Every two weeks Dr. Oz publishes an article in "Kelowna Capital News" on general topics of Veterinary medicine for the public's general interest and education. On this page you can find the direct links to those articles.
Hazardous food for pets
Who doesn’t like to spoil his pet with a treat? We all do it, it’s so hard not to, you are eating and your pet is looking at you with its big yearning eyes and you just give in… This week we will talk briefly about the main human food items that are toxic for pets.
One of the most common intoxication I get to treat, especially around Christmas time is chocolate poisoning. Chocolate contain Theobromide, which is toxic to the pet’s heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system
- Onion and garlic can cause destruction of the red blood cells, a process called Hemolytic anemia. Symptoms of hemolytic anemia are usually pale gums, rapid heart rate, weakness and lethargy. Other signs include vomiting, diarrhea, and bloody urine. Poisoning can result from raw, cooked and dehydrated forms of onion, garlic and chives. Read more
Euthanasia- the time to say goodbye
This week I’ve decided to address one of the most painful aspects in raising pets- When is it the right time to say goodbye to your darling pet? Well, that is probably the hardest question veterinarians have to answer to pet owners. The decision to end a life is never easy. It is a personal, loving decision to euthanize a pet for which the quality of life has deteriorated. It takes courage to assume this last duty and it is our last responsibility to a pet which has given us love and companionship. One of the hardest ideas people are having hard time with, is taking the decision for the animal that obviously can’t express its wants.
Euthanasia is recommended by veterinarians when the pet is sick or very old and when its quality of life has deteriorated in a irreversible manner. When a pet is showing signs of illness your veterinarian will probably recommend performing some tests in order to evaluate the general health status of your pet and the extent of the damage caused by the disease. The decision of performing euthanasia is a very hard one for both pet owners and veterinarians, hence the tests are recommended. Euthanasia is recommended when a medical condition is uncontrollable, or is going to cause pain and suffering to your pet. Medical tests are helping veterinarians assess the severity of the pet’s condition and making it easier to reach decision whether to try to treat the animal or it is time to let go.
Read more
Spaying and neutering your pet
Spay and neuter are the common terms for permanent surgical removal of the animal’s reproductive organs. Spay refers to removing the uterus and ovaries in females, and neuter refers to the removal of the male’s testicles.
Beside the obvious advantage of preventing unwanted puppies and kittens and avoiding the whole discomfort that owners experience with the female heat and the males response to it, there are few important medical advantages of performing spays and neuters.
Medical advantages in females:
Prevention of mammary tumors (breast cancer): mammary tumors in animals are usually hormone dependent, if the queen (female cat) or bitch are getting spayed before their first heat cycle their chances of developing mammary tumors are 99.5% less than that of an unspayed female.
If the female is spayed after she had one cycle, her chances of developing mammary cancer are 92% lower than that of an unspayed female.
Heat stroke
We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful areas in Canada. One of the greatest advantages of the Okanagan Valley is the hot weather and all the pleasures that come along with it. But we all should remember that the hot temperature bears some hazards such as Heat stroke.
Heat stroke is a condition where the body is exposed to high temperature or humidity over a long period of time. The heat-regulating mechanisms of the body are affected and are unable to effectively deal with the heat, causing the body temperature to climb uncontrollably.
Young and old animals are more sensitive to high temperatures, as well as heavy coated pets and short snouts animals such as Pug, Shi tzu, Boxers, Pekinese, Bulldogs and Persian cats.
Heat stroke is considered when the body temperature is generally higher then 40.0 degrees C or 104 degrees F. Read more
Feline Heperthyroidsm
This week we are going to focus on the well respected senior feline population, that tends to suffer from a condition known as Feline Hyperthyroidism.
The thyroid glands are organs situated in the neck and secret hormones that are responsible for the pace of all of the processes in the body (also known as metabolism).
Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland produces exess of its hormones and every function of the body tends to speed up resulting in multisystemic disease.
Hyperthyroidism is probably the most common endocrine (hormonal) disorder in cats. It occurs in middle age-older cats, with no breed or sex predilection. Read more
Parvo virus in dogs
This week I am dedicating this article to the new puppies owners out there. We adopt a puppy and we want to keep it as healthy as we can. So let’s talk about one of the most puppies common and devastating diseases- Parvovirus infection. How can we prevent it and in case of infection how can we recognize and treat it.
Parvovirus in dogs is a highly contagious disease. The virus is found in the sick dog’s feces, and spread from dog to dog by direct contact or indirect contact through the environment. The virus is extremely resistant and can stay in the environment for many months and it survives extremely cold and hot temperatures.
Puppies are the most susceptible. Certain breeds, such as Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, and Pit bull terriers as well as other black and tan colored dogs may be more susceptible than other breeds.
There are two forms of canine Parvovirus infection: intestinal and cardiac. The cardiac form is less common and affects puppies infected in the uterus or shortly after birth until about 8 weeks of age. The virus attacks the heart muscle and the puppy often dies suddenly or after a short period of breathing difficulty. Read more
Heartworm disease in dogs
Heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) are large roundworms that live in the right side of the heart and the blood vessels that supply blood to the lungs. The mature form of the worm can grow to a length of 23-30 cm, and in severe cases a dog may be infested with hundreds of worms.
Heartworm infestation can potentially cause damage to the heart, lungs and liver as well as obstruction of blood flow and eventually, death due to respiratory and heart failure.
Although dogs are the natural hosts for Heartworm, cats will occasionally become infested as well.
Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are active in warm temperature environment. The high-risk areas in Canada are the Okanagan valley in British Columbia, southern Ontario, southern Quebec and Manitoba. Heartworm is also found in most states in the US.
A mosquito bites an infected dog, sucks its blood and acquires the worm. The worm develops in the mosquito’s body, and passes to an uninfected dog with mosquito’s saliva in its next bite. The worm in immature form travels through the blood stream and lodges in the right side of the heart and the blood vessels that supply the lungs, where it matures and multiply. Read more