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Healing & Alternative Health
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care:
Signs of the Aging Dog and Cat
(Part 2)
by Kathleen M. Carson, D.V.M |
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Last month I wrote my first column on the signs of aging in our companion animals. I emphasized that, with more knowledge of what to look for, we can catch a potential problem before it becomes serious. Prevention and/or early diagnosis are the names of the game with the older dog or cat!
Last month I started out with the eyes and ears. This month I’ll discuss other conditions having to do with the head, for I’m working from the front of the body to the back.
A problem frequently seen with geriatric dogs and cats is gum disease (gingivitis) and tartar (dental calculus). Of course, some animals unfortunately have lifelong problems with gingivitis and calculus; these only get worse with time and are pretty bad by the time the animal reaches his/her geriatric years. For most dogs and cats, however, these problems don’t show up until they’re older.
For some reason, the smaller breeds of dogs are more prone to having these problems than the larger breeds. This is also true of certain breeds of cats, like Siamese, Burmese, and Abyssinians.
The signs you should look for are: bad breath, red, raw edges to the gum near the tooth, gum recession (the gum edge has shrunken, exposing part of the tooth’s root), and the brownish hard deposits on the teeth which is the tartar or dental calculus. Animals seem to be able to eat with horrible-looking mouths, so you usually don’t see them acting as if eating is uncomfortable.
Dental disease is not only unpleasant and ugly to look at, but it poses a real health threat to your dog or cat. The inflammed tissues of the gum and tooth roots are a wonderful breeding ground for bacteria. With worsening disease, the infection gets into the blood stream, where it settles in the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs. This can lead to serious, even fatal, disease.
If you notice any of the above signs, it’s time for a trip to your veterinarian. Most dental problems can be taken care of by your regular veterinarian. However, if more expert care is needed, a veterinary dental specialist can now fill cavities, do root canals, and fashion crowns or bridges for their furry patients!
Older animals are also more prone to cancer, and one of the places this can strike is in the mouth. You should check your dog or cat’s mouth regularly for any growths or lumps. Other signs of an oral tumor are: difficulty eating (you may notice your animal making strange mouth movements when he/she eats), weight loss, drooling, bad breath, and, rarely, blood from the mouth. If you notice any or these, or anything unusual about your animal’s mouth, your veterinarian is the person to see.
While we’re talking about your animal’s head, problems of the brain are also seen in geriatric dogs and cats. The most common one is called Cognitive Disorder, ie, “senility”. Geriatric dogs and cats can’t forget where they put their car keys, but they certainly can suffer from memory loss, unfortunately including forgetting their housebreaking lessons; accidents in the house can occur for the first time since puppyhood or kittenhood. They also can act confused or disoriented, stare into space, or wander aimlessly. They may get “stuck” in a corner, seemingly unable to figure out how to turn around and get out. They may seem to not recognize familiar people and/or do not respond to familiar commands.
Their sleep patterns may also be disturbed. They usually sleep more than usual during the day but seem to suffer from insomnia at night, pacing aimlessly around the house.
If you see these or other unusual behavioral signs in your geriatric animal, a trip to your veterinarian is called for. If Cognitive Disorder is diagnosed, it now can be treated with medication and special diets. (If your vet is holistic, he/she may also employ acupuncture and supplements.)
Unfortunately, behavioral changes can also (much less commonly) be a sign of a brain tumor or stroke (cerebral vascular accident or CVA). Other signs of a brain tumor or CVA are seizures, weakness of a leg or legs, paralysis, pupils of different size, blindness, head tilt, or coma. Radiographs can’t be used to diagnose these conditions, for the brain is encased in the bony skull, which is impenetrable to X-rays. More sophisticated diagnostic methods like the MRI are needed. Response to the treatment of these conditions depends on the specific diagnosis and how severe the condition is.
There’s one last condition seen in geriatric dogs and cats which can be frightening to experience in your own animal, but usually it’s only a temporary condition. This is what’s called the Idiopathic Vestibular Syndrome (IVS). The signs of IVS are: head tilt, circling, falling over to one side or rolling, walking hugging the wall, and, occasionally, vomiting. In the very early stage of IVS you might also see a condition of the eyes called nystagmus, where the eyes rapidly go back and forth. This condition comes on all of a sudden. It obviously shares some symptoms with the more serious conditions discussed above, but IVS is usually temporary, resolving slowly over a period of a few weeks. It also is much more common than brain tumors or CVAs, so if you see the above signs in your geriatric animal, the chances are in your favor that they aren’t due to one of these more serious conditions.
The causes of Idiopathic Vestibular Syndrome are unknown (the word idiopathic means of unknown cause), but the symptoms come about from a problem with the inner ear, which has to do with balance. Patients with IVS are extremely dizzy. This is why they are unable to walk properly and are nauseous. We humans as kids reproduce these symptoms when we get in a swivel chair and turn round and round in a circle.
Again, if you see these symptoms in your animal, take him/her to your vet. Your vet will want to rule out the more serious, but rarer, conditions that could cause the same signs. Treatment is symptomatic (like anti-nausea drugs) and supportive (like intravenous fluids if your animal is dehydrated from vomiting).
As I stated above, most patients slowly recover completely over a period of a few weeks. Occasionally, there is a leftover persistent symptom like a head tilt or wobbliness.
I’ll continue with more signs of aging in the dog and cat next month.
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Dr. Kathleen Carson, DVM
Veterinarian & Author
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Dr. Carson received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California at Davis in 1968. She's been a small animal practitioner (dogs and cats ) for all the years since, except for a short stint at the San Diego Zoo when she first graduated.
She belongs to the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Since 1974 she's lived and practiced in the South Bay Area near Los Angeles. She started the area's first house call practice in 1976 and the first pet crisis/loss group in 1989. The human-animal bond is of special interest to her.
She started exploring complementary veterinary medicine in 1987. Her practice became 100% holistic in 1996. She utilizes acupuncture, herbs, supplements, Bach Flower Remedies, homeopathic remedies, nutrition and medications for her patients in her practice.
She's currently taking a leave of absence from her house call practice due to health reasons but continues to do phone consultations and to write.
E-mail:
Critterhlr@aol.com
website:
http://www.holistic
vetconsult.com
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