Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

When the November 27, 2011 New York Times Magazine came out, I was elated.  The cover article, “Can the Bulldog be Saved?” addresses the many health issues faced by the breed today. Finally people can read what I have been telling them for years now:  that the bulldog, while adorable in its nature, is in fact an enigma.  It is a breed that if not for mankind could not exist in its form today.  On the cover of the magazine is the long laundry list of problems related to their anatomy and genetic line, including  cherry eye, dry nose, corneal ulcers, elongated soft palate, dry eye, skin fold infections, hip dysplasia, inverted screw tail, elbow dysplasia, congenital heart disease, skin allergies, birthing difficulties, and inter-digital cysts.  When I see a bulldog for an initial exam, I always suggest that the owner should invest in an insurance  policy that covers congenital and inherited defects. I have seen many bulldog owners regret not having insurance on this breed.

The fact is that after a bulldog won Westminster, the bulldog has climbed on the top 10 list of most popular dogs. However, this is not a breed for everyone. They are a high maintenance breed. They constantly need to have their skin folds and ears cleaned. They need to be kept on the thinner side because of their bad hips and elbows. They should not go out in extreme heat because their airways are prone to overheating, which can create inflammation, cutting off the airway. They are also prone to respiratory distress and aspiration pneumonia. As a veterinarian, I advise looking for bulldogs with fewer folds, longer noses, and tails with looser spirals. This breed has many health issues and I have always found it ironic that owners get upset with the breeders and feel the pet was unfit for sale.  This is a breed where ”buyer beware” is a true statement. Demand dictates supply.  As long as people seek out these traits, breeders will continue to produce the bulldogs that have them. As a veterinarian, this knowledge is a double-edged sword. My goal is to educate and help people maintain a healthy bond with their pet. While I too find the bulldog to be adorable, I know their health pitfalls. My thanks to the New York Times Magazine for bringing the issue of the bulldog to our attention.

This is definitely going to be a hot topic right now. Horse slaughter facilities are going to reopen and will make meat for human consumption. Horse meat is legal for human consumption in most US states. This is a very emotional subject and may surprise many people that Veterinarians support the reopening of these facilities. The Why is because Veterinarians still feel the welfare of the animal is still the most important goal.
      To start at the beginning what options do people have when they need to get rid of a horse. Rescue,  adoptions, donation to a charity, euthanasia, or slaughter. The average horse costs around four thousand dollars in up keep a year. Due to the economy many horses have been neglected, let loose or sold to slaughter. Since the slaughter house shut down in the US four years ago the demand has not gone done but increased. Now instead of being slaughtered in a US facility they are being shipped across to Canada and Mexico.

“In 2006, just 11,080 U.S. horses were shipped to Mexico for slaughter. In 2008, after the American industry shut down, that number jumped to 57,017, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture ” These facilities do and did not have the same control as they do in the US. Meat that is fit for human consumption must be slaughtered in a humane fashion and be inspected from beginning to end. In Mexico that is not the case. Stories of inhumane slaughter have been passed around over the last 4 years.

A lot of people in the Veterinary comunity feel that people should be educated on the costs and amount of care horses need. Some even believe there should be a tax incurred upond people who breed horses.

At the end of the day people on both sides of the issue care about the welfare of horses. People will continue to take these beautiful creature to slaughter as long as their is a market for their consumption. With the opening of these facilities at least we can monitor how their final moments are and to make sure they are given the respect that they deserve.

Some interesting veterinary news to  report.

The winner of the most unusual September claim was a Shiba Inu that caught its foot in an escalator grate while on vacation in Toronto with it’s owner. The dog suffered torn nails and lacerations to one of its paws. The pet is doing fine.

Experimental Vaccine for use in Canine Lymphoma that increases survival time. A study underway at University Of Pennsylvania is showing promise in increasing survival times in dogs with spontaneous non- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The vaccine did not prevent dogs from relapsing after going into remission but it did improve survival times in dogs that went through a resue chemotherapy. When dogs come out of remission following chemotherapy they undergo a second round to put them back into remission again.

North Carolina State University is the only uiniversity to offfer bone marrow transplants for dogs with lymophoma. There reseasrch has shown dogs with a two year survival after treatment. In the first group of 24 dogs 8 are still long term survival. The cost as of now is a hefty 16,000. Over time these costs are expect to drop.

Cats gets pacemaker at Denver based Veterinary Heart and Lung Specialists. Dogs have been getting pacemakers for sometime now but cats receiving pacemakers is uncommon.

Some also good news reports show Euthanasia of cats and dogs at animal shelter across the country were down 12% and 3% respectively. This is a positive trend over the last 12 months that will hopefully continue.