Lumps and Bumps

As our pets age, they often develop a variety of lumps and bumps on their bodies.  Almost daily, I have clients that bring their aging pet in for examination and explanation for a bump/mass discovered on their pet.  These lumpy masses can be a variety of things, and without an examination and sometimes a biopsy I can never be entirely sure.  Because some of these bumps can be malignant cancerous tumors, they should not be ignored and you certainly should have your veterinarian check them out.  For the sake of brevity, I am going to limit today's veterinary medicine educational/informational post to Lipomas.  Mostly, because I just left surgery from removing one of these fatty masses from a nice little Schnauzer.


A lipoma is a soft, round, moveable lump or bump of fatty tissue under the skin. Because they do not cause pain, infection, or hair loss, they’re usually spotted by owners when petting or grooming their pets.

Lipomas are common in dogs and are seen occasionally cats. Lipomas are usually harmless. They grow slowly and stay in one place. The lipomas that tend to cause problems are the ones that are large, or that interfere with movement. (If the lipoma is in an area such as an armpit, it can hamper movement or become irritated by movement.)

lipoma

Lipomas occur more often in middle-aged dogs, overweight female dogs, and old cats, but some younger dogs can get lipomas. Dog breeds that are more likely to have these include cocker spaniels, dachshunds, poodles, and terriers. We don’t know what causes lipomas, but we do know that cats who have feline leukemia are a bit more likely to get lipomas than cats that do not.

Once a dog or cat has had a lipoma, it is likely to develop others. However, each new lump should be examined by your veterinarian to ensure that it is a lipoma and not a malignant growth.

Lipoma excised

Lipomas can be removed surgically. However, if your pet’s lipoma is only a cosmetic issue, your veterinarian will likely take a wait-and-watch approach. (Your veterinarian will check the lump on a regular basis to make sure it hasn’t changed.) The lipoma can be removed when your pet is scheduled for anesthesia for another issue. However, if the lipoma interferes with movement or is so large it’s irritating or bothering your pet, your veterinarian will probably recommend that the surgery be scheduled sooner rather than later.

On the lighter side (women will find this more humorous):  Several years ago, I was removing a rather large lipoma from the side of a dog.  These tumors are generally very round, and pliable (like above pic).  This tumor, once removed was approximately the nice of a B-cup silicone breast implant.  I am thinking...since human breast tissue is mostly adipose (fat) tissue...this lipoma would have made a nice sized implant!  Unfortunately, there was only one of them and I didn't want to be lop-sided!

Your Horses Health and Strangles

What do you know about Strangles aka Strep. equii?  Strangles has been described in veterinary literature as far back as 1251, yet it is still one of the most commonly diagnosed infectious disease in horses around the world.  It has been called strangles because in the course of the disease the lymph nodes enlarge and push the pharynx, larynx and/or trachea of the horse and causing them literally to strangle and die from asphyxia.

In our area of Southeast Kansas and this practice, the disease is not seen abundantly but it is seen.  It does seem to show it's ugly head in cycles; one year being diagnosed more than another.  It is also seen more often in horses that travel often to shows, rodeos, breeders and trainers.  A few years ago I diagnosed several cases where a horse had been to a trainer and brought back the disease to the rest of the herd.  There were also cases in horses that were pastured adjacent to the trainer facility.  In most cases, all of these horses were not vaccinated for the disease, nor did the trainer require vaccinations prior to horses being brought to their facility.

Clinical signs of strangles include a sudden fever (>103 degrees), followed by a cough, nasal discharge and acute swelling and abscesses of lymph nodes located just under the jaw neck.  Horses become depressed and go off feed.  The lymph glands are painful and swollen within one week after infection.  Eventually these lymph nodes can become so large that they rupture and drains to the outside and into the guttural pouch.  Nasal shedding of the bacteria begins 2-3 days after the onset of fever and persists for 2-3 weeks in most cases.

While horse to horse contact is a concern in contracting this bacteria, indirect transmission by way of contaminated equipment and humans handling these animals also plays an important role.  The bacteria can survive in the environment in dirt or on a fence, in a stall, horse trailer, tack, for up to a week and in water (buckets, troughs) for up to 30 days.  While contaminated objects in a horses environment can serve as a source of infection, the bacteria does not live in the soil forever.  It is the recovered horse that  serves as the primary source of infection for weeks, months and sometimes years after it's recovery.

Some horses following recovery from the disease become asymptomatic carriers, shedding the bacteria periodically.  This carrier state may result from either incomplete drainage of pus from the guttural pouches and/or sinuses.  These horses appear well, sometimes with reports from owners of occasional coughing or nasal discharge. This carrier state can persist for months or even years, and undetected by owners.  These quiet carriers are often the primary source of infection and explain how some farms have recurring problems with S. equi.

How do we control is disease?  Traditionally 4 weeks of quarantine, +/- negative nasal swabs.  Remember though, carriers shed the bacteria intermittently and can have a negative culture for weeks or months.  Endoscopic examination of your horse's guttural pouches (where the bacteria resides) along with cultures for the bacteria would be more diagnostic and is certainly recommended if your farm has had persistent problems with strangles.  Additionally a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test designed to detect DNA from the S. equi gene can be performed in conjunction with an endoscopic examination.

In order to limit the spread of strangles, it is important to recognize the disease early on and properly manage and segregate infected from uninfected horses.  Since each farm is different, your veterinarian is a key person to assess and help you manage an outbreak.  Of course it is best not to wait until you have a problem before you develop a plan for management.  Have your veterinarian inspect your premises, discuss with them your normal operations, so that a plan can be developed and ready to implement before you have a problem (emergency preparedness). Farms are often large enough so that a quarantine area can be set up apart from the main population, keeping sick from non-ill horses.

Besides quarantine, treatment and testing for carrier states following recovery, there are other steps that can help control an outbreak:

1. Movement of horses on and off affected premises should be stopped.  Segregate horses and implement hygiene practices immediately.
2. Rectal temperatures should be taken daily of all horses to help determine if new cases will develop.
3. Pastures where infected horses have been grazed should be rested for at least 4 weeks.
4. Implement a vaccination program
5. Work with your veterinarian.

As always, arm yourself with information and work with your veterinarian.  Working together as a team makes for one awesomely healthy horse!

News About Treating Heartworm Disease

Blogs come and go I am certain, but I am hoping there are a few out there that check me out on this blog occassionally.  Check my grammer and spelling, see what I have been up to, any cool cases, and hopefully check for some get advise about keeping your pets healthy.  So far, I haven't many followers, nor have I received any 'likes', comments, etc.  Just so that I don't feel totally down hearted or unappreciated I am humbly asking those of you that do come to check this blog out, please become a follower and please leave comments or input so that I know you are listening.  Meade is starting to think I am boring and unexciting.

So, what is this about Heartworm disease treatment?  I am going out on a limb here; I am going to assume  you know that heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos, heartworms live in heart and lungs and will lead to heart damage and congestive heart failure.  I am also going to assume you know that giving your dog one heartworm prevention pill every 30 days will prevent this from occurring and you should give these pills year round.  As a veterinarian, I would much rather prevent any disease than treat one.  Financially speaking it is more economical for you to think in this manner, and healthier for your dog.  However, there are many dog owner that do not use heartworm prevention, and sometimes we forget to give it (me included), leaving our dogs vulnerable to infection.   

The ACC tests approximately 300 dogs/year (not nearly as many as we would like seen done).  Of these 300 tested, approximately 10% (30 dogs) tested positive for heartworm disease.  Of these 30 dogs only 13% (4 dogs) received treatment to eliminate the worms from their heart, leaving the remaining 87% to live with their infection and eventually die from congestive heart failure.  

Treating heartworm disease has always been risky and expensive.  While the majority of dogs treated for heartworms tolerate the therapy well, the damage done to the heart is permanent and still leaves the dog at risk for congestive heart failure.  One very good reason to have your dog on year round prevention.  In 2010, Merial, the company that manufactures the drug (Immiticide) used for treating heartworm disease announced the active ingredient in the drug was no longer available and that Immiticide would be sold to veterinarians based greatest need.  This restriction has left many dogs untreated.  The manufacturing shortage has not been resolved.  This week I have received notice that we can no longer get Immiticide, stores have been depleted.  We do not know how long this problem will exist.  

There are some therapeutic measures that veterinarians can still implement.  However, we cannot treat our patients to eliminate the heartworms.  I encourage every dog owner to not only have their dogs tested (even if they are on prevention), but also have them tested and put on prevention.  I really dread telling any dog owner that their beloved family pet has heartworm disease and that I cannot cure them, I can only prevent further infection and hope that the Immiticide will become available again sometime in the near future.  As the saying goes, PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.  In this case, it is worth NO CURE.