Striegel Animal Hospital & Associates

Information may not be reliable

As a technician I’m often asked about the importance of running a blood chemistry panel on people’s pets. Quite often I hear “Oh he’s healthy he doesn’t need it.” Or “The doctor said his exam was good and he acts healthy so he’s fine.” In many cases I know the cost is of concern to many pet owners.
The truth is, blood work is an extremely important diagnostic tool that provides a significant amount of information about your pet’s health.
Unfortunately, most of the blood profiles that we run are on sick patients, when most of their values are not normal due to their illness. It is always a good idea to run blood work on your pet when it is healthy. Even though we have guidelines of what the level of the chemistries should be, that doesn’t mean that every patient follows the rules. Some pets may run a low normal or a high normal; but we don’t know that unless blood work is run on a regular basis when the pet is healthy.
I personally run a full chemistry panel on my cat and all 6 of my dogs annually. I’m glad I began this routine because when my Boston Terrier was only 5 years old we noticed some major abnormalities in her liver values. I was shocked since she was not showing any signs of illness! Further testing revealed that she was in the beginning stages of liver disease. The only option for her treatment is diet change and liver support supplements; in which I’m happy to report, she’s been thriving on for 3 years now! Had I never done any sort of health screen on her, I may not have found out about her liver disease until she became seriously ill with major irreversible damage to her liver, which would have significantly shortened her life span.
When we wait until our pets are symptomatic to run blood work, it is possible that the organs are 80-90% damaged. This damage cannot be reversed but only maintained with diet changed, medications and/or supplements. Early detection is extremely important in the treatment of any disease. Scheduling the blood test for 6 months after their annual exam can help with cost concerns since you aren’t paying for blood work and annual exams, tests, vaccines, heartworm prevention and flea/tick prevention at the same time. Also, managing the early stages of a disease is much more cost effective than a patient coming in very sick and possibly needing hospitalization and several different medications. So in the end, running routine blood work is a better health plan for our pets and saves money in the long run!

Fall is just around the corner and with it comes many changes. The leaves turn to bright colors, temperatures cool down and we, at Striegel Animal Hospital will also see some changes in our Veterinary staff.
Starting in September, Dr Elizabeth Phares will leave the Hospital and return to the Kansas City area where her family and friends are located. We have already begun a search for her replacement but at this time we would like to thank Dr. Phares for her hard work and dedication to our Hospital during this past year.
While the search is in progress, we are happy to report that Dr. Kay Creese will act as a relief veterinarian for Dr. Kayne every Thursday, starting September 9th. Please call the office or use our website to schedule appointments with either Dr. Kayne or Creese. And keep checking your emails and our website for further updates!

April showers are gone, and the sun’s rays are on. Now’s the time to enjoy some cat cuddles and romps with your dogs. But make sure your pets stay healthy and safe during this season marked by pests and high temperatures. Here are seven ways to safeguard your pets:

Cover the basics. Secure an up-to-date tag on your pet’s collar and make sure to use a leash when you head outdoors. Consult your veterinarian for flea and tick controls options, and always keep your pet’s vaccinations current.

Be wary around water. Not all dogs are natural swimmers, so watch your pooch when you’re near the pool, beach, or lake. On trips to the ocean, make sure your pets don’t drink the salt water – it upsets their stomach, just like yours. And watch those currents; the best paddling dog can struggle against a mean undertow.

Keep cool. Schedule walks in the early morning or evening; dog paws hate hot pavement. You can also make dog exercise sessions safe by stopping for drinks of fresh water and finding shady spots for necessary panting breaks. Some pet owners also help prevent overheating with short fur shaves for cats and dogs in the summer.

Watch for warning signs. Heat stroke is an issue for pets, too. Be on the lookout for early symptoms: excessive panting and drooling, bright red gums, weakness, and balance problems. As the condition worsens, pets may experience labored breathing, lethargy, and even seizures. You can cool down an overheated pet with cold water or towels and by offering ice hips or small bowls of water.

Safely see the sights. Taking your pets for a ride in the car or minivan? Never leave them inside – windows up or down – on hot days. Keep dogs’ heads in the car while driving; inner ear damage, lung infections, and injury happen when man’s best friend sticks his head out the window. Buckle up your dog with a harness or seat belt. And never let dogs ride in the back of trucks. A crate in the truck bed keeps dogs from bouncing out in an accident or being hit with debris on the road.

Party with prudence. Be wary of what your cats and dogs can get into when you celebrate. Chocolate, raisins, grapes and onions can be bad for dogs and cats, and alcohol is also a no-no. If your pets get anxious or fearful around fireworks or big crowds, keep them away from the sparklers and concerts.

Protect against pests and poisons. Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and more seem to be everywhere in the summer, so consult with your veterinarian on the best pest preventives to use for your and your pets’ lifestyle. Also, keep your animals off areas sprayed with chemicals or insecticides, and always store fertilizers and other poisonous substances out of their reach.

Many clients who come in with their cats express frustration that their pet sometimes urinates or defecates outside of the litter box. This is a relatively common complaint, but it can have a wide variety of causes. The underlying reason for inappropriate elimination must be identified and dealt with in order to solve the problem. The following is a list of steps that should be taken if your cat is having accidents around the house.
1) Make sure your cat does not have a medical problem causing inappropriate elimination. Anything from urinary tract infections, kidney failure, food allergies, intestinal parasites or constipation can prompt cats to stop using the litter box. If your cat suddenly starts going outside the box, schedule an appointment to discuss medical causes with your veterinarian.
2) You need to have at least one litter box per cat per floor of your house. In other words, if you have 2 cats in a 2 story house you need a total of 4 boxes. Cats are finicky creatures and prefer a private bathroom.
3) Not all cats like the same type of litter box or litter. Some prefer covered boxes while others prefer open ones. You may need to experiment with different box and litter types to find the one that your cat likes best. Litter types include plain clay, clumping (scoopable), newspaper pellets and even wood pellets. Some cats may have allergies that will cause them to avoid certain types of litter, so take this into account if you switch litter products and your cat begins to avoid using the box. If you use wood pellets makes sure you buy a brand that is chemical free (untreated). Deodorizers are common in all types of litter to make it smell better to humans. However, as a rule, cats hate the smell of deodorizers and will avoid litter that contains them. Therefore, it is best to choose a litter that does not contain any deodorizers.
4) Cats are very clean animals and hate to use a dirty box just as much as people hate to use a dirty public restroom. You may need to scoop as often as twice a day to keep your cats happy, though most owners can get away with once a day or every other day. Change the litter that remains behind after scooping at least once a week, more often if it is damp, dirty or has an odor. Spraying an enzymatic urine odor eliminator on the remaining litter every day after scooping can also help. Zero Odor (www.zeroodorpet.com) is the best odor eliminator on the market and does not leave behind a perfumed smell that cats may find offensive.
5) If your cat is already eliminating outside of the box, it is critical to clean every spot in the house in order to reduce the temptation to continue to use those areas. Purchase a black light from the hardware store to find stains, then clean them thoroughly. Zero Odor (www.zeroodorpet.com) is the product that I recommend because I have found it to be the most effective stain and pet odor remover on the market.
6) Stress can sometimes cause inappropriate elimination. Causes of stress for cats include a change in diet, adding a new pet to the house, remodeling or construction work, a change in the owners’ schedule, stray animals outside the house and loud noises in the neighborhood. Some cats are more sensitive to stress than others and may need medication to help them stay relaxed. Physical causes of inappropriate elimination need to be ruled out before trying behavior modifying medication.

One of the most common conditions affecting dogs is allergy. In the allergic state, the dog’s immune system “overreacts” to foreign substances (allergens or antigens) to which it is exposed. These overreactions are manifested in three ways. The most common is itching of the skin, either localized (one area) or generalized (all over the dog). Another manifestation involves the respiratory system and may result in coughing, sneezing, and/or wheezing. Sometimes, there may be an associated ocular (eye) discharge. The third manifestation involves the digestive system, resulting in vomiting or diarrhea.

There are five known types of allergies in the dog: contact, flea, food, bacterial and inhalant. Each of these has some common expressions in dogs, and each has some unique features.

Contact allergy is the least common of the five types of allergy. They result in a local reaction of the skin. Examples of contact allergy include reactions to flea collars or to types of bedding, such as wool. If the dog is allergic to such substances, there will be skin irritation at the points of contact. Removal of the contact irritant solves the problem. However, identifying the allergen may require some “detective” work.

Flea allergy is common in dogs. A normal dog experiences only minor irritation in response to flea bites, often without any itching. On the other hand, the flea-allergic dog has a severe, itch-producing reaction when the flea’s saliva is deposited in the skin. Just one bite causes such intense itching that the dog may severely scratch or chew itself, leading to the removal of large amounts of hair. There will often be open sores or scabs on the skin, allowing a secondary bacterial infection to begin. The area most commonly involved is over the rump (just in front of the tail), but may also involve the feet, belly or any other area of skin.

The most important treatment for flea allergy is to get the dog away from all fleas. Therefore, strict flea control is the backbone of successful treatment. Unfortunately, this is not always possible in warm and humid climates, where a new population of fleas can hatch every 14-21 days. When strict flea control is not possible, corticosteroids (commonly shortened to the terms “cortisone” or “steroids”) can be used to block the allergic reaction and give relief. This is often a necessary part of dealing with flea allergies. Fortunately, dogs are more resistant to the side effects of steroids than humans, so much of what you know about the side effects in people do not apply to dogs. If a secondary bacterial infection occurs, appropriate antibiotics must be used.

Staphylcoccus (Staph) is a bacterium found on normal dog skin. If the skin is normal and the dog’s immune system is normal, Staph causes no problems to its host. However, some dogs develop an allergy to this bacterium. When this happens, the dog develops areas of hair loss that look much like ringworm. They are often round and ½-2 inches in diameter. When these same lesions develop in a true primary Staph infection, they are easily treated with certain antibiotics, but the Staph-allergic dog has recurrent “Staph infections.” The lesions will usually clear with appropriate antibiotics but will return as soon as the antibiotics are discontinued. After a while, some dogs become resistant to antibiotic treatment.

The most common type of allergy is the inhalant type, or atopy. Dogs may be allergic to all of the same inhaled allergens that affect humans. These include tree pollens (cedar, ash, oak, etc.), grass pollens (especially Bermuda), weed pollens (ragweed, etc.), molds, mildew, and the house dust mite. Many of these allergies occur seasonally, such as ragweed, cedar and grass pollens. However, others are with us all the time, such as molds, mildew and house dust mites. When humans inhale these allergens, we express the allergy as a respiratory problem; it is sometimes called “hay fever.” The dog’s reaction, however, usually produces severe, generalized itching. In fact, the most common cause of itching in the dog is inhalant allergy.

Most dogs that have inhalant allergy react to several allergens. If the number is small and they are the seasonal type, itching may last for just a few weeks at a time during one or two periods of the year. If the number of allergens is large or they are present year-round, the dog may itch constantly.

1. Anti-Inflammatory Medications. Anti-inflammatory therapy will dramatically block the allergic reaction in most cases. corticosteroids (cortisone-derivative medications) may be given orally or by injection, depending on the circumstances. If steroids are appropriate for your dog, you will be instructed in their proper use. Antihistamines can be of value in treating the allergic dog, especially when they are combined with steroids. In some dogs, antihistamines can significantly decrease the amount of steroid needed to provide relief. Fatty Acid Supplementation can also be implemented with steroids and antihistamines. There are newer oral anti-inflammatory agents available also. Although often very effective in controlling the itch associated with inhalant allergy, these newer products are currently much more costly than antihistamines or corticosteriods. Your veterinarian can discuss these options with you in more detail. Treating with anti-inflammatory medications is a non-specific approach which does not treat the underlying allergy, but will often control the complications of the allergic state (itching).

2. Shampoo Therapy. Many dogs are helped considerably by frequent bathing with a hypoallergenic shampoo. It has been demonstrated that some allergens may be absorbed through the skin. Frequent bathing is thought to reduce the amount of antigen exposure through this route. An addition to removing surface antigen, bathing alone will provide some temporary relief from itching and may allow the use of a lower dose of steroids. Some of the hypoallergenic shampoos incorporate fatty acids, antihistamines or steroids; they may be absorbed through the skin and offer a localized anti-inflammatory action. The role of the fatty acids in allergy treatment is an area of active research interest in veterinary medicine.

3. Hyposensitization. The third major form of allergy treatment is hyposensitization with specific antigen injections (or “allergy shots”). Once testing identifies the specific allergens, very small amounts of the antigen are injected weekly. The purpose of this therapy is to reprogram the body’s immune system. It is hoped that as time passes, the immune system will become less reactive to the problem-causing allergens. If hyposensitization appears to help the dog, injections will continue for several years. For most dogs, a realistic goal is for the itching to be significantly reduced in severity; in some dogs, itching may completely resolve. Generally, antihistamines or steroids are only necessary on a very brief and intermittent basis for hyposensitized dogs. This therapeutic approach is recommended for the middle-aged or older dog that has year-round itching caused by inhalant allergy.

Although hyposensitization is the ideal way to treat inhalant allergy, it does have some drawbacks and may not be the best choice in certain circumstances for these reasons:

3. Success Rate: About 50% of dogs will have an excellent response, about 25% get partial to good response, and the remaining 25% get little no response. The same statistics are true for people undergoing hyposensitization.

4. Food Allergies: Although tests for food allergy are available, the reliability of food allergy testing is not great. A food trial remains the best diagnostic test for food allergy.

Dogs are not likely to be born with food allergies. More commonly, they develop allergies to food products they have eaten for a long time. The allergy most frequently develops in response to the protein component of the food; for example, beef, pork, chicken or turkey. Food allergy may produce any of the clinical signs previously discussed, including itching, digestive disorders and respiratory distress. We recommend testing for food allergy when the clinical signs have been present for several months, when the dog has a poor response to steroids, or when a very young dog itches or vomits without other apparent causes of allergy. Testing is done with a special hypoallergenic diet. Because it takes at least 8 weeks for all other food products to get out of the system, the dog must eat the special diet exclusively for 8-12 weeks (or more). If positive response occurs, you will be instructed on how to proceed.

If the diet is not fed exclusively, it will not be a meaningful test. We cannot overemphasize this. If any types of table food, treats or vitamins are given, these must be discontinued during the testing period. There may be problems with certain types of chewable heartworm preventative, as well. Do not stop your dog's heartworm preventative, however! Your veterinarian will discuss appropriate heartworm preventatives for your possible food-allergic dog.

Because dogs are being tested for inhalant allergy generally itch year-round, a food allergy dietary test can be performed while the inhalant test and antigen preparation is occurring.

2010 will show a modernized Striegel Animal Hospital, with all points turning green!
Gone are the outdated lights, insulation, ceilings and roofing materials – replaced with the most efficient, energy conserving products available. Also, the Animal Hospital will be reaffirming its commitment to go greener with a new geothermal heat/air conditioning system, being currently installed by Williams Heating and Air Conditioning. The new system will also provide geothermal heated hot water for the Hospital.
The commitment is a win/win situation for the environment and the Hospital; dramatically reducing the need for energy and thereby reducing the energy costs for the Hospital. The Striegel Animal Hospital will continue to research future ways to conserve and do our share to protect our environment.