New cat approved insulin! Is the dog one coming out soon?

FDA approves first human insulin for veterinary use
Previously published in Nov 20, 2009 DVM NEWSMAGAZINE

St. Joseph, Mo. -- The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica's PROZINC™ (protamine zinc recombinant human insulin) for veterinary use. The product is an aqueous protamine zinc (PZI) suspension of recombinant human insulin that is used to reduce hyperglycemia in cats with diabetes mellitus. According to Kurt Peterson, DVM, technical veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, PROZINC is the first, and currently the only, recombinant human PZI insulin available for the management of feline diabetes mellitus.

"Extensive research has demonstrated that PROZINC is safe and effective for controlling hyperglycemia in newly diagnosed cats and diabetic cats that have not responded well to previous treatment therapies," Peterson says in a prepared statement.

Practitioners and cat owners who have used PZI-VET in the past should find this product to be comparable in potency, onset and duration of glycemic control, the company says.

This may be good news - maybe the dog approved one is coming out soon too?

Holiday toxin tips!

The holidays are stressful enough without having to worry about a potentially poisoned pet. Below is a list of holiday-related decorations, plants and food items that the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline recommend keeping away from pets.

* Holiday Ornaments: When decorating for the season, consider your pets. Holiday decorations such as snow globes or bubble lights may contain poisonous chemicals. If your pet chews on them the liquid inside could be could be dangerous to their health. Methylene chloride, the chemical in bubble lights, can result in depression, aspiration pneumonia and irritation to the eyes, skin and gastrointestinal tract.

* Tinsel: If you own a cat, forgo the tinsel. What looks like a shiny toy to your cat can prove deadly if ingested. Tinsel does not pose a poisoning risk but can cause severe damage to a cat’s intestinal tract if swallowed. Ultimately, cats run the risk of severe injury to, or rupture of their intestines and treatment involves expensive abdominal surgery.

* Plants: Though they have a bad rap, poinsettia plants are only mildly toxic. Far more worrisome are holiday bouquets containing lilies, holly or mistletoe. Lilies, including tiger, Asiatic, stargazer, Easter and day lilies, are the most dangerous plants for cats! The ingestion of one to two leaves or flower petals is enough to cause sudden kidney failure in cats. Other yuletide pants such as holly berries and mistletoe can also be toxic to pets and can cause gastrointestinal upset and even heart arrhythmias if ingested.

* Alcohol: Because alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, it affects pets quickly. Ingestion of alcohol can cause dangerous drops in blood sugar, blood pressure and body temperature. Intoxicated animals can experience seizures and respiratory failure. Additionally, foods such as desserts containing alcohol and unbaked dough that contains yeast should be kept away from pets as they may result in alcohol toxicity, vomiting, disorientation and stomach bloat.

* Holiday Foods: With the holiday season comes a delightful variety of baked goods, chocolate confections and other rich, fattening foods. However, it is not wise (and in some cases is quite dangerous) to share these treats with your pets. Keep your pet on his or her regular diet over the holidays and do not let family and friends sneak in treats. Foods that can present problems:

- Foods containing grapes, raisins and currents (such as fruit cakes) can result in kidney failure in dogs.

- Chocolate and cocoa contain theobromine, a chemical highly toxic to dogs and cats. Ingestion in small amounts can cause vomiting and diarrhea but large amounts can cause seizures and heart arrhythmias.

- Many sugarless gums and candies contain xylitol, a sweetener which is toxic to dogs. It causes a life-threatening drop in blood sugar and liver failure.

- Leftover, fatty meat scraps can produce severe inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) leading to abdominal pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea.

* Liquid Potpourri: Filling your house with the smell of nutmeg or pine for the holidays may seem inviting—but if you’re partial to heating your scented oils in a simmer pot, know that they can cause serious harm to your cat; even a few licks can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing, and tremors. Dogs aren’t as sensitive, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry—so scent your home with a non-toxic candle kept safely out of kitty’s reach.

When it comes to the holidays, the best thing a pet owner can do is get educated on common household toxins and pet-proof your home accordingly. If you think your pet has been poisoned, contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680 with any questions or concerns.

Pet Poison Helpline is a service available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners, veterinarians and vet techs that require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. Staff can provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline’s fee of $35 per incident includes follow-up consultation for the duration of the poison case. Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Dog CPR: learn how to improve your dog's changes of survival!

Dog CPR:
Learn how to Improve
Your Dog's Chances of Survival

Original article at http://www.the-happy-dog-spot.com/dog-CPR.html

For this article on dog CPR, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Justine Lee, author of the book It’s a Dog’s Life… but it’s Your Carpet.

Dr. Lee is a board-certified emergency critical care veterinary specialist and is currently the Associate Director of Veterinary Services for

Pet Poison Helpline.

For the previous five years, Dr. Lee was on faculty as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She is currently one of approximately 240 board-certified veterinary specialists world wide in emergency and critical care, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (DACVECC). The most important piece of advice that Dr. Lee gives regarding dog CPR is to prevent an emergency from happening in the first place by becoming an astute pet parent. By understanding how to monitor and interpret your dog’s physical and emotional signs, you can often head off a potential tragedy that requires performing dog CPR (now referred to as CPCR (Cardiac Pulmonary Cerebral Resuscitation).

Prevention is especially important with dogs (and all animals) because, unlike humans, once a dog goes into cardiac arrest, there is only a 4.1% chance of reviving him (compared to 21% with a human). This is under the best of circumstances in an animal hospital environment (where oxygen, emergency drugs, etc. are available). Unfortunately, if you are performing dog CPR at home, the chances are even slimmer that he will survive.

When a human requires CPR, it is often due to suffering a heart attack (ventricular fibrillation). This is not the case with animals. Their hearts often time just stop (asystole), usually due to a highly progressed disease such as cancer that has spread throughout the body, end-stage organ disease (like kidney failure or heart failure), or a severe case of internal bleeding. For this reason, it is extremely important to be vigilant about monitoring your pet’s physical symptoms and his behavior for clues to his health, so that you can address issues before it becomes too late.

That said, it is of course any loving pet parents’ natural inclination to want to try to save their dog, and there are instances – such as with a choking dog – that the prognosis is the best, where dog CPR should be attempted.

If you do find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to perform dog CPR, Dr. Lee advises you follow these steps:

Know the location of your nearest emergency clinic, and have its number programmed into your cell phone.
The best chance for your pet’s survival will be to get him immediately to your nearest veterinary hospital for professional treatment. When an emergency is underway is not the time to be frantically searching for your nearest clinic. You should have this information at the ready so that you don’t waste even one second searching for it. More importantly, call to warn them that you are coming, so that the doctors and nurses are prepared to receive you and your pet at the door. I actually tore the page out of my telephone book that lists the nearest animal emergency clinic. Not only does it contain the phone number and address, but a convenient map as well.

Be prepared with the proper equipment.
Always have a leash and blanket handy in your home as well as your car. If you have a large dog, you should also keep a plastic sled in your trunk so that you can lift and transport the dog with as little jostling as possible. In addition, it’s worth purchasing a cloth muzzle in cases of emergency. Even loving dogs will bite from pain, and it’s safest to muzzle before lifting an injured dog.

When performing dog CPR, Dr. Lee advises that you always follow the “ABC”s
(Airway, Breathing, Circulation):

Airway
The first thing you will want to do is determine whether anything is obstructing your dog’s breathing passage. Dogs can choke on a variety of things, ranging from toys to foreign objects to their own vomit. One of the main reasons for a choking dog is that he has gotten a hold of a toy that is inappropriately sized for him. Dr. Lee strongly advises keeping dogs away from undersized toys such as super balls (those hard rubber balls that bounce very high). They can easily become lodged and obstruct the dog’s upper airway. See our article on how to help a choking dog for more on this subject, such as attempting to clear the airway and performing the Heimlich Maneuver.

Breathing
If your dog is not choking, or once you have cleared the airway, check to see if he is breathing. If he is not breathing, you will need to perform rescue breaths, which is the dog version of human mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. With dog rescue breaths, however, you blow directly into the dog’s nostrils, rather than his mouth. In order to make sure that no air leaks out, completely cover your dog’s mouth by wrapping his lips all the way around to create a seal (see photo).

You can then put your hand over the dog’s muzzle and cover your lips directly over the nostrils (creating a seal), blowing directly into his nostrils.

Give four to five rapid rescue breaths into the dog’s nostrils, then check to see if he is breathing (his chest will rise on its own). If the dog does not begin to breathe on his own, continue performing 20 rescue breaths per minute (preferably while someone else is driving you to the nearest veterinary emergency hospital). Bear in mind, however, that if you (or your veterinarian) cannot revive your dog within two minutes, he will have suffered brain damage from oxygen deprivation.

Circulation
To determine your dog’s circulation, you will need to check for a heartbeat. An efficient way to know if your dog’s heart is beating is to put your hands under the dog’s left or right front leg at the point where the elbow hits the chest and feel for the heart beat (see photo).

Alternately, you can feel for a femoral pulse on the inside of your dog’s thigh – this takes a lot of practice and is often hard to find with a lot of fur or fat! It is a good idea to practice checking your dog’s heartbeat and pulse in advance, so you are familiar with this practice in case of an emergency.

To see how good your dog’s circulation is, you can also check the color of his gums. To do this, lift up his gum and check the color (see photo).

Use your finger to lightly press on the gum to blanch the color out of the gum. If the color does not return to pink in less than two seconds, something is wrong! If the dog’s gums are pink, it means that his heart is beating and providing circulation. If the gums are very pale, it may you’re your dog is anemic.

If there is no heartbeat or pulse, you will need to apply chest compressions as part of your dog CPR.

Where you will apply CPR chest compressions will depend upon the size of your dog. For dogs less than 35 pounds (15 kgs), perform the chest compressions directly over the heart, with your hands folded together (see photo). Make sure that your arms are extended and your elbows locked while you compress the chest ½ -- 1 inch with each compression.

For dogs that weigh more than 35 pounds (15 kgs), perform the compressions directly over the last rib, with your two hands folded together (see photo).

Again, keep your arms extended and your elbows locked, compressing the chest approximately ¼ of the overall width, which may be 1 – 2 inches with each compression. You should be performing approximately 60-100 compressions per minute (more frequent the smaller your dog).

If you are performing dog CPR by yourself, you will need to alternate rescue breaths and chest compressions at the following rate:

• Small Dogs: 20 breaths followed by 100 compressions
• Medium Dogs: 20 breaths followed by 80 compressions
• Large Dogs: 20 breaths followed by 60 compressions

Some dogs that stop breathing might also have fluid coming out of the nose. This is often times a sign of congestive heart failure or severe lung disease, and unfortunately it is highly unlikely that even CPR performed by a professional will save him.

Again, vigilance and astute monitoring of your dog’s health are essential to preventing a dog CPR emergency.

Some warning signs that require medical attention:

• Restlessness and panting at night (your dog should be peacefully sleeping)
• Coughing
• Lethargy or malaise
• Unproductive retching (note that this can be an urgent sign of stomach bloat, requiring immediate medical and surgical attention)
• Weakness
• Collapse
• Pale gums
• Strange howling
• Dilated pupils
• Loss of appetite (if a Labrador stops eating, for example, he should be rushed immediately to your veterinarian or the nearest emergency veterinary hospital)

Unlike people, dogs are very stoic, and often don’t let on that they have a health problem until it is very far along – perhaps even too late. For this reason, Dr. Lee stresses that it is up to us as responsible pet parents to watch for any changes in our dog’s physical or emotional condition. The key is to be astute so that you are never in a position where you have to perform dog CPR.

Knowing the basics of dog first aid , including CPR, is very important for every pet parent. And, when in doubt, contact a veterinary clinic. It is better to err on the side of caution and prevent a possible tragedy. Your dog will thank you for your vigilance!

TRALI: transfusion-related acute lung injury

My last lecture at IVECCS (International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society) conference in Chicago, September 2009.

Nice and relaxing to watch...

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

How to go green, for your pet's sake and your own.

After adventuring off in Barcelona, I realized how "ungreen" I was when I was traveling. I had brought some food to munch on from the USA to Barcelona, and as I was flying back to the USA, I pondered as I ate my apple, thinking "I have to eat this well-traveled apple... and can't possibly bring it back to the states!" While we may think that our impact to the earth is minimal, I'm afraid it probably isn't... especially with a few billion people and all those extra carbon footprints. If everyone just made one or two small, extra steps, we just might be able to make a difference after all.

1. Recycle. Thankfully, most of us do this already, but let's take it to the extra level. When I travel to veterinary conferences, I'm depressed about how much advertising crap that I receive. Find out if your hotel recycles, and ask them to if they don't. Write a letter to your business hotel and demand that they provide recycling in the rooms. Next, look around your house. When you're throwing away that extra plastic bag (like a bread bag or that bag in your cereal box), think of all the poop you can pick up with it instead! When I'm scooping the backyard, I use a regular plastic bag to scoop into an empty cereal bag... and then just dump it all in the trash. Remember, when your dog poops once or twice a day, that's a lot of plastic bags. Try to conserve what you can! When you go to the grocery store, try to minimize the plastic bags that you take to bag up your veggies... after all, you have a ton at home if you just look for them.

2. Go online. When it comes to paying bills, don't bother doing it via snail mail. After all, you are dramatically reducing your carbon footprint by not asking someone to walk to your house to pick up your mail (your under-appreciated postal worker), driving it to the post office, utilizing energy to sort it, and deliver it again... and you can save yourself a stamp in the process. Nowadays, pay for everything online to help reduce inefficiency. Reduce paper production by asking that you get you electronic bills - no need for paper copies nowadays! That goes for those of you receiving newspapers nowadays. While it's relaxing to read the newspaper over your coffee, it's a lot of energy for that daily paper. Splurge and save the earth and just get the weekend newspaper instead.

3. Scoop poop. How does one go green scooping poop? If you're a cat owner, save an empty kitty litter container (you should be using the scoopable kind anyway, not the environmentally unfriendly, cheaper clay stuff that comes in 50 lb. bags!), line it with a plastic bag or two, and put it right next to your kitty litter container. I scoop every other day, and just scoop out the urine clumps and feces directly into the empty, covered container. You absolutely do not have to dump all that expensive, landfill-filling kitty litter - just scoop instead. I describe this more in my cat book It's a Cat's World... You Just Live in It (release date December 30, 2o008), so check it out. Once your plastic container is full, voila... just empty the bag and dump it out weekly. Not only does it help make your cat healthier (having a clean litter box), but it reduces the amount of litter and plastic bags that you are wasting. I scoop the yard once a week, reducing it from 7-10 bags to just 2 bags while scooping. I use one as a glove, and just scoop into the empty bag and help minimize plastic that way.

4. Use those reusable grocery bags. Thankfully, grocery stores are jumping on the bandwagon of popularity (and they are probably trying to save some $ in the process). Most grocery stores now sell $1 reusable sturdy bags. Leave them in your car, and remember to use them. Help minimize the number of plastic or paper bags you are using. If you need more plastic bags for scooping, no worries - just grab them out of the container at the supermarket where people are recycling them!

5. Go organic. I'm a huge gardener, and believe that if everyone just converted a small plot in their backyard (or a few pots on your balcony for you city dwellers), we could help save the world. I never have to grocery shop from July-October, thanks to my productive garden supply of tomatoes, catnip, basil, thyme, leeks, beans, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, garlic chives, etc. Seriously - you can do it too. Not only is it fun to harvest, but it reduces the amount of gas needed to ship your veggies to your local market. If you are a city dweller, plant something small - herbs, etc. Those green plants are still helpful in minimizing carbon dioxide!

6. Save water. I admit, I use water to water my garden... but if you live in a location where grass wasn't intended to live, please don't water your lawn. Instead, think about converting your lawn to a rock garden or perennial garden (with local, native plants that have reduced water requirements) instead. Seriously. Also, consider using a water barrel. I rigged up a water bucket to catch all that extra, free water from my gutters, and use this to water my flowers. It's amazing how many gallons of water you get free this way with just one storm! Remember that this water is "dirty", and may contain chemicals from your rooftop and gutters, so only use it appropriately (not on your garden veggies). I use it to water my compost (it needs watering, you know!) and my flowers. Another more neurotic way of saving water: when I'm washing and refilling the water in my pets' huge water bowl, I dump the dirty water into a plant container... saving and reusing every last drop.

7. Compost and minimize your crap. When I lived in Ithaca, the eco-crunchy, hippy, granola, crunchy college town of Cornell, we had to pay for garbage by the pound. That wouldn't work in the rest of America because people would just litter instead, but it was motivation to recycle and compost. It's amazing how much you can reduce your waste by composting. Go online and learn how to make a secure one for your yard (chicken wire, and voila, you're done!). I bought one off craigslist and love it (black plastic). Any kitchen waste (aside from dairy or meat) can go in there, and it's a great way to fertilize my garden each spring. Stop by your local coffee shop - they are usually giving away their coffee grounds, which acts as extra brown material for your compost. Composting is really easy - once you research it. It's alternating brown and green materials. Leaves, then grass clippings, then leaves. Or veggies, then coffee grounds, then veggies. Better yet, just stir, add some water, and you're on your way to being eco-crunchy.

8. Boycott plastic bottles. I'm all for staying hydrated, and don't drink much soda, Gatorade, etc. Instead of buying those small plastic bottles (no matter how many times you refill them), splurge on a BPA-free 1 liter container to bring to work. It's easy to wash and helps minimize all those plastic bottles. Get them as holiday gifts, so your plastic wielding friend can go green to. Spread the word.

9. Travel light. OK, I admit, I wear the same clothes over and over again when I'm traveling, and I don't care. At the airport last week, I was shocked when a woman had exceeded the baggage weight on her both her huge bags during her cruise. Each weighed 54 lbs. I mean, how does one petite lady lug 108 lbs of crap? Go light. Pack, and then reduce it by 50%. Ask yourself if you really need to lug all that crap. Bring 2 t-shirts instead of 4, and just be dirty for a few extra days. I actually support the airline industries in charging people for their bags - after all, with the price of gas going up, it's expensive and environmentally unfriendly to lug lug it. Reduce your carbon footprint.

10. Be efficient. Ah, as if that wasn't the answer for all of life's problems. When running errands, be efficient. Write a shopping list of things that you can save up and wait on so you're just making one trip instead of 4-5 smaller trips. Go with your neighbor to minimize the cars out there. Fill up on gas, stop by the bank, get your groceries all at once, so you're minimizing the amount of gas. Don't idle your car. Don't drive around in circles looking for a parking spot - just grab one, shut off the car, and walk to where you can. While it sounds small, if we all did this, we'd really reduce the amount of fossil fuels that American seems to be obsessed with using. Turn down your thermostat at night when you're under those covers. I turn my thermostat off when I leave the house, and that's in the middle of winter in Minnesota! Carpool. Join your local co-operative to refill large bottles of laundry detergent or supplies, so you don't have to use another plastic bottle. Buy in bulk - better to buy a huge container versus 10 smaller containers, right? Reuse those Ziploc bags. Stop splurging and help reduce America's obsession with consumerism. After all, do you really need it?

11. Spay and neuter! Please promote spaying and neutering - think about the 8 million pets who are euthanized each year because of pet overpopulation. Think of all that extra crap that someone has to poop scoop each year, and all those extra plastic bags needed in the process. Each extra animal contributes a small amount towards a cute, little carbon footprint also...

I'll get off my soapbox now, but remember, all these things that we attempt to do are making a difference... for the air that you breath, and more importantly, for the air that our pets' breath. Let's cowboy up and save the world!

Radio interview with Dr Cruz and Dr. Justine Lee

Mevio Player

Tick spit? The cure for Lyme disease?

This article was written by Ed Stannard, Register Metro Editor. Exciting to see another person spell Lyme disease correctly. Remember folks, it's not LYMES disease (I even have to correct veterinarians who say this!) - after all, there's only one Old Lyme, Connecticut.

NEW HAVEN — The latest target in the search for a vaccine against Lyme disease? Tick spit.

Yale researchers have discovered a protein in tick saliva that helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease. The findings are published in today’s issue of Cell Host & Microbe, according to a press release from Yale University.

Rather than using the bacterium that causes disease to produce a vaccine, the traditional method, researchers are investigating antibodies in the protein of the tick’s saliva, which has been shown to give immunity to the disease.

“The interaction between the Lyme disease agent and ticks is very complex, and the bacteria uses a tick salivary protein to facilitate infection of the mammalian host,” said the lead author, Dr. Erol Fikrig of the Yale School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “By interfering with this important interaction, we can influence infection by the Lyme disease agent.”

The Lyme bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted by tick bite and is coated with a salivary protein known as Salp15. When the Yale researchers injected the protein into healthy mice, it helped protect them from Lyme disease. When combined with outer surface proteins of the bacterium, the protection increased, the authors said.

Several years ago, a vaccine was marketed that used just the surface proteins; it was taken off the market in 2002.

The authors said using the saliva of the insect may be a way to fight other insect-borne illnesses.

“Currently, we are working to determine if this strategy is likely to be important for West Nile virus infection, dengue fever and malaria, among other diseases,” Fikrig said.

Other researchers were Jianfeng Dai, Penghua Wang, Sarojini Adusumilli, Carmen J. Booth and Sukanya Narasimhan of Yale School of Medicine, and Juan Anguita of the University of Massachusetts.

Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@nhregister.com or 203-789-5743.

Keep The Worms Out Of Your Pet’s Heart! The Facts About Heartworm Disease

This is great information from the FDA website that was released today! Kudos to the FDA for some great information!

Your pet’s health is important. Learn the facts about heartworm disease so you can keep your pet healthy and heartworm-free.

Heartworm Disease – What Is It And What Causes It?
Heartworm disease is a serious disease that results in severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and death in pets, mainly dogs, cats, and ferrets. It is caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis.The worms are spread through the bite of a mosquito. The dog is the definitive host, meaning that the worms mature into adults, mate, and produce offspring while living inside a dog. The mosquito is the intermediate host, meaning that the worms live inside a mosquito for a short transition period in order to become infective (able to cause heartworm disease). The worms are called “heartworms” because the adults live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of an infected animal.

In the United States, heartworm disease is most common along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries, but it has been reported in dogs in all 50 states.

The Heartworm Lifecycle In Dogs

In an infected dog, adult female heartworms release their offspring, called microfilariae, into the dog’s bloodstream. When a mosquito bites the infected dog, the mosquito becomes infected with the microfilariae. Over the next 10 to 14 days and under the right environmental conditions, the microfilariae become infective larvae while living inside the mosquito. Microfilariae cannot become infective larvae without first passing through a mosquito. When the infected mosquito bites another dog, the mosquito spreads the infective larvae to the dog through the bite wound. In the newly infected dog, it takes between six and seven months for the infective larvae to mature into adult heartworms. The adult heartworms mate and the females release their offspring into the dog’s bloodstream, completing the lifecycle.

Photo courtesy of Matt W. Miller, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Cardiology), College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

Heartworm disease is not contagious, meaning that a dog cannot catch the disease from being near an infected dog. Heartworm disease is only spread through the bite of a mosquito.

Inside a dog, a heartworm’s lifespan is five to seven years. Adult heartworms look like strands of cooked spaghetti, with males reaching about 4 to 6 inches in length and females reaching about 10 to 12 inches in length. The number of worms living inside an infected dog is called the worm burden. The average worm burden in dogs is 15 worms, but that number can range from 1 to 250 worms.

How Is A Dog Tested For Heartworms?

The most common test that a veterinarian uses to check a dog for heartworms is called an antigen test. This blood test detects specific proteins, called antigens, which are released by adult female heartworms into the dog’s bloodstream. In most cases, antigen tests can accurately detect infections with one or more adult female heartworms that are at least seven or eight months old, but the tests generally do not detect infections that are less than five months old.

There are also tests that detect microfilariae in a dog’s bloodstream. Microfilariae in the bloodstream indicate that the dog is infected with adult heartworms (because only adult heartworms can mate and produce microfilariae). Microfilariae can be detected in a dog’s bloodstream about six to seven months after it is bitten by an infected mosquito (because six to seven months is the time it takes the heartworms to develop from infective larvae into adults that mate and produce microfilariae).

When Should A Dog Be Tested For Heartworms?

The timing and frequency of heartworm tests depend on many factors. Some of these factors include:

• The dog’s age when heartworm prevention is started;
• If the owner forgot to give heartworm prevention and for how long;
• If the dog is switched from one type of heartworm prevention to another;
• If the dog recently traveled to an area where heartworm disease is more common; and
• The length of the heartworm season in the region where the dog lives.

Dogs older than six to seven months of age should be tested for heartworms before starting heartworm prevention. A dog may appear healthy on the outside, but on the inside, heartworms may be living and thriving. Although they may shorten the lifespan of the worms, heartworm preventives do not kill adult heartworms. If a heartworm-positive dog is not tested before starting a preventive, the dog will remain infected with adult heartworms until it gets sick enough to show symptoms. Also, giving a heartworm preventive to a dog that has an adult heartworm infection may be harmful or deadly. If microfilariae are in the dog’s bloodstream, the preventive may cause the microfilariae to suddenly die, triggering a shock-like reaction and possibly death in some dogs.

Annual testing of all dogs on heartworm prevention is recommended. Talk to your dog’s veterinarian about the best time for your dog’s annual heartworm test.

What Are The Symptoms Of Heartworm Disease In A Dog?

The severity of heartworm disease is directly related to how many worms are living inside the dog (the worm burden), how long the dog has been infected, and how the dog’s body is responding to the presence of the heartworms. The dog’s activity level also plays a role in the severity of the disease and in when symptoms are first seen. Symptoms of heartworm disease may not be obvious in dogs that have low worm burdens, have been recently infected, or are not very active. Dogs that have heavy worm burdens, have been infected for a long time, or are very active often show obvious symptoms of heartworm disease.

There are four classes, or stages, of heartworm disease. The higher the class, the worse the disease and the more obvious the symptoms.

• Class 1: No symptoms or mild symptoms such as an occasional cough.
• Class 2: Mild to moderate symptoms such as an occasional cough and tiredness after moderate activity.
• Class 3: General loss of body condition, a persistent cough, and tiredness after mild activity. Trouble breathing and signs of heart failure are common. For class 2 and 3 heartworm disease, heart and lung changes are usually seen on chest x-rays.
• Class 4: Also called caval syndrome. There is such a heavy worm burden that blood flowing back to the heart is physically blocked by a large mass of worms. Caval syndrome is life-threatening and quick surgical removal of the heartworms is the only treatment option. The surgery is risky, and even with surgery, most dogs with caval syndrome die.

Not all dogs with heartworm disease develop caval syndrome. However, if left untreated, heartworm disease will progress and damage the dog’s heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, eventually causing death.

Is There A Treatment For Heartworm Disease In Dogs?

There are two drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of heartworm disease in dogs. Both drugs contain arsenic and are effective at killing adult heartworms. Caparsolate Sodium (arsenamide sodium), the older of the two drugs, is injected into a vein. It is not currently manufactured or marketed in the United States. The newer drug, Immiticide (melarsomine hydrochloride), is given by a deep injection into the back muscles to treat dogs with stabilized class 1, 2, and 3 heartworm disease.

Currently, no drugs are approved to get rid of microfilariae in the bloodstream. However, certain approved monthly heartworm preventives are sometimes used by veterinarians in an extra-label (“off-label”) manner to get rid of the microfilariae.

What Does “Extra-Label” Mean? When an approved drug is used in a manner other than what is stated on the approved labeling, it is an extra-label use. This is commonly referred to as an “off-label” use because the drug is used in a manner that is “off the label”. Extra-label use includes using an approved drug for a condition that it is not approved for, such as using an approved monthly heartworm preventive to get rid of microfilariae in a dog’s bloodstream. Extra-label use also includes using an approved drug in a species that it is not approved for, such as using an approved dog or cat heartworm preventive in ferrets. Veterinarians are legally allowed to use approved drugs in an extra-label manner in animals under the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA) of 1994. Learn more about AMDUCA and extra-label drug use in animals by clicking here: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/FDAandtheVeterinarian/ucm077390.htm.

The treatment for heartworm disease is not easy on the dog or on the owner’s pocket book. Treatment can be potentially toxic to the dog’s body and can cause serious complications, such as life-threatening blood clots to the dog’s lungs. Treatment is expensive because it requires multiple visits to the veterinarian, bloodwork, x-rays, hospitalization, and a series of injections with Immiticide.

The Best Treatment Is Prevention!

There are many FDA-approved products that prevent heartworm disease in dogs. All require a veterinarian’s prescription. Most products are given monthly, either as a topical liquid applied on the skin or as an oral tablet. Both chewable and non-chewable oral tablets are available. One product is injected under the skin every six months, and only a veterinarian can give the injection. There is an FDA-approved daily product but it is no longer commercially available in the United States. Some heartworm preventives contain other ingredients that are effective against certain intestinal worms (such as roundworms and hookworms) and other parasites (such as fleas, ticks, and ear mites).

Year-round prevention is best! Talk to your dog’s veterinarian to decide which preventive is best for your dog.

Can Cats Get Heartworm Disease?

Cats can also get heartworms after being bitten by an infected mosquito, although they are not as susceptible to infection as dogs. A cat is considered a resistant host of heartworms because the worms do not thrive as well inside a cat’s body. Both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk for heartworm disease.

Is Heartworm Disease Different In Cats?

Heartworm disease in cats is a bit different than in dogs. Heartworms in cats do not live as long (average lifespan is only two to three years) or grow as long, and fewer of them mature into adults. Worm burdens are much lower in cats, with the average being only one to three worms.

In cats, it takes infective larvae eight months to mature into adult heartworms and produce microfilariae. This is about one month longer than in dogs. The presence of microfilariae in a cat’s bloodstream is uncommon. Only 20 percent of cats with heartworm disease have microfilariae in the bloodstream, compared to 80 to 90 percent of dogs with heartworm disease. Also, the presence of microfilariae in the bloodstream is inconsistent and short-lived in cats.

It is harder to detect heartworm infections in cats than in dogs. Veterinarians generally use two types of blood tests in combination to check a cat for heartworms. However, negative test results do not rule out heartworm infection, and positive test results may or may not mean that there is an active heartworm infection. A veterinarian uses the results of both blood tests, along with the cat’s symptoms and the results of other tests such as x-rays and an ultrasound of the heart, to determine if a cat has heartworm disease.

What Are The Symptoms Of Heartworm Disease In Cats?

Not all cats with heartworm disease show symptoms. Many cats are able to spontaneously rid themselves of heartworms without showing symptoms. However, some infected cats die suddenly from heartworm disease without ever showing signs of being sick.

In cats that show symptoms of heartworm disease, respiratory signs are the most obvious due to the lung damage caused by the heartworms. Cats typically show symptoms of heartworm disease at two time points – when the immature heartworms arrive in the heart and lung arteries and when the adult heartworms die.

The immature heartworms arrive in the heart and lung arteries about three to six months after a cat is bitten by an infected mosquito. Many of these immature heartworms die, causing a strong inflammatory response in the cat’s lungs. This response is called heartworm associated respiratory disease (HARD) because respiratory signs, such as trouble breathing, increased respiratory rate, and cough, are the most obvious. It may be difficult to distinguish HARD from feline asthma or feline bronchitis.

When the adult heartworms die, they release toxins into the cat’s bloodstream which cause lung damage, leading to respiratory problems or sudden death. Even the death of one worm can be fatal for a cat.

Often, cats with heartworm disease show very nonspecific symptoms that mimic many other cat diseases. These nonspecific symptoms include vomiting, decreased activity and appetite, and weight loss. Cats with heartworm disease rarely show signs of heart failure.

There is no FDA-approved drug for the treatment of heartworm disease in cats, although symptoms may be managed with medications. Surgical removal of adult heartworms may be a treatment option if the heartworms can be seen by ultrasound. But surgery is risky, and if the heartworms are not removed intact, there can be potentially serious complications, such as shock and death.

Again, Prevention Is The Best Treatment!

There are several FDA-approved products to prevent heartworms in cats, although not as many are available for cats as there are for dogs. There are both topical and oral products for cats, and all are given monthly and require a veterinarian’s prescription. Some heartworm preventives contain other ingredients that are effective against certain intestinal worms (such as roundworms and hookworms) and other parasites (such as fleas and ear mites).

Again, year-round prevention is best! Talk to your cat’s veterinarian to decide which preventive is best for your cat.

Should Cats Be Tested For Heartworms?

It is recommended that cats older than six to seven months of age be tested for heartworms before starting heartworm prevention and then annually. Talk to your cat’s veterinarian about testing your cat for heartworms.

Photo courtesy of David A. Crum, DVM, Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services

What About Heartworm Disease In Ferrets?

Ferrets can also get heartworms from the bite of an infected mosquito. Ferrets are similar to dogs in their susceptibility to heartworm infections, but their symptoms are more similar to those seen in cats.

Infected ferrets typically have low worm burdens, and microfilariae are seen in the bloodstream in only 50 to 60 percent of ferrets with heartworm disease. Symptoms of heartworm disease in ferrets include decreased activity level, coughing, trouble breathing, and overall weakness. Heart failure can occur in severe cases. Based on a ferret’s symptoms, a veterinarian may perform chest x-rays and an ultrasound of the heart to determine if it has heartworm disease. Blood tests to detect heartworm infections in ferrets are generally unreliable.

No drugs are FDA-approved for the treatment or prevention of heartworm disease in ferrets. However, a veterinarian may use drugs that are approved in other animals in an extra-label manner to treat a ferret with heartworm disease. To prevent heartworm disease in ferrets, a veterinarian may prescribe an approved dog or cat preventive in an extra-label manner.

Again, prevention is the best treatment! Year-round prevention is recommended for all ferrets. Talk to your ferret’s veterinarian about preventing heartworm disease in your furry friend.

Can People Get Heartworms From Their Pets?

People cannot get heartworms from their pets. Heartworms are only transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. In rare cases, people can get heartworms after being bitten by an infected mosquito. But because people are not a natural host for heartworms, the larvae usually migrate to the heart and lung arteries and die before they become adult worms.

How Can You Get More Information On Heartworm Disease?

• Talk to your pet’s veterinarian
• Contact the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine at 240-276-9300 or CVMHomeP@cvm.fda.gov
• Visit the American Heartworm Society’s website at www.heartwormsociety.org/
• Visit www.knowheartworms.org/

*Special thanks to David A. Crum, DVM, at Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services in Fairfax, VA for sharing his ferret expertise.

THIS INFORMATION IS FROM THE FDA WEBSITE - PLEASE SEE THE FDA'S CENTER FOR VETERINARY MEDICINE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Should animals have the same rights as people?

Did you know that animal law is now taught in 100 out of 180 law schools in America? According to the author of Animals, Politics and Mortality, Robert Garner believes that animal rights are the "new morality." In fact, this is spreading throughout the world - Spain was the first country to give human-type rights to Great Apes.

As this nation becomes more litigious, some states are voting on whether or not animals should be considered "property." In other words, can pet owners sue for more than the "worth" (i.e., the purchase price) of their animal (or "pet" or "family member!")? As a vet who obtained her beloved dog for "free" (he had parvovirus as a puppy, and the owners surrendered him to the hospital), I wouldn't be able to sue for anything aside from the medical bill, being that I never had to pay for JP. What do you think? Think animals have more value than their "purchase price?" Let me know and please comment!

Vectin, a horse dewormer to come out in 2010 by Intervet/Schering-Plough

Horse AND dog owners, beware! In 2010, they'll be coming out with "tasty" Vectin ivermectin cookies for horses. This is a horse dewormer, and if it's palatable to horses, we worry dogs will get into large amounts and get ivermectin toxicity from this! This toxicity results in blindness, tremoring, seizures, difficult breathing, etc! When in doubt, keep all horse dewomers away from dogs!

FoodSafety.gov

We're all worried and paranoid after that devastating melamine pet food recall back in 2007. Play it safe and subscribe to FoodSafety.gov, where you can sign up to receive immediate updates about both human and pet food recalls!

5 Holiday Pet Dangers to avoid in your pets!

Decorations, candy, flowers, and plants can cause serious harm to animals. Here are common ones to watch out for.

1. Festive foods
Baked goods and boxes of chocolate are abundant this time of year, but if ingested, they can result in gastrointestinal upset, heart arrhythmia, and seizure. Certain desserts can be deadly too--especially those containing grapes, raisins, or currants (like fruitcake), which can lead to kidney failure. Refrain from tossing meat scraps and bones to your dog (and ask your houseguests to do the same). It may seem like a treat, but pets just aren't built to digest meat prepared for humans; eating it can lead to pancreatitis. To keep your dog healthy, stick to her normal diet.

2. Liquid potpourri
Filling your house with the smell of pine or peppermint may seem inviting, but if you're partial to heating your scented oils in a simmer pot, know that it can cause serious harm to your feline. These oils are toxic to cats, and even a few licks can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing, and tremors. Dogs aren't as sensitive, but it's still wise to scent your home with a nontoxic candle kept safely out of pets' reach.

3. Flowers and plants
Poinsettias get the bad rap, but the plant you actually need to worry about is the fragrant lily (such as tiger, Asiatic, and Stargazer), which is commonly found in holiday arrangements and is highly toxic to cats. Just one chewed leaf can result in severe, acute kidney failure. Yuletide plants (like holly and mistletoe) can easily be mistaken for food, resulting in gastrointestinal upset and even heart arrhythmia. Silk and plastic arrangements are your safest bets; if you prefer real flowers, however, choose bouquets made of nonirritating choices such as roses, marigolds, orchids, or daisies.

4. Ornaments and decorations
If you find your pet chewing on a string of bubble lights, get her to the vet. The dangerous chemical methylene chloride (which bubbles when heated) can cause irritation to her eyes, skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. There's also the risk of broken glass ornaments cutting her paws. So avoid hanging any ornaments at pet level--and try to keep lights and delicate decorations out of reach.

5. Tinsel
If you own a cat, toss the tinsel--she's likely to mistake it for a chew toy, and eating tinsel can cause severe damage to the intestinal tract. It can get wrapped around the tongue or caught up in the stomach while the rest of it continues to pass through the intestines, which may require expensive abdominal surgery.

If you think your pet may have eaten something toxic, call pet poison animal control immediately. Keep these numbers programmed in your phone:

PET POISON HELPLINE (800) 213-6680, $35 fee (pay by credit card) per incident; petpoisonhelpline.com.

Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC, is a veterinary emergency critical-care specialist and the associate director of veterinary services at Pet Poison Helpline. She is the author of the book "It's a Cat's World...You Just Live in It" and "It's a Dog's Life... but It's Your Carpet."

Copyright Prevention magazine 2009.

Can My Dog Donate Blood?

Yes, please, and thank you! Just like human patients, veterinary patients also require blood transfusions if they are anemic, have a clotting problem, have hemophilia, or have acute blood loss from trauma or cancer. Young to middle aged (1 to 7 years of age), good natured dogs that weigh more than 50 lbs and are healthy, vaccinated, and only on preventative medication (such as flea, tick, and heartworm prevention) are the primary candidates for donation. If you live near a veterinary school or a large veterinary specialty clinic, call to see if you can help out other pets by volunteering your dog’s blood. The process isn’t painful and dogs don’t typically need to be sedated. They just lie quietly on their side while getting lots of TLC, petting, and soothing during the 15- to 20-minute donation process. Afterwards, they get to pick a toy or bone of their choice, and get a few snacks for being such a loyal participant.

Why Do Dogs Get “Red-Eye” in Photos?

The tapetum lucidium is the tissue layer in the back of the eye (specifically, the choroid) that gives off the red eye appearance in photos. This is an iridescent tissue layer that reflects light and allows dogs to see better in less light, while also making the eyes look like they are shining in the dark. When you take photos of your dog, the flash from your camera reflects off this tapedum, resulting in a red eye appearance. This effect is more prominent in certain breeds; for example, dogs with blue eyes often have a red tapetum, while dogs with brown eyes have a green tapetum. Thanks to red-eye reducing camera functions, you can reduce the severity of it; if not, there’s always Adobe Photoshop.

Pet Carousel pig ears and beef hooves chew treats HEALTH ALERT Salmonella

FDA Health Alert for Certain Pet Treats Made by Pet Carousel
Products may be contaminated with Salmonella

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif.

The products were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or feed them to their pets.

The affected pig ear products were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel. The affected beef hooves were packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel. All sizes and all lots of these products made by Pet Carousel are included in this alert.

During September 2009, the FDA conducted routine testing of pig ears made by Pet Carousel. The test results detected a positive reading for Salmonella. This prompted an FDA inspection of Pet Carousel’s manufacturing facilities. During the inspection, the agency collected additional pet treat samples. Further analysis found Salmonella present in beef hooves, pig ears and in the manufacturing environment.

Salmonella can affect both humans and animals. People handling dry pet food and/or pet treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their health care provider immediately.

Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may only experience a decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected products or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The FDA will continue to investigate this matter to determine the source of the Salmonella contamination and offer updates as appropriate.

Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area. You can locate the nearest consumer complaint coordinator at:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm

H1N1 flu confirmed in Iowa cat

Just released from the American Veterinary Medical Association!

A cat in Iowa has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, state officials confirmed this morning, marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza.

The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have caught the virus from someone in the household who was sick with H1N1. There are no indications that the cat passed the virus on to any other animals or people.

Prior to this diagnosis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus had been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) are reminding pet owners that some viruses can pass between people and animals, so this was not an altogether unexpected event. Pet owners should monitor their pets' health very closely, no matter what type of animal, and visit a veterinarian if there are any signs of illness.

The AVMA is actively tracking all instances of H1N1 in animals and posting updates on our Web site at www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus.

What's this mean for dog owners? We're not sure - we didn't think it'd jump species like this! As a result, if you're ill with H1N1, consider avoiding your pet at all costs too, and use appropriate hygiene (washing your hands frequently, minimal contact with your pet!).