Crazy Things our Pets Eat (February 2012)

Several years ago, I was told a story that I consider urban legend but the technician telling the story swears it is true.  You may have heard this story or something like it before but it’s still funny in a “serves you right” sort of way.  The story goes something like this:  A man brings his dog to the veterinary hospital because his canine companion has vomited multiple different times during the past day.  The dog does not want to eat which is unusual because he normally eats everything under the sun, including things he is not supposed to eat.  Based on this information, the veterinarian recommends taking some x-rays of the dog’s abdomen.  The owner agrees that this is a good idea and the veterinary technicians whisk our vomiting friend off to radiology land where they take some pictures of his belly.  Low and behold, the veterinarian can see something in the small intestines that should not be there.  There are also loops of bowl that appear distended with fluid on the x-rays.  The veterinarian shows the owner the x-rays and announces the dog needs surgery to remove the foreign material.  The owner agrees to the surgery since he loves his dog and he leaves the animal hospital wondering what mans’ best friend could have eaten.  After the owner leaves, the veterinarian orders blood work for the dog which is relatively normal.  The dog has an IV catheter placed with fluids running through it. Prior to surgery, he is also given antibiotics and drugs to prevent vomiting.  During surgery, the veterinarian removes a pair of women’s underwear, and like all veterinarians, she saves the foreign object to play show and tell with the owner later.  The dog does very well through the surgery and is recovering in the hospital when the man and his wife come in to visit their canine “child”.  Feeling like a hero (after all the veterinarian did save the dog from sure death), the veterinarian shows the happy couple the offending garment at which time the wife grabs the bagged underwear from the veterinarian and states that they were not her undies.  Now the veterinarian feels like the goat, the man is looking guilty, and the woman leaves the hospital and her husband with a few choice words that cannot be repeated here (I’m sure you can fill in the blanks yourself). 

I’m sure there is a moral to this story somewhere beginning with “you’ll always get caught cheating on your spouse” or how about “it always pays to pick up after yourself”.  As a veterinarian, I have to go with “never show underwear to an owner even if it’s the most exciting thing you have removed from an animal in the past year”.  

The story also begs the question “why do animals eat stuff they shouldn’t?”  The most common reason is because the object tastes like food or is food.  Examples in this category include food wrappers and cartons, corn cobs, bones, and basically anything you put in a garbage can.  It also includes the ever delectable tootsie rolls dogs find in the cat’s litter box, baby diapers, and feminine products.  However this explanation does not cover the plethora of other items I have removed from animals like two pounds of nails, coins, most of an ottoman, a sleeve of an army jacket, and a throw rug.  I have also removed enough string and yarn from cats to make a sweater or two.  Some of these objects get stuck and the animal that ate them needs surgery or endoscopy to have them removed.  In other cases, the object moves its way through the animals intestine and is found in there feces.  In vet school, I actually watched my Labrador defecate out my vet school ID that I had been missing for two weeks.  It was definitely interesting seeing my picture come out of his rear end.  One of my current dogs has an affinity for crayons which, by the way, creates very colorful poop in the back yard which melts in the sun.  Yum!

After reading this, you may have other stories about your pet or a friend’s eating silly things (hopefully the outcome was good for the pet in the end).  I think you should share with the rest of us.  Over the next month, post your “Crazy things my pet ate” stories on the Concord Chapel Facebook page, and I’ll share the winner with everyone in March.  You may even win a prize (come on, everyone likes prizes)! 

Arthritis (January 2012)

It was 28° the other day and snowing.  I predicted the weather change when I woke up in the middle of the night with my painful lower back and my throbbing right big toe.  Ever since I broke my back at 17 and had surgically corrected turf toe at 20, I always know when the temperature will be colder and when it is going to rain or snow.  It leads me to wonder if I were to x-ray my back and toe if I would be riddled with arthritis in both areas.  Then the question becomes, if it is this bad now how is it going to feel when I’m a senior.  On the up side, I am only uncomfortable when the weather is bad.  I feel sorry for our senior pets that are uncomfortable during the cold weather months or even all the time.  At least I can go to the medicine cabinet and grab some ibuprofen.  All our senior pets can do are limp or walk stiffly and hope that we humans notice.  Other symptoms we may see include difficulty going up and down stairs, difficulty getting up from a sitting or lying position, and repeatedly stretching a limb. 

What is arthritis anyway?  The medical definition of arthritis is inflammation of a joint caused by degeneration from aging, heredity, infection, injury, allergic or immune system diseases, and cancer.  It can occur in any joint, even those of the spine.  The inflammation causes pain and swelling in the joint and sometimes redness and heat in the skin above the joint. 

Unfortunately for our pets, treating their pain is not as easy as popping a few aspirin.  Dogs (and especially cats) do not metabolize human over the counter pain medications (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatories – NSAIDs) well.  In fact these drugs can be highly toxic at very low doses and can result in kidney failure, ulcerations in the stomach and small intestines, and death.  There are several different NSAIDs made specifically for dogs, a few of which can also be used in cats.  I recommend blood testing to evaluate liver and kidney values prior to use.  Dogs and cats with liver or kidney issues should not use these medications.

The fight against arthritis pain and inflammation is a multi-modal meaning several approaches combined lead to better results.  Other medications and nutraceuticals that can be used to combat arthritis are listed below. 

1.       Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate Supplements:  These nutraceuticals provide building blocks to repair damaged cartilage.  There are numerous oral tablets and foods containing these supplements.  It takes a month or two to see the effects of these supplements.

2.       Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These fats have anti-inflammatory properties and are used for both skin problems and joint problems.  It takes a month or two to see the effects of these supplements.

3.       MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane): This is a nutritional building block that can be used for cartilage repair and has anti-inflammatory properties.

4.       Anti-oxidants and Free Radical Scavengers: These vitamins and nutraceuticals inactivate free radicals and may be able to delay age related changes to joints, skin, liver, etc. They include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, SAMe, etc.

5.       Other Pain Medications:  Some animals may need more than just and NSAID to control their pain.  There are drugs such as Tramadol that can provide pain relief but do not inhibit inflammation.

6.     Adequan Injections: This is an injectable cartilage component that can inhibit destruction of joint cartilage, stimulate cartilage repair, and increase joint lubrication.   

7.       Steroids: These drugs reduce inflammation and can be used for arthritis, skin problems, immune-mediated diseases etc. but they do have more negative side effects than the other medications mentioned above.  They can cause immune suppression, increased thirst, increased urination, muscle weakness, decreased wound healing, thinning of the hair coat and skin, and may cause the development of diabetes mellitus.

Weight loss should also be part of the multi-modal treatment of arthritis.  Overweight pets tend to have more arthritis and have more difficulty with their arthritis than their lighter weighted counter parts.  Keeping your pet at a lean body weight is critical to reducing arthritis pain. 

Now that the weather is cold and dreary you may notice your pet having more trouble with their legs.  If so, bring them to your veterinarian to have them evaluate your pet for arthritis.  Also, keep your pets moving. Play with your cat; just try to keep the jumping to a minimum.  Even though it is cold out, walking is a good nonimpact exercise for your dog that will help keep their joints loose and also will help keep their weight down.  So bundle you and your dog up and get out there.  Walking may even help take those extra holiday pounds off the human walking the dog as well.