LOOK EAR, IT’S SPRING!
Many of our pets suffer from recurrent ear infections. Owners of
affected animals may notice that their pet’s ear infections flare in
springtime. This is because many ear infections are part of the big
picture of allergic skin disease. As ‘spring’ springs into action, so do
levels of pollens and dander that induce allergic reactions in predisposed
animals. This form of allergy is called atopy and causes itching and
redness of the ears, feet, armpits, groin and around the anal area. There
is a strong hereditary predisposition, so we often see certain breeds
affected more than others. Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Jack Russell
Terriers and Retrievers are some of the more commonly represented breeds,
although this condition can affect any dog.
Other causes of recurrent ear infections are:
Food allergy – where a reaction to the proteins in the food induces
itchiness, particularly of the face, ears and anal area.
Ear mites – which tend to be a disease of younger animals and result in
the production of copious amounts of brown crumbly discharge from the
ears.
Swimming – Getting ears repeatedly wet macerates the skin in the ear
canals and makes it inflamed and sensitive to secondary infection.
Hairy ear canals – Excessive hair prevents good aeration and creates a
warm, moist environment suitable for the growth of bacteria and
yeasts.
Foreign bodies – Australia is full of plants with sticky awns and burrs
that can end up trapped down ear canals.
Ear conformation that prevents adequate ventilation. Certain breeds
such as Sharpeis, with their narrow ear canals, and Cocker Spaniels, with
their heavy floppy ears, have a predisposition to ear infections because
of the anatomy of their ears. This can be further compounded by the
presence of other causes of ear irritation such as allergies and foreign
bodies.
Keratinisation defects and production of excessive wax. All of the
above causes of ear infections can result in excessive wax production,
however excessive wax production can be a cause of ear infections in its
own right – a kind of chicken and egg situation!
Dogs with ear infections experience a range of symptoms. They may show
no signs at all or may have mild itchiness with occasional head shaking.
Severely affected animals will hold their head on one side and find
handling of their ears painful. It is estimated that over 50% of dogs
with chronic ear infections will experience a ruptured eardrum (or
tympanic membrane – a thin membrane between the outer and inner ear). The
skin of an affected ear will be reddened and the ear canal will become
progressively narrower as the symptoms become more chronic. Most affected
ears smell and produce excessive waxy or purulent secretions.
Diagnosis and treatment will depend on initial examination findings.
Your veterinarian may need to perform swabs to obtain samples for
examination under the microscope and for culture. As many infected ears
are painful, a general anesthetic may be required in order to perform an
adequate examination of the canals. It is important to establish whether
the tympanic membrane is intact, as this will affect the choice of
medications that can be safely administered into the ear. Whilst under
anaesthetic, the ear canal can be flushed and cleaned. Once a diagnosis
has been made, the treatment may be anything from a spot-on insecticide
application, a food trial, medicated drops and cleaning solutions to oral
tablets and anti inflammatories. Keep up with regular revisits, as ear
infections often appear much improved on the surface but with a closer
look, are still grumbling further down the canal.
Symptoms of disease
Endocardiosis – the heart of the matter
Endocardiosis is the most common cause of heart failure in dogs. It is
a degenerative condition of the heart valves causing them to become
thickened and knobbly. The affected valves are distorted and unable to
form a seal as the heart contracts, allowing back-flow of blood.
Initially the body compensates for this. However, with time and further
degeneration, most animals will go on to develop heart failure.
Because of its degenerative nature, this tends to be a disease of middle
aged to older dogs. It is seen most commonly in the smaller breeds such as
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Chihuahuas, Poodles and Yorkshire
Terriers. Affected dogs have a heart murmur that may be present for years
before clinical symptoms of heart disease occur. Once in heart failure,
dogs experience exercise intolerance, difficulty breathing, coughing and
lethargy. Fainting episodes can occur, especially when the dog gets
excited.
A diagnosis is considered if the vet hears a heart murmur. It can be
confirmed with ultrasound and x-rays. Once a dog is in heart failure,
medications and diet may help maintain quality of life. However,
eventually the prognosis is poor and the animal may suddenly become ill
and die. Luckily, most patients with a heart murmur due to endocardiosis
still get to experience a long, happy life before their heart disease
catches up with them.
Pica – when pets ingest the indigestible!!
Pregnant ladies are not the only ones to occasionally experience
cravings to eat non-food materials. This unusual activity, called pica,
also occurs in our domestic cats and dogs. Affected animals can eat an
amazing array of materials from rocks and kitty litter to their owner’s
underwear. Cats with pica are particularly attracted to fabric and
plastic bags. Oriental breeds such as Siamese and Burmese seem
predisposed to this condition and often have a fetish for sucking and
chewing on wool. Ingestion of these unusual objects can have disastrous
consequences including gut obstruction.
Most cases of pica are the result of a behavioural problem. If the
animal has been weaned too early or been hand-reared, the sucking on
fabric may be an exaggerated nursing behaviour. A stressful event can
precede a bout of pica and many animals with obsessive-compulsive disorder
will have pica as part of their symptoms. For some affected animals, there
may just be pleasure obtained from the texture and feel of these objects
when they are ingested. Medical conditions such as anaemia, inflammatory
bowel disease and low iron levels can also predispose an animal to
pica.
The treatment for pica can be difficult and needs to be addressed from
various directions. The animal should have a thorough vet check to rule
out any underlying medical conditions. If these are clear, the
behavioural component of the problem needs to be addressed. Enrich the
environment using toys, increased exercise and interactive playtime. Cats
benefit from visual enrichment using windows, fish tanks and bird feeders
(placed outside the window!) Thin rawhide chews and food-dispensing toys
that drop small biscuits when rolled around can help direct eating away
from inappropriate items. There are special diffusers available that
release pheromones (secreted hormones that affect the brain) into the air
to help reduce stress. Finally, mood-modifying medications may be needed
to suppress the obsessive nature of this strange activity.
Treat my pet!
The Flea Wars!
Owners hate fleas. Owner’s pets hate fleas. Owner’s pets’ vets hate
fleas! Lets face it, it is not easy to like something that causes so much
irritation and can be so difficult to get rid of. Quick on their feet and
with an ability to evade visual detection for an incredibly long period,
adult fleas cause the physical problems such as scratching. However, it is
the juvenile forms of the flea that make up the bulk of the population!
With the weather warming up, now is the time to get your anti-flea
commando plans in action. A visit to the practice is a good place to
start. While many excellent products for fleas are now available online,
in pet shops and in discount pet marts, the veterinary clinic is the best
place to get advice on INTEGRATED flea control. This will form the
strongest basis of success against the nimble beastie.
Contrary to popular belief, fleas don’t move from pet to pet, only from
environment to pet. Once an adult flea is on your pet, it will stay there
until it dies, is removed by grooming, or killed by insecticides. Why
would they leave the’ pet hotel’ after all? If your dog or cat has fleas,
their eggs will end up in their (your!) environment. Eggs can be damaged,
swept away or vacuumed, but the majority will fall deep into carpets, pet
beds, your bed, fabric furnishings, and cracks between floorboards, making
them almost impossible to remove manually. Basically, the eggs will go
wherever your pet does.
The female flea lays her eggs after enjoying a blood meal from your pet.
One female may lay as many as 50 eggs per day, or up to 2000 eggs in her
lifetime! The eggs are not sticky but designed to fall from your pet’s
coat to the ground. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae actively head towards
dark, damp and safe places. They will feed on the ‘flea dirt’ (digested
blood) that fell from your pet at the same time! As the larvae grow, they
moult twice and then form a cocoon for protection. The fleas pupate in
these cocoons until the conditions are right. This can include the
presence of heat, vibrations or exhaled carbon dioxide…all the signs of a
nearby host in fact!
Fleas can stay in the cocooned pupal phase for months, which explains
why they can suddenly attack you and your pet when the weather warms up.
This also explains why fleas can suddenly bombard people moving into a
house that has been empty for some time. The whole life cycle of the flea
can take as long as two years or as little as two weeks so it is easy to
see that a small beginning can develop into a big problem very quickly
indeed.
Integrated flea control can consist of a combination of topical products
to kill adult fleas, oral products to ‘desex’ any fleas that slip through
the net, and products for the household. There are also products that are
very useful for pets with flea allergies. There is no ‘right’ answer for
every situation. Seeking professional advice and using high quality
products is the best approach for beating fleas.
Spring Kittens
The increasing daylight hours of spring are one of the triggers that
stimulate cats to begin reproductive cycling. As last season’s kittens are
reaching sexual maturity, now is the time to get them sterilised. Most
cats reach sexual maturity at about 6 to 9 months of age although there is
significant breed variation. Oriental breeds, such as the Siamese, may
start cycling as early as 5 months of age; while larger and longhaired
breeds, such as the Persian, may be a year old.
Cats are efficient breeders and ovulate in response to the stimulation
of mating, ensuring the maximum chance of fertilisation. An unsterilised
female cat or ‘queen’ can have at least three litters of 2 to 5 kittens a
year and may be reproductively active for years. Thousands of unwanted
cats are euthanased in shelters around Australia every year. Please
sterilise your cat before it reaches sexual maturity to help reduce this
statistic.
Rodent Barbers
When small mammals such as guinea pigs, rats or mice are kept with more
than one other of their own kind, they have a charming way of establishing
a hierarchy. The dominant animal will “barber” the subordinate animals by
nibbling hair and whiskers from various parts of the body. The hair is
cropped close to the skin, which remains undamaged. In mice, the variety
of styles includes symmetrical ‘spectacles’ of hair loss around the eyes
or a ‘crop circle’ on the head!
Guinea pigs are less formal and just nibble random patchy areas of fur.
Barbering does not harm the affected animal. However, as some medical
conditions can cause a similar appearance, any small furry with a funky
hairstyle should be checked out by your vet.
Emergency!
Terrible Toxins: Drugs of Addiction
Over recent newsletters we have discussed house and garden toxins that
can harm our pets. In our final ‘terrible toxins’ article, we raise a more
controversial cause of poisoning – ‘drugs of addiction’ (DOAs) or
recreational drugs. In these modern days, no one can deny the increasing
use of such drugs in all segments of society. These drugs, if accidentally
ingested by our pets, can cause serious and sometimes fatal symptoms.
Illegal drugs are a surprisingly common cause of severe signs in
veterinary practice. Diagnosis can be challenging when owners are worried
about ‘owning up’ to having the drugs. Sometimes a family member or friend
may have brought illicit drugs into the home without the owner’s awareness.
This is increasingly common in families with teenage children whose friends
may be reluctant to ‘let on’ when the pet becomes ill. The most commonly
used legal DOAs are cigarettes and alcohol.
Tobacco contains nicotine in varying amounts. The butt of the cigarette
contains up to 25% of its total nicotine. Pets that ‘vacuum’ butts from
the floor can exhibit signs within 15–45 minutes of ingestion. These
include rapid heart rate, salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle weakness
or twitching, coma and even death.
Alcohol is often accidentally ingested by pets. Occasionally, people
under the influence of alcohol find it amusing to deliberately offer it to
their pets. Low-level ingestion can lead to signs like staggering,
excitability and decreased reflexes. Larger volumes may cause collapse and
even death. Some research reports death in 50% of cases where the pet has
ingested as little as 14mls of vodka per kg body weight or 55mls of wine
per kg.
Marijuana is probably the most common illegal drug to cause intoxication
in pets. The active toxin is called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and is found
in the leaves, buds and resin of the marijuana plant and in hash oil. Dogs
that ingest THC will usually show signs within 30-90 minutes that can last
up to three days. Signs include initial nervousness and disorientation
followed by dilated pupils, flicking eyeballs, loss of control of
urination and ‘wobbliness’. It can occasionally cause death. Cats rarely
consume marijuana.
Barbiturates (‘downers’, ‘red devils’, ‘yellow jackets’) can cause
lethargy or excitement, weakness, wobbliness, coma and death.
Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB, ‘liquid ecstasy’, ‘fantasy’) causes
weakness, sedation, wobbliness, coma, slow heart and breathing rate and
possible death.
Benzodiazepines (‘downers’, ‘roofies’, ‘roach’ or ‘rope’) may be
prescribed or illicit. If ingested they act quickly (within 30 minutes)
and have short and long-term effects. These include fatigue, wobbliness,
low body temperature, low blood pressure, high heart rate, and nervous
system excitement. If ingested at the same time as alcohol, these drugs
can be fatal.
Opioids (morphine, heroin, codeine, methadone) are sometimes used for
pain management in veterinary medicine. In accidental doses they can cause
wobbliness, vomiting and slowed heart and breathing rate.
LSD has hallucinogenic properties in pets. Signs include disorientation,
dilated pupils, racing heartbeat, high blood pressure and tremors.
Amphetamines cause high blood pressure and increased heartbeat,
wobbliness, restlessness, tremors and seizures.
Cocaine causes excitement, hyperactivity, seizures, excess salivation,
high heart rate, high temperature and coma. Death can occur due to cardiac
arrest.
While vets are very good at treating pets that have ingested DOAs,
treatment is safer and more effective if we know which drug has been
taken. Urine-sampling kits to assess for DOA ingestion may not always be
readily available in emergency. If you suspect at ANY time that your pet
might have ingested any type of drug – legal or illegal – please let your
vet know. It could save your pet’s life.
