Heartworm Disease is alive and well in Colorado! Not good news!

“Kirby” a young Great Pyrenees didn’t know just how lucky he was when he was adopted by our wonderful client, Jack.  Jack found this pup through the Great Pyrenees Rescue, and it was love at first sight.

Kirby had been seen for regular wellness visits like clockwork.  The day I first met this handsome boy, he was 2 years of age.  He had come in for a routine physical exam and basic blood work.  The bad news came the next day when the heartworm test was POSITIVE.  Another test confirmed the positive result.  Kirby’s disease could have gone undetected had Jack not fallen in love with this dog when he did.

Many folks will hear that we don’t have heartworm disease in Colorado. This couldn’t be further from the truth.  We don’t see as much as many other states, thankfully.  But, we see it.  In fact, Care Animal Hospital has seen 7 positive heartworm cases within the last 2 years!!! 

Disaster situations such as Hurricane Katrina and the tornado in Joplin, Missouri result in the displacement of family and shelter pets.  Shelters become overcrowded on a good day.  Disasters make the shelters even more congested.  Where do these dogs go?  Colorado is known to have some of the best pet owners in the country.  We are also known to have a high adoption rate of shelter animals.  It stands to reason that many of these animals come in to our shelter system.  They bring with them heartworm disease and other parasites in many cases.

WHAT IS HEARTWORM DISEASE?

Heartworm disease is the infection of the parasite, Dirofilaria immitis.    When a mosquito bites an infected dog, it picks up the microfilarial (pre-larvae) stage of D.immitis from the dog’s bloodstream.  These microfilariae transition through three larval stages while inside the mosquito.  The third larval stage is the “infective” stage. 

Now the infected mosquito bites  another dog.  The third-stage larvae are deposited next to the site where the mosquito’s mouth parts puncture the dog’s skin.  Within 3-12 days, the larvae can be found within various tissues of the dog.  In this time, they also molt from third-stage to fourth-stage larvae.  They continue their travels in the dog’s tissues until days 50-70 when they take up residence in the vessels around the lungs.  By now, they have molted to the final stage and are full-fledged worms.  By day 70, these worms are nearly 1.5 inches long.

The worms migrate to the lungs.  They are forced into small arteries with increasing blood pressure.  The worms grow larger and eventually find their way into the right side of the dog’s heart.    Ultimately, this can lead to interference with heart valves and blood flow.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HEARTWORM DISEASE?

The following summary is from the American Heartworm Society.

HOW IS HEARTWORM DISEASE TREATED?

Treatment is a sequence of events that is often spread out to deal with the organism’s ever-changing life stages occurring within the dog.  Several weeks to months of medication to kill the third- and fourth-stage larvae are often implemented to prevent these juvenile organisms from maturing to adult worms.    Chest radiographs are essential to try to classify the severity of disease (Class I, 2, 3, or 4) and to determine the extent of injury to the heart, lungs, and blood vessels.

The use of the antibiotic, Doxycycline, may be used to attempt to sterilize the female worms within the dog.  While this will not kill the worms, it may reduce their likelihood of reproducing. 

Lastly, the dog will receive a total of 3 staged injections over 2 months to kill adult worms.  This final drug is Immiticide, also known as Melarsomine.   Unfortunately, there is currently a large backorder of this medication in the United States making heartworm treatment much more challenging.

Immiticide is given with a long needle, deep in the muscles in the lower back.  The injection can be quite painful.  After the first injection and close observation for side effects, the dog will go home with strict instructions to be kept very quiet for another month.  The dog is generally kept in a crate or closed off area the entire time.  He does not receive any exercise.  He is on a leash to urinate and defecate, and then returned to his crate.  The dog often receives sedative to help quiet him down during this timeframe.

The goal is to not allow the dog to get excited which causes the heart rate to increase.  As the heart rate increases, so do the odds for a severe reaction as dead worm carcasses are carried in the blood stream and can block a pertinent vessel or heart valve.  This would result in an embolism which can immediately kill the dog.  Second, as the worms are dying, chemicals are released from their decomposing bodies that may result in a severe reaction, including anaphylaxis.  This, too, can be life-threatening.

After one month, the dog returns and receives 2 more injections given 24 hours apart.  The dog will go through at least another month of sedation and no activity.

The dog does not have another heartworm test for 7-9 months after the final treatment.   Some cases require a second treatment which is costly, dangerous, and hard for both the pet and owners.

Severe cases may require more aggressive means of removing the worms.  Manual worm extractions can be done in specialty practices with a device that travels directly to the dogs heart and removes worms through the jugular vein and right heart. 

HOW CAN I PREVENT HEARTWORM DISEASE?

You can reduce the likelihood of an infection by giving a recommended heartworm preventative on time each month for the life of the dog.  We recommend Merial’s Heartgard Plus™ .  This product is used in early diagnoses to kill off the young larvae before they can mature into worms.   Heartgard Plus™ also contains an added ingredient to protect against a variety of intestinal worms too.

Test your dog yearly.  The increasing number of positive cases we have seen warrants annual testing.  The most diligent owner cannot always know if their dog receives his medication then goes outside and vomits.  You would never know that this dose was missed.  Testing yearly is worth every penny and gives us all peace of mind.

The American Heartworm Society’s website is a wealth of information!

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/

The bottom line…

Heartworm disease is deadly.

Heartworm disease treatment is painful.

Heartworm disease is expensive.

Treatment can be life-threatening.

HEARTWORM DISEASE IS PREVENTABLE!

What happened to Kirby, the Great Pyrenees?

 He just had his first follow-up blood test, and he was HEARTWORM NEGATIVE!!!!  This is Kirby with his owner, Jack!

Broken lower canine tooth brings large problem to a small dog

Meet Spumoni, an eleven year old spayed female Shitzu owned by Zack and Kim D.  They adopted her as an adult so her prior life is a bit of a mystery.  She had a dental cleaning on August 9^th and the technician performing the cleaning noticed a broken lower left canine tooth. 

As you can see on the x-ray, the top of the tooth has separated from the bottom of the tooth. You will also notice that there is very little bone below the root of the tooth.  Since the root of the tooth makes up so much of the jaw, there is a chance that when this tooth is removed, the jaw will break.  If the broken root is left, then there is a strong possibility that the broken tooth will transmit bacteria to the end of the root and infection will break the jaw.

The owners and Dr. Garnett talked about all options (including a root canal of that tooth) and it was decided to extract the tooth.  Luckily, as you will see, the tooth came out completely and the jaw remained intact. 

Spumoni trotted out of the hospital that night on antibiotics and pain relievers, joining her favorite people that cared so much about her that they helped her with this serious problem.

Visitation Cat Brings Joy to People in Pain

(Bull pictured with Flower at Jennifer's home)

Bull was adopted from the Care for Strays program at Care Animal Hospital many years ago.  He was 2 ½ and had been a stray living in an Arvada neighborhood.  A lovely neighborhood lady brought him into CAH when someone threatened to shoot him.  Although he had made himself comfortable at CAH, a long-time client just couldn't pass him up and took him home. 

Bull is now 7 ½ years old and a therapy cat.  He walks on a leash and has been visiting patients at Manor Care nursing home in Denver for more than 4 years now.  He is usually accompanied by one or more dogs who also visit the residents in conjunction with a therapy program run by MaxFund.

When Bull finds a resident who loves cats, he settles down right next to them on the bed.  Patients don't want to let him go.  They'll pet him for up to 20 minutes, while chatting about their own animals at home, usually cats of course.  Many of the patients are in rehab, and there for only a few weeks or months.  So they really miss their cats waiting for them at home.

When Bull was ill last year, and being taken care of by Dr. Garnett and Dr. Clark, he wasn't able to visit the nursing home for several months.  The number of people asking where he was, how he was doing, and when he was coming back, was amazing.  And, of course, once he was able to return to visiting patients early this year, he was literally welcomed with open arms by everyone from the receptionist to the nurses on the floors.  They all know Bull.

by Jennifer O., Bull's owner

Team Dog Tire-d raised $10,000 to help those fighting multiple sclerosis

    

     On June 26th, Team Dog Tire-d mounted up and rode from Westminster to Ft. Collins with 9 of the 12 members of the team able to ride (son Chris had too much on his plate to train, but supported the team at the end of day 2 with a vehicle and hugs from grandson, Jason  His funds  raised  still went to the team, so his impact fighting MS carried on). 

     The first day was under cloud cover for about 3 hours, which made the ride ideal.  Going north was definitely the easier of the two directions, so the entire team arrived at the finish line by 2:00 p.m, where son, Christopher, and grandson, Jason, met us and our team re-united.   Day two, we started our climb out of Ft. Collins at 6:00 a.m. to try and beat the heat, and scaled the hills of Horsetooth when it was still pretty cool.  The day, though, heated up and as we rode the numerous hills returning to Westminster.  The temperature rose to 94 degrees, and the firemen  that turned on their hose to help  cool  us down were my vote for the best incentive to keep on riding we received.  They had changed the route a bit from last year with more hills but less traffic, a fair trade. 

     This year, there were many more people riding who had multiple sclerosis – which in itself was a testament to the increased success of drug treatments for some people afflicted.  One man I followed was wearing a sign that said he was riding “For his fantastic wife, Heidi” who had MS.  Every day, 200 people in the United States are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and their lives from then on are changed.  You have just helped 11,000 Colorado and Wyoming residents living with the disease, and our $10,000 raised by the team could be used for 100 bathroom safety grab bars, 20 air conditioning window units, or two months of post doctoral fellowship training for a future MS researcher or physician.  Congratulations on making a big difference in so many people’s lives. 

Thanks for your generosity in helping our team and all those with MS whose lives will improve.

Girls Gone Miles - Avon Breast Cancer Walk Completed!!

Girls Gone Miles did indeed cover some miles this past weekend. Joyce Clark, Mandy Molliconi, Diane Jurgens, Emilie Ward, and Geri Athearn spent 2 days and each walked up to 39 miles in the Rocky Mountains to support the Avon Foundation for Breast Cancer. With support from so many generous people like our friends, family, and clients, our team raised over $10,000 to support a cause that has personally touched each of our lives. We walked along side over 800 walkers and together we all raised over $1.9 Million -- much of which was distributed immediately at the Closing Ceremony to breast cancer organizations throughout Colorado to support the remarkable work they do in the fight against breast cancer. We have already started talking about next year!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping Girls Gone Miles be part of such an amazing journey and helping so many people get the support and help they need at the most critical time in their lives!!

Sick Puppies Test Positive for Giardia

Meet two darling dachshund puppies, Pinball and Rambo, owned by Susan and Daniel Donaldson.  These brother and sister puppies were purchased from a breeder and checked out well at their first exam.  Within days, Rambo became very lethargic and had diarrhea, and Pinball got significant diarrhea but wasn't as depressed.  They came in to Care Animal Hospital and were seen by Dr. Tracie Grubb.  She did two different tests on the feces and the samples tested positive for giardia. 

So - what exactly is Giardia?     Giardia is sometimes confused with "worms" because they invade the gastrointestinal tract and can cause diarrhea.  Giardia is a one-celled parasitic species classified as a protozoa.

How do dogs get Giardia?     A dog becomes infected with Giardia when it swallows the cyst stage of the parasite.  Once inside the dog's intestine, the cyst goes through several stages of maturation.  Eventually, the dog passes infective cysts in the stool.  These cysts lie in the environment and can infect other dogs.  Giardia may also be transmitted through drinking infected water.  Most streams and lakes in Colorado are infected with Giardia. 

How did we diagnose Giardia in these puppies?     At Care Animal Hospital we perform two different tests on fresh stool to try and identify giardial cysts.  One is called a fecal centrifugation test, where the feces are spun in a specially designed centrifuge machine using a specific kind of liquid to help separate the cysts.  The coverslip sitting on the centrifuge tube is placed on a slide and the sample scanned under the microscope looking for cysts.

Recently we obtained another type of test known as an ELISA test - which looks for some of the markers on the outside of the giardial cysts and reacts with a color change.

Both tests miss about 15% of the positive dogs, but they miss a different 15% so using both tests together helps us to be over 90% sure that the dog is infected if we get a positive ELISA test or we identify the cysts under the microscope

How is giardiasis treated?     The typical drug used to kill Giardia is metronidazole (flagyl), an antibiotic that is either a tablet or we can create a liquid for smaller animals.  It is normally given for 8 days (two times a day) to treat giardiasis.  Other drugs are also used if diarrhea and dehydration occur.  If Metronidazole is not effective, other medications may be recommended. 

Can humans become infected with Giardia?     Giardia can cause diarrhea in humans.  If your dog is diagnosed with giardiasis, environmental disinfection is important.  We recommend thoroughly cleaning the pet's living and sleeping areas and then allowing the areas to dry out for several days before reintroducing pets.  One cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water is effective in killing the cysts. 

Are dogs with giardial cysts always sick?     Most dogs that are infected with Giardia do not have diarrhea or any other signs of illness.  When the dysts are found in the stool of a dog without diarrhea, many times we consider them transient and sometimes do not treat these dogs.  However, as Rambo and Pinball taught us, in puppies and debilitated adult dogs, Giardia may cause severe, watery diarrhea that may be fatal. 

We are happy to report that Rambo and Pinball are currently doing very well.

Degenerative disk disease in a little dog (Or…Adventures in immobilizing a terrier for the good of her health)

Isabella has been with us over nine years and will be turning ten in October. She has been a happy, healthy little dog and a great addition to our family.

In mid-March, 2011, our kids noticed that Isi wasn’t herself: “Mom, something’s wrong with Isi. She won’t even look at the ball when we throw it to her. Something’s definitely wrong.” Isi, being female and a terrier, can certainly have her moods. I didn’t think much of her disinterest in play until the following day when she wasn’t interested in much of anything. She was clearly uncomfortable and was having a hard time lying down and getting up the stairs. She hadn’t eaten in two days and hadn’t gone number two for at least a day. When I put my hand under her belly (which had become tense) to move her aside, she yelped. Of course she had waited until Sunday evening to show us these troubling signs and we decided to make a trip to urgent care.

Once at urgent care, Isi had a fairly loose bowel movement in the middle of the floor – completely unlike her. We suggested that her anal sacs might be full and they certainly were. Isi appeared to feel better after having them expressed so we left with antibiotics and pain medication and hoped we were on our way to recovery.

The following morning, however, Isi wasn’t getting back to normal the way we expected. Over the course of the day we realized something was still going on. On late Monday afternoon, we called Care Animal Hospital, our regular vet clinic, and were told to bring her in immediately to see Dr. Garnett. After checking Isi over and reviewing her case, Dr. Garnett was not convinced that this was a stomach or anal sac issue; she began to explore the possibility of a disc problem. Isi would need to be immobilized immediately and Dr. Garnett decided to keep her overnight in anticipation of x-rays the following morning. We knew it would be best for all of us, especially Isi, so we said goodbye and waited anxiously for news.

The next day, Dr. Garnett called and said her suspicions had been confirmed; that the x-rays showed evidence of degenerative disc disease. The radiologist would later confirm Dr. Garnett’s diagnosis so we prepared to immobilize Isi for at least the next two weeks so that she could heal and hopefully return to normal. We also prepared for the worst case scenario – full paralysis.

So how would we immobilize our otherwise energetic little terrier with two kids in the house? The emotional logistics would actually prove to be the most difficult. Fortunately, we had done most of the work when Isi was a puppy – we had made the decision to crate train Isi many years ago. While Isi typically has the run of the house, she does love her crate. She sleeps, travels, and seeks respite (when the kids get to be too much) in her crate. Over the next two weeks, we would come to find out that it was probably harder for us than for Isi to be in her crate that long. Diligently, several times a day we carried the crate outside, put her on a leash for short bathroom breaks, and carried her back inside in the crate. We brought her food to her door where she could eat - from her crate. She watched tv in the family room with us – from the crate. We missed her warm little body at our feet and her pretentious prances across the floor but slowly and surely, she improved.

We decided to continue to restrict movement for the next two weeks – letting her out only to eat or relieve herself and have a good stretch. We saw Dr. Garnett nearly one month after Isi’s initial signs and everything checked out ok!  Isi is restricted from jumping on the couch or the bed (easy, because we never allowed that anyway) but otherwise is looking like her old self. The kids couldn’t be happier that she wants to play ball again and I’m happy to have her sit at my feet. It wasn’t easy (mostly for us) but we’re glad Isi spent most of that month in her crate.

My family has been coming to Care Animal since 1989, when we had Quincy, a sweet little Yorkshire Terrier. We have had confidence in Dr. Garnett and her staff since that time and are happy to share a partnership with them in the health of our pets. Thank you! 

-- Darcie B.

Sammy's Story - An adoption that was "meant to be"

I adopted Sammy from the Petsmart at 52nd and Wadsworth in Arvada. My husband and I always go to see the kitties that are there and tempt ourselves and one day in June 2010 I saw this beautiful tortoise cat just sitting in the cage looking quietly out at us and I was hooked. I resisted since we had an adopted kitty already and an elderly Pekinese. A couple weeks later when we went back she was gone and I thought, "Well, that's for the best she has a home now" but I never forgot her.

Fast forward a few months to late October and I was suffering with the loss of our Peke in September and looking for a kitty that would grab me as much as Sammy had and when I went in the cat room there she was! She had been pulled for treatment for an injury and had been placed back at Petsmart for adoption. That was Saturday, by Sunday I announced that we needed the cat carrier as we were going to go get that beautiful girl and bring her home.

Sammy (short for Samhain as "Weenie" short for Halloween was just too silly) was matted from staying so long in a cage and was dirty and her one eye was still a bit cloudy but I was in love. We started the paperwork, put her in the carrier and paid with out new baby howling her protest.

We got her home and settled then went right back to get her a cat perch for the window, (which she has decided is the best invention for catdom, as are all windows,) I soon learned that their guess on her age was wrong. They said 4-6 years but she was acting more like she was one. She LOVES to play and run and eat and hunt birds and squirrels from her perches and she is one active girl. She is very good though and doesn't try and play too rough with out 8 year old adopted kitty, Youki. She is so loving and talkative and her coat took some major brushing from her time at the shelter but with good food and tons of rubs her coat is so glossy and beautiful!

She is just a wonderful kitty! She watches Youki all the time and emulates her. So Youki grooms herself and Sammy has to as well. Youki curls up and sleeps and Sammy looks at her like she's crazy and runs off to play. Youki yowls after using the litter box so Sammy does now too. "Time to flush!!!" she says. I will always adopt older kitties as they are stable and settled in who they are but with the possibility of meshing with their new environment.

I love our girls so much and my husband and I always check the kitty cages in Petsmart but tell ourselves that we need to let our girls have their spaces and to add another would be mean. But one day someone else will be coming home with us!

Friendly feral cat gets second chance

Newman is a feral cat who was adopted from Care Animal Hospital 3 years ago. When he was first brought into the hospital, Dr. Garnett was sure that, like most feral cats, he could not be touched without a sedative. Newman was a little bit different than we expected, though. He sat near the front of the cage after his neuter surgery and seemed to want to interact, so Dr. Garnett started to look for a good home for him.

His owner-to-be was in the pottery lab with Dr. Garnett one day complaining about too many mice in her house, and how she really needed a good "mouser". Dr. Garnett told her that she had this very beat-up cat that had vomited a lot of tapeworms, indicating that he was probably great at catching mice. She took this battered old guy, who lived under her bed for a few weeks, but really ended up being a joy to their family. Here is a statement that Newman wrote for the blog:

My name is Newman (after Paul, not Seinfeld: let's be clear about that up front). When I'm not having a drink of fresh water from the faucet, I'm fixing my Siamese blue eyes on an impudent dog, letting her know who's boss around here. Since coming to live with my adoptive mom three years ago (after Dr. Paige tended my extensive wounds and took away my manhood--and, soon after, my tomcat cheeks), I've come to be loved by all the neighborhood as "the best kitty", presumably due to my incredible good looks, affectionate nature, keen mousing abilities but respect for the family parrot, and the fact that all the other cats in the surrounding environs welcome me with open paws. Or maybe it's because my person can't stop singing my praises about what a perfect match we are. "I couldn't have special ordered a better cat," she's been known to insist. "He's everything I wanted, and nothing I didn't. I don't even have to bother with a litter box because, even in the worst weather, Newman will only go outside." I mean, what more could a person want from a pet? I'm not even a finicky eater.

All About Abby's Allergic Ears

Meet Abby, a lovely 4 year old spayed female golden lab owned by Kurt S. Dr. Garnett met Abby in 2008 when Kurt brought her in for an exam of her ears. He reported that she had been having chronic ear infections for quite a while. She had been treated by other veterinarians with many ear products but just did not seem to be getting better.

Dr. Garnett did a thorough physical exam from head to tail, and then focused on the ears. They were swollen with reddened tissues and a huge amount of dark debris down the canals. They were very painful to Abby and she cried when they were cleaned.

Dr. Garnett’s goal at that time was to get an ear smear and run cytology to try and determine whether she had a primary yeast or bacteria problem, or a mixture of both. On the smear, it was interesting that the yeast seen were in fairly mild numbers, unlike what was expected with that amount of debris. What that often means is that this dog has an underlying problem that is the true reason for the ear infection. In Abby’s case, Dr. Garnett suspected she had a food allergy since it was winter and not many outdoor allergies were prevalent in the winter.

Allergies in dogs are usually expressed as skin problems (the skin is the allergic organ in the dog – not the eyes and nose like in people.) Other underlying problems that can often lead to chronic ear infections include low thyroid disease, inhalant allergies (allergic to something in her environment), an inherited problem with the ears (often seen in cockers), and a few other rarer problems that can lead to ear infections that cannot be resolved. The most common cause of chronic ear infections in Colorado in the winter, though is food allergy.

It was decided that Abby would be started on a cleaning and medicating treatment regimen, but that Kurt would put her on a food trial of Duck and Pea, a prescription food product designed to help animals with food allergies. It was assumed that Abby had never eaten duck before, so she should not be allergic to this product. Dogs and cats, when suffering from food allergies, are usually allergic to the protein portion of their food.

This protocol was followed, but later the debris came back. A thorough ear flush was performed under anesthesia and pictures were taken while the ears were being cleaned. Note below a picture of one of the ears prior to cleaning. Following the deep ear flush, Abby was put back on the duck food as well as routine cleaning s followed by medications.

Since 2008, Abby has had a few “flare ups” of her ears, with various foods incriminated to explain the infections. Recently, she sat on one of our chairs in the hospital to proclaim that her ears were feeling better. Dogs with food allergies must be careful to only eat the appropriate diet prescribed. They cannot eat rawhide chews or scraps from the table, and treats must have the same protein source as the diet that has been prescribed. Since most foods from the store contain many, many proteins (including meat byproducts, which can represent a wide variety of proteins), owners cannot purchase over the counter foods for food trials. Once a diet is found that works, it is generally adopted for the rest of the pet’s life so the skin can stay healthy and ear problems can be avoided.

Luckily, Kurt is very committed to the well-being of Abby and keeps vigilant watch on her ears, as does Kurt’s mom, Jan, a longtime client of Care Animal Hospital and a wonderful “grandmother” to her “granddog.”

Infected toenail or cancer?

Meet Sierra, an 8 year old spayed female flat coated retriever.  Sierra came in to see Dr. Garnett on 1-30-11 for a swollen toe with a nail that was at a "funny angle."  Dr. Garnett was concerned about the toe; in addition to infection, dogs can have tumors of the toe nails that start where the nail joins the paw.  These tumors can be cancerous and can progress very quickly.  Here is a picture of how the toe looked after the nail was removed – pretty angry and infected.

Dr. Garnett’s next step was to take an x-ray of the toe to see what the bone and soft tissues underneath the nail looked like.  Notice the missing nail as well as the lack of bony tissue (needle pointing to the toe in question).  The x-ray was read by Dr. Chuck Pugh, a board certified radiologist who interprets all of our radiographs (x-rays).  He confirmed that the disease process that was destroying the nail was also destroying the bone of the toe.  This was a concern since infection and cancer can both cause the destruction of bone.

It was concluded that the best option would be to amputate the toe.  Before surgery, Dr. Garnett had her technicians perform chest x-rays since some tumors metastasize (move from one part of the body to another).  The lungs are a common body site for metastasis and if Dr. Garnett had seen problems on Sierra’s x-rays, it would have been a serious problem.  Luckily, the lungs were clean.

The toe was removed by Dr. Garnett and submitted to Colorado State University for histopathology.  Within one week, Dr. Garnett received a report from the pathologist stating that the toe did have a malignant tumor that was destroying the bone holding the nail in.  It was a squamous cell carcinoma.

Dr. Garnett was relieved  that the toe was removed quickly and hopefully Sierra is cured of this cancer. The moral to this story is that a swollen toe with a toenail that looks infected can be a sign of cancer and should be taken very seriously.

Joey the Miracle Dog

Joey is a beautiful 12 year-old black female Doberman.  She has known Dr. Paige Garnett and the wonderful team at Care Animal Hospital since the day she came home in a baseball cap at 4 weeks old.  Joey had a tall order to fill, as she was not the 1st “Joey” but the 4th in a row for her owners.  Even then, Dr. Garnett knew she would be the best Joey of them all.

Joey enjoyed many happy, healthy years helping with chores and chickens on her Broomfield ranch.  On a routine exam, however, when Joey was ten, Dr. Garnett noted a subtle change in her gait.  Joey was rotating one of her front feet slightly inward. She had no pain or evidence of trauma.  Within a month, her condition progressed and she began to limp.  Concerned that Joey was showing signs of possible Wobbler’s Syndrome, a neurological disorder caused by pressure on the spinal cord, the team at Care Animal Hospital immediate referred her to Dr. Patricia Luttgen at the Neurological Center for Animals.  MRI results confirmed that Joey had a bulging vertebral disc in her neck, and had successful neurosurgery to relieve the pressure on her spine.  After several months of marked improvement, Joey again became lame, this time due to a genetic condition of the spine for which there was no surgical solution.  Joey’s owners were heartbroken.  Unable to walk or stand without falling, there seemed little else that could be done. Once again, Dr. Paige Garnett and the team at Care Animal Hospital came to the rescue.  Home acupuncture, provided by Dr. Donna Harris, and a round of steroids produced a miracle dog who could walk and play again.    

One year later, Joey developed swelling in her hock (ankle).  Suspecting an orthopedic injury, Joey was referred by Care Animal Hospital to Dr. Patsy Mich at Ortho Pets Center for Animal Pain Management and Mobility Solutions.  There she was diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon.  When surgery was ruled out, the Ortho Pets team developed a customized device to support her fallen hock and prevent further strain.  Joey wore her brace proudly, much to everyone’s delight.  Several months later, unfortunately, Joey tore a cruciate ligament in her opposite hind knee.  A condition that typically required surgery or the addition of a second brace, it was decided to give this miracle dog a break and focus on making her comfortable.  A daily regime of steroids and pain meds were added, and acupuncture was resumed at the Ortho Pets Pain Management Clinic. 

Today, Joey is a happy, active senior citizen, whose favorite things are taking out the trash, Cool Whip from the can, wearing “Survivor” scarves, sleeping by the fireplace, and keeping up with her little sister Lucy.

June Bug's Story - Rehabilitation following a fractured femur

Meet June Bug Hummer, a three year old spayed female golden retriever. She was running to catch a ball in early January and caught her leg in a picket fence, breaking the right femur (the large bone extending from the hip socket) in numerous pieces (see x-rays below).

Her owner, Penney, initially took June Bug to a nearby emergency clinic for stabilization, but she was transferred to Care Animal Hospital for fracture repair by one of our roving orthopedic surgeons.

Dr. Randy Willer of Front Range Mobile Surgical Specialists came in to Care Animal Hospital and performed the surgery. He had to use both wires and a plate to stabilize the leg, since it had a long, oblique fracture and two separate bone pieces floating freely. It was a very difficult fracture repair but Dr. Willer was up to the challenge (see x-rays of the leg following repair below).

Following surgery, Dr. Donna Harris took over primary care of June Bug, helping her through some post-operative nausea as well as controlling her pain.

June Bug stayed at Care Animal Hospital for another day prior to discharge. She went home on antibiotics, pain control drugs, and a plan to be able to rehabilitate the leg at home using physical therapy directed by Dr. Willer.

She has to be tightly controlled through the entire healing process, with the owner using caution and having her on a leash at all times when outside. She has also had to be watched closely indoors, with no running, stairs, jumping, or rough housing with other dogs until fully healed. It has been a little over a month and June Bug appears to be getting stronger every day. She will be x-rayed in another month to be sure the bone is healing. The x-rays will be reviewed by our board certified radiologist, Dr. Chuck Pugh, and both Dr. Willer and Dr. Pugh will determine when June Bug can return to normal activity.

Fractures of the long bones can be very painful and, when pieces are floating freely, are a tough surgical challenge. In general, the plate and wires are left in place unless down the road JB has problems with them.

Here are some pictures of June Bug using her repaired leg!

Owners stand behind their puppy as she battles severe health problems

Submitted by Dr. Paige Garnett

Meet Beans, a female Boston terrier owned by Carmen and Walter Orbach. Beans was purchased at a Metro Denver pet store. The couple fell in love with her and added her to their household with their other adult Boston terrier, Boo.

Soon after purchase, Beans developed a significant respiratory infection and when she presented to Care Animal Hospital, she had pneumonia. Using high powered antibiotics and with a strong will to live and dedication by the owners, Beans responded and recovered from her pneumonia.

At about the same time as that diagnosis, on a fecal check for diarrhea she was experiencing, the technical staff found a very unusual intestinal parasite known as strongyloides, (the first time Dr. Garnett had seen this parasite) that can be passed to human beings as well, along with giardia, a common one celled organism seen frequently in Colorado dogs. Again, through the use of proper medication and with the diligence and perseverance of the owners, Beans was able to surmount the strongyloides infection. Giardia has recently been eliminated after many, many attempts at control.

Thinking she was finally coming out to see the light, Beans developed significant neurologic impairment, and the diagnosis of hydrocephalus was made. Hydrocephalus (water on the brain) is rather frequently seen in dogs with a domed head. Her skull had not formed correctly, leaving an opening that suggested this diagnosis. Each day she became more and more confused and finally could not walk. Drug therapy was utilized that had the potential of harming Beans, but it proved to help the fluid drain from her skull and day by day she recovered more abilities.

Her final hurdle has been a skin mite known as demodex, which is non-contagious but common in dogs with immature and debilitated immune systems. Since drugs were used to lower her immune system to treat the hydrocephalus, it is thought this might have lead to her mite condition. She was started on a 2 month long regimen to treat this mite.

Beans had an ovariohysterectomy 2 weeks ago and the staff is happy to report that her skin scraping did not show any Demodex parasites. So, after numerous hurdles, and owners that went far beyond above and beyond for her, she now is enjoying her life with her owners and brother Boston terrier, Boo.

Three cheers for a very special dog and very faithful family.

Client story: How to get cats to like each other!

The following is a blog entry from Sandi, who recently adopted a kitten from Care Animal Hospital during our most recent Lucky Paws "Adopt-a-Thon."  

I have a 1 ½ year old cat named Riley who, except for the occasional "bad bities", is an awesome cat.  I've been thinking about getting a second cat for a while and since I'm home more these days I thought--no time like the present!  I believe in trusting my gut, so I took my time finding the right kitten and was open to either a male or female.  I finally found the right kitten who was an 11 week old female.  Stella (the kitten formerly known as Tasha Yar) was part of a litter found in the wild and was fostered for several weeks by Dr. Paige Garnett.  I brought her home in a kitty carrier and triumphantly placed it in the center of the living room.  Stella's picture is shown below.  

Riley thought it was great to see the kitty carrier until he spotted Stella.  His tail and body then bushed out to twice their normal size and he began circling the carrier, his ears turned back and low.  Stella started meowing after about 20 minutes, so I took her out of the carrier to walk around...big mistake! Riley started to chase her and immediately began pouncing and biting.   I had a spare bedroom made up for Stella with her own food, water, kitty litter box and small bed.  I spent some time with her alone in her new room until she got sleepy, and then I left her in the room with the door closed.  After a minor panic attack, I immediately got on the internet and started searching for material about "integrating cats".

I discovered a great web site. It was super helpful with examples of cat body postures, pictures of actual cat integrations and very comprehensive instructions for successful integrations. These sequential steps include: isolation (from each other, not from people), scent familiarization, room swapping,  visual familiarization, developing positive familiarization, short supervised visits, separation at signs of hostility, longer supervised visits, limited free mingling and finally free mingling full time.  Additional tools that were helpful include having a spray bottle or squirt gun on hand for times that play gets too rough, lots of toys, and the use of Feliway, a natural pheromone spray that you can pick up at Care Animal Hospital.  In particular, I found it helpful to have two toys (one for each hand and cat).  This allowed each cat some supervised playtime where they didn't have to fight over an individual toy, but could still see the other cat playing and get used to them.  

I learned that the bad news was that I had mistakenly skipped right to the last step resulting in overly stressed cats.  The good news was I could begin again at step one (isolation) and follow each step (for as long as necessary) before continuing on to the next step.  In my case, I discovered it was necessary to back up and repeat the first few steps a couple of times before Riley and Stella were truly ready to continue on.

The main lesson I learned was it really takes time and patience to integrate a new cat into the home.  Cats adapt to change at their own pace. Even the most social "resident" cat can feel very threatened and resort to "warfare" tactics to protect their turf.   

With Riley and Stella it took 3 ½ weeks to go from high stress drama to sleeping in a cat bed (together!!!!) on a cold, snowy afternoon. There were several days/weeks I thought it was never going to work out, but I'm so grateful that I stuck it out and gave each cat the necessary time to adjust.  I have to say that it's really worth the time and effort that goes into the integration process when you see them actually playing "nicely" together and taking naps in a sunny spot side-by-side.

Nomi's Christmas Miracle

Early Christmas Eve morning our receptionist took a call from a non-client interested in euthanizing their dog. They set the appointment for later that afternoon. Upon arrival at Care, we were surprised to see that Nomi was a 6 month old pit bull puppy full of energy and love.  We learned that these owners had trouble keeping Nomi enclosed with their back yard fence.  They did not want to have Nomi run loose in the neighborhood—they thought that euthanasia was their best option.  Dr. Garnett convinced them to instead relinquish Nomi to Care Animal Hospital so that she could find a new home.

Tiann, one of Care’s exam room assistants, has a soft spot for all dogs bully. As she passed Dr. Garnett in the treatment area, Dr. Garnett said, “Merry Christmas Tiann, I got you a puppy!” Because it was a holiday, Care was closing early Christmas Eve and would be closed Christmas Day. Tiann decided to take Nomi home for the holidays.

Nomi fit right in at Tiann’s house! She spent her days there playing tug with Tiann’s sister’s dog Layla, and trying to convince the cats that they wanted to play with her! Tiann worked with Nomi everyday, and she has turned into a dog that any family would be lucky to have.

As fate would have it, Nomi’s Christmas Miracle was her people making an appointment at Care. It is horrible to think that her life could have potentially ended, or ended up very differently if she had gone somewhere else that Christmas Eve afternoon.