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Articles, Videos, & Training on Pets & Veterinary Medicine

Andy Roark DVM MS

5 Tips for Controlling Pain in Pets

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Is your furry friend in pain? In this episode of Cone of Shame, Dr. Andy Roark reveals medication-free steps you can take at home to manage pain in pets. While these tips do not take the place of a visit with your trusted veterinarian, they can help your pet to be more comfortable.

1. Weight Control

 

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2. Hot/Cold Therapy

 

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3. Acupuncture

 

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4. Stress management

 

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5. Physical therapy

 

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Want to learn more about managing pain in pets?

Watch the full episode of Cone of Shame below. Be sure to subscribe on YouTube to discover more about caring for your pet.

Danielle K. Lambert Archer headshotDanielle is a veterinary practice manager and the founder of SnoutSchool.com, a website dedicated to teaching veterinary hospitals to use social media effectively. You can get her 5 favorite social media tools here, or follow her on social media to see excessive photos of her Brussels Griffon. She’s @DanielleSnout on Snapchat, Instagram & Twitter.

This Grateful Great Dane Story Will Make Your Day

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We all have those patients we can’t forget. @DrZclimbing shared a story on Instagram about a Great Dane that (eventually) became grateful for a live-saving surgery.

“I have a wonderful 2-year-old Great Dane that was seen for a twisted spleen at the emergency center and had a rough recovery.”

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“He spent several days being hospitalized with intensive critical care. I would spend time throughout the day, giving his medications and consoling him.”

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“He made a full recovery and came back in for post-op check a week later. (He) was back to his happy self, wagging tail in full-force, giving the staff many slobbery wet kisses.”

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“As I entered the room to say hi to him, I saw a look of panic overtake his face as if to say, ‘Oh hell no.’ He instantly turned and booked it away from me.”

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“We’ve since made up! 😂”

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Do you have a favorite patient?

Tell us in the comments below, or follow the @DrAndyRoark Instagram for your chance to be featured in a feature article.

5 Reasons to Adopt a Senior Pet

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To celebrate Adopt a Senior Pet Month, we asked the @DrAndyRoark Instagram followers to share why they believe in adopting senior pets. Here’s what they had to say:

1. “I love senior pets because they always get more adorable with their gray hairs. Like Richard Gere.” @redheadvettech

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2. “Adopting a senior saves you from the puppy teething stage!” -@teeaeff

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3. “Despite all their aches and pains, they are so happy to get up and go every single day!” – @taterpugz

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4. “Because their love has gotten me through the most difficult times.” – @bric239

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5. “(They) may become the best, most loving, most appreciative short term commitment of your life.” -@jedikittie

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What do YOU love about senior pets?

Tell us in the comments below, and be sure to follow the @DrAndyRoark Instagram for your chance to be featured on a future post!

Danielle K. Lambert Archer headshotDanielle is a veterinary practice manager and the founder of SnoutSchool.com, a website dedicated to teaching veterinary hospitals to use social media effectively. You can get her 5 favorite social media tools here, or follow her on social media to see excessive photos of her Brussels Griffon. She’s @DanielleSnout on Snapchat, Instagram & Twitter.

The Truth About Pumpkin, The Internet’s Favorite Cure-All

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It’s a wonderful time of year! The air is crisp, the leaves are starting to change color, and you can get a PSL (a pumpkin spice latte for those of you not on the band wagon) wherever you go! So, what better time to discuss pumpkin for pets.

For years, canned pumpkin has been recommended by veterinarians and technicians as an excellent source of fiber. Unfortunately, canned pumpkin just isn’t a concentrated source of fiber. And to set the record straight, the purpose of this article isn’t to make anyone feel bad about prior pumpkin recommendations. We have all, “Been there. Done that.” However, we do need to make a shift toward recommendations based on nutrition facts.

pumpkinSo let’s start right now and focus on some nutrition facts about canned pumpkin. In 100 grams of canned pumpkin there are:

  • Less than 3 grams of fiber!!!
  • Slightly more than 3 grams of sugar
  • About 1 gram of protein
  • Negligible amounts of fat
  • And a whole lot of moisture (water)!

Now you are probably wondering, if canned pumpkin is so low in fiber, why does it help some constipated pets? Constipation (i.e. dry, hard, feces that are hard to pass) often responds to increased moisture, so because pumpkin is 90% water, this may be why a particular pet’s feces have slightly improved with the addition of pumpkin.

However, if a pet truly needs more fiber, there are some better options to consider than adding canned pumpkin on top of the diet:

  • Canned foods: If the pet will benefit from both increased moisture and increased fiber, canned foods are a great option. A complete and balanced canned diet typically provides 70-75% moisture, and variable levels of soluble and insoluble fibers, depending on the product. Check the company’s product guide or contact the company directly to find out how much fiber is in their canned products. Be sure you know how much fiber the pet is currently eating so that you can ensure the diet you recommend is truly an increase in fiber.
  • Dry foods: If the pet requires a fiber trial, but does not need increased water intake, you can select a complete and balanced dry food with variable levels of soluble and insoluble fibers. Again, check the company’s product guide or contact the company directly to find out how much fiber is in their dry products. Keep the pet’s current fiber consumption in mind so that you can ensure the diet you recommend is truly an increase in fiber.

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IMPORTANT POINTS:

  • Nutritional Assessment: To figure out what diet to select for your patient, it’s imperative that the veterinary team performs a nutritional assessment. This should be performed on every patient, at every single visit.
  • Trial and Error Process: It’s incredibly important to explain to the pet owner that a fiber trial is exactly that, a trial and error process. It may take several trials on different foods, with different fiber sources, and different amounts of fiber, to determine which diet the pet does best on. Set this expectation early on!
  • Poop calendar: Give the pet owner a fecal scoring system (several scales exist) and have them document the number of bowel movements per day and the corresponding ‘poop scores’ on a small calendar. This helps you see trends over time when you recheck the patient. It also prevents your inbox from being filled with poop photos!
  • Hydration: Ensure pets always have access to fresh, clean water when adding fiber to the diet and ensure that the pet is able to maintain normal hydration.
  • Review the product guide: Remember some veterinary diets have contraindications that need to be taken seriously. Always review the most up to date product guide or contact the company before making a nutritional recommendation.
  • Adding fiber with human foods/supplements: This option may be used if there is not a complete and balanced diet available that works for the patient and therefore human foods/supplements are added on top of a complete and balanced diet.
  • The 10% rule: The challenge here is ensuring less than 10% of the pet’s daily calories come from human foods/supplements and any other unbalanced foods the pet is receiving (e.g. treats, cookies, bones, chews, table scraps, pill administration treats, fat supplements, etc.)! Feeding more than 10% of calories from unbalanced foods, actually risks unbalancing the complete and balanced pet food the pet is eating!
  • Slow titration: Too much fiber, especially soluble fiber, can lead to bloating, flatulence, and soft stools. Basically the micobiome throws a “fiber fermentation party” when there is too much soluble fiber provided all of a sudden! Slowly increase the amount of fiber added on top of the diet to ensure the pet tolerates the addition of fiber. Increase the amount every two weeks until the stools respond (up to 10% of caloric intake).
  • Options to consider:

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Legend:

Of note, these ingredients/supplements have been compared based on the amount of fiber provided per 100 grams to show you that there are much more concentrated sources of fiber available than canned pumpkin. Below you will find information on the calories provided from these supplements.

Key Parameters Fiber Based Cereal Inulin Powder Psyllium Capsules
Form Dry Cereal Powder (3.2 g/tsp.) Capsules (2 g each)
Energy (kcal/100 g) 207 156 76
Total Dietary Fiber (g/1000 kcal) 223 600 1000
Feeding Instructions -Dry food: mix the cereal well with the kibble to prevent the pet from picking out either the kibble or cereal

-Canned food: mix either whole cereal pieces or crushed cereal powder well with the canned food

 -Dry food: gently mist the kibble with water and then add the powder to ensure it sticks to the kibble

-Canned foods: powder can be given easily mixed with canned food

 -Dry food: a few pets will eat capsules on top of canned food

-Canned foods: capsules can be given in a small ‘meatball’ of canned food

 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

2016-10-j-parr-and-dogsDr. Jackie Parr (aka the “Kibble Queen”) is a 2009 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and is a board certified veterinary clinical nutritionist. Dr. Parr completed a rotating internship and a residency in clinical nutrition at Angell Animal Medical Centre in Boston, MA. During her internship, Dr. Parr was awarded the Dr. Sharon Drellich Memorial Award for professionalism, collegiality, and compassion. During her four years in Boston, she also completed a Masters in biochemical and molecular nutrition at Tufts University.

Dr. Parr returned to OVC in 2013 to complete her post-doctoral fellowship and spent the majority of her time seeing appointments and consulting on cases for the OVC Health Sciences Centre. She completed her post-doctoral work and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition in July 2015. She was awarded the OVC Young Alumnus Award in June 2016 and she is currently adjunct faculty at OVC. Additionally, Dr. Parr is the secretary for the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition. Dr. Parr’s passion is teaching and she has given numerous continuing education lectures at conferences and veterinary schools across Canada. She is a proud Canadian and shares her apartment in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with two wonderful, loving dogs.

 

What if I Find a Lump on My Dog or Cat?

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Have you found a lump or bump on your pet? Don’t ignore it! Instead, take the steps Dr. Andy Roark outlines in this episode of Cone of Shame.

1. Write down where it is located.

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2. Measure it, and report it.

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3. Ask for an aspirate.

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Want to learn more about what to do if you find a lump on your pet?

Watch the full episode below for more information. Thank you to Dr. Sue Ettinger of DrSueCancerVet.com for the information she provided for this video.

Danielle K. Lambert Archer headshotDanielle is a veterinary practice manager and the founder of SnoutSchool.com, a website dedicated to teaching veterinary hospitals to use social media effectively. You can get her 5 favorite social media tools here, or follow her on social media to see excessive photos of her Brussels Griffon. She’s @DanielleSnout on Snapchat, Instagram & Twitter.

10 Pet Halloween Costumes You Have to See

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These pet Halloween costumes you shared under the #DrAndyAsks hashtag on Instagram prove that our best friends are incredibly adorable… and incredibly patient!

1. “The results are in. You should pay more attention to me than studying.”

2. “A patient dog, I am.”

3.”You’re under arrest for withholding treats.”

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4. “Would you like fries with that?”

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5. “I’m accepting new patients. And toys.”

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6.”I’m pigging in instead of pigging out…”

7. “What? These are my real ears!”

8. “I’ve been ready since Oktoberfest!”

9. “Um – I’m not extinct.

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10. “This look helps me attract friends. And treats. Ok mostly treats.”

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Danielle K. Lambert Archer headshotDanielle is a veterinary practice manager and the founder of SnoutSchool.com, a website dedicated to teaching veterinary hospitals to use social media effectively. You can get her 5 favorite social media tools here, or follow her on social media to see excessive photos of her Brussels Griffon. She’s @DanielleSnout on Snapchat, Instagram & Twitter.