Dr. Dan's Blog

Pancreatitis

Even though the holidays are past us I am still caring for sick dogs and cats due ingestion of human holiday food. The signs owners will observe are vomiting, lack of appetite, painful belly and possibly diarrhea. These set of signs are not definitive for pancreatitis but they are enough to warrant further investigating by your veterinarian.

Pancreatitis is a term used when the pancreas is inflamed. The pancreas an organ located near your pet’s stomach and portion of the small intestine referred to as the duodenum. One of the functions of the pancreas is to secrete enzyme into the small intestines to help digest food. In the normal pancreas digestive enzymes are stored in an inactive state so as not to digest itself.  In pancreatitis, the inactive enzymes become activated and start to digest the pancreas. When this happens the pancreas becomes inflamed causing release of more enzymes, which causes a cascade of detrimental effects.  Severe pancreatitis can lead to liver, kidney, lung and heart damage.

The primary cause of pancreatitis is not known definitively known, there are certain factors are that will predispose the pet to develop pancreatitis. 

Some risk factors are;

-       ingestion of a fatty meal or certain prescription drugs

-       obesity

-       Prior disease such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, hypertriglyceridemia

(fatty blood)

-       Breeds such as Yorkshire terriers, Schnauzers, Labrador Retrievers, and Minature Poodles seem to develop pancreatitis with higher prevalence

-       Parasitic infections such as flukes

-       Traumatic injury such as a dog or cat hit by a motor vehicle.

Steps you can take to help prevent your dog or cat from developing pancreatitis;

-       Do not feed fatty foods such as the fatty leftovers from meat. Do not chronically feed fatty foods.

-       Keep your dog or cat in good body condition (Do not yet your pet get fat!), exercise is important.

-       Keep your pet on a regular deworming regimen.

-       Diligently care for your pet’s condition’s

-       Take your pet to the veterinarian. Do not ignore the signs of vomiting and lack of appetite.

It is a very exciting time of the year filled with festivities, food, and decorations and traveling.  So no matter if you celebrate Chanukah, Christmas or Quanza new have to remember the safety of our pets during this holiday season. The following are some safety tips for your respective holidays.

Food

Many people are busily cooking all sorts of goodies in their kitchens and you forget that their furry loved ones are eagerly waiting for foods to fall or waiting their time to get into the garbage or countertop. Make sure you take the time to make sure your pet is safe by placing foods out of reach, picking up foods that fall and making sure the garbage is out of reach from your pets.

Chocolate is toxic to pets. Chocolate is given more frequently during this time as gifts or placed out on counters or tables so make sure your pets cannot get to these delicious treats.

Some people try to include their furry loved ones in the delicious feasts by feeding them same food they are eating. This acute change in their normal diet can cause vomiting, diarrhea or even more serious conditions like pancreatitis. So try to refrain from including your pets in your holiday meals.

Decorations

Electrical lights and cords are strewn about. Make sure they are hidden or out of reach to prevent chewing on these items, which can cause electrical burns or shock.  More candles are being lit also and these can be knocked over by our pets causing fires, use the candles with caution and always blow them out before leaving the house or going to bed.

Ornaments appear to be favorite of dogs especially the shiny glass balls. It is a good idea to keep them higher on the trees so they cannot reach them along with other ornaments. Ribbons and tinsel is a favorite of cats our dogs may partake in these also. This can cause an obstruction in gastrointestinal tract referred to as linear foreign body. Your pet will need surgery to remove this material.

A lot of dogs and cats for that matter love to chew on houseplants. During the holidays poinsettias and mistletoe along with other plants decorate our homes this season. While poinsettias are not as toxic as once thought they along with other plants should be kept out of reach due to the vomiting and diarrhea it can cause in our pets. In large amounts more serious conditions involving the liver and kidneys can happen.

Traveling

If you are traveling with your pet either by automobile or plane you may want to have your pet assessed before travel to make sure he or she is healthy for travel. This is more important for plane travel and may be required by the airline. Make sure you contact either the country embassy (international travel) or airline for specific requirements for pet travel.

Welcome to the Murray Hill Pet Hospital Blog. Blogging is new for us so bare with us as we are getting used to our new system.

Our first topic is talks about cat nutrition.  We all know we are what we eat and that is the same for feline friends. It appears a lot of my clients that have cats believe that dry food is healthier than canned food for cats.  A common statement is “ I thought it was good for their teeth”!

Dry food is not healthier for cats nor is it that much better for their teeth. Dry food is just cheaper and easier for owners to feed.

Dry food feeding can possibly lead to obesity, allergies, gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea) and urinary tract disease (inflammation, crystals and stones). There are differences in quality of food for cats so there are some that are better than others, but overall I would still choose canned over dry food for cats.

Cats are meat eaters!  When we think of cats eating in the wild we do not think of them eating a bowl of pasta! We think of them catching mice or other vermint. Most adult maintenance formulations have carbohydrates levels that are too high. This leads to obesity and possible diabetes. There are dry foods out there that have increased there protein content and lowered the carbohydrate level and if you plan to keep your cat on dry I would choose a high protein, low carbohydrate diet over a regular formulation.

Canned cat foods are moisture rich over dry foods. Cats do not consume enough water to compensate entirely for the dry food. Due to this deficiency in water along with their ability to produce very concentrated urine can lead some cats to have urinary issues. Issues such as kidney stones, bladder stones and urine crystals are definitely seen more commonly in cats on dry foods. 

Topics such as Commercial vs. Homemade diets vs. Raw diets will be covered in future.

Below is a handout that I give clients;

Food Recommendations for Felines

Current research has shown that feeding canned food to cats is healthier than feeding dry food.

Brands of food: There are many good food brands to choose. I would recommend that you start with a food that contains a poultry protein such as chicken or turkey and that it is a “no grain” formulation. The “no-grain” label should be on the can. Although fish protein seems to be a favorite of a lot of cats, many cats can develop allergies to fish and grain. Below is a short list of foods I recommend. By no means is this a complete list of all foods that would be good for your cat.

Natures Variety

Natural Balance

Evo

Innovo

Weruva

Merrick

Wellness

If you are changing to a new food I recommend you perform a slow transition from the old food to new food. A sudden change can cause your cat to vomit or have diarrhea.

If your cat will not eat canned food there are a few recommendations I can make.

1. Try different textures of canned food. Some cats like  “pate”, some like chunks.
2. Try feeding a tablespoon size amount at a time, heating up helps too. Do not make it too hot.
3. You can also try placing some of the dry food on top of canned and slowly use less over a few days.