Medical Info

Medical info

 

Tick-Disease, Acupuncture, Blood Pressure, Separation Anxiety, Homotoxicology, Why Do Greyhounds Bleed

Please find here information about medical issues like Tick disease, Acupuncture and much more. Please visit also our Link-Page; there are a lot of helpful links about Health Issues.

Click here to read about the Ohio State’s Greyhound Whisperer

Please click here for an article from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH: Why Is My Dog’s Labwork Different From Yours?

A Word on Tick Borne Disease

The racing Greyhound spends a great deal of time in states other than the one in which they were born. And many of those states are noted for having major tick problems.

When a racing Greyhound is retired and leaves the tracks, it can move the adoption process either sick with a possible tick borne disease (TBD) or may have a TBD with no noticeable symptoms. Some of these Greyhounds’ racing careers ended abruptly because they became ill and stopped performing well. It is important for all Greyhound owners to have an understanding of tick borne disease (TBD), how to test and also how to treat their Greyhound, if necessary.

Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis are two common tick diseases that have three stages. In the acute stage, the Greyhound may become quite ill with flu-like symptoms and sometimes unresponsive diarrhea. This may go on for a few weeks or a few months until either the immune system builds up enough antibodies to fight it to a standoff or the dog dies. If the dog survives thanks to a good immune response, the disease will then go into a sort of dormant stage – often with no symptoms showing. The Greyhound could remain in this stage for many years and may not become ill from it again. But, some dogs will have unrelated or mysterious problems that can baffle many veterinarians, leading to inconclusive tests, incorrect diagnoses and unsuccessful treatments. And sometimes the symptoms will disappear as mysteriously as they appeared. If the Greyhound enters the third stage, it may become seriously or critically ill very quickly and the veterinarian may not even test for tick disease or, if they do test, the dog may die in this stage before treatment can begin. Damage to the organs may be irreparable if the Greyhound enters the third stage of. Tick disease can compromise your Greyhound’s organs and immune system leaving them vulnerable to other disease and cancers.

Tick testing is a simple procedure and involves drawing blood to send off to a laboratory. The blood sample should be sent to a lab specializing in TBD. ProtaTek Reference Laboratory in Chandler, Arizona provides high quality animal health diagnostic testing. They specialize in TBD and perform thousands of tick tests every year. The laboratory is operated by Dr. Cynthia Holland, Ph.D., an authority on tick borne infectious diseases. Their telephone number is (480) 545-8499). Please have your veterinarian contact the laboratory for the correct procedure.

Please consider tick testing your Greyhound. Early testing (please click here) may save your Greyhound’s life! Consult your veterinarian for further information.

What to do in the Tick Season!

Fleas & Ticks, the Unwelcome Guests!

Consult your vet before using any tick or flea prevention products. Make sure you ask about the safety of using any product on a greyhound and other low fat/underweight dogs. Many of the over the counter flea and tick preventions can be fatal when used on greyhounds. Frontline and Advantage are generally very safe to use, but products like Zodiac are very toxic and may cause serious harm or injury.

 

Acupuncture

Understanding Acupuncture
Acupuncture is best known as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with the first written record found in The Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine dated 4,700 years ago. Acupuncture is a technique which involves the insertion of needles through the skin at specific points on the body in order to produce a desired healing effect.

TCM is based on observation and experimentation over many years. Ancient Chinese medical practitioners formulated explanations based on these observations and their understanding of physiology and anatomy. They theorized that the body has an energy force called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”) running through it.

The Qi consists of all essential life activities which include the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical aspects of life. A person’s health is influenced by the flow of Qi in the body. If the flow of Qi is ineffective, unbalanced, or interrupted, illness may occur. Qi was theorized to travel through the body along specific pathways or “meridians.” Acupuncture points are specific locations along the meridians and stimulation of specific points is thought to restore balance of the flow of Qi.

Modern scientific methods continue to produce more insight into the validity and efficacy of acupuncture. New knowledge of the complex interactions of the nervous system with all the organ systems and immune responses continue to provide better explanations of how acupuncture works. While the Chinese explanation of moving Qi may match our current understanding of neurophysiology and biochemistry, their observations of the effect of small needles at specific points affecting physiology, neurology, and health are being proven valid.

Many people recognize that acupuncture can be used for pain relief and musculoskeletal problems. However, stimulation of certain points may impact aspects of organ function, hormone regulation, and immune system actions making acupuncture an excellent option for maintaining your pet’s health and wellness.

 

Blood Pressure

Should I have my pet’s blood pressure taken?
Just like people, animals can have high blood pressure (hypertension) and low blood pressure (hypotension). High blood pressure is often associated with hyperthyroidism in cats, and both kidney and heart disease in dog and cats. In early stages, some animals will not show any symptoms except an elevated blood pressure. Low blood pressure is rarely a problem except in cases of trauma, shock, or anesthesia and surgery.

What do the numbers mean?
Blood pressure (BP) measurements consist of two numbers: the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure occurs when the heart contracts and forces the blood out into the body. Diastolic pressure occurs during the resting period as the heart refills. The systolic pressure is always higher and recorded first. The diastolic is the second number and is always lower. This is the same in humans.

How is blood pressure measured?
A cuff is placed on the front or rear leg, or on the base of the tail. The BP monitor will automatically inflate the cuff, then release the pressure slowly in order to measure the systolic and diastolic pressures. This is similar in principle to automatic BP devices used by many people to monitor their BP at home. However, the BP in animals is much harder to detect because of the small artery sizes and requires a much more sensitive electronic measuring device to obtain accurate measurements.

What is normal blood pressure for my pet?
Normal BP varies between dog breeds and between dogs and cats. The average for dogs approximately 112 (systolic)/75 (diastolic) and for cats is approximately 125/80. It is important that we establish the normal BP value for each individual animal at a young age, while in good health. Then we can monitor changes in pressure that occur with age. Changes in BP can be an important early indicator of dysfunction or disease.

Annual BP monitoring is an important tool in maintaining the health of your pet. Consider adding this diagnostic test to your pet’s next exam or ask the doctor for more information about this basic health care assessment.

Posted with permission of Dr. Gaston of the Veterinary Wellness Center

 

Separation Anxiety Issues

One definition of separation anxiety is disruptive behavior that occurs when a dog is left alone as a distress response to separation from the person or persons to whom it is attached. Symptoms may include (but are not limited to):

  • Pre-departure anxiety-anxiety level rises as the owner prepares to leave (panting, pacing, trembling)
  • Refusal to eat (anorexic when owner is absent but will immediately eat upon their return)
  • Excessive salivation
  • Plaintive whining, barking or howling incessantly
  • Urinating or defecating indoors
  • Destruction of household property with tooth and nail (often harming themselves in the process)
  • Escape behaviors (dog may destroy doors, windows, surrounding woodwork, may dig under fences, jump over fences, open gates)

You may

  • want to read, “The Dog Who Loved Too Much” by Dr. Nicholas Dodman.
  • and/or “I’ll Be Home Soon” by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.
  • Try more exercise.
  • Try the services of a behavior modification specialist (veterinarian) for help with behavior modification training.
  • Try an antidepressant such as Clomicalm.

 

Introducing A New Treatment Option For Pets: Homotoxicology

From the Veterinary Wellness Center
Harrison, Ohio – Phone: 513-367-4111
www.vetwellness.com

Dr. Rauf recently attended an in-depth seminar on homotoxicology. She learned a great deal of new information and is excited about incorporating this technique for the care of our patients. Homotoxicology is a modern form of homeopathy. Homeopathy began with the theories of Samuel Hahnemann in Germany in the early 1800’s. The fundamental theory was that “like cures like”. For example, if a certain substance such as Nux vomica causes vomiting and diarrhea when taken in a large amount, then a minute dilution of that substance would stimulate an energetic response in the body to alleviate vomiting and diarrhea. These very small dilutions in distilled water, known as remedies, are thought to act on a subtle energetic level within the body with the most potent forms being the most dilute. This energetic and healing response is still not well understood based on our current knowledge of biochemistry and physiology. However, homeopathy, like Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is based on many years of observation and refinement. Homeopathy is widely used by holistic human and animal practitioners in the United States and Europe. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (Friday March 10, 2006 p. B1) summarized new information about the energetic and structural properties of water which may lead to new and better understandings of this healing modality.

Classical homeopathy relies on the single correct choice of the specific remedy to stimulate the correct healing response. Unfortunately, many of the prescribing guidelines utilize emotional symptoms which makes this technique extremely difficult to apply effectively inanimals. In comparison, homotoxicology utilizes combinations of remedies to affect healing responses and the selection of remedies is based on the clinical picture of the animal and not on presumed, or ill-defined, emotional symptoms. In homotoxicology, diseases are considered to be ultimately caused by the failure to effectively eliminate toxins. Toxin exposure can result from bacterial or viral infections, chemical exposure, tissue trauma and damage, or merely by-products of normal cellular metabolism. (For example, cells throughout the body continually produce a toxin, carbon dioxide, that must be eliminated with every breath.) Disease results from the body’s failed attempts to rid itself of toxins and allow healing. In this way, homotoxicology incorporates some of the concepts of TCM relating to stagnation and blockage of energy (detoxification) associated with disease. Specific remedies are prescribed based on the history and the doctor’s physical examination and evaluation of th.ecpatient. Homotoxicology can be used in conjunction with other modalities such as diet and supplemental nutritional support, spinal adjustments, acupuncture, and possibly conventional medicines.

Posted with permission of Dr. Gaston of the Veterinary Wellness Center

 

Why Do Greyhounds Bleed?

C. Guillermo Couto, DVM
Diplomate ACVIM

With the increasing popularity of retired rescued Greyhounds, veterinarians are likely to evaluate dogs of this breed more frequently in their practice. It is estimated that approximately 120,000 Greyhounds lived in homes as pets, compared to 55,000 Greyhounds in racetracks. In the past few years, private Greyhound adoptions ranged from 15,000 to 18,000/year.

https://greyhound.osu.edu/resources/freeresources/greyhoundbleeders/index.cfm

Helpful Links:

  • Drug Free Alternative for Vets – Interesting information for pet owners
  • Couto Veterinary Consultants. Riverside Drive Animal Care Center welcomes C. Guillermo Couto DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine and Oncology) Riverside Drive Animal Care Center is pleased to announce that Dr. Guillermo Couto will be available for consultations starting in June, 2014. Dr. Couto retired from the OhioStateUniversity where he was a professor in internal medicine and oncology.
    Dr. Couto is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of veterinary oncology, hematology and sighthound medicine. Dr. Couto is a double board certified specialist in veterinary internal medicine and oncology but probably is best recognized for his 30 year teaching career at The Ohio State University. Dr. Couto also served as the director of the Greyhound Health and WellnessCenter and the Transfusion Medicine Service and Blood Bank at OhioState.
    Please contact RiversideDriveAnimalCareCenter for information on consultations at 614-766-1222.