Got Worms?

Got worms?

Parasites: Friends We Can Do Without

Even with warm weather waning, veterinary staff are on the lookout for “wormy friends” hanging around the neighborhood. Roundworms, heartworms, whipworms, hookworms… and then there are other parasites that aren’t worms at all, but protozoa. Some parasites only affect our pets, but several species are also quite happy to take up residence in humans if they can. Especially with small children, it’s easy to imagine how this might happen (child sees shiny object on ground, child puts object in mouth, worm eggs on object are swallowed: voila!).

How common are these “friends?” It varies by region within the US, by parasite, and by pet. In some situations, 1 in 4 (!!) pets will be infected, in others only 1 in 21, or even fewer. If you’re curious for specifics, check this out: http://www.petsandparasites.org/parasite-prevalence-maps/ 

Veterinarians have excellent treatments for parasites. We also have excellent prevention for some, but not all parasites. For example, there is excellent heartworm preventative available, and some medications also cover hookworms and roundworms. However, there are not current preventatives for whipworms or protozoa, though there are effective treatments for them.

So, how do we know that our companion has parasites overstaying their welcome?

A common idea is that you can see worms if the animal has them. Unfortunately, adult worms prefer to live safe and warm deep inside of animals, where we can’t see them. (Gross, right?) With intestinal worms, it is the offspring in egg or larva form that go out by way of the fecal express. With tapeworms, a sharp eye can see the eggs – they look like small cream-colored grains of rice. http://avetsguidetolife.blogspot.com/2010/09/tapeworm-blues.html With most others, though, the eggs are microscopic. And in the case of heartworms, owners can have no way of knowing their animal is infected until they become clinically ill – at which point their pet’s life may already be in danger.

This leads us to testing: fecal tests for intestinal parasites and blood tests for heartworms. Sometimes, we find that we are testing without finding anything. Why might that happen? There are a few possibilities:

(1) Your pet doesn’t have worms. Hooray!

(2) In the beginning of an infection, the parasite may be to “young” to have shed any eggs. A test in those early days may be an incomplete negative.

(3) Many worms shed eggs intermittently, sometimes even months passing between shedding events. A test in between shedding events may show no eggs.

(4) The test may not be detecting the eggs. While only small bit is needed for a fecal test, a too small sample can hinder effective testing. Further, some parasites (like whipworm!) tend to show up poorly in tests.

The good news is these issues can be addressed by communicating clearly with your veterinarian and periodically double-checking. If you pet is healthy, annual testing may be sufficient. However, if your pet is ill, or has been diagnosed with parasites, more frequent testing will be necessary. Typically two negatives in a row are considered enough, but remember that other factors (such as the health of your other pets) should also be considered.

In general, it’s important to keep an eye on our pets eating and drinking, stools, and any weight changes. It’s also important to test periodically, just in case your pet is hiding the signs. By doing those things, we can help our veterinarian say “here’s your hat, where’s your hurry?” to our wormy friends. 

Jeanne Coffin

Masters of Conservation Medicine
Tufts University

Asheville, NC

Who does your dog’s rabies vaccine protect?

Who does your dog’s rabies vaccine protect?

Easy answer: your furbaby

Tricky answer: you AND your community

Extra tricky answer: your ecosystem

Yup, that’s right! We have arrived in the realm of ecology, by way of your local vet’s office. But let’s back up a second and ask our question again in context. Let’s play out a little scenario: your local friendly veterinary assistant called you, reminding you that your beloved companion is overdue for vaccines. They make a point of saying “And that includes the rabies vaccine, which is especially important!” You’re left wondering – why do they make such a big deal out of it? Rabies is supposed to be really rare, right? Well, as you see above, the answer is that the rabies vaccine protects a lot. It is our one and only “ace in the hole” against a nearly always fatal disease.

Most people are aware that rabies is an extremely dangerous infectious disease to which our beloved pets are susceptible. Most people also know that people can get rabies; fewer are aware that all mammals are susceptible. Every once in a very great while a true rabies infection survival story is reported. This lucky handful of humans usually underwent weeks or months of intensive and expensive care.  Most of the time, though, a rabies-infected animal (or human) dies a painful and terrifying death. This is the first answer to the question of why it is so important to prevent infection in the first place: the rabies vaccine protects your furbaby from a particularly unpleasant death.

To get to our second answer, a bit of history. Rabies was at one time a serious and relatively common problem in the USA, with dangerous outbreaks occurring since before the Declaration of Independence up to the early 1900s. Many people—and many more dogs—died. Happily this is no longer the case. In the 1940s a tremendous effort involving education and vaccination began to control the disease in dogs. By vaccinating dogs, people were protected. Over time, the use of vaccines became recommended for other pets as well. Massive vaccination and animal control campaigns have enabled several countries to eradicate rabies within their borders. In those countries rabies is no longer a concern – but the United States continues the battle against rabies. We still need the help of every pet owner to maintain our control over the disease.  That is why vaccinating your dog protects you and your community.

And, now, on to the ecosystem. Rabies is present among various wild animal populations. Skunks, foxes, bats, raccoons, and opossums—to name a few species—are all susceptible to infection. However, it is much more challenging to vaccinate wild animals than domestic ones. The good news is that scientists are working hard to find effective ways of inoculating these animals. Meanwhile, our best line of defense for those poor, unvaccinated wild critters is to reduce the “circulation” of the virus as much as possible, thereby minimizing the chances of infection among wild animals. We do this by making more and more animals resistant to infection, which takes them out of the circulation loop, so to speak. How do we do that? By vaccinating the easy ones: pets.

So there you have it. The rabies vaccine: protecting you, your pet, your community, and the ecosystem you live in—all with regular visits to the vet and the occasional little needle poke! (The recommended frequency of rabies vaccines varies among states.)

For more information on rabies in humans, see: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/

For more information on the ecological dimension of disease  click here

This blog was authored by:

Jeanne Coffin

Masters of Conservation Medicine
Tufts University

Asheville, NC

We are proud to have her as an assistant at our hospital!

Post-op Pets

 Many fur-parents don't know just what to expect after they pick their fur-kid up after surgery. At Charlotte Street Animal Hospital, the day after surgery (or the day after going home) our technicians call to check in on all of our surgery patients to see how they are doing, and to help ensure that the recovery period is as successful as possible. Most pet owners (except those with a medical background) may not know what to expect after their pet’s surgery. Any surgery—whether it be human, canine, feline, or avian—is a big deal. Even routine dental cleanings require pets to undergo general anesthesia. Knowing what to expect, what is normal/abnormal, and what you should do at home for your pet will help make this important part of your pet’s care a little less stressful.  

What your pet needs from you after surgery:

• Supervision. If your pet has an incision, keep it clean and dry and check it every day until healed for swelling, discharge or redness. Limit activity as instructed. Call us for tips and/or sedatives if you are unable to restrict your pet’s movement.
• Less food. Anesthetic drugs can upset tummies and slow digestion time. Feed about 1/2 their normal amount. You know that being at the vet all day is stressful for your baby, so you may be tempted to try to compensate with treats and lots of yummy canned food. Resist this urge. The last thing your recovering pet needs is a bout of vomit or diarrhea or a tummy-ache after being at the vet all day. Attention and affection is the best thing to make you and your pet feel better.
• Peace and quiet
• Lots of snuggles and the most comfortable bed ever

What is "normal" 1-2 days after anesthesia:

• Wanting to rest, being tired or sluggish. Older pets may take a little longer to act like themselves again. 
• Pets receiving intravenous (IV) fluids while under anesthesia will urinate more frequently than usual for the first 24 hours. If you are unsure if IV fluids were administered, a shaved front leg likely indicates a catheter was placed in order to give IV fluids.
• Pets may also not be very thirsty if they have received IV fluids, since their bodies are well hydrated. 
• Pets may not have a bowel movement for 24-48 hours. Anesthetic drugs slow down the GI tract. Also, food intake is restricted before and after surgery, so there is less bulk to process. 
• Behavior will differ depending on your pet’s personality. S/he may want to come home and hide, or be more hyperactive than usual as a reaction to stress. But like the toddler who needs a nap but seems hyper-energetic, if your pet is asking you to go out to play, s/he really just needs to rest and recover.  
• Other pets in the home, may react negatively to a pet who has been at the vet all day. Remember, animals live their lives by smell. The patient will come home stressed and smelling unfamiliar. You may need to separate your pets for a time to maintain a stress-free recovery environment for the patient. For years I had heard such reports from clients and personally experienced an instance just last week. My cat had 5 teeth extracted. One of my other cats hissed and growled at him when he returned home. I had to separate them for a full 2 days while my poor kitty recovered.
• Coughing. The endotracheal tube (the tube that goes down the trachea to deliver oxygen and anesthetic gas throughout the procedure) may result in mild throat irritation for a day or two after the surgery. 

What is not normal and needs to be addressed by your veterinarian:

• If any of the above symptoms persists for more than 48 hours, please call your veterinarian.
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting  
• Respiratory congestion
• Third eyelid up
• Not eating for 24 hours
• Incision site appears red, inflamed, has an odor, or discharge  

Most pets benefit greatly from recommended surgical procedures.  Pre-anesthetic bloodwork and a regimen of annual wellness exams will help ensure that when your pet needs surgery s/he is strong, healthy, and will recover as quickly as possible.  Remember, we don’t just take care of your pets, we are pet parents too! We work hard to ensure that your pet is cared for with the compassion and expertise that we would want our own pets to receive. So, we encourage you to share any questions, concerns, or comments about your pet’s post-surgical recovery.  We are here to help.

Why we love our jobs

Working in the field of veterinary medicine is awesome. The reason seems obvious: animals are fluffy and cute, and who wouldn’t want a job snuggling animals all day? Contrary to this popular misconception, however, working at an animal hospital is not all fluffy snuggles. The drop-out rate in schools for vets and vet techs is somewhere around 50%. Jobs in the medical field are complex and challenging, and providing veterinary care is no exception. But this—and not just because we get to snuggle with animals—is why we love it. There is not a veterinary professional in the world who isn't a bit of a science geek. It's kind of a prerequisite. The worst thing in the world is seeing an animal suffer, but believe me when I say we all love to lance a good abscess. And Cuterebra? Get out of town. Those botfly larvae are disgustingly fascinating. The way they burrow into the skin, but leave an air hole to poke their little noses out. Getting those things out are a little like playing “Operation” when you were a kid. If it breaks, it can cause a huge infection. Identifying bacteria, parasites, and yeast, looking at bizarre x-rays… the list of fascinating encounters goes on and on. It's like gross detective work. Pure. Awesome. Fun.

But the very best, most rewarding part is getting to watch your patients heal. There's nothing better in this world than to see a patient about whom you have been very worried begin to feel “his/herself” again (even if this means the re-emergence of a fractious cat who wants to scratch your face off). It's even better when they seem affectionately appreciative of the care you have provided. It's like they know you were there for them when they needed it the most. Healing animals is a labor of love, and one of the best feelings in the world.

We choose to perform this job because we are dedicated to the health and well-being of animals. There's a reason why we didn't choose to make more substantially more money in the human field. We all have a common bond which allows us to become close like family. We always joke about how there is no such thing as personal space among our employees. When two or three people are restraining a pet for a procedure, sometimes it feels like a game of Twister. Although it may look shocking to a pet owner, sometimes it truly calms an animal to just gently lay on top of them (ever watch the Temple Grandin movie?). This puts us in very close contact with one another. We all have to be very comfortable with people in our personal "bubble".

No, a person cannot be in this business for the money, because there usually isn't a whole lot to be had. Through the years, I have heard so many people talk about "how much money those vets make." My guess is that this is the reason people say this is because of the rising costs of veterinary service. Every veterinarian I have ever worked with is up to their eyeballs in school loan debt (vet school generally leaves graduates in debt well over $100,000). One veterinarian I know has to pay over $1000 every month in school loan payments. The average starting salary for a veterinarian is about $39,000; though if you're lucky, you might make $60,000. You do the math. Veterinary medicine offers the lowest-paying jobs in the medical field. And the salary earned by vet techs? Our national median salary is around $26,000 (in Asheville it's about $23,000).

So, as I said before, vetting and vet teching is a labor of love. We may have the lowest paying jobs in the medical field, but the rewards are exponential. Most everyone I work with wouldn't trade their jobs for all the money in the world. I love my vet family.