Christmas Pet Safety Tips

Christmas is a wonderful time of year – but not always for your pets! Here are some tips for keeping your pets out of danger.

Food to avoid giving your pet at Christmas

• Alcoholic beverages
• Chocolate (can be toxic to pets especially dark chocolate)
• Coffee
• Mouldy or spoiled foods
• Salt
• Chicken or Turkey bones (they can splinter)
• Raisins and grapes have on rare occasions caused acute irreversible renal failure in dogs, so be aware of this.

Avoid giving your pet any of your leftovers as this can cause diarrhea. This is particularly the case with dogs that are used to a dried diet, owners often feel that their pet has to partake in the Christmas binge and this can result in acute gastroenteritis.

Also keep your pet away from cooked bones: they can splinter or get lodged in your pet’s throat or can cause serious damage by puncturing the intestinal tract.

Pet hazards around the Christmas tree

• Fallen Christmas tree needles are very sharp and can easily get stuck in your pet’s paws or throat. Sweep tree needles up regularly.
• Do not hang your chocolates from your Christmas tree: they can be toxic and your pet will be tempted if he can see and smell them.
• Cover up electric cords and flashing tree lights so your pet can’t chew them and electrocute himself.
• Try using fairy lights that don’t flash as some pets when up close can get very scared by these.
• Christmas tree decorations can cause a nasty accident or be fatal to your pet. Cats, and young pets especially, will show a great interest in decorations hanging from your tree. Try to use unbreakable decorations and nothing too small. Avoid tinsel or ribbons as these are dangerous to the gastrointestinal tract if your pet swallows them. I have on numerous occasions had to perform life saving surgery on cats who have swallowed long strands of tinsel.
• Be very careful with any balls purchased for your dog to play with, if they are large enough to swallow but too small to pass through the intestines they will cause an obstruction.
• Make sure your tree is well anchored so your pet can’t pull it over.

Other Christmas dangers to pets

• Holly, mistletoe, lilies and yew trees are poisonous to pets and must be kept well out of reach.
• Remember loud noises will panic your pet, such as Christmas crackers, poppers, balloons, and champagne bottles.
• Remove your Christmas wrapping paper (and toys) from the floor to avoid your pet chewing or swallowing it.
• For your pet’s safety this Christmas always buy your pet’s presents from a reputable outlet.
• In many households this is often the only time of year that your pet is exposed to large gatherings of noisy excitable people and children. This can scare your pet, and this may result in unusual behavior, placid dogs have been known to get aggressive in this scenario. Therefore make sure your pet has some place where it can find a degree of sanctuary.

FIREWORKS AND YOUR PETS

Fireworks are enjoyed year-round by lots of people but many

animals are frightened by them. It doesn’t have to be that way though, so if your pet is scared, there are lots of things you can do to help. 

Make sure your dog or cat always has somewhere to hide if they want to and has access to this place at all times. For example, this may be under some furniture or in a cupboard. 

Make sure your cat or dog is always kept in a safe and secure environment and can’t escape if there’s a sudden noise. Have your pets microchipped in case they do escape – by law, your dog should already be microchipped. 

During fireworks seasons, walk dogs during daylight hours and keep cats and dogs indoors when fireworks are likely to be set off. 

At nightfall, close windows and curtains and put on music to ask and muffle the sound of fireworks.  

Never punish your pets when they are scared as this will only make thing.

Each evening before the fireworks begin, move your dog to the play area and provide toys and other things that they enjoy.

Make sure that there are things for you to do too so that your 

dog isn’t left alone.

Ignore the firework noises yourself. Play with a toy to see if 

your dog wants to join in, but don’t force them to play.

Each evening before the fireworks begin, move your dog to the play area and provide toys and other things that they enjoy.

Pheromone diffusers and pheromone collars are available from the vet clinic. These disperse calming chemicals into the room and may be a good option for your dog. The collar centralizes the pheromones around the dog so in some cases is more effective.

In some cases we may prescribe medication. These are tranquilizers that will sedate your pet and make him less aware and therefore less frightened of fireworks.

Either of these medical options can be used in conjunction with behavioral therapy.

Finally from myself and all the staff at the Gibraltar 

Veterinary Clinic we wish you all a fabulous

Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

A Pet is for Life not for Christmas !!

Now the festive season approaches there is an unwavering desire amongst some people to acquire a pet either for themselves or for a family member. This article is written not to deter people but produced in an effort to try and prevent impulse purchases, to try and make individuals more aware of the ramifications and responsibilities of taking on an animal.

Primarily what must be realised is that acquiring an animal, any living creature, immediately makes you responsible for that animal’s care, quality of life and survival. The principal animal charities at this time of year carry articles on dogs and cats primarily; unfortunately this is only a drop in the ocean. How many people purchase birds, aquarium fish, hamsters, reptiles, guinea pigs etc? How many of these actually die in the first few months due to neglect?

Before getting a pet, you should always ask yourselves a few pertinent questions.

1.       Do you have the time to look after the animal? All animals require time spent on them, animal cages need cleaning, aquariums need cleaning , dogs have to be walked regularly, cat’s litter trays have to be cleaned out regularly, vivariums need to be monitored for warmth/humidity, etc ,etc. After the novelty wears off and the excitement ears off you still need to find the time, these animals are dependent on you. You have taken the responsibility of looking after a living breathing creature and they are totally dependent on you for their survival.

2.       Does the pet require any special care? The most common cause of death I have encountered amongst animals over all my years of practice has been bad animal husbandry. I have seen dying reptiles bought into the clinic dying of starvation, primarily out of ignorance, where the animal has been fed the wrong diet or the temperature of the vivarium has been too low resulting in the animal not been able to digest its food.

3.       Can I afford to keep a pet? Animals are a continual drain on resources, they will need money spent on them throughout their lives, they are not a computer game that after the festive period is left unused in a cupboard!!   Different animals carry varied financial burdens, but this must be quantified. Even different sized animals carry dramatically different costs, a Chihuahua will eat less and medication will be significantly less than a larger breed like a Great Dane. All dogs need to be registered and licensed, an additional cost of £25 per annum per pet on top of the initial £30 registration cost. So before getting an animal please make sure you can afford the maintenance costs.

4.       How long can the animal live for? Remember once you have a pet you are in it for the long haul.  You might be a rabbit for your child, this rabbit could live for 10 years, your child might be married and have his own kid before the rabbit passes away!! Parrots can live for decades as can tortoises!! My point here is that make sure you are aware of how long these animals will be around for and that you will be responsible for them throughout their lives.

5.       How large will the pet become? The most extreme cases that I have seen are individuals that have purchased small pigs that supposedly were supposed to be ‘miniature’ and remain small. If anyone is interested pop over to the Wildlife Park at the Alameda gardens and see how miniature a couple of these pigs have become!!! Another very sad case that I have witnessed is one where an iguana became too large and was released into the Nature Reserve, if was bought into the clinic dead as it had starved to death. On this note I would like to add that releasing an animal into the wild is beyond the pale, apart from the fact that it might die, it could in theory survive and put pressure on native species.

6.       Can I give the pet the care and love it requires? Obviously different pets will need different levels of attention. For example, a hand reared parrot will needs countless hours of your family time, otherwise they will develop medical problems brought on by stress. In fact a lot of medical conditions can be as a result of lack of attention, it is not enough to just feed and clean your animal.

Getting a pet for Christmas carries loads of caveats, these are living creatures that will be dependent on yourselves for their survival, so getting a pet carries loads of responsibility and you must be aware of this and prepared to take this on.

Saying all this I hope I haven’t sounded too negative, I personally have a bit of a menagerie at home, pets can give you a lot of pleasure and happiness , but please look have them. Have yourselves  a Merry Xmas and prosperous New Year.

Autumn is upon us

 

Now the cooler months of autumn are upon us there are various points that I would like to bring to the reader’s attention that I hope will help in the welfare of your pets.

With the change of season we tend to become more active as the halcyon summer days become a distant memory. We tend to exercise more, taking our pets to the countryside for some well-deserved exercise and fresh air. However there are some pointers that I would like to bring to your attention.

I have previously touched on the topic of ticks, now is the season of relatively high risk. A tick that I have not mentioned previously is the Hyalomma tick. This is quite a rare tick in this part of the world, but it is also a tick that can affect humans, there has been a case in Avila that proved to be terminal. In pets, it can cause large areas of necrosis, that can be life threatening in certain cases. These parasites natural intermediate hosts are large herbivores, horses, cattle, sheep etc. So if you are walking your pet in areas used for farming these animals please ensure that your pet has more than adequate protection. Personally I prefer the newer tick collars, these prevent the tick penetrating the skin, other products require the parasite to feed on the animal before it dies, which might be too late.

If you have a dog that has been largely sedentary over the summer then it is advisable that you don’t overexert your pet the first couple of times. Their bodies are similar to ours; we need to build up their fitness gradually. Dogs often do not know when to stop exercising; you have to be their voice of reason.  Build up their fitness gradually, give them regular rests, make water freely available, and very importantly make sure your dog is well trained and responds to your calls.

If your dog is chasing livestock then the farmer is legally entitled to shoot your pet, so a dog must respond to our calls. If in doubt keep it on the lead.

Remember that in Spain any dog over 20 kgs can be considered as a dangerous dog, so make sure you have a muzzle always readily available in case you get stopped by any of the Spanish enforcement agencies, make sure you have a valid EU passport and the pet’s vaccines are in date.

Looking after our ageing dogs is also essential; remember that if your best friend is now that little bit older you will have to tailor his exercise accordingly.  Some older pets have low-level arthritis that generally do not cause any lameness but with more exertion you might find your dog will be lame. In these cases I strongly advise using anti-inflammatories. Arthritis is a self- propagating condition, if there is pain (lameness) then there is inflammation and therefore the arthritic changes in the joints will deteriorate resulting in more lameness and so forth. So medication will reduce inflammation and therefore will slow down the arthritis deteriorating.

Also take note that dogs have a greater tendency to overheat than we do. They lose heat by panting and from a limited number of sweat glands on their pads. So on particularly hot days please be aware of this, again certain dogs do not know when to stop. Last year a young Rottweiler died from heat exhaustion, it was a hot still October day and the poor dog overheated, by the time the dog was presented for treatment it had gone into organ failure.

We are now into the season to enjoy the company of our pets on healthy long walks, there are few things more satisfying than spending time with your loyal companion, just remember to look after his welfare.

Time to get your pets protected against ectoparasites and the diseases that they can cause

As the weather warms the risk to your pet from insects rises exponentially. Insects multiply faster in warmer climates, some that have been dormant over the winter months now start to become active again, parasites that have laid low over less favorable periods make their appearance again, never become complacent, they are always out there waiting for your guard to fall.

Fleas are by far the most prevalent problem in our community, this is because we live in a warm urban community, as the winter months become milder as a result of global warming the problems that result as a consequence of this insect become more manifest and now stretch over a longer period.

The principal clinical sign that fleas present with is intense pruritus (itchiness) especially over the tail base and the dorsal skin region in that vicinity, particularly with dogs, cats can present with a more generalised dermatitis especially around the neck region. So if your pet is chewing around its tail base or in that vicinity, do not bother looking for fleas, just assume your pet has them and treat it accordingly. If you treat your pet for fleas and it is still itchy then bring it to us, there is very probably a secondary complication that needs to be addresses, for example if your animal suddenly becomes smellier then there is a high probability that it has a secondary skin dermatitis and possibly a yeast infection.

Fleas in cats can carry a blood parasite that can cause serious illness in cats, Mycoplasma haemofelis, this parasite can cause acute illness with the feline presenting with fever, lethargy and general malaise, blood results tend to show a regenerative anaemia. At this stage the bacteria can be treated very successfully with a protracted course of antibiotics. However in some cases there is no acute episode that is picked up by the owner, in these cases the disease becomes chronic and potentially life threatening. What happens is that the bacteria keeps destroying red blood cells and the bone marrow keeps regenerating new corpuscles, therefore the cat is clinically normal yet internally the bone marrow is working in overdrive. If this persists over a long period the bone marrow becomes exhausted and loses its ability to regenerate new red blood cells. At this point the cat starts to look unwell, pale, often exhibiting weight loss, lethargic, mild dehydration, symptoms of chronic illness. Unfortunately in these cases the prognosis is guarded and treatment is often unsuccessful.

Phlebotomus (biting fly)  is an important insect vector that become active in the warmer months, ambient night temperature has to be over 14/15 degrees centigrade for the larva to develop , my rule of thumb is that if you start wearing tee-shirts and shorts in the evenings then it is important that your pet has protection. From a previous article this is the fly that transmits the protozoa that causes leishmania, a potentially fatal disease if left untreated and once acquired it is an illness for life in the majority of cases.

Mosquitos also become active in these warmer months, the principal illness that they could carry in our community is heartworm as mentioned in my last article. There is no current information as to the prevalence of this disease in our area and we are currently undergoing a study, so if you want your dog or cat tested for this parasite we are still doing this pro bono at the Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic.

The other main groups of insect vectors are the ticks, there are different types of ticks and diseases that can be transmitted by these arachnids (adults have 8 legs as opposed to 6 of insects). I have gone through these at length in a previous article, but to summarise these parasites carry loads of infections that can cause chronic life threatening disease so prevention is crucial for your pet’s health.

The gold standard in protecting your pet against all these vectors is a combination of a systemic ectoparasitic medication with an external product. This gives a double safe protection, it will protect your pet against potential serious illness if applied properly and will prevent  you going through heartache.

Tick Borne Diseases

Ticks are prevalent in our environment and can potentially cause disease in our pets. In this article I am hoping to overview the various diseases they can transmit in this part of the world. What is common of all the tick borne diseases is that they are often insidious diseases with vague clinical symptoms that are often difficult to recognise. A dog might be slightly off colour and the owner often attributes it to just a bit of malaise that does not need addressing. In many cases when the pet is presented for treatment the disease is so advanced that it is untreatable.

Ehrlichiosis and Anaplamosis ( Tick Fever)

These are diseases spread by the Brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguinous. What is unique to this species of tick is that it can complete its whole life cycle indoors, so if left unchecked it can become a pest in homes and kennels.

Symptoms of these diseases are multiple and varied, enlarged lymph nodes, lethargy, anaemia, tremors, neurological signs, limb oedema, collapse etc.

Treatment of these illnesses is protracted and rarely is the dog totally cured of this parasite, an obligate intracellular bacterium, the patient will go into remission with treatment but regular testing must be undertaken throughout the dog’s life to measure the load level of this parasite in the blood. Regular treatments throughout the life of the dog will usually be necessary, so if your pet has been treated for this illness do not assume it is parasite free, regular testing will be required!!

Borreliosis (Lyme disease)

This is a disease caused by a bacteria that is spread by the tick Ixodes. There are various species of Ixodes that live in rodent and wildlife (e.g. deer) reservoirs in which they cause no apparent problems.

The main presenting sign for Lyme disease is joint pain and swelling, often the dog is running a fever. Dogs often present as if walking on eggshells, with general pain and malaise. However there are cases where the dog presents with intermittent lameness that resolves spontaneously but then recurs. So if your pet has episodic bouts of lameness and there is a history of tick problems then ask your vet to carry out a test for this disease.

Treatment is also with a prolonged course of antibiotics but often the disease goes into remission and retesting throughout the dog’s life is necessary.

Babesiosis

This is a protozoal disease spread by various types of ticks that infects red blood cells, can cause an acute anaemia in immune-compromised animals, but more generally the animal presents with jaundice, weakness and general malaise. Infection with babesia is often in tandem with ehrlichia and in these cases the clinical signs can be severe. Thankfully this disease is not seen frequently in our part of the world.

There are a couple of treatment options for this illness and in endemic areas a vaccination is available. However early diagnosis is critical, if your pet has had ticks and is looking pale and is lethargic get it to a vet ‘pronto’.

Bartonellosis in cats

This is a bacteria that is found in rodent wildlife reservoirs, it causes no illness in these animals. It can be passed to cats by fleas and ticks and usually does not cause clinical disease in them unless they are immune-suppressed. Symptoms can be varied, fever ,anaemia and internal organ failure.

These bacteria can also cause infections in humans, colloquially known as cat scratch disease, and again can cause serious illness in immune- suppressed individuals.

In summary ticks can cause quite serious, potentially life threatening illness in your pet. If you walk your dog in the country or he goes to kennels regularly always make sure he has protection against the tick. Prevention is much better than cure; there are a couple of excellent products on the market. If you find a tick on your pet, there are tick removers but be careful and follow instructions, if you pull it out you could leave the mouthparts buried inside your pet that will cause an inflammatory reaction. Alternatively use tick spray, it will die and fall off naturally( Do not burn them with a cigarette you will leave the mouthparts inside).

If your pet has had ticks in the past and is ‘off colour’, without any apparently serious disease make sure you get it blood tested, you could end up saving your best friend’s life!!!!

Brachycephalic Syndrome

This is a medical condition that affects short snouted dogs and cats. Brachycephalic breeds are particularly common nowadays with a massive increase in numbers of French bulldogs, pugs and Staffordshire bull terriers.
As a direct result of this increase in these breeds we are seeing a rise in cases of animals suffering from Brachycephalic Syndrome. What effectively this means is that there is an airway obstruction in these pets that results in these animals having to make more of an inspiratory effort when they breathe. 

There are four main anatomical deformities that cause this constriction:
1. Stenotic nares
2. Elongated soft palate
3. Everted laryngeal saccules
4. Narrow(hypoplastic) trachea 


Stenotic nares
This problem is visually obvious and can be seen in a normal consult. Looking at the nose the nasal folds are collapsed inwards, as a direct result of this the animals have a constricted airway, it would be like trying to breathe through your nose whilst pinching your nostrils. 

Elongated Soft Palate
At the back of the mouth on the dorsal aspect behind the hard palate lies the soft palate, a tissue that acts like a valve preventing food going up the back of the nasal cavity. In these problematic breeds there is often a problem where the soft palate is too long and fleshy and this results in a restriction of air flow through the pharyngeal area. 

Everted laryngeal saccules
At the entrance to the trachea in the larynx there are laryngeal saccules. Due to negative inspiratory pressure in animals suffering with stenotic nares and the elongated soft palates this often results in eversion of the saccules , this in turn further compounds the narrow airway. This element of the condition can be prevented in many cases if surgical correction of the nares and palate are tackled early.

Narrow hypoplatic tracheas
This is pretty much self explanatory and there is nothing much that can be done with these cases. These animals will also always have a respiratory problem.

Consequences of the above can be catastrophic for the animal. The increased respiratory effort over a long period of time has knock on effects on the cardiovascular system, and long term will cause heart failure and chronic respiratory problems. 

Signs/ Synptoms to look out for
Loud inspiratory noise
Mouth breathing
Very little exercise tolerance/collapse
Narrow nares
Sleep apnoea
Snoring
Regurgitation /choking/vomiting
Cyanosis(blue tongue) 


Treatment
With advances in veterinary medicine and equipment surgery of the nares and the elongated soft palate can be done with very little risk to the pet. It is very important that this is done early when the dogs are still young as this will mitigate long term damage to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. THIS IS NOT A CONDITION TO IGNORE UNTIL ANIMAL GETS OLDER. Surgery is not 100% curative due to the major anatomical problems but they will alleviate symptoms and will extend the life of your pet.
At the Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic we have invested heavily on a laser machine to undertake laser surgery , this means that soft palate surgery is as safe as spaying your pet, this is practically no bleeding and there is very little damage to the surrounding tissue. Therefore there is hardly any post operative swelling; this was often the problem with the older more primitive techniques.

In summary Brachycephalic Syndrome is a common ailment of brachycephalic breeds that if left will substantially decrease the lifespan of your pet. If you feel your pet is suffering from the above please phone the clinic on 20077334 and make an appointment to discuss your case, don’t ignore it, surgical correction could extend your pets' lives.

Is your dog always scratching??

There are a multitude of causes of pruritus (itching) in dogs and it is impossible to cover all of these in one article, where pruritus is the presenting symptom this condition can be broadly be divided into two categories, one is parasitic and the other is allergic dermatitis.

Today I shall be dealing primarily with the main cause of allergic dermatitis, which is atopic dermatitis.

The cause of this is allergens in the environment, microscopic molecules that translocate across the skin and result in histamine release mainly by mast cells in the sub-epidermal tissues. This histamine release causes pruritus, therefore the dog scratches itself; this then breaks the skin barrier and damages the skin’s protectant layers allowing bacteria, usually staphyloccos aureus, to cause a secondary skin infection. These skin infections are often seen as concentric rings and are often confused with ringworm( a fungal infection).  This secondary skin infection in itself also causes inflammation and more pruritus, this causes more itching etc and therefore a cascade effect is set off.

When neglected and treatment is not sought promptly enough the problem can escalate, with further yeast infection and often more pathogenic bacteria invading the affected areas. At this point the dog has a particularly pungent odour and you are looking at a long protracted course of treatment to bring the condition under control.

The equivalent in humans to atopy in dogs, again broadly speaking, is asthma. Due to the different distribution of mast cells in dogs these develop skin problems as opposed to coughing and respiratory problems. In the cat on the other hand feline asthma is particularly common, but that is a topic I will leave for another day.

The areas of principally affected by atopy in dogs are those with poor coat cover and often areas of increased movement, and it generally first presents when the dog is over a year of age.  Most classical sites affected are the groin, axilla, ventral areas, feet and ears. If your dog has recurrent skin problems in the afore mentioned regions then you are more likely than not dealing with an atopic dermatitis and therefore treatment must be tailored at this.

Another pattern you might notice is you might find that the condition is seasonal; again this can often be correlated very closely with people who suffer from asthma. For example if the flare up is in spring then it is likely to be caused by the increase in pollen in the atmosphere. If the flare up is in colder periods when these allergens are markedly reduced then the condition is most likely to be caused by house allergens, the main culprits being house dust mites. In the winter dogs will seek more warmth and blankets are a great habour for these mites. Keeping the bedding clean is not sufficient, washes have to be at high temperatures to kill the mites otherwise all you are doing is giving the mites a shampoo and blow dry and putting them back.

Treatment is a relatively simple affair but it will be a minimum of three weeks of aggressive therapy, usually when the dog is presented for treatment the skin is already infected, and skin infections need an obligatory period of three weeks of antibiotics and adjunct medicines, shampoos etc. One of the main shortfalls of treatment is not giving the animals medication for long enough, therefore the problem recurs rapidly and the clients become disenchanted.

The biggest challenge once the condition is diagnosed is trying to control the illness long term with prophylactic therapy. There are a multitude of options available, there is no specific treatment plan to treat all dogs, and it has to be tailored to each individual case. This varies with the severity of the problem and the response to treatment by each individual animal, so sometimes patience is a virtue.

In summary if your dog has recurrent skin complaints with itching, usually affecting the same regions then your pet is probably suffering from atopic dermatitis and the earlier it is treated the better  and the easier it is to manage the problem.