Patient of the Month

Redgie is a 2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog who came in to see us when his owner noticed he was shaking his head a lot.  This is a common sign of ear issues in our canine companions and Redgie's owner was sure she saw a piece of spear grass in one of his ears.

10 month old Coco Evans was born with a class II malocclusion, a common abnormality in small breed dogs where the teeth do not "fit together" properly. There are many patterns of malocclusion in dogs and many are believed to be of genetic orgin. In cases where the abnormal "bite" causes a malpositioned tooth to penetrate into gum tissue or the palate, the patient will experience loss of the ability to chew properly, tissue damage or tooth trauma and chronic pain.

Huck was recently diagnosed with a condition called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.  This is a condition where the pancreas is not producing digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes help break down starches, fats and protein. They are stored inside the pancreas and secreted into the duodenum when ground up food passes out of the stomach and into the small intestine.

Caesar was a gentleman who brought a lot of joy to his “humans” over his lifetime.  He lived to the age of 11 years, but like all our pets, we know it was never enough time.   

Boomer is a happy go lucky guy who came into West Kootenay Animal Hospital 6 weeks ago with some concerning symptoms.  He had gained 4.7 kg in 2 months, his coat was thin and brittle.  His normal bouncy personality was dull and lethargic and most concerning of all he had abnormal reflexes and his face was puffy, with a sad tragic expression.

Anyone who has ever suffered from a slipped disc will be able to relate to Newt’s story. Newt is an eight year old Yorkshire Terrier with a sweet disposition who became suddenly ill over a weekend. Newts’ symptoms were rapid in onset and involved a number of neurologic signs. He was disoriented, uncoordinated, weak and had several seizure like episodes. On examination Newt had symptoms of both spinal cord disease and central nervous system disease. We suspected meningitis, a condition that can occur in Yorkshire Terriers.

“Stenotic nares” is a medical term that means the nostril openings are too tiny. It is a common condition in brachycephalic breeds like Pugs, Bulldogs and Shih Tzus. Small nostril openings make it very difficult to breath and move air during exercise & excitement. To understand what it feel like for these dogs, think about how it feel when we have a bad sinus cold- trying to eat and breath, talk and breath and even do light exercise..it is not easy! Jersey is the happiest, sweetest little French bulldog who recently underwent surgery to correct his stenotic nares.

Dooley is an Australian Shepherd cross puppy who was adopted from the Nelson SPCA.

Purdy arrived at West Kootenay Animal Hospital as a very sick kitten.  24 hours prior to becoming ill, Purdy had been treated for fleas with Hartz UltraGuard topical flea product.  Cats are very sensitive to the pyrethrin family of pesticides.  While these products are designed to kill insects, such as fleas they can also cause salivation, severe muscle trembling, weakness, seizures and even death in pets.  While over the counter products, such as Hartz , are designed to look similar to Advantage or Revolution, their safety and effectiveness are very different.  Pur

Congenital disorders are conditions that exist at birth or develop during the first months of life. Some congenital conditions like cleft palates or hernias are obvious on a puppy’s first visit to the vet. Others are not visible and can be more difficult to diagnose.

Roxtar is a lovely Miniature Schnauzer who was recently diagnosed with a Portosystemic Shunt (PSS). A PSS is an abnormal vein which allows blood from the intestinal tract to bypass the liver and enter directly into the general circulation.

This month we are featuring two special dogs, “Ripley” Winckers and “Lady” Geick. Ripley and Lady were both blood donors recently. Blood transfusions can be a lifesaving procedure for our pets in a variety of situations. Trauma and severe bleeding, life threatening anemia, platelet and coagulation defects and sometimes plasma is used in patients with severe protein loss.

As Canadians we anxiously await the arrival of summer. As Veterinarians, however, summertime is a season where we see more accidents and injuries in our patients.

Marlin is an 8 year old male cat owned by Drs Rob and Elaine.  Marlin and his 2 brothers were found discarded in a garbage bag at 5 days of age.  He and his brothers were hand raised and have become healthy, pampered, indoor cats.  Recently, Marlin stopped eating and become very lethargic.  Symptoms developed quickly and it was discovered that Marlin had severe anemia.  A blood transfusion from his brother helped buy time to find the underlying cause of his anemia.  While initial testing revealed infection with Feline Leukemia virus, this diagnosis seemed unlik

This month we are featuring two special dogs, Shasta and Bella, who are recent amputees.  Limb amputation is always a last resort for our pets but in certain circumstances it can be a lifesaving option for a much loved family member.  Shasta, a senior dog, underwent amputation of her right front leg due to a very aggressive soft tissue cancer.  After exploring limb saving options such as debulking surgery and radiation treatments, it was determined that given the size and aggressive nature of the tumor the only guarantee of a cure was amputation.  Despite

This winter Padfoot, a healthy 3 ½ year old Terrier/Maltese dog became painful on his right hind paw after playing. Initial x-rays appeared normal and a ligament injury was suspected. However, Padfoot did not recover and continued to favor his right hind paw. One of his middle toes was swollen and painful. Further x-rays showed evidence of lysis of the toe bones indicating a tumor of the pad. Padfoot underwent amputation of one toe and a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the toe was confirmed.

Cody is a very special dog. In June 2011, Cody developed a chronic cough. Extensive testing and referral to the Washington State University revealed sad news, Cody has several tumours at the base of his heart, in his abdomen, and in his right shoulder. Cody underwent a pericardiectomy, surgery to prevent fluid from building up around his heart, and was started on low dose metronomic chemotherapy. Cody has responded extremely well to his treatments.

Trigeminal neuritis is a disease of sudden onset where the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve) becomes inflammed. This results in drooling, difficulty eating or drinking, jaw paralysis and the inability to close the mouth. Guiness is a very happy 5-year-old chocolate lab that recently developed this condition. While relatively uncommon, trigeminal neuritis usually resolves in 1-6 weeks with supportive care such as diet changes to allow the pet to eat (soft food made into meatballs usually works!).

Loki is a friendly male cat who was adopted from the SPCA. He arrived at his new home with a history of previous upper respiratory infection and an infected left eye. When Loki was brought in for examination, the tissue lining the eyelid was so swollen and painful it was impossible to examine his eye. Rhinotracheitis Herpes Virus was suspected as the underlying cause of Loki’s eye problem. Herpes virus is very common in cats especially in shelter environments, which can be prevented by vaccination. Symptoms include sneezing, conjunctivitis and lethargy.

Samara, a curious 7-year-old Siamese cat had a difficult month. Over Thanksgiving Samara was hospitalized for periodic vomiting, lethargy and decreased appetite.  Initially she seemed to improve with supportive treatment but over the next week Samara started to deteriorate.  Blood tests and x-rays did not determine the cause of Samara's illness.  Exploratory surgery was the next step and the results were surprising. Samara had swallowed a large amount of sewing thread, which had become wrapped around her tongue and then swallowed.  Because the thread was so

Brutus came to the clinic and was a very sick bulldog. For 2 days he had been lethargic and off his food. He was also coughing, retching and bringing up blood-tinged fluid. Examination, blood tests and chest x-rays revealed bacterial pneumonia with consolidation of his right cranial lung lobe. Brutus was hospitalized and started on IV fluids and antibiotics for 24 hours. There are many different underlying causes of pneumonia in dogs.

Chocolate ingestion is one of the most common toxicities we seen in dogs. Pets may be exposed to a variety of coca and chocolate products, which contain varying amounts of theobromine and caffeine, the toxic ingredients. Sir Benjamin is a small poodle that ate a large amount of chocolate for his body weight. Within hours of eating the chocolate, Sir Benjamin developed typical symptoms, including; excessive thirst, vomiting, restlessness and tremors. In severe cases chocolate intoxication can lead to seizures, abnormal heart rhythms, hyperthermia and even coma.

Molly is a 3-year-old mischievous Cairn Terrier. She had escaped one day and must have had a pretty good adventure, for when her owner finally found Molly, she noticed Molly was walking funny and kept licking at her paws. It was then discovered that Molly must have ran through something and she had tar all over her feet. It was so bad that Molly’s toes and pads were so stuck together, it almost looked like hooves. Her owner tried to bath her to soften the tar, but no luck.

Bogart is an 8 month old English Bulldog who was diagnosed with demodectic mange at 4 months of age.  Demodex is a type of mite that lives in the hair follicles of dogs.  It is not contagious to other dogs and if present in low numbers it doesn't cause problems.  However, in young dogs if something happens to upset the natural balance or supress the dog's immune system the mites can proliferate and cause serious skin disease.  In Bogart's case he was suffering from generalized demodectic mange as the mites were affecting all areas of the skin.  The treat

Freya is a 11 year old Chow & Newfie cross dog who developed a large distended abdomen over the course of 1 week.  Testing and exploratory surgery determined the cause of Freya's abdominal distention was fluid build up secondary to a large mass associated with her left middle liver lobe.  During surgery the affected liver lobe was removed and submitted for evaluation by a veterinary pathologist.  the diagnosis was a benign tumor called a hepatoma.  Freya has recovered completely from her surgery.  Despite the extreme size of the tumor (1 kg) and our initial