Sorry for the lack of new animal stories lately - it's not that they weren't taking place, just that they were doing so at a pace that left me less time to write about them since Watkins and Kimball Veterinary Clinics merged. For anyone unfamiliar with Murphy's Law, it states that if anything can possibly go wrong, it will. And the law seems to come in to play most often when you have the least amount of time to deal with it.
It makes absolutely no sense, right? Of all the times to enjoy the thickest, warmest coat possible, why do our pets' bodies drop so much hair all of a sudden in the middle of winter? Pet shedding is one of the big draw-backs to having house pets, as they make quick work of what once was nice furniture, carpeting, and clothing, annoyingly covering everything with a layer of themselves. My wife makes daily threats that if I don't vacuum more often, the dogs and cats and I will be living in the garage. Thinking I was clever, I bought a Roomba® so I can vacuum when I'm not home.
Indeed, there is a multimillion- dollar industry capitalizing on this biological phenomenon with our pets, including vacuum cleaners that are supposedly designed for pet hair, an infinite array of pet brushes (my favorite: The Furminator®), lint rollers, anti-shedding shampoos, specially formulated foods and dietary supplements. Some pets are even marketed and chosen, based on their minimal-shedding reputation. The fact is that shedding is in most cases normal and healthy. There can, however, be some light cast upon the reasons for shedding and the excessiveness of it at certain times of the year.
Ever wonder why our poor dogs had what we have compared someone's foul-smelling breath to? Pretty much everyone agrees that puppy breath is pleasant, then at some undefined point, things go awry and having our dogs breathe in our faces is no longer welcome. The reason for this is the most common disease we see in our pets next to obesity, which is periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease causes foul-smelling breath in pets by the same mechanism it does in humans: odor-causing bacteria set up shop around the base of the teeth, and they proliferate along with mineral deposits to form the heavy calculus we see on our pets' teeth. This bacteria/mineral deposit irritates the gums causing gingivitis. Over time, they erode the gums back and deteriorate the periodontal ligament which holds the tooth solidly in its socket until the tooth becomes overly exposed and loose. During this time it creates a bad odor because of the bacteria itself and tissue deterioration. Can you imagine smelling rotting tissue coming from your own mouth 24/7?
With how cold it was in December, Jean from the Tri-County News was wondering at what temperature it is too dangerous for our animals outside. I have seen frostbite leave permanent damage on horses, dogs, cats, and calves, and in most cases, they happened at a young age in below-zero conditions. Short, rounded ears are often an indicator that the animal was exposed to dangerously low temperatures that actually killed the living tissue and caused permanent, irreversible damage. I have also seen foot pads completely slough off, leaving only the underlying raw tissue for the animal to walk on after being out in the cold too long. Death from hypothermia can occur in calves or other species that are unexpectedly born outside at this time of year in our area.
Homer came to us after he became literally unable to eat any food without it coming immediately back up. He would try his best, even making repeated attempts to eat what came back up until some of the mush eventually remained in his stomach. Despite his best efforts to nourish himself, his body could not disguise the evidence of weakness, muscle wasting, and overall depression.
It was a line I stole from Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, but secretly, I thought I had a pretty good idea whether or not my own kids needed medical attention.
Thinking I was a sensible man, medically trained in the ailments of a variety of species, I would not fall into the category of people rushing their children to urgent care on a Sunday afternoon, based on the symptoms of coughing a little, or perhaps having a bit of a watery eye. So I assured my wife, if the symptoms were still there in the morning, she would not have to worry while she was at work, because I would make time and schedule an appointment (at the human clinic, of course) for our girls, and take them myself.
Rendering a pen of 700-pound bulls into steers? Not too intimidating. Gelding a 1,000-pound stallion? Usually not a problem. Giving hulk-like Rottweilers their shots? No big deal. Risking life and limb to treat animals never comes with higher stakes than when that 3-pound fashion accessory of a dog is carried through the door for a nail trim. The Chihuahua's tiny head, the purpose of which is really just as an attachment point for a pair of enormous eyes and ears, pokes out of the designer handbag it employs as a means of transportation, prohibiting the animal from ever truly discovering the full potential of any of its four legs. This picture may not be one that you would expect to strike fear into the hearts of men, but believe me, it is only a façade ... nothing like the terror that ensues when the beast gets into the exam room and out of its handbag.
Last Friday was particularly hectic, the day beginning with a phone call from one technician saying she would be late, my partner informing me as he was leaving for the morning that the other technician working that day would not be in at all because of a sick child, our other vet was on vacation, and that I had an appointment on a farm at 8:30 ... but I couldn't leave the clinic until someone else showed up to hold the fort down. Oh, and there's a lady waiting by the door with a rabbit under her arm and the phone is ringing off the hook. Thursday, October 22, 2009
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are approximately 800,000 dog bites requiring medical attention every year in the United States, with significantly more children being bitten than adults. Dog-bite prevention should periodically be reviewed, and now that kids are back in school, Dr. Dean will be visiting some area classrooms soon with information and demonstrations regarding safety around dogs. One of the big messages is that when an unfamiliar dog approaches you, stand still "like a tree," and if you are knocked down by a dog, "lie like a dog," lying still with your face covered. Thursday, September 17, 2009
My family and I spent Labor Day with neighbors we had before we moved out of the Cities a couple years ago. At the time, they had no pets of their own, and their two daughters absolutely adored our two dogs and, judging by my dogs' reaction to hearing the girls' voices outside, the feeling was mutual. "Katie ... Molly ..." would send my two dogs hurdling toward the back door, jumping over each other, anxious to be the first one to get petted or chase a ball the girls would throw down the alley. So naturally, when our old friends invited us down, their girls made sure they asked us to bring Katie and Molly along. And one more thing ... they had a dog of their very own, and they were excited for us and our dogs to meet. Wednesday, September 09, 2009
There really is no end to the possibilities when it comes to the things our pets decide to eat that get them into trouble. Some examples were highlighted in the latest issue of one of the veterinary magazines I receive. The cat who ate a 5-inch long antenna, the NON-venomous snake who ate a venomous snake, the cat who ate a needle and thread, the black lab who ate a toe nail clipper, the standard poodle who ate a $10,000 diamond ring, the cat who ate a key, and the border collie who deemed it appropriate to eat a ridiculous amount of broken up asphalt. All perfectly depicted in the corresponding x-rays veterinarians had submitted. Coincidentally, in another veterinary journal I receive, one of the published cases in its latest issue was that of a miniature pinscher who ate Gorilla Glue. Wednesday, September 02, 2009
As glamorous as being a farm vet is (chuckle), there is one duty in particular that we perform on a daily basis that invariably gets either a gasp or a snicker (depending on their personality) from every first-timer witnessing the job. We begin by reaching into a plastic bag containing what look like plastic gloves, except that as the glove is being pulled out of the bag, it seems never-ending. Thursday, August 27, 2009
I got myself in trouble. It was flattering to learn that people actually read my column. It just wasn't a fun way for the news to be delivered when two uniformed Department of Natural Resources officers showed up in my office Monday morning stating that they had received several phone calls in response to last week's column about the raccoon. Apparently the calls were not in regard to how the column was funny or had touched them in some way, mostly the callers wanted to blow a whistle on the criminals out there maliciously caring for the orphaned infant critters that happened to find themselves motherless on these law-breakers' farms. Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Okay, a little background first. A client had rescued some infant raccoons from their farm after their mother was apparently too delicious for a coyote to resist, and these little bottle-fed orphans had become quite tame toward their adopting parents. Neutering, the owner reasoned, would give the male a higher likelihood of staying home and being a nicer pet once he was mature, which I believe would be true. Admittedly not-so-up on the anatomy of raccoon genitalia, the owner assured me that the critters little boy parts were right there in plain sight, ready to be taken off. Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It's a pretty safe bet that when those are the first words a farmer uses to greet the vet, it's going to be a doozie. Back when I was a vet student riding around with Dr. Dan, we responded to a call about a beef cow having trouble giving birth. Upon arriving at the farm we drove about a quarter mile across a plowed field in the vague direction we hoped our patient would be, finally seeing her at the bottom of a small hill. In addition to the cow, I couldn't help but notice a few people and a case of beer strategically positioned near the cow in front-row seats, getting primed up for the arrival of the evening's entertainment: The Vet. Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Animals have a way of moving in with us. Even if we are adamant that we don't want any pets, or any more pets, if the stars align in such a manner as to bring a stray to our door, we tend to get awfully soft awfully fast. I personally provide room and board for two dogs that I fell in love with after hearing of their unplanned births (translation: mutts), and two cats that were born on a farm that seems to have more than their share of not-so-fertility-challenged felines. Wednesday, July 29, 2009
There isn't much scarier than witnessing a seizure. Although seizures may seem like an eternity to owners when their dog is suffering one, they are typically well less than a minute when timed. During this time the dog is unresponsive, lying on its side with rigid muscles, often panting at a rapid rate, and his body temperature has the potential to reach a dangerously high fever that could have permanent implications. That is why when I got a call from someone in Buffalo dog sitting for one of our clients late on a Friday night, I was hoping they could find an emergency clinic much closer to their house to treat Riley's seizure. Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Whenever I cannot even catch the animal I am supposed to treat, it always begs the question: How sick can they really be? It seems to happen more often than not with beef animals, and last Friday it was "Ole," the 9-year-old Scottish Highlander bull with a sore foot. (1 comments) Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Hindsight is a funny thing - it lets us see how our younger selves didn't even know how much we didn't know. As a kid knowing I wanted to be a vet someday, I could hardly wait to get a job at a vet clinic as soon as I could drive. It came as no surprise to me when that long anticipated day finally came that my low-on-the-totem pole responsibilities would be less than glamorous. Washing dirty towels, taking out the trash, cleaning out kennels and putting in fresh newspaper, poop scooping, mopping floors, being told to do all the other jobs no one wanted to do, and if there was spare time, watch what the vets were doing. Continuing to hold this coveted position through high school and college before vet school afforded me many moments of feeling like a male, veterinary version of pre-fairy godmother Cinderella. While picking up poop as my friends drove by on their way to enjoy a sunny summer day at the lake, I would be comforted by the thought that I was just paying my dues and one day I would be wearing the white coat while someone else did all the dirty work for me. I would have scooped my last poop the moment I had a vet school acceptance letter in my hand. Wednesday, July 08, 2009
