Tips for Maintaining Your Dog’s Overall Health

Five Diseases Caused by Ticks

Who would think that something so small, sometimes so small they are hard to see, could cause so much damage? Ticks can be found just about anywhere. And they are not particular when choosing a victim. These small parasites feed off the blood of animals and humans and, more importantly, spread disease.

Article

Allergies

Antifreeze Poisoning

Bladder and Urethral Stones in Dogs

Cushing's Syndrome

Five Diseases Caused by Ticks

Seven Steps to Your Pet's Dental Health

There are five diseases that different ticks can transmit. Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, and Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis. The most “popular” of these is Lyme Disease.

Lyme Disease can be found in every state in the United States and Canadian provinces. Spread by the black-legged or deer tick, this disease is most common in the Northwest. Symptoms include a rash at the site of the tick bite, tiredness, and neurological and facial muscular problems.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is common in the Southwest. Symptoms of the disease include sudden onset fever, headache, and muscle pain, followed by a rash. The disease can be difficult to diagnose in the early stages, and without prompt and appropriate treatment, it can be fatal.

Ehrlichiosis is common in the Southwest. This disease is spread by the lone star tick and is carried by dogs, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses. Symptoms include a fever and swollen lymph nodes.

Babesiosis is carried by deer ticks and is found most often in the Northwest and upper Midwest. Symptoms include a nonproductive cough, headache, and malaise.

Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis is often found in the upper Midwest, New England, and Northern California. Symptoms are fever, headache, and malaise.
Ticks are predators, and they do not fly. They live in tall grass and either crawl up or fall onto their hosts. If you see a tick on yourself, you should remove it immediately. If you find a tick on your pet, you can remove it yourself, but you should have the veterinarian remove it for you. At that point, they can look at the area to make sure that nothing looks suspicious, check your pet’s temperature, and, if needed, start treatment.

Village Veterinary Hospital encourages our pet owners to inspect their pets every time they go outside, inspect the areas outside where their pets could come into contact with ticks, and call our office if they have any questions or concerns regarding ticks and their pets.

Village Veterinary Hospital carries a couple of products that can help protect your pets and your home against these parasites. Please call our office at (505) 869-2627, and we will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Seven Steps to Your Pet’s Dental Health

Many of our pets will show gum disease by the time they are four years old; some can be as young as two. If you educate yourself about providing good dental hygiene for your pets and schedule your pet’s annual visits to Village Veterinary Hospital—at which time a dental exam is part of the annual visit—this will help maintain healthy teeth and prevent any possible dental problems.

Here are seven steps that can help you in helping your pet have a healthy mouth.

The Breath Test: Sniff your pet’s breath. If their breath is especially offensive and is accompanied by a loss of appetite, vomiting, or excessive drinking or urinating, it is a good idea to schedule an appointment and have their teeth looked at.

Signs of Oral Disease: The following are signs that your pet may have a problem and should have a dental exam:
• Bad Breath
• Excessive Drooling
• Inflamed Gums
• Tumors in the Gums
• Cysts under the Tongue
• Loose Teeth

What Is Tooth Decay? Bacteria and plaque-forming foods can cause build-up on our pet’s teeth. This will cause tartar, possibly causing gingivitis, receding gums, and tooth loss.

Know Your Mouth Disorders: Get familiar with possible mouth problems. Know what you’re looking for and know when it is time to see the vet.

• Periodontal Disease – A painful infection between the tooth and the gum. This can cause tooth loss and spread the infection to major organs in the body.
• Gingivitis – An inflammation of the gums caused mainly by disease-producing bacteria around the gum line. This is reversible with regular teeth cleanings.
• Halitosis or Bad Breath – This can be the first sign of a mouth problem and is caused by food particles caught between the teeth.
• Swollen Gums – This develops when tartar builds up and food gets stuck in the teeth.
• Proliferating Gum Disease – This occurs when the gum grows over the teeth.
• Mouth Tumors – These appear as lumps in the gums. Some of these must be removed.

Four Stages of Dental Disease
Chew on This: Chew toys can help the teeth stay clean and massage the gums. If you have questions about which toys are “safe” for your pet, please call our office at 869-2627 and discuss it with one of our doctors.

Diet for Healthy Teeth: Village Veterinary Hospital sells and believes in Science Diet. Science Diet has a T/D diet that is specifically for the teeth, as well as a Healthy Advantage Diet that is for all-around food, including the teeth.

Annual Exams and Dentals: It is important to schedule annual exams for your pets. Just like people, our pet’s health can change in a short time, and if your vet doesn’t have the opportunity to keep his eye on them, a very simple issue can quickly become a medical emergency. During every annual exam, our vets and technicians will always check the teeth and gums for any changes.

If you have questions or concerns, please call our office at (505) 869-2627, and we will be glad to help you.

Allergies

Animals just like people, can suffer allergic reactions to a wide variety of environmental substances, or allergens. Some allergens are seasonal, such as grass, tree and weed pollen. Allergens causing year-round symptoms include food, molds, dust mites, insects and other materials found in the home environment…even people.

Antifreeze Poisoning

There are several household items that are toxic to our dogs or cats, one of the most problematic being antifreeze. Antifreeze has a smell and taste that our dogs are attracted to. Antifreeze poisoning can happen quite easily due to the fact that it is commonly spilled on the garage floor or dumped into the street when changed. The chemical in antifreeze is called Ethylene Glycol. It causes extensive kidney damage almost immediately after consumption. When antifreeze is consumed the body starts absorbing the toxin from the GI tract. Once the Ethylene Glycol is metabolized through the liver and kidneys, Calcium Oxalate crystals start to form and there is an increase in the urine pH. The lethal dose of antifreeze is about 3 ounces for a medium to small size dog.

Bladder and Urethral Stones in Dogs

Bladder stones are very common in dogs. Stones that form in the bladder may pass into the urethra. All dogs can develop bladder stones. Bladder and urethra stones may be large or small, single or multiple, and may pass through or obstruct the lower urinary tract. Stones in the bladder will cause painful urination and blood in the urine.

Cushing’s Syndrome

Cushing’s syndrome is what happens when a dog’s body makes too much of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol helps respond to stress, control weight, fight infections, and keeps the blood sugar levels in check.

There are two types of this condition. One is Pituitary Dependent and the other one is Adrenal Dependent. Pituitary Dependent is the most common form and it affects about 80% to 90% of the animals who have Cushing’s. It happens when there’s a tumor in the pituitary. The pituitary is a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain. Adrenal dependent happens when a tumor is in the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are located top of the kidneys. Only 15% to 20% of diagnosed dogs have this type.