Murrayhill Vet Gazette
Summer 2004
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Last week I spent two beautiful days on the Deschutes River with my oldest daughter Jenny and our Golden Retriever, Zoey. Everyone had a great time – especially Zoey who romped on the river bank, ran through the brush, and met trout for the first time! Over the next few days, however, we pulled over 30 dead or dying ticks off her! It made me thankful for FRONTLINE – one of the many new products that have helped usher us into a new paradigm of medicine. One where we are shifting our focus from crisis care to one of preventative care. In the past, toxic dips would have been applied to remove the ticks, but probably not before Zoey was exposed to various Tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease. I was thankful! |
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| My experience on the
Deschutes underscored another area of importance in preventative
medicine – Heartworm disease. I was reminded of my early days in
veterinary medicine as an assistant in a small animal practice in
Duluth, MN. Heartworm disease was a problem in other states but we
didn’t have any cases in Minnesota. After a few years, some cases
started showing up 150 miles south of us in the Minneapolis area.
The Dr.’s still didn’t feel it was a threat up North - too cold! -
Plus, we argued, a lot of those big city dogs travel extensively!
Two years later, the state of Minnesota was in the midst of a
heartworm epidemic and thousands of dogs were infected. To this day,
dogs in Minnesota are either on heartworm prevention or they have
heartworm disease. Fortunately, Oregon and other western states have
learned from others mistakes. The American Heartworm Society
recommends monthly treatment to prevent this disease. And they add,
with 70% of the dog population on prevention, we can prevent any
such epidemic in our area. While we see only occasional cases in the
Portland area, Eugene did have an outbreak of heartworm disease last
summer.
Speaking of Minnesota, we are very excited to have Dr. Michele Zawadszki join our staff. Dr. Z comes to us from Dove Lewis Emergency Clinic, (via Minnesota), with obvious strong skills in emergency and critical medicine along with dedication, warmth, caring and an English accent right out of a James Herriot story. Please ask to meet her next time you’re in. Lastly, we hope you are enjoying our newsletter! It’s the brainchild and hard work of Dr. Kristin Sulis. Many thanks to her. Please let us know what you think or if you have any suggestions for future articles. Have a safe and enjoyable summer! Dr. Laird Goodman |
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Dr. Carrie Fleming & Dollie |
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 I wanted to
thank you all for the wonderful opportunity to care and love your
four-legged kids. As you know, I was presented with a challenging
opportunity to study at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, in the area of infectious disease
control and public health. My husband Scott and I have made several
trips to the area and have purchased a beautiful house outside of
Atlanta. We have also recently discovered that I am pregnant and we
are due around Thanksgiving. We will keep you posted. It is a lot of
change at once but we look forward to all of our new and exciting
prospects. I will miss you all, but know you will be well taken care
of by the doctors and staff at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital. Best
of luck
Dr. Carrie Fleming
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Who’s Who of Flea Prevention
It’s summertime and the fleas are jumping. Our pets are scratching and we are once again faced with the difficult selection of flea control. Not too long ago flea control was a difficult task. Using shampoos , dips, sprays and foggers our choices were limited but the products were toxic and never seemed to let us get ahead of the problem. Now our choices are many, the products are much safer, non toxic, and smarter, and let’s not forget, way more confusing. To guide you through your choices for flea control we will divide the products into what stage of the lifecycle of the flea they effect and whether the products are given orally or topically and how frequently they are dosed. (See Table 1 for a complete outline of veterinary products)
Most flea prevention medication eliminates adult fleas. This life stage is responsible for most of the problems caused by fleas: flea allergic dermatitis in dogs, milliary dermatitis in cats, tapeworm infestation, secondary skin infections and, in severe cases, anemia. The irritation from flea bites is due to sensitivity to the flea saliva. Tapeworms are usually seen on the stools or on the rear end of pets and appear as small, flat, white segments that look like rice. (When dried out they look like sesame seeds). Tapeworms are contracted by the pet eating an infected flea. As you may have experienced, many pets, especially flea allergic pets and most cats keep themselves flea free by ingesting the adult fleas that bite them. We can see skin infections and tapeworms without detecting any adult fleas. During physical exams we use a special comb to look for adult fleas and the flea dirt (excrement) they leave behind. The veterinary flea products that eliminate adult fleas include: Advantage/Advantix, Frontline Plus, Revolution, and Capstar. Advantage/Advantix, Frontline Plus, and Revolution are applied topically to the pets’ skin and last for 30 days. Advantage/Advantix remain on the skin surface. Frontline Plus is absorbed into the layers of the skin and Revolution is absorbed into the bloodstream and then redistributes to the skin. Capstar is an oral product which eliminates adult fleas for 7 hours. Many of these products also control the flea lifecycle at the level of the egg. Considering that an adult female flea can lay up to 2,000 eggs in her lifetime this is a good place to control flea populations. Frontline Plus and Revolution prevent egg development as well as eliminating adult fleas. Program/Sentinel is an oral product that prevents flea eggs from hatching for 30 days.
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| Adult Fleas | Flea Eggs | Ticks | Heartworm | Roundworm | Hookworm | Whipworm | |
| Advantage® (imidacloprid) | √ | ||||||
| Advantix® (imidacloprid / permethrin) | √ | √ | |||||
| Capstar® (nitenpyram) | √ | ||||||
| Frontline® Plus (fipronil /s-methoprene) | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Heartguard® (ivermectin / pyrantel) | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Program® (lufenuron) | √ | ||||||
| Revolution® (selamectin) | √ | dogs | √ | cats | |||
| Sentinel® (milbemycin oxime / lufenuron) | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| At Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital,
we recommend complete flea control. We use and recommend safe
products that control the flea lifecycle in 2 places - eliminating
adults and eggs. Our choices are Program/Sentinel and Capstar or
Frontline Plus. Program/Sentinel and Frontline Plus should be given
every 30 days. Capstar is safe enough to give daily if needed. We
recommend giving Capstar when adult fleas are seen on your pet or
when your pet will be in a flea risk situation, such as playing at
dog parks, doggie daycare, boarding, etc. We wish you and your pets a flea free season. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding fleas and flea control.
Mosquito Bourn Illnesses As we spend more time outdoors we and our pets experience the dreaded mosquito bite. These annoying bites lead to itching and scratching, but for our pets, it could mean exposure to disease. West Nile Virus has gotten a lot of press lately and with its arrival in Washington state last summer concern is growing for its spread to Oregon. West Nile Virus is a virus carried by birds and spread by mosquitoes. Infection with the virus leads to encephalitis or inflammation of the brain. Most cases of West Nile Virus infection have been reported in birds, humans and horses but other domestic species may be affected. The clinical signs of West Nile Virus is birds is not well documented as most are found dead. Clinical signs in small animals have not been well documented as it is an emerging disease, however horses may experience hind quarter weakness and even paralysis. A vaccine is available for horses only. Mosquito control is the best defense against West Nile Virus.
Mosquito control in our yards is the best way to protect ourselves and our pets from mosquito bites. Mosquitoes require water to complete their lifecycles. Be sure there are no areas of standing water in the yard. Empty standing water in old tires, buckets, plastic covers, toys or any other containers. Empty and change the water in bird baths, fountains, wading pools, rain barrels and potted plant trays at least once weekly. Drain or fill temporary pools or puddles with dirt. Keep rain gutters unclogged. Be sure window and door screens are “bug tight”. Consider mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) for ponds, fountains and water gardens. Encourage mosquito eating birds such as swallows to nest in your yard. Consider placing bat boxes around your yard to invite bats to live and eat mosquitoes in your yard
Ticks Ticks are more of a problem in spring and fall but hiking at higher elevations in the summer can find these pesky creatures hitching a ride (and a free meal) on yourself or your dog. Ticks do not bite, they attach by sticking their harpooned-shaped mouthparts into the skin. Once attached, ticks begin to feed. As they feed, infected ticks can spread infection to the host such as Lyme disease, ehrlichia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. Ticks present in the Pacific Northwest include: Symptoms of tick borne diseases include depression, fever, loss of appetite, rashes, joint disease and lameness. Infected ticks must be attached for 2-3 days to transmit disease so prompt tick removal is important. If your dog is exploring in a wooded or tall grass area, they should be thoroughly checked over for ticks. If a tick is located, you can remove it in a variety of ways. The most important aspect of tick removal is to be sure and remove the mouthparts (or “head”) with the body. Using a pair of tweezers to gently grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and applying gentle upward pressure is one option. Another is to apply a small amount of oil to the body of the tick (mineral oil, olive oil, etc.) and spin the body of the tick in circles. The tick will release and can be grasped with fingers or tweezers and disposed of. You may also bring your pet to Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital and we can remove them. We actually use a small device that looks like a tiny plastic crowbar. Preventative tick control is a much better option and should be applied prior to exposure. We recommend Frontline Plus. |
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Traveling with your pet can be fun and
rewarding for a pet and owner alike, but it can also present special
challenges. Dogs and cats traveling in cargo or pets that are
motion sick or anxious in vehicles have a harder time and require
sedation or other medications. In the summer months, be sure your pet has plenty of water. Smaller, frequent waterings are better that large amounts consumed at one time. For pets traveling by plane, freeze the water in the water bowls half full on both sides and place it in the carrier prior to departure. Food should be limited before travel, ½ meals should be given prior to travel and no meal if sedation will be used, or your pet is prone to motion sickness. Many airlines require food be placed inside the carrier. We recommend placing a meal in a ziplock bag and taping it to the top of the carrier instead. That way in an emergency your pet will be offered its normal food. If traveling with cats by car, be sure to make stops overnight and set out a litterbox and food. Stopping along the way and setting out a litterbox in the car is usually unsuccessful but can be offered. A smaller travel box placed on the floor of the car is a good idea. Pets traveling should be in carriers or wearing seat belts for safety. When traveling by car, don't forget that summer heat can quickly lead to stroke in animals left in parked cars, even in shade with the windows cracked. If traveling with small pets by plane, soft Sherpa bags are great carriers. They give pets room while being transported through the airport and collapse down to fit under the seat. They also have a strap for easy carrying. Be sure to check with the airline's rules for pet travel, including health certificate requiremenst, and arrive early to be sure your pet is secured on the flight - and don’t be surprised if security requires your pet pass through the x-ray machine. Pets can learn to travel with ease from training with small trips in the car and slow introduction to carriers. Medications such as Acepromazine or Valium (sedatives) can be used to ease anxiety. For Motion sickness, Dramamine and Bonine can help. Dr. Chattigre recommends gingersnap cookies for dogs with car sickness prior to travel, as ginger has a natural anti-nausea properties. Happy trails and please do not hesitate to call with any questions regarding travel with your pet.
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14831 S.W. Teal Blvd.,
Beaverton, OR 97007 open mon-thu: 7:30am-8pm,
fri-sat: 7:30am-6pm, sun: closed Copyright © 2004-2007 Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital. All Rights Reserved. |
Let’s
start with the flea lifecycle. Like the butterfly, the lifecycle of
the flea involves 4 stages: egg, larva, cocoon (pupae), and adult.
The lifespan of fleas is over 100 days on the pet, in which time a
pair of fleas can produce thousands of offspring. A female flea lays
eggs loosely in the hair coat which drop off most anywhere
especially where our pets rest or sleep. Eggs hatch in 2 days to 2
weeks into larvae. Larvae avoid direct light and move deep into
carpet fibers, or under organic debris such as grass, branches or
leaves to feed. Pupa mature into adult fleas within a sticky cocoon.
Adult fleas emerge after 5 to 14 days but can remain in the pupa
stage until a host is detected., namely our pets. 
More
threatening than West Nile Virus is the possible exposure of our
pets to Heartworm disease which is also spread through mosquito
bites. Heartworm is an emerging disease in the Pacific Northwest. As
many pet owners from the East Coast, Midwest and Southern States
know, heartworm preventative is essential, especially in the months
mosquitoes are active. The lifecycle of the Heartworm requires 6
months for a larva to reach adulthood. Puppies less than 6 months
old are started on heartworm preventative without testing first and
then we recommend, under the guidelines of the American Heartworm
Society, heartworm testing yearly. We also recommend heartworm
prevention be used year round in the Pacific Northwest not only
because we are a temperate area where mosquitoes can survive even in
winter, but also because many heartworm preventatives also act as a
monthly dewormer. Monthly strategic deforming of pets is recommended
by the Center for Disease Control to prevent zoonotic transmission
of pet parasites to children. Interceptor and Sentinel provide
protection against heartworm disease and are effective against
roundworms, hookworms and whipworms. These preventatives are safe
and effective, which is why we recommend and sell these products.
