A pet owner should be informed about how to care for their pets and how to keep them in tip top shape.

Tired of Spending All That Money On Veterinary Bills?

First consider Veterinary Health Insurance.  There is an annual or monthly fee and minimal co-payment and will cover accidents and/or illness and may help with routine pet care depending on type and level of coverage.  There are two companies now to choose from.  The oldest is Veterinary Pet Insurance.  The second option is PetCare Pet Insurance .  We find that owners with pet insurance are able to make the best decisions for the health of their pets.  Too often in emergency situations the finances can be too squeezed to provide optimal healthcare and therefore even affect the outcome

Another option is to pre-qualify for a health credit card to be used for unexpected medical expenses at your veterinarian, dentist or medical doctor.  It has a no interest free period or variable interest that varies according to how much is charged on it at one time.  More info.

Barring these options, if you want to save money on your veterinary bills, not to mention make life easier for your loved pets, we have some sage advice for you.  These are things you can do to help prevent the most common avoidable veterinary expenses.

  1. There is no such thing as a "street smart" dog .  Keep your dog out of the streets!  Sooner or later he will get hit by a car, unless he dies of something else first.  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard distraught owners, staring bleakly at their injured dog on the exam table, say "I don't know what came over him-he never goes in the street!"

  2. Keep your cat(s) indoors .  I know there are "outdoor cats" and there are Indoor-outdoor cats" and I am not saying that everyone who has a cat should keep them indoors all the time.  However, most bad things that happen to cats happen when they are outside.  If you want to avoid those bad things, like bite wounds, dog trauma, car injuries, pellet gun wounds, then keep your cat inside.

  3. Keep your dog on a leash .  Again, I am not saying that you should never let your dog run and play, or go for walks, off a leash.  However, dogs run through brush and barbed wire and get cuts on their footpads and lacerations to their legs or ears.  They meet with other dogs and sometimes the interaction is not friendly.  Or they can form a "pack" and a pack of dogs takes on a whole new personality (like people in mobs).  A pack of dogs will do things that none of the individual dogs would do on their own.  They will ignore owner commands and kill or maim livestock and other dogs or cats.  Yes, that can happen even to little Fifi or Rover.  Please, before you let your dog or dogs off the leash, take a good look at the area around you .  Be very careful.

  4. Don't let your dog ride loose in the back of your pickup truck !  Like dogs that "Never go into the street" I have seen many dogs that "never jump out of the truck" until this time.  Broken legs and ruptured knee tendons along with road rash and lacerations is a common result.  Orthopedic surgery on a dog can easily cost a thousand or more dollars, and is not always completely successful.  I know if you are a farmer with working dogs it may not be practical to restrain dogs in the back, and even less practical to have two or three muddy, slobbering cow dogs in the seat next to you.  Just understand there are risks.  Georgia has a law that requires "pickup dogs" to be cross-tied even though humans in the cab do not have to be wearing seatbelts.  We, in Georgia, think highly of our four-legged friends!

  5. Keep your dog or cat from eating things that could harm them.  Keep them out of your and your neighbors' garbage cans!  Cats are more finicky and careful than dogs about what they eat, but either one can find culinary treasures in the garbage.  A foreign body stuck in the intestinal system could result, necessitating emergency surgery.  They may also eat Grandpa's heart pills or other medications left on a counter or dropped to the floor. A ten pound cat or dog eating a dose intended for a 200 pound human can become severely ill.  Cats and dogs will readily lap up antifreeze from a leaky radiator or a spill from filling or replacing antifreeze. This antifreeze cocktail will lead to kidney damage or death!   "Garbage Gut" can cause serious vomiting and diarrhea.  Often times it is the result of cleaning out the refrigerator of leftovers the humans are afraid to eat but don't want to "just throw away".  Even changing brands of dog food too quickly ("ran out and this brand was cheaper") can lead to expensive vet bills and even death could ensue.

    I am certain there are other avoidable problems, but if you start working on these, we may have to cut back to working part-time. : )

Christmas Hazards

The holiday season is here with all the trimmings:  mistletoe, holly, tinsel, Christmas lights, ribbons, bows, turkey, ham, egg nog, chocolate, etc..  All of these seasonal additions can pose serious health risks to your curious pets.  A few simple precautions can help prevent an unexpected visit to your veterinarian or emergency clinic. 

The Christmas tree can bear many dangerous temptations to our furry friends.  Cats enjoy playing with tinsel, ribbons and bows, which, if swallowed, can twist up their intestines.  Christmas ornaments can also be deadly if chewed and swallowed.  And watch out for any chewing on the light chords.  The best thing that you can do is to keep the Christmas tree in a room where your pets do not have access.  You could also try placing a barrier to help keep your pets away from the tree.

The holiday season would not be complete without all the wonderful food!  Unfortunately, most holiday food is high in fat, spices, sugar and/or bones.  All of these ingredients can cause serious intestinal disease or even life threatening problems.  The best advice is to let the pets have their own personal Christmas celebration in a separate room of the house while the humans have their annual feast. And do not give your pets any “left over” opportunities either.  No people food, only pet food.  Even grapes can cause life threatening disease, so always consult your veterinarian before giving your pet any people food.

Watch your candy dishes and dark chocolate treats; make sure it's the in-laws who are cleaning the bowls and not your pets.  Holiday plants like mistletoe, poinsettias, and amaryllis can also be toxic, so keep them well out of harm's reach.  Even your canned snow and liquid potpourri can be poisonous.

By being aware of some of the dangers that this festive holiday season brings, you can help to prevent that emergency visit to the veterinarian.  It is, however, always better to be safe than sorry. Be sure to have your veterinarian's phone number handy in case an emergency does happen.  Our furry friends are worth the extra effort because all of the family deserves to have a safe, healthy and wonderful holiday season!

Easter Hazards

Case study—Lilies in cats
A friend reports to you that she witnessed her healthy, 6 year old, Male, cat, Max, nibbling on her neighbor's tiger lily.  She immediately flushed out the cat's mouth and called you. 

What advice do you give this friend?

a. This type of lily is not poisonous to cats.  It is only toxic to ferrets and rabbits.  No treatment is indicated.
b. At least one half of a leaf has to be ingested before toxic levels are achieved.  No treatment is indicated since the cat was only witnessed nibbling on the plant.   
c. Inducing vomiting is adequate treatment since the exposure was so recent.
d. Cat needs to go to a clinic immediately for treatment.

The correct answer is d ; the friend should bring the cat to a clinic for treatment.  Treatment goals are to prevent renal (Kidney) tubular obstruction from necrosis and sloughing of epithelial cells.  Postponing treatment for longer than 18 hours post exposure can result in renal (kidney) failure and death.  Treatment includes:

  • Induce vomiting, followed by repeated doses of activated charcoal.
  • Baseline bloodwork (minimum, prefer complete chemistry panel), and monitor daily for at least 72 hours.
  • Diuresis with LRS (or normal saline if hyperkalemia is present) IV at twice maintenance (130 ml/kg/day) for at least 48 hours.
  • Diuretics can be administered if oliguria occurs.

When are the earliest alterations of kidney function expected in cats that have ingested lilies?

a. 2-4 hrs
b. 6-8 hrs
c. 24-72 hrs
d. 72-96 hrs

The correct answer is c.  The time frame for clinical events in lily toxicosis includes: vomiting, anorexia (not eating), and depression within 2-4 hours of ingestion (may have apparent recovery or may remain depressed); epithelial casts in urine by 18 hours; elevation of BUN, creatinine, potassium, and phosphorus within 24-72 hours post exposure; oliguric or anuric acute renal failure within 72 hrs; death within 3-6 days.  Anuric (unable to make urine) cats have a poorer prognosis, and in some cases, renal function has been restored after long term (weeks) of peritoneal dialysis.

Discussion
Cats are very sensitive to toxicosis caused by plants of the genera Lilium and Hemerocallis.  The entire plant, including leaves, flowers and pollen, is potentially nephrotoxic to cats.   According to a recent study (Rumbeiha et al, to A Comprehensive study of Easter Lily poisoning in Cats, J Vet Diagn Invest 16-527-541 (2004)), aqueous extracts of leaves and flowers caused damage to the kidney and pancreas of cats. 

Plants associated with nephrotoxicosis (toxic changes to the functional unit of the kidney) in cats include Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), Asiatic lily (Lilium asiatic), red lily (Lilium umbellatum), rubrum lily (Lilium speciosum rubrum), stargazer lily (Lilium orientalis), western lily (L. umbellatum), wood lily (L. umbellatum), early day lily (Hemerocallis sieboldii), day lily (Hemerocallis dumortirei, Hemerocallis fulva), and orange day lily (Hemerocallis graminea).

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.), and calla lilies (Zantedeschia spp) contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals and should not be confused with those in the Liliaceae family; these plants will cause gastrointestinal upset (vomiting or diarrhea) and oral discomfort but do not cause renal (kidney) injury if ingested by cats.  Lily of the Incas or Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria aurantiaca) is also not a true lily, and is only expected to cause mild gastrointestinal signs in healthy animals.  Another “faux-lily”, lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) contains cardiac glycosides that can cause fatal arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) similar to those seen in digoxin toxicosis and could kill a cat.

So Lillies are Nice but make sure your cats prefer Mice!

 



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