Case of the Month: Clark

Clark is a 3-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat who presented to the Pekin Veterinary Clinic because he was straining to urinate and the owner was seeing blood in his urine (hematuria). He was also acting like he was in pain and was not eating or drinking at home. On physical examination, Clark's heart rate was greatly increased (tachycardia) and he had a large hard bladder on abdominal palpation. When Clark's abdomen was manipulated, he was extremely painful.

At this time, Clark was taken to our ultrasonography room to assess his bladder on the ultrasound and collect a urine sample by cystocentesis. The ultrasound showed that the bladder was very large, distended and contained a lot of foreign material. The urine sample that was collected revealed that the urine was very bloody and contained an abundance of what appeared to be crystalline material. The urine sample was sent into the laboratory for urinalysis. The urinalysis revealed that the bladder contained crystals (struvite) and blood from the inflammation of the inside of the bladder wall from the crystals.

Clark was in very critical condition, so it was decided between Clark's mom and the veterinarian that he needed to be treated as soon as possible for this condition. We started by collecting Clark's blood and assessing his kidney function and electrolytes. His blood work showed that both of his kidney values were highly elevated. His blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was 119 (normal range 10-30) and his creatinine was 9.8 (normal range 0.3-2.1). The electroyte that was dangerously high was potassium (this is a common bloodwork finding in cats who cannot urinate due to having stones lodged in their urethra).

Clark was immediately anesthetized to relieve his pain and so that we could unblock him by passing a sterile urinary catheter. We needed to unblock Clark as soon as possible to decrease his chance of complications from his condition. These potential complications included: bladder rupture from overextension of the bladder wall, irreversible kidney damage and/or adverse effects on the heart from the high potassium. Once anesthetized, we unblocked Clark's urethra which was blocked with multiple small crystals. After the urinary catheter was placed, we flushed that bladder with a mixture of sterile saline and lubricant to try to remove as many of the crystals from the bladder and urethra as possible.

A sterile urine collection system was placed on the end of Clark's urinary catheter so that his urine output and quality could be assessed. An intravenous catheter was placed in Clark's cephalic vein so that he could receive fluids to correct his electrolyte disorders and flush the kidneys to bring down the elevated kidney values. Clark was given oral pain medications to help keep him comfortable. He was also given an antibiotic to decrease his chances of getting a urinary tract infection as a result of the urinary catheter being placed. Clark rested for the remainder of the afternoon and evening without complication.

Cooper and Ruby

Cooper 
I would like to formally introduce myself. Many of you have had the chance to meet all the doctors and other team members here at Pekin Veterinary Clinic. What most people aren't aware of is; who around here actually keeps the clinic in running order.

That would be me. My name is Cooper. If you've had the luxury of touring my clinic, you've probably noticed a handsome orange tabby cat supervising the technicians and other team members in the treatment area. With so many women in one place, someone has got to keep them in line. Don’t get me wrong; they are all exceptional at their jobs.

Although, sometimes they get too busy, and I have to remind them that dinner is promptly at 4:00 p.m. Well, since I’m such a nice boss and don’t complain, I generally just stare them down and that usually sends that message across. But if that doesn't work, I politely let Ruby ring the dinner bell, since she never misses a meal. Most of the time, you can find me leisurely watching the commotion from the doctor’s desks, but every now and then I like to retreat. I like to get away from it all and spend some time in Dr. Jess’s office or even steal a few moments of music and peace in Tammy’s office on her window sill. It’s truly hard, you know, to keep such a busy clinic running so smoothly.
Signing out, Captain Cooper

Ruby
Hello. My name is Princess Ruby and I just want to let all my fans know that I didn't always look this good. These crazy people at Pekin Veterinary Clinic gave me a home back in March of 2011. I used to weigh a good 24 ½ lbs, and they thought that was too much for a princess like me to weigh. After some hard work for both me and the team at Pekin Veterinary Clinic, I now weigh 11 pounds and 4 ounces!!! I’d have to say that’s quite the accomplishment. Every woman knows dieting is NOT the most fun thing to do.

Now that I’m at home here, I want to share my daily life, trials of dieting, and how important I am here at the clinic. You see this place wouldn't run as smoothly if it weren't for me. Oh, and there is this annoying orange tabby here, they call him Cooper, and sometimes he thinks he runs this place but we shall see about that…after all, I am the PRINCESS.
We’ll chat again soon, XOXO
Ruby

Have you ever known a cat who likes to swim?

Time to Clean Your Pet's Ears?

Veterinarians see a lot of patients with ear infections. In fact, it's the second most common reason for a client visit, according to pet health insurer, VPI Pet Insurance. With ear problems prompting so many trips to the vet, should ear cleaning be a necessary part of grooming your pet?

Generally, cleaning a dog's ears on a routine basis is not necessary, according to Leonard Jonas, DVM, MS, DACVIM, a veterinarian with Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Colo. That's because animals have a naturally occurring self-cleansing process.

"I've had pets my whole life," Jonas said. "I don't remember ever routinely cleaning out their ears."

However, that doesn't mean pet owners should never take notice of their dog's ears. Certain breeds, lifestyles and physical characteristics will make a dog more prone to what Jonas calls "abnormal situations," in which the pet's normal homeostasis is disrupted. This is when something, either systemically or locally in the ear, interferes with the normal surface barrier defense system and the normal cleaning process that keeps bacteria and yeast under control.

There are signs to watch for if your pet is having an issue with its ears. These, according to Jonas, include:

• Shaking its head
• Flapping its ears
• Rubbing at its ears, either with a paw or by rubbing against furniture or carpet
• Self-massaging the ear to ease itch, pain or irritation
• Debris and/or redness inside the ear
• Sores inside the ear
• Odor in the ear due to abnormal oils and bacteria

"If you [the pet owner] look in the ear, you can see sometimes a lot of debris," said Jonas, explaining what an ear with an infection or problem may look like. "Then [you] see redness on the ear flaps (inside) or sores developing. And then there's also odor that occurs when you have an abnormal ear."

Breeds to watch
There are certain breeds of dogs—such as Shar Peis, bulldogs and poodles—that have narrow ear canals and have a higher chance of incurring ear issues. Poodles, especially, have more hair in the canals, Jonas explained. "The hair itself is not a problem, but if they've got something abnormal with their whole defense system, all that extra hair in there makes it difficult."

Cocker spaniels are notorious for ear problems, Jonas added.

When to clean your pet's ears
According to Jonas, it's best to consult your veterinarian before going forward with an ear-cleaning regimen. Unlike cleaning the teeth, cleaning the ears does not need be done regularly. If a pet owner suspects that something may be wrong with the ear, it's advised to visit the veterinarian and establish whether the dog's ear needs to be cleaned by the owner either routinely or for an instructed period of time.

Cleaning the dog's ears without first seeing a veterinarian is not a good idea, Jonas said, "because you don't know what's going on inside. You don't know if there has been a ruptured ear drum; you don't know if there's a stick or a stone or something stuck down inside the ear that needs to be fished out by a veterinarian."

A veterinarian can diagnose the problem and make the proper recommendations, which may be cleaning and/or medication.

Typically, there are two situations for which a dog's ears would need to be cleaned regularly. The first is when a veterinarian instructs for it to be done, and the second is when the dog is frequently in water. "Water in their ears disrupts the normal defense barrier system in that ear, and can make them prone to getting infections and irritation and inflammation," Jonas said.

If there needs to be ear cleaning
A veterinarian should show the owner how to properly clean the dog's ears because "there are a lot of different techniques, and it depends on what the problem is," Jonas advised.

There are a couple of precautions to always remember, according to Jonas. First, never use a Q-tip, because it tends to push the wax and debris further into the ear. Second, be sure a groomer does not pluck the hair out of the dog's ears, unless that hair is contributing to an ear problem; Jonas believes that doing so may cause irritation.

One thing pet owners should also consider is that if the dog has an ear infection, it could be very painful for them. Forcing the dog to get its ears cleaned or putting medication in them can be a dangerous situation for the owner and the dog.

"If your pet doesn't want you to do it, don't, because it hurts," Jonas said. "You're just going to create a problem, and you need to look to alternatives."

Originally published by Healthy Pet.

North Pekin Fire Department learn Pet CPR at Pekin Veterinary Clinic

 North Pekin Fire Department personnel learn basic pet CPR and how to use a pet oxygen mask kit at the Pekin Veterinary Clinic. The kit was donated to the North Pekin Fire Department by Invisible Fence of Peoria/Bloomington as part of its "Project Breathe", a program which was established with the goal of equipping every fire station in American and Canada with pet oxygen masks. The company has set up a website, www.invisiblefence.com/O2, where people or companies can support the effort.

Proper use of a pet oxygen mask kit is demonstrated by the Pekin Veterinary Clinic. The kit was donated to the North Pekin Fire Department by Invisible Fence of Peoria/Bloomington, and veterinary clinic staff educated fire departemtn personnel about the proper application of the masks. The masks allow firefighters to give oxygen to pets who are suffering from smoke inhalation when they are rescued from fires, often saing pets' lives.

Source: Pekin Daily Times

Dog House Repairs Month

Does your dog have his or her own house? It's Dog House Repairs Month! Make sure that it’s in good shape this summer! Check the interior corners for beehives, and make sure to repair leaks and splinters in the wood.

National Pet Preparedness Month

This month is National Pet Preparedness Month. In order to be sure your pet is prepared for a disaster, make sure your safety kit includes food, water, leash and collar, bowls, pet ID, medications, immunization records, pet carrier, first aid kit, and a contact list for all pet emergency contacts.