25August2012

In Italian, a belladonna is a beautiful lady;

in English, it's a deadly poison
Ambrose Bierce

[Animal Doc AM Multi-Media with Dr. Don DeForge is now being presented at Silver Sands Veterinary on FB and Twitter]

Avoiding Pet Poisoning

There are many poisons in and around our homes that can be lethal to our pets.  Non-secured medicine cabinets and human medicines that are left out on counters are very common pet poison exposure areas.  Be sure to secure all of the medicines that you take.  Remember, many of the over the counter medicines you take can be just as lethal as prescription medicines.

Here are some categories of Human Medicines that are very dangerous for your pet to ingest:

• Painkillers of all types
• Cold Medicines
• Diet Supplements
• Antidepressants
• Allergy Medicines
• Supplements
• Muscle Relaxants
• Sedatives
• Medicines to Induce Sleep

Many times these medicines are dropped on the floor and the pet comes along and licks and swallows them thinking they are eating a treat.  You must make sure your house is pet safe at all times.

Chemical Hazards in the home can also be life threatening.  If you do not have the following products under lock and key in secure cabinets do it tonight.

Potential Chemical Poisons in your home can come from contact with:

• Drain, sink, and tub cleaners
• Paint products as well as spirits for cleaning paint spills or brushes
• Ethylene glycol in antifreeze
• Floor cleaners
• Disinfecting agents including bleach 
• Ammonia cleaning agents
• Petroleum Products

The next category of poisons that could lead to an ER visit or death concerns Agents Used In And Around The Yard.  As we move into fall, we groom our yards and complete our fall garden cleaning and lawn treatments.  Be cautious.  Read product descriptions carefully.  Do not place products that are toxic to children or pets.

 Pest and Garden Toxins could come from contact with:

• Rodenticides,
• Herbicides 
• Fertilizers

Your own Veterinary Medications can become a poison if ingested at toxic levels or ingested by a pet that the medicine was not prescribed for by accident.

Veterinary Medicines that can lead to a poisoning by improper usage are:

• Heartworm Medicine
• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medicines
• Antibiotics
• Nutritional Supplements
• Antibiotics
• Skin and Ear Preparations
• Pain Killers of all types
• Allergy Medicines
• Anti-Anxiety Drugs
• Cardiac Medicines
• Anti-Hypertensive Medications

 There are many Plants, inside and outside the home, that can be very toxic to pets.

Some of the Common Plants that are toxic to dogs and cats are:

• Lilies-very toxic to cats-they can cause life-threatening kidney failure
• Rhododendrum
• Sago Palm
• Azalea
• Kelanchoe
• Schefflera

Take a moment and Google these plants to study their toxicity to your cat and dog.  This is only a sampling.  Visit the ASPCA Poison Control Center to study other plants that are poisonous to dog and cats.

Here are some important guidelines:

  If you suspect a poisoning in your pet do not attempt to treat it yourself.  The Internet is blanketed in home cures.  Get HELP immediately!  Call your health professional, your local doctor of veterinary medicine, and get the correct advice.  If there are already serious signs of poisoning such as weakness, lack of motor coordination, vomiting of blood, seizures, difficult breathing, or coma get to your local 24/7 ER Center for immediate intervention.

If you have questions and your pet is not experiencing signs of poisoning but it is suspected call the ASPCA Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.  For a nominal fee, a toxicologist will consult with you and your veterinarian about the suspect poisoning.

Many poisonings can be stopped by being pro-active.  Poison proof your home.  Think that you have an investigative two year old in your home and consider how you would act to prevent a poisoning in your child.  Our pets are our children!  Enjoy your pets and have a safe life with them for the good of your pet!

Dr. Don DeForge

26August2012

Animal Doc AM Multi-Media

Silver Sands Veterinary Center

17 Seemans Lane

Milford, Ct. 06460

1-800-838-3368

www.SilverSandsVeterinary.com

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"Life is a Combination of Magic and Pasta" 

-Federico Fellini 

Animal Doc AM Multi-Media with Dr. Don DeForge

21August2012

What is our happiest time of each day?  It is when we gather to eat as a family or find a moment of silence away from the maddening world to have a cup of coffee; a sweet treat; or maybe a large scoop of our favorite ice cream.

Our pets also seek the wonders and magic of the varied food that we present to them.  Unfortunately, our selection of foods is not always the best.  We overload our pets diets with treats that are loaded with fats and carbs leading to obesity.  Obesity is a trigger for many medical conditions including the problems listed below.

Here are just a few side effects of obesity in our pets that can be prevented with a close scrutiny of diet:

• Diabetes
• Heart problems
• Orthopedic problems
• Arthritis aggravation
• Breathing problems
• Liver disease
• Lethargy and tiredness

Ignore the guaranteed analysis on food bags.  The food you feed your pet should be AAFCO approved.  AAFCO stands for the {Association of American Feed Control Officials} Look for either AAFCO formulated or Animal Feeding Testing Trials performed using AAFCO Guidelines.  If this is not on the bag, do not purchase the food without speaking to a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition [DACVN].  Call Tuft's School of Veterinary Medicine and ask for a Consultation appointment with Dr. Lisa Freeman who is a DACVN.  There is a fee for this consult but it will be one of the best investments in your pet's care your have ever made.

All puppies and kittens should have an AAFCO Complete and Balanced Puppy or Kitten food till 12 months of age; this should be extended in giant breed dogs till 18 months of age when your companion's growth potential is completed.  At that time, with your veterinarian's consult, change to an AAFCO Complete and Balanced adult food.

Try these healthy treats for your pup or adult dog as a treat:

• Sweet Potato-cooked and diced or mashed
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Watermelon
• Cooked Pumpkin
• Non-fat Plain Yogurt
• Baby carrots
• Banana
• Watermelon 
• Apple slices
• Stringless sugar snap peas
• Broccoli cooked
• Melon slices diced

These treats must be fed in moderation at first; the amounts can be increased once your dog is used to them.  Also, remember some cats love yogurt and will eat blueberries, melon slices, and strawberries.  These are so much better than the biscuits and treats that are on every super market shelf which are just explosions of calories.

See CHOW HOUNDS, a resource book on pet obesity, by Dr. Ernie Ward at Amazon.com

It is Dr. Ward's personal plan to save our pets by controlling pet obesity.  For the good of the pet you love~~ make a commitment today to research and modify your pet's diet.

Dr. Don DeForge

Animal-Doc AM- Multi-Media

DoctorDeForge@yahoo.com

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Silver Sands Veterinary Center

www.SilverSandsVeterinary.com

1-800-838-3368

Blogger-21August2012

Identifying Pain in Your Pet: 

Ending Your Pet's Bad Dream Forever

by Dr. Don DeForge

Animal Doc AM-Multi-Media

14August2012

“Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.” 

― Markus Zusak

Pets have NO recourse but to "smile" even though they may be living in pain.  As your pet's advocate, you must work hard to identify "signs" of pain and remove this pain with the counsel and help of a veterinary professional.  Your Local Doctor of Veterinary Medicine may seek help from a pain specialist if the cause or the pain center is difficult to diagnose.  Pain specialists exist in veterinary medicine just as they do in human medicine.

There are two COMMON TYPES OF PAIN in our companions: 

First, there is ACUTE PAIN:

Common Examples of ACUTE PAIN are:

• Crying-Howling-Bleeding from trauma
• Broken bones; a ruptured ligament; a slipped disc
• Auto accidents; falling large distances; being hit by an object
• Being shot or wounded as part of malicious mischief
• An obstructed urethra and not being able to urinate
• An abdominal infection or blockage in our gastrointestinal tract
• Ear Infections
• Impacted Anal Glands
• Oral infections and abscessed teeth
• Crushing chest injuries
• A ruptured eye or an eye ulceration
• Skin abscesses
• Other neurological disorders besides the slipped disc
• Muscle and joint pain
• Osteoarthritis

Most ACUTE PAIN has a "red flag sign" that makes you think something is wrong.  That should then drive you to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian who can pinpoint and treat the discomfort.

BAD PAIN or CHRONIC PAIN is much more difficult to ascertain.  Your veterinarian's input or the input of a specialist is needed in this type of pain.

Here are some of the signs of "BAD PAIN" that you must look out for as you pet's advocate.  You love your pet as much as a child.  Read these warning signs and make a mental note to look carefully at your pet today to see if any are evident.

Some Common Signs of "BAD PAIN" are:

• Not eating as much as usual
• Picking up and dropping food
• Not interested in playtime or toys that were always important to your pet
• Trouble jumping into the car or truck
• Trouble going up or down stairs
• Not wanting to jump up on a couch or a bed to be near you
• Sleeping more that normal
• Howling or hyperactivity
• Drooling excessively
• Squinting or not opening an eye
• Sleeping in the winter near a radiator
• Not wanting to get up in the morning for breakfast
• Eating in a different position
• Eating on one side of the mouth
• Strong abnormal mouth odor
• Teeth grinding and clicking when eating or after eating
• Snapping at you or your children which has never occurred before
• Growling when being touched
• Scratching doors, furniture, or walls in a normally well-behaved pet
• Not using a leg; holding it up at times
• Stiffness when getting up from sleeping
• A different sleeping posture with the hind legs in a "frog-leg" position in a pet that has not slept that way before
• Blood in the urine; or multiple urinations
• Straining to defecate
• Difficulty moving the head up and down or from side to side

If your pet is showing any of these subtle "SIGNS OF BAD PAIN," you must get to your veterinarian immediately.  "BAD PAIN" is difficult to diagnose and your doctor may have to run some tests or take some x-rays.  Other times, referral to an Internal Medicine Doctor or a Pain Specialist in Critical Care might be the road to discovering the source of the pain.

Once the pain center is found, a prescription for pain control is then initiated.  Many clients are concerned about narcotics and drug dependence.  Other clients do not want to give medicines at all.  Remember Zusak's quote about being slapped in the face and smiling and doing that for 24 hours a day.  Your pet wants a quality-pain free life and does not want to live in pain.  Let your doctor guide you to the best pain prescription for your pet.  There are many options today than can be utilized without drug dependence.  Do not be fearful of medicine for pain.  Allow your veterinarian to be your support-system and guide.  Ask for a referral to a pain specialist if the medicine your local doctor has prescribed in not helping.  Become a pain-control advocate starting today for the good of your pet.

14August2012

Dr. Don DeForge

Animal Doc AM-Multi-Media

www.SilverSandsVeterinary.com

Ph-203-877-3221

DoctorDeForge@yahoo.com

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WHICH ITCH IS THE WORST?

Which ITCH is the Worst?

Animal Doc AM Multi-Media
Dr. Don DeForge
07August2012

Have your allergies been bothering you? As you stop by the OTC area for allergy medicine at your local supermarket or drug store you will note that there has been a major run on allergy medicines this month.  People are sneezing, coughing, rubbing their itchy eyes, and complaining about sinus headaches.  What about our PETS?  Do they have the same allergies?

Yogi Berra once said, "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore!"  The information to follow is definitely worth a dime because it can help your pet return to a normal quality of life.  Dogs, specifically, can have a multitude of allergy problems.  In the dog and the cat, the reactions to allergies are usually dermal [i.e. involving the skin] in nature.

Some of the signs you might see with a dog or a cat with allergies are:

1. Licking or chewing of the feet or pads
2. A reddened skin with crusty areas from secondary infections
3. Rubbing of the face
4. Scratching of the sides or belly
5. Rubbing the anal area
6. Pawing or rubbing the face and ears
7. Ear Inflammation and/or infections
8. Red irritated eyes

What causes allergies?  Consult with your LDVM about a referral to a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist to find the cause of your pet's allergies.

There are areas of concern that the Dermatologist will address:

• Flea Allergy
• Seasonal Allergy
• Food Allergy
• Bacterial and Fungal Skin Infections
• Thyroid Disease-Low Thyroid
• Other parasitic problems
• Immune Mediated Diseases

Common Seasonal or Inhalant allergies can be classified according to the allergen that causes the patient to be uncomfortable.  Some of the allergens are:

• Grasses
• Weeds
• Trees
• Fungi and Molds
• House Dust
• Wool-Cotton-Kapok-Tobacco Smoke-and cockroach

The Dermatologist eliminates these one at a time with either Allergy Blood Testing-[one system used in people and animals is RAST testing] or by Intradermal Skin Testing.  How these are utilized and which is the best testing system for your pet is explained by the Dermatologist at the time of your visit.

The Dermatologist may suggest Hyposensitization once the exact allergen[s] have been 

identified.  A vaccine prescription manufactured according to the Dermatologist's instructions by the Immunology Lab will attempt to retrain your pet's immune system to deal with future exposure to their allergens.  The final result of reducing the symptoms of discomfort is directly related to your pet's immune system..  Not all patients are helped with Hyposensitization.  Some are only partially helped; some receive minimal to no assistance; and others are dramatically resolved of their symptoms.

You must remember that Hyposensitization is an allergy management system required in most animals for life because allergies are a life long program.  Not utilizing the vaccine properly or not following the Dermatologist's recommendations will lead to failure.

Is your dog or cat itchy?  Call your LDVM today for a consultation appointment and listen to their recommendations.  Let them advise you about referral to a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist.  Make the phone call today for the good of your pet!