You are your rabbit’s best advocate. You know best what her eating habits area, how active she normally is, and what her poops normally look like. So when you notice any changes, you owe it to your bunny to talk to a veterinarian about the changes you’ve seen. It may be nothing, but it may be a sign that she’s developing a more serious problem.

For example, I recently saw a remarkably handsome black-and-white rex rabbit whose owner was concerned about a decreased appetite and poops that were smaller than normal. He seemed lethargic, too. Fortunately, she was a very knowledgeable and attentive owner who had helped him through a bout of GI stasis in the past, so she knew what signs to watch for. Her prompt attention is undoubtedly what helped her bunny’s fast recovery.

In an effort to be as proactive as possible, we xrayed his abdomen to check for signs of ileus, or GI stasis. Ileus is the technical term for a GI tract that has slowed down or stopped moving. Rabbits rely so much on eating all the time,  and they need to have regular digestion to stay healthy. I had a professor in vet school who jokingly referred to rabbits as “cecums wrapped in fur” (the cecum is one of their major digestive organs), because their digestive system is just that important.

When his xrays turned out to be normal, we started him on a course of metoclopramide (a pro-motility drug–helps “keep things moving”), Probiocin (a probiotic in paste form, which rabbits like), and we gave him fluids subcutaneously (SC). The fluids are very important because even mild dehydration can quickly affect a rabbit’s GI tract.

Another important part of his treatment included syringe feeding him Oxbow Critical Care until he was eating normally on his own. Critical Care is an easy-to-prepare liquid diet which is easy for rabbits to digest and provides high-quality nutrition. If you need help syringe feeding your rabbit, check out the following video:How to Syringe Feed a Rabbit

Thankfully, the bunny in this article responded really well to treatment and is back to normal!

March is Adopt a Guinea Pig Month!

At Olathe Animal Hospital, we love guinea pigs! From our veterinarians, to technicians, to receptionists, we all recognize that these furry little pets can be every bit as loved as the family dog or cat. That’s why, in honor of Adopt a Guinea Pig Month, we present you with this…

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt a Guinea Pig

1. They have a ton of personality!
2. They don’t talk back to you. Unless you count “weep, WEEEEEP!” as talking back, but that’s just cute!
3. They won’t bite and scratch you, unlike some pets! Although some guinea pigs can be a little nippy, they are generally very social and enjoy receiving and giving attention.
4. They don’t need any vaccines! And with proper care, they tend to be very healthy little animals. However, we recommend wellness exams every six months so we can help ensure that they stay healthy.
5. You don’t have to take a guinea pig for a walk in the rain or snow! Keep their cage fresh and clean with lots of soft bedding.
6. Lots of guinea pigs are awaiting homes in shelters and rescue groups. You can save a life and get a new best friend—what more could you want!
7. You can save money by building your own cage—it’s easy! Using C&C (stands for Cubes & Coroplast) and directions provided on the Guinea Pig Cages website, you can create large, luxurious homes for your piggies at a fraction of the cost you’d pay for a store-bought cage.
8. Feeding them is easy! But do your research. The Guinea Lynx website has great dietary information. Guinea pigs should always have plenty of timothy hay available, and a high-quality guinea pig pelleted diet (NOT alfalfa-based pellets, and no “junk food” like seeds and dried fruit mixed in).
9. They make great pets for children (but make sure the family is committed to caring for them, as no living animal is “maintenance-free”.)
10. Just look at these faces!!

Have you ever had an injury of some sort?  What did it feel like?  Did you yell, curse, or cry (or maybe all of the above)?  Those are all common ways for people to react to pain.  Our nervous system and that of our pets is almost identical in the way it works.  Therefore, it is safe to assume that anything that hurts us hurts animals too.  The problem is our pets instinctively hide their pain as much as they possibly can.  Signs of pain can be obvious (limping, whining,etc.) but are often very subtle.  They can also be things we wouldn’t associate with pain at all.  One example is the cat that was literally pulling out all of its fur because of dental pain.  Another example is a dog that will lick its wrist because of pain elsewhere and develop a lick granuloma.

A common cause of pain in veterinary medicine is surgery.  If we cut into an animal for a spay, a neuter, orthopedic surgery, or soft tissue surgery, you can bet it hurts.  If we don’t treat that animal’s pain, we have failed as veterinarians.  Some of our “exotic” animals, such as rabbits and guinea pigs, are highly susceptible to pain and must be aggressively treated.

A very common misconception we frequently hear is the following:  “He’s not whining so he’s not in pain.”  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  If you or I were in pain, it’s true; we would be whining or letting someone know about it.  Since our pets are programmed to hide their pain from us as much as possible, it is our duty as veterinarians and as pet owners to err on the side of caution when treating pain in animals.  If we think that an animal is in pain, then we should treat it.

Another common misconception about pain in animals is limping.  “It doesn’t hurt; he just won’t put any weight on it,” or “He’s not in pain, he just won’t walk on it.”  We hear these quotes commonly with orthopedic problems.  The reason he’s not walking or putting weight on it is because it HURTS!  An animal with a broken leg or a torn ACL might not be whining or whimpering, but you can bet it hurts, and probably hurts a lot.  An easy way to know if your pet should have pain medicine…if it would hurt you, then it hurts them.

Remember, pets feel pain in the same way people do, but our medications are very different.  Many are often toxic to dogs and cats.  Don’t use any over the counter pain medications on dogs and cats and contact us if you are concerned your pet is in pain. Visit this link to learn more about surgical pain control, and here to learn more about chronic pain control in pets.  And as always, if you have any questions or concerns about your pet being in pain, give us a call, we would love to help!

If you have ever had your pet under anesthesia at our hospital, you know that we do not take anesthesia lightly.  However, many people don’t realize what we do or why we do it.  This past week gave us a perfect example of why we require these safety measures for anesthetic procedures.  Before I get into the details, I would like to point out the following: This case is an extreme example and is NOT the normal.  In the last 5 years, we have done over 1600 dental procedures on cats and dogs without one anesthetic death.

A dog came in recently for a dental procedure.  We had him under anesthesia for his cleaning and full mouth radiographs (x-rays) to fully assess his dental problems.  While I started to extract his diseased teeth, the heart monitor stopped.  One of our registered veterinary technicians immediately checked on him and confirmed that his heart was no longer beating, nor was he breathing.  We immediately gave him IV medications to get his heart going and started breathing for him.  At the same time we shut off the anesthesia and stayed by his side physically monitoring him along with all of our monitoring equipment for the next hour until he was stable.  He recovered uneventfully after this and went home later in the day.

What would have happened if we didn’t take these precautions?

What if he was not hooked up to our monitoring equipment? We would not have recognized the problem as quickly as we did and wouldn’t have been able to respond immediately.

What if we did not have a registered veterinary technician who is extremely capable right there by his side? Again, we might not have recognized the problem until it was too late.

Why do we require an IV catheter? In this situation, time is of the essence.  Hitting his tiny little vein for two separate injections under these circumstances would have been very difficult at best.  We also would not have been able to give him extra IV fluids to get his blood pressure back up either.  By the time we would have given him these drugs it may have been too late.

We are required by AAHA to have a “crash kit” together. This kit contains all of our drugs and items needed in the case of an emergency.  In this case, both injectable drugs we needed were easily available with the doses already calculated.  This saved valuable time in a situation where every second counted.

As I stated at the beginning of the article, we take anesthesia very seriously.  Because of the precautions we take and the safety measures we require, a disaster was averted and this pet is home and happy with his owners today.  Although this is a rare occurrence, it can happen, and by being prepared and cautious we can make sure anesthesia for your pet is as safe as possible.

Cats outnumber dogs in their overall numbers as pets, but studies have shown that they see the veterinarian less often than their canine counterparts.  One of the reasons is that their illnesses are typically much more subtle.  Ten very common signs of illnesses in cats are:

1.  Inappropriate elimination

2. Changes in interaction

3. Changes in activity

4. Changes in sleeping habits

5. Changes in food and/or water consumption

6. Unexplained weight loss or gain

7. Changes in grooming

8. Signs of stress

9. Changes in vocalization

10. Bad breath

The following document has more information about these signs of illness in our feline friends.  If your cat is showing any of these signs, an exam may be in order.  Keebler (cat in the above picture) isn’t physically sick, just sick of being a cow!

Illnesses in Cats

The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) is an organization designed to “recognize products that meet pre-set standards of plaque and calculus (tartar) retardation in dogs and cats.”  The VOHC recognizes these products by giving them their “seal of acceptance.”  In order to achieve the seal, products must have gone through at least two separate clinical trials that demonstrate their ability to control plaque or tartar (some products help with both).

Periodontal disease (plaque, tartar, gingivitis, bone loss, infected teeth, etc.) is a progressive problem, and not one product will completely prevent it from progressing.  The most effective way of preventing periodontal disease is brushing your pet’s teeth.  Daily brushing is best as plaque can start to harden on the teeth in 24 to 48 hours.  VOHC approved products help as well.  If a dental product bears the seal of acceptance, then you can be sure that the product does what it claims to do, i.e. it works.

More information about the VOHC along with a list of approved products can be found at www.VOHC.org.  At Olathe Animal Hospital, we are happy to offer the following VOHC approved products:

Hill’s Prescription Diet t/d

Greenies

Healthy Mouth Anti-Plaque Water Additive

Stop by the office or give us a call for more information regarding these products for your pet!

One of the hardest parts about our job and about being a pet owner is the end of a pet’s life.  Sometimes pets pass away suddenly, but more often than not, their illnesses are due to chronic diseases, such as kidney failure or cancer.  We certainly don’t want our loved ones to have to suffer, but at the same time it is one of the hardest decisions that we have to make about our pets.  How can we ever know when the time is right?

In 2004, Dr. Alice Villalobos created what is called the HHHHHMM scale.  The purpose of this scale is to give pet owners an objective way to determine their pet’s overall quality of life.  In doing so, this scale helps relieve the feelings of guilt associated with making that final decision.  The scale is broken down into 7 categories, and each category is scored from 1 to 10.  A score of 35 or greater is considered reasonably acceptable quality of life.

• The HHHHHMM scale can be downloaded here.

If you are being faced with this unfortunate situation, we are here to help you.  If you have any questions or concerns about the euthanasia process, or what happens to your pet afterwards, please call us and we will discuss these things with you.  Hopefully the HHHHHMM scale will help guide your decision process during this difficult time.

For many medical conditions, increasing the amount of water that cats drink is an important part of treatment.  However, many cats don’t drink regularly and it can be very difficult to get them to change this behavior.  The following list is a compilation of ideas and tricks to get cats to increase their fluid intake.

• Feed canned food or add water to dry food

• Feed more frequent meals: feeding three times per day increases water intake vs. feeding twice daily

• Drinking from the faucet, licking water off of the shower floor, or drinking from cups or glasses of water

• Flavor the water by adding any of the following: tuna juice, low sodium chicken or beef broth, or clam juice.  All of these can be frozen into ice cubes and added to the water

• Regular ice in the water bowl may increase interest in water as well

• Water bowl characteristics: broad and shallow, round vs. square, circulating water fountains, multiple bowls in multiple locations

• Change water frequently – once or twice daily

Individual cats will have different preferences and different things may stimulate them to drink more water.  Try each of these things one at a time or numerous things at once to see what your cat prefers.  Good luck!

We feel fortunate at Olathe Animal Hospital to have proactive owners who want the best for their new birds. A good bird owner realizes that, while a new bird may look and act perfectly healthy, a trip to the vet is one of the first and most important things to do. In fact, establishing a relationship with an avian vet BEFORE you need it is one of the best things you can do for your bird! This article will talk about what we look for in a new bird exam, and why you should schedule a wellness visit within the first month of buying/adopting a bird.

Birds have evolved in the wild to hide illness in order to avoid predators.  This “masking” of signs of illness has led to the misconception that birds get sick and die quickly.  This is why semi-annual physical examinations and laboratory testing are so important, because they can help identify problems before they become untreatable.

When you bring your bird to Olathe Animal Hospital, you will be asked to fill out an Avian History Form (or you can print and fill out the one attached to the link and bring it with you to save time).

A veterinary nurse (technician) will walk you into one of our exam rooms where we have specialized equipment for examining birds and other small pets and exotics. If you have specific concerns or questions that you want the doctor to address, be sure to mention them.

After the nurse takes a short history, the doctor will come in. Both Drs. Mark Romain and J.C. Burcham are members of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) and have had special training in avian medicine. Please note: AAV membership is different from being board-certified. There currently are no board-certified avian vets in the states of Kansas or Missouri.

The doctor will likely want to talk to you about your bird, cage set-up, etc. while observing the bird in its cage. When it comes time to examine your bird, the doctor may use a towel to help restrain it and allow for a thorough examination. Eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, feathering, body condition, heart and lungs, vent or cloaca, uropygial gland, wings, legs, and feet are all examined.

Small, flighted birds (canaries, finches, some budgies) will be weighed in a “birdie basket” so they hold still on the scale, and most other birds will perch on our specially-adapted scale. Birds are weighed in grams. If you’d like to know how many ounces your bird weighs, use an online grams-to-ounces conversion calculator.

An important part of a bird’s visit to the veterinarian is a discussion about nutrition and environmental enrichment. Avian nutrition is a whole other topic in itself, and the conversation that will take place will vary depending on what kind of bird you have. Any specific information you can provide, such as the brand name of food you’re currently using (or better yet, bring in the bag of food or a picture of it!), is considered very helpful and allows us to better tailor our recommendations.

Another good idea is to take a picture of your bird’s cage set-up and bring it with you for the veterinarian to see. Any other information you can provide, such as where the cage is located, toys available, and how much time (and where) the bird spends outside of the cage is also appreciated.

Routine wellness testing should be considered for all healthy birds. Blood work and fecal testing (a direct smear and a gram stain) are recommended for most pet birds, and we can discuss the specifics with you.

If you’d like your bird’s wings or toenails trimmed, let us know.

Remember, establishing a veterinarian for your new bird is one of the most important things you can do. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you need an avian vet and don’t know where to find one.

J.C. Burcham, DVM

Dr. Romain examines an anesthetized bald eagle with Operation Wildlife director, Diane Johnson

Whether it’s accidental or intentional, letting a pet bird escape or get lost presents a nightmare situation for bird owners. Yvonne Patterson, bird owner, bird trainer, and President of Wings of Love, a 501c3 non-profit providing educational bird shows, wrote an article on retrieving escaped birds, which appeared in the Parrot Society of Australia magazine. With her permission, we are re-distributing the article, which we encourage all pet bird owners to print out and have on hand–so you don’t have to go looking for it in the event of an emergency. Yvonne herself has been able to retrieve lost birds, and as the title of her article says, “Vocalization & Persistence” are the keys.

To view the full article (PDF), click the link below:

Retrieving Escaped Birds by Yvonne Patterson