The Trouble with Heartworms

What is a heartworm?

A heartworm is an actual worm that can live inside the heart. Heartworms are nematodes related to free living worms like earth worms. The adult heartworms are six to ten inches in length and when they reproduce, the baby worms are called microfilaria. These microscopic baby worms are released into the dog's blood stream.

How do dogs get heartworms?
The microfilaria are picked up and carried from dog to dog by mosquitoes. So we see a lot of heartworm infections in any area with a lot of mosquitoes. We see many cases of heartworm disease throughout the southeast, but Florida has the greatest number of heartworm cases of anywhere in the U.S.

What are the symptoms of heartworms?
Symptoms include weight loss, lethargy, and coughing. Left untreated, heartworms will lead to heart failure and eventually death.

Are heartworms treatable?
While heartworms are treatable, the procedure can be costly and there can be side effects.
Most importantly, safe and effective preventative medications are available from your veterinarian. Most of these medications are given once a month and kill the baby heartworm before it becomes an adult worm.

So what should dog owner's do to protect their dog from heartworms?

• Your veterinarian will perform a blood test to make sure your dog is not already infected.
• If the heartworm is negative, the doctor will prescribe a heartworm preventative medication.
• Continue the heartworm prevention all year long, for the life of the animal.
• Have an annual blood test to make sure the medication has been effective.

Dear Labby

Dear Labby,


My Lab has really bad breath! He could peel the paint right off the wall! Is there any hope for kinder, gentler breath from my four legged friend?

Sincerely,
Craig in Cumming

Dear Craig,

I know what you mean! Sometimes my Lab's breath curls my toes! But all is not lost. There are many things you can do to eliminate the stinkiness!

Did you know it is estimated that up to 80% of all dogs have periodontal disease? That's serious business. It causes inflammation, mineral build-up, plaque, tooth decay and gum disease. Even worse, Periodontal Disease predisposes your dog to heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes and arthritis.

So, what can you do?

First of all, encourage your dog to chew. Dog biscuits, Nyla bones and chew toys work really well for scraping the teeth clean and they usually have fun doing it. Avoid canned or wet food. The hard crunchy kibble makes a huge difference in keeping those choppers sparkling!

Second, at least once a week, brush your furry friend's "furry" teeth. Introduce the toothbrush gradually and be sure to follow up the brushing with plenty of praise so your pup will start to look forward to it. Be sure to use dog toothpaste. People toothpaste has additives that can be harmful to our four-legged friends since they don't spit it out.

If those simple fixes are not improving the problem, talk to your vet about it. Your vet will look for warning signs like brownish spots on the back teeth, a thin red line running along the gum lines and deterioration of the root and bone. Once the issue is identified your vet may suggest a thorough cleaning, particularly of the affected teeth or application of an antibiotic gel under the gums in the area where bacteria may have settled.

Just like in people, tooth problems may be irreversible, and your dog only gets one set, so be sure to pay attention to them. There is no need to breathe in the toxic fumes from your pooch's mouth for eternity. Dog bad breath has a cure! Until next time...Woof!

Vets warn about effects of heat on pets

by Winston Jones/Staff Writer
times-georgian.com

This time of year is often called “the dog days of summer,” but the current hot temperatures can cause heat strokes and other problems in dogs, just like in humans, a local veterinarian warned Monday.

“Animals instinctively know to stay out of heat,” said Dr. Justin Verner, DVM. “But dogs are such loyal companions, they often stick with us out in the sun until they’re overcome by the heat.”

Unlike humans, dogs don’t sweat, Verner noted. He said dogs cool themselves by panting, passing air rapidly over the tongue to cool the blood circulating through the mouth.

“It’s an inefficient system of cooling,” he said. “Dogs need to find a cool, shady spot when outdoors, under the deck or beneath bushes.” He said they also need lots of fresh water.

He said dogs with short snouts, the “smashed in” face dogs, such as bulldogs, Boston Terriers, pugs, pekingese and shih tzus, are especially prone to heat problems since they can’t breathe as effectively as longer snout dogs.

Verner said pet owners often miss heat stroke symptoms and dogs rapidly progress to death without treatment. The common signs of heat stroke in a dog are rapid panting, twitching muscles, lethargy, hot skin and a dazed look.

“I’ve seen many dogs with heat stroke and they usually don’t make it,” he said. “They have trouble breathing and when their temperatures get above 106 degrees, their organs begin shutting down.”

Verner said if you think your dog might be having a heat stroke, cool it off with a water hose and get it to a vet immediately.

He also warned against leaving dogs in cars, even when the windows are partially down and even on days that don’t seem hot.

“Some breeds of dogs are very intolerant of heat,” he said. He said asphalt paving drives the heat up fast.

“It’s best to keep your dogs out of the midday heat,” Verner said. “Take them out for exercise in the early morning before the sun comes up or late in the afternoon after it’s gone down.”

Additional heat suggestions from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) inlcude:

• if you see a dog in a parked car, take down the car’s information and have the owner paged over the store intercom or notify law enforcement authorities;

• don’t take your dog with you jogging except during cool times of the day and provide plenty of water and rest;

• keep dogs indoors and provide them with shade and drinking water when outdoors;

• and if you see a dog that looks in distress, contact authorities.

Read more: Times-Georgian - Vets warn about effects of heat on pets

Retractable leashes pose problems for people and their pets

Reposted from Consumer Reports Blog

Heather Todd didn’t bring a leash with her the day she took her pooch Penny to a pond near Boston in 2005. So she borrowed a retractable dog leash to help keep her Labrador retriever in check. But it didn’t. Retractable leashes pose problems for people and their pets  The 90-pound dog suddenly took off running and dragged Todd across the sand. When she came to a stop and recovered her wits, she spotted something lying on the sand. With horror, she realized it was a human index finger; with greater horror, she realized it was her own. The cord of the retractable leash had looped around her finger and pulled taut when Penny bolted.


“It just cut it off like a sharp knife,” Todd says.

She wrapped her hand in a towel, grabbed the finger, and headed to the hospital, but doctors were unable to reattach it. Todd, who’s now in nursing school, says there are times when her missing finger causes problems. “I get by. You just adjust,” she says.

Todd’s story may sound like a freak accident, but retractable leashes are responsible for a surprising number of injuries each year, including amputations.

In 2007 there were 16,564 hospital-treated injuries associated with leashes, according to Consumer Union's analysis of statistics collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Of those, about 10.5 percent involved children 10 and younger; 23.5 percent involved injuries to the finger. The CPSC's data does not parse the leashes into types but it's likely that the amputations were caused by retractable leashes.

The most common injuries reported were burns and cuts, usually sustained when the cord came in contact with skin as it rapidly paid out from the handle of a leash. Others occurred when the cord got wrapped around part of the owner or the dog.

Todd sued the maker of the leash as well as the distributor, as have others who have been injured by retractable leashes. Todd told us that the company settled her case for an undisclosed amount.

Retractable-leash makers do put some pretty stark warnings about their products on their Web sites and on the packaging. Germany-based Flexi, one of the largest manufacturers of the leashes, has a long page of warnings on it Web site. Here’s how it begins:

“To avoid the risk of eye or face injury and cuts, burns, and amputations to your body or the body of another person from the leash cord/tape or all belt and hook, (sic) read and follow these Warnings and Directions for Use before using your Flexi leash.”

The CPSC has announced only one recall of retractable leashes in recent years. Last September 223,000 “Slydog” brand retractable leashes (at right) were recalled after several complaints were received by the agency about the metal clip breaking and flying off. The company subsequently changed to plastic clips.

Karen Peak, a professional dog trainer in northern Virginia who runs a Web site called SafeKidsSafeDogs, says she often observes injuries from retractable leashes-and has experienced a couple herself.

“One day a dog got away and I grabbed the cord to keep it from running into the street and it gave me a painful cut between my fingers,” she says. “And it was a little dog, a Maltese.”

Peak says she doesn’t allow retractable leashes in her training classes and thinks they should only be used on well-behaved dogs that respond to voice commands.

“They should never be used on neighborhood walks or in stores or other situations where there might be distractions that can make a dog suddenly bolt,” she says. In those types of situations, she advises owners to use a solid leash no longer than six feet long.

Peak says dogs can suffer some of the same types of injuries from retractable dog leashes as people do. In addition, dogs suffer injury to their necks and backs when they are suddenly jerked to a stop when they run out the length of the leash.