-
Recent Posts
Archives
- October 2022
- August 2022
- May 2022
- March 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- September 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- June 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- June 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- December 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- November 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- March 2013
- January 2013
- November 2012
- October 2012
- July 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
Categories
Watch out for these holiday threats to your pets
NorthStar VETS’ Chief of Staff, Dr. Daniel Stobie, has these reminders for pet owners, which are always important to remember at this time of year.
Decorations
Cats love to play with tinsel and ribbon. Try to keep pets from playing with these decorations as they can quickly and easily become what’s called a linear foreign body, which means something stuck in the esophagus or intestines.
Some pets, especially puppies, will chew on Christmas lights and wires. In addition to the obvious electric shock risk posed by this, pets can also be burned in their mouth, and experience pulmonary edema, which is fluid accumulation in the lungs.
Plants
Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are mildly toxic to animals and pets should be discouraged from eating them. Additionally, the water at the base of Christmas trees can cause gastrointestinal upset to pets, and pet owners should do all they can to keep pets from drinking it.
Food
Chocolate and certain nuts can be toxic to pets, especially dogs. The main chemical in chocolate that creates toxicity is called theobromine. Dogs who eat too much chocolate, especially if it is dark chocolate or baker’s chocolate, may experience tremors and heart abnormalities. This can be life threatening to your pet.
Also, while many people enjoy sharing table food with pets at a holiday meal, limit it to just a couple of tablespoons. Pets are more sensitive to sudden dietary changes and fatty foods, and can experience pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis can be life threatening.
And never give bones to your pets! They can splinter and do damage to the intestines as they pass through your pet, or get stuck and become a foreign body, which may require surgery to remove.
Other threats
Anti-freeze is always an issue for pets when the weather gets cold. The active component of anti-freeze, a chemical called ethylene glycol, causes kidney failure. The good news is that there is an antidote, so get your pet to the veterinary emergency hospital as soon as you can as the situation becomes more life-threatening after several hours. Because ethylene glycol is an alcohol-based chemical, pets who have consumed anti-freeze appear “drunk.”
Call the animal poison control or pet poison hotlines if you think your pet has eaten something poisonous.
By knowing what the biggest holiday threats are and taking some time to create a safer environment for your pet, you can avoid a potentially life-threatening situation for your pet. As always, be prepared and know where your nearest veterinary emergency hospital is and how to get there, and have their phone number programmed into your phone or posted on your refrigerator. You might even want to create an account for them to speed up the check-in process.
If NorthStar VETS is your nearest veterinary emergency hospital, know that we are always open, day and night, even through the holidays. Our phone number is 609.259.8300.
Posted in Pets
Leave a comment
Local Veterinarian Runs Animal Shelter in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy
The scene is a little bit chaotic. All around this post-Hurricane Sandy animal shelter, set up in a gymnasium at a church in Burlington Township, people come by to visit with their pets, while others come through the gym to use the shower room or to select clothing they’ll need while they’re in the shelter.
Since last Monday, this place has been where you’d be most likely to find Rebecca Boncheck, VMD, a veterinarian and owner of the Chesterfield Veterinary Clinic in Bordentown, NJ. Dr. Boncheck is also in charge of the Burlington County Animal Response Team (CART), a county organization that works with similar groups state-wide to help animals in the event of a disaster such as Hurricane Sandy. For the past week, she has done everything from setting up the dog, cat and isolation wards, to examining and treating animals, managing an inventory of donated items, and building all of the protocols, processes and volunteer staff needed to make this animal relief effort a well-oiled machine. A few days in, she feels like the operation is working well, although there are still needs to be met. Because of what she’s built, many similar organizations will be looking to Dr. Boncheck in the coming months as a thought-leader on the best way to set up and run a shelter like this in the face of a disaster.
The outpouring of support at this shelter in Burlington Township has been tremendous, and so has been the need. As people displaced by the storm, some left only with their closest family members and the clothes on their back, try to cope and figure out their next move, the veterinary and local volunteers do everything they can to make the experience as comfortable as possible for the pets brought in with their owners. Animals here receive exams and necessary treatments, they get walked and played with by volunteers, and see their owners every day.
What these shelters and organizations have been doing around the state to help animals get rescued, cared for and reunited with their owners has been amazing. NorthStar VETS has been approved to send its staff down to help, and everyone from the NorthStar VETS Chief of Staff, Dr. Daniel Stobie, to the veterinary technician team, have all had a chance to visit and help these animals in need.
To donate needed items to this shelter, contact the Fountain of Life, located at 2035 Columbus Road, Burlington Township, NJ 08016.
Posted in Pets
Leave a comment
Burlington County CART names NorthStar VETS as designated veterinary emergency care facility
This just in from the Burlington County Animal Response Team:
“In response to the tropical storm Sandy potentially affecting the NJ area, the Burlington County Animal Response Team (CART) has been notified of an expected pet-friendly emergency evacuation center to open Monday, October 29, 2012 at the location named below. CART is equipped to provide temporary shelter and basic first aid to animals at this location.
If the need arises, the Burlington CART will refer any emergent care cases to NorthStar VETS from its evacuation center. For more information including evacuation preparedness with your pet, please see the CART Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BurlingtonCountyAnimalResponseTeamcart
The address is: Fountain of LIFE
2035 Columbus Road
Burlington Township, NJ 08016
Shelter will open at 8am Monday October 29, 2012.”
The above information comes from Dr. Rebecca Boncheck, Deputy Veterinarian for the New Jersey Disaster Response Team. NorthStar VETS has been identified as the closest 24 hour, emergency veterinary facility to this shelter and will be their first line in handling illness and injuries that the shelter is not equipped to handle. Also, NorthStar VETS is the designated location for overflow of this facility in the event that the volume of pets requiring shelter exceeds their capacity. In addition, NorthStar VETS is prepared to board any pets from other veterinary practices or the general public in need of shelter as well.
Chocolate toxicity in pets
With Halloween approaching, the criticalists at NorthStar VETS thought this would be a good time to pool their collective experiences and offer some suggestions for managing dogs that ingest chocolate. The tips and points provided below are as much based on their experiences in various settings treating many affected dogs, as what may be found in texts and citations. With that, they hope some of the information below will be helpful to you.
Understanding chocolate toxicity in pets
- In most chocolate compounds, theobromine is the predominant toxic compound, with methylxanthines and caffeine present in much lower concentrations.
- It is not always clear how much or what kind of chocolate a pet consumed after-the-fact. For animals that ingested chocolate from home-made products or from bakeries, it is especially difficult to identify the exact amount of chocolate used.
- The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) provides easy-to-use calculators to determine if a pet consumed a toxic amount of chocolate. There are excellent tables and calculators available for smart phones, as well. Regardless, using good clinical judgment, assessing each patient individually and often is more important than trying to forecast what signs to expect and when. As with other intoxications, there is lots of interpatient variability. We become concerned about toxicity and likely need for inpatient observation when dogs eat more than 2 oz/kg of milk chocolate.
Diagnosing chocolate toxicity in pets
- While not something to share with every client, chocolate ingestion is seldom fatal if pets are treated symptomatically, appropriately and aggressively, even when early decontamination is not possible. When dogs succumb, it is generally due to arrhythmias, respiratory failure, or severe pancreatitis.
- Typically, chocolate produces marked emesis such that the actual exposure is less than what the dog actually ate.
- EXCEPTION: YOUNG LAB RETRIEVERS and the like!
- If they do vomit, they will often eat it if not careful.
- Almost all dogs will become mildly symptomatic 2-3 hours after ingestion.
- Initial clinical signs (observed within 6-8 hours after ingestion): polydipsia, restlessness, vomiting and diarrhea.
- Polyuria, tremors, tachycardia, tachypnea, hyperthermia, arrhythmias are generally seen after 8-12 hours.
- If a client suspects chocolate ingestion, and no signs are observed six hours after suspected exposure, it is unlikely this dog will become sick.
- Some intoxicated dogs will have “paradoxic” signs, e.g.
miosis, sedation, bradycardia – Absence of classic signs does not rule out exposure. - Because of high fat content of many chocolate products, pancreatitis may develop 24-48 hours following ingestion.
Treating chocolate toxicity in pets
- In general 3% hydrogen peroxide is the only product we occasionally advise for “at home” emesis induction. Salt and ipecac are not recommended. 1 ml/lb, up to a maximum of 45 mls (3 tablespoons) may be given safely.
- Outdated peroxide (flat, not fizzing) will not work. Peroxide may be mixed with a small amount of peanut butter, yogurt or vanilla ice cream without compromising efficacy.
- Peroxide is more likely to work if the dog is walked after it is given versus sitting in one place after administration.
- Apomorphine (dogs only) may be given in-hospital, either IV or conjunctival. In rare cases when marked sedation is observed, naloxone will reverse depression induced by apomorphine, but may actually exaggerate the vomiting. This is not ideal, as repeated vomiting will cause further dehydration in an already compromised pet. Bottom line: try not to reverse unless the pet is obtunded or hypoventilating.
- Typical apomorphine IV doses are 0.03 to 0.04 mg/kg.
- Xylazine (0.44mg/kg) IM is the emetic of choice in cats (for which chocolate ingestion is admittedly rare).
- Consider prescribing maropitant (Cerenia) or dolasetron (Anzemet) after emesis has been successful to help with patient comfort, without the risks associated with naloxone as noted above.
- Theobromine has a long half-life and undergoes entero-hepatic recirculation. Thus, repeated doses of activated charcoal (AC) are given. Recommendations vary, but we give 1-2 g/kg (~5 ml/lb of Toxiban) every 4-6 hours (while symptomatic), almost never needing to be given after 24 hours following ingestion. Most activated charcoal suspensions are available with and without cathartic.
- A generally safe rule of thumb (that may be applied to most, though not all intoxications) is to give AC with a cathartic (e.g. sorbitol or MgSO4) for the first dose, then AC WITHOUT a cathartic for subsequent doses.
- While acepromazine is not an anxiolytic in the dog, it appears to be very effective for managing the marked agitation observed with this toxicity. We do not give acepromazine in rare cases when seizures occur. We prefer to manage seizures in this setting with a constant rate infusion of benzodiazepine, such as diazepam. Propofol is also reasonable, but its use requires uninterrupted patient observation (for apnea).
- Barbiturates are likely effective but currently not available.
- Muscle tremors often respond to methocarbamol. If the injectable form is not available or IV access is not possible, tablets can be crushed and given per rectum.
- Try to avoid aggressive cooling measures in hyperthermic dogs, such as cold water baths.
- We do not treat modest tachycardia; however a heart rate > 160 beats/min in a dog with associated symptoms should probably be treated. Some sources advise using metoprolol, or other seldom prescribed anti-arrhythmics not stocked in most practices. Propranolol, to effect, is acceptable, and can be given rectally if other access not available.
- Theobromine accumulates in urine and can be re-absorbed through the bladder wall. Thus, dogs should be walked hourly. If recumbent, place a urinary catheter and evacuate the bladder hourly or continuously (closed collection system).
NorthStar VETS criticalists and emergency veterinarians are always happy to speak with you if you have concerns about any of your patients – please call us – we don’t bite – not even at Halloween!
Reid Groman, DVM, DACVIM, DACVECC
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
Originally from Long Island, NY, Dr. Groman received his veterinary degree from Colorado State University in 1994. After completing an internship at Texas A&M University, he worked in general practice for two years only to return to the university to complete a residency in internal medicine in 2000. Because of his love of learning, Dr. Groman then went on to pursue and complete his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. His passion for kidney disease led him to a fellowship in renal medicine and hemodialysis at the University of California-Davis in 2003.
Prior to joining NorthStar in October 2010, Dr. Groman spent eight years on clinical faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where he remains an adjunct clinical assistant professor helping to mold future veterinarians. Dr. Groman is active on several committees within ACVIM and ACVECC. His professional interests include acute kidney disease, extracorporeal therapies, and general emergency medicine. Outside of work, Dr Groman likes golfing, hiking, and traveling with friends and family.
Joshua Portner, DVM, DACVECC
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
Dr. Portner grew up in Southern New Hampshire. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology/All-College Honors from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and his veterinary degree from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts in 2004. After graduation from Tufts University, Dr. Portner completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Colorado, and went on to complete his residency in Emergency and Critical Care at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists in Rhode Island in July of 2008. In 2009, Dr. Portner passed the specialist certification examination and became board certified in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine.
Dr. Portner has special interests in mechanical ventilation, nutrition for critical patients, and transfusion medicine. Along with membership in the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS), American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association (NJVMA), he has also been a member of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) and the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA), as well as several state associations. During his residency, he was a member of the Rhode Island Disaster Response Team, which is an organization responsible for providing medical care to sick and injured animals during a state of emergency.
Dr. Portner joined the NorthStar VETS team in November of 2008. He is currently an active member of the Policy and Procedure Comittee and runs the Blood Donor Program for the hospital. Dr. Portner has led several lectures for technicians and doctors in the hospital, as well as for members of our referral community. Most recently, he has become a member of the hospital’s Infection Control Comittee and was the lead team member during the control of a canine influenza outbreak in the central NJ region. Dr. Portner is currently working on a few publications for veterinary journals, one of which is expected to be published in 2010. In his spare time, he keeps busy by building furniture, playing indoor soccer, shooting archery, and going to the movies.
Paying it Forward
Yesterday Dr. Jennifer Kim experienced one of the most altruistic acts among her clients. A past client, who had a dog that succumbed to cancer, came in to say hello, but also to do what he called ‘pay it forward.’ During his dog’s treatments, an anonymous acquaintance had gifted a couple of treatments. He was so touched by this act, that he came back to do the same thing for someone else. He requested to pay for a treatment for another patient he had met while his dog was alive anonymously, and chance would have it, that dog was coming in later in the day. You can only imagine the smile and warm hearts we all had when the owner went to check out to find her bill was paid already.
So how can you pay it forward? Give to Vet-I-Care, it is a foundation that allows people with financial hardship to have their beloved companions treated. Donations can be given to the foundation as a whole, or to Erin’s Hope Fund for cancer patients. The owner who ‘payed it forward’, also made a donation to Vet-I-Care and will have a star on our wall in the lobby to honor his amazing dog.
Posted in Pets, Uncategorized
Leave a comment