Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force

The Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force (ASNTF) Team spayed, neutered, vaccinated, tattooed, and treated for parasites 187 dogs and cats. Our appreciation to the compassionate and caring medical team of 18 Veterinarians, 12 Animal Health Technicians and 4 veterinary students who provided great care for the animals that came to the clinic.

Thank-you so much to all of the awesome volunteers who assisted with our spay and neuter clinic for the Piikani First Nation, in Brocket, Alberta in October 2012!

Dr. Mark Rubensohn and Bridlewood Veterinary Clinic were pleased to once again be involved in this excellent program with the ASNTF.

For more information on this group and about there wonderful work visit the Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force Facebook page.

Caution – Jerky Treats from China

Caution – Jerky Treats from China

In the light of increasing cases and information of illness in dogs that have been exposed to “Jerky Treats” manufactured in China, we would like to make sure that our clients are aware of this potential problem. We advise the use of pet foods and treats that are manufactured locally by recognized and trusted companies.

Signs to look out for that may be associated with jerky pet treats include decreased appetite and activity, vomiting, diarrhea and increased drinking and urinating. Laboratory findings may include signs of kidney problems including glucose and/or protein in the urine. Some of the reported cases may be the result of causes other than the consumption of jerky treats. This concern has not been definitively isolated to jerky treats so caution is indicated with all pet food products that originate from China. Currently the US FDA and numerous veterinary authorities are investigating this problem. Should you have a concern that your pet has become ill after exposure to imported treats, please notify your veterinarian immediately.

More information can be found at the following sites:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm295445.htm

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm319463.htm

Beyond the reflection: the dangers of windows by birdscalgary

Posted by Matthew Sim

As the fall migration starts to heat up and southbound warblers, vireos, flycatchers, sparrows and more pass through Calgary, birding can become quite exciting. While for us, this is a great time to be out and about, for the birds, it is dangerous; very dangerous. Migrating passerines (perching birds), for example, have to travel long distances all while on the lookout for predators such as hawks and cats, try to get food themselves and hope they don't get caught in an early cold-snap which could potentially kill them. And this is just the beginning, there are even more dangers; one of them which is the most lethal of them all.

According to Sibley Guides Bird Mortalities, window strikes (when a bird hits a window) kill between 97 and 976 million birds each year, more than any other cause of birddeaths. (http://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/).  I was in my neighbor's yard when I noticed one of these fatalities on his patio. While I had been there, a migrating Ovenbird had struck his window and had died. Though birds can crash into  windows at any time of the year, window strikes tend to happen more frequently during migration as an influx of migrants come through unfamiliar territory, passing from tree to tree. As you can see in the photo below, it is quite easy for a birdto see its habitat reflected in a window and believe that it is simply another tree they are heading to; I'm sure most don't know what hit them.

If I were a bird, I would probably fly towards these trees too.

Many bird populations are declining already due to a number of reasons and we don't need to help them along with  reflective windows when we could easily prevent window strikes occurring.

This Ovenbird had struck my neighbor's window while I was in his yard.

A closer look at the detail on the Ovenbird's feathers

Probably the worst part of all this is that window strikes are senseless; it's not like natural selection where it was meant to happen, window strikes are part of our devastating side effects on nature; however, they can also be easily prevented.

There are many ways to prevent birds from striking windows. If you are having birds fly from your feeders or bird baths into windows, you can either move these bird attracting features further away (25-30 feet) from the window or closer (1-3 feet) to the window so that if the birds do hit the window at just 1-3 feet they will not be going fast enough to do any harm to themselves.

Apparently, there is also a material called CollidEscape which can reduce reflectivity and transparency on the outside but still leave the windows transparent from the inside. You can check it out here.

Here are a few more options:

• plant shade trees outside windows to break down reflections
• install snap-on window dividers
• put a hanging plant outside of the window

These are just a few of the ways you can avoid window strikes and help reduce the number of avian mortalities each year. Often, preventing window strikes can be as simple as closing the curtains or blinds when not using the windows. You can see even more solutions here.

If you have birds hitting your windows, there are many ways to stop it; help out bird populations!



I would like to thank Birds Calgary and Matt Sim for this insightful article which I have re-posted here in full.

Screw Tail of Bulldog

We performed a very successful tail amputation on a bulldog with an Inverted Screw Tail this week. “Chase” has had his pinched in little tail since birth, but it has only started to present a problem for him in the past 6months or so. His tail was to tightly curled down that it could not be elevated at all and he has developed a severe case of under tail infection causing a great deal of discomfort. The area could not be accessed to bathe or clean in any way and no salves could be adequately applied. In an attempt to relieve his discomfort it was decided to anesthetize him and investigate further with a view to amputation of his tail tip. Even under general anesthetic the downward deviation of his tail was so severe that cleaning was impossible.

Surgery was performed and despite a great deal of anatomical challenge, the misshapen tail tip was amputated back to a point that would prevent further complications. Then the redundant folds of tail skin were resected to prevent any folds or wrinkles to interfere with normal stool passage, and to give a cosmetic ally balanced appearance. “Chase” has recovered well after his surgery, and we expect him to be completely resolved of rear end issues.

To all of our Loyal Clients, Lovely Patients
 and Regular Followers,

 We wish you all Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas 
  and A Joyous New Year

 The year is once again drawing to a close and the festive season is upon us. Again, in lieu of Christmas cards, we will be donating to our favorite animal and wildlife charities, listed below, with a view to helping these organizations continue with their fabulous work:

• The Companion Animal Fund of the University of Calgary
• The Companion Animal Fund of the University of Saskatchewan
• Calgary Humane Society
• Animal Cancer Therapy Subsidization Society (ACTSS)
• Canadian Wildlife Federation
• Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)

During this holiday season while celebrating with our family, friends and pets, we would like to thank all of our wonderful clients and patients for all your support throughout the past year. Some of our most rewarding moments continue to come from the help we've been able to provide both to our patients and clients.

Throughout the year we've assisted in training a number of foreign graduate veterinarians, animal health technologists and veterinary receptionists. We’ve also been able to provide volunteer opportunities to high school students and have given presentations to children at local schools.


We have set up a veterinary blog at http://bridlewoodvc.blogspot.com/ and a presence on Facebook. We would be happy if you would visit us online, scan through some of our articles, and “Like” us on Facebook.

The doctors and staff of Bridlewood Veterinary Clinic would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our clients the very best of compliments of the season and a happy, healthy and wonderful New Year.

Clostridial Diarrhea and Colitis in Dogs

Clostridium perfringens is a common cause of diarrhea in our canine patients. Clostridium is a soil dwelling bacterium which can be cultured from the feces of many normal dogs. Under certain circumstances it overgrows the normal colonic bacteria and forms spores which produce an endo-toxin. The toxin causes an inflammation of the colon resulting in diarrhea. This begins as a watery and mucus covered diarrhea progressing to include some blood and can become very serious. Some dogs will experience intermittent and recurrent bouts of diarrhea while being completely fine in between. On presentation to the clinic these dogs are often happy and healthy, excepting for the history of chronic watery persistent diarrhea and straining. Any age or breed of dog can be affected.

Diagnosis always begins with a clinical examination of the dog and rule out other causes of diarrhea. Fecal testing is performed to eliminate other causes of infectious and parasitic infestations. Microscopic examination will readily demonstrate a huge overgrowth of sporulating clostridial bacteria. Fecal samples can be submitted to a veterinary laboratory for PCR testing which can specifically identify the Clostridium perfringens toxin.

Treatment entails the use of an antibiotic. Generally we begin with metronidazole or amoxicillin. These antibiotics are typically used for a period of 7 to 10 days if it is a first occurrence. For recurrent cases we significantly extend the time for which we use the antibiotics.

Probiotics are used in an attempt to improve the intestinal and colonic flora. We now have specific dog products available to us and these have proved helpful. Dietary management is very useful adjuvant and we may recommend a specific gastrointestinal diet. Fortunately many commercial veterinary prescription diets are available to us. Occasionally we might also recommend the use of specific home prepared diets.

 

The majority of clostridial colitis patients responded quickly to the use of antibiotics and recurrences are infrequent. However, a number of dogs seem to be particularly susceptible to recurrence once the antibiotics are ceased. Typically the cause is an underlying immune incompetence or bowel sensitivity on the part of the dog, and ongoing medication is required. Fortunately even for patients requiring ongoing medication, we find the antibiotics are well tolerated and a return to full health occurs shortly after a return to antibiotic treatment.

Seeing Eye Dog

This was forwarded to me and I like it so much that I have posted it here - Dr Mark Rubensohn.

 A thousand words couldn't begin to tell the story in these pictures.

Lily is a Great Dane that has been

blind since a bizarre medical condition required that she have both eyes

removed. For the last 5 years, Madison, another Great Dane, has been

her sight. The two are, of course,

inseparable.





"People will forget what you said; People will forget what you did.
But people will never forget how you made them feel."