"Cinder" - Why a “multi-pronged” treatment approach to allergies is needed

Cinder, a female flat-coated retriever, became a patient at our clinic in January 2011 after she was adopted from the humane society. She was about 8 ½ years old and had been with 2 previous owners before now. Needless to say there was some change and resulting stress in her life. She had some itchy skin and watery eyes that winter.

As we moved into late spring 2011 Cinder's itchiness continued and she was treated with oral antihistamines and acupuncture. Acupuncture would give her immediate relief but that would wane after about 5 days. She was on regular flea preventative and had no sign of fleas.  At this time Cinder was diagnosed as likely allergy to pollens or “atopy”. The pollens may be from trees, grasses or shrubs. They gain entry into the body through inhalation, but also if the pet licks the pollen from the feet. Some plants can cause skin inflammation from direct contact; this is often seen on the underbelly.

As the weather got warmer her itching intensified and she was treated with oral steroids, which were only moderately helpful.  Because steroid use can be associated with side effects, we switched to Chinese herbal formulas for allergies and used them along with antihistamines and added a fish oil source of omega-3-fatty acids. Fish oil has been shown to reduce inflammation from skin allergies as well as benefit overall health in both humans and animals. Cinder also continued to respond to acupuncture treatments with several days of immediate itchiness relief.

In addition, topical medications that contain steroids were used intermittently; these are not absorbed into the blood stream to any significant degree and can give some extra help controlling itchiness.

Treatment for mild itching continued on into the fall and through the spring. At this point food allergy had to be considered as pollen allergies are normally seasonal. A specially formulated hypoallergenic diet was begun in November 2011.

After she had been on the special diet for about 4 month Cinder's need for additional medication was greatly reduced. We have been able to manage the itchy skin with herbals, antihistamines, topical medicated spray, bathing, and fish oil.

Cinder's case illustrates beautifully the need to “slay the dragon with a thousand tiny cuts”. The fish oil and the medications work together, called synergistic, to provide an enhanced effect against allergies. This combined with acupuncture and herbs allowed the most comfort for Cinder.  Cinder is like many dogs in that often a pet has more than one type of allergy. In her case she is probably allergic to everything (fleas, pollen and food) but we are able to easily eliminate fleas with modern preventatives and lessen the effect food may have with the special diet. Cinder's owner is also instructed to mechanically remove pollens with wipe downs once she has been outside.

As of this writing Cinder's allergies are almost completely under control, or resolved.

Here are the thousand tiny cuts, many only used as needed.

-Fish oil

-Antihistamine, we tried 3 different types to find the best one.

-Chinese herbs, 2 different formulas used

-Acupuncture

-Medicated topical spray

-Hypoallergenic diet

-Monthly, year round flea control

-Medicated baths when needed

-Mechanical removal of allergens (pollen) from the fur.

-Avoidance of allergens

Allergy season begins in Willamette Valley Oregon

Yes, allergy season is upon us, and it doesn't just affect us but our four legged friends as well. There are three main categories of allergies in pets, flea allergies,  pollen allergies and food allergies.

A flea allergy is the most common allergy amongst cats and dogs. It is actually the flea's saliva that a flea allergic dog or cat is allergic to. As a result, in sensitive dogs a single flea bite can cause an allergic reaction.  Symptoms of a flea allergy include hairloss on the backs of thighs, tailbase and rump; chewing or scratching on the back half of body; and flea dirt (the flea's waste product). The best way to prevent an allergic reaction is monthly, year round flea prevention.

Pollen allergies are called Atopic allergies, or atopy for short, and describes an allergic reaction caused by inhaled allergens such as dust, mold, pollen, or even dust mites. This is the second most common allergy in pets and can be seasonal or non-seasonal.  Atopy can present in many different ways, the most common are: itching, licking paws, skin irritation or redness, recurrent ear infections that are difficult to cure and skin chewing.  Although you cannot cure allergies, there are many treatments available such as: antihistamines; fish oil supplementation; topical shampoos, oils and cream rinses; topical antihistamines and anti-inflammatories; acupuncture; oral herbal therapy and diet therapy. In addition allergy testing and immuno-therapy can be helpful. In severe cases immune suppressing drugs must be used.

Food allergies are not as common, but do occur. Food allergies are caused by an allergic reaction to a protein and or carbohydrate in the food your animal eats. The most common food allergens (the particle that cause the reaction is called an “allergen”) in dogs are beef, dairy and wheat. Whereas the most common food allergies in cats are beef, dairy and fish. Only a food trial with a single protein and carbohydrate source lasting 6-8 weeks can rule out a food allergy. Keep in mind,  food allergies are not seasonal.

So, what is the take home message? There are three main types of allergies: flea allergies, atopy and food allergies. Flea allergies and atopy are the most common with food allergies being the least common.  Animals can have more than one or even all three types of allergies.  If you suspect that your pet has allergies you can bring them in for a consultation.

Laser and local honey save Max's foot!

Max is Whole Pet Veterinary Care's "Featured Pet" for May and June. Just a few months ago Max had a severe reaction and abscess on his front foot. It became necrotic and he was unable to walk. After surgical debriding of wound,

Top of paw after surgical debridement

Bottom of paw after debriding

Bottom of paw 8 days later

we applied low level laser to the wound bed.The laser dramatically shortened healing time, is anti-bacterial and relieves pain.  In addition the wound was bandaged with a dressing of local honey. Honey is antibacterial and nourishes the healing tissue. All of us at Whole Pet were in awe of how quickly the foot healed.

Top of paw 8 days later

During the whole process Max patiently and bravely let us perform all treatments. He was sad and painful for a while but now he is back to his happy, cuddly self. We love him so much. He is a pleasure to have at our clinic.

Cats Scratch

I know this may seem silly, but let’s talk about cats and scratching.  I’ve been thinking of this lately….because I recently opened my home to a sweet little kitty who was no longer wanted by her previous owner, after many years. She is de-clawed on her 2 front feet. Living with 2 indoor-outdoor cats it is hard to keep her from escaping outside. She loves it out there and my worries about her ability to protect herself eased when I witnessed her bully my confident male cat into submission.

So on to cat scratching. This sweet old cat is enjoying her life in my home with abundant healthy food, laps to sit on and love. Her happiness overtakes her to the point where she finds herself pawing at the scratching post out of sheer pleasure.  A sad scene to watch, however, as her little nubs rub on the post and I swear a look of confusion on her face.

What would make a de-clawed cat scratch? Cats do scratch to exercise their muscles, and groom their nails but also to scent their territory and to visually mark it. Neat huh? And you thought cats scratched your couches just to be mean and annoying.  Each cat has their own personal preferences for perfect scratching spots, some like vertical surfaces others like horizontal. Also, according to veterinary behaviorist Jacqueline Neilson, the spot needs to be sturdy, have traction, be tall or long enough for a full length stretch and  placed in a prominent location.

To succeed in providing this wonderful exercise and enjoyable activity for your cat, test and observe your cat to see if they like horizontal or vertical surfaces. If they scratch your carpet-horizontal. The upright of your couch? Vertical. One of my favorite cat scratchers is a corrugated cardboard box on the floor, corrugations exposed.  For vertical scratching posts you must get one they cannot knock over and it must be high enough for them to stand on their hind legs and reach up and tear on it. Any home with a new kitten must have a tall cat tree. Although it may be expensive, it saves couches and carpets and lives. Many cats love scratching on wood so why not bring a log in for the cat.

Oh, one other thing….once the item is all shredded and worn do not change it for a new one. They worked hard to get it that way and they like it that way.  Their scent is on it. Life is perfect, if not pretty.

Some tricks that have been employed to prevent scratching on unwanted items: tin foil applied to the surface or double stick tape. No cat likes to have a dainty paw stuck to tape.

Ticks! Ticks!

Hi all. My husband camped near Jefferson Lake on the SE side of Mt. Jefferson last week and encountered a TON of ticks. To be honest...I have not seen a tick since I moved to Oregon 3 and a half years ago, but, I guess they are here. Please, please if you are taking your dog to the mountains now or this summer, use tick prevention. Start with Frontline plus, that should be enough unless you are visiting a heavily tick infested area.

Remember ticks can transmit Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever...and other diseases not so common here.

Pet Hospice

Greetings, I am back if you are listening. Since I last wrote I have had to say good bye to my second and final dog child after 13 and a half great years. Being a veterinarian I am confronted with the emotions and decisions regarding euthanasia weekly...and sometimes daily. Because of this I felt prepared to send my lovely German Shepherds on to the spirit world, let their energy be free of the flesh and go back to the universe, perhaps to be a companion again someday. I was wrong.

Nearly one month before we actually had to put Guinness “to sleep” I had placed an IV catheter and was about to end her life because she had a bout of seizures and looked so terrible and confused. But something told me it was not time...maybe she would be a little better if I just waited. Sure enough she rallied and came out of her mental fog and began to eat and take her walks again.

So many adjustments had been made to our lives, and our house, to accommodate the lovely aging ladies, but it never bothered me. I felt I was caring for them as we care for elderly humans. Non-slip mats in front of the dog bowls, ramps to go in and out of house and cars and a an occasional piece of dried poop found under a dog bed...well that got to be more frequent.

Living through caring for aged animals, I realized so many parallels to human hospice...with one difference: we can decide when to end it. What an important and difficult place to be in. During my struggle I asked...”What right do I have to decide it is your time to go???” “Do you want to go Guinness?” “Should I have let you go sooner?”

So life is. Pain and sadness, loss...but only all these things because of the joy, happiness and comfort that comes to us too. Winding down the path of aging with Guinness one day we came to a place where she was ready to leave the world, my husband knew it, I knew, she knew it. We helped her pass on and then I lay with her for a long while smelling her fur and just taking in the sight of her. Over time it seemed the soul left her physical body. Spending this time with her I realized how important it is to be home with your pet at this special moment.

My story is not special or new, I know. But I wanted to write this to remind myself and others that we go on a journey with our pets and we are forced to see them through infancy to geriatrics to the process of dying. I feel it is normal for this to be challenging and sad and draining. We should expect for the final months to push us to certain limits and to question our decisions. It is normal to be sad, really, really sad to see them go and to bawl at the moment of their death.

Word of advice...practice reality in your mind on a regular basis. What I mean is; do not tell yourself “I can't live without my faithful dog” but instead tell yourself “I will cherish my pet while they are here and make every moment count. I will stand by their side until the end and let them go with dignity and peace. And when they are gone I will have enough love to give to another needy pet and they will have something to give to me.”

Thanks for listening and I promise...no more blogs about aging dogs!!!

Open House

Thank you to everyone who came to open house, it was fabulous!!! The band Moonlight Mile was excellent, I thought. The violin and guitar together were relaxing and entertaining. I enjoyed seeing clients outside of the normal appointment setting and meeting new people.  I hope you all met our new employees Michelle and Katie and learned something new about our clinic or about veterinary medicine.

If anyone has a burning question about veterinary medicine, or the clinic or me, please ask it here as it will guide me better in what to write about.

For the first time at our open house we had our laser out and Michelle was educating everyone on how it works. I wanted to mention that I just read an article in a recent veterinary publication about Laser Therapy. As many of you know we added Laser therapy to the practice in May.

Current research on lasers confirms that a specific wavelength of coherent light does indeed take away pain and heal tissue. Wavelengths from the mid 700's to the low 900's nanometers (nm) prove to penetrate the deepest and units with power of lower wattage (500 mW or less) can be applied directly to the skin thus delivering a measurable dose of light directly to the underlying tissues. Machines of high power, over 500 mW (some are 10 and 12 Watts) cannot touch the skin directly, must be moved constantly and risk damaging tissue. 

I am so proud to say that after months of research I purchased a low power laser with wavelength production of 808 and 905 nm.  This means treatments are safe and effective.

All dogs and cats with knee, elbow and hip arthritis and pain are great candidates for this treatment. It is possible they can be maintained with laser treatment alone and not have to use drugs for pain.

I'll sign off for now.
Julie