A Little More Toxicology

Veterinarians have known for a long time that there are certain foods that are safe for people that are toxic to pets, chocolate for an example. But it seems like the list grows a little every year. In the past year or two we've learned that grapes/raisons and xylitol (an artificial sweetener used in gum and candy) can cause life threatening illness. I've had 3 cases of xylitol ingestion in the past 6 months. One dog was a repeat offender. In all 3 of these cases the dog got into a purse and ingested several sticks of gum.

I found an article for pet owners on the a.s.p.c.a website regarding this problem with a list of potential toxins. There was one on there I didn't know about (avacados? I had no idea- sometimes these things hit the mass media before the veterinary literature.) Check out the article at www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.html

Human Medicine Poisoning in Pets

The Pet Poison Helpline reports that nearly half of the calls they receive involve human medications both over-the-counter and prescription. The top ten are:

1. NSAIDs (eg. Advil, Aleve, and Motrin)

2. Acetaminophen (eg. Tylenol). Side note: acetamenophen is especially deadly in cats.

3, Antidepressants (eg.Effexor, Cymbalta, Prozac, Lexapro)

4. ADD/ADHD (eg.Concerta, Adderall, Ritalin)

5. Benzodiazepines and sleep aids, (eg. Xanax, Klonopin, Ambien, Lenesta)

6. Birth control pills (eg. estrogen, estradiol, progesterone)

7. ACE inhibitors (eg. Zestril, Altace)

8. Beta-blockers (eg. Tenormin, Toprol, Coreg)

9. Thyroid hormones (eg. Armour desiccated thyroid, Synthroid)

10. Cholesterol lowering agents (eg. Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor)

Pet Poison Hotline is a service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for pet owners, veterinarians and veterinary technicians that require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. The helpline fee is $35 per incident and includes follow-up consultation for the duration of the poison case. Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/

Canine Influenza Update

I chaired a continuing education meeting of the Greater Des Moines Veterinary Association last Tuesday on an unrelated topic but since we had 40 to 50 local veterinarians there, at the end of the meeting I asked the audience for a show of hands if they had seen any confirmed cases of Canine Influenza. No one had so I asked if anyone had seen any suspected/unconfirmed cases and 4 or 5 raised their hands. The big question is whether or not to vaccinate. I've heard that some boarding and grooming establishments are requiring it. Most infectious disease experts believe it will be everywhere eventually like distemper and parvo. I'm leaving it up to the individual dog owners to decide and a small percentage are opting to vaccinate to be prepared for when or if it becomes endemic in this area.

No panic pet food recalls

The following brands of pet foods have some lot numbers under recall for reasons not considered highly serious:
Diamond Pet Foods, Premium Pet Foods: cat foods, several lots, thiamine (vitamin B1) deficient.
Wysong: certain lots of dry dog foods, mold contamination (but no mycotoxins).
Nutro Products: several lots of dog foods contaminated with worker's plastic hat.

If you are feeding any of these foods please contact us and we will give you the affected lot numbers.

H1N1 in an Iowa cat

The state veterinarian's office and the Iowa Dept. of Public Health issued a press release today ( so you may see it in tomorrow's news) that the human H1N1 virus was isolated in an Iowa cat whose owners had had the H1N1 virus. Dr. Anne Garvey, Iowa Public Health veterinarian says that cats can get sick from the H1N1 virus with similar symptoms as people. In most cases the cat gets the virus from humans living in the same household. They caution people with suspected H1N1 to wash hands frequently to decrease the chance of spreading it to their cats. (A truth in blogging disclaimer: The cat in this picture is not the cat that tested positive for H1N1)

Zoonosis Risk for Hunters

With the onset of the hunting season I wanted to pass on some information on Zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans). According to a fact sheet from the American Veterinary Medical Association, "Hunters can be exposed to infectious diseases not only from infected animals, but also via insect vectors and contaminated soil and water." To access the A.V.M.A. report go to: http://www.avma.org/public_health/zoonotic_risks/hunters.asp.

Dog Flu

I'm sure some of you have been hearing news reports about canine influenza. Some have been grossly sensationalized ("KILLER DOG FLU!"). Since the first reports of it in 2002 it's been found in about 30 states but has only been commonly seen in Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. It was reported in Iowa a few years ago at a dog track. In checking with the State Veterinarian's office and the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association I haven't been able verify any other cases. It is considered an "emerging virus" however which means there's good chance that we'll see here eventually.

Canine Influenza is caused by the Influenza Type A , subtype H3N8 virus. Sympoms are much like human flu viruses: cough, fever, lethargy, nasal discharge, and lack of appetite. Symptoms can be similar to "kennel cough" and it is spread the same way-by aerosal tranmission or contact with contaminated objects such as food bowls etc. The percentage of dogs exposed to it that become infected with it (morbidity rate) 80%. The mortality rate is 1 to 5%. The most common risk senario would be dogs that go to boarding/grooming facilities, dog parks, and retail pet stores that allow dogs in the store.

There is a vaccine available (Schering/Plough). It requires 2 doses spread 3 weeks apart and then annual boosters. I plan to have some of the vaccine on hand for those who want to vaccinate their dogs in anticipation of an outbreak but I'm not recommending widespread vaccinations unless I hear of outbreaks closer to home. I'll keep you posted.

If you'd like more information on H3N8 like what the H and the N stand for or how many nanometers wide the virus is the best website I've found is http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/canine_bgnd.asp.