by Diane Morgan
Philosophy: More important than cost or location is the quality of care the vet provides. You want to find a vet whose philosophy about vaccines, acupuncture, herbal medications, and diets agrees with your own. Ask your vet in advance how he would treat common conditions like cataracts, hip dysplasia, and other ailments.
House calls: Many vets make emergency or compassionate house calls; this is especially true when the time comes that you need to have your dog euthanized. It is much less traumatic for a dog to spend his final hours in his own home. Find out whether your vet will do this, and for what cost.
Behavior with animals: How your vet handles animals is one of the most important items for consideration. Any vet who is rough or seems to dislike animals (and sadly, there are some) should not be your vet. Take note of how your puppy responds to the vet.
References: Check around with friends, owners of other Siberians, and your local Siberian Husky breed club to see whether they’ve heard anything about the vet you’re considering.
What procedures the vet performs: All veterinarians perform regular care, but some can do more. Find out what your vet can do. Is your vet certified in a specialty? If not, is she willing and able to recommend a specialist if such care is needed?
Knowing What to Expect on the First Checkup
Your dog’s first checkup should include the following: heart and respiration, tooth condition, ears, eyes, and overall condition. Choose your vet early, because you will want to bring your new friend in for a checkup within two or three days after you get him. Write down any questions you may have; that way you won’t forget them.
Teeth
Your puppy has 28 sharp little teeth, which will eventually fall out to make room for 42 big teeth. Although puppies aren’t prone to getting cavities, puppy teeth sometimes fail to fall out. This can cause all kinds of problems with the permanent teeth as they start to erupt. Your vet may need to remove the impacted baby teeth under anesthesia.
Fecal check
Most vets also want to perform a fecal check. It’s really best to have fecal checks done twice a year, although heartworm medication automatically gets rid of most kinds of worms.
Vaccines
In his native Siberia, the Husky was exposed to few diseases and could do without vaccinations. (This is a good thing, because the Chukchis didn’t have any vaccines to give them.) Today, however, an army of infections lurk nearby, ready to pounce on any unprotected dog, especially unvaccinated puppies.
Distemper, parvo, hepatitis, and rabies are just a few of the dangerous diseases your dog, or any dog, is susceptible to. Because your dog will inevitably come into contact with at least some of these diseases, most vets believe that your best defense against illness is a well-planned vaccination program begun when your puppy is just a few weeks old.
Vaccines are weakened forms of a disease. When the vaccines are introduced into the body, the immune system reacts just as if it were invaded by the real disease. It learns how to produce the same defenses it would against the real, full-strength disease. Then, when the real disease comes along, the body is ready to quickly repel it, and the dog doesn’t get sick. Unfortunately, the vaccines don’t last forever, so your dog will need occasional booster shots to keep his defenses in a state of readiness.
Each disease requires its own vaccine, although sometimes several vaccines can be mixed and administered at the same time. (This is called a multi-valent vaccine.) In some cases, more than one vaccine is available for a single disease. Currently, there are three general types of vaccines on the market, each classified according to how the vaccine is made:
Killed virus vaccines: As the name implies, these vaccines are prepared from a dead virus. The immune response results from exposure to the viral protein in the vaccine. Killed virus vaccines are safe and easy to handle, and they will not cause suppression of the immune system, although some dogs develop reactions to them. They do, however, require more frequent vaccinations, and they’re somewhat less effective than the other types. Unlike the modified live-virus vaccines, they are safe for pregnant bitches.
Modified live virus vaccines: These are made from a weakened, but still living, form of the virus, or sometimes from a related organism that causes the same reaction in the immune system. Modified live virus vaccines provide better and longer-lasting immunity than killed virus vaccines. It is possible, however, for the organism in this kind of vaccine to revert to disease-causing form, especially in dogs with weakened immune systems. Autoimmune problems also crop up occasionally. Puppies, with their immature immune systems, are more susceptible to the dangers of this type of vaccine.
Recombinant vaccines: These vaccines do not use live or killed virus or bacteria in any form. Unlike the killed virus and modified live virus vaccines, the whole virus is never introduced into the body so there is no possibility of getting sick. The vaccines are made from bits of DNA coding for the protein that actually causes the immune response.
There are two kinds of recombinant vaccines. In the first kind of vaccine, the viral gene is grown in bacteria, yeast, or other cells to produce large amounts of the viral protein. The viral protein is then purified and administered as a vaccine. In the second kind, the viral gene is attached to a harmless virus and introduced into the body of the animal or human to be protected. The virus “infects” the cells and the viral proteins are produced right in the dog or human.
Vaccines for a particular disease may be available in more than one of these forms. Some of the vaccines are administered combined with adjuvants, substances added to make the vaccine work better.
Because your puppy will need to be vaccinated, bring his previous shot record when you go to the vet for his first visit. Controversy rages about when and how often to vaccinate (see the nearby sidebar for more information), so don’t be surprised if your vet wants to change the scheduling a bit or use a different type of vaccine.
If you have many dogs, get your puppy a bordetella intranasal spray. Bordetella is the scientific name for kennel cough, which, although not very serious in older dogs, can be very bad in puppies. It is extremely contagious and many kennels, groomers, and obedience classes require this shot before they will work with your dog.
All dogs are required to be vaccinated against rabies. The first rabies shot is usually given at 16 weeks, the booster shot a year later. Most rabies shots are good for three years, although some places require yearly vaccinations. Check with your vet to see what the laws are in your area.
Mild fever or lethargy is not uncommon for a day or two following a vaccination. A small bump and hair loss may develop at the vaccination site, although this is unlikely with Siberians. These effects usually resolve without further treatment. More serious, and fortunately rare, is anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction to the foreign protein in the vaccine. (This is the same kind of reaction seen in people and dogs allergic to bee stings.) Wait in the vet’s office for ten minutes after your dog is vaccinated in case vomiting and collapse (indications of anaphylaxis) should unexpectedly occur.
The other end of the needle
Not all veterinarians are in agreement about the frequency of booster shots, or even about the need for vaccines at all. A few vets practicing naturopathic medicine believe that vaccines are poison and present a greater risk to canine health than the diseases they protect against. Other vets are worried about the very real risk of over-vaccination and recommend checking the dog’s vaccine titer (a measure of the dog’s readiness to fight a particular disease) before administering a booster shot.
The final research on these questions has not been completed. In the meantime, I follow my vet’s recommendations and let her follow the latest research findings about vaccination schedules.
Spaying and neutering
On your first visit to the vet, you also want to talk about spaying or neutering your Husky. Unless you have a show-quality Siberian, you should have your puppy spayed or neutered.
Neutered dogs have a lower rate of testicular cancer, fistulas, and perianal tumors. Spayed bitches are far less subject to ovarian and mammary cancers. They will also never get pyometra, a potentially deadly infection of the uterus. Neutered animals are also easier to keep and less apt to cause dominance problems. Neutered dogs are easier to house-train, as well. They are also less likely to wander far away if they get loose.
Any male who has only one testicle that has “dropped” should be neutered. The retained testicle is at a high risk for cancer.
Dogs can be neutered as early as 8 weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Many vets, however, prefer to wait until the puppy is 4 to 6 months old, fully vaccinated, and strong enough to safely undergo anesthesia. Your dog will bounce back to normal within a day or so. In males, the testicles are removed; the scrotum itself is left. It will eventually atrophy and disappear.
Recognizing How You Can Help Your Vet
If you learn to perform some simple procedures yourself, you can help your vet immensely. Practice these skills when your dog is well; it’s important for you and your vet to know what’s normal in your dog.
Giving your dog pills
Know how to give a pill. Most dogs will readily swallow a pill coated in peanut butter or cheese. If for some reason, your Husky seems reluctant to take a pill, you can help him. Tilt his head slighty back, and insert the pill down his throat. (See Figure 13-1 for an illustration.)
Figure 13-1: Knowing how to give your Husky a pill is an essential part of dog ownership.
Don’t tilt his head all the way back, however. You may end up cramming the pill down his windpipe rather than his gullet, which will cause him to choke.
Administering liquid medications
To give your dog liquid medication, use an oral syringe and gently insert it in the side of the dog’s mouth. Gently hold his jaws closed around it and squirt the medication toward the side, not straight down the dog’s throat (which could cause him to choke).
Taking your dog’s temperature
To take a dog’s temperature, it’s best to have an assistant. The assistant stands at the head of the dog, while you insert the thermometer from the rear. Lubricate the end of the thermometer with oil or Vaseline and, lifting the dog’s tail slightly, insert the instrument to between 1/2 and 1 inch. Leave it in place for about 30 seconds, holding the dog so he doesn’t sit down or run away. Disinfect the thermometer after each use.
A healthy dog’s temperature reads 100 to 102 degrees. An excited dog may have a slightly higher temperature.
Special canine thermometers are available; check with your vet for the best type.
Checking your Husky’s pulse and breathing rate
Your dog’s pulse can be found on the inside of the thigh. You’ll feel a groove at the right spot. You can also place your hand on the left side of the chest, just below the elbow. A normal resting pulse rate is between 70 and 120 beats per minute.
Normal breathing rate is 12 to 32 breaths a minute.
Paying attention to gum color
A Husky’s gums should be pink (except where there is naturally dark pigmentation). Pale gums can indicate anemia; dark red gums can indicate fever or poison; and yellow gums may signal liver dysfunction.
Measuring your dog’s capillary refill time
Capillary refill time (CRT) is the length of time it takes for blood to reach the capillaries. Measure this by pressing your thumb near the canine tooth. Remove your thumb and notice how long it takes for the white mark to refill. This refill time should be no longer than 2 seconds.
Chapter 14
Preventing and Responding to Health Problems
In This Chapter
Recognizing some common canine illnesses
Helping an older dog age gracefully
Siberians are among the healthiest and longest-lived of all breeds, many remaining spunky right into their teen years. I have known Siberians to reach the age of 20. Still, everyone feels under the weather sometimes, and it’s necessary to keep a watchful eye on your best friend to make sure you can help him when he does. In this chapter, I provide some information on common ailments that affect dogs in general and Huskies in particular. And I let you know how to prevent them from affecting your dog, as well as how to respond to them if they already have.
Viruses
All dog owners need to beware of viral diseases; no breed is immune or even has any special resistance to them. Some of the worst diseases known to dogs are viral: rabies, distemper, parainfluenza, infectious hepatitis, parvovirus, and coronavirus. To make more of their evil kind, viruses must invade the living cells of their hosts. Antibiotics are of little use against a virus, because viruses hide out inside cells.
One class of drugs (the antivirals) can stop viruses from reproducing. Unfortunately, the prohibitively high cost of such medications currently makes their widespread use for canines off limits. In addition, most of these drugs are pretty toxic to the dog.
Until your puppy is fully immunized against the following diseases, he is in danger of contracting them. See Chapter 17 for the lowdown on vaccines.
Canine parvovirus
Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a comparatively new disease, first reported worldwide in 1978. It is apparently a mutation of a parvovirus previously affecting only cats, which somehow changed its genetic structure slightly and leaked across the species barrier. CPV affects the stomach and intestines of dogs and is transmitted by dog feces. From there, it can be carried on dog hair and humans’ shoes. It is resistant to most disinfectants other than bleach. Parvo causes a diarrhea so severe that a dog can literally waste away from it. It’s most commonly seen in puppies between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 months. Susceptibility is increased by keeping puppies outdoors, where parvo can stay in the soil for up to two years. Puppies should be completely immunized against CPV between 16 and 18 weeks of age. Human beings are immune to CPV.
Parvovirus is not curable, but a promising new treatment is being developed. It involves injections of lyophilized canine immunoglobulin (Ig)G, extracted from the serum of dogs who have recovered from parvo.
Canine distemper
Distemper is still the main killer of dogs worldwide; it is airborne and extremely contagious, killing 50 percent of unvaccinated adult dogs infected with it. In puppies, the percentage is even higher — almost 80 percent. Canine distemper or hardpad, affects the dog’s nervous system. In the early stages, it is accompanied by a dry cough, fever, and yellowish discharge from the eyes. Even dogs who survive distemper can be permanently affected. Human beings are immune to canine distemper, although the disease is similar to human measles. Puppies should be completely immunized between 12 and 14 weeks of age.
Infectious canine hepatitis
Canine hepatitis affects the liver. It looks a lot like distemper and is passed through the urine of infected dogs. It is especially dangerous, because even after a dog recovers from the disease, he can pass it along to other animals for a period up to six months. Human beings are immune to canine hepatitis. Puppies should be immunized at 12 weeks.
Rabies
Rabies affects the central nervous system. It is transmitted via the saliva, usually through bites. A person or animal bitten by a rabid animal has about a 75 percent chance of contracting the illness. All warm-blooded animals, including human beings, are susceptible to it. If a dog develops rabies symptoms, he will die. Puppies should be immunized against this disease between 16 and 24 weeks of age.
Canine coronavirus
This disease, related to the human cold, was first identified in 1971. It is passed through food that has been contaminated by the feces of an infected dog. It is very contagious and produces vomiting, diarrhea, and depression. It is most serious in puppies.
A vaccine is available, but many vets regard the vaccine as more dangerous than the disease and recommend against its use. A new modified live vaccine which has rapid antibody development, cell-mediated immunit
y, mucosal immunity, and minimal risk or allergic or adjuvant reactions has been developed.
Lyme disease
Although not so devastating an illness as it is in people, dogs can contract Lyme disease, which is transmitted by a bacterium found in ticks. Dogs inhabiting tick-infested areas should be vaccinated against Lyme disease. However, because the vaccine can cause reactions, it may not be advisable to administer it unless your dog spends a great deal of time in wooded areas.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects the liver and kidneys. Recently, the disease has returned in a new and virulent strain, one that was previously seen in horses and cows. Dogs contract it through direct contact with the urine of infected animals, but not all dogs who encounter it will be become sick. They may turn into carriers themselves, shedding the virus in their urine and infecting other animals in turn.