Tuesday, May 28, 2013


No more d-Con rat poison!  Good news or bad?
By Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/feline)


The pesticide manufacturer of d-Con has defied the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 2 years over a 2011 reform that requires rodenticide manufacturers to stop using long-acting anticoagulants in products meant for residential use.  The manufacturer of d-Con is currently in a battle with the EPA over these regulations.  This all sounds very official and as if d-Con is evil, but is it?

While the EPA states that the anticoagulant products “pose unreasonable risks to children, pets and wildlife,” toxicology expert and veterinarian Dr. Ahna Brutlag (assistant director for Pet Poison Helpline) says she’d rather contend with d-Con, all things considered.  These long-acting anticoagulants are products we as veterinarians are well familiar with. They have a defined diagnostic test to let us know if a pet has been poisoned, and there is an antidote. 

Still, it sounds like d-Con and all other anticoagulant rodenticides are awful products.  No doubt we would prefer our pets never be poisoned.  BUT because rodenticide manufacturers can no longer use anticoagulants, they have turned to a product called bromethalin.   Bromethalin is a serious problem! There is no diagnostic test to allow veterinarians know if a pet has been exposed to bromethalin and there is no antidote.  Let me repeat that: there is no antidote!  Most pets will die when exposed to bromethalin, and we may not know for certain that a pet died of this type of poison until a necropsy is done.  I’m not sure about you, but I do not see how this change from d-Con type products is mitigating the risks of my pet or child accidentally ingesting rat poison.

What about bait stations? This is the EPA’s response to try to make rat poison exposure to pets and children lower, considering use of bromethalin.  The EPA reforms require all consumer products be tamper-resistant to make them less of a risk to animals and kids.  There are two problems with this.  First, bait stations are less effective in controlling rodent infestations.  Rodents are suspicious of stations.  That means people will turn to other products or take the flavored poison blocks out of the station.  Second, dogs will eat anything. Recent studies have found that in most cases of exposure to these new tamper-resistant stations, a large percentage of dogs eat the bait.  They chew through the bait stations’ plastic and inside are often bags or free floating blocks of poison. These bags of product may hold up to a pound of blocks. 
 


Products still available now?  For right now we can still get d-Con until a hearing scheduled for later this year between the EPA and the manufacturer of d-Con.  There is doubt that d-Con is going to win this hearing to keep its product on the market, which means almost all rodenticides as of the end of this year will contain bromethalin.
 

Our recommendation.  Our best recommendation is not to use bait stations or rat poisons at all in any household with pets.  There are no safe rat poison products.  Dogs and cats will eat anything.  Now with the increased danger of most rat poisons to contain bromethalin in the future, the risk is even higher that a pet will die if exposed.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013


WHAT DO I FEED MY RABBIT?
By Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/feline)

Rabbits are wonderful pets, but they have special diet requirements that you may not be able to find out at the pet store. In general a rabbit’s diet should consist of four things:

1)      HAY- Most of a rabbit’s diet (70-80%) should be a high quality GRASS hay such as Timothy, available for the rabbit to eat 24 hours a day.  The hay needs to smell fresh and have a green color.  Don't feed moldy or dusty hay.   Don't feed large quantities of alfalfa hay because it is too high in calcium for a rabbit.

2)      PELLETS  A lower percentage (10-20%) of the diet should consist of rabbit pellets that contain a minimum of 18-20% fiber and a maximum of 14-16% protein.  Do not buy rabbit food that contains seeds, nuts or starch-rich cereal kibble mixed in (fiesta mixes). You want food that just has green pellets(e.g., Oxbow Bunny Basic, Kaytee Forti-Diet).  Feed approximately ¼ cup of pellets per 4 pounds of body weight of rabbit per day.  Pellets should be fresh.  Do not purchase more than 6 weeks worth of pellets at a time because it may spoil.  Make sure the expiration date on the rabbit pellet bag is still valid or the pellets may not have enough vitamin content remaining. 

3)      FRESH FOODS – The rest of the diet should consist of fresh, well washed, dark green and yellow vegetables such as parsley, kale, carrot tops, etc. (see list of recommended vegetables below).  Feed 1 cup of mixed greens daily.   Avoid beans and rhubarb. 

4)      WATER – Water is an extremely important part of your rabbit’s diet.  Without a constant clean, fresh source of water, your rabbit can die.  Sipper water bottles are ideal for rabbits because they do not spill and the rabbits cannot soil the water.

Feeding this diet rather than an all pellet diet or fiesta mix diet reduces the likelihood of hairballs, diarrhea, kidney disease and obesity.  Occasional grains, cereals or breads can be offered, but be aware that these foods in excess are associated with fatal diarrheas.

Select at least three kinds of vegetables daily. A variety is necessary in order to obtain the necessary nutrients, with one each day that contains Vitamin A.


Recommended vegetable choices:
                Alfalfa, radish and clover sprouts                                                     Green peppers
                Basil                                                                                                        Kale*
                Beet greens (tops)*                                                                             Mint
                Bok choy                                                                                                Mustard greens*
                Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)*                                                       Parsley*
                Brussel sprouts                                                                                     Peppermint leaves
                Carrot and carrot tops*                                                                      Radicchio
                Celery (leaves/stem)                                                                           Radish tops
                Clover                                                                                                    Raspberry leaves
                Collar greens*                                                                                      Romaine lettuce (No iceberg or
                Dandelion greens & flowers (no pesticides)*                                                                 light colored leaf lettuce)
                Endive                                                                                                    Spinach*
                Escarole                                                                                                 Watercress*
                Pea pods (the flat edible kind: snow pea or sugar snap pea)*    Wheat grass
                Gai long                                                                                                  Yu Choy
                Dwarf choy sum
               
*= Contains vitamin A. Vitamin A is a dietary necessity. Choose one each day from the list that
      contains Vitamin A.
                = Use sparingly.  Healthy, but high in either oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxin in
                      accumulated quantities over a period of time.

 

Recommended fruit choices:
                                Apple                                                     Pear
                                Blueberries                                           Pineapple
                                Melon                                                    Plums
                                Orange                                                   Raspberries
                                Papaya                                                   Strawberries
                                Peach                                    

               

Food Supplements?  In addition to the above recommended foods, the addition of one papaya enzyme extract tablet (e.g. Oxbow Papaya tablet) daily is recommended to help prevent hairballs.

                Supplementation with digestive enzymes (proteases, amylases), acidophilus, or vitamins on a daily basis is unnecessary, if you feed the recommended diet items.  There is no evidence that healthy rabbits produce insufficient levels of these enzymes or require probiotic supplements on a regular basis. 

Monday, May 6, 2013

Got a GOLDEN RETRIEVER UNDER 2 YEARS OF AGE? Consider enrolling in the Lifetime Health Study!

By Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/feline)


Morris Animal Foundation is joining together with Colorado State University to conduct a lifetime health study on Golden Retrievers in an effort to learn how to prevent disease and cancer in this breed. If you have had a Golden Retriever in the past, then you know how susceptible this breed is to cancer as they age, particularly lymphosarcoma and splenic/heart hemangiosarcoma.

If you elect to participate, we are a registered practice to help you with this study.

What Is Expected of You?

  • Agree to participate for the life of your dog
  • Select a veterinarian who agrees to participate with you
  • Complete online questionnaires regarding your dog's food type and feeding habits, environmental exposures, behavior/temperament, disease events, etc.
  • Visit your dog's veterinarian for annual exams and sample collection (blood, urine, feces, hair, and toenail clippings)
  • When applicable, allow collection of tumor samples for evaluation
  • Be willing to consider a necropsy (post mortem examination) when your dog's life ends
Note: You are responsible for all costs associated with the annual exam, sample collection and laboratory test results. Morris Animal Foundation will reimburse you for up to $75 of these costs per year after verification that the exam and sample collection has been completed.

If you choose, you may also donate this compensation directly back to Morris Animal Foundation to support the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study.