Rabies cases (updated June '10) - The state veterinarians office has reported a confirmed rabies case in a stray cat in New Iberia.  One person was exposed to the cat.  This episode underscores the importance of rabies vaccination in our pets, as they have the most contact with animals outside of the home.  Also, many people feed feral animals as a humanitarian act.  While this is kind, one must realize that these animals are not likely to respond to handling well.  Bite incidences must be treated as possibly involving rabies as these animals are often not able to be found after the bite to be put into quarantine.   If you have a cat or cats that you feed, use the utmost caution to protect yourself from bites.  If these strays come to you as youngsters that can be handled, consider getting a rabies vaccination for the animal.

A second case was confirmed May 2010 in Lafayette in a stray dog found wandering in an apartment complex.  They have had to try and identify any people exposed to the dog by canvasing the neighborhood.

Vetsulin problems (updated June '10): The FDA has reported problems with stability in Vetsulin insulin, used in many diabetic dogs and cats (and actually, was considered one of the better insulins in pets).   Unfortunately, changing insulins is not easily done, so our recommendation for now is to check the expiration dates of your insulin.  Any Vetsulin within 6 months of expiration should not be used as the older insulins seem to be more problematic. 

As you get within 1-2 weeks of finishing your current insulin, contact the hospital.  We are now out of Vetsulin and have been told that there will be no more shipments.   We will need to schedule a regular or phone appointment to go over the options and choose a new insulin for your pet.   Cats will be changed to a human product, Glargine.  Dogs will also have to be changed to a human product, NPH.  Be aware that the syringes you have for Vetsulin WILL NOT measure human U-100 insulin correctly.  U-100 syringes will have to be used.  To be safe, we recommend disposing of the old U-40 syringes to prevent mix-ups.

If your pet is on Vetsulin, it will not be if your pet needs to change insulins, but when, as our stock is now depleted.  We regret the inconvenience, but your pet will have to be re-regulated on the new insulin.  There is no formula for switching a pet on, say, 20 units of Vetsulin twice daily to "X" amount of a different insulin.  We have a standard starting dose, and proceed as we did before with re-checks until the pet is regulated.  This is due to each insulin being engineered to peak at different times, and any single insulin can have different effects on different pets. 

Again, we regret the inconvenience this unexpected turn of events will cause, and stand ready to help you get your pet changed over to a new insulin. 


Jan 2010 Iverheart Recall: Virbac Animal Health has issued recalls on two lots of Iverheart Plus, a generic version of Heargard heartworm prevention.  We do not sell the generic version of this medication, but some clients purchase it from internet pharmacies. 

The affected lots are 090093 and 090095.  The medication in these lots will not cause illness in a pet, but it does not contain enough active ingredient to prevent heartworms.  Please call the office if your pet is currently on one of these affected lots so that we may plan a heartworm check in 3 months.

Summer Time Health Alerts:

Summer time has its own set of hazards, and in Louisiana, the heat is involved in most of them:

1) HEAT STROKE.  Remember that dogs don't sweat (except at their paws) to cool - they drop their body temperature by breathing in cool outside air and exhale warm air.  When the weather is excessively hot, a hot dog (no pun intended!) is breathing in almost equally hot air.  Therefore, no significant drop in temperature occurs, leading to heat stroke.  We also see pad burns in pets who jog with their pets on hot pavement.  Some of the most severe heat stroke cases are from a pet being left in the car.  Within 10 minutes a car's air temperature can exceed 115 degrees.  Once a pet's core body temperature reaches 107 and above, permanent heat damage to organs can cause fatal injury, even in the face of aggressive treatment.   If you discover a pet suffering from heat stroke, soak them in water before transporting to start the cooling process.

     In horses, their large body mass produces more heat than their skin surface can sweat off.  Any situation where the temperature and the humidity add up to greater than 180 (for instance, 90 degrees in 95% humidity) can be harmful to horses being exercised or worked hard for more than 15 minutes.  If a horse must be worked, try keeping the activity to early mornings or late evenings, and when at horse shows, use large quantities of cool water to hose  your horse after its event.  It has been shown that hosing a hot horse does not cause "tying up" and that type of cooling was used extensively at the Atlanta and subsequent Olympics to allow horses to compete in hot weather.

2) SNAKE BITES.  Warm weather brings out hibernating snakes.  All pets, especially dogs, can be too curious when it comes to investigating a snake in their yard.  Most bites will show 2 bleeding puncture wounds, but also just severe, rapidly progressing swelling.  Most bites we see are on the face or legs/paws.  Most snake bite cases can be sucessfully managed if we see the pet right away.  Left untreated, pets become very painful and can experience shock.  Also, large areas of tissue in the bite area can slough, making surgery necessary.  A large deposite of venom in a small pet can be fatal.

3) HIT BY CAR.  With children out of school and playing in the neighborhood, many pets, especially dogs, find their way onto the streets.  Stress to your family the importance of closing doors and gates to prevent this often heartbreaking problem. 

4) CRAWFISH and BBQ.  We know how to eat in south Louisiana!  Unfortunately, our pets suffer sometimes severe illnesses when they partake of fatty or spicy foods that they are not used to.  Be sure to keep your pet away from these foods and the trashcans containing bones and peels.