New Options for Joint Disease
Case of the Month:
A bloody nose is nothing to sneeze at!
New Vaccine Helps Save Teeth!
ARPH goes to the Barnyard
Surgery saves prized goat
|
|
|
|
New Options for Joint Disease
Lameness is one of the most common
presenting complaints in our
practice. More often than not,
lameness has to do with injury to
one of the joints of the limbs. The
knee, hips and elbows are the most
commonly affected joints, but all
joints may be affected. Injuries to
the joint involve stretching or
tearing of the ligaments (structures
which connect bones to bones),
damage to the joint cartilage,
congenital diseases such as
osteocondritis dessicans (a disease
where the cartilage becomes detached
from the underlying bone), fractures
of the bone or failure of bone
segments to fuse during maturation.
When presented with a lame pet, we
first need to determine which joint
is causing the problem. This is done
with a thorough orthopedic exam in
which each joint is tested for pain.
Then we generally use x-rays to help
us determine if there is bony
involvement in the process. Most
often, pets need to be sedated to
get diagnostic films and with the
aid of sedation, more subtle
palpation of the joint can help us
determine the nature of the injury.
Advanced imaging modalities, such as
nuclear scans, mri and ct scans are
used for more precise localization
of the problem, however these
modalities are only available at
distant referral centers. Recently,
arthroscopy has become available for
direct visualization of the joint.
Arthroscopy is done by placing a
small telescope into the joint and
observing the joint structures on a
video monitor. The pet is placed
under general anesthesia for this
procedure. The joint is distended
with a pressurized fluid pump and
the arthroscope is inserted though a
small incision in the joint. With
the arthroscope, we can directly
inspect the joint surfaces looking
for wear, erosions, cracks or
inflammation. We can directly
observe the internal structures such
as the meniscus and cruciate
ligaments in the knee.
Arthroscopy has a great advantage
over other imaging modalities in
that it also allows us to repair
many joint problems during the same
session. Using the arthroscope to
guide us, we can manipulate small
instruments within the joint to
remove damaged tissue. With only two
small incisions into the joint,
recovery is much faster than
standard open joint surgery. Not all
problems can be fixed by arthroscopy
alone, and frequently, it can be
used in conjunction with open joint
surgery.
New therapies to deal with arthritis
are available for those pets whose
problem is chronic. Newer non
steroidal anti-inflammatory agents
such as Deramaxx offer much relief
for arthritis. Systemic injectable
drugs, such as Adequan can help
improve the quality of the joint
fluid and protect the articular
cartilage. A new oral cartilage
protectant supplement, Dasuquin has
shown great efficacy in clinical
trials. Newer options on the horizon
involve injection of stem cells
harvested from sections of the dog's
fat pad into inflamed joints. These
stem cells then help to regenerate
the damaged articular cartilage.
When all else fails, joint
replacement surgery is a very real
(although expensive) option for the
hip joint and in some cases, the
knee and even the elbow joint can be
replaced.
These are exciting times in
veterinary orthopedics. If your pet
is suffering from lameness, make an
appointment to see if there are ways
in which we can help.
|
|
|
|
Greetings friends, I'm just back from
the College of Veterinary Surgeon's
Surgical Summit in Chicago where I spent
a week boning up on the latest surgical
advances in veterinary medicine. Chicago
is a vibrant city and I thoroughly
enjoyed my stay there. I would highly
recommend it (anytime except winter!)
As a result of the course, we are
gearing up to add athrosocpy to our
diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to
help in the treating joint problems.
This exciting technology, allows us to
directly visualize the structures of the
joints and, in some cases repair the
lesions with a minimally invasive
approach.
The holidays are fast approaching and I
encourage you all to take common sense
precautions with your pets. Do not give
them candy or left over from your
holiday feasts. Be particularly cautious
with bones from turkeys or ham!
This has been a great year at ARPH and
we have a lot to be thankful for this
Thanksgiving. I hope that you all have a
wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday!
wish you all a very festive celebration!
As a group we are committed to giving
you of unparalleled service. Please feel
free to call or email any and all
suggestions, which can help us achieve
this goal.
Sincerely
Reid Shufer, D.V.M.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Case of the Month:
A bloody nose is nothing to sneeze at!
|
|
|
Many of you have come to know our
hospital mascot, Dr. Henderson's dog,
Robbie Eugene. He is the good looking
Irish Setter who is often wandering
around the hospital. A few months ago,
Robbie started to sneeze with increasing
frequency. Occasionally, he would
produce spots of blood during his
sneezing. Dr. Henderson, being the great
vet and "mom" that she is, ran a series
of diagnostic tests to check for
bleeding disorders, infection and
allergies. Robbie's allergy tests were
positive for a number of the local
grasses and weeds, which might have
explained the symptoms.
We began symptomatic treatment with
anti-histamines and also started
desensitization in hopes of relieving
his symptoms. We know that
desensitization takes months to kick in,
but there was some relief with the
anti-histamines. Unfortunately, the
symptoms began to reappear and we
noticed that the discharge was coming
mostly from the right side of the nose.
Thinking that this might be a sinus
infection, Dr. Henderson started Robbie
on antibiotics to treat a presumptive
sinus infection. |
|
|
To see what happened to Robbie, click
here... |
|
|
|
New Vaccine Helps Save Teeth!
|
|
|
Dental disease is one of the most common
ailments facing our pets today. Tooth
decay begins with inflammation of the
gums and the development of periodontal
infections. Porphyromonas Denticanis,
the bacteria which plays an important
role in periodontal disease, has the
capacity to slowly dissolve the bone
around the teeth. Over time, the
infection leads to so much bone loss
that we may be forced to extract the
diseased teeth, in hopes of saving the
surrounding teeth.
Recently, a new vaccine has become
available, which helps the body fight
off the Porphyromonas Denticanis. With
the immune system fortified by the
vaccine, the loss of bone is greatly
reduced and hence, far fewer teeth will
be lost to this process. It is important
to realize that this vaccine is not a
replacement for good dental care (daily
brushing, T/D diet, Dental Chews, and
routine dental examinations and
cleanings) because periodontal disease
will continue to progress despite the
use of the vaccine. The infections
around the gums and teeth pose a health
risk and every attempt must be made to
prevent them. This vaccine will help
reduce the chances of tooth loss, but it
will not stop periodontitis.
The vaccine is given under the skin and
has had minimal side effects. Initially
a series of two boosters given 2 to 3
weeks apart are administered and then
yearly boosters are required to maintain
immunity. We recommend this vaccine be
started with the other puppy vaccines
(not available for cats) however, it can
be started on a dog of any age.
Call our office to schedule your dog's
immunization and get a jump on saving
his/her teeth. |
|
|
|
|
|
ARPH goes to the Barnyard
Surgery saves prized goat
|
|
|
As you all know, we are a small animal
and exotics practice. It's been years
since I have had to attend to any pets
larger than a Great Dane, but when a
client's goat was in trouble if fell
upon us to come to their aid.
Patrick is a 7 year old male Billy goat
who lives at the barn where Dr.
Henderson stables her thoroughbred,
Alibi. Patrick's owner asked Dr.
Henderson for an opinion on what to do
with him when she noticed him not eating
and urinating blood in his stall.
|
|
|
Click here to find out what happened to
Patrick! |
|
|
|
Give the Gift of Health and Everyone
Save!
|
|
|
|
The greatest compliment you
can give us is your personal
referral to friends and
family. We have created our
"Gift of Health" program to
help you encourage referrals
to our practice. Here's how
it works:
Refer your friends or family
members to us and as new
client referrals they will
receive their 1st visit at
1/2 off the normal fee. That
is a $19.00 savings.
When they come in, we will
send you a thank you letter
with a coupon for $10.00 on
any veterinary services
(food, drugs and supplies
are not eligible). After you
refer 10 clients to us, you
will become a permanent
"Good Health Ambassador" and
receive 10% off on all your
veterinary services for the
year. if you are happy with
the services we have been
providing, spread the word
and give the Gift of
Health to all your friends
today.
We appreciate your support!
|
|
|
|
|
Atla Rancho Gift Certificates make the
perfect Holiday Gift
|
|
|
|
Do you have neighbors whose
pets are in need of
veterinary attention but
finances are getting in the
way? Do you have friends who
travel a lot and need a
place to keep there pets.
An Alta Ranch Pet & Bird
Hospital Gift certificate
might be just the right gift
for you. Certificates are
available in any
denomination and can be used
for any services or products
in our hospital.
Inquire at the front desk
today and start spreading
the great care!
|
|
|
|
|
