Pet of the Month Archive

Every once and a while, a pet comes in that captures our hearts. Tia, a seven year old Terrier mix, is one of them.

Her energy is contagious. Her personality will light up the darkest room. You can’t help but smile when that cute little tail starts-a-waggin’, or when she dances on her hind feet to get a treat.

Tia thrives on the attention of others and is eager to please.

Could she be yours?

Tia is searching for her forever home. She requires her new family to be: loving, patient, and gentle. She enjoys long strolls in the park where she can show off her fashionable outdoor wear (included), cuddling by the tv/fire, and endless conversation. Tia is very playful with other animals and adapts well to her surroundings. She would prefer to live in a grown-up household.

Tia is healthy: up-to-date on all vaccines, has been on heartworm prevention, is spayed, and gets groomed regularly. As all pets do, she requires an annual check-up to maintain her healthy status.

Tia is currently being fostered by our very own Dr.McLaughlin and is looking forward to settling into a permanent residence.

If you would like to meet Tia, or have any questions, please contact Smith Veterinary Hospital at 905-881-8310.

Tia has selected the following pictures for your enjoyment.

WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT TIA FOUND HER FOREVER HOME WITH DR. SHAWNA'S MOM! SHE IS DOING GREAT AND LOVES PLAYING WITH HER 'COUSIN' HENRY (DR. SHAWNA'S DOG!)

You can hear him coming. He makes his presence known with his little grunting and gurgling the moment he walks into the room. He’s short and cute and grumbly, in the best possible way. His name is Bailey Patrick and he’s the sweetest French Bulldog you’ll ever see.

If you didn’t know better, the day he came in for an exam you would just assume this little flirt was winking at you. But this time it wasn’t just a flirtatious wink. Bailey seemed to have something wrong with his eye. It was red and squinty and seemed to be bothering him quite a bit. The Patrick’s said it had been like this since the night before and wasn’t getting any better.

Upon examination, the doctor noticed mild blepharospasm (excessive blinking) and moderate conjunctivitis (infection of the eye). After administering the Schirmer Tear Test by placing a tiny paper strip behind the eyelids and holding it there for a minute, a low tear production was detected. Low tear production is a symptom of a disease called
Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (KCS) or “Dry Eye”, and can lead to inflammation of the cornea and surrounding tissues due to drying. Tears are required to lubricate the cornea and remove any debris or infectious agents that may contact the eye. The tear film is a mixture of mucus, fatty liquid and water. Any condition that impairs the ability to produce adequate amounts of tear film can result in “dry eye”.

Common clinical signs of “dry eye” may include: painful, red and irritated eyes, squinting, excessive blinking or holding the eye shut. There is often a thick, yellowish, mucoid discharge present due to the decrease in the watery component of the tear film. In chronic cases, there is often a history of recurrent eye infections, ulcers or conjunctivitis.

Due to Bailey’s stubborn nature (he is a bulldog, after all), it became increasingly difficult for the Patrick’s to administer his eye medications. After a couple of days without any luck at home, the Patrick’s began to bring Bailey into the hospital 3 times a day for his medication. It was during these regular visits that the staff absolutely fell in love with this amazingly cute little fella. We were always greeted with a little grunt and a kiss and he quickly became a constant source of joy for us.

Unfortunately, the ulcer that had occurred due to his condition didn’t seem to be getting any better with the medication so we referred him to an Ophthalmologist.

His Ophthalmologist confirmed that Bailey did have KCS and that the ulcer in his left eye was severe and unable to heal with medications alone. The next step was surgery. The Ophthalmologist performed a keratotomy which opened up the cornea to allow more natural secretion in order to promote healing.

Bailey recovered very nicely and experienced a lot less irritation in that eye after the surgery. He is still required to take drops and ointment in both eyes to help produce tears and tear film which should help maintain nice, clean, ulcer-free eyes for the rest of his life. Good thing for the Patrick’s, Bailey has become much easier to medicate now that he’s not in pain which has made everyone so much happier!

It’s especially nice for us to see Bailey doing better and getting back to work! Yes, work!! Not only does he bring joy to us here at Smith’s, but also spends lots of time working with Mr. Patrick as a therapy dog for St. John Ambulance. He makes his way around the city to different hospitals spreading love and joy to patients in the palliative care and long term care units as well as with some out patients. He also makes home visits to some very extra special patients. What an amazing and wonderful guy he is!

We wish them all the best of luck and look forward to seeing Bailey for a grunt and kiss at his next annual physical!!

The Moriarty family has been loyal clients of Smith Veterinary Hospital for years. Their 4-legged extended family includes many poodles (both toy and miniature) as well as Persian cats. One of these wonderful cats was recently hospitalized: this is her story.

On July 14, 2009 Belle was brought in to our hospital for her Annual Health Checkup with vaccines. During the appointment her mommy, Meaghan, told Dr. Lauren Ames that Belle had been throwing up after eating for the past three days. At first glance Belle seemed quite fine: she was Bright, Alert and Responsive (what we refer to as BAR), she was eating and drinking well and there were no changes to her litterbox habits or bathroom frequency.

The problem with Gastroinitestinal issues is that they can be tricky things. They can be caused by something as innocent as a rapid change in diet or they can be caused by something more serious such as a bowel obstruction or organ disease. Things that need to be 'ruled out' include ingestion of something toxic, ingestion of something that has become lodged in the intestines (such as a toy or string), internal disease or masses/growths inside the body. This is where the 'History' (the information the doctor obtains from the pet-parents) becomes important and this is why we always ask so many questions during your pet's appointment. Since Belle's history wasn't providing any clues it was time to turn to diagnostic testing and the physical exam.

Dr. Ames began her physical checkup of Belle looking carefully at her gums which are used to gauge circulation. The gums should be pink and moist and if you press on them the blood should return to the surface quickly - this is called the CRT or Capillary Refill Time. Dr. Ames also gave Belle's belly a good feel since palpating the abdomen can reveal masses, organ abnormality and can let us know if the pet's tummy is painful. In spite of Belle not feeling well, her physical exam was unremarkable. Her temperature was normal (no fever); her heart and lungs sounded great and her abdomen didn't reveal any obvious abnormalities. It was time to run some blood work and perform some x-rays (also known as radiographs).

Belle was taken into the x-ray room and a couple of images of her abdomen and chest were taken. With the exception of a lot of feces ('poop') in her colon her x-rays showed nothing obvious. Belle's blood work, however, did show mildly elevated liver enzymes. A treatment plan including intravenous fluids and the administration of a stool softener was developed and Belle was admitted for overnight monitoring to see if she would produce a bowel movement. Belle was also fasted in order to run a Bile Acids Test the following day. The Bile Acids test is a liver function test that gauges the liver's response to and ability to metabolize a fatty meal. When a pet (or a person, for that matter) ingests a fatty meal, the liver secretes enzymes to break down the fats. In a normal liver the enzymes are released in proportion to the amount of stimulation. In a diseased liver the enzymatic reaction is less predictable and can lead to severe changes in bile acid levels in the bloodstream.

Belle stayed overnight in hospital and the following day, Belle passed normal stool. The Bile Acids Test was performed and the results indicated abnormal liver function. While blood work can indicate which body systems are not functioning properly, they cannot necessarily tell us the problem -- only where to look for the problem. Since it was determined that the liver was the concern, the next step was to schedule an abdominal ultrasound with possible biopsies of her liver. In order to ensure her safety during the ultrasound guided biopsy, a Coagulation Profile blood test was performed which verifies how well her blood clots. Since the liver is a highly vascular organ (a.k.a., has lots of blood vessels runnning through it) and a biopsy could result in hemorrhage if the ability to clot is affected. Thankfully, the Coagulation Profile showed normal clotting function and the ultrasound was scheduled for the following day.

Belle’s abdomen was shaved for her ultrasound and her belly was covered in a strange blue jelly (the same that they use for human ultrasounds!). The results of the ultrasound revelaed that Belle had abnormally thickened areas within the liver as well as an enlarged lymph node and a small amount of abdominal fluid present (also known as ascites). The decision was made to obtain liver biopsies. Since a biopsy involves removing tissue samples, which can be uncomfortable, Belle was anesthetized and 3 biopsies were collected and sent to the histopathology department at the Ontario Veterinary College. Belle recovered well from her anesthetic and was sent home that evening as she’d had no further episodes of vomiting during her hospitalization.

Belle was brought back to us for recheck appointment a few days later. Her appetite was a bit low and she had vomited a few times. We had received the histopathology report in the meantime and were able to offer her owner a diagnosis. Unfortunately, it was not good news. Belle’s liver showed areas that were irreparably damaged and the cause of this damage was unknown. There is no cure for this condition: we can only provide her with medication and food designed to sustain the remaining healthy areas of her liver.

Belle will be closely monitored for any changes in her condition: loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting. She will be fed a low protein diet that is also lower in sodium to help reduce the amount of work the liver has to do and to prevent further buildup of fluid in the abdomen (ascites). When the body digests proteins it causes the release of ammonia which gets removed from the body via the gastrointestinal system. In patients with liver disease the level of ammonia in the blood stream can build to toxic levels that can actually cause neurological symptoms known collectively as Hepatic Encephalopathy. By feeding a low protein diet it will help to limit the amount of ammonia Belle's body has to clear from her system. In addition to dietary changes, Belle is now taking several medications aimed at reducing the workload of the liver and increasing the functionality of the remaining, undamaged tissue.

The Moriarty family is quite understandably saddened by the news of their little Belle and will be bringing Belle’s siblings to Smith Veterinary Hospital for further liver workups in the event that this is a genetic problem.

Belle is a loving, affectionate special girl: she certainly stole a few hearts during her stay. The staff at Smith Veterinary Hospital support her and her family completely.

Those of you who have been coming to our hospital for a while have probably heard us talk about Wellness testing. This is the blood work that we recomend ALL pets get done on an annual basis during their yearly physical checkup. Often, clients will question why such blood work is necessary when their beloved pet "looks fine". It can be difficult to explain how well our pets hide pain and illness until a patient comes along that illustrates just how important a diagnostic tool blood work can be.

Hogan came to us the beginning of September because his mom had noticed he had been limping lately and having some difficulty standing up and getting around. Being an 11 year old Golden Retrienver the obvious explanation would be that Hogan was limping from arthritis. But as experience has taught us, the most obvious answer is not necessarily the correct answer. Dr. McLaughlin took some of the fluid that had accumulated around Hogan's hock (ankle) to send off for analysis to see what was causing the inflammation. Hogan was also due for his Wellness blood test which we did at the same time just to make sure all was well. Little did we know that this simple test would save Hogan's life.

When Hogan's blood work came back Dr. McLaughlin was shocked to see that Hogan was severly anemic -- his red blood cell count was low and his platelet count (platelets are what allow us to clot after we have a cut) was low as well. It was obvious that something more was going on inside Hogan than just a swollen joint or arthritis.

Hogan was brought in for xrays which revealed a baseball size mass on his spleen that had burst and was slowly bleeding. Without immediate surgical intervention Hogan would not survive. Hogan was admitted for the surgical removal of his spleen which was sent to an external laboratory for histopathology. The results that came back were positive for hemangiosarcoma.

Hemangiosarcomas are a form of cancer which originates in the lining of blood vessels and the spleen. As might be expected of a tumor arising in the blood system they are highly malignant and can be found almost anywhere in the body since blood vessels are necessary in almost all body tissues although they do tend to appear in the spleen, heart and liver.

Hemangiosarcomas are most common in middle aged or older dogs which are medium sized or larger but can occur in any breed. German shepherds are reported to be more susceptible to this tumor than most dog breeds; however, golden retrievers also seem to have a higher than normal incidence.

Because these tumors arise in internal organs there is often little warning that they are present prior to time they cause severe clinical signs of disease. A common estimate of the average time from discovery of the tumor until death occurs in affected dogs is six to eight weeks but death occurs more rapidly than this in a number of cases.

Visible bleeding, usually in the form of nosebleeds, and signs associated with blood loss, such as tiring easily, episodes of unexplained weakness, pale color to the mucous membranes of the mouth and eyes, increased respiratory rates, abdominal swelling and depression are the most common presenting signs for patients with hemangiosarcoma. A few dogs just suddenly die with no clinical signs having been noted by their families prior to death.

Hemangiosarcomas can cause very large tumors, sometimes as large as ten or more pounds, when they affect the spleen. In most instances tumors of this size in this location are found on physical exam which is why physical checkups every 6 months are so critical to the health of pets. In other cases the tumor affects the heart and is hard to find on a physical exam and even easy to miss or X-rays. Sometimes there are hundreds of small tumors spread throughout the body and surgical exploration or an autopsy are the only ways to identify the problem.

Diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma can be accomplished in a number of ways. Identification of a tumor in the spleen or heart raises a high degree of suspicion for this tumor. Abdominal swelling is also highly suggestive in an older large breed dog. If fluid is aspirated from the abdomen and it looks like blood it is even more suggestive of hemangiosarcoma. If this sample does not clot when left in a syringe it is also highly suggestive of hemangiosarcoma.

If a tumor is identified when it is small it may be possible to remove the spleen if the tumor is there or even to remove tumors found on the heart and prolong the pet's life. Most of the time this will not make much difference, though. These are highly malignant tumors and most have spread by the time they can be identified.

Though Hogan had come in for a simple limp, the blood work we performed while he was here was a lifesaver. Splenic masses are silent killers that can rupture and cause sudden death in their unsuspecting hosts. Had routine blood work not been performed that day, Hogan might not be with us today.

Today Hogan is a happy little fellow who continues to bring joy to his parents. Though it is difficult to predict how long his body can fight off the cancer, for now Hogan and his family are enjoying their time together.