Dr. Mitchell Kornet
BRRR! It’s Cold Out There: Winter Tips For Your Dog
Published January 20, 2012 | 
Just like people, pets can find winter weather both invigorating and challenging at different times. Watching a dog frolick in fresh powdery snow is a heartwarming sight that reminds all of us how much fun winter can be. Unfortunately, the cold and snow of winter can be responsible for a variety of problems that occur in our pets.
Many pet owners ask me for advice when considering winter hazards and maladies. It is important to use common sense when you are out outdoors with your pet. Pets get cold just like we do and the temperature, wind and precipitation all factor into their comfort. Your dog should be healthy to spend time in harsh weather and you should have your dog checked by a veterinarian if you have any health questions.
Do dogs need coats in the winter? It seems that pet boutiques selling outerwear are opening all over the country. Sweaters made of all materials and shapes are the raging fashion in some cities. Although some owners want their dogs to be as fashionable as they are, most dogs do not need coats. Many dogs have been bred to work in the winter and their long coats and foot pads prevent injury. Some of these heavy coated breeds thrive in the winter and seem to be less active during hot summer days. Can you imagine an Alaskan sled dog wearing a coat and boots? I don’t think that they would be able to pull their sleds too far with that kind of dress.
Walking in the streets of Manhattan I have seen many small dogs wearing coats in 40 degree F weather. I can say with certainty that the coats are not comfortable for these dogs. I would only consider a coat necessary in short coated breeds on the coldest and windiest day. If you go outside with your Greyhound or Whippet and you find the cold biting, a coat would be appropriate. But any healthy long coated breed doesn’t need one.
To help you decide if a coat is necessary watch the reaction of your dog when he goes outside on a cold day. If he is walking with you and seems happy, then he doesn’t need a coat. If your dog goes outside and starts to shiver and refuses to walk, try a coat and see if he is more comfortable outside.
Snow presents another challenge. Ice can get trapped between the toes of dogs and cause discomfort. Also snow melting salt can cause irritation between the toes. After a walk in the snow it’s always a good idea to check the feet of your dogs. If ice is present gently remove it. If your dog has walked through melted ice, dry their feet and rinse them off with warm water.
Dogs can slip on the ice and injure themselves. I see more torn ligaments, lacerations, and even toenails ripped off during snowstorms. It’s a good idea to keep your dog close to you and on a leash in the snow. If you live in a wide open section of the country away from traffic your dog would love running in a field, but make sure that he is well trained and will come back to you when called. Dogs can get lost and run away if not trained properly and it can be very difficult to track a runaway dog in the snow.
Before long spring will be upon us, but until then winter can be a great time to have fun and bond with your dog. Remember to use common sense and good judgment and you and your pet will enjoy fun times in the cold weather.
Holiday Hazards
Published December 1, 2011 | With the holidays coming soon, our pets sometimes get less attention than usual. Lots of guests and extra activities take us away from our normal activities, and without our watchful eyes, our furry friends can sometimes get into trouble.
Holiday decorations can attract pets of all ages. Pets see new objects around the house as their new toys. Shiny lights and ornaments can be a magnet to any playful pet. Streamers, tinsel, and ornaments can be grabbed and seen as opportunities for endless hours of enjoyable play time. Unfortunately these objects could be ingested and at best cause mild abdominal pain and at worst cause an obstruction. New electrical wires around the house can be seen as new chew toys and pet chewing through a wire could be severely burned or even electrocuted.
With the extra traffic in your house, make sure that no one steps on your pet. Fractured bones, especially in small dogs and cats, can happen when pet gets underfoot. Make your guests aware that your special friend is close by.
There are many opportunities for our pets to eat foods that they typically don’t ingest. Sometimes they are stealthy hunters and forage for dropped food under tables and sometimes they can be aggressive and look for an opportunity to pounce on a table and have a great meal when no one is looking. I once treated a dog who grabbed an uncooked turkey when his owner turned her back to answer a telephone. By the end of the conversation, the owner had to run out and get a new turkey for her soon to be arriving guests. Other than the annoyance of destructive behavior, eating raw meat can be as dangerous for animals as it is for us. Salmonella and E. coli infections can be transmitted to animals and severe or even deadly infections can occur.
Sometimes our guests think that they are being kind to our pets when they give them some of their own foods. But they may unwittingly be feeding toxic foods. Grapes, raisins, onions and chocolate can be deadly. Many people are surprised to learn that avocado and macadamia nuts can cause very serious problems. Even some cakes and cookies with the artificial sweetener xylitol can cause blood sugar and liver problems. It’s important to tell your guests not to “sneak” anything to your pets
New holiday plants are definitely an attraction for pets. There’s a wide variety of plants that we get as presents. Most pets might chew on a leaf or two but I rarely see serious problems from eating plants. Years ago we were warned that the common holiday plant poinsettia was poisonous but it turns out that it really doesn’t do much harm. One plant that has emerged as a serious toxin is the Easter Lily. Cats eating Easter Lilies can develop deadly kidney failure.
Finally, I have seen too many pets escape out of a house when guests come in or out and get hit by cars. We have to be vigilant to prevent our pets from running away when our doors are opened.
Pets are an important part of our lives and the holidays are a fun time to spend with them. It’s very important that as pet owners we are cautious and alert and watch for any unexpected hazards during our celebrations.
Hyperthyroidism In Cats
Published October 14, 2011 | About 35 years ago veterinarians started seeing cats that were losing weight but had voracious appetites. The cats were all over 8 years old and were in good health otherwise. Veterinarians performed thorough physical examinations, blood tests, stool analysis and radiographic examinations and all results were negative. In the past, cats with these signs had either worms or diabetes. The diagnosis to this new condition was elusive.
Then one day an astute veterinarian was carefully feeling the neck of a cat and he felt a small lump right were the thyroid gland is. Could this be the source of the new constellation of symptoms? A simple thyroid test was run, and to everyone’s surprise the levels were elevated, and a new disease in cats was discovered. It is called hyperthyroidism.
Luckily hyperthyroidism is usually caused by a benign tumor of the thyroid gland. No one knows why this condition suddenly occurred. There are many theories, but iodine levels in the food have been implicated.
In 1979, I remember a professor in veterinary college showing me how to feel for enlarged thyroid glands in cats. When I graduated and went into practice I was so excited when I saw my first case. I gathered all of my colleagues and was thrilled to teach them about this new condition. Unfortunately hyperthyroidism does much more to the body than cause an excessive appetite and weight loss. The thyroid helps control the metabolism and high levels of thyroid hormone can cause high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease. Left untreated, hyperthyroidism will cause problems that lead to death.
In the early days, treatment consisted of giving medication three times daily. Eventually a surgical procedure to remove the affected thyroid gland was perfected. Unfortunately, both methods of treatment had side effects. Not all cats could tolerate the medication and sometimes fatal blood or liver problems occurred. The surgery was difficult because surgeons had to preserve the tiny parathyroid gland which sits on the thyroid. If all of the parathyroid tissue was lost during surgery cats lose the ability to control their calcium levels. Low calcium causes seizures and even death.
In recent years radioactive iodine treatment has been developed. An injection is given and the radioactive iodine travels to the thyroid gland and destroys all of the tissue. The only disadvantage of this treatment is that the treatment has to be done in a specialized facility and cats have to be hospitalized isolated away from you for three to five days. Recently a new food has been developed to treat hyperthyroidism. The food has low iodine levels and therefore lowers the amount of thyroid hormone the body can make. Some veterinarians question the long term safety of this food. We will watch the research carefully and after a few years we will know if the new food is the best treatment for hyperthyroidism.
For cat owners, it’s important to take your cat to your veterinarian yearly for checkups. Your veterinarian can feel for an enlarged thyroid gland and take a blood test for high thyroid levels. It’s important for you to observe any changes in your cats eating habits or weight. Cats that develop hyperthyroidism can lead normal lives and have a normal lifespan if treated early.
It’s Allergy Time!
Published September 15, 2011 | As the summer winds down, many people seem to be rubbing their eyes and blotting them with tissues. It’s a sad time of the year for many because we know that winter is coming, but these people aren’t crying. They have seasonal allergies and they are struggling with itchy eyes, running noses, and constant sneezing.
Unfortunately our pets are not immune to the affects of allergies and many dogs and cats suffer the way we do. What’s remarkably different in pets is that sneezing and itchy eyes are not typically signs of allergies. Most often pets lick, bite, and scratch their skin when they are allergic. The areas that seem to be the most sensitive are the feet, armpits, face and around the rectum. Sometimes the only manifestation of an allergy is incessant scratching of the ears. The ears can become red, become swollen, develop a discharge and then get infected.
Allergies develop because pollen given off by trees, flowers, grasses and weeds are either inhaled or absorbed by the by the skin and eyes. The body sees the pollen as a foreign substance and uses its immune system to isolate and get rid of the invader. Sometimes the immune system becomes overactive and releases substances such as histamines that cause all of the allergic signs.
Luckily there are many things that you can do to keep your pet comfortable during the allergy season. Your veterinarian will do a physical examination and make sure that other conditions aren’t causing the signs of allergies. Sometimes fleas, mites, and bacterial or fungal infections can cause signs similar to allergies. On occasion infections can be caused by allergies and need to be treated.
If allergy symptoms are seasonal, there are several medications that can be given on a short term basis. By far the most effective treatment is prednisone or other cortisone like drugs. These medications give immediate relief and can safely be used for one or two weeks. We don’t like to use prednisone long term because of side effects. Antihistamines, which help people with allergies, unfortunately do not work as well in animals. Only 18% of dogs respond well to antihistamines, but they are certainly worth a trial if the allergies last longer than a few weeks.
When allergies are manifested for months or even become nonseasonal, a medication called cyclosporine can be given. This medication mutes the allergic response with minimal side effects. One disadvantage of cyclosporine is high cost, especially in large animals.
Sometimes allergies that are difficult to control require allergy testing and the formulation of an allergy vaccine. Either skin testing (scratch test) or a blood test is taken to find what the patient is allergic to. Once the offending allergens are identified an injectable vaccine is made which your veterinarian can teach you to administer.
Recently it has been learned that pollen can be absorbed by the skin and constant exposure can occur when the pollen lands on your pet. An effective way to reduce this type of exposure is bathing. It’s safe to bathe your pet several times each week to help keep him or her comfortable.
Luckily veterinarians have learned so much about allergies in pets, and through different treatment modalities you can keep your best friend comfortable.
Heat Stroke in Animals
Published July 15, 2011 | Summer is here! Along with some of the fun activities that we do with our pets, come some dangers. One of the most serious conditions that we see in the summer is heat stroke.
Unlike people, dogs and cats do not sweat. While heat stroke is rare in cats, it is seen commonly in dogs. Pets primarily release excess heat through panting. On very hot days, pets that do not have the ability dissipate their heat can develop temperatures in excess of 106 degrees F. Very high temperatures cause metabolic disturbances that could cause body functions to shut down and have catastrophic consequences.
There are several predisposing factors that can lead to heat stroke. First, obesity can lead to heat stroke because overweight dogs do not have the ability expel as much heat through panting as thin dogs. Also brachycephalic dogs, dogs with pushed in faces such as pugs, have naturally occurring upper airway obstructions, which prevents effective heat loss through panting. Some larger dogs develop laryngeal paralysis which also prevents heat loss. Dogs with laryngeal paralysis develop very noisy breathing especially when active.
Signs of heat stroke include panting, drooling, agitation, vomiting and diarrhea early in the course of the disease. Later on severe breathing problems, blue gums and tongue, seizures and collapse can occur.
If you suspect that your pet has heat stroke try to take a rectal temperature. Normal temperatures in dogs and cats are up to 102.8 F. If your pet is in distress and the temperature is above 104 F start treatment immediately. Either immerse your pet in cool water in a bath tub or simply use a garden hose to saturate his coat. Ice water is not good to use because it causes the blood vessels in the skin to constrict which prevents heat loss.
Once you have started the cooling process immediately call your veterinarian. Emergency measures must be taken to prevent severe metabolic problems. Your veterinarian will likely take blood tests and put your dog on intravenous fluids. Several days of hospitalization might be necessary.
One of the most common causes of heat stroke in cats is getting trapped in a clothes dryer. Cats love to crawl into containers, so never turn your dryer on without looking inside.
Awareness of the dangers of high temperatures can help prevent a catastrophe and prevention is the best way to avoid heat stroke. Never leave your dog in a car, even for a few minutes. Heat stroke can happen almost instantaneously even with the windows open. On very hot days, limit outside activity. Keep your pets in a cool room inside your house. Air conditioned rooms are best, but many times a fan will suffice. Have adequate water available and if your pet has to be outdoors, make sure that there is shade available. Watch old, obese pets especially carefully to make sure that they are comfortable. Summertime is a wonderful time of the year – as long as the weather is not too oppressive, you can enjoy it safely with your pet.
Cruciate Ligament Injuries
Published June 8, 2011 | I frequently examine dogs with acute hind limb lameness. The typical history is the dog was playing outside and then suddenly cried out in pain. Refusal to put any weight on the limb is common. If the owner waits a few days the dog will start to bare weight on the limb, but continues to be lame.
A thorough physical examination by your veterinarian usually reveals a sensitive knee. Many knees are swollen with fluid, but sometimes there’s no swelling at all. Your veterinarian will feel the knee and check for instability. If there is a type of instability called a cranial drawer sign the diagnosis of a turn cruciate ligament is made.
There are two cruciate ligaments in a dog’s knee, the cranial (forward) and caudal (backward) ligaments. They function in stabilizing the knee during activity. The most common injury is a tear of the cranial ligament. The ligament can tear from a traumatic injury such as being hit by a car, but the most common reason for the tear is from degeneration. Just using the leg repeatedly can cause the ligament to fray and just suddenly tear. 
It seems that some breeds of dogs are more prone to tearing their ligaments than others. We see torn cruciate ligaments in Labrador retrievers, Rottweilers and Pit Bull Terriers frequently, but we rarely see them in Collies or Greyhounds. There clearly is a hereditary component to this disease.
Treatment of a torn cruciate ligament is complicated. Dogs less than 30 pounds can sometimes return to full function without surgery, but larger dogs always need a surgical procedure. There are many methods to stabilize the joint and the method chosen by the surgeon frequently depends on the size of the dog. The torn ligament is always destroyed so surgeons cannot repair it. Sometimes the surgeon will use strong suture material or even the dog’s own tissue to replace the function of the ligament and prevent the instability. On very large dogs, surgeons do a procedure called a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy to prevent the instability. This is a complicated procedure that changes the angle of the tibia to prevent the drawer motion. Typically the tibia is cut and then reattached with a metal plate to attain stabilization.
After surgery, activity must be strictly curtailed for several weeks and then activity gradually increased over several months. Some form of physical therapy is always helpful to shorten the recuperation.
I think that it is really hard to prevent torn cruciate ligaments. Genetically predisposed dogs should be kept in good physical condition with special attention to obesity. Overweight dogs put more pressure on their knees with every step, and any way to decrease the load on a knee is helpful. Unfortunately dogs that tear a ligament on one knee are prone to tearing their ligaments on the other knee. The good news is that the success rate for surgery is over 90% and most dogs recover enough to live a happy, pain- free life.
Heartworm Disease in Dogs
Published May 2, 2011 | 
Heartworm disease is a parasite that dogs can contract after being bitten by a mosquito. I have always found the method of transmission and the development of heartworm disease in dogs fascinating. Heartworm disease can be treated, but luckily there is a very easy way to prevent the condition by administering medication monthly.
The only way for a dog to contract heartworm disease is to be bitten by a mosquito. Five months after a mosquito bite, a worm migrates to the heart and can cause deadly consequences. A mosquito that bites an infected dog incubates the larval stage of the heartworm and then bites another dog. If the dog is not on preventative medication the worm goes into the tissue under the skin to develop. During its development over three to four months, the worm migrates through the tissue and somehow ends up in the pulmonary artery of the heart and in the right side of the heart.
The consequences of having these worms in the heart are severe. Early in the course of the disease there could be no signs of illness, but as the disease becomes chronic dogs can become weak, cough, spit up blood, and even develop heart failure.
There is a way to treat heartworm disease, but the therapy itself can be very toxic. Veterinarians inject a medication that slowly kills the worms. The drug is actually related to arsenic, which can have severe side effects. Generally a veterinarian will give two or three injections over the course of a month to your dog. It is very important to enforce strict rest for four to six weeks.
The good news is that there is an easy way to prevent heartworm disease. Administration of a medication monthly will kill the worms while they are still in the tissue under the skin. The worm never has a chance to migrate to the heart and cause damage. The medication is available in pill form or in a liquid that can be applied to the skin between the shoulder blades monthly. Your dog should have a yearly blood test, and if it is negative, monthly therapy should be administered year round. One benefit of giving the medication is that it also prevents many intestinal parasites that can be dangerous to dogs.
So heartworm disease is clearly a condition where prevention is so important. Because of the efficacy of today’s preventatives, no dog should ever develop heartworm disease. Luckily almost all of my patients take the monthly preventative, and I rarely see the disease.
How Pets Tell You They Don’t Feel Well
Published March 28, 2011 | 
A frequent question asked by people is “How can you tell if a pet is sick?” Pet owners wonder how I can figure out what’s wrong without their pet telling me what’s hurting. Of course pets can’t talk, but one thing they are really good at is communicating. Pets let you know when they are not feeling well; it’s up to owners and veterinarians to figure out what they are trying to tell us.
Coughing, sneezing or a runny nose can be your pet’s way of telling you something isn’t right. Also lameness, whether just limping or not putting any weight on a limb, lets you know that something hurts. Pets do not have to cry out in pain to be uncomfortable.
The first sign of illness is a change in daily routines by your pet. Appetite changes are sometimes the first sign of illness. If your pet loves to eat, but suddenly isn’t interested in food, many times he is ill. Sometimes a pet will only eat table food and ignore his regular diet. I equate this to when I’m sick and have a fever. If you give me a choice of a plate of chocolate cake or steamed broccoli I will always choose the chocolate cake. I’m still sick, but I’ll eat only something that tastes very good. The same thing happens to pets when they are not well. They will only eat something that is really enticing. A pet with a selective appetite could have a fever, nausea, abdominal pain or even some sort of emotional stress. Many times people bring their inappetent pets to me because they think they might have a toothache. They naturally assume that lack of appetite is due to mouth pain. That does happen occasionally, but usually lack of appetite indicates another illness.
Older cats sometimes develop a voracious appetite and lose weight at the same time. Many pet owners think that their pets have worms, but most many cats with these signs actually have an overactive thyroid. Cats in particular can get a smelly voluminous stool if they have a thyroid problem and dogs can have pancreatic problems when there is a change in bowel habits. Parasites can always be a culprit. If the change persists for more than a week it should be check out.
Other signs of illness include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst or excessive urinating. If your pet has a change in bowel movement, i.e. schedule, volume, smell, etc, that could also be indicative of illness but many times it’s not a problem. Pets get diabetes just like people do, and it’s so important for pet owners to get their pets to a veterinarian before there are serious complications.
When you pet your dog or cat, feel the ribs and spine. If all of a sudden your pet feels very boney, have your doctor do a physical exam. Although some older pet lose muscle mass when they age, weight loss could indicate a more serious illness. Blood tests, radiographs (Xrays), and ultrasound examinations help to identify any illnesses.
As I said earlier, pets can’t talk but they are able to communicate. No one knows their pet better than you, so if you see something that looks unusual, have your veterinarian do an examination.
A Frequent Question: “Why is my pet vomiting?”
Published March 10, 2011 | 
One of the most frequent complaints I treat in my office is vomiting. Vomiting can be caused by viruses, illnesses such as kidney and liver disease and eating objects that are not made to be edible. Sometimes the objects that pets eat just irritate the stomach and sometimes they actually get stuck in the gastrointestinal tract.
I am going to describe some of the things that pets swallow and the trouble that they could cause. Over the 31 years that I have been a veterinarian, I have removed a variety of objects from the stomach and intestines of dogs, cats, and even ferrets.
Two weeks ago, a cute two year old Labrador retriever named Noodles came to my office because he wasn’t feeling well. It’s very important for pet owners to give the veterinarian a good medical history and luckily Noodles’ owner told us that he “got into the garbage” two day ago.
The dog hadn’t eaten since and was vomiting. Whenever a young dog comes into my office vomiting, especially when it’s a retriever, I suspect that the dog could have what can be called a dietary indiscretion. I carefully felt Noodle’s abdomen and felt a firm area in the intestines which was painful to him. I took an x-ray and saw the telltale sign of an object that wasn’t normal. It was circular and had the appearance of a pinwheel. Since I had seen x-rays that looked like this in the past, I asked the owner if she had corn on the cob recently. I had hit the jackpot. Now I was certain that Noodles had an intestinal obstruction. Noodles was then immediately taken to surgery, the corncob was removed, and we nursed him back to health over the next two days. We sent Noodles’ owner home with instructions to “dog proof” her house.
Over the years I have removed pieces of carpet, peach pits, balls, chew toys and a variety of objects from the gastrointestinal tract of pets. Once I even removed a sewing needle with the thread still attached from the stomach of a cat!
The lesson of Noodle’s story is that any pet can swallow anything, and it’s so important for pet owners to make sure that their special buddies don’t get into trouble. If they can reach it, they can eat it…