DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Despite its ominous sounding name, congestive heart failure (CHF) doesnt necessarily mean a dog cant live out his life fetching, foraging and frolicking. With advances in medicine, dogs with heart failure enjoy longer, healthier lives than once thought possible.

[From Tufts March 2010 Issue]

A new high-performance CT scanner at Cummings School delivers three-dimensional images and enables veterinarians, among other advantages, to see soft-tissue structures, such as tumors, that would be less visible with older technology. The $500,000-scanner can create images in half the time the schools previous scanner required.

In addition, equipment as seemingly basic as a new video monitor and overhead light at the school are helping veterinarians pursue cutting-edge procedures, such as treating dogs with collapsing tracheas without invasive surgery. The ongoing trend toward technology?provides more tools to improve diagnoses and treatments and, in some cases, offer cures.

State-of-the-art equipment

[From Tufts March 2010 Issue]

My 6-year-old Australian Shepherd, Candy, who was born deaf, was recently diagnosed with uveitis. She is on steroid and atropine drops and pain medication. Can you please discuss the outcome for treatment?
Susan Hudachek
Pittsburgh, PA

Veterinarians have discovered that a technique used to make human skin look more youthful can cure difficult cases of canine incontinence-at least temporarily. A collagen injection into the urethral lining has been found to have a success rate of more than 90 percent for 18 months. The bovine collagen used in veterinary medicine-the same used in people-increases pressure and tightens the urethra, the tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine. This fibrous protein also encourages the growth of new blood vessels. The injections are safe, though costly at about $1,000, and may need to be repeated when they lose effectiveness.

[From Tufts April 2011 Issue]

Although hormonal deficits are the largest cause of canine urinary incontinence, several other conditions have symptoms that can include urinary leakage. Among them are:

Urinary tract infections. Cystitis, bladder stones and other problems in the urinary tract can cause a housetrained dog to begin leaking urine. Other symptoms are blood in the urine, straining to urinate and the passage of very little urine. A urine sample confirms the diagnosis of infection. Treatment consists of a short course of antibiotics. X-rays or ultrasound are needed to diagnose stones. Treatment for stones ranges from dietary changes to surgery, depending on the type, location and size of the stones.

[From Tufts April 2010 Issue]

With the approach of warm weather, many owners resign themselves to their dogs intense itching and scratching. Even small skin abrasions can lead to a condition called pyotraumatic dermatitis, popularly known as hot spots. The often painful skin condition is a symptom of an underlying problem.

There are a lot of different triggers for hot spots, but the most common are flea bites, allergies or local humidity changes in the fur, says veterinary dermatologist and Your Dog advisory board member Lowell Ackerman, DVM. Mites, cuts, insect bites, stings or saliva accumulation as a result of chewing can all trigger an inflammatory reaction and cause a hot spot to develop.

[From Tufts April 2010 Issue]

My dog, a 10-year-old shepherd-husky mix, went for her routine checkup today, and I mentioned that she has been licking her bottom quite a bit. The vet said her right anal gland was blocked and expressed it. Molly growled and lunged, which she did once five months earlier on a visit.

The vet felt two hard masses while expressing the gland. She said they are tumors, and their location is not amenable to surgery. As we spoke, I realized the signs Id been seeing all along added up-increased thirst and urination, flattened ribbon-like feces, occasional difficulty defecating, the continual licking of her bottom, smelly breath.

Unlike people, dogs rarely develop painful gallstones. Instead, theyre more likely to fall victim to a blockage known as gallbladder mucocele, seen most often in dogs at the average age of 9. Cocker spaniels and Shetland sheepdogs in particular seem to be predisposed, but any dog can develop the disease. Neither sex appears to be disproportionately affected. Gallbladder mucocele is a relatively new condition recognized only in the past 20 years. We see maybe 10 to 20 cases a year, says John Berg, DVM.

Gallbladder disease is much more common in people than in dogs. The reason: Humans have a very high incidence of gallstones, whereas dogs do not, says Mary Labato, DVM, a specialist in internal medicine at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

However, a wide variety of diseases other than gallstones can affect dogs. In addition to gallbladder mucoceles, these include:

[From Tufts November 2010 Issue]

We recently got a 9-year-old border terrier from a breeder. She is a great little dog - affectionate and well trained. She had a seizure last week that made her very stiff and shaking. It lasted about three to four minutes.

After it passed, she was herself again and suffered no ill effects that I could see. We took her to the vet, and he said he heard about this - it is called canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome - but he did not know very much about it. The breeder told me that our dog had a seizure about five years ago.

I am very concerned because we do not know how to handle this. Is it dangerous and life threatening? Can anything be done about it? If you have any information or suggestions, it would be most appreciated.

My 8-year-old Norwegian elkhound has a sebaceous cyst problem. I have anywhere from 6 to 12 removed every year. I know the breed is known for this problem. Is there anything I can do or give her that will help prevent or reduce these cysts?

[From Tufts August 2011 Issue]

My black male standard poodle is 2 years old. Since September he has had clusters of seizures, from two to five of them within a 24-hour period about every three weeks. Hestarted taking 98.2 milligrams of phenobarbitol twice a day,and 200 milligrams of zonisamide were added twice a day by our vet because symptoms were worsening.