Page 78 – Independent Small Animal Hospital

Home - Page 78 << 1 2 … 76 77 78 79 80 … 125 126 >>

16 reasons your pet should get fit for 2016!

Posted on 5th February, 2016 by Richard Hewitt5th February, 2016

Obesity is a growing concern in the UK with an increasing number of our pets becoming overweight. The additional weight puts extra strain on the entire body so here are 16 reasons your pet should get fit for 2016!

1) Reduced exercise tolerance; your animal with tire easily and be unable to perform their natural activities and behaviour.

2) Unable to tolerate heat; an overweight animal is at higher risk of over heating come the Summer months.

3) Poor grooming; for an animal to groom themselves they need to be able to twist and bend in all directions, we have all seen the unusual positions they get themselves into! However, obese animals struggle with these movements leading to poor grooming and ultimately painful matted coats.

4) Additional strain on bones, joints and ligaments; Extra load and strain on your animals body will put extra forces on their musculoskeletal system. This can increase the risk of problems in the future and can exacerbate already existing conditions such as arthritis.

5) Heart strain; Additional weight puts additional work load on the heart. Fat can also infiltrate cardiac muscle cells affecting its function.

6) High blood pressure; overweight animals tend to have increased blood pressure. This leads to an increased work load on the heart too. Ultimately increased work load can lead to congestive heart failure.

7) Respiratory difficulty; generally being heavier means moving around becomes more difficult and strenuous. Additional fat in the chest and abdomen restricts the expansion of the lungs and so restricts the amount of oxygen your animal can take in within one breath.

8) Diabetes; obesity in cats is a known risk factor for the development of diabetes mellitus. Overweight animals will have extra glucose in their blood stream and therefore higher demands for insulin. High requirements for insulin can lead to insulin resistance and ultimately destruction of the cells that produce insulin. This results in Diabetes; a lifelong medical condition. In dogs, feeding fatty meals can predispose to pancreatitis which can also lead to destruction of insulin producing cells.

9) Liver disease; excessive fat can accumulate in the liver, a condition known as hepatic lipidosis. This can significantly affect liver function.

10) Reproductive problems; Overweight animals are prone to complications when delivering their young, this is often referred to as dystocia. This increases the risk of requiring medical or surgical intervention.

11) Incontinence; Incontinence develops due to weakening of the sphincter between the bladder wall and the urethra. When an overweight animal lies down they put more pressure on an already weakened sphincter which worsens the condition.

12) Immune system dysfunction; Obesity in animals has been associated with a poor immune system response to certain infections. The exact cause however is unknown.

13) Increased risk of developing cancer; the link between obesity and the development of certain cancer types has been found in some scientific studies.

14) Skin and anal gland issues; skin folds created by overweight dogs can lead to skin fold infections and discomfort. Fat accumulation around anal glands can also prevent natural emptying.

15) Increased surgical and anaesthetic risk; for many reasons it is not ideal to perform surgery on an overweight animal. If your animal is overweight and requires elective surgery we would recommend weight loss prior to this. However, in an emergency situation where the surgery cannot be delayed this can increase the risks to your animal.

16) Quality and length of life; Obesity can significantly reduce the lifespan of your pet and can have a huge impact on the quality of their life too. We want our pets to be able to do the things they enjoy to do therefore keeping there weight to an ideal is really important.

So next time your furry friend is giving you those ‘please feed me’ eyes say no! It really is in their best interests. They will soon start not to expect it from you and get distracted by something else! If you need advice on what to feed your pet or would like some helpful tips then please contact us on 01606 880 890.

Hollybank’s Brave Pet of the Month…Bert!

Posted on 28th January, 2016 by Richard Hewitt28th January, 2016

Bert, an eight year old Westie who lives with his brother Ernie, came to see us in August for his yearly booster. His owner mentioned that over the preceding few days he had seemed sore when the top of his head was touched. There was a slight discolouration to his skin and we decided to try some pain relief to see if it settled. A few days later the discolouration was worse and appeared to be a bruise around his eye that was a little puffy. Bert was known to head butt the dog flap and so we wondered if that might be the cause. Given he had no other signs he had some different pain relief to try. If it didn’t improve we were going to need to do further investigations.

Initially it seemed to be getting better and Bert was more comfy – but a few days later things had worsened again. The swelling around his left eye was more marked and Bertie was miserable. We decided to send Bert for a CT scan of that area. This can be more sensitive than an x-ray and we were keen to find out exactly what was going on. Bertie was started on antibiotics whilst we waited for the scan at a specialist facility – an infection or abscess was a possibility but we were concerned about a tumour too.

The CT scan confirmed Bert sadly had a tumour. It was involving his skull around his eye and also in his sinuses. A biopsy was taken at the time of the scan and we waited for those results to decide what we could do next. Unfortunately the tumour was not operable but chemotherapy or radiation therapy might be appropriate.

The sample results came back as inflammation – but we were concerned that was not a true representation of what was going on and a deeper biopsy needed to be taken. Another biopsy was taken here. We tried to go as deep into the mass as we could, mindful of the fact that Bertie’s brain was sitting just behind and if we went too deep we could cause problems. The bone was very crumbly but we were able to take a good biopsy. This confirmed that Bert was suffering from a carcinoma – a malignant cancer that is normally very invasive. Bertie also had an infection in his left eye now, likely a result of not being able to use that eye properly as the mass was getting larger. He was started on some eye drops which his owner got very good at putting in quickly as Bert was less than keen!

We had a big chat with an oncologist about the best next steps for Bertie. Options included radiation therapy or chemotherapy. After discussion and weighing up the pros and cons of each we decide to embark on chemotherapy. Tumours of the sinus such as Bert’s are pretty rare and so we could not be certain how well he would respond but we all wanted to give him the best chance of more, good quality, time, with his owner and his brother.

Dogs and cats tend to cope with chemotherapy very well. It is imperative that they have good quality of life whilst they are having chemotherapy and so we have to make sure that they remain well. They don’t tend to suffer from hair loss and nausea is less common too. Bertie was started on a regime that involved him coming in every 3 weeks. He also had some anti-sickness and anti-diarrhoea tablets in case he needed them. He also continued on three types of pain relief as we wanted to make sure he was definitely comfortable.

Bertie really improved after his first session of chemotherapy. He didn’t really suffer from any side effects and the mass shrunk a little. He was bright and lively and went on holiday with his owner and Ernie. He went running on the beach and had a really lovely time.

Sadly, a few days after returning from his holidays Bert began to be poorly. He had some more medications to try and improve things but he developed a nose bleed. The swelling around his eye worsened again and he wasn’t happy. His owner took the very difficult decision to put Bertie to sleep. We were all so pleased he responded well to his first session of chemotherapy – it gave him some really good quality time with his family and allowed him to enjoy his holiday to the beach which he loved.

Bertie was a one-off. He will always be remembered with a smile. He was feisty, knew his own mind and made sure we behaved ourselves! But he was also affectionate and brave and we miss him.

Have you seen a demodex mite??

Posted on 21st January, 2016 by Richard Hewitt17th May, 2016

What are demodex?

Demodex are mites which live in the hair follicles within your dog or cat’s skin although they are not visible to the naked eye. In small numbers they make up part of their normal skin environment. The mites spend their entire life cycle on your pet and are not considered to be contagious. However, in large numbers these mites can cause problems and can then be referred to as ‘Demodicosis’ or ‘Demodectic mange.’

How do normal mites suddenly become a problem?

This is not completely understood but links have been found with; type of breed, immune system suppression therefore, young, old or ill animals are at higher risk. In young animals it may also be due to an inherited immune dysfunction

What does demodicosis look like?

The mites can affect a few small areas leading to well defined areas of hair loss, redness and dry flaky skin. These are commonly around the lips, eyes or forelimbs but can occur anywhere. They are not typically itchy. In some cases this can progress to generalized disease affecting your animals whole body. In these cases they have large areas of hair loss, redness and can even develop oily or crusty skin. Secondary bacterial infection can also occur which can then make your animal itchy.

We have recently seen Vinny, a 1 year old mischevious Bull dog for areas of hair loss and redness over his muzzle, face, both forelimbs and chest.

How do prove that demodex are causing the issue?

We take a series of samples from your pet’s skin and look at these samples under a microscope. In large numbers we should be able to see the Demodex mites.

If we find Demodex and your animal is young, like Vinny, then we often proceed straight to treatment. However, in older animals we have to ask ourselves why the Demodex have been able to multiply. In these cases it is best to try to identify any underlying disease or immune suppression, however, in some cases this may not be possible.

How do we treat Demodicosis?

The only licensed treatment in the UK is a liquid your animal must be washed in.

The typical course is four weekly washes but this may need to be continued for longer. If your pet has a particularly thick or long coat then it may need to be clipped to allow adequate contact and penetration of the product.

Any underlying conditions must be addressed where possible.

Vinny was extremely well behaved for his washes and after four his repeat skin tests were negative for Demodex. His skin looks lots better and his hair is already growing back. We will monitor Vinny for recurrence of these signs again and in the mean time we have no doubt he will be up to mischief!