All Sewn Up

Animals eat the strangest things. I was perusing the patient board in the Critical Care Unit Sunday night and was surprised to read "FB needle". Fortunately I knew the code and realized that "Ozzy" had eaten a needle. What?!? I went to find "Ozzy" in his cage and found an adorable orange colored domestic short hair kitty resting quietly. Hanging on the side of his cage was a plastic bag with the needle and thread that had been recovered from his stomach during surgery.

I included the digital x-ray taken of "Ozzy" before surgery. If you look right in the center of the image the needle is clearly visible. Most likely "Ozzy" got to chewing on the string and pretty soon had the whole string and needle sliding right down his throat. Fortunately "Ozzy's" owners saw him ingest the needle and brought him to the hospital right away. A needle like this one could perforate the stomach or intestine and cause internal bleeding and infection. Or the needle could migrate to another part of the body and cause multiple other issues. "Ozzy" got lucky, this needle stayed right in the stomach and didn't cause any further damage. Most likely "Ozzy" will go home tomorrow and will recover just fine from this incident and hopefully he won't chew on anymore string, especially string attached to a needle.

Good luck, "Ozzy"!!

Wiley Coyote

We have the cutest Dachshund ever in our hospital. He has one brown eye and one blue and his tail has not stopped wagging since he arrived. He is wrapped up in bandages with a cute little penguin attached to the green wrap. Despite his wonderful personality it is plain to see that the poor little guy has had better days. Unfortunately, he is here because he was attacked by a coyote.

Coyote attacks on dogs and cats have become quite common in urban areas around the Denver area. If we were to average the number of cases we have seen in our Veterinary ER over a year we estimate that we see one coyote attacked dog or cat per week. Most of the cases we see are dogs with the unfortunate reality that cats are often taken by the coyote with no chance of recovery.

Injuries can range from minor abrasions and a couple puncture wounds to very serious lacerations and open chest cavity wounds depending on the severity of the attack. Fortunately, we have been fortunate and better than 90% of the cases have recovered from their injuries.

As winter wears on and breeding season starts the coyotes will be looking for food and may become more aggressive. There are precautions you can take to keep your animals safe if you know of coyote citings in your neighborhood.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has the following recommendations on their website:

• Keep pets on a leash when walking.
• Never allow your pets to "play" with a coyote.
• Pick up small pets if confronted by a coyote.
• Do what you can to discourage a coyote's approach - yell, stomp your feet, throw small rocks or sticks at it.
• Always supervise your pet when outside, especially at dawn and dusk.
• Never leave cats or dogs outside after dark.
• Don't leave food or water outside for pets.
• If you must leave your pet outside, secure it in a fully enclosed kennel.
• Keep your pets up to date on vaccinations.

For more information contact the Colorado Division of Wildlife by calling the main Customer Service # 303-297-1192 or go to the CDOW website for a listing of an office closer to your location.

The moral of the story...living with wildlife requires a bit of precaution.

Top 10 Human Medications that Poison Pets

Below is a list of the top 10 human medications most frequently ingested by pets, along with some tips from the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline on how to prevent pet poisoning from human medications. This list comes from calls received at Pet Poison Helpline.

1) NSAIDs (e.g. Advil, Aleve and Motrin)
Topping our Top 10 list are common household medications called non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), which include common names such as ibuprofen (e.g., Advil and some types of Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve). While these medications are safe for people, even one or two pills can cause serious harm to a pet. Dogs, cats, birds and other small mammals (ferrets, gerbils and hamsters) may develop serious stomach and intestinal ulcers as well as kidney failure.

2) Acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol)
One regular strength tablet of acetaminophen may cause damage to a cat's red blood cells, limiting their ability to carry oxygen. In dogs, acetaminophen leads to liver failure and, in large doses, red blood cell damage.

3) Antidepressants (e.g. Effexor, Cymbalta, Prozac, Lexapro)
While these antidepressant drugs are occasionally used in pets, overdoses can lead to serious neurological problems such as sedation, incoordination, tremors and seizures. Some antidepressants also have a stimulant effect leading to a dangerously elevated heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Pets, especially cats, seem to enjoy the taste of Effexor and often eat the entire pill. Unfortunately, just one pill can cause serious poisoning.

4) ADD/ADHD medications (e.g. Concerta, Adderall, Ritalin)
Medications used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder contain potent stimulants such as amphetamines and methylphenidate. Even minimal ingestions of these medications by pets can cause life-threatening tremors, seizures, elevated body temperatures and heart problems.

5) Benzodiazepines and sleep aids (e.g. Xanax, Klonopin, Ambien, Lunesta)
These medications are designed to reduce anxiety and help people sleep better. However, in pets, they may have the opposite effect. About half of the dogs who ingest sleep aids become agitated instead of sedate. In addition, these drugs may cause severe lethargy, incoordination (including walking "drunk"), and slowed breathing in pets. In cats, some forms of benzodiazepines can cause liver failure when ingested.

6) Birth control (e.g. estrogen, estradiol, progesterone)
Birth control pills often come in packages that dogs find irresistible. Thankfully, small ingestions of these medications typically do not cause trouble. However, large ingestions of estrogen and estradiol can cause bone marrow suppression, particularly in birds. Additionally, female pets that are intact (not spayed), are at an increased risk of side effects from estrogen poisoning.

7) ACE Inhibitors (e.g. Zestril, Altace)
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (or "ACE") inhibitors are commonly used to treat high blood pressure in people and, occasionally, pets. Though overdoses can cause low blood pressure, dizziness and weakness, this category of medication is typically quite safe. Pets ingesting small amounts of this medication can potentially be monitored at home, unless they have kidney failure or heart disease. All heart medications should be kept out of reach of pets.

8) Beta-blockers (e.g. Tenormin, Toprol, Coreg)
Beta-blockers are also used to treat high blood pressure but, unlike the ACE inhibitor, small ingestions of these drugs may cause serious poisoning in pets. Overdoses can cause life-threatening decreases in blood pressure and a very slow heart rate.

9) Thyroid hormones (e.g. Armour desiccated thyroid, Synthroid)
Pets - especially dogs - get underactive thyroids too. Interestingly, the dose of thyroid hormone needed to treat dogs is much higher than a person's dose. Therefore, if dogs accidentally get into thyroid hormones at home, it rarely results in problems. However, large acute overdoses in cats and dogs can cause muscle tremors, nervousness, panting, a rapid heart rate and aggression.

10) Cholesterol lowering agents (e.g. Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor)
These popular medications, often called "statins", are commonly used in the United States. While pets do not typically get high cholesterol, they may still get into the pill bottle. Thankfully, most "statin" ingestions only cause mild vomiting or diarrhea. Serious side effects from these drugs come with long-term use, not one-time ingestions.

Tips for Keeping "Lucky" Safe:

• Always keep medications safely out of reach and never administer a medication to a pet without first consulting your veterinarian.
• Never leave loose pills in a plastic zip bag - the bags are too easy to chew into. Make sure visiting house guests do the same, keeping their medications high up or out of reach.
• If you place your medication in a weekly pill container, make sure to store the container in a cabinet out of reach of your pets. Unfortunately, if they get a hold of it, some pets might consider the pill container a plastic chew toy.
• Never store your medications near your pet's medications - veterinarians frequently receive calls from concerned pet owners who inadvertently give their own medication to their pet.
• Hang your purse up. Inquisitive pets will explore the contents of your bag and simply placing your purse up and out of reach can help to avoid exposure to any potentially dangerous medication(s).
• It is also important to note that while a medication may be safe for children, it may not be safe for animals. Pets metabolize medications very differently from people. Even seemingly benign over-the-counter or herbal medications may cause serious poisoning in pets.

If your pet has ingested a human over-the-counter or prescription medication, please call your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline's 24-hour animal poison control center at (800) 213-6680 immediately.