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  (through Wedsnesday August 1, 2001) By Dr. Kelly Brodnik 1) E.Coli Normal in Horse Intestines? Question: Is E. Coli normal in horse intestines? They say the horses have a contaminated water well. J.E., Crescent City, California. Answer: Some types of E.Coli bacteria
can be normal flora in the intestines, others are not and can
be very pathogenic (causing severe disease). There are many species
of E.Coli and some can cause disease by their wastes that are
given off and absorbed by the bloodstream or when the bacteria
themselves invade the bloodstream and the animal becomes toxic
due to septicemia or septic shock. The most common form on infection
on pathogenic (disease-causing) E.Coli would be from contaminated
water sources. For more information on horse care, check out:
A-Z
of Horse Diseases and Health Problems : Signs, Diagnoses, Causes,
Treatment Question: How accurate is the new ReproCheck pregnancy test in dogs? How do I get one, can I give it at home? Please tell me where to purchase, if possible. J.S., Castroville, California. Answer: As far as I know, the Reprocheck is only available to licensed veterinarians, and in that case your vet would need to perfrom the test for you. The test is made by the Synbiotics Corporation and you can always call there to see if they sell to non-licensed breeders, etc. and what the actual statistics are on their accuracy, etc. Their telephone number is: 1-800-228-4305. You may also want to ask your vet about a new blood test for pregnancy in dogs that tests for the presence of relaxin (a hormone found only during pregnancy in dogs) and its availability.
Question: I have 6 indoor/outdoor cats, one has developed unusual bowel movements. Feces is slightly odorous, fairly solid, lined with grayish whitish mucous. Not usually bloody, but at times a trace of blood. Behavior is slightly irritable, diet is normal and is Iams wet/dry. She is a 3 year old tortie. Bacterial culprit? J.J., Norwood, MA Answer: Mucous and blood in the stool
most often come from the large intestine of your pet. This is
associated with stress, inflammation of the colon (caused by
parasites, diet changes, stress), etc. It is best if you see
any type of blood in the stool to take a stool sample in to rule
out parasitic or bacterial infections. A dark, tarry-colored
stool often indicates bleeding higher up in the digestive tract
such as from the stomach or small intestines and is more associated
with water diarrhea (and higher in volume) than large intestinal
problems. Constipation may also be a factor. Get the cat in today
along with a fresh stool sample. (Blood can be seen microscopically
even if it doesn't appear on the stool to the naked eye). Question: We recently adopted our Collie from the Humane Society and he is wonderful. He is scratching the wood floors in our home. It is the predominate flooring. Do the vinyl nail caps that are glued onto the nails work in preventing scratching? We have trimmed his nails and walk him on pavement. He is easily frightened at noises, the vacuum, etc. I really feel he has been abused in the past, as he is afraid of the mop when I wash the floor and ran away when I was putting on a belt on my pants. I do not want to put anything on his paws that will cause him discomfort. Thank you for your help. M.J., Oakland City, Indiana. Answer: I couldn't tell from your question which came first, the dog or the house (the floors). If the floors were there first, then this should have been considered long before adopting the dog. Decisions about where to keep the dog and how to handle the problem should have been discussed and decided BEFORE adopting the dog (any dog would have the same problem as they all have nails). Second, if the dog was first and you moved into a place with hardwood floors, the nail trimming is the best method as well as trying to file the nails down with a file (or Dremmel tool). The brand of vinyl nails are called "soft paws" and are glued on and generally not uncomfortable, but frequently come off and require frequent maintenance. Another thing to try would be booties for the feet, carpeting an area that the dog is allowed to be on (and keeping it confined to that area), throw rugs, etc. Declawing dogs, in my opinion, is very painful and I personally will not perform the surgery, but I suppose it is an option with some vets. Working on training the dog not to run in the house may be a good idea, but may be a difficult concept to get acrossed. You can always ask our Ask the Trainer on Tuesday nights from 7-9pm, Live on our website at www.petservice.com.
Question: I have a 6yr old cat that I purchased through Save Our Stray. Problem? 80%^ of time he vomits wet cat food up, 20% of time its dry food, table scraps. Most of the time he is fine. Always hungry. Checked stool, no worms. P.C., Clearwater, Florida. Answer: Cats can have food allergies to certain types of food and will vomit as one of the signs. Other causes of periodic vomiting could by hyperthyroidism (a hormonal imbalance), diabetes mellitus (especially if hungry all of the time), hairballs, foreign objects lodged in the intestine that aren't fully blocking the tract, etc. You need to get this cat in for some testing and find out what is going on. Good luck!
Question: I believe that my dog has recently suffered a stroke. I am getting a second opinion. His right side is affected on both front and back legs and he drags his back right leg (at times the paw curls under). His front right leg also does this and sometimes he just falls down. He doesn't seem to have feeling in the back paw though sometimes when I touch it he looks at me like he felt me touch him. I am very concerned and would hope that there are options out there for me to help him. If you have any advice, it would be greatly appreciated. M.D., Allentown, Pennsylvania. Answer: These symptoms you are describing COULD be the result of stroke, an embolism (a blood clot traveling through the bloodstream and blocking blood supply to an area), muscle damage, but most likely nerve damage (and possibly high up in the spinal cord or brain.). The best way to find out what is going on, is to have your vet refer you to a veterinary neurologist, who only works with patients with neurological signs (such as you are describing). You will no doubt be required to run some testing in order to determine where the problem resides and once that is known, then your options will be outlined for you for treatment. In veterinary college, strokes were not considered very common in animals, but my personal opinion is that they happen, but since animals don't routinely undergo expensive MRI's or Catscans, they go underdiagnosed. In your case, however, I feel you would best be served by a visit to a veterinary neurologist. Good luck!
Question: My cat (18 mo old) has lost alot of weight and will sit over the water bowl without drinking and is very lethargic. The vet said he has an enlarged heart with a murmur and is stumped as to the cause. No seizures or coughing. This started a week ago and has gotten worse. Any idea as to what can be done? R.P., Little Rock, Arkansas Answer: You didn't mention whether or not your cat had any blood tests done to rule out other medical conditions such as kidney problems, liver problems, hyperthyriodism, diabetes, etc. Also, the cat should be tested for infectious diseases such as feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline infectious peritonitis, etc. Second, the heart problem can be further diagnosed using ultrasonography, xrays, doppler, etc. This way, the exact point of the heart problem can be discovered an appropriate medications may be helpful. 18 months is awful young for heart conditions, indicating that it may be a congenital defect that the cat was born with. Some defects can be surgically repaired, others cannot. I hope the best for you and your little cat.
Question: What is parathyroid? Darrell, no address given. Answer: Pardon the simplicity of the answer, but here goes: they are glands which lie just next to the thyroid glands (thus the term "para" meaning near). These glands secrete parathyroid hormone which helps to regulate the amount of calcium in the bloodstream. Calcium is a mineral that is important in many, many functions of the body including regulating heart rate, bone growth, muscle strength, etc.
Question: My hamster's pupils look like they are whitish clear. Is he blind? Vanessa, Saco, Maine. Answer: It is possible that he is
blind. Does he seem to notice movements around him? Does he stop
when he comes to the edge of a table, etc? Does he seem to find
his food, water, exercise wheel, etc if it is moved to a new
location in the cage? This is not a normal color for a pupil
in a hamster and should be checked by your vet. White discoloration
to the pupil can indicate cataracts (can be due to diabetes or
other disease), trauma, infection, etc. Get the little guy in
today and have your vet check him over. Good luck and for more
information on hamsters, check out: Guide
to Owning a Hamster : Accommodations, Feeding, Breeding, Exhibition,
Health Care
Question: My dog has a place on his tail which he constantly licks and bites and he walks around rubbing up against things and whinine alot. It is making him lose his fur in that area and it looks green!! Please help what could it be? T.K., Wilmington, Ohio. Answer: It is possible it could be
several things. The tail may be painful due to trauma (fracture,
bite wound, parasite, foreign object, etc) and it could very
well be infected (given the color change). The tail may also
have a damaged nerve supply in which the animal feels as tingling
and he may be trying to get rid of the feeling and has self mutilated
it and it is secondarily infected. Another potential cause could
be parasitic infections, fungal infections, cancer, allergies
(itching), etc. This dog needs to be examined immediately. Good
luck! Good luck to all and thanks for the
questions! You can always join me on Monday evenings from 9:00
PM - 11:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 - 8:00 PM (Pacific) on our
website at www.petservice.com for our Ask the Vet Live. We would
love to have you join our LIVE CHAT! |
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