Welcome back to the PURINA ANIMAL ADVICE SHOW BLOG!
I’m Joe Hipperson, your host and blog-writer—stoked as always to fill you in on what you may have missed while we made radio history on the BIG 550 KTRS AM, Saturdays at 9AM.
I’ve got the last two shows summed up and ready to go…so let’s start out with the show from 05/14/11. That’s when Dr. Cloud (AKA – THE MAN FROM ST. ANN) came through with a topic about CATS. Yes, Cats. True, I firmly believe they have the eyes of snakes—but there are some of you out there who love them. And some love cats so much that they take out insurance for when their cats need extra special care.
So Dr. Cloud hooked us up with the TOP 10 CLAIMS made to PET INSURANCE for CAT OWNERS!
Here we go:
10 Upper Respiratory Infections
9 Ear Infections
8 Allergic Reactions
7 Dental Issues
6 Skin Infections
5 Diarrhea – yes, I’m serious.
4 Diabetes
3 Hyper Thyroid
2 Gastric Vomiting
1 Lower Urinary Infections
THE MAN FROM ST. ANN also told us that the MAJOR DIFFERENCE between MALE & FEMALE CATS is Urinary Issues. If a cat has a urinary issue – 9 times out of 10 – it’s a male cat.
SOUNDTRACK: The soundtrack for the morning was brought to you by a combo of me and Led Zeppelin. (nothing musical on my end—I just chose LZ to give me a jolt in the morning and it really worked to hear “When The Levee Breaks”)
AND NOW TIME FOR A RECAP ON THE SHOW FROM 05/21/2011!
This most recent Saturday we had The PERFECT Dr. Laura Pletz and she brought us the EVER ENGAGING WORLD OF EARS!
From the DESK of the PERFECT PLETZ:
Why do dogs get ear infections?
Allergies, Allergies, Allergies....
1) Atopic Dermatitis
2) Food Allergy
3) Flea Allergy
Some endocrine disorders such as Hypothyroidism and Hyperadrenocorticism can also be the source of a dog's chronic ear infections.
Bottom Line: Chronic Ear Infections ALWAYS have an underlying cause.
Things to do at home to help with prevention ultimately depend on the underlying cause. A few examples that apply to most patients:
1) Routine cleaning with a cleaner recommended by your Veterinarian.
2) Essential Fatty Acid Supplments
3) Antihistmamines
OUTSIDE OF THE BRILLIANT EXECUTION OF THE PERFECT PLETZ – WE ALSO HAD A PURINA ANIMAL ADVICE SHOW FIRST!
We had a listener e-mail us and request the soundtrack. LESLIE is the one responsible for us playing music by THE FRATELLIS! (great name)
TRACK 1: Chelsea Dagger
TRACK 2: Henrietta
TRACK 3: Flathead
Joe,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say thank you for playing The Fratellis for me. I loved the songs you chose and the show was great! If you have not already, check out their second album "Here We Stand." It is very different from the first and is my favorite rock album of all time. I also really enjoyed your playing of Mumford & Sons and The Black Keys on previous shows.
Leslie
Joe,
ReplyDeleteIt's me again. I have a comment for Dr. Pletz concerning ear infections in dogs. My 12 year-old Cocker Spaniel has never had an ear infection even though she is a hypothyroid dog. My vet does a great job keeping her condition regulated on Synthroid. I do all of my own grooming and never bath a dog's head, just the hair on the ends of the ears. I am convinced that Cockers have so many ear infections because the groomers and or owners get water in their ears. I have had Cockers for over 25 years and ear infections have never been a problem. I rarely have to clean my dog's ears until they start getting old.
While I'm on here I also have a question for either Dr. Cloud or Dr. Pletz. Last month my 12 year-old Cocker had a seizure for the first time in her life. After many tests my vet could find nothing wrong with her. I remembered that I had given my dog her heartworm medication (interceptor) the day before she had the seizure and my vet thought it was possible that it caused the problem. I'm wondering if I should stop giving her the medicine or maybe change it. I really don't want her to have another seizure and I'm not even sure how dangerous they might be. She is a house dog that only goes out to potty. Any advice?
Leslie
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled to hear how lucky you have been in avoiding ear infections with your Cockers! Keep up the good work.
In regards to your dog's seizures, I am not sure I would blame the Interceptor. I suspect your dog has taken this medication for a long time and never had a problem, so it is unlikely it would have caused the seizure. If you would feel better switching to a different heartworm preventative, I think that would be fine, but I do not recommend discontinuing preventative medication all together. Chat with your Vet for a recommendation as there are tons of good options on the market.
Hopefully, this will be the one and only seizure for your Cocker. The vast majority of dogs that have a seizure never have another one. Best of luck and keep me posted.
Thanks,
Laura Pletz DVM
Dr. Pletz,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the advice. It is very helpful to me because I did not know that single seizures were common. As you well know, Cockers are prone to seizures. But the dogs I have owned that have had seizures started having them at about the age of two and continued to have them their entire lives.
My Vet did tell me that if a dog had seizures caused by heartworm medication they usually had them every time they were dosed. This is why she wanted to test my dog for other causes since she had never before had a reaction to Interceptor.
I guess I'm over-protective of my Ellie. She has quite a story! Ellie is from the first litter I ever bred. I had my heart set on breeding her mother Maddi to this famous champion show dog who was also the #1 obedience Cocker at the time. Not only did his very picky owner almost not agree to the breeding, but about the time Maddi came into season my mother died and I became the only caretaker of my father with advanced, violent Alzheimer's disease. I packed up my dog and my dad and headed for Chicago. It was like a trip to hell and back, but I made it home safely and about two months later I had my puppies. My dad died about two years after the puppies arrived. So the pups became like a new family to me.
Ellie was special from the start and has taken good care of me for the past twelve years. I don't know how I would have made it without her. She is so sweet, smart and funny! She even picked the man who is now my husband and she chose a good one!
Leslie