Goya and the dog

"The parasol" , one of the paintings that remains at my granny's house. My mum brought it one day from the El Prado museum, a lithograph to decorate our small living room with an electric brasserie under the table.

I remember spending hours mesmerized at the smiles, the colors and the little black spot on the lady's skirt.....soon after, I was 4 years old probably,  I was able to be more assertive with my art admiration  and discovered that it was a dog! a dog!! that little thing looking like a "churro" (Spanish type of fried flour doughnut)
From the very same day that I discovered that that little thing at the bottom was a dog, my imagination went flying and had dreams of going for walks with that dog in the meadows of the peripheral San Isidro park in Madrid.
Every day for 10 years I admired the painting in the small living room, hearing the laughs of the couple and the barking of Perla the dog ...yes I named him as if he was mine.
So Perla or Perli, or Negrito, watched me with his lively eyes and silky coat under the Spanish sun, how I will do my homework and eat my afternoon snack.
I wanted to be the lady with the umbrella , I wanted to have Perli  sleeping placidly curled up in my long dress on a Sunday morning.
So I suppose that that dog was one of the first animals in my life, true, in a Goya's painting but I must say he has always been alive and barking in my dreams and in my mind.
Perli you will be glad to know now that I have become a vet!!

The incidence of certain chronic diseases in pets has skyrocketed up to 90 per cent in the past five years Banfield Pet Hospital points out spectacular increases in obesity and arthritis in dogs and cats

The prevalence of chronic diseases in pets has grown dramatically in recent years. The increase in longevity of pets in part thanks to the improved veterinary care that they receive puts them at the same level as people in this type of problems.

News on PRNewswire.com web highlights a publication done by the American company Banfield Pet Hospital of a study on how the incidence of chronic diseases in dogs and cats is evolving.

The State of Pet Health 2012 Report has been carried out on patient files from veterinary centres Bandfield Pet Hospital Network, with data collected since 2007. A total of 2 million dogs and almost 430,000 patients cats of the American Veterinary network have served to estimate the prevalence of overweight, arthritis, and chronic kidney, thyroid, and heart problems.

The Figures in that study are worrying: the number of overweight dogs has grown up to 37% since 2007, while that of cats has done so in a 90%! The prevalence of arthritis, the second chronic disease that is most spread, has increased a 38% in dogs and a 67% in cats in the last five years.

And data relating to the owners are, perhaps, more worrying, because according to the State of Pet Health 2012 Report only 36% of the owners of these  dogs and 28% of the cat owners say that they will take their pet to the vet to control these problems.

All chronic diseases studied are closely related: 40% dogs with arthritis are also overweight, as well as the 37% cats; 42% dogs and 40% of diabetic cats are overweight; 40%of dogs with high blood pressure are overweight; and 60% of dogs with hypothyroidism are also overweight.

Data on the increase in overweight and obesity in pets, which affects one of every five dogs or cats in United States correlate fairly well with the increase of this diseases amongst the citizens of that country, according to data that the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides. The 35.7%adult Americans are obese or suffer from overweight.

Prepare your pet for blood collection

Why is it important to prepare my pet for blood collection?

Having your pet properly prepared before blood collection helps to ensure that test results are as accurate and reliable as they can be. Sometimes abnormal test results say more about how the pet was prepared than about true illness. Having confidence in the results avoids unnecessary worry, and eliminates the need for repeat testing to verify the results.

For some special tests, specific preparations may be essential to the accuracy of the test. These may involve specific fasting periods, withdrawal of medication, or administration of medication. If special tests are planned, your veterinarian will provide the necessary details in before your appointment.

"You may be able to save valuable time and money by having your pet properly prepared before your visit."

Any routine visit from us may include collecting a blood sample; if your pet is not feeling well, it is even more likely that we  will recommend testing if we consider that by doing that it will provide us with invaluable information to get a diagnose. You may be able to save valuable time and money by having your pet properly prepared before our visit.

How do I prepare my pet for routine blood collection?

The first step is to fast your pet before the appointment. If possible, take food away (but not water) for 4 to 6 hours prior to the appointment. This allows the pet to clear fats from the bloodstream that may be present following eating. Fat in the blood stream (called lipemia) may interfere with some blood tests, making the results difficult to interpret.

Be sure the pet has access to water. Even mild dehydration may introduce changes in blood results, so keeping the pet well hydrated, especially in warm weather is important.

Avoid exercise or active play just prior to our visit, since either can introduce changes into blood test results. Try to keep your pet calm. This may be difficult if the pet is nervous or frightened. Handling your pet calmly and using a soothing tone of voice may help to reduce anxiety.

One of the advantages of choosing us as mobile vets is that blood samples are taken in the comfort of your home and that reduces the stress for your pet and provides a perfect calm situation for a more accurate diagnosis.

Cats and pregnant women

Many women that own a cat suffer an episode of anxiety when they get pregnant. Everyone "knows" that it is dangerous to have a cat at home because it can "pass something to you ". But it is not easy to get rid of a member of the family, right?

Doctors, obstetrician and many midwives recommend to get rid of the cat to prevent the spread of toxoplasmosis. This is because they want to err on the safe side. The truth is that, as they are not veterinarians, they do not know (or they don’t have to know) the life cycle of this parasite. Do you know why, if you ask your veterinarian, he or she is not going to contradict them? Because if she tells you that nothing will happen if you are pregnant and have a cat at home at the same time and then you acquire toxoplasmosis from eating poorly washed lettuce (which is infinitely easier than getting it from a cat) you won’t know, you’ll believe that it's been the cat and you will charge against the veterinarian if something happens to the baby.

This is what you need to know:

1. Toxoplasma  gondii is found mainly in the earth and is acquired only by mouth. A cat contracts toxoplasma through intake of meat infected (from a bird or mouse). A domestic cat that never goes out or hunts mice or birds would hardly get infected.

2. A cat that contracts toxoplasmosis only gets it once and after, he will be immunized for life and he will never get it again. The cat only can "catch" the toxoplasmosis the first time. It would be a big coincidence that that happens during your pregnancy although it can certainly happen.

3. How does toxoplasmosis pass from a cat to a human?

A cat that gets toxoplasmosis for the first time , therefore he is not immunized yet, and he  is expelling the parasite through faeces for fifteen to thirty days. He doesn’t shed the mature parasite but the oocysts (eggs of the parasite).  These oocysts hatch under very specific conditions of temperature and humidity for about 48 hours. Assuming that you leave the poop in the sandbox for such a long time and that, coincidentally, environmental conditions are adequate for the parasite and the eggs hatch, I must insist, that for humans to get infected, they must INGEST the parasite. It would be as simple as you removing the faeces every day and you thoroughly washing your hands afterwards. Or better yet, since you have an excuse, take advantage and ask somebody else to clean the sandbox.

4. You get the immunity to toxoplasmosis test done when you are pregnant because it is only dangerous if you acquire it for the first time during pregnancy. A recent study has determined that approximately 70% of beef and around 80% of game (deer, boar, etc) is infected with toxoplasmosis. This is why you are told not to eat ham, or chorizo or any mature meat unless it is cooked and to wash fruit and vegetables to eliminate the parasite and so that you won’t ingest it.

For a lot of people, a pet is a member of the family. The children who grow up with animals develop empathy, sociability and immunity to allergies. The first choice of many professionals to "get rid of him" is completely unfounded. Ask your veterinarian for information. If you avoid telling him that you're pregnant it will cost him less to be frank, and keep in mind that your vet doesn’t know the risks for human pregnancy like your obstetrician does. Ask your obstetrician about the risks to the foetus of contracting toxoplasmosis, but remember that he doesn’t  have to know the life cycle of the parasite. If you want to know more you can read the article on toxoplasmosis in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis.

Don't feel bad. Before making a decision, make sure you have all the information. Your cat is not guilty of the doctor’s ignorance to feline health.

Remember that the decision is always yours. Be sure that no one takes it for you.