Bayside Animal Hospital’s Winter 2008

Paws & Claws News

Dr. William N. Spofford, DVMDr. Cynthia L. Gosser, DVM

Dr. Barbara Bell, DVMDr. Candice Andrews, DVM

Save 10% on dental cleaning for your pet in

February!

National Pet DentalMonth is February What would happen if we didn’t brush our teeth for a week, month or even a year??? Eventually we would begin to form cavities, which would lead to tooth decay. The same is not true for our pets. Unfortunately for our four legged friends, this could mean more than just missing teeth. FACT: Less than 10% of dental problems are caused from tooth decay. The majority of our pet’s problems are caused from periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is the inflammation or infection of tissues surrounding the tooth. Dental disease is the most common disease in dogs and cats, however most pets show very few signs, leaving it up to us to uncover this hidden and often painful condition. A quick lift of your pet’s lip can show you if

there is a problem. Once you identify the problem we can begin to solve it.

WHAT’S INVOLVED IN A PROFESSIONAL DENTAL CLEANING?Unlike you or me, our pets will unfortunately not tolerate a dental cleaning while awake. To ensure the health of your pet, a preliminary screening of blood work is checked before

undergoing anesthesia. This will let us know if it is safe to continue with the procedure as normal, or if special requirements are necessary. During a dental cleaning, your pet’s teeth and gums are thoroughly examined to determine the condition of the teeth and if any extractions are necessary. A high speed ultrasonic scaler is then used to remove the existing tartar both above and below the gum line. The teeth are then polished to help prevent subsequent plaque build-up. Finally, medications are prescribed for at home use after a dental; these

often include antibiotics and pain relievers and are determined based on the condition of the mouth. Before:

After:

Guess who’s back?Bulldogs are back in the top 10 most popular dog breeds.

The top 9 are:1. Labrador Retriever2. Yorkshire Terrier3. German Shepherd4. Golden Retriever5. Beagle6. Boxer7. Dachshund8. Poodle9. Shih Tzu

Did you know?

Most Bulldogs cannot swim.

They are almost always born via Cesarean Section?

Famous Bulldog owners include George Clooney and Adam Sandler.

University of Georgia’s mascot is always of course the Bulldog (currently “Uga VI”, son of previous Uga V, etc).

The affected eye was unsalvageable and would have to be removed

A Home for Colby…a Very Special Cat.

This is the story of a stray kitten now known as “Colby”. Colby was brought to Bayside Animal Hospital last November by a nice young lady who had found him crying and alone near a creek. She couldn’t keep him, but she could see that this little kitten was very sick and needed medical attention.

He arrived at our hospital malnourished and dehydrated. We estimated him to be only 4 or 5 weeks old. He had a respiratory virus so severe that his face was completely crusted over. His right eye had ulcerated and ruptured from the infection. The affected eye was unsalvageable and would have to be removed once he was big enough and healthy enough to survive the surgery. Sadly, there is a very effective vaccination against this severe type of respiratory virus (the tri-annual FVRCP vaccine that most pet kittens and cats receive), but his mother was likely an unvaccinated stray.

Colby’s problems didn’t end there. He was so heavily parasitized internally with roundworms and coccidia that he had uncontrollable diarrhea. He had external parasites as well-including ear mites and fleas

The odds were stacked against this little kitten, but he had such a will to live that we just had to give him a chance at life. After several weeks of treatment with antibiotics, immune-stimulants, de-worming, ear mite treatment, and flea treatment… Colby finally began to look like a normal kitten! By Christmas he was strong enough and big enough that we decided it was time to address the eye. Surgery came off without a hitch. He recovered nicely and even looked cute afterwards…like he was perpetually winking at us!

One would think this was the end of Colby’s story, but not so. Just when we thought it was safe to find him a home we noticed some crusting on his ears. We suspected a contagious type of skin fungus commonly called “ringworm”. By the time a culture had confirmed our suspicions, Colby was covered in it. This meant another month of hospitalization for Colby, twice daily ointment and medicated baths twice a week.

Call it destiny or luck or just good timing, but during much of Colby’s treatment we

had a lovely lady (we’ll call her “Mrs. L”) in the hospital frequently visiting her sick cat. She took an interest in Colby, and eventually decided that he would make a nice addition to her family! On January 25th, after spending most of his short life in a cage receiving various and assorted medications, Colby finally left for his forever home. Congratulations to Colby, a kitten who has already used up about 8 of his 9 lives, and to Mrs. L-our heroine!What’s the difference between

FROGS and TOADS?

Frogs usually have smooth skin and long legs for leaping. Most toads have lumpy skin and move their short, thick bodies about by crawling. Frogs and toads are both amphibians.

What’s the difference between ALLIGATORS and CROCODILES? Crocodiles have longer, more pointed snouts than alligators. Crocodiles also have one very large tooth sticking up on each side when they close their mouths. Alligators and crocodiles are both reptiles.

What’s the difference between MONKEYS and APES?

The big difference between these animals is that monkeys have long tails, but apes don’t have tails at all. There are lots of different

kinds of monkeys, but the only apes are gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and gibbons.

What’s the difference between RABBITS and HARES?Hares have longer legs and ears than rabbits. Their whiskers are longer, too. Unlike helpless rabbit babies, Hare babies are

born ready to go.

Toby: A Very Interesting Case and A Very Fishy Tale

Toby H. arrived at our hospital on December 3, 2007 with a large (6-7 inch), painful swollen lump under his neck. He had a putrid fish smell to his coat. No punctures or wounds were seen, but Toby was running a fever of 104.1 F. He was holding his neck as if he was stiff and sore and he had not eaten well that day.

X-rays (right) were taken of Toby’s neck and a small bone-like object was seen

between the trachea and carotid artery; a very dangerous location! Toby was stabilized in the hospital overnight with IV fluids, IV antibiotics and pain medications, and surgery was scheduled for the next day.

Surgery was performed the following morning to explore the swelling and hopefully locate and remove the bone that was lodged deep in Toby’s neck. General anesthesia was performed with aggressive patient monitoring for safety. After removing and flushing 1-2 cups of foul smelling pus and dead tissue

from the area (an abscess had formed in the neck) the small bone was located and gently extracted. The “bone” (see picture) turned out to be a total mystery. With the help of an inquisitive client the “bone” was finally identified as a barb/spine from a Bull Nose Ray that Toby had apparently eaten. The serrations on the barb caused the bone to perforate through Toby’s esophagus and lodge dangerously close to the large

blood vessels and nerves of the neck.

Toby went on to make a full recovery in the next 3-4 weeks despite a few minor setbacks and is living comfortably at home in the Neck District of Dorchester County.

www.baysideanimalhospital.com 410-228-1447

Open 7:30am-7pm Mon. to Fri.8am-1pm Saturday.

Save 10% on Dental Cleaning for your pet in

February

Bayside Animal Hospital, Inc.2933 Ocean GatewayCambridge, MD 21613(410) 228-1447

Bayside Animal Hospital Proudly Welcomes Dr. Candice Andrews to Our Family

By mid- February there will be a new face among our staff, ready to provide the special care you have come to expect here at Bayside. Dr. Andrews is a local girl who received her undergraduate degree from Salisbury University, and her doctoral degree from The Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. She resides in Easton with son Thomas and husband John. Her pets include 3 dogs (Sweetie, Kyle and Asher) and 2 cats (Aida and Timmy). We look forward to her arrival.

NEED A REFILL ON HEARTWORM OR FLEA PRENTATIVE? Call us and we’ll put it in the mail for the cost of postage only (usually less than $1) or call and tell us to have it at our drive thru window for you.

PRSRT STDUS Postage

PAIDCambridge, MDPermit No. 37

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