Since Heartworm season is coming up, we will continue this discussion of Heartworm prevention with other available formulations, so stay tuned!!
For the second time in less than a year, we have been presented with a case of Ivermectin toxicity. In both of the cases, the owner purchased the Ivermectin from a feed store where they were instructed on the "proper" dose. Unbeknownst to them these owners were drastically overdosing their pets, and in a few short hours the pet began to show signs of toxicity which are vomitng, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, disorientation and blindness. If severe enough, Ivermectin toxicity can lead to death. Ivermectin is a drug labeled for use in cattle and swine. The picture to the left shows the bottle. Notice the label on the bottle. Pictured on the front is a cow and a pig. Do you see a picture of a dog or a cat? No! The reason being is because this formulation of Ivermectin is not labeled for use in the dog or the cat. So, if it is not labeled for use in the dog or the cat, maybe, just maaaaaaaybe, it might be dangerous. And the fact of the matter is that it is VERY dangerous. Call me crazy; call me irrational; call me anything you want, but just don't call me in the middle of the night when your dog is suffering from Ivermectin toxicity! Well, actually, I am kidding about not calling me. You can call me, but just realize a late night emergency Now in this picture to the left you will notice the active ingredient is in fact Ivermectin. That is because it is in a very precisely calculated dose for a particular weight. The amount of Ivermectin needed to prevent heartworms is a small amount and that tiny dose is injected into the meaty chew in a Heartgard Chewable so that it is very safe.
Since Heartworm season is coming up, we will continue this discussion of Heartworm prevention with other available formulations, so stay tuned!!
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On March 23, it will be one year since the dentist and I said goodbye to our Skeebo. Skeebo was our 11 year old Boykin Spaniel. She was my step-dog. In the beginning of my and the dentist's relationship, Skeebo made the blending of the yours, mine and our dogs extremely difficult. She walked around with with her nose stuck up the bum of my oldest Jack Russell and could not even be in the same room with my younger Jack Russell. Skeebo was a bully. At one particular time I was in my back yard attempting to break up a fight between the two and I had Skeebo held up in the air by the collar trying to shake the Jack Russell off of her left arm. Those were some trying times for our pack. But then one day things changed. Skeebie lost her fight. Over a week or so, I noticed she was not eating well. I may have noticed it sooner but didn't think much of it because she was a finicky eater anyway. I decided to take her in to the clinic to look her over. Blood work revealed she was anemic and had a high white cell count. A treatment plan was devised and carried out and a week later her blood work was no better; actually worse. I decided to x-ray her abdomen. An x-ray revealed a large mass in the abdominal cavity of unknown origin. An ultrasound led me to believe it was her spleen. I scheduled her for an abdominal exlploratory surgery the next day. I do love surgery, primarily soft tissue surgery, but there is a reason in human medicine physicians are forbidden to work on their family members; it's emotional. I placed an intravenous catheter in Skeebo in preparation for her surgery. All the while her big brown eyes staring deep into my soul begging me to explain to her what was happening. I kissed her on the head, rubbed her silky, soft ears, told her I loved her and proceeded on with her sedation and intubation. I was a robot trying my best to disassociate it was buddy on the surgery table. After making a ventral midline incision into the abdominal cavity it did not take me long to find the problem; it literally burst out of my incision. Her stomach was no longer a stomach but rather one large tumor, roughly the size of a soccer ball. It was inoperable. I did my best to take a proper biopsy and sew her back up through my tears falling into her sterile abdominal cavity; I was no longer a robot. I knew it was not good. A week later the biopsy returned, and as expected it was a leiomyosarcoma. A leiomyosarcoma is a tumor of smooth muscle cells. Radiation was not an option due to the side effects of radiating the stomach and leiomyosarcomas are not very susceptible to chemotherapy. Skeebo lived six weeks past that surgery day. It was a wonderful six weeks for me and my Skeebie. She rode to work with me every day and followed my every move. She would lay at my feet in my surgery room or sit patiently waiting on me outside the closed exam room door. She had her good days and bad days...mostly good. Tough as nails that dog was and I could hardly tell she was sick until her last two days. She developed some diarrhea on a Tuesday night, progressively worsened Wednesday and Thursday and died Friday morning. It was a peaceful passing. I am grateful the dentist brought Skeebo into my life. It is true I did not like her in the beginning; I pretty much loathed her, and, yes, I did try to give her away to my brother-in-law, but thankfully he kindly declined. Yes, those early days were rough, but somehow in a few months our family pecking order worked itself out. That shaggy dog crept into my heart and stole it and my life was enriched the four years I knew her. We miss our Skeebie everyday but like the poet Lord Tennyson wrote, "tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." And love Skeebo we did! Way more than I would like to hear, a client will say "well, I was looking on the internet and....." or "that's not what the internet said." So, I was curious...I wanted to know exactly what happens when someone searches the world wide web for answers to their veterinary questions. I will admit, I do use the internet as well, but I am a member of forums where veterinarians come together to discuss cases, and I pay for memberships which allow me access to board certified veterinarians. I have never asked "Dr. Google" or "Dr. Wikipedia" for an answer to a medical question. I prefer to use them to find answers to questions like "How many movies has Bradley Cooper has starred in?" or exactly what is "Cinco de Mayo?" So, I tried to think like a non-veterinarian. I went to www.google.com. I typed in "bloody diarrhea in dogs," just to see what would happen. The first link, and let me say there were thousands, was a webpage called "PetMD." It sounded like a good page. I suppose it was a spin off of WebMD for humans. I clicked on the link and it took me to a page with an article called "the Power of Poop." With a title like that, I have to say I would, and did, read the article. I found it was a very informative article about how important it is to look at your pet's poop and how you can find a lot of information from it. However, it did not give much information on my search for "bloody diarrhea." So I looked at the tabs on the top of the PetMD page and clicked on the one that said "ask a vet." This brought me to a really cool page that had a large box where I could type in my quesiton. Above that box it said "a new question is answered every 9 seconds." I thought to myself "this is really cool; maybe I should offer a service like this." So I entered my question, "what could bloody stool in a dog mean?" I then clicked "get an answer." I assumed this was going to answer my question, and maybe it would have, if I had given them my credit card number! For $18 I could get unlimited answers to my veterinary questions for 1 month!! After my one-month trial, it would go up to $28/month, billed directly to my credit card. Wow! I don't know what to think of this. So, I never got my question answered. I was not willing to splurge on the $18 because, the truth is, I know what to do if my dog has bloody diarrhea. I will just call for an appointment to see my vet. Well, actually I am the vet, so I guess I don't need an appointment, do I? Here's the bottom line folks. Just call your veterinarian. That is what they are available for. Leesburg Animal Hospital has an emergency number, 229-432-3462. Write it down and post it on the refrigerator or put it in your cell phone for easy access. When you call this number you will be placed with the veterinarian on call. A simple phone call is free. We are more than willing to speak with you and will help you decide if your pet needs to be seen immediately. Hopefully we can tell you some things to do at home, ease your mind, and get you in to see us the following morning. Of course, if an after hours visit is necessary, there will be an emergency fee (and it is more than $18). I think I can speak for all the veterinarians on our emergency rotation when I say we really don't want to make that drive back up to the office, even if we are making extra money. We actually would rather be at home with our spouses and kids, so unless we honestly feel it is necessary, we will not waste our time or your money. Just call us...One call that's all!! A corneal ucler is, by definition, an abrasion to the cornea. The picture to the left shows a large corneal ulcer which is noticable without any further diagnostics. However, a corneal ulcer can be so small that it is only able to be diagnosed by a fluorescein stain. A yellow dye is washed over the cornea; if an ulcer is present on the cornea, the dye will be taken up by the ulcer and will fluoresce, showing the location and severity, when a black light is placed over the eye. Signs an animal may have an ulcer are squinting or blinking of the eye, excessive tearing of the eye, or constant rubbing of the eye either with a paw or scratching the face on the floor. Treatment of a corneal ulcer can oftentimes be difficult, primarily depending on the behavior of the patient, but also because of the frequency the eye needs to be treated, both of which will determine the success or failure of the treatment plan. The first picture was of a patient on initial presentaion. This second picture is the same patient after 3 weeks of treatment with multiple drops 4-6 times a day. If your pet is exhibiting signs of ocular irritation, it is possible he may be suffering from a corneal ulcer. A corneal ulcer is a condition that can rapidly progress in severity. Do not play the wait and see game when it comes to the eye. A quick 15 minute exam, costing roughly $46 can save your pet's eye. I am pretty stoked about this new tick collar! In the three weeks we have had this product on our shelf, the response has been good. This is a tick collar that not only kills ticks but also, according to the maufacturer, repels them. Knowing that ticks transmit organisms which may cause disease when they attach, repellency is key. Two other nifty features are that the collar is water resistant and lasts for eight months! Eight months is a long time, and to help you remember when the collar needs to be replaced, you can set up an automatic reminder. How cool is that? I love technology!! The cost of the collar is $64 and has a $20 mail in rebate, which will bring the tick prevention cost down to $5.50/month. With the success and popularity of Comfortis and Trifexis flea preventions, which do not contain a tick prevention, we have seen an increase in ticks on our patients. This collar will work well with both Comfortis and Trifexis. For more detailed information visit serestopet.com or call our office at 759-8384. This post has nothing to do with veterinary medicine. I am feeling very blessed today and want to take a few minutes to share it, so indulge on this one post. I promise to be short! This exact weekend one year ago, I completed the Snickers Half Marathon. I was 18 weeks pregnant and in great shape. Fast forward one year later...I now have a 6 month old, am 15 pounds heavier and can only find the time to exercise, at best, 1-2 times per week. Last August before Wallace Anne was born, I set myself a goal, thanks to the urging of my sister, to participate in this run. Little did I know at that time how drastically my life would change and how difficult it would be to prepare for this run. I will admit there were times I was pushing that jogging stroller and cussing my sister for her bright idea, but I persevered. I am proud to say that yesterday I completed the Seaside Half Marathon and today, although very sore and tired, I am feeling so blessed. I am blessed to have two legs to carry me 13.1 miles, a husband who suports me in these activities, and a healthy baby girl to meet me at the finish line. God is good, isn't he! Above, from left to right are my friend Marie, myself, and my sister, Holly.
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Dr. Haley Hydrick Clark
Dr. Haley Hydrick Clark graduated from the University of Georgia in 1998 with a degree in Animal Science and from Tuskegee University in 2002 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. Archives
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