Chicken Jerky Treats

IMPORTANT ALERT !!!!!! Chicken Jerky Treats manufactured in China have been implicated in causing disease in dogs in Ontario. Signs include decreased activity, vomiting and increased drinking and urinating. Blood tests may show increased kidney enzymes and increased blood glucose levels. Therefore at this stage we are recommending that all jerky type treats that come from stores be stopped till further information is available.

Fluoridation of Drinking Water

It over the past 50 years one of the greatest public health advances and medical improvements that have been made in out society is the fluoridation of public drinking water. It has been a major factor responsible for the decline in tooth decay. Although other fluoride containing products are available, addition of fluoride to drinking water has proven to be the most cost-effective and efficient method of providing fluoride to all members within the community regardless of age, education, or level of income. The safety, efficiency and effectiveness of adding fluoride to water has been extensively and scientifically studied across numerous continents encompassing hundreds of cities and millions of people.

It has been shown that a community can expect to save $40 for every $1 invested to fluoridation of its public drinking water. In the review of numerous studies on the rate of tooth decay, it has been shown to be valuable not only for children but also for adults, with each new age group of older adults retaining more natural teeth than the generations before them. Safety has not been in question with the exception of abuse, generally in children who are swallowing toothpaste or over ingesting fluoride containing supplements, both generally occurring due to poor parental supervision. Dental staining or spotting has been reported where mild excess of fluoride has been ingested over time, with no damage to either the teeth or the subject.

Guidelines to the addition of fluoride have changed over the past 10 years due to the universal addition of fluoride to toothpastes. This has resulted in the increased exposure of individuals to fluoride. Thus Calgary City and Alberta Health Services as part of their ongoing review of the water fluoridation program reduced the level of fluoride to 0.7 mg/L (from the previous 1 mg/L) in 1998. (Fluoride naturally occurs in the Bow and Elbow Rivers, in concentrations varying throughout the year, between 0.1 and 0.4 mg/L).

As of  May 2011, Calgary city Council has voted to remove the fluoridation of the city’s water due to pressure of self interest groups and against advice and recommendations of the region's chief medical officer of health, of Alberta health region, and they opted not to consult with the expert panel that was offered by the University of Calgary for free. Interestingly Major Nenshi was absent during this critical Council vote which impacts the health of all Calgarian's. Reasons for the vote to stop fluoridation included the cost to the city of $750,000 a year for implementation, plus additional costs to upgrade the fluoridation equipment. Other factors claimed included the rights of counsel to impose addition of fluoride to drinking water which might not be approved by 100% of the population.

References:

1. City of Calgary  “Fluoride discontinued in Calgary’s drinking water”
2. Community Water Fluoridation and Dental Health in the U.S

      http://www.healthyteeth.us/documents/FluoridationWilliamMaaspublicstatement.pdf

Recommended Sources for further information:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridationhttp://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/index.htm

Free Nature Walks | Birds Calgary

Free Nature Walks | Birds Calgary: "Sun May 8, 8am: Visit Frank Lake to look at the birds – and the insects that support them! Learn the reason for the varied birdlife – and the diverse aquatic invertebrates that the lake supports. Meet Anderson LRT Station, Macleod Tr., S of pedestrian overpass, or at 8:45am, at the gate to Frank Lake, S off Hwy 23, about 5 km E of High River. Bring lunch. Leaders, aquatic specialist, Danita Mazlankowski, 403-771-2461 and Greg Wagner, 403-601-3893."

Urine Grass Burn

At this time of the year our grass is most susceptible to urine burn from our dogs.  Also, unfortunately the bluegrass that is our most common lawn grass, is also the most susceptible to urine burn.  The cause is the high nitrogen concentration of urine, due to it’s the ammonium content.  Just as over fertilization will kill the grass, so does the urine.  The only real cure is to liberally water the lawn where your pet is urinating.  Once we get into the wetter and warmer time of the year, and we actually get into the growth phase of the grass, this is no longer such a problem.  During the snow covered winter months the urine is often sufficiently diluted by the snow cover and so causes less damage.  So if you are concerned about the spots of killed lawn, now is the time to start watering where your dog urinates. 

Females dogs are more damaging to the lawn as they squat and localize their urine.  Male dogs often urinate up against objects and so are urinating into the flower beds or have a disseminated stream.

For the most part many of the products that are recommended to prevent grass burn which are sold for dogs are poorly effective or potentially harmful.  After many years of experience with a variety of products, we have yet to find anything that works any better than water, re-seeding and time. 

Raw Food Diets

We at Bridlewood Veterinary Clinic have used home prepared and raw food diets for many years (Dr Mark has fed his own and clients pets for over 20 years) with the greatest success.  We have found our pets to not only love this diet, but to gain many benefits.  It can be used for both weight loss and gain with good results.  The pet’s coats are always shinier and softer, they display increased energy, this food is good for allergies, dogs at risk for gastric torsion, and stool volume is hugely decreased.  Dental condition improves, especially where raw bones are used as part of the protocol.

In the past we have fed Mountain Dog Food which is mainly a chicken based diet.  Currently we are using Farm Fresh Pet Foods which comes as either cooked or raw preparations.  It is also available as a beef base with oatmeal which is our preference.  However for dogs that have allergies there is a Bison and Berry formulation and there is also a grain free beef formulation, where this is a requirement.

Ranula (Sialocele) in a Cat

This is a very uncommon condition to be found in a cat. In fact after 35 years in veterinary practice this is the first one that I have ever seen. This condition is more commonly seen in dogs, and even then we would not commonly see more than 1-2 in a year.

This is caused by the inflammation of the sublingual and sub-mandibular saliva glands. It is generally associated with trauma, but could also be associated with inflammation or infection. The condition causes a large swelling under the tongue. It is usually only on one side, however it could also be bilateral. This particular cat was presented with the typical very large swelling under the tongue, and inability to swallow due to the swelling and thus an inability to eat. The mouth was wet with excess saliva due to the inability to swallow. The cat had a fever, was lethargic and dehydrated. Antibiotics anti-inflammatories and pain medication was administered, but after 24 hours there was very little improvement. Therefore, after discussion with a medical and surgical specialists, we performed surgery on this patient. The large inflamed and edematous salivary ducts were resected on both sides below the tongue, using a method called marsupialization.

Within hours there was a huge improvement, the patient displayed a significant increase in it’s amount of comfort and was able to begin eating within 12 hours. Shortly thereafter it was in a sufficiently stable condition to be able to bedischarged, and on subsequent follow-up it has continued to do well, is able to eat well, and is returning to full and normal activity.

This was a rare and very interesting case particularly because it was in a cat, and we are all very gratified that the results which turned out so favorably. 

Anal Sacculitis of dogs and cats

One of the more common conditions that we see in our patients is problems to do with the anal glands. All canines and felines have these glands under the tail, and in the wild they would serve the purpose of territorial marking and individual identification. The purpose would be to let other animals that may inadvertently enter into their territory know that they do so at your own risk. In the case of our domestic pets, these glands are actually redundant. However they are prone to pathology which includes impaction, infection and abscess formation.

To put this into perspective, we would be expressing anal glands on a daily basis in our practice. We treat three to four infected or abscessed glands in a week, and are only required to surgically remove chronically infected glands three or four times in a year.

Anal glands become impacted when the secretion becomes thickened or the glandular ducts become narrowed. At this stage they can easily be manually expressed by external or internal rectal digital pressure. Our groomers would typically perform this procedure on most dogs that come into the grooming salon on a daily basis. In a lesser degree of cases we see glands that have become infected and the discharge becomes particularly fetid, yellowish and pussy looking. In this case we would be required to use antibiotics in addition to the manual expression of the glands. Occasionally, the first sign that we become aware of, is once the gland has already formed an abscess, or an anal gland abscess has already burst. In this case cleaning the affected area and antibiotics would be required.

In all cases of anal gland problems the signs would be similar in that it would be a dog that is scooting, licking or biting at its rear end, is experiencing discomfort, and occasionally owners will report difficulty with defecation. Some authors would suggest that this condition is more common in small dog breeds, however we have found it to be not uncommon in all breeds including and less frequently in cats.

In dogs where recurrence is frequent and discomfort is persistent the recommendation is to remove the glands surgically. This is relatively easily done, and we experience a very good prognosis for a full and complete recovery, and resolution of the problem.

As far as prevention of the condition, there is unfortunately very little that one can practically do. As previously mentioned routine expression during grooming is always recommended. Also, at the first signs of scooting or rear end discomfort it is recommended that your pet be checked by your veterinarian, and the anal glands expressed if that is the problem. Antibiotic treatment, where required, will sometimes reduce the rate of recurrence of this problem. Unfortunately dietary management and/or weight control or reduction is rarely of any benefit.