Ear Mites

Ear mites and their eggs hanging out around an air bubble.

In the veterinary field, we encounter a lot of things that someone not acclimated to the world of animal medicine might think were a bit gross. Vomit, flea infestation, and abscessed wounds: all of these things are commonplace in our typical workday, and we’ve steeled ourselves to the extent that none of them are particularly offensive to us. Still, though, no matter how many times I encounter them, I can’t help but get a little grossed out when I lay eyes on a microscope slide full of hungry, wriggling, industrious ear mites. (Even just typing out that sentence gave me a little chill.)

Apart from the undeniable fact that they are totally disgusting, there are a few things that a careful pet owner should know about ear mites. First: they’re not really all that disgusting; I was exaggerating. They’re just bugs like any other, trying to survive the best way evolution has taught them to…admittedly, in an ear mite’s case, that survival is ensured by the consumption of animals’ waxy ear secretions…but you can’t fault the little guys for the hand they were dealt. The average ear mite lives for about four weeks, but in that time it will likely mate with another mite to produce a large number of offspring. In other words, they’re very good at surviving.

An ear mite is not even half a millimeter in length, and is therefore nearly invisible to the naked eye. However, an ear mite infestation may be visible as a large amount of thick, dark ear debris that looks something like used coffee grounds. This substance, put quite simply, is ear mite poop, as well as a collection of other materials such as dried blood (from the mites who bit off more than they could chew, so to speak), earwax, and the mites themselves.

The presence of such a substance does not guarantee a diagnosis of ear mites, though: since other, more serious issues may cause ear buildup that is similar in appearance, it’s important to have any ear issues examined and diagnosed by a doctor. A quick examination of ear debris under a microscope will determine whether or not there’s an active mite infestation; if there is, treatment is usually successful after a single dose of medicine. Also, mite infestations in cats are much more common than in dogs, and feline cases of ear mites are readily prevented by the monthly application of the topical pest control drug Revolution (which also protects against fleas, heartworms, and some intestinal parasites).

A mite infestation can lead to external skin infections or internal ear infections, and more serious ear issues might cause equilibrium problems and other neurological symptoms. So, if your cat or dog is having ear issues of any kind, do not hesitate to call Linwood Animal Clinic to have him or her examined.

February is National Pet Dental Month!

Some of the most common but least treated diseases that cause discomfort and potentially serious health concerns in pets are periodontal diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis. Unlike many other diseases that animals are only prone to based on their genetics, environment, or other circumstances, periodontal diseases (AKA dental diseases) will, with total certainty, eventually affect any animal who is not treated preventatively. This is because such diseases are usually nothing more than the result of teeth that are not regularly cleaned.

When plaque is allowed to build up on an animal’s teeth, it eventually hardens and turns into tartar, which can’t be removed by a simple brushing of the teeth. The bacteria that live in this stubborn substance (and there are a lot of them…over 1 trillion bacteria in a single milligram of plaque!) release toxins that eat away at the surface of the tooth, eventually making their way into the pulp and root, and consequently causing infections and entering the bloodstream. Possible results of this bacterial free-for-all include abscessed teeth, from advanced bacterial infection of the tooth itself; tooth loss, from the bacteria compromising a tooth’s root; or even a fractured jaw, when the bacteria begin to eat away at the bone, thus weakening it. Plus, bacteria that make their way into the bloodstream can cause irreparable damage to an animal’s internal organs, leading to heart disease, lung damage, and decay to the tissue of the kidneys and liver.

Veterinary dental treatment, as with human dental treatment, tends to get more expensive as the issue is neglected for longer periods of time. Therefore, Linwood Animal Clinic encourages its clients to brush their pets’ teeth as often as possible. (It’s actually a lot easier than you’d think if you take your time getting your pet used to it…just ask us next time you’re here!) But, if you’ve never been told the dangers of dental disease and your nine-year-old pet has never had its teeth cleaned or examined, it’s possible that a dental procedure could be costly.

Luckily, February is National Pet Dental Health Month, and Linwood Animal Clinic is offering 10% off of all dental procedures for the whole month! As an added incentive to take charge of your pet’s dental health, if you schedule the procedure before the first of the month, dental X-rays (normally one of the heftier charges associated with tooth cleaning) will be free! If you’re not sure about the state of your pet’s teeth, you can schedule a dental exam, and the $32.95 cost of that visit will be subtracted from the cost of your (already-discounted) dental in February! Call us today at 503-774-3363!

Fecal Examinations

Linwood Animal Clinic encourages its patients to have a fecal examination performed on a yearly basis. While poop is unquestionably the one aspect of pet ownership that most people don’t want to delve into as a subject for in-depth discussion, it is an important issue where an animal’s health is concerned. Today’s blog entry is going to discuss intestinal parasites and the importance of fecal examination, and I promise I’ll try to keep the infantile poo-humor to a minimum. Educating and informing our client base, after all, is just one of my many duties. (Haha, many doodies.)

“Worms” is a general term often used to describe a variety of intestinal parasites, many of which may require different methods of treatment, and all of which may be present in your pet’s digestive tract without you knowing it. While animals do occasionally shed live worms in their excrement, the actual worms occupying an animal’s system are rarely evident in a stool sample without subjecting it to microscopic examination: some worms are only detectable by the presence of their extremely small eggs in the stool, and some fully-grown parasites are themselves so small that they’re not visible to the naked eye.

Intestinal parasites can be transferred in a variety of ways, making an unprotected pet especially vulnerable to them. The most common method of transferal by dogs and cats is accidental ingestion of parasite eggs. This can occur while animals sniff and bathe one another, or even while they’re just nosing around a yard where another animal has recently defecated. Worms can also be transferred via bites by insects (e.g. fleas, mosquitos) or by the consumption of rodents like rats and mice. In short, your pet is always at risk of contracting an intestinal parasite infestation unless you take measures to prevent or treat it.

Preventatives against a variety of worms are included in several flea treatments available via prescription at Linwood Animal Clinic. Two medications called Trifexis and Sentinel, in addition to protecting dogs against fleas and heartworms, both also prevent hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. Revolution protects cats against fleas, ear mites, and heartworms, but also roundworms and hookworms.

As an extra protective measure, though, Linwood veterinarians encourage pet owners to have their animals’ fecal samples tested microscopically on a yearly basis. Since many pets aren’t treated preventatively, and since some parasites are not easily prevented by available meds, it’s important to know whether an animal has an infestation that needs to be treated. While the pet may seem outwardly healthy, parasites can cause gastric upset, anemia, and weight loss, so it’s important for an animal’s health and comfort that parasites not be allowed to overrun their system. A quick fecal test once a year is an easy way to protect against these issues.

Panleukopenia

Panleukopenia (also known as "feline distemper") is a viral infection in cats that is highly contagious and often fatal. Similar to canine distemper (both illnesses are caused by a particular kind of virus called a parvovirus), the virus causes a breakdown of the intestinal wall's lining in its host, resulting in diarrhea, dehydration, and severe malnutrition. The disease is named for its effect of lowering the number of white blood cells (leukocytes) present in a cat's bloodstream, which lowers its immune system and leaves it vulnerable to secondary infection.

Panleukopenia is transmittable primarily through infected animals' bodily fluids, but it is an extremely hardy virus and can therefore survive for long periods of time on hard surfaces or bedding that have come in contact with the sick animal, not to mention on the shoes, clothing, and skin of the sick animal's handlers. In addition to the highly contagious nature of the disease and the difficulty in preventing its spread to other animals, it is also extremely difficult to treat without constant attention from medical professionals. For these reasons, an animal stricken with panleukopenia is best handled through quarantined hospitalization, which can be extremely expensive.

But, while it's easily spread and difficult to treat, panleukopenia can be prevented with nearly total effectiveness through a simple series of safe, widely used vaccines. A kitten should be vaccinated every 3-4 weeks until it reaches 16 weeks of age, then a one-year booster at the age of one, followed by a booster every three years for the rest of its life. This protocol has been proven to protect a cat with almost 100% effectiveness, which should give a pet owner peace of mind and should be a key step toward helping a cat lead a long, healthy life.

If you have any questions about panleukopenia, vaccines, or other health issues, please call Linwood Animal Clinic at 503-774-3363.