Lyme Disease is in your back yard!

Yesterday, I had a friend who called, needing information about Lyme Disease. His brother's dog had contracted the disease and was being treated by his veterinarian. The dog was not doing well and was in a great deal of pain. My friend was concerned about what the dog's future looked like. Would he ever regain his health and would he have a decent quality of life?

Lyme Disease is one of the fastest growing communicable disease in New York State and the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the country. It is an illness caused by the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of an infected deer tick. Although not all ticks carry the disease, in some areas, as many as 50% or more of the ticks may be infected.*

Lyme Disease affects animals differently and many display no clinical signs at all. In my friend's case, there were classic symptoms of limping, pain, lymph node swelling and fever. However, here at NHAH, we have tested many patients with no sypmtoms at all and their test results have come back positive.

All dogs are at risk of contracting Lyme Disease. If your dog spends time in wooded or grassy areas, and lives in this part of the country, your dog is very susceptible to contracting this disease. The risk of infection in dogs is likely greater than in humans because exposure is greater.

To help prevent your dog from becoming infected with Lyme Disease, consider having your dog vaccinated with Recombitek Lyme vaccine. Apply tick control every month, even in cold weather. It takes only one day of 32 degree weather for ticks to become active. Brush your dog frequently and if you find a tick attached, remove it promptly with tweezers.

Above all, remember, these same ticks can transmit Lyme Disease to you or your family members as well. Be aware, and do what you can to avoid tick exposure. In my friend's case, only time will tell if the dog will get better. Aggressive and appropriate treatments often do work. However, prevention is always the best option.


*Statistics taken from NYSVMS Lyme Disease Brochure

SSHS Annual Telethon

This Thursday, the Stevens-Swan Humane Society will host their 7th annual Telethon on WKTV News Channel 2. Our staff will proudly participate in the telethon, asnwering phones and calling to ask for donations.

We are asking our generous friends, family, and clients to consider some type of donation. Any amount at all will help. The shelter relies on private donations because they do not receive any government funding to house, feed, medically treat, and provide love to these animals.

The SSHS has become very near and dear to the doctors and staff of New Hartford Animal Hospital. Our staff has "adopted" the shelter as their "pet" project. We frequently participate in shelter fundraisers and help take care of the pets there by providing surgery and medical treatments. Our staff is very creative with projects to raise money for the shelter throughout the year and they have even adopted some of the pets from the shelter. I am proud of them!

On Thursday January 26th, please call 792-5600 to make a donation to the shelter. And for those who need another option, we are a collection center for any items you would like to donate to the shelter. Thank you so much!

Pet Dental Extravaganza 2012

Bad breath in your pet is not normal! It's actually a sign of disease. The most common illness encountered in veterinary medicine today is dental disease, which affects 9 out of 10 pets.  Unfortunately, it is often not detected.  Pets spend years with painful gingivitis or even severe tooth root abscess without noticeable clinical signs to the owner. 

Dental disease also puts tremendous demands on your pet’s organs. This threatens the liver, kidneys, and heart.  This additional stress can lessen your pet’s quality of life and shorten life expectancy by several years.

Come learn about the importance of pet dental health and see how easy it is to take care of your pet's teeth!

Our staff is getting ready for our 2012 Pet Dental Extravaganza 2012! This year's event will include :

  A live dentistry performed by Dr. Maria Arnsman

·       Dental care demonstrations

·       Dental presentation

·       Question & answer period

·       Door prizes

·       Give aways

·       Hors d’oeuvres

Tuesday

February 7th

6:30 - 8:30

Space is limited so please sign up early.

315-737-7387

Update on Kiwi!

For those of you who are following our blog or who follow us on Facebook, you will be happy to know that Kiwi is home! Her family picked her up on Tuesday. She is glad to be home and back to her old self, trying to escape the house every chance she gets!

Kiwi is an indoor cat. However, there have been a few instances when her parents have opened the door to let  their dogs out and she has escaped. Her parents do not want her to be an outdoor cat. They understand that there are many dangers lurking outside. And the diseases Kiwi could pick up are not safe for her or for her family. So her parents will continue to do what they can to keep her inside!

Kiwi still has another 2.5 weeks of antibiotic therapy before her treatments are done. Her family is administering her antibiotic each morning and anxiously waiting until she can be tested for feline bartonella again. Unfortunately that won't happen until 6 months after the last day of her antibiotics. But they remain hopeful that she will be disease free.

With her family's dedication to making sure Kiwi visits us regularly, we were able to diagnose and treat what could have been a very serious illness. Keeping Kiwi healthy will help keep Kiwi's family healthy too!

Hidden Disease In The Healthy Pet!

Last month, my grandaughter brought her 2 year old cat in for her annual comprehensive exam and vaccinations. Her cat, Kiwi, appeared healthy and my grandaughter said she had been doing well. I examined Kiwi from head to toe, saving her teeth for last. When I opened her mouth and looked inside, I saw red, irritated, swollen gums. I was concerned right away. Inflammatory gingivitis in a young cat who has her teeth brushed fairly regularly is not normal.

When we see this condition in a young animal, we suspect there is an underlying reason. I decided to test Kiwi for Feline Leukemia and Feline Bartonella, two diseases that can cause this condition in cats. While the Feline Leukemia test came back negative, the Feline Bartonella test came back positive. A strong positive.

Feline Bartonella is a disease that cats can get from fleas. Kiwi had never had a flea infestation that we knew of and is on monthly internal and external parasite prevention. She is also an indoor cat. However, my grandaughter adopted Kiwi from another family when she was 6 weeks old. My guess is that she was infected before that.

Feline Bartonella is curable in 88% of patients diagnosed with the disease. A 4-week course of antibiotics was ordered and we began treating Kiwi as soon as she was diagnosed. However, the bigger problem is that Feline Bartonella is a zoonotic disease which means it can be transmitted from pets to humans. If transmitted to humans, the disease is commonly diagnosed as "Cat Scratch Disease". It can be difficult to diagnose in some cases because symptoms in humans do not always result from a cat scratch or bite. And symptoms can include joint pain, lethargy, neurological, eye, or even heart problems which lead physicians to believe the symptoms are from more common diseases such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, or heart disease. Also, symptoms in humans can occur weeks or months after exposure further limiting the ability to diagnose accurately. When left undiagnosed, this disease can severly impact the health of the individual.

My grandaughter has been lucky. She has been scratched by Kiwi a number of times and fortunately has never contracted Bartonella. Apparently only 1 in 1000 scratches results in transmission to humans. However, 33% of healthy cats in the Northeast have Bartonella and their owners do not know it. Consider sharing this information with your veterinarian or have your cat tested.

If you are bitten or scratched by your cat, wash your wound thoroughly. And be sure to let your doctor know if you develop any illness shortly after. Most importantly, have your cat visit your veterinarian for comprehensive examinations at least annually. There are many problems that can be diagnosed and treated with just an examination. Do it for your pet and for your family. You just might avoid serious health problems down the road!

For more information, visit: http://www.natvetlab.com/bartonella.php