Giving your pet medication can be trying enough for any pet owner; however, when the only medication available to administer is a liquid medication and when you’re the only one home to administer it you can find yourself in a little bit of a bind to say the least…most times you’ll find yourself covered in pet meds while swearing that your dog is snickering at you from the corner of the room. Never fear, though, there is a way to administer your pet’s medication without all the scuffle that usually occurs around medicine time!

1. While your dog is standing, straddle his back and take his muzzle in your hand with the medication dropper in the other hand (if you have another person available you can have them hold your dog’s muzzle, just remember not to hold too tight!)

2. Without forcing your dog’s mouth open carefully squirt his medication in the space between his teeth and his cheek on one side of his mouth.

3. Making sure you keep your dog’s jaw closed slowly tilt his head backwards just slightly (tilting his head too far can not only choke him but it can cause confusion for him as well)

4. Stroke your dog’s throat to encourage swallowing of the medication just as you would with solid pills (some people recommend blowing on the nose to encourage swallowing; however, for Jet this just encourages sneezing so we don’t use this method)

* Sometimes your dog will get wise to your plan and cough out the medicine you have just administered, if he does this take a few minutes to reassure him that he’s going to be just fine and then try again.*

Below you will find a list of pharmaceuticals which are commonly prescribed to dogs and an in depth description of each drug, it’s uses, interactions and cautions. These links are provided courtesy of marvistavet.com

With a new increase in breakouts of Leptospirosis you may find yourself wondering exactly what Leptospirosis is, especially when your vet recommends that you vaccinate your dog for it. Just last year Jet’s vet recommended we begin him on a course of vaccinations for Leptospirosis as there had been some recent outbreaks of the disease in our local area, of course I consented to the vaccine but I also came home and found out everything I could about the disease we were vaccinating against as well.

What is Leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is a disease which affects a variety of animals as well as humans, there are a variety of strains of Leptospirosis which tend to host in different animals depending on the strain. Unfortunately for you and your dog all of the strains of Leptospirosis that are currently identified are able to exist in both humans and dogs even if the disease’s primary host is neither the human or the dog (Canicola and Bataviae are the two strains hosted primarily in dogs, there are no strains which host primarily in humans at this time.)

Leptospirosis enters through mucous membranes and once they have found their way in to your bloodstream they will multiply extremely rapidly. After multiplying in your bloodstream the Leptospirosis organisms travel to your organs and main bodily systems, as the body fights the infection Leptospiral organisms will be killed off; however, many times it takes months to remove all of the organisms from the kidney and liver causing severe damage to the organs. Damage to bodily organs will vary depending on the age and health of the individual affected by the Leptospirosis organism as well as the particular strain of leptospirosis that has attacked the host. As with most diseases Laptospirosis can prove to be fatal in young or senior animals and humans who have newer or weakened immune system responses.

How is Leptospirosis transmitted?

Unfortunately there are numerous ways of transmitting this disease from animal to animal but the most common forms of disease transmission include: urine, venereal contact, mother to pup via the placenta, consumption of infected animals, overcrowding of living quarters, contaminated food and water, contaminated bedding and stagnant or slow moving water (this is why you see an increase of infection around lakeside areas or areas prone to flooding).

When is the most popular time for Leptospirosis infection?

The Leptospirosis disease organisms severely dislike the cold and as a result you are much more likely to find Leptospirosis outbreaks in the spring, summer and fall than you are in the winter unless you live in warmer climates.

What are the symptoms of Leptospirosis?

A dog with Leptospirosis can exhibit a variety of different symptoms, the most common of which include: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, not eating food, increased thirst or dehydration, jaundice, unwillingness to move due to pain and aching, shivering, hypothermia, and in extreme cases renal or liver failure and death.

How do I know if my dog has Leptospirosis?

Your vet will be able to determine if your dog is infected with Leptospirosis by performing a blood test. Blood tests may remain negative for Leptospirosis for up to a week following the initial infection so often times multiple blood tests must be performed to determine a diagnosis of Leptospirosis. Dogs who have previously received vaccinations for Leptospirosis strains can have abnormal test results when tested for Leptospirosis so always keep this in mind when having your dog tested for a potential manifestation of Leptospirosis.

How do I cure Leptospirosis?

The first line of defense when tackling a Leptospirosis manifestation is to replenish fluids that have been lost due to symptoms, secondly initiation of antibiotics to attack the Leptospirosis organisms – multiple varieties of antibiotics may be used depending on what stage of infection and what strain of infection has hosted itself in your dog. after the initiation of antibiotic treatment your vet may suggest other medications to address other symptoms which have arisen due to the Leptospiral organisms.

So I can prevent it with a vaccine?

The vaccines that exist for Leptospirosis are only effective against certain strains of Leptospirosis and even with vaccination against one strain you and your dog are still susceptible to a varying strain of the disease. The current vaccines that exist to protect against Leptospirosis are currently only effective against the Canicola (primarily hosted by dogs) and icterohaemorrhagiae (primarily hosted by rats) strains. Vaccination has decreased the occurrence of these two strains; however, the incidence of other strains of Leptospirosis has increased.

What should I know?

Trust your vet, if there has been a recent outbreak of a Leptospirosis strain in your local area and your vet suggests a vaccination for your dog do your research but also trust your vet, it’s primarily your job to protect your dog but there are times when our vets are more informed on local situations that affect our pets than we are. You should also be aware that protecting your dog is also protecting your household, since all of the Leptospirosis strains are contractible by humans keeping your dog vaccinated help you to keep the disease from entering your household. If your dog becomes infected with a Leptospirosis organism try to keep your dog out of direct contact with younger family members and begin a vet recommended antibiotic treatment as soon as possible to help prevent contagion of the disease.

Steroids are a class of medication that are often prescribed by human doctors and vets alike for a variety of conditions. Unfortunately, much like antibiotics, steroids are often over prescribed and the side effects are rarely explained to humans or pet owners. While steroids often present as a cure all type of drug, the reality is that they very often create far more problems than they could ever resolve especially in our pets.

Steroids are most often prescribed for inflammation and for allergic reaction; however, they have a wide range of uses in all medical fields. Steroids work by suppressing the reactions of the body to infection or inflammation giving the impression that they are working; however by mimicking the adrenal gland and suppressing the bodies natural reaction there is a great chance that negative side effects will present.

Some noted side effects of steroid use in your dog include:

Increased thirst – This will diminish as the dose of steroids decreases; however, be aware that due to increased thirst your dog will need to use the bathroom more.

Lack of bladder control – Due to how steroids affect the body your dog may be unable to control his bladder.

Increased risk of infection – Steroids often leave your dog’s body at risk for infection both in the bladder and elsewhere in the body.

Panting

Irritability

Insomnmia

Mood Changes

Diabetes

Depression

Reduction in bone mass

Cataracts

Vision loss

Stunting of growth in younger dogs

Weight Gain

Cushing’s Disease – Long term use of steroids can result in over production of cortisol by your dog’s body, this is called Cushing’s Disease.

Wasting away of muscle

Hyperglycemia

Liver Damage – This occurs most often in dogs prescribed prolonged doses of steroids or steroids of high amounts over a period of time.

Adrenal Gland Damage – This also occurs from prolonged doses of steroids as well as higher doses of steroids.

There are occasions when steroids are the only resource for an illness or reaction; however, they should always be your last resource. If steroids are the last line of defense always make sure that the lowest possible doses are used and for the least amount of time possible.