Prolapsed gland of the third eyelid, or cherry eye as it is sometimes known. Image by Joel Mills (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikipedia.
A nice six-year-old Labrador with a history of possible trauma, complete forelimb muscle atrophy and proprioceptive deficits was brought to see me.
Radial paralysis was high up on the list of differentials, but the poor chap had not shown any response to conservative management.
I noticed it had mild anisocoria, slight ptosis and third eyelid prolapse, indicating the less obvious Horner’s syndrome. A bell rang in my mind of a case I recalled seeing as a student – it revealed itself to be indicative of a brachial plexus injury/tumour.
Severe otitis externa in a four year old cocker spaniel. The ear canal is inflamed and swollen shut, and ceruminous exudate is present. Image by Joel Mills [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons.As a general guideline, 5-10 drops (depending on the dog’s size) of topical antimicrobial agent should be applied to the ear twice daily, but in cases with ruptured tympanic membranes, all topically applied antibiotics are potentially ototoxic.
When the tympanic membrane is not intact or its patency is unknown, pet owners must be warned of potential adverse reactions. However, such cases are rare, and the benefits of topical antibiotics outweigh the risk of ototoxicity.
In acute Pseudomonas otitis cases, first-line topical antibiotics include neomycin, polymyxin and gentamicin.
Cases that fail to respond to initial therapy or cases of chronic Pseudomonas otitis call for second-line topical antibiotics such as tobramycin, amikacin, enrofloxacin, ticarcillin and silver sulfadiazine.
In these circumstances, presoaking the ear canal with Tris-EDTA enhances the activity of the subsequently applied topical antibiotic. Tris-EDTA disrupts the cell membranes of gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas species, allowing the antibiotics to permeate the bacteria and work more effectively.
Yorkie’s retained deciduous or baby fangs, circled in red. Both lower permanent fangs did not grow right underneath the baby fangs. Photo by Socknye [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.A common abnormality in canine dentition is retention of deciduous teeth.
This occurs when the permanent tooth bud does not grow immediately beneath the deciduous tooth, and therefore does not cause the roots of the deciduous tooth to be resorbed.
A retained tooth can cause the permanent tooth to erupt in an abnormal position or cause other types of problems, such as crowding, which may lead to debris accumulation between the teeth and greater plaque stagnation.
In these cases, the retained tooth should be extracted.
American cocker spaniels with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are often taurine deficient and responsive to taurine and carnitine supplementation.
Whereas myocardial function does not return to normal in most cocker spaniels treated with taurine and carnitine, it can improve enough to allow discontinuation of cardiovascular drug therapy (furosemide, digoxin and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) and to maintain a normal quality of life for months to years.
AHT investigations are ongoing at five UK sites: Sandringham Estate and Thetford Forest in Norfolk, Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, and Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk.
Seasonal Canine Illness (SCI) is associated with dogs that have been walked in wooded areas or parkland during the autumn months.
SCI was first reported in 2010 and is thought to be caused by harvest mites. Cases are characterised by lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea, pain and rapid unconsciousness.
More than 300 cases have been reported to the Animal Health Trust (AHT) study with 16 deaths, but many more cases are likely to have gone unrecorded.
The AHT recommend owners should spray the underside of the dog with fipronil before walks. However, treatment with fipronil pipettes, applying drops to the back of the neck, are NOT thought to be effective.
Large and giant breeds, including great Danes, Labrador retrievers, Newfoundlands, rottweilers, Bernese mountain dogs, English setters and old English sheepdogs are predisposed to OCD.
OCD is a cartilage problem that affects young large and giant breed dogs. It is due to several factors including genetics, trauma, rapid growth and nutrition.
The owner of any large breed puppy should be warned about the risks of OCD and advised on how to minimise development of the condition. Puppies should not be exercised on hard surfaces or allowed to jump or run downstairs until they are skeletally mature.
They should be fed on large breed puppy food, which has the correct calcium/phosphorous ratio to promote correct development of cartilage and bone.
This is fine so long as they’re not going to the extent of babying them (a common trait among young women with teacup Chihuahuas, dare I say?) and so long as, like children, the owners remember:
