• As pet owners we all must be aware of ticks, as last year was the worst year ever for the number of ticks seen in south Mississauga. At this hospital we saw approximately 350 ticks. The vast majority of ticks were from dogs who had not left our neighbourhood. Ticks are 1/8-1/2 inch blood sucking parasites that transmit life-threatening diseases to our pets and to us (Lyme disease etc.) 
• We are blood screening for these diseases as we did last spring,
• We are also dispensing preventive monthly drops that are applied on the skin to help kill the ticks.
• Please check your dog’s skin, daily, for abnormal lumps. When you look under the lump, you would see the tiny legs wiggling around.  Before trying to remove a tick, please call us for advice.
• Public Health Concern – please check all of your family members who have been outdoors.  Ticks are definitely attaching to people and can/will pass Lyme disease.
• We will be vaccinating dogs for Lyme disease if you travel to Lake Erie, Eastern Lake Ontario, the north east USA.  We are monitoring the situation locally, and will start vaccinating for Lyme disease for local dogs if the need arises.

For further updated information regarding ticks:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/pdc/Factsheets/Other/Ticks.htm
http://www.dogsandticks.com
www.canlyme.com

Dog back home. After bolting from the home of Kim Velocci (right) on May 24, Sheldon was found last week by Mississauga Animal Services and returned home to a relieved owner, Janet Irvine.

Staff photo by Rob Beintema

For nearly a month, Janet Irvine and Kim Velocci feared the worst for Irvine’s dog, Sheldon.

The year-and-a-half-old Sheltie-Papillon mix, who was staying with Velocci at her Mississauga Rd./Eglinton Ave. area home while Irvine, her cousin, was on vacation, bolted through the front door on May 24 as Velocci returned home from dropping off her daughter. They were unable to corral Sheldon.

The longer the dog remained missing, Velocci said, everyone worried about him being on his own, battling rainstorms and trying to find food and shelter.

However, those fears were put to rest last Wednesday when Sheldon, healthy and happy, was returned to Irvine. He was found by Mississauga Animal Services at a home near Eglinton Ave. and Winston Churchill Blvd. after the homeowners had called, thinking a wild animal was under the deck.

The animal services worker recognized Sheldon immediately from the “missing” posters that had been distributed. Velocci, who searched for Sheldon for weeks, felt like she had let her cousin and Sheldon down. She said she should’ve been more careful, especially considering Sheldon’s recent rescue from a hoarding situation near Quinte, along with 61 other dogs. He had spent most of his young life confined to a crate, with other dogs, before his rescue.

“I still feel terrible because of how many stories out there don’t end like this and I feel terrible for putting everyone through that,” said Velocci, adding she’s indebted to friends, family, rescue groups and volunteers who helped search for Sheldon.

“It felt like we had an army of supporters, and this was a comfort that we needed.”

As it turned out, Sheldon had remained in the area for a few days, and at one point was spotted along the railway tracks heading into Streetsville. He was seen later at Erin Centre Blvd. and Roanoke Crt. and, later still, in the Thomas St./McFarren Blvd. area.

Irvine says she’s still in shock that he’s home, adding her family can breathe, laugh and joke around again.

As for Sheldon, he’s back to his old tricks, she says, playing with the cat just like before he went missing. Now, though, the family keeps him on his leash in the backyard. And while he’s a bit shell-shocked, he’s the same sweet dog that they love, Irvine said. “… he’s not as exuberant, but that’s going to come with time,” she added, noting Sheldon has proven to be a “resilient” dog. jle@mississauga.net.

Assiez! Le main! Viens ici! Winston came with a basic set of French commands and no manual. Our client services co-ordinator, Vanessa, adopted him from a rescue society is Quebec when he was 18 months old. Winston is every inch a typical terrier. He is high energy and maybe a little too smart for his own good. His only speed setting is “fast”.

Being a smaller breed of dog placed Winston at risk for increased periodontal disease. Vanessa had anticipated that his teeth would need special attention and has been vigilant about providing dental homecare to both Winston and his little brother, Copain. He eats Medi-Cal dental formula and regularly has his teeth brushed. With careful attention to home care practises, Vanessa was able to delay the need for a professional cleaning for several years.

As with our own teeth, we can brush diligently at home but still require regular professional cleanings. It is important to have a thorough scaling, polishing, and oral exam to maintain good oral health. Unlike ourselves, dogs do not sit happily and open their mouths to let us clean their teeth properly. A professional dental cleaning is performed under general anesthetic to ensure that we are reaching the most important areas of the mouth – the ones that you can’t see! Cleaning the calculus that accumulates on the crown of the tooth is only half the battle. The real damage is done by bacteria that live below that gumline and are not removed by brushing alone.

We all know someone who has a filling in every tooth and their brother who hasn’t had a cavity in his life. Like us, no two dogs have mouths that behave the same. A complex set of factors including genetics, immune status, and susceptibility to various types of oral bacteria influence how quickly periodontal disease will progress. Some dogs reach their senior years with beautiful teeth and some have had many extractions by the time they are several years old. Because Winston’s mouth accumulates tartar rather quickly, he will be receiving regular professional cleanings. Winston’s New Years Resolution will be to learn how to floss and conquer his fear of thunderstorms!

Milton led a quiet life until this past April. His Mom noticed that he had been stressed by a household move. He had begun to urinate around the new apartment. Cats that stop using their litter boxes often have medical problems that cause them to behave this way. Milton was experiencing FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease).

Milton had a “cystocentesis” performed. This technique involves collecting a sterile urine sample directly from the bladder using a small needle. Milton’s urine revealed both white blood cells – evidence of an infection – and struvite crystals. The crystals pose multiple problems. Alone, they are sharp and can irritate the bladder wall, resulting in infection, bloody urine and pain. When they clump together, they obstruct the exit from the bladder. When urine cannot be passed, a cat is considered to be “blocked”. There are several risk factors that can cause cats to develop crystals and become blocked. Male cats are designed with a particularly narrow urethra (the tube that exits the bladder) and it does not take many crystals to clog it up. Most cats do not voluntarily drink enough water. This causes the urine to become very concentrated. In these conditions, crystals are very likely to form and clump together to form little rocks, called “calculi”. Cats that are overweight are also much more likely to become blocked

Because Milton was at serious risk of becoming blocked, he was placed on intravenous fluids to help increase urine production and keep his urine very dilute. He received some pain medication at this time. A urinary catheter was placed to help keep the urethra open and sterile saline flushed through his bladder to help rinse out any calculi (stones). Another concern for Milton was because he felt so painful and sick, he was not eating. Cats that are overweight and stop eating suddenly can become ill with another serious condition called Hepatic Lipidosis or “Fatty Liver Syndrome”. It was critical that Milton get enough food in him to prevent this from happening. A combination of syringe feeding and appetite stimulating medication was able to successfully prevent Milton from getting into more serious trouble.

Cats that develop crystals and block once are very likely to do so again. Milton was no exception. One month later, Milton was peeing all over the house again. This time he went to the emergency clinic and was referred to the Ontario Veterinary College. There is a type of surgery available that can re-route the urethra so that Milton would be less likely to have this problem again, but there are some serious risks associated with the surgery. Since factors that contribute to FLUTD include being overweight, low water intake and stress, Milton’s Mom opted to manage his condition through diet, weight loss, and vigilant monitoring. Milton now eats much more canned food to get more water. He is slowly and steadily losing weight (he has a way to go, but is down to 24.9 pounds!) and his Mom knows exactly what behaviour to look for to catch problems early.

Animal Services delivered her to the Mississauga Oakville Emergency Hospital where she was examined by a Doctor. She was estimated to be three or four months old. She was friendly, lovely and confident, however she had no eyes! The likely cause for her lack of eyeballs was either congenital (born that way) or a very bad infection as a kitten that had damaged her eyes permanently. She had a surgery to close her eyelids to prevent further infection from setting in.

Always up for a challenge, Dr. Mochan-Carberry took on the little cat. At home, Fleur quickly took over the whole house! She navigates the house almost as well as a fully-sighted cat. She knows to use her own litter box in the basement, where her toys are (even when Mom can’t find them!), sits on the windowsill to listen to the birds and even plays with the other cat.

In most ways, Fleur is just like any other cat, except she has a few special needs:

• She communicates via vocalization and needs to be spoken to constantly.
• If the house is changed, she will adapt but needs to be given time.
• Strangers in the house require a little time to get used to, just be patient.
• Strange or loud noises can be frightening, as can complete silence. A radio is left on so that there is always background noise.

Fleur is a lucky little kitten who overcame great obstacles and has turned out to be a loving and affectionate pet. She is proof that physically challenged pets can make wonderful companions and go on to lead healthy, happy and full lives!

Sevoog arrived at Clarkson Village in June 2009 because he had lost some weight, wasn’t eating as well as he normally did and wasn’t himself. Sevoog had experienced urinary crystals (a relatively common cat health problem) when he was much younger. Because he was also urinating outside his litter box, it was suspected that this might be a recurrence of the same type of problem. During his appointment, Sevoog urinated and it contained blood. Dr. Johnson performed an ultrasound of his bladder that showed a lot of sediment (often evidence of urinary crystals) and possible small stones. Cats with this condition require a change to a specialized food to help prevent stones from forming and need to drink as much water as possible. If the sediment in Sevoog’s bladder were to clump into stones, there was the potential that it could block his urethra and become a life-threatening condition.

Sevoog continued to feel ill and required hospitalization. When cats are sick and do not eat, they are at risk for a complication called hepatic lipidosis – more commonly “fatty liver disease” (FLD). FLD is one of the most common causes of liver failure in cats. It is more common in cats who are overweight, but any cat can develop it. FLD is a serious complication that can happen when cats suddenly decrease their food intake (i.e. illness, escaped from the house and did not eat for a day or two, drastic diet changes, fighting with other cats in the household).

When a cat does not eat, their body quickly enters starvation mode and begins to use fat from their body for nutrition. The fat cells – called lipocytes – must be processed through the liver and cat livers are not designed to handle high levels of fat. The lipocytes quickly fill the liver (hence the common name) and it begins to fail. FLD is very serious, is fatal if not treated and requires immediate and aggressive treatment to reverse. Sevoog continued to be ill and his bloodwork showed elevated liver enzymes – a sign that liver damage was occurring. An ultrasound was performed to examine his other internal organs and a small sample was taken with a needle directly from his liver, which confirmed that he had developed hepatic lipidosis.

Cats with FLD are very sick and continue to not eat – which makes their condition worse. Sevoog underwent a short general anesthetic and had a feeding tube placed directly in his esophagus. This allowed him to go home and be fed enough food to survive without stressing him further by force feeding. A combination of medications were given to prevent infection and combat the nausea to keep him comfortable.

Sevoog’s Mom was a little nervous about taking care of a cat with a feeding tube, but with a little practice she quickly became an expert. She was such a trooper! She managed to maintain his weight and nurse him through a very difficult time. She even delayed her own vacation so that she could stay home and be with him while he recovered. After having his tube in place for 2 weeks, Sevoog recovered enough to have it removed and begin eating on his own again. Today Sevoog has returned to his happy, normal self and continues to do well.

Dusty was admitted to the hospital right away to begin intravenous fluid therapy and to have comprehensive blood and urine screens done in hope of finding the cause of her mysterious loss of appetite. Dusty’s test results were alarming! Her kidney values were off the charts and it was clear that they were no longer functioning correctly. Dusty was in danger of her kidneys shutting down and could die if left un-treated. Dusty’s Mom was ready and willing to take all the action that was necessary to save Dusty! At first Dusty stayed with us in hospital to be monitored while receiving fluids to re-hydrate her and was fed a new reduced protein food to aid her kidney function. She showed great potential in the first day, as she was alert and walking around. She wasn’t vomiting as she had been previously, and she was eating small amounts of her new food. This continued on to the following day and the doctors were extremely optimistic! Dusty had a setback on day 3. Her temperature increased dramatically and she was no longer able to walk around on her own. She also had a decrease in appetite and began to vomiting again. This was discouraging to everyone in the hospital as well as Dusty’s mom since she had shown so much promise just hours before. Dusty received an injection of Cerenia to counteract her nausea and stop the vomiting, an antibiotic injection since she was not able to keep her medications down, a liquid appetite stimulant and Potassium was added to her fluids to provide additional assistance to her kidneys. Once this was all completed, Dusty was stable and her blood work was repeated to see if there had been any changes (good or bad) to her internal organs. These blood tests showed good improvement and Dusty was back on the right path. On day 4, Dusty was back up and moving around, eating without vomiting and her temperature was back to normal. She spent the day with us, and that evening she was ready to go home to her Mom. Dusty required very specific and very complicated instructions for at home. Although her condition was now stable, she still needed great commitment from her Mom to keep her going. Dusty required several medications to be given to her daily, and also needed subcutaneous fluids to be administered twice daily. Dusty’s Mom came in and was taught by our technician how to give Dusty her fluids and was also shown which medication and supplements to give and when. Mrs. Field was a pleasure to teach and was eager to get Dusty home and continue with all of her treatments.

Mrs. Field took Dusty home that evening equipped with many medications, fluids and numerous instructions! Dusty has continued to do well at home. She will receive regular monitoring of her kidneys and adjustments to her medications to keep her stable. Dusty is a lucky kitty and it has been a pleasure to work with both her and her Mom to get and keep her healthy!

If your dog has packed on a few pounds, you have a lot of options. It’s easy to add in some extra walks, visit the dog park, or go for a run. But when your cat has developed a spare tire, how do you convince them that they need to hit the gym? Many cat owners struggle to help their pets lose weight. Cats are not motivated dieters and owners can become frustrated when that scale will not budge.

Overweight kitties face many health risks. Diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and more. They often can’t groom themselves well and get matted hair and flaky skin. They stop playing and may be grumpy and show other personality changes. Sometimes they stop using the litter box.

With cats, it is important that they lose weight slowly. Cats who drop weight too quickly may develop a life-threatening condition called “fatty liver”. For this reason, we plan for slow steady weight loss which happens over months. The following kitties are inspiration to show us all that it can be done! The key is perseverance and consistency.

Sabrina and White Sox were born to Dust Bunny in 2002. When they were a couple of years old, there were some major upsets to their lifestyle. A death in the family and a major schedule change upset their normal routine. Both girls were stressed. They began to take it out on each other and White Sox began soiling outside the litter box. Their weight had also begun to creep up.

Sabrina topped out at 15.8 pounds in November 2005. White Sox wasn’t far behind at 13.7 pounds. Their food was switched to Medi-Cal reducing formula – a special diet designed to promote weight loss. Also, they started to eat canned food. Most cats do not get enough water in their diets. Canned food can be of tremendous benefit for weight loss and the prevention and treatment of urinary and kidney problems. Their free-feeding option was taken away and they began to receive their measured portions at designated times.

An important component to a weight loss program is regular monitoring. Sabrina and White Sox were weighed every month to check their progress. As the weight started to come off, Mom noticed some other positive results, as well. Their coats became shiny and fluffier. They began to brighten up and play instead of fighting with each other. And most importantly, they were losing weight and getting healthy!

Once they reached their target weights, they were switched to Medi-Cal weight control diet, which is going to help maintain their new svelte figures. And how successful were they? White Sox lost 3.6 pounds – a total of 26% of her original weight. Sabrina lost 5.0 pounds – a whopping 32% of her original weight! Body condition scales are used to rate a pet’s weight. On a scale of 1 to 4, both girls now check in at a “2” – which means ideal condition. Congratulations!

Some wounds are able to heal on their own, but unfortunately for Charlie the lacerations on his ear would need surgical intervention to heal. Charlie required aenesthetic agents to sedate him for his surgery, as well as antibiotics post-operatively, to minimize the risk of infection.

At Clarkson Village Animal Hospital we take all precautions needed to minimize the risk of an adverse event for each pet. We perform pre-surgical blood screens to ensure their major organs are properly functioning and that the immune system is working well. We also tailor our sedatives and anesthetics to the requirements of each individual patient.

Charlie was no exception. Generally, we send our blood samples to an outside laboratory, but we needed the results as soon as possible, in order to begin Charlie’s procedure, so we performed the blood tests here at our hospital.

Knowing that Charlie was an older patient and estimating the length of time sedation would be needed, we formulated a plan for his procedure. The ear is composed of thin layers, making it very difficult to bring tissues back to their original place. Dr. Mudrick’s surgical experience spans decades and enabled him to do a great job repairing the lacerations.

After surgery, Charlie required a bandage from the top of his head, all the way down his neck. Since ears are very vascular, any trauma can cause blood vessels in the ear to bleed, resulting in a pooling of blood under the tissues (aural hematoma). A tight-fitting bandage was necessary to minimize the risk of an aural hematoma.

Charlie did amazing post-operatively and is now bandage-free! Even though an unfortunate series of events brought him to our hospital, there is a silver lining to this story. Charlie’s mom had a pet insurance policy that covered 100% of the costs for his procedure, making a Friday morning incident a little more tolerable.

Human weight loss and fitness are a multi-billion dollar industry. The extra weight creeps up on us – a few pounds here, a few pounds there. We’re tired, our joints ache, and we don’t feel at our best. A few extra pounds can add up to a lot of extra risk. It’s hard to detect a 1 pound difference by your eye, but a few years of 1 lb weight gain will lead to big problems. Pets develop many of the same weight-related diseases that people do; heart disease, diabetes, and degenerative joint disease – leading to an overall shorter life span and decreased quality of life. Gaining weight is a simple matter of too many calories eaten and not enough calories burned. It is a common misconception that spaying or neutering a pet causes them to become fat. What does happen is that they are not burning calories by seeking mates or marking territories and we continue to feed them as if they were. There are some medical conditions such as hypothyroidism that can cause weight gain and these need to be ruled out with simple blood tests before embarking on a fitness program.

Our pets make it so hard to say no! They cock their heads and look longingly at the cupboard where the treats are kept. They pace, they beg, they whine. They do everything except get up on the counter and make themselves a sandwich. They are master manipulators and we need to be savvy to their ways! Unfortunately, they have no concept of calories and body condition. It is our responsibility as owners to make sure that they eat a healthy, balanced diet and get enough exercise. Every time you give a treat (when your pet is begging) is teaching your pet to beg again, as you rewarded this behavior.

Drake is a 7-year-old retriever cross. His weight gain was slow and steady. In the spring of 2006, his weight had reached an astonishing 117 pounds. Grandma had been showing her love through hot dogs and cheese. Mom and Dad were working a lot and slacking on the dog walking. Drake didn’t want to walk or play. He tired easily and slept most of the time. He had no visible waist, we could not feel his ribs or spine and he had a fat pad at the base of his tail – all telltale signs of an overweight dog.

First we needed to set a goal and decide on a plan to reach it. Drake’s target weight was 95 pounds. We would change his diet, cut out the treats and increase his physical activity. Weight loss requires a full commitment by everyone in the family. Grandma required education to convince her that she was harming Drake with too many treats. Mom and Dad both needed to step up the exercise and stick to a feeding schedule and measured amounts of food.

Drake was switched to the Medi-Cal Dental Formula. It is low-calorie and also helps to take care of his teeth. We calculated his daily requirement to be 4 cups of food, split over 2 feedings. After a few frustrating weeks of little progress, we determined that Drake had continued to manipulate us! He had been begging breakfast from Mom and then again from Dad. We quickly learned that we needed to better communicate when Drake had been fed.

Drake had spoiled us by using the backyard as his toilet. On cold or rainy days, we didn’t walk anywhere. We were often busy and the first chore to be neglected was walking the dog. It became easy to ignore because he was overweight and not enjoying his walks. We needed to pretend that we didn’t have a yard at all and get back to walking! Drake now walks for 20 to 30 minutes in the morning and again in the evening. On nice days we walk for 45 minutes or more at a time.

The reward has been that over the last 6 months Drake has made significant strides towards his goal weight. We re-check his weight monthly and determine if he needs more exercise. He has more energy. He gets excited about going for a walk and has a bounce in his step. We can feel evidence of ribs! He is not stiff when he gets up from a nap. The addition of a little Schnauzer sister means that Drake needs to do a lot more playing to entertain her and he rises to the occasion – gently playing tug of war and racing around the house. As a pleasant side-effect, Mom has also lost 14 pounds! It has been a lot of work but every cold rainy walk has been worth it to see Drake happy again and know that we have helped to increase his chances of leading a long, healthy life.

DRAKE UPDATE: September 2009 – Drake is down to 90.8lbs – 0.8lbs away from his goal!!!!!!! His Mom reports that he is much more active – leaping on and off the bed, running regularly and bringing out his toys for Elsie and him to play with together. Keep up the great work!