Our New Year's Resolutions

From the CCVSEH Staff

At our hospital we take our work, but not ourselves, very seriously. We are constantly striving to provide top-notch care to every single patient that walks through our door, and that's something that will not change with the coming new year. There is, however, some truth to the "All work and no play..." credo so some of the staff wanted to have some fun with our New Year's resolutions. Here they are for you to enjoy!

Ray Schmitt, Public Relations/Marketing Executive
 - I resolve to do whatever it takes to get Dr. Lemmons to stop calling me Bigfoot. Since most of the time I'm either at meetings or working on projects at my desk, a day or two can go by without Dr. Lemmons and I seeing each other. As a result he has dubbed me with the same moniker as the mythical creature that roams the woods, but is never really seen by anyone. If I can keep my resolution he'll be calling me "Shadow" by this time next year!

Rachel Kulaga, Client Services Administrator
 - I resolve to not walk as hard in my heels when I'm upstairs. People on the first floor sometimes worry that I'm going to stomp a hole in the ceiling.

Dru Arnold, Director of Human Resources and Accounting
 - Rachel and I both resolve to eat much more Japanese food in 2015! With any luck in the next year the wait staff at our favorite Japanese restaurant in town will know us both by name. And probably won't even have to give us menus to order from.

The Entire Business Office Staff
 - We resolve to keep the plants in the front lobby alive. It might be a good thing we're not the ones in charge of keeping the animals in the back alive.

Jamie Riddle, Registered Veterinary Technician
 - I resolve to invent shoes with lifts in them that are also comfortable. This way all the shorties that I work with can reach the high items in the hospital and stop asking me for help all the time. It's not easy being the tallest person in this whole hospital (except for maybe Dr. Birchard).

From all of us at Circle City Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital, Happy New Year! We hope that 2015 brings you nothing but happiness and joy. And good luck with your resolutions, too.

Coping With Loss During the Holiday Season

by Ray Schmitt
Circle City Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital Marketing/PR Executive

"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you 'Be of good cheer'
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
It's the hap - happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap - happiest season of all"

Lyrics to "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" performed by Harry Connick Jr. courtesy www.azlyrics.com

If you stop a bunch of people on the street and ask them, "What is your favorite time of the year?" a good majority of them will probably say Christmas. During the holiday season, more than any other time of the year, we as a society focus our energy on getting together with friends, family and loved ones to celebrate.

For adults we draw joy in remembering the Christmases of our childhood, in the act of gift giving, in hosting and attending parties and, likely, having some time off from work to relax. Children, of course, revel in all the new toys they receive and indulging in all the Christmas cookies they can possibly eat.

The bond between humans and our pets is incredibly strong.

But there is one inevitable part of life that can put a major damper on the holiday good cheer; the loss of a loved one. And because we are in the veterinary field all of us at Circle City Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital know that our pets are loved members of our family just as much as any human. Pets are a huge part of our holiday traditions, too, and their loss can cause just as much pain as the loss of a human family member.

If you are having a hard time dealing with the loss of a beloved pet at this time of the year you might find helpful this information we came across and discussed at our December C.A.L.M. meeting. In case you were unaware, we hold C.A.L.M. meetings monthly to provide support to those who are grieving the loss of a pet. The meetings are free to attend and there is no obligation; you can come to as many or as few as you wish.

This article was written specifically about dealing with the loss of a person, but the principles can still apply to dealing with the loss of a pet. The most important idea, the first one mentioned in the article, is talking about your grief. Everyone needs a caring, supportive, non-judgmental environment to discuss their feelings of grief in dealing with a loss. That all-important first step can be taken by simply attending one of our C.A.L.M. meetings.

The next C.A.L.M. meeting will take place at Circle City Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital (9650 Mayflower Park Dr. in Carmel) on Monday, January 5, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. The theme for that meeting is "New Year's Resolutions" and if you want to come prepared you can bring your on resolutions on how you want to feel in the new year. Make a list of feelings you want to let go of (anger, guilt, sadness, doubt, anxiety..) and a list of feelings/memories you want to cherish. You can even RSVP for the event on our Facebook page.

If you are dealing with the loss of a beloved pet this holiday season our entire staff offers its sincere condolences. And we hope that we can help ease the grief through our C.A.L.M. meetings.

In the Market for A New Pet Bed? Get Crafty!

by Ray Schmitt
Circle City Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital Marketing/PR Rep

Up until today I had never heard of the term "Upcycling." But when I started researching a picture that Dr. Kate Fitzwater emailed me last night that all changed. Here is the picture that sparked my education:

How cool is that!? Someone, somewhere came up with the idea that they could turn a sweater into a pet bed. After I saw the picture I had to investigate and find out how these were made. This led me to a number of websites dedicated to "Upcycling" projects which essentially take old/unwanted/unused household items and turn them into something better. Hopefully the term is a fad that will fade away, but the concept can stick around for a while.

Enough about my disdain for the word "Upcycling," though, and on to the real reason I'm writing this entry. I have shopped for pet beds more than once and they are fairly expensive! So a do-it-yourself project that costs way less money and, in my opinion, looks a good bit cooler and would probably be a good conversation starter is going to grab my attention every time.

I'll admit that I'm not the most handy person around the house, but even this pet bed seems fairly doable. And the supplies are easy to come by. You need an old sweater (obviously), a pillow to fill the body of the sweater and some combination of rolled up towels and/or cotton stuffing to fill the sleeves. That gets you most of the way there but you'll also need some method of binding the sleeves together as well as closing the neck hole. Some versions I found feature zippers so you can remove the stuffing and wash the sweater while others are sealed more permanently by sewing or hot glue. I suppose it's really just a personal preference.

I have not undertaken this project myself just yet because I still wear all of the sweaters I own, my dog is too big to use one and I don't know if either of the cats would actually like it. Although, I suppose I could make one anyway and donate it to a local shelter or humane society. Maybe all of us reading this post could make one and donate them. It would certainly be in the spirit of giving that the Christmas season embodies. We could also make them all out of sweaters like the ones on the right so that the dogs and cats could enjoy ugly Christmas sweaters as much as we all do.

Since I'm no expert (yet) on how to make one of these here are some links to websites that offer full instructions:

http://empressofdirt.net/diy-sweater-pet-bed/
http://www.handimania.com/diy/sweatshirt-pet-bed.html
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/photos/10-enviable-upcycled-pet-beds/wooly-buddy-bed
http://www.icreativeideas.com/how-to-diy-pet-bed-from-old-sweater/

If you end up making one of your own we want to see the final results! Share a photo with us on our Facebook wall or hit us up on Twitter @CircleCityVets.

Until next time, cheers and happy sweater pet bed making!

Happy Thanksgiving From the Staff at Circle City Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital

Few days on the calendar year are as closely associated with family and tradition as Thanksgiving. And as diverse as America is, so are the memories and traditions of American families' Thanksgiving celebrations. In the spirit of the holiday we here at Circle City Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital thought it would only be appropriate to share some of our favorite Thanksgiving memories and traditions. We hope you enjoy

Our Thanksgiving food drive was a success!
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

reading these and want to wish you and your family the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Aubrey Barth, Registered Veterinary Technician: I loved waking up to the sound of the Thanksgiving Day parades on TV in the living room, helping my dad mix the stuffing by hand in a huge foil pan, and that it took my brother 18 years to figure out how to correctly eat cranberry sauce (not by itself, but along with a forkful or turkey, potatoes, or stuffing).

Amy Rader, DVM, Director of Emergency Services: The first time I met my husband's family was at Thanksgiving. I met the ENTIRE family, everyone made me feel welcome and part of the family.

Jamie Riddle, Registered Veterinary Technician: My favorite moments of Thanksgiving are getting together with my crazy family. Each year the table has been getting bigger and bigger, but I love taking a breath, not worrying about the world and being able to look across every angle of the table and see someone that I love, then stuffing our faces :).

Megan Anderson, Registered Veterinary Technician: Before my grandparents passed away, we would always go to a buffet type brunch around 10:00 a.m. No one in my family likes cooking, but there would be an "in the spirit of the holiday" turkey cooked by my mother, to be nibbled on for the following weeks. After joining the Anderson family, and attending a true dinner with the family, it's a weird transition into a hustling and bustling clatter and clash of bodies packed into the tiny kitchen, preparing several dishes at once. I quickly learned to bring a cold dish as contribution so as to not need space in the oven or an electrical outlet. After the rest of the family leaves, we build a fire in the fireplace and trim the tree. We sip hot cocoa and talk about gifts we are considering and tease the young kids about making sure to get their letters done to Santa. Thanksgiving passes quickly into Christmas.

Kiely Clark, Registered Veterinary Technician: One of my favorite holiday memories was while working on Thanksgiving. Dr Grieshaber bought us a big 'ol turkey. We got it out of the oven and went to carve it but couldn't find a knife! We carved our turkey with a pumpkin carving knife...later we found a real knife in the pumpkin roll :).

Rachel Kulaga, Client Services Administrator: My favorite tradition is always going out with my family to pick out our Christmas tree the night of Thanksgiving. My favorite memory is making it home just in time for Thanksgiving the year I studied abroad in Europe. I've never been so happy to eat Thanksgiving Dinner and watch the Lions lose ;)!

Ray Schmitt, Public Relations/Marketing Representative: There was always a battle between myself, my brother, my sister and our cousins as to who would get to lick the beaters from the electric mixer after the mashed potatoes were made. Even now that we're all grown we all want them. Also, to close out the night my family always gathered around the table for a card game we call Blackout. It's similar to Spades and a lot of fun.

Danie Lodge, Registered Veterinary Technician: I like dipping my turkey in mashed potatoes & gravy!

Amanda Audo, DVM (Emergency Dept.): To me, Thanksgiving always meant driving from Detroit to Columbus to visit my great-grandmother. Her favorite restaurant was the Brown Derby, so we would go there every year for Thanksgiving dinner. Then we would get to play with our favorite toys we kept at her house.

Cassi Naden, Customer Service Representative: Everyone knows that the wishbone is a "prized" part of many Thanksgiving traditions. In my family, after everyone is done eating we play the card game Phase 10. The first and second place winners are the ones that get to break the wishbone.

Katherine Good, Veterinary Assistant: It was the first time I was in charge of Thanksgiving dinner - the turkey, sides and dessert. My first time ever making turkey. I did the normal; season the turkey, add water and butter to it. Set in the oven to slowly cook overnight. Well in the middle of the night we woke up to the smoke detector going off and smoke everywhere. Turns out I put too much water in the pot and it boiled over with fat in it. Elvis my dog wasn't too concerned he wanted to see if there was anything he could eat. My nephew slept through the whole thing. Everything else went great. The turkey had a smokey taste to it.

Tina Beers, Registered Veterinary Technician: My favorite memory is going up to Wisconsin to my aunt and uncle's house. My mom, aunts and grandmother would cook (I would try to help, but it never worked out for me), while my grandpa and uncles watch football (usually the Bears) and having a house full of kids. Afterwards we would set up the Christmas tree and all of my aunts would get ready for black Friday shopping.

Kelly Fisher, DVM, CCRP: After getting married, Kreg and I wanted to start our own family tradition. The morning after Thanksgiving we get up early and go to the tree farm to pick out, and cut, our Christmas tree. Two kids later, we still look forward to Friday morning and picking out that special tree.

Kate Fitzwater, DVM, MS, DACVS: One aspect of Thanksgiving that I look forward to are the leftovers, I can eat them for lunch and dinner all the way until Sunday! Good thing no one else likes them that much in my family, the more for me :).

Kim Wirth, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology): My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is my parents fighting over the time of the meal and my Dad disappearing into the garage for the remainder of the day.

 

Cataract Surgery in Dogs

Cataract Surgery in Dogs

By Rachel Mathes, DVM, MS, DACVO

Cataracts are opacities or white areas in the lens which is located inside the eye and functions to focus light on the retina (back of the eye) for visual processing. Cataracts in dogs have many causes with the most common type of cataract being heritable, or breed related. Another common cause of cataracts in dogs is systemic diabetes. In fact, up to 80% of dogs will develop diabetic cataracts within sixteen months of a diagnosis of diabetes. Whether a patient develops cataracts is not dependent on how well the diabetes is regulated. Cataracts may remain stable for long periods of time or may progress over time, with a variable rate of progression. Cataracts cause inflammation inside the eye and may cause other serious diseases such as glaucoma, lens displacement or retinal detachments. The biggest concern, however, with cataracts is that they often cause vision loss or blindness.

The diagnosis of cataracts may not be straightforward because other conditions of the eye can cause “cloudiness” or white discolorations. A full ophthalmic examination with a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist is recommended to assess cataracts. If cataracts are diagnosed, they may be treated with phacoemulsification, otherwise known as “cataract surgery.” Surgery is typically pursued if there is significant vision loss causing changes to a patient’s lifestyle or behavior. This may vary depending on the dog’s level of activity and daily routine. Often, vision loss may not be recognized until the pet is taken to a different environment with which he/she is not familiar. Common signs of vision loss include bumping into objects, falling on or missing stairs, increased sleeping due to reluctance to move around, hesitancy to move in unfamiliar environments or increased contact with the owner (e.g. following the owner around more than usual). These signs may appear gradually or may occur quite suddenly depending on the progression of the cataracts. 

Cataract surgery involves removal the abnormal lens and replacement with a new, artificial lens. This is done through a very small incision on the side of the eye. The new lens is foldable and able to be placed through this small incision. The small incision decreases overall anesthesia time and complications after surgery. The procedure in dogs is the same surgery that is performed in humans for cataract surgery, even though the canine or dog lens is approximately four times the size of the human lens. The success rate of cataract surgery in dogs is 90-95 percent. While no surgical procedure carries a 100 percent success rate, the success rate of this surgery is very high, especially if done by a skilled board-certified ophthalmologist. The surgery is able to restore normal vision for a blind or significantly visually impaired pet, often completely changing their behavior and activity level. Many people state that cataract surgery “gave their dog back their life,” enabling them to play with toys, run outside and interact with other dogs again. The change in a patient’s demeanor after cataract surgery is often dramatic and one of the best events to witness for a veterinary ophthalmologist. This surgery is offered here at Circle City Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital with myself (Dr. Rachel Mathes), a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, so be sure to ask your veterinarian about options for a referral here.   

A cross section of the eye is depicted with the black arrow indicating the lens. This structure is normally clear, but may become milky or whitish with cataract formation. 

A photograph of a patient with cataracts is depicted. The lens is whitish-gray and this patient was blind before surgery. 

 

A photograph of a patient after cataract surgery is depicted. The new, artificial lens can be seen. This patient had normal vision after surgery.  

A photograph of a patient after cataract surgery is depicted.  The new, artificial lens can be seen.  This patient had normal vision after surgery.  

Pets and Ebola

If you have been anywhere near a newspaper, television news broadcast or computer screen in the last month then you heard about the death of Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan who contracted Ebola. He was the first Ebola patient diagnosed with the disease in the United States. Duncan was treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and during that time two nurses who provided care also contracted the disease responsible for over 4,000 deaths during the current outbreak in western African nations.

You may not have heard, however, that healthcare workers in European nations are also dealing with exposure to Ebola. In fact, a Spanish nurse was hospitalized with the disease earlier this month and government officials there elected to euthanize her dog as a precautionary measure. On the flip side of the coin, however, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel that belongs to one of the sick Dallas nurses has been placed in quarantine with no plans to euthanize the animal. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that no evidence exists to prove that pets can spread the Ebola virus to people or other pets, and no reports of dogs or cats falling ill with Ebola have been filed.

Photo: CDC / Cynthia Goldsmith

While Ebola continues to dominate the national conversation it is inevitable that pet owners will have questions and look to their veterinarians for answers. And that is the best place to turn - your veterinarian. The worldwide web is a valuable source of information but oftentimes there is no way to verify the accuracy of information on a website or what the source of that information is. That's why your veterinarian should always be your most trusted source if your pet becomes ill.

In the meantime there are some proven facts about Ebola and pets that you can find online. We turned to our friends at the American Veterinary Medical Association to help compile some important facts for you:

• In the United States the relative risk of exposure to Ebola is low. As of today there are only three documented cases of Ebola patients in the country. Duncan contracted the disease while traveling in Liberia (he since passed away) and the other two were nurses who provided care for Duncan. There are no documented cases of pets contracting the disease.
• Ebola is spread only through the transmission of bodily fluid. It is not an airborne disease like the flu.
• Currently there are no approved vaccines or drugs available to treat Ebola. According to the CDC Ebola patients are treated according to their symptoms as they appear.
• Ebola is a zoonotic disease. There is, however, no evidence that it has ever been transmitted from a human to a dog. The AVMA references a study conducted during the Ebola outbreak in Gabon from 2001-2002 that found no infected dogs in the area, and reported no signs of symptoms or deaths among Gabon's dogs during the outbreak.
• Two organizations, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association and the CDC, do not recommend euthanization for dogs that could have been exposed to Ebola. The WSAVA says that the animals should be quarantined, while the CDC maintains that the animal's risk of exposure needs to be evaluated and an appropriate course of action planned out based on that evaluation.
• No evidence has been found by animal health professionals that domestic animals play an active role in transmitting Ebola to humans.

The AVMA website has a wealth of information regarding Ebola, pets and humans. You can visit it yourself to conduct more research but don't forget that your family veterinarian is your best source of information. And, as always, we are here for you 24-7 in case of an emergency. Call us at 317-872-8387 or visit us at 9650 Mayflower Park Drive in Carmel if we can help you in an emergency.

Mammary Cancer In Dogs and Cats

By Kim Wirth, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

The month of October is famously known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and all across the nation pink is prominently displayed to raise awareness in the fight against the disease. According to the 2013-14 version of the American Cancer Society's Breast Cancer Facts & Figures publication an estimated 232,340 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in women in 2013 and 2,240 men were diagnosed as well. Additionally, roughly 37,000 women died from breast cancer in 2013 which made it the second deadliest cancer in women behind only lung cancer.

Those figures clearly demonstrate a continuing need to keep the fight against breast cancer in humans at the forefront of our collective conscious. What might not be so commonly known, however, is that in the pet world mammary cancer is as big of a concern as breast cancer is in humans.

Mammary gland tumors are the most common tumors in dogs and the third most common tumor type in cats. Unspayed females have the greatest risk of developing mammary cancer and this can increase with each heat cycle. Mammary gland tumors can be benign or malignant and in contrast to dogs, at least 85 percent of feline mammary tumors are malignant. Approximately 50 percent of canine mammary tumors are malignant.

The principal sign is a painless lump or mass. Most masses occur in the glands closest to the groin. A mass may be large or small and can feel just like a small ‘bb’. Some masses are freely movable, while others adhere to the overlying skin or underlying muscle. Occasionally the mass ulcerates the skin and bleeds.

Malignant tumors can spread (metastasize) to lymph nodes, lungs and other organs. Chest x-rays are recommended prior to definitive treatment to evaluate for any evidence of spread to the lungs. Abdominal ultrasound is useful in determining whether there is any lymph node or internal organ involvement.

Treatment involves surgical removal of the lump with adequate margins of normal tissue. How much tissue will be removed depends on the species, size and location of the tumor. Removing a small tumor with a rim of normal tissue is called a lumpectomy. A simple mastectomy is the removal of the entire mammary gland. A complete unilateral mastectomy is the removal of all five mammary glands on one side of the body. The local lymph nodes are often included in a unilateral mastectomy. A specimen is then submitted to a pathologist for a tissue diagnosis to determine the prognosis.

The prognosis for mammary cancer depends on the how aggressive the tumor is. Some patients with aggressive tumors or evidence of spread may require chemotherapy treatment after surgery and some patients are cured. Cats tend to require a larger surgery and often need chemotherapy as well. 

Please remember that the only reliable way to determine if mammary cancer could be affecting your pet is through regular checkups at your family veterinarian. Additional testing and treatments can be performed here at Circle City Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital so be sure to ask your veterinarian about your options for a referral here.