What if....

Scenerio 1: What if your pet was very sick and when you took them to the vet they said that they didn't know what was wrong with him, just take him home and make him comfortable. No offer of any diagnostics whatsoever. Then your pet died.

Scenerio 2: What if your vet did offer you diagnostics? But you elected to not have them done, it doesn't matter the reason. Then your pet died.

Which scenerio is the fault of the veterinarian?

Scenerio 3: What if your vet was given permission to do the diagnostics, got an idea what could possibly be wrong but wasn't sure without further testing, but didn't offer it to you because the testing was quite expensive and your pet died?

Scenerio 4: What if the vet did offer to do further testing you declined and your pet died?

Which scenerio is the fault of the veterinarian.

Scenerio 5: Okay, you opted for all the possible testing, the vet made a definitive diagnosis, knew of a fantastic treatment protocol that could (nothing in life is a guarantee) save your dog BUT it's very expensive and maybe your pet would die anyway. So the vet elects to not even mention it, after all, why would anyone want to spend that kind of money on a pet? Your pet dies a week later after treatments that were much more affordable and could possibly save your pet...but doesn't.

Scenerio 6: Same as #5 but this time the vet DOES offer you the expensive treatment that you decline due to cost. Sadly the outcome is the same as #5.

Scenerio 7: Same as #5, but this time you opt to go for the more expensive treatment and though things look pretty good at first, your pet dies anyway. :-(

Which scenerio is the fault of the veterinarian?
___________________________________

If you said; #1, #3 and #5 you would be correct. Does that make you at fault for the others? Absolutely not!!! Sometimes, our beloved pets die, no matter how much money we throw at their problem, no matter how much we love them. It sucks, but it's not ALL about blame.

The problem that I'm trying to outline (I never claimed to be a writer folks, LOL) is that a veterinarian is under a moral & legal obligation to offer to you every thing that he or she knows is available that may help your pet when it is ill. It's not a financial obligation. It's what's right. It would be downright mean and irresponsible to not inform you of ALL of your options to help your friend and companion. Your obligation is to do what you're capable of doing. Don't feel guilty because you can't afford a treatment out of your financial capacity, it's okay. I can't afford a lot of treatments for my own pets either. It hurts like hell, but it's the truth. We hear stories of people taking out a 2nd mortgage for cancer treatments and the like for the pets, but they're not common. One client I know sold her car! That was what THEY chose to do, but it's not expected, by any stretch of the imagination, for every pet owner to do so.

Don't be shy, say no if you need to do so. Above all...don't feel guilty. It really is OK that you can't afford an MRI, expensive cancer treatments or thousands of dollars worth of testing.

on other blogs:
Dolittler "How to say no to your vet"
Pet Connection "Veterinary Medicine: How much do you want to know"

Vodka & Tonic

Bet you did a double take on the title! :-)

No, I don't need a vodka & tonic. Some days I do, but not today.

Today was interesting because we wandered off the path of the usual treatment plans meandering between the ethylene glycol cat and the liver failing ferret.

Mowzer was brought in yesterday afternoon by his people for lethargy and simply ADR (ain't doin' right). During the exam the cat let his bladder go and it was tinged with blood. While we drew the blood and urine for diagnostic the owner & vet chatted. In passing, he mentioned that Mowzer may have gotten himself into some anti-freeze and the vet delivered the tidbit to us. With a nearly audible "screeeeeeeeech!" things came to a halt, changed directions and the two vets on staff conferred. One of the techs got out the test for anti-freeze, spun the blood in the centrifuge and tested the resulting serum. Bingo! We've got ethylene glycol in the blood so we have hope, it's not a sure thing, but we might be able to save this kitty. The possible cure is a bit of a surprise and someone made a run to the liquor store for Vodka. Yup, Vodka....intravenously. Not full strength mind you, but it's in the bag with the rest of the fluids to keep him hydrated.

So now we have an intoxicated kitty in the hospital and all joking aside, the guy is a MEAN DRUNK. The first 12 hours he had to have his temp and respiration recorded, which was done by the overnight tech. Any drop below 98F or increase over 103F and the vet would need to called in ASAP. He stayed stable through the night but he could go from sweet to surly in .02 seconds flat. When his flow rate was increased in the morning it got worse. This cat, who was typically cranky even with the owners, was now a whirling ball of razor sharp claws and teeth. At noon today when it was time to recheck his blood work and urine values it took 3 technicians and 2 assistants, with the vet cheering us on to obtain the blood & urine. This cat literally threw itself off the treatment table and took several inches of human skin with it.

The good news is so far Mowzer is stable and doing well. Tomorrow he comes off the Vodka drip and we go from there. I just know he has a claw with each of our names on it.

The ferret came in Wednesday evening. A general health exam that quickly became a hospitalized patient. She was very lethargic and not eating, which is never good for a tiny four year old 1 pound ferret. She was also extremely dehydrated. We got an IV catheter into her and started on fluids. Yesterday she started perking up a bit but we hadn't been able to collect blood the night before. Sludgy blood is a real challenge to get into the syringe and we needed to get her hydrated first. Finally she was able to grace us with the red gold and got the goods to the lab. She'd eat if hand fed and was starting to chew on her catheter. Even with an exotic animal Elizabethan collar she managed to shred a second catheter. Yup, she was feeling better. The bloodwork came back showing liver problems so she'll likely need a lifetime of treatments to keep her healthy. Since her blood sugar was also in the toilet it'll be even more important that the owner make sure she eats and always has food available to her. She'll be on SAM-e and the liver tonic, Milk Thistle, at home.

Milk Thistle from Holistic Pet

Liversupport.com

Shawn Messonier DVM on Milk Thistle:
"Milk thistle is a well-known liver tonic. Milk thistle extract provides liver protection by stabilizing the cell membranes of the liver cells, aids in detoxification of toxins (especially those absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract,) stimulates protein synthesis and regeneration of damaged liver cells (actually helping the diseased cells to heal,) and also acts as an antioxidant."

We'll see how she does in the next few weeks. *fingers crossed*

Breeding For A Buck Pt. 2

I had the late shift today and imagine my surprised happiness when I spied in our intensive care unit a little female chihuahua. Yes, indeed, the very same that was destined for the needle.

They were set for the euthanasia. The solution was drawn up and in the hands of the vet, the papers were signed. Suddenly, one of the receptionist burst through the door and said to stop everything, they were going to go for the caesarian!!!!

I didn't ask if they spayed her as well, I forgot. But I plan to check.

She went home tonight to her singlet puppy.

I'm so relieved! :-)

Breeding For A Buck

Her tiny body, swollen with the last 63 days of gestation, laid before me on the table wrapped in a blanket. Her tired, yet pleading eyes, met mine as I delivered the estimate for an emergency cesarean of over $600. IV catheter, fluids, medications, anesthesia, hospitalization and the surgery itself.

She had struggled for many hours to delivery the puppy that was now trapped and deceased, with another waiting, or dead, to also be born. The odor of death was in the room and the elderly owner stood with her shoulders slumped while her grown daughter pelted her with insults regarding her lack of funds and breeding. Although I knew the daughter was right, she really shouldn't be backyard breeding if she can't afford veterinary care for the bitch or the puppies, I also knew that it was a moot point. They'd made the rounds to all the vet clinics in the area, looking for a bargain, there was none to be had.

The owner elected to euthanize the bitch. Her daughter went ballistic and repeated words she'd heard her mother say, "you said yourself that you have one puppy that you can sell for more than $300 to help pay bill. Just help your dog!"

It was clear to me then, that her daughter was trying to make her see that breeding the dog was a poor choice to begin with and that the owner only saw her $300+ slipping away if she were to save her dog. There wasn't a tear shed by the owner, the bitch on the table was nothing more than a money breeder or was the owner simply a stoic individual. I don't know, but there were no soothing words for the bitch, no caresses, scritches or I love you's. Nothing. Had she already distanced herself...or was the fact that she couldn't use this dog anymore to make $300+ a puppy all that it was?

I don't know the answers to these questions. But the eyes on this chihuahua haunt me. The little day old puppy the owner pulled out of her sweater pocket while saying she needed milk and a bottle for the puppy haunts me. I wanted to grab the little black creature and run out the door.

I have nothing against responsible breeding and breeders. But it really bugs me when someone brings in a dog that has nothing to offer its owner other than it's womb as if it were a piggy bank. There was nothing special about this chihuahua, there's rarely anything special about many of the dogs that are brought in with dystocia or pyometra. They're just money machines. It breaks my heart, they're special to me and they should have been wrapped up in the security of a loving home as someone's companion...not a 4 legged ATM.

And then...the daughter had the audacity to look at me while saying this to her mother,
"They don't care about dogs, they'd rather kill her, they only care about the bottom line. It's all about the money for them, otherwise they'd help her. They kill dogs all day when people can't pay."

I was thunderstruck.
Who exactly cares only about the money? We're ready to help the dog, are we the ones withholding care? Who is breeding their poor examples of a breed to make a buck? When did we become responsible for someone else's poor judgment?

Last I heard, since my shift was over and someone else took over for me, the little chi was waiting for the needle in room 1.

Before a "Routine" Surgery

It's only called "routine" because it's something that is done several times a day, day in and day out. Each vet has their own "routine" that they go through, for every ovariohysterectomy and orchiectomy, from the time they don their sterile gloves to the last stitch. But that's the only reason. They're not easy surgeries, they're not painless or predictable and death is always a possibility.

They're also one of the most deeply discounted surgeries you can get from a vet. For example: replace the incision in the abdomen to remove a uterus (about a 30 minute surgery) with a laceration repair of about 15 minutes. The guy with the dog that has a laceration repair will have a bill that is 2 to 3 times the cost of the spay. It's also why there are spay/neuter clinics, which make me shudder when I think of what goes on at one.

That all being said, the one thing that pet owners seem to balk at is the IV catheter and pre-anesthetic blood work before the so-called "routine" surgeries for their pet. The word routine seems to have instilled a false sense of security in some veterinarians and pet owners, causing them to forgo the importance of knowing their patient and being prepared for disaster. A better term and one that I see used more and more in the veterinary field is "elective surgery".

For the owner the extras mean additional cost, for the veterinarian it means more prep time and having to charge more to the client possibly lessening the chance that the client will alter their pet. Which, is why altering is discounted in the first place. It's all a part of the master plan of having every pet altered...which is a completely different post so let's just skip over that at this time.

I've had several opportunities to see these elective surgeries go awry as well as the opportunity to circumvent tragedy. A case this week is an example of that. I came in later in the day so I wasn't there when it happened, but I've seen it before.

A small dog under the age of a year, owners who declined the IV catheter and the blood work due to cost. It's rare that an owner will elect either and if their dog is over 9 years of age it's all required rather than optional. The little dog went through the usual pre surgical routine as any other dog. While on the table he crashed. He stopped breathing and his heart rate dropped drastically. I can see the mayhem that took place, everyone moving like lightening, the doctor barking orders for the IV catheter, the epinephrine, someone to start breathing for the dog (bagging) and call the owner STAT all while quickly trying to get the surgery finished and closed up. That's what a trained staff does. Even though the vet is hollering, people are already in motion and have drugs, catheter and bag in hand before the words are completely out of his mouth.

The little dog went home that night, wagging his tail and licking his owner's face none the worse for his earlier trauma. But what happened? Would we have known that there could be an issue if we'd had blood work to consult? Would it not have happened if there was already an IV catheter in place and fluids running during the surgery? We'll never know. Could we have known?

Yesterday we had an owner bring in their pet for a neuter and wanted pre surgical blood work. I was impressed, but they were late dropping off. Very late. So there were some frowns and stress lines in the room. Too bad, I was more than happy to do the blood work and juggle the schedule. I like knowing that the liver and kidneys are healthy and that they're not anemic or worse. I said a silent thank you to the owners. In my world, the blood work and IV catheter is required, but we're expected to keep the costs down.

One of the relief vets that works with us once in a while told us of a clinic (no she didn't name it, she has more class than that) that she was expected to do her spays and neuters in a back room surgical suite with absolutely no one else in the room with her. No technician to monitor the pet and no one in ear shot if things went bad. They also did not administer pain control and used the cheapest anesthetic protocol out there. She said their nursing care was non-existent (no monitoring of the pet before, during or after surgery), they just tossed the pet into a cage and let it wake up alone, never looking at it again until they pulled it out to go home. They have rock bottom prices so they d0 a lot of alters in the area. She never went back to that clinic.

Think about that the next time you "comparison shop", ask them about their staff training and their surgical protocols. Ask about where your pet is going to be altered and how it will be monitored, including the monitoring equipment, trained staff in attendance and post surgical nursing. Will your pet receive pre & post pain medication, if not, request it. Pay the extra for an IV catheter and pre-anesthetic blood work. Forget the word routine and replace it with elective. Elective surgeries are not the fast food of surgeries so let's stop treating them like they are, they're serious surgeries that deserve the same amount of care and preparation of an orthopedic surgery.

We all want to save money, I know I do, but exactly how much are we willing to sacrifice for our pets life?

Rabies Confusion

I belong to several online pet groups and over the past week I've noticed an alarming trend of misunderstanding regarding the recent announcement that canine rabies has been eradicated in the United States. Check any news feed and the is quote is pretty much in every one of them.

" The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that canine rabies has been officially eradicated in the United States, warning however that owners should continue to vaccinate their pets."

The misunderstanding is that some people believe that there pet can no longer contract rabies. This is a deadly misconception. They most certainly can still contract rabies, just not the canine strain.

Massachusetts Bureau of Animal Health

"There are currently 11 different strains of the rabies affecting the
United States. A "strain" of rabies is a form of the virus which is
primarily carried by a specific animal, known as the dominant reservoir
species. Of the 11 strains of rabies in the U. S., 6 are carried by
bats, which are found in all parts of the U. S. The remaining 5 strains
are carried by land animals. These strains include 2 fox strains, 2
skunk strains, and the raccoon strain."

The most common strains of rabies are bat and raccoon and a lot depends on your location. In my state of Washington 10% of bats tested proved to be rabid. 10 percent doesn't seem like a lot unless you know that they tested 10,000 bats, a mere fraction of how many bats we do have. I have a few myself that I can watch every night feed while sitting on my back porch.

You, your dog, cat, ferret, horse, etc., can still get rabies and should still be protected.

Reuters Feed

"While dogs may still become infected from raccoons, skunks or bats, they will not catch dog-specific rabies from another dog, the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"We don't want to misconstrue that rabies has been eliminated -- dog rabies virus has been," CDC rabies expert Dr. Charles Rupprecht told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Rabies evolves to match the animals it infects, and the strain most specific to dogs has not been seen anywhere in the United States since 2004, Rupprecht said.

While the incubation period for rabies is as long as six years in humans, it is only six months in a dog.

"Even though we still live in a sea of rabies and even though we have rabies viruses circulating among raccoons and foxes and bats, the dog rabies virus, which is the most responsible for dog-to-dog transmission and which is still the greatest burden to humans ... it is that virus that has been eliminated."

Your pet can become infected with any one of the other strains of rabies. I hope that clears things up for anyone not quite understanding.

Changes in the Air

Would anyone be particularly upset if I started posting about my days at work? I hope not, if it's boring or just too .... I don't, maybe self serving? Let me know, I want to try this simply because things *are* getting interesting at work and sometimes I wish I would just post about them. Honestly, sometimes I am too scared to post. I worry that my bosses will look down on something I wrote or see it as a compromising position...and face it sometimes I'm not very nice about my co-workers. ;-)

We're going to 24/7 emergency & urgent care. Oddly enough, since the day we started this a mere 2 weeks ago our business has increased 20%. The cases have gotten increasingly complicated and requiring an increased level of patient care. This is all good, although my feet and sometimes my addled brain long for the good ol' days.

I started this job 2 years ago because I wanted experience with exotics and wildlife. I'm definitely getting it, as well as getting up close and personal with animals most people can only hope to catch a glimpse.

We all manage to get attached to our patients and everyone is different. Some of us prefer the cats; fawning, cooing and coddling them. Others only lose their minds over the puppies and kittens. There's a few of us that lavish our affections on the birds and one individual that makes the weirdest noises when it comes to the reptiles.

This week we had a two pets that demanded my attentions, a Hyacinth macaw and the most adorable little day old Yorkshire terrier pup.

The Hyacinth
Hyacinths are quite large and their beaks are about as big as a woman's fist and strong enough to crack a brazil nut as if it were an egg. Their size alone is quite intimidating to a lot of people, they're the largest species of macaw. This young man is about 16 years old and very, very sick. He came to us wrapped in a towel held close to its owner. He wasn't eating and you can tell he had been anorexic for quite some time. His "keel" protruded from his chest like a scalpel blade.

The first thing we needed to do was obtain blood for an avian panel, I was afraid his blood would be like pudding since he was obviously dehydrated. I was relieved to find that we were able to do so without too much trauma. We certainly didn't want to stress him needlessly, but we desperately needed to know the results. Which weren't good. His liver and kidneys were failing. We also had to get fluids and food into his body. Nourishment was a priority. This poor guy could hardly grip my arm and he was deathly underweight at a mere 1075 grams, about third of what he should be!! He should be able to grip my arm with such strength to leave toenail impressions in my arm and my arm should tire from carrying him. We've spent the last three days getting him hydrated, medicated and fed.

After the 1st 24 hours of taking his little raisin of a body and plumping it up with some fluids he put on an addition 122 grams. He leveled out a bit the second day but by the end of the evening he was refusing nourishment. I had to bite the bullet and crop feed him. A three person job. One to hold, one to support and me to get a tube down to his crop and fill it with food. I hated doing this to an adult bird, but he had to eat.

I was off the next day and when I went in today I was greeted by a bird standing fully upright on his perch instead of his hocks hanging low. He was also eating. He let me give him sunflower seeds, not the best for a bird, but he was eating. He picked out some dehydrated carrots and I rustled some grapes from someone's stash in the employee fridge, which he enjoyed. Later though, he started regurgitating his food. My co-worker and I think he may be so hungry that he's gorging himself and then drinking too much water. So we started feeding him fresh foods, which entailed me using my lunch break to fetch some fresh organic fruits & veggies. We also pulled his water. Problem solved, there's lots of moisture in the fruits & vegetables and we'll allow sips of water, but at least he stopped regurgitating.

The Baby Yorkie

Sometimes mother nature is a bitch, literally and figuratively *grin*. This little guy was the runt and couldn't catch a break. When it came to nursing his litter mates pushed him out of the way. So they brought him in to us. He was too weak to nurse so we had to tube feed him also. Breeding & neonatal is not my forte', I can assure you. I can't even seem to remember gestation time much less any thing else. 63 days right? Hmm...can't recall. Anyway, we've been trying to get him to nurse and sometimes he will, sometimes we pull out the red rubber catheter. *sigh* But he's growing and he's thriving. He's just *tiny* 83 grams at last weigh-in. He fit in my scrub pocket and he makes the sweetest little noises. His feedings were a highlight in my day. He should be home tonight, fighting for a nipple I hope. He needs his momma...if not...he can come live with me. *grin*

There was plenty of sadness this week. An elderly dog that owners kept waffling every two hours when they'd bring her in to be euthanized. They finally allowed xrays and a GDV was discovered. A puppy with the symptoms of parvo but a negative snap test was euthanized due to lack of funds. A happy go-lucky bulldog with bladder stones, at least he was happy. But one of the saddest of them all was a cruelty/neglect case brought in to us by the local humane society. She was a poodle cross of some sort and one big mat, worse yet she had a urolith about the size of a baseball in her bladder. There was nothing we were allowed to do for her other than assess her condition and do a urinalysis (apparently she was neglected and abused due to her habit of urinating in the house). We weren't even supposed to do x-rays but when your co-worker sticks a needle into the bladder and it hits something extremely hard almost immediately, you throw caution to the wind! She was absolutely the most loving, forgiving, sweet natured creature you could hope to meet coming out of a bad situation as she did. I hope she's getting the help and love she deserves.

I sad one of the saddest of them all, didn't I? Well...I discovered a limitation I have. One that reduces to me a puddle of tears and I know now that I absolutely cannot be in the building if performed. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH or overly emotional (like me).

A 2 year old dog who had been through obedience training and other "special" training to try to help curb "sudden outbursts of rage". The owner was bitten and bitten badly. The dog had to be euthanized and even though it was UTD on it's rabies vaccine it was still the health departments call whether or not we had to "submit the head" for testing. I lost it. I can't do it. Don't even talk to me about severing a dog's head. I understand the necessity and I know it has to be done, but there's something in my spirit that screams NO! You are desecrating the body and it is disrespectful! I can't seem to get my spirit and my medical training to jive together on this so I have to respectfully decline being in the building. If not, be prepared to pay for my counseling. I can list all the reasons why it's the right thing to do, but my spirit won't listen.

Well, I hope this wasn't too boring and maybe with a little practice I'll get better at it. I've been meaning to do this since I'd run out of things that were within my scope of knowledge. I'll still share things as I learn about them. I have wet lab on blood transfusions next week, maybe I'll write about it. *smile*

Novartis & Online Pet Medicine Pharmacies

This is neither pro or con online pet medicine pharmacies, this is simply something I learned today from Novartis and thought it important enough to pass on to pet owners.

Novartis *does not* sell any of their products directly to online pharmacies. Veterinarians, considered unscrupulous but I don't really know that to be true, purchase the products from Novartis & resells them to the online pharmacy. They also receive large kickbacks for doing so. Which may seem to not involve you, the pet owner, but it does.

Just an example: when you purchase your Sentinel from a veterinarian Novartis has a guarantee that if you give your dog the monthly chewable tablet as directed they guarantee your pet will not contract heartworms and if they do, Novartis is responsible for the financial burden that is associated with treatment & diagnosis associated with your pet having heartworm disease. However, if you purchase Sentinel from an online pharmacy that guarantee is automatically voided. They cover nothing.

Think about that. The above is a just an example. Think about what would happen if you wanted to hold Novartis responsible if your dog became ill from the Deramaxx that your vet prescribed, but you purchased from an online pharmacy.

Something to consider.

Calling the Vet

I have a dilemma. I'm not sure exactly how to approach this subject as it is usually at the risk of sounding uncaring. I'm not, I assure you. What I want to know is how to fix the problem in a reasonable manner that satisfies both the veterinarian AND the client.

The other day we had a client, we'll call her Ms. Jones, called to speak to the vet about her dog and the results of some tests. She called on the vets day off. She was informed that he was not in that day and wouldn't be in until the following day. Of course, we told her we would have the vet call her the next day. The receptionist put her pets file in his "ASAP" box which is the first thing he looks at *after* he does rounds for inhouse patients and examines his surgical patients....unless the routine is broken.

The morning he came in he had a full house. Patients that had stayed the night and needed immediate evaluation so that we, the technicians and assistants, could proceed with any additional treatments that he may add to their already existing treatments. He also had a very big orthopedic surgery first thing after he was finished with rounds.

Then someone ran in with an emergency. This always seems to be the case, the more surgeries we have scheduled the more likely we are to be faced with one or more emergencies. When an emergency comes through the door, that is what it is, AN EMERGENCY. We drop everything and come to their aid, IMMEDIATELY. This is a fact of life in an animal hospital and we have no problem dealing with it. If we have enough staff at the time, some of can take care of the critical patient while others prep surgeries. But the vet is now in high demand. Even when there are two vets, the demand remains high.

That day was extremely busy. We had multiple emergencies all through the day, surgeries were juggled, appointments were rearranged or clients that chose to wait...waited. The ortho surgery was 4 hours long start to finish and the vet was behind. Lunches weren't taken, breaks were potty breaks. You get the idea. It was mayhem all day.

Finally at about 9pm, the vet was able to sit down and take care of phone calls. The first one he called was Ms. Jones. Line was busy. He made a few other calls and came back to that one 30 minutes later. The line was still busy. He tried a few more times until 10pm and still could not get through. So he called the work number and left a message that he had been trying to call her but her line was busy and apologized for the lateness. He then went home around 10:30pm only to return again at 8:30am the next morning.

That morning he was the only vet on staff. He had post-op procedures to go through with his ortho surgery from the day before and, you guessed it, there were other inhouse patients that required his care. Luckily there were no surgeries. He had two appointments starting at 9pm, both needed diagnostics which tied up his staff, making it difficult for him to get to his ortho. We did as much as we could while he was in his appointments to prep the ortho for it's specialized splint but we couldn't do it all without him.

About 10am we had the staff available to help him with his ortho, while a few others were able to continue with diagnostics on his appointments. 10:10am it hit the fan.

The receptionist was in a flutter because Ms. Jones was on the phone and was screaming at her. She was calling to talk to the vet who was taking care of two appointments and his ortho case, which had to be done before his next appointment showed. Since he was applying a specialized splint he couldn't stop where he was and pick up the phone.

"What is wrong with you people, why is it so hard to get someone to talk to me? What are you going to do if my dog dies! Huh! It will be all your fault!"
"Ms. Jones, he'll be giving you a call after his appointments and during his lunch break, which number should he call you at?"
"Why didn't he call me yesterday? HUH? I was told he would call me!"
"I'm sorry Ms. Jones, the doctor was tied up all through the day and tried to get a hold of you last night but your line was busy."
"That's BULLSHIT, my phone wasn't ever busy last night, you're just a bunch of liars!"
"Is your phone number 555-987-1212?"
"Yes, it is. But it wasn't ever busy!"
"Ms. Jones, did you get the message the doctor left you at your work."
"Yes, I did, but I was at home!"
"Ms. Jones, he tried several times for an hour calling that number and it was busy the entire time, so he left you a message at the only other number he had."
"Screw you!" *click*

Now of course, after the vet hears of this dialogue is also in a flutter. He's frustrated, "I *tried* calling her! I don't even know what she wants to talk about since we went over the bloodwork on Tuesday. Maybe if she stayed off the computer we wouldn't have this problem. Has she ever tried to call her own doctor, I bet she can't get him on the line anytime she wants."

My eyes are rolling in my head now. I don't know what to say or do. Neither are being reasonable now.

We're all now also talking about how they never get to talk to our own doctors, that we always have to talk to a nurse. We see our own doctor for maybe 10 minutes during an appointment and the results to any tests we may have, including xrays, takes as long as 3 weeks to get the results for!

Clients get to spend 30 minutes or longer with our vets.
Clients get results to xrays while they're still there and if they're referred out, it takes 2 days.
Clients get most blood test results within 24 hours, and if it's done in house, it takes 30 minutes.
Our vets spend countless hours on the phone with clients. We don't mail them results the vet CALLS them whether the results are good or bad.

It wasn't until about 1pm in the afternoon that he was able to call Ms. Jones back. He didn't make any excuses, just apologized for his tardiness and when she asked for the results to the blood tests he reminded her that they had gone over them on Tuesday. She says, "oh yea! I forgot." This isn't an exact dialogue, but this it in a nutshell.

"How's Bowser doing, Ms. Jones."
"Oh he's doing wonderfully doctor, he's running and playing and acting like his old self."
"Any problems getting his medication to him."
"No, none at all, he's eating great and I just give it in some of his food. Thank you so much, he really seems to be on the mend. I so appreciate all you've done for him!"
"Do you have any other questions for me Ms. Jones?"
"No, that's it, I forgot that his blood tests were fine, thank you for calling."

Huh?

This is something that happens a lot. The client screams, curses and becomes very dramatic with the receptionists, technicians, assistants or anyone else who isn't the vet. I've been on the receiving end of it a few times myself. Then when they talk to the vet they're all sweetness and light. What is up with that? Does our jobs mean so little to clients that they have no respect for us as human beings?

I do understand client frustrations, do I ever! I have pets, too and when they're sick nobodies pets are more important than mine. Trying to get an answer when you're scared or worried just adds to the stress. It's difficult to remain in control when you're pet is in danger, real or perceived, it doesn't matter to us when we're worried about our pets!

What I'd like to know is how to help.

How can we make this easier without sacrificing other people's pets health and well being? Or do you think this is just par for the course and we need to deal with it the best way we can. You know, buck up and get on with it. I think I could accept that...as long as I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

I want clients to be happy, I want them to feel like we've done all we could for their pet and that we care very much. I think I just get my knickers in a knot when I feel that people don't understand that we DO CARE. Am I expecting too much?

Retractable Leashes

Christie wrote a terrific article in the SFGate on dogs and using retractable (Flexi) leashes. It's well worth the lessons and reminds me of something I've wanted to say: Please, when you come into the vets office, use a REGULAR leash and leave the retractable at home or in your car. There's been dog vs. dog altercations in the front office because someone doesn't know how to use the Flexi leash and I can't tell you how many times a dog has been allowed to wander all over, including into our treatment room while the owner is sitting in the waiting room. Huh? Yea. One would think that's a no brainer.

Veterinary Technicians Speak Out About Their Pet.....Peeves.

Recently I asked an online community of veterinary technicians to tell me what their pet peeves were relating to their career. I wasn't surprised by their responses when it came to pet owners, their co-workers and the vets they work with:

Co-workers & Vets:

"Can you please clean up after yourself? You are not the only technician working here."

"Doctors who leave unclear instructions on their treatment sheets...such as forgetting to put things they want done on the sheet, putting things they want done on the sheet TWO HOURS AFTER the time they write it down for and then getting mad when it hasn't been done 10 minutes later.

"Doctors who don't say how OFTEN they want a procedure done and then get mad when you don't do it right."

"Being the ONLY night tech who remembers to check the laundry and make sure it gets done, C'mon folks! It's ALL of our responsibility!"

"Picking up other tech/doctors' messes."

"doctors who scream and throw fits or act rude in general."

"newbie grads"

"coworkers who get butthurt for no reason"

"training new people in general"

"new techs that think they know everything and don't want you to teach them anything because after all, all schools and hospitals use the EXACT same equipment and protocol...."

"People who refuse to answer the phone when it rings in to the back because "they're not receptionists"

"Kennel employees who take smoke breaks on the hour."

"Doctors who wipe out the snack drawer on a daily basis, and then deny it! They even wipe out their own food that they bring in, and then ask why it's gone already. oh oh, and then said doctor steals other people's food, even already bitten into jelly donuts!!!"

"Doctors that try to do EVERYTHING when there are plenty of paid technicians, assistants, and receptionists that can handle the tasks more efficiently"

"When appointments get double-booked for pets that only need vaccines and no room is left in case of emergency, or when appointments get booked way too heavy for a 1 doctor afternoon"

"Doctors that snack on garlic flavored crackers throughout the day" ( note: This one made me giggle, I used to work with a doc that loved garlic...and always smelled like it.)


Clients and Money:

"Why do you stare at me, with that blank expression after you tell me you have no money?" This isn't a shelter or a welfare office. We do have an actual business to run."

"Why do you have a pet, if you have no money? It's a privilege, not a right."

"One of my personal "favorites" is the owner who drives up in their Hummer, drips with gold jewelry and nice clothes, and then walks out with little Poopsie because we require that she spend $45 for her little crumb-cruncher's annual vaccines if he's going to stay for boarding. Or even just nitpicks the bill or disputes the grooming charges. UGH! Sell the car, lady."

"owners with no money who act as if this is my fault, because if we cared about the animal we would do it for free"

"crappy rescue groups who don't pay their bills, adopt out sick animals and tell the owners that they will "cover" treatment and then don't, then throw a hissy and scream "slander" when I mention to an owner that we see a lot of parvo cases from this group"

"People who say "your only in it for the money" ....yeah well I could work at a restaurant and make more money."

"People that don't understand that the government does not fund us or offer help in the event that you have no money for your pet the way the government does for human hospitals."

"We don't make that much money, if we were stealing your money we wouldn't complain so much"

"Owners that insist they don't have any possible way to pay AFTER services have been rendered"

General Peeves:

"Why after two weeks is it an emergency tonight, at closing time?"

"Why do you think we can just lay our hands on your pet and tell you what is wrong? We run tests and take samples, because, we are not psychic."

"Owners who repeatedly ask you the SAME questions."

"Owners who have no concept of visiting hours and insist on staying all night long.....during which time they grab any tech in reach to tell them that Fluffy blinked twice or that Spot in the cage next to Fluffy looks like he needs a walk (even when they can see that we are all dealing with several critical emergencies.....argh!)."

"owners with no money who act as if this is my fault, because if we cared about the animal we would do it for free"

"backyard breeders"

"owners who get mutts with "papers"

"owners that tell me and the doctor two completely different stories"

"owners that lie about what i told them"

"people who don't put their dogs on heartworm preventative in a state with a ton of mosquitoes"

"people who refuse all treatment and then blame us for their pets death"

"people who complain about grooms when not warranted"

"the last appointment of the night being the most friggen complicated"

"People who think they're unschooled breeder knows more than the uber schooled vet"

"People who get mad that they can't be see right now for their vax that they need by tomorrow to fly to wherever."

"petstores"

"Petmeds"

"Pets that have been vomiting/anorexic/lethargic/etc. for 5+ days and the owners insist they be seen NOW"

"Clients that walk in the back door, call on the inside line, or stand outside the front door stalking our shadows when the lights are off and we're obviously CLOSED and have been for some time"

"Clients who laugh and take no action when their pet soils the reception area and wait for magic fairies to swoop in and clean up the mess"

"The Crazies...The clients who are sadly off of their medication and waste our time asking the same questions for an hour or spend an equal amount of time reciting their manifesto which scares the sane clients"

"People who knock on the door repeatedly to get in and buy a bag of food when we've been closed an hour trying to do books and the closed sign is up and the door is locked then when we do finally go tell them we are closed they go ape shit that we won't redo our books so he can get a bag of food."

"friends and family members who treat me as their personal veterinarian, and get shitty when I tell them to come to my clinic, and no I won't bring them in myself to get my employee discount, dammit."
__________________________________________

I thank everyone that contributed, I'm sure it helps a bit to let off some steam and for everyone to see that we're not alone. :-)

Readers, please remember that behind every technician is a human being with thoughts, feelings and emotions. We work long hours, we often miss out on family events, seeing our children grow up, have strained relationships with our significant others because of the wonky hours and amount of hours we put in, we see a lot in any given day and we have our frustrations. But you know what? We have things that tie us together and that is our deep and wide passion for veterinary medicine, compassion for the animals and no matter how bad the day was we know that we have touched lives, lives that have no voice. There's a reason we became veterinary technicians and I can assure you it has nothing to do with money (there's hardly a technician that can support themselves and assuredly not a family with our income alone.) it had everything to do with your furry and feathered companions. We love them!!

Peace everyone.

Forget the torbugesic

One of my biggest frustrations is the vast number of people who are sent home with nothing more for their pet's post-surgical pain than butorphanol, also called torbutrol or torbugesic. This is a drug that really has no place in the management of pain in dogs and cats, and I devoutly wish vets would stop prescribing it.

The entire four-part series on managing surgical pain in dogs and cats on the website of the Veterinary Anesthesia Support Group is actually entitled, "Looking Beyond Butorphanol." This drug is seriously, seriously useless for pain:

Often the sedation outlasts the analgesia. Canine studies have failed to demonstrate analgesia past 45 minutes[i]^,[ii]. Feline studies have failed to show analgesia past 90 minutes[iii]^,[iv]. In fact some studies have failed to show analgesia of any significance in dogs and cats[v]^,[vi].

Are vets prescribing it because it's cheaper than the alternatives? No:

In general, butorphanol does NOT give you much bang for the buck. Butorphanol costs about ten times more than morphine, per dose, while providing much more limited analgesia of much shorter duration.

Please, vets: Why are you using this drug for pain? It doesn't work. There are dozens of better choices, including what I consider the gold standard, customized combinations of different pain relievers that attack pain in different ways.

If your vet is still prescribing torbugesic, torbutrol, or butorphanol (different names for the same drug) for your dog or cat's pain, please ask him or her to read this series of articles:

Perioperative Pain Management: Looking beyond butorphanol
By Robert Stein, DVM, AAPM
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

And in case you, or your vet, want to know: Dr. Stein is a Veterinary Information Network consultant on pain management, is board certified by the American Academy of Pain Management, is on the Executive Board Advisory Committee of the International Academy of Pain Management, and also belongs to the American Pain Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia, and the International Association for the Study of Pain.

From RVT to LVT

As of yesterday I am no longer an RVT.
That's right.
I received a notice in the mail yesterday that my status as an RVT has been....changed.

As of House Bill 1331, adopted by the 2007 Legislature, will change the licensure and relicensure requirements of veterinary technicians in Washington state.

"Changes the status of veterinary technicians from registration to licensure. Beginning July 21, 2007, Veterinary Technicians may begin to refer to themselves as licensed practitioners.

The changes are rather interesting really. I have to wonder why the change, I'm sure there's a good reason for it, I just don't know what it is.

One change that piques my interest, not that I am qualified, but it's something I may consider in the future:

"Adds a licensed veterinary technician to the Veterinary Board of Governors."

We've only had veterinarians and a lay person (or two?) on the board, this will be the first time that a technician will be a part of the board of governors.

You can read the passed bill in it's entirety here.

Two Patients Walk Into A Clinic....

Someone posted this on the bulletin board at work:

Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement. The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week.

The second sees his family doctor after waiting a week for an appointment, then waits eighteen weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another month and finally has his surgery scheduled for a year from then.

Why the different treatment for the two patients?

The first is a golden retriever.
The second is a senior citizen with an HMO.
_________________________________

It would be funnier, if it wasn't true.

Heart Drug for Dogs

Over on PetConnection.com Kim Campbell Thornton posted about the new heart drug recently approved by the FDA for use in dogs. It deserves some attention. I know that I'm excited and will forward the info to my own vets.

Techs, if your vet hasn't heard let them in on this so that they can evaluate Pimobendan, also known as Vetmedin, for their atrioventricular valvular insufficiency or dilated cardiomyopathy patients.

Gorilla Glue and Dogs

I found articles as old as 4 years, so it's been a problem for a while. Gorilla Glue may not be toxic, but it is still deadly.

We had a cute little Shiba Inu that was recovering from abdominal surgery after consuming the offending sticky stuff. This stuff expands up to 10 TIMES when it hits water then hardens into a substance that can be hit with a hammer and not break! Saturday when the little dog came in the xray showed a large mass in its stomach that had to be surgically removed.

The owner had been working on a craft project and forgot to put it away afterwards. From what I can find on the net the glue tastes like peanuts and maple syrup (yuck!) and pets (especially cats!) find it quite palatable.

The stomach fluids act as water causing the glue to expand 3 to 4 and up to 10 times the amount consumed during the first hour after consumption. Then it hardens, completely blocking normal intestinal movement. Resulting in a very sick pet, vomiting being the most obvious along with irritation of the mouth, skin and stomach lining.

Two things puzzle me:
1. Why doesn't the company change the flavor of the glue? It wouldn't eliminate the problem 100% but it may decrease the chances of animal interest.

2. Why does it say on their website that it may cause intestinal blockage but the MSDS (updated 1/07) only states that it may cause severe GI irritation? Our clients didn't know it would cause a blockage and the vet said that the only thing on the bottle is that it may cause irritation. I think the difference between a GI blockage and irritation is pretty danged significant and should be on the bottle.

Here's a 2004 article with pictures of an article put up by a veterinary medical center regarding one of their own patients that had the same misfortune after eating gorilla glue. Check it out.

The Shiba Inu went home on Tuesday and is recovering beautifully, btw. :-)

Idexx Laboratories

Around the end of this month the practice I work for is switching from our local laboratory to Idexx. Part of this change is due to the fact that we are ditching our xray machine & processor for a totally new system that will be computerized and is Cornerstone (Idexx's practice program) friendly. Our local lab in Seattle (Phoenix Labs) does not have the capability to upload directly into our system and since it'll be Idexx, they can and our practice owner wants to streamline as much as possible.

I'm wondering if any practices out that read this blog deal with Idexx labs for all their blood work, culture & sensitivities, biopsies, etc. If so, what has your experience been? Good? Bad? Indifferent. I'm sure many are with Antech, which I've about 6 years experience using so comparing Idexx to them would be fine as well.

I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time. You know how it is, you get familiar with your couriers, the people that answer the phones, the pathologists...now I get to start all over with unfamiliar territory.

Thanks!

Panel on the Pet Food Recall - Tues May 8 10 PM ET

PetHobbyist.com invites you to attend a special panel discussion of the pet recall crisis, on Tuesday, May 8 at 10 PM Eastern Time.

When Menu Foods, back on March 16, announced its first recall of pet foods due to melamine contamination, the mainstream media was only briefly interested.

To a small group of bloggers, it was apparent from the first days that this story was much larger than most people thought. They began compiling data, comparing information, collecting personal stories, and digging for facts. Since then, there have been dozens of additional recalls, threats to the human health supply, a re-evaluation of international food safety standards, and a rising wave of frightened and angry pet owners.

PetHobbyist.com, on behalf of founder Jeff Barringer and its DogHobbyist.com, CatHobbyist.com, and PetSupport.net communities, invites you to attend an online panel discussion with the bloggers who have been following the pet food crisis from the beginning, to discuss the story behind the recall, what's likely to happen next, and what pet owners can do to protect their pets now and in the future.

Joining us will be:

Gina Spadafori and Christie Keith of PetConnection.com

Ben Huh of Itchmo.com

Therese Kopiwoda of PetSitUSA.com and ThePetFoodList.com

Kim Duke of PetFoodTracker

The chat will be held on Tuesday, May 8 at 10 PM Eastern Time in the Auditorium. To receive a free email reminder of the special chat, sign up here.

More information, and complete information on how to attend the chat, is here, or, if your email program does not read HTML:

http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/index.php?/archives/50-Online-Panel-about-Pet-Food-Recall-May-8.html

We definitely give permission to cross post - in fact, ask you to share this announcement with anyone you think might be interested. The chat is free, you don't need to register for the site to attend, and there is nothing to download or install.

We hope to see you there.

All of us at PetHobbyist.com --

Expert advice for confused pet owners about pet food

From a press release issued today by the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. All emphasis is the ASPCA’s:

“Given the fact that there is new evidence of cross-contamination in ingredients that may have been considered safe prior to this news, we need to be much more aware of where the ingredients in our pets’ food are coming from,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill.

“We are strongly recommending that pet parents immediately investigate, via their pet food manufacturer’s Web site or by calling them directly, where the ingredients—specifically protein supplements—are sourced from.”

Given the current situation and until this crisis is resolved, the ASPCA is recommending pets be fed products containing U. S.-sourced protein supplements only.

“The continued expansion of the recall is extremely worrying,” said Dr. Louise Murray, director of medicine at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital (BMAH) in New York City, and a board-certified internist. “The magnitude of this crisis leaves us frustrated as to how to best protect pets and prevent any more illnesses or deaths.”

Included is advice on the treatment of affected pets; again, all emphasis is theirs:

“Patience is the key,” said Dr. Murray, who has successfully treated several animals thus-affected with aggressive fluid therapy at BMAH. “We now understand that we have to bathe these crystals in fluid for as long as possible. With other causes of kidney failure, if there is no improvement in the animal’s condition after a day or two, the prognosis is usually not encouraging.

“In this case, however, when treating animals who have been sickened by eating the contaminated foods, longer-term intravenous fluids may be required —so we would strongly recommend that all veterinarians treating such cases be patient and continue administering fluids longer than they might otherwise, because they can really be life-saving.”

They conclude, “The ASPCA continues to warn pet parents to stay extremely alert to the situation.” Good advice. The complete release is here.

Poison in the Food.

Christie Keith and Gina Spadafori have been working tirelessly to get the news out to everyone regarding the pet food recall since the news broke. They have lost sleep and time. While those in power attempt to shift our attention to possibilities of human food contamination and whatever else they think they can wave in front of us like a hotdog in front of a golden retriever they have kept us on track.

There are VOLUMES of information over there and they deserve your time and voice. Go give them some love. :-)

There's little difference between e.coli in the spinach and someone PURPOSELY and without any regard to our pets safely putting POISON in our pets food. POISON. Actual, unadulterated POISON.

As Christie quotes daily from the FDA's own website :
The Food Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (U.S.C. Title 21, Chapter 9): "The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation."

Clearly the FDA is NOT doing their job.

Someone ALWAYS knows when their product is questionable. The spinach producers KNEW what they were doing. The meat processing plant KNEW what they were doing when they killed people with their tainted ground beef in the '90s. Someone KNEW that the apple juice was NOT safe. SOMEONE ALWAYS KNEW. Someone KNEW. But they put it out there for us AND OUR PETS to consume ANYWAY.

From the Dolittler's Blog
"Who sold this “surplus” food to pigs meant for human consumption? Was it appropriately labeled, “pet food recall last call”? Who bought it? Does anyone even know the withdrawal time for melamine in pigs? Its effect on pig physiology? Or did they swallow the “16-death” pet food company party-line and consider any potential porcine casualties acceptable losses?"

From ConsumerAffairs.com
"Elder said pigs that ate this contaminated feed will not be allowed to enter the human food supply.

He emphasized, however, that "based on information currently available, the FDA and the USDA believe the likelihood of illness after eating such pork is extremely low. However, the agencies also believe it is prudent to take this measure."

The pork from these animals will also be destroyed, officials said. And the USDA will compensate hog farmers affected by the tainted pet food. Owners of pets killed by the tainted pet food, on the other hand, get nothing."

Do we believe them when they say it won't enter the food supply? I DON'T. How is it that their way of getting rid of the tainted food garnered the seller and hog farmer income? Did it at least recoup their losses? I'm sure it does.

also from ConsumerAffairs.com
"“What this appears to be is a case of deliberate contamination of wheat gluten in order to pass off substandard product,” Henderson told a U.S. House committee. “For a seller who knows how industry testing methods work, this would allow them to cheat the buyers.”"

As if they're the only ones who have ever done something underhanded and evil. They just happened to get caught.

Fighting canine cancer

My dog Raven died of bone cancer, making her one of the 25 percent of all dogs over the age of two who lose their lives to some kind of cancer.

Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) has announced the launch of an unprecedented $30 million effort to cure canine cancer within a dog’s lifetime–the next 10 to 20 years. World-renowned scientists and cancer specialists agree that this MAF-led effort will not only save countless dogs from suffering and premature death, but should also help produce breakthroughs in the prevention, treatment and cures of human cancers–in particularchildhood cancers.

MAF has taken the lead to secure financial contributions and manage/administer research grants to many of the world’s most prestigious colleges of veterinary medicine, universities, organizations and scientists. As an example, 14 leading veterinary/academic institutions–each members of the National Cancer Institute’s Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium (COTC)– will receive funding for canine cancer research. Endorsement of this MAF canine cancer initiative has been received from: Children’s Oncology Group, Animal Cancer Foundation, and the MIT/Harvard (Broad Institute).

This global cancer cure initiative is attracting major corporate support, including a $1.1 million donation from Pfizer Inc.–Pfizer Animal Health.

In addition to corporate sponsorships, MAF’s goal is to get 1 percent of the 44 million dog-owning households in the United States to make a donation of at least $50 in the name of their present dog(s), pet dogs of the past, and/or on behalf a puppy of the future–for a total of $22 million.

“Each of our own pet dogs is at risk of suffering the devastating effects of cancer,” states Dr. Patricia N. Olson, CEO and president of MAF. “One in four dogs will die of cancer, and cancer is the number–one cause of disease-related death in dogs over the age of two. Sadly, many of the most popular dog breeds are especially susceptible to developing cancer. Your donation of $50 or more may very well save your own beloved pet dog from suffering cancer’s effects. Here’s a chance to directly help the dogs we love.”

Dr. Olson also explains that while MAF’s mission focuses on animal health, the dog has proven to be a crucial player in solving the human-cancer cure puzzle. “This is the ultimate win-win situation,” says Dr. Olson. “As we treat and cure cancer in our pet dogs, we may help alleviate the ravages of cancer among humans. This animal-human bond is simply inspirational.”

Donations can be made by calling toll-free 1-877-DOG CURE (364-2873), or by donating
on the web at:

www.CureCanineCancer.org

www.MorrisAnimalFoundation.org

More Background/Details on MAF’s Canine Cancer Cure Effort:

MAF hopes to raise the $30 million from April 2007 through April 2012. This will include funding for:

1. - Clinical trials to test new innovative therapies to help save dogs and alleviate dog suffering now.
2. - Prevention studies related to genetics and canine genome, incorporating lifetime risk assessment studies.
3. - Funding of a tumor tissue bank.
4. - Establishment of an endowment to guarantee continued research efforts.

A clinical trial is already under way involving the evaluation of a new treatment for bone cancer in dogs. This clinical trial includes five of the 14 members of the COTC: Colorado State University, Animal Medical Center (New York City), University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois and The Ohio State University.

The Pfizer Animal Health donation has been specifically restricted to the Canine Comparative Oncology and Genetics Consortium (CCOGC), a group of veterinary and medical researchers who have determined that a repository of canine tumor tissues is an essential resource to progress new cancer therapies. This new resource to fight cancer has been named the Pfizer – CCOGC Biospecimen Repository. MAF and the AKC Canine Health Foundation provided the initial funding ($500,000) to launch this national biospecimen bank.

ABOUT MAF:

Morris Animal Foundation, established in 1948, is dedicated to funding research that protects, treats and cures companion animals and wildlife. MAF has been at the forefront of funding breakthrough research studies benefiting animals in some 100 countries, spanning all seven continents on earth. MAF has its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. The Foundation has funded more than 1,300 humane animal health studies with funds approaching $50 million.
One hundred percent of all annual, unrestricted contributions support animal health studies, not administration or the cost of fundraising. For more information, call (800) 243-2345, or visit www.MorrisAnimalFoundation.org.

Pet Food Recall

It's been spread all over the internet via pet blogs and email groups.
If you've missed the latest go to Menu Foods for the long list of wet foods that have been affected. Click on the appropriate species and each food is clickable so that you can compare the UPC on the can you have to the ones recalled.

If you don't have the product packaging anymore and your pet is not feeling well...even if they're not exhibiting specific symptoms to kidney failure, don't procrastinate get to a vet. Just don't assume they'll be better tomorrow.

If your pet seems fine but has consumed any of the listed foods ask your vet to run some blood work, just in case.

Happy Endings

I love happy endings. We all love happy endings. This is a story about a little 6 year old dachsund and his happy ending.

The little guy arrived in the morning for his surgery. He was a cute little black dachsy that had lots of love and affection to give, his tail zipped back and forth like a whip. But his breath was deplorable. His teeth looked okay, nothing too alarming, but what was the source of that horrid smell? I knew he was in for a biopsy so the source was likely a mass in the mouth. I looked over the record and determined that there was a lump on his jaw. Feeling around I found it toward the back of his jaw right around where the top and bottom jaws hinge. A chill ran through me. It's not often that you feel a hard bony lump on an animals mouth that doesn't portend imminent death. When the vet came in she explained what she wanted to do, she was not hopeful either.

We anesthetized the happy dog and while one of the techs was hooking him up to the monitors, taking his temp and other things, I examined his mouth. I was trying to determine whether the vet was going to need to obtain her biopsy from the inside of his mouth or if I was going to need to shave and prep the outside. I flipped the corner of his lips back pushing forward and could see the lump, it looked odd to me and got in a little closer and pressed the lump from the outside with my index finger, pushing it out toward me. It looked...cracked. Cracked? The inside of the cheek had a round lesion where the lump had been pressing against it and was lightly bleeding. I pushed a little more and the "lump" fell on the table! EEK! What had I done?? I picked up the lump with a gloved hand. It was bone. BONE! ACK!

The vet walked into the room and I showed her the piece of bone. Her eyes got wide and she her mouth hung open. I explained what I did as she examined it. "This must be a piece of his jaw!", she said. Now I'm beside myself more than ever. There was no blood from the jaw, just from the inside of his cheek...and the bone looks REALLY WEIRD!

She examined the dogs mouth and looked up from the dog, "the mouth looks fine aside from the lesions." Then it dawned on her and after she took a small biopsy of the cheek tissue as a precaution she called the owner.

The relief was palpable. The owner gave the dog cooked bones regularly. Apparently, the bone had gotten lodged between the cheek and jaw...waaaaay back there. The foreign object had caused the lesions, producing the blood and the inflamed tissue was giving the dog that rotting flesh odor.

The thought of cancer flew out of our minds. Just to be sure there the biopsy went to the lab, but we're confident it'll come back clear. The owner will continue the antibiotics given at the initial exam and feed soft food for the next few days. The cute little black dachsy boy would continue to whack people with his zippy happy tail.

It was truly a happy and joyful ending.

Emergencies happen

Today was one of those days that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it's not about whether or not I like being a technician, it never is.

Today we had a situation where a 7 year old dog, 30 pounds over weight was on the table for an ovariohysterectomy (a spay). She had obviously bore many puppies in her 7 years and her uterus was friable (delicate, easily torn) and had a heavy blood supply.

A 7 year old dog should have an IV catheter and fluids running before, during and after surgery. The owner declined this.

All owners are informed at the time they admit their pet that we will not do anything not authorized without first contacting them. There is an exception to that and it is spelled out on the admission form. Very clearly it says that if their pet is in need of emergency life saving measures we will not be spending time contacting them for their permission. These measures will include an IV catheter, fluids and sometimes lifesaving drugs. It may also include immediate blood tests such as an "activated clotting time" and/or a "packed cell volume". We also make it clear that you will be responsible for the charges incurred for these services.

We make it very clear on our admission form and our intake receptionist reads it to the client and asks them to initial every detail and verbally acknowledge their understanding that they must leave a phone number that we can contact them at and if we cannot contact them we will not do anything extra, except if it is emergency life saving measures. You'd be surprised how many times owners will leave 1-4 different numbers and we still cannot get in touch with them.

If your dog is on the table with her abdomen open for a spay and suddenly starts to bleed out, requiring instantaneous emergency measures, what would you like the vet to do? When every ticking second means life or death, do you want us to get you on the phone and wait for you to decide whether or not you want to pay for life saving measures, possibly resulting in her death? Or should we proceed to try to save your dogs life? Can you imagine the vet saying, "stop everything, we have an emergency here, this dog is going to die if we don't do whatever we can. But wait..first we must call the owner and make sure it's okay."

So now we have a client that declined the recommended IV catheter & fluids, understands that if we have a situation that requires emergency measures (knock wood) they will be responsible for those charges.

You guessed it. The dog started bleeding out. Instantly all technicians and assistants are in motion. We need a activated clotting time, IV catheter, fluids and a tech to scrub in to assist and get the crash cart out "just in case" STAT! The vet is up to his elbows in the dogs abdomen and has to concentrate on the task at hand. Ever try to draw blood upside down? How about put in an IV cath in upside down? (remember the dog is on it's back) Another light source is brought in for additional lighting into the deep abdominal cavity of the dog. About a half hour later the dog is stable, the bleeder has been found and stopped and everyone's heart rate is slowing down to a normal pace. The vet is now able to see around him and communicate something other than barking orders. Call the owner, let him know that we had to do a, b & c. Make sure he understands his dog is doing well right now.

Sadly, it turned out to be one of those clients that absolutely thought it was ridiculous that we did what we did. He flat out refused to pay for anything extra over the spay charge and said, "it's just a dog." I guess he thought it was best if we just let his dog die or took the time to call him before we did anything, which likely would have killed the dog.

Just a dog.

Cost is often an issue, we all know it is and this latest event is going to lead to us having clients sign a DNR (do not resuscitate). But why nod your head in agreement, sign your name, initial key points and say, "yes I understand" and then turn around to dig your heals in when an emergency does occur? I don't get it. If you don't want us to save your dogs life SAY SO!

Then there are the owners on the other end of the spectrum that pull out all the stops to save their pet at all costs. Read Christie's recent article in SF Gate "Your Whole Pet/The Cost of Miracles".

9th Annual Pethobbyist.com Chat Week

Ninth Annual PetHobbyist.com Chat Week
February 25-March 3, 2007


Check out the current Guest List!

Includes:

Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spafadori
Authors of
Why do dogs drink from the toilet, and why do cats always land on their feet?

Chat with
Dawn Capp regarding
Breed specific legislation and bull breeds

and

Dr. Heidi Mier DVM CVA (Chi Institute)
about
Acupuncture for Pets

PLUS MUCH MORE!!

Is your cat a tiny tiger or a furry sofa pillow?

Christie Keith wrote an article on the website of the San Francisco Chronicle about pet cats - be sure to check it out!

Let's do a little reality check about who our house cats really are: clever little predators who evolved to spend most of their time leaping, pouncing and slinking after prey. They hunt and eat more than a dozen times a day, mostly during the nighttime hours. They sleep in the daytime.

Their natural diet is high in protein and fat and devoid of carbohydrates. They drink little or no water, getting all their moisture from their food. They scratch at trees and other vertical surfaces to keep their claws in shape. They are lean and muscular and have sleek, short coats.

That's what cats really are, but we rarely take that into account when we keep them as pets.

It's here.

Click! Treat...

The Animal Rescue Site: Feed an Animal In Need.

A click a day keeps hunger at bay.

CLICK!

Safety in the Workplace

When most people think of safety in the workplace regarding veterinary hospitals and clinics they think of the patients we see daily. We're faced with strong teeth and jaws, whirling claws and teeth, beaks that snap a bone and even sharp tails and hooves. But that's not the only dangers facing the employees in a veterinary hospital.

Everyday we're exposed to chemicals, radiation, and bodily fluids, to name a few. It's our employers responsibility to have safety measures in place and our responsibility to employ those safety measures daily.

In many hospitals a "safety officer" is charged with the unglamorous job of helping to assure our safety. This can including mapping out our emergency responses for fire, flood, and earthquake and making sure there's an eyewash station with easy access. It's a thankless job albeit a necessary one.

Our safety officer gets to pour over OSHA and WISHA rules and regulations regularly. She downloads and prints out MSDS sheets for cleaning products and other chemicals in the workplace. Even the handsoap has an MSDS label.

What are you doing to help insure your safety?

Does your hospital have a safety officer?

Are you wearing your protective apron, thyroid shield, gloves and goggles whenever you take an x-ray? How about your x-ray badge? The safety officer should be checking these items periodically for cracks, holes or rips and your employer should be replacing them when they are no longer protective. You also should always have access to your radiology report and if you don't understand it, you should be able to ask your employer for clarification.

If you're responsible for cleaning the x-ray processor or dip tanks are you wearing gloves, mask, and goggles when changing the chemicals?

Are you wearing gloves when handling feces and keeping food OUT of the lab area? You are just as susceptible to those nasty parasites as the owners you educate regarding dewormers.

Are you checking your anesthetic machines regularly for leaks and taking precautions to minimize exposure to anesthetic gases?

The stains we use in the lab are not innocuous, are you taking the necessary safety precautions when using them?

Chemotherapy and many other drugs are a viable health threat, be sure you know EXACTLY how to handle them before even attempting to use them.

Do you know what your job is in case of fire? What about an earthquake? Do you know where the water main shut off valve is located or the emergency shut off for the oxygen?

What else am I missing? I know there's a lot so if anyone has anything to add, please leave a comment about it!

Stay SAFE!

Ballad of the Brooklyn Parrots

For those familiar with the wild quaker parakeets of Brooklyn and support their continued existence you will enjoy this flash presentation from BrooklynParrots.com

AVDC Position Statement on Non-Professional Dental Scaling

The American Veterinary Dental College has a formal position, adopted by the AVDC Board of Directors, April 10, 2004, on the "anesthesia-free" dentals I previously posted about.

You can read it Here.

What is the American Veterinary Dental College? From their own website:

"The American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) is the clinical specialist organization for veterinary dentists, accredited by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties of the American Veterinary Medical Association. For more information on veterinary specialists, click Specialists to go to the AVMA web site."

Anesthesia Free Dentals

I heard that there are now dental technicians who do anesthesia-free teeth cleaning.

So I checked out a link, which I WILL NOT post here.

If they are truly dental technicians (which are for humans, not animals) then they need to go back to working for a dentist.

I am an advocate for those that have no voice. I do not care about how much proper veterinary care costs you or how scared you are of anesthesia. I care about your pet. Because I care for your pet, I spend a lot of time holding your hand and educating you, reassuring you, and explaining what exactly happens during a routine dental cleaning (a prophy). I tell you about the different planes of anesthesia, how important it is for your pet to receive the anesthesia, pre-anesthetic blood work, why your pet must be intubated, and the reasons why your pet needs a dental and daily dental care.

And still...you seek the magic pill. Friends and neighbors, THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL. Every time you let someone convince you that something will work for your pet and will rid your pet of tartar and/or dental disease by feeding off of your fear of anesthesia, you are cheating your pet out of dental health.

Trust me, if there was a way for me to do away with anesthesia and still give your pet optimum dental care, I WOULD DO IT. Why? BecauseI'm not doing this for YOU, I'm doing it for your pet, but you're a road block to me, you put on the brakes and build up the walls that I run headlong into, and who suffers? YOUR PET! So if I could do it anesthesia free, I would, just to get that roadblock out of the way of your pets' health.

I want to see your pets with clean, healthy mouths. I want to know that their hearts, kidneys and livers are safe and healthy. I want your pet to pant in your face and not have you cringe away from them ... they KNOW when you're repulsed by them, but they don't know why. I want to see your pet dance and be happy and sweet and in a good mood because they aren't hurting anymore, their mouths aren't on fire and they don't feel like they have daggers going through their jaws when they eat.

I do this for your pets. Not you.

So I went to the website with the "tooth fairy," and at first I was angry. Then I was sad.
Sad for all the little dogs and cats that had been put through these "dental cleanings." Ask yourself, why does someone need to hold my dog down while they do this? Why does my cat have to be restrained in a cat bag? Ask yourself, come on...think about it. They use such sweet fluffy words, "get up and go paws" and "bad language," for example. It's crap, it's all advertising fluff so you'll see them as kind sweet dental caregivers. I'm sickened.

This from the site concerns me: "If your pet has health problems, you may decide it’s best the pet be on an anti-biotic prior to the procedure, which your Vet can prescribe."

Two things. 1) if you pet has health problems, why are you doing a cosmetic procedure that is doing nothing about dental disease and why are you trusting someone with no medical training? 2) why are they concerned about bacteria entering the blood stream, they shouldn't be causing bloody gums and if they are they're ARE HURTING YOUR PET. Oooooh...could that be why they have to have the restraint???

So now your pet is scared and in pain.

This from the site referenced:

"It’s important to note that routine teeth cleanings are not a substitute for regular veterinary dental exams."

Dental exams? What? So it's not a substitute for dental exams but it is a substitute for proper dental prophylaxis?

"If the growling is too much, you can ask your vet to prescribe a kitty or doggy muscle relaxant."

Oh puhleeze. The veterinarian is not going to prescribe a "muscle relaxant"... they'll prescribe a SEDATIVE like acepromazine. Yea, I know how much you all love Ace. They may even prescribe some Torbugesic. And ya know what, it isn't gonna help unless you really zork them out with something like valium .. .and it still may not help. I've been bitten by dogs on sedatives.

My biggest complaint about this "anesthesia free" dental cleaning, is that it isn't a real dental cleaning. They use the example of how it's like a routine cleaning that you get at the dentists. THAT IS NOT TRUE! Any dental technician who cleaned your teeth without getting under the gums would have a very short career. Getting under the gums, HURTS. IT HURTS IT HURTS!!! That is why your pet has to be restrained. This is why a professional cleaning by a veterinary technician is done under anesthesia.

I don't know of any credentialed veterinary technician who has any formal training in dental prophylaxis who would support this slap in the face.

Another Bitch Hits the Wall

Another great post by the Dolittler, "C-Section Disasters"

I've been a witness to the "disaster c-sections" and I'm always left speechless by the BYB that absolutely, across the board refuses to recognize the obvious and demonstrates not even a modicum of intelligence when it comes to the well being of their puppy$$machine.

Of Dogs and Behavior.

I'm a terrible dog trainer. I really am. I can get a dog to sit and stay but that is about it. I'm currently struggling with an exuberant border collie with limitless energy to burn. I was lulled into a false sense of security with my first border collie who was just as exuberant but also had the capacity to stop and listen, was happy as heck playing games with me and chasing a ball. She was the light of my life for just two days short of 15 years, she took a large part of me with her when she left and even after 3 years I have not gotten over her death.

My husband and I both missed our first BC terribly and decided to add another to our family this past spring. Since day one when his feet first hit the floor of our home he has been in motion. Main objective: stalk and chase our 3 cats. The only time he is not chasing the cats is when he's playing with the other dogs, LOUDLY, sleeping (which I swear he does in 5 minute increments MAYBE 3 times a day) or eating. Chase a ball? He doesn't have the attention span. Funny noises terrify him and he nearly implodes on himself when I make any weird noises with my mouth including whistles.

He doesn't listen when he's in CAT! mode, but he also has a not so good trainer, so I look to anything to help me, help him. I've found the clicker this morning and it looks like it is going to work so we're at the click-treat stage. With diligence we can move on to more fun things that will work off his energy and he can spend it doing something better than terrorizing the cats. I'm hoping to set up a homemade agility course for him and maybe that will help until I can get some goats for him to herd, LOL.

My whole point to this is that the main reason people give up their dogs to shelters, rescues or anyone that will take them is for behavior problems. When we were looking to adopt a border collie from a rescue the main reason they were there was behavioral; chases the cat, jumps on people, ate the furniture, etc. Heck, our BC dug a 2"x2" hole in the carpet down to the floor. I bought a rug to put over it until I can figure out how to fix it. I'm the one that needs training so I can train my poor dog.

I'm of the belief that there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. When my dogs misbehave it's because I failed in some area of their training. But one thing I never do is blame the dog. Yes, it drives me bonkers that our BC is in constant motion with the cats. But he's a BC he needs a job, a hobby, something to do, he's not a couch potato, he's simply not happy unless he's doing something and that seems to be CAT! mode all the time. So it's up to ME to provide that stimulation and training, diverting his attention to something other than the 3 mousekateers.

Stop dumping your pets just because you can't train them. You made an obligation when you brought your new friend home, do the honorable thing and follow through with it. Stop making excuses!! I don't care WHAT the issue is, this is NOT a used tissue to be tossed aside it is a life, it is a living breathing creature who loves YOU and only wants to please YOU. Put 15 minutes a day aside and work with your pet, give him the tools he needs to be a good dog. Just 15 minutes, everyday....more if you can, but AT LEAST 15 minutes. You'd be amazed at the impact of just that quarter of an hour...a fraction of your 24 hour day!

Oftentimes when clients bring their pets in for vaccines, toenail trims, etc., they'll ask us about behavior problems and you can see the frustration on their faces and I feel for them. The most frustrating thing though, is that you can give them advice that *will* work if they apply it diligently and yet, they come up with excuses as to why they can't do it or it won't work. That brings me to my next line of advice, find a trainer to help you. If you don't have the time or the inclination to apply methods given to you or that you read in a book then pay someone to train your dog.

Now comes the hard part, finding someone that trains with a method you approve and that you can follow through at home with. There are many more bad trainers out there than there are good. Their methods leave a lot to be desired. My mother took one of her JRTs to be trained and when she told me some of the theories and methods of this trainer I nearly came undone. But, I do have to admit, that opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one...so right or wrong is often in the eyes of the beholder.

I was taken in by a Cesar Milan when I saw him work on tv, but when I sat down to research his methods, what I saw on tv and what he did were really two different things and the reviews were not good. I was not impressed anymore and if anything I felt terribly sorry for the dogs and the owners whose lives he had touched. I started to doubt my own evaluation of his methods since he had what appeared to be a huge following until I saw Gina Spadafori at Pet Connection post about his methods as well. Now I don't know Ms. Spadafori, but I admire her writing, respect her opinion and trust her evaluations of most things...and someday will have her books on my shelves. All that aside from the fact that she's a friend of this blogs co-writer Christie Keith, whom we all know is much smarter than I'll ever hope to be, LOL. Ms. Spadafori's article sealed the deal. That's when I started looking harder for a method that would work with our precious pup. Many have failed, but I think this clicker thing is gonna do it!

Today's post was sparked by Ms. Spadafori's latest post concerning Milan and Steve Dale's Pet World article him. A link to Steve Dale's blog is featured on Ms. Spadafori's post so you can catch it there.

Remember...Hollywood knows exactly how to manipulate you the viewer, so take anything you see with a grain of salt and do your own research!!

Clicker Training

Technicians of the Future

On this last day of National Veterinary Technicians Week I 'd like to take a moment to make my NVTW wishes for the year.

My wishes are:

1) That clients become aware of technicians and respectful of their professional skills.

2) That veterinarians will hire only licensed, certified or registered technicians and stop calling
anyone off the street a tech.

3) That every state will require training and the passing of the national board exam, and if
necessary their own state exam, before allowing someone the right to call themselves a
technician.

4) And my most unpopular wish... That every state realizes that the days of "on the job
training" for veterinary technicians are over. That we will never be taken seriously as professional, highly skilled, medical professionals as long as OJT is acceptable. OJT isn't
acceptable for veterinarians, doctors, nurses in human medicine both LPN's and RN's, it isn't acceptable for CNA's, radiologist, laboratory technicians, dental technicians and many other medical professionals. OJT served a purpose, a very important one, it expanded the field and it defined it. OJT opened the door to the profession. But those days are over, the bar has been raised. It's time for the public, veterinarians and even technicians to demand a
profession that requires a professional education and not one single person who hasn't
taken and passed the board exams be allowed to call themselves a "Veterinary Technician".



Many heartfelt thanks to all those that sent me best wishes for the week. It really made my
week!!!

OCTOBER 15-21

NATIONAL VETERINARY TECHNICIANS WEEK
In June 1993, the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America' s Executive Board passed a resolution declaring the third week in October as National Veterinary Technician Week (NVTW).

THE THIRD WEEK IN OCTOBER IS NATIONAL VETERINARY TECHNICIAN
WEEK. VETERINARY TECHNICIANS WORK CLOSELY WITH YOUR
VETERINARIAN TO ENSURE THE BEST QUALITY MEDICAL CARE FOR YOUR
PET. VETERINARY TECHNICIANS ARE EDUCATED PROFESSIONALS WHO
COMPLETE A RIGOROUS TRAINING COURSE. AFTER COMPLETION OF THEIR
EDUCATION, THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY TASKS INCLUDING
ANESTHESIA, X-RAYS, NURSING CARE, AND LABORATORY TESTS.

National Veterinary Technician Week Proclamation

Whereas, veterinary technicians are important members of the veterinary health care
team, work in veterinary medicine throughout the nation, and are extremely important in
the effort to provide quality animal health care to insure the humane treatment of all
animals;

Whereas, there are over sixty accredited programs throughout the United States which
provide intensive study of the skills and knowledge to work competently as a Veterinary
Technician, including, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, clinical techniques,
pharmacology, anesthesiology, surgical and medical nursing, radiology, and clinical
pathology training;

Whereas, it is extremely important that each veterinary technician maintain certification,
registration, or licensure through the successful completion of a national and or state
examination, practice lifelong learning through continuing education and uphold high
ethical standards;

Whereas, veterinary technicians will be joining their colleagues across the country to
urge all to become aware of the important contribution of veterinary technicians to the
health and well being of all animals; therefore be it Resolved, the Executive Board of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America does hereby declare that beginning in 1994, the third week in October be designated National Veterinary Technician Week.
Adopted by the NAVTA Executive Board, 1993

A little Avian Humor :-)

By Ashley Taylor of Yahoo Group EKKIECHAT

Always Learning

On August 1st I celebrated my first year of work at the hospital. After spending 4 years at a hospital that only dealt with dogs and cats I had jumped in with both feet working in a small and exotic animal hospital. Did I say small? HAH! If the owner could load it into their automobile we saw it and that meant goats, pot bellied pigs and sheep!

At this particular practice we are also able to take in injured wildlife. You may remember the picture of the bald eagle earlier this year. I've also seen cormorants, a few owls, a woodpecker, a blue heron, a kingfisher, a couple hawks, lots of raccoons, rabbits, possums, crows, seagulls and even a cute little red squirrel.

I've anesthetized cockatoos, amazons, rabbits, lizards, snakes, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets and one day I had the overwhelming task of anesthetizing both a goat and a pot bellied pig.

I've had the unpleasant experience of having a bird die in my hands and a parrot so terribly sick that it needed it to be crop fed, the stress alone would likely kill it but we were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

This past July I took the second installment of the anesthesia course though VSPN and I've realized that I am more interested in anesthesia than dentals. It is starting to look like I will be going for my anesthesia specialist instead of dental specialist. It's also much more marketable and the challenges are many.

I've learned to be a little more patient with clients...but my opinions haven't changed. LOL ;-)

On a more personal level I've realized just how much I love, and have an affinity with, birds. In the past few months have added 3 of them to my family. I have plans to study aviculture through the American Federation of Aviculture of which I recently became a member. I'm also studying the genetics of birds and how it affects breeding.

Don't be surprised if you start to read posts regarding my feathered friends and their vet care.

So now I'm into my second year. I've learned how we do things at this practice and my next year will be focused on improving my own contribution to the health care of our clients.

Stay tuned!

Comment Moderation

My Apologies to everyone.
We have an anonymous spammer that absolutely refuses to stop, so I've put this blog on Moderation. I didn't want to do it, but the choice is either block anonymous posters completely from posting or moderate the posts. Once I see you're not spamming us, you're post will be visible.
My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Update: eventually I may turn off the anonymous posting option. I hate that someone can be openly vulgar and rude without having to post with their own name. Unacceptable and cowardly. Obviously, I'm going to reject your post or delete it and your vent will be for nothing. I definitely will not be taking your gripe seriously if you can't communicate it without being vulgar or write in a reasonably mature manner. If you've got something to say at least sign your post or send it to me via email giving me an opportunity to respond in kind.

Leave it!!

No, I'm not talking about that command we teach our dogs. I'm saying "LEAVE IT!" to YOU.

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of my job occurs during this time of year. I work in a vet hospital that is a participating hospital with a local shelter that provides care for injured and orphaned wild life brought to them. This works in a few different ways.

1. An individual calls us about the wildlife creature and we are required to refer them to the wildlife facility. They call the facility and then the facility calls us and gives us the okay to take the animal into our care until it is stable or recovering if need be.

2. The wildlife facility calls us because an individual called them or dropped off the critter in their care and it needs hospital care.

The only problem with this arrangement is that much of the time there is no injury involved and the person simply found a baby by itself and out of their misplaced compassion scooped up the baby and brought in to us. We are then faced with a baby raccoon, cormarant, blue jay, owl, fawn...whatever...that needs around the clock care and there's probably a momma out there looking for her baby.

At this time of year the wildlife facility becomes over run with healthy baby raccoons and rabbits. We try so hard to get the good samaritan to take the baby back to where they found it so that the momma will find it and almost every time the person refuses. They're convinced that the baby will die and they especially don't want their pet to find it or they are afraid that their children will be traumatized if this woodland creature was to perish.

We understand the desire to help, it's really a GOOD THING and we are glad people have such compassion toward the wild animals. However, healthy babies probably have a momma out there hunting or maybe scouting a new area and will be back for them eventually. You're truly doing a disservice to the wild critter when you take them from their habitat. For instance, wild rabbits do not do well at all when in captivity. When you bring in little baby bunnies you have signed their death warrant. Momma only comes around twice a day to feed them and just imagine her coming back to an empty nest!

LEAVE IT!

If you find a baby mammal or bird..

A Guide to Assisting Wildlife Babies

New Heartworm Information

Posted with permission of Mary Straus of dogware.com

Recent research has led to the discovery of a parasite called Wolbachia that lives symbiotically inside heartworms. Studies indicate that this parasite contributes to the adverse effects of both heartworm infection and heartworm treatment, including inflammation, embolism and allergic reaction. Treatment with doxycycline for 30 days to kill the Wolbachia parasite weakens the heartworms and makes them unable to reproduce, and greatly reduces the chance of adverse reaction during heartworm treatment.

Here is some additional info on the topic that I was able to find, though most of it is highly technical and still in preliminary stages of research:

From VeterinaryPartner.com:

"Wolbachia is a genus of rickettsial organisms (sort of like bacteria, but not exactly). They live inside the adult heartworm. These organisms seem to be protective or beneficial to heartworms and treating the dog with the antibiotic doxycycline seems to sterilize female heartworms (meaning they cannot reproduce). Wolbachia is also thought to be involved in the embolism and shock that result when heartworms die. The role of this organism is still being investigated. If your veterinarian wants to pre-treat your heartworm positive dog with doxycycline, it may be because of concerns regarding this organism. As new information emerges, we will post here."

From Auburn State University School of Veterinary Medicine:

"Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that infect numerous species of filarial worms including heartworms. Many contend that these friendly inhabitants (endosymbionts) play a role in the pathogenesis of diseases caused by heartworms and other filarids. Contention is that host immune responses directed at Wolbachia can actually go awry and enhance the disease process in heartworm infections. Some also contend that elimination of Wolbachia spp. from heartworms may affect the survival of adult heartworms and may decrease the host's errant immunologic responses when adult worms are killed or die."

"Dirofilaria immitis [heartworms] the cause of heartworm disease in dogs and cats harbours an endosymbiont intracellular bacteria of the genus Wolbachia (a Rickettsia). Studies performed recently indicate that these bacteria may play an important role in the pathogenesis and immune response to filarial infection (Bandi et al, 2001)." This article goes on to say that Wolbachia may contribute to many of the side effects of heartworm disease, including inflammation, kidney disease, lung problems and allergic reactions.

"Furthermore, preliminary data from our laboratory indicates that antibiotic treatment before adulticide therapy in dogs with heartworm disease leads to a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-8."

At BioInfoBank:

This site has numerous other studies on human treatment, indicating that doxycycline, oxytetracycline (of which doxycycline is a derivative) and rifampicin (sometimes use in conjunction with doxycycline) are all effective against Wolbachia.

From National Academy of the Sciences:

"Bacterial relatives of Wolbachia include a number of agents that have arthropods as vectors and cause serious human diseases such as typhus, scrub typhus, erhlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Studies of these bacteria require special containment facilities. In contrast, Wolbachia have so far been found only in invertebrates and are not known to cause mammalian disease."

What is Health?

In 1999 I started investigating a better diet for my dogs. By early 2000 I was feeding them a different diet. One I felt, and still feel, is better for them all around. Over the last 6 years I have learned a lot more about health and nutrition. I spent Sept. '99 to June '01 in school to become a veterinary technician. Online I had joined email lists such as K9Nutrition, Doghealth, Beyond Vaccination, and WellPet. Through one of those I met co-blogger Christie Keith, who is one of the two most intelligent people I know (my husband is the other). When it come to smarts I feel darn average when it come to these two. LOL One thing they both have taught me is critical thinking.

Over the last few years, I've come to my own personal thoughts and beliefs when it comes to the health of my own pets. I came to them over a long and bumpy road. I can be swayed pretty easily sometimes and it was through this quest for my pets health that I learned to THINK!! It's not a dirty word you know? Thinking can be rather taxing. Thinking can make you doubt. Thinking can make you question. Thinking can make you....smarter. :-)

I was once a part of groups that swore that the key to health was a certain diet. I was on another group that swore the key to health was the elimination vaccinations. I was on yet another group that swore the key to health was homeopathy. I'm also a veterinary technician that works in a field that doesn't always look at the big pictures.

The key to health for our pets and ourselves is...

multilayered.

There is no key. It's just a door with a lot of keyholes in it and if all the keys aren't turned at the same time...ultimate health will not be achieved.

Health is like an onion, you peel back one layer, such as diet and it will reveal another layer like fresh air, exercise, joy and the biggest buggaboo of all time...genetics. Everyone wants the key, the magic ingredient, the one word that will help their pet get better. Every pet is individual, too. Add that fact into the mix and you have your door of keyholes and a pot full of keys. Have fun.

Are you wondering how many euphemisms I can cram into one post? Then your mind is wandering, get back here. ;-)

Genetics are the foundation of health. Not magic. You can't change genetics but you can provide a support system for the weak spots and maintain the strong.

Diet is important. A proper, species appropriate diet is tantamount. Sorry folks, this is where the vet tech and the pet owner in me take leave of each other. I haven't talked about nutrition on this blog because I won't pay lip service to commercial diets. I won't start now.

Exercise is required. Without it your pet becomes weak in mind, body and soul. Playing with your pet isn't just exercise it makes them HAPPY! You want a happy pet, if they aren't happy, then they're depressed. Health specialists for humans know what depression does to our health, do you think it wouldn't do the same to our pets? They need JOY! They need hugs and pats, strokes and, if it doesn't repel you, kisses! They want snuggles and love. I hate hearing of animal trainers that say, "keep your dog of your bed at night, only the pack leader gets the most comfy spot." OH GET REAL.

Fresh air is required. Dog, cat, ferret, rat, bird, reptile, etc...the value of fresh air is incomprehensible. Can you imagine never smelling morning fresh air or the night scents never tickling your nose?

We are the caretaker of our pets. When we brought them into our home we promised to care for them until the very end. We MUST look at the entire picture of health and STOP LOOKING FOR MAGIC CURES! There is NO ONE SINGLE ANSWER. Stop, think and use critical thinking. Don't just allow a group, an individual..whether they're a vet, a vet tech or someone you met on the net..to lead you around by the nose.

THINK!

Your pet is depending on you.

Fair & Balanced

Take a moment to read Christie's article on her own blog concerning the altering of our pets.

It's Just That They LIE ABOUT IT

Afterwards, REALLY think about it. Think hard and long. THINK THINK THINK!!!!

A Good Life

I've wanted to write about euthanasia here but I have never been able to find the words. My timing is always more than a little off. Meaning that either myself or Christie will lose one of our beloved furry family members just about the time I'm contemplating the beginning.

Now it turns out that I don't need to as the wonderful vet at "Pet Peeves: Life in an Animal ER" has done a quite thorough explanation of what euthanasia is and what a veterinarian truly strives for when the choice has been made in her blog entry A Good Death. She moves on to explaining the mechanics of The Process.

"A final favor for an old friend." That's what a vet I used to work for used to say. I thought it was a wonderful thing to say. Unfortunately, sometimes they're not "old". Making The Decision is never easy and the good vet has some good words to say about that as well. Be aware, I didn't finish reading this one with dry eyes.

The last blog entry is more from the vets perspective. It hits home for me and I'm sure many other techs and other vets. Because sometimes...the decision lays in our hands and they are Tough Choices

I hope you, gentle reader, gain another perspective and I hope it helps you the next time you have to make a tough choice and make that phone call for a "good death" for your precious loving companion.

It Happens More Often Than You May Realize

She came in Tuesday night around 6:30p. 4 year old, black, about 60 pounds. She looks like a cross between a collie and a lab or maybe a belgian cross of some sort. Medium length hair and a slender nose. She couldn't/wouldn't walk. She had been hit by a car about 45 to 60 minutes ago. It was obvious that the left front leg was broken, it was also partially degloved. The owner was beside herself and made it known that she really could not afford to take care of her dog's injuries. She was already dipping into her grocery money she said. The owner applied for Care Credit, but was declined. The emergency fee, exam, xrays and one pain injection pretty much wiped out her resources.

As they brought her down into the treatment room on the stretcher, my heart broke in two. There she was obviously terrified, in pain and muzzled. She was in so much in pain that she struck out anyone who touched her. Another tech and an assistant took the xrays and I quickly drew up the Buprenorphine, not the greatest pain control for this sort of situation, but more on that later. I used the high end dose and asked if I could give it IV so that I could knock the poor baby out for the radiographs. The doctor didn't want her totally blotto, so I gave it in the muscle (IM).

Both the radius and ulna were broken and the wounds complicated matters even more. But... that wasn't the worst of it. We drew up an estimate to repair the damaged leg. We gave all the options with a high/low cost. Low was bare bones care, high was the gold standard. All we could do was hope the owner had other resources.

She didn't.
She declined all care and signed a euthanasia consent form and a surrender of ownership in case someone wished to adopt her.

The doctor wanted to give her time to find some money. She waved the emergency fee and told her she would pay for any other care she did for the next 12 to 15 hours.

The poor dog screamed when we even looked at the leg sideways. The doctor wanted to pull some of the flesh together on the wound and put on a "Robert-Jones" bandage. Pulling the wound together a bit even though there was skin missing is important because as time passes the wound will pull apart, widening, making it even more difficult to repair. But we couldn't anesthetize. We had to use "brute-a-caine". We covered the wound with lidocaine and we managed to get the sutures in without causing too much trauma. But when it came time for the bandage she went nuts. More buprenorphine! This time IV! We applied the bandage and held our breath until morning.

9am Wednesday morning the call finally came. But it wasn't good. Her situation hadn't changed and she would be in that evening to pick up the collar and leash.

We all bantered back and forth about who was going to take the dog. I couldn't and I didn't. But I also wasn't willing to do the euthanasia. It simply seemed wrong to me...to euthanize for a broken leg.

You're probably wondering why we didn't take payments. For established clients that we already have a professional relationship with, we *might* take payments. It's not very common for us to do so. 90% of the time, it ends badly...trust me. YOU may pay your bills, but the amount of clients that don't pay their vet bill is staggering.

I left Wedsnesday afternoon and said good-bye to the sweet, loving, black fuzzy dog with a broken leg.

Thursday morning she was still there!!!!! One of the evening techs is likely going to be taking her and she'll be taken care of for the rest of her life. My fingers are crossed.

But this is what happens when a client can't afford care. We can't save them all, but we DO TRY. We euthanized a canary and a rat today, because the owner elected it over care, sometimes because the pet isn't worth it to them (disposable pet in their eyes), most often it's because they can't afford that unexpected expense of their pet being hit by a car, in a fight with another animal, ingesting something they shouldn't, etc.

My advice is to start a savings account for your pet when you first bring them home. Put a few dollars in a jar every week. Get a credit card just for emergency vet care. Apply for Care Credit now so that you have it at the ready.

Be prepared.

Smart Medicine: An opinionated, unconventional, and somewhat cranky guide to finding excellent veterinary care for your dog

A year or so ago, a leading consumer magazine did for veterinary medicine what it does for new television sets: told you how to find the really cheap ones.

The problem is, my dog is not a television set. My dog is a member of my family. She can’t be exchanged for another one just like her if she gets broken beyond repair. And if that’s true for you, too, then I suggest you throw cost and convenience out the window when trying to decide what "excellent veterinary care" means.

You might think that’s a bit harsh, and it is. But it’s going to get harsher. Because in addition to telling you to forget about how much a vet charges or whether or not you can find parking in front of their clinic, I also want you not to care about their bedside manner, or how hard your dog wags his tail when the vet comes into the room.

Well, that’s just great, you think. I don’t get to care how much the vet charges, where their clinic is located, whether or not I like them, or if they’re good with my pet. What the heck am I supposed to be judging them on?

I’d like to make the radical suggestion that you select your veterinarian on the basis of how well they practice veterinary medicine. Because trust me – if you want easy parking, low cost, and a nice bedside manner, you can get it from just about anyone who likes pets. The thing you can only get from a vet is medical expertise.

Of course we all live in the real world, where things like accessibility and cost have to matter. After all, I might find the best vet in the world, but if she’s three thousand miles away it’s not exactly going to do my pets much good. And speaking as someone who recently sent herself into hellish debt caring for a dog with cancer, I really do understand that financial considerations are going to come into play. And if you and the vet have such a bad rapport that it impedes communication critical to your pet’s medical care, then obviously you have to take that into account as well.

But those factors should be considered only after you’ve asked the really important question, the one about how good this vet is at practicing veterinary medicine. As in any other profession, from cosmetology to human medicine to accounting, the vast majority of the members of the profession will be mediocre. Topnotch veterinary medicine is rare, the same way a great restaurant is rare.

So how do you know? Great veterinarians have experience, although how long a particular individual has been a vet isn’t a good indicator of excellence; many mediocre or even poor vets have been in practice a long time. But experience coupled with skill is a combination that can’t be beat. And although I do realize vets have to gain their experience somehow, it’s not going to be on my dog.

Great veterinarians continue to learn and educate themselves throughout their careers. They belong to professional groups such as regional or national veterinary associations, or the Veterinary Information Network. They take difficult and challenging courses in continuing education, instead of just putting in hours at industry-sponsored product propaganda sessions to keep their licenses current. They subscribe to and yes, somehow find the time to read, new research in the veterinary literature.

Great veterinarians also know what they don’t know, and how to find someone who knows it. One of my biggest pet peeves is the reluctance of some general practice vets to refer to a specialist. Let’s face it, your child’s pediatrician doesn’t do surgery, clean teeth, or treat serious heart disease; why do you expect your pet’s general practice veterinarian to do so? There is just as much to be said against as for the level of specialization that has evolved in human medicine, with the resulting fragmentation of care, but veterinary medicine is at the opposite end of the spectrum, which just as unhappy results. There has to be a middle ground, where the general practice veterinarian provides primary care, but doesn’t get unhinged when the time comes to get more specialized experts involved in a case.

Great veterinarians do not need to have a “great bedside manner,” as long as they can communicate with you enough to get the information they need to treat your pet, and give you the information you need to care for your pet at home. You’re not looking for a new best friend; you’re looking for a professional. Some of the greatest vets I’ve ever known have been arrogant and abrupt and treated me as if I was lucky to be in their office. But they had something I wanted, so I smiled and faked it and let them do their job. I’m not there to get my views validated, my ego stroked, or my hand held. I’m there to get medical care for my dog. Period.

Great veterinarians also don’t come cheap. I’ve had the good fortune to find a few veterinarians whose prices were on a par with everyone else locally, which given the quality of care my pets received was a bargain. But unless you have no choice, choosing your vet because he is the cheapest vet around is a pretty good way to eliminate most of the best vets from the running. Great vets don’t need to undercut the competition, because they won’t have any trouble filling their appointment books.

If after finding someone who meets those qualifications you also discover you get along well with them, your dog loves them, they are ten minutes away, and their prices are reasonable, you’ve hit the jackpot. But keep your focus on obtaining the best veterinary medicine you can find and afford; that other stuff is sizzle, not steak.

This article originally appeared in Fetch the Paper.

Is it really necessary?

I have expressed it before that one of the most frustrating parts about veterinary medicine is that pets are considered property and a luxury, so proper medical care is up to the client as much as changing the oil on their car or getting a tune up.

A car? Yes, an automobile. We have to write up estimates and have them approved by the owner before we can proceed with the medical care we believe is necessary. Just like a mechanic draws up an estimate and the owner has to sign before they get their car fixed. The difference is that the owner of the automobile is more likely to sign that estimate without question than they are an estimate drawn up for their pets medical care.

When was the last time you went to the hospital for yourself, a family member or friend and before they would do anything they typed up an estimate outlining the diagnostics, supportive care and the cost for these services and then asked you to sign it? I never have, I doubt you have either. How many times have you asked a doctor or a nurse, "how much is this going to cost?" and their answer is usually a shrug or a flat, "I have no idea."?

It doesn't bother me that owners question every detail of their pets care, what gets to me though is that the most common question is, "is that really necessary?".

The veterinarian had to go to college for 4 years, all the while applying to veterinary school that will result in another 3-4 years of intense learning. They're taught a lot in veterinary school. Sometimes they amaze me with what they have stored up in their head and I love a vet that will pull out a book to refresh their knowledge or research something new.

Then there's the vet techs that went to school and have experience under their belts.

We base our estimates and health care plans on training and experience. If your dog comes in for vomiting and diarrhea for the last 4 days before you decided it was serious enough to call we have a certain protocol to follow.

1) unvaccinated dogs get a parvo test. If it's negative we move on to more tests.
2) a fecal float and smear, to rule out parasites and bacterial overgrowth.
3) Bloodwork, this tells us if the state of the liver, kidneys, pancreas and give us a blood cell count.
4) IV catheter and fluids. A dog that has been vomiting and has diarrhea is probably dehydrated and could become dangerously dehydrated.

Including the exam and hospitalization, depending on your location could estimate out at about $300 to $500

That's just to do the most basic detective work to help us find out what is wrong and minor supportive care until we can, hopefully, make a diagnosis so we can start treatment...which is a whole other estimate. Parvo treatment alone can run into over $1000 and it's mostly supportive care, there's no cure...we just work our butts off to help your pet get THROUGH the disease without dying first.

I know there are vets out there that take advantage of clients and I'm not saying you shouldn't ask your vet exactly what the tests are about, you *should* be informed after all. What I am saying is that usually there is a darn good reason why the vet wants to perform such and such test or procedure.

When you get down to it, you can't have it both ways. You can either have cheap medical care for your pets which means only the very basic of equipment is on site, only a few standard traditional medications, bare bones, supportive, surgical and diagnostic equipment OR you can have medical care that includes innovative testing, procedures, diagnostics and care with a highly trained staff that doesn't look longly at a IV fluid pump in the latest trade magazine while they do the math to figure out drip rate on your pet.

I had one client insist that we cut costs on his estimate and one of the things he wanted to forgo was the IV catheter and fluids during surgery. Not a good idea, especially in an 8 year old dog. Is it necessary? No way to really know unless we don't do it and the dog crashes on the table for a reason that could have been prevented with fluid therapy.

I have a saying, one that I apply to many things in my life, "I would rather be looking at it, than looking for it." That goes for IV catheters and fluids. I'd rather have them in and running and not need them, than not run them and need them.

So remember, when you next ask your vet..."Is all of that really necessary?"

The answer is simple:
Of course, not. We could just wave a magic wand over your pet that will diagnose and cure all in one. ;-)

I LOVE MY JOB!!!

When I started this job August 1st, 2005 I was very excited because I was going to gain experience with exotics and wildlife. Which is exactly what I wanted to do when I got out of school. For reasons I can't fathom I ended up spending 4 boring years with a vet that wouldn't even consider venturing out of his comfort zone of spays, neuters and mass removals on dogs and cats. I *did* hone my skills and I *am* good at my job most of the time.

I'll tell you what though, when a big ol' Bald Eagle came through the door I darn near turned into a babbling puddle of jello. Why? Well for one, it's a spiritual thing and standing next to a bald eagle is just about the closest to a higher power than I can hope to achieve. Not only stand next to it but administer subcutaneous fluids, I thought I was going to pass out when I touched her leg. It was truly a memorable time for me, my chest still gets tight when I think of it.

Oh...she was brought in because she was found injured and brought to us by the West Sound Wildlife Shelter on Bainbridge Island. We're their official veterinary hospital. She was x-rayed (nothing broken) and a wound on her chest was treated. She was then released back to the shelter where she was then transported north to another sanctuary where she will recover and then be released. The vet suspects it was a territorial battle that she was very lucky to have survived.

The other super cool patient was a toucan needing a Health Certificate for transportation. All I can say is...WOW!

Scroll down for the pictures of these wonderful visitors to our little hospital. Click on the picture for a closer look. :-)

Hello? 

Toucan 

Where's the Fruit Loops?? 

Breathtaking isn't she? 

Wow! 

Toxic

This must be a week of ingesting toxins. A few days ago we had a boxer come in that had eaten/drank a fairly large amount of Alaska Fish Fertilizer. It was truly a team effort between the vet and staff to treat this dog. The instant reaction of the vet was to make them vomit, but when we found the MSDS, the recommendation was to NOT induce vomiting. So we were rinsing out the eye that got the apomorphine (an emetic). Then she decided that we needed to give her some activated charcoal...oh yum...that is some MESSY stuff. After 150mLs of that she questioned herself and made some trips to VIN and called the ASPCA. Luckily, fish emulsion doesn't have a high iron content, which is what would cause liver and kidney damage. It also isn't terribly high in nitrates. Medication to soothe the tummy and bit of pain control to help with the cramping got her through. She's gonna have stinky burps and nasty flatulence for a while, though.

Much of the time when a dog or cat gets into fertilizer it isn't much and as long as there aren't a lot of heavy metals the danger doesn't tend to be as high. Another good reason to use manure rather than chemicals to make your garden grow.

It's close to Easter so now is another time to keep that chocoloate out of reach of our four legged friends. Here's a case from the ER vet, "Chocolate Fix".

Hello? Hello? I can't quite hear you...

I've seen gloves, rocks, tennis balls, dishrags... but never...
well ...go look.

Did I get any calls while I was away?

When the Battle Isn't Over

An army approaches it's enemy with determination. Shields are up, swords are drawn. The opposition seems almost insurmountable, but the army has strength and endurance on it's side. The fight commences with a Xena style battle cry, the small and weak fall easily on the blades of the army. The army is winning, the numbers of the enemy are falling dramatically. The battle is nearly won!! Suddenly the army turns around and runs from battle, leaving the strong beaten but alive. What happened? The fight wasn't over! The strong return to their homes, procreating and their offspring are strapping youngsters with murder on their minds. Killing machines, ready to take on the army their parents tell tales about, THEY will beat the army. The new offspring, bigger, faster, stronger rise up and the army meets them at the summit. The army once again takes down the weaker members of the enemy, they were tougher than the last, of course. As before, the army turns tail and runs just before the battle has been won, leaving the strongest to procreate once again. Soon, the battles become nearly impossible and the army is replaced by a newer, bigger and stronger army. The battles rage on, the enemy gets stronger and more resistant while the armies grow weaker and less effective.

I know...weird way to explain things..but this is why the vet (and your doctor) want you to finish that bottle of antibiotics!!!!!! Just because your dog (or you) feel better is not a good reason to stop taking them. Finish the prescription, please. :-)

The Acid Puppy Mooie

It's graphic, it's tragic and we need your help!

My own state has been in a flurry over Mooie, a pitbull puppy who was immersed in acid and left to die in Federal Way, WA. Federal Way is located in King County, the same county that holds the illustrious city of Seattle. King County has seriously dropped the ball on this case and they need to hear it from all of you across the USA.

Go to the page for Mooie on Pasado's Safe Haven website and read about Mooie's trauma. I will warn you though, it is graphic. I've been a regular visitor of Pasado's Safe Haven for a long time. I remember when the little donkey Pasado was beaten to death and the Safe Haven was born. They don't normally post pictures like these, but folks, Mooie needs to be remembered and her death must not be in vain.

If you just can't look at the pictures, scroll down close to the bottom where it will tell you how you can help Mooie and make sure that justice is served.

Thank You!

On the Ball!

I hate tennis balls as a toy for dogs larger than a Schnauzer and since 3 of my four dogs are shepard sized even my little Cairn doesn't get to play with one. But I thought for sure I was just being paranoid then I read the ER vets blog "Pet Peeves" latest entry. Read it here, "Having A Ball".

Make sure your dog has the appropriate sized toys, chewies and balls. MOST accidents CAN be prevented if you consider your individual dog, their size and their EXUBERANCE!

On a lighter note: GET FUZZY!

What Can YOU do?

Enough about me.
Recently I saw a post on one of the rat lists I'm on and it brought up some good points that I'd like to share with every pet owner.

Know your pet, especially familiarize yourself with them when they first come home to live with you.

When they first come to live with you should LOOK at your pet on a daily basis and become familiar with what is normal. It not only creates a wonderful bonding experience but you will be more likely to notice when something is amiss.

Notice what color their skin is under their fur or feathers. Check the color of the inside of their ear flaps, their noses and lips on the mammals, on birds note the color of their ceres and feet. Listen and watch them breath. With fish you can do the same, note their color under normal conditions, watch the movement of their gills and if you can see the color of their gills all the better. On all pets look at their eyes and the area around the eyes, know what is normal for them. You'll be more likely to notice subtle changes as well as cloudiness of the eyes, hairloss around the eyes or changes in shape or condition.

On birds and mammals massage and run your hands over them on a daily basis. Learn what their bones feel like, note their muscle mass, look at and feel their joints. On the birds pay extra attention on the keel and the muscle mass around it. Any unusual bumps or lumps that appear will be more easily noticed later. On fish note the overall body shape and the fish's movement.

Check teeth and beaks, familiarize yourself with the shape, color and overall structure. For your rabbits and rodents pay special attention to the length of the teeth so that you won't have to wonder later if they've gotten too long. On fish look at their mouths and note their shape and coloration. On mammals look at your pets gums, even in mouths that are black there are bound to be a spot or two that are pink.

Know the bottoms of your pets feet, anything unusual should be noted, watched and/or seen by a vet. Long toenails can cause back problems and leg pain in dogs and can be a source of discomfort in cats, especially the elderly. Birds, rabbits and rodents also can be greatly affected by too long toenails.

Know your pets habits, too. One of the most common things that compels a pet owner to bring in their pet is when they're ADR, "ain't doin' right".

After a while you'll know exactly what to expect when you open their mouths, touch them or see them and when something is wrong you'll know immediately. Once you know what to expect you can go to a weekly "check up".

For the Pets

I've been chastised a bit about my perceived attitude regarding the communication between client and veterinary medical professionals. I say perceived because my recent blog entries didn't necessarily involve just my experiences. Considering I've seen this breakdown occur between approximately 20 to 30 veterinarians I really doubt it's all about me. ;-)

I don't want anyone to misunderstand and come away from anything I may have written with perception that I think I'm smarter or better than the clients. I understand completely that not everyone has my training, knowledge or experiences. It's not that I think anyone is stupid, but I am often left puzzled and frustrated because nothing and I mean nothing pains me more than to see an animal suffer.

My goal is to educate owners about the care of their pets. I have had clients and coworkers ask what motivates me and the answer is simple, "The animals." There isn't a damn thing I do that isn't about making their lives better. It's not about making humans understand so they will feel better, it's about making humans understand so they can help their pet feel better. If it doesn't benefit the pet somehow then I have no purpose. I'm not there to hold the hands of the owner, I'm there for their pets, to caress the paws and whisper in their ears about how wonderful they are and that they were a blessing and a gift to their human along with promises to help them feel better. I am there for those without a voice. That is why I get up every morning and it's why I don't have just a job, but a mission. My paycheck is a bonus, it helps to keep food in my furry, finned and feathered family's bowls (oh yea and my husbands', too..haha) and a roof over our heads. I couldn't work for free, but I would if I could. My compassion lays with the pets.

The wagging tails and happy chirps, meows and barks when pets and owners reunite are what brings tears to my eyes. Pets love and trust deeply and unconditionally. What a gift they are to us.

The next time you think I have an "attitude" problem and dismiss me out of hand because of it, remember who I am working for, remember what motivates me. That attitude has endured me to more clients than anything else. They appreciate the fact that I will stand/sit there and explain things over and over and over and over and give them a card with my name on it so they can call to talk to me and ask me the same questions again and again. That doesn't mean I don't get tired or frustrated and more often I feel helpless or useless or even stupid. Because believe me....I do.

Feline Diabetes: Is Nutrition the Key to Preventing and Treating an Epidemic?

We’ve all heard on the news that there’s an epidemic of type 2 diabetes in American humans right now, but some of you may not know that this applies to our cats, too. What is the reason for the prevalence of this condition in cats, what can we do to prevent it, and are there alternative methods of treating it besides insulin injections?

Let me state in no uncertain terms that if your cat is currently diagnosed with diabetes and is on insulin injections, you must work under veterinary supervision if you are going to try any dietary changes in the hope of reducing or eliminating the cat’s dependence on insulin. Even just changing the cat’s diet can change his or her insulin requirement, and you could kill your cat.

Common wisdom on nutrition for cats with diabetes has, for many years, centered on the use of high fiber diets. Fiber has been shown to minimize the impact of dietary carbohydrate on blood sugar, in cats as well as in humans. But recent research by Purina revealed that reducing the amount of dietary carbohydrate in the feline diet can get more than 50 percent of cats off insulin. In fact, Purina has come out with a new “low carb” prescription cat food specifically for the treatment of feline diabetes, Purina DM. Vets now dub this approach “Catkins,” after the late Dr. Robert Atkins, who developed a low carb weight loss and diabetes control program for people.

According to Deborah S. Greco, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM, Associate Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University, in the early 90s one in 400 cats were found to have diabetes. Today, that rate has doubled. Many vets, including Dr. Greco, speculate that the growing reliance on high-carbohydrate kibbles may be partially to blame for this increase.

According to Dr. Greco, "The cat is an obligate carnivore and as such is unique among mammals in its insulin response to dietary carbohydrates, protein and fat.... (T)he cat is uniquely adapted to a carnivorous diet and is not metabolically adapted to ingestion of excess carbohydrate."

That cats have no dietary requirement for carbohydrate is no secret to pet food manufacturers, although it seems to surprise many cat owners and even some veterinarians. According to The Waltham Book of Dog and Cat Nutrition, "There is no known minimum dietary carbohydrate requirement for either the dog or the cat.” (This does of course make me ask why, then, Waltham makes several brands of high-carbohydrate dog and cat foods, such as “Whiskas,” which contains corn as its first ingredient and corn gluten meal as the third ingredient, plus other grains further down the list.)

Recently, an article called “The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats” by Debra L. Zoran, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, appeared in the prestigious Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. In it, Dr. Zoran took a look at many different feline conditions that might be related to inappropriate consumption of foods high in dietary carbohydrate, including obesity and diabetes. She wrote, “Dietary recommendations extrapolated from recommendations for humans and dogs are to feed affected cats diets high in insoluble or mixed fiber. However, with the increased understanding of unique protein and (carbohydrate) metabolism in cats, these recommendations have been challenged. High-protein, low-(carbohydrate) diets and low-fiber diets are highly beneficial in the management of cats with diabetes, resulting in a reduction of greater than 50 percent in the amount of insulin required in 8 of 9 cats in one study. In another study, complete cessation of insulin administration was reported for one-third of the cats. In another study, 49 researchers reported that contrary to what is observed in dogs, cats fed diets containing soluble or insoluble fiber had altered glucose tolerance. Another study reported that feeding typical adult maintenance diets to cats resulted in development of greater postprandial hyperinsulinemia, even in cats with normal body weights, compared to cats consuming a high-protein diet.”

She concluded, “(A) reduction in dietary starch will substantially reduce the insulin requirement (endogenous and exogenous) in affected cats.”

What is the best way to feed a cat? Each of us has our stories of cats who lived to a ripe old age eating in a certain way: Raw, cooked, kibble, canned, and combinations thereof. Especially with cats who go outside and are thus likely getting additions to their diets that we don't know about (some of them very healthy, such as insects and mice, others not so healthy, such as the generic dog kibble your neighbor has down for Fido), it's really impossible to evaluate the impact of nutrition for any individual cat's lifespan and health.

But we can make some broad generalizations about small felines. One of them is that since cats are strict carnivores and have no dietary requirement for carbohydrate, it's not likely to be a good idea to feed them a food that is comprised largely of carbohydrate (as all kibble is). To quote Dr. Zoran, “Although cats have adjusted to most manufactured diets, the limitations of substituting animal-origin nutrients with plant-origin nutrients in foods formulated for cats are being increasingly realized.”

Doesn’t it simply make sense to seek out a way of feeding our cats that's more in tune with the diet the species evolved eating, than a grain-based, high carbohydrate, dry, processed food? Wouldn’t it be more logical to seek out canned, frozen, and fresh, homemade diets that are meat-based rather than grain-based? There are commercial canned foods, such as Nature’s Variety, that contain 95 percent meat and are complete and balanced for a cat. Homemade recipes can be found in a number of sources, including many grain-free recipes in the book Home Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative by Donald Strombeck DVM, PhD. The website and email list Holisticat, at http://www.holisticat.com, is a wonderful source of recipes and encouragement for those looking for better ways to nourish their feline friends.

It's up to each of us to decide how we want to feed our cats. There's no shortage of opinions on this issue, and no shortage of vets who will gasp in dismay at the idea of feeding anything but kibble to a cat or dog. Whether your cat has diabetes, is obese, or you simply want to maintain his or her current good health, consider the lessons of biology and nature when deciding what to feed that tiny tiger you have purring in your lap.

Your Vet Needs Your Help

Today has been one of those days where something suddenly becomes crystal clear. Three times today I was faced with veterinary clients that weren't listening. They weren't listening to me or their veterinarian. I'm stump as to why. Here they are bringing their beloved pet to the vet because it is sick and when the diagnosis, disease, treatment, etc., is given they are not any more informed when they leave than they were when they arrived. Why?

One client has an adorable little 10 year old dog that was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. There is documentation that it has been explained to them. In detail. Twice. During a routine post dental check up the owner asks, "so how long do I need to be giving those little blue pills?"

THUD.

After I pick myself up off the floor I explain that their dog will likely be on the pills for the rest of her life. She's shocked. No, really...she's utterly flabbergasted. I once again explain hypothyroidism, document it and ask her several times if she is understanding. She wasn't. All she cared about was whether or not she had to keep giving the pills and how she got more when they were gone.

Second client, diagnosed with chronic renal failure. The dog is hooked up to IV fluids, not eating, and very depressed, and I hear with my own two ears the vet explain the grim realities of kidney failure. In detail and I mean DETAIL, in extremely elementary terms, I was impressed with the clarity of his explanation. I heard him do this four times. The owner does not understand why her little dog *might* have a year left to live and that kidney failure is the reason.

Third client. Not ours, but an online pet owner. Her pet is quite sick and she went to the vet. Her friend posts for her asking, "What is wrong with him?" All she knows is that the vet gave her some medication that is pink and smells like bubble gum. Obviously she didn't know what it was or why she was giving it. Huh? Did she not just pay for a vet visit? Why is she asking a yahoo group what is wrong with her animal? All the questions she had her friend ask should have been asked during the vet visit. Any questions she has now are questions that could be answered by picking up the phone. Thankfully, one of the other list members tactfully pointed that little fact out.

Pet owners need to understand what is wrong with their pet, what medications they are giving and why. They need to know what it means when their pet has a disease or disorder. They need to know how it is going to affect their pets life. This is a part of our job. If they don't understand a diagnosis, treatment, medication or prognosis they need to ASK. We can't help them understand if they nod their heads and say, "okay, thankyouverymuchhaveaniceday."

When you walk out of the vets office if you don't know any more than what you knew when you walked in, turn yourself around and ASK QUESTIONS. Ask until you understand. Your understaning is just as important as the medication. Help the vet help your pet.

How Could You?

I know this is the season to be jolly. Here it is Christmas Eve and I with my heart in my hands. As I stir the pots of sugar and chocolate for the various candies I make for my family my thoughts drift to the, probably doomed, furry ones that will make a child's eyes glisten and glow on Christmas morning. I think of the lonely pets in kennels because their people are either travelling for the holidays or they don't want them underfoot at home during these hectic times. The thought of those "relinquished" to the shelters and the fact that euthanasias increase from about the week before Thanksgiving, all the way to the new year...people just "don't want to be bothered".... drift across my mind. Pets are dropped off in shelters, vet clinics and who-knows-where to meet a terrible fate.

And my heart hurts.
I know I can't save them all and I can't change the world.
But that knowledge doesn't stop the pain.

I look in the local freebie paper and notice that the ads for puppies have quadrupled this time of year! Many of the ads include the words "will make a great holiday gift!"

When will it stop?

My pets are valued members of my family and right now I think I'll leave you with this from 2001 and go snuggle with my critters.

I hope you read every word of this page

A man in Grand Rapids, Michigan, took out a $7000 full page ad in the paper to present the following essay to the people of his community:

HOW COULD YOU?

By Jim Willis, 2001

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend.

Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?"- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a bellyrub. My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more Perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home At the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" --still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her.

I was happy because you were happy. Then the human Babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of Love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch--because your touch was now so infrequent--and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter.

It smelled of Dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will Find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you A pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my Dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?" They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow.

They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind-that this was all a bad dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago.

She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?" Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself--a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever.

May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

How Much Clearer can I be?

What I am about to share with you came up during a conversation that happened between 3 technicians (myself included), 2 assistants and a receptionist. It was punctuated with laughter, snorting and the shaking of heads. There were no names mentioned and there wasn't a single client in the building to wonder what the chortling was all about or to overhear our crude comments.

It all started when I wrote out the directions for some medication that was going home with a rabbit. "Orally give 0.03mL twice daily (every 12 hours) until gone."

Seems simple enough right? Well, the problem is that I had been told by a few people that have been there much longer than myself to not write "Orally" as this confuses clients. I need to write "give by mouth" instead. A few hours later as business dwindled, as it does the closer we get to Christmas, the subject became a raucous exchange of stories between employees as to why we right things like "by mouth" or follow 2 1/2 with (two and a half) on your pets medication.

First there was the well dressed, holder of a master's degree in education, stately woman with youngster in tow.
"Mommy, what does orally mean?"
"That means we have to put this in Buster's bottom."

Noooooooo.

Unfortunately, she's not the first client and at least we found out her intentions BEFORE she left the building. I do know of a dog who had the unpleasant experience of receiving two 500mg cephalexin capsules up the butt twice a day until the owner called complaining about the mess it left on the carpet.

*shudder*

Then there was the guy who called up and said, "the directions on the bottle says that I'm supposed to give 1mL, but the syringe you gave me only has cc's."

Okay, I'll let that one go, not everyone knows that mL's and cc's are the same.

Then of course there is the poor kitty with a raging bladder infection that just wasn't coming along as it should. The culture and sensitivity confirmed that the medication was correct, but why the heck wasn't it getting better? It was a while before someone discovered that the hapless cat's owner read the instructions, "give 1 1/2 tablets" as "give one half tablet".
The poor cat was getting 1/3 (that's one-third *grin*) of it's daily total dose!

Let's not forget the owner that figured since she was supposed to give the medication twice a day that it would be fine to give it once and then 4 hours later give the second dose.

We write all our low oral doses of Buprenex and such with a zero in front of the decimal (ie. 0.3 instead of .3) to prevent over doses and phone calls from frustrated owners who can't understand how they're supposed to give 3 cc's of medication when the syringe only has 0.3cc's in it.

There are clients that give the medication until it is gone, others that give it until they decide their pet is better and doesn't need those darn antibiotics and still others that think more is better. I knew a dog on the maximum dose of Proin, but the owner decided that since her pet was still leaking, she tripled it.


Sometimes it is humorous when a pet owner interpret the instructions for medication, but it can also be DANGEROUS! So from now on, I'll be much more explicit in my instructions.

Give by mouth 2 1/2 (two and one-half) tablets 3(three) times daily (every 8 hours) until gone.

More on NSAIDs and Your Dog's Gut

Via Michael Lascelles at the extremely good blog PharmaWatch, a new study released in the British Medical Journal that demonstrates that the new more COX-2 selective anti-inflammatories are no easier on the gut than the older, less COX-2 selective ones, and that using anti-ulceration drugs along with them improves GI tract health significantly.

Overall we found no strong evidence of enhanced gastrointestinal safety with any of the new cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors compared with non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Ulcer healing drugs were associated with a reduction in risk of adverse events for cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors as a whole, which suggests that there is some risk to protect against and that these drugs may not be as safe as originally thought. Given that enhanced gastrointestinal safety has been one of the main justifications for these drugs, this finding is important.

This is a human study but it does suggest to me that what I've long believed to be true about this class of drugs and dogs, which is that different NSAIDs work better on different dogs and ALL DOGS GETTING NSAIDs need to be given anti-ulceration medication concurrently, from the very start, and not just if and when they have observable side effects.

Information on how to protect your dog's gut while on NSAIDs is in an earlier post here.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

This version of the popular Christmas poem, filled my eyes with tears and I knew that it belonged here. We've romanticized the giving of dogs and cats so much through the years that it is seen on Christmas cards and tv commercials. Puppies and kittens in stockings hanging by the fireplace in stockings, children opening a box with a bouncy puppy to kiss on the nose.
It's a fairy tale that more often than not ends in tragedy.

Please, don't give pets as gifts.
__________________________

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; 

  The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

  In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

  The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

  With no thought of the dog filling their head.

  And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

  Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.

  When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

  I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

  Away to the window I flew like a flash, 

  Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.

  The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

  Gave the luster of midday to objects below,

  When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, 

  But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.

  He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,

  Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.

  More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name. 

  And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;

  "Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!

  On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!

  To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! 

  Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all"

  I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,

  For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,

  The gift of a dog is not just for the season, 

  We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.

  In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift

  There was one important thing that we missed.

  A dog should be family, and cared for the same! 

  You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.

  And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,

  "You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!" 

—Author Unknown

Who's REALLY in it for the Money?

Anyone in veterinary medicine has heard it before, "vets are only in it for the money". I've posted about it before and admittedly it does get a little tiring, especially when one person who said it was bitching because her vet allegedly would not do anything for her dog that "laying on the floor dying", in need of a C-section until her credit card was processed. I've heard the exact same complaint before and when asked why they were breeding their dog their response was to make money selling the puppies.
Pot, meet Kettle.

Let's turn our attention away from the vets for a moment and take a good look at a bigger entity. Here's something everyone should be screaming about and yet the only people I've heard up in arms are the parties involved. Check out the Witch Hunt

When will they get it?

He was laying in a hospital bed his arm in a cast, his face and body beaten and battered. He was alive, but where was his dog? Tears streamed down his face, "I just hope he's not out there somewhere lying in a ditch, suffering."

Anthondy Brusco had been hit head on by another driver on a local highway the day before Thanksgiving. Mr. Brusco had 3 of his dogs with him in the back of his truck. Two of the three dogs had been rescued but they could not find the third. Originally authorities thought that Gunner, the springer spaniel, had been thrown from the truck.

Here was a man, obviously suffering tremendous physical pain and loss, crying for his dog.

Tonight, a short newstory on a local family whose little dog had been hit by a car, also the night before Thanksgiving and left for dead. The driver didn't even stop, didn't consider that the little dog had a family who loves him dearly. The family simply didn't have the money for the surgeries needed. The hospital bill had already climbed to $5000. He was stable and certainly suffering. The family was asking for help. Within 15 minutes after the story aired one of the news reporters said that the hospital had already recieved more than enough donations to cover the bill and surgery. 15 MINUTES!

I've seen people euthanize their pet for reasons less than 4 broken bones. This family was willing to put their lives on hold, sell everything they owned, return already purchased holiday gifts and splash their faces on TV.

This all echoes hurricane Katrina. The people that came together to help the animals left in her wake was a huge demonstration on how important our pets really are to us. I'm left wondering when the rest of the public, will get it, accept it and do something about it.

Don't expect me to leave my pets behind just because my life would be in danger if I stayed, if you can't help me with my pets, then you can't help me without them.

Oh...and Gunner? The truck had been towed to a junkyard and when a friend of Mr. Brusco was checking out the truck and collecting personal belongings he heard whimpering and crying. Sure enough, it was Gunner. He was in the back of the truck still injured but is doing just fine now.

More on Proheart

Proheart, a once-every-six-months injectable heartworm preventative, was yanked from the market at the request of the FDA last year by manufacturer Fort Dodge, owned by pharmaceutical giant Wyeth.

On Nov. 17, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa made the following statement on the Senate floor:

I rise today on the anniversary of the hearing on the worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx, the blockbuster drug that became a blockbuster disaster. As chairman of the Committee on Finance, I called for this hearing a year ago. The Vioxx hearing turned the spotlight on a troubled agency in denial. The type of problems exposed during the hearing have proven to be not isolated but systemic.

Over the past year, my Committee staff have investigated allegations coming from within and without the agency. Brave whistleblowers – such as Doctors Andrew Mosholder, David Graham and others – have come forward to expose the too cozy relationship between the agency and the drug industry. I can tell you today that problems exist not only within the Center for drugs, but extend to the Centers for devices, biologics and even to veterinary medicines. I am concerned and every other member of this Senate should also be concerned.

To further illustrate this problem, I am sending today a letter to another drug company that appears too cozy with the Food and Drug Administration. Last year, just two days after the Vioxx hearing, the drug company Wyeth met with former Commissioner Crawford. Why did Wyeth’s CEO want to talk with the Commissioner? Because Wyeth recently had to remove one of its most profitable veterinary drugs from the market.

So what did Wyeth do? They launched an investigation of an FDA employee, Dr. Victoria Hampshire. You see, it was Dr. Hampshire who concluded that Wyeth’s drug was killing hundreds of dogs. I have in my hand what Wyeth presented to former Commissioner Crawford. It’s a 29-page power point with 10 pages of back up materials, dated November 19, 2004. It’s marked “confidential” and says “ProHeart 6 Apparent Conflict of Interest.”

In summary, it alleges that Dr. Hampshire had personal and financial conflicts of interest. Dr. Hampshire approached my Committee staff because she was scared and felt unfairly targeted by Wyeth and her agency for simply doing her job. Last week, the FDA briefed my Committee investigators on this matter. It turns out that Wyeth succeeded in having Dr. Hampshire removed from reviewing its drug. Dr. Hampshire’s hard work and dedication to science and drug safety placed a bulls eye on her reputation and career. Without her knowledge, the FDA also launched a criminal investigation against her.

This sordid story is still unraveling. But I can say that no action was taken against Dr. Hampshire and, after the investigation closed, the FDA rewarded her for her work on Wyeth’s drug, which remains off the market. Unfortunately for Dr. Hampshire, Wyeth’s efforts to discredit her did not end at the FDA. At least one Wyeth sales representative attempted to discredit Dr. Hampshire in the Veterinary community. Fortunately for Dr. Hampshire, the sales person’s comments about Wyeth’s investigation of her and her alleged conflicts of interest were made to a former colleague of Dr. Hampshire. My letter to Wyeth today seeks information and documents related to Wyeth’s investigation of Dr. Hampshire and the salesperson’s comments.

So a year later, we are still uncovering the cozy relationship between the agency and the drug industry. Dr. Hampshire’s sad story is further proof that the FDA needs a permanent Commissioner who can restore order and respect for independence. The Food and Drug Administration cannot serve the American people and the interests of the drug industry at the same time.

But there's more, and it gets worse. Discussing Wyeth legal counsel Clint Newsum, Michael Lascelles over at the excellent blog PharmaWatch writes:

The same Clint Newsum has been paying off pet owners whose dogs have died after taking Proheart. At this website you can see the letters Clint Newsum has sent to bereaved pet owners, offering them "shut up" money on condition they stop speaking out about ProHeart causing their pet's deaths (and absolving Wyeth of any blame). At least one owner had the guts to turn down their sleazy offer:

I am not the only person who has lost two dogs in one household to this drug. I am well aware of individuals whose vet bills have been paid in their entirety by [Wyeth subsidiary] Fort Dodge or silenced against speaking out about ProHeart 6 or else they can expect lawsuits. I am well aware of, at least in one case, a donation being made to an organization in a dog’s name because of someone’s “You killed my dog” letters being continually sent to Fort Dodge, copies to the FDA, without the guardian having to sign a release.

As the Senator says, all very sordid. Is this the kind of "integrity" that Wyeth CEO Robert Essner refers to on the Wyeth corporate website?

Whatever the truth about Proheart, reports such as these make it hard for pet owners and veterinary professionals to have any sort of trust in the companies that make veterinary drugs. And that's just bad news for pets.

Poinsettias Are Poison (And Other Lies the Media Tells You)

Some day I'm going to find every single holiday pet care article that confidently assures pet owners that nibbling on poinsettias will kill their dog or cat and shred it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating we make a nice salad of the holiday plants, nor that we puree a few and add them to the Fancy Feast. Not at all. Poinsettias will in fact make your dog or cat feel sick to his or her stomach, and they aren't something they should be eating. But kill your pet? Poisonous? Toxic? Deadly? Nope.

According to Veterinary Technician Journal's November 2000 Toxicology Brief:

Despite popular belief, the toxic potential of this plant has been greatly exaggerated. In the early 20th century, the 2-year-old child of an army officer was rumored to have died from eating a leaf of the plant; thus the legend of the deadly poinsettia originated.

According to one source, a 50-lb child would have to ingest more than 600 leaves to exceed experimental doses that produced no toxic effects.

The experience of veterinarians and technicians at the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) also supports this observation. Callers to the center report that animals that have ingested this plant generally experience only mild to moderate self-limiting gastrointestinal (GI) irritation, including hypersalivation, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Want more info? Visit the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center.

Don't Believe Everything You Read

The internet is a fantastic resource. It's a resource that can only be rivaled by your own foot work and a library, in my opinion. If you have a question about something you would be wise to find your way to Google (a search "engine") and conduct your own search. You only need to know a few keywords. Sometimes you can start with a few keywords and by using them find even better keywords to further narrow your search.

Under utilization of search engines is a common problem. So is assuming that just because it's on the internet it must be true. Veterinarians often remark on how much better informed clients are these days, thanks to the internet. These same veterinarians also comment on the wacky ideas folks come up with convinced they're facts, thanks to the internet.

Don't assume everything you read is true. Several years ago my '70 Firebird sported the bumperstick, "Question Authority". I still believe that and I believe it needs to be applied to the internet as well.

Today someone was curious about how accurate a website was concerning the types of ticks that could be find in any given zip code. I thought it was a great question and the person was very responsible for putting it to other members of the tick list for analysis. Sadly the website was sorely lacking. In fact, I felt it was dangerously inaccurate. If people around here were to believe that website what on earth would they do when their pet came home covered with the ticks this site claimed didn't exist in our area??? That is putting their pets at risk for tick borne diseases!

Also today, on one of the bird groups I belong to, someone posted the "urban legend" that claims that the Swiffer Jet contains anti-freeze. Within in a very short time that post was crossposted on every single bird group I'm on (about 6). I've been hearing about that one for almost 2 years now, it just keeps getting resurrected and passed around from email group to email group.

It's important to do your homework before you become a vehicle for the rumor mill!!

So when you're looking for information regarding the health & welfare of your pet, view the information with a critical eye, check other resources, ask someone you trust.

Most of all, GET THE FACTS, THINK and DO NOT PANIC.

Touchy Subject

The subject of money when it comes to pets and veterinary care is always a tinderbox just waiting for a spark. The author of "The Rabbit Lived" touches on the subject here and the resulting comments are just as charged.

I may be taking a step over the line by bringing it up here, but I believe it is one of those subjects that has got to be worked out somehow.

A Tragic Side Effect of the Bird Flu Pandemic Paranoia

By Susan Clubb  DVM
(permission to crosspost)

People are becoming fearful of birds.
Remember when the singing of birds was
soothing to the soul. With the current
worldwide paranoia about Avian Flu panic
is replacing joy with fear. People are
developing an unreasonable and unfounded
fear of birds-all birds.  A few facts need
to be emphasized in order to try to help
people understand what is a threat and
what is not.

The H5N1-pathogenic avian flu  virus has
not been found in the United States.
The poultry Industry and the USDA are
very vigilant to protect US poultry
populations and keep our poultry free
of Pathogenic avian Influenza.

Pathogenic Avian Influenza is a  disease
of domestic poultry - not all birds.
Effective control must focus on the 
poultry industry in affected countries.
Stringent global monitoring programs
including immediate culling and correct
disposal of infected poultry flocks are
necessary.  Every effort must be made to
limit the spread of the virus to wild
waterfowl.

Avian Flu exists in many strains and is
endemic to wild waterfowl such as mallards,
but nearly all other varieties of birds
have a low incidence of Avian Flu. The
presence of Avian Flu in wild waterfowl
does not mean that the birds are diseased
or that they can spread a virulent form of
the virus to poultry or people.  The birds
that commonly harbor these viruses have
developed resistance over many millennia,
they rarely suffer illness from Avian Flu
viruses.  Avian migrations are typically
North to South, not from Asia or Europe
to the Americas.  Insignificant migrations
mostly of shorebirds occur from Russia across
the Bering Strait into Alaska but these birds
are highly unlikely to come into contact with
poultry housed outdoors.

The pathogenic Avian flu virus will not enter
the US in legally imported birds. Since 1972
all birds imported into the United States
undergo mandatory quarantine by The US
Department of Agriculture and they are tested
for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza virus
during quarantine.  During that 30-year
period, with the entry of many millions
of exotic birds, Pathogenic  Avian Influenza
virus has been found ONLY ONCE in Pekin
Robins from China and it was not H5N1.
Pathogenic Avian Influenza is an
extremely rare disease in pet and
exotic birds. Bird owners should have NO
FEAR of contracting pathogenic avian
influenza from pet birds. People who are
potentially interested in purchasing birds
bred in the United States for pets should
have no fear of contracting Avian Influenza.

In Asia, 120 reported cases and 61 fatalities
have occurred in 3 years.  In this region it
is common for millions of people to live in
close contact with poultry, with the birds
often entering their homes. If a bird becomes
ill the family will often slaughter it, clean
it and cook it, potentially exposing
themselves to the virus.  Direct heavy exposure
to an infected bird's body fluids is necessary
for transmission to people. A favorite Asian
dish is raw duck liver. Millions of domestic
birds in Asia have become infected and have
been destroyed to control the spread of the
virus with only 61 human fatalities in 3 years.
The case fatality rate may be skewed by the
fact that poor people in rural areas who are
most likely to be infected  are not likely to
seek medical care unless their illness is grave.

Avian Flu viruses rarely, if ever, jump straight
to becoming Human Flu viruses. Typically, Avian
Influenza must undergo a series of mutations or
a large genetic change to acquire the ability of
human-to-human transmission. The potential for
genetic mutation associated with exchange of
genetic information between strains is higher
when an animal or human is simultaneously
infected with two different strains of influenza.
Simultaneous infections of human and bird flu in
a pig may be required for the viruses to
interchange their genetic information and
become both highly infectious to humans and
highly pathogenic.  This potential exists in
Asia where people often keep poultry and pigs
around their home. This is the potential that
Public Health officials fear. However, these
large changes in genetic makeup are just as
likely to result genetic changes that make
the virus  non-pathogenic.

Periodic outbreaks of pathogenic Avian
Influenza occur in poultry around the world,
including the United States. Since 1997,
for example, more than 16 outbreaks of
pathogenic Avian Influenza have occurred
in poultry within the United States. The
virus strains in each of these outbreaks
were just as likely as H5N1 to become
pathogenic human influenza viruses, yet
none of them made the jump from avian virus
to human virus. According to CDC records
only 2 mild cases of flu have been reported
from people in contact with infected poultry
during this time.

Influenza viruses do not persist in the
environment outside of a host for long periods
of time. Under ideal conditions at room
temperatures, human flu viruses can remain
infective for about one week. Exposure to
sunlight drastically reduces the length
of time flu viruses can remain infective.

As long as the H5N1 virus does not  gain
the ability to be transmitted from human
to human, its impact on human health will
continue to be minimal. However, it is
important to eliminate the virus from affected
poultry populations to protect both people and
birds. Culling of uninfected avian populations
will not assist in the control of Avian
Influenza.

Because of governmental and media paranoia,
wild populations of migrating birds may be
culled or disrupted un-necessarily in
misguided efforts to control avian influenza.
These actions could result in the needless
deaths of millions of birds and could
endanger species.

If pathogenic-human to human transmitted avian
influenza does enter the US it will be by
entry of infected humans, not by infected birds. 
As in the 2003 outbreak of SARS in Canada, an
infected international traveler introduced the
disease and subsequent cases occurred in exposed
health care workers.  This outbreak was brought
under control by diligent Public Health response
and monitoring of travelers for signs of illness
(fever).

Media reports about Bird Flu have created an
unreasonable state of fear that can be detrimental
to birds and the relationship of people to birds.
A rational response is necessary to avoid further
deterioration of public perception.

Avian Flu Flurry

I have a personal interest in the media hysteria surrounding Avian Flu. I currently raise farm poultry and fowl for pleasure and profit. I also work in an animal hospital that treats many exotic pets including birds. The cockatoos, macaws, amazons and budgies fascinate and delight me. I'm in love with a moluccan cockatoo named Sophie who comes in every few days to have her collar and her suture site checked while she heals from self mutilation. I have been carefully planning for the day I can also breed and raise tropicals.

I've always loved birds, including my clucky chickens and my lovely muscovy ducks most of them have all been carefully tended by me during incubation and I cared for each one after hatching, watching them grow and become productive members of my "mini-farm".

Everything I hear about Avian flu I take personally. The hysteria and paranoia worries me. I hear it in chatrooms, email groups, TV, standing in line at the grocers and even at work. Most of what I hear is just flat out incorrect. One poor woman had her lovebird sitting on her shoulder when she walked into a pharmacy. While she was waiting to pay for her prescription the pharmacist noticed the little bird and yelled, "HEY! Don't you realize that you could be possibly exposing everyone here to the AVIAN FLU!!" She could hear gasps and other "noises" behind here. She was so flabbergasted she didn't know what to say, quickly paid and ran out the door.

We've had owners calling and asking us about their own safety living with their pet birds. I've noticed a drop in price and an increase in number of newspaper ads for captive birds. I'm also seeing an increase in birds being given away on my local freecycle. Birds are losing their homes! Some of these birds are already endangered species!

If you have a question regarding avian flu and your pet birds, I encourage you to contact an avian vet in your area. Avian vet finder.

Also, you may interested to read the National Avian Welfare Alliance's Captive Bird Policy. It is in PDF format so you'll need the Adobe reader if you don't already have it.

Get the facts! Don't panic!

Bloat: Emergency Preparedness!

Over on PetPeeves is a great overview of bloat from the point of view of an ER vet. Check it out!

Pet Health Lists

Blogs not doing it for you? There is no shortage of pet health related email lists out there! Here are a few of my favorites:

Tick-L
If you have questions about tick borne diseases in dogs, such as ehrlichiosis, Lyme, etc., there is no better resource than Tick-L. This is a great list with many knowledgeable dog owners and veterinarians. Subscribe here.

CanineCushings-AutoimmuneCare
Do you have a nagging feeling there is something wrong with your dog's endocrine system or metabolism, but tests are inconclusive or don't find anything wrong? Has your dog actually been diagnosed with an endocrine or auto-immune disorder? Are you dealing with a dog with Cushings or similar conditions? Check out this list, both the posts and the amazing array of links and files, for resources to help you figure out what's going on with your dog, and what you can do about it. Subscribe here.

K9Nutrition
This list is for people wanting to learn more about nutrition and dogs, and sharing ideas on feeding for daily use and for special needs, such as illness, recuperating, lactation, pregnancy and for all life stages. Topics range from recipe sharing, use of vitamins and minerals, issues of diet for arthritis and allergies, use of herbs and herbal tinctures and talking about books on diet (old and new). This is a very large and busy list, with many different points of view represented. Subscribe here.

bonecancerdogs
The bonecancerdogs email list is a treasure trove of information, support, links, files, suggestions, ideas, photos, videos and just about any other kind of resource you can imagine for dealing with osteosarcoma in your dog. The files section is probably the best tool you'll have in this battle, and there are a lot of long term survivor dogs out there whose stories can give you hope, too. We hope you never, ever need this list, but if you do, subscribe here.

Natural Ferret Care
Moderated by Nancy Campbell RVT, this is a great list on the natural and holistic care and feeding of ferts! Subscribe here.

BeyondVaccination
On this list, which I moderate, we look at how to build radiant good health in our animals, how to cope with illness when it occurs, and how to prevent it. We focus on all aspects of animal care from a holistic viewpoint, and while this is NOT a debate list, it is open to people with all opinions on the subject of vaccination and disease prevention. Subscribe here.

Can you recommend more? Post them in comments!

Canine Lyme: What's New?

There are few areas in which my own thinking has undergone more change in the last few years than on the subject of tick borne diseases. I lost a dog to acute renal failure probably caused by a disease known as Lyme nephritis, and diagnosis of Lyme disease has become much more useful and sophisticated in the last couple of years as well. Furthermore, recent research suggests that Lyme is a more serious disease in dogs than previously (and still frequently) believed.

I used to say "no" to treating asymptomatic Lyme titers, and a lot of vets still do say "no." This is because early research indicated that most Lyme positive dogs never have any symptoms of the disease (“Why I Don't Use Lyme Disease Vaccines,” Meryl P. Littman, VMD, ACVIM; Department of Clinical Studies School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian, November 1997). More recent research is suggesting, however, that this approach may not be the best.

In a 2005 study of 62 beagles infected with Lyme, 39 of the 62 dogs showed some symptoms of Lyme disease; only 23 did not. On necropsy, almost all the dogs had some signs of Lyme disease in the form of synovitis (inflammation of the joint lining) - including the asymptomatic dogs. Fourteen of the 62 dogs had very severe signs of Lyme infection, including inflammation of the blood vessels and nerve sheaths (“Histopathological Studies of Experimental Lyme Disease in the Dog,” Journal of Comparative Pathology, July 2005).

Lyme Vaccination for Dogs

OK, you say, you're convinced me. This is a serious disease. Should I vaccinate my dog for it?

The Lyme vaccine can cause an untreatable form of Lyme disease and, like all bacterial diseases, provides short-term immunity and needs to be repeated frequently. It is not recommended at any of the vet schools in the United States. The human Lyme vaccine was withdrawn from the market. And there is one more, very compelling, reason to question the benefit of Lyme vaccination for dogs.

There are other tick borne diseases that are much more serious than Lyme, for which we have no vaccines. So even if a very safe and effective Lyme vaccine were developed for dogs, vaccination isn't going to lessen the need for tick prevention. Which to my mind puts tick prevention in the forefront of Lyme prevention, and the vaccine’s risk vs. benefit analysis heavy on the risk side.

Diagnosing Lyme in Dogs

There is a new test for Lyme disease in dogs, known as the Canine SNAP 3Dx, which tests for C6 antibodies to Lyme disease, along with heartworm and ehrlichia canis, another tick borne disease. It is done in-office and unlike earlier tests that can react to Lyme vaccine antibodies, is extremely accurate in detecting Lyme infection in dogs.

If you get a positive on the C6 SNAP test, a follow-up test should be done, called the Lyme Quantitative C6 Antibody Test. This will establish the baseline values you'll want to see affected by treatment, making it a useful tool for therapy and not just diagnosis. These tests are only available to your veterinarian through IDEXX Laboratories.

Treating Lyme in Dogs

Conventional treatment for Lyme in dogs is an aggressive course of doxycycline or amoxicillin. Most knowledgeable practitioners prefer doxycycline because it will also treat several other tick borne diseases that may exist as undiagnosed co-infections.

Can Lyme be treated with alternative medicine? Yes, it can be, but an experienced holistic veterinarian should treat it. Do not think that this serious infection can be treated at home. It requires expert care.

After treatment, whether with antibiotics or holistic alternatives, you would expect to see a 50 percent or better decrease in antibody levels on the C6 quantitative assay, and a cessation of all symptoms during the treatment itself, if the dog was symptomatic.

For more information on Lyme and all other tick diseases in dogs, and to join Tick-L, one of the best resources on tick borne diseases in dogs that you will find anywhere:

http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/ticklinks.htm

The Dental Prophy!

The Prophy

At last you say! This is it. Bet you thought I forgot.
Previous articles:
Pets Need Dental Care, Too!
The Beginning of the Dental

The first thing is the oral exam. I can conduct the exam but I must have a veterinarian also conduct the exam and they are the one that must document their findings. I make mental notes while inducing anesthesia and intubating. I note the overall condition of the animals' mouth, is it stinky, do I see a lot of tartar, do I see roots, what is the bite like?

Next, I brush the teeth with pet toothpaste and toothbrush and then rinse with 0.12% chlorhexidine oral mouth rinse. This helps to remove any surface plaque and bacteria. I want to remove as much as I possibly can before I start poking around the gingiva with my probe and explorer. Both are likely to elicit blood and thus opening the bloodstream to the bacteria residing. Brushing helps to reduce the numbers.

I use the probe on each tooth in 6 areas around it to measure the "pockets" that may exist. On my probe are bands, each band represents 3mm. The vet is supposed to also do this, while dictating to me his/her findings. I like to do it so that I know what to expect.

Now to the cleaning. My first step is to remove the heavy, thick tartar build up most commonly found on the 4th premolar, that's that great big tooth towards the back of the mouth. Often I have to break the tartar with a pair of dental rongeurs or extracting forceps. Depending on the amount of tartar that I'm dealing with I may continue to "hand scale" with various gracies and currettes or I'll switch to the ultrasonic scaler. I'm one of the few techs that uses both and I'm lucky enough to work in a hospital that provides both.

This is the process that can take quite a bit of time. Switching back and forth between hand instruments and the ultrasonic, I get below the gum line as well as the crown. I make notes about any other abnomalities I may have missed my first time around.

One thing I do that I know techs I work with are more than a little intimidated by is the ominous, but handy, disclosing solution. Remember those red tablets that the teacher handed out for you to use when you were just a kid that helped you see what you may have missed when you brushed your teeth? That's similar to what I use. I swab it on so I can see what I may have missed. You think you've done a wonderful job and then lo! There's a piece of tartar big as day staring at me.

Once the teeth are nice and clean, this is when I get the vet to do their exam and any extractions that may be needed. I can do the simple extractions, but nothing invasive and I don't use any electrical/mechanical means to do so.

After the mouth is declared cleaned, I follow with a good polish. You see, you can't just remove the tartar for your pet's teeth and expect it to be a job well done. It's not. The surface of the tooth is not as smooth as it appears to the naked eye and when you don't follow with polishing the surface you're inviting tartar's speedy return. The microscopically rough surface is perfect for the plague to attach itself and harden into tartar...and so the cycle continues.

Polishing the teeth is a sign that I'm nearly done. Afterwards, depending on the veterinarian's preferance I will either be done or I will apply one or both, sealant and flouride.

It means a lot to me to take a dirty, smelly and diseased mouth and turn it into a fresh smelling, healthy mouth. I also take pride in my work and am appreciative of clients that are willing to continue maintaining their pets dental health.


Lose something?

Third Hand

It's a running joke among many vet techs that I know, "Someone forgot to give me the 3rd hand that was supposed to come with my diploma."

Heh.

Today as I held a little Netherland dwarf bunny close to my body while it recovered from anesthesia the vet asked me, "are you watching the time?"
Of course I was watching the time but as of yet I have not been able to split myself into two parts so that I could help a bunny through recovery after his neuter AND anesthetize the kitty for her spay at the same time. The other two techs I work with were nowhere in sight, of course, and I was left alone to take the brunt of a frustrated vet behind schedule.

This wasn't the first time I've felt the pressure of only being able to be in one place at a time. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love where I'm working, I have a lot of respect for the doctors I work with and my co-workers are amazing. One of the assistants I work with I would love to have a vulcan mind meld with so I could learn all she knows about birds. The woman is a bottomless pool of knowledge.

I digress...

I love my job, but, if anyone knows how I could get that 3rd hand, please let me know. :-)

The "Canine Flu" by Tom Beckett DVM

Posted with permission (phone numbers and email addresses have been removed:

First, a few comments of my own on the nature of influenza viruses. Viruses of the Influenza A group are responsible for widespread outbreaks of influenza in humans and animals. Strains of Influenza A are divided into subtypes based on two sorts of protein on their surface. The two proteins are called hemagglutinins (H) and neuraminidases (N). There are about 16 varieties of numbered H proteins and 9 varieties of numbered N proteins, so a very large number of combinations are possible. The strains of Influenza A circulating among humans in recent years have all been from subtypes H1N1, H1N2, or H3N2. The "Bird Flu" virus currently raising great concern in Asia is of the H5N1 subtype. This influenza virus identified in dogs is a quite different subtype from those mentioned above. This canine strain is a subtype H3N8 strain very closely related to a H3N8 strain that has been circulating widely in horses in North America for the past 40 years. During these 40 years there have been no documented instances of that virus strain causing disease in humans. Note that although some media headlines have called this canine influenza strain "deadly" for dogs the investigators directly involved with the virus say that the mortality rate is not high. They estimate the mortality rate for animals that develop symptoms is somewhere between 1 and 10% and probably about 5-8%. No doubt--as is true of influenza in humans and other animals--the patient's overall health status at time of infection and the timeliness and quality of medical care will affect the chances of a favorable outcome. Now for some information from authoritative sources:

Abstract of article by Dr Crawford, et al., published online 9/26/05 by "Science" magazine

CDC Media briefing of 9/26/05


A message forwarded from our TVMDL in College Station, Texas:

[Begin forwarded message:]
From: Beverlee Nix
Date: September 29, 2005 11:09:31 AM CDT
Subject: TVMDL response to media reports of canine influenza in parts of USA

The following information is forwarded to you with permission from Dr. Gayne Fearneyhough at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station.

My apologies if this is a duplicate message for some veterinarians. "The upcoming edition of Science will contain an article on the "new canine flu" virus. The release of the abstract for that article this week has prompted a response from the news media that may be somewhat excessive. The first isolation of the virus was in Florida in 2004. The second isolation occurred at TVMDL from racing dogs in late 2004. As you can read below, eight states have reported the virus, mainly in dogs held in close confinement (kennels). TVMDL is working on developing a serologic test that may be of value to practitioners. It should be emphasized that we have not identified the virus in any other dogs in Texas during the last year, therefore, the threat to the average pet dog appears to be minimal. However, if you have clients with dogs that make the show circuit, mix with racing dogs, or are exposed to other dogs in "high risk" kennel operations, it may be wise to recommend a period of quarantine before mixing them with a general population.

To date, there has been no evidence of a public health threat associated with this virus reported to us. Below is a information note that will go out with all TVMDL cases. Gayne Fearneyhough DVM TVMDL

Newly emerging Canine Flu Virus: Reports of a new virulent strain of canine influenza (canine flu) have recently been circulating in the popular press. An H3N8 strain of influenza virus previously associated with horses was isolated in 2004 from greyhounds at a racetrack in Jacksonville, FL and subsequently found at other racetracks in Florida, Massachusetts, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas, and Iowa. The more recent outbreak appears to be related to pet dogs in kennels in New York. Like most influenza viruses, the incubation period is 2-5 days, transmission can occur by aerosol, fomites, and/or contact. The symptoms are similar to "kennel cough" with the exception of high fever >105, leukopenia, and nasal discharge. Morbidity approaches 80% with mortality between 1-10%. Signs may last for 2-3 weeks depending somewhat on secondary bacterial infections. Antibiotics and fluids can reduce the fatality rate. The virus is sensitive to antiviral drugs specific for influenza A viruses however, none of these have been approved for use in dogs. Gross lesions include extensive hemorrhage in the lungs, mediastinum, and pleural cavity. Histologically a tracheitis, bronchitis, broncheolitis, and suppurative pneumonia are observed. Additionally, the epithelial lining of the airway lumen are infiltrated by neutrophils and macrophages. If influenza infection is suspected we suggest collecting serum samples (acute and convalescent, paired samples), respiratory swabs and/or transtracheal washes for isolation. Tissues (fresh and fixed) on post-mortem cases should include lungs, tracheas, and regional lymphatics. Fresh tissues for isolation should be collected as aseptically as possible, chilled to 4°C (refrigerate), and shipped on ice packs, overnight, as soon as possible.

--Dr. Lester, DVM, PhD Head, Virology Section, TVMDL" [end forwarded message]


I hope this information is helpful.

Tom Beckett, DVM Austin, Texas

The Canine Flu

It's been a long time since anything swept the dog world like rumors about a new disease called the canine flu. This one isn't a hoax, although there's a lot of bad information going around, and some questions that have yet to be answered. The New York Times reported:

"The hysteria out there is unbelievable, and the misinformation is incredible," said Dr. Ann E. Hohenhaus, chief of medicine at the Animal Medical Center in New York.

In a nutshell, it appears this is an influenza virus that previously affected only horses but has now jumped species to affect dogs, too. It presents in most dogs as a relatively minor respiratory disease, similar to kennel cough.

However, a certain percentage of dogs will go on to develop much more serious respiratory disease, sometimes even pneumonia, and a very high fever, and a small number of very old, very young, or medically compromised animals have died. Still, as Dr. Cynda Crawford of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, who first discovered the virus in dogs, told Reuters:

Despite the rumors that are out on the Internet, this disease is not as deadly as people want to make it. Nearly all dogs are susceptible to infection … about 80 percent of them will have a mild form of disease, characterized by cough and some nasal discharge that will resolve.

Researchers are suggesting that the human antiviral drugs amantadine and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) are effective against the canine flu, at least if administered at the first sign of symptoms. Veterinarians can contact Dr. Jack Broadhurst, a veterinarian coordinating research into Tamiflu in the treatment of canine parvovirus, kennel cough, feline distemper, and the canine flu, for information on dosages. His email address is DocCat@aol.com.

Note: More information on Tamiflu and parvo is here.

UPDATE, via Gina Spadafori: CDC Media Briefing on Canine Influenza.

LSU Vet School: A day in the life of a hurricane rescue team

“There are hundreds of little interest stories that have or will come out of this thing” said Ky Mortensen, Director of Advancement for the Equine Program at Louisiana State University. “Some will be remembered for a long time, written down and shared nationwide. Others will only live in the memories of those immediately involved. We got a call on Tuesday night from some of the guys from the Arkansas Horse Rescue team, letting us know that they had rounded up 5 mules and two horses and had cornered them near the railroad tracks downtown near the Aquarium, and needed us to come and get them. That’s what the LSU role has been…you call us, tell us where the horses are, what you need, and how to get there, and we get the trucks and trailers out there with veterinarians, technicians and volunteers on board to handle the situation once they arrive."

Read more here.

VIN Foundation Hurricane Relief Effort

The Veterinary Information Network, through its charitable arm, the VIN Foundation, has created a hurricane donation site to support veterinary medical relief efforts. They are covering ALL transaction, credit card, and programming costs, so 100 percent of your donation will go directly to the group you designate to receive it:

Louisiana:
The Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association and the Dr. Walter J. Ernst, Jr. Veterinary Memorial Foundation are working with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, the LSU Agricultural Center, the AVMA, the Louisiana SPCA, the Louisiana Animal Control Association, other animal welfare organizations, and local, state and federal agencies to rescue, house, care for and provide veterinary services to animals affected by the disaster. Donations to the Dr. Walter J. Ernst, Jr. Veterinary Memorial Foundation for disaster relief will be restricted to animal disaster-related efforts on the part of the LVMA and the organizations with which it is cooperating. For more information visit:
http://www.lvma.org/memorial.html

Mississippi:
The College of Veterinary Medicine is cooperating with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health, the Mississippi State Veterinarian, and other local, state, and federal agencies, to provide relief to animals and the animal-owning public affected by this disaster. For more information visit:
http://www.cvm.msstate.edu/disaster_response.html

In the first 24 hours, this effort raised more than $25,000! [UPDATE]: That figure was wrong. I just got informed that the VIN community actually raised $65,000 in the first 28 hours. It was around $58,000 at 24. Congratuations to all at VIN for their great generosity!

If you haven't already done so, please click here and give!

911 Parrot Alert - Hurricane Lost & Found Birds

911 Parrot Alert - Hurricane Lost & Found Birds

Please pass this out to everyone....anyone wanting to post a
lost/found bird after this hurricane or any emergency pickups of
birds please use this address - it will be manned all the time:
[DisasterRelief@ 911ParrotAlert.com] (remove space)
[mailto:DisasterRelief@911ParrotAlert.com]

911 Parrot Alert - Avian Disaster Relief

911ParrotAlert needs help in the form of supplies such as food
for all types of birds, toys, clip on food dishes, cages
basically anything "bird" and financial donations as well as help

on site if possible.

Donna Powell of 911ParrotAlert is in the affected area rescuing
birds as we speak and needs help. If you can go down there and
stay with her to help, please call her at 225-273-3442 or just
come on down to the address below - help in shifts would be
helpful as this will be an ongoing effort.

Donna Powell
16365 Woodmere
Baton Rouge, LA 70819

Donations: www.911ParrotAlert.com/Donations.htm or if you
need a tax write off, please donate through Bird Rescue at:
http://www.knapp-time.com and then designate it for
911ParrotAlert disaster relief effort. Nell Knapp of KnappTime
[Warren, MI] is driving down to Baton Rouge and should
arrive Wednesday.

Donna rescued birds yesterday and has gone out again today.
She, currently, has some 70+ birds at her home so even help
in feeding and manning the phone would be extremely helpful.
Nell Knapp of KnappTime is driving down to Baton Rouge
and should arrive Wednesday.

Thank you,

Aaron Davis - Director: Lost&Found - 911ParrotAlert

www.911ParrotAlert.com,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/911ParrotAlert

HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW

PLEASE CROSS POST : IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION TO PASS ON

Organization Contact Phone/ Name

SPCA of New Orleans area: Laura 434-589-1499
Northwest Louisiana Humane Soc. Nancy 318-219-7387504-366-8972
Humane Society of Monroe Danine 318-387-9553
Humane Society of Central Louisiana 318-641-0458
Caddo Commission Animal Svcs. Anita Mills 318-222-6624
Lafayette Parish Animal Control 337-291-5644
Noah's Wish Foundation Teri/Roger 530-622-9313

Contact information for Animal Rescue Organizations In Mississippi

Mississippi Alliance 228-216-7729
Gulf Coast SPCA 228-872-5659

Contact information for Animal Rescue Organizations In Alabama

Greater Birmingham Humane Society Jackie/ Melissa 205-290-0055/682-8894

Contact information for Red Cross in Louisiana with Shelter that allows pets

NW Louisiana Chapter Red Cross Michelle Davidson 318-865-9545

Animal Evacuation and Recovery Plan for New Orleans Area

The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA), the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA), the Louisiana Animal Control Association (LACA), and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) are managing animal evacuations and recovery plans for New Orleans pets and displaced animals.

Evacuees Seeking Pets That Were Boarded in Veterinary Clinics

At this time, animals from the following veterinary clinics are being housed at the Parker Coliseum on the LSU Campus:

Metairie Small Animal Hospital
St. Tammany Animal Shelter
The Cat Practice (Metairie)
Southern Animal Foundation

This list will be updated as needed.

If you are a pet owner whose animal was at one of these facilities, please call the Emergency Animal Shelter Hotline at (225) 578-6111 for information about your pet(s). This number should be used only by owners looking for their pets and people or shelters that need to drop off pets. All others (those wishing to make donations, volunteers, those seeking general information, etc.) should contact the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine at (225) 578-9900.

The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales is currently housing the following:

Companion animals owned by people who were in Red Cross-associated evacuations (Causeway and I-10 bus staging area)

Stray companion animals (may include pets that escaped from homes or were otherwise lost)

Clinics and Shelters That Need to Transfer Pets

Please call the Emergency Animal Shelter Hotline at (225) 578-6111 to arrange for drop-off.

Pets Traveling With Owners:

The LVMA is currently accepting pets at the Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette, LSU in Shreveport, the Monroe Civic Center for small animals and the Ike Hamilton Center for large animals in Monroe, the Farmer's Market in Alexandria, and the LSU Agriculture Center/Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge. Owners must be housed in a Red Cross shelter; owners are responsible for caring for their animals, including feeding and cleaning. Animals will be accepted 24 hours a day. Veterinarians will be on hand to handle any medical needs.

While owners are responsible for the feeding and cleaning of their pets at the Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge, the SVM, along with volunteers from the Baton Rouge Veterinary Medical Association, will provide veterinary care. If for some reason, an owner is unable to care for a pet sheltered in the Parker Coliseum (e.g., the owner is housed in a special needs shelter), SVM student volunteers will provide primary care, such as feeding and cleaning. The East Baton Rouge Animal Control Center will be taking stray animals.

The Parker Coliseum will be staffed 24 hours a day by a supervising veterinarian and student volunteers from the School of veterinary medicine. Pets in the Coliseum will be given physical exams and Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccinations. If a pet requires medical attention and veterinary monitoring, it will be sent to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

People With Pets Who Are Evacuating New Orleans

The LA/SPCA will transport animals from pick-up points in New Orleans to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. The pick-up points have not yet been determined and are being coordinated with the agency charged with transporting people from New Orleans to other areas.

The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, 9039 St. Landry Rd., Gonzales, La., will serve as the primary staging area. Once the shelter is full, animals will be moved to temporary shelters in other areas of Louisiana and Texas.

The LA/SPCA Dorothy Dorsett Mobile Veterinary Center will be at the Lamar-Dixon Center to treat incoming animals as needed.

Confined Pets Still in Disaster Areas

Beginning on September 1, residents who left pets in their homes may call the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Hotline at (225) 578-9900 or toll-free at (888) 568-5557, to leave information about the number of animals, species, and their confined location.

We have received news that an animal shelter at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette has been opened, right next to the Cajundome. Evacuees may bring their pets their for housing. The shelter has PLENTY of food, water, crates, cages, bedding and newspaper. BUT the owners are responsible for feeding, watering, walking and medicating their own pets. Interested parties may call Lafayette Parish Animal Control at 337-291-5644 for more information.

Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL)

There is a pet friendly shelter set up at the Coliseum in Jackson and run by Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL) and staff of the Louisiana SPCA, who evacuated to that area. MARL also took some animals in at its shelter. As of Tuesday morning, the two locations were sheltering over 100 animals for evacuees. The Houston SPCA has taken in 260 animals evacuated from the Louisiana. SPCA and currently has those animals available for adoption. Thankfully, many animal groups are rushing to assist.

We are hearing about so many tame, stray, and feral cats in threatening circumstances, and we know that more frightened, displaced cats will be found. If you know of cats, caregivers, or a rescue group in need, call Alley Cat Allies at 240-482-1980, ext. 125, and ask for Vanessa or e-mail alleycat@alleycat.org. )

Many hurricane animals were also found with microchips in all the States hit by Hurricane Katrina. There are several hundred already safely placed and need the owners to call any of the following microchip companies if you have lost your pet.

AVID MICROCHIP ID (THEY ALSO OWN PET NET MICROCHIP COMPANY) CALL 800 336-2843

HOME AGAIN MICROCHIP RECOVERY CALL 866-738-4324

VET-LINK.COM MICROCHIP 800-838-8563

HERE IS A NATIONAL DATA BASE LIST OF ANIMAL SHELTERS AND RESCUE GROUPS FOR ANYONE THAT NEEDS HELP OR INFORMATION

(Type in the state, city or zip code to find a shelter)

Go To: National Database

HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW

Volunteers are needed on site at area emergency animal shelters, but you must be fully self-sufficient. They need your help, but shelters cannot supply any food, water, vehicles, lodging, or accommodations for volunteers (at least for the time being). Supplies are critically scarce or non-existent. Do not even consider volunteering unless you can fully provide your own housing, transportation (including gas), food, and water.

Gonzales, Louisiana: The Louisiana SPCA has established a shelter for animals rescued animals from Hurricane Katrina at the Lamar Dixon Horse Expo Center off Exit 177 on I-10 in Gonzales. To volunteer, contact director Laura Maloney at 225-413-8813.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine and Louisiana Animal Control Association are setting up an emergency animal shelter at the LSU Ag Center. They already have some 500 animals there, with another 60-100 expected any time. The center is open 24 hours a day. To volunteer, contact Cathy at wellsc@legis.state.la.us or call 225-578-9900.

Other emergency shelters that may need assistance or supplies: at the Animal Services facility and at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

LaFayette, Louisiana: The Cajundome is a shelter for humans only; pets are being housed a block away at Blackham Coliseum. People are responsible for caring for their own animals. To assist, contact Lafayette Parish Animal Control at: 337-291-5644. The Cajundome is located at 444 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70506, phone: 337-265-2100.

Donate needed supplies

The emergency shelter at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge is accepting donations of supplies. (They already have approximately 500 animals there, with another 60-100 expected to come in any time now.)

Today they report needing the following:

These items are always needed:
Pet food* Wet / Dry (Dog, Cat, Puppy, Kitten)
Cat litter*
Litter Boxes
Bowls
Large/ Small Cages and carriers
Litter scoopers
Clean sheets and towels

New items also needed:

Amoxicillin / Clavamox
Flea preventative (Frontline, Advantix, Capstar, etc.)
Heartworm medication (Interceptor, Heartguard, etc.)
Cameras (to take pictures of the displaced animals)
Medicated shampoo
Neosporin
Bandages
Fans and extension cords
Large trash cans
Can openers
Cotton balls
Waterless hand sanitizer
Baby wipes
Rubbing alcohol
Empty spray bottles
Trash bags
Disposable paper bowls

* Food and litter are needed immediately, but expect to get larger shipments of food and litter donated within a week, so if you are sending items from a distance, please select other items on the list.

To check on current needs, call 225-578-9900 or e-mail Cathy at: wellsc@legis.state.la.us

Items can be sent or delivered to:
Disaster Relief-Companion Animal
Louisiana State University
School of Veterinary Medicine
Attn: Dr. Rebecca Adcock
Skip Bertman Drive at River Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Phone: 225-578-9900

MAKE A DONATION TO PETS & ANIMALS IN DISTRESS
THE HURRICANE RELEIF FUND. PLEASE HELP NOW!

Click the below link and go to our secure on-line donation page on the following page.

DONATE

Send Donation By Mail to:

Pets & Animals in Distress
C/O Hurricane Relief Fund
1511 East Commercial Blvd - PMB #129
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334

Can You Foster Even One Dog or Cat from the Disaster Zone?

Crossposted with permission given to crosspost.

This plea is from the LSU (Baton Rouge) Vet School:
www.vetmed.lsu.edu/Default.htm

Transport Provided to Anywhere - Room Desperately Needed! (For the Animal Victims of Katrina)

There is transportation provided, with people ready and waiting, for upwards of 200 dogs and 150 cats so far rescued from the devastation of hurricane Katrina. What these animals need is a place to go. Kennels, boarding, vets offices, shelters with any extra space, foster homes and rescues. Even one or two open kennels would greatly help.

Please Contact Lynda V. at: 203 515 3024 (cell)
Home: 203 227 5308
Email: Lynda@portone.com

From what we know, all animals have been vaccinated and are in good health considering the conditions. There are dogs and cats of every breed and size.

Some are in groups of two, three or four, hailing from the same family, while some are solitary. ANY KENNEL SPACE AVAILABLE CAN CERTAINLY BE USED. These drivers are willing to move these animals ANYWHERE they need to go. Absolutely anywhere.

The current safe houses for these animals are being inundated and some of these pets will have to be euthanized if they are not moved to make room for the incoming animals.

Please feel free to pass on this information everywhere. Every forum, every list, every community.

REMEMBER THESE ANIMALS WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO YOU.

If you know anyone, anywhere, that is willing to take in even one cat or dog, please have them contact Lynda at the information provided below.

They are also asking for ANY kind of donations for the animals - money, food, bedding, water, etc.

Please contact at any time, day or night. These volunteers, rescuers and shelter workers are working around the clock.

Vet School in Mississippi Also Needs HELP

Cross posted with permission. Permission given to crosspost.

Can anyone help us out? Longer trailer? or immediate response in surrounding states?

What’s happening in Mississippi.

Yesterday I finally got in touch with the Mississippi State University Vet School’s administration.

They filled me in on what they are facing in the area of relief
support. MSU (my alma mater) is located in Starkville, MS. They did not experience any real damage, but some downed trees and power outages, they had about 10 hours of rain and high winds… but nothing like south of them.

The vet school is receiving an assortment of animals … primarily high care, and large animals. When I spoke to them they were awaiting a small group of apes and chimps. Their main focus is organizing supplies and trying to get them to the areas south that will need them as well as surgical duties.

Here’s the reality… there is NO FUEL… forget this obnoxious $4-$5
dollar a gallon stuff, if they had it they would spend it. THERE ARE POSSIBLY ONLY SIX GAS STATIONS OPERATING south of STARKVILLE. And that’s hit or miss.

Also, students MSU that are from that region are not allowed to try to go home. Many attempted, but ended up running out of gas trying to get there or were stopped and not allowed to go into the areas to see if their families are alive or their own homes. I assume that’s the way it is for the whole state.

This morning I spoke to the Dr. heading up the animal care efforts in Jackson, MS. Things are going a bit rough there. Power has been hit or miss. We did not talk about how MANY animals they are receiving but more about their situation. They have NO MANPOWER… there is plenty to do , but no one to do it. Now before you hop in the car and be a patriot, here’s the twist --- NO ONE IS ALLOWED INTO THESE AREAS UNLESS THEY CAN SHOW THEY HAVE AT LEAST 4 DAYS WORTH OF SURVIVAL SUPPLIES… yes, I mean, SURVIVAL. You have to have enough fuel, for there is none. You have to have a generator of means of power if you will need it. You have to have enough food and water for yourself. If you are going to help, ONLY go with an organized group, have a CONCISE plan, and prepare for the long haul. GET HEPATITIS SHOTS!

The Dr. in charge has finally tracked down 7 vet clinics from Jackson to Hattisburg that are trying to get up and running to help in the efforts, these folks have no power and will be running out of food and medical supplies in a day or 2. But again, there’s no way to get there.

There are no addresses to try to send or ship things to, mailed
shipments aren’t even getting to Jackson due to lack of FUEL. They are still trying to even assess their most immediate needs for themselves much less the animals.

Over the next 36 hours they will be working on setting up another staging area in Hattisburg. That’s when and where they will need the supplies, desperately. But the only way supplies are going to get in there is a truck and trailer that can make it 4 days or more without fueling or able to carry their own.

I did mention that we were looking into securing a smaller horse or livestock trailer in order to bring things in on and be able to bring animals out… he said “ oh we haven’t see much in the way of livestock yet”. Which if you have ever traveled through cattle, pig, & poultry covered South MS, you would know that could only mean 2 things… that is not their concern right now or there are none left to rescue. I am continuing to keep in touch with him through fax and emailing MSU for updates.

Regarding our relief efforts here (SF Bay)

The Jackson Doctor closed our conversation this morning with “okay, you should leave this afternoon (Sun.) or tonight with your trailer, cause we’ll really need you by the time you get here, and hopefully you’ll have another trailer close behind.” We received a lot of food yesterday at our main warehouse (400lbs) and expect to get more today. SF SPCA got in 30 crates which is IMMENSE for our first day of collection.

Right now we really need some of the remnant items on the list, instead of food. Cleaning products, MEDICAL SUPPLIES, buckets, batteries, and more. The donated truck space is not going to pull out till late this week, but the need is urgent. If we can get a larger trailer, we (Peace, Love, & Pets) can do it, we have the truck and the fuel and it'll take us about 36 hours to get there. What would be more efficient is if an immediate response drive was set up in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, or Tennessee and enough supplies could be gathered over the next 24 hours, then it would take 5-8 hours to get there. Am I crazy for wishing this to happen?!

for that complete list - www.peacelovepets.com or www.noahswish.org

Vet School in Disaster Area Needs HELP

Crossposted with permission. Permission given to crosspost.

The school of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana has set up shelters to care for people's pets...people who did not want to leave their pets behind, and also for pets they are rescuing and bringing in. Many animals are arriving with a wide range of vet needs. Many have broken bones, very ill from scrounging on spoiled food and drinking contaminated water. Some have been bitten by rats and snakes and some have been badly stung by fire ants. She said it looks like an animal war zone.

They are in desperate need of: crates and metal cages, collars & leashes, disposable bowls, canned cat and dog food, disposable litter pans, spray bleach, paper towels, sheets, towels, locks, hoses, bottled water, trash cans,trash bags, pooper scoopers, cat litter, extension cords, fans.

When I asked her what was needed most she got choked up and said "Bottled Water - we need water, it's awful hot down here." Then she said "trash bags - lots of trash bags'. I was stricken by how distraught she sounded, they have been working for days to get this set up and are tired and this is just the beginning.

The reason I called was to verify where to send the boxes of dog items I have collected. Here is where to send boxes:

School of Veterinary Medicine
Louisiana State University
Skip Bertman Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
(225) 578-9900

She asked that they be clearly labeled with "Disaster Relief" and then a brief description of the contents. Monetary donations are also needed - from the website: Financial donations are being accepted to fund the animals' care through the Dr. Walter J. Ernst, Jr. Veterinary Memorial Foundation at the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association at 1-800-524-2996. Make checks payable to the LVMA Dr. Walter J. Ernst Veterinary Memorial Foundation (write Disaster Relief Fund on the memo line) and send to the LVMA, 8550 United Plaza Blvd., Suite 1001, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. They will be able to use these funds quickly.

I realize that it's the suffering people that need help most, but the pets are also in need and it is an area that we can help with. Along with trash bags, you can send unused collars and leashes, unused medicine, shampoos, and toys - I 'm sure some little four legged kids will enjoy some toys to play with.

Veterinary Information Network Hurricane News Center

The Veterinary Information Network is maintaining an informational website of veterinary-related hurricane news here:

http://www.vin.com/library/general/AnimalRescue.htm

AVMA Disaster Update 9/3/05

Hurricane Katrina
September 3, 2005
7:00 PM Update (Central Time)
VMAT Progress Report

Contact Numbers for Louisiana Animal Rescue Needs

Small Animal Rescue Requests: 225-578-9900
Large Animal Rescue Requests: 225-578-9501

Volunteers Sign-Up Now!

The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) is looking for volunteers (veterinarians, veterinary technicians and assistants, veterinary students) to assist in Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts and in future natural and animal disease emergencies. Please send an email to EmergencyVMO@aphis.usda.gov with the subject line "New NAHERC Volunteer" for more information on how you can get involved.

AVMA Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT) Update

• VMAT-1: (25 members deployed) 4-person teams from VMAT-1 are stationed at New Orleans airport where they are providing veterinary medical care to pets of people being evacuated from the city. Some people have been at the airport for days with their pets with minimal food or water. The team members just arrived so no specific medical information is available at this time. The pets of the people evacuating via the airport have been classified “family members” and are given the same consideration as the people leaving the city, therefore there has been no problem to date with getting people and their pets evacuated from that site. The people and pets at the airport are being evacuated from the city via buses, commercial planes, and military planes. The National Guard is in full force at the airport and VMAT-1 reports that there is no violence or chaos issues to contend with at that site.

Another sub-set of VMAT-1 and VMAT-5 are stationed at the “Cow Palace”, the location of approximately 500 animals evacuees.

VMAT-1 Assigned Mission:

To assist the LA State Veterinarian with agricultural and veterinary service assessment, assess milk production facility needs and damage, optimize available medical resources in the delivery of medical services, and make contact with state animal response team.

• VMAT-2 (21 members deployed) Assigned to do MS gulf coast assessments including Harrison and Hancock counties. VMAT-2 will most likely set-up with The Humane Society of the United States at an animal evacuation/shelter site, but this is not confirmed at this time. VMAT-2 assessed a puppy last night with a broken radius and ulna, stabilized the puppy with a splint, and sent it to LSU for future fracture repair. The puppy is in good shape.
• VMAT-3 (25 members deployed) Stationed at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, MS and are conducting initial assessments of Jackson County MS. They continue to work closely with the MS State Veterinarian assessing the local veterinary infrastructure. The United States Department of Agriculture has been tasked with assessing agricultural issues/needs in MS.
• VMAT-5: (25 members deployed) Today VMAT-5 is on location with VMAT-1 at the “Cow Palace”.

The VMAT efforts are made possible from an annual grant from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF). Please help support the VMAT program by donating to www.avmf.org or calling 800-248-2862 ext. 6689.

Other Reports:

Texas Animal Health Commission
Box l2966 * Austin, Texas 78711 * (800) 550-8242 * FAX (512) 719-0719
Bob Hillman, DVM * Executive Director
For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242,
ext. 710, or ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us

For immediate release:
Texas Livestock Officials Accommodating Emergency Entry of Hurricane-Evacuated Livestock

Texas’ livestock health officials are working to accommodate the evacuation
of livestock from Louisiana and Mississippi, displaced due to Hurricane
Katrina. The TAHC will allow livestock from these states to enter Texas without
the usually required health documents, provided the owners or shippers alert
the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) prior to crossing the state line.

Owners and shippers from Louisiana and Mississippi are asked to call the
TAHC 24-hour number at 1-800-550-8242 and provide information regarding the
species, numbers and destination of the animals. A permit number will be issued
to the caller, and TAHC field personnel will follow up to verify the arrival
of the animals and to address any pertinent restriction or test requirements.
As part of its emergency management effort, the TAHC also maintains a list
of facilities, farm or stables, whose owners have volunteered to provide
temporary shelter for livestock. Callers who need a referral to a site should
call the TAHC number and leave a message for the regulatory veterinarian on
call.

Dairy cattle evacuated to Texas without a cattle tuberculosis (TB) test must
be isolated from other cattle and meet entry requirements upon arrival.

Humane Society of the United States

Situation Report: Friday, September 2, 2005
Hurricane Katrina
Filed from reports by Laura Bevan, HSUS Southeast Regional Office
Director and HSUS Animal Response Branch Director for Mississippi; and
Lou Guyton, HSUS Southwest Regional Office Director and HSUS Animal
Response Branch Director for Louisiana; compiled by Anne Culver,
Director, Disaster Services

MISSISSIPPI:

HSUS DART members have been working their way south from Jackson, helping
animals in areas from Jackson to south of Hattiesburg. Late Friday afternoon
the team was given the go-ahead to proceed all the way to the besieged Gulfport
area, which has been waiting for help since the storm finally ended.

The DART teams rescued and transported approximately 120 animals from the
Gulfport area and gave relief to a DART volunteer living in Gulfport, who has
been giving us situation reports when she can get communication.

Continuing and extending yesterday's efforts in counties just south of
Jackson, the DART took a strike team of HSUS, Humane Society of Missouri, and
American Humane members, who joined with Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams
(VMAT) to conduct assessment and support of animal needs in Jackson County, on
the coast.

The logistical unit of the HSUS team, based in Jackson, is preparing the
HSUS convoy for two-weeks of totally self-sufficiency in the coastal counties of
Mississippi. There are many severe animal needs in the coastal counties and
we anticipate a protracted deployment there.

Fuel remains a major problem. Food, water, power, and communications are
scarce to non-existent. Even as far north as Jackson, power outages are
frequent, fuel is scarce and gas lines long. Some response vehicles stood in long
gas lines along with ambulances, other rescue equipment, and the general public.

The emergency animal shelter at the Jackson Coliseum is continuing
operation, with approximately 100 animals; the animal owners are staying at the nearby
Coliseum. It has served as a base for the HSUS operations in Mississippi.

Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT)-3 was dispatched to Camp Shelby
today and was accompanied by eight HSUS responders, one from HUMANE Society of
Missouri, and two from American Humane, who will then team up with other
rescuers on Sunday in preparation for advancement into the coastal counties.

VMAT-2 is currently at Keesler Air Force base in Biloxi, MS, and has
requested our assistance in transporting an injured animal to a veterinary clinic.
Our teams are headed that way tonight and will make contact as soon as
possible.

On Sunday, Florida state government animal emergency management personnel
are expected to arrive in Jackson to support the Mississippi effort, through
the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), giving the MS Board of
Animal Health personnel much needed relief and support.

Last night, the HSUS Mississippi Animal Response Branch Director, Laura
Bevan, has submitted a weblog ("blog") with her observations and information
about the response in Mississippi. This is attached below.

LOUISIANA

The HSUS team has been working in the Baton Rouge area today to coordinate
out-of-state animal responders on behalf of the LA SPCA.

The major task at this point is coordinating the transport of animals from
crowded temporary animal facilities to out-of-state facilities. For example,
about 500 animals from St. Tammany Parish are to be transported to
out-of-state shelters. These animals have been released for adoption. The HSUS team is
working with HSUS headquarters staff to coordinate transport and receipt of
some of these and the many other animals that we anticipate will need to be
relocated.

Another part of the HSUS Louisiana team is at the Louisiana State University
(LSU) Coliseum, which the state is operating as an evacuation shelter. Pets
of evacuated residents are currently being sheltered in a facility on this
campus, and the HSUS team is supporting this operation.

The HSUS team is working with others from many organizations, first bringing
in transport resources according to the request of the state. For now,
in-state animal control resources are handling rescues.

We have seen many stories of communities around the country taking in
evacuees. One particular web site, www.hurricanehousing.org, had received more than
20,000 offers of housing. The web site provides a means for hosts to
indicate if they accept pets. To families who have lost everything else, not having
to separate from their pets can mean the world.

For more information on disaster preparedness, training, and response for
animals for individuals, animal facilities, and communities, or to support our
efforts, please refer to www.hsus.org/disaster or call 1-800-HUMANE-1.

WEBLOG FROM LAURA BEVAN
September 1, 2005
Jackson, Mississippi

Night has come to the Jackson Fairgrounds, the location of a pet friendly
shelter for evacuees from the coast and the staging area for all relief efforts
for animals in Mississippi. Located almost 200 miles from the Gulf, it was
dealt a hard enough punch, a frightening prediction of the devastating blow
dealt to areas farther south and especially on the coastline.

I am the currently the team leader for The HSUS's Mississippi effort to
Hurricane Katrina. But just three weeks ago, I was here, in Jackson, teaching a
Disaster Animal Response Team training in conjunction with the Mississippi
Board of Animal Health, which has been working on the state's disaster plan for
several years. The weekend after I left, they conducted their own pet-friendly
shelter training, using the materials I left behind. Now, we are all back
together putting those plans into action.

Every year since Hurricane Andrew decimated Florida in 1992, I have gone to
hurricane and emergency management conferences on behalf of The HSUS to preach
about disaster planning for animals. Every year, there is talk of the storms
that took place the year before, but also of the "big one," the one that
hasn't happened yet.

Now it has.

Watching Katrina lumber into the Gulf, then grow stronger and larger after
battering Southern Florida, I knew we were in for a bad time-but how bad was
beyond anyone's comprehension. Today, assessment teams swept through the
counties between Jackson and the coast to determine the animal needs in the area.
Tomorrow, Melissa Forberg, our National Disaster Animal Response Team
(N-DART) coordinator, will take a strike team composed of The HSUS, Humane Society
of Missouri, and American Humane Association members, and join the federal
Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT) in assessing Jackson County, the
coastal community that borders Alabama. We have not received even a trickle of
information from the area, leaving us all
anxious to know if the animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and horse
stables survived.

We all know too much of the horror of its neighboring county to the west.

Harrison County, Mississippi-home to Gulfport, Biloxi and other smaller
communities-has been virtually wiped off the face of the map. Search and rescue
continues for humans, and the death toll rises by the hour. The animal death
toll, incomprehensible in number, remains unknown.

It is in Harrison County where a 30-foot storm surge swamped the Humane
Society of South Mississippi, drowning hundreds of dogs and cats drown in their
cages. The shelter itself is destroyed, and the survivors are now being
collected to be moved from the area as soon as possible. The society is also coping
with the tragic loss of a long-term employee who drowned in his home along
with family members.

Words are too meager to express the horror and grief all of us here are
feeling. We may not have known those animals or the staff member who worked with
them. We may not have personally known the distinct personalities of each of
those animals, or worked side-by-side with the dedicated staff member who was
lost to the flood, but their losses and the survivors of the society are
part of our humane family. We grieve for them.

Now, our job is to help the people and animals of Mississippi pick up the
pieces and build a new world and renewed lives. Our experiences in Florida's
four hurricanes last year have equipped us with the guidance to deal with a
disaster larger in scope than all of them put together.

Sitting here as the night quiet settles over the compound of trucks,
trailers, big rigs, and tents, I know our work will not end in the next week or the
next month. The extent of the animal and human need here is overwhelming, but
I am committed, we are all committed, that those needs will be met.

There really is no other option.
Want to help pets and other animals hurt by Hurricane Katrina? Please donate
to our Disaster Rescue Teams today. Go to
https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2005.


United Animal Nations:

We know you've been waiting anxiously to hear more
news about what the United Animal Nations' Emergency Animal Rescue Service
<http://www.uan.org/> (EARS) is doing to help animal victims of Hurricane
Katrina. The outpouring of support we have received has been truly amazing!

More than 1,500 people have offered to assist with an EARS response in a
variety of ways: from performing rescues, providing veterinary care or
sheltering animals, to assisting with transport, foster care, supply and equipment
donation and much, much more. We are overwhelmed by the generosity and just as
eager as you are to see these offers put to use to help the animals.

Here's where things stand tonight...

* HOUSTON, TEXAS: A temporary shelter run by the Houston SPCA and staffed
by EARS volunteers is expected to receive 500 animal refugees in just a few
hours, and hundreds more are expected over the next days and weeks. We are
deploying a team of ten EARS volunteers from Northern California tonight, who
are taking with them supplies from our headquarters to help establish the
emergency shelter. Texas-based trained EARS volunteers have also been activated
to respond to the Houston effort.
* JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI: UAN is coordinating response efforts with
several other organizations that have arrived here and are providing animal
disaster relief - including the ASPCA, the International Fund for Animal Welfare
(IFAW), Colorado-based Code 3 Associates, the Humane Society of the United
States, American Humane and Best Friends Animal Society. Decisions are being made
this evening about how best to deploy these resources and where EARS will be
staging inside the disaster zone.
* LOUISIANA: We talked with authorities in the state today who expressed
need for our coordination and resources. We await word tomorrow morning about
their specific needs for EARS services.
* SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: Here at UAN headquarters, we are receiving
hundreds of calls each day from evacuees and others who are missing their
animals. We developed a coordinated approach to managing these rescue requests with
other animal disaster relief organizations which will ensure that they are
put in the hands of whatever team deploys in any region. The calls just break
our hearts and we hope we're able to get to the animals in time.

This is clearly a disaster like no other. Our teams are doing all they can
to help. Stay updated about our efforts by reading our daily Action Report
<http://ga4.org/ct/sdaaIG51Aztn/action_report> , which we update by 9AM PST
every single day.

If you are one of the people who have given generously to our disaster
relief fund - thank you! Please help us by telling your friends
<http://ga4.org/uan/join-forward.html?domain=uan&r=I1aaIG51-Xbi&> about our efforts to help the animals and encouraging them to make a donation.

If you have not already donated to UAN, please consider doing so today
<https://secure.ga3.org/01/UAN_disaster_relief/nI1aaIG51-Xbi?> so that we can buy
the supplies, equipment and other necessities we will need to operate our
rescue and sheltering efforts, over what we expect to be a very long
deployment. Never in our nearly 20 year history have we faced the daunting tasks we do
now... every little bit will help.

We've already started to make a difference. We know you're concerned about
the animals and we will be keeping you updated about our efforts.

USDA ASSISTS SURVIVORS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA
Release No. 0345.05
Contact:
Ed Loyd (202)720-4623
Angela Harless (202) 720-4623


WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2005 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today
announced that USDA has deployed personnel and resources to assist the efforts by
federal, state and local authorities in response to Hurricane Katrina.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have suffered losses caused by
Hurricane Katrina," said Johanns. "More than two thousand USDA personnel are
working to provide food and water, emergency housing, electrical power, and
other emergency services in the region. We are closely coordinating with other
federal departments to meet the immediate and long-term needs of those
affected by Katrina. We stand ready to begin assessing rural and agricultural
infrastructure damage once the human need has been met."

Thus far, USDA has mobilized the following resources:

Personnel Assistance - USDA has deployed 1,800 Forest Service employees who
are trained to respond to large-scale incidents, in coordination with the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. These teams have expertise in setting up
logistics staging areas, distribution of food products and debris removal.
Additionally, USDA personnel who work in the areas of Food and Nutrition and
Rural Development are involved with life saving and life sustaining efforts. USDA
also stands ready with volunteers willing to participate in the Department
of Homeland Security's community outreach efforts.

Food Assistance - USDA has delivered eighty thousand pounds of food and
infant formula products. Truckloads of additional supplies are en route to
affected communities. In addition to providing food and infant formula, USDA's Food
and Nutrition Service is assisting disaster survivors by issuing emergency
food stamps and distributing food packages directly to needy households. USDA
will provide waivers to food stamp recipients so that they can purchase hot
meals and expedite delivery of September food stamp benefits. USDA is also
permitting schools to provide free meals to children in areas devastated by the
hurricane. USDA is also reaching out to food and nutrition program recipients
who have fled the affected area but are still in need of assistance.

Food Safety - USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is providing
information about how to keep food safe during power outages. Immediately prior to
Hurricane Katrina making landfall, USDA issued public advisories throughout
the affected region and this education effort is continuing. Consumers can call
the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 24 hours a day at
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854); for the hearing-impaired (TTY) 1-800-256-7072.

Housing Assistance - USDA Rural Development has identified nearly 800 single
family homes and apartments to accommodate displaced residents. Personnel
are also prepared to assist in minimizing potential delinquency or liquidation
of assets in affected areas. There are 50,000 low-income residents in the
affected areas who have mortgages through USDA. They are being notified by
letter, radio and other means of the availability of a six-month moratorium on
payments to help to reduce financial hardship.

Farmer and Rancher Assistance: In response to Hurricane Katrina, USDA State
(and County) Emergency Boards met this week to coordinate
agricultural-related responses at the county, state and national levels in Alabama, Louisiana
and Mississippi.

The Boards will coordinate damage assessments to area crops, livestock and
other agriculture-related operations. USDA State (and County) Emergency Boards
are responsible for assessing agricultural damages incurred in a state due
to disasters. USDA has several disaster programs for qualified farm operators,
including low-interest emergency loans, the Emergency Conservation Program
and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

Additional information and updates about USDA's hurricane relief efforts are
posted daily on the Web site at http://www.usda.gov/. For more information
about making contributions for disaster assistance go to www.FirstGov.gov and
http://www.disasterhelp.gov/.
USDA News
oc.news@usda.gov
202 720-4623

AVMA Disaster Update

Event: Hurricane Katrina
Date: September 2, 2005
Time: 8:30PM Update (Central Time)
Situation: VMAT Progress Report

Contact Numbers for Louisiana Animal Rescue Needs
Small Animal Rescue Requests: 225-578-9900
Large Animal Rescue Requests: 225-578-9501

Volunteers Sign-Up Now!

The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) is looking for volunteers (veterinarians, veterinary technicians and assistants, veterinary students) to assist in Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts and in future natural and animal disease emergencies. Please send an email to EmergencyVMO@aphis.usda.gov with the subject line "New NAHERC Volunteer" for more information on how you can get involved. Please do not send your requests to volunteer to Dr. Cindy Lovern, please send an email to the address above instead.

AVMA Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT) Update

• VMAT-1: (25 members deployed) Baton Rouge Louisiana: Assessments of local veterinary facilities, Audubon Zoo, agricultural facilities currently taking place.
• VMAT-2 (21 members deployed) Kessler AFB in Mississippi, moving to Biloxi, MS to assess local veterinary infrastructure in SE MS.
• VMAT-3 (25 members deployed) Have arrived in Jackson, MS and are currently conducting initial assessments and working very closely with the State Veterinarian. Lack of gasoline and subsequently generators is causing a major problem in the agricultural industry from loss of animal life to loss of milking capacity. Very devastating situation – no concrete numbers to report yet.
• VMAT-5: (25 members deployed) Today VMAT-5 and VMAT-1 met with the LA Housing Extension coordinator, Ag Extension coordinator and staff persons from FEMA. VMAT5 headed to the Parishes of St. Helena, St. Tammy, Tangipahoa and Washington. Teams were still in the field doing assessments when this update was written.

The VMAT efforts are made possible from an annual grant from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF). Please help support the VMAT program by donating to http://www.avmf.org or calling 800-248-2862 ext. 6689.

Remember AVMA has the disaster preparedness booklet Saving the Whole Family
available at _http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp_
(http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp) . Full text available for free from the Web
site.

Other Reports:

North Carolina Department of Agriculture Emergency Programs

On behalf of our North Carolina citizens and Commissioner Steve Troxler I would like to express our department's desire to be of any aid or assistance you may need in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We stand ready with experienced personnel, equipment, resource lists and are willing and able to help in any way. Our POC to expedite EMAC requests for this relief effort is Dr. Bruce Akers:
W: 919-807-4309
C: 919-270-7993
bruce.akers@ncmail.net

CDC UPDATES TO INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE: Aug 31-Sep 2, 2005 –
Special Update

Interim Immunization Recommendations for Emergency Responders: Hurricane
Katrina Required immunizations:

1. Tetanus and diphtheria toxoid (receipt of primary series, and Td booster within 10 years)
2. Hepatitis B vaccine series for persons who will be performing direct patient care or otherwise expected to have contact with bodily fluids.

There is no indication for the following vaccines given the anticipated conditions in the region:

1. Hepatitis A
2. Typhoid vaccine
3. Cholera vaccine
4. Meningococcal vaccine
5. Rabies vaccine
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/responderimmun.asp

Texas Veterinary Medical Association

The Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation has established a fund to support animal care and rescue efforts and to help restore veterinary services in the hurricane impacted areas.

TVMA has also set up an Internet based matching service to match DVMs displaced by the disaster with Texas clinics that are willing to employ them on a short-term basis. Doctors not licensed to practice in Texas must contact our State Board of Veterinary Examiners and apply for a “Provisional” license.

The cost of this license is $255, but Pfizer has agreed to pay this cost for the first 100 doctors to apply in the next 90 days. Information on either of these programs is available at (800)489-7347 or http://www.tvma.org/.

Cindy S. Lovern, DVM, MS
Assistant Director, Scientific Activities
1931 N. Meacham Road, Suite 100
Schaumburg, Illinois 60173
Work: 847-285-6632
Fax: 847-925-9329
Cell: 630-253-4494
Web: http://www.avma.org/disaster
Email: clovern@avma.org

Hurricane Katrina: What Techs Can Do

Veterinary technicians or veterinarians who would like to volunteer in the disaster area can do so through the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. To volunteer, contact Dr. David Senior, or by phone at 225-578-9551.

Here is more info from LSU's website:

Animal Evacuation and Recovery Plan for New Orleans

The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA), the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA), the Louisiana Animal Control Association (LACA), and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) are managing animal evacuations and recovery plans for New Orleans pets and displaced animals.

PETS TRAVELING WITH OWNERS
The LVMA is currently accepting pets at the Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette, LSU in Shreveport, the Monroe Civic Center for small animals and the Ike Hamilton Center for large animals in Monroe, the Farmer’s Market in Alexandria, and the LSU Agriculture Center/Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge. Owners must be housed in a Red Cross shelter; owners are responsible for caring for their animals, including feeding and cleaning. Animals will be accepted 24 hours a day. Veterinarians will be on hand to handle any medical needs.

While owners are responsible for the feeding and cleaning of their pets at the Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge, the SVM, along with volunteers from the Baton Rouge Veterinary Medical Association, will provide veterinary care. If for some reason, an owner is unable to care for a pet sheltered in the Parker Coliseum (e.g., the owner is housed in a special needs shelter), SVM student volunteers will provide primary care, such as feeding and cleaning. The East Baton Rouge Animal Control Center will be taking stray animals.

The Parker Coliseum will be staffed 24 hours a day by a supervising veterinarian and student volunteers from the School of Veterinary Medicine. Pets in the Coliseum will be given physical exams and Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccinations. If a pet requires medical attention and veterinary monitoring, it will be sent to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

PEOPLE WITH PETS WHO ARE CURRENTLY EVACUATING NEW ORLEANS
The LA/SPCA will transport animals from pick-up points in New Orleans to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. The pick-up points have not yet been determined and are being coordinated with the agency charged with transporting people from New Orleans to other areas.

The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, 9039 St. Landry Rd., Gonzales, La., will serve as the primary staging area. Once the shelter is full, animals will be moved to temporary shelters in other areas of Louisiana and Texas.

The LA/SPCA Dorothy Dorsett Mobile Veterinary Center will be at the Lamar-Dixon Center to treat incoming animals as needed.

CONFINED PETS STILL IN DISASTER AREA
Beginning on September 1, residents who left pets in their homes may call a hot line to leave information about the number of animals, species, and their confined location. As soon as the hotline number is obtained, we will advise the media. WE CANNOT ENTER NEW ORLEANS UNTIL APPROVAL IS GRANTED BY STATE OFFICIALS.

DONATIONS
Financial donations are being accepted to fund the animals’ care through the Dr. Walter J. Ernst, Jr. Veterinary Memorial Foundation at the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association at 1-800-524-2996. Make checks payable to the LVMA Dr. Walter J. Ernst Veterinary Memorial Foundation (write Disaster Relief Fund on the memo line) and send to the LVMA, 8550 United Plaza Blvd., Suite 1001, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. They will be able to use these funds quickly.

A regional donation center is being established. Our needs include: large air kennels and metal cages, leashes, disposable bowls, canned cat and dog food, disposable litter pans, spray bleach, paper towels, sheets, towels, locks, hoses, bottled water, trash cans, trash bags, pooper scoopers, cat litter, extension cords, fans. The most urgent needs are kennels and monetary donations. The media will be advised of the address once determined. At least 175 animals are currently en route to Baton Rouge.

For more information or to make donations of the materials listed above, please call the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine at 225-578-9900 (www.vetmed.lsu.edu) or the LVMA at 1-800-524-2996 (www.lvma.org).

ANIMAL EVACUATION AND RECOVERY PLAN CONTACT INFORMATION

Louisiana SPCA contact Laura Maloney 225-413-8813

East Baton Rouge Animal Control Center Hilton Cole 225-774-7700

LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Becky Adcock 225-578-9900

Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association 225-928-5862

Hurricane Katrina: Who will help the animals?

Who will help the animals? Right now lots of folks are, but the ones I particularly want to mention are the veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are mobilizing to assist in disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

As they have in all recent national disasters, including 9/11 and the 2004 hurricane season, the veterinary professionals of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT) are working as part of FEMA and the Dept. of Homeland Security to assist animals affected by the disaster.

There are several worthy organizations in need of your support and donations. Here is a link to donate to the Red Cross, the oldest and largest human aid organization, and one that needs your money right now. But as soon as you're done donating there, go over to the AVMA site and send a few dollars to help the vets and techs who are helping pets and wildlife in the flooded south. Because if I were a victim of a disaster, I wouldn't know a moment's peace until I knew my animals were safe and out of harm. So even if you don't believe in giving money to help animals when people need help, too ... do it for the people who love those animals.

• Donate to AVMA's VMAT
• Donate to Noah's Wish

Rock Gut

Ralphie is a black and white, 4 year old, neutered, springer spaniel...with entropian. He's a jovial lad. Bouncing around as springers do. It always makes me wonder if that's how they came up with the name.
Ralphie has a problem, he likes to eat rocks.

Ralphie has gone under the knife FOUR TIMES to remove rocks and he has been admitted into the hospital numerous times after his mineral meals and has passed rocks.

Ralphie's days are numbered, his owners are going broke paying for the surgeries and hospital visits.

I saw Ralphie for the first time last Thursday. The vet had a syringeful of the lethal injection and we were emptying his bladder, as I listened to the legacy that was Ralphie. He was on the green mile and his owners were waiting for him so that they could say good-bye.

Ralphie had two egg sized rocks in his belly. Would they pass? We don't know, but the owners are done with surgery so their only option is to euthanize before the rocks cause a blockage and Ralphie suffers a terrible death. Nobody wants to do this, especially as Ralphie briskly wags his stubby tail and lays a wet one on any flesh he can capture. Even the vet let out a sound you never want to hear from a vet. He didn't want to do this at all. Oddest thing, he dropped the syringe while getting Ralphie out of the kennel and the tip broke off. None of us had ever seen that happen. I'm not talking about the needle, I'm talking about the tip that the needle attaches to...it BROKE. We all said, "it's a sign, it isn't time!" But it wasn't our decision.

15 minutes passed since the doctor and one of the other technicians had gone in with Ralphie.
20 minutes.
25 minutes.
The tech bounced into the treatment room, "They're going to give Ralphie another chance!! But he has to pass these on his own."

He's passed rocks before, these look pretty round. It's possible. They're not likely as big as they look on the radiographs, but they're still big.

I told her to tell them about the cage looking muzzles that greyhounds wear and the dog, appropriately named Rocky, with the same bad habit who wore one.

If Ralphie passes these rocks, he'll probaby be seen next time with one of those muzzles.

Gosh it feels good to possibly have saved a life.

Now...
Just pass those rocks, Ralphie.
Please.

UPDATE: August 30th. We saw Ralphie again today. He hasn't passed the rocks yet, but they are moving, SLOWLY. He's passing stool so that's a good thing.

Pass the rocks Ralphie.

UPDATE: It was September 12th. A file slides across the table towards me, I glance over, my eyes already down into the eye pieces of the microscope. I look at it. A file within a file. The outer file says, "Please Sign". The inner file belongs to Ralphie. I look at the sympathy card. I can't sign it.

Sweet Ralphie.

The Beginning of the Dental

I'm glad to hear you have come this far and are ready to progress to the next step; getting your pets' teeth cleaned. Good for you!

I'm going to lead you through a basic dental prophy, which is short for "prophylactic cleaning," a form of preventative care. This is something every vet tech who has gone through an AVMA approved program has learned to perform, and several OJT (on the job training) technicians have attended continuing education (CE) seminars and wet labs to do the same. A technician can further his or her education through the American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians course. I have taken this course and several CEs. I am a "Qualified Veterinary Dental Techncian." The gold ring, though, is to obtain a specialty in dentistry through the "Academy of Veterinary Dental Techncians." After this I will be able to call myself a "specialist." YAY!

With that in mind, be sure that the technician who will be performing the prophy has been trained.

Before the Dental Prophy

The first thing you want to do is have the pre-anesthetic bloodwork performed. We all like to believe that our pets are healthy and can withstand the rigors of anesthesia, but it's just a fool's game to decline the bloodwork no matter what your pet's age. Sometimes the bloodwork will be done the day of the prophy and some vets prefer the bloodwork to be done before you even make the appointment.

Let's say you've had the bloodwork done, you got the call from the vet saying that it looked good, and you now have an appointment for tomorrow morning. You should recieve detailed instructions for tonight and tomorrow. Usually no food after midnight, some vets say no water and others will say that it's okay.

After the Drop-off

You've dropped your precious pet off, signed the papers for the procedure and anesthesia release and drove back home or off to work, hoping you've done the right thing. Sure you did.

Here's where I take over. I usually spend some time with the pet getting to know them a bit. I like to know how they are before the procedure so that I can compare it to how they are afterwards. I'll check their eyes, ears, coat condition, take their temp, heart rate and respiration. Then I'll look into the mouth. Hmmmm.... not bad, slightly inflammed gums, some tartar on the back teeth...front teeth look like this one might be a chewer. Dogs that chew on themselves due to allergies, fleas, etc., can wear their front teeth done more than a rock or bone chewer. Hair is extremely abrasive, believe it or not.

If I'm doing the dental procedure I prefer to have control from start to finish. I don't like anyone else putting in my catheters, tubing my patients, or watching them during recovery. They're my patients. I always have an assistant help me, of course, holding off the vein while I place the catheter, helping me set up the wet table, anesthesia machine, etc.

After I place the IV catheter I usually put them in the kennel cage until the doctor can look at them. In the meantime I'm drawing up the anesthesia drugs and getting everything ready for the prophy.

Once the vet performs the pre-anesthetic exam and gives me the thumbs up, the wheels start turning a bit faster. I administer the pre-anesthetic, then the induction agent, insert the endotracheal tube and get your pet set up on the anesthesia machine and IV fluids. In the perfect world I get someone dedicated to monitoring the machines that measure heart rate, respiration and temperature, ideally a technician who is an anesthetic specialist. In the real world, it's most often done by me. I don't like that, it's not my preference, but I am trained to do it and do it well. I refuse to answer the phone, chit-chat with co-workers or be otherwise distracted, I belong to someone's pet while it is on my table. If the doctor has to confer with me about another case I won't do it unless I have another tech in the room to take over. I'm picky that way and it's gotten me into a few arguments.

Next we will move on to the dental prophy itself.

Misoprostol and More: Making NSAIDs easier on your dog's gut

I've written before about alternative pain medications for dogs who cannot tolerate NSAIDs, but there are times when an NSAID really is the best choice for pain control. This might be because other types of pain medication don't fully control the pain, or because the animal is sensitive to other medications as well.

There are things you can do to make NSAIDs easier on the dog's GI tract, although they will not always be enough for every dog. To understand how some of these might work, it's important to understand what NSAIDs are, and how they function to control pain.

NSAIDs are anti-inflammatory drugs that inhibit an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (COX for short). Cyclooxygenase is a substance in the body that causes it to produce prostaglandins, which cause pain and swelling. The problem is, prostaglandins do all sorts of beneficial things in the body, too, like maintain and repair the intestinal lining, control the body's hormonal systems, and regulate kidney function. There are, in fact, few body systems that do not rely, at least in part, on prostaglandins, so inhibiting them clearly has the potential to cause as many problems as it solves, or more.

Most people know that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Rimadyl, Metacam, Previcox, Deramaxx, Etogesic, and others can irritate the digestive system and cause ulcers of the GI tract. They do this because COX enzymes and prostaglandins are necessary to repair and maintain the intestinal lining. In fact, while kidney damage and death do occur as a result of these drugs and get most of the hype, the main reason dogs are removed from NSAID therapy is because of the damage to their GI tract, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, ulcers, and bloody stool.

There are different kinds of COX, and they serve slightly different functions. It was once believed that COX-2 was the "bad" COX, and COX-1 was the "good" COX, and so the newer generation NSAIDs have been developed to be more and more COX-2 specific, but that is not turning out to be the case. It seems that COX-2 does have a protective effect on the gastrointestinal lining, and older generation NSAIDs like aspirin, which tend to inhibit COX-1 more so, or equally to, COX-2, actually have some GI-protectant benefits that help make up for the damage they cause.

So, if your dog has osteoarthritis or some other form of chronic pain, and really needs to take NSAIDs to maintain quality of life, there are a number of things you can do to prevent gastrointestinal problems.

First, make sure you are using multi-modal pain control. If you aren't relying exclusively on the NSAID for total pain control, you'll be able to use a lower dose, or even skip a day every few days and give the gut a chance to heal. Drugs such as Tramadol, amantadine, gabapentin, and narcotics can be used in combination with NSAIDs, or instead of NSAIDs, to control the pain of cancer or osteoarthritis. If your veterinarian isn't familiar with these drugs or is unsure of how to use them, ask for a referral to, or ask your vet to consult with, a veterinary anesthesiologist, or with the Analgesia/Anesthesia consultants on the Veterinary Information Network if they are a member. There is also a great deal of valuable veterinary information on the website of the Veterinary Anesthesia Support Group.

Second, consider alternatives to be used in combination with, or instead of, NSAIDs. Fish oil capsules, glucosamine-chondroiton, Adequan injections, and acupuncture are among the main available alternative therapies that have shown benefit in many cases of osteoarthritis. (And of course, keep your dog lean!) I'd suggest caution, however, when using herbal formulas that claim to be "natural" COX inhibitors; it is COX inhibition itself that does the damage to the GI lining, and while it's possible that there are components to some herbs that mitigate this damage, this has not been proven and is only a hope at this time. If choosing to go the alternative route, it's best to work with an experienced holistic veterinarian.

Third, ask your veterinarian about misoprostol. Misoprostol is a prostaglandin analog, and by taking it orally along with NSAIDs, you can help mitigate some of the effect of COX inhibition on the intestinal lining. While misoprostol can cause upset stomach and diarrhea on its own in some dogs, if your dog tolerates it, it's well worth considering as an adjunct to NSAIDs.

Another useful drug is sucralfate, which is covered very well by Dr. Wendy Brooks on VeterinaryPartner.com.

How about antacids like Pepcid (famotidine) and acid controllers like Prilosec (omeprazole)? While they might reduce the symptoms of GI ulcers in dogs on NSAIDs, they don't appear to have any benefit at all in actually reducing the ulcers. So despite their widespread use with NSAIDs, they probably aren't useful and may actually mask an ongoing problem. Misoprostol actually has some acid regulating properties itself, but more than that, it acts to restore the intestinal lining naturally, to prevent the formation of ulcers and help heal those that have already formed. In addition, the use of antacids can be contraindicated with both misoprostol and sucralfate.

The herb slippery elm might also be worth considering, although it's not clear if it actually helps heal the gut, simply provides some protection to the intestinal lining, or only serves to make the dog feel better. Slippery elm, the inner bark of ulmus fulva, is a soothing, gelatinous substance that has traditionally been used for the treatment of ulcers. It is also used for sore throats and skin irritations. Slippery elm is an extremely safe herb and is actually used as a food. It is sold in bulk in health food stores, as well as in capsules and as a tincture. It's slightly sweet so most dogs will eat it readily, but it can be given in capsule form or as a tincture if necessary. A veterinary product exists called Phytomucil.

Of course, the side effects of NSAIDs are not limited to the GI tract, so it's important to work with your veterinarian to monitor your pet's kidney and liver function as well.

[Update:] More on NSAIDs and Your Dog's Gut here

"Masking Down" a Safer Way to Anesthetize? Guess Again

It's no secret that most pet owners fear having their pets anesthetized for any reason, from a simple dental cleaning to life-saving surgery. And it would make perfect sense that we might think that the fewer drugs, the better in any anesthesia procedure. More drugs would mean more risk. It seems logical.

However logical it might seem, however, it's not true, and owners who refuse to use multi-drug anesthesia protocols, or veterinarians who opt not to use them, are doing a grave and potentially life-threatening disservice to those animals.

I'm referring here to the practice known as "masking down" or "gassing down" a pet, where the anesthesia gas, usually isoflurane, is given via face mask to get the cat or dog anesthetized enough to be intubated and then given a maintenance dose of the gas. This procedure was once believed to be easier on the pet, especially older or medically fragile pets, but nothing could be further from the truth.

There are a number of risks associated with "masking down" a pet, all of which are substantially reduced if a protocol of injectable induction agents is used instead.

First, you have to use a LOT higher dose to induce with gas than to maintain anesthesia, which increases the risk. We think we are using "less drug" this way, but we end up using a LOT more.

Second, the gas anesthetics are very potent vasodilators (they dilate the blood vessels), which means that they can send blood pressure plummeting, more so with the high doses needed to induce with it. This is very dangerous for any dog or cat, but much more so for pets with kidney or heart problems - the very pets some veterinarians reserve this procedure for! You also get more severe cardiovascular depression, with its obvious risks.

Furthermore, when you gas induce, you have no control over stage 2 anesthesia, which is the stage of involuntary excitement. You HAVE TO go through stage 2 to get to full surgical anesthesia (stage 3), but with gas inductions it lasts much longer. Stage 2 anesthesia is accompanied by catechol release, which is very hard on the heart; this effect is dose dependent, so again, the increased dosage substantially increases the risk. Arrythmias in particular are more likely to occur, risky for all pets but especially for senior pets or those with heart disease.

When you use gas to "mask down" the animal instead of inducing with injectable drugs, you have no way to get rapid control of the airway during the procedure. This increases risk, once more. In fact, the delay in getting control of the airway could be the difference between the animal surviving an adverse reaction, and being killed by it.

From the vet/staff's points of view, gas inductions expose THEM to waste gases and are hazardous. Improper venting and disposal of waste gases is a huge workplace safety issue for veterinary staff and not something that should be taken lightly.

Please do not use a vet who wants to mask down your pet, nor try to convince your vet to do it instead of using injectable induction. It is outdated, it's unsafe, it's bad for the pet AND the vet staff, and it's bad medicine.

Want more information and evidence?

"Induction of Anesthesia" by Peter W. Hellyer, DVM, MS, Diplomate, American Academy of Veterinary Anesthesiologists, Colorado State University

"Paradoxically, mask or box induction is frequently reserved for sick and compromised animals, the group that is least likely to tolerate the high concentrations of inhalant anesthetic required to induce anesthesia. .... Mask or box induction should be reserved for animals that cannot be approached otherwise (e.g., vicious cat), or that no acceptable injectable technique is available (e.g., birds, pocket pets, etc.). Mask or box induction is frequently stressful for the animal as demonstrated by a wide variety of excitatory reactions. Premedicating the animal prior to induction of anesthesia helps to decrease or eliminate the excitatory phase. Induction of anesthesia with just an inhalant usually requires fairly high doses, particularly if the animal needs to be deep enough for endotracheal intubation or surgery. Those high doses of inhalant anesthesia are deleterious to the cardiopulmonary systems, resulting in marked hypotension and hypoventilation. If no additional anesthetic drugs are used, depth of anesthesia may change markedly in response to changes in surgical stimulation or decreasing vaporizer setting. Mask or box induction increases the amount of waste gas pollution that employees are exposed to and may increase environmental pollution to unacceptable levels."

Veterinary Anesthesia Support Group
"Induction Protocols"
http://www.vasg.org/s_thru_u.htm

"Mask inductions are not recommended for most patient groups

Cautionary information

(a) Increased patient stress
(i) Increased arrhythmic risk

(b) Unnecessary staff exposure to anesthetic agents

(c) Time required for complete induction of anesthesia is longer than compared to IV agents.

(d) Prolonged period of unsecured airway with an increased risk of airway
compromise or obstruction

(e) High concentrations of inhalant agents are required to achieve mask induction. Higher doses produce more cardiovascular and respiratory depression than seen with comparable doses of IV induction agents.
(i) During intubation removal of the mask results in cessation of drug administration of the drug and recovery from anesthesia begins as the drug is eliminated.
(ii) Once intubated higher concentrations of inhalant are required compared to use of IV induction drugs.

(f) Contraindicated in brachycephalic patients"

Pets Need Dental Care, TOO!

Veterinary dental prophylaxis, or cleaning, is often a medical mystery for the pet owner. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding dentals for pets. I hope that I can clear some of them up here.

When someone asks me what I do for a living at least one of three questions are asked in reply to my answer:

"What is a vet tech?"
"You mean you're a vet?"
"How can you handle putting pets to sleep?"

The last question will be addressed later but, the other two questions are usually answered much the same.

A veterinary technician is a highly trained medical professional who assists the veterinarian in the diagnosis and treatment of your pets health, including preventative medicine. There are only three things that a veterinary technician cannot do that a vet can. They are:

1. Diagnosis and prognosis
2. Prescription of drugs
3. Surgery

That last one is what I think may cause some of the confusion surrounding who does the actual dental cleaning. Dental cleanings are not considered a surgery, but because the pet needs to be anesthetized, owners automatically assume that the vet will be performing the cleaning (dental prophy). The actual dental prophy is simply the cleaning of the teeth, and this procedure belongs to the technicians. It is one of only three areas that a technician can specialize in and gain a specialty certification from a NAVTA approved academy. The vet does additional dental procedures such as tooth extractions and root canals. Some states do permit technicians to do extractions, including the state I reside in, but the Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians does not.

I enjoy doing dentals. I love the before and after pictures I have recorded in my head. I've seen grumpy cats and dogs in terrible pain with "sewer" mouths become loving, happy and pain-free pets.

I'm going to take you through a basic simply dentistry in the next web log post. For now I'd like to cover a few common questions.

Why should my dog/cat have a dental?

Dental health is a part of a healthy foundation. Gingivitis and periodontal disease are a reality for your pet as much as they are for you!

But I brush my pet's teeth! Why should I have them cleaned professionally?

You probably brush and floss your own teeth, yet you visit your own dentist once or twice a year. Home oral health care is important for both you and your pet. It's a great preventative, but it's only a part of the whole oral health care picture.

Will my pet need to have a dental every year? That seems like an awful lot of anesthesia.

Your pet may not need a dental every year. Every pet should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. I've seen pets that only need a dental every two years and others that need it every six months!. Everything from genetics to diet has an influence on your pets' oral health.

Anesthesia is something that many pet owners want to avoid, but keep in mind that in the right hands, anesthesia is safe even for the geriatric pet. You have to weigh the issues; what is worse, the risk of anesthesia or the damage that poor oral health will eventually do to the kidneys, heart and other organs?

My groomer says she can do the same thing that you can for much cheaper and she told me to get my own dental scaler to use at home!

For one thing, there is no way that the groomer can perform the same service that a veterinary health professional can, due to the very fact that the pet is not anesthetized. You or the groomer may be able to make the visible tooth look pretty but without anesthesia you cannot get well underneath the gumline to remove the tartar, plaque and debris without causing great pain and discomfort to your pet. You are also more likely to cause trauma to the tender gingiva (gums).

Also, you are not able to smooth the surface of the tooth after the removal of tartar with the electrically powered instrument that I use to remove the microscopic pits that are left exposed after removing the tartar. A professional makes the surface smooth as glass so that plaque has less to hold onto so that it can form tartar.

If you want to be an active participant in your pets' oral health, buy a proper sized pet toothbrush, pet toothpaste (DO NOT USE TOOTHPASTE FOR HUMANS!) and brush your pets' teeth daily.

What are the signs of my pet needing a dental cleaning?

Our pets can be pretty slick in hiding their discomfort; we may have a pet in agony with one or more bad teeth who shows few or no signs at all. Some indications that our pets need a dental cleaning and possibly extractions or other specialized dental procedures are:

1. bad breath
2. the presence of tartar on any teeth
3. loose teeth
4. exposed roots
5. reluctance to eat
6. dropping their food
7. pawing at their mouths while eating
8. red, inflammed gums including the tell-tale "red line" seen in cats.

Our own fear of anesthesia can cause us to deny the possibility of poor, even life-threatening, oral health in our pets. We all love our pets, yet we let them suffer with rotten teeth out of fear. The bacteria that reside in an abscessed tooth are doing damage to their heart, kidneys and other organs, and still we shake our heads in protest and refuse to ease their suffering. Put your fear aside, find a veterinarian with veterinary technicians who specialize in dentistry. Have the necessary pre-anesthetic bloodwork and get those teeth taken care of, your pet will thank you!

Next: The Beginning of the Dental!

Exotic Vets

No, I don't mean veterinarians from an exotic foriegn land. ;-)

I find it rather interesting that the day after I accept a position working with a veterinarian that is the only exotic vet on the Key Peninsula that there is not one, but two articles on exotic pets and vets in USA Today. You can take a look at one and it links to the other, but I think they're worth a few minutes of your time if you are considering a pet that isn't a dog or a cat.
Before Choosing a Vet Know what to Ask

Why Vets Hate Breeders - And How to Find the Good Guys

I'm a dog breeder. That's right, one of that mighty Force of Darkness that causes so many vets to get out the garlic and crucifixes. One of the know-it-all smart-mouth people who thinks her two-plus decades owning a breed adds up to a hill of beans next to the vet's DVM (or VMD, believe me, you folks from Pennsylvania are AOK with me!).

I've sent letters to vets mentioning genetic problems in my breed, offering contact information for other veterinarians who own and breed these dogs, mentioning known drug reactions and health problems in my dogs' lines or the breed in general.

And I know that nearly all of this information, if not indeed all of it, is ridiculed, discounted, and barely glanced at.

And that's too bad, because just as not all dog owners are bad dog owners, not all breeders are bad breeders. And now and then, some of us actually do know a thing or two about these dogs, especially the rare breeds, that a vet may never have encountered before.

But I don't really blame vets for hating breeders. Most of them, I'm afraid, deserve it. I host a weekly online chat for dog breeders, and some of the things people say when they come in make me want to crawl through the computer and strangle them. Add to that the stories I hear from people who buy puppies from these breeders, such as one last week who had been sold an unweaned 5-week-old toy breed puppy, and it just gets worse. Let's tack on a few stories of do-it-yourself C-sections, puppies dying of cold and hunger, and people who have plenty of money for a new SUV but not enough to pay the vet to do a pre-breeding screening on their bitch, or check the pups out after they are born, that I've heard from vet friends of mine, and "hatred" becomes something of an understatement.

If only there were a way to hook breeders up to an "ethics detector" and know if they were one of the good guys, or one of the bad guys.

Well... I won't claim it's perfect, but there is an acid test that will serve to eliminate most of the bad guys. It's pretty simple. Ask the breeder one single question:

If at some point in the life of this dog, I'm unable to keep him, will you take him back, no questions asked?

There is only one right answer to this question, and that's an unequivocal "yes." In fact, good breeders won't just agree to do that, they REQUIRE in their contract that, if you cannot keep the dog, he be returned to them. I wouldn't buy a dog from anyone who didn't make that a condition of the sale.

I won’t claim that their puppies will grow up to be show champions, or won’t have health or behavior problems. But I will promise you that someone who says “No” to that question is not someone you’d want to give your money to, nor someone you should trust to bring your future canine family member into the world.

Of course, some people have somewhat unrealistic expectations of what to expect from a good breeder. The truth is, puppies are living creatures and really cannot be “guaranteed” the way a household appliance can. It’s not right to blame the breeder for every possible thing that goes wrong with the puppy during its life. As long as the breeder did any available genetic screening and pre-breeding testing of their breeding stock, was honest and ethical, knew what they were talking about, and isn't refusing to accept responsibility if your puppy turns out to have been incubating a disease that they contracted at the breeder’s home, I don’t think it is fair to say they have done something unethical if the puppy gets sick or even develops a genetic problem as he or she ages.

It is your responsibility to educate yourself on the problems that affect dogs of this breed, or dogs in general. It’s also the breeder’s responsibility to spell out for you exactly what he or she does guarantee in their contract, and yours to understand what you are agreeing to.

Speaking of guarantees, let me give you another piece of helpful (and blunt) advice: Any guarantee that requires you to return a sick or defective puppy in order to get your money back is no guarantee at all. It is a way to get out of guaranteeing the pet, because very few people will ever return an animal once they have brought it into their home. Breeders or pet stores who put the bottom line before the human-animal bond use that fact to get out of standing behind the health and fitness of the puppy or kitten they sold. Don’t ever buy from a breeder with this clause in his or her contract, because it’s not only worthless, it’s sadistic.

When I bought a puppy who turned out to have severe allergies, her breeder returned my money, contributed toward her vet bills, and offered me a replacement puppy. And let me keep her, of course – because who on earth would want to see their lovingly-bred puppy or kitten in the hands of someone who’d return it as if it were a defective washing machine?

That fact is why digging into the breeder’s background, philosophy of breeding, and practices is an important part of the homework you need to do when looking for a breeder. And I won’t deceive you, doing that homework can be daunting.

But you should start with my acid test, because if they get that one wrong, none of the rest matters.

Animal Cruelty

David Bendickson, Anthony Herrington, and Kevin Calderon

Remember those names.
Let them bore into your brain and never forget them.
No, they're not heroes or inventors or anything noble at all.

I'm not real sure how far I can go in my diatribe before I cross the line into slander, although it angers me even more that they would even have the right to cry foul after what they have done, so I won't even start. Just remember those name, never forget them, as the nation will never forget Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy.

I don't want to start a trend here on Vet Tech, posting cases of animal cruelty and the monsters who commit them and I promise I won't. There's several other web logs on the net that do that already and most of them have links to the online edition of the newspaper following the story.
You can also catch many of them on Gina Spadafori's weblog Dogma and on the website Pet Abuse. Here's the one carrying this particular story: The Iowa Channel

I just want to know, "why?". What makes 3 legally adult males find such complete amusement and entertainment out of the obvious suffering of another living being? What bothers me the most is that I really don't think these boys are sorry, not one whit. They're only sorry that they got caught.

I've seen animal neglect in the treatment room, collars & choke chains imbedded into the necks of dogs that were tied up and ignored. Maggots pouring out of anuses from dogs that were left to their own defenses in the backyard. However, I've never witnessed first hand blatant and purposeful animal cruelty. It scares me because I don't know what I would do to the humans responsible.

At least they could defend themselves though.

Summer, Cars and Dogs

Yesterday a child, for an unknown reason, got into his parents car that was sitting in the driveway, closed the door and seated himself in his carseat. The child was quickly overcome by the stifling heat before his father knew he had found his way outside. Today that child is in critical care.

Why am I posting about this here?

All day I have been consumed with the fact that today is the first day of summer. Significant to some, myself included, maybe not so much to others. Then I saw the news story about the child and it reminded me of the first case I had seen of a dog being left in a car on a summer day.

Summer of 2000 I worked at an emergency hospital between my first and second year of vet tech school. A young girl with a 3 month old boxer puppy in her arms, tears streaming down her face, burst through the front door of the hospital. The puppy, Jewel, varied between unconciousness and seizures. I don't remember too much else about the case, other than the owner's explanation of why her dog was left in her car.

She bought the boxer puppy at 8 weeks of age against her parents wishes. She was barely 17 years old, working at McDonald's and would be starting her senior year in September. Even though her parents said no to the puppy, she had saved her money from her job and had spent the last month "hiding" the little girl. The only problem was her job. She had to leave Jewel in her car while she worked her morning shift. Normally that wasn't a problem. The mornings are cool in the pacific northwest and can ran remain so until about 11am, except when we have our version of a heatwa