Word On The Creek (selected articles)

May/June 2010

 

Diet for Osteoarthritis

As humans, we understand that diet is very important in managing disease.  We eat foods low in cholesterol, watch our salt intake, and try to consume fewer simple sugars.  Hill's J/D diet is specially formulated to meet the unique needs of dogs suffering from osteoarthritis.  While arthritis is not curable, good nutrition can help to ease aching joints and improve your dog's mobility and quality of life.  Hill's J/D diet contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a low ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.  This is helpful in reducing inflammation around the joints.  EPA, another type of omega-3 fatty acid, helps block the production of cartilage-destroying enzymes.  Lastly, a controlled calorie content and L-carnitine help your pet maintain a healthy weight and avoids extra stress on the joints.  If you think your pet is suffering from the pain of arthritis, please talk to your veterinarian about trying J/D as a part of a well-rounded therapeutic plan.  Results can be seen in as few as 21 days.  Your veterinarian will discuss the changes you should look for! 

 

Tapeworms: What You Should Know!

Intestinal parasites are no fun!  As pet owners, we have all experienced the displeasure of finding our pet vomiting and/or having diarrhea as a result of acquiring an intestinal parasite.  Did you know there are some intestinal parasites, like TAPEWORMS, that your pet may acquire but show NO OBVIOUS CLINICAL SIGNS of disease?  There are two different groups of tapeworms found in cats and dogs.  Both of these groups require that your pet ingest an "intermediate" host that carries the larval stage in its belly.  Intermediate hosts include FLEAS, lice, rodents, rabbits, and freshwater copepods and fish. Therefore, most infections in pets occur due to flea infestations or consuming one of the aforementioned hosts.  The mature tapeworms live in the small intestine of dogs and cats, and often don't result in clinical disease.  Diagnosis of tapeworms can be made by actually seeing the "RICE-LIKE" eggs in the feces or on the fur around the anal sphincter, or seeing the microscopic eggs during the fecal examination.  Keep in mind that eggs are intermittently shed and NOT ALL tapeworms shed eggs that will appear in the stool or on fur.  Therefore, a pet may be infected without any obvious signs!  In an effort to identify infections with tapeworms and other intestinal parasites, we recommend fecal examinations TWICE a year.  Also, as fleas are a common intermediate host for tapeworms, it is important to use a monthly flea preventative ALL YEAR LONG.  Treatment for tapeworm infections is safe and very simple.  If your pet has tapeworms we can prescribe a singe dose of an oral anthelmintic (dewormer) that can be given at home as a treat.  In some cases, the anthelmintic can be given as an injection.  We will occasionally prescribe another dose to be administered several weeks later if we suspect fleas to be the intermediate host.  A follow-up fecal examination may be recommended after treatment.  Tapeworm control is important not only for your pet, but also for your family.  In some cases the eggs shed by an infected cat or dog are directly infectious to humans.  Ingestion of the Taenia or Echinococcus eggs can result in the development of larval tapeworm cysts in humans.  Intestinal upset has occurred in children from accidental ingestion of fleas carrying D. caninum tapeworm eggs.  Please see your veterinarian for more information about tapeworms.