Posts by Dr. Lelan Olsen

Has your pet had trouble eating?  This may be a sign of periodontal disease and gingivitis in your pet.  Bacteria will get on your pet’s teeth and start forming plaque.  This plaque can then irritate the gums and cause gingivitis and periodontal disease.  If left untreated, other organ systems such as the heart, lungs, or kidneys can be affected.

The plaque can be removed with proper brushing, but as the disease worsens, dental calculi or tartar forms.  At this stage, the pet’s will need to be placed under anesthesia and have the tartar removed or scaled.

Yearly dental examinations are recommended to help prevent this disease.  As a puppy, your veterinarian will look for retained deciduate (baby) teeth, maloclusions, and possible broken teeth.  As your pet ages, regular check ups will examine for loose teeth, possible calculi formation, bleeding or swollen gums, root exposure of the teeth and other clinical signs that could be detrimental to your pet.  I usually recommend that the small breed dogs start having a check up at one year of age and the large breeds at two years of age.

If your pet’s teeth need to be cleaned, unfortunately they will need to undergo general anesthesia.  We always do pre-anesthetic blood work to use assess your pet’s general health and make it as safe as possible.  While under anesthesia, the pet will be carefully monitored and maintained under gas anesthesia.  At this time, the plaque and calculi will be scaled off with an ultrasonic scaler.  The health of the teeth will be assessed and the teeth that have roots exposed, are loose or decayed will possibly be extracted.  A polish will be used to smooth the teeth and too help prevent the bacteria from reattaching to the teeth.  Other products such as flourides can be used as protectants.  However, this doesn’t keep the owners from taking care of the teeth when the pet leaves the clinic.

I recommend that the pet’s teeth be brushed routinely in a circular motion.  Other pet or dental chews can be used to help maintain the cleanliness of the teeth.  There are also some additives that can be added to your pet’s drinking water that can help freshen it breath.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our office. We are here to help!

Whether you’re a first-time dog owner or a seasoned one, a puppy’s behavior can test your patience: exuberant bounding; jumping, licking and nipping; the stolen socks and chewed-on shoes; and best of all, misinterpreting “Come here!” as “Run!”

This may be cute at first, but as your puppy grows, many of these behaviors become a nuisance and possibly dangerous for both you and your dog. Dog obedience training can curb bad behavior.  Teaching your dog that you’re in charge could potentially protect him from harm–such as running into the street. It takes a lot of patience to train your pet, whether he’s a puppy or a mature dog.  But it’s possible , no matter what his age.  Here are some keep things you’ll want your dog to learn.

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

• You can begin working with your dog when he is 7-8 weeks old.  Some tips to keep in mind along the way are:
• Use a specific word for each command, and say it in the same tone.  For instance, make sure everyone in your home knows that when you want him to sit, you say “Sit”–so your husband won’t say, “Sit down,” and your child, “Butt on the floor!”
• Pick a certain training method and stick with it.  Offer a command, such as “Sit”, once once, or else your dog will think he doesn’t have to sit untile you’ve repeated it 35 times.
• Limit your training sessions to 10 or 15 minutes per day.
• Always be in control.  It will be counterproductive if you lose your patience or become angry.  Your dog is trying to please you but won’t always understand what you want him to do right away.
• Don’t over-praise.  A “good dog,” small treat or pat is perfect.  Too much praise is overkill and distracts from your message.
• End your training session on a positive note.  Have your dog obey a command he knows, then praise him.

Basic Commands: Come, Sit, Stay, Down, Heel

If your dog learns there commands, he will be a much more enjoyable member of your household.  This will also help develop your dog’s social skills where there are guests at the house.

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

Older dogs are still interested in doing new things.  Take into consideration and physical limitations they might have, depending upon their age and health. Older dogs are generally more challenging to train because they have established behaviors.  Being consistent and patient with older dogs is perhaps even more important than with training puppies.  While an older dog’s attention span is a bit longer, it will serve you both best to conduct training sessions in short spans. Don’t rely to heavily on treats as rewards.  Older dogs can be less active and can have trouble shedding extra pounds.

Don’t Give Up

Training and behavior problems can be incredibly frustrating.  Never hit or scream at your dog or he will become fearful of you.  Certain things–such as growling, baring teeth or biting–should never be permitted. Contact your veterinarian immediately if your dog exhibits these dangerous behaviors.

Remember that a well-trained dog is a joy to have in the family.  A dog that knows what’s expected of him is a happy, confident one.  The effort you both put in is worth it.

Your fabulous feast lay before you on that most food-oriented holiday of all–Thanksgiving! And those beseeching , soulful eyes of your pet look at you with adoration and hunger. Can you refuse? Yes! Sometimes generosity can lead to injury.

Here’s some things to be careful of during the Thanksgiving holidays:

• Too much fatty, rich, or even just new types of foods can give your pet pancreatitis or gastroenteritis. Both can be very painful and become quite serious, so go easy on the tidbits. Better yet, none at all.
• Bones can tear up or obstruct your pets’ innards.
• The string often used to tie up the turkey during roasting can tie up your pets’ intestines too (as can the bag your turkey came in or the little red “popper”).
• Onions, often abundantly found in stuffing, destroy a dog’s red blood cells, leading to anemia.
• Too much chocolate, especially baking chocolate, can actually kill your dog, so keep it all well out of reach.

To show your pet how thankful you are to have them as part of your family, give them a feast of their own–perhaps a treat of canned pet food, a catnip treat, a special chewy, or a few tablespoons of peanut butter stuffed in a favorite “tube” toy (at least a half hour of entertainment). And when those eager eyes look at the loaded dining-room table, remember that your feast is not fit for your pet…and then give thanks for your pets’ healthy appetite!

Usually I write my monthly articles on topics to educate my clients, but this month I am going to dwell away from this.  You see last night I had to put one of our pets to sleep.  It was one of the most painful decisions that I have had to make.  They say that pets bring us the most joy during their lives, but also give us the most sorrow when we have to say goodbye.

Opal was only six years old.  She was a one-of-a-kind yellow labrador retriever.  She always had that bounce to her step and always was into something.  But last week, everything changed.  She quit eating and had a brown watery diarrhea.  I brought her to the clinic, placed an IV catheter in her and did some blood work on her.  The blood was thin so I knew we had some problems, but little did I know what lied ahead.  The results showed that she was extremely anemic.  She had a disease that we call Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.

AIHA happens because the body is destroying their own red blood cells and it does not have a good prognosis.  Because the red blood cells are being destroyed, less oxygen gets to the organs and cells thus causing organ shutdown.  Looking to fight the odds against us,  I took her over to Hawthorne Animal Hospital for a blood transfusion.  It raised her blood count some, but she was still depressed and weak.  Radiographs revealed that she had some tumors on her spleen that were confirmed with ultrasound.  We were thinking about removing the spleen, but found a tumor on her heart.  So I brought her home and tried to medically treat her in her weakened state.  She did improve some over the week and was looking better.  She was starting to do the things that Opal did to make us laugh at her.  I was happy with her progress until last night when I got home from work.  She had returned to her very weakened state, would not hold up her head, and had bloody diarrhea everywhere.  I knew it was time to relieve her suffering and say goodbye to her.

I will always fondly remember her distinct personality.  No dog ever did it like Opal.  She stopped the treadmill at LaBest.  She would always take the jolt from the electric underground fence just to get out.  She didn’t care, but she was the best.  The summers were always an adventure around the pool with her always sneaking a sandal, towel or whatever she could get a hold of.  She didn’t have many years to grace us with her presence, but we will have a lifetime of memories.  She was loved very much by our family, but the unconditional love returned was unmeasurable.  As my son, Mitchell said last night through his tears, “Opal, you are going to have the best seat for our fireworks shows.”

Rest in peace, Opal.

Many pets have behavioral problems in their everyday life.  These may be petty annoyances of everyday life such as being jumped on, barked at, licked or scratched to something more serious like separation anxiety , or fearful behavior and inappropriate urination.  Some of the behavioral problems merit attention because they could lead to inappropriate behavior that is serious and dangerous.

There are seven things that I would recommend doing with a pet  to prevent, diagnose and/or treat a behavioral problem. As with everything else prevention is the best medicine.  It is best to start as young as possible.   A lot of the problems include house training and litter box use, dealing with inappropriate play and ensuing social harmony.  It is best to train often to reinforce the good behaviors and gently and humanely.  I do not recommend disciplining a puppy with negative reinforcement such as hitting with a newspaper or rubbing their nose in soiled area.  These means of disciplining could lead to worse behaviors.  Instead, I recommend positive reinforcement and praise especially if they have an acceptable behavior.  This may include a treat or attention.  Only use commands that you can enforce.

Sometimes diagnostic workups are in order to rule out disease or a primary behavioral problem.  Your pets may be sick and painful leading it to be lethargic and irritable.  These could lead to changes in its appetite or activity level. It is important that you the clients be educated about humane care as well as the science of learning.  Positive reinforcement can shape behavior without putting you in danger.

There are several local trainers that can assist you in your training.  I recommend that every pet have some form of obedience training.  The trainers not only work with the petty annoyances, but also can assist with the serious behavioral problems.  There are many ways to train your pets, so it is best to find a trainer to meet your needs.  Not all pets need the corporal punishment part of training, so check several out.  Ask questions.

There are some medications on the market that can be used.  There are some that are not approved but can be used.  As a veterinarian, we strictly monitor the pet’s reaction, because some are not approved for use.  If we use them, we assume all responsibility.  By no means do we want to make the pet worse on the medication.

It is important that safety is emphasized.  Anytime we are dealing with an aggressive pet,  there is a potential for injury.  Prevention of future bites depend on the historic details of the individual animal’s behavior.  We as veterinarians and owners need to take into account what the best interests are for both the owner and the pet.  Unfortunately, owners liability must need to be addressed, especially with aggressive dogs.  No one wants people or other animals hurt.

After the treatment plans have been implemented, it is important to have follow up visits with your veterinarian.  Sometimes there are subtle effects to adjust.  Every problem is unique, so constant adjusting may be needed.

One of the top reasons why veterinarians see pets is because of gastrointestinal problems according to the Veterinary Pet Insurance Company.  There are many choices when it comes to feeding your pet, so naturally veterinarians are asked to give recommendations about what food is best for their pets.  Some owners fail to recognize that  bad pet food can be detrimental to their pet, nor do they realize that good pet food and feeding tendencies can be beneficial to their pet.

The most common conditions seen associated with GI tract disease are pancreatitis malabsorption syndromes, protein-losing enteropathies, inflammatory bowel disease, and food allergy.  These conditions can benefit from the proper pet food.  This key to this is proper education from your veterinarian and their team to counter some of the mistaken beliefs about feeding their pets. There are five myths about the pet’s diet and GI disease.

With the recent warm weather and the advent of summer, it is important to be aware of the diseases that can be spread by the insect and arthropod vectors like the mosquito, tick and flea. These three parasites carry a lot of diseases that not only affect your pet but also can cause sickness in you.

The mosquito-borne diseases which are spread by a bite from a mosquito include Heartworm Disease, Encephalitis, West Nile, and Yellow Fever. Heartworm disease can be fatal to dogs if left untreated, but it is easier to prevent it than treat it. The other diseases can affect humans as well with clinical signs ranging from fever to headaches to even death.

Ticks carry numerous diseases. The most common is Lyme Disease. Lyme disease presents itself as a high fever, lameness and arthritic. The pets are reluctant to walk and we tend to see some swollen and warm joints. Other tick-borne diseases include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia, Ehrlichiosis, and Tick Paralysis. The best way to prevent these is to use flea and tick collars along with sprays and topicals on the pets back.

Lastly fleas can not only be a nuisance to pets, but also spread disease. They are implicated in spreading the bacteria that caused the Bublonic Plague along with Cat Scratch Disease and tapeworms. These diseases are zoonotic, which means that they can be transferred to people.

The summer is a fun time, but also many vectors are out there. It is best to prevent them by using appropriate flea and tick products, mosquito repellants and heartworm preventatives.

Spring is a time for several chores like planting and caring for your garden and spring cleaning. But we as pet owner’s must be aware that several of the plants, household cleaners, insecticides and other items can cause toxicity to our furry friends.

There are several plants that can cause toxicity to your pet from ingestion. Among these are onions, grapes, mushrooms, dieffenbachia, daffodils, azaleas, and tulips to name a few. Clinical signs range from hypersailivation, vomiting and gastric upset to possible kidney, liver or neurological and possibly death.

Insecticides that we spray on our yards or place on our pets can be toxic. Some flea medications that contain pyrethrins, especially those labelled for dog use only can be toxic to cats. These clinical signs can include hypersalivation, siezures and eventual death. So please make sure that the flea controls are safe for use on your pet before using. If your pet is showing some signs of toxicity from these, it is best to immediately wash the pet off completely with something like “Dawn” dish soap and call your veterinarian immediately.

Household cleaners can cause some irritation and toxicity to your pets. Many owners are not aware that some come surface kitchen and bath cleaners, rug cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and even some laundry detergents can be harmful. Symptons can include profuse salivation,difficulty breathing, vomiting and organ damage. After cleaning your home, make sure that all residues are wiped up and the areas completely dried.

It is best to keep your four-legged friends safe from these poisons. If you think that your pet has ingested something harmful, it is best to call your veterinarian or the pet poison helpline at 1-800-213-6680.