Fort Collins Veterinary Clinic: Paws of the Rockies Animal Hospital

Fall 2007 - In this Issue: > Halloween Hazards > Internet Pharmacy Misconceptions > Specials for October and November > Vaccine-Induced Sarcoma > Whats New with the Staff
Halloween Hazards

Halloween can be a fun time of year for us humans, as we enjoy all the kids in costumes, trickery, and candy. But it can be a very scary time of year for pets due to loud noises, costumes, and potential toxins. Chocolate Everyone should know that chocolate is toxic and potentially fatal for dogs and cats if ingested. The primary toxic ingredient in chocolate is theobromine. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination, hyperactivity, weakness, seizures, coma and even death. The darker the chocolate, the higher the theobromine level and therefore more severe of a reaction. If chocolate ingestion is suspected, call your veterinarian immediately. They may want to induce vomiting to get the wrappers and chocolate out of the system, give activated charcoal to prevent the absorption into the tissues, or hospitalize your pet for fluid therapy. Therefore, during the Halloween holiday months, it is best to keep the chocolate out of reach of your pets! Escape What is Halloween without the Trick-or-Treaters? Each time a ghost or vampire comes to your door, it provides a possibility of escape for your pet. The longer you leave the door open while handing out goodies, the larger the window of time for your pet to run out. Once outside, there will be many more people, noises, and cars out than normal. This may make your pet may become disoriented or scared, causing it to run and hide instead of coming back to you. The best prevention of escape is to keep your pet secured, either in a pet kennel or room with the door and windows shut. If you must have your pet out, keep it on leash and secured to something inside.	Noise Some animals are sensitive to noise and can become very stressed or destructive with noises that are out of the ordinary or prolonged. During Halloween night there will be many kids out, screaming, crying or just laughing loudly. Doorbells or knocks at the door can also be a trigger for your pet’s anxiety. It is a good idea to desensitize your pet to these noises before Halloween night. This can be a lengthy process that should not wait until the last minute. If desensitizing your pet is not an option or does not work, keep your pet in a part of the house where these noises will be heard the least. Keep all windows and curtains shut, and play background music, turn on a TV, or run a fan to help drown out the undesired noise. Black Cats Halloween should be fun and games, but there are still some people that prefer the haunting and tricks to the giving out of candy. Black cats are notorious for being involved with witchcraft or having special powers on Halloween. Some people may try to capture loose cats or specifically black cats. Some of these cats may be teased, hurt, or even killed due to the time of year. It is very important to keep your pets (dogs, cats and especially black cats) safely inside to prevent any traumatic event from befalling your pet!	Candles and Jack-o-Lanterns Jack-o-lanterns are a festive addition to your decorations, but keep your pets away from the lit candle. If the pumpkin is knocked over it could cause a fire. Worse yet, your pet could be burned if the tail wags a little too hard or the pet paws at the flickering flame. It is best to use a battery operated faux candle found where most decorations are sold. If this is not an option, supervise your pets or keep them put away while candles are lit. Decorations and Costumes Part of the festivity of Halloween is decorating and dressing up in costumes. Unfortunately, pets cannot always distinguish between decorations and costumes versus their toys. Pets can be attracted to stringy and shiny objects and may mistake them for a toy. Inadvertently, your pet could destroy the decoration, the decoration could fall onto him, or your pet could eat it! If ingested, a string can act as a linear foreign body and cause a complete blockage. Blockages are very serious and do not always pass on their own. Most require costly surgery and hospitalization. Be smart when decorating for Halloween. To see if your pet may be tempted to play or eat your decorations, kneel down on the floor at pet level and look up. Are there strings or pieces hanging down or over an edge? Are there scented or flavored items that may attract your pet? When decorating for this Halloween season, remember that prevention is best. Safely tuck away any costume that is not being worn, and keep all other decorations out of reach of your pet.

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Internet Pharmacy Misconceptions

Maybe you have heard of Pet Meds Rx or seen the commercial with Betty White advertising medications at a discounted rate? The trend for purchasing items over the internet or through a catalog has become a common situation and matter of convenience for many.

This convenience comes with a price, and not one in which we are willing to subject our clients. The manufacturers of the veterinary products advertised in these commercials (Frontline, Interceptor, Heartgard, Program, Sentinel, etc) are not backed by the manufacturers when purchased through anyone besides a veterinarian. This important information exhibits one of the many differences between products sold over the internet or in catalogs and those sold directly through your veterinarian.

The most important difference is quality. Our products are shipped directly from the manufacturer to us. They are stored in climate controlled conditions and are shipped to us overnight. Catalog or internet goods are second, third, or fourth hand products. They are purchased through diverter veterinarians and possibly resold several times.

They could possibly be stored in a storage unit or truck bed that has no climate control. There are no regulatory agencies such as the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners or American Animal Hospital Association to inspect and test how these drugs and products are handled.

The second difference is the guarantee. The manufacturer guarantees Paws of the Rockies products 100%. They will solve the problem, replace the product, or refund the full purchase price if you are not satisfied with the product. If there is ANY product failure, they will investigate and compensate for the treatment of your pet. Because there is no regulation beyond the primary veterinarian, manufacturers will NOT offer the guarantee to Internet or catalog customers. If you were personally taking medicine which one would you choose for yourself?

The third difference is the client/patient relationship. The efficacy of most products is dependent upon proper usage. We educate you and in some cases apply or give the first dose so you can learn the proper administration for your pet.

We are here to offer our reccomendations, look you in the eye and answer any questions you may have. That is what caring for pets and people is all about. If you find yourself in need of ordering a prescription, we can mail you the prescription or get you a written script. We will, however, only send the script to a reputable pharmacy.

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October is Senior Wellness Month!

Paws of the Rockies celebrates Seniors at 7! October is Senior Wellness Month, so any pet 7 years of age or older will receive 10% off services and products.

Dogs and cats can begin to experience changes associated with aging and many of these can go undetected before your pet’s physical condition and behavior are affected. At Paws of the Rockies, we would like to make the senior years some of the best years! Please call the office today to set up a convenient appointment time.

November holds the Annual Food Drive
During the entire month of November, Paws of the Rockies will be collecting nonperishable food items (for people) as part of our annual food drive benefiting the Larimer County Food Bank.

Clients will receive 10% off select services and products each time they donate. No purchase is necessary to make a donation, and non-client donations are also accepted. Please help us make is another successful year and pass this info along! Please call the office for more details.

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Vaccine-Induced Sarcoma

A vaccine-induced sarcoma is a connective tissue cancer that occurs where a vaccine has previously been given. Vaccine induced sarcoma is a rare consequence of vaccination in cats and dogs. This disease was first recognized in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During this time many new vaccines were developed and became more common than it had been previously. The goal of these changes was to improve the health of dogs and cats. At the same time, however, veterinary pathologists noticed more sarcomas at the sites where vaccines are generally given: between the shoulders, on the back legs, and over the back.

Studies were done to determine the cause of this phenomenon. The studies showed that the majority of pets do not get cancer from vaccination. Only 1 in 1000 to 1 in 10,000 develop a tumor at a vaccination site. The tumors were found to occur more commonly with vaccines for rabies and feline leukemia virus, but the brand of vaccine did not make a difference. The risk was over twice as high when two or more vaccines were given in the same location. Finally, there was no way to predict which pets would develop cancer at a vaccination site.

The exact cause of cancer arising from vaccination remains a mystery. A vaccine normally works by causing irritation or inflammation at the vaccination site. One theory is that in rare pets, normal cells at the vaccination site divide abnormally and mutate. A cell that accumulates many mutations will divide uncontrollably and become a sarcoma.

Vaccine-induced sarcomas can be cured with surgery if they are found and treated while they are still small. The surgery must be aggressive to remove every cancer cell. When the tumor occurs on the leg, for instance, the leg must be amputated. Three-legged pets have a normal lifespan and an active, happy life if the cancer has been detected early.

Sometimes the vaccine-induced sarcoma is not found until it is big or it occurs in a location where aggressive surgery is difficult. Then, radiation therapy combined with surgery may help the cat to live several years. Radiation therapy may be given before or after the surgery. Radiation therapy takes 3 to 4 weeks and may make the pet tired. Temporary skin irritation and hair loss around the tumor site are common. When radiation is given over the chest area, lung irritation is possible.

Chemotherapy can shrink vaccine-induced sarcomas, but cannot cure this type of cancer. Side effects depend on which drugs are used. Many pets experience increased lethargy and decreased appetite for a day or two after chemotherapy. In rare cases, the loss of appetite may last a week or more and be accompanied by vomiting or diarrhea.

Veterinarians and owners must work as a team to fight vaccine-induced sarcomas. To prevent sarcomas, veterinarians give each vaccine at a separate site when multiple vaccines are needed. To help ensure that successful treatment will be possible, veterinarians give the vaccines known to cause sarcomas in the back legs. In this way, should a pet be extremely unlucky and develop a tumor, it can be completely removed by amputation. The most important thing an owner can do is to find the tumors when they are very small. This means that any time your pet gets a hard lump in a vaccination site more than 1 month after the vaccine is given, you should have your veterinarian examine your pet. These simple measures prevent dogs and cats from dying of a vaccine-induced sarcoma while making sure that important infectious diseases can still be prevented by vaccination.

Kraegel, Susan A. "Vaccine-Induced Sarcoma in Cats" Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Client Information Series.

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Whats New with the Staff

Michelle
Michelle will be moving to Aurora at the end of July, but will continue working at Paws of the Rockies for 2-3 days per week. We will miss Michelle being at Paws daily, but are greatful she will stay with us part time! While in Denver, Michelle will be volunteering at Our Feathered Puppies Parrot Rescue.

Jessica
Jessica continues to volunteer her time with the Wild Kind department of the Larimer Humane Society.

Tenaya
Tenaya recently expanded her farm to include 4 egg-laying chickens. Her 2 Rhode Island Reds and 2 Amerucanas should be laying eggs by fall. Tenaya is participating in a large-animal internship this summer with Dr Chris Koeller of Dairy Authority and has gained a new appreciation for the large animal side of veterinary medicine.

Karie
Karie continues to explore all that wonders Colorado has to offer. She and her numerous visitors this summer have traveled much of the state already, but have more sites on the list to see. Karie continues to work towards the goal of hiking a 14’ er.

Melinda
On June 23rd and 24th, Melinda participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Denver for the second year in a row. She walked a marathon and a half (39.3 miles) in 2 days and raised over $3600. Her tired feet have recovered and Melinda continues to bike, hike and has even tried rafting down the Poudre River in a duckie!

Grace
Grace also walked a marathon and a half as part of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this past June 23rd and 24th. Grace has raised over $1200 and is still working towards the $1800 requirement. Her tired feet did not stop her from traveling to Las Vegas and parts of California this July.

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