Veterinary Highlights: Digital Dental Radiography

The importance of good oral care for our dogs goes way beyond healthy mouths.

Healthy mouths are important for healthy bodies.

But how healthy is your dog's mouth? A study in the American Journal of Veterinary Research found that almost 30% of dogs whose mouths were clinically normal actually had significant problems under the gumline. What can be hiding from plain sight? Root abscesses, fractures, jaw bone loss and even cancer!

How do you treat something you can't see?

You can't. First you have to find the problem, then you can treat it. That's where radiology comes in. However, the traditional way of taking oral x-rays is quite cumbersome.



But what if you could replace dental x-ray film with digital sensors?

Oh yeah, baby. Now a full set of mouth radiographs can be done easily in less than 15 minutes. And that's not the only advantage!

Source article:
High Tech Vision Looks Deep Into Your Pet’s Mouth

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Indianapolis Vet On The Nose Bleeds Nightmare

by Dr. Greg Magnusson, DVM

Generally speaking, dogs don’t get nose bleeds as often as people do. 

Bumps on the dog nose do very little internal damage, and injury related bleeds are super uncommon. So when a dog’s nose starts dripping blood, there is often cause for concern.

The worst part about nose bleeds in dogs though, isn’t the various and sundry causes (which I will list in a moment) but the fact that your veterinarian rarely has any effective tools to help stop the bleed.

Think about it – with humans, your doctor might tell you to put some pressure on the nose, lean forward a bit, then maybe hold an ice pack over your face for a few minutes until the bleeding stops, right?

With a dog, the moment we start fussing with the nose, trying to stuff things inside the nostril, or holding pressure over the nose, the dog usually freaks out, which makes them throw their head around, which makes the bleeding worse.

So the problem with dog nose bleeds isn’t even just figuring out the cause of the bleed (which is complicated enough!), it’s the damage they do spraying blood everywhere while you’re trying to get the bleeding to stop. 

It’s frustrating for the vet and owner, messy as all get out, freaky for the dog… just a nightmare.

Many times the only effective treatment for an ongoing nose bleed is to heavily sedate the dog so that she stops sneezing blood everywhere, giving the poor vessels inside the nose time to clot. And then crossing our fingers that it doesn’t start right up again when she wakes up.

I mean, nobody ever dies of blood loss from a nose bleed, but you wouldn’t know it from the visuals.

Primary differential diagnoses (causes) for epistaxis include clotting problems (any mouse poison ingestion in recent history?), foreign bodies stuck up inside the nose, weird rare fungal infections, severe dental disease / tooth abscess or the worst (and most common) cause of them all, a bleeding tumor.

First-line diagnostics include a full CBC/Chemistry/Thyroid profile, clotting function tests, and often nasal CT or rhinoscopy +/- biopsy. All of which are expensive, time consuming, and the list of differentials is ugly.

All this from a “simple” nose bleed.

Obviously, if your dog has a nose bleed, see your veterinarian immediately.

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For more in the veterinary nightmares series visit Leo's Pet Care blog.

Reprinted with permission from Leo's Pet Care, 10598 N College Ave # 200, Indianapolis, IN 46280 | www.leospetcare.com | indianapolisvet@gmail.com

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Greg Magnusson, DVM describes himself as Leo's daddy. Public educator, mender of wounded bodies, healer of troubled souls, veterinarian in Indianapolis at Leo's Pet Care - out to change the world for one little boy...
Contact Dr. Magnusson via his Leo's Pet Care Facebook Fan Page or @IndianapolisVet on twitter.


Articles by Dr. Magnusson:
What's In The Blood? Blood Testing And Interpretation  
Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Anal Glands 
What Causes Bladder Infections in Dogs?

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Tackling The Veterinary Terminology: Prefixes (pyo-)

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.

A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to modify its meaning by providing additional information. It usually indicates number, location, time, or status.

pyo- [pī′ō]/py- (before a vowel) from Greek - pus

Not pretty but straightforward. Medical terms starting with this prefix indicate presence of pus. Pus is a byproduct of the immune system, namely white blood cells, at work against an infection.

Pyoderma is a common disease of the skin that emits pus; caused by a bacterial infection. Pyometra is a severe, life-threatening disease. Technically, the word means presence of pus in the uterus. Practically, it is a severe bacterial infection of the uterus, which can be deadly.  

Pyothorax is an accumulation of pus in the chest cavity in response to a bacterial infection. Pyuria is the presence of pus in urine, indicating active inflammation in the urogenital tract. Pyuria can actually be both infectious or noninfectious.

Obviously, the way to deal with pus is by dealing with the underlying infection. 

Sometimes, such as with the pyothorax, draining of the pus can be part of the treatment.

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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) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-blast) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-opsy)
Veterinary Suffixes (-ac/-al)

Veterinary Prefixes (hyper-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (hypo-)

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Gus' Missed Diagnosis

Every dog can pick up an unwelcome deer tick here and there. Gus caught a number of them during one hiking trip. The ticks got discovered and identified after they returned back home.

About a month after the ticks hitching a ride on Gus, he started looking a bit "off".

He was more tired normally, his appetite decreased, and he was exhibiting shifting lameness on his front legs—major Lyme disease red flags.

Gus' blood test for Lyme came back negative.

However, his symptoms kept getting worse. Another test for Lyme and other tick borne diseases. A test for Leptospirosis. All negative. The only idiosyncrasy in Gus' blood work was moderate anemia. Gus was never anemic before his tick encounter!

Should Gus get treated for Lyme disease even though his tests were negative?

Gus' vet did not want to treat based on symptoms in the light of two negative tests.

Two weeks later, Gus ended up at the emergency hospital. His platelets were so low he almost bled out. His joints were so painful that he could barely move, his spleen was enlarged ...

At that point it wasn't even clear whether Gus might have Lyme disease or Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). The treatment for IMHA is high doses of steroids to suppress the immune system. What would such treatment do to a dog suffering with a Lyme?

Gus was tested for Lyme disease once again and this time it came back positive.

Finally, after all this time of suffering, Gus could get the treatment he needed.

Should Gus have been treated based on his history and symptoms in spite of the negative test results? What would you do?

Original story:
Misdiagnosis…Listen to Your Gut Instincts!

Related articles:
Lyme Is Lame (Pun Intended)
Lyme Disease: Treating Lab Results Versus Treating The Dog 
The Ticking Bomb

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Adoption Monday: Coal, Black Labrador Retriever Mix: Deerfield, NH

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

Coal is a 40 pound, 2 1/2 year old gentle fellow.

He likes to play with his friend Roxy and he's great with cats. He's on the submissive side and he will do best in a home that is on the calm side but where he will get walks and plenty of love.

Coal is house trained, neutered, and up-to-date with routine shots.

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

Ready to bring Coal home? Tell us about yourself and your interest in Coal 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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Bacterial and Fungal Pneumonia

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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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The Amazing Treat Diet For Dogs: Book Review

Dogs and treats. Don't they belong in the same sentence? Of course they do! There are other things dogs love—walks, play time, tennis balls, squeaky toys, napping on your bed.

But all dogs love their treats!

I can just see the mutiny we'd have on our hands if we decided that we won't be giving our guys any more treats!

I still remember when Jasmine was a puppy. Since the day she came to us, she had problems with her stools. Then, not having any idea what was going on with her gut, the vet decided to put her on Hill's i/d diet. The instructions were that's all she was to get. No treats, no chews ...

"Wait a minute," I said, "she's a puppy and she's supposed to go with no treats and nothing to chew on?"

I was told I could give her some of the kibble for treats. Except I had a hard enough time getting her eat at all. There was no way she would accept THAT for treats. I tried. Needless to say, that plan was not working, and she was not feeling any better either. So I rebelled.

It made sense to me that the same ingredients that were in the prescription diet should be just as safe on their own. (Note: this rule would not work with hydrolyzed diets) Since the food had chicken, I would boil up some chicken breast and use that for treats. Just to get Jasmine eat her new food I had to add at least a little bit of the resulting broth to it.

As it turned out later, each of the formulas, the dry and the can, had ingredients in it that Jasmine was actually allergic to. No wonder the plan was not working!

But back to the original thought. Dogs without treats?

If you find yourself with an overweight dog, you might be told just that. Restricted rations and no more treats. Surely, there ought to be a better solution to help your dog lose weight than that?

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Katie Newman, an analyst and researcher, was facing that dilemma. Her dog, Hustler, was overweight, and in pain. Because of his joint issues, increased exercise was not an option for Hustler. In fact, treats were one of the very few joys Hustler had left, and now he was suppose to lose that too? Yet, he did need to shed a lot of weight asap. So how does one  have have their cake and eat it too?

Every problem has a solution.

What if Hustler could actually enjoy more treats and yet consume fewer calories?

Hustler's story is one of an amazing transformation. And all that without losing treat privileges.

The Amazing Treat Diet for Dogs by Katie Newman shares Hustler's  journey and how they beat obesity WITH treats!

How did they do it?

It's all about WHAT goes into the bowl and in the mouth!

Who says that dieting ought to make your dog miserable? After extensive research, Katie formulated a unique and effective diet that provides healthy meals and those essential treats dogs love! Calorie control does not have to mean your dog walking around with an empty belly.  The Amazing Treat Diet for Dogs saved Hustler's life. It can improve or save your dog's life too.

The Amazing Treat Diet for Dogs contains step by step account of how Hustler went from 96 to 69 pounds in four months.

The answer to weight loss is amazingly simple!

If your dog is struggling with weight issues, this book is a must read. It will open your eyes. When you read it, you're going to hit yourself in the forehead, "Doh!"

You can check out Katie's website and Facebook for more information about the book and Hustler's journey.

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After your dog's transformation, don't forget to show off their new waistline!

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