Heat stroke, burned feet, and infections from seeds.

Summer is a great time to work with our puppies and dogs. But it also can be very dangerous. Playing, exercising, or working with our puppies in the heat can cause very serious and potentially fatal complications.

Heat stroke (heat prostration, hyperthermia) occurs when normal body mechanisms cannot keep the body’s temperature in a safe range. People have very efficient cooling systems, such as sweating, but dogs do not. The only way they cool themselves is by panting. Normally, a dog’s temperature is 100° to 102°. Moderate heat stroke can occur when the dog’s temperature is 104° -106°, and becomes severe when the temperature is over 106°. The most common sign is vigorous panting. The dog is likely to be lying on its side, unable to stand, but some may only become restless and agitated. There may be thick, ropy saliva in the mouth, or froth coming from the mouth and/or nose. The gums and tongue can become bright red, but occasionally are pale or “muddy.” Often the dog will become rigid, extending its head, neck, and legs.

The first, and most important action is to get the dog out of the sun! Move to the shade and if possible direct a fan on the dog. If possible, use a rectal thermometer to determine the dog’s temperature. Next use lukewarm water to gradually cool the dog. When the dog’s temperature is 103°, the cooling process should be stopped.

Second, the dog must immediately be taken to a veterinarian. Severe heat stroke affects every system in the body. Simply lowering the body temperature fails to address the potentially catastrophic events that can accompany this disorder, so any dog suffering from hyperthermia should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Burned feet are an extreme hazard. Asphalt and concrete are not things found in nature and they can get incredibly hot! People don’t notice it because we’re wearing shoes. We also walk upright and don’t feel the heat radiating from the ground. Dogs aren’t so lucky. While their pads are tough, they are not tough enough to handle prolonged exposure to hot surfaces without being burned. Because your dog’s body is only a short distance from the ground, it is exposed to much more of the heat that rises from the ground. The simplest way to determine if the surface is a safe temperature is to place the palm of your hand firmly on the ground…Can you hold your hand there without it hurting? If not, then it’s too hot for your dog to withstand for any extended period of time. Dog boots can be used when necessary to prevent exposure of the footpads, to these high temperatures. However, when a dog’s pads are burned, they can blister and peel, which is extremely painful, and even worse, the feet could become infected. The health of our service dog’s feet is very important.

Foot infections are common from dry seeds or seed covers. This wet spring has provided ideal conditions for grass and weeds. Now that the heat-is-on, those plants are going to seed and dry out. The resulting burrs, foxtails, and grass seeds (awns) create another potential hazard for our dogs. They can penetrate the skin, especially between the toes, and migrate deep into the tissues and create abscesses. The abscesses usually show up as red inflamed areas, which may also have pus draining from them. A veterinarian will need to treat this condition. Prevention is simple — avoid the weeds. Of course, this is easier said than done. But, if you examine your puppy’s feet frequently, you can find and easily remove the seeds.

Candy and gum manufactures have been using Xylitol as a sugar substitute since the mid 60’s. It is made from corn, plums, raspberries and birch. The sweetener has 40% less calories than sugar and has demonstrated a dramatic reduction in tooth decay in people.

Unfortunately, it is very dangerous for dogs. Initial studies suggested only large quantities were harmful but as little as two sticks of Trident gum in a 20lb dog could cause serious problems. Individual sensitivity to the Xylitol is variable, but should always be considered an emergency.

Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) occur after consumption of the Xylitol because it increases insulin production. The insulin is not required for digestion of Xylitol, so it attacks the glucose in the dog’s body resulting in the rapid decrease of blood sugar level.
Clinical signs of Xylitol toxicity are vomiting, imbalance, weakness, depression, seizures and coma. It can also be associated with liver failure. This is a life threatening toxicity. If you know or think your dog has eaten anything containing Xylitol, they must be treated immediately.

The best treatment is prevention. Keep all products containing Xylitol in a safe place. It is sometimes difficult to know if a “sugar-free” product has Xylitol, so keep all of them out of reach.

PANO (for short) – leg pain and treatment

Panosteitis, sometimes known as Pano, occurs in rapidly growing large or giant breed puppies. It occurs in the shaft of the bone not the joint. The fatty marrow inside the shaft of the long bones degenerates and is replaced with bone cells. When this occurs, the marrow becomes congested causing inflammation and pain. Eventually, the new bone cells are resorbed and normal marrow structure is reestablished. Once an area in the bone has been affected, it is unlikely to be affected again, but each leg has 3 long bones.

Pano can affect different bones at different times, so frequently the lameness will “shift” from leg to leg. The cycles of lameness may last 2-3 weeks for each bone. Often, there will be periods of no lameness. It usually affects dogs between 5 and 12 months of age, but dogs don’t read the rules, so sporadic cases occur at other ages.

Like many other orthopedic problems, Pano may be difficult to diagnosis due to its shifting nature. During a physical exam, a dog with Pano will usually be painful when the affected bone is squeezed by the veterinarian. X-rays are necessary for a conclusive diagnosis.

The good news about Pano is most dogs recover without any permanent effects. Unfortunately, the condition can linger for months, during which time the dogs are very painful, lose weight, lose muscle mass and have a fever. Treatment consists of exercise as tolerated and pain relievers as needed. Your veterinarian has several possible medications to keep your puppy comfortable.

The cause of Pano has not been determined. Some veterinary nutritionists think calorie intake is related to the severity of the symptoms and recommend a 25% reduction in food. Stress has also been implicated as a contributing factor. Likewise there is no known prevention of Pano.

Treating vomiting Pups and Coccidia Infection

As I’m sure you have already noticed our puppies are little “hoovers.”  Anything and everything they see goes in their mouths.  With this in mind, the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea is “garbage gut.”  I divide puppies with diarrhea and vomiting into 2 groups: sick and not sick.  The “not sick” puppy can be treated at home but the “sick” puppy needs to be hospitalized.

My standard recipe for all dogs with diarrhea is:

1 teaspoon per 10 lbs yogurt twice a day, any flavor (most dogs don’t like the plain)

1 teaspoon per 10 lbs pumpkin twice a day, solid pack canned, not pie filling

(Stays fresh for 3-4 days, can be frozen in zip lock bags)

Most dogs like both of these, but I usually don’t stir them into their regular food.  Continue for 3 or 4 days after the diarrhea resolves.

Coccidia

Coccidia are one-celled organisms (protozoan) that infect the intestines of dogs and cats, but usually targeting puppies and kittens less than 6 months old (and animals with stressed immune systems).  They are usually exposed to coccidia by fecal contamination from the bitch if she is shedding it in her feces.  The young pups ingest the coccidia, and since the pups have no mature immunity, the organisms reproduce in great numbers to produce symptoms.  It is usually 2 weeks from exposure to the coccidia to the onset of symptoms.  Stress is also an important contributing factor to coccidia infection.

The primary symptom of coccidia is diarrhea.  It is usually watery with some blood and mucous.  Severely affected animals may vomit, become dehydrated, lose their appetite, and occasionally die.  Most infected puppies are 4 -12 weeks old.

Medications are available to inhibit the reproduction of the coccidia but they will not kill the organism.  Occasionally, the puppy will need to be treated multiple times.

The puppy’s immune system will develop natural immunity to the effects of the coccidian, so as an adult, they may carry the organism in their intestine without symptoms and shed the cysts in their feces.

Coccidia is contagious to other puppies, therefore it is wise to keep those puppies separated from all other puppies.  Good hygiene is the most important step in stopping the spread of coccidia.  All fecal material should be removed immediately.

The coccidia species of dogs do not infect people.

Roundworms

Most puppies are born with roundworms.  There are 4 ways the infection occurs: across the placenta (embryonic development, this is the most common), mother’s milk while nursing, eating worm eggs (usually during grooming) and eating rodents who are carrying developing worms.

The life cycle of the roundworm is very complicated.  The eggs contain infective larvae.  The infective larvae hatch in the stomach and small intestine then migrate into the wall of the small intestine to enter the blood vessels.  The blood allows the larvae to migrate to the muscles, the liver and the lungs where they can encyst (become walled off) for long periods of time.  In puppies, the larvae move from the blood to the lungs, are coughed up, swallowed and reenter the stomach to develop into adult worms.

If a pregnant bitch has encysted larvae in her tissues, the larvae can reactivate; migrate through the uterus and the placenta to infect the fetal pup.  The larvae enter the lungs, are coughed up and mature into adult roundworms.  The larvae may also migrate to the mammary glands and the puppies are infected through the milk while nursing.

This is a common cause of diarrhea in young puppies.  The worms can also be vomited when they are in the stomach.  Because the worms consume a large amount of the puppy’s food, the puppy is commonly thin and has a pot-belly appearance.  Occasionally,   the worms migrate through the lungs causing pneumonia.

Fecal testing for parasites is always a good idea.  A relatively recent study showed 1 out of 4 dogs tested negative for roundworms were actually positive because only eggs are detected in fecal exams.  I now recommend all puppies be routinely treated, rather than screening for roundworms and only treating if they are found.

There are several medications available to treat roundworms.  The medication is only effective on the adult worms. About 3-4 weeks is needed for the egg to develop into the adult roundworm, therefore several accurately timed doses of medication are recommended.

In rare cases, roundworms can infect humans (visceral larva migrans), usually children from contacting contaminated soil.  Humans are not an appropriate host, so the worm dies and causes a severe immune reaction.  When this occurs in the eye, it can cause blindness.

As we raise our puppies, they are in need of specific skills to work; we must also be concerned they are healthy.  One of the areas we evaluate is their eyes. The CERF, Canine Eye Registration Foundation, was founded by a group of breeders/owners of purebred dogs being affected by heritable eye diseases.  In an effort to eliminate heritable eye diseases, a centralized registry was formed.  Board certified veterinary ophthalmologists (ACVO) perform the testing. CERF certification is valid for a year and must be done every 12 months to maintain certification.

CERF provides a registry of purebred dogs which have been certified free of heritable eye diseases.  It provides various statistics on the prevalence of eye diseases in certain breeds.  It also is a centralized source of information on canine ocular diseases.

The CERF exam is a painless examination.  It evaluates the eye and all ancillary structures such as eyelids, tear ducts, lens, etc.  The test is annual because some of the conditions are not apparent as puppies.  Also, it is important whether the condition is progressive.

CERF is gracious to discount a portion of the fee.  The ACVO veterinarians also discount their services.  But it is still a necessary expense to Paw Pals.  The cost for each puppy is $25.  It would be great if everyone could reimburse Paw Pals.

For more information visit The Veterinary Medical Databases.

Unfortunately, obesity has become the accepted standard for our society, whether we are talking about people or dogs. When a dog is overweight, they are more likely to develop arthritis, which in a working dog means its career will be shortened. Therefore, it is important to prevent our Paw Pals puppies from becoming fat. Once fat cells form, they remain there for the dog’s entire life. When we put a dog on a diet, the fat cells get smaller but they are still present waiting to “balloon up”.

Since every dog’s metabolism is different, it is impossible to use a chart to determine the amount of food your puppy needs to be fed. The dog food bag charts are only used as approximate guides, which is usually on the very high end. Between the age of 8 and

16 weeks, most puppies eat 2 cups/10 pounds/day divided into 3 feedings. Puppies older than 16 weeks (4 months) usually need 1 cup/10 pounds divided in 2 feedings. Remember every dog is different, so these recommendations are only a raw guide. Don’t forget to include the food used as treats during your training sessions in these determinations.

Weighing your puppy is a good way to record and monitor for changes but it does not always indicate how the dog looks. A better method is to do a “Backbone and Rib Check”. This is done running your hand down the dog’s spine (“Backbone”) and along there ribs. You should just barely be able to feel the spine as little bumps, but when you run your hands along the ribs, they should bounce between each rib.

One thing to remember is many dogs don’t realize they are full and given the chance, most of them will get in the food bag and do “self-service.”