by Rina Van Eeden | May 11, 2020 | Cats, Dogs
Snake Bites in Dogs and Cats
Armed with curiosity and natural hunting instincts, it is not uncommon for our favourite four legged friends to cross paths with a snake.
Snake venom carries a large range of toxins that damage tissues and impair many of the body’s vital functions; they attack the nervous system and interfere with the body’s clotting mechanisms.
Venomous snakes in southern Africa can broadly be divided into 3 groups: cytotoxic, neurotoxic and those that can induce haemostatic toxic effects.
Several factors will determine what sort of reaction your pet has to a snake bite.
The type of snake, the amount of venom injected and the site of the snake bite all contribute.
Some, albeit broad, clinical signs include, sudden weakness followed by collapse, shaking or twitching of the muscles, localised swelling, vomiting and dilated pupils that aren’t responsive to light.
In the later stages, paralysis may occur.
On arrival at the veterinary practice, your veterinarian will examine your pet, assess the clinical signs they are showing and determine the best course of action.
Veterinary treatment varies with each individual case. Treatment usually consists of intravenous fluids and the administration of anti-venom to neutralise the snake venom in the pet’s body. Some patients require multiple vials of anti-venom.
Other supportive care may also be required – including oxygen supplementation and even breathing for the pet if they are not breathing well on their own.
Remember, anti-venom is not a “vaccination” or a preventative medication.
Symptoms:
Five main clinical signs that most often occur are as follows:
Marked local pain and progressive swelling of the area.
Progressive paralysis (neurotoxicity), with minor local swelling.
Incoagulable blood, with negligible to mild local swelling.
Moderate to marked local swelling, associated with neurotoxicity.
Mild to moderate swelling, with negligible or absent systemic symptoms.
The occurrence of one or more of the aforementioned symptoms depends a great deal on the type of snake in question.
Types Of Interactions:
The toxins of cytotoxic snake venom lead to local swelling, blistering and oedema. Irreversible death of tissues may occur (necrosis).
Swelling usually begins early, often within 10 – 30 minutes. It may become extensive, involving the entire limb and even adjacent areas to the initial site.
Neurotoxicity is characterised by progressive paralysis. Early symptoms and signs include a transient “numb” sensation of the tongue and lips, pupillary abnormalities (e.g. dilated pupils), paralysis of facial muscles and other muscles innervated by the cranial nerves, leading to difficulty when swallowing.
In addition to the above neurotoxic effects, patients bitten by mambas may present with trembling and vomiting and excessive salivation.
Incoagulable blood accompanied with mild local swelling are caused by the boomslang.
Patients may present with nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Persistent oozing of blood from punctures or other wound sites is often observed. Bleeding usually manifests as gingival bleeding, bleeding from the nose, vomiting of blood, bloody diarrhoea, bloody urine and, in severe cases, haemorrhage into the brain and spinal cord. Severe, uncontrollable bleeding may lead to multiple organ failure. There is local pain with insignificant or mild local swelling.
Basic First Aid
If you suspect your pet has been bitten by a snake, you should immobilise your pet and try to keep him/her as quiet as possible. It is vital that you take your pet to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. The sooner your pet is treated, the better their chances of survival.
Some basic “first aid” tips are as follows:
Remember, the most important thing is to stay calm and to get your pet to a medical facility as soon as possible. Alert the medical facility or doctor ahead of arrival.
Avoid the many harmful and time-wasting traditional first-aid treatments.
A tight arterial tourniquet should NEVER be used!
DO NOT give your pet ANY human medicine unless you have direct instructions from your veterinarian, doing so may be extremely detrimental.
If your pet is bitten, DO NOT try to catch or kill the snake. A basic description of the snake is enough for the veterinarian to start treatment in the majority of cases. If the snake has already been killed, bringing it along will help a great deal.
Approximately 80% of pets survive snake bites if treated quickly. The survival rate is much lower, however, for pets that are left untreated and death is a distinct possibility.
Recovery from a snake bite usually takes 24 to 48 hours if the pet receives prompt veterinary attention and the snake bite is not severe. However, some pets will take substantially longer to make a full recovery due to tissue damage to internal organs or the skin and will require intensive and prolonged nursing care.
All About the Anti-Venom
Two snakebite anti-venoms are available.
Polyvalent anti-venom (SAIMR Polyvalent Snakebite Antiserum SAVP) is supplied in 10 ml ampoules. Venoms of the following snakes are used as antigens in the preparation of the polyvalent anti-venom: puff adder, rinkhals, green mamba, black mamba, Cape cobra, forest cobra, snouted cobra and Mozambique spitting cobra.
Polyvalent anti-venom is ineffective AND SHOULD NOT BE USED in treatment of bites caused by the berg adder, other dwarf adders, night adders and back-fanged snakes (boomslang and vine snake).
Boomslang anti-venom (SAIMR Boomslang Snakebite Antiserum SAVP) is supplied in 10 ml ampoules. It is effective against the venom of boomslang, but not against the venom of the vine snake.
Anti-venom neutralises a fixed amount of venom. It is infused slowly, rather than administration by bolus. This is recommended as a method of reducing serious anti-venom reactions.
For more information on snake bites in pets, check out our blog post – https://kimvet.co.za/snake-bites-in-south-africa/
Resources:
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by Rina Van Eeden | May 11, 2020 | Dogs, Spirocerca Lupi
Spirocerca Lupi – Spirocercosis
The silent killer not everyone is aware of.
Spirocerca Lupi is a red worm that normally goes and sits and grows in your dog’s oesophagus.
This worm burrows into the oesophagus after migrating from the stomach after ingestion, creating a nodule that, in turn, is extremely irritant to your pet. As a result, it causes vomiting and in some cases haemorrhage into the stomach, leading to black coloured faeces.
Infections in domestic cats have been rare to nonexistent. Experimentally, it has been possible to cause lesions in cats although they have not been described under normal circumstances.
Animals infected with Spirocerca lose weight rapidly, due to all the vomiting. In some cases, infected animals can die acutely from burst aneurisms.
In severe cases, the nodule can turn cancerous if left untreated. These worms also migrate to different parts of the body via arteries and veins, which could cause blockages.
All of these things could, if not prevented and left untreated for too long, possibly lead to the death of your pet.
Animals generally get infected by ingesting the larvae that develops inside certain dung beetles. They can even get infected by eating other critters that have enjoyed the dung beetle as a meal.
An intermediate host (the dung beetle) and a final host (your pet) are required to complete this worm’s life cycle. The larvae are present had hatch in the beetle, when ingested by a dog, they start to wreak havoc.
Spirocerca Lupi can be prevented and treated if detected before the nodule has become cancerous.
The Signs and Symptoms of Dogs Suffering From Spirocercosis
Most dogs with S. lupi infection show no clinical signs, but when signs are present, they most commonly include weight loss, coughing and difficult/laboured breathing. When the oesophageal lesion is very large (usually when it has become neoplastic), the dog has difficulty swallowing and may vomit repeatedly after trying to eat. These dogs salivate profusely and eventually become emaciated. In addition, dogs may develop thickening of the long bones characteristic of hypertrophic osteopathy.
Now, sometimes dogs will vomit, retch or regurgitate. Other times, it may be more subtle. Dogs may just be off their food, lick their lips, cry when swallowing, ‘cough’ or ‘retch’. Some dogs just lose weight but continue eating.
Apart from the manifestations and consequences mentioned, the worm can also kill patients by damaging the aorta, obstructing the oesophagus, migrate to places other than those expected or the nodules can become cancerous, usually malignant osteosarcomas, which can spread to other organs, especially the lungs.
Occasionally, dogs may die suddenly as the result of massive bleeding into the thorax after rupture of the aorta that had been damaged by the developing worms.
Diagnosis
Spirocerca lupi is most frequently diagnosed with the help of radiographs of the chest, as well as endoscopy of the oesophagus, where the clinician will see red nodules or scarring. As the worms grow bigger, the granuloma/nodule grows bigger. One obvious problem is in swallowing.
In rare instances, S. Lupi eggs can be seen on a faecal float, however, eggs are sporadically voided in faeces and can be difficult to find.
The characteristic lesions are aneurysms of the thoracic aorta, reactive granulomas of variable size around worms in the oesophagus and exostoses, benign outgrows from cartilage. Oesophageal cancer, which often spread (metastasis) to other areas of the body, is sometimes associated with S. lupi infection. Dogs with Spirocerca-related cancers often develop hypertrophic osteopathy (Marie’s Disease).
Treatment and Prevention
Treatment of clinical cases is often not practical. However, efficacy has been demonstrated with specific anthelmintics combined with COX-2 inhibitors, although none of these treatments have been approved. There are also certain anthelmintics that have adverse effects on certain breeds. Surgical removal usually is unsuccessful because of the large areas of the oesophagus involved.
Milbemax tablets and Advocate spot on are now registered to control Spirocerca with monthly treatment.
Preventing Spirocerca is actually fairly easy.
Keeping the garden clear of dog faeces will help in reducing the number of dung beetles. Monthly treatment with Milbemax tablets or Advocate spot on works effectively if given consistently.
We recommend all dogs to be put on a monthly preventative programme from a young age.
Unfortunately this will work to kill the worms, but the tumours and other complications will often not respond to treatment as the disease is often only noticed once there are tumours that have formed. Therefore prevention is extremely important.
Great news! You can purchase Milpro or Milbemax from our online store! Check it out here – https://kimvet.co.za/product-category/dogs/dog-deworming-tick-flea/
Resources:
Andrew S. Peregrine , BVMS, PhD, DVM, DEVPC, DACVM, Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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by Rina Van Eeden | May 11, 2020 | Cats, Dogs
As in humans, diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats is a chronic disease that occurs when the levels of glucose in the blood becomes elevated and unregulated due to inadequate insulin production or the body’s inability to use insulin properly. Prolonged high blood glucose levels can eventually lead to impairment of several body organs. These include the kidneys, eyes, heart and nervous system.
Although there are no tests to predict whether your pet will develop diabetes, certain factors, like obesity, are commonly associated with it.
Types of Diabetes
The disease is classified into 2 types. Type 1 diabetes (more common in dogs) is characterized by inadequate insulin production. Type 2 diabetes (more common in cats) is caused by insulin resistance.
Common symptoms include:
- coat deterioration
- excessive thirst
- frequent urination
- increased hunger
- lethargy
- recurring infections
- weight loss.
Some of these signs occur with other diseases as well. This is why it is important that your veterinarian conducts a clinical examination of your pet. Additionally, as animals age, they could be diagnosed with diseases that may increase the pet’s risk of becoming diabetic, including thyroid disease or pancreatitis.
Treatment of Diabetes in Pets
Diabetes type 1 can be treated by a veterinarian with insulin replacement therapy.
Pet food is the main source of glucose for your cat or dog, which is why diet is a vital part of diabetes management. The goal is to feed the right foods that will provide the energy needed without extra carbohydrates that can turn into excess sugar.
Exercise goes hand in hand with proper nutrition. Because diabetes can cause a pet to become lethargic, it’s important to provide motivation to increase activity levels. This is especially significant for pets with an obesity-linked diabetes diagnosis.
Along with diet and exercise, your pet’s management plan may include regular blood sugar tests and regular veterinary check-ups.
Pets with controlled diabetes will likely return to normal levels of thirst, appetite, urination and activity. Their weight will stabilize and they will be less likely to develop related complications or disease. Remember, your veterinarian is your greatest ally in managing your pet’s diabetes successfully!
For more info on diabetes in dogs, please visit the trusted petMD website – https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/endocrine/diabetes-dogs
For more info on diabetes in cats, please visit the trusted petMD website – https://www.petmd.com/cat/emergency/common-emergencies/e_ct_diabetes
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