Mysterious Cough- UPDATED

The mysterious respiratory disease complex, or CIRDC, that has been circulating has seemed to disappear as fast as it came. Experts report that the number of cases crested before the end of the year. We still have not been able to identify the cause at this time, but happy to report the cases really started to decline the beginning of January.

Last year there have been about 200 dogs in the Willamette Valley diagnosed with this new upper respiratory disease that is going around. The concerning part of this particular CIRDC outbreak was that it seriously affected otherwise young and healthy dogs.

Is it ok to go back to the dog park?

I would caution this as we still have the usually bacteria and viruses that cause CIRDC out there and this the time of year we typically see those cases as well.

What should you do for your pet? Keep your dog up to date on vaccines that keep the respiratory tract healthy. At Mountain View Animal Hospital we are constantly monitoring these outbreaks and reviewing our vaccine protocols to be the most up to date and protective fore our fur babies.

See the American Veterinary Medical Association for more details:

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/canine-infectious-respiratory-disease-complex-kennel-cough

https://www.avma.org/news/oregon-dealing-respiratory-illness-incidents-dogs

Obesity in Dogs and Cats

Obesity in Dogs and Cats

Obesity has become an extremely important health problem in the Western world, not just for humans but for dogs and cats as well. Recent studies show approximately 60% of dogs and cats in the U.S. are classified as obese or overweight, making obesity an epidemic. Most pet owners underestimate their pet's body condition, in part because overweight pets are so common that an overweight body condition now seems to be normal. We can assure you that there is nothing normal about being overweight.

1. Arthritis

The overweight animal has extra unneeded stress on joints. This extra stress leads to the progression of joint degeneration and creates more pain. Weight management alone decreases and can even eliminate the need for arthritis medications. The problem is compounded as joint pain leads to poorer mobility, which in turn leads to greater obesity.

1. Respiratory Compromise

The obese pet has a good inch or two of fat forming a constricting jacket around the chest. This makes the pet less able to take deep breaths as more work is required to move the respiratory muscles. Areas of the lung cannot fully inflate, so coughing results. The pet also overheats more easily. Many cases of tracheal collapse and chronic cough can be managed with only weight loss.

1. Diabetes Mellitus

Extra body fat leads to insulin resistance in cats just as it does in humans. In fact, obese cats have been found to have a 50% decrease in insulin sensitivity. Weight management is especially important in decreasing a cat’s risk for the development of diabetes mellitus.

1. Reduced Life Span

A study of age-matched Labrador retrievers found that dogs kept on the slender side of normal lived a median of 2.5 years longer than their overweight counterparts.

1. Increased Surgical/Anesthetic Risk

Obesity poses an extra anesthetic risk because drug dosing becomes less accurate. (It is hard to estimate a patient’s lean body mass for drug dosing if it is encased in a fat suit.) Furthermore, anesthesia is inherently suppressive to respiration and adding a constrictive jacket of fat only serves to make proper air exchange more challenging. And still further, surgery in the abdomen is hampered by the slippery nature of the extra fat as well as difficulty visualizing all the normal structures through the copious fat deposits. One never knows when a pet will require an emergency surgery (to say nothing of regular teeth cleanings).

So is the enjoyment of all those extra treats really worth it?

My pet is overweight without seemingly eating that much, what now?

Many packages of food include on their label some sort of feeding schedule that indicates how much food should be fed to a pet of a certain weight. These guidelines are meant as a starting point only. They are recommendations based on a maintenance diet for the ideal body weight. If your pet is too fat on the recommended feeding schedule, then you should reduce the amount of food or change to a diet that is higher in fiber so that a satisfying volume of food can still be eaten without adding calories.

You also have to take into account other additions to the diet, including treats, dental chews, etc. Many people express their affection for the pet by providing regular treats. For some people, feeding treats to the pet constitutes a major part of the human-animal bond and they do not wish to give it up or reduce it. Pet treats are often high in calories, though, and four or five treats readily converts into an extra meal’s worth of added fat. Free feeding of dry food encourages the pet to snack as well; meal feeding represents better calorie control.

Treats should not exceed 10% of the pet's feeding allotment.

There are also other considerations when fighting obesity.

Some animals simply have the genes that predispose them to obesity. Dog breeds with genetic tendencies towards obesity include the: Golden Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, Beagle, Shetland Sheepdog, Boxer, Cairn Terrier, Basset Hound, and Labrador Retriever.

Some pets do not burn calories efficiently; they simply have a slow metabolism. This might be genetic as mentioned or it might be the result of a disease such as hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease. Testing for health problems such as these is helpful to get the best treatment for the resolution of obesity. It seems like increasing exercise and eating a healthier diet would be easy to accomplish for a pet but it generally does not turn out that way.

Spaying and neutering your pet can have multiple benefits. However, the change in the hormonal picture, creates a tendency to form more fat cells (creating increased fat storage capacity – especially in female cats), and typically slows metabolism. Spay/neuter is an excellent time to switch from free feeding to meal feeding.

Evaluation by Body Score

Sometimes it is hard to recognize that your pet is overweight as the weight gain has come on gradually or it is hard to actually accept that your pet is more than just a little chubby and is now fully obese. To assist in this evaluation, body condition scoring has been developed and is fairly easy to accomplish. There are two scoring systems: a five-point system (where three out of five is considered optimal) and a nine-point system where four to five out of nine is considered optimal). To evaluate your pet, feel for a small amount of padding over the ribs. It should be possible to feel the ribs easily without having to push through fat and there should be a small tuck in the belly where the hind legs meet the body.

What can be Done: Diet and Exercise

This sounds simple, but in fact when you simply try to cut back on food, it just does not seem to work. Begging for food can result, plus simply reducing the amount of a regular diet (one not meant for weight loss), can lead to deficiency in vitamins or minerals.

As with humans, a more formal approach seems to work best. This means feeding a prescription diet made for weight loss (typically “lite” or “less active” diets are meant to prevent weight gain, not actually cause weight loss), feeding a measured amount, and coming in for regular weigh-ins at the vet’s office.

This means:

• There must be control over what the obese pet eats. That’s easy enough if there is only one pet and roaming is not allowed, but trickier if there is more than one pet in the home. Use your ingenuity to feed the pets separately.
  

• Feed in meals. Leaving food out encourages snacking. Feeding in meals makes it easier to feed multiple pets different foods or different amounts of food.
  

• Commit to regular weigh-ins. Know what the goal weight is and how long it should take to reach this goal/or how to tell if the pet is on target. It is important not to try to go too fast. If the weight loss is not on track, sometimes it is necessary to feed more rather than less. Your veterinarian may need to be in contact with the clinical nutritionists at the pet food company so as to make the best recommendations.
  

• Consider interactive toys that can be used when you are not home or where your own participation is minimal.

Be sure to rule out health issues that might specifically cause obesity as an initial step in obesity management.

Information from Veterinary Partner; Wendy Brooks, DVM, DABVP

Indoor Enrichment for Dogs

By Dr. Kelsey Woolsey, DVM

What do you do with your dog when going outside for a walk or to play fetch is not an option? Maybe the weather is too cold, too hot, maybe it is smoky and the air quality is unsafe. How do you keep your dog active and mentally stimulated? With enrichment!

There are 5 categories of dog enrichment:

1. Social Enrichment

2. Nutritional Enrichment

3. Occupational Enrichment

4. Sensory Enrichment

5. Physical Enrichment

Social enrichment promotes contact with dogs and other species. This type of enrichment may be hard to provide when going outside is not an option. If your dog has a friend that they get along with, consider an indoor play date.

Nutritional enrichment is a great option when stuck indoors. You can use your dog’s normal diet or provide new and exciting foods. Here are some ideas:

• Get a new puzzle feeder and fill it with your dog’s normal kibble.

• Fill a Kong or lick mat with peanut butter, low fat plain yogurt, canned food, or pumpkin. Kongs and mats can be frozen to increase difficulty.

• Provide a novel treat - maybe your dog has never tasted salmon or tuna. Try out a new salmon jerky or freeze dried tuna. If you haven’t offered your dog fruit before, try offering a small slice of apple or a blueberry.

• If your dog likes shredding, put his normal diet in a cardboard box for him to shred to get his meal.

• Keep an eye on your dog's calorie intake! Use his regular diet when possible. If giving other yummy treats, like peanut butter, make sure to take into account the extra calories your dog will be consuming. If your dog is already overweight, consider only using his regular diet for enrichment.

Occupational enrichment gives your dog a “job” that is both physically and mentally enriching (agility, rally, sent work, playing fetch, etc.). While you may not be able to fit a whole agility course in your living room, you can still practice individual obstacles like a jump or tunnel. Positive training also counts as occupational enrichment. You can teach your dog to “sit” or “down”. Maybe you want to teach them a new trick like “shake” or “roll over”. Dabble in some scent training by hiding your dog’s kibble or treats around the house for him to sniff out.

Need new trick ideas? The AKC website has lists of tricks as well as videos on how to teach them (https://www.akc.org/sports/trick-dog/).

Sensory enrichment is another great option when confined indoors. This type of enrichment involves stimulating your dog’s different senses such as sight, sound, or smell.

• Consider playing soft soothing music or nature sounds.

• Put on a nature documentary for your dog to watch.

• Entice his sense of smell by putting different herbal scents around the house or your dog’s living area (eg. lavender, chamomile, vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, ginger). If your dog enjoys the scent of prey, there are commercially available animal scents.

Physical enrichment may be a struggle when you can’t get outdoors, but be creative!

• You can play tug-o-war inside.

• Build or purchase a platform for your dog to jump up on.

• Improve your dog’s balance by teaching him to use a doggie balance ball.

• If you have stairs in your home, toss your dog’s ball up the stairs for him to retrieve.

Keeping your dog mentally and physically enriched not only improves his health and quality of life but reduces unwanted behavior caused by boredom and anxiety. By focusing your dogs' metal and physical energy you can reduce barking, destructive chewing, food searching (counter surfing), excessive licking, and other unwanted behaviors. Don’t let weather extremes or air quality get you and your pup down - implement new enrichment into your routine!