by Michael P Genovese DDS
 

Over the past few years I have heard horror stories about wolfhounds coming down with acute pneumonia and dying very quickly. I thought I would pass on my own experience in this realm.

I fed early that morning and saw my veteran male eating slowly. He was not ravenous like he usually was. That evening when I came home from work and checked on the dogs I noticed he wanted to be by my side. He was not his exuberant self, vying for attention. I made the food bowls and passed them out. He did not want his food and wanted to stand by me. This was a red flag. I knelt down and listened to him breath. He was laboring a little. I noticed that he stood with his neck straight out and his head slumped a little. I took his temperature and it was normal.

I called the emergency clinic and took him in. The vet at the clinic did his exam and took a chest x ray. There were no infiltrates into his lungs, and they appeared clear. The vet honed in on the size of his heart and said he had cardiomyopathy. I told the vet that, that was not the case. He was in the cardiac study and had a recent echo/ekg and was normal. He had not had any symptoms that would be associated with a heart problem. The vet wanted to keep him overnight and put him on cardiac meds. I pointed out to the vet that the rule of thumb for normal heart size is 5 spinal vertebrae. Bigger than that would be an indication of cardiomyopathy. The heart sounds were normal and his heart rate was within normal limits, as was his blood work.

The emergency vet did not feel he had pneumonia. I had to sign a release to take him. I took him home and called my IW friends for advice. They said it sounded like acute pneumonia to them and that he would really start deteriorating if he was not given a bolus of antibiotic. My take on this is that the infection was of the lower respiratory tract. These infections do not demonstrate symptoms till the infection is pretty far a long. So time is of the essence in these cases. Most vets do not carry the high powered antibiotics in house. A university veterinary hospital will and if not they vet can call it into a local hospital for the human equivalent.

In this case we used Rochephin (ceftriaxone), a 3rd generation cephalosporin. I was able to get this from a local hospital.

We gave him 1g diluted IM. 12 hours later he was back on his food. We continued the Rocephin for 4 days and followed it with Zenequin by weight for 6 weeks......In actuality after 3 weeks I stopped the Zenequin because he was doing fine. The infection returned and I had to start the Rocephin again. This time I finished the 6 weeks and he was fine. The moral of that story is that lower respiratory infections are hard to get rid of.

Other comparable antibiotics used for acute pneumonias are, also 3rd generation cephalosporins.

Excenel (Cefiofur HCL) 2.2mg/kg Sub Q for 5 to 14 days days followed by Azithromycin or antibiotic your vet recommends.

Naxcel (Cefiofur Sodium) 2.2mg/kg Sub Q 3 to 5 days, response dependant, followed by Azithromycin or antibiotic your vet recommends.

These medications are recommended for IM use in horse and cattle, thus far not for dogs, again depending on the severity of the infection your vet can be a better source if they feel a quicker onset is needed.

This information was obtained via the package inserts on these meds.

This information is to help you and your vet decide the course of treatment for your hound from what has been successful in the past.

Thank you,

Michael P Genovese DDS

by Michael P Genovese DDS


I was reading an article in an old wolfhound magazine from 1975. The article talked about a grave medical condition they called, "Joint Ill" and even went so far as to rename it, "Joint Evil". This condition we see today. It is called "Puppy Sepsis" these days.

Unfortunately, I have experience with this disease. Its onset is quick and the disease is very sinister in nature because its symptoms point away from what it really is. If those symptoms are treated, it just makes things worse and can be fatal.

Here is the story. I had a litter of 12 very active cantankerous puppies. Climbing over pens, getting into whatever they could, eating anything not nailed down. A smile a minute, you get the picture. Normal 10 week old pups.

At 3 am, we hear a loud scream coming from one pup. Then nothing and all seems ok. At breakfast we noted one puppy favoring a forelimb. We just thought that it was from rough play. Later that day we took the puppy to the vet and had it evaluated. The puppy was in obvious pain. The vet thought as we did that she had injured herself in her shoulder. The clinical exam pointed to an injury. She was given analgesics, and 4 or 5 hours later things were not getting any better. The vet was called and they said to up the analgesics. Watching the puppy, made you think it must have really tore something. X-rays were negative, no temp.

After we upped the analgesics the puppy seemed to settle down. She died a few hours later.

We had an autopsy done and it was found to be sepsis that had localized itself in her joints. The etiology of this condition is thought to be from a skin puncture. Our breed is very stoic, and by the time we see things demonstrated as frank symptoms the disease process is pretty far along.

My recommendation for our membership would be to have your vet evaluate a pup who is demonstrating symptoms from an injury, for possible sepsis. It you see things deteriorating quickly, I would have your vet get a broad spectrum antibiotic on board, preferably intramuscularly. I would also not recommend any steroids initially. It you can see frank swelling in a hock, etc., I would definitely go the antibiotic route. Our puppies will not die from an injury but will from being septic. Our first thought when seeing a swollen hock/joint in a pup would be an injury, treating a septic joint with steroids would be disastrous. Your vet needs to know of this disease and how rapidly it acts. They are more than willing to cover all bases in this realm. We had another littermate have a hock swell up the size of a golf ball in a 4 hour period. The vet was on that quickly and covered all the bases and the pup was fine.

Remember, you know your hounds. Developing a repartee with your vet is paramount. Vets do not see IW's that much. They are very interested in our breed and want to learn as much as they can about them.

Thank you,

Michael P Genovese DDS
 

     It is important to remember that a dog can have either or both… they don’t always “come together”.

     We are all told to watch for panting, restlessness, a distended abdomen and “muddy” gums as danger signs.

     However, what exactly IS “restlessness”? Some dogs may lie calmly as long as 20 minutes at a time, before getting up to move to another position. Dylan lay for as long as ½ hour before rolling over - he never got up to pace. Many dogs won’t lie down, but some find the pressure more comfortable. Some may feel (and display) pain when they move, and therefore be content to lie still. Dylan was happiest lying still (which is why I waited so long to take him to the vets; I mistakenly thought if he was comfortable lying down, he wasn’t bloating) - other than panting, the only sign of distress was when he rolled over he would cry.

     Many IWs have such large rib cages that their entire stomach is within the ribcage - unless he swallowed a basketball, you might not feel any distention. With Limerick, 3 vets examined him and none felt any evidence of bloat, although the x-ray had already showed air in his stomach. The lower abdomen (the soft part we all like to scratch when they roll on their backs) may not show any signs of bloating, excessive firmness or distention. Only an x-ray can accurately diagnose bloat or torsion. On an x-ray, the torsed stomach looks like a “double bubble” - almost like a twisted infinity symbol.

     Muddy gums are hard to describe, but once you’ve seen them, you never forget. Imagine mixing blue (lack of oxygen) with the pretty, healthy pink of your dog’s gums - that’s muddy. When you press on healthy gums, they should go white for a second, then immediately turn pink again - muddy gums remain dark. If you see muddy gums get your dog to the vet IMMEDIATELY!!!
Contrary to popular belief, bloat alone CAN kill your dog. And bloat alone is common. Your dog can also have torsion, without bloat. And, again, disproving popular theory, your dog may be bloated or even experiencing torsion, and still be burping. When Limerick bloated, he was constantly burping (in the vet’s face, in fact)!

     Your dog may display other unusual signs, such as repeated retching, but not vomiting, looking at his flanks, side or stomach, biting or chewing at them, or constant pacing. Excessive drooling, or standing in strange postures can also be signals. Some dogs will hold their heads very high, while others drop them as low as they can. Some dogs may lie in positions they never have, or in strange places. I know of one dog who felt best lying on cold concrete while he was bloating. If you notice unusual behavior, it is probably better to go to the vets to check than take a chance with your dog’s life.

     Normally, in a case of GDV, you have moments - not hours. If you THINK its bloat, it is always safer to get to the vets, and find out it isn’t, than to wait and be wrong. I keep simethicone tablets (such as Gas-X) everywhere - in each car, in my purse, & in the “dog bag”… at the first sign of possible bloat, I give the dog 2 pills (275 mg each). I then IMMEDIATELY head for the nearest vet. Talk to your vet about the proper dose and use of simethicone for your dog. When Dylan was ill, I gave him 1 Gas-X and 1 Tagamet, before taking him to the vet’s. This may have delayed the more severe symptoms, saving his life. But remember, simethicone is not a cure, only a delaying tactic. It may give you enough time to get to help before your dog’s situation is critical. DON’T think, however, that it allows you extra time - give it and GO!

     There are new methods of “tacking” (gastropexy) the stomach to the abdomen wall to prevent torsion - but don’t be misled into thinking this will prevent bloat. A tacked dog can still bloat. Tacking lessens the likelihood of torsion, but does not prevent it. Gastropexy can now be done via 3 small incisions on the dog’s side, or via tiny scopes, laparoscopically. Many vets recommend keeping a dog which has been recently “tacked” calm for as long as 6 weeks. Tacking involves drawing stitches from the outer wall of the stomach to the wall of the abdomen. The stitches cause scar tissue to form, which is what actually hold the stomach in place. The stitches eventually dissolve.

     After bloat, your vet may check for damage to the liver, spleen, kidneys or heart. Damage to the stomach or other organs is common and may lead to lifelong after-effects, if your dog survives the initial damage. Arrhythmia is not uncommon after GDV, and can be fatal, but often goes away after a day or so. DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation) a severe side effect, is also possible. If your dog had surgery, he will probably have a large incision & need to remain calm for a few weeks. When Dylan had GDV and surgery, he was kept at the vet’s for a full week, while they did EKGs and made sure he was eating and voiding normally. He finally ate some yogurt and came home. He seemed to be uncomfortable for about 8 weeks afterwards, “guarding” his stomach, being unwilling to move fast, climb stairs or sit. Limerick, however, seemed to feel very little discomfort after his surgery, other than when he jumped (forbidden, but still!) off the bed or sofa. He spent 24 hours at the emergency clinic, never had an EKG, and I was advised that I only needed to restrict activity till the stitches dissolved. (Limerick’s incision about 1 week after surgery - notice the stitches are mostly gone, but there is bruising.)

     Your dog will have a long incision outside, either stapled or sutured closed. There may be some leaking at first, but it should heal quickly. If there are any unusual occurrences, contact your vet. There may be lots of redness and bruising.

     Bloat can be terrifying & dangerous, but with a bit of knowledge and a lot of caution and vigilance, you can hopefully save your dog’s life.

Jodie Jeweler

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