Priest Lake Veterinary Hospital Newsletters

Newsletter for July 2002

Cat Vaccine, Bird Nutrition, and Other Great News!

GREAT NEWS FOR CAT OWNERS!

The first vaccine aimed at preventing feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV or Feline Aids) has been approved for veterinary use by the US Dept. of Agriculture according to a Scripps Howard News Service Report. The approval is deemed a credit to immunologist Janet Yamamoto, now a professor in the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, who first isolated FIV in cats at the University of California Davis in 1986. Yamamoto had been working with researchers at Fort Dodge Animal Health for more than a decade on the endeavor.

University researchers say cats infected with FIV may remain healthy for 5-10 years before symptoms such as diarrhea, weight-loss and fever appear. Although infected cats may recover from their initial illness, they become lifelong carriers of the virus. According to the USDA, it's estimated that between 2 and 25 percent of the global domestic cat population is infected with the virus. The agency says outdoor cats, older cats and cats with chronic ill health are most likely to be infected.

Along with offering what is being considered the first effective protection for cats against FIV, it is hopeful the vaccine will also lead the way to creating an effective vaccine for the virus that causes AIDS in humans. Fort Dodge Animal Health, which has been given USDA approval to manufacture the vaccine, says it is considered a scientific breakthrough in the areas of Lentivirus vaccine research and preventative medicine against diseases caused by Lentivirus.

The new vaccine, which requires three initial doses, will be available to us this month.

STAFF NEWS

Dr. Lucas is celebrating her 2 year anniversary with us here at Priest Lake this month. We are delighted to have the association of such a wonderful and enthusiastic veterinarian as part of our pet health care team!

Laura Barnes celebrates 4 years with us this month. Laura does a fantastic job here as a licensed veterinary technician and surgical anesthetist.

Dr. McCollum and Kathy chalk up 28 years while I mark 16 years for myself (not including 4 years of cage cleaning here while I was in high school!)....... at $1.50/hour :)

GREAT TIP FOR TRAVELING PETS

Devoted pet owners with vacation plans will appreciate this tip: AAA has published the fourth edition of one of its most popular guidebooks, The AAA PetBook. This guidebook lists more than 10,000 properties that welcome pets; about one-third of these lodgings are rated by AAA. Many places that allow pets also offer special amenities and benefits, such as a pet sitting or walking service, treats or doggy beds. The book can be purchased at most AAA offices and some bookstores. See also http://www.amazon.com for earlier and used editions.

VITAMIN C TABS FOR GUINEA PIGS

The Oxbow company now produces an apple flavored chewable vitamin tab for Guinea Pigs. The tablet is 50mg - the perfect size for daily supplementation. We now know that many GP's will eventually develop pneumonia and scurvy if not supplemented with vitamin C from a young age. Unlike most pets, GP's have no way of producing any vitamin C on their own - it must be supplemented in the diet. In the past, dietary supplementation included adding citrus fruits to the diet (which most piggies won't eat) or breaking up 500mg adult vitamin C tabs into small pieces (which most piggies won't eat) or by adding Tang to the drinking
water (which most piggies love, but is way too high in sugar).

We currently stock bottles of 200 tabs that can be bought over the counter with no prescription required.

INJECTABLE BORDETELLA (KENNEL COUGH)
VACCINE NOW AVAILABLE

For pets who hate the kennel cough vaccine up the nose (or intranasal in veterinary terminology), we now stock the injectable form of the same vaccine. The vaccine is given in 2 initial doses, then once a year afterwards. Pets that should receive a Kennel Cough vaccine include those that are boarded, those that are groomed, those that spend time around other pets and lastly those that are walked in areas that other pets frequent...ie parks, apt/condo common grounds, etc...

NUTRITION FOR YOUR PET BIRD

One of the most common problems that we see in pet birds are nutritional deficiencies. It would be ideal if we could duplicate the food resources of our birds native environment but for obvious reasons this can not be accomplished. Many bird products on the market claim to be a complete diet. A birds diet should include the basic food requirements of all animals (proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, and water). A reasonably balanced diet can often be provided by the following: Fruits and Vegetables- birds should be offered a variety of fruits and veggies daily. This provides essential vitamins and minerals. Emphasis should be placed on dark, leafy green and meaty yellow veggies. Mature, cooked legumes (beans) are a good protein source. Do not feed your bird avocados, they are known to be toxic. Like people, you will find that birds have their individual preferences, so just keep offering a variety of fruits and veggies until you find some favorites.

Breads and Cereals: The seeds normally provided to pet birds are classified into this category. There are differences in the composition of seeds but in general they have insufficient amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Many are high in fat (like sunflower, safflower, and peanut), which can lead to obesity, fatty liver disease, fat tumors, and the binding of calcium). The intake of seeds should be no greater than one third of the birds total diet. If other types of bread and cereal products can be supplied to your bird, seeds can even be excluded from the diet and used only for treats. Whole wheat bread or toast, nutritious breakfast cereals and commercially prepared pelleted diets all fit this category and can be used.

Meat and Meat Products: These can be added to the bird's diet occasionally to add protein, fat and variety. Some good sources that birds often accept include: cooked lean beef and chicken (yikes!...cannibals!!). That reminds me of a client that brought his bird to me for years (true story)- he always carried his bird to the clinic in an old Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket with holes punched in the top....I always felt that bird must have suffered from severe paranoia and would end up on birdie Prozac before it
was over with. Back to the subject, hard boiled and scrambled eggs can also be added to the diet. I had a nice lady who brought her parakeet to me for a long time; she would prepare "egg toast" for the little parakeet every morning. She would cut the toast up in little slices and clip it inside the cage with a clothes pin....the bird loved it...and lived a long time too.

Milk and Milk Products: Various cheeses, yogurt (plain or flavored) or cottage cheese may be offered on an intermittent basis in restricted quantities and are often consumed with great vigor! These products contain many important nutrients including protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals (especially calcium).

Supplements - Vitamins and Minerals: If a bird is eating a balanced diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation is generally not required. Vitamins can lose their potency if stored improperly or too long. Powdered supplements added to seeds may not be ingested since birds hull their seeds. Extra calcium can be obtained from cuttle bone, egg shells from boiled eggs, or ground oyster shells.

Birds that hull their seeds do not need grit. Some may over eat grit causing irritations or even obstruction in the birds digestive tract.