Il tuo Veterinario a portata di click

NOBODY'S DOG by Trudie James

>> 12/16/12 – Please have your dog microchipped and neutered have peace of mind that this will not happen to your pet

Today is the death day of nobody's dog
Nothing will mark it but a note in the log
I'm faceless and nameless and no tears will fall
For I know in your world I have no worth at all.

To you, my sweet someone, I am a friend and a dear
We ran the wind daily and you held me so near
But the gate was left open - I changed a walk on my own
I'd have cowered in fear if only I'd known.

I know how you cried on the night that I strayed
I know how you searched, I know how you prayed
But I went to a pound far far from our home
Where I crouched in despair in my kennel alone.

I know that you phoned for I heard your dear voice
And I hope you would hear me so I barked myself hoarse
Although I am a Lab cross with stockings all white
On their form I'm a Staff cross the description's not right.

So they said I' m not here and I sank to my bed
My kennel cough's worse and I can't raise my head
The rescue came yesterday but they hadn't a place
for a un-neutered cross breed with his mucus-streaked face.

You would have known me at once
You would have sensed I was near
You would have sorted my ills
You would have carried me home
And I promise our God no more would I roam.

Now my eyes plead for mercy for my seven days are done
And I am waiting with dread for the final vet run
No arms will caress me as they inject me to death
No words will comfort me as I take my last breath.

When the body man comes, it is fitting I'm found
In a bin bag in the freezer in the depths of the pound
Thrown away like the rubbish no respect and no shame
Denied even the time to find you again.

My loyalty and devotion they did cruelly betray
Without microchip or name tag I am just a dispensable stray
Once waggy-tailed, once proud, beloved and free
Oh Dad look with pain at what mankind's done to me!

Fireworks frighten animals

Nowadays fireworks feature at all kind of celebration, not just bonfire night. Many people enjoy fireworks but many pets are frightened by them.
Do not ignore the problem, follow these simple tips or refer the problem to a professional animal behaviour counsellor if needed.

KEEPING CATS AND DOGS SAFE AND SECURE

During the fireworks season, at nightfall, close all windows and curtains and put on some music to mask and muffle the fireworks sounds.

If your dog or cat shows any sign of fear, try to ignore his/her behaviour unless there is imminent danger - for example, if he/she is likely to self-harm.

Never show anger to your dog or cat if she/he appears frightened - this will only convince your pet that there really is something to be afraid of!

Do not fuss over or try to reassure your pet when he/she is frightened.

Make sure your pet is kept in a safe and secure environment at all times, so that he/she can't bolt and escape in reaction to a sudden noise. If you have had your pet microchipped you will certainly improve the chances of a safe return if he/she does escape.

DOGS - BEFORE THE FIREWORKS START

A dog-appeasing pheromone diffuser that disperses calming chemicals into the room may be a good option. Your vet might even prescribe medication.

You can plan ahead a "doggy play area" in your house - choose one of the quieter rooms. Try to train your dog and let him associate the play area with a positive experience: play games with your dog in the play area, with a variety of toys. Put away toys when not in use so that your dog does not become bored with them.

Some dogs appreciate being able to withdraw when they are frightened, so the provision of a doggy den in the "doggy play area" may help them to cope. For example, this can be a wardrobe or a cupboard coved with his/her blanket.

WHEN THE FIREWORKS START

When the fireworks season begins, close any windows and black out the "doggy play area" to remove any additional problems caused by flashing lights.

Each evening before the fireworks begin, move your dog in the play area and provide toys and other things that she/he enjoys.

Do not leave the dog alone and set a good example: ignore the fireworks noise, play with a toy to see if he/she wants to join in, but don't force him/her to play.

You can also listen to some (classic) music together.

Do not walk your dog when the fireworks are about to begin.

CATS

If possible, keep your cat indoor when fireworks are likely to be set off - do not forget to lock the cat flap once he/she is indoors.

Make sure that your cat has somewhere to hide if she/he wants to - for example, under or on top of some furniture or inside a cupboard. Do not try to tempt him/her out, as this causes increased stress.

SMALL ANIMALS

If your pets live outside, partly cover cages, pens and aviaries with blankets so that one area is well sound-proofed. Make sure that your pet is still able to look out.

Provide lots of extra bedding for your pets so that they have something to burrow in.

Prof. Daniel Mills MRCVS, University of Lincoln

Your Pet and Anesthetics

Modern day anesthetics allow veterinarians to perform a vast amount of sophisticated medical procedures and surgeries with negligible consequences. Anesthesia is used for 2 main purposes. The first is to minimize anxiety. This can be very significant in a scared animal that is brought into a strange surrounding when it is not feeling well. The second is to eliminate pain and relax the muscles for surgical or invasive procedures. The anesthesia we use has been adapted from human medicine. As a matter of fact, in most cases, we use the exact same anesthetic agents and equipment. The main piece of equipment we use is a machine that allows us to administer anesthetic as a gas. This is a very safe and effective way to administer anesthesia, and is especially important for us doctors that work on exotic animals. New and safe injectable anesthetics are used more and more in dog and cat medicine because they have less impact on the environment. Preanesthetic preparation is one of the keys to safety. This involves an examination, blood sampling, and the use of intravenous fluids for older or riskier patients. Age is no limit to anesthesia as long as proper preanesthetic precautions are taken. Some people have an inordinate fear of anesthesia because they heard of some animal dying or had a bad experience years ago. It is rare to almost non-existent for an animal to die from anesthesia when routine precautions are taken, so this fear is unnecessary. It is common to have this fear when a pet is anesthetized for teeth cleaning. Dental disease is the most overlooked and serious problem of animals that are presented to our hospital.

Anesthesia allows us to clean under the gumline with our ultrasonic scaler, care for infected or broken teeth, and polish the teeth to prevent the recurrence of gingivitis.

The risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease causing illness in your pet is magnitudes higher than the risk of anesthesia. We have substantial information on our web site regarding anesthesia and even dental diseases. Please follow these links: Anesthesia- http://www.lbah.com/anes.htm Dental Disease- http://www.lbah.com/dent.htm From the doctors at the Long Beach Animal Hospital

3816 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804 USA

Exotic Pets?

Over the last 20 years it has been quite trendy to own some of the more unusual pets like birds and reptiles. Even though many of them make great pets, they are not as domesticated as dogs and cats. This leads to a significant amount of frustrating problems for their owners and us veterinarians. You have a responsibility to educate yourself on the needs of these animals

before you purchaseone of them. To think that you can take an animal from the wild and recreate a proper habitat for it in your house with little effort is sheer folly.

Many of these animals are exquisitely adapted to their particular niche and don't

do well when taken out of this environment.

If you are not going to make their care a highpriority in you life then you don't

belong owning one of them. In many cases the nutritional requirements are not

known. We have an idea of what they need to eat, and try to replicate the foods

they eat in the wild, but it is only an educated guess. Nature is verycomplicated,

and these nutritional needs are very specific. This is particularly important in reptiles

since they are dependent on their environment to a much greater degree than

most any other animal. Iguana's are probably the most common reptile presented to us, due mostly to their popularity and the medical problems that affect them. By the time an owner brings them in for medical care the disease process is well entrenched and difficult to correct. You can learn more about this Iguana disease by following this link on our web site: http://www.lbah.com/reptile/nshp.htm From the doctors at the Long Beach Animal Hospital WWW.LBAH.COM

3816 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804 USA

Does your pet have heartworm?

With Spring soon upon us its time to start preparing for the upcoming heartworm season. Heartworm is caused by a parasite called dirofiliaria immitis. It is spread to dogs, and recently cats, by a mosquito. The mosquito is a necessary part of the life cycle. Traditionally this disease only occurred in hot and humid states that were essential to mosquito breeding. The disease occurs throughout our country now, although heatworm preventive medications have had a significant effect in lowering the incidence of heartworms.
Dogs and cats of any breed can be infected, although we tend to see it more in large male dogs. Since it takes at least 6 months from the time a mosquito injects microfilaria into a dog until these microfilaria become adult heartworms, puppies must be at least 6 months of age before adult heartworms are present. Most dogs are diagnosed at middle age.Many dogs do not have any symptoms until heart failure progresses. This emphasizes the need for yearly testing. Many products are available to prevent heartworm (some of them also treat intestinal worms so they can be of great value). These products are inexpensive, easy to use, and effective. They should not be used routinely unless your dog has a yearly heartworm test to make sure it is negative. Heartworm infestation can lead to heart failure. Treatment can be hard on a dog, so it is of utmost importance to plan on preventing the problem with the low cost and readily available medications used for prevention, as opposed to taking a chance and treating only if the problem occurs. We have detailed information on Heartworm Disease on our web site at www.lbah.com Follow the drop down menu to Heart Disease, and click on the Heartworm links. From the doctors at the Long Beach Animal Hospital

3816 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804 USA

Pet skin allergies

Skin allergy, also know as atopy or allergic inhalant dermatitis, is the most common medical condition at our hospital. In most cases it becomes a lifetime problem that causes significant frustration for you and your pet. The most common causes are grasses, trees, and shrubs in the outdoors, and bed bugs, molds, and mites indoors. In addition to atopy, fleas are a significant cause of skin allergy, and even foods can be a source of the allergy problem. Many treatments are commonly used to minimize itching and scratching due to atopy: Avoidance - Minimizing exposure to grasses, trees, and shrubs when possible - High quality room purifiers in sleeping area Topicals - Water- Cool water baths soothe skin and rinse away allergens - Colloidal oatmeal shampoo and rinse - Antihistamines and anti-inflammatories spray on affected areas Dietary - Low allergen food- Hills Z/D, venison, potato, lamb - Essential fatty acids- EFA-Z or Derm Caps Immunotherapy - Allergy testing and allergy injections Cyclosporine - Anti-rejection medication that also has a powerful effect on itching Antihistamines - Decrease scratching with minimal side effects Antibiotics - Used for at least 3 weeks to control infection and decrease itching Glucocorticoids - Strong anti-itching properties and safe when used at low doses intermittently Our web site at WWW.LBAH.COM has detailed information on the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease for your complete understanding. From the drop down menu on the home page click on the Allergy link, or go right to this page at:

http://www.lbah.com/allergy.htm From the doctors at the Long Beach Animal Hospital WWW.LBAH.COM

3816 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804 USA

Balanced Medical Approach

In the last decade there have been great advances in the medical treatment of animals. We now have at our disposal drugs to treat chronic diseases that previously caused unnecessary discomfort and pain. In addition to these drugs, there have been significant advances in the treatment of animals using a more natural approach. This involves stimulating the body's own immune and nervous system. These advances now allow us to utilize a balanced approach to disease treatment and prevention, utilizing medications as needed, while simultaneously stimulating the body to heal itself. We are now able successfully manage chronic diseases involving the heart, thyroid, kidney, urinary bladder, liver, and musculoskeletal system. The natural approach utilizes diet and medications called nutraceuticals, along with compounds that occur naturally in our environment. A recent advance in the natural approach has been our ability to stimulate the nervous system to increase blood flow to diseased organs and correct imbalances that have been present for a significant period of time. A major advantage to this approach is the fact that no anesthesia, injections, or drugs are used. You can learn more about this in our VOM page at http://www.lbah.com/vom.htm From the doctors at the Long Beach Animal Hospital WWW.LBAH.COM

3816 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804 USA

How To Tell If Your Pet is Ill

With the recent Menu Foods scare it might be a good time to review some of the symptoms pets show when they are ill with an internal disease. In some cases these symptoms are subtle and require careful observation on your part. Also, when a pet has multiple (and busy) owners it is easy to overlook the early signs of disease in pets. Some symptoms of internal disease are obvious, the primary ones being lack of appetite and persistent vomiting or diarrhea, along with lethargy and a strong odor. Lets look at some of the more subtle symptoms that might indicate an internal problem. A pet that does not eat its food as vigorously as it once did could indicate a problem anywhere from the mouth, to the brain, to the internal organs. Panting more than usual, even during the cooler time of the year, could indicate an internal hormone problem called Cushings disease or even discomfort or pain from arthritis or an internal organ problem. Laying around more often, or gravitating towards warm areas could indicate another hormone problem involving the thyroid gland. Any eye or nose discharge that is persistent, and drains from only one side could indicate a number of problems. Subtle behavior changes that include a lack of recognition when your pet greets you, changes in sleep patterns, circling around a table in your house, staring into space, or wandering into a wall could indicate anything from an old age problem to a problem with a brain tumor or central nervous system infection. A pet that drinks or urinates more than its usual amount is a potential symptom of many different problems. The same holds true if your pet experiences the opposite and drinks or urinates less. A significant change in the color of your pets stool, usually much darker or much lighter, is also a potential sign of many different problems. One of the best ways to watch for any of these symptoms is to measure or monitor your pets drinking and eating habits. Use your calendar and mark your parameters down periodically. You can even weigh your pet monthly and write things down each time you weigh your pet. Any change that becomes apparent is an indication for a physical exam by a veterinarian. Yearly Wellness exams that include a physical exam along with a fecal check for parasites and a routine blood panel go a long way towards identifying problems before they become well entrenched and difficult to treat. This is particularly true for our geriatric pets that commonly become ill but do not show any outward or apparent signs. Our Geriatric page athttp://www.lbah.com/senior.htm will give you detailed information about the common diseases of older pets.

From the doctors and staff at Long Beach Animal Hospital http://www.lbah.com

3816 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804 USA

Cushings Disease

Cushings disease, technically called hyperadrenocorticism, is a hormone problem in which the adrenal glands produce to much cortisone. Even though it can appear in other animals, it is primarily a disease of middle aged and older dogs. The small size of the adrenal glands, located at the top of each kidney, does not do any justice to their importance in regulating many body functions. In this disease an excess of the hormone called cortisol is released into the bloodstream. This hormone circulates throughout the body and has a profound effect on many of the internal organs. In most cases the cause is a very slow growing tumor in the pituitary gland that stimulates the adrenal glands to produce and excess of cortisol. In a much smaller number of cases the adrenal glands themselves ban have an benign or malignant tumor that causes the excess secretion of cortisol. Many of the symptoms of this disease are subtle, and can wax and wane. Things to watch for are excessive appetite or panting, drinking or urinating more than usual, a pot bellied appearance to the abdomen, or skin changes. A routine physical exam with a blood panel can give us an indication of this problem. Specialized hormone tests are needed for a definitive diagnosis. Sometimes we even perform an ultrasound to try to visualize the adrenal glands. Several different medications are used to treat the usual form of Cushings. Your doctor will tell you which one is appropriate in your pet's case. Surgery is not commonly utilized and can lead to post operative complications. To learn substantially more about this problem follow our link: http://www.lbah.com/canine/cushings.htm From the doctors and staff at Long Beach Animal Hospitalhttp://www.lbah.com

3816 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804 USA

Is 17-foot-long albino python UK’s longest pet?

Pythons kill by coiling around their prey and suffocating it and have even been known to eat deer and alligators but, to the Rice family, their 5.2m (17ft) long snake called Lilly is the perfect companion and quite a conversation starter.

For Lilly is also reckoned to be Britain’s longest pet. But having a minor reptilian celebrity sharing their three-bedroom home comes with strings attached.

She needs a giant heated tank to sleep in and, when she’s sliding across the Rices’ garden, must be kept under constant supervision.

They don’t want to terrify their neighbours or have to pay compensation for ‘missing’ cats and dogs.

According to Kim Rice, 45, Lilly’s charms are there for all to see.

‘She has a wonderful personality and is very placid and is so laid back that children love her. Lilly is much less trouble to keep than my two dogs.

‘We can let her wonder around the garden, particularly on the grass on a hot day, which she loves.

‘But we do need to make sure she is watched at all times,’ added Mrs Rice from Guyhirn, Cambridgeshire. ‘If she wandered off she would give someone the fright of their lives.

‘We bought Lilly when she was a baby. She is seven years old now which means she is still growing. We think one day she will reach about 20ft long.’

At least the family aren’t being eaten out of house and home. Lilly needs just one rabbit every three weeks.

Chloe Rice, 16, has enrolled in an animal college to study reptile care. She hopes to become a head keeper at a zoo. ‘One day I hope I can care for more giant animals like her,’ she said.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/909544-is-17-foot-long-albino-python-uk-s-longest-pet#ixzz24b0l6EmN

World's Ugliest Dog Mugly set to star in TV documentary

World's Ugliest Dog, Mugly

The World's Ugliest Dog: Mugly (Picture: AFP)

The eight-year-old Chinese crested dog beat 29 other peculiar-looking pets at the annual competition, held in California last week.

A triumphant Mugly has since returned to British soil, following his success across the pond, to promote his new documentary Mutt Ugly.

The former rescue dog attended a photo shoot on Thursday to promote the new show which will air on Channel 5 later this year.

It will follow Mugly on his American journey, beginning five days before he touched down in the US ahead of his triumphant victory.

Mugly, World's Ugliest Dog

Mugly is set to star in his own documentary (Picture: AFP)

Ahead of filming, a Channel 5 spokesman said: 'The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest proves there’s more to this year than the Olympics!

'We’ve no doubt dog lovers and viewers will love this fun documentary.'

Mugly faced stiff competition from hot favourite Handsome Hector for the coveted title, but impressed judges enough to grab the $1,000 (£641) prize and a year's worth of dog cookies.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/903587-worlds-ugliest-dog-mugly-set-to-star-in-tv-documentary#ixzz24axPSzVe

Bella Mae: The Bulldog that survived 500 porcupine spikes to the face.

Pictuer from: elitedaily.com

This 3 year old bulldog Bella Mae is recovering from a porcupine attack that happened to her a couple of days ago on August 2 in Oklahoma. She was in her owner's backyard when she stumbled upon a porcupine. The owners had another dog who was also attacked by the porcupine, but Bella Mae had the worst injuries. Now, what I'm not sure of is whether to feel anger towards the owners or not. It seems like a very irresponsible thing for an owner to do, especially because they already knew that wild animals were going to their backyard pool for water because of the summer heat. I believe that if they knew about this, they should have taken better precautions when letting their dogs roam the backyard, at least keep an eye on them. With that being said, here's the news report video for you guys to see for yourselves. What do you think about this? Do you think the owners have the fault?

Does my pet need lumpectomy for that small mass he/she has in the skin?

In Small Animal Practice is frequent to visit pets for masses in the skin.

It is very important to check your pet's skin regularly and ask the Vet to examine any new lumps or bumps that are changing in size and shape.

Skin masses are various, different and can be found in every part of the body. Sometimes you can identify small pedunculate "skin tag" that should not arise suspicion; other times you can involuntarily find out cutaneous lumps (within the skin) that can be revealed as simple fat deposit. Lumps may be also found in the subcutaneous tissue or within muscles or bones.

Lumps can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Both can be found in every part of the skin and the decision to perform a lumpectomy (surgical removal) depends on the nature of the mass, discomfort that the mass can cause to your pet, results of tests and owner's consent.

Before surgery a few tests are recommended:

1) Complete blood test and urinalysis: help assessing your pet's general health before anaesthesia; it also provides clues about possible tumour spread to other organs;

2) Fine-needle aspiration: is a simple and painless procedure that allows to aspirate a tiny sample of cells from the lump and examine it under a microscope; it can be easily done by your Vet and the result is almost immediately available;

3) Biopsy: when a larger sample is needed to identify the exact nature of the pathologic tissue. A biopsy is usually sent to an external lab for additional testing and results are available in a few days;

4) Radiographs (X-rays): if the mass is suspected to be malignant, abdominal and chest X-rays might help indicate if the tumour has spread within the body (metastasis);

5) Advanced imaging: Ultrasound, CT (Computer Tomography) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) may be recommended to explore the extend of the mass to prepare for surgery or to check for signs of tumour metastasis.

A lumpectomy is the surgical removal of a mass from the skin (or other tissues). The number, appearance, size, growing rate and general health can drive the Vet in the decision making process. If a mass is suspected to be benign, a couple of reasons are valid to proceed with surgery: discomfort that the mass is causing to your pet and owner's consent. If a mass is suspected to be malignant, there are no reason not to proceed with surgery but the owner's compliance.

A lumpectomy is performed under general anaesthesia, all the rules of asepsis must be respected and a preventative antibiotic treatment and painkiller is given. Usually a 2 cm margin is removed together with the mass and the skin is reconstructed with stitches that can be removed after about 10 days. The cicatrix left depends on the size, location and reconstruction technique used but often wounds heal pretty well. Be sure to check the area daily for abnormalities such as swelling, bleeding or discharge. When the Surgeon decides to stitch a drainage under the wound, it should be taken out in 3 days. The drainage will allow the wound to heal better and the discharge to be drained outside and let the wound breathe.

The post-operative treatment is based on antibiotics and painkiller/anti-inflammatory for 5 or more days. Part of the post-operative treatment is also the Elizabethan collar that prevents licking or scratching of the area, so complications and infections. The collar should be taken for 10 days until the Vet takes out the stitches.

The prognosis for your pet will depend on the results of all tests your Vet has performed. The biopsy result can show a benign mass; in this case no further tests are needed. However in some cases, the biopsy can identify a malignant tumour and further tests must be performed in order to rule out metastasis in other organs. In this case, regularly checking your pet for other masses in the skin can represent an important factor since prompt intervention can improve a pet's prognosis.

Monica Giarrizzo

Managing diabetes pets is not such a big deal! Tips for pets and owners by Monica Giarrizzo

Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease characterized by low levels of glucose in the liver and high levels of glucose in the blood. It caused by the lack of production of insulin from the pancreas.

Caring a diabetic cat or dog could seem a formidable job, difficult to deal with, a challenge or sometimes an unwelcome commitment if you are not aware of some simple rules that can make life easier for the owner and his pet.

First of all, let’s try to recognize the condition and know the symptoms since “the quicker the diabetes is controlled, the more likely remission will occur”.

The 4 most important symptoms are listed below: “Learn how to recognize them!”

Starving, drinking and urinating in the face of plenty! Polyphagia (PP), polydipsya (PD) and polyuria (PU) respectively.
Weight loss

Once you recognize them and a treatment is planned, your pet has the possibility to achieve remission.

Cataract is developed in the majority of dogs and cats and neuropathies (such as difficulty climbing stairs or a plantigrade stance) are common in cats.

If the diabetes is moderate to severe and it is causing problems to other organs, your pet has less possibility to achieve a remission.

But DO NOT FORGET! Diabetes can be taken under control and your pet can live a normal life.

The Veterinarian and the Nurse will explain you the disease and its treatment and it is important that you deeply understand them.

The treatment is based on subcutaneous injections of insulin. Depending on the type of insulin the therapy should be administered SID (once daily) or BID (every 12 hours) always at the same time.

The first aim of the treatment is the “STABILIZATION”

You and your Vet need to decide 3 things:

What we are aiming for? --> Stability
How we are going to get there? --> Routine
How we are going to stay there? --> Monitoring

Stability:

for the Vet is the achievement of the right level of glucose in the blood (between 5 and 10 mmol/L;
for the Owner is the understanding of the disease and the achievement of remission of clinical signs (PP, PU, PD and Weight loss)

3 important TIPS at this stage: diet, insulin and exercise .

“Keeping your pet healthy allows the insulin works”

Routine: “the daily routine”

Insulin treatment of a diabetic pet is LIFELONG.

For this reason, many Owners are compliant because the therapy is subcutaneous and not oral, or they do not know how to administer the drug, or they are not sure to be able to keep the commitment, or just they do not believe it is going to work. REMEMBER: this is the reason why you will hear Vets and Nurses talking about “What we can do” rather than “What we should do” because you will be the protagonist and with their support “you are going to make your pet better!”

TIP 1: don’t be a chicken and face up the situation! Your pet needs you and the veterinary team supports you with advices, flexibility, availability and effective use of the consulting time. “The Vet can give you the right syringe to use and can show you how to inject your pet. You will perform the fist injection in front of him!” Even kids can learn it!

TIP 2: Make giving insulin part of a pleasant experience for you pet (and for you!) because you will do it every day for long time, your pet cannot miss its daily dose, he/she cannot decide “I do not want it” and sometimes it could be difficult to keep them quite even just for a few seconds if they know that “It is injection time!”

SINCE THE VERY FIRST DAY, you should let the pet associate the injection with something pleasant to them. For a dog it could be a treat, a toy or the lead “Ready to go out?”, for a cat it could be some humid delicious food or the door, “ready to be open for a trip outside!”. They will have the pleasant treat immediately after the small injection. Some of you might find easier to inject them while eating, others have to call their pet on a chair or on a table to get their attention. Whatever the method you are going to choose, make it a nice routine and half of the job is already done!

TIP 3: The owner of a diabetic cat in heathy general condition, stable, non-ketotic with a good body weight and no other complicated diseases can ask the Vet to prescribe an oral agent called Glipizide. Please, discuss the possibility of success with your Vet.

Another chapter of the “Routine” is the DIET. You will be explained that the diet is one of the 3 most important components of the therapy and it must be changed according to the needs of a diabetic pet. They will give you the right advices!

To sum up, the diet must be low in carbohydrates and high in proteins. Canned food is preferred since dry food always contain high percentage of carbohydrates.

Discuss with your Vet the best diet for your pet and establish a plan for it as well: amount, time and type of food, making it part of the routine.

Your routine will include some EXERCISE for your pet as well, but if you think about it, it is already part of your routine and you should just adjust it in order to get a more successful therapy.

Monitoring: one of the crucial part of judging the appropriateness of a dose.

The BLOOD GLUCOSE CURVE: “the unknown mathematical and engineering complicated task that the owner is asked to do”. (Ironically!)

The blood glucose curve consists in the constant measurement of the level of glucose in the blood through the glucometer. It basically is a small nice instrument used in human medicine to measure the glucose in diabetic patients. With a special pen you sting a part of the skin (usually ear) of your pet and make it bleeding a bit. A very small amount of blood is needed for the strip of the glucometer and the result is immediately available. Your Vet will suggest you to learn how to do it or come to the practice to do it weekly (at the beginning) or monthly (when stability to achieved).

The importance of the blood glucose curve is that it will show the effectiveness of the treatment. Hyperglycemia (glucose > 10 mmol/L) is often detected and it is due to low dose of insulin; your Vet will be then able to prescribe you a higher dose in order to keep under control the disease and its clinical signs. Hypoglycemia (glucose < 5 mmol/L) is due to high dose of insulin; it is the most important to be detected in order to prevent its clinical signs: syncope or seizures.

Your Vet and you will reach the stabilization and full monitoring when he finds the right dosage of insulin and you no longer see any PP, PU, PD and weight loss.

TIP 1: YOU DO NOT NEED TO DRAW ANY CHART OR DO ANYTHING CHALLENGING!

Organize a block-notes for your pet with 4 main points for each day: date, time, level of glucose and symptoms.

Eg: 16 Aug 2012 09:00 am 11 mmol/L NO PP, YES PU, YES PD, NO Weight loss.

TIP 2: when you perform a glucose curve normal routine must be maintained. Even the stressful experience of been stung should became part of a pleasant moment. For example, choosing a special (proteinic) treat for the sting experience and the lead “ready to go out” for the insulin injection can make it works. Keep doing it everyday and do not give up because it becomes part of your routine very easily!

Feline diabetes mellitus by Claudia Reusch

Diabetes mellitus is a common endocrinopathy in cats.

The incidence of the disease is increasing, most likely due to an increase in the occurrence of risk factors, such as obesity, physical inactivity, old age, male gender, being neutered, glucocorticoid and progestin administration.

The most important risk factor is obesity and it has been shown that obese cats are 4 times more likely to develop diabetes than optimal weight cats.

It is important to note that although obesity induces insulin resistance not all obese cats develop diabetes.

Diabetes typically occurs in middle-aged to old cats. There is a strong sex predilection since approximately 70% of diabetic cats are male. Approximately 60% of diabetic cats are overweight, 35% are normal weight and 5% underweight.

Most diabetic cats show the classical signs of diabetes, namely PU/PD (polyuria, polydipsia),

polyphagia and weight loss.

About 10% of diabetic cats have overt signs of diabetic neuropathy, manifested as hindlimb weakness, decreased ability to jump and plantigrade posture. Lethargy and a dry, unkempt haircoat are often present, whilst physical examination may reveal hepatomegaly.

Cats with complicated diabetes (diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar non-ketotic syndrome) present with lethargy, anorexia, reduced water intake and vomiting.

Diabetes is diagnosed on the basis of clinical symptoms, persistent hyperglycemia and glucosuria and fructosamine blood concentration, rather than glucose, as it reflects the mean blood glucose concentration of the preceding 1-2 weeks.

Any concurrent disease may worsen insulin resistance and will hinder treatment success. In some cases bacterial urinary tract infection is present and pancreatitis is frequently associated with diabetes.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

© Blogger template Shush by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009

Back to TOP