feemandvm

The canine teeth are BIG teeth and the extractions are invassive and can have complications. Extractions for lower canine teeth should only be performed if no other treatment options exist. The root of the tooth (the part below the gum) is actually larger than the crown of the tooth (the part you can see). The strength of the mandible (lower jaw bone) is signficantly effected by the extraction of a lower canine tooth and runs a higher risk of fracture. The upper canine tooth is in the maxilla (upper jaw bone) and extraction does not put the maxilla at risk of fracture but proper extraction entails a reasonablely large incision, folding the gum back, drilling away bone, elevating the tooth out and then suturing. Extraction is more invassive, more difficult and more painful for upper or lower. The Greyhound I rescued last summer had 10 teeth in her mouth but 0 healthy teeth. I pulled 8 of them (including her 2 upper canine teeth which were too diseased to save by root canal) but ended up taking her to a dental specialist to get her bottom canine teeth saved as they ended up being shaved down and received root canals. I've extracted lower canines before and never had a problem but I really try to only do it as a last resort.

The amount of Xylitol in teh veterinary products that I have seen (Aquadent, etc.) is VERY low and will not cause any problems unless massively overdose. Aquadent is a water additive and you add a teaspoon or two to the drinking water once a day. A Greyhound would have to drink almost an entire bottle for any harmful effects... and even then might now show any. Remember even water is toxic at high enough doses! : ) http://www.dhmo.org/ This in no way detracts from the OP. The Xylitol dosing in human chewing gum has and can kill dogs... so it is a big deal... but it is dose dependent.

Can you post her results? BUN/Creat/Albumin/UPC ratio?

If you buy Heartgard plus from your vet... you should be able to get reimbursed for the hookworm treatment. I would talk to your vet about deworming on a more frequent basis. My own Greyhound had hookworms despite monthly HW prevention so I currently have her on Heartgard plus every 4 weeks and Stongid every 4 weeks but I stager the two medications by two weeks. the heartgard plus contains Strongid (Pyrantel Pamoate) so in essence she is getting dewormed every 2 weeks with this protocol. You could also alternate w/ Heartgard and Panacur for awhile.

If it is an incisor... have it pulled. If it is a canine tooth... do the root canal!

ALP is a non-liver specific liver enzyme that can elevate for 100s of reasons... some of which can be normal age changes. : ( It can be indicative of disease in some cases also. If the urine is dilute on recheck... you might want to read about Cushings disease and see if symptoms match. If not... I'd just recheck in a few weeks before going overboard with diagnostics (assuming other liver enzymes were normal such as ALT, etc.).

As others have said... if the heart and lungs sound good and the bloodwork si good... by all means do the dental. Is anesthesia a 0% risk? No. But there is a 100% risk of discomfort and infection without the dental/extractions. If a Greyhound group is telling owners NOT ot pursue treatment based on age... then they need to stop making recommendations or get educated!!!! Bad teeth are painful and are a risk for sepsis amongst other things. I'd be curious to hear if they have a bad tooth when they are 80 if they'll be OK with "just leaving it" because they are too old to have it fixed. I'm willing to bet that they wouldn't accept that answer!!! Please don't take my comments as criticizing you... I'm just frustrated that a rescue group would make such an ignorant statement.

Her teeth are certainly not stunning but they are not horrendous either. Since she's been with us (2+ years) I've been obsessed about brushing, cleanings, regular dentals etc. I asked about a dental now and the vet agrees that she doesn't really need it and given her advanced age, it is a very high risk with not much benefit, since her teeth are ok. She only has 8 teeth Most were extracted when she came home to us and the remaining molars came out six months after. I just got off the phone with the vet and the blood results and additional urinalysis are in.... She is in early to moderate kidney failure with kidney values up and dilute urine. She does have a secondary infection, which we started antibiotics for yesterday. We'll be adjusting her diet to a low phosporous diet, which I need to research and become educated. Dr. Dave has retracted his initial thought of high blood pressure, so that is good news! More good news is that her RBC is good and shows no indication of anemia, which, I guess is an indicator of end stage failure. We will retest all values in two weeks... I think Mama could use a prayer or two. Did they run a urine protein creatinine ratio?

We can strengthen animal cruelty laws and change the standards of care for livestock without changing the legal status of animals! Because of the "risks" noted previously... I truly believe that making this legal change in status will be a disaster. BUT we can make laws stronger to punish puppy mills so that the "risk" will outweigh the financial benefits. We can make the quality of life for livestock better by changing laws improving the minimum standards required for housing them. Let's make changes to improve animals lives. Those proposing the legal change from owners to guardians are arguing b/c they think this change will do that. I would argue that we can make those improvements without the risks of that legal classification.

Those are normal Greyhound levels unless you have overwhelming evidence of hypothyroidism.

If the anxiety is severe... the best combo of drugs as Diane mentioned are Clomicalm (or prozac) daily through storm season and then Xanax as needed just prior to storms. You can use products like DAP or the storm defender cape with the medications as well. You can try other things like playing thunderstorm CDs when it is nice out to desensitize them but a lot of dogs don't react to taht as there isn't a drop in pressure like during a real storm.

The 30+ protein wouldn't be concerning if the urine was very concentrated but this sample isn't. You really need to run a urine protein:creatinine ratio to see if the protein is significant. Protein losing nepropathy is not uncommon in Greyhounds and bloodwork can be normal or may only show a decrease in albumin. A diluted urine sample MAY indicate kidney disease or it may simply show that she had a big drink... no easy way to tell that based on one urine sample. A single concentrated sample shows the kidneys work though. Elevated BPs are also commonly seen with this type of kidney disease. http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1352

Actually I am really not missing the point. In theory I agree that animals are "more than property". The problem is that the legal ramifications of that ruling are going to make the quality of life WORSE for a lot of animals. If an office call to a veterinary office becomes comparable to a human office call $100+ just to walk in the door and now surgeries are comparable to what we pay in the human world... the number of times owners will "wait things out" or not seek care will increase exponentially. Already in practice I see a LOT of owners who opt not to pursue diagnostics due to cost. How much worse will it get if prices increase two to three fold? If a person owns a dog with cancer... that pet could be forced to be surrendered if the owner could not afford to pursue surgery. Although the dog may receive treatment... is it really in the best interest of the dog to rehome it this late in life especially if he was in a home where he was well loved? There is also a risk that euthanasia may be outlawed completely. You cannot legally euthanize a human... depending on how far laws go in giving animals rights... the option of euthanasia may go away completely. My point is this... do I agree in theory with seeing animals as "more than property". ABSOLUTELY. The problem I see is that while this idea is wonderful in theory... when you watch how it plays out I think pets in general will lose out on this deal. Posts like the one above are exactly why I started this thread. I think there are a LOT of deep undercurrents behind these laws that people haven't thought through.

Remember... we are not talking about "in theory" here... but true legal guidelines. All of the previously mentioned risks: 1. Significantly increased veterinary costs 2. Possible legal ramifications if a treatable problem is not treated 3. Possible loss of a pet if an owner cannot afford a recommended treatment 4. Possible loss of right of euthanasia If you support a bill that wants to change animals legal classifications... these are real risks that go along with that. The issue seems obvious on face value... an animal should be more legally than a piece of property... but in addressing what seems to be something obvious... you have to dig deeper to see that it really may make things a LOT worse!!!

What your vet told you is true. If your dog gets heartworm disease, the drug companies will not stand by teh product you purchased if you bought it on-line. The issue is wiht appropriate storage and shipping that may affect effectiveness of the product. Some less reputable companies have also bought drugs not approved by teh FDA and sold them as if they were. Best case scenario is ask your vet if you can price match. Then you get on-line prices but get the safety of buying at your vet. If they won't price match then you have to decide on your own the best course. Plenty of posters here buy online and don't seem to have a problem but we did have an owner in our practice that purchased HW prevention online and her dog turned up positive a year later. I tell all my friends/relatives/etc. not to buy online. Novartis Animal Health Files Suit Against PetMed Express GREENSBORO, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2002--Citing numerous violations, including trademark infringement and false advertising, Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against PetMed Express Inc., Drs. Fosters & Smith, Inc., and Savemax, Inc., online retailers of pet-care products. The suit challenges those retailers' unlawful sale of foreign versions of pet medicines sold under the SENTINEL®(lufenuron/milbemycin oxime) FLAVOR TABS®and INTERCEPTOR®(milbemycin oxime) FLAVOR TABS®brands. "We felt compelled to take legal action in order to protect the integrity of our products," said Jim Guidone, CEO of Novartis Animal Health US. "The unlawful actions of PetMed Express, Savemax, and Drs. Fosters & Smith undermine the expertise and authority of veterinarians. They are also likely to confuse our customers and may cause them to give their pets incorrect doses of these important medicines," Guidone pointed out. According to the complaint, which was filed on March 19, 2002 with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Novartis Animal Health US alleges that PetMed Express and the other defendants are illegally selling pet medications in the United States that were made specifically for the Australian and other foreign markets. These foreign medicines are not approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sale in the United States. In fact they are materially different from Novartis Animal Health US products in a number of ways, including in the formulation of the products and in their instructions for use. The sale of these foreign medicines in the United States is an express violation of United States drug laws. Novartis Animal Health US, which dispenses its products only where there is a valid veterinarian-client relationship, believes that pet owners are confusing the foreign medications sold by PetMed Express and the other defendants with the FDA-approved products sold by Novartis Animal Health US and its authorized distributors in the United States. Furthermore, although the products have similar packaging, the foreign medicines do not indicate that they must be prescribed by a veterinarian, do not have valid poison control numbers, and lack information on how consumers can contact Novartis Animal Health US with questions. They are also missing many of the statements required by FDA rules and regulations for pet medicines sold in the United States. "We believe that this lawsuit against PetMed Express is in the best interest of both veterinarians and pet owners across America, as well as the companion animals we strive to protect," Guidone stressed. "We are looking forward to a swift and fair resolution to this matter," he added. Novartis Animal Health US produces and sells leading brands of pet medicines in the United States. These products, including INTERCEPTOR® (milbemycin oxime) FLAVOR TABS® and SENTINEL® (milbemycin oxime - lufenuron) FLAVOR TABS®, are approved by the FDA and can only be purchased by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. EPA FINES PETMED EXPRESS, INC., INTERNET PET SUPPLY COMPANY, $100,000 FOR SELLING ALLEGEDLY MISBRANDED PET PRODUCTS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (source: EPA notification) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the settlement of an administrative enforcement action against Petmed Express, Inc., Pompano Beach, Florida for allegedly selling misbranded foreign-labeled versions of the popular flea-control products, Advantage and Frontline. EPA contended that such activities constituted violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). While not admitting the alleged violations, Petmed Express, Inc., formerly known as petmedexpress.com, agreed to pay a penalty of $100,000 and to properly dispose of mislabeled products placed under a stop sale order by the EPA…. -0- January 23, 2002 PRESS CONTACT: Wesley Lambert, EPA Media Relations, 404-562-8316 Florida Board of Pharmacy disciplines PetMed Express, Savemax Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association June 1, 2002 On April 16, the Florida Department of Health's Board of Pharmacy reached an agreement with PetMed Express Inc. whereby the company accepted penalties but did not admit guilt…The company was also charged with selling drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration….For some Florida Board of Pharmacy members, the April 16 proceedings had a déjà vu quality. The board disciplined PetMed Express in 1999 for distributing drugs to clients who did not have prescriptions for them. The company was also charged with various advertising violations as well as with failing to keep a complete and accurate record of controlled substances, to maintain a daily hard copy of dispensed prescriptions, and to label prescriptions appropriately… In 1999, the company and its pharmacist settled 56 cases out of court. The penalties included paying investigative costs and a $32,500 fine, attending a continuing education course on pharmacy law, undergoing two years of semiannual inspections, and submitting quarterly pharmacy reports for 30 months. …On April 16, the Board of Pharmacy formally charged PetMed Express with 36 cases involving 80 counts, including 33 counts of making deceptive, misleading, untrue, or fraudulent representations or employing a trick or scheme in, or related to, the practice of a profession. Thirty counts involved selling or dispensing drugs without a proper prescription….But these were just the cases that the board had time to formally charge the company with—the agency has, in fact, received over a hundred complaints. "I have been on the board for five years and I have never seen this many cases [brought against one company]," Stamitoles said. Through the Florida stipulation, PetMed Express Inc. agreed to three years of probation, random pharmacy inspections, and community service in the form of providing free pharmaceutical services to the public. The company also agreed to dismantle the alternate veterinarian program and pay a fine and investigative costs. (See PetMed Express Inc.: The Verdict). Similar cases that occurred prior to the final ruling will be dismissed….An original clause that allowed PetMed Express to file for early termination of probation after one year was shot down. "A one-year probation for a hundred and something cases ... it's unacceptable," Stamitoles balked…. In addition to PetMed Express, the Florida Department of Health's Board of Pharmacy reached an agreement with Savemax Inc., which also accepted penalties but did not admit guilt. At the time of the hearing, Savemax was located at the same address as PetMed Express and was charged with violating a Florida law that dictates that a pharmacy permit be issued only to a single entity at a single location. Savemax was also charged with dispensing prescriptions that were not signed by a veterinarian who had examined an animal and with not maintaining certain required records…. Bayer wins legal actions against sales policy violators Bayer HealthCare LLC's Animal Health Division recently won two battles against unauthorized sellers of its Advantage (imidacloprid) topical solution. Bayer filed two lawsuits after learning that Nagrom Inc. and Lemos Feed & Pet Supply Inc., wholesalers of pet supplies, were advertising and selling foreign-diverted Advantage directly to pet owners in the United States. Because Bayer sells Advantage exclusively through authorized and licensed veterinarians, it argued that the sale by Nagrom and Lemos Feed & Pet Supply violated its sales policy. The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas has barred Nagrom from selling foreign-diverted Advantage products. The court held that there were considerable differences between Advantage products sold by Negrom and those sold through veterinarians. Those sold by Negrom lack U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registration, fail to comply with federal and state labeling laws, and lack the quality control measures that Bayer provides for its U.S. products. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered an order permanently restraining Lemos Feed & Pet Supply from purchasing, selling, or distributing foreign-diverted Advantage. If the company violates the order, it will be fined $100,000. "These wins are another step in the ongoing fight to stop the illegal sale and distribution of Advantage," said Jeff Gaidos, vice president of marketing, North America, Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal Health Division. "We will continue to take appropriate legal action against those who violate our sales policy, because we are committed to protecting veterinarians, pet owners, and pets." In addition to legal action, Bayer has created industry programs such as Partner with the Profession to address product diversion and sales. This program uses inventory management, tracking, and distribution capabilities to help ensure that products are sold exclusively by veterinarians, not by third parties. Besides foreign-diverted Advantage, Bayer has also taken a leadership role in protecting the industry and consumers by working closely with the EPA and the AVMA to stop the distribution and sale of counterfeit Advantage. More than a year ago, Bayer initiated a meeting with the EPA, which conducted an investigation in collaboration with Bayer, and resulted in EPA's decision to order retailers and distributors in a number of states to stop selling counterfeit products that falsely contained EPA registration numbers and labeling.

The comparison to the couch was made in that if a person destroys your couch you are entitled to sue for the monetary value of the couch. If someone kills your dog, you are only able to sue for the monetary value of the dog. So if someone killed my lab/beagle mix that I got from the pound I could sue for $35? The emotional value of a dog is much greater than that of a couch but legally it doesn't matter. That to me just seems inherently wrong. However, for the reasons that I discussed above, I think trying to change that is going to open Pandora's box!

And here are some actual values that you can compare... (from the same site noted above). Keep in mind that the values listed on teh site above are not "universal Greyhound normal levels". Different labs can vary significantly amongst various blood levels. Look at hte trends noted in the site referenced. For example, a Greyhound creatinine concentration can be slightly higher than the reference range listed by your lab and be normal. Now you can interpret a creatinine run at any lab. The reference range listed above would falsely diagnose a lot of dogs at Ohio State with kidney disease if we tried to apply to blood results that they get at their lab. The sites values are not "wrong"... they are just only relevant to their lab. Learn the trends... don't memorize the values!!!

Keep this in mind when you consider ER vet charges. How much more would you have to be paid to do the job you are currently doing from 10pm-6am instead of standard hours? It is hard to have much of a social life when your schedule is the exact opposite of normal hours. Also consider that the ER hospital is fully staffed and there is no way to know how many ERs may or may not walk through the door. Most ERs have fully trained and registered veterinary technicians and not veterinary assistants handling cases which adds to expense. They also will generally have access to state of the art in house bloodwork machines, ultrasounds, blood gas machines, oxygen cages, etc. The ERs in our area have more diagnostic equipment than any general practice in the area. While every case may not need them, they need to have them for those that do. One other thing since someone had emailed me this question earlier: Why do a lot of regular vets refer emergencies and not see them themselves? The answer to that one is simple... ER clinics simply provide better care after hours. If you have a dog with bloat at 2am... do you really want that dog to be seen by a vet that is tired after a full days work and managed 2 hours of sleep before you called. Some vets will have 1 tech on call and others may have none. That means that in a major surgery, if there is a tech on call, an owner may be forced to "run anesthesia" on a pet as both the vet and tech will need to be scrubbed in for surgery. I've known cases where owners have actually had to scrub in for surgery on ER cases... not exactly a "best case scenario". Furthermore, imagine that you have your pup in for a spay on Friday. The vet was up most of the night Thursday night with an emergency and got about 1.5 hours of sleep. He comes in to work exhausted but knowing that he has a full day ahead. Do you think that the vet is likely to reschedule his surgeries and appointments? Not likely. While there may not be any problems there is no question that the chance of a mistake is going to be much greater for that vet with little sleep than had he referred the emergency in the first place, gotten better care for the pet and then not been exhausted for all his patients the following day. Again... not really the topic of the thread but simply answering a question I was emailed.

A TPLO or TTA takes a VERY different approach to ACL repair. They try to change the anatomy of the joint that resulted in the torn ACL in the first place. As far as benefits of TPLO/TTA over traditional repair... in my experience there seems to be less arthritis down the road (at least in bigger dogs). In addressing TPLO vs. TTA... that will be the specialists preference and I would go with whichever technique teh specialist recommended. here is some info. on ACL injury you might find useful: http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1975

This is something which is actually a VERY serious topic in many states right now. When you superficially read the above comment... the answer emotionally would be no. My dog means a lot more to me than my couch!!! The fact that the legally they are only seen as property with no intrinsic emotional value seems unfair... however, keep the following in mind when it comes to legislation looking to change this: If animals are seen as more than property and this is going to open up a BIG can of worms. Malpractice insurance fees will increase dramatically (as they are very high on teh human side) and this will force veterinarians to raise their fees to cover their bottom lines. So the cost of health care in general will increase. Furthermore, parents are required by law to take care of their children's health to a certain degree. If a child has pneumonia and dies at home w/o medical care, the parent would likely be charged with a crime. Could this same scenario now be extended to pet owners? If an owner brings a pet in after it has been doing poorly at home for an extended period would a vet now be required to legally report these owners as neglectful? if an owner cannot afford a recommended treatment could they be forced to surrender a beloved pet? This is something which I believe is currently up for debate in Vermont and possibly in other states. As I've said it makes me sick to think that a dog (or any other pet) is seen as no more valuable than a couch in the eyes of the law but the can of worms that changing that designation would make is something that I would be very worried about.

Have you ever had to go to a human ER? Owners complain about a $100+ ER exam fee and I can understand why as that is a lot of money but if a human ER charged me only $100+ I would do a jig I would be so happy. Bloodwork on the human side costs 2-3x or more what most vets charge even though the cost to the human hospitals is no more. Results are also very rarely returned immediately. Some labs will run both human and animal samples and return both within 24 hours for most routine tests. I've never gotten results back on my own personal bloodwork from my doctor within 24 hours. I've also never been called by my doctor with results. When I was in veterinary school... I broke a small chip off of the last bone in a finger playing flag football. Because I was concerned about loss of mobility in the joint and if that would affect my ability to do surgery, I had it repaired. The final cost for OUTPATIENT surgery on my finger? It was a little over $10,000 by the time we paid for the anesthesiologist, surgeon, hospital bed, etc. THANK GOODNESS my student health insurance was good or I never could have gotten it repaired. In my 6 years of private practice... I have never had a bill of $10,000 for a procedure or even for an extended hospitalization. Another point... our hospital has an ultrasound that is honestly nicer than some of the units used at the Cleveland clinic. A routine ultrasound costs around $200 at our clinic... a full abominal ultrasound on the human side would likely be significantly more than that. Finally, I really cannot believe that anyone would really get into veterinary medicine "for the money". Anyone smart enough to get into veterinary school is also smart enough to know that there is much more money to be made in any of the other professional schools (human medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, etc.) and generally they are less competitive to get into. I have a friend that is a podiatrist that made more in his first year of practice than I made my first 4 combined. I don't begrudge him what he makes... but when I hear that vets are "overpaid" it makes me smile. Of course I've also heard the comments that physicians/podiatrists/etc. deserve more money because they are "real" doctors because they work on humans.

Looks like an epulis. Some of these can be tough to remove if they invade into bone but not all of them do. The ones that do are also typically firm on palpation.

Some Greys will not respond to pain medication no matter what combination you use... the pain can just be that severe. With that in mind you will need to use a combinatino of the following: 1. NSAID: Rimadyl/Deramaxx/Previcox/etc. Pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Unless your dog has a direct reason NOT to take an NSAID this should be drug #1. Avoid true steroids like prednisone as they are weaker pain relievers and have a much higher incidence of side effects. 2. Tramadol: a opioid like pain reliever. Dose is dependent on the size of the dog but for most Greyhounds I'd start at 100mg 2x/day and increase up to 150mg 4x/day. If the above are not working you can consider the following: 3. Gabapentin 4. Amantadine 5. Acupuncture 6. Pamidronate (may slow the bone destruction of osteosarcoma) 7. Artemisinin (may slow the spread or growth of the cancer but will do nothing for pain) Realize that all of these meds are palliative only and a decision will need to be made sometime soon.

Remember... if the leg wasn't "painful" then they would use it. It isn't like the pain of osteosarcoma which is constant but if when he goes to put any weight on that leg and the joint slides... that hurts!!! Becareful not to postpone surgery too far as the longer you wait the more muscle atrophy will take place and the more arthritis will set in. As for the best repair type... it is debatable as to which is the 'best' procedure. Most specialists believe that the newer techniques are superior while most GPs that do the old technique thinks it works just as well. Having seen dogs with both repairs done, if my dog were to tear an ACL... I would get the newer technique done personally (TTA or TPLO). Was a full thyroid panel performed or only a T4? I would agree with regulating the hypothyroidism if possible prior to surgery as it can affect healing.

You cannot diagnose hypothyroidism in a Greyhound based only on a T4. Plenty of studies have shown NORMAL Greyhounds can have levels low enough that they challenge the accuracy of the test. IF kidney function was borderline... I would be more worried about if the thyroid supplement was truly necessary as excessive amounts of thyroid hormone could be hard on the kidneys.