New Year, New Goals!

Happy New Year everyone.

I hope that 2020 is going well so far. This year, I think all of us as pet owners should strive to do better for our pets. Here are some suggestions for ways to be a better pet owner.

1. Feed a better food. Food quality makes a huge difference in the health of your pet(s). Because of this, we should all try to feed a better food this year. That can mean different things for everyone. Feed a better kibble if that’s all your pet eats. Introduce wet food into your pet’s diet. Introduce fresh, homemade (make sure it’s balanced) or raw food. Just make sure to keep portions correct.

2. Help your pet lose weight. To go along with the previously mentioned suggestion of better food, make sure you are not feeding too much. Extra pounds make your pet more likely to have health problems so help them to get that extra weight off. Exercise, feed less, use lower calorie treats, etc.

3. Exercise and play more. If you have a dog, make sure to walk them as often as you can. Play with your pet(s) to make sure they get mental stimulation as well as exercise. You are your pet’s caretaker and are responsible for making sure they get to experience fun.

4. Take your dog to the vet on a regular basis. This one is important. Dogs in all places are at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, parasites, and other illnesses. The best way to protect your pet and get things diagnosed and treated is to regularly visit a vet.

5. BE A BETTER DOG OWNER. This one is specifically for dog owners. Frequently dog owners get a “bad rap” because of a small number of owners who ARE irresponsible. Because of these “bad” owners, dogs are frequently banned from public places and are prohibited from activities. Be better and do better. If you’re out in public with your dog, CLEAN UP after him or her. No, it’s not the most pleasant thing but it is YOUR dog and therefore YOUR responsibility. Teach your dog to have good manners and to be friendly. If your dog is not good with people or other dogs, etc. don’t bring them out in public. Follow the law and don’t let your dog off leash in areas with leash laws. Don’t let them run up to people without making sure it’s OK with the person first. I’m tired of seeing people who don’t do these things because honestly, it ruins things for all other dog owners (the responsible ones). If we want people to accept dogs and dog owners in public places then we need to make sure to be responsible.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy update after FDA update on 6/27/19

For anyone who has not read the June 27th update from the FDA on the dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) issue potentially related to dog food, here it is (along with the Vet-LIRN update from FDA):
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/science-research/vet-lirn-update-investigation-dilated-cardiomyopathy
Now, I am currently feeding Owen a food which doesn't have any legumes. I also use some wet foods as toppers and I avoid peas/lentils/legumes in them as well.
I read the entire report from FDA and even read all the reports that were submitted to FDA. I am honestly not completely sure what to make of the whole situation. There are reports of somewhere around 560 dogs (probably higher now but we don't know how much higher) that have DCM apparently linked to diet. However, as FDA says, there are over 77 million pet dogs in the U.S. so that is not a high percentage with DCM. There is the possibility, however, that there are many more affected that are not diagnosed because of the expense of diagnostic tests and/or owner lack-of-knowledge about the condition.
I am still of the opinion that this is a nutrient deficiency or a toxicity related to something in the food. I am not of the opinion that dogs NEED grains, because that simply doesn't make any sense from a biology perspective. I do think that we, as pet owners, should probably avoid foods that have peas/a lot of peas until we know more about the cause (which FDA still hasn't found). Based on the information that FDA provided, I do not believe potatoes are an issue at all.
I still find it very odd and interesting/telling that cats are not really affected by this (there have been a VERY few cases but not significant at all). I believe that this fact suggests that it is a nutrient deficiency related to an amino acid that is either not in sufficient quantities in the food or not being absorbed for some reason. The reason I think it may be an amino acid deficiency is that cat foods are nearly all supplemented with more amino acids than dog food is because cats have a very high requirement.
If you read the necropsy reports from FDA, they found fat accumulation around the heart of many of the affected dogs. This makes ME wonder/speculate if it might be related to carnitine, an amino acid. Carnitine is required for fatty acid metabolism and there are scientific articles that state that without carnitine in sufficient quantity fat will build up in the body in various places. Cat foods are more likely to be supplemented with carnitine (and other amino acids) than dog food. In addition, the amino acid lysine is the precursor to carnitine (it must be present in the diet in sufficient quantity for the body to make carnitine). Lysine is easily broken down in the production of dry food. A reaction known as the Maillard reaction occurs, which causes the irreversible binding of lysine with sugars/starches in kibble and, therefore, renders the lysine unavailable to the pet.
In any case, I am currently avoiding peas/lentils/legumes in Owen's food (I'm still feeding my cats Blue Wilderness and have no plans to change) and am considering changing his food to one that completely removes peas (I'm currently considering Dr. Tims and Farmina with me leaning towards the Dr. Tims).

If you have any concerns about your pet(s), PLEASE see a veterinarian.

A strange "bump" on Owen

DISCLAIMERS: I am NOT a veterinarian (I am a veterinary student, but have not finished school yet) so do not take my advice as that of a veterinarian! As always, consult your veterinarian for any concerns you may have about your pet(s).
Also, there are photos below of a skin lesion that might be gross to some people so read below if that's OK with you. 

Around the first of the year I bathed Owen (he gets regular baths) and, when I did, I noticed a bump on his left shoulder that had not been there before. It didn't seem to be bothering him, but was about the size of a small pea. I was somewhat concerned at that time but thought that maybe he had scratched himself or something so waited on it to heal.
I continued to watch the spot and, when it didn't go away by the 16th of January, I decided to take some pictures of it to document what it looked like and how large it was so I could monitor it more easily since at that point, I didn't think it was a wound. By this date, it was slightly larger (the size of a small button). Here is what it looked like on that day (16 of January).

January 16 2019 "Bump" on Owen

January 16 2019 "bump" on Owen

At that point, I decided to start trying to figure out what this bump was (being a veterinary student, I had access to good information to do so). I fairly easily discovered that it was likely either a mast cell tumor (VERY concerning as they are malignant) or a histiocytoma (MUCH less concerning). To learn more about histiocytomas, go here. Given Owen's age (3, almost 4 years old), and the location (front limb), I was leaning towards it being a histiocytoma (a benign skin tumor) but wanted to document size and characteristics just to be sure. I decided to wait to take him to the vet (knowing that he was going to be going in March for his annual heartworm test anyway so if it didn't go away, I could get it seen about at that time), monitor, and see if it went away since histiocytomas usually go away within 3 months.
Here's what it looked like on the 28th of January.

January 28th "bump" on Owen

January 28th "bump" on Owen

At this point, I was fairly convinced that it was indeed a histiocytoma as it wasn't growing rapidly like mast cell tumors often do, nor was it extremely itchy for Owen (it was maybe slightly itchy but not like I've seen dogs with mast cell tumors deal with). I continued to watch it and around February 12th, noticed that it was scabbed over and felt smaller. Here's what it looked like on that date.

February 12 "bump" on Owen

Between this time and now, it scabbed over a couple of times, each time getting smaller and smaller as the scabs peeled off. Now, the hair is starting to grow back in and the area is flat again. Here's what it looks like today, March 12th.

March 12 "bump" is gone!

So, given the progress and timeline of this "bump", I believe that it was a histiocytoma. Can I prove it? No, because I didn't subject Owen to a biopsy of the lesion. However, this is the most likely condition to behave like this and the signalment fits (Owen is young, the lesion was on his forelimb, it came up rapidly, it regressed within 3 months). The cause of histiocytomas is not known. However, it is thought to be induced by an immune reaction of some kind. Owen already has allergies so maybe that made him more prone to developing it. Who knows. The good thing is that it is gone and, hopefully, won't come back!