Fairway Animal Hospital, Kansas City Veterinary Care

Diarrhea is a common problem with dogs.  They can develop diarrhea for many reasons, but there are some actions you can take at home that can help.  Before covering those, first there are a few important symptoms to watch for. 

Always bring your pet in for an exam if they are showing any of these symptoms: 

5. Persistent diarrhea   (for more than 48 hours) 
5. Diarrhea with excessive vomiting   (even if not getting much up)
5. Liquid, bloody diarrhea
5. Major loss or lack of appetite
6. Painful, i.e. unable to get comfortable, tense belly, vocalizing
5. Marked lethargy
5. Frequently re-current diarrhea

(Some significant health problems could cause some of these symptoms; such as: gastrointestinal obstruction, some cancers (especially older animals), pancreatitis, Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis, IBD.)

            If your pet is acting relatively normal and still has a decent appetite, then here are a few steps to take at home:

• Fast for 12 – 24 hours  (less time for smaller dogs)
• Provide access to plenty of water, if no vomiting.  If vomiting then offer small, frequent amounts
• If occasional vomiting, try famotidine (pepcid AC).  Please call and speak with a technician for dosing. 
• If diarrhea only, pepto bismol may be used.  Again, please call and speak with a technician for dosing. 
• Start a bland diet after period of fasting.  (75% cooked white rice/25% boiled, skinless, boneless chicken or cooked lean hamburger)  Offer in 2 small meals per day for 2 – 3 days. 
• Transition slowly back to regular food by gradually increasing amount of regular food and decreasing bland diet per meal over a period of 2 – 3 days. 

If your pet is not improving within 24 hours, please call or schedule an exam. 

Some common causes of diarrhea:

• Stress
• Switching foods too fast
• Parasites
• Eating things they shouldn’t, i.e. trash, human food, plants, mulch or rocks.
• Treats that are new to them

Not all chew toys are created equal and finding a good one may be more than a matter of your pet’s preferences.  Knowing which chew toys are best for your pet may help since any given pet store has so many to choose from now.  Some of those toys have the potential to cause harm to your pet.  Having a few guidelines in mind can help. 

Guidelines

Not so hard they can break your pet’s teeth.  – Some toys are too hard which may fracture a tooth when your pet bites down, especially if your pet is a “power chewer”.   This can be very painful if the tooth is fractured into the pulp cavity or the root, resulting in the need for a root canal or extraction.  Hard toys may also wear down the enamel prematurely.  These toys may include cow hooves, real bones, and hard nylon bones. 

Significant chunks aren’t allowed to be swallowed.  – Gastrointestinal obstruction can occur if large pieces are swallowed, requiring surgery to fix.  To help prevent this, choose items large enough the animal can’t swallow it whole.  With toys like rawhides that wear down over time be sure to take it away when the remaining chunks are large, but able to be swallowed.   

Here is some information about Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 28th. If you do not live in Fairway, please click here to find a drop off location close to you.

Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. any Fairway resident can dispose of accumulated, unwanted, unused prescription drugs by stopping by the Fairway Hen House located at 2724 West 53rd Street. The drop-off location will be inside the store directly next to the pharmacy. Simply walk in and drop your items into the box; no forms to fill out, no questions to answer, and no inconvenience. A uniformed Fairway Police Officer will be on hand to assure the security of all the disposed of items which will be sealed in the box and held at the Police Department until shipped to a EPA approved incinerator and destroyed. This effort, hosted by the Fairway Police Department and Hen House, is part of a nationwide drug disposal program started by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2010. Since that time, with the assistance of thousands of local law enforcement agencies, households in communities across the U.S. have helped dramatically reduce the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse.   Q:  Can I drop off the containers as well as the drugs?  Yes, you may.  No need to separate the drugs from the vials.  Plastic and glass are acceptable, just no needles.   Q: What if I have unused pre-loaded syringes, can I drop these off as well?  Yes, as long as the needle has been removed by the patient.   Q: What should I do with the needles from the syringes that cannot be accepted?  Believe it or not, the following advice comes from the waste disposal industry (courtesy of the DEA).  Advise the user to place the syringes in an empty plastic laundry detergent container.  Screw the cap back on the container, mark the bottle "SHARPS" with a pen and dispose in the trash.   Q: Will you accept veterinary drugs?  Yes.  Veterinary drugs are available by Rx and over-the-counter (OTC).  ALL Rx and OTC drugs are acceptable.  The species of the "consumer" does not matter.   Q: Do I have to remove the Rx label from the vials before I drop them off?  No.  HIPPA does not apply to you or this situation.  This is a voluntary project that is consumer driven.  You are under no obligation to remove anything from any label.  The consumer should remove or deface the label if they are concerned before placing the vial in the box.  All material in these containers will be incinerated.    Q: What about inhalers?  We would prefer that you don't because the entire drop off box and its contents will be incinerated and we don't want any pressurized containers to "pop" or explode at the facility.   Thank you and please take advantage of this free and very useful program.

Questions?  Contact Chief Mike Fleming at the Fairway Police Department phone: 913-262-2364 email:  mfleming@fairwaypd.org

At Fairway Animal Hospital a dental consists of ultrasonic scaling of all surfaces of the teeth, including under the gum line, and polishing as well.  This is done while your pet is closely monitored under anesthesia.  Any problems in the mouth are addressed at this time; this may include radiographs of suspect teeth, tooth extractions, biopsies of gingival masses, etc.   

What happens once you drop your pet off?

1. Your pet will be examined by their veterinarian and vital signs recorded. 
2. If consent was given, blood will be drawn to run a profile that shows if the white and red blood cell counts are normal.  The profile also shows how the liver and kidneys are functioning.  This is important because the anesthetic agents used are processed by these organs and any decrease in function would increase risk of complications. 
3. After the blood work results have been reviewed, your pet receives a sedative injection to relax them. 
4. Once your pet is relaxed a registered veterinary technician (RVT) will place an intravenous catheter, deliver anesthetic drugs intravenously to induce anesthesia, place and secure an endotracheal tube, and supply oxygen and anesthetic gas to maintain an appropriate plane of anesthesia.  There is a balloon-like cuff on the endotracheal tube that prevents any debris that is produced by the dental going into the lungs.  The cuff also ensures that the anesthetic gas doesn’t escape into the room air.  Your pet also receives fluids intravenously throughout the procedure to help maintain blood pressure.  Artificial tears are instilled in both eyes to protect them during the procedure. 
5. Your pet is then wrapped in a warming blanket.  An assistant places a doppler on one of the back feet to monitor the systolic blood pressure.  Vital signs such as heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and systolic blood pressure are measured every five minutes while your pet is under anesthesia.  Nails are trimmed if needed.     
6. Once your pet is fully anesthetized, the RVT begins the dental.  First they chart the teeth making note of the level of calculus on each tooth.  They then check for mobile teeth, deep pockets in the gums around the teeth, broken or missing teeth, recession of the gums away from the crown of the tooth, tooth crowding, etc. 
7. Before scaling, an antimicrobial flush is used to rinse the mouth.  Then the RVT uses an ultrasonic scaler to scale away the calculus from the crown of the tooth, above and below the gum line, and along the roots if exposed.  Depending on the mouth, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour. 
8. Once all surfaces of the teeth have been cleaned, prophy paste is then used to polish the teeth.    
9. Now that the dental has been completed, the doctor can address any problems in the mouth.  If dentals are done before periodontal disease starts, this usually is when we wake most patients up.  If your pet has periodontal disease then we will use this time to take radiographs, extract bad teeth, remove gingival growths, etc. 
10. Once all problems have been addressed, we rinse the pet’s mouth thoroughly, apply a fluoride foam to the teeth, then turn off the anesthetic gas.  Most pets wake up slowly and are groggy.  When they regain the reflex to swallow we deflate the cuff on the endotracheal tube and pull it out.  We stop the intravenous fluids, but don’t pull the catheter until they are able to walk. They rest on a pad in a cage until leaving for home that evening.

For more information on periodontal disease and dentals:

http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?art_key=53d99aad-e759-473e-8977-f8f75eefb754