What is Retinal Detachment?

The retina is the light-sensitive tissue that lines the inner surface of the eye. When it becomes detached from the tissue supporting it, a very serious situation exists. It is extremely important to get your pet to the veterinarian immediately if you suspect they are having vision problems.

There are several factors that can cause this disorder.

Some of the most common factors include:

• Injuries to the face or eye

• Diabetes

• Tumors

• Infections

• Kidney disease

• High blood pressure (especially in cats)

• Hyperthyroidism (in cats)

• Sickle-cell anemia

• Poisoning

• Cataracts or cataract surgery

• Genetics

• Poor blood clotting

Symptoms

The most serious symptom of a retinal detachment is reduced vision or, in some instances, blindness. The severity of your pet’s ability to see is directly related to the seriousness of how detached her retina is, or if it impacts both eyes. Other symptoms include dilated pupils (when the eye shows no response to changes in light), discoloration of the white of the eye, or leaking of the eye and clumsiness due to your pet’s inability to see well.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will perform a complete history and physical examination, including a thorough ophthalmic examination. They may also refer you to a veterinary ophthalmologist for additional evaluation. In addition to providing a thorough examination of your pet, your veterinarian may recommend tests to identify the underlying cause.

These tests may include:

• Chemistry tests to evaluate kidney, liver, and pancreatic function, as well as sugar levels

• A complete blood count to screen for infection, inflammation, anemia, and other blood-related conditions

• Electrolyte tests to ensure your pet isn’t suffering from an electrolyte imbalance

• Screening tests to rule out infectious disease

• Cultures, PCR testing, and other specialized tests, which can identify if specific parasites or diseases could be the cause

• X-rays of the chest and abdomen to look for abnormalities

• A fecal test to rule out fecal parasites

• A thyroid test to determine if the thyroid gland is producing too little (in dogs) or too much (in cats) thyroid hormone.

• Blood pressure measurement

Treatment

It is important to begin treatment as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the eye or permanent blindness. Treatment can include medications and/or surgery. It will depend on the underlying cause of the detachment, the severity of the condition, and your pet’s overall health.

Prevention

While you may not be able to prevent retinal detachment, by being a diligent pet owner and carefully checking your furry friend regularly for anything out of place, you will help catch problems in their earliest stages!

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian – they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

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Related: We have more information under our dog health and cat health tags.

Lyme Disease? A Pet Owner's Guide

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) is an illness that affects both animals and humans (zoonotic disease) and is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Transmitted through tick bites, the disease can be difficult to detect and can cause serious and recurring health problems. Therefore, it is best to prevent infection by taking appropriate measures to prevent tick bites and, for dogs, possibly vaccinating against the disease.

The bacterium that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) is carried and transmitted primarily by the tiny black-legged tick known as the deer tick. Deer ticks are found in forests or grassy, wooded, marshy areas near rivers, lakes or oceans. People or animals may be bitten by deer ticks during outdoor activities such as hiking or camping, or even while spending time in their back yards.

Named after numerous cases were identified in Lyme, Conn., in 1975, the disease has since been reported in humans and animals across the United States and around the world. Within the U.S., it appears primarily in specific areas including the southern New England states; eastern Mid-Atlantic states; the upper Midwest, particularly Wisconsin and Minnesota; and on the West Coast, particularly northern California. The CDC maintains a map detailing confirmed cases of Lyme disease throughout the years.

How to prevent Lyme disease

The best way to protect your pets from Lyme disease is to take preventive measures to reduce the chance of contracting the disease. Even during the last weeks of summer, it's important to remember that pets and people are at greater risk of being infected with Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

People with pets should:

• Use reliable tick-preventive products. Speak with your veterinarian about what tick preventive product is right for your pet.

• Work with your veterinarian to decide whether to vaccinate your dog against Lyme disease. Your veterinarian’s advice may depend on where you live, your pet's lifestyle and overall health, and other factors.

• When possible, avoid areas where ticks might be found. These include tall grasses, marshes, and wooded areas.

• Check for ticks on both yourself and your animals once indoors.

• Clear shrubbery/bushes next to homes.

• Keep lawns well maintained.

As noted above, there are preventive Lyme disease vaccines available for dogs, but they aren't necessarily recommended for every dog. Consult your veterinarian to see if the vaccination makes sense for your pets. If your veterinarian does recommend that your dog be vaccinated against Lyme disease, the typical protocol will involve an initial vaccination followed by a booster 2-4 weeks later and annual boosters after that.

Symptoms and treatment of Lyme disease in pets

Pets infected with Lyme disease may not show any signs for 2-5 months. After that time, typical symptoms include:

• Fever

• Loss of appetite

• Lameness

• Joint swelling

• Decreased activity

Recurrent lameness also is possible, and the involved extremity may be tender. Inflammation of the joint can last from days to weeks and may migrate from one extremity to another.

Horses with Lyme disease can develop lameness, joint pain, neurologic disease, eye problems, and dermatitis.

Symptomatically, Lyme disease can be difficult to distinguish from anaplasmosis because the signs of the diseases are very similar, and they occur in essentially the same areas of the country. Lyme disease is diagnosed through a blood test that shows whether an animal has been exposed to the bacterium.

Antibiotics usually provide effective treatment for Lyme disease. However, it’s important to follow your veterinarian’s advice regarding follow-up care after your pet has been diagnosed with and treated for Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is not communicable from one animal to another, except through tick bites. However, if you have more than one pet and one is diagnosed with Lyme disease, your veterinarian might recommend testing for any other pets who may have been exposed to ticks at the same time. In fact, because people and their pets often can be found together outdoors as well as indoors, a Lyme disease diagnosis in any family member – whether human or non-human – should serve as a flag that all family members might consult their physicians and veterinarians, who can advise about further evaluation or testing.

For more information about Lyme disease in people, The American Academy of Pediatrics has more information.

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What are the medical causes of a smelly dog?

Dogs may smell due to underlying skin oils that accumulate in their fur, typically these oils need to be washed every few months (depending on how fast the oil accumulates, how much your dog swims, how long the hair is, etc.). If you find yourself noticing a smell more frequently, note that there may be an underlying medical cause for the stink including:

• Otitis

• Dental disease

• Allergies

• Metabolic disease causing ulcers in the mouth

• Poisons causing ulcers in the mouth

• Cancer

• Excessive seborrhea

Otitis

Ear infections can be due to yeast or bacteria, and often may be due to the breed confirmation of the ear (e.g., long floppy ears like Cocker Spaniels), or due to underlying food allergies or atopy (e.g., hay fever). If your dog has chronic ear infections, check with your veterinarian for an underlying cause.

Dental Disease

If you’re not brushing your dog’s teeth at least once a week, please do. That’s because tartar can harden into rock hard plaque, resulting in inflammation to the gums and secondary infection. This can cause severe halitosis (i.e., bad breath), among other serious issues.

Allergies

As previously mentioned, certain types of allergies (like food allergies or inhaled allergies) can result in itching, excessive grooming, and secondary skin infections which can cause a foul, yeasty smell of your dog’s skin.

Metabolic Disease

Underlying metabolic problems like kidney failure or rarely, liver failure, can result in ulcers developing in the mouth. This can cause drooling, not eating, and severe halitosis. Also, certain endocrine diseases like diabetes mellitus can result in complications when untreated leading to fat breakdown (diabetes ketoacidosis) and an unusual sweet “acetone” smell to your pet’s breath.

Poisons and Burns

Certain poisons such as corrosive or caustic substances, or biting into an electrical cord - can cause severe burns or ulcers of the mouth. This can also cause drooling, not eating and severe halitosis.

Cancer

Cancer anywhere in the body can become infected and ulcerated, resulting in a necrotic smell. This can occur in the mouth, in the ears, in the skin or anywhere. When in doubt, if you notice any lumps or bumps, seek immediate veterinary attention!

Excessive Seborrhea

Certain breeds such as miniature Schnauzers are more predisposed to excessively oily skin, resulting in a unique smell and greasy feel when touched. This can be treated with certain shampoos and topical medications.

When in doubt, if you notice that your dog is starting to smell, start with a bath. But if it’s persistent, talk to your veterinarian about this unusual – potentially medical – stink!

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Planning for Your Pet's Preventive Care Exam

Spring is a bustling time or veterinarians. In small animal medicine, kittens start arriving. Dogs, too, even though they don’t have a seasonal aspect to their reproductive cycles. Spring is a popular time for people to want to add a puppy to the family.

With the weather warming up, preventive medicine gets a boost in the spring, too. Pet owners begin thinking more about heartworms, fleas, ticks, and parasites— which, of course, are often year-round risks.

What is my veterinarian trying to assess during an appointment?

First things first of a wellness visit is a health evaluation. This typically includes a thorough history including your pet’s breed, age, lifestyle, behavior, and diet, then a comprehensive physical exam, including a measuring of thins such as weight, temperature, pulse, and respiration rates. All of the information gathered will be used to further assess whether your pet may be ill.

Assuming your pet receives a clean bill of health at their wellness exam, the appointment is focused more on preventive care: what can be done to prevent your pet from actually getting ill, divided into categories:

• Diagnostics (Heartworm testing, FELV/FIV testing, fecal examinations, etc)

• Parasite control (heartworms, external parasites, and intestinal parasites)

• Vaccinations

• Identification (microchipping, rabies tags)

• Reproductive counseling (spay/neuter)

• Dental Hygiene

• A plan for a follow-up or next routine visit

Your veterinarian will determine the appropriate approach for your pet in each of these categories based on the information gathered in the initial wellness exam, and go over their recommendations with you. This is also a good time to bring up any questions or concerns you have.

How often should I take my pet to the vet?

Adult pets should see their veterinarian at least annually to go over preventive care needs. Puppies and kittens require more frequent visits, usually every few weeks until they are several months old. If your pet hasn’t seen their veterinarian in awhile, consider spring to be your launch into taking the step of scheduling an appointment with your veterinarian today.

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What is the Canine Distemper Virus?

Distemper is one of the most serious diseases your dog can get. It is also one of the most preventable. Here are the facts, symptoms, treatment options, and prevention methods that every dog owner needs to know about distemper.

What Is Canine Distemper?

Canine distemper should sound familiar to you if your dog is up-to-date on his vaccinations. Veterinarians consider the distemper vaccine to be a core vaccination, along with the parvovirus and rabies vaccines.

The disease is highly contagious and potentially lethal. A paramyxovirus causes distemper in dogs, and it is closely related to the measles and rinderpest viruses. It causes severe illness in the host by attacking multiple body systems, resulting in a widespread infection that is difficult to treat.

How Is Canine Distemper Spread?

There are three ways dogs can get canine distemper:

1. Through direct contact with an infected animal or object

2. Through airborne exposure

3. Through the placenta

Canine distemper is spread through direct contact or airborne exposure, rather like the common cold in humans. When an infected dog or wild animal coughs, sneezes, or barks, he releases aerosol droplets into the environment, infecting nearby animals and surfaces, like food and water bowls.

The good news is that the virus does not last long in the environment and can be destroyed by most disinfectants. The bad news is that distemper-infected dogs can shed the virus for up to several months, putting dogs around them at risk.

Dogs are not the only animals that can get distemper. Wild animals like raccoons, foxes, wolves, coyotes, skunks, ferrets, and mink can also get the distemper virus. This means that an outbreak of distemper in the local wildlife population can put dogs at risk for catching the disease even if they do not come into contact with other dogs.

Female dogs can also spread the virus through the placenta to their puppies, which is one of the reasons why it is important to fully vaccinate any dog you plan to breed.

What Are the Symptoms of Canine Distemper?

Distemper dogs experience a wide range of symptoms depending on how advanced the disease is in their bodies. Once a dog becomes infected, the virus initially replicates in the lymphatic tissue of the respiratory tract before moving on to infect the rest of the dog’s lymphatic tissue, the respiratory tract, the GI tract, the urogenital epithelium, the central nervous system, and optic nerves. This results in two stages of symptoms.

Stage One

The first symptom of distemper in dogs is usually watery to pus-like discharge from his eyes, followed by fever, loss of appetite, and clear nasal discharge. Most dogs develop a fever approximately 3-to-6 days after being infected, but the initial symptoms depend on the severity of the case and how the patient reacts to it. In general, the symptoms associated with distemper in dogs during the first stages of infection are:

• Fever

• Clear nasal discharge

• Purulent eye discharge

• Lethargy

• Anorexia

• Coughing

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Pustular dermatitis (rarely)

• Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord

If a dog infected with distemper survives the acute stage of the illness, he may also develop hyperkeratosis of the paw pads and nose, which gives distemper the nickname “hard pad disease.” This distemper symptom causes the pads of a dog’s feet to harden and enlarge and is uncomfortable.

One of the other risks associated with distemper in dogs is a secondary bacterial infection that attacks when a dog’s immune system is compromised by the distemper virus. Secondary bacterial infections can cause respiratory and GI symptoms, including:

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Difficulty breathing

• Change in respiratory rate

• Pneumonia

Stage Two

Some dogs develop neurological signs as the disease progresses and attacks the central nervous system. These signs are particularly disturbing for owners.

• Head tilt

• Circling

• Partial or full paralysis

• Seizures

• Nystagmus (repetitive eye movements)

• Muscle twitching

• Convulsions with increased salivation and chewing motions

• Death

Distemper in dogs presents with some or all of these symptoms, depending on the severity of the case. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), “distemper is often fatal, and dogs that survive usually have permanent, irreparable nervous system damage.”

Is my dog at risk for Distemper?

Distemper is a risk to all dogs, but unvaccinated dogs and puppies under four months old are particularly susceptible to canine distemper. If your puppy shows any symptoms of distemper, call your vet immediately.

How to Treat Canine Distemper

There is no cure for canine distemper. Veterinarians diagnose distemper through a combination of clinical signs and diagnostic tests, or through a postmortem necropsy. Once diagnosed, care is purely supportive. Veterinarians treat the diarrhea, vomiting, and neurological symptoms, prevent dehydration, and try to prevent secondary infections. Most vets recommend that dogs be hospitalized and separated from other dogs to prevent the spread of infection.

The survival rate and length of infection depend on the strain of the virus and on the strength of the dog’s immune system. Some cases resolve as quickly as 10 days. Other cases may exhibit neurological symptoms for weeks and even months afterward.

Preventing Canine Distemper

Canine distemper is entirely preventable. There are several things you can do to prevent distemper in dogs:

• Make sure your puppy gets the full series of distemper vaccinations

• Keep distemper vaccinations up-to-date throughout your dog’s life and avoid any gaps in vaccinations

• Keep your dog away from infected animals and wildlife

• Vaccinate pet ferrets for distemper

• Be careful socializing your puppy or unvaccinated dog, especially in areas where dogs congregate, like dog parks, classes, and doggy day care

By following these steps, you can keep your dog safe from distemper. If you have more questions about distemper in dogs, talk to your veterinarian, and call your vet immediately if you suspect your dog might be showing symptoms of distemper.

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