VetSouth
AUTUMN 2017
SMALL ANIMAL NOTES
Dental care for your pet
By Oliver Young, BVMS MANZCVS
In May VetSouth is having a Healthy Mouth Campaign! The
campaign includes a FREE dental check for dogs and cats. This
includes:
A mouth and tooth check.
•
•Advice on dental care including home cleaning options and
dietary considerations.
•Discussion on professional dental care and guidelines on the
costs of any required procedures.
So make sure you ring one of our clinics and book in your pet.
With your own teeth, what your dentist and hygienist do is only
a small, though essential, part of your oral hygiene program. You
are responsible for the daily brushing, rinsing and flossing that are
required to slow the constant progression of periodontal disease.
The same is true for your pet.
If dental home care starts early enough there is no reason for a pet to
lose teeth due to periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease is the most common infectious disease in dogs,
cats and man. Over 80% of dogs and cats over four years old
have some form of dental disease. This disease, if left untreated,
progresses to cause bad breath, pain and a source of infection that
can make your pet seriously ill.
The main goal of any dental home care is the regular removal of
plaque. Plaque is the soft film of bacteria and saliva that forms on
teeth, if it is left in place it becomes calcified resulting in calculus
(tartar). Calculus cannot successfully be removed with home care and
this requires a professional scaling at the clinic.
Home care in order to be effective needs to be individually tailored to
your pet and yourself.
Continued on page 2...
inside this issue
Dental care for your pet
1
Oliver Young, BVMS MANZCVS
Tetanus 3
Hugh Hasselman, BVSc
Pelvic fractures
4
Hugh Hasselman, BVSc
Duck shooting reminder
5
It also requires a continued commitment but the results are
worthwhile both for the health of your pet and financially.
Brushing
The gold standard for plaque removal and prevention of
dental disease is daily tooth brushing. Without this plaque
accumulation is inevitable. Brushing not only will control
plaque but prevent and reverse gingivitis. Gingivitis when
untreated will progress to periodontal disease.
Using an animal toothpaste makes the experience more
enjoyable due to the flavours and a soft child’s or pet
toothbrush should be used.
“Do not use
human toothpaste as
it contains fluoride that
when swallowed can be
toxic. In addition animals
don’t usually like mint
or toothpastes that
froth.“
The finger brushes may be useful in cats and small dogs.
The brush is angled towards the gums at 45 degrees and
small circular motions are used. The soft electric brushes
can be used in some pets but care has to be used as if
they chew on these brushes they are easily broken.
While brushing is the gold standard in home dental care,
it is sometimes not possible due to the personality of
your pet or the amount of spare time you have
each day.
Complete and balanced diets
Hill’s Pet Nutrition produces two diets for the control of
plaque, calculus and gingivitis Science Diet Oral Care and
Prescription diet t/d. Both are complete and balanced
diets. The Oral Care is designed for those animals without
established periodontal disease and the t/d for those with
established disease. They are suitable for animals over 1 year
of age. These biscuits are designed to maintain shape so that
the tooth penetrates the whole way through rather than the
biscuit shattering as with other biscuits. The biscuits contain
fibres that physically scrape the teeth.
Studies have shown a reduction of plaque & calculus by
about 40% and gingivitis by 36% in dogs and 60% plaque &
calculus and 48% gingivitis in cats.
Royal Canin dental diet is a complete and balanced diet that
has a chemical coating that binds with the calcium in the
saliva. This has some residual activity in the mouth even after
the food has been swallowed. In addition the food also has
a textural component that helps reduce plaque formation.
Studies have shown a 20% reduction in plaque in cats and
16% plaque and 55% calculus in dogs.
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Eukanuba have a range of complete and balanced diets that
have the Dental Defence System. This is a chemical coating
which binds with salivary calcium preventing the formation
of calculus. The main drawback is that this does not target
the plaque accumulation.
Dental Chews
Prozym Dental Sticks have a special texture and shape and
had an average plaque reduction of 15% and calculus by
38% when fed one of these chews once daily.
Rawhide chews and pig’s ears may also assist in exercising
the teeth and gums and increasing salivation. This will result
in some reduction in plaque and tartar. They may however
occasionally cause an obstruction or choking so you should
observe your dog when he has any chew.
Bones/natural diets
At present there is no evidence in the literature that natural
diets including bones show beneficial effects on oral health.
In 1 study in wild dogs in Africa 83% of teeth had wear,
48% of dogs had fractured teeth, only 2 dogs had calculus
but 41% had periodontal disease with bone loss (similar to
domestic dogs). Similar findings have been found in studies
on wild cats.
There are no studies that show bones/natural diets prevent
or control periodontal disease. They however do cause
tooth fracture, stomach upsets, obstructions, constipation
and salmonella and other infections. As a result we cannot
recommend bones to help prevent dental disease.
Water Additives
Prozym Solution is added to the drinking water and so is
easy to administer. It has been shown to have antibacterial
properties that in turn reduces the plaque and calculus on the
teeth. Although studies have been done to show that this
solution is effective , the extent to which it reduces plaque
and calculus is not available.
Healthymouth is a new product in NZ and contains no artificial
ingredients. It contains such things as pomegranate, yucca,
cloves, salmon oil, cinnamon to name a few and these all
work together. It has achieved remarkable plaque reduction
of between 60-88% in tests when used daily (most over
70%). It is best to start in kittens and puppies or with older
animals after a professional clean for best results.
There is overwhelming evidence that regular tooth brushing
will prevent periodontal disease if it is started early enough
and will assist in controlling established disease. Other
homecare options will be useful when combined with
brushing, but on their own cannot achieve the plaque
reduction that brushing achieves. If brushing is not possible
then the other options will at least reduce plaque formation
slowing disease.
If you would like further information about an option that
would suit your pet and yourself please arrange a time
to come and have a chat at one of our VetSouth clinics.
VetSouth
Animal health cases
TETANUS
By Hugh Hasselman, BVSc
A recent case of tetanus in a pet dog is a reminder of
the real risk to both pet and farm working dogs from this
serious disease.
Tetanus is caused by an infection with the Clostridium
tetani bacterium and their production of a potent
neurotoxin (tetanospasmin). This toxin spreads in the
lymph and ascends peripheral nerves to the spinal
cord where it blocks the release of a neurotransmitter
from the inhibitory interneurons, so releasing extensor
muscles from inhibition and resulting in sustained
contraction of muscles without relaxation (tetany).
The Clostridial spores are hardy and can persist for a
long time in soil. These bacterial spores need to be in
damaged tissue or just poorly oxygenated (anaerobic)
conditions to grow. They are usually introduced into
the animal via wounds but sometimes the entry point
cannot be found because the wound is minor or healed
over. The incubation period until clinical signs are shown
can be 5 to 18 days after infection.
Of all the domestic animals cats and dogs are the most
resistant to the disease whereas horses, sheep and
humans are the most susceptible.
In the early stages dogs show stiffness of the muscles of
the limbs, head and neck. The ears may be pulled back
and the forehead deeply wrinkled. They may seem to be
grinning due to contraction of the lips (risus sardonicus).
Patients can also be hypersensitive to sound and touch.
With further deterioration the patient gets muscle
spasm in the tongue, throat and jaw region (hence the
old name of “lock jaw”). These animals have great
difficulty drinking and eating. With dysfunction of the
larynx there is also an increased risk of inhaling food and
getting pneumonia.
In an advanced disease case the animal is recumbent
with extensor muscle rigidity in all limbs and the head
held back. The intercostal muscles (chest wall) and
diaphragm are also affected and these patients may die
from respiratory failure or even as a result of cardiac
irregularities from effects of the toxin on the autonomic
nervous system.
On presentation for veterinary examination the diagnostic
plan would be to consider other neurological diseases
causing limb spasticity but, a presumptive diagnosis of
tetanus can often be made on the basis of clinical signs
and history of a recent wound.
Initial treatment requires the
careful administration of tetanus
antitoxin, the debridement of
any identified wound, antibiotic
therapy and the commencement
of intensive nursing care.
When
treated
appropriately
Hugh Hasselman
localised tetanus in a dog (such
as one limb affected in the region of an infected wound)
carries a favourable prognosis, with a 90% survival rate.
In generalised tetanus in dogs, the prognosis is much
poorer with a survival rate as low as 50%.
Santana:
Santana is an adult dog that contracted tetanus
subsequent to a penetrating grass seed migration and
wound infection. On presentation to the clinic he had
generalised limb stiffness, a shallow cough and the
anxious expression caused by contraction of the head
and facial muscles.
Santana’s
expression seemed
to be grinning due
to contraction of the
lips.
Although his symptoms deteriorated at first (** read
on page 4), thankfully this was followed by a gradual
improvement in his condition. After two weeks of
veterinary care and a further two weeks of home care
Santana was well on the way to recovery.
SMALLANIMALNOTESAUTUMN2017
Note the relaxed
head and facial
muscles of a much
happier dog.
Continued on page 4...
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(** Because the neurotoxin binds so tightly to the nerve
receptors its effect on those functions has to resolve
with time and the patient’s symptoms may continue to
deteriorate at first. The aim of the veterinary treatment
is to kill the bacteria, stop the production of more toxin
and to neutralize any toxin that is already circulating
before it binds to the nervous system.)
Preventative measures:
Administer first aid care to all wounds. Seek veterinary
attention for dogs with deep and contaminated
wounds or heavy bruising and tissue damage.
•
•Be alert to the symptoms that could suggest the onset
The tetanus vaccination protocol that we would use is:
Puppies
First dose at 12-14 weeks, second dose 16-18 weeks.
•
•Adult dogs
First dose followed by a second dose four weeks
later. The third dose administered 12 months after
the initial two dose course. Then adult dogs to
receive a booster shot every five years.
Remember that people are susceptible to tetanus, pay
attention to all wounds and seek medical advice for
puncture wounds in particular .
of tetanus, even when there is no known history of a
wound to the dog.
“Review your
family’s and your
own vaccination status
for protection against
this devastating
disease.“
•Consider
vaccinating your dogs against tetanus,
especially on properties that have had an increased
incidence of the disease in farm stock, horses and
dogs.
PELVIC FRACTURES
If your dog has been hit by a vehicle on the road or farm
paddock it may well have sustained fractures to the
pelvic region. It is important to have a dog with such an
injury examined to determine the best treatment plan
for that animal.
Because the pelvis has a lot of muscle groups around
it, if the fractures are not significantly displaced or if
they only involve the lower pelvic region then it may be
that strict rest and confinement is the most appropriate
treatment. But radiographs are needed to best assess
the extent of the injuries.
But if the front (cranial) 2/3 of the pelvic girdle is
fractured, especially if there is displacement of the
hip sockets, if there is narrowing of the pelvic canal
or neurological impairment and intractable pain, then
surgery is the best option.
Road traffic accident injury cases will commonly also
have trauma to the chest, to the urinary tract and to
peripheral nerves.
Reduction and fixation of pelvic fractures ideally needs
to be done within the first 3-4 days to achieve good
results, which can be difficult to achieve in an unstable
patient with multiple injuries.
Two recent cases demonstrate the surgical decisions
made to give priority to repairing the fractures that
are the most likely to optimize the patient’s return to
function without further increasing the associated risks
of more prolonged procedures.
Spike:
Spike’s pelvis fractures illustrate the importance of
repairing the hip socket (acetabulum) connection to
the upper pelvis and the spine, whereas the multiple
fractures of the lower pelvis have a lower priority for
surgical repair.
Continued on page 5...
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VetSouth
Sasha:
Sasha is a young dog that was hit from behind by a
vehicle. Her pelvis was fractured across both sides,
shunted forwards and under her spine.
Sasha’s pelvis was fractured across both side.
Sasha’s pelvis two months post-op.
Duck shooting reminder...
It’s that time of the year again when many farms will be
having visitors for the duck shooting season, both two
and four legged.
foreign dogs present a risk to on-farm biosecurity and
each year following duck shooting farmers incur losses
from sheep measles arising from visiting dogs.
To reduce the risk of an unpleasant surprise on kill
sheets in coming months sheep farmers who have duck
shooters coming onto their farms are advised to establish
some requirements before the visitors bring dogs with
them.
VetSouth clinics stock products to treat dogs using
either Allwormers or straight tapeworm tablets both
of which are effective for removing sheep measles
tapeworms from dogs. Contact your VetSouth clinic for
more information.
To protect stock farmers need to make it
clear to any duck shooters bringing dogs
that the dogs need to be treated for sheep
measles at least 48 hours and no more
than a month before coming onto their
properties.
It’s no good dosing the dogs on arrival
they need to be treated a few days
before they arrive as dogs can shed
sheep measles eggs up to 48 hours after
treatment.
They should also have some form of
evidence this has been done, best of all
is a treatment certificate or a receipt from
their Vet.
While farmers are doing a great job in
keeping sheep measles at low levels
SMALLANIMALNOTESAUTUMN2017
55
Who have we sponsored lately...
•Bush
Haven Charitable Trust - veterinary time
and consultations.
•Clinton Lions Auction – Prize for raffle
•Gore Southern Shears – Cash donation
•Beth Scott Hockey Rep – Cash donation
•Winton A & P Show – Prize
•Mossburn Dog Trails – Cash Donation
•ESPC One Day Event at Tapanui – Prizes for classes
•Waitane Young Farmers – Prizes for auction
•Waikaia Dog Trials – Prize for class
•Wendon-Riversdale Dog Trials – Prize for class
•Maitland Sheep Dog Trials – Prize for class
•Garston Sheep Dog Trials – Prize for class
•Bush Haven Charitable Trust – Donation of
Gore
8 Richmond St
Ph 03 209 0101
Winton
Cnr Great Nth & Welsh Rds
Ph 03 236 6090
Invercargill
29 Findlay Road
Ph 03 217 6688
Lumsden
44 Diana St
Ph 03 248 9030
Portapets
•Waikaka Fat Lamb Comp – Prize for class
•Mataura RSA Spud Dig Comp – Prize for kids class
•Victim Support Golf Tournament - Prizes
•Waikoikoi Ambrose Golf – Cash donation & Prizes
•Gore Sheep Dog Trials – Prize for class
•Dancesport – Items for auction
•Winton Fun Run – Cash donation
•Kauana Sheep Dog Trials - Voucher
•Winton Collie Club - Voucher
•Greenvale Dog Trials – Prize for class
•Gore Prefects Concert – Cash donation
•Gore Bowls – Prize for raffle
•Kuriwao Dog Trials – Prize for class
•NZ Dairy Awards – Cash donation and items for
Otautau
203 Main St
Ph 03 225 8206
Clydevale
2 Manse St
Ph 03 415 9400
Tapanui
Main Rd
Ph 03 204 8233
Balclutha
34 Essex St
Ph 03 418 0600
goody bags.
www.vetsouth.co.nz
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