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 We
have found some articles that are helpful. We would like
to share them with you. Just note that these are found
articles, we are not Vets.
You might
find these articles to your liking and you might want to
consult with your Vet with any or all your questions.
Chocolate -
Bone Cancer
-
Orphan Feeding
Chocolate, not good for every 'body'
We've all
heard it, "Don't give your dog chocolate it will kill
him". We'll how true is it you're probably
wondering. Do I have to rush him to an emergency vet if
he ate one of my M&M's?
The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is
toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a
xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and
theophylline.
Toxic Levels
The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly
large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a
toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider
like the individual sensitivity, animal size and
chocolate concentration.
On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per
oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.
Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out
roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet
chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's
chocolate.
So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause
great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk
chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.
Clinical Signs
Xanthines affect the nervous system, cardiovascular
system and peripheral nerves. It has a diuretic effect
as well. Clinical signs:
Hyper excitability
Hyper irritability
Increased heart rate
Restlessness
Increased urination
Muscle tremors
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Treatment
There is no specific antidote for this poisoning. And
the half life of the toxin is 17.5 hours in dogs. Induce
vomiting in the first 1-2 hours if the quantity is
unknown. Administering activated charcoal may inhibit
absorption of the toxin. An anticonvulsant might be
indicated if neurological signs are present and needs to
be controlled. Oxygen therapy, intravenous medications,
and fluids might be needed to protect the heart.
Milk chocolate will often cause diarrhea 12-24 hours
after ingestion. This should be treated symptomatically
(fluids, etc..) to prevent dehydration.
If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate contact
your Vet immediately! They can help you determine the
the proper treatment for your pet.
 Bone
Cancer
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Cats and
Dogs differ in the way bone cancer matures and how
treatment should be administered. Because of the rapid
nature of osteosarcoma, treatment should be sought as
soon as possible. The only trouble is that the most
common sign, lameness and pain usually happens when it
is already taken firm hold. It is also mistaken by
owners at first as arthritis, stiffness or pulled muscle
in which veterinarian care is usually not immediately
sought.
Osteosarcoma is the most common long bone tumor in dogs
and cats. This is a very aggressive tumor causing lysis
(disintegration of bone) or bone production or both.
There is some degree of soft tissue involvement and
metastasis (transfer of the disease to another part of
the body) is common in the early part of the disease.
Canine Osteosarcoma Treatment
There are several available options for the treatment of
osteosarcoma. Chemotherapy in combination with surgery
are considered to be the primary therapy in dogs without
any detectable metastasis. Amputation or limb sparing
will resolve the primary tumor and resolve the pain and
lameness associated with osteosarcoma. However, on cases
where surgery alone is performed, 90% of affected dogs
will die of metastasis within one year.
The goal of surgery is to remove the tumor along with a
clean healthy cell margin. This is usually accomplished
by amputation. Limb sparing could also be done with
insertion of an allograft after removal of the affected
segment of bone. An allograft is a graft of tissue taken
from a donor of the same species sufficiently unlike
genetically to interact antigenically.
Also, chemotherapy significantly prolongs the survival
of dogs with osteosarcoma when used in conjunction with
surgery. Medicinally, Cisplatin alone or in combination
with doxorubicin markedly improves survival time to a
median of 8-10 months with the percentage of dogs alive
after 11 months at 50%. Carboplatin another drug with
less renal toxicity has the same survival time as
Cisplatin.
Furthermore, radiation therapy is also used in the
treatment of osteosarcoma. This is very important for
limb saving procedures, since it aids in local control
after marginal resection (removal). It usually provides
pain relief after the 3rd or 4th session. This option is
attractive for those who do not want to pursue
amputation procedures.
Most animals adapt mentally well to amputation. Probably
because survival is a basic instinct and they do not
have any social pressures associated with it.
Physically, animals that are young and not overweight
adjust the best. As a veterinarian, I find that the
immediate key to a successful amputation is the
aftercare and the ability to keep the pet from licking
or biting at the wound. Animals that are not compulsive
in this manner require less care and heal more quickly
with less chance of additional infection.
Feline Osteosarcoma
Unlike its canine counterpart it has a much lower rate
of metastasis and longer term survival can be expected
with complete excision. Median survival for cats with
osteosarcoma is approximately 2 years with many cats
outreaching that. Due to the slow metastatic rate,
radiation therapy can play an important role in
osteosarcoma that cannot be totally excised. Though,
chemotherapy is not routinely warranted due to the slow
metastatic nature of feline osteosarcoma, it should be
considered in a case to case basis.
Conclusion
There is no other way at this time but to say that the
prognosis is poor in pets for long term expectancy
although cats fair much better. However, it is important
to note that if a majority of the pain is relieved a pet
can enjoy a fairly content life until other organs
become involved. Therefore, routine examinations should
be maintain to monitor how the body is coping and the
speed of metastasis.
Orphan
Feeding
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Environment
Puppies need a clean, warm, draft-free nesting area. The
air
temperature in their immediate vicinity should be 85-90
F for the first week and about 80 F during the next 3-4
weeks. By the time thepups are 6 weeks of age,
temperatures can be reduced to 70 F.
Temperatures can be maintained with heat lamps, light
bulbs or heating pads covered with 3-4 layers of towels.
Great care must be taken that the pups are not
overheated during the first few days of life, when they
are unable to move away from the heat source.
Clean newspaper is good bedding because it is easily
disposed of. As the pups begin to move around, newspaper
should be replaced because it is slippery. Cloth bedding
offers good footing and is washable.
Feeding
Puppies may be fed by bottle or by stomach tube. Stomach
tube feeding is much faster and especially handy with
large litters. Many people, however, prefer to
bottle-feed because of prolonged puppy contact. Your
veterinarian or clinic staff can instruct you in either
method of feeding.
Newborn puppies should be fed 3-4 times daily by tube
feeding or 5-6 times daily by bottle feeding. At 2 weeks
of age, 3 tube feedings or four bottle feedings are
usually sufficient.
Puppies must be helped to urinate and defecate by gently
stroking the genital area with a tissue or cottonball
moistened with warm water after each feeding. Be
persistent until they urinate or defecate.
Frequent crying or failure to gain weight indicates a
problem.
Call the doctor. In general, a pup should double its
weight in 8-10 days. Overfeeding can be worse than
slight underfeeding.
How Much Should You Feed?
You can determine how much to feed an orphan pup by
considering its daily caloric requirements. The total
daily caloric requirements for pups under 4 weeks of age
are:
1st week 3.75 calories/ounce of body weight daily
2nd week 4.50 calories/ounce of body weight daily
3rd week 5.00 calories/ounce of body weight daily
4th week 5.50 calories/ounce of body weight daily
In general, milk substitutes contain around 1 calorie
per ml.
Example: You plan to feed a 5-ounce puppy less than 1
week of age 4 times daily. The puppy requires 3.75
calories/ounce body weight x 5-ounce pup = 18.75
calories needed for one day. You are feeding 4 times a
day. Therefore, 18.75/4 = 4.68 calories given at each
feeding. Your milk substitute contains 1 calorie/ml.
Therefore, you should feed 4.68 ml (about 5 ml) each
feeding.
Solid foods should be introduced at 3 weeks of age.
Pan-feed a thin gruel made by blending good-quality
puppy food with puppy's milk formula. Gradually thicken
the gruel until no milk substitute is used at about 6
weeks of age. At this time, the pups should be offered
good-quality puppy food 3 times daily.
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