Senior Pet Care Month

September marks National Senior Pet Care Month.  I love puppies and kittens, who could possibly resist those cute furry faces and puppy breath!  However, my heart really goes out to my senior patients.  These guys have so much personality in their faces, years of experiences and love written all over them.  My aim as a veterinarian is to help you, as a pet owner, keep these endearing older guys/gals as healthy as possible and to help make their 'golden years' fulfilling and of good quality.  As as with their human counterparts, there are many health issues your senior pet faces during this phase of their lives.  There are a variety of conditions and diseases facing your senior citizen; including weight and mobility problems due to osteoarthritis, kidney, heart and liver disease, tumors and cancers, hormonal distrubance such as diabetes and thyroid imbalances.  While I cannot always cure what ails them, often times I can help slow the progression of a many ages related diseases.

The first step in helping your pet during their golden years is a good physical examination by your veterinarian.  These exams give your veterinarian the opportunity to catch and delay the onset or progression of many problems, such as osteoarthritis and cognitive dysfunction.

In addition to a good physical, laboratory testing through blood work (CBC & Chemical Profile), intestinal parasite check and a urine analysis can give your veterinarian a picture of what is going on inside your pet that cannot be measured through a general physical examination.  These tests warns you and your veterinarian of potential problems since as anemia, infection, kidney and liver disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism, etc.

The old saying, 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' is never so true as it is for our older pet family members.  Check out this link for great helpful information on how to help your senior pet.  http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?art_key=1973ee87-a0d7-4f77-a930-1824ffcf8eda

Freedom of the Road?

As I drive through our little rural community, it is a common occurrence to see a farm/ranch dog riding in the back of a truck, ears flapping in the breeze.  Admittedly, I have even allowed my dogs to ride in the back of my turck.  As I was growing up, I remember an uncle of mine whose dog went everywhere with him, riding on top of the cab of the truck.  My uncle even had a carpet installed on the roof of the truck so the dog could dig in for the trip down the road.  It always seemed the dog enjoyed it.  As a veterinarian, I cringe when I see this now.  Over the years I have tended to many farm dogs that have jumped out of a moving truck and broken legs, peeled skin from their bodies and even died from their injuries.

Dogs riding unsecured in the bed of a truck are at risk of injury if they should jump from the bed, or thrown from the truck due to sudden stops or accidents.  I have seen some owners tether their dogs in the bed with the belief that this is safer for their dog.  Tethered dogs risk tangling, choking or being drug or hung from the truck.

Many states have banned traveling with dogs in the truck bed or require they be secured.  How can you help protect your dog in the bed of your truck?  If you use a tether, be sure that it is short enough to keep the front and hind legs of the dog within the truck and supply your dog with a tractable surface to allow the dog to remain easily within the range of the tether while the truck is in  motion.  Dogs may be confined in a secure cage/kennel, but attention must be paid to ensure appropriate space to allow the dog to stand up and lie down, but not enough that the dog may be thrown from one side of the crate to the other.  Good ventilation and protection from the elements should also be considered as you purchase a kennel for your dog.  Enclosures in the truck bed may accumulate toxic carbon monoxide and also work as an 'oven' on hot days.

If your dog rides in the cab with you,  your dog is subject to the same risks as a human passenger.  A safety harness can limit your dog's ability to distract or interfere with the driver and may minimize injuries to both in the even of an accident.

Please be aware of your dog's safety as  you travel.

Fishing for Dogs?

Last night's rain made it nice to wake up to such a cool morning.  After rounds, Meade and I enjoyed a nice walk and then back home to enjoy brunch with Bruce.  I am not the only one out enjoying the wonderful cool day.  A few are out on the lakes and ponds enjoying some fishing.  How do I know?  Because somebody caught one!...a dog fish!  This fish's name is Cowboy.

If you look closely you can see the nice fish hook that Cowboy swallowed.  Cowboy was pretty excited a
bout it.  So what to do next....

Rather than wait to see if this too would pass, it was decided to go to surgery and remove it.  So off to surgery we go!

In addition to finding the hook in Cowboy's stomach, I also found that Cowboy had sausage for breakfast! LOL

The surgery was a success and Cowboy woke up no worse for the wear.

So what did we learn from this adventure?  Our dogs are great companions while fishing, but they are attracted to shiny thing and the nice smell of fish bait (with or without hook).  Dog's will eat anything that resembles food.

If a fishhook becomes embedded in your dog's paw, mouth, or is swallowed it requires special care.  I do not recommend attempting to remove it by yourself, as you can cause severe damage to you and your dog!  They can be difficult to remove without sedation even if in a paw or lip.  If swallowed endoscopy or surgery may be needed.  Excessive damage can be caused if you pull on the fishing line and hook if the hook is embedded in the esophagus or the stomach is torn.  If you see fishing line hanging out of your pet's mouth, never pull on it and call your veterinarian immediately.

Moral of the story, be very aware of where your dog is while you are fishing.  Never leave baited hooks unattended.  Keep unused tackle and bait covered.  And before you go fishing again, you might want to work on teaching your dog the command "Leave it".

So what kind of bait do you use when you go fishing for Shih Tzus?