lucky: since Brighton is an exceptionally well-behaved and sweet dog, he accepted his new sister without missing a beat.

But not all dogs are as laid-back as Brighton. If a dog shows any signs of aggression, excitement or excessive interest in a baby, the dog should be kept on a leash at all times when the baby is present. When only one adult is home, the dog should be kept in a separate room, without any access to the baby. Remember that even a non-aggressive dog may become overly exuberant and cause injury by jumping up on a baby.

A new baby is a big change in any household, but with thoughtful planning the transition can be made as smooth as possible for your furry family members.

In an effort to raise awareness about canine cancer Friendship has partnered with Morris Animal Foundation, Blue Buffalo Food and Petco in an event this Saturday. We will be at the Petco on Connecticut Avenue from 10 am to 2 pm to answer your questions and concerns regarding cancer in pets.