DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Q Can a small dog wear a stifle brace for a tear in the cranial cruciate ligament as an alternative to surgery? My 12-year-old terrier, Gracie, tore that ligament in her right hind leg.
Elisabeth Henn,
Indianapolis, Indiana

Q My dog keeps falling over and also keeps turning her head to the left. Her veterinarian says she needs MRI, but the cost is $1,400 plus a few hundred dollars for anesthesia to keep her still during the procedure. Couldnt he check inside her head with an x-ray, or even a CT scan, which would be much less expensive?
Bonnie Lynde
Jupiter, Florida

Charts that tell you how to check to see if your dog is the right weight or too fat (or thin) always say that you should be able to feel, or palpate, your pets ribs. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association, for instance, says that on a scale of 1 to 9, an ideal number of 4 to 5 means the ribs are palpable with minimal or slight fat covering. …

As effective as brushing. Designed to help clean like bristles on a toothbrush. Chewy, porous texture helps clean hard-to-reach-teeth. Scientifically tested to reduce tartar buildup. So go just a few of the claims on various treats and other products that imply you dont have to brush your dogs teeth to keep them healthy. …

If a toothbrush designed for use with dogs is whats best for cleaning your pets teeth, what of all the other items said to help maintain your dogs oral health, sometimes sold with the implication that if you use them, you can dispense with the brushing? Are they effective? Then, too, are they always safe?

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.