Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Easter Lilly Toxicity
Easter is almost upon us and one of most popular holiday plants is the Easter lily. Easter lilies are extremely toxic when ingested, and cats are most commonly affected because of their habits of nibbling on plants.
Two years ago my wife Carolynn received a belated birthday bouquet of lilies from her brother. It arrived on a Saturday morning. I came home at 1 pm from work and noticed this large bouquet of lilies on the counter. I asked my wife what are those, and she replied,” aren’t they beautiful? George sent them to me as a belated birthday gift!” I told her that we needed to get the lilies out of the house, they are extremely toxic if ingested, and we have 9 indoor cats. Carolynn was shocked and said that she already had to shoo several of the cats away from the flowers.
Thursday morning, she called me at work and said she noticed Midnight, our 1 ½ year old cat had not eaten now for the second day, and was hovering over the water bowl. I told her to bring him right in. His body temperature was 92 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees below normal, and bloodwork revealed he was in profound kidney failure. We immediately began intra venous fluids, and placed him on a heating pad and transferred him to the Animal Emergency and Referral Center for critical care. We approved all measures to save, him including dialysis. He was there for 2 days and unfortunately did not respond. His kidneys completely shut down and I had to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize my beautiful cat.
Lilies are extremely toxic, and all parts of the lilies are poisonous. A small piece ingested can cause irreversible kidney failure unless treatment is begun within 18 hours. We did not know Midnight had consumed the lily and by the time he showed clinical signs, it was too late. I urge all my clients not to have any lilies around the house. This is especially important during the Easter season as lilies are ubiquitous. Clinical signs are vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, inappetance, and increased thirst and urination as the kidneys fail. If a cat is known to have ingested lilies, it is critical they be taken to a veterinarian immediately. Vomiting is induced and intravenous fluids are begun. Mortality rates approach 100% in cats that are treated 18 hours or more after a lily is consumed.
I called the local news agencies, television stations and asked that my story be told to prevent another cat owner from going through the grief, we suffered. No one took us up on the offer, they didn’t feel it was newsworthy enough. I called FTD and asked that they consider placing warning labels on their Easter lilies so clients with cats can take preventive measures. It also fell on deaf ears. I hope this article informs cat owners, so no one has to go through the pain we suffered with our dear Midnight.
Two years ago my wife Carolynn received a belated birthday bouquet of lilies from her brother. It arrived on a Saturday morning. I came home at 1 pm from work and noticed this large bouquet of lilies on the counter. I asked my wife what are those, and she replied,” aren’t they beautiful? George sent them to me as a belated birthday gift!” I told her that we needed to get the lilies out of the house, they are extremely toxic if ingested, and we have 9 indoor cats. Carolynn was shocked and said that she already had to shoo several of the cats away from the flowers.
Thursday morning, she called me at work and said she noticed Midnight, our 1 ½ year old cat had not eaten now for the second day, and was hovering over the water bowl. I told her to bring him right in. His body temperature was 92 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees below normal, and bloodwork revealed he was in profound kidney failure. We immediately began intra venous fluids, and placed him on a heating pad and transferred him to the Animal Emergency and Referral Center for critical care. We approved all measures to save, him including dialysis. He was there for 2 days and unfortunately did not respond. His kidneys completely shut down and I had to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize my beautiful cat.
Lilies are extremely toxic, and all parts of the lilies are poisonous. A small piece ingested can cause irreversible kidney failure unless treatment is begun within 18 hours. We did not know Midnight had consumed the lily and by the time he showed clinical signs, it was too late. I urge all my clients not to have any lilies around the house. This is especially important during the Easter season as lilies are ubiquitous. Clinical signs are vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, inappetance, and increased thirst and urination as the kidneys fail. If a cat is known to have ingested lilies, it is critical they be taken to a veterinarian immediately. Vomiting is induced and intravenous fluids are begun. Mortality rates approach 100% in cats that are treated 18 hours or more after a lily is consumed.
I called the local news agencies, television stations and asked that my story be told to prevent another cat owner from going through the grief, we suffered. No one took us up on the offer, they didn’t feel it was newsworthy enough. I called FTD and asked that they consider placing warning labels on their Easter lilies so clients with cats can take preventive measures. It also fell on deaf ears. I hope this article informs cat owners, so no one has to go through the pain we suffered with our dear Midnight.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. It is the most common type of cancer in humans and pets. Lymphoma can affect almost any part of the body. Dogs typically are presented with enlarged lymph nodes or glands. The ones that are usually the first to enlarge are the sub mandibular lymph nodes which are just below the jawline. Dogs that are brought in for “enlarged glands” are usually totally normal, eating, and active, but have generalized lymph node enlargement. Cats rarely present with enlarged lymph nodes. Their disease is usually manifested with gastro intestinal signs, kidney signs, or respiratory signs. Cats usually present thin, with chronic diarrhea, lethargic, and a lack of appetite. Palpable lymph nodes are more likely to be internal, with the lymph nodes that drain the intestines being enlarged. Diarrhea, and weight loss that is not responsive to treatment should alert the clinician and pet owner that lymphoma is a possibility.
Diagnosis is made with fine needle aspirates, or biopsies. Sometimes special stains have to be used to confirm the diagnosis. Lymphoma usually is very responsive to chemotherapeutic drugs. Lymphoma has been studied extensively in humans and effective chemotherapy protocols are readily available. Remission can usually be achieved in 93% of dogs using a combination drug protocol. Length of remission varies, but the usual first remission length is 12-13 months. Smaller dogs tend to stay in remission longer than their larger counterparts. Once dogs come out of remission, they have a reduced chance of going into a second remission, and the length of remission is usually half of the first remission.
The usual protocol is weekly chemo treatments for 4 treatments, then every other week for 20 weeks with a week off between cycles. Weekly CBC’s (complete blood counts) have to be done before chemotherapy treatments. The white count should be above 5000. If the levels are lower, the treatment is postponed. These drugs tend to suppress the bone marrow/immune system and make the patient susceptible to infection. Treatment is usually tolerated very well and the quality of life is excellent. I can attest to this. My dog Candi has had lymphoma for 17 months and is undergoing her second cycle of treatment and is in her second remission. My cat Charlie has nasal lymphoma and just started his first round of treatment last week. The tumor has shrunk almost completely and is barely detectable.
Radiation therapy has shown promise in lymphoma patients especially those affecting the head and sinuses and is now available in several institutions in the state.
Diagnosis is made with fine needle aspirates, or biopsies. Sometimes special stains have to be used to confirm the diagnosis. Lymphoma usually is very responsive to chemotherapeutic drugs. Lymphoma has been studied extensively in humans and effective chemotherapy protocols are readily available. Remission can usually be achieved in 93% of dogs using a combination drug protocol. Length of remission varies, but the usual first remission length is 12-13 months. Smaller dogs tend to stay in remission longer than their larger counterparts. Once dogs come out of remission, they have a reduced chance of going into a second remission, and the length of remission is usually half of the first remission.
The usual protocol is weekly chemo treatments for 4 treatments, then every other week for 20 weeks with a week off between cycles. Weekly CBC’s (complete blood counts) have to be done before chemotherapy treatments. The white count should be above 5000. If the levels are lower, the treatment is postponed. These drugs tend to suppress the bone marrow/immune system and make the patient susceptible to infection. Treatment is usually tolerated very well and the quality of life is excellent. I can attest to this. My dog Candi has had lymphoma for 17 months and is undergoing her second cycle of treatment and is in her second remission. My cat Charlie has nasal lymphoma and just started his first round of treatment last week. The tumor has shrunk almost completely and is barely detectable.
Radiation therapy has shown promise in lymphoma patients especially those affecting the head and sinuses and is now available in several institutions in the state.
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