Earlier this month I had a conversation with a client who was upset that his dog had seizures related to the Rabies vaccination we administered a few days earlier. He wanted to blame the vaccine for the seizures. He was online and found plenty of data to back up his diagnosis. This dog has had reactions to the Distemper vaccinations in the past and they no longer allow her to be vaccinated for those infections. They have her sister from the same litter, and she has had no issues with vaccinations. I requested to see his sources to understand more where this connection is coming from. As of today, he has not sent me any additional information. I contacted the Zoetis company and asked if any changes had been made to their current Rabies vaccination since this dog has been vaccinated with this same vaccine three times. They created a case number since that is their protocol with any claims made against the vaccines. This vaccine has been in production in its current form since before I started practice in 1988. 

On our exam room wall we have this framed print. We framed it for a good laugh with clients. Yet in situations like this I feel there are lots of reasons to question the information given to  clients by google.  Google can be a great source for many different things. When looking at cause and effect situations it can be a disaster. I have talked many clients off the edge during late-night phone calls because of what google said. Don’t get me wrong, I use google. It has been a great source for many “interesting minds want to know” situations. For medical advice and diagnosis, it can lead to assumptions and undue stress for clients.  

In this current era there are numerous questions surrounding vaccinations. Most humans have definite opinions about vaccinations. As veterinarians we do place a high emphasis on keeping pets updated on not only vaccinations but also preventives. I want to discuss the reasons for my recommendations. Keep in mind this is one veterinarian’s opinion. I base my opinions on where I currently practice. I do not want anyone to assume that this is a one size fits all situations. I have a rural location that I practice in. I see racoon poop on my deck many mornings. I have deer in my flower beds, hay field, and by the apple tree all the time. Coyotes howl every evening in the grove below my home. Skunk smell is often in the breeze as I walk in the morning. I have bat houses to control the mosquito population around my home. I live in the country, and I love it. A majority of the clients we see at WVC either live in the country or spend numerous hours exploring the natural wonders around us. There are daily encounters of our furry friends having close associations with wildlife and external parasites. No one should ignore the risk our pets have when it comes to the “real world” experiences.

The Distemper vaccination or DHPPL as it is abbreviated at WVC covers 5 different infections our dogs can encounter. Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) is a paramyxovirus and is the letter “D” in our vaccine.  This virus can attack the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and/or the nervous system of our dogs. It is highly contagious.

Infectious Canine Hepatitis is the “H” in our vaccination. It is caused by the canine adenovirus -1 (CAV-1). This virus cannot infect humans and that is important to note since we have our own version of hepatitis.

Canine parvovirus is caused by canine parvovirus -2 (CPV-2). This is one of the “Ps” in our abbreviation of DHPPL. This is highly contagious between dogs, especially in the young dogs that have been unvaccinated. It attacks the gastrointestinal system (gut) and causes severe vomiting and diarrhea. The puppies get dehydrated quickly and, in some cases, it can attack their heart causing sudden death. Most people have heard about this infection, and many have personal experiences with it. It Is one of the most common infections of puppies and has a high percentage of death associated with it.

The second “P” in the vaccinations stands for Parainfluenza virus which is highly contagious between dogs. It can cause cough, nasal discharge, and lethargy. It is most commonly spread through airborne particles at boarding and grooming facilities. Direct contact is also possible, but most people know not to bring their dogs somewhere when they are coughing.

Leptospirosis is the “L” in our vaccination. This is a bacterial organism not a viral agent. This means that you must immunize your dog every year for this agent. It has a number of different strains and is a zoological disease. That means humans can get this from their animals. It is possible for dogs to get this condition from stagnant water or walking in the woods and encountering wildlife waste. Cattle and pigs are also susceptible to strains of Leptospirosis.

Our Rabies vaccinations are given to puppies for 1 year and for adults, that have a current rabies vaccination, for 3 years. Winterset Veterinary Center has been using Zoetis for its vaccinations since I started working here in 2007. These vaccinations have not  been altered from their original composition. They are tested and protective in preventing devastating diseases our pets can encounter in their daily lives.

Heartworms are alive and well in Madison County. We have coyotes and foxes that carry heartworms. The same mosquitoes bite dogs that bite our wildlife. That is how this disease is transmitted. People want to say there are no mosquitoes at their place. Doubt after all this rain people are saying that now. There is standing water everywhere and that is perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. We are fortunate to have clients who recognize the serious nature of this disease. These worms live in the heart. They are not like an intestinal worm that we can give a pill and the worms are gone. These require intensive and expensive treatment to be killed. The recovery stage is difficult related to needing to keep your pet quiet and inactive while the heartworms are dying and the body is trying to remove them from the blood stream. Why would you put your dog at risk for this disease if we have easy and simple preventives. 

What about cat vaccines. Where are their risks, especially when they spend most of their days indoors.  Our cat vaccines are also from the same company. The formulas have not changed, and we have used the same vaccines since I started here in 2007. The PRCC vaccine that we give to all cats covers 3 respiratory conditions called Calicivirus(C), Rhinotracheitis(R), and chlamydia(C). All 3 cause respiratory issues like sneezing, nasal discharge, weepy eyes, fever may or may not be a problem. They can be airborne in transmission or contact with food and water bowls. Also, direct cat to cat contact can spread these diseases. They appear to be species specific. That means only cats are impacted by these infections.  Indoor cats sit by open windows, screen doors, on patios, outside on leashes, etc.  Any of those can allow an indoor cat to come down with these respiratory infections. The chlamydia is a bacterin and must be given every year.  It is the most common infection people see in young immature kittens. The eyes are closed over with mucus. The nose may have discharge or just sneezing present. Usually, the infected cats will eat and drink but they look terrible. This infection responds nicely to antibiotics and eye medications. The other two have more serious clinical symptoms and often require hospitalization. 

Panleukopenia(P) of the cat vaccine is seen in raccoon and foxes so any outdoor cats exploring their environment can be infected easily. This condition causes severe digestive issues like vomiting, diarrhea, fever, lethargy, and even death. It could be said it is like the parvovirus in dogs. It is prevalent in any environment, so any young kittens, immune compromised cats, or unvaccinated cats are at risk.

Again, why would we not vaccinate our kittens/cats to give them protection from these diseases? It is economical and effective when given routinely. Kittens born to mother cats that are vaccinated get maternal antibodies that protect the kitten from these infections at a young age. By the time they are 6-8 weeks of age they should have their first vaccination from a veterinarian. We then do a series of shots up until they are 4 months of age. This gives them a fighting chance of surviving their first year of life.

Rabies vaccinations are extremely important to all dogs and cats. From the chart that is posted you can see how many animals carry rabies. It is a zoological disease since humans can contract it from all these animals as well. There is no treatment for Rabies. Once clinical signs appear the disease is 100% fatal. If someone is bitten and rabies is diagnosed, then that person must undergo immunizations to prevent rabies from developing. They do have success with these postexposure treatments, but time is of essence. If someone you know is bitten and the rabies status of that animal is unknown it is recommended for them to undergo postexposure treatments just in case. The discomfort associated with the treatment is better than dying a death from rabies infection.

Probably more information than you wanted to know. So why did my client’s dog have a seizure? I cannot answer that. I can say that heat and storms can trigger seizures. Related to the stress that some dogs undergo during those environmental changes. I have clients that tell me their dogs will have seizures when they have changes in their routines or company that visits, or people leave home to go to college. Years ago, when a dog had a seizure, we said it was idiopathic and started them on medications to prevent the seizures. We never cure the seizures with the medications. Today we can do MRI’s and CT scans to diagnose many causes of seizures. Yet as with humans, sometimes we cannot get answers for why things happen when they do. I realize the frustration with that. I wish I had answers for a lot of “whys” that I get asked. What I do know is that the vaccinations that we administer do protect our furry friends and allows them to live longer and healthier lives. Are there side effects? Of course. Does that mean that we stop doing vaccinations? No! The most common side effects are vomiting and facial swelling within 5 hours after a vaccination. Treatment is usually Benadryl or epinephrine or both. Owners should contact their veterinarian and inform them of the reaction. Most clinics make note of the reaction and then discuss options for immunizations in the future. Just because they had a reaction does not mean they can never be vaccinated again.

A few points to make to wrap this up. Be careful what you read on any internet site. People want to blame someone or something for any and all issues that their pet may be experiencing. There are numerous reasons for every clinical symptom we see as veterinarians. Just because your friend’s dog had the same symptoms does not mean that the diagnosis will be the same. It is okay to share your concerns but then let us do what we were trained to do. That is putting all the pieces of the puzzle together and hopefully making the best decisions for you and your pet. Also, if you are antivaccine for any reason, remember that many of these infections can be deadly. Nothing is more tragic than being faced with a sick pet that if it had been vaccinated it would have prevented the disease. We strive to prevent disease, so we do not have to say an early goodbye to our patients. DO YOUR PART AND PREVENT DISEASES WITH PROPER VETERINARY CARE.

Hard to believe that I have been blogging about pet issues for 9 years. My first blog was July 2016. We had just gotten a new website version for Winterset Veterinary Center. I was told  doing a blog would help our status with google having new material each month. I decided to start sharing information about pets and their health concerns. I have touched on numerous topics over the years. I have shared personal events and experiences on occasion. I have referenced many articles, documents, and topics about a variety of animals. I have even had guest bloggers over the years who have shared their knowledge about a particular subject. I have learned from these blogs right alongside my audience. The wealth of information available at our fingertips is sometimes overwhelming. I have attempted to write blogs for ease of understanding and comprehension. Nothing makes me more excited when people tell me that they appreciate the way in which I explain things to make it easier for them to understand.

I attempted to find some statistics about what blogs have been most popular, but it appears our most recent server update is only giving me information from the last 6 months. It is difficult to make comparisons from 9 years ago with only 6 months of data. Having said that, I decided to just share a few interesting stories that have happened related to our social media presence. Apparently, there is a Winterset Veterinary Hospital in Pennsylvania. More than once in the last 9 years we have had calls from people in Pennsylvania believing they are calling their local veterinarian. The most interesting story was a Friday evening call I got explaining that his dog got hit by a porcupine and needed to come in on Saturday to have them removed. I explained that I would not have time to do that procedure on Saturday.  We could do it now as an emergency visit. He would not agree to that and therefore I explained he would need to go to the emergency facility to have them removed. I had worked in Northern Minnesota and removed porcupine quills before so was familiar with the process. The next day this man never showed up with his dog. I started to think through this scenario realizing that there are no porcupines in central Iowa. I googled Winterset Veterinary facilities and discovered the one in Pennsylvania. I still had his phone number and decided to call him. I explained why I was calling him back and we had a good laugh. He was an over the road trucker and was trying to reach his veterinarian in Pennsylvania at Winterset Veterinary Hospital. He told me if he ever got to Winterset, IA he was going to stop in since I was the only veterinarian he could reach that night. He has never been here, but it was that first call that has prompted me to ask where people are calling from when we cannot find them in our system. It has happened more times than I can count. Guess what? I just had a fax for a prescription and the client was from Johnstown, PA. Crazy!

The blogs that I submit monthly for our website allow us to have a higher rating with social media sites and therefore we pop up often before other practices in this area as well as in other parts of the country with a similar names. I decided to google my name to see what pops up. I have been given an author status for writing these blogs. That was surprising. Affiliation with Winterset Veterinary Center is the first thing that comes up, but it was interesting to see what other things pop up. Times my name was in the newspaper. Times my husband’s name has been printed, and I was mentioned. A college scholarship that I received prior to my 3^rd year of veterinary school. I had not expected to see that. It has also been interesting to see the direct search results for myself and the Winterset Vet. People spell my name in so many ways both first and last name. It is amazing that they still can connect with us through our social media presence. Do not ever attempt use Truthfinder for information….it will cost you something in the end after you have gone through the entire process. Waste of time if you are googling yourself. I already know where I have lived and whom I married. 

I have taken a step back on my hours at Winterset Veterinary Center so I can spend more time with my granddaughters. I am taking the 4 year old to Vacation Bible School in July. I took both of them to Joujou in Des Moines last week so their mom could have some free time. I am also playing pickle ball on my days off. I enjoy helping others and am looking for opportunities to give back. I will be working Tuesday – Thursday consistently going forward. Dr Jim is still available during regular business hours during the week and after hours. If I am gone when you call in to speak with me, leave a message and I will get back to you when I return. I am not retiring but just making opportunities to do more things in my life that bring me joy.

Having said all this today, if you have been reading my blogs for 9 years, thank you. I want to give a huge shout out to Julie Feirer from Winterset Websites for posting these each month. She also finds most of the eye-catching photos to attach to my blogs. She probably has corrected many grammar errors through the year as well. She has been my source of information when it comes to Winterset Veterinary Center’s website.  

Obesity in our furry friends is at an all time high. We continue to talk with clients about the negative side effects associated with excess weight. Yet it seems it takes a medical crisis before owners take this information seriously. I believe I have mentioned this before but for each extra pound of body weight that adds 4 extra lbs. of pressure on the joints. If your pet is 5 lbs. overweight, they carry around a 20 lb. backpack each day. Exercise is not the key. It is helpful to be active, but intake is the only way to achieve weight loss in our furry friends. All food sources must be considered. Royal Canin sent us the following resource to share with clients about feeding pets from our tables. Take a look and decide whether you might be adding to the problem even with those small bites!

Meet our June patient, Java Joe, a cat of unknown age. We first met him in March related to having blood in stool. Discussion about his excess appetite and thirst gave cause for concern for some underlying health issues. She had just received him and was told he was 5 years of age but no records to prove this. On appearance he looked older.  Also was obese based on his body size. She had started to work on weight loss knowing he was heavy.

She agreed to return with him for a wellness exam so we could get some base lines on his bloodwork and urinalysis. Our goal was to see whether we could find cause for his voracious appetite and excessive thirst. Our findings confirmed diabetes since we had glucose in the urine and high levels in the blood. The symptoms matched the diagnosis, so we discussed with the client treatment options. 

In years past this diagnosis was a difficult one for many owners because they had no desire to give their cat or dog injections every 12 hours for the rest of the pet’s life. We coached people using saline on how to give the injections. We would have them give the injections at the time of a feeding to make certain the cat or dog was eating normal amounts of food. No free feeding was allowed, and this often conflicted with every pet in the house. As you can imagine, the success of therapy was unpredictable. So many variables to deal with.

About 3 years ago a new treatment came on the market for cats only. It is called Bexacat by Elanco. This medication is not offered to any cats that are currently on insulin or have been on insulin. It can only be used with cats that are newly diagnosed with Diabetes. The medication is a once-a-day CHEWABLE FLAVORED tablet. Owners break it up with their food and cats eat it.  No force feeding or hiding required to get cats to eat this medication.

We are excited to report that Java Joe recently returned for a recheck and his values had improved. His owner indicated she is seeing less drinking and peeing at this time. He has gained some weight back so we will need to adjust his feeding schedule to prevent further weight gain. We highly recommended they feed Royal Canin Glycobalance and monitor the volume fed and output. We do not want the cats to get heavy again but are willing to allow them to regain the weight and muscle mass they have lost since showing clinical symptoms of Diabetes. The following contradictions are listed on the Elanco website.

CONTRAINDICATIONS:

• Do not use Bexacat in cats with diabetes mellitus who have previously been treated with insulin, who are receiving insulin, or in cats with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The use of Bexacat in cats with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or the withdrawal of insulin and initiation of Bexacat, is associated with an increased risk of diabetic ketoacidosis or euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis and death.
• Due to risk of severe adverse reactions, do not use Bexacat in cats with evidence of hepatic disease or reduced renal function.

A second drug called Senvelgo has recently come to the market for diabetic cats. This product is a liquid formulated by Boehiringer Ingelheim (BI).  It is for cats only that have not been on insulin. It has similar restrictions as Bexacat but certainly simplifies treatment for owners and their cats.

CONTRAINDICATIONS: 

• Senvelgo should not be used in cats with diabetes mellitus who have previously been treated with insulin, who are receiving insulin, or in cats with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The use of Senvelgo in cats with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or the withdrawal of insulin and initiation of Senvelgo, is associated with an increased risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA with a normal blood glucose concentration) and death.

It is exciting to be able to offer different options for cats with diabetes that will make treatment easier for their owners. Our focus would be to keep the cats lean and not allow obesity as a prevention for diabetes in the first place. Obese cats have risks of heart and joint issues as well as diabetes. Sound familiar.  Amazing how our furry friends can be impacted by excess weight in the same way as ourselves. Monitor the volume of food offered to your pets daily. Adjust the diet up and down to regulate their weight. Talk with your veterinarian if you feel your furry friend is overweight and at risk for diabetes. This disease is preventable. Weight loss can be achieved if an owner is committed to helping their cat or dog live a longer healthier life. Now who isn’t committed to that!