When Mick, the little detective on Hill Street Blues", growled "Dog Breath!!!". at some repugnant low-life that he was trying to intimidate. we all knew exactly what he meant. There aren't many natural odors less appealing than dog breath at its worst. Yet veterinarians world wide. are daily astounded at the rank mouth odors that pet owners commonly live with without complaint or often, apparently even recognition.

These are not necessarily neglected mutts. To the contrary. they are often among the most indulged of pets. Many are fed "nothing but the best". Including steak. chicken. liver: and if it has to be dog food. only the tiny little. expensive. gourmet tinned dog delights.

The family veterinarian frequently sees these degenerating patients only when they are presented for some other reason like a skin disease or routine booster injections. Occasionally they are presented because one of the owners' children has noticed a vague bad "body odor" that defies the most vigorous bathing. Almost never is even the most severely diseased dental patient presented to have her dental problems cared for.

A question may be. "Why bother? What difference does it make if all her teeth fall out?"

The answer is what you are smelling is infection, and infection is not a good thing to have established in a living being. The bacteria causing the dental infection are constantly attacking the body: the body must constantly fight back and sooner or later the body's resistance is lowered by stress, a chill. etc. and the infection gains access to the blood stream. All parts of the body are now assaulted by these germs. but the most susceptible organs are the kidneys and the heart.

The kidneys are the sewage system for the body; they filter out the body's wastes and flush them away. If bacteria are in the blood they too are filtered out and thus may establish a point of infection in these kidneys. The heart is at risk because all this germ laden blood must pass through this essential organ. Sometimes the lining of the heart including the vital heart valves is colonized by these blood borne bacteria. This leads to scarred, leaky valves which result in heart failure.

Infected teeth and gums are a significant threat to life.

Treatment is rather straightforward and simple: have the teeth cleaned and begin a reasonable preventive program to slow further dental deterioration.

Cleaning the teeth requires a general anesthetic if all parts of the mouth are to be cared for. This, of course, entails a calculated risk. This extremely small risk must be considered in light of the sure and guaranteed risk of not controlling this constant infection in your pet's body. That is, the short term risk of anesthesia is minute but real. The long term, debilitating, life-shortening consequences of living with infection are slower but incredibly surer.

The safety of the procedure can be enhanced by having a pre-surgery lab workup. This is especially recommended if the patient is older or in fragile health. Also, pre and/or post-surgery antibiotics are often vital to control the shower of bacteria that will be released into the bloodstream by the cleaning and/or extraction of infected teeth.

Once the mouth is back to good health, further trouble can be best controlled by maintaining good health (especially monitor the urinary tract), and providing a good diet. Consistency (hardness) of food is much less important than the balance of nutrients.

• The ultimate in nutrition and dental care is now available in a full line of Eukanuba dry adult dog and cat foods with the new Eukanuba Dental Defense System. Unlike dental diets, these multi-purpose formulas are clinically proven to work both during and after the meal to break the plaque-to-tartar cycle.
• Unique, dual-action, micro-cleansing crystals fight tartar buildup both during and after meals.
• Micro-cleansing crystals scrub away plaque while the animal is chewing. Then the crystals embed in remaining plaque throughout the mouth to help prevent tarter buildup after the meal.
• Significant reduction in tartar with diet alone.

Reduction in tarter after 28 days as compared to control diet Dogs 55%, Cats 45%.

The College Hill Pet Clinic recommends the Eukanuba line of dry adult foods for the ultimate in nutrition and dental care.

The Eukanuba Dental Defense System is available in all Eukanuba dry adult dog and cat diets and Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Senior Plus

Feline Leukemia (FeLV) is a contagious disease associated with the illness and death of more cats than any other pathologic condition. Testing and identifying FeLV positive cats is the mainstay of managing this infection, and preventing exposure to infected cats is the best means of preventing disease.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners and the Academy of Feline Medicine have issued the following guidelines for testing as an aid in control of FeLV:

Testing should occur in the following:

a. new kittens of any age or cats before introduction into a household, to prevent exposing existing cats.

b. newly adopted cats or kittens, even if they are the only cats in the household, for the following reasons:

· A more well informed view of the cat's future health status may be obtained before a strong emotional attachment or financial commitment has been made.

· Statistically, most cats do not remain the only cat in the household.

· Even cats that are to be kept indoors may escape and expose other cats.

c. cats in existing households where the FeLV status is not known, because carriers may remain illness-free for years and expose all other cats in the household.

d. cats in which a recent exposure (known or potential) occurs.

e. ill cats because FeLV has been associated with a wide variety of illnesses.

f. Cats presented for FeLV vaccination:

· Vaccination does not affect a cat already carrying the virus, nor will it affect development of disease in cats already infected.

· Existing carriers remain an exposure risk to other cats.

· Existing carriers can later become ill and appear to be "vaccination failures".

Vaccination with FeLV vaccines does not interfere with FeLV testing.

After screening with a rapid in clinic test, a positive or equivocal test result should be repeated and further confirmed with a different outside laboratory test, especially in an otherwise healthy cat.

The AAFP and AFM recommend that all cats or kittens that test negative with the first screening test but with a known or suspected exposure should be retested. This is done to rule out possible negative results early in an infection. Although most infected cats will test positive within several weeks, final retesting of these cats should be no sooner than 90 days after exposure.

Periodic (e.g. annual) testing of "at risk" cats is justifiable. Cats at risk include outdoor cats, fighting cats or cats with bite wounds, strays, escapees, cats in open multiple-cat households, and cats in closed multiple-cat households with an FeLV positive cat or with a cat of unknown status.

copyright 1995 American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and Academy of Feline Medicine (AFM).

GERIATRIC PROFILE

Aging pets are plagued with many of the same disease processes as aging people. Diseases commonly seen include: chronic heart and lung disease, kidney failure, liver disease, a multitude of cancerous processes, ocular problems such as cataracts, and hormonal disorders such as diabetes and hypothyroidism. Many of these diseases have vague and insidious onsets, and due to a pet's inability to easily communicate, both the pet owner and veterinarian tend to overlook the problem until it is in an advanced stage. The sooner a problem is diagnosed the before the chance of reversing, or at least slowing down, the rate of progression. In far too many cases the prognosis for advanced diseases is so poor that euthanasia is ultimately elected.

As with people, early detection and aggressive therapy can add years to an aging pet's lifespan. Up to 25% can be added to a pet's life by approaching the aging pet in this manner. This is a very significant prolongation.

A geriatric profile should be performed when the pet has completed 75% of its expected life span. For small dogs and cats this would be 10-12 years, medium sized dogs 10-11 years, and for the giant breed 8-9 years.

The basic geriatric profile consists of a series of blood tests, a complete blood count, urinalysis, a stool analysis, blood pressure, eye pressure reading and an electrocardiograph. For certain breeds of animals or due to physical examination findings, a chest x-ray may also be recommended.

When performed as a package, the profile can provide invaluable information at a significantly reduced cost. Individually run, the examination and testing can cost from $200--$270. We are happy to offer our geriatric profile plans at a 33% discount.

The exact profile plan and cost is as follows:

GLAUCOMA SCREENING

At the College Hill Pet Clinic we are happy to offer routine glaucoma screenings to all of our patients. If you have any questions about this test please call us at 681-9223.

Blood pressure measurement has been common in human patients for a long time, but only recently has an accurate means to measure arterial pressures in animals become available. The incidence of hypertension is unknown, but is diagnosed more frequently now that more veterinarians are monitoring blood pressure. Up to 65% of cats with chronic renal failure and up to 87% of cats with hyperthyroidism have hypertension.

The College Hill Pet Clinic is pleased to offer the Doppler flow method for blood pressure measurements. We recommend that this monitoring be a part of your pet's annual exam -particularly if your pet is geriatric. Please feel free to discuss this with a staff member.

HOT WEATHER PET TIPS

• Don't force your animal to exercise after a meal in hot, humid weather. Always exercise her in the cool of the early morning or evening.

• In extremely hot weather don't leave your dog standing on the street, and keep walks to a minimum. He is much closer to the hot asphalt, and his body can heat up quickly. His paws can burn since they are not protected by shoes.

• Never take an animal to the beach unless you can provide a shaded spot and plenty of fresh water for her to drink. Rinse her off after she has been in salt water.
   
• Always provide plenty of shade for an animal staying outside the house. A properly constructed dog house serves best. Bring your dog or cat inside during the heat of the day and let him rest in a cool part of your house. Always provide plenty of cool, clean water for you animal. Please be sensitive to old and overweight animals in hot weather. Snub-nosed dogs (especially Bulldogs, Pekingese, Boston terriers, Lhasa apsos, and Shih tzus) and those with heart or lung diseases should be kept indoors in air-conditioning as much as possible.
   
• Signs of heat stroke in animals include excessive panting, rapid heart rate, weakness and fainting. If your pet shows any of these symptoms hose him down with tepid - not cold - water. He should be taken to your veterinarian as soon as possible.
   
• Keep a current license and identification tag on your dog or cat and consider tattooing or microchipping as a means of permanent identification.
   
• Avoid walking your dog in areas that you suspect have been sprayed with insecticides or other chemicals, as poisonings increase during the summer when gardens, lawns and trees are sprayed. These chemicals can sicken or kill an animal. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA National Poison Control Center if you suspect your animal has been poisoned.
   
• Be alert for coolant leaking from your vehicle. Animals are attracted to the sweet taste of coolant and ingesting just a small amount can cause an animal's death. Consider using animal friendly products that use propylene glycol rather than those containing ethylene glycol.
   
• A clean coat can help to prevent summer skin problems, so keep your dog or cat well groomed. If he has a heavy coat, shaving your dog's hair to a one-inch length will help prevent overheating. Don't shave a dog's hair down to the skin; this robs him of protection from the sun. A cat should be brushed frequently to keep his coat tangle free.
   
• Take your companion animal to the veterinarian for a spring or early summer check-up, including a test for heartworm. Have your doctor recommend a safe, effective flea and tick control program.

  If you have any further questions about hot weather pet tips or any other medical concerns e-mail us.

American Veterinary Medical Association 1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100 Schaumburg, Illinois 60173

In Doberman Pinschers and some other large breeds, cardiomyopathy is a slow, often in apparent progressive disease characterized by early appearance of abnormal heart beats and gradually progressive left-sided heart dysfunction. Sudden death or congestive heart failure is the fate of most affected dogs. Most of the American Doberman Pinschers born today can be traced back to a small group of related dogs who died suddenly of a "Heart Attack" between 1946 and 1951.

A 1992 study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine found that in a population of clinically normal Doberman Pinschers, dogs that displayed one abnormal ventricular beat all developed dilated cardiomyopathy, and two other studies showed that when abnormalities are first detected in dogs three or four years old, progression to sudden death or heart failure almost always results within three or four years.

The good news is that a 1997 study has found that early detection of the problem and initiation of therapy before signs of congestive heart failure become apparent can significantly improve both the survival time and quality of life of these dogs.

The College Hill Pet Clinic is now recommending annual EKG monitoring of most large and giant breed dogs, especially Doberman Pinschers and Boxers, two breeds commonly affected with dilated cardiomyopathy. The results of the monitoring are usually available to the client within 24 hours of testing.