Pebbles had her vaccinations a week ago Saturday.
She received rabies, DHLPPC, and Bordetella.
I discovered today that Pebbles has a round lump
on her right side on the muscle of her back.
I called the vet this morning and was told that
lumps after vaccinations are pretty common–it
should go away on its own in a week or two. She
told me to watch for signs that it’s
hurting/bothering her and to bring her in if that
happens.

Sheena X.
TX

It is not uncommon for dogs to develop small lumps at the sites where they receive vaccines. In my experience, the rabies vaccine is particularly likely to cause this reaction.

Vaccines, by nature, are designed to stimulate the immune system. This can cause lumps in two ways. First, the immune system can become active at the site of the injection, causing an infiltration of immune cells that leads to a small lump. Second, a lymph node near the injection site may become activated and enlarged for a period of time after the injection. These responses do not occur in every dog, but they generally are nothing to worry about.

I have seen post-vaccination lumps on dogs persist for several months. The lump on Pebbles should not grow, cause pain or produce a discharge or foul odor. These symptoms can be signs of a more serious reaction to vaccination, such as an infection at the injection site. As well, have Pebbles checked if she seems sick or lethargic in any way. The odds are good that the lump will resolve spontaneously over time.

Of course, if you are worried about Pebbles, it never hurts to have a vet check her out.

A note to people with cats: post-vaccination lumps also occur in our feline companions. However, these lumps (especially if they occur at the site of a rabies or leukemia vaccine) are potential harbingers of serious problems in the future. If your cat develops a lump after a vaccination, always have a veterinarian evaluate the area.

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Many cat lovers have wondered where their feline companions are from. Many people have theorized that humans welcomed cats into our proximity because of the felines’ penchant for eating mice and rats. (Others might say that cats condescended to reside among us because our grain storehouses attracted their prey animals.) Once we were in close proximity, our natural affinities for each other meant it was only a matter of time before we became companions. (I should admit that humans may have done more to drive the transition, at least at first, than cats.)

But where and when did this happen? Where did the process start?

An article in the spring, 2008 issue of UC Davis Magazine reports on the results of a study that appears to answer those questions. Genetic testing was used to identify the origins of the house cat. From the article:

For the study, the scientists collected samples of cheek cells from more than 11,000 cats. These cats represented 17 populations of randomly bred cats from Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as 22 recognized breeds.

For the record, collection of cheek cells is not painful and does not harm the cat involved.

After analyzing the tests, the researchers concluded that feline domestication started 5,000 – 8,000 years ago. The results suggested that cats and humans began intensively intermingling in the Fertile Crescent region (an area that includes northern Africa, Turkey, and the Tigris and Euprhates river basins).

The article points out that the Fertile Crescent region is thought to be the location in which the human species converted to agriculture from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Farming led to surplus grains in storage areas. The grains attracted mice and rats, and the rodents attracted cats. The rest was history.

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Dear Dr. Barchas,

Lauren and the majorly obese Lucy
Elwood, IN

Getting weight off a pet is never fun or easy. It requires dedication and persistence. Many people with overweight pets simply don’t make an effort to do something about the problem.

But you don’t sound like one of those people. You are feeding Lucy diet food, and it sounds like she is getting plenty of exercise. What is going on here?

You may be over-feeding her. If a dog eats too much of any food (even diet food), she will gain weight. Also, Lucy could be tapping into other sources of food. Children and elderly family members sometimes feed the dog on the sly. So do neighbors. Also, Lucy might be stealing your other dog’s food, so be sure to feed them separately.

Lucy also may not be getting as much exercise as it seems. She has access to a lot of land, and most Cattle Dogs love physical activity. But, are you certain that she’s not spending her days lounging rather than playing? If she is, you may need to engage in more physical activities with her.

Finally, I am suspicious that Lucy may have a medical issue that is contributing to her weight problem. Six-year-old dogs are at risk for a problem with the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) that can cause serious weight gain. If she has this problem, it will be almost impossible for her to lose weight. However, hypothyroidism is easy to treat.

I recommend that you have a vet take a look at Lucy and run some blood tests. Otherwise, you may never get her weight under control.

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Thanks to Jeanne for sending me this article from the Idaho Statesman.

From the article:

Many area veterinary practices do not offer 24-hour care and are unable to keep an animal overnight if it is critically ill or injured, having breathing problems, seizures, or requires constant medication.

This situation is not unique to Idaho. Because most veterinary practices are small facilities, having staff on-duty 24 hours each day is not practical. If a critically ill animal is present in the hospital at closing time, it must be transferred to a larger facility, or one that specializes in overnight care.

But if the pet is very ill, and requires continuous monitoring and treatment, the mere act of transferring it to another facility can be life-threatening.

Although Idaho’s pet hospitals are not unique for closing overnight, one of them has come up with a relatively unique solution to the problem of transferring critically ill patients. It has developed a pet ambulance. From the article:

The ambulance was modified with life-saving equipment including gurneys and a crash cart for immediate cardiac treatment, and is stocked with medications and intravenous fluids that may be needed during transport.

As a veterinarian, I would be thrilled to have access to such a service! So would every other vet that I know. Why is it not more common? The answer lies in the article.

More than a dozen pets have been transported since the service began in October.

The article was printed in January. That means that the service is being used less than three times per month. The service either must cost a great deal, or the hospital that is running it may be losing a a large sum of money on the venture.

It is sad that financial realities occasionally interfere with veterinarians’ abilities to provide top-quality care. But pet ambulances are rare for the same reason that overnight hospitals are rare. The costs of such services are prohibitively expensive for many clients.

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I have a toy Poodle. His name is Batman and he has
itchy ears. Could they be to dry? I checked and there
are no mites, but his ears bother him constantly.
What would you recomend I do for his ears?
Thank you,

Kimberley
Pataskala, OH

Dogs with itchy ears may scratch their ears with their hind feet, rub their ears on the ground, or shake their head violently and repeatedly. A number of problems may cause ears to itch.

Allergies are a leading cause of itchy ears in dogs. Dogs may be allergic to fleas, food, or environmental substances such as pollen. Many dogs with allergies suffer from skin problems as well as ear problems, but for some dogs itchy ears are the only symptom.

Ear infections are another common cause of ear itching. Infected ears may also produce a foul odor, and redness or abnormal discharge from the ear may occur.

Foreign objects such as foxtails may lodge in ears and cause intense irritation. And there are many other problems that may lead to symptoms of itching. Plugs of ear wax that form near the ear drum, polyps that grow in the ear canal and mites that infest the ear are just a few.

The long and short of the matter is this: a veterinarian should examine Batman. The itching can only be treated after you know what is causing it.

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I have a 15-month-old female reindeer type
Chihuahua that has been going about halfway into
heat. Then she stops. I do plan to spay her but was
wondering if there could be a serious problem
that’s causing this?

Tammy
Jacksonville, FL

It is very unlikely that your dog has a serious problem.

Heat cycles are controlled by hormones. And, especially in younger animals, hormones sometimes seem to have a mind of their own. As anyone who has lived through their teenage years can attest, hormonal surges and ebbs are the norm during the transition to adulthood.

What you are seeing with your dog probably is temporary. If you did nothing, she most likely would begin to cycle normally over time. However, since you are planning on spaying her, I recommend that the procedure be performed soon. Spaying her will eliminate the chaos that the hormonal fluctuations cause in her body.

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A couple of years ago, Greenie chew treats inspired a great deal of controversy. Reports emerged that Greenies were lodging in the throats of dogs, sometimes with fatal consequences.

A recent report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) studied 31 cases in which Greenies became lodged in dogs’ esophagi. Some of the findings of the study are outlined below.

The authors also noted that removal of the chew treats, when possible, was often difficult and complicated.

So, what’s the good news? First, the problems occurred at a very low rate. And, in August of 2006 the manufacturers of Greenies changed the formula of the product. The new formula is more readily soluble (digestible), and therefore less likely to cause harm.

The article cited in this entry is J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;232:1021-1025.

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I am wondering how you feel about yearly
vaccinations. Do you feel they are really
necessary? Are we vaccinating our pets to often
and too much? Thank you.

Nancy
Chillicothe, OH

Yours is a very good question. It is also very hard to answer. I have touched on the subject of pet vaccines a few times since I started writing for dogster and catser. Yet questions like this still come up, and for good reason.

The short answer to your question is: nobody knows how often pets need vaccines. When considering vaccines for your pet, there are several things to keep in mind.

By now, you are probably quite confused. I’m sorry, but there is, as of the time of writing, no simple answer to Nancy’s question. If you want to do what’s best for your pet, here is my advice. Find a good veterinarian who will sit down with you and discuss your pet’s lifestyle and the issues surrounding animal vaccines. Meet with your vet every six to 12 months. Decide, together, which vaccines to give your pet.

I hope that in the near future there will be a straightforward method to determine which pets need which vaccines. But for now, the method described above is the best we have.

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The Economist is a rich source of material for this blog. The February 2, 2008 issue contained an article that discusses probable links between nutrition and antisocial behavior in people.

The article discusses a study that will be carried out in the United Kingdom on 1,000 prison inmates. From the article:

The trial will replicate, on a larger scale, a stucy carried out . . . in 2002. Then, volunteers were given either capsules containing their official daily requirements of vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids (such as omega-3s) or placebos . . . [t]hose who received the extra nutrients committed 26.3% fewer offences than those who got the placebo. For violent offences, the reduction was 37%.

The current study will involve blood testing, and will correlate nutrient levels with “impulsivity” and heart-rate variability (which is ultimately a predictor of anti-social behavior). The goal is to determine if certain nutrients may help to inhibit undesirable behaviors.

How, you may ask, does this relate to pets? Like many organs, the brains of animals are similar to those of humans. Many undesirable behaviors in pets, such as aggression, biting or scratching, appear to be impulsive and anti-social in many cases. Syndromes such as separation anxiety in dogs may be related to human conditions, such as attention deficit disorder, that may be affected by diet.

In the future, an increased understanding of animal nutrition may lead to a reduction of these sorts of behaviors in pets. However, don’t run off to the pet store for nutritional supplements right away. We have a lot to learn before this becomes reality.

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We have a six-month-old Chihuahua puppy that jumped
off the couch today and broke her foot.
We lost our home and van two weeks ago because our six-
year-old child is in kidney failure. I don’t have
money right now and all the vets I have called
will not allow me to make payments. I have to
save Hopie–she is all our daughter has left.
Please help!!!! I am able to make monthly
payments. I just need someone to take me at my
word. I have called the SPCA, applied for CareCredit, and called
rescue organizations. I can’t seem to find any help. Our
daughter named this pup Hopie because she gave her
something to look forward too. My heart is
broken I don’t know what else to do.

Nicole
Tampa, Florida

Wow. First, let me say that I am very sorry to hear that your daughter is ill. I am also sorry that you lost your house and van. Yours is truly a heartbreaking story.

There are still some options for Hopie. First, you can try contacting the veterinary school at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Some veterinary schools offer discounted services for people in need, especially if the case may be of educational benefit to veterinary students studying at the school. I scanned the school’s website and was not able to find any information about such a program. However, that does not mean that one doesn’t exist. You can try calling the school (contact information is on the website) and enquiring. I realize that getting to Gainesville from Tampa might be a challenge in your situation. However, if the university consents to treat Hopie, she will receive top-notch care.

If you are not able to receive treatment, all hope is not lost. Six-month-old puppies are incredible healers. If the fracture is not complicated or severe, there is a chance that Hopie’s injury may heal without splinting, casting, or surgery. The key to healing is strict activity restriction. This means crating her continuously (except for very brief trips to the bathroom and time spent resting calmly on laps) for about six weeks. If you elect this treatment plan, you should talk with your vet about pain management.

I must emphasize that the crating method described above is absolutely not the best option for Hopie. But if seeking high-level treatment is out of the question, it might work. I have known many puppies and kittens that healed nicely using this plan. With luck, perhaps Hopie will live up to her name.

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