Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/life/animal-talk/)
In my last column, I covered the many options for flea and tick prevention. Heartworm disease is becoming more common in New England. We are not only seeing a lot of dogs coming from the southern US, where heartworms are endemic, but we also see many home-grown heartworm cases. Annual prevention is a fraction of the cost of treatment—and treatment is painful and can be dangerous in certain cases.
During the summer months, many pet owners will start parasite preventative measures like topical repellents or oral medications. While the warmer months seem like the hot zone for the creepy crawlies, preventative measures are important during any time of year.
In Connecticut, it is estimated that there are 6–25 cases of heartworm infection diagnosed per clinic per year. While most of these cases are dogs that have been transported from other areas of the country where heartworm infections are more common, like the Southeast, some are home-grown cases. There have been increasing numbers of cases over the past 15 years of heartworm disease.
Poultry: Chickens and Turkeys
Guinea Pigs, Ferrets, Rats, and Reptiles
Many of our domesticated species can have bouts of sneezing and nasal discharge. This ranges from a mild case of the sniffles akin to the common cold to pneumonia. Each species has different infectious agents and underlying causes for upper respiratory infections that are treated differently.
Backyard flocks have become immensely popular over the past few years. There are many chicken owners in New England and many opposing opinions on how to keep chickens in the harsh winters we have.
Most people who have pets know that chocolate is toxic to dogs. It is the most well-known toxin as well as a very common one. Chocolate is also toxic to cats, though we do not see our feline friends ingesting chocolate as often as our pups. But why is chocolate toxic?
Rodenticides are one of the most common toxin exposures we see in veterinary medicine. Last month I covered anticoagulant rodenticides, which are the easiest to treat. Now we will touch base on the other two classes of rodenticides—cholecalciferol and bromethalin. These two types of rodenticides are not easy to treat like the anticoagulants. These are newer generation poisons that can cause serious harm to pets if not treated quickly.
Having started my career as an emergency veterinarian, I still have a soft spot for toxin cases. There are a few household toxins that I saw many times at the ER and still see at Salmon Brook Vet. Over the next few issues, I will highlight some of the most common toxins we see, what they do and how we treat them.