Helping older people keep their pets, why photos with wildlife can be bad news and the field of flatology

Dogs swim in the lagoon off Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

For one week and for one week only the SAT office has temporarily relocated to the Cook Islands (if you have not been here, there are plenty of reasons to visit - including the fact that if you're from Sydney you can get a direct flight with Air New Zealand). It all happened thanks to a tweet from the Esther Honey Foundation suggesting we write about the work they do for the local animals. We needed a holiday (or at least a workifrolicday) so we decided to make it here and visit the EHF in person. 

Don't get too jealous - it isn't all cocktails with umbrellas and swanning about in bikinis, although if one were that way inclined the island is very accommodating. We're working on a few projects, writing and blogging. It just happens that we are about 50 metres from what must surely be one of the world's most beautiful beaches.

That in mind, this weekend we have a few links to share.

Colorado State University's Pets Forever program harnesses the power of students to help low income elderly or persons with disabilities maintain their pets - and both sides benefit. This is a great model for other educational institutions and a brilliant example of how a simple intervention can yield huge benefits. Read about it here.

On a more serious note, photo opportunities with captive wildlife species are probably something to avoid. British animal charity Care for the Wild International is campaigning to raise awareness about the cruelty behind many of those photo opportunities (read more here). Accelerated by the increasing trend of posting selfies on Facebook, the practice of being photographed with captive wildlife may be supporting animal abuse and cruelty. I must confess I've been guilty of taking up these opportunities on overseas trips thinking I was contributing to conservation. This article from the Sydney Morning Herald explains the problems associated with these images. 

On a much lighter note, I learned this week that dog flatulence is a legitimate field of study. Julie Hecht wrote this insightful blog about what dog farts are made of, describing the incredible flatulence suit worn by the subjects of a very serious study on the matter. An odour judge was asked to rate each fart on a scale of one to five, with one representing a noise-only-odourless fart whilst five reserved for the fart equivalent of a category five weather system (and you think your job stinks???).

Further investigation into an article published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine (1992; 10(1):79-88) by DF Danzi revealed that "cultural complaints and scatologic implications at times impede meaningful research". The abstract promises that the article discusses "the current state of flatal physiology, pathophysiology, and diagnosis of aberrancy". Aberrancy. I like Danzi's style.

Stay tuned next week for our Cook Islands themed posts, including an interview with veterinarian Michelle Gray from the Esther Honey Foundation. In the meantime, we've been asked (seriously) to perform some health checks on some cats in Aitutaki.

Distance Education: A perspective from Dr Lisa Bennett

Dr Lisa Bennett

As 2013 comes to an end you might be making plans for your continuing education in 2014. SAT had the opportunity to interview Dr Lisa Bennett, an Aussie veterinarian who recently returned home after working in Hong Kong. She completed a distance education program in feline medicine through the Centre for Veterinary Education and was happy to discuss her experiences.

When did you graduate and what have you been up to?

I graduated from Sydney Uni in 1996 and worked at Castle Hill vet hospital and Paddington cat hospital for several years before moving to Hong Kong. I lived and worked in Hong Kong for 10 years in a cat hospital called Nine Lives. Our family recently moved back to Sydney after 10 years in Hong Kong and are all very happy to be home.

What was the case load like?

This was a very busy cat hospital where we saw a great variety of interesting cases both medical and surgical. We were the only cat hospital in Hong Kong for most of that 10 year period so clients travelled great distances to come to Nine Lives for our advice and consultation and they expected us to have a higher level of knowledge about feline medicine. It was for this reason I decided to do the Feline medicine distance education course.

Why did you choose that course?

The Feline medicine course consists of 10 modules covering the vast majority of all feline related conditions. The modules include dermatology, cardiology, endocrinology, respiratory disease, gastroenterology, urinary tract disease, neurology, infectious disease, hematology and oncology. The core reading material is provided in each module and there are also many relevant papers included at the end for further interest. Case studies are given every month and marked with great advice and personal experience shared by your tutor.

This is Oliver - "my beautiful burmese that studied with me throughout the whole course, that I lost to renal failure".

How much work was involved?

This program is a fantastic way to deepen your knowledge of feline medicine or also a great way to shake out the cobwebs and start critically thinking again. Like anything, the more you put into the course in terms of reading and research, discussions and case studies, the more you will get out of it but that should not stop someone who is short of time doing it.

One of the reasons I decided to do the course was that I had taken significant periods of time off while having my three children and I felt that it was time to get rid of my "baby brain" and start the neurons firing again. The course was just a great way to motivate me to do the extra reading and research that you keep promising yourself you will do tomorrow! So for any of the mums or dads out there who are feeling nervous about going back to practise after having time off for their kids, any of the DE courses would be a fabulous way to regain your confidence and know that you are up to date with current material.

Dr Lisa Bennett operating on her own cat.

How did you integrate study and work?

It is always a challenge to juggle day to day life, work, study and a family so I waited until my youngest was at school so that I could dedicate the time I felt I wanted to put into the course. I made sure I carried the relevant section I was reading at the time everywhere I went so that I could always utilize my time effectively - it is amazing how much time you spend in queues, waiting outside school, in doctors surgeries etc.

I was also lucky because living in Hong Kong enables full time help so this did give me a significant advantage!

One of the great things about extended courses is that you tend to develop a network of peers. Did you find that was the case?

What was surgically removed.

One of the fantastic things about the DE courses is the online sharing of cases - it opens up a huge network of differing opinions and discussions involving all the participants and the tutors over very relevant day to day situations. The group meetings that occur twice in the year are fantastic fun and everyone loves getting together and getting to know each other. You end up developing a great rapport with your tutor and their support through the year is very rewarding. Sadly I lost Oliver, my beautiful burmese to acute renal failure 1 week before the feline membership exams and my tutor was emailing several times a day to see how things were going, offering advice and then comfort when things went very badly. The encouragement he showed me during those very difficult days meant so much to me and helped me stay focused on completing the exams.

Do you think courses like this are good preparation for memberships?

I would recommend striving to do the relevant membership exams in whichever DE course you do. The course provides an excellent framework from which to base your study and the case studies you do throughout the program result in you being very prepared for the case study sections in the exams. Aiming for the exams at the end also gave me the extra commitment and determination to put that little bit extra into the course.

Completing the course and the exams was a great personal challenge but the best things you gain are the fantastic network of friends around the globe and more enjoyment it creates in your day to day life as vets. I would recommend this course to everyone.

Festive season hazard: chocolate & FREE toxicology webinar from VetGirl

This is Belle, who comes from the Australian Capital Territory. We're loving the ears, but suspecting that
Belle is looking to the photographer with the expectation of some kind of food payment.

Here at SAT we are totally excited about the festive season and all that it brings - time with family (all species included), more time outdoors, a sense (however deluded!) that the workload is winding down and the sense of a new beginning. But the festive season is a time when even the non-traditional buy into tradition, resulting in the proliferation of pet-inappropriate foodstuffs in every household.

Today's focus is chocolate. We can't get enough of the stuff, but its toxic to animals and dogs are the number one victim because they are the least fussy in their eating habits. I can tell you, from inducing vomiting a gazillion times, that dogs don't care if they eat the wrappers. 

Chocolate contains methyxanthines (eg caffiene, theobromine) which can cause cardiac and central nervous stimulation, as well as have a diuretic effect. It also contains a lot of fat which (contrary to the beliefs of those who feed their dogs all the gristle from their BBQ) dogs generally don't tolerate as well as us. 

The more cocoa the chocolate contains, the more toxic. So the least toxic is white chocolate, while the most toxic is the increasingly trendy hard-core high-percentage of cocoa gourmet chocolate that everyone seems to like to give everyone at Christmas.

Toxicity will to some extent depend on the size of the dog. A single square of very dark chocolate or cooking chocolate can make a tiny dog very sick...but may not harm a big lab. (Mind you, I would also like to add that big labs DO NOT STOP AT ONE PIECE. I've met labradors who ate entire family blocks in one sitting - in one case 2kg of chocolate - and would eat more if they could find it)(and no, inducing vomiting in such a patient is not pretty).

The serious part, folks: chocolate can kill. As little as 30g of cooking chocolate can kill a 5kg dog. And remember it can be hidden in cakes, brownies, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and cocoa mulch. Oh, and chocolate coated coffee beans. Double-whammy.

So if you think your dog has found your sweet stash, call your veterinarian. It is worth inducing vomiting early in the piece (ideally within 1-2 hours) because this can minimise absorption and signs of toxicity.

Clinical signs of chocolate toxicity usually refer to excitement, and they include restlessness and hyperactivity, panting, signs of nausea like salivation, vomiting (usually brown coloured and possibly containing colourful wrappers) and chocolately-diarrhoea.

Severely affected dogs may exhibit polydipsia, polyuria, ataxia, muscle rigidity, tremors or seizures. Some dogs become cyanotic and require immediate oxygen therapy. Coma can also occur. In addition, if your dog suffers from pancreatitis, a chocolate pig-out will often precipitate a raging bout.

The good news is that most owners are pretty cluey about chocolate being bad and we tend to induce vomiting and send them home. In severe cases dogs require anti-seizure medication, IV fluids and 24 hour monitoring.

If you live with a food motivated hound, you might want to keep your chocolate in a safe.

Also if you're into toxicology, you will want to sign up for VetGirl's seminar on the top 20 poisons affecting your small animal patients. Sign up here.

How to advance the welfare of cats: you can help!

Read on, complete the survey and save some lives!!!

Getting2Zero is inviting individuals and organisations to read and respond to its National Cat Action Plan, a suggested way forward for the management of domestic cats in Australia.

Cats really need our help. Australia has a significantly larger population of unwanted and abandoned cats than dogs, part of which is due to their ability to breed from a very early age and their knack for producing multiple litters per annum. They tend to become dissociated from their owners more readily than dogs, either getting lost or when owners simply move on, leaving the cat behind.

THERE ARE LOADS OF THINGS WE CAN DO TO HELP! And the best thing about G2Z's discussion paper is that it lists, in point form, steps you and I can take to improve the lot of cats - whether you're a cat owner, vet, vet student, journalist or landlord.

You can download and read the discussion paper here and, once you have done so, get onto the site and complete the survey here. You can also email your own submission to info@g2z.org.au

Lizard medicine 101: How do you treat a sick bearded dragon?

This is Jet, a baby bearded dragon.

I recently attended a webinar by Dr Robert Johnson, co-owner of South Penrith Veterinary Clinic, on Lizard Medicine 101, which provided some excellent tips on the care of lizards, particularly bearded dragons.

If you’re not convinced you need to learn anything about beardies, consider a 2011 study which found that a study in 2011 found Bearded dragons are the most common pet lizard in the UK and they are eclipsing pet birds in terms of popularity.

The most common species kept as pets in Australia are the coastal or Eastern bearded dragon (Pogona barbata), the central or inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) and the pygmy bearded dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni). Eastern beardies are not such good indoor pets.

1.   Elements of good husbandry

Lizards need a good source of UVB light on a daylight/night cycle. UV lights have a limited life such that they get to a point where they stop emitting UVB – so they need to be replaced every 6-12 months, or tested.

Sunshine is vital to the health of any diurnal lizard and 20 minutes of bright summer sun can be worth 12 hours of artificial UV light. And, as Dr Johnson says, it’s free.

They need a thermal gradient in their preferred optimal temperature zone. For beardies, one area of the enclosure may be as warm as 35 degrees – they just need to be able to move in and out of the warmer zones.

Reptiles need environmental enrichment too. They like to dig in sand, especially females – and some of these ladies won’t lay eggs unless a suitable sand pit is available.

Nomming a blueberry. Note stains on his face.

Beardies need a good diet. Young beardies eat mostly crickets and cockroaches – but these need to be healthy looking and they need to be fed too. If you keep too many crickets in a small enclosure they will eat each other. Mature beardies are omnivores and will eat fruit, vegies, flowers and insects – and they love dandelions.

Hospitalised beardies should be offered greens daily, insects every few days and (if they are quite unwell) a 50:50 combination of Hills a/d diet with Oxbow Critical Care formula.

2.   What to look for on physical examination

According to Dr Johnson, lizards should have good muscle tone, proud stance (pushing their chest off table), and should respond positively to touch.

The most common ailment seen in captive bearded dragons is metabolic bone disease (MBD), which occurs due to insufficient calcium, insufficient exposure to UVB light, overhandling or a combination of these.

Signs of illness

• -      Shakes or tremors (often a feature of MBD)
• -      Size disparity between lizards in the same clutch (GIT parasites, bullying around food or basking sites)
• -      Stunting or musculoskeletal deformities (MBD)
• -      Skin lesions (bacterial or fungal dermatitis)
• -      Listlessness/lethargy (suboptimal cage temperature, MBD, renal disease)
• -      Anorexia (suboptimal cage temperature, parasitism)
• -      Constipation (overfeeding, renal disease, dehydration, high cage temp à dehydration)
• -      Obesity
• -      Diarrhoea (parasitism, bacterial gastrointestinal disease)
• -      Prolapse (usually secondary to MBD, systemic disease)
• -      Sudden death (adenovirus, MBD)

In the oral cavity, look for stomatitis, gingivitis/gingival recession, a rubber jaw which is a giveaway for MBD. In wild animals, you may see nematodes in the throat – these don’t necessarily require treatment.

A bearded dragon with a nasty facial fistula.

Unlike snakes, lizards shed their skin in pieces. The underlying, new skin is soft and free of blemishes. Mites not as common in beardies as in bluetongues and pythons. Ticks will often cause anaemia. Investigate crusts and ulcers.

Ocular disease is not uncommon, but bilateral enlargement of the eyes, possibly due to engorgement of venous sinus around the eyes, is more common in animals with MBD.

Dr Johnson went on to share his tips about in-house clinical pathology of lizards, sedation and anaesthesia and speying of females.

He and Brendan Carmel are co-authoring a fantastic book together on disease in reptiles. Read here for further information and download the flyer here.

Let the countdown to Christmas begin!

Three Wise Dogs: Courtesy of Nell Thompson. If your pets are helping you celebrate the festive season, send us a photo!

December has arrived, and even though SAT is non-denominational (well, we believe in dog), we can't help but be dazzled by fairy lights, snow globes, Christmas trees and just the feeling that 2013 is coming to a close and summer is upon us. 

Plus its just nice to open the mailbox and find colourful envelopes instead of those awful ones with plastic windows.

Its a good time to remind everyone that whilst the festive season is magical, pet owners should be mindful of the risks of ingestion of foreign bodies (e.g. tinsel in cats, Christmas decorations), the ingestion of for-human-only treats (grapes, sultanas, onions, garlic, chocolate, coffee, xylitol-sweetened baked goods), over-indulgence (there's a reason veterinarians treat a lot of diarrhoea on boxing day) and the warm-weather hazards like heat stress and tick envenomation.

Nell's Christmas card.

This month we will be featuring pet themed xmas, new year and holiday snaps so bring em on!

Rolly gets into the spirit.