Jasmine's Neck Setback

Just very briefly today, Jasmine's neck is in trouble again. It looks about the same as it did back in December. And again, no good idea how it happened. She was fine in the morning. Did nothing during the day other than hanging around. And around noon we're back in the ditch.

I think it must be the way she throws her self up sometimes when getting up from sleep.

There is nothing else we could think of. So we're back on the prednisone; so much for the stem cell treatment, which cannot be effectively done unless a dog is at least 45 days off steroids. Looking into setting up some intensive laser treatments, provided she's in good enough shape for getting there and back.

More detailed update later.

xxx

Related articles:
A Time Bomb Ought To Go Off At Some Point, I Guess: Jasmine's Neck 
Jasmine's Disc Injury(?) Day Two 
Jasmine's Disc Injury(?) Day Three 
Jasmine's Disc Injury: Mom, Why Can't I Go For A Walk?
Jasmine's Disc Injury: The Parole Hearing  
Jasmine's Disc Injury: Spanking New Ramp 
Back To Where We Were Last May?
Elbow Problem Or Root Signature? 

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Puppy Bowl Fun With Subaru

What happens when you combine a football field, adoptable shelter puppies and toys? The Puppy Bowl! 

I am not a sports fan but who could resist the cutest sports event ever?

Puppy bowl, the annual two hour overload of cuteness, is coming up live again this Sunday, February 3rd, on Animal Planet. Check out the adorable lineup.

The Puppy Bowl has it all. 

Shelter puppies ready for adoption, the Most Valuable Pup award, a water bowl cam, slow motion cameras, hedgehog referees ... and for some real close-up action, a new lipstick cam mounted on the lips of the dog toys!

This year, the Puppy Bowl experience gets even better with Subaru's new Puppy Bowl Co-Viewing App!

Every year, Subaru of America celebrates the bond between owners and their dogs with the Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ campaign. This year, the Puppy Bowl Co-Viewing App will pull in Subaru’s Dog tested. Dog approved.™ content based on the spots airing on TV, bringing the “co-viewing” element to life.

As you watch the Puppy Bowl live on TV, the application will offer additional cool content to interact and engage with!

The application is available for both tablet and mobile devices and will work live during the live event as well as re-air.You can also join in on more fun on Twitter, using hashtags #SubaruBP and #PuppyBowl to interact with other viewers.

So don't hesitate, go and download the Puppy Bowl Co-Viewing App now!



This year Subaru is proud to introduce Grant Weber, Subaru Canine Sales Associate. Having sold Subaru vehicles to only dogs, there’s simply no better friend to man’s best friend. No matter size, breed, or temperament, he’ll find the right Subaru for your needs. So if you’re a dog, and you’re looking for a Subaru, head on down to see Grant Weber. You’ll leave with your tail held high.

xxx

Official disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Subaru. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ campaign, but Dawg Business only shares news for things we support.

Personal disclaimer: Before agreeing to taking part in this campaign, I actually asked my hubby, "What do you think about Subaru?" He said they make good, safe vehicles, which seem designed to comfortably and safely accommodate canine passengers.

I also found out that our vets each drive one. So that is good enough for me, because I won't pretend to know anything about cars myself.

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Tackling The Veterinary Terminology: Suffixes (-blast)

Remember the Spelling Bee? Big words are easier to tackle when you understand how they're put together. Veterinary terms are composed in the same way. Just like with other words, the main parts of a veterinary term are a prefix, a root, and a suffix. The difference is that they typically come more directly from Greek or Latin.

The suffix is the bit that will tell you about what procedure, condition, disease or disorder you're dealing with.

-blast [blast] from Greek - sprout, immature or embryonic cell

The odds that you might encounter words ending with this suffix in the vet's office are quite low. But since we talked about cells last time, I thought it would be interesting to include this one also. The first time I came across a word like this was when I was researching stem cells for treatment of Jasmine's arthritis and knee injury.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells, meaning they don't have any defined purpose other than to sit quietly and wait for instructions. Once they receive their instructions, they can turn into specialized cells, such as blood cells, muscle cells and so on. Adult stem cells are vital for body's tissue repair and maintenance.

The cells important in tissue repair of joints are osteoblasts and chondroblasts.



Very simply put, osteoblasts are cells that make bone, and chondroblasts are cells that produce cartilage.

Myeloblasts are immature cells found in bone marrow, that develop into white blood cells. Erythroblasts give rise to erythrocytes, red blood cells.

***

Related articles:
Veterinary Suffixes (-itis)
Veterinary Suffixes (-oma) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-pathy)  
Veterinary Suffixes (-osis) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-iasis) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-tomy) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-ectomy)  
Veterinary Suffixes (-scopy) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-emia)
Veterinary Suffixes (-penia)
Veterinary Suffixes (-rrhea) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-cyte)

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Walks Like A Splenic Tumor, Quacks Like A Splenic Tumor ... It Must Be A UTI?!?!

Mandy was about nine and a half years old, about the same age as Jasmine. She was showing some signs of aging but overall seemed to have been doing well enough.

German Shepherd Dogs are one of the breeds susceptible to
developing hemangiosarcoma

She had fallen very ill during the Christmas holiday.

She was very lethargic; didn't want to get up, didn't want to eat. She was drinking and urinating a lot and started having pee accidents at night.

The first business day after holidays, first thing, she was taken to the vet's.

Strangely, she seemed to have been feeling much better that day, even wanted to play. But because she looked so sick before, getting her checked out was the right thing to do.

The vet examined Mandy, checked her urine and diagnosed her with a urinary tract infection (UTI).

She was put on antibiotic, Deramaxx (apparently often used to decrease inflammation and discomfort), and a Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) for urinary incontinence.

It is true, that the meds seemed to have remedied the urinary accidents.

However, the next day, Mandy crashed hard again. She wouldn't get up, and when she did, she'd walk with extreme difficulties and looked very ill.

After a call to the vet, he took her off the PPA but didn't seem to have made any difference.

Meanwhile, there was another holiday. In desperation, Mandy's parents decided to lower her dose of antibiotics, convinced that must have been doing it to her. I warned them I didn't think it was a good idea to play around with antibiotics but it did seem to have bought Mandy another good day.

As Mandy resumed her full dose of antibiotics, she crashed once again.

By now convinced that the meds were making her ill, they took her off them. I did try to point out that Mandy's days of extreme lethargy were the original reason why they took her to the vet in the first place, so perhaps the meds are not to blame. If I was to pick a suspect, I would have picked the NSAIDs, having a horrible experience with that ourselves. It is true, that antibiotics can upset the digestive system, but I wasn't feeling it that they would cause such a havoc.

Either way, Mandy was now off the meds and seemed to have been doing much better again, even bringing toy to play with.

Her parents took Mandy back to the vet the moment they opened, to get the situation re-evaluated.

She was given a different antibiotic and was to remain on the Deramaxx. Overall, though, the vet admitted that he hasn't seen a case like this and didn't really understand what was going on.

Well, it's OK not to know. It is not OK not to find out.

As Mandy started her meds again, she crashed even harder then before. Her parents were devastated, because they felt that "they were doing this to her."

They were unable to convince her to get up at all for thirty six hours! She'd just lay there. She also hasn't urinated that whole time.

All else aside, the not peeing was now Mandy's biggest problem.

A dog should not be going longer than 24 hours without urinating. They needed to get her to pee or to the emergency vet. It was the first priority. I asked whether they'd be able to carry her outside to see if they might be able to get her to go.

Thankfully, even though with extreme difficulties and very unstable, they got Mandy to go out and urinate. 

With that emergency out of the way, I strongly suggested they see a different vet about all this. I appreciated that they liked their vet and trusted him, but this was not going anywhere good. The situation needed another pair of eyes.

In the light of the recent events, they agreed that getting a second opinion might be a good idea and made an appointment with another vet.

It was Friday evening, and the new vet examined Mandy and having a clear suspicion, ran some tests and took x-rays. She has seen this before.

Mandy had a splenic tumor!

The vet felt very strongly that this should have been recognized, she felt that Mandy was showing textbook signs.

Oh, and btw, Mandy DID NOT have a UTI at all, it was a contaminated sample!

She booked Mandy for surgery first thing Monday. 

The biggest concern was that the tumor could rupture in the meantime and cause rapid internal bleeding. It was a VERY LONG weekend ...

Mandy did make it till Monday and went in to have her surgery done, while her parents were waiting, filled with worries. Finally the vet came out.

"You still have a dog," she said.

That was the good news. The bad news was, that the spleen was already bleeding quite heavily when she went to remove it, and Mandy's abdomen was filled with "nodules."

Now there was the wait for the biopsy results.

The vet was talking about chemotherapy ... would the nodules mean it was a malignant tumor that had metastasize then?

However, after her surgery Mandy perked right up and seemed to have been feeling quite good. Unfortunately, it didn't take very long for the urinary accidents to return.

When the biopsy results came back the vet gave recommendation to oncology specialist, talking about a year or two that chemotherapy could buy.

I was confused—if it was hemangiosarcoma, this prognosis would not be adding up.

Perhaps it was something else? I never did succeed getting Mandy's parents to acquire what the biopsy results actually said. I was worried about false hopes, though.

Earlier last week, they had their appointment with veterinary oncologist.

They were told that with chemotherapy Mandy MIGHT have up to six months. Without, probably two weeks.

What happened to a year or two? 

This new prognosis, though, would have been consistent with the hemangiosarcoma diagnosis ...

Mandy's parents decided not to pursue the chemotherapy, since the benefit didn't seem that substantial...

Mandy took a turn for the worse and crossed the Rainbow Bridge later that week.

***

The nasty thing about hemangiosarcoma is that it typically develops slowly, with no signs of the disease at its early stages. 

By the time the dog is showing symptoms, the disease is already advanced.

Dogs with splenic tumors might develop a bloated abdomen, as the spleen enlarges. Mandy was a heavy girl, this wouldn't be something one would really notice on her. Other sighs might be lethargy and loss of appetite.

I believe that one can never be paranoid enough when their dog is lethargic or doesn't want to eat.

But the truth is, that with hemangiosarcoma, when you see a problem, it's usually already too late.

RIP Mandy.

Related articles:
Are Splenic Tumors Always Malignant? 
Veterinary Highlights: Can A Mushroom-Derived Compound Lengthen Survival in Dogs With Cancer? 

Further reading:
Cancer: Imagining the Worst, and the Best 
Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs
More on Hemangiosarcoma
Hemangiosarcoma
Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma: How a Simple Diagnostic Test May Save Lives

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Adoption Monday: Leona, Labrador Retriever Mix: Deerfield, NH

Check out this adorable little girl at Mary's Dogs Rescue & Adoption!

Leona is one of three special puppies who are heading to the snowy northeast...

Only thing needed is a nice, warm, loving family for each of these little ones.

What do you say? Are you in love yet?

Leona's breed heritage is really an unknown. She's not a full Lab, by any stretch, and probably has several breeds in her lineage. So, not sure what her breed mix is? Pick two or three you love ...and go with that!

Leona is house trained, spayed and up-to-date with routine shots.

Want more info on Leona? Call Mary's Dogs: 603.370.7750 or send along an email: marysdogsrescue@gmail.com

Ready to bring Leona home? Tell us about yourself and your interest in Leona in the adoption questionnaire. Check out all the wonderful dogs on Mary's Dogs Facebook Fan Page.


***

Mary’s Dogs rescues and re-homes dogs and puppies from Aiken County Animal Shelter, a high-kill shelter in South Carolina, USA. They also serve as a resource to communities in Southern New Hampshire and pet owners nationwide by providing education and information on responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter, positive behavior training, and good nutrition.

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Everybody Is Asking About Coconut Oil

Everybody is asking about coconut oil lately. 

We use it. Jasmine's acupuncture vet uses it for her dogs, and believes it's awesome.

Coconut oil is a rich source of medium-chain triglycerides which are easily absorbed. They are believed to be beneficial for dogs with digestive disorders.

Lauric acid in the coconut oil is believed to have antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties.

Coconut oil is believed to be beneficial to dogs suffering with various skin and coat issues, and helpful in balancing the immune system.

Jasmine doesn't complain when I add it to her food, and neither does her body.



Some believe that coconut oil can even replace fish oil in the diet. I wouldn't go as far, since coconut oil does not contain any omega-3 fatty acids. We are worried about fish oil contamination too, that's why we use pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements.

After I've read enough material praising the benefits of coconut oil for dogs, I decided to try it.

My policy in trying anything new is easy does it. Particularly with Jasmine, I have to introduce things gradually, carefully, and one at a time. In case something didn't agree with her, I need to know what it was exactly. I think it's a good policy with any dog.

I do believe that coconut oil deserves to be considered.

It is best, though, to always consult with your veterinarian or nutritionist, before introducing new stuff.

***

Dr. Becker is the resident proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian of HealthyPets.Mercola.com. 

You can learn holistic ways of preventing illness in your pets by subscribing to MercolaHealthyPets.com, an online resource for animal lovers. For more pet care tips, subscribe for FREE to Mercola Healthy Pet Newsletter. 

Further reading:
The Health Benefits Of Coconut Oil 

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Show Off Your Dog's Waistline: The Lab Gang

by Leslie Fisher

Talley my seven-and-a-half year old English Lab. She is currently on one cup of life's abundance twice a day.

She runs off leash at least four times a week in a field close to our house She also swims in a pond when the weather allows. Additionally, we play fetch in the front yard on a daily basis, combining down/wait then go find it with her frisbee or ball. We also go for walks on leash around the neighborhood for ongoing training.

Talley does not get fed from a dish as she gobbles her food.

We have a pet supply business geared towards products I recommend in my dog training and behavior modification. Talley gets fed from a variety of the interactive toys we have on hand. Most recently we have been using the green slow feeder and really love that.

In the photo, Talley is working on getting a treat lodged in the center of a tizzi  toy So this is an example of one of the interactive things we would give all of our dogs to play with on a daily basis.

Bridget will be seven in February, she is an American Lab. 

Bridget is the most streamlined of all three labs,  always has been. She has a very high drive. She comes from a line of field lab hunting champions on both sides. As a puppy, Bridget was donated to canine partners for life to be trained for service dog work. Released at 16 months of age, when she developed a seizure disorder, and then a little bit later pancreatitis.

Bridget also loves to run off leash, even though a little less frequently as she is becoming arthritic. She also goes on walks with board/train dogs and works as my demo dog classroom assistant. She is a certified therapy dog, and we visit the local hospital twice a month. Bridget thrives on brain games, particularly find it missions.

Bridget gets 2 cups twice a day of pet value storebrand performatrin Low-fat low-protein for her pancreatitis, with about half a cup of Life's Abundance mixed in daily. She gets requent frozen stuffed treats in tux toys with a mixture of low-fat cottage cheese plain yogurt mashed banana grated carrots or apples and peanut butter.

Doobie is an American Lab approaching I guess eight years of age.

Doobie was rescued from a puppy mill at the age of four. He gets one cup twice-daily of Life's Abundance.

Doobie loves regular off-leash runs at the field close to our house, and frequent walks with board/train dogs. He needs lots of mentally stimulating activities and something to chew on every day.

He has the least amount of waistline of all three Labs, and could probably stand to lose a few pounds. Looks a lot different than the 50 pound bag of bones I first laid eyes on.

Pictured L to R:  Doobie, Talley and Bridget, on sit/wait cue during game of fetch.

***

Leslie Fisher is a Pat Miller Certified Trainer (PMCT), CPDT-KA CGC Evaluator ABC Student Mentor and member of APDT, MAAPPPT, TrulyDogFriendly. She brought her first dog home at the age of 5, and she shared her life with dogs since and is presently owned by three labs, Doobie, Talley and Bridget.

Leslie has founded Look What I Can Do! Dog Training in December of 2006 ahich quickly became a big success. I addition she volunteers for Lab Rescue of the LRCP, Inc doing post adoption home checks an dproviding assistance with behavioral issues. Her goal is educating clients that positive, force-free training produces happy, willing dogs and a wonderful dog-human relationship.

Leslie also started a pet supplies business, geared towards products she recommends in her dog training and behavior modification.

You can also connect with Leslie on Twitter or Facebook.

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Veterinary Highlights: PawCheck Urine Home Tests

Regular wellness exams are crucial for early detection of deadly diseases such as diabetes or kidney failure. Young healthy dogs should get checked out at least annually, older dogs at least semi-annually. But there is still at least half a year in between.

Urine contains all kinds of useful information, that's why your vet always wants to examine your dog's pee when you come for a regular check-up.

Would checking more frequently help your peace of mind?

Now there is a new urine home-test kit out there, which allows just that.



The PawCheck urine strips are patented test devices specifically designed for home use.

• The PawCheck Diabetes Test checks for glucose (sugar) in your pet’s urine, a common finding in diabetic pets.
• The PawCheck Kidney Failure Test looks for protein in the urine that can be an indication of kidney disease.
• The PawCheck Urinary Tract Infection Test screens for blood, white blood cells and nitrites in urine, substances that can be indicative of infection.

I think that's pretty cool.

Source article:
Screen Your Pet for Diabetes, Kidney Disease and More Without Leaving Home

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Range Of Motion: It’s A Matter Of Degree…

 by Susan E. Davis, PT  

Every joint in a dog’s body is designed for movement and has a “normal” amount of scope it moves through.

This is termed as “Range of Motion”, or ROM, of a joint. There are documented values, measured in “degrees”, which are the standards optimal for each of the joints.

Dogs function best when their ROM is within these normal values.  

However when illness, surgery or injury take place, the dog may be less active and over time their joints become stiff, losing normal range of motion. Other times, due to trauma, the joint might be dislocated and too loose, unstable.

During a Veterinary or PT evaluation, the joints are examined and range of motion is measured with a goniometer.  

Those joints determined to be tight, and not in the “normal” value range, will be identified and may benefit from specific ROM exercises.

Joints move in various ways, such as the shoulder and hip which are “multi-axial”, or the elbow and knee (stifle) which are “hinge” joints.

Multi-axial means that the shoulder (and hip) moves in 3 different planes of movement as well as in 6 directions:

• Extension: in which the arm moves forward and up toward the head;
• Flexion: in which the arm moves in a backward direction toward the tail;
• Abduction: the arm moves away from the body, out to the side;
• Adduction: the arm moves close to and across the body;
• Rotation: the shoulder turns inward and outward to achieve Internal and External rotation;

The Stifle and Elbow, being “hinge” joints, move in only 1 plane, with 2 directions:

• Flexion: or “bending”;
• Extension: or “straightening;

The Carpus (wrist) joint moves into 4 directions:

• Flexion: or bending down with the paw tucked in toward the body;
• Extension: or bending up and back as if the paw is in a “wave” position;
• Deviation: where the paw moves from side to side

The Hip moves similarly to the shoulder except the terminology changes slightly: Flexion is where the thigh moves forward and toward the stomach and ribs (“knee to chest”); Extension: where the thigh moves in a backward direction toward the rump;

The hock (ankle) joint bends in several directions, but the 2 main are:

• Cranial Flexion: “toes up” direction, where the paw bends toward the head;
• Plantar Flexion: “toes pointed” direction, where the paw points away from the body, toward the tail.

When a Veterinarian or Physical Therapist uses a goniometer to measure your dog’s ROM, they will document the result, can advise you of the number and explain how it relates to normal values.

Goniometric measurement on Guinness

For example: if I am evaluating a dog that just had sutures removed after CCL surgery, I will measure the degrees of stifle flexion. A typical result might be 15 degrees.  I will advise the client that normal values for stifle flexion are 42 degrees, and the current measurement is about 35 % of normal.  I would also assure them of what to expect in terms of recovery and how likely the dog is to regain full range, in what time frame, etc.  

Abnormal range of motion is characterized by being either too tight: “Hypo mobile”, or too loose: “Hypermobile”.  

In cases of hypermobility, the joint needs to be rested and restricted from excessive motion by use of splints or wraps. With hypo mobility, joints need exercise in order to gain flexibility and movement. Range of motion exercises will be employed, where the joints and surrounding muscles are moved through their available ranges. This movement may be passive, active or active-assisted. 

Passive range of motion exercises are performed by external force (therapist’s hands, mechanical device) and without any participation by the animal.

This is used when the animal patient is unable to move joints on their own or if self-movement is painful or detrimental. 

Proper technique is very important when Passive ROM is performed.  

The therapist must cradle and support the limb to avoid jarring or twisting stress on joints. The exercise should be smooth, slow and steady, with the dog relaxed and comfortable. A dog owner who is willing to learn can be taught to perform basic PROM at home, but they should be carefully instructed and supervised several times.

Written instructions should be given or video of the exercise recorded for the owner.  Passive ROM exercises are usually performed for 5-10 repetitions, 2-3 times per day. 

A dog owner who is uncomfortable doing this type of joint motion should be open and honest about it and never forced to perform PROM on their pet.  

It is better to spend the time and money having a professional provide the service than to have it done incorrectly and risk injury. There is no shame in admitting to feeling “queasy” about this. The only shame is to neglect having passive ROM exercises done when they are needed.

The other 2 types of ROM are Active-Assisted, and Active. 

Active-assisted ROM occurs when the therapist guides the dog’s joint motion and the dog’s muscles assist to a partial degree.

Active ROM is achieved by full muscle contraction by the animal. Placing a treat or toy in a certain position can stimulate the animal to move their limb on their own, through ranges of motion. Also, walking in sand or water, over rails or through a tunnel can achieve active movement through a joint’s range of motion.  

All ROM exercises are performed up to the limit of a joint’s available range, whether done by passive, active-assisted, or active method. Additional pressure applied to the end of this range is called “stretching”.

***
Susan E. Davis (Sue) is a licensed Physical Therapist with over 30 years of practice in the human field, who transitioned into the animal world after taking courses at the UT Canine Rehabilitation program.  She is located in Red Bank, New Jersey.

She has been providing PT services to dogs and other animals through her entity Joycare Onsite, LLC in pet’s homes and in vet clinics since 2008.

She also provides pro bono services each week to a shelter and sanctuary for neglected and abused animals.  Sue is the proud “dog mommy” to Penelope, a miniature Dachshund with “attitude”.  For more information see her website www.joycareonsite.com , or follow on Twitter @animalPTsue.

Articles by Susan E. Davis:
Functional Strengthening Exercises: the What, Why and How
One Thing Leads To Another: Why The Second ACL Often Goes Too
Compensation: An Attempt To Restore Harmony
Paring Down to the Canine Core
Canine Massage: Every Dog ‘Kneads’ It”
Photon Power: Can Laser Therapy Help Your Dog?  
Physical Therapy in the Veterinary World  
Reiki: Is it real? 
Dog Lessons: Cooper  
The Essentials Of Canine Injury Prevention: 7 Tips For Keeping Your Dog Safer 

The Challenge Of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM): Knowledge Is Power (Part I)
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM): Top 10 Management Suggestions (Part II) 
Great (Or Not So Great) Expectations with Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) Part (I) 
Great (Or Not So Great) Expectations with Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) Part (II)

It's Not Just Walking, It's Therapy! 
Treatment And Prevention Of Canine Intervertebral Disc Disease (Part I) 
Treatment And Prevention Of Canine Intervertebral Disc Disease (Part II Physical Therapy) 

Further reading:
Normal Joint Range of Motion in the Dog and Cat

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Tackling The Veterinary Terminology: Suffixes (-cyte)

Remember the Spelling Bee? Big words are easier to tackle when you understand how they're put together. Veterinary terms are composed in the same way. Just like with other words, the main parts of a veterinary term are a prefix, a root, and a suffix. The difference is that they typically come more directly from Greek or Latin.

The suffix is the bit that will tell you about what procedure, condition, disease or disorder you're dealing with.

-cyte [sīt] New Latin from Greek - cell

Nice and a straightforward, the suffix -cyte means cell, which is further identified by the root. There is a very similar prefix, which has the same meaning, example being cytology, the study of cells.

There are many different types of cells in the body, with different functions.

We've already mentioned erythrocytes, red blood cells, and  thrombocytes, platelets. Adipocytes are fat-storing cells, hepatocytes are specialized cells in the liver, leukocytes are white blood cells, lymphocytes are type of white blood cells, typically found in the lymphatic system, and so on.

Cells are the basic structural and functional units of your dog's body.

It is cells that make up the tissues, and perform functions such as growth, reproduction or metabolism; that's where it all happens. Quite an amazing stuff, really. Sadly, one doesn't hear about them, until something goes wrong.



***

Related articles:
Veterinary Suffixes (-itis)
Veterinary Suffixes (-oma) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-pathy)  
Veterinary Suffixes (-osis) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-iasis) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-tomy) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-ectomy)  
Veterinary Suffixes (-scopy) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-emia)
Veterinary Suffixes (-penia)
Veterinary Suffixes (-rrhea)

Read More

Elbow Problem Or Root Signature?

As soon as Jasmine recovered from her disc injury(?), without any break to speak of, we were dealing with sudden severe front left leg lameness. The day it happened, she didn't want to put any weight on that leg at all. Her neck, and the rest of her, seemed fine.

Was it a repeat of the situation from last May?

It certainly looked like it. Back then it was diagnosed and treated as arthritis flare-up. All the indicators looked the same. But in the light of the disc injury(?) in December, different questions arose. Could the neck be involved with this also, even though it seemed fine?

Could it have been a root signature? Or a combination of things? That was the question.

Most root signatures are due to nerve root compression and ischemia. This can be due to disc herniation, tumor, anything that produces pressure in the ventrolateral vertebral canal or intervertebral foramen where the nerves from the spinal cord exit to innervate the body. It may not cause any pain at all in the neck and especially if the nerve entrapment is in the upper thoracic T1-T2. 

However it does cause severe pain to the limb that it is innervating. 

In humans it can feel like a pins and needles type pain. The pain is most severe on compression of the limb (standing on it or pushing with it) and/or from pulling on the limb. Moving the limb causes little to no pain at all.

First one to bring it up was Dr. Beatty. With no apparent trauma event, the fact it came and went quickly and then returned, and Jasmine was concerned about her foot (before the event, not after), to him that screamed neurologic to him.

It would be a typical root signature lameness involving the cervical vertebrae and disks.

I also mentioned root signature because if Jasmine has arthritis in that elbow it is a chronic pain not a severe acute pain. The nervous system is accustomed to the chronic pain from arthritis and without additional trauma there would be no reason to all of a sudden be non-weight bearing or even severely lame. It just doesn't happen that way. If you had said she has been becoming stiffer and stiffer the last couple of weeks and then woke up in the morning not able to use the leg then I would be more of a believer in the arthritis in the elbow causing the lameness.

Back May I too thought it was strange that a chronic disease, such as arthritis, could have such an acute onset of pain.

Of course, that doesn't mean that it COULD NOT happen, because it can.

So it happened, that, on the same day, Jasmine's primary vet started thinking the same - could nerve root pain be the trigger for the events?

If the problem was outside the elbow, though, the whole brace idea would be moot.

Meanwhile, Jasmine's leg looked pretty good. Which theory would that support? I've been a nervous wreck, just waiting for another disaster to rear its ugly head.


On Friday she had an appointment with her primary vet.

He poked and prodded Jasmine, observed her gait.

Her left elbow was reluctant to flex.
Muscles all over the body were sensitive, just short of in spasm.
Nerve function to back left leg was still mildly impaired.
Other joints were stable.
Neck appeared happy.

Conclusion?

The elbow indeed seemed unhappy, which could mean the event was a problem in the elbow, but the root signature could not have been ruled out.

We could, of course do an MRI, but the level of risk doesn't seemed to warrant the potential benefit at this time.

The risk factors of doing the MRI would be

a) anesthesia
b) contrast material(?)
c) further neck manipulation ...? (might be possible that what looked like severe joint pain after Jasmine's last stem cell injections could have been result of neck position for procedure if we calculated the neck issues into the equation ...?)

We're not doing the MRI at this time for sure.

Jasmine's primary vet says the only time it would make sense to do the MRI would be if we wanted to pursue surgery. However, it appears that with surgery, there is only about 5% chance of any improvement of the situation before the surgery. By the time done with scar tissue and the spurs wanting to regrow might be lucky to end up where started. So that just wouldn't make any sense.

I talked to Veterinary Thermal Imaging, wondering whether this, NON-INVASIVE diagnostic would be of any benefit for Jasmine.

I was told that thermal imaging can help to pinpoint disk issues, but cannot determine if the disc has extruded and then popped back into place, or whether it has more permanently prolapsed.

It might be worth using. One problem is that the thickness of Jasmine's rough might make it difficult to pinpoint with structures are affected, as it can be quite insulating. It will also not differentiate between muscular spasm and facet joint or disc pathology. If there is a potential elbow pathology, then the neck can spasm as the dog adopts a compensatory stance.

Either way, before we'd try this we have to see whether anybody within reasonable distance has one of these things.

Jasmine's chiropractor was considering getting one, but it did not happen at the end.

Meanwhile, we decided that IV stem cells might be helpful in either scenario.

Because Jasmine was on the steroids recently, though, we cannot do this any earlier than 45 days of Jasmine being off the steroids. Among other things, the steroids apparently suppress the signaling and the stem cells wouldn't know where to go.

We did find, and order, a dog stretcher that makes sense to us.

So at least, when it gets here, we'll have a contingency. We will continue with the acupuncture and physio. We do have emergency prednisone and Tramadol. I will see if we might be able to get Jasmine more frequent laser treatments.

That's about all we can do right now.

Taking it one day at the time.

***

Related articles:
A Time Bomb Ought To Go Off At Some Point, I Guess: Jasmine's Neck 
Jasmine's Disc Injury(?) Day Two 
Jasmine's Disc Injury(?) Day Three 
Jasmine's Disc Injury: Mom, Why Can't I Go For A Walk?
Jasmine's Disc Injury: The Parole Hearing  
Jasmine's Disc Injury: Spanking New Ramp 
Back To Where We Were Last May?

OK, I Am A Sucker: We're Going Through With The SLIT 
Jasmine's Episodes: Back To The Allergies Dilemma 
This Is What Jasmine's Episode Looks Like
Gotta Try Everything Once (Or Twice): On The Quest To Figure Out Jasmine's Episodes 
Thundershirt vs. Jasmine's Episodes
Jasmine's Mysterious Swelling And Another Experience With VetLiveThe Diagnosis Is In: Jasmine Has An Interdigital Cyst
Jasmine's Mysterious Swelling And Interdigital Cyst Update  
Is Crawling Under Things Some Kind Of Secret Physical Therapy?  
Is There No Place Safe? Jasmine's Acupuncture Session
Senior Sensory Systems Function: Zero Defects  
It Looks Like A Keeper: Jasmine's New Integrative Vet 
Jasmine's Acute Lameness
Jasmine Doesn't Like "Doing Time"
Our Of Jail Free Pass
When It's Looks Too Good To Be True … The Lameness Returns
The Day Of The Treatment
First Time For Everything: A Healing Crisis(?)  
From Zero To Sixty In Four Days: Stem Cells At Work
The Calm After The Storm 
If It Was Easy, It Wouldn't Be Jasmine
Practicing What I Preach: Jasmine's Semi Annual Wellness Exam  
No Skimping On Oral Care 
Our Own Emergency Vet Horror (Part I)
Our Own Emergency Vet Horror (Part II) 
Meet Jasmine
I'm Still Standing! (Happy Birthday, Jasmine)
How Dogs Think (Well, Jasmine Anyway)
How The Oddysey Started: Jasmine's ACL Injury
Jasmine is Vet-Stem's poster child!
Rant About Quality Of Life Versus Quantity, And Differential Diagnoses
Jasmine Is Headed For Her Next Stem Cell Treatment
Jasmine's Stem Cells Are In
Arthritis? What Arthritis? 
Guess Who Is An Ever-Ready Bunny And Really Liking The Bit Of Snow We Got? 
Don't Knock It Until You Tried It: Animal Chiropractic 
Jasmine's Fur Analysis
Back At Chiropractic Care

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Adoption Monday: Buddy, Labrador Retriever Mix: Deerfield, NH

Check out this wonderful boy at Mary's Dogs Rescue & Adoption!

Buddy is a year old Lab mix; a strong, nice dog who has what it takes to be a loyal, doting companion to a new family. 

He can be a great hiking dog. He can be your running partner. He can be a good jump-in-the-back-seat-take-me-everywhere-dog.

Buddy is looking for his new best friend. Just you wait and see! 

Now lookit. He's going to need some exercise. So if you're looking for a full time couch potato, go look at somebody else. Buddy is looking for action and he's not getting enough of it where he's at.

Got some energy? Good. Let's go!

Buddy is house trained, neutered and upt-to-date with routine shots.

Want more info on Buddy? Call Mary's Dogs: 603.370.7750 or send along an email: marysdogsrescue@gmail.com

Ready to bring Buddy home? Tell us about yourself and your interest in Buddy in the adoption questionnaire. Check out all the wonderful dogs on Mary's Dogs Facebook Fan Page.


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Mary’s Dogs rescues and re-homes dogs and puppies from Aiken County Animal Shelter, a high-kill shelter in South Carolina, USA. They also serve as a resource to communities in Southern New Hampshire and pet owners nationwide by providing education and information on responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter, positive behavior training, and good nutrition.

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A Word On Incontinence

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Dr. Becker is the resident proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian of HealthyPets.Mercola.com. 

You can learn holistic ways of preventing illness in your pets by subscribing to MercolaHealthyPets.com, an online resource for animal lovers. For more pet care tips, subscribe for FREE to Mercola Healthy Pet Newsletter.

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Show Off Your Dog's Waistline: Billy

By Barbara Kelly and Dr. Jonathan Mitelman, DVM

Billy is showing off his rediscovered waistline

Barbara: Billy WAS FAT.

In human terms, I would never describe anyone in such an insensitive manner. But saying the words out loud removed the sense of denial, and brought the reality of Billy's situation home. As a large standard dachshund, his maximum weight should be around 30 pounds, with good body conditioning.

In August of 2009, Billy tipped the scales at more than 38 pounds.

This all came to light when we took Billy as an emergency case. Our dog had a serious infection in his front right paw that needed months to heal properly.

I still remember how Dr. Mitelman approached the weight issue:

Billy at 38 plus pounds

He was shaking his head, looking from me to dog to my husband Malcolm. "It's about the dog's weight ..."

"I know", I said, understanding immediately, even though it really hadn't occurred to me until that moment how big Billy actually had become.

Dr. Mitelman: While the excess weight was a health concern, the first priority was to address the infected paw and put a treatment plan for this in place. At that point we were still not aware of the underlying skin issues.

As far as excess weight in pets, the best way to approach this is to be direct with the owners. It is hard to implement any kind of weight loss regime without having the owners involved.

In Billy's case, the extra weight was a strain on his back, not optimal to a dog whose breed is prone to disc related injuries. 

There is also the concern of added wear and tear on the front legs, wrists, joints, bones and cartilage. Internally, too much body fat can lead to illnesses such as pancreatitis, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Thankfully, Barbara and Malcolm were aware that Billy would need to shed the weight and were fully on board with this as the goal once the paw was on its way to recovery.

Barbara: There comes a certain sense of guilt knowing that we let Billy become so heavy. 

How had we missed this? 

You could feel the excess fat all over his body. We had thought it would show itself in a sagging belly, but it was actually distributed throughout his whole body.

Billy was usually a very athletic dog that we walked two-three times a day. He is food motivated, but the exercise had kept him at a muscular 31 pounds for most of his life.

About a year earlier, our family began to care for an aging parent, diagnosed with dementia, and that took up an enormous amount of our time and attention.

Billy was affected by this in several ways.

We were often too tired to walk him, so trips to the backyard were the extent of his exercise. In addition, we had no set eating plan, so the food-loving dog was over fed by his doting family members. We broke the long standing rule of no table scraps. Billy was loving the over-abundance of new foods and his waistline was paying the price.

He gained weight over the course of the eight months. 

Now we, as his family who control the food, had to be responsible for helping him lose it.

Dr. Mitelman: When a dog is in recovery, as Billy was, increasing exercise was not the option. 

Achieving the optimal weight is about the balance of calorie intake and physical activity.

We had a look at Billy's diet. It had become very treat heavy. Biscuits are often high in calories so if they are part of the daily regime, food intake must be cut back appropriately.

Billy weighs around 30 pounds now

At this point, we were discovering Billy's intolerance to foods and medications and his skin issues were worsening. We decided to switch to a novel protein diet and eliminate all treats. Carefully measured portions, and not giving in to the dog who had become accustomed to sharing his family's food, became a new routine.

Barbara: We abruptly stopped giving Billy treats. 

We pre-measured his daily food rations and any 'treats' came from that kibble allotment. I took over his feeding and was strict about no one giving Billy anything else.

The weight started to come off. 

As the paw healed, Billy exercised more. My guess is that it took about eight months to pack on the extra pounds. It took about the same time to shed them.

More than two years later, and since being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, Billy now fluctuates between 28 - 30 pounds. 

He is on a diet of home cooked beef and oats supplemented with a special formula of canned venison and rice.

His skin issues and IBD are being managed with medicated baths and this diet. He does get less exercise than we sometimes would like, but we monitor his weight regularly and make adjustments as needed.

Related articles:
When A Small Sore Turns Into A Catastrophe: Billy's Story (Part I)
Life-threatening Infection Resolves; All Is Good? Billy's Story (Part II)
What Is Going On With Billy's Skin? Billy's Story (Part III)
The Plot Thickens: Billy's Story (Part IV)
I've Never Seen That Before: Billy's Story (Part V)
Billy's Diagnosis Still Unknown: Billy's Story (Part VI)
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL)? Billy's Story (Part VII)
Time To Make A New Plan: Billy's Story (Part VIII)
Atopic Dermatitis? Billy's Story (Part IX)
It Is Not Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis But What Is It Then? Billy's Story (Part X)
My Dog Has A Gut Of Steel, Doesn't He? Billy's Story (Part XI)
Feeling As Though Running Out Of Options: Billy's Story (Part XII) 
Fighting Fire With Fire Backfires: Billy's Story (Part XIII) 
A Second Endoscopy: Billy's Story (Part (XIV)
Staying The Course: Billy's Story (Part XV) 
Fewer And Fewer Solutions Left: Billy's Story (Part XVI)
When The Only Consistent Feature Is Inconsistency: Billy's Story (Part XVII) 
What Is Behind The Fast-Growing Lipoma? Billy's Story (Part XVIII) 
Back Into Surgery, Again: Billy's Story (Part XIX)
Removing The Masses: Billy's Story (Part XX) 
The Biopsy Results: Billy's Story (Part XXI) 
What Has Triggered This Reaction? Billy's Story (Part XXII)
The Return Of The Itchies: Billy's Story (Part XXIII) 
An Illness Of Unknown Origin: Billy's Story (Part XXIV)  
An Irregularity On Billy's Prostate: Billy's Story (Part XXV)
Billy Is Not Well 
Tummy Trouble: Billy's Story (Part: XXVI)
Dental Emergency: Billy's Story (Part XVII) 
The Crisis: Billy's Story (Part XXVIII) 
On Even Keel? Billy's Story (Part XIX)  
Where's The Beef? Let's Ask Billy 

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Veterinary Highlights: Cryosurgery

OK, cryosurgery in veterinary medicine isn't exactly new. Dr. Goldstein talks about using cryosurgery on cancerous growths in The Nature of Animal Healing, which he wrote in 1999. We were offered a choice of laser or cryosurgery for Jasmine's trichiasis over five years ago now.

Liquid air has been used to treat skin conditions for more than 100 years.

The idea might be old, but the technology is evolving.



Cryosurgery is a virtually painless, and bloodless procedure.

The modern cryosurgery technology uses high pressure liquid nitrous oxide, delivered from a handheld device. This allows precision which was not possible with the older methods.

With high precision, a wart, skin tag, or even acancerous growth can be targeted and killed quickly, while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue.

There are limitations to what can be treated with cryosurgery, but another upside is that these procedures often don't require anesthesia. The modern devices are portable and can be even use during a house call visit.

Source article:
Cryosurgery – Icy Cold Handiwork!

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