by webadmin251 | Apr 23, 2019 | Keeping Pets Healthy
For years, pet owners have disagreed about whether purebred or mixed breed dogs are healthier. Until recently, there was no scientific data to back up their opinions, but UC Davis researchers recently helped answer the question with a landmark health study.
The Arguments
Pet owners who thought that mixed breed dogs were healthier argued that inbreeding in purebred dogs increased the likelihood of genetic disorders. Other owners felt that purebred dogs were healthier because many start their lives in professional breeding facilities and are not exposed to infectious diseases that may circulate through animal shelters.
Hip Dysplasia Is a Purebred Problem – Or Is It?
Hip dysplasia is often used as the prime example of an inherited health problem that primarily affects purebred dogs. The condition, which occurs due to a malformation of the ball and socket joint in the hip, causes pain and weakness in the hind legs and can increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Contrary to popular belief, the UC Davis revealed that hip dysplasia was just as likely to occur in mixed breed dogs as it was in purebreds.
Other Disorders with Similar Rates in Both Purebreds and Mixed Breeds
Researchers reviewed the records of 90,000 dogs who were patients of the UC Davis veterinary teaching hospital from 1995 to 2010. In addition to hip dysplasia, they noted that a number of other genetic disorders occur equally often in both groups. They include:
- Heart Disorders. Mitral valve dysplasia, ventricular septal defect, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and patent ductus arteriosus occurred at about the same rate in both purebred and mixed breed dogs.
- Cancer. Cancers, including osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor and lymphoma, also occurred at about the same rate.
- Orthopedic Disorders. Patellar luxation (dislocated kneecap) was seen in both purebred and mixed breed dogs.
- Eye Disorders. Both groups also suffered similar rates of lens luxation, a condition that happens when the clear lens located behind the iris of the eye becomes dislocated.
- Endocrine Disorders. Both hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease) and hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease) occurred at about the same frequency in both groups of dogs.
Disorders More Common in Purebred Dogs
Some disorders were more common in purebreds, although the chance that your dog will develop these disorders depends on its breed. For example, large dogs like Saint Bernards and Great Danes are most likely to suffer from bloat. The disorders include:
- Cataracts
- Bloat
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Allergic Dermatitis
- Aortic Stenosis
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- Hypothyroidism
- Epilepsy
- Portosystemic Shunt
- Intervertebral Disc Disease
What About Mixed Breed Dogs?
Cranial cruciate ligament rupture was the only disorder more likely to occur in mixed breed dogs. The ligament helps keep the knee joints in the hind legs stable.
What Is the Bottom Line?
Although purebred dogs do have a higher incidence of some inherited disorders, they are no more likely to develop many serious health conditions, such as cancer, heart disorders and endocrine disorders, than mixed breed dogs. It’s crucial to ask questions about health when you consider adding another pet to your family, but it’s equally important to consider the animal’s temperament, personality, ability to get along with your other pets and the dog’s fit with your family.
Regular veterinary care is the key to keeping your purebred or mixed breed dog healthy. If it’s been a while since your dog has seen a veterinarian or if your pet is experiencing a health problem, call us today to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
Healthy Pets: The Surprising Truth About Mixed Breed Dogs, 7/5/13
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/07/05/pet-genetic-disorders.aspx
Mercola: Prevalence of Inherited Disorders Among Mixed-Breed and Purebred Dogs, 6/1/13
http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/HealthyPets/InheritedDisordersOfDogs.pdf
Dogs Naturally: Are Mixed Breed Dogs Healthier Than Purebreds?
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/genetic-dog-diseases-in-purebreds-and-mixed-breeds/
by webadmin251 | Apr 23, 2019 | Keeping Pets Healthy
Many of the same problems that affect people as they age, such as arthritis and diabetes, can also affect your pet. Making a few changes to the way you care for your furry friend will help you ensure that your pet stays healthy and happy as the years go by.
Look for Common Signs of Illness
Changes in your pet’s behavior can be a sign that something is wrong. Sick animals can become more or less affectionate than before. Some may refuse to leave your side, while others will spend more time alone. Cats, in particular, tend to find out-of-the-way hiding places when they don’t feel well.
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your pet’s veterinarian:
- Changes in Eating Habits. Has your pet lost interest in eating or started drinking more than usual? A lack of interest in food can be caused due to dental issues, kidney or liver disease or a change in food, while increased thirst can be a sign of diabetes.
- Elimination Woes. Frequent constipation or diarrhea or difficulty urinating can be signs of serious illness and should not be ignored. Housetraining setbacks can also occur as your pet ages. Sometimes, making a few modifications, such as adding litter boxes to every floor of your house for your arthritic cat or adding a ramp to your home for a dog with hip dysplasia can solve the problem.
- Bumps, Lumps and Other Issues. Bumps and lumps can be caused by harmless cysts or may be a sign of cancer. The only way to determine the cause is with a visit to your veterinarian. Other issues that warrant a trip to the vet include frequent coughing, trouble breathing, vomiting or changes in your pet’s coat.
Nutrition for Senior Pets
Good nutrition is essential to keeping your older pet healthy. Keep these tips in mind when selecting pet food.
- Buy Senior Pet Food. Help your pet maintain a healthy weight by feeding food specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs of older pets. Excess weight stresses the joints. If your pet already has arthritis, gaining weight will make symptoms worse.
- Avoid Overfeeding Your Pet. Older pets generally need less calories because they are less active. Adjust the amount of food you give your pet to avoid weight gain. Pay attention to the calorie count of treats, too. Buy low-calorie treats and limit the amount of treats you offer your pet.
- Get Rid of Free Radicals. Free radicals, unstable molecules that can contribute to aging and hamper immune system functioning, can be neutralized with foods that are high in vitamin E and beta-carotene.
- Choose High-Protein Foods. Although your dog may need fewer calories to maintain an ideal body weight, he or she still needs a diet high in protein. Protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass. Some cats have trouble digesting protein as they age. Before you buy a high-protein food for your cat, check with your veterinarian.
Make Your Pet Comfortable
Older pets will appreciate anything you can do to increase their comfort, starting with a soft place to rest. Look for cat and dog beds made of therapeutic foam that support your furry friend’s joints. Heated beds will help your pet keep warm during the winter months.
Staying warm is a particular concern for older pets. Pets that were perfectly comfortable on chilly days in their younger years may have trouble staying warm when temperatures drop. A pet jacket or sweater will help keep your senior pet warm, although dogs may be more likely to tolerate wearing a sweater than cats.
Daily runs with your dog may have to end if arthritis or a general slowing down due to age is a problem. Although runs may no longer be possible, it’s still important to make sure your dog still gets exercise every day. Playing games with your dog or cat not only improves physical fitness, but also helps keep your pet mentally sharp.
Arthritis and other joint problems can make jumping more difficult. If your pet usually sleeps with you but has trouble jumping on the bed, buy pet stairs or a ramp to make getting into bed easier.
Regular veterinary visits are very important as your pet ages. If it’s been six months or more since we have seen your furry friend, give us a call to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
PetMD: How to Care for Senior Pets
http://www.petmd.com/dog/centers/nutrition/slideshows/how-to-care-for-senior-pets
AVMA: Senior Pet Care (FAQ)
https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Caring-for-an-Older-Pet-FAQs.aspx
Petfinder: Caring for Your Senior Pet
https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-care/senior-dog-care/
ASPCA: Dog Nutrition Tips
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-nutrition-tips
Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice: Nutrition for Aging Cats and Dogs and the Importance of Body Condition, May 2005
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833567
by webadmin251 | Apr 23, 2019 | Keeping Pets Healthy
Exercise is the key to good health, whether you’re a person or a pet. When your life is busy, it can be difficult enough to devote a half-hour to a work out, let alone find an extra hour to spend with your pet. Why not save a little time and exercise with your furry friend? These pet-friendly exercises will help you and your dog or cat strengthen your muscles, improve your heart health and keep off those extra pounds.
Fetch
By making a few simple changes, both you and your pet can benefit from this classic game. Usually, your dog gets all the exercise when the two of you play fetch. In this twist, you’ll both benefit. As soon as you throw the ball or other object, jog in place or do a few lunges while you wait for your furry friend to return. Want to really get your heart pumping? Run alongside your pet as he or she races to retrieve a ball or Frisbee.
Some cats also enjoy a game of fetch. Although you’ll probably play the game indoors with your cat, you can still jog in place or do a few exercises while your feline friend runs back and forth.
Walking and Running
If you only take your dog out for potty breaks, you won’t enjoy nearly the same benefits of a long run or walk. Walking and running can help your puppy or young dog burn off excess energy and keep your older pet’s joints and muscles limber.
Some cats also enjoy walks. If you would like to walk with your cat, you’ll need to purchase a harness, rather than a collar. If your cat doesn’t object to the harness, attach a lead and try a short walk. You don’t even have to leave your yard for walks. Laps around the backyard can be a very effective way to get a little exercise.
Indoor Fishing
Many cats enjoy batting at dangling objects attached to toy fishing poles. There’s no reason that you have to remain in one place while you play with your cat. Dangle the pole while you complete a circuit throughout your house or hold the pole in one hand while you exercise.
Agility Training
Agility training is a lot of fun for you and your dog. During agility classes, your dog slithers through tunnels, jumps over bars and navigates an entire obstacle course. You’ll run along alongside your dog as he or she masters the course. If both you and your dog enjoy the activity, you can even enter agility competitions in your area. If you don’t want to take an agility class or join a club, you can build your own obstacle course in your backyard.
Doga
Do you love yoga? Why not practice it with your dog? During doga sessions, you’ll massage your pet’s muscles and help him or perfect specially adapted yoga poses that you’ll perform together. Doga offers the perfect opportunity to spend a little one-on-one time with your pet while you both get a little exercise. Doga isn’t a good choice for all dogs. If you have a playful puppy or a high-energy dog, it might be a challenge to coax your pet into slowing down enough to participate. If Doga classes aren’t available in your city, check out a few online videos.
Things to Think About Before You Exercise with Your Pet
Before you begin an exercise program with your pet, keep these things in mind:
- Start slowly. If your pet isn’t accustomed to long walks or runs, it will take a little while to build endurance.
- Skip outdoor activities when it’s very hot or humid. Schedule exercise time for the cooler evening or morning hours during the summer. If you notice that your pet is panting heavily, it’s time to take a break or end the exercise session for the day.
- Offer water regularly during the exercise session.
- Tailor the exercise to the pet. For example, fetch may be a better game for a short-legged dachshund than long runs.
Exercising with your pet is an excellent way for both of you to stay in shape. If you have any concerns about your pet’s health, or it’s time for your furry friend’s annual exam, give us a call to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
Health: 13 Fun Ways to Work Out with Your Dog
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20938047,00.html#dog-friendly-boot-camp
Animal Planet: 10 Fun Ways to Exercise with Your Dog
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20938047,00.html#dog-friendly-boot-camp
Prevention: 10 Ways to Exercise with Your Pet, 11/16/11
http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/fun-ways-lose-weight-your-pet
New York Times: Bonding with Their Downward Facing Humans, 4/8/09
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/fashion/09fitness.html
Cesar’s Way: Benefits of Dog Agility Training
https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/toys-and-play/benefits-of-dog-agility-training
by webadmin251 | Apr 23, 2019 | Keeping Pets Healthy
Have you ever wondered if the vaccinations your pet receives are really needed? Although getting your pet into the car for the drive to the veterinarian’s office isn’t always easy, skipping vaccinations can have a serious impact on your pet’s health.
Why Are Vaccines Important?
Vaccines not only prevent your pet from catching infectious diseases, but also offer other important benefits, including:
- Reduction of Disease Transmission. When the majority of pets are vaccinated, they can’t spread diseases to other animals. Vaccination plays an important role in preventing rabies and other infectious diseases from flourishing. Vaccinating your pet also protects other animals that are too young to receive the vaccines yet.
- Lower Costs. Treating the diseases that vaccines prevent can be very expensive, particularly if the disease causes chronic health problems. Vaccinating your pet is a simple, effective way to avoid high-cost treatments that can derail your budget.
- Reduced Zoonotic Disease Rates. Zoonotic diseases, such as rabies and leptospirosis, are passed between humans and animals. Vaccinating animals against the diseases also protect humans.
- Compliance with Local Laws. Most municipalities in the U.S. require rabies vaccination for pets. Vaccination may be needed to obtain a license for your dog or cat.
What Do Vaccines Do?
Antigens, substances that trigger the production of antibodies, are contained in vaccines. Antibodies identify foreign bacteria and viruses and react quickly, killing the invading organisms before they can cause disease symptoms.
What About Side Effects?
Inspired by the backlash against vaccines for children, some pet owners have decided to opt out of vaccinating their dogs and cats. Many people who don’t vaccinate their dogs or cats express concerns about possible side effects. New York Magazine reported on the issue in its February 2015 edition, noting that widespread vaccine avoidance can trigger outbreaks of diseases that were once thought to be under control, such as distemper.
Distemper affects the nervous, respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms of dogs. Dogs affected by the disease may have high fevers, watery eyes, hardened foot pads, coughing, vomiting, seizures and paralysis. The death rate for distemper is high. If a dog doesn’t die from the disease, he or she may have lasting nervous system damage.
The distemper vaccine offers a simple way to prevent death and suffering. All vaccines may cause side effects, but side effects are usually mild, don’t last long and don’t affect every dog. Common vaccine side effects include fever, appetite loss, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea or hives.
Before your pet receives a vaccination, his or her veterinarian will perform a thorough examination and may even recommend a few tests to ensure that your pet is healthy enough to receive the vaccine. The veterinarian may also recommend checking his or her immunity level before offering a vaccine.
What Vaccines Are Needed?
Your pet will probably need a combination of core and non-core vaccines. Core vaccines are vaccines that every pet should have, while non-core vaccines may be recommended based on the area of the country in which you live and your dog or cat’s potential exposure to various diseases.
Core vaccines for dogs include rabies, canine distemper, parvovirus and canine hepatitis, while non-core vaccines may include Lyme disease, parainfluenza, bordetella or leptospirosis. Rabies and feline distemper are core vaccines for cats, in addition to calicivirus and feline herpesvirus. Non-core vaccines for cats include feline leukemia and bordetella.
All pets don’t receive the same vaccines. Factors that affect which vaccines are offered include your pet’s age, health, habits, lifestyle, vaccination history and potential risk of contracting certain diseases. Puppies and kittens receive a series of vaccinations to bolster their immune systems, while older animals may only need vaccinations every one to three years, depending on the vaccine type, their immunity and local regulations and recommendations.
Even if your pet requires several vaccinations, he or she won’t usually need to endure multiple shots. Many vaccines can be combined to make the injection process as easy as possible. Some vaccines are also available in liquid form.
Keep your pets and your family safe by vaccinating your dogs and cats. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
American Veterinary Medical Association: Vaccinations
https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/vaccinations.aspx
ASPCA: Vaccinations for Your Pet
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/vaccinations-your-pet
New York Magazine: Is the Anti-Vaccination Movement Spreading to Pet Owners?, 2/4/15
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/02/anti-vaccine-movement-spreading-to-pet-owners.html
WebMD: Pet Vaccines: Schedules for Cats and Dogs, 2016
http://pets.webmd.com/pet-vaccines-schedules-cats-dogs#1
by webadmin251 | Apr 23, 2019 | Keeping Pets Healthy
The grooming that is necessary for birds is something that may get overlooked, since typically we don’t let them constantly roam freely around our houses like with other pets. However, just because they are set on a perch safe within their cages doesn’t mean that their maintenance should be any less. Just like other pets they require regular upkeep and caring attention.
To care for a bird properly, it must be acknowledged that at some point its wings and nails may need to be clipped. It’s best to seek a consultation from your veterinarian before trying to take matters into your own hands or you could be left with a very unhappy feathered friend with damage to its wings, and a mess of feathers.
Your bird’s beak and nails both need to be filed, trimmed and clipped from time to time. If they aren’t, too long of length can be uncomfortable and harmful for their everyday living.
Clipping wings is another matter to be conscious of depending on what kind of bird you have. Not all birds can be treated in the same way due to their wing size, the amount of molting each bird goes through and what happens when their wings are clipped. Make sure you educate yourself about your bird and what type of grooming care is best to maintain, since every bird will have slightly different requirements.
If you aren’t already sure about the best grooming care for your pet bird, don’t postpone finding out! Your local veterinarian is more than happy to assist you in determining the best grooming habits for you and your feathered friends. Not only will proper grooming keep your feathered friend happy and looking pretty, it will also provide the necessary preventative care for the future health of your bird.
by webadmin251 | Apr 23, 2019 | Keeping Pets Healthy
There’s nothing fun about getting a slobbery wet kiss from a dog or a cat with bad breath! Bad breath, also known as halitosis, is generally caused by excessive build-up of odor -producing bacteria inside your pet’s mouth, lungs, or even gut. While most cases of bad breath can be traced back to poor oral hygiene, in some cases, bad breath could be symptomatic of a more serious health problem.
Treating bad breath starts by identifying the cause and taking steps to correct the underlying problem. Other than dental disease, causes of bad breath are oral tumors, tonsillitis, or foreign material in the mouth or voice box area. Even systemic diseases like kidney disease and diabetes can cause a change in the odor of the breath.
However, bad breath in dogs and cats is most commonly linked to the build up of bacteria in the mouth due to poor oral hygiene. In fact, bad breath is the most common warning sign of dental disease. Periodontal disease starts out as plaque. Plaque is a biofilm that contains bacteria which causes gingivitis. Over time, plaque hardens, forming a substance known as tartar. Plaque and tartar lead to swollen, inflamed gums, along with bad breath.
Abscessed teeth are also common in dogs. These can result from bad periodontal disease, or from a fractured or worn tooth that allows bacteria to move up the canal in the middle of the tooth to the tip where it causes an abscess to form. These abscesses can also cause bad breath.
The best cure for bad breath is to prevent it before it happens. In order to best keep your pet’s breath under control, schedule a yearly dental check-up with your pet’s veterinarian. Veterinary organizations recommend annual dental exams and cleanings for pets.
Additionally, veterinary dentists recommend that pet owners brush their pet’s teeth on a daily basis. Brushing teeth is the best way to cut back on tartar buildup and help control bad breath.
Finally, give your pets access to safe chew toys. Chew toys not only help reduce your pet’s stress level and eliminate boredom, but these toys can help to reduce tartar buildup. Be sure to use a chew toy approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC). Chew toys that are too soft are a danger because pieces may be swallowed causing an obstruction. Chew toys that are too hard, such as nylon, bones, and antlers break teeth. Rope toys can cause threads to get caught between the teeth.
Source:
American Animal Hospital Association, “AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.” 2014.
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