From Dr. Thompson

From Dr. T

December 2, 2019

Hey, hey, hey!! Wad up?!? This dogs' cholesterol/fat/triglycerides/amylase/ lipase jaaaaast to name a few! Yeppers!! I know, probably every veterinarian has or is posting pics of the same thing, but.....you know me from my past history, wanna/gotta show ya!! Nothing new to veterinary medicine, especially during this time of year. Hemorrhagic enteritis, pancreatitis, IBD....not inventing a new syndrome by any means BUT, able to show what blood from a dog given "extra treats," looks like!! Thanks grannie, uncle Harry, outcast Harold, & all the other "family," that, " just couldn't stand to have him look at me that way, so I just gave him a little." Well, then let me just give you a little.....of the vet bill you cost me!!! 😧😳 Happy Holidays? Dr.T 😎 Be super cool as always 😉 THOMPSON VET SERVICES

November 27, 2019

Happy Pre T-day peeps! One of our dentals for the day. Just amazing to me still to this very day, how these animals adapt to certain conditions. This is a 13 yr. old geriatric. The halitosis this patient had 7 days ago was mind blowing, but owners stated within a day or < on antibiotics, the halitodiminishedshed considerably. Love it man!!! Pre-dental labs, anesthesia, & recovery were good and went well. I know, I posted a similar post about a dental we did, but MAN!!, this is just a too good of an opportunity to miss, not to instill how important regular dentals are for your "babies!!" Again, if that mouth smells like the "ars end"....take a look & get an appointment with your veterinarian!! Be cool, Dr.T

What can I say??? Busted!! Yep, he loves cheeseburgers, plain and dry....we do remove one side of the bread to help lower his carb intake!!🤓😳😉🤣🤣 He frick'n deserves it!! He puts up with me!! Love this guy! Dr.T 😎

Why Is My Dog Vomiting White Foam?

Why Is My Dog Vomiting White Foam?

Is your dog vomiting white foam? Let’s look at some of the reasons for a dog vomiting white foam and find out what to do next when your dog is throwing up white foam.

Is your dog vomiting white foam? Bearing witness to your dog vomiting white foam can be disconcerting at the best of times and cause dog owners to panic at the worst. There are so many reasons for digestive upset in dogs, and they share so many similar symptoms, that general upset can be difficult for veterinarians to diagnose quickly. While some of the causes for a dog vomiting white foam — such as a dog finding rotting food in the garbage or ingesting a foreign object — can occur to any dog at any time, you can manage, treat or prevent the riskiest and most dangerous reasons for a dog vomiting white foam.

First, why is your dog vomiting white foam?

A dog who gets sick once before returning to normal is likely to have eaten something she shouldn’t. If a dog throws up several times in a day or for more than a couple of days in a row, on the other hand, schedule a veterinary appointment. The leading causes for a dog vomiting white foam include internal injury, infection and inconsistent eating habits. The major ones we’ll examine for a dog vomiting white foam include:

1. Ingesting toxins, poisons, foreign objects
2. Bilious vomiting syndrome
3. Bloat
4. Kennel cough
5. Pancreatitis and other digestive inflammations
6. Parvovirus
7. Rabies

1. A dog vomiting white foam may have eaten something strange

Eating a foreign object can lead to an upset stomach, indigestion or intestinal blockages, all of which might reasonably point to a dog vomiting white foam. With the exception of dog toys, small, loose objects should be kept well out of the reach of indoor dogs. Household items that are toxic to dogs — especially household cleaners that not dog safe and pesticides directed toward insects or rodents — can also cause adverse reactions, like a dog vomiting white foam.

2. Your dog might be throwing up foam because of Bilious vomiting syndrome

Bilious Vomiting Syndrome in dogs is similar to acid reflux in humans. Bile and stomach acid are naturally occurring fluids that aid in the digestion and processing of food. On an empty stomach, however, they can cause irritation. That irritation can lead an otherwise healthy and hungry dog to ignore meals, or, in more extreme situations, vomit to expel the excess. The vomit from Bilious Vomiting Syndrome can be colored yellow, white, green, orange, brown or some mixture. Sometimes, it’s accompanied by slimy mucus.

Feeding an active dog smaller meals at regular intervals throughout the day — including a small snack first thing in the morning and last thing at night — may be the best and easiest way to address what could become a more serious problem. If excess stomach acid or bile are at fault, over the course of her life, a dog who produces excess digestive fluids can suffer from damage to her stomach or intestinal lining, leading to more serious digestive issues as she ages.

An alternate solution is acid-reducing medications. Consult with your dog’s veterinarian, who can recommend an antacid which may also help relieve your dog’s suffering, especially if your work schedule prevents you from being able to physically give your dog meals throughout the day.

3. Bloat may cause dogs to vomit white foam

Bloat, also known as gastric torsion or stomach dilation, is an extremely serious condition in dogs. In the worst cases, a dog’s stomach literally becomes twisted from its normal position in the abdomen. This not only traps air, food and fluids in the stomach, but it also restricts blood flow.

One of its early symptoms, before all movement into and out of the stomach cuts off, is a dog vomiting white foam. This condition most commonly occurs in deep-chested adult and senior dogs. While the precise reasons for it are unclear, prevention consists mainly of making sure dogs are not overactive just after meals.

4. A dog vomiting white foam can be a sign of kennel cough

Kennel cough is a mild illness, most commonly contracted in multi-dog households, at boarding facilities, veterinary offices, dog parks, and places where training classes are held. Wherever a large number of dogs are present, this upper respiratory infection can strike.

If a dog vomiting white foam has recently been in one of these situations, a veterinarian may reach a diagnosis much more quickly. Other symptoms to look out for are a hacking cough and eye discharge, or a runny nose. Kennel cough also tends to be a self-limiting sickness, typically running its course in about two weeks.

5. Pancreatitis might cause dogs to vomit white foam

Swelling or inflammation of the pancreas interrupts a dog’s normal digestive functioning. When food cannot be properly and regularly broken down, processed and eliminated, the dog has limited  options for getting rid of the excess material in his stomach. Vomiting is one route, and white foam can accompany it.

Dogs with canine diabetes are at increased risk for developing pancreatitis, which is when white foam in the vomit is also linked to diabetes. Other symptoms include adopting a hunched-over position, noticeable abdominal pain and fever.

6. Parvovirus may cause foamy vomit in dogs

A viral infection seen most frequently in puppies and very young dogs who live in multi-dog homes, dogs get parvo through oral contact with feces. Signs of this illness generally begin within a week to 10 days of exposure to the virus.

Along with your dog vomiting white foam, the most alarming symptom of parvo is diarrhea that contains blood and has a strong odor. This is a deadly disease; however, most early-life combination vaccines help puppies build up immunity to parvovirus. An unvaccinated dog vomiting white foam may indicate parvo as the cause. Consult a vet as soon as possible.

7. A dog vomiting white foam might have rabies

Rabies is the last, and least likely, culprit for a dog vomiting white foam. We’re all familiar with the image of a rabid dog foaming at the mouth, but regurgitating foam only happens in the very last stages. By the time a dog takes to vomiting white foam, observers will have noticed much more worrisome signs, such as aggressive behavior. As with parvo, rabies is preventable with the appropriate vaccines and boosters.

The bottom line on a dog vomiting white foam:

An informed, observant and proactive dog owner has a distinct advantage. This means knowing your dog’s eating habits, noting any deviations, and being able to adjust as circumstances require. Changing the portions and frequency of a dog’s meals, whether she is a growing puppy or an active adult, can help prevent the buildup of bile and acid, which causes later-in-life digestive problems.

Keeping a dog in a clean environment— including regularly sanitized food and water bowls— minimizes the risk of contracting parasites as well as bacterial infections. The two most dangerous reasons for a dog vomiting white foam — parvo and rabies — are largely preventable with proper vaccination.

Source: Dogster 

What To Do If Your Cat Is Choking

Technically, choking is when something lodges in the larynx or trachea, preventing air flow. This can be nearly anything, even a small object such as a pen cap, bell, or thimble. Fortunately, choking is a rare occurrence in cats.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• Pawing at the mouth, drooling
• Coughing or gagging
• Anxiety or panic
• Labored breathing
• Fainting, unconsciousness, or, if air flow is completely blocked, an inability to breathe
• Bad breath, loss of appetite, listlessness (if something has been lodged in the mouth for a while)

PRIMARY CAUSE

Pieces of cat toys like small pompons or bells, splintered bits of bone, and other foreign objects can potentially get stuck in the larynx and cause choking.

IMMEDIATE CARE

If your cat is conscious and not too upset, you can try looking in his mouth for any foreign object. Remove it if you can, but in most cases you will probably not be able to do so safely. However, if your cat is too upset for safe handling, wrap him in a towel or put him in a carrier for transport to the veterinarian.

If your cat is unconscious and not breathing, or breathing with great difficulty, do the following:

• Open the mouth and pull the tongue forward. If you see a foreign object, try to grab it with your finger or tweezers.
• If that doesn’t work, try the Heimlich maneuver:
  
  
  1. Lay the cat on his side.
  2. Put one hand along his back.
  3. Put the other hand on his belly, just below the ribs.
  4. With the hand on the belly, give several sharp pushes in and up.
  5. Check the mouth for foreign objects and remove them, then close the mouth and give a couple of small breaths through the nose.
  6. Repeat these steps until you are confident there is no foreign object present in the airway.
  7. If the cat is still not breathing after the foreign object has been removed, check for a heartbeat or pulse. If none can be found, begin CPR and/or artificial respiration as needed and take your cat to the veterinarian immediately.

A note about strings: If you find a string (thread, tinsel, etc.) in your cat’s mouth, the temptation is to pull it out. Unless it slides out like a wet spaghetti noodle, DO NOT pull it. It is likely stuck somewhere inside and pulling will only make things a lot worse.

VETERINARY CARE

Diagnosis

Diagnosis will be based on examination of your cat and your description of what happened. X-rays of the head, neck, and chest may be necessary to locate the foreign object. Sedation may be required for the examination and X-rays.

Treatment

Your cat will most likely be sedated or anesthetized in order to remove the foreign object. The removal may be as simple as pulling it out of the mouth, or it may require a complicated surgery on the neck. The foreign object may cause damage that may require suturing or antibiotics, especially if the object has been lodged for a while.

LIVING AND MANAGEMENT

Once the foreign object has been removed, healing usually proceeds without a problem. If there was severe damage from the object, or if surgery was required, laryngeal paralysis is a possible complication. Scarring could cause strictures (narrowing of a passageway) to form, which could make breathing or swallowing difficult.

If your cat was without oxygen for an extended period of time, that could also cause problems, usually of a neurologic nature, such as blindness or mental dullness.

PREVENTION

Just as with small children, you need to be aware of potential choking hazards in your cat’s environment. In addition, something labeled as a cat toy is not necessarily safe for your cat, especially after your cat has chewed on it extensively.

Source: PetMD