Animal Airwaves

Dr. Amy Stone, clinical associate professor and primary care/dentistry service chief, joins Animal Airwaves Live to talk about all things Spectrum of Care, or SOC, in veterinary medicine. Sometimes referred to as contextual care, SOC refers to the range of veterinary care options that can be provided based on the unique circumstances of each client, patient and case. SOC recognizes that clients have different financial resources, cultural values, time constraints and personal priorities, among other factors, when it comes to veterinary care. Dr. Stone discusses how veterinarians work alongside clients so owners can make informed decisions that fit the context of their pet’s individual situation.

When a wildfire is bearing down, animals need to be evacuated quickly. If a horse is involved, that can only happen with advanced planning.

Every horse needs a go kit containing a halter and lead rope, feed and water buckets and at least one week’s worth of food and supplements. Also essential are a two-week supply of medications and a basic first aid kit. Key documents include photos, proof of ownership and the horse’s medical history, test results and vaccination records.

Well ahead of time, horses need to get used to boarding trailers with several different handlers. During evacuation, minimize smoke exposure and moisten hay and feed as needed.

If any horses have to be left behind, close the doors to empty barns and provide means of escape from fenced-in areas.

As our pets age, their risk of chronic pain increases. Osteoarthritis affects one-in-five dogs over one year of age, and the risk increases thereafter. Likewise, up to 90 percent of cats over 10 years old have x-ray evidence of degenerative joint disease.

Consequently, the goal of chronic pain management often shifts from cure to maintaining an animal’s comfort — that is, providing palliative care. In addition to medication, veterinarians may recommend other modalities, like acupuncture, laser therapy or therapeutic ultrasound. Structured movement, which helps animals build strength, is another key part of the plan.

Palliative regimens work best when they focus on helping pets do what they love most. This may require home modifications and always demands patience and a whole-team effort.

It never pays to rely on the internet for veterinary advice. Every animal is different, so what works for one may not do the trick for another. Online advice often veers between misleading, or over general, to downright dangerous. Also, pet parents can waste precious time trying online remedies instead of seeking veterinary care.

Recent viral clips have recommended giving dogs or cats ibuprofen for pain. In truth, ibuprofen is toxic to all dogs and cats. In fact, if your pet ingests ibuprofen, you should contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary clinic right away.

Be sure to run any treatment advice past your veterinarian first. Even herbal remedies can be dangerous for certain animals. Finally, animals should never be given human medications unless recommended by a veterinarian.

Bladder or urinary stones that affect people can also be a problem in some dogs, cats and other mammals, including dolphins and otters. Why some animals are prone to forming stones is often unknown, but comparing diets consumed in the wild with those of animals fed by humans can sometimes provide a clue. Dr. Richard Hill, a small animal internal medicine and veterinary nutrition specialist, joins Animal Airwaves Live to discuss how nutrition and hydration can be used to reduce the risk of urinary stones from forming. Each type of stone requires different strategies to increase water intake and modify urine acidity or alkalinity and the amount of minerals and protein breakdown products in the urine. By tailoring your pet’s diet, veterinarians can often help prevent urinary stones from forming and reduce the risk of recurrence.

Honey bees can withstand a relatively wide range of temperatures to maintain the brood nest — that is, the core of the hive that houses the queen, eggs and young bees. Honey bees generally fly at temperatures between 50 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. When it’s hotter, they transition from nectar collection to water retrieval used to cool the hive. At about 118 degrees, they start to lose key functions. So, how can beekeepers protect their colonies in hot weather?

The first thing is to keep water sources close to the hives, starting in the spring when bees first start flying. Colonies also need plenty of space, which may mean adding boxes above the brood nest. In addition, nothing should obstruct the entrances to hives. It’s also important to read pesticide labels, noting any temperature restrictions.

Once again, the American Veterinary Medical Association is cautioning pet parents against feeding raw or undercooked animal proteins to dogs and cats. These include meat, poultry, fish, eggs and milk — except for same-species milk used to nurse puppies or kittens.

Raw or undercooked animal proteins can harbor a plethora of bacterial pathogens, as well as the notorious virus that causes bird flu.

Just like us, dogs and cats are susceptible to foodborne illness. But even healthy appearing pets can have infections that endanger humans. Just handling raw pet food can also make people sick.

For every presumed benefit of feeding raw, undercooked or unpasteurized animal proteins to pets, there are even bigger risks. It’s just not worth taking the chance.

Like people, dogs can suffer from disorders of the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, which can cause significant pain and functional problems. The canine TMJ is very narrow, so noninvasive access has been challenging. Now, veterinary surgeons are borrowing a state-of-the-art technique from human oral surgeons.

Nano-arthroscopy uses a tiny high-quality camera at the tip of a wirelike device to inspect surfaces inside the body. Use of this technology has been standard-of-care in human oral surgery for years.

For now, nano-arthroscopy can only be used as a diagnostic tool in medium- to large-breed dogs, but even smaller scopes may be coming in the future. Veterinary surgeons are also hoping to take this technology one step further and use it in treatment regimens in coming years.

According to owner-reported data from a large-scale study of dogs across the U.S., over 80 percent of our canine companions show mild signs of fear or anxiety in day-to-day situations.

The study excluded dogs’ learned fears, like those triggered by nail clipping and bathing. Short-term fear or anxiety — that is, the kind that people often experience, too — was most often associated with unfamiliar dogs and unfamiliar people. While this stands to reason and isn’t harmful, long-term anxiety can ultimately affect a dog’s health and quality of life.

That’s why fear-based behaviors should be recognized and monitored as part of a dog’s routine veterinary care. If signs worsen over time, they need to be addressed as soon as possible to avoid more serious consequences.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about permanent daylight savings time, but has anyone considered its possible effects on animals?

Pets need a few days — even weeks — to adjust to a time change. Animals run on circadian rhythms — that is, their internal biological clock — and changes in an imposed schedule can be temporarily confusing. Meeting them halfway — like tweaking meal times — can help soothe the transition. Depending on the pet’s needs, walk times and medication schedules may need adjusting too.

Wildlife might actually benefit from permanent daylight savings time. Take deer, which are most active just after dusk. A 2022 study estimated that thousands of deer deaths could be avoided by further separating peak commuting hours from sunset — which is precisely what happens with daylight savings time.