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Mountain View Animal Hosp

by Dr. Alissa Stichler, DVM


As our pets get older there are certain things we want to do in order to provide the proper care for our aging friends. While our senior pets are more likely to develop certain diseases, it is important to note that aging is a natural process, not a disease itself. Just like with humans, our senior pets will have both mental and physical changes. 


Normal changes that can occur is graying of hairs, especially around the muzzle and face, a tendency to gain fat instead of muscle, and eyes that appear more cloudy or bluish over time. Please note that the normal cloudiness in older pets is different from cataracts and normally does not affect their vision as severely as cataracts do. Again, just like with people, our senior pets may have a decreased ability to see, hear, taste, and smell. 


What constitutes a senior pet may depend on the size of your pet. Generally smaller breed dogs live longer than large and giant breed dogs. We generally consider small to medium breeds (<50 lbs) to be seniors around 8-9 years of age and large and giant breeds (>50lbs) to be seniors around 5-6 years of age. Cats are generally considered seniors when they are around 10 years old. 


Because our pets age faster than we do, we recommend wellness exams with your veterinarian every 6 months  for all ages of pets, but especially our senior pets. It is also recommended to get base-line bloodwork and urine testing at least once a year for our senior patients to evaluate internal organ function, unless more frequent monitoring is needed. 


Here is a list of some more common diseases associated with our senior pets to keep in mind:


Canine Cognitive Dysfunction:

Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is similar to dementia in people. Prevalence in our patients has been estimated to be around 14-35%, although recent studies have shown this estimate is likely underestimating. We can see this as early as 7 years of age but the typical age of onset is >9 years. 

Common signs include decreased interaction with other people or pets, inappropriate or excessive vocalization, changes in sleep/wake cycle, restlessness, disorientation, confusion, anxiety, house soiling, altered appetite, irritability, or aggression. 

There is no cure for CCD but there are supportive therapies that can help slow the progression. So if you think your pet is starting to show some of these signs, talk with your vet early!


Arthritis

Arthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is also a very common thing we see in our older patients. This is brought on by years of normal wear and tear on the joints, although certain diseases such as elbow or hip dysplasia can predispose arthritis development as well. 

Common signs include pain and decreased mobility of affected joint(s) that can result in stiffness and/or limping and vary from mild to severe. It can be more severe after prolonged periods of rest and may lessen with activity. It can also be worse after overexertion or exercise. 

There is no cure for arthritis either, but there are certain supportive care modalities and management of pain. If your pet is overweight, weight loss is imperative! Daily, low impact exercise not only can help with weight loss but also improve joint mobility and muscle mass. Joint supplements containing glucosamine and omega-3 fatty acids can help with joint health as well. Pain medications such as Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also help control the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. Please note Over the counter human NSAIDs are NOT safe for our pets! If you feel your pet needs some more management than what can be provided at home, please see your veterinarian for other options. 


Cancer

Cancer, unfortunately, is also commonly found in our older patients. Cancer signs can vary depending where the cancer is located and it is not always visible. Generally skin or other visible masses that are cancerous are fast growing or may present as a non-healing wound. Internal cancer signs may be less obvious such as decreased appetite, weight loss, difficulty breathing, or distended abdomen, etc. Depending on the type of cancer, surgery or chemotherapy may be indicated. However, there are some cancers with poor prognosis even with aggressive treatment. 


Internal organ dysfunction

Age-related heart disease is more common in our small breed dogs but can occur in any breed and can occur in cats as well. Common signs include coughing, exercise intolerance, and your veterinarian may note a heart murmur on exam. Please see your veterinarian if you note any of these signs in your pet. 

Kidney disease is especially common in our senior cats but can also occur in older dogs. Common signs include increased drinking and urinations, as well as decreased appetite, weight loss, and other Gi signs later in the disease course. Please see your veterinarian if you notice an increase in drinking and urination. 

Liver disease is also common in our older pets, dogs especially. Common signs include vomiting, decreased appetite, weight loss, and depression. 


As you can see, some of these signs are very similar between these diseases so additional diagnostics such as bloodwork or imaging may be needed to further diagnose these issues. 


We know you love your senior pets and want the absolute best care for them. We love to help provide for them in their golden years. 


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Mountain View Animal Hosp

Updated: Feb 22, 2024

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/news/oregon-dealing-respiratory-illness-incidents-dogs

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Mountain View Animal Hosp

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


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