My dog is having a seizure. What do I do?

Seizures can have many different causes, from toxins (such as compost or chemicals) to epilepsy and even brain tumors.  Each cause for seizure has a different treatment.   There is variety in severity from mild facial twitching to a grand mal seizure, which is the violent shaking often coupled with loss of consciousness that most people associate with the word “seizure”.  Watching your pet have a seizure is difficult and unnerving, but it is important that you try to remain calm during the episode so that you can observe and collect information that will help your veterinarian rapidly, and correctly, diagnose and treat your pet.

After remembering to remain calm, your next step should be safety first.  By this, I mean YOUR safety.  A seizing pet often experiences at least partial loss of consciousness, and is quite likely to bite you, even if it has never bitten anyone or shown any sign of aggression.  During a seizure, your pet is in an altered state of mind, and may not recognize you and certainly does not understand what is happening to it. If you MUST move your pet for safety reasons, use a blanket or towel as a barrier between your hands and the pet’s mouth, and then remove the barrier immediately so as not to interfere with your pet’s ability to breath.   Don’t even think about trying to move your pet’s tongue!  Your pet will not swallow its tongue, but may very well bite its own tongue…and your hand if it is nearby.

Your next step should be to take note of the time the seizure started.  It seems like time stands still when you find your pet in a state in which you cannot help them.  Most seizures do not last more than a few seconds to minutes, but if the seizure DOES last 5 or 10 minutes or longer, your veterinarian needs to know this information! 

When the seizure ends, your pet can experience what we call a “post-ictal” stage.  Generally, at this point your pet has regained consciousness, but may seem drowsy or drunk, or what we often hear described as “a little off”.  This is normal after a seizure and may last minutes to hours.  During this stage, try to protect your pet from accidentally injuring his/herself from sliding on slick surfaces or running into objects.  Now is the time to start remembering if your pet has had contact with or ingested any type of chemical, plant, or other unusual object.  Also think if your pet had any unusual behaviors in the past few days.

We recommend that you have your pet seen by a veterinarian after having the first seizure or immediately after any seizure lasting more than 5 minutes.  Your pet may not be in immediate danger, as if often the case with epilepsy, but seizures due to toxins can be life threatening.  When you arrive at the clinic, your vet or their staff will ask you questions about the circumstances surrounding the seizure.  What was happening when the seizure started?  Has your pet been exposed to any potential toxins?  Has your pet ever experienced a seizure before?  How long did the seizure last?  Did your pet lose consciousness?  If you have followed these steps, you will be prepared to help your vet correctly diagnose and treat your pet.

Canine Parvo Virus - Spend now, Save later

In my work as an emergency veterinary technician, I see a lot of sad cases.  Probably the worst are those that are almost completely preventable.

Parvo virus is a very contagious virus that puppies can succumb to if not properly vaccinated.  Because it attacks the intestinal tract, parvo virus is spread through the feces of infected dogs.  It can survive in the environment for more than a year.  Parvo virus is very host specific, meaning it does not affect cats or people. 

When a puppy is born, it receives antibodies from its mother's milk to help fight disease.  Once the puppy is weaned, the antibodies are no longer available for defense, so it is important to start vaccinations at 6-8 weeks of age.  Puppies should get a series of distemper/parvo vaccinations every 3-4 weeks until they are at least 16 weeks of age.  During that time the puppy should not leave your yard; no dog parks, pet stores, etc.  Owners can also introduce parvo virus on their shoes or clothing, so avoiding other puppies is important.

Parvo virus can be killed with a bleach solution of 1 part chlorine to 8 parts water.  All washable surfaces should be cleaned and pick up feces from the yard and dispose of them.  If you've had parvo in your environment, we advise that you not bring an unvaccinated animal (puppy) into your house or yard for at least 2 years.

Signs to look for are depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea.  To confirm if a puppy has parvo, a veterinarian can do a quick test.  Often a fecal check is done at the same time to check for worms because a heavy worm infestation can cause similar symptoms.  Unfortunately, some puppies have both worms and parvo at the same time.

If an owner has a puppy that contacts parvo, treatment can cost thousands of dollars.  Waiting to give a distemper/parvo shot to a puppy that is already sick is no good, it only works as prevention - you don't wait until you have the flu to get a flu shot, either.

Treatment can include:

• Hospitalization
• Isolation to prevent the spread of the disease
• 24 hour nursing care
•  IV catheter and fluids
• Anti-nausea medications
• Antibiotics (antibiotics do not work against viruses, but while sick they can be susceptible to other infections)
• Additives to fluids like electrolytes and dextrose

I've seen patients bounce back in as little as 2 days, and I've seen them hospitalized for over a week.  Recovery is variable, but when treated aggressively, most patients do well.  Untreated puppies suffer almost 100% fatality.

Sadly, a lot of puppies are put to sleep because of the cost of treatment.  What's more tragic is that it can be prevented by a series of $20 vaccines. 

Having a pet is both a privilege and a responsibility.  Like children, they cost money.  My hope is that education will help reduce the number of puppies that suffer this epidemic.  Please see your veterinarian if you have a puppy that needs shots (we often hear "The breeder gave him his shots.", but that is usually only single vaccination, insufficient for protection).  If you don't have  a veterinarian, look in the yellow pages, talk to friends and family and ask who they use.

I hope your pet has a long, happy, healthy life with you.

Michele Kendall, RVT

The Big “C”: Your Best Friend Has Been Diagnosed With Cancer.

It is the veterinary visit we all dread. Your dog or cat has not been feeling well and you make an appointment with the veterinarian. The veterinarian tells you they are concerned that your pet may have cancer and recommends further diagnostics. You have the first dilemma. Do you have the additional diagnostics performed? What will it change? As an Internal Medicine Veterinary Technician I see this dilemma all too often. My personal experience has taught me that I am more comfortable with any decisions I make when I have more information.

You elect to proceed with the additional testing. Generally the veterinarian will recommend chest radiographs and an ultrasound. Chest radiographs (x-rays) are done to see if there are any masses in the lungs which would indicate metastatic disease (spread of cancer for the original site to the lungs). Ultrasound is an excellent diagnostic tool that is non-invasive. If any abnormalities are noted, the veterinarian will generally recommend aspirates, either of an organ such as the liver or spleen or lymph nodes or a mass. Once the aspirates have been obtained the waiting begins. The aspirates are usually sent to a diagnostic lab for a pathologist to review.

In an ideal situation, the veterinarian will call and tell you that the aspirates were normal and there is no evidence of cancer. However, in all too many cases the opposite is true. You get the devastating phone call that the aspirates came back as cancer. You go numb and wonder what will you do?

Today we have more options than ever in the treatment of cancer in dogs and cats. This does not mean that treatment is the right option for you or your pet. This is a very personal decision and many, many factors may influence your decision. Some of the factors are:

1. Type of cancer: Despite the many medical breakthroughs some cancers are very aggressive and do not have an effective treatment. Other cancers such as lymphoma can be very responsive to treatment.
2. Age of your pet: With many cancers such as lymphoma we are seeing young dogs affected. While treatment is not limited to young dogs, some may find that they are less willing to put an older dog or cat through the stress surgery or chemotherapy.
3. Temperament of your pet: Is your pet fearful or aggressive or are they the life of the party and a trip to the veterinarian’s office is the highlight of their week?  Treatment for any cancer generally involves weekly trips to the clinic for an exam and monitoring blood work. 
4. Finances: While treatments are more widely available they are not inexpensive. When you add up the cost of the chemotherapy, the recheck exams, weekly blood tests and other medications, the cost of treatment can be a deciding factor.
5. Availability of treatment: Depending on the type of treatment recommended you may have to travel a long distance frequently or medically board your pet. Most commonly this is done with animals receiving radiation therapy.

While these are not all of the factors you should consider they cover the basics. Everyone has an opinion but the decision is ultimately yours as the owner. Circumstances may change and you may find yourself making a different decision. As an owner of 4 dogs I have come to realize that I cannot treat them all the same. While two of my dogs would treat a weekly trip to the clinic as a holiday, the other two would be stressed and nervous from the moment we walked out the front door of the house. Their reactions to the same circumstances would definitely influence my decision on how to treat them.

The key is to ask as many questions as you need to be sure that you fully understand your options.  A second opinion is never a bad idea, especially if you have reservations.  And a comfortable working relationship with you veterinary team (both primary and specialty care) will always make the process less stressful.

-Mary Meglaughlin, RVT

Happy Easter!

Here at the veterinary hospital, holidays don’t necessarily mean spending time with family and friends.  For us, a lot of our busiest times are during holidays and Easter is no exception.  While most people are aware that chocolate and candies are bad for our furry four legged friends, there are many more dangers to be aware of.  More than just the normal edible items found in our baskets on Easter morning can be catastrophic.

We recently had a very sweet 10 month old lab mix named Gus at our facility.  Gus had not been feeling well and presented to the clinic for vomiting and lethargy.  Upon an ultrasound examination, it was determined that Gus had a gastrointestinal obstruction.  Some foreign material was lodged in his stomach preventing anything from moving through.

Gus was taken to emergency surgery that night and we were very surprised by what we found.  It turns out Gus had eaten a stuffed animal, but not just any stuffed animal.  He ate an entire stuffed bunny rabbit completely whole!  On top of that, Gus also chewed up and ate part of a teddy bear.  Gus may still be a baby, but it is important to have supervised play time with your pet and any toys.  Even animals that are older and have never eaten things in the past have still surprised us and their owners!

If you are ever in question over what your pet may have eaten, it is always best to call your regular veterinary hospital or Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital if it is after hours, than to wait and see if they will be alright.  Depending on what was ingested, we may be able to induce vomiting or suggest other preventative treatments.  We hope everyone has a happy and healthy Easter!

-Kristen Schoen, RVT

Hurricane Sandy Relief

Visit us on Saturday, December 8th from 10am - 2pm for a pet portrait with Santa (Santa is being assisted by our own Dr Grafinger this year).  Just make a $15 donation, and have a wonderful keepsake! 

All proceeds benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  Call (919) 489-0615 to reserve a time slot, or just walk in on the day of.