Parvo is a Horrible disease. It is one of many things in Veterinary Medicine where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Sometime in the 1970's the virus showed up. It probably mutated from the Panleukopenia virus that causes severe illness in cats. I vaguely remember that a bunch of dogs in our neighborhood died and we initially thought it was a poison, since it occurred so rapidly. There was no natural immunity out there and the Vets at that time had a mess. From what I heard, Vet clinics were full of dogs, lying all over the place. There was no vaccine available and some were giving the cat vaccine for Panleukopenia to try to protect their canine patients.

The virus destroys the lining of the small intestines which keeps the patients from absorbing nutrients and fluids and disrupts the barrier between the intestinal tract enabling bacteria to enter the bloodstream. The signs we see are vomiting and diarrhea (often with blood). Since the dog can't hold anything down and is losing fluids, they get dehydrated very quickly. One of the things that our clients say, is that their puppy has lost LOTS of weight very quickly. Signs will begin 1-2 weeks after exposure, but once signs begin puppies can die within 24 hours. In Indiana, I saw a mother and her entire litter come down with Parvo.

Treatment needs to be quick and aggressive. Diagnosis can be made by testing the feces for antigens, and a CBC will show an abnormally low White Blood Cell count. These tests aren't 100%, but they are fairly accurate. There isn't a medication that kills the virus, so we have to support the patient to keep them strong enough to fight off the disease. Treatment varies among hospitals, but we give lots of I.V. fluids to reestablish hydration and electrolytes. Antibiotics are given, not to treat the virus, but to treat secondary bacterial infections. Anti-vomiting medications are given as well. Some of these patients are so painful, that we will give a little Morphine to make them more comfortable. Tami-flu was tried for a while, but the results were not that impressive. All Parvo patients (as well as anything else contagious) are kept in our isolation away from our regular patients and guests.  I tell clients that the average stay is 2-3 nights. Some get better sooner, some take longer and there are some that won't survive. We are saving about 90-95%. I have been doing this long enough to know not to try to out-guess Parvo. Things not only change day to day, they change hourly. Its frustrating to spend so much time with a patient late at night, when I could have prevented it.

The virus used to be in only a few areas and we would advise people to clean up the areas with Bleach. It only takes a low concentration (I tell people an ounce in a quart of water) to kill the virus, but even this won't work if the surface isn't hard. In other words, it won't work to bleach the yard. Parvo virus is very hardy, can last in the environment for years and is much harder to kill than even the Human Aids virus. Now this virus is everywhere. It can be tracked in on dogs feet, as well as ours. The virus is shed in the dogs feces while they have the disease.

Since the disease is all around the only way to prevent is to vaccinate. Puppies get immunity from the mother's first milk (colostrum). This immunity will last from 6-16 weeks, so we have to give series of vaccines often enough and long enough so that the puppy's immune system will build its own antibodies against parvo (plus Distemper, Parainfluenza, Adenovirus, etc. etc. etc.) There are only 2 or 3 manufacturers I would trust to make the vaccines that we give to puppies. We are VERY particular about our vaccines and how they are made, handled, shipped, stored, given, etc. There are so many things that can go wrong with a vaccine. Some breeders mean well giving vaccines and informing owners and farm stores will sell any cheap vaccine, but WE are the ones that have to treat the sick puppies when things go wrong.

The bright side is that this disease is not one that causes long term problems, like Distemper can. Once they have survived the disease, they get back to normal.... although it might take them a while. The disease is much more common in young dogs, but Parvo is still included in our Adult Dog Vaccines that are given every 3 years. The take home message in preventing Parvo is to keep your puppy up to date with quality vaccines. Once again...."an ounce of prevention is worth (at least) a pound of cure". 

How & why did I end up back in Dyersburg? That is a question that a lot of people get when they move back here. I am so fortunate that many of my friends have been given the opportunity to come back home to work; whether its because of family business or that our economy has diversified enough to justify their return. Every day I see people I grew up with. (DHS Class of '79) 

When I was deciding on where to go to college, Daddy said that if you are going to do business in Tennessee, you need to go to school in Tennessee. I'm not sure if that was his good advice or the fact that he was currently paying out of state tuitions for my 3 older sisters. I went to school to find out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I couldn't see a light at the end of the tunnel until I started taking some classes on the Ag Campus. (Its good to get back to your roots). I better not spend much time discussing my college days at UT Knoxville, so I'll fast forward to Vet School graduation.

When Tennessee State Veterinary Boards were offered, allowing me to practice in the state, I decided NOT to take them. I wanted to make sure that I could get away and make it on my own. It seemed that every Ag trip I went on throughout college, someone knew Daddy. This was wonderful, but I needed to prove to myself I had what it takes to enter the workforce apart from PH White Farms or the Cattle Rub business.(www.phwhite.com)

After school I went to work in an Indiana mixed animal practice, so that I could see a little bit of everything and figure out what I liked the most. I loved most all of it, except for the fact that the practice was too slow and I wasn't getting to see or do enough. I read text books to pass the time and I did not like to read. I called an Orthopedic Surgeon from school to ask him if anything was available and he hooked me up with a practice in Las Vegas. He knew me well enough to know I wanted to do bigger things than I was able to in Tell City, Indiana. I was 26 and single and couldn't think of any reason not to go. My mother could..... She said, "I need to warn you about those dancing girls." I asked if she was worried about all the gambling too, and she immediately said, "No, you're too tight."

About a year was spent in Vegas with a large multi-doctor practice that brought in Dermatologists, Dentists and Orthopedic specialists to see the more difficult cases. The orthopedic surgeon would do a lot of work after hours when he flew out from Iowa State, and I never missed getting in on it. Another vet that worked with me at the time would do the same thing. He was Dr. Ron McLaughlin and is now the Head of Small Animal Surgery at Mississippi State.

Working 7 days a week at Tropicana Veterinary Hospital enabled me to see and learn a lot. I was young with no kids and loved that part of it. I wasn't too happy about some of the "things" that were done concerning clients and I think the final straw was one Christmas morning. My boss decided that we should be open that morning and was a bit too overjoyed when there was one client that came in to be seen. He was so focused on money, that it was more important to him than being at home for the Holiday with his wife & daughter. It snowed that morning in Vegas and I went back to sit in front of my shabby little tree alone (except for my dog, Gumby) and think about home. 

Opportunities were available and I started looking around. California was scrambling for Vets, and I was offered a move farther west. I certainly considered it, but I figured I would eventually end up in Dyersburg and thought I should head home to get started.  I went to work with an existing practice in town and was trying to adapt to their practice ways, when they approached me with a Non-Compete clause. Although these contracts are common, the overzealous ones similar to the one that they had drawn up, were not holding up in court, but I wasn't going to sign something that I wouldn't agree to. Nobody was going to tell me that I couldn't work within 30 miles of Dyersburg for 3 years if it didn't work out at that practice.

Opening my own practice was the best option. I was told by several, that there was no way a Veterinary Clinic could make it unless they did Large animals & there were already enough clinics in town anyway. I liked farm animal work, focused on it in school and externships, and I grew up doing it. On the other hand I knew that I needed to focus on fewer things if I was going to be successfuland be able to take care of my patients and clients. Daddy told me that if you are good at something, there is always room for you. I built a 40X70 foot building, had 2 employees and opened April 20, 1989. I think I brought in $22.50 that first day............its gotten a little better since then.

Thanks for letting me share some of my life with you and Thank you for allowing me to serve you & your pets at Animal Care Hospital for 25 years.  I'll get back to the medical stuff with my next post.

Mother often talks about time periods in our family. She will ask me if I remember any of the period ‘B.C.’ That stands for Before Cricket. I probably recollect some of it, but many of my formative years were with Cricket in my life.

Cricket was a little mutt puppy that my sister Nancy and mother came home with from the pound on Front Street in Memphis.  Of course our cat, Graham Cracker, wasn’t happy about it and scratched its nose on the first day. The rest of the family was very happy and most excited about having one with eyebrows for some reason. Even Daddy was fine with it, and when he turned him over he realized that he was a she. I guess his Animal Husbandry degree from UT paid off. She was a cute little puppy and we were very proud of her. I’m not sure what breed she was, but was called a ‘Heinz 57’. For those who aren’t sure what that means… She was made up of 57 Varieties. Paula Hooper who worked for Dr. Thurmond at his veterinary clinic proclaimed that she was a Dandie Dinmont Terrier, so we decided to go with that one.


At my age and status in the family, I don't think I got a vote in naming her (I would have probably wanted "The Long Ranger" or "Hot Wheels"), but I am sure that it was very involved, much like it was naming our new puppy last week. I put her on Facebook and over 2,000 people viewed it with LOTS of Comments with suggestions. Come to think of it, I didn't really have much of a vote in naming Ava either. Or as Jack calls her; Ava Kate White.


Cricket's personality was infectious. Everybody loved her and she loved everybody……. Except one peculiar lady that frequently walked by our house. She was the only one that caused her to bark.  I don’t really remember if she was a dog that even barked when the garbage men came to get our stuff, although she probably did.

I was sheltered from this episode as a young boy, but apparently Cricket was in heat and on our screened in back porch when a wandering male broke through the screen and had his way with her.  Mother & Daddy decided that since she was probably bred, we needed to try to improve to genetics of at least some of the puppies. No ordinary male would do! I don’t remember which male they decided on this first time. It was either the Kirk’s dog Snoopy or the Evan’s dog Mickey. I am sure it was a Methodist dog.  Everybody wanted one of Cricket’s puppies and the price was right. I have a feeling that these litters were the first Designer Breeds, but that didn’t catch on until 3 to 4 decades later. I can only remember some of their names: Dodger, Oliver, Casper, Fringe, Gately … Whenever I was given the task of taking Cricket for a leash walk when she was in heat, I would finish by going in the backdoor of my Grandmother’s house across the street and coming out the front, leaving a group of suitors waiting in her back yard.

Cricket loved to go. She logged numerous miles following me on my bicycle. She was a fixture downtown, waiting outside of Woolworth, Forked Deer, Ben Franklin, Western Auto, Firestone or Piggly Wiggly. She waited by my bike and never went in…..one of her puppies (the Artful Dodger) was not so obedient and decided the new automatic doors that Mr. Bradshaw put in at Piggly Wiggly were designed for him.  I’m not sure if Cricket went farther with me or with my grandmother who walked for exercise, even before it was fashionable. Grandmother (aka Big Nancy, aka Mary) would come across the street to ask her if she wanted to go walking. Cricket had this wonderful petite howl to express her desire not to be left behind, EVER.

She grew up in the era of dogs running loose in our neighborhood. All of them got along. Puff, Jiffy, Suzy, Wags, Tuffy and Dude to name a few….. She would go absolutely crazy for a Hershey’s Kiss, because she also grew up in the era of us not knowing any better. She loved the snow, she loved Christmas and she loved company. Cricket was the Norman Vincent Peale of the canine world. During her tenure, my sister Marion acquired a baby robin that she wanted to rescue. Rubin the Robin stayed in a basket, but as he grew we would let him hop around the kitchen floor (if the cat was outside). Cricket was of course very hospitable and would even let him pull the hairs on her feet like he was pulling worms.

Cricket was the family dog and we all loved her, but she slept with me, rode with me, came to  visit me at school during recess, played with me in the snow and would follow me to the end of the world if she could. I felt that she was MY dog.

When Cricket died, mother couldn’t bring herself to call to tell us kids. She decided to write each of us a letter instead.  When my mother opened a dress shop, she needed to come up with a perfect name. Some of you may not know that “Cricket Corner” is named after MY dog. If you go in the store and see a portrait of a cute little Black & White dog(and finally with a lot of grey)………….. She’s mine.

 

Allergies are a real problem in lots of Dogs. I tell my clients; the more they know, the better off their pets will be. This is very important when dealing with allergies.

I assume that most mammalian species have some allergies, I know that I do. I think I have allergies to Fescue and to a few cats, but not many. When we have airborne allergies, we usually have runny eyes and sneeze. Dogs can do the same, but more often they have red ears or lick & chew their feet.

Some of our patients come in only during certain times of the year, when their allergies are “acting up”. Unfortunately, we also see those that have severe allergies all year long. We use this trait to help us to narrow down what the allergens are. If it is seasonal, then the problem is most often something outdoors. This can be pollen, trees, weeds, grasses, etc. etc. etc. Those dogs that have allergies all year long are usually indoor problems, such as dust mites, molds and mildews. One other good possibility is that they are allergic an ingredient in the food they are eating. Any protein source in food can cause allergies.

Dogs are not born with allergies, they develop. My Grandmother didn’t get Poison Ivy until she was past 90, so it can happen at different ages. The same thing is true for food. Even though your dog has been eating the same food for months, doesn’t mean that an allergy hasn't developed.


Diagnosing which allergens are responsible can be tricky, but we are often lucky enough to find a specific cause. There are different tests available and most Veterinary Dermatologists do skin testing, since they feel it is better. A more common way is by using a Blood Sample. This is easier, plus it doesn’t require an expensive array of allergens used to inject for testing. Most experts feel that Skin or Blood testing for FOOD allergies is not that reliable, although it can be done.

Food allergies have to be diagnosed with a “Food elimination trial”. This is done by feeding a food with ingredients that the pet hasn't been exposed to previously, called a “novel protein source". Two decades ago, we were able to use Lamb & Rice, because they weren’t in our normal pet foods. Since they are more common ingredients now, it doesn’t work anymore. These foods need to be very specific in what they have, and more importantly, what they DON’T have in them. If you look at ingredients on some of these “allergy diets” they may have Fish & Potato, but they also have chicken, beef, pork, etc.  Hill's produces a Food allergy diet called Z/D, by manufacturing it in such a way that the protein molecules are too small to create allergic reactions. Just because the patient responds to a food, doesn’t mean that we have to stay on that food forever. We can try adding particular ingredients back to the diet to see if they react. This will give us a more specific diagnosis. There are also diets that can be homemade, to diagnose and treat food allergies. Beef & Dairy are the most common culprits.

What do we do when we find out what airborne things are causing the allergies? It’s going to be tough trying to convince your neighbor he should cut down his Maple Tree, because Fluffy is allergic. There are Allergy Injections that can be given to desensitize the immune system and improve things. There is a variable response rate to these injections. We see dogs that respond beautifully, while others have no improvement at all. Many patients are somewhere in between and show an improvement, but not a cure. Avoidance is great if possible. I have patients that have indoor allergies, and doing things around the house to decrease molds, mildew and mites really improves things.

Many patients, just like many people will just deal with the allergies, if they aren’t too severe. I see patients that come in once a year with allergies that respond beautifully to short term medication and doing extensive testing and allergy injections don’t make sense. The medications that are used are the same as in human medicine. Corticosteroids and Antihistamines are the most common. We don’t want to use Steroids long term if we can avoid it, but there are patients that are miserable without it. There are a few pets that show improvement with antihistamines, but in many patients they just don’t work that well. One of the ways that I try to differentiate between Airborne & Food allergies is to use a low-dose steroid to begin with. Food allergies, as a general rule, don’t respond as well as the Airborne allergies.

There are some newer drugs that are being used. Cyclosporin is an immune modulator that helps in some patients without the steroid side effects. The 2 down sides are expense and poor response in many patients. There is a new drug that just came out from a company called Zoetis. It supposedly has the same response rate as a steroid without the side effects of increased appetite and water consumption. The cost is supposed to be better than the Cyclosporin and they tell me that it will work on Food allergies as well. The problem with this drug is that the manufacturer underestimated the need and they can’t make enough of it. Currently they will only sell the drug to pets that are already on it. Its very early in the life of this drug, so give us some time to evaluate it. The studies look great so far. There are several patients that I want to get started on this new drug called Apoquel. Keep your fingers crossed, I know I am.