Vet Blog
07/24/09
 In these extraordinarily difficult financial times every effort to save money is understandable. But if these efforts aren’t well thought out they can backfire.
A man with two Dachshunds (one brown, one black) recently ended up in my office. He had purchased Sergeant’s Gold flea and tick drops at the pet store, believing that the safety and efficacy of the product were similar to Advantage or Frontline.
Advantage and Frontline aren’t perfect, to be sure. But I have never seen either product cause problems like those that occurred in the two Dachshunds.
Shortly after the Sergeant’s was applied to the brown Doxie, the black dog licked the site of application. Soon after that, the black dog began to suffer seizures.
The black dog arrived at my office with a temperature of 108. That is not compatible with life. The staff began intensive treatment to save the dog.
As everyone was working on the black dog, the brown dog sat with the owner in the waiting room. And then the brown dog, too, developed symptoms of toxicity. He produced projectile vomit and profuse diarrhea. In less than a minute he was a dehydrated wreck whose life was in danger. He was rushed from the waiting room to the treatment area.
The following morning both dogs were shaken but alive, well, and out of danger. Their symptoms were reduced to memories.
However, their poor owner will be reminded of the memory when he receives his next bank statement. The massive medical interventions that saved his dogs did not come cheap.
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03/13/09
 What should I do with my Doxie who has hurt
himself or something is wrong. He is only 3 years
old. He has gotten worse over the last couple of
days he is losing the use of his hind legs and my
husband and I have to carry him up the front porch
steps. He is only in pain when he is picked up or
handled. Can you tell me if it sounds like a
dislocated hip or what? Thanks for your help.
Regina
Crescent City,Ca. Pacific Nort
Your dog needs to see a vet immediately.
Based upon your description, it sounds like your dog has ruptured or “slipped” a disc in his spine. This is a serious situation that can lead to severe pain or paralysis.
The spine is composed of segments of bone with discs, made of cartilage, that serve as cushions between each segment. Because of their extremely elongated spines, Dachshunds are prone to degeneration of the discs. This can cause them to burst out of their normal position and impinge on the spinal cord.
Symptoms of the syndrome, which is called intervertebral disc disease (or IVDD), include pain, reluctance to walk or difficulty walking, inability to place the hind legs in the proper position, weakness in the hind legs, and complete paralysis of the hind legs. Difficulty urinating or defecating also may occur.
IVDD is an emergency. Any dog suffering from symptoms of IVDD should see a veterinarian as soon as possible. In some cases, medicines and cage rest may treat the syndrome. However, many dogs require surgery.
Photo: Despite their efforts, Mollie’s parents lost her to IVDD.
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03/12/09
 I firmly believe that pets are good for people. Their beneficial effects on our mental health are obvious to anyone who has ever patted a dog on the head or sat with a cat on his lap. Pets also benefit our physical health. They lower blood pressure, inspire sick children to fight to get well, and reduce the likelihood of stroke and heart attack. They can detect diabetic seizures before they happen. Pets assist people with disabilities ranging from blindness to Parkinson’s disease to post-traumatic stress disorder.
A recent article in The Economist describes yet another way that dogs may soon help people. Certain breeds may serve as research models for hereditary diseases.
A DOG may be man’s best friend. But man is not always a dog’s. Over the centuries selective breeding has pulled at the canine body shape to produce what is often a grotesque distortion of the underlying wolf. Indeed, some of these distortions are, when found in people, regarded as pathologies.
Dog breeding does, though, offer a chance to those who would like to understand how body shape is controlled. The ancestry of pedigree pooches is well recorded, their generation time is short and their litter size reasonably large, so there is plenty of material to work with. Moreover, breeds are, by definition, inbred, and this simplifies genetic analysis. Those such as Elaine Ostrander, of America’s National Human Genome Research Institute, who wish to identify the genetic basis of the features of particular pedigrees thus have an ideal experimental animal.
Dr Ostrander has already used dogs to track down the genes behind certain cancers that the species shares with people, and to work out the dog family tree. At the [American Association for the Advancement of Science] she described her search for the genes controlling three of the most important features of a breed: its size, its hair and the length of its legs.
What is the relevance of looking at dogs’ leg length? It turns out that chrondrodysplasia, which is what causes Dachshunds and Corgis to have short legs, may be caused by the same set of genes that triggers what is “known vulgarly as dwarfism” in humans.
The upshots of this work are twofold. One is to show that a lot of variety can be caused by only a little genetic variation . . . [t]he second upshot is that dogs may cast light on the condition of human chondrodysplasics and thus prove, once again, what good friends they are to man.
I should add that I, like many men in their thirties, also can think of at least one very solid upshot to studying the growth of hair in dogs (or any species)!
Click on the humanhealth tag for more posts on the health benefits that humans derive from pets.
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12/15/08
 I have a one-year-old Yorkie female, unfixed, who is
losing the hair around her eyes.
Last month I put her on Comfortis for fleas.
I have not changed her food.
What can be causing this and what can I do ?
Jude
Union Springs
I suspect that your dog is suffering from demodicosis, or puppy mange. You can find out all about it on my new website.
http://drbarchas.com/demodex
What can be causing my dog to constantly lick her
paws and backside?
Jessica
Woodbridge, NJ
Excessive licking usually is caused by itching. What you ask, causes itching in pets? That information is available on my new website. Check it out!
http://drbarchas.com/itching
My nine-year-old mixed breed dog Panda has for the
last couple of years developed a sort of facial
tic – her lower jaw will jerk up and down as if
she was cold and chattering her teeth. She does it
more and more frequently and I’ve even noticed
her doing it in her sleep. Should I be concerned?
Terry
Chattanooga, TN
I don’t think you should be concerned. Jaw chattering usually is a form of trembling. Read all about it on my new website.
http://drbarchas.com/trembling
Dear Dr. Barchas,
I have two miniature Dachshunds. They are mates,
and they are both 10 years old. They are obese.
The male, George, weighs 20 pounds, and the
female, Gracie, weighs 19 pounds. They are both
trained to relieve themselves outside. They very
rarely ever make a mess inside the house unless
we have to leave them home alone for some reason,
although we always try to take them with us when
we go somewhere as much as possible. I have
noticed in the last couple of weeks that Gracie
has begun to urinate in the house, and in our
vehicle. She has NEVER done this before! Both
George and Gracie sleep with us at night, in our
bed. I have had to wash our sheets about four times
in the last two weeks because she has urinated on
our sheets and covers. Do you know what would be
making her do this? Should I be alarmed and take
her to her vet, or is it just because she is
getting older? Thank you so very much!
Sincerely,
Sherry
Louisville, Tenn.
Do I even need to say it? Read about inappropriate canine urination here:
http://drbarchas.com/canine_housesoiling
And read about canine obesity here:
http://drbarchas.com/canine_obesity
Please always feel welcome to search my website for answers to your pet-related questions. It’s completely free! Everyone is also welcome to enjoy the photo galleries, and to submit photos of your own to
petpeoplephotos@yahoo.com
for publication on the site. By submitting photos you grant me the right to publish them.
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Categorized Vet Question and Answer.Tagged allergies, askavet, balding, cats, dachshunds, demodex, dogs, fleas, housesoiling, itching, obesity, puppymange, trembling, YorkshireTerriers.
11/13/08
 I have a 12-year-old Dachshund named “NOODLES”. He
woke this morning and he was moving his eyes from
side to side faster than normal and couldn’t keep
his balance. He seems to be confused about
direction in walking. Can you help me?
Betty
Newport, TN
I suspect that Noodles is suffering from old dog vestibular syndrome.
I realize that some people take offense at the word old, so please forgive the non-politically-correct name. The term was coined long ago.
The syndrome in question is common among elderly dogs. They go to bed with no problems, and wake up dizzy. Their eyes may move back and forth. They may tilt their heads to one side, and they may stagger like they are drunk. In severe cases dogs are not able to stand up or walk at all.
The cause of the syndrome is not known. However, there is good news. Almost every dog recovers in less than a week. Most dogs make complete recoveries. Occasionally dogs improve but have permanent lingering symptoms of the syndrome. These long-term symptoms generally are mild and do not affect quality of life.
Severe ear infections, ingestion of certain toxins and several rare neurological conditions can cause symptoms that are similar to the ones you describe. Noodles definitely should go to the vet. However, there is a good chance that Noodles’ problems will improve with time.
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In these extraordinarily difficult financial times every effort to save money is understandable. But if these efforts aren’t well thought out they can backfire.
You have questions. 