Veterinary Highlights: Canine Health Foundation Fights Bloat

The Canine Health Foundation's (CHF)  undertaking is to address the need for both education and research in order to tackle gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), also referred to as bloat, in dogs.

Bloat is a deadly condition and we really understand very little how to prevent it.

Short of prophylactic gastropexy, there is no known sure-fire way of preventing it.



CHF has released a Bloat Initiative Request for Proposals (RFP) to the research community.

To help educate dog owners about bloat, CHF will launch a free webinar in mid-2013 describing possible causes of bloat, susceptible breeds, symptoms, medical intervention, and explanation of research needed.

For more information about bloat or to donate to the effort visit www.akcchf.org/bloat.

Source article:
CHF Fights Bloat in Dogs

Related articles:
Gastric Dilatation And Volvulus (GDV): What Did The Latest Study Reveal?
Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (Bloat): RIP Barbie 

Further reading:
Help... My Dog's Stomach is Swollen! Bloat, Torsion, and GDV in Dogs - Part 1: Be Aware

Does Your Dog Have A Driver's License? Subaru #DogTested Fun Apps And Giveaway

One of the phrases that always gets a head tilt in our house is, "Do you want to go for a ride?" Going for a ride always means fun or an adventure. (And yes, Jasmine even loves rides to the vet's office)

Long rides are the best, because they mean super fun things, such as camping.

What do you think? How would I look in this one?

Sometimes I wonder, if Jasmine had her own driver's license, where would she go? Would she drive to our usual places that she loves, or would she prefer exploring the unknown?

The first few times we were taking her camping, I could see her impatience. "Look, look, this would be a great place to stop! Can't you see it? Come on, please! Ah, you missed it."

"OK, never mind, this place would be awesome too! Look! ... Ok, I don't understand why we keep driving by all these awesome locations where we could have had all kinds of fun."

Over time Jasmine learned that the bipeds are stubborn, and with exception of potty breaks, they won't stop until they reach what they decided was a destination.

How do I look on my spanking new driver's license?

She learned to be patient but I bet, if she had a choice, she'd stop at all the exciting places along the way too.

"Just wait," she says, "Grant Weber shows how easy it is for a dog to buy a Subaru. I am going to get me a Subaru, my own license, and you'll have to go where I will take you. I can even get a Subaru that is personally matched for me!"

Hunting dogs. Lapdogs. Water dogs. They all agree: Once you sit in a Subaru, you'll stay.

I think we might be in trouble. If buying a Subaru is so easy for dogs, how will we ever get to places WE need to go to? The chances of getting to work, dentist or to run errands are pretty slim, unless all those things can be done somewhere in the middle of the woods. Wait, that would be actually pretty cool.

Luckily, Jasmine cannot just run out and buy a Subaru, where would she get the money?

"No money? No problem. There is always financing," she says.

"What I'd want from my Subaru? Good mileage, because I want to travel everywhere. Climate control. Those windows that open and close with a push of a button. Maybe a four-wheel drive, so I can chase the squirrels and maybe actually catch one. Good color to bring up my eyes. Lots of room to stretch out when I feel like it. Maybe I'll think of more stuff along the way.

So listen up! If you're a dog and want to control your own destin(y/ation) and get your own Subaru, talk to the Grant Weber guy. He'll set you up."

Meanwhile, visit their Facebook to try out a new Dog Tested, Dog Approved Subaru. 

Discover which model would be best for you. You can even see what would you look like in your model. If you have any questions, just ask an expert! Oh, and of course, don't forget to get your driver's license! (Please don't use your parents' real address when creating your drivers license!)

And don't forget to enter below to win a $350 or $150 Visa Gift Card!  

You'll need to "like" Subaru's Facebook page to enter, plus you can do the other four entries every single day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Tackling The Veterinary Terminology: Prefixes (hyper-)

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.

hyper- [hī′pər] from Greek - elevated, excessive

There probably isn't anybody who isn't familiar with the word hyperactive. It can be your kids, or your dogs, virtually climbing the walls. All go, no stop activity level.

In life, everything is about a degree. You know, too much of a good thing ... This suffix indicates that things are way past being a good thing.

Hyperthermia, excessive heat, body temperature greatly above normal. (also heat stroke). Hyperglycemia, blood sugar levels above normal, a hallmark symptom of diabetes. Hyperadrenocorticism, also knows as Cushing's disease, overproduction of adrenal hormones, particularly cortisol. Hyperthyroidism, overproduction of thyroid hormone.

The list of examples is actually quite long. Everything in the body is strictly regulated. If for whatever reason this regulation fails, it can result in a state of excess.

None of these conditions are to be taken lightly.

The body works hard on regulating these things for a reason. When it gets out of hand, it is always damaging, and it can be deadly, if balance is not restored.

Excessive states are not self-induced, they don't just happen.

They are result of failed regulation. Sometimes a healthy regulatory processes simply cannot keep up with the conditions, such as with hyperthermia. Sometimes the regulation itself fails, such as with diabetes. They all need to be appropriately addressed.

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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)

Positive Update, Though Little Clarity

Jasmine continues to do well. I always knock on the wood when I say that, but since the last neck event she seems to have recovered and, while I'm writing this, we had no mishaps or setbacks of any kind. We are VERY thankful.

Of course, I am still very paranoid, as if Jasmine was made of crystal.

This has been particularly difficult, because with the recent weather, the conditions outside are far from ideal. First we got a huge snow dump. That was fine, all I had to do was to shovel some trails for her to get out and about safely while still in recovery.

By the time should would have been allowed to start getting out again, we had a thaw. As a result, the paths and sidewalks became covered with ice, while the areas under a good snow cover developed a hard crust on top. Neither of these things are any good when you're trying to ease your dog safely back into some walks and exercise.

We have started the intensive laser therapy for Jasmine, but even with that we had to cancel one of the appointments due to weather conditions.

There was just no way would could have made it to the hospital with a hundred percent guarantee of safety.

The upside is, that this new facility also has an underwater treadmill, so we added that to her laser sessions, because Jasmine does need to regain her strength and, frankly, was going stir-crazy. Even though that is far from a fun activity, it is beneficial to the body and does help draining some of the energy.

The first appointment for the laser therapy included an initial evaluation.

I was very impressed with how thorough that was. The vet was bending and stretching Jasmine like a rag doll. He got her neck moving to places I didn't realize it could go. Needless to say, I was on pins and needles, but nothing got broken in the process.

The advantage of going through this was having a fresh set of eyes evaluating things.

 

Unbiased by Jasmine's history, the vet was assessing what he was seeing in front of him.

The good news was, that he didn't really see anything wrong. He thought Jasmine was doing exceptionally well for her age and breed. I liked hearing that very much.

Except, that does not explain any of the things that have happened starting last December.

At the time of the exam, a week after Jasmine's last neck event, the vet didn't find anything wrong with the neck, and he didn't find any neurological deficits, including the hind left which previously tested with decreased responsiveness. He even used the little rubber hammer thingy.

Should we believe those findings just because we liked the sound of all that?

While that on its own, liking what he said, is obviously not a good enough reason, his evaluation WAS extremely thorough.

The only things he discovered was a little smaller muscle mass on her left legs, both front and hind, and minor crepitus in her elbows.

The difference in circumference does mean something but it is not clear what exactly. Some crepitus in the elbows is not a surprise, we know the elbows are not completely happy.

The vet was quite impressed by Jasmine's range of motion.

Here are the findings as per his report:

Musculoskeletal exam findings:

• Jasmine was found to be in good muscle condition however there was a slight variation in thigh and gastrocnemius circumferences with her right thigh being 2 cm larger than the left one and her right gastrocnemius being 3 cm larger than the left one.
• The right triceps was also found to be 1 cm bigger than the left.
• At the time of examination there was no pain on palpation or manipulation of the neck. The only area that seemed to give mild consistent discomfort was on stretching of the left for leg into shoulder extension.
• Range of motion was measured using goniometry and found to be normal on all 4 limbs.

Neurological Assessment:

• Neurological examination revealed normal stretch reflexes, no proprioceptive deficits (owner reported that there had been a slightly delayed response on the left hind in the past).

Goals:

• As it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where Jasmine’s problems are arising from, at this time we will attempt to get her to be less painful or have less painful episodes

Rehabilitation Plan:

• We did Jasmine’s first laser session today with laser treatments over her lateral and dorsal cervical area, both elbows, both stifles and the left supraspinatus, infraspinatus and latissimus dorsi muscles.

***

It is a fact that Jasmine is not showing any problems we can see either. 

She even got to go the the farm over the weekend, even though with me shadowing her everywhere as her own personal ball and chain.

The conditions were even worse there, as they had more of the thaw. Lots of areas were completely under ice. So I was running around sanding what I could, and then breaking trails for her through the crusted snow. Then making sure she actually used those trails, as she had other plans.

In spite of all my efforts the terrain was quite hard to walk on.

However, Jasmine did well and did not come home either sore or limping! So that was a very good news.

I'd still very much like to get to the bottom of things, as well, as figure out—and correct—the reason behind the muscle mass differences. And I would really like her last neck event being the LAST.

We will continue with the laser treatments, acupuncture, and some time soon we should take her to her chiropractor again too.

For now, she's looking good and had enjoyed her weekend safely, so I'll take that.

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? 
Jasmine's Neck Setback Update  

Adoption Monday: Bonnie, Wirehaired Terrier/Poodle Mix: Deerfield, NH

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

Bonnie is a great kisser.  

She loves to sit in your lap even though she is on the larger size of a lap dog at 30 pounds.   

Bonnie is just over a year old! 

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

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

Ready to bring Bonnie home? Tell us about yourself and your interest in Bonnie 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.

A Note On Elbow Calluses

Elbow calluses are defined as gray, hairless, wrinkled patches of thickened skin at the bony pressure points (outside the elbows). They can develop elsewhere also, but elbows are the most common location. They are quite common, particularly in larger dogs.

If you look it up, you'll find it says that elbow calluses are caused by lying on a hard surface.  

Bruin's calluses looked like this, except way thicker. Image: Better Beds For Gun Dogs

The Dictionary of Veterinary Terms says that calluses develop in response to repeated irritation. You know, calluses, we all had one at one point or another.

Elbow calluses are generally harmless, though they can develop into an ulcer or an abscess.

Remedy for a developing callus is to provide soft, comfortable bedding (provided that your dog will actually use it, as dogs might prefer hard floor to cool themselves, for example).

When our late rescue, Bruin, came to us, he had calluses almost the size of my fist, and very hard. They did soften and shrink somewhat over time.

When Jasmine started losing fur on her left elbow, I was concerned it might be an infection of sorts.

It didn't ooze or smell in any way but I thought it was strange that it was happening on the one elbow only. So the next time we were at the vet's, I asked him to check it out.

The vet checked out and said it was a developing elbow callus.

I was glad it was not an infection but found it curious why she would develop one in the first place, and why just on the one elbow. She has a variety of comfy beds to choose from, we have carpeting and rugs everywhere ever since her first knee injury, and she spends most of the time resting on her cooling bed. She does spend SOME time laying on the ground when at the horse farm, but I didn't think that could have been enough to cause a callus.

Here is the interesting bit. The vet said that short pile carpets are the worst, and most likely to lead to elbow calluses.

Worse than hardwood floor, worse that concrete, worse than any other surface.

Truly?

OK, fine, but Jasmine hardly ever rests on the actual floor ...? And it still wouldn't explain why just the one elbow ...? I started paying more attention and then the mystery unraveled itself.

Yes, Jasmine spends vast majority of her time on the cooling bed.

But with closer observation, we found out that most of that time she'll lay on it with the left elbow OFF the bed and on the [short pile] carpet.

AHA!

The vet suggested raising the bed. It is a water bed after all, though. If we made a hard platform, it would be just another obstacle to kick or trip over (if not for the dogs, than for hubby for sure). If we put something soft under it, I'm sure the bed wouldn't like that.

The solution lied in the understanding of the problem.

It was not necessarily the hardness, but the friction what was the culprit.

The friction is what would make a short pile carpet worse than bare floor.

We got a soft blanket, and placed it underneath the cooling bed so it would cover quite a large area around the bed also.

Not much of a decorating statement but it certainly did the trick. The hardness is pretty much the same but the friction is substantially reduced.

Jasmine's callus is gone, the fur has grown back, the elbow looks as good as new.

OK, it's nothing groundbreaking, but I thought it was quite interesting. Certainly something that wouldn't have occurred to us.

Short pile carpet is the elbow's primary enemy.

Who would have thunk?

Show Off Your Dog's Waistline: Joy and Noodle

Meet Joy and Noodle, the lucky owners of my dear friend, Dr. Shawn Finch.

Have you ever seen a vet's dog that was overweight? Me neither. Won't happen. Because nobody understands how important and beneficial keeping dogs slim is better than veterinarians.

Do veterinarians know something we don't?

We all know it, or at least we've heard it. But veterinarians live it. We can too.

Keeping them slim is one of the best things we can do for our dogs.

It's your turn!

Take a photo of your dog's waistline (and dig up some old "before" photos for comparison, if you have any!), and share your story about how you're keeping them fit. If you have a blog, blog it, if not, email me and get your story featured on Dawg Business.

Show Off Your Dog's Waistline Campaign Badge Code: 

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