When brachycephalic breeds have difficulty breathing, cosmetic surgery is therapeutic, and owners should not worry about the change in the dog’s appearance, but instead focus on the improved health aspects of the procedure, writes veterinarian John De Jong. Born with long soft palates and pushed-in nares, brachycephalic breeds often suffer from respiratory problems; surgery to shorten the soft palate and increase the diameter of the nares can improve their quality of life.

This is common with bulldogs and all short-faced breeds including pugs, boxers, Pekingese, Lhasa apsos and Shih Tzus. These brachycephalic (short-faced) dogs have been designed with these pushed-in faces and short muzzles. The two most common congenital defects are collapsed nostrils (stenotic nares) and elongated soft palates in which the roof of the mouth is too long and catches on the epiglottis. The second condition may also cause occasional gagging noises.

Both conditions are surgically repairable. For the nose, a section of cartilage is removed. In the soft palate, a wedge of tissue is removed from the back of the mouth. While one is cosmetically visible, both relieve the dog of difficulty breathing and stop the snoring as well. In veterinary medicine we do perform some procedures that are cosmetic, but in this case your dog may be well-relieved by the ability to breathe more easily.

Don’t worry about the way he looks but rather about how he breathes. If necessary, go ahead with the surgery. You can always seek a second opinion in person as well.

John de Jong, D.V.M., is the owner/operator of Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and CEO/director at Boston Animal Hospital.

CLICK HERE TO READ 2021 UPDATE ON DIAMOND PET FOODS 

Diamond Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Recall to One Production Run of Dry Dog Food

By Carrie Harrington
Marin Humane Society

As the number of Americans who are overweight has grown, studies show that the same statistics apply to our companion animals. About half of all dogs and cats in American homes are overweight or obese, up slightly from 2010, according to a recent study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

And although owners may think their pudgy dog or cat is cute, all that extra weight spells trouble the some 85 million U.S. pets who are considered overweight.

And many pet owners are finding that the extra pounds on a pudgy cat or dog can lead to severe secondary health problems. Just as diabetes, joint problems, and heart disease are more common in people who are obese, these diseases also are more common in overweight animals. The average cost of veterinary care for a diabetic dog or cat in 2011 was more than $900, according one pet insurance company. Treatment for arthritis and cruciate ligament tears in dogs, which can be caused by the strain of an overweight frame that weakens joints, cost pet owners an average of $2,000.

Last week, an interesting article the cost of pet obesity was published in the Wellness section of the New York Times. To read the complete article, entitled “Paying the Price of a Fat Pet,” click this link.

From Dr. Mark Peterson’s Animal Endocrine Clinic Blog

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 06:36 AM PDT

From Dr. Mark Peterson on the Animal Endocrine Clinic Blog
Question:
Gracie, our 8-year old, spayed female DSH has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, based on the finding of a high serum T4 value (12.4 μg/dl; reference range, 1-4.7 μg/dl). We only did her blood work in anticipation of a dental cleaning, and are shocked by this news. 

Gracie has no symptoms whatsoever of this disorder. She eats and drinks a normal amount; her diet has been mostly high quality, grain-free dry food (she never liked or ate canned until very recently, also grain-free).  She has shown slight weight loss, but only because she was overweight and we were controlling her intake — trying to get her to loose weight.  Her behavior and attitude are positive; no change from before. Her coat, skin, and eyes all fine. Hydration is fine. Digestion and bowels fine (no vomiting, no diarrhea). Just some bad breath (hence the dental). 

Our vet feels nothing upon palpation of her thyroid. If anything, she may have a slightly high heart rate (212 beats per minute taken at vet’s…possibly nerves), but her blood pressure was fine (averaged 128/77 out of 5 readings).

We had the T4 test run a second time at a different lab and it came back high again at 11.2 μg/dl.

My question to you is this….in your years of experience with hyperthyroidism, has there ever been an occasion when the T4 values have receded on their own, without medication or irradiation? I ask this because Gracie is so young and has no symptoms. 

I would not want to irradiate her thyroid if there is any possibility of this being a “passing phase” in her life. However, I am quite aware of the dangers and complications of hyperthyroidism, and do not want to play around with her health. With everything else so “normal,” I would be willing to wait a month or two and recheck her if you think there’s any hope in doing so. Are you aware of any current research indicating that T4 numbers can fluctuate in a young cat? More than any other factor, it is her young age that makes me question whether these T4 readings are permanent. 

My Response:
No, I’ve never seen a hyperthyroid cat go into remission. Cats with hyperthyroidism all have one or more benign thyroid nodules, generally benign tumors or adenomas (see Figure below). These thyroid tumors will not go away spontaneously once they have formed (1-4). The only way to cure this disease is by use of radioiodine (I-131) to irradiate the adenomatous thyroid nodule(s), or by use of surgery to remove the abnormal thyroid gland (1-6).

It’s sounds like you think that a cat of 8-year’s of age is too young to develop hyperthyroidism. But we do occasionally see cats as young as 6 years of age, and very rarely, even as young as a year or two (1-4,7).That all said, I’m bothered that your veterinarian is not able to palpate an enlarged thyroid tumor with a T4 value that is clearly quite high. You might want to have another veterinarian palpate Gracie’s neck to see if they can identify one or more thyroid nodules. If they cannot and the serum T4 remains high, it would be very useful to do thyroid scintigraphy (ie, a thyroid scan) to document the presence or absence of a thyroid tumor. Thyroid scintigraphy is the most sensitive diagnostic test we have to confirm the presence of hyperthyroidism in cats (8-10), and we use this procedure routinely in my practice.

You certainly could monitor the T4 value again in a month or two, especially since Gracie is stable. But it certainly does sound like she has hyperthyroidism and will need to be treated at some time in the near future.

An alumni of the recovery center showed up outside when Karen and Ceilidh were leaving. He flipped out when he saw Ceilidh – it was a reuniting, she was loving him up and he was crying, telling her that she “was such an important part of his recovery and being able to stay drug free”.  He was grinning ear to ear and introduced her to everyone around him, truly joyous.

Who can resist those big puppy-dog eyes, floppy ears and fluffy tail? In a new study to be released by the ASPCA, “physical appearance” is the top reason given for picking a particular puppy at an animal shelter.

With cats, it’s a different story: “Behavior with people” was what convinced most adopters to choose a particular adult cat.

The research, conducted by the animal-advocacy organization from January through May of 2011, involved five shelters across the country. About 1,500 adopters filled out questionnaires explaining how they knew the cat or dog was “the one.”

By understanding why people choose the pets they do, the ASPCA hopes to increase adoption rates and ensure adopters go home with a perfect match. It’s particularly useful for shelter workers to know that appearance is often a deciding factor. They can then counsel adopters about behavior and other traits that might be overlooked.

“As an animal behaviorist, it was interesting to get inside the human animal’s head,” says Emily Weiss, vice president of shelter research and development with the ASPCA.

The study supported findings from previous research showing that animals that approach the front of the cage when a visitor nears have a much greater chance of being placed in a new home. In the new study, many of the adopters who were asked, “What did this pet do when you first met him/her?” specified a social interaction, such as an approach, a meow, a lick or even jumping on the visitor.

“That interaction is important for the human animal—not just entertainment, but in choosing their next friend,” Dr. Weiss says.

—Beth DeCarbo

Reasons Given for Picking a Pet

Note: Respondents were able to pick multiple reasons.

A version of this article appeared April 18, 2012, on page D3 in some U.S. editions of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: BIG CHOICES | Selecting a Pet.

While ligament tears can cause serious setbacks in an athlete’s career, a similar injury can mean surgery and rehabilitation for your frisky kitty or romping Rover.

According to Dr. Sharon Kerwin, professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears or cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries, as they are referred to in animals, occur almost as often as they do in humans.

“Cats and dogs have the same ligaments that we have in our knees,” says Kerwin. “The cruciate ligament stabilizes your femur and your tibia so you don’t get too much motion between those two bones.”

CCL tears in cats often occur the same way ACL tears occur in humans. Often, there is some traumatic injury that occurs as a result of jumping from high places, playing or getting the animal’s leg caught in something.

“It takes a fair bit of force to rupture a cruciate ligament, and it tends to occur more often in overweight cats,” says Kerwin.

However, in dogs, this injury is often the result of a chronic degeneration of the ligament and occurs much more frequently than it does in cats.

“In dogs, we think the injury may be related to weight and body structure, meaning that some large breeds such as Rottweilers, Labradors and Chow Chows, may be predisposed to CCL injuries,” said Kerwin. “In some cases, we think it’s either the shape of their tibia or the shape of their femur that predisposes them to this injury.”

A ruptured ligament is usually characterized by limping or inactivity. In cats, they will not want to play the way they used to, and dogs will often appear lame and sit awkwardly with their leg sticking out, signaling a possible knee problem.

Kerwin says if your pet shows signs of an injured leg, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian who will conduct a lameness exam in order to diagnose the problem.

The injury is often treated in cats with medical management by placing overweight cats on a strict diet with exercise restriction for three to six weeks, followed by a check-up measuring progress. If the injury fails to heal, surgery is often recommended to explore and stabilize the joint.

But when dogs are afflicted with CCL injuries, many times the best option is surgery as quickly as possible.

“Dogs often don’t do well with medical management, the injury will often worsen over time as the arthritis in the knee builds,” explains Kerwin.

Dogs often require 8-12 weeks of recovery including strict rest and rehabilitation

Once your pet has undergone the recommended period of exercise restriction, it is important to encourage it to exercise its leg with slow leash walks or through playtime activities.

“The biggest way to prevent CCL tears is to keep your pet at a proper weight,” Kerwin says.

It is very easy for animals to gain weight, especially if they spend most of their time indoors, because they do not get the same level of exercise. Your veterinarian can advise you on the proper weight for your dog or cat.

—
Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University.