Vet Blog: Information and Advice from Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM
07/31/08
 It is my ongoing passion to document the health benefits that people derive from their pets. In a recent post, I surmised that in the future it will be shown that pets help to prevent cognitive decline (memory loss and dementia) in the people they live with. The post was based upon two studies that showed social networks help to prevent cognitive decline. My thesis was that pets are part of social networks. Therefore, pets help to prevent memory impairment and dementia.
As I was browsing the internet the other day, I came upon another article. From the article:
The good news is that moderate exercise over most of your life can not only assist in the prevention of onset cognitive deterioration, but may actually be able to reverse existing damage, at least to a certain extent.
I was immediately reminded of one of my other previous posts: people with dogs get more exercise than people who don’t have dogs.
Having a dog leads to more exercise. More exercise leads to improved cognitive function. Connect the dots.
All that remains is for a study to show a direct link between pet ownership and improved cognitive function (rather than the indirect links that I keep making). I believe it is only a matter of time.
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07/30/08
 My cat JoJo constantly seems to be struggling with
hair balls. I give her hairball remedy treats and
provide her cat grass–nothing seems to help. I
have 2 cats, JoJo and Mija, they are both short
hair. What should I add to her diet to help her
with the hair balls? She does expell small
hair balls about twice a week.
Mary
Culver City, CA
Your last sentence is critical in my answer. Clients bring cats to me for “hair balls” on a daily basis. When I ask these people whether their cats actually vomit or regurgitate clumps of hair, most of them say no. Most of these cats have another problem, such as infiltrative bowel disease or food intolerance. If your cat is not regularly producing hair balls, it is not safe to assume that hair balls are playing a role in the problem.
However, you have mentioned that your cat is, in fact, producing hair balls. So let’s work under the assumption that hair balls are the problem in your cat’s case.
In the course of normal grooming, all cats swallow large quantities of hair. Most cats pass this hair in their feces. Some cats, however, have difficulty moving the hair through their intestines. Balls of hair (scientific term: trichobezoars) develop in the stomach or intestines. These hair balls may partially obstruct the digestive tract. Cats with hair ball problems often vomit moist or firm clumps of hair.
The root cause of hair ball problems is related to intestinal motility (the ability of the intestines to move the hair towards the hind end). The amount of hair consumed plays a smaller role. Therefore, short- and long-haired cats can both suffer from hair balls.
There are several ways to treat hair balls. Regularly brushing your cat may reduce the amount of hair consumed. However, it does not help with the root cause of the problem (intestinal motility). Therefore, many people find that increased brushing alone does not solve the problem.
Hair ball treats, hair ball formula diets, and hair ball remedies (such as Laxatone and Petromalt) generally contain laxatives to help move the hair through the intestines and out the hind end. It sounds like you have tried the treats, but not a special diet or remedy. Adding one (or both) of these items into the mix may help with the problem. Be aware, however, that even if you feed a hair ball diet and offer special remedies and treats you may still encounter an occasional hair ball on the floor. No hair ball treatment is perfect.
In very severe cases, medications or surgeries are performed to deal with hair balls. However, the vast majority of hair ball problems can be tolerably controlled with a combination of the treatments listed above.
Photo credit: Pam Beesley. Photo licensing information: CC
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07/29/08
 A client brought her dog to see me last week. She was worried about a mass that was present on his abdomen. I performed a general physical exam to rule out enlarged lymph nodes and other evidence of medical problems. Then I began to search for the mass.
But I couldn’t find it. After a few minutes of feeling around the dog’s abdomen, I asked the client to point out the mass. She directed me to his belly button which, thankfully, was normal.
My client was a bit surprised (and also slightly embarrassed) when I told her that the area of concern appeared to be a perfectly normal umbilicus (also known as belly button). But in my opinion she had no reason to be embarrassed.
First, many people don’t realize that dogs and cats, like all mammals, have belly buttons. Most canine and feline belly buttons look different from ours. They appear as small scars located in the middle of the abdomen midway between the ribcage and the pelvis (hips). If you press on your pet’s umbilicus, you may feel some firm tissue underneath it.
Second, in my opinion nobody should be ashamed of taking a healthy pet to the vet. As a vet, I would much rather discover a healthy belly button than learn that the client had spent months ignoring a malignant tumor.
I explained these points to the client. I hope that by the time she left she felt much more relieved than embarrassed.
Photo info: Newborn Golden Retrievers, with umbilical cords tied off. The site where the umbilical cord meets the body becomes the umbilicus. Photo credit: Gonzalo García Jaubert. Photo licensing information: CC.
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07/28/08
Is it normal for a senior cat to lose body
weight and muscle mas, with the increased
activity in the spring and summer? She is 16
years old, eats well, is still playfull and
active. Vocal too!
Joan
Saint John, N.B. Canada
Seasonal weight fluctuations are not uncommon in pets (or people, for that matter). The long, warm days of spring and summer offer more opportunities for exercise than the inclement nights of winter.
As well, some degree of weight and muscle loss naturally occurs in all individuals as they age. An 83-year-old person can be expected to have less muscle mass than a 23-year-old; the same is true in cats and dogs.
However, and this is a big however, 16-year-old cats are at increased risk for a number of diseases and syndromes that may cause visible weight loss. Hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, tumors and a host of other glandular and metabolic problems are prevalent in older animals. Hyperthyroidism is especially known for causing weight loss and high levels of vocalization.
Your best move will be to have a vet examine your cat. He or she will be able to quantify the weight loss and run tests to check for the various syndromes I have mentioned. Hopefully the vet will determine that nothing is wrong. But it is better to be safe than sorry.
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07/27/08
 Feline immunodeficiency virus, also known as FIV is very similar to the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Both cause a disease called AIDS. Neither virus is highly contagious. There is no proven vaccine for either disease (a vaccine for FIV exists, but experts do not agree that it is effective). Both viruses damage the immune systems of affected individuals, leading to increased rates of opportunistic infections and certain types of cancer. Untreated, both viruses lead to death several years after infection.
HIV patients, thank goodness, may benefit from anti-viral therapies that can stop the virus from reproducing and prevent the development of AIDS. These therapies have saved the lives of millions of people who have access to them (sadly, other millions of infected individuals do not).
Cats, however, do not tolerate some of the anti-viral therapies that have helped so many people. Other anti-viral therapies do not inhibit FIV. Therefore, there is no effective treatment for feline AIDS.
But that may change in the future. The North American Veterinary Conference’s May, 2008 Clinician’s Brief details a study (original paper: Savarino, Pistello, D’Ostillo, et al. Retrovirology 4:79, 2007) that describes a new class of anti-viral drugs.
The drugs, called INSTIs, inhibit FIV grown in cultures.
This is an important step forward, but it is a long way from an effective treatment for feline AIDS. The drugs have yet to be tested on infected cats.
Meanwhile, cats with AIDS must live without effective treatment.
FIV is transmitted mainly by fighting. The most effective way to prevent the disease is to keep cats inside. FIV cannot spread to humans, and cats cannot catch HIV.
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07/26/08
 My dog, Kaycee, is a 10-year-old Husky. She has
recently begun to develop a bald spot on the
bridge of her nose, right where the hair should
meet the hairless part of her nose. The spot is
getting larger all the time, and it has also
gotten sunburned and flaky. It’s nearly
half-dollar sized now and it’s light pink colored.
She spends most of her time indoors. What could be
causing this problem?
Jennifer
Edmond, Oklahoma
Based on your description, I suspect that Kaycee’s immune system is acting up in the area of hair loss. In some dogs, the immune system becomes over-active, and attacks the body’s skin and hair follicles. This happens most often at the junction of the haired and hairless areas on the top of the nose.
The syndrome is known colloquially as Collie Nose because it occurs frequently in Collies. However, any breed can be affected. Huskies and German Shepherds frequently develop the syndrome.
A number of different pathological diagnoses (with names such as lupus and pemphigus) may cause the symptoms you describe. To confirm the diagnosis, a veterinarian should evaluate Kaycee. The vet may want to take a small biopsy of the area.
The condition is primarily hereditary. Exposure to sunlight can exacerbate the problem dramatically. I recommend that you keep Kaycee indoors or shaded during peak sun hours. Also, confirm that the presence of fleas is not stimulating her immune system.
Vitamin E (applied as a liquid to the area, or given orally at a dose recommended by your vet) may help reduce irritation. Some people have had success treating the syndrome with topical medications related to cortisone (assuming that the dog does not lick the medicine off). Others have resorted to using oral prednisone.
The syndrome usually is not painful. Therefore, many people choose to forego the more invasive treatments mentioned above. If you can control the problem without medicine, that is your best bet.
Photo Credit: Pamela Carls. Photo licensing information: CC
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07/25/08
Lately when I take my three-year-old dog Riley for a
bike ride, he is limping on one of his front legs
the next day. We took him to the vet and she gave
him some pain medicine.
He has nothing stuck in his paws and the vet said it was
in one of the muscles in his ‘arm’. He has long
legs that are supposed to run ‘ground
breaking speeds’,but he is very slow and lags
behind when I ride my bike with him. Our other
little dog will run by my bike all day long and
she won’t limp at all.
When Riley appears to not be limping anymore,I’ll
take him for a ride and again,he will be limping
the next day. I tried waiting a couple of weeks to
ride him and he still limped when I took him
for a ride again. Should I just not take him for
bike rides and do walks instead?
What’s wrong and what can I do?
Thanks!
Lydia
North East Texas
 Your situation sounds familiar to that of the three-year-old lab whose mother wrote to me on June 30. The symptoms are slightly different. However, the problem seems to be essentially the same: you have a young dog who is suffering from chronic pain after exercise.
I decided to answer your question because I strongly feel that you should not simply stop taking Riley for bike rides. I suspect that Riley has a problem, such as elbow dysplasia, panosteitis, Osteochondritis Dissecans or early-onset arthritis that is interfering with his ability to run.
Although the syndromes I have listed may sound intimidating, many of them are treatable. I would hate for Riley’s lifestyle to be curtailed permanently if it is not necessary.
I recommend that you go back to the vet. Consider taking Riley for a bike ride before the visit (but talk to your vet about this first), so that he will be limping. This may make it easier for the vet to identify the joint, bone, or muscle that is causing the problem. The next step will be to take an X-ray of the problem area.
If you are able to determine exactly what is causing the problem, you may be able to fix it. And then you and Riley could enjoy the lifestyle together that you would like.
A note about the image: yes, it is a human humerus, and I realize that I have used human images two days in a row. But it is remarkably difficult to find non-copyrighted images of canine body parts!
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07/24/08
 Heart disease is very common in dogs. Most cases of heart disease in dogs are hereditary, rather than acquired. This means that, unlike in humans, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are not major causes of heart disease in dogs (although obesity exacerbates heart disease in all species).
There are two major forms of heart disease in dogs. Small breeds are prone to valve disease. Valve disease causes the blood to flow incorrectly through the heart and lungs. Large breeds are prone to cardiomyopathy, a syndrome in which the muscles of the heart lose the ability to function normally. Either condition can lead to heart failure and death.
The mainstays of diagnosing canine heart disease have been physical exam, evaluation for irregular heart sounds known as murmurs, X-rays and echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart). Echocardiography is especially effective at diagnosing heart problems. However, in many cases the problem is not detected until it has been present for a very long time. And, as with all medical conditions, treatment for canine heart disease is most effective if the problem is detected early.
Fortunately, a paper in the May 15, 2008 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association describes a new test that may soon become available to identify dogs with heart disease. The test would be a blood test that could be performed routinely on at-risk breeds.
The test would involve measuring the level of a peptide (a very small protein) in the blood. A recent study demonstrated that blood levels of the peptide reliably predict the presence and severity of heart disease in dogs.
It may be several years before any test involving the peptide is available for veterinarians. However, it is encouraging to know that in the future it may be possible to diagnose heart disease earlier and more easily in our canine friends.
The paper discussed in this post is Oyama, et al J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;232:1496-1503
Image credit: Heikenwaelder Hugo. Image licensing information: CC
Image confession: it is a human heart. But the canine heart is anatomically similar.
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07/23/08
My cat gets ear mites and he passes it on to my
inside cat. I have read some home remedy books and
they said to try baby oil. I did. It helped a
little. Do you have any inexpensive methods to
use?
Skylar
Baldwin, PA
 In my experience, you get what you pay for with ear mite treatments.
Ear mites are parasitic organisms that, as the name implies, infest the ears of cats and dogs. Ear mites cause intense itching. Pets with ear mites may have red, swollen ears that are clogged with dark wax. Ear mites are contagious.
Ear mites can be very frustrating. But they need not be. A number of home remedies, such as mineral oil or baby oil, are touted as ear mite treatments. But in my experience such over-the-counter antidotes don’t work very well.
The good news is that there are several safe and effective treatments for ear mites. The bad news: you’ll have to go to the vet to get them.
First, it is important to confirm that your cats have ear mites. Ear infections may be clinically indistinguishable from ear mite infestations. To confirm that mites are present, your vet may need to examine debris from the ears under a microscope.
Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, the vet can prescribe a medication such as Revolution or Advantage Multi to deal with the problem. Both cats will need treatment initially. Once the mites have been eliminated, you may only need to treat the cat that goes outside.
Although a trip to the vet may not be fun, in the long run it is likely to save you and your cats from a great deal of suffering.
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07/22/08
 It has been a while since there has been any controversy on this blog. However, an article from a recent issue of Veterinary Economics may stir things up.
The terms of use of the hosting website prohibit me from both linking to the article and quoting directly from it. Please click on the link to see what the author (Melody Heath, DVM) has to say in her own words.
But, to paraphrase, here is her thesis. Shih Poos, Schnoodles, Labradoodles, Cockapoos and other dogs that are descended from two parents of different breeds are mutts. People who buy them are being ripped off. They are buying mixed-breed dogs (that always seem to be half Poodle) at purebred prices.
And she goes a step further. She claims that it is unethical to purchase a mixed-breed dog. Why pay $1500 for a mixed-breed dog when so many other mutts are languishing in shelters and facing euthanasia for lack of a home?
Do I agree? Partly. By definition, any dog that is not purebred is a mutt. So Dr. Heath is definitely right on that score. However, first generation mutts benefit from a phenomenon known as hybrid vigor. The principle of hybrid vigor states that the direct progeny of two inbred (read: purebred) parents will, on average, be heartier and more robust than either parent.
So, although Cocker Spaniels are prone to chronic ear infections and Poodles suffer disproportionately from heart disease, a first generation Cockapoo is less likely to develop either problem than his parents. And, his personality may be predictable–much like a purebred dog. Every Cockapoo I’ve met has been a really great dog.
Sadly, the benefits of hybrid vigor (and the predictable nature of personalities) dissipate in subsequent generations. Most geneticists would agree that if two Labradoodles mate their progeny will, definitively, be mutts.
What about the ethics of purchasing a “designer mutt” when shelter dogs are in need of homes? From the shelter dog’s point of view, the pedigree of the dog you purchase is irrelevant. If you want to save a shelter dog, don’t pay a breeder for any type of dog. Go to the pound.
Like any good argument, I can see a bit of logic to both sides of this one. I welcome your retorts and input in the comments section.
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It is my ongoing passion to document the health benefits that people derive from their pets. In a recent post, I surmised that in the future it will be shown that pets help to prevent cognitive decline (memory loss and dementia) in the people they live with. The post was based upon two studies that showed social networks help to prevent cognitive decline. My thesis was that pets are part of social networks. Therefore, pets help to prevent memory impairment and dementia.
You have questions. 