E-Vet Clinic - Dog Health Care

One of the biggest contributors to poor dog health is obesity. About 35 to 40% of dogs are overweight and almost 25% are obese and just as in people this really increase health problems such as joint issues, diabetes, liver disease, and other health issues.

Well one creative veterinary clinic, New River Animal Hospital in West Virginia, is starting a Biggest Loser Pet Contest, similar to that of the TV Show the Biggest Loser. The contest will last three months and first prize is a basket full of items worth $200. Here is the new article on the contest - Biggest Loser Pet Contest to begin Monday

This might be a good idea for our own clinic and it certainly is a good idea if your own dog has a weight problem. Set up your own Biggest Loser Contest with your own dog. It will help immensely (pun intended). Lets give you a few tips to help you get started -

Simple - less food more exercise. Basically eat less calories and burn more…sound familar. Now how to do this -

• Stop with the treats. Your dog does not need treats, especially if it is overweight. I repeat your dog will love you even if you do not give it a snack every time it goes potty outside.
• Take your dog for a walk. It is best to take multiple short walks a day vs one long walk.
• Play with your dog - chasing a ball or a toy is good exercise for your dog.
• Do not feed crappy diet dog food - unless you want your dog to be bloated and have a large amount of gas do not feed the “fit and trim” dry dog foods. It is important to maintain high quality dog food and just feed less of it. The rest of your dogs health depends on it.
• Weigh your dog twice a week to determine your progress.

It is no secret that your vet bills are increasing. Dog health care costs are on the rise. Some of the reason is a shift in focus of veterinary medicine.

It used to be, go into your vet once a year for “shots” and heartworm prevention and one time in your pets life a spay or neuter. Now there has been a shift. We have discovered that annual vaccinations are no longer necessary and in fact may be harmful to your dogs health - Is your vet still overvaccinating your dog? Vaccinations were very profitable as they could be purchased for a small amount and sold for a great profit. The profit helped pay for all the other treatments and management of an animal hospital. In fact many times a veterinary clinics gross income consisted of 33% vaccination income. Veterinarians were more on a product based business by selling products and medications vs a service based business like they should have been. Now the shift is going to a service based business which means more services are going to be offered and the prices for those services are no longer going to be given away. The days of the $40 spay are almost over. A veterinarian actually loses money by giving away a $40 spay because it costs more than $40 to actual perform the procedure. Some vets are still providing a cheap cost spay for a couple of reasons one to help control the pet population and two in hopes that that client will return for other business.

So what does going to a service based business mean for your pet? Well actually it is a win-win situation, it means better health care for your dog by providing the most current diagnostic and treatment protocols. As vets are trying to make up for lost income from vaccinations they are actually offering services that can really improve the health of your dog. The objective of better diagnostics is to find disease early on when it actually is not causing symptoms. This makes it easier to treat, prolongs the life of your dog, and avoids really expensive treatments by avoiding having to bring in a really sick dog.

So there are a couple of the reasons why your dog’s health care costs are rising. Another perspective on the rising costs of vet care can be found in this article - Vet care becoming doggone expensive  which discusses what can be done about dog health care costs rising by incorporating a pet insurance plan to help defray the higher costs of veterinary care. One thing that I would recommend is checking out pet insurance companies as they are not all the same. At this point in time I am actually leaning away from VPI the largest pet insurance company and looking to promote Embrace Pet Insurance

I’ll give my final decision and reasons in a future post. I will be meeting with a rep from VPI very soon and I will also do some more conversing with Laura Bennett or Alex Krooglik from Embrace so I will have a good handle on pet insurance before I write that post.

It appears that ticks are going to be a serious problem this year. They are already present in this area of the country (Midwest- Chicagoland) I was actually shocked to see a dog come into my clinic with three ticks on it already. I also went to a clients house to work on her horses and her dog had a tick on it.

Frontline seems to be the best “medicine” for the prevention of a tick infestation and more importantly to prevent the spread of Lyme disease as a tick will need to feed on a dog for a minimum of 24 hours before passing on Lyme disease. However for those of you more open to alternatives and do not want to be “poisoning” your dog with chemicals that last in the lipid layer of its skin for 40 days. I have two blog posts that you NEED to read…

Dogs and ticks! - You’ll find pictures of ticks, information on how to protect your dog from ticks and how to recognize symptoms of tick disease in dogs. With tick education and awareness, you can help keep your best friend happy and healthy. …

Keep Fleas and Ticks Away Naturally with Homemade Dog Biscuits - Lyme disease is possible, though uncommon, out here, and with four pets I simply cannot risk a flea outbreak. I’ve been doing some research and come up with what will hopefully be a natural remedy! It turns out that nutritional yeast …

Remember when I wrote about one of my clients experiences with an underwater treadmill —> Underwater Treadmill

Well I ran across a news article discussing using the treadmill for weight loss in dogs and to improve the overall health of the dog by having a great exercise program. The article has video check it out here —> Plump pups become water dogs for health 

I can see many uses for this type of exercise - rehab for orthopedic injuries as well as weight loss in dogs.  It is a great tool.

I also posted this on my Twitter - I usually post quick things like this with a link to the article on my Twitter so be sure you are following my Twitter —> Dr_Dan_DVM

Halloween is an exciting time for kids and a really exciting time for dogs that love kids. Here is Meme my Border Collie that is very intense. She is so intense and intent on playing with children that we have to put her in a safe room away from all the kids that may not understand her excitement and fast movements as play.

Here are a couple of other tips for taking care of your dog to keep them healthy and safe during this Halloween night…

Have a safe Halloween. And remember your dog does not see Halloween the same way you do. Be sure to keep your dog healthy and safe.

Xylitol the sugar substitute found in many chewing gums can be very hazardous to your dogs health. I know this news is about a year old but it seems that many people still do not know about it.

In humans xylitol has very litle affect; however in dogs the initial response causes a significant increase in insulin levels which drops blood sugar dramatically since no real glucose has been produced from ingestion of the Xylitol. This can be treated however the long term toxic effects in dogs is that it causes liver failure and bleeding disorders.

So if your dog ingests any sugar free product that contains Xylitol be sure to get him to your vet and call the National Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435. There is a fee for the life saving information so have your credit card available. A 20 lbs dog only needs to eat 3 to 4 pieces of gum to cause a problem.

Here is a Press release from the AVMA last year on the danger - Sugar Substitute May Be Dangerous to Dogs Health

The top three most common health problems in dogs are with the digestive system, the musculoskeletal system, and the immune system.

By far the most common question of dog owners about the health of their dog is from vomitting or diarrhea - problems with the digestive system. Most cases are caused from eating something different than what they are used to such as changing food too rapidly or the dog getting into the garbage or eating something dead found in the yard. Also most cases resolve in 24 hours. Occassionally it is from the food that the dog is actually eating to prevent this a good quality dog food with meat being the first ingredient or feeding a raw diet will prevent the majority of digestive disorders.

The second most common dog health problem is with the immune system, specifically skin infections and ear infections or more exactly allergies. Allergies are extremely common in dogs and the majority of them could also be tempered or even “cured” by reducing or eliminating the amount of vaccinations and feeding an appropriate diet - a good quality dog food with meat being the first ingredient or feeding a raw diet (sound familiar).

The third most common dog health problem is with the musculo skeletal system, either injuries or arthritis. Now injuries are many times not preventable, even the healthiest dog can injure itself; however with that said we talked about how the three of the most common injuries in a performance dog are Cranial Cruciate Rupture (blown knee), Supraspinatus/Infraspinatus Strains (shoulder muscle strain), and the Psoas group muscle strain
here —->.One of the most common muscle injuries in a dog and prevention could easily be the appropriate exercises and stretching. Arthritis has many different causes from injury to genetics to again proper diet and exercise. (common theme here)

I am going to cover how I prevent these most common dog health problems by telling you if it were my dog what would I do. And that is the title of my new ebook coming soon - “If it was your dog…what would you do?” It is the story of my own two dogs and how I raise them. Stay tuned.

This is the story of Bear, a case of Degenerative Myelopathy in a German Shephard, who in July of 2006 his owner noticed some weakness in his hind legs and a reluctance to jump.

In August 2006 Bear comes to see me for a consult and chiropractic adjustments because the owner just can not understand why he is constantly falling on linoleum floor and doing splits with rear legs. I do a chiropractic treatment and ask for a follow up in a month. In the mean time, in September, just before the follow up visit the owner takes Bear to the regular veterinarian. At that visit, the vet concludes Bear has symptoms which are a sign of aging and bad hips. However, no radiographs (x-rays) or tests were run. The owner starts to become concerned of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), which is much more common in German Shephards like Bear. At the follow up visit with me, I agree that DM is a possibility however Bear needs radiographs to rule out spondylosis and spinal stenosis. I urge the client to get X rays.

In October, his weakness is progressing, Bear is knuckling over with rear feet. I performed a nuerolgic exam which the results are not good! Even without radiographs with the prgression of the disease I have to agree with my client that DM is the most likely cause of Bears hind leg weakness. Unfortuantely chiropractic can only help a little with this disease and should be part of a larger protocol. I ask her to see a holisitc practitioner…someone who specializes in homeopathics and herbals.The owner also began research on DM using the University Of Florida website. (Dr Clemmons protocol which can be found here - neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/DM_Web/DMofGS.htm). The owner starts the vitamin protocol.

In December, Bear did seem to improve with the vitamins, however, he now has polyuria (increased urination). The owner returns to the regular vet for testing to rule out diabetes and cushings. She was told that the blood tests were normal. However now, Bear has tremors and seizure like symptoms, personality changes, and has lost weight. There is more going on here than just DM and I referred Bear to Arboretum View Animal Hospital, a specialty center.

The news is not good, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out the rest of the story.

I received a question that I am asked on occasion concerning once you start chiropractic treatment do you have to keep going all the time?

Here is the exact question…

Dr. Dan, I was just wondering if once a dog has started some type of chiropractic treatment if that is something that will be needed for the rest of the dog’s life or will it depend on the activity the dog does? Thanks for a response.

I usually answer this question in front of a client in a smart alecky way of course with a grin on my face saying, “Well are you going to change the underlying problem that caused this dog to have a chiropractic problem? If not, then yes the dog will need to have adjustments for the rest of its life.”

Of course here in internet-land you lose out on my body language and facial expressions to see that I am saying this tongue in cheek. I do then go on to explain what I will explain here.

Chiropractic treatment is a different philosophy. The typical client that asks me that question is still coming from a western medicine or allopathic medicine mindset. There is something causing this to my dog and treatment is going to cure it. Chiropractic does not take that approach, it is more of philosophy of balancing and correcting the problems before they arise it is a lifestyle change.

Can chiropractic be used as a treatment to “fix” something? Sure I do it all the time for clients, but my smart aleck answer applies, if the lifestyle is not changed then I am going to be treating the dog for the same thing over and over again. Let me give some examples to make it easier to understand.

If a dog breaks a leg and has surgery and the leg is weak and needs some physical therapy to recover, the dog will need chiropractic treatment to correct the spine while he recovers from the injury. This would be a temporary treatment protocol to help the dog recover more comfortably. Treatment could end in this instance if the owners so choose. Chiropractic is being used to ‘fix’ something. However this is not what the main intent of chiropractic is.

The main philosophy of chiropractic is a more wholistic approach and is a tool used to maintain homeostasis or balance in the body while the lifestyle is being changed. Or if the lifestyle can not change, for example, in an agility dog, chiropractic is used to maintain balance even though the dog is physically stressing itself on a regular basis. People and animals go to the chiropractor on a regular basis because they are better off for it while they continue to live the lifestyle they desire including their physical, emotional and toxic stresses. A chiropractor’s job is to not only perform chiropractic adjustments but also to consult with the client on the best way to live a lifestyle which will help the client/dog remain symptom free by improving on ways to avoid stressing the body. This would mean consultation on nutrition, exercise, rest and how often chiropractic treatments will be required to maintain balance in the body while the dog continues to do stressful activities or has a daily physical stressor such as arthritis.

So in answer to the question it really depends on the stresses in the dog and specifically what are you looking for with chiropractic treatment. Do you just want to fix something and then you are going to follow the advice of the doctor and change the lifestyle to avoid the problem in the future; OR is it impossible for the lifestyle to change - the dog has arthritis, does a physical activity such as agility, continues to eat crappy dog food or continues to have annual vaccinations? These are all reasons for a dog to continue to see a chiropractor even though the last two I hope will be changed while seeing the chiropractor…LOL.

Thanks to Matt from The Pet Haven for this article - Walk Your Dog To Stay Healthy

It refutes the previous study in Finnland that stated that dog owners are less healthy than non-dog owners - Pet Owners May Be Less Healthy

Personally I think there is almost no difference, in whether you own a dog or not as to whether you are more healthy or not. It depends on the person’s own personality and what they do with their dog. Also exercise is only one part of the equation what you put in your mouth is the other. If you eat in excess of the exercise you obtain from walking your dog you are still going to be heavy regardless.

The one thing that is true about pet ownership is the unmeasurable benefit of an adoring pet with unconditional love has a tremendous effect on the emotional well being of the people that love the pets back.