All posts by petprofessionals

Horses

Interpreting pain using facial expressions

Detecting pain responses in our faithful companions as soon as possible is one of the most fundamental ways to ensure that illness is investigated and treated in a timely fashion.

However, detecting pain in animals, especially horses that are being ridden, can sometimes be quite complicated. Research has shown that there is a poor interpretation of pain and lameness in all people involved in horse training. This has the obvious issue that it delays treatment and means that treatable conditions are potentially only detected when treatment is either impossible or much harder.

To simplify identification of pain in horses, research has looked into a promising new direction: facial pain expressions. By looking at how animals react to pain, it may be possible to develop assessment protocols that everyone can use and interpret.

There are certain facial features that might indicate underlying pain such as ears pinned back, eyelids that are partially or completely closed, tension in the muscles above the eye, straining mouth and pronounced chin, strained nostrils and prominent chewing muscles.

Investigation into area has led to the creation of several pain assessment scales with the ultimate goal of making pain assessment as accessible and as accurate as possible, with exciting new developments on the horizon!

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Cats

Recognising osteoarthritis in cats: What difference does it make?

 

Loving owners want to see their cats happily purring all day long! Unfortunately, many cats struggle with pain and discomfort due to an illness that for a whole host of reasons is not easy to see.

Osteoarthritis is, to put it simply, a long-standing inflammation that affects the different components and tissues of a joint (usually the elbows, knees and hips). As time goes by, the joint becomes damaged by this ongoing process, causing persistent and long-lasting pain.

This process of deterioration, also known as degenerative joint disease, can begin due to joint abnormalities, trauma, and of course, long-term use, but in most cases, there isn’t a single cause or event we can point to as being the culprit. We know that it affects middle-aged to older cats and that this disease is severely underdiagnosed in our feline friends. There are two main reasons for this.

First of all, cats struggling with the condition will find ways to adapt and cope with their aches and pains, mastering the art of hiding any mobility issues. Arthritic cats may show some stiffness when trying to get out of their beds and in general reduce their levels of activity, spending more time resting or sleeping.

They also start avoiding movements that may be more painful like jumping. This will often result in sleeping in new locations, as well as changes in their toileting habits. Affected cats may avoid using the litter tray as they find it harder to get into the tray. This leads to house soiling and other abnormal toileting behaviours.

Cats with chronic joint pain show other significant changes like overgrown nails and a scruffy or matted coat, as it becomes harder to groom. Changes in character are also common such as being more distant, more vocal, and even becoming aggressive.

Now this is the time to mention the second reason why osteoarthritis often slips under the radar. All these changes (if they are noticed) are often seen as something to be expected from an older cat and not as manifestations of a condition that needs to be addressed.

There are many options to consider: weight loss to reduce unnecessary strain on affected joints, medication and acupuncture to help with pain relief, and physiotherapy.

Simple environmental changes such as enabling easy access to all important resources such as food, water, and providing low-sided litter trays can make a huge difference in the life of an arthritic cat. Ramps or steps can help reach higher levels, well-padded beds offer extra comfort and a helping hand with grooming will be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, osteoarthritis has no cure but there is plenty that can be done to improve quality of life, reduce the possibility of further joint damage, and most importantly, to bring much needed comfort to cats struggling to cope.

If you’re concerned that your cat may be affected by osteoarthritis, schedule an appointment with your vet to discuss treatment options!

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Cats

Cryptorchidism

Cryptorchidism is described as the failure of one or both testicles to descend to the scrotum. This descent usually happens in about 2 to 6 months as animals are born with testicles that reside in their abdomen and then slowly but surely descend to their final position.

As far as we know, what causes testicles to not descend correctly is most likely genetic but there isn’t much information available in cats. It’s much more frequent and most often talked about in dogs, especially because there are several dog breeds who have a higher incidence – for cats there is about a 1 to 1.7% incidence overall.

They can be palpated if they are retained in the inguinal canal but if they are still in the abdomen, advanced imaging like an ultrasound will be required to see if they are really there or if for some reason they failed to form at all.

This distinction is particularly important because, while a retained testicle by itself is not painful, these abdominal or inguinal testicles are at a much higher risk of cancer or of twisting the blood vessels, nerves and muscles that support them. Be on the lookout for acute abdominal pain in your cat, as this might indicate a torsion has happened and needs to be seen by a vet!

Cats that only have one retained testicle may still be fertile but as it is a genetic condition, it’s best to remove these cats from the breeding pool to lower the risk of other animals with retained testicles.

Do you suspect your purring partner may have cryptorchidism? Bring them over to your vet. They will be more than happy to do the necessary tests to confirm what is going on and recommend the best way to proceed!

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Dogs

Blood in a dog’s urine

Spotting blood in a dog’s pee is usually an alarming finding for pet owners. This is definitely a sign that should not be ignored but there are several conditions that can cause the appearance of blood in a dog’s urine. More than often the reason behind it can be treated.

The presence of an abnormally high number of red blood cells in your pet’s urine causing it to turn from a clear or yellow colour to a reddish-pink colour, is also called haematuria. In some cases, haematuria is not visible to the naked eye and may only be detected when your pet’s urine is examined through a microscope.

The list for the most common causes of haematuria is long but it typically includes urinary tract infections, the formation of urinary crystals and sometimes of bladders stones (urolithiasis), prostatic disease, trauma, and urinary tumours.

Bacterial urinary tract infections are common in our canine friends (particularly in females) and pooches struggling with recurrent bacterial infections have a higher chance of developing urinary stones or uroliths. These are literally rocks that are formed within our pet’s urinary tract. These uroliths can block a dog’s urethra, causing urinating difficulties, and if they become big enough, they can even be palpated through a dog’s abdomen.

Prostatic disease in males includes a wide range of issues such as inflammation (prostatitis), abscesses, cysts, and neoplasia (benign or malignant). All tumours located in the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra can cause the appearance of blood in urine.

It is very important to take your pet to the vet for a thorough investigation of the cause or causes of haematuria. It’s not uncommon for a dog to have more than one issue causing these clinical signs.

Although it may not be the most exciting aspect of our dogs’ lives (for us humans, at least), keeping an eye on our dogs’ urine is one of many ways to monitor their health. Any changes in frequency, quantity, colour, and detecting any kind of discomfort while urinating can be an indicator of a potential health issue.

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Uncategorized

Anaplasmosis in cats

The temperature is rising, the days are longer and the sun is actually around! Summer is one of the best times of the year for many of us but with all of these good things also come some particular dangers.

Ticks are parasites that consume our pets’ blood and in exchange, they drop nasty microorganisms in their bloodstream. A lovely deal!

There are many diseases that can be transmitted by ticks and one of them is called anaplamosis caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cats. This bacterium is from the Rickettsiales order which includes other important blood parasites like Ehrlichia and Rickettsia. It has a pretty vast geographic distribution because its tick vectors are found through a wide area and climate, so it’s definitely something that you can stumble upon.

After a tick bite, the bacteria are inoculated in the blood stream where they will infect white blood cells and replicate, killing the original cell and moving on to infect other cells.

Infected cats might present with non-specific signs like fever, anorexia, lethargy and dehydration and sometimes lameness, swollen joints, nose bleeding and abdominal pain have been reported. The course is generally mild and can be resolved quickly, especially with a little help from friendly antibiotics which is good news for our fuzzy buddies.

It’s important to keep in mind that prevention is the best way to make sure nothing bad happens so staying on top of flea and tick treatment is paramount! Talk to your vet about the best way to control these nasty bugs that best fits your pet and their lifestyle.

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Horses

Gastric ulcers

Ulcers! The medical term for an organ or body surface that had a chunk torn off of it due to a damaging influence.

In this case, gastric ulcers are when the surface of the horse’s stomach has been eroded and there have been damages to this organ. This, understandably, is quite a problem.

The equine stomach is essentially composed of two parts, a part that secrets several compounds including stomach acid called the glandular mucosa and a part that doesn’t produce any compounds called the squamous mucosa. In between the two there is also a border structure called the margo plicatus that is also not glandular.

Gastric ulcers happen as a part of a disease called Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome or EGUS for short. Despite being a very common occurrence, the reason for why the ulcers happen is still under study but we know it to be a complex interaction of situations in the horse.

Both foals and adult horses can have gastric ulcers, though they tend to present differently and affect different areas of the stomach. In foals, there is a tendency to primarily affect the glandular portion while adults suffer more damages in the non-glandular portion.

What to expect from adults affected with EGUS? Unfortunately, nothing too specific. You may see your horse not eating as much, poor body condition, loss of weight, mild or recurrent colic, loose faeces and poor performance.

There are several risk factors that were identified, like stress, transportation, high-energy feed and intense exercise. Sports horses are particularly at risk of ulcers, they have a chance of having them that is nearing 100% because of how they are exercised.

Do you feel your horse might be having issues with ulcers? Contact your vet and they will be more than happy to help you out to diagnose and then manage this condition.

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Cats

The sneezing cat

Have you noticed your feline companion is sneezing more than usual, and you’re a little worried? In that case, this post might help!

Just as it is with us, sneezing is a normal mechanism our pet’s body uses to clear any irritants from their nose. This means an occasional sneeze from time to time is quite normal, but if your pet is sneezing more than usual, maybe even showing some nasal discharge, cough, or any other symptoms, there might be something else going on.

Sneezing can have several different causes. The most common cause is without a doubt upper respiratory tract infections, particularly in younger cats. You have probably heard of this already as it is commonly known as ´cat flu`. These infections usually have viruses as a primary cause and the viral agents typically involved are the feline herpesvirus and calicivirus. Although it’s not as common, bacteria such as Bordetella bronchiseptica, Streptococcus canis, Mycoplasma spp., and Chlamydophila felis can also be directly responsible for these infections.

Upper respiratory infections tend to be more common in kittens, young cats and in free-roaming cats that frequently come in contact with other outdoor felines. These viral infections are easily-spread, as these agents can be passed on from cat to cat, through any objects in their environment, or even through their caregivers.

In many of these infections the clinical signs can resolve in about 2 to 3 weeks, even without treatment. However, some cats may be more severely affected and veterinary assistance is necessary. These cats may also present thick and purulent discharge from their nose, depression, fever and lack of appetite. Some are left with recurrent nasal discharge and eye disease.

Other possible causes of sneezing involve nasal obstruction, nasopharyngeal polyps, nasopharyngeal stenosis, inhaling foreign bodies, trauma, chronic rhinitis, neoplasia (typically in older animals) and even dental disease.

Cats have tiny noses, but in some cases the sneezing is due to an inhaled blade of grass or grass seed. This is more common during warmer weather, and in cats with outdoor access. It also worth pointing out that if a cat’s sneezing is also accompanied by cough, feline asthma might also be a possible cause.

The best way to protect your cat from upper respiratory tract infections is to keep your cat’s vaccination plan up-to-date, as this provides protection against herpes and calicivirus. The vaccine does not always prevent infection, but it will dramatically reduce the severity of its clinical signs.

If you are planning to bring a new cat into your household don’t forget to keep the new cat separated from the resident cats for 7 to 10 days, for quarantine purposes. It is also recommended to provide your cat with adequate dental care.

If you notice your cat is sneezing more than usual and possibly showing other clinical signs, or if you are at all concerned, take your pet to the vet.

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Cats, Dogs

Spinal walking

Did you know that paraplegic animals with irreversible spinal cord injuries, especially in the lumbar portion, can sometimes recover locomotion?

It might sound a bit impossible – If the communication between brain and the muscles in the legs is severed than how can our pet still walk? That’s where the sensational spinal cord comes in!

The brain and the spinal cord are two more or less separate entities that communicate with each other, and together they make up the central nervous system. The brain controls much more complex functions but the spinal cord has some aces up its sleeve, one of which allows for what is called ‘Spinal Walk’.

Spinal walk is a type of acquired involuntary motor function seen in animals with varying degrees of spinal cord injury, even sometimes in cases of complete injury! In essence, even though the brain is no longer sending any signals to the pelvic limbs, there are specialised structures in the spinal cord that can generate patterns and replicate a functional gait. We call this an involuntary motor function because the hind legs are not being controlled by the brain but instead there is a spinal cord reflex that allows for walking. This type of walking is a bit uncoordinated and jerky but animals are able to walk unaided for as long as they want, and can get themselves back up in case they fall down.

Will all animals with spinal cord injuries develop spinal walk? Unfortunately, which animals will develop the capacity for spinal walking is quite variable. It will depend, for instance, on the type of injury to the spinal cord and if there are other diseases that might affect nervous system structures.

A recent study in dogs that attempted to correlate physiotherapy with acquiring spinal walk has had promising results that show that perhaps physical therapy techniques may aid our lovely pooches to spinal walk. Other studies have attempted to better characterise spinal cord injuries and figure out what treatment best fits what type of injury.

Have questions about spinal cord injuries and treatment options? Give your vet a call, they will be more than happy to walk through the best options for your four-legged buddy!

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Cats

Sun’s out Cats out: The Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Beautiful sunny days are right around the corner! And nobody loves that better than our purring partners who will undoubtedly lounge on the best sunny spots for hours on end.

But, as with everything, the sun can also have its ill effects. Like people, cats are susceptible to sunburns and some forms of cancer come from chronic exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet light. Who is at the highest risk? Because fur protects from the sun’s rays, white cats, especially short haired cats and obviously, cats with very little to no fur are at the most risk.

Squamous cell carcinoma is a form of cancer that arises from the squamous epithelium. This cell type forms most of the skin, lines the oral cavity and also the oesophagus. When these cells are hit with UV rays, they might get damaged at a DNA level and start having errors when they multiply – this situation may lead to an uncontrolled proliferation of cells.

Most cases of this carcinoma are caused by chronic exposure to the sun, especially in areas with low fur density like the nose, ears and eyelids. Carcinomas that do not originate due to damages by UV radiation can happen anywhere, including inside the oral cavity and oesophagus. It’s a disease of older animals, showing up usually at around age 10 or 12.

This type of cancer is locally invasive and can do severe damage to facial and head structures if left untreated though it has very little chances of migrating to other areas of the body that are far away from the original site. It often starts as small scabs that do not seem to heal that will progress into larger lesions with ulcers and rearrangement of bone and other structures.

How the disease progresses can vary a lot and treatment will depend on the cancer stage, location and cause. Animals with smaller lesions that can be submitted to surgery tend to have the best outcomes.

A couple of things that can help avoid this nasty situation are:

  • High risk cats should avoid at high sunlight hours;
  • UV light blocks for the windows in cats that love to sunbathe;
  • Sun block, especially on ears. Make sure you keep an eye on your cat, so they don’t clean it off before it gets absorbed!

If you notice odd wounds on your cat, especially that seem to be getting worse or that don’t seem to heal at all, don’t hesitate to contact your vet!

The sooner this is treated, the better the chances your fuzzy friend has.

Image via: “White Beauty Visiting” by Pinti 1, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Horses

The Pituitary and You: Cushing’s Disease in Horses

Do you own an older horse? Then this post is definitely for you. Neurodegenerative diseases that can afflict elderly humans, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, are fairly well known and this has proved to be true for our faithful horses as well.

Cushing’s Disease is also called dysfunction of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland. It’s a much harder to remember name, but it’s very handy at describing what this pathology is actually about.

The pituitary gland is a small gland in the nervous system that sits in a small bone protrusion on the floor of the skull. It’s a very important gland as it works in tandem with the hypothalamus and produces an immense number of hormones that will affect organs and functions all over the body.

So, what does it do? A better question would be what doesn’t it do! It helps regulate growth, the metabolism of carbs, lipids and proteins, kidney function, the immune system, milk production, stress responses and even the reproductive system.

The pituitary gland has 4 different sections, each with cells involved in the production of different hormones. One of them, the pars intermedia (plainly put, the middle portion of it) is the portion involved in this disease.

Unfortunately, we are not sure why Cushing’s Disease happens in horses. Due to the destruction of the neurons responsible for producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter, the pituitary gland becomes unregulated and produces an excess of hormones in the pars intermedia. Why is there destruction of the dopaminergic inhibition system in the first place? We are not sure yet but we suspect oxidative stress may contribute to neuronal death.

How does all of this affect your horse? With the pituitary pumping out way more hormones than it needs, many organs downstream will be deregulated. You can find clinical signs like problems with shedding, hirsutism, atrophy of the muscles, laminitis, increased production of urine and water intake, sweating excessively, abnormal fat distribution, immunosuppression, changes in behaviour and infertility, among others.

Double unfortunately, the diagnosis is quite complex and it’s very easy to get inconclusive results. This is in part because it’s a progressive disease. Testing too early on will commonly end in false negatives, and because the pituitary has a fluctuating activity and is more active in the autumn, so testing during this period might net false positives.

Despite all of this, treatments do exist! Beyond addressing the issue in the pituitary, your buddy needs solid hoof and dental care, good nutritional management, tight parasite control and generally keeping a keen eye on any changes that might occur.

Think your horse might be suffering from Cushing’s Disease? Give your vet a call and they’ll help you figure out the best treatment plan for everyone.

Image via: “morganHead” by tintedglass, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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