Animal Dermatology Clinic Now in Australia


     Animal Dermatology Clinic is going inter- national with its recent partnership with an established veterinary dermatologist in Perth, Western Australia.
      Dr. Mandy Burrows (front row, middle, photo above) established the first private referral veterinary dermatology practice in Western Australia in 1995 at Murdoch University Veterinary Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and a registered specialist in veterinary dermatology. The dermatology referral practice currently operates in two locations; Murdoch University and Perth Veterinary Specialists in Osborne Park, Western Australia.
      Animal Dermatology Clinic is the largest group of veterinary dermatologists in the world with doctors seeing patients in six states and now Australia.
      Related to this activity, Animal Dermatology Clinic is also pleased to announce that Dr. Christina Restrepo is returning. Dr. Restrepo completed her residency at the Marina del Rey clinic in 2009 and successfully passed her boards to become a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology. Most recently she worked with a team of veterinary dermatologists in Florida. Dr. Restrepo will be seeing cases in Australia.

Cushing’s Disease: Hyperadrenocorticism



      Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s Disease) is an internal condition where the adrenal gland produces excess levels of the hormone cortisol. There are two types of Cushing’s disease: either the pituitary gland is signaling the adrenal gland to make too much cortisol, or the adrenal gland is independently making too much cortisol.
      In the majority of animals with Cushing’s disease, the underlying cause is the pituitary gland to make an excessive amount of cortisol. This is analogous to having a broken thermostat in your house telling your heater to stay on all the time. This form of the disease is call Pituitary Dependent Hyperadrenocorticism or Pituitary Dependent Cushing’s disease. This form often occurs when there is a tumor (usually benign) in the pituitary gland.
      Cushing’s disease usually affects middle-aged to older dogs and extremely rare in cats.
There are a wide variety of symptoms that can develop: increased appetite, excessive urination, excessive thirst, a “pot-belly” and weakness.
     These are not clinical signs that one would think a referral to a dermatologist would be the helpful and that is true. Internal Medicine specialists treat a number of dogs for Cushing’s disease.
     But other symptoms may include hair loss or poor coat, recurrent skin infections, calcium deposits in the skin and Demodex mite infestation (a parasitic mite that lives in hair follicles) and these are clinical signs that owners believe that are in the scope of a veterinary dermatologist.
      Hormonal testing is required to confirm a diagnosis of Cushing’s disease in a patient with symptoms suspicious of the disease. These hormonal test analyze the blood cortisol levels after stimulation, and/or suppression of the adrenal gland with hormone injections. These tests are very safe, and your veterinarian can discuss interpretation of the tests with the pet owner.
      Pituitary Dependent Cushing’s disease can be controlled (not cured) with oral medication and periodic monitoring. Side effects of treatment include weakness, vomiting, lack of appetite and diarrhea. These side effects are controllable with dosage adjustments and other medications. Regardless of the drug used, continued monitoring of response to treatment in imperative with follow up physical examinations and blood tests.
Adrenal Dependent Cushing’s disease is treated by surgically removing the tumor. Surgery is curative if the tumor is not malignant. Unfortunately, if the tumor is malignant, patients tend to have a poor prognosis even with surgical removal. If the tumor is malignant and non-removable, drug therapy can be tried, but limited success is reported.
      The majority of dogs with Pituitary Dependent Cushing’s disease can lead a normal like with careful monitoring, and be successfully managed for many years. Most dogs respond to medical therapy, but adjustments to medication dosages may be required before their cortisol levels fall into the desired range. Other conditions that arise as a result of the disease, such as infections of the skin and urinary tract, must be treated as well. The treatment requires careful follow-up with a veterinarian to ensure that the disease is well controlled, while minimizing the side effects of the therapy. Although it requires dedication on the part of the owners, the treatment can greatly improve the health and quality of the life of affected dogs.


Training Cats: Mission Impossible?



     The term “it’s like herding cats” indicates that the task is chaotic or near impossible because the visual of actually herding cats would be anything but calm and orderly.
      So, can cats be trained? Absolutely. But training a cat is not training a dog. That may be obvious, but the approach to training cats is different from a dog. Most dogs are eager to please their owners and combined with a reward treat, dogs can be trained do some amazing things. Cats on the other hand are not wired to be people pleasers (usually it’s the cat that expects to be pleased), but they can be motivated by food.
Knowing when your cat is hungry is a good time to begin training and rewarding with a special treat for a job well done. Parsing out the entire meal as reward can be used.
      Always pet and praise your cat during the training which may be replacement rewards instead of food once the behavior is established.
      Spraying a cat with water to stop a bad behavior is not effective because his reaction creates an association between the device and stopping a behavior, but it doesn’t stop him from starting it in the first place. Stephen Zawistowski, science adviser for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, notes that similar negative associations are responsible for the belief that cats can’t be trained. “Because cats don’t learn by discipline, owners have only recently begun to see them respond to training as positive reinforcement has become popular.”
      People are generally surprised when they see a trained cat because most cat owners do not want to invest the time and effort to become the trainer. And somehow, there is the remote possibility that the cat is thinking he has just trained you.
Source: pets.thenest.com, Nicholas DeMarino, Demand Media

Green Cleaning Can Still Sicken Pets;
Use care with products around pets

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As the time nears for spring cleaning and companies offer more environmentally friendly alternatives to toxic cleaners, veterinarians say pet owners should keep in mind that what's green to a human can be dangerous — even deadly — to animals.
      "People expose their animals without even realizing the risk," said Dr. Karl Jandrey, who works in the emergency and critical care units at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. "That's the most common thing that happens when you come to our emergency room — the clients put their pets at risk because they were unaware of how significant the damage could be."
      Most household cleaners are safe if used as directed on labels, but pet owners who make their own cleansers using natural ingredients don't have the warnings or instructions that come with commercial products.
Cats, for example, can get stomachaches from essential oils added for orange, lemon or peppermint scents in cleaners, said Dr. Camille DeClementi, a senior toxicologist at the Animal Poison Control Center run by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Urbana, Ill.
      Most commercial green products are safe for animals, DeClementi said, but owners should still exercise the same precautions as with chemical alternatives, such as keeping pets away from an area being cleaned, not using sprays directly on a pet and making sure that dogs don't chew on the products.
      If a product says "Keep out of reach of children," keep it away from pets too, DeClementi said.
      Caroline Golon, an Ohio mother of two children under 5 and owner of two Persian cats, said she became concerned about cleaning products before her children were born, when she noticed how often the cats jumped between floors and counters. The Columbus resident uses only unscented green products or vinegar and water to clean, a water-only steam mop on floors and washes the cats' dishes and litter boxes with hot water and green dish soap.
      "There are varying degrees of green, and there are a lot of mainstream brands now that have a green version. You have to do a little research to see what you like best," said Golon, a pet blogger.
      The "green" label on products can be misleading because it still can be dangerous, Jandrey added. "Some still have their own toxicities. In general, they probably are a little less toxic, but not free of toxic potential. They just have a need for a larger dose to cause the same kind of symptoms," he said.
      He cited antifreeze as an example. The pet-friendly version of antifreeze, propylene glycol, is "still an antifreeze product. It's still intoxicating to patients, our dogs and cats. It's just not as intoxicating as ethylene glycol."
It takes more of the propylene glycol to be as deadly as the ethylene glycol, "but it is still intoxicating though it might say pet-friendly in the ads or on the bottle," Jandrey said.
      Labels can't always account for every reaction, Jandrey said. "Each intoxicating product has different concentrations and each dog or cat, each species, has a different sensitivity to that product. So what might be intoxicating to a dog is really, really intoxicating to a cat because cats might be more sensitive," he said.
Nancy Guberti, a New York City nutritionist and healthy lifestyle coach for the past 15 years, said some products will say green when they are not.
      "Natural means nothing. The consumer has to be educated. It's all about awareness," she said.
     Extra care also should be taken when cleaning around a pet's area, such as its toys or bedding, the experts say. Don't use fabric softener sheets that contain cationic detergents because they will give your pet — especially cats — stomach distress, DeClementi said, referring to a type of chemical soap that kills bacteria.
Such detergents and soaps, normally associated with helping to get clothes clean and fresh-smelling, can have chemicals that can sicken humans and pets alike.
      Guberti switched to green cleaners out of necessity when her youngest son developed a liver disorder and many allergies. Guberti said the whole family became green — even their family's 6-year-old Shih Tzu, Flower, because her son can't hold Flower "if she is full of toxic chemicals or perfumes."
      She recalled how she took the dog to a groomer for the first time, and Flower came out covered in perfume.       Guberti washed her again at home, and now she brings her own bottles to the groomer.
      "I have a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner with her name on it. I always remind them: 'No perfumes whatsoever,'" Guberti said.
      Golon, who uses a maid service once a month, said she had the same problem when they brought their own products when they first started cleaning the house.
      "I hadn't thought about it but the smell was so overpowering, it really bothered me. I can just imagine what it was doing to the cats with their sensitivity to scents," she said.
Source: By SUE MANNING | Associated Press – Tue, Mar 5, 2013

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