The Amazon Rainforest offers a healthy alternative to harsh chemicals for flea and tick control.

Would you like to offer your pet a healthy defense against fleas?

Mica took a one way trip to the vet

We took Mica to the vet after 2 weeks of watching him suffer.  While he waited for the vet; he looked into our eyes lovingly, and purred.  We were blessed with 19 years with him.  Until just recently, he was playful. 

Mica had to go to the vet today

A sore on his mouth has been diagnosed as a cyst.  It is very uncomfortable and thus he is loosing weight, as it is difficult for him to eat.  A shot of fluids and a shot for the infection; and he seemed to improve right away. 

Early Detection of Symptoms of Cushings Disease

I know I am guilty of hoping a symptom will go away on its own, and sometimes wait too long until the problem becomes difficult to treat.  Dr. Becker recommends proactive action to keep the symptoms of Cushings disease to a minimum....

Needless to say, identifying pre-Cushing’s syndrome early – or at least ensuring that your pet has a reduced likelihood of acquiring Cushing’s disease – is, hands down, the best approach.

My recommendation is for you to be proactive and check your pet’s ALP on an annual basis. Address it if you notice that the ALP is climbing. Do a screening test, a UCC, or CIALP to determine if your pet is indeed overproducing cortisol. Through this, you’re better able to manage the condition before your pet has fully developed Cushing’s disease, which is pretty difficult to manage.

Always remember that you shouldn’t ignore symptoms. If your dogs have consistent (even minor) symptoms, then it’s absolutely worth investigating endocrine or adrenal disease as a contributing factor to why your pet has symptoms that are concerning for you.

Blood testing is important to identify Cushings disease

In a continuation about Cushings disease; Dr. Becker explains the importance of blood testing to determine what is going on in your dog.  It is a difficult disease to identify.  

The Importance of Blood Testing

I think it’s important for you to ask for a copy when you have annual blood work done on your dog. I would show the blood work to the pet owners and say, “Look, your dog has had ALP elevation for two or three years,” and their answer would be, “Why didn’t my veterinarian tell me?”

Unfortunately, many reactive veterinarians simply won’t address Cushing’s disease until all of the symptoms are there, or until you begin telling him or her about the symptoms: “My dog’s peeing in the house,” “My dog’s hair is falling out,” or “My dog’s incontinent at night in bed.”

Oftentimes once you start complaining, your veterinarian starts digging. But if you want to be proactive in preventing this disease from occurring, you need to be asking for copies of blood work and why every single blood work value is not balanced or correct.

Your veterinarian needs to partner with you to be able to identify if your dog is at risk of having pre-Cushing’s symptoms, or indeed already cushingoid. So if the ALP value is already elevated in your dog’s blood work, you need to ask your veterinarian if this could be the start of Cushing’s disease.

The diagnosis of Cushing’s disease is difficult. Typically it’s with the blood test. There are two blood tests that many veterinarians will do.

An ACTH stem test is a two-part blood draw that veterinarians will do to diagnose Cushing’s disease, along with a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test. Both of those are two-part – sometimes three-part – blood draws that compare the cortisol levels in your pets’ bodies to be able to make a consistent diagnosis of Cushing’s disease.

After Cushing’s disease has been diagnosed, your veterinarian will want to determine if it’s indeed adrenal or pituitary dependent. In my opinion, the best way to rule out an adrenal tumor is non-invasive ultrasound. Some veterinarians prefer to do a secondary blood test called a high-dose dexamethasone suppression test.

It is important to have a definitive diagnosis of Cushing’s and what type, either adrenal or pituitary dependent. This way, your vet will be able to offer you treatment options to the best of his or her ability.

symptoms of Cushings disease

Your pet may have some or many of the symptoms of Cushings disease because the way cortisol affects the body is diverse.  It is best to get to a vet early for an assessment.  Read on to get informed about a disease that is often not identified.  The post comes from Dr. Mercola's pet section of his health website which is lead by Dr. Becker:

Because cortisol is such a diverse hormone, there’s a whole host of diverse symptoms. Not all dogs that acquire Cushing’s disease have all symptoms. Honestly, unless you or vet have waited to the bitter end to make the diagnosis, most dogs have only two or three in the long list of symptoms.

The symptoms we see commonly with dogs that are beginning the Cushing’s process is that they tend to drink more, urinate more (can include incontinence in the house), pant more, and gain weight. Even if you reduce calories in their food, they tend to have a potbellied appearance, a big, swollen abdomen. You can see thinning skin, hair loss and, in many cases, change in the pigment of the skin. If your dog used to have a pink belly, she now has a gray one or even black skin.

Oftentimes, your dog can become irritable or restless. We’ve seen some animals develop bruising. There are some rare symptoms like rear limb weakness, as well as blood clots that can be associated with Cushing’s disease.

But because the syndrome is so diverse -- every part of your pet’s body literally has a cortisol receptor -- sometimes the immunosuppressive aspect of Cushing’s disease is what ultimately brings you to the veterinarian.

So if your pet has a recurrent urinary tract infection that he or she can’t get rid of – along with one or two of the other symptoms like thin skin or failing to gain weight – you have to think about asking your veterinarian about Cushing’s disease.In my practice, the number one reason I see Cushing’s patients being referred in is for misdiagnosis of liver disease. Because the liver has to process all this extra cortisol circulating in your pet’s body, your pet’s liver enzymes tend to increase – not only the liver’s specific enzyme ALT, but a secondary induced liver enzyme called alkaline phosphatase (ALP) tends to elevate when animals begin developing Cushing’s disease.

Pet Insurance Directory|Pet Insurance Discounts

This is a really helpful site:  Pet Insurance Directory|Pet Insurance Discounts

Frozen Pet Foods Can Lead To Acidemia

 – Tissue degradation and oxidation under high heat freezing (above 29° F), which occurs along the supply chain with RF pet products also leads to acidification. Increasing acid consumption can contribute to acidemia that lies at the base of virtually every chronic degenerative disease plaguing modern pets. (See references below.)

Frozen Pet Products Are Not Inert To Degradation

– In frozen storage there is deterioration in organoleptic quality – meat texture, fat turning granular and crumbly, and discoloration. Microbial enzymes also remain active, especially lipases that break down fats increasing their susceptibility to oxidation.

Dangers of raw pet foods: Freezer Burn Indicates A More Serious Problem

– Air reaching the meat surface is the cause for the freezer burns that result in the typical grayish-brown leathery spots. Frozen water on the surface or just beneath it sublimates (from solid state directly to vapor) into the air, causing moisture to be lost from the meat over time resulting in discoloration and a dry, leathery texture. Proper pet food packaging helps maintain quality and prevent freezer burn, however most packaging is permeable to air. The prevalence of freezer burn in RF pet products speaks to the fact that the product is being oxidized and with that creating free radical toxins to lay the seeds for various degenerative diseases.

Display Packaging Causes Free Radicals

– Light, as well as air, can promote free radical production. Retail display pet packaging that is clear or light permeable permits light to catalyze the free radical (disease promoting) process.

Sensible Dental Care of Our Pets' Teeth

Statistics indicate that up to 80% of dogs and cats over the age of 3 years have some degree of periodontal disease. Maintaining a healthy mouth is essential to your pet’s wellness. Most pet guardians want to do their best to keep their fur-buddies healthy but accurate information regarding pet dental care can be difficult to find.

An appropriate, affordable, doable answer to pet dental care