Bruma Lake
Veterinary Clinic
Medical Conditions that may effect your Furry Friend.
Knowing the warning signs is the first step in protecting your pet.
Tips for Recognizing Heart Disease in Your Pet
Heart disease can affect dogs and cats, just as it does in humans, causing long-term problems and alter the way we take care of our bets. There are warning signs and facts that every pet parent should know. Heart disease can either be congenital, meaning they were born with it and is typically diagnosed when they are young; or it is acquired, developing over time because of other health conditions. Detecting the heart condition can be difficult, that is why it is important to take your pet to the vet for regular exams.
Heart disease in pets can range from a murmur, to valve or muscle damage, or even cardiac arrest. Since our pets can’t verbalize not feeling well, here are signs to watch for in your pet:
Cough Tiredness or increased sleeping
Rapid breathing
Poor appetite
Enlarged tummy
Pale or bluish gums
Rapid, weak pulse
Possible fainting spells
If you take your pet in for any of these symptoms, your vet may perform an x-ray to see if the heart is enlarged. The x-ray is typically the first step in diagnosing the condition and setting the stage for the best treatment plan.
Annual vet visits to monitor changes in your pet’s heart are important and can be the first line of defense in detecting and treating a heart condition.
Pavovirus Symptoms
Canine parvovirus is an acute, highly contagious disease of dogs that was first described in the early 1970s. The virus has a tendency to attack rapidly reproducing cells, such as those lining the gastrointestinal tract.
The virus is shed in large amounts in the stools of acutely infected dogs for up to several weeks following infection. The disease is transmitted by oral contact with infected feces.
Parvo can be carried on the dog’s hair and feet, as well as on contaminated crates, shoes, and other objects. When the dog licks the fecal material off hair, feet, or anything that came in contact with infected feces, he acquires the disease.
Parvo affects dogs of all ages, but most cases occur in puppies 6 to 20 weeks of age. Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers appear to acquire the infection more readily and experience more severe symptoms. The reason for lower resistance in these breeds is unknown.
Following an incubation period that averages four to five days, the acute illness begins with depression, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some dog have no fever, while others have high fever (up to 106°F, 41.1°C). Pups with severe abdominal pain exhibit a tucked-up abdomen. Diarrhea is profuse and contains mucus and/or blood. Dehydration develops rapidly.
Heart muscle involvement in neonatal puppies used to be common, but is now quite rare. This is because routine vaccination of brood bitches two to four weeks before breeding boosts maternal antibody levels and provides better protection for puppies.
Suspect parvo in all pups with the abrupt onset of vomiting and diarrhea. The most efficient way to diagnose parvo is to identify either the virus or virus antigens in stools. An in-office blood serum test (ELISA) is available for rapid veterinary diagnosis. False negatives do occur. Virus isolation techniques are more precise, but require an outside laboratory.
Treatment: Dogs with this disease require intensive veterinary management. In all but the most mild cases, hospitalization is essential to correct dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Intravenous fluids and medications to control vomiting and diarrhea are often required. More severe cases may require blood plasma transfusions and other intensive care.
Puppies and dogs should not eat or drink until the vomiting has stopped. but require fluid support during that time. This can take three to five days. Antibiotics are prescribed to prevent septicemia and other bacterial complications, which are the usual cause of death.
The outcome depends upon the virulence of the specific strain of parvovirus, the age and immune status of the dog, and how quickly the treatment is started. Most pups who are under good veterinary care recover without complications.
Prevention: Thoroughly clean and disinfect the quarters of infected animals. Parvo is an extremely hardy virus that resists most household cleaners and survives on the premises for months. The most effective disinfectant is household bleach in a 1:32 dilution. The bleach must be left on the contaminated surface for 20 minutes before being rinsed.
Feline Leukemia Virus
Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is second only to trauma as the leading cause of death in cats, killing 85% of persistently infected felines within three years of diagnosis. The virus commonly causes anemia or lymphoma, but because it suppresses the immune system, it can also predispose cats to deadly infections. However, exposure to the feline leukemia virus doesn’t have to be a death sentence; about 70% of cats who encounter the virus are able to resist infection or eliminate the virus on their own.
How Feline Leukemia Virus Is Transmitted
Feline leukemia is a disease that only affects cats -- it cannot be transmitted to people, dogs, or other animals. FeLV is passed from one cat to another through saliva, blood, and to some extent, urine and feces. The virus does not live long outside the cat’s body -- probably just a few hours. Grooming and fighting seem to be the commonest ways for infection to spread. Kittens can contract the disease in utero or through an infected mother’s milk. The disease is often spread by apparently healthy cats, so any cat may transmit the virus even if it appears normal.
Your Cat’s Risk Factors
Exposure to infected cats raises your cat’s risk of contracting FeLV, especially for kittens and young adult cats. Older cats are less likely to contract the infection, because resistance seems to increase with age. For indoor-only cats, the risk of contracting FeLV is very low. Cats in multi-cat households or in catteries are more at risk, especially if they share water and food dishes and litter boxes.
Only about 3% of cats in single-cat households have the virus, but for cats that spend time outdoors, the rate is much higher. Still, the prevalence of FeLV has decreased over the last 25 years because of vaccines and reliable tests.
Symptoms of Feline Leukemia Virus
Cats infected with FeLV may exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
Pale gums
Yellow color in the mouth and whites of eyes
Enlarged lymph nodes
Bladder, skin, or upper respiratory infections
Weight loss and/or loss of appetite
Poor coat condition
Progressive weakness and lethargy
Fever
Diarrhea
Breathing difficulty
Reproductive problems like sterility in unspayed female cats
Diagnosing Feline Leukemia Virus
Your veterinarian can diagnose the disease by conducting a simple blood test called an ELISA, which identifies FeLV proteins in the blood. This test is highly sensitive and can identify cats with very early infections. It is important to remember that some cats will manage to clear the infection within a few months and will subsequently test negative.
A second blood test, the IFA, detects the progressive phase of the infection, and cats with positive results for this test are unlikely to clear the virus. The IFA test is performed at a laboratory, rather than in your vet’s clinic. In general, cats that are IFA-positive have a poor long-term prognosis.