For Referring Veterinarians

Veterinary Cardiology Tip Cats give little indication of their heart disease – be suspicious of any potential cardiac abnormality, no matter how small, to catch pre-clinical heart disease. Cats do not adhere to basics that are useful when evaluating the canine heart.  From the physical exam to screening tests, such as chest radiographs and the electrocardiogram, cats can thwart our best attempts to diagnose heart disease prior to signs of congestive heart failure (CHF) or…

Cardiology Tip Nuances of history and physical exam findings can help distinguish between congestive heart failure and primary respiratory disease in coughing dogs. In practice, we often evaluate coughing dogs that are also found to have heart murmurs. This can be perplexing, as the character of a cough is often quite similar between the two most concerning possibilities:  congestive heart failure (CHF) and primary respiratory disease.  Coughing from both of these problems can be harsh,…

Rodenticides were once all anti-coagulant based. With the increased incidence of criminal use, and safety concerns for children and wildlife, most governments have been phasing out anti-coagulant formulas and turning to bromethalin-based poisons that cause intractable seizures. “We had anecdotes for anti-coagulants,” says Evans. “But regrettably they don’t exist for bromethalin, necessitating a multi-step deconamination protocol including inducing vomiting, promoting toxin absorption with activated char- coal, and very strict watch with supportive care.” She adds…