Graduating in 1988, from the college of Veterinary Medicine, came with lots of information and challenges ahead of me in my veterinary career. I embraced those challenges and began finding my rhythm working with clients and their patients. The number of unwanted puppies/kittens was at an all-time high. Shelters were frustrated because a family would adopt a pet, and the shelter would request notification that it had been spayed or neutered once it was old enough for the procedure. Many times, that pet went without being spayed or neutered and ended up having a litter of puppies or the male dog was running around breeding any intact female in season. To curb this problem, it was decided to start spay/neuter procedures at an earlier age. As shelters had success with that practice the veterinary community took note and followed along. Today there has been a shift in thinking. Many breeders and veterinarians are encouraging pet owners to wait until the dogs are full grown before doing spay procedures. There are veterinarians on both sides of this debate advocating for the longevity and health of our furry friends.

Recently we were asked to spay two breeding females a person had acquired. He noted they were coming into heat every 4 months. He did have intact males on property which was causing disturbances amongst the pack. It was suggested to spay both females since he had no intentions of breeding them.  We discussed briefly health concerns for females as they age. The female hormones when left unchecked can lead to infections and cysts. These conditions can lead to poor health and weight loss over time.

A surgery date was set, and he brought in Kimber, an 8-year-old yellow lab. She was underweight at the time of her presurgical exam. A Complete Blood Count (CBC) and Profile were done to check values.  She had a normal body temperature. The owner had noticed a discharge and felt it was related to her most recent heat cycle. The White Blood Cell (WBC) was elevated at >40,000 (normal is < 17,000) with most of the cells being neutrophils and monocytes indicating long term infection. She also was slightly anemic at presentation. Her profile showed mild dehydration, and the owner was contacted to discuss her case. We suspected that she had a pyometra. The photo below shows the size of her uterus at the time of surgery. It was necessary to proceed with the procedure to remove the infection from her body so she could regain her appetite and body condition. A lactated ringer’s solution was started as an Intravenous drip to rehydrate her and perfuse her kidneys during the surgical procedure. A small mammary tumor was removed alongside the incision at the time of her skin closure. She recovered nicely and returned home the following day when her housemate Suzie came in for her spay procedure.

Suzie came in 2 months shy of turning 11 years old. She was a chocolate labrador retriever. The owner had no concerns about her aside from her multiple heat cycles in a year.  Her weight was normal and her blood work was within the normal range. During her spay procedure it was discovered that her ovaries were cystic and enlarged. She did not have infection in her uterus like Kimber but having this condition would cause her to have irregular cycles and hormonal changes to her mammary tissues. The photo below shows the enlarged ovaries with cysts present in large numbers. No mammary tumors were found on Suzie at this time.

Why not spay to avoid both conditions?  That is the question of the decade. If a dog or cat are spayed before their 2^nd heat cycle their chances of mammary cancer is 0%. That Is a good reason to spay at a young age. We suggest right at 6 months, but it can be done sooner. We like to check for retained baby teeth at the same time as the spay. Right at 6 months all baby teeth should have fallen out. They will still get in molars up until 10 months of age, but the baby teeth should be gone.

I recently found this article from a veterinarian that I thought had some very good information about the debate on what age should sterilization procedures be performed. He included a nice chart with explanations of what he believes would be the best time for these procedures based on the size, sex, and age of the dogs. Give this information much consideration since leaving them intact has its issues as well.  Not only the pathology at the time of surgery, like the above cystic ovaries and pyometra, but also issues to behaviors and other cancers that can be a problem if waiting to do the sterilization procedure.

https://humanepro.org/magazine/articles/deconstructing-spayneuter-debate

I personally have had all large breed male dogs that were neutered before 6 months of age and none of them had any issues with joints related to removing those hormones before they were mature. I did the procedures early to avoid hormonal influences that would lead to marking, wandering, territorial guarding, aggression, etc. I am concerned about the behaviors that will be evident with people waiting to spay and neuter when their pet is full grown. I have experienced that in practice in the 1990’s and believe me early spay and neuter is the way to go. Pets heal so much faster when they are younger. We have fewer complications with incision healing and swelling. The cost is going to be less.

Do your research. Talk to your veterinarian. Talk to your breeder. Then take all this information and decide what is right for your pet. What is right for one pet may be different for your next pet. There is no one size fits all on this topic. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day. 

These blogs have been going strong since 2016. After all these years it can get more challenging to come up with new topics. Then it occurred to me that we always have interesting cases or clients that make our days at Winterset Veterinary Center ever changing.

Why not focus on the array of critters we see daily and the cases that make us scratch our heads or say “wow”, I have never seen that in 36 years! I will attempt to cover as many species as possible in our cases.

First up in 2025 is our little friend Bella. Bella is: 8 years old – female spayed – Bichon Frise mix.

Bella presented because of accidents in the house. They had noticed she would strain at times going to the bathroom. One of the days she had blood in her urine on the floor. She was eating fine and had not had any changes to her behavior except for urinary issues. We collected urine and discovered a large amount of blood in the urine that was not visible just looking at it. Urine color and concentration was normal. Her blood work was within the normal range. A lateral radiograph was taken, and we discovered the cause of blood in her urine. 

Radiographs can be difficult to read with some conditions, but bladder stones show up as white spots in the bladder (red arrow) because they have mineral density just like bone. The stone is in the bladder not in kidneys like many people have reported. These stones do cause inflammation and infection thereby relating to Bella’s accidents with blood in them in the house. Interesting to note on this radiograph is the thin white line (yellow arrow) on the heart. This is Bella’s microchip. They show up extremely well on radiographs because of the metal in them.

Since Bella was straining and having accidents in the house the owner elected to have surgery done to remove the stone.  Some bladder stones can be dissolved with special urinary diets. The process can take weeks to complete but it is an option if an owner does not feel comfortable having their pet under anesthesia.  Bella was put on antibiotics before and after surgery. Her recovery was quick, and her owner reported that she feels better now than she had in a long time.

This is a photo of the bladder stone that was removed. Bella will remain on urinary formulas to prevent issues for her in the future. There is no way to know if your dog will have this medical condition. It is no different than people who report kidney stones. Yes, we may know certain things can predispose us to the kidney stones but not everyone who eats those foods or drinks that soda will get kidney stones. That holds true for our dogs as well. If you suspect your dog is having urinary issues, make certain to contact your veterinarian so your furry friend can get back to feeling great in the New Year. 

Thank you for a great 2024 and we look forward to seeing you in 2025. We are so grateful for your referrals. We grow more by word of mouth than any other form of referral. We appreciate your trust and confidence while we care for your fur babies and those of family and friends. Happy New Year!

The final season of celebrations has arrived. For 12 months I have shared pet holidays that are celebrated each year. I was unaware of many celebrations myself so enjoyed learning right along with all my readers. December has a smaller list of celebrations probably because everyone is so focused on their own holiday gatherings with coworkers, friends, and family.

• National Cat Lovers’ Month
• December 2nd – National Mutt Day (also in July)
• December 5th – Celebrate Shelter Pets Day
• December 9th – International Day of Veterinary Medicine
• December 13th – National Horse Day
• December 15th – National Cat Herders Day
• December 21st – Underdog Day
• December 31st – New Year’s Eve – watch out for fireworks!

Nice to see cats recognized during the month of December as we celebrate National Cat Lovers’ Month. It seems that cats are often overlooked in many different areas from diets, to toys, to medications, to pet celebrations. Cats visit veterinarians less on average than dogs. Many dog households have cats that never see a veterinarian. If you love your cat and it has not had an exam in the last year. Try to set up a well check for them. So often we see cats that no longer are eating, and owners are shocked when they realize how much weight they have lost. Cats are great at hiding illness. It is an instinct that came from their wild ancestors. If a cat showed weakness or illness, they would become a target, so they hide or sleep to avoid being attacked. Our domestic cats hide and sleep because they do not feel well but in a busy household those small changes can be missed. Free feeding cats in a multiple cat household can make it hard to know who is eating and who is not. With new diets and therapies catching these illnesses early can offer treatment that will allow them to live longer lives. Isn’t that our goal to have our pets live longer so we can enjoy them for years to come. Set an appointment today for your cat.  Start them on the road to a longer healthier life and show them how much you love them!

December 2^nd is National Mutt Day. It is also known as National Mixed Breed Day since many do not like to consider their dogs as mutts. The website has some cute photos of mixed breed dogs and then draws attention to a few famous mutts as well. In the past many years, the number of mixed breed dogs has increased tremendously. People claim their dogs are hybrids or pure bred maltipoo or goldendoodles. I am sorry to say that this is not correct. They are mixed breed dogs. It amazes me that people ignore that fact. I am all for mixed breed dogs since they often are healthier. Traditionally less genetic abnormalities and health issues are seen in mixed breed dogs. Poodles are being crossed with many different breeds of dogs to reduce shedding. Many new pet owners do not realize the need to have these dogs groomed frequently. Since the hair does not fall out the dogs need to be groomed. As veterinarians we are seeing more skin issues related to poor grooming techniques. The density of many of these coats requires that undercoat to be removed on a regular basis to allow the skin to breathe. Without grooming, the risk of bacterial dermatitis or fungus increases beneath that heavy layer of hair. Often these dogs must be shaved down to the skin to remove the mats and debris that has accumulated in the hair coat. If you own one of these mixed breed poodle crosses please speak with your veterinarian or a groomer to learn the proper way to care for these hair coats. Start regular care as young puppies so they will know what is expected for their grooming needs as they grow. Since there are more mixed breed dogs in the world they have a celebration on July 31^st as well.  Two opportunities to celebrate our mixed breed furry friends each year.

Shelter pets are certainly important to recognize each year. Therefore, on December 5^th we have Celebrate Shelter Pets Day. With December being the time of giving why not find a shelter to donate food, toys, cat litter, blankets, etc. These shelters do amazing work and often are not recognized for the time and energy they put forth to help find forever homes for these sweet critters. If you have a shelter pet, why not take a picture to post on social media and talk about their “Gotcha Day”. Let’s encourage others to adopt a shelter pet since most dogs these days are mixed breed anyway!

International Day of Veterinary Medicine is celebrated on Dec 9^th each year. This is a worldwide event to honor all people in the profession. To recognize that the field of Veterinary Medicine expands into public health and human welfare also. Keeping our food supply healthy. Protecting our environment to prevent loss of important species of animals. Many people think of a veterinarian as a person that cares for animals. That is one important role but there are so many others. Across the globe veterinarians and their support staff work together to battle cases of rabies. They collaborate to protect the marine species populations from changing water temperatures and levels. When a chemical spill happens anywhere, veterinarians are called in to assist in the care of the impacted marine and animal life. When the pandemic hit, veterinary laboratories were running covid tests to assist the human laboratories with the influx of tests. The following link tells some history of when Veterinary Medicine began. The variety of roles veterinarians and their assistants play are a reason to celebrate December 9^th.

International Day of Veterinary Medicine (December 9th)

These last two holidays are not really about pets. National Cat Herders Day is December 15^th. This has nothing to do with cats. In theory, herding cats can be quite challenging due to their behaviors and natural instincts. Cats tend to be more solitary and territorial, making them less likely to follow a leader or move in unison. Therefore, this holiday was created to recognize people who can remain calm and organized in the face of all sorts of confusion and chaos. The saying, “It was like herding a bunch of cats“ has been used when someone is trying to organize something, and it requires a lot of patience. Also, the task is next to impossible just like it would be to herd a bunch of cats. The third Thursday in December is National Underdog Day and has nothing to do with dogs. It recognizes people who have done the unexpected and achieved something that no one thought they could do. In 1976 Peter Moeller founded this celebration and encourages you to root for an underdog in your life on this day.

As we close out 2024 and Winterset Veterinary Centers 40th year of business, we continue to be grateful to all our clients and their critters, big and small, that remain loyal to Dr Jim and myself. We love to hear that a new client was referred by friends or family since that is the best compliment you can give us. Recently I saw a client from Georgia that had first visited us in 2022. They travel all over the USA in their camper with their 3 kids and 3 dogs. She said they returned to Winterset because they love the city campground and the new all-inclusive playground but also the small-town friendly people of Winterset Veterinary Center. That made our day to hear that we had left a lasting impact on them, and they chose to return. Have a wonderful Christmas Season and we will see you in 2025!