August 2007
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• New Pet Food Recall
• Dental Case Highlights
• Cherry Pit Toxicity (and others)
• Pet Economics
• Sad news

New Pet Food Recall
Just when you thought everything had settled down, Castleberry Foods has announced a recall of their Dick VanPatten’s Natural Balance Eatables for dogs.  These products may be contaminated with botulism.  Botulism is caused by a toxin produced by the Clostridium Botulinum bacteria.  Botulism is considered a medical emergency.  These canned dog food products could cause life-threatening illness.  The products involved are:

• Irish Stew with Beef
• Chinese Take Out with Sauce, Vegetables, and Chicken
• Southern Style Dumplin’s with Gravy, Chicken, and Vegetables
• Hobo Chili with Chicken and Pasta

If you have any of these products the FDA requires that the cans be double bagged in bags that are tightly closed and placed in a trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash, outside the home and out of reach of humans and pets.  Do not discard the food in the toilet, sink, or garbage disposal.  Avoid splashing and contact with the skin.  After handling these cans you should wash your hands with soap and water for at least two minutes.
There is a list of Castleberry products for human consumption also recalled.  If you haven’t heard about these, please check this website.  It is important to note that the products are not all under the Castleberry brand.  Check your pantry for any of these potentially contaminated foods.

Dental Case Review
We thought you might enjoy reading about some more of our dental cases.

Bear, a 2 ½ year old Pomeranian accidentally got out in the street.  You can guess what happened.  Thankfully his injuries weren’t life threatening and after he was stabilized at his regular veterinarian’s office he was referred to us for repair of his fractured jaw.  Dr. Tom stabilized the jaw using wire and acrylics.  One month later we removed the wire and extracted the lower canine tooth which was damaged when the jaw was broken.  Four weeks later we received a follow-up e-mail from his owner.  “Please let Dr. Tom know that Bear is doing wonderful!!!!  He can now play with his toys again and just squeak them until his little heart is content.  The squeaking is actually music to our ears after all he has been through…Dr Tom and all the staff were just wonderful and we are very blessed to have you care for our Bear!  Thank you all SO VERY much!!”

When Red, a five year old Boxer mix, went to his veterinarian for a dental cleaning in May the veterinarian noticed that he had a canine tooth with pulpal hemorrhage.  This is a discoloration of the tooth caused by trauma.  The trauma causes an inflammation of the pulp increasing the internal pressure of the tooth.  As a result, the pulp hemorrhages and dies.  This condition generally is treated by root canal therapy so Red’s veterinarian recommended that the tooth be evaluated by Dr. Tom.  A couple of days after the root canal therapy we received this e-mail from his owner.  “Please tell Dr. Tom he did an awesome sweet job!!!...Mr. Red is greatly appreciative of his help.”

Scoonie, a seven year old shorthaired cat, came to us because of oral pain due to resorptive lesions.  The cause of this condition is not fully understood but the result is that the enamel of the tooth dissolves exposing the sensitive dentin layer.  Finally the tooth will dissolve completely, but there is a lot of pain associated with this process.  We want to treat the patient as soon as it is diagnosed in order to control their pain.  Scoonie’s affected teeth were extracted and the rest of the teeth were cleaned.  The follow-up e-mail from her owner said “Scoonie is doing great since her dental work…I had to actually keep her from eating too much food that same day…Let Dr. Tom and everyone else at your clinic know that I really appreciate everything.”

Logan, a Lab Chow mix, about five years old, was adopted with a previously fractured canine tooth.  His owner had no history on Logan to know how long ago it had happened.  Our x-ray of Logan’s teeth indicated the injury to that tooth had occurred quite some time ago.  When a dog is young the root canals of their teeth are very wide, then slowly narrows as the dog ages.  In this x-ray you can see the difference between the widths of the damaged tooth and the normal tooth.  This tooth needs root canal therapy to stop the progression of bacteria into the tooth and surrounding tissues causing an abscess.  An e-mail from his owner said, “Logan did great…(he) takes his medicine just fine with a little help from peanut butter…Thanks for everything.  What a great experience.”

Blackjack, an eight year old black Lab, came to us for an evaluation of his oral condition and to diagnose some small masses on his gums.  Dr. Tom cleaned the teeth and extracted one lower molar badly affected by periodontal disease.  Biopsies were taken of the gingival masses.  Gladly, the biopsy results showed that the masses were benign hyperplastic gingiva.  A week or so later Blackjack’s owner e-mailed us.  “Thank you so much for the wonderful dental work you performed on Jack.  He is doing very well.  Seems very happy!  AND has the cleanest smelling breath he has ever had!!”

Pet Economy
According to an article in Business Week (August 6, 2007 edition) Americans spend $41 billion a year on their pet and spending on pets is expected to increase to $52 billion by 2009.  That amazing sum is more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world!  (There are over 190 countries in the world.)  What we spend on our pets is in excess of what we spend on the movies, video games, and recorded music combined (~$33 billion).  Included in that amount is $9.8 billion per year on veterinary care and $9.9 billion in over-the-counter medications and other supplies.
Half of all dog owners say they consider their pet's comfort when buying a car and almost a third buy gifts for their pet ’s birthdays.  After consumer electronics, pet care is the fastest growing category in retail expanding about 6% per year.  There has also been an unprecedented wave of entrepreneurship in the pet industry.  There are now $430 indoor potties, $30-an-ounce perfume, and $225 trench coats for our four-footed friends.  Boarding kennels are now pet hotels with luxury suites, pools, hot tubs, play areas, massage therapists, and much more.  You can even log on to the pet hotel’s website and check on your pet over closed-circuit television.  Veterinary medicine is now able to offer more to their patients and their families also.  Availability of specialized diagnostic equipment has greatly increased.  Treatment options are now wide ranging and these new therapies have allowed pets to live longer, healthier, and happier lives giving us all more time to spend with our beloved pets.

Toxicity Reminders
Now that summer is in full swing, fruit trees are heavy with ripening fruit, and the stores are full of fresh fruits, we felt this would be a good time to remind you about some of the hazards of these items to our pets.  Peach pits, apricot pits, plum pits, cherry pits, and apple seeds all contain cyanide and can be extremely toxic to our pets.  Be very cautious about what snacks you feed your pets and if you have a “garbage hound” make sure these items go in a trash receptacle that your pet cannot gain access to.  Call your veterinarian immediately if your pet eats any of these items.

Sad News
The doctors and staff at East Hilliard Veterinary Services were saddened by the loss of our cockatiel Cookie on August 2, 2007. Cookie was 34 years old which is really ancient for a cockatiel. Dr. Tom got Cookie while he was still in college. Cookie was seven at the time. He has lived here at the clinic since we opened in 1987. Cookie was a litle ornery but he loved and was loved by Drs. Tom and Sue. Things won't be quite the same without him around.

Sherriwood's Stand By Me Ben CD, AX, AXJ, CGC, TDI
Our sincere sympathies to our long-time employee, Kathy Baldy and her family. Kathy's 14 year old dog, Ben, died on August 7th this year. Ben was a favorite of all the staff and he will be missed.

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