Benji's Pet Sitters, LLC

05/12/2023

Purdue veterinarians investigating atypical respiratory illness in dogs

By Katie Wiseman, Indianapolis Star

The Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine is investigating the mysterious respiratory illness recently reported in dogs across the country.

Animal health officials are still trying to determine what is causing this illness and how to successfully treat it. In some cases, the illness has lead to pneumonia and even death.

No pathogen has been identified yet as causing the symptoms in affected dogs, said Kenitra Hendrix, director of the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) and a clinical associate professor at the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine. The lab's investigation comes as part of a national effort to address this problem.

The Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) has been monitoring the situation but has limited information on how much of a risk dogs here may face.

"BOAH has had calls from veterinarians across the state—Fort Wayne, Indy, Bloomington, Evansville, to name a few," Denise Derrer, BOAH public information director said. "The disease is not reportable, so we do not have any idea how many cases are out there."In an effort to learn more, the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory is asking veterinarians to submit samples from dogs they suspect have the disease. The lab, which serves as the official diagnostic lab for the state of Indiana, is one of many labs across the country participating in the United States Department of Agriculture's investigation into the outbreak.

Symptoms to watch for in your dog
Coughing and sneezing
Difficulty breathing
Rapid breathing
Wheezing or nasal whistling
Dehydration
Difficulty exercising
Fever
Nasal or eye discharge
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Lethargy

If your dog is open mouth breathing and/or struggling to hop up onto furniture, that is a good indicator that the illness is moving into their lungs, and it is time to go to the vet, veterinary experts on a Q&A panel about the illness said.

Pet parents will notice different symptoms if the infection is in the upper respiratory tract or in the lungs, said Scott Weese, chief of infection control at University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College.

"Once you start seeing things in the lungs, so they're breathing harder or they're breathing faster, they're really flat out sick, that's when we want to get them in soon," Weese said.

Some pet insurance claims for dogs with this illness have been $15,000 to $17,000 for treatment including oxygen supplementation, IV fluids, antibiotics and hospitalization, said Steve Weinrauch, Trupanion's Chief Veterinary and Product Officer, host of the panel.

Touching base with your vet when you notice minor symptoms is important, but it is crucial if you notice the more severe lung-related symptoms to get them to the vet urgently to avoid the expensive vet bills.

For now, Purdue experts at the College of Veterinary Medicine say dog owners in Indiana have no reason to panic.

"At this time we recommend that dog owners not worry, but exercise appropriate caution," a notice on the college's website says.

What dog owners can do
The Board of Animal Health has issued the following tips for dog owners:

Be vigilant in monitoring dogs for signs of illness after boarding, holiday travel, or other activities where pets may have commingled with others. If a dog develops a cough or lethargy, a veterinary visit is recommended.

Make sure all dogs are up-to-date on all of their recommended vaccines including distemper combination (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvo), Bordetella, and canine influenza.
Reduce contact with large numbers of unknown dogs when possible. Just like with other respiratory diseases, dogs that are commingled may be at greater risk for developing the illness.
When possible, reduce contact with other animals.
Keep sick dogs at home whenever possible (unless taking them to the veterinarian for examination or treatment). Social settings carry inherent risks of disease spread.
Avoid communal water bowls shared by multiple dogs.

26/11/2023

A respiratory illness is affecting canines in some areas across the United States. Diagnostic testing has not yet confirmed the cause, but we are taking precautions to keep your dog safe.

Please see below for a few advisories we recommend to help reduce the risks of canine respiratory exposure and sickness.

26/11/2023

Indy Animal Surgery offers options to pet owners

MELISSA GIBSON

CNHI NEWS INDIANA

ZIONSVILLE — Dr. Denise Katz knows the pain families feel when their pet is diagnosed with a serious illness, suffering from injury or in pain themselves.

She has a background in emergency and shelter medicine and served as veterinarian at the Marion County Animal Shelter for several years.

“One of the big things I noticed was access to care,” Katz said. “There are so many barriers in veterinary medicine. It could be financial, transportation or simply getting an appointment because the vet is booked.”

What results is a host of tough decisions.

The pet owner may surrender the animal to a local shelter or in some cases the animal suffers neglect, simply due to lack of proper care.

“Instead of looking at how to foster and adopt animals, I wanted to look at how to keep them from coming in in the first place,” Katz said. “I helped develop a healthcare model for animals and now I’m working on access to surgery care models.”

Her first clinic, Indy Animal Surgery, just celebrated its grand opening in Zionsville with the goal of offering animal surgeries at intermediate or lower costs.

Among those tough decisions, perhaps the hardest is choosing euthanasia over a costly surgery.

“We’re offering another option instead of no care or euthanasia,” Katz said. “For example, if your dog swallows a foreign object and they are in pain and suffering, the cost of surgically removing it at your typical animal hospital will run between $5,000 and $11,000.”

At Indy Animal Surgery, a similar procedure will cost between $2,000 and $3,000.

It’s not free, but gives pet owners another option and they also take payment via Care Credit or Scratchpay for monthly options.

“We’ve cut our overhead as much as possible,” Katz said. “We’re in a 1,500 square foot building and operate on a very lean staff of four in order to keep the cost down as much as possible.”

They’ve also found ways around some of the costlier staffing issues.

Dr. Lauren Ball graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 and went on to complete additional internships and programs in soft tissue surgery, tibial tuberosity advancement and fracture repair.

After nearly 20 years in the industry, she chose not to become board certified and that’s a good thing for clients in need of costly surgeries.

“Just like in human medicine, animal medicine has become specialized and with specialization comes increased prices,” Katz said. “Your big-name vet hospitals have all board-certified surgeons, but with years of training and a passion for veterinary surgery, Dr. Ball is able to offer something to the community at an intermediate price range, which we hope leads to helping more dogs.”

Katz has seen people willing to spend their last dollar on their furry family member, but she says it doesn’t have to be that way.

“I understand where they are coming from, but I want you to take care of yourself and your family too,” Katz said. “We will tell you what the ideal plan is and work with you to come up with the best course of action for both you and your pet.”

She calls it “creative medicine.”

“In school, you’re taught this is the proper way and that’s true and that’s ideal but if you can’t do the $2,500 knee surgery right now, we can also look at laser options, a brace or platelet rich plasma (PRP) that might not be the perfect solution but a good one and one that you feel comfortable with,” Katz said.

She shared a story about Apollo, a dog who ingested a belt buckle at his home. He was sick and clearly suffering but the vet was offering an expensive surgery or euthanasia – a painful choice for pet owners.

“It’s a treatable condition. Apollo got the surgery and will live a totally normal life but he could have been euthanized for something that simple,” Katz said. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

Indy Animal Clinic is hosting an open house for the community from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Stop in and meet the team at 11818 Sycamore St., Zionsville. For more information, visit the website at https://www.indyanimalsurgery. com/.

10/05/2023

04/05/2023

I love this idea!!!!!

09/02/2023

Greetings, You're getting this email alert because you signed up on our website and asked to be notified of dog food recalls. Nestlé Purina PetCare…

09/02/2023

28/12/2022

🐱🐱

24/12/2022

🤣🤣🤣

24/12/2022

23/12/2022

💯%

22/12/2022

Twas the night before Christmas when all thru the house,
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nick soon would be there.
The children all nestled snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog filling their head.
And mom in her kerchief and I in my cap,
Knew the dog was cold but didn’t care about that.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus with his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog once so lively and quick,
Last year’s Christmas present now painfully sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dog’s name,
And the dog ran to him despite all his pain.
Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and V***n,
On Comet on Cupid on Donner and Blitzen.
To the top of the porch to the top of the wall,
Let’s find this dog a home where he will be loved by all.
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa had made one thing quite clear.
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the dog for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of the kids a gift,
There was one important thing we missed.
A dog should be family and cared for the same,
You don’t give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him explain as he rode out of site,
“You weren’t given a gift, you were given a life.”

—Arthur Unknown

11/12/2022

Had to cut off comments due to spam, we apologize.

11/12/2022

Pets are not gifts—they are commitments to a lifelong relationship. Here are some important things to remember this holiday season. Also, visit https://bit.ly/2A7Pbaz and https://bit.ly/3s9UCOf for more pet care resources.

08/12/2022

Disappointing!

08/12/2022

Caturday mentoring. (Thanks Scott Metzger Cartoons)