April 2006
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• Cricket the Hedgehog
• Dweezil the Mandrill
• Spring is time for fleas, ticks, and heartworm disease!
• Good luck to Beth Watercutter and McKay Blue.
• Thanks for your donations.
• Another weight management program graduate

We have a new hedgehog
Meet Cricket our new seven month old Hedgehog. She came to us through a client of ours that does hedgehog rescue, who has been keeping an eye out for a new hedgehog for us ever since Bob died. We needed to make sure that we got one which was reasonably well mannered around people. Hedgehogs are basically nocturnal so she’ll likely be sleeping when you come to visit, but be sure to stop by and see her next time you are in.

Dweezil the Mandrill
In January Dr. Tom received an e-mail from Dr. Rae Gandolf, one of the veterinarians at the Pittsburgh Zoo. They had a mandrill that had broken a canine tooth. So, one fine Wednesday in February Dr. Tom and Kay, one of our technicians, made a road trip to Pittsburgh.

Dweezil, who weighed over 80#, was tranquilized and transported to the hospital facility where he was started on IV fluids, hooked up to heart rate and oxygen saturation monitors, intubated, and connected to gas anesthesia and oxygen. Dr. Tom was joined in the operatory by Dr. Dave Regine, a dentist in the Pittsburgh area who volunteers his dental services to the Pittsburgh Zoo. Dweezil’s broken tooth was examined and an x-ray was taken. Sadly, the tooth was so badly damaged that it could not be saved. Dr. Tom and Dr. Dave extracted it, then took X-rays of the rest of Dweezil’s teeth to see if there were any other conditions that might need attention while he was anesthetized. Dr. Gandolf and her staff did a physical examination on Dweezil and drew blood samples to monitor his general health. Upon completion of his examination, Dweezil was returned to his enclosure and allowed to wake up while zoo staff monitored his recovery. Once Dweezil was stable, Dr. Gandolf took Kay and Dr. Tom on a whirlwind tour of the zoo. It is set in the hills above the Allegheny River and is bustling with building activity. New facilities are being built for housing and display of their animals and a new veterinary hospital facility is about to break ground. On the tour they walked past the Mandrill display area. Dweezil’s brother, LeRoy was quite active and showing his teeth as if to say, “See! There’s nothing wrong with these teeth!” Many thanks to the doctors and staff at the Pittsburgh Zoo for their hospitality.

Spring Reminder
Spring brings the return of fleas and ticks to our area. Overall, we’ve had a very mild winter here in Central Ohio. That may mean this will be a bad year for flea and tick infestations because mild winters allow more of these insects to survive. It is time to protect your pets by getting them started on their flea and tick control medications. Please go to our April 2002 newsletter to learn more about fleas and ticks and how to effectively control them.

Heartworm Disease
The mild winter weather may also mean a bad year for heartworm disease. Mosquitoes carry heartworm disease and unless the spring is cool and dry we will most likely see a lot of them this year.

Heartworm disease overview
Seen in dogs, cats and ferrets, heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease. It is a worm that lives in the heart and the pulmonary arteries. The female worm is 6 - 14 inches long and 1/8" wide and the male is about half the size of the female. They live up to 5 years, and during this time the female produces millions of young called microfilaria. These microfilaria circulate in the blood stream. Microfilaria are not directly infectious. They must go through a life stage in a mosquito before they can grow into an adult heartworm. Here is how it works. A mosquito bites the heartworm positive animal and ingests some of the microfilaria during a blood meal. (By the way, there are as many as 30 species of mosquitoes that can transmit heartworm disease.) The microfilaria develop for 10-30 days in the mosquito, becoming infective heartworm larvae. They then enter the mouthparts of the mosquito to be injected into the next animal the mosquito bites. Once in the bloodstream of the new animal, the larvae move to the heart and adjacent vessels where they grow to maturity in 2-3 months. There they start reproducing, thereby completing the full life cycle.

Symptoms of heartworm disease
One of the difficult things about diagnosing heartworm disease is that there are no consistent clinical signs. Heartworm disease can be present for some period of time before any symptoms are noticed. Symptoms may include: coughing, shortness of breath, weakness, listlessness, loss of stamina, fainting, and weight loss. Occasionally there are no symptoms, only the sudden death of the pet.

Diagnosis
There is a simple blood test that can be performed at the veterinary clinic. Further diagnostic tests must be performed if your pet is diagnosed as heartworm positive in order to determine the function of your pet's organs before treatment is started.

Treatment
There is some risk involved in treating for heartworms. Also, there is a difference in treatment recommendations between species. If your pet is diagnosed with heartworm disease the veterinarian will discuss the treatment schedule and follow up care necessary for your pet.

Prevention
Thankfully, heartworm disease is preventable. Here are the products we recommend:

• Heartgard Plus® (ivermectin) – Available in both cat and dog formulations, Heartgard® is given once a month. It comes in a beef flavored tablet most dogs and cats love. It is also available in tablet form for pets that are allergic to beef. And it offers protection against hookworm, an intestinal parasite.
• Revolution® (selamectin) – This is a topical solution that is placed on the pet’s skin in the area of the shoulder blades. It is used once monthly and prevents heartworm disease, flea infestations, treats and controls ear mites and sarcoptic mange mites, and controls American Dog Tick infestations.
• Sentinel® (lufenuron & milbemycin oxime) – This chewable once a month treat prevents heartworm disease, helps control flea infestations, and controls hookworm, whipworm, and roundworm infections. This product is for use in dogs only.
• Interceptor® (milbemycin oxime) – This product is used for heartworm prevention and control of hookworm and roundworm infections. It is also a chewable once a month tablet.
• Ivermectin liquid is the once monthly heartworm preventive used in ferrets.

Good Luck to McKay Blue
McKay Blue, a veterinary student at Ohio State University, is beginning her busy fourth year at vet school. Every year in March we lose the student(s) that are going into their fourth year “clinics”. It is a very intensive part of their training and there is no time left for working here. McKay has been a valued member of our staff and we will miss her. We have no doubt that she will become a first class veterinarian. Thanks McKay for everything.

Thanks for your donations
Many of you participated in Merial’s efforts to raise money for their hurricane relief fund. When you bought Heartgard or Frontline last fall (until the end of December) Merial donated $1.00 for each pack purchased. If you purchased a 12-pack of Heartgard or a 6-pack of Frontline you had an extra decision to make. With a 12-pack of Heartgard you could take your $5.00 rebate from Merial (automatic with a purchase of the 12 month supply) or donate that rebate to their hurricane relief fund. When you purchased a 6 month supply of Frontline you could either receive one additional month for free or donate that extra product. Through your generosity, Merial donated $1,000,000 dollars and product worth $1,000,000.

Weight Management Program Graduate
In June of 2004 Buddy Wallar was 3 years old and very good at convincing family members that no one else in the family had fed him or given him treats that day. At his annual examination he weighed a hefty 23#, nearly 20% over his recommended body weight. After some “family counseling” and everybody working together to help Buddy slim down, he slowly dropped the excess pounds. Along with a reduction in his daily calorie intake, he and his owner are walking four miles, four times a week. He officially graduated from the weight management program in February 2006 at a very healthy 18.7 pounds. Great job Buddy and the Wallar family!

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