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Adopt a Senior Pet Month: For the Love of Mable

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When I was in my second year of my veterinary technician program, we received a new group of dogs from one of our shelter partners. To my surprise, amongst all the loveable mutts was a purebred Rough Collie. I had fallen in love with the breed when I was a kennel student at the first practice I worked at, having treated one Rough Collie for several weeks and becoming completely smitten with his gentle and kind attitude.   

Her name was Mable. According to the shelter, she was 8 years old and not spayed. She looked as old as dirt and was about the same color. I brought her out of her kennel and began quietly brushing out her matted coat, dismayed to find multiple large mammary masses and evidence of tapeworms in her tail. Seeing what kind of conditions she must have endured before ending up in the shelter, I vowed to spoil Mable and turn her into a beautiful, clean dog that would catch an adopter’s eye. 

Mable stayed at my school for twice as long as the other dogs. We made sure she was vaccinated, dewormed and got her healthy enough for surgery. She was spayed and had about half of her mammary tumors removed – there were too many to remove in a single procedure.  The masses were sent away for histopathology, and I knew the odds were not going to be in Mable’s favor. She was nearing the end of her stay, and because of the likelihood that she had cancer, no one had applied to adopt her. She was the perfect dog – calm, affectionate, good with cats and dogs, friendly to all people, fully housetrained and never barked. I realized Mable’s future had two outcomes: either she had cancer and wouldn’t live much longer, or she didn’t have cancer and would live a few more years. Two days before the shelter was due to pick her up, I submitted my application (much to the displeasure of my parents). I was approved to adopt her, and she came home with me at the end of the week. 

Mable experienced so many “firsts” during her initial months with me. She learned about stairs, and stove timers, about dog beds and car rides and how to walk on a leash. She learned basic commands, very slowly, and even learned to wave her paw for attention. The rescue had informed me of the abusive nature of her previous home, but Mable had a resilient disposition and was quite happy to learn that not all people were bad.  

Mable was my first dog. We got to spend exactly two years and four months together. She was not a young dog when I adopted her, and good care couldn’t undo the neglect she had suffered prior to her rescue. Old age came for Mable sooner than it should have, and I realized that there wasn’t anything I could do to fix her. All the medicine available to us couldn’t repair her arthritic joints, and I knew it was my duty to ease her suffering. On our last day together I put her in the car and we drove to the best burger joint in town. I bought a cheeseburger and vanilla ice cream, and we went to the lake to eat. I thought Mable’s eyes were going to fall out of her head when she realized the food was for her! She ate and I cried, and when we were done we went to that practice where I had met my first Rough Collie. We lay down on the floor together, and I held her close, whispering in her ear about what a Good Dog she was.  

It has been seven years since Mable passed, and I still cry when I think of the fond memories. One day, when I’m ready, I will adopt another senior dog in her honor.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Courtney lives in Ontario, Canada. She is a 2013 graduate of Georgian College’s Veterinary Technician program and has been a Registered Veterinary Technician since 2015. Courtney has been working in small animal hospitals since 2006 when she got her start as a kennel student. She is passionate about nutrition and preventive medicine. Courtney shares her home with one dog, two cats and a continual stream of foster kittens.

The Greatest Act of Kindness

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We had been on vacation, the husband and I. It was January. We love snow. So, to Minnesota, we went. It was good to be away from work, the gaggle of dogs and cats we had accumulated (and loved with all of our beings), post-Christmas children and un-decorating, etc. It was just nice and quiet. 

The first day back at work came fast and furious. Surgeries, hospitalized cases, cases that had been ongoing when I left ten days earlier, appointments… Back to the everyday. A renal failure cat, an aggressive boxer vaccination appointment, an ACL repair. A beagle had been brought in the night before at close. The owners left to get a deposit to treat but never came back to sign papers to allow us to treat her. So, here she was, essentially a stray, but with someone who claimed ownership.  

This one was a mess. She was mauled by the much larger dogs that she was chained to a tree with. They all had their own dog houses, but they were fed together. She had been attacked a week prior. She pulled herself into the back of the dog house that she has grown up in and they just thought she would “pass on her own.” Every day they would go out to see if she had died. On the last day, Tuesday, they realized she was still alive, so they let her sleep inside that night. At the end of the day on Wednesday, they brought her in for us to treat. And abandoned her. 

She had penetrating abdominal wounds. She was laterally recumbent and in septic shock. A catheter was placed. IV antibiotics and fluids were initiated. Pain medications were given. Over the next few days she was medicated, wounds cleaned, rotated and warmed. She had fleas, in January, and was in heat.  

We were not a 24-hour facility. Our doc, the owner, went to the address that was given to us to look for the owner to get permission to keep her. You see, she was responsive but weak. She could make it with treatment, so he could not justify putting her down. But he needed permission to do SOMETHING. She had an owner. We needed permission to move forward. In the meantime, I would come in every morning and hope she had passed peacefully in her sleep. She suffered more than any animal I had seen to that point in my career. We could not euthanize, we could only triage for five days and then make that call.  

On Sunday I went with my husband to clean her wounds. She had not even attempted to eat. We brought leftovers, lunch meat and hotdogs. I prepped her cleaning supplies, got her meds together. Ultimately I was preparing myself for the awful, weak whimpers she would make when I cleaned her wounds. I went to get her out of her kennel and my husband was laying on the floor feeding her hotdogs. She was sternal and eating. It was unreal.  

Two days later, two weeks after she had been attacked, a young man came in and asked if a young beagle had been brought in deceased. His mom told him his dog was mauled and died and he wanted the truth. The truth was that she was not dead and was actually doing better than when she arrived. I took him back to see if it was her. It was. Other than the hotdogs, it was the happiest I had seen her. She sat up, wagged her tail. I asked what her name was. The woman who dropped her off told us she wasn’t sure, maybe “Baby.” He agreed. He thinks they call her “Baby Girl.” I asked where he intended to keep her because she could not go back to that tree. The tree where she almost died. She had open wounds. She needed reconstructive surgeries. At that moment, that very selfless moment, he realized that the best thing he could do for her was to give her up. To give her a better life. To give her a chance. She was truly loved by this kid. I believe she is still loved by him.  

The greatest act of kindness I have ever experienced, in 23 years, is for this young man to sign over the “Baby Girl” that we now call Weezie. And, 16 years later, we are still thankful.   

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tynette DeLonjay is a Registered Veterinary Technician in St. Louis, Mo. She has been in practice for 20+ years in small animal general practice with a brief stint in specialty neurology. She is thankful for every kindness over the years, but this one, this one is special.

Caring for Itchy Dogs This Allergy Season

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Sponsored content from Zoetis Petcare

Allergic dermatitis is the number one reason why owners bring their dogs to the veterinarian, yet many pet owners are not aware that their pets can get allergies, and don’t realize that there is an underlying medical issue that’s causing their dog to itch. With August being the peak of allergy season, Zoetis Petcare is proud to have launched the inaugural Itchy Pet Awareness Month to bring attention to how itching can negatively impact a pet – and owner’s – quality of life. As veterinary professionals, it’s our job to protect that pet-owner bond, provide itch relief through effective treatment and get life back to normal as soon as possible. We hope Itchy Pet Awareness Month helps do just this. 

Veterinarians need to get dog owners past the thought that constant or even intermittent itching or scratching is their dog “just being their dog” – because if left untreated, itch can begin to impact the day-to-day lives of dogs and owners, and may progress to become something more serious that could be increasingly difficult to manage. I strongly encourage veterinarians to discuss general skin and coat health at wellness exams, and when there is any indication of pruritic behavior, make it a point for active discussion and investigation; don’t let the early subtle signs go unattended. 

To ensure the appointment is as efficient as possible, it’s important that every member of the veterinary team knows their specific and unique role for the patient visit, from the first phone call to the check out after the appointment. Remember that pet owners don’t want to answer the same questions over and over, so consider these tips on how the larger team can be used to add depth to the visit, to better inform the veterinarian, resulting in a work-up with the best possible outcomes. 

• Receptionists are often the first point of contact for our clients. Receptionists should reassure the pet owner that they have done the right thing by coming for an exam, and have the pet owner complete an intake form to help the team understand the cause of itch. 

• Technicians have a responsibility to review the intake form with the pet owner and gather a more detailed history including signs of allergic itch beyond scratching. Start the conversation about skin health to help identify itchy dog behavior. Technicians can also connect with the pet owner to gain clarity on how the itch is affecting them and their dog. Ask questions like, “Is the itch getting in the way of normal activities and your time with your dog?”

Technicians also have an opportunity to educate pet owners on the value of the diagnostic work-up and what to expect. They may also assist the veterinarian in diagnostics and provide the pet owner with positive reinforcement of work-up findings.

• Veterinarians engage the pet owner in a deeper discussion of history and stress the importance and value of a full diagnostic workup to understand the cause of the issue and to identify specific treatments for long-term solutions. They can further reassure the pet owner that the entire team is committed to providing their pet with relief from the itch.

Even during wellness visits, it’s important to not ignore those mild early signs – redness of the ear canals or between the toes, or the dog that scratches or chews on itself in the exam room. When discussing pruritic behavior, as soon as it is obvious that the problem has persisted for several weeks, or is recurrent, we need to impress upon the pet owner the importance and value of a diagnostic workup, to understand the cause of the issue and to identify specific treatments for long-term solutions. If we don’t complete a full diagnostic workup, then we are left with fire engine medicine: short-term solutions that can put pet owners and dogs on an emotional rollercoaster.

Oftentimes, allergies cannot be cured. However, pet owners need to know that there are great treatment options, like APOQUEL® (oclacitinib tablet) or CYTOPOINT®, that veterinarians can provide that are specifically designated to relieve their dog’s itch and inflammation. These treatments go beyond at-home treatments like lotions, shampoos and antihistamines that may not provide the much-needed relief to their dog. Relief of itch is so important to maintain a positive quality of life for the pet and their owner.

This allergy season, clinics can implement activities to impress upon owners the importance of finding effective treatment for their itchy dog. By visiting www.ScienceofStrongerBonds.com/Resources, you can download helpful resources for your practice to help spread the message on recognizing and treating allergic itch effectively. 

APOQUEL IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Do not use APOQUEL in dogs less than 12 months of age or those with serious infections. APOQUEL may increase the chances of developing serious infections and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or pre-existing cancers to get worse. APOQUEL has not been tested in dogs receiving some medications including some commonly used to treat skin conditions such as corticosteroids and cyclosporine. Do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. Most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. APOQUEL has been used safely with many common medications including parasiticides, antibiotics and vaccines. For more information, please see the full Prescribing Information at https://www.apoqueldogs.com/apoquel_pi.pdf.

CYTOPOINT has been shown to be effective for the treatment of dogs against allergic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy Hillier is from South Africa where he went to veterinary school. He spent 8 years in small animal practice in South Africa and Australia before going to the University of Florida to complete a residency in dermatology. He was on faculty at Ohio State University for 17 years, becoming a full professor and head of the Dermatology and Otology Service before joining Zoetis in May 2013 as a senior veterinary specialist. He now serves as the Veterinary Specialty Operations and Veterinary Medical Lead – Dermatology for Zoetis Petcare.

Coping With An Unknown Diagnosis

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As an ER veterinarian, I have become quite skilled at quickly assessing an animal and coming up with a plan to begin patient stabilization. Unfortunately, this does not mean that I always know exactly what the underlying cause of each patient’s illness is. If a situation arises when a diagnosis has not been reached, it may be upsetting for the pet owner, but also affects me, the veterinarian.

Imagine the following scenario: Concerned owners bring a sick cat to the emergency room because she has been acting abnormally lately. Examination reveals a high fever and some lethargy but little else. We proceed with a blood panel, urine sample and X-rays and still, there is no concrete diagnosis. The owners have now spent hundreds of dollars and, while we have ruled out many possible causes for the cat’s fever, it feels to them like we have done nothing productive. How would you feel in this situation? If you answered annoyed, aggravated, frustrated, worried or any other synonym for just plain unhappy — I am with you! Welcome to the realities of medicine.

Human or animal, medicine is imperfect. Yes, there are plenty of times when an examination and history on a patient, combined with the basic diagnostics that are available to us in an ER setting, may lead to a final diagnosis. But there are also numerous times, possibly even more times, when a clear diagnosis cannot be reached. This may be because the test required to interpret the cause of illness for the pet has not yet been tried. For example, we have not performed an ultrasound or perhaps advanced imaging like an MRI. Or it may be because the animal may have something that can be very hard to diagnose with certainties such as a viral response or behavioral-based anomaly. Whatever the case may be, a lack of diagnosis leads to feelings of frustration.  

In these moments when we have exhausted our readily available modes of diagnosis and have still not solved the mystery of the cause of the clinical signs, a feeling of frustration is fully justified. And believe me when I say that those feelings are felt by me as well. As a veterinarian, I feel it is my duty to give each and every animal my all and do everything that I can to put together the pieces of the puzzle that is each animal’s illness.  Unfortunately I, like many in my field, also struggle with attempts to hold back feelings of inadequacy in those moments. Maybe I am missing something? Maybe there is a hint on physical examination or history that I neglected? Maybe if I had another tool at my disposal I could solve this? Maybe someone “smarter” could figure this out? Well, maybe! But maybe not! As a veterinarian, and as a person, I try to do my very best. And in those situations, despite not having all the answers, I always come up with a plan to help the animal by stabilizing, increasing comfort, and then determining how best to move forward towards obtaining a concrete diagnosis.  

Medicine is imperfect, even under the best of circumstances. But rest assured that while I, your emergency veterinarian, may be unable to provide you with an exact diagnosis at the time of your pet’s presentation, I will do everything in my power to help your pet by controlling the pain, alleviating discomfort, treating the clinical signs and stabilizing him/her, as best I can. If the situation necessitates obtaining additional information, I will discuss additional options with you and we will collectively formulate a plan. Not every question can be answered. But, rest assured, in those moments of frustration that stem from a diagnosis that has not been achieved, we are all in this together. 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Chivvis is a 2011 Iowa state graduate and emergency veterinarian in Roanoke, Virginia. She completed undergraduate studies in Massachusetts and moved to Iowa for veterinary school and an additional 1 year Small Animal Rotating internship. Dr. Chivvis is strictly an emergency veterinarian, who treats dogs and cats, and strives to provide her patients the highest level of care as well as communicate with, and support, their human families. 

Giving Our Patients the Best of Both Worlds

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I was sitting on the exam room floor with Lucy, a 13-year-old black Labrador Retriever. Her eyes darted from her mom, then to me, and back to her mom as we talked, her tail gently wagged every time her name was mentioned, making soft thudding noises on the floor. Mom was holding back tears when she said, “Isn’t there anything else you can do for her?”

Lucy had severe arthritis that limited her mobility. She could barely get up and when she moved, it was with great difficulty. We knew she was in pain and we tried medications, but we couldn’t get the result that we hoped for. We also decided together not to pursue treatments that were overly intrusive. But Lucy loved life – she loved being around her family and following them around to see what was going on with everyone. Her health was good otherwise, but her arthritis was causing significant quality of life concerns. I’ve been treating Lucy for years, she was one of my favorite patients. My heart was breaking for her and I wanted to wave a magic wand and cure her debilitating condition. My brain raced to search for all other possibilities that can help with her condition but in a gentle way that was right for her family.

This was the beginning of my journey as an integrative veterinarian – to practice both conventional western medicine and holistic eastern medicine. It started with an overwhelming desire to be able to offer more options for my patients. Two years later I received my certification of veterinary acupuncture and really began to incorporate eastern medicine modalities into my existing western practice. 

Practicing integrative medicine means the best of both worlds to me. I love the advancements of scientific diagnostic tools and treatment modalities that continue to provide specific ways to improve the physical wellbeing of the animals. At the same time, I am a strong advocate for using holistic modalities to heal the body as a whole.  

In my mind, combining both modalities should be a harmonious art, weaving together threads of different practices and philosophies and ultimately creating a fabric of options that are unique for each patient and their circumstances. 

But sometimes, it becomes difficult to blend the worlds of western and eastern medicine. Most troubling to me is how divisive our profession can be when we disagree on the different approaches of patient care.  

For example, what do you think the ideal diet for a pet should be?

This topic has always triggered passionate responses from the pet-loving community. The debates intensified with the recent discovery of problems associated with grain-free diets. 

I can scroll through comments firing off in the veterinary community with colleagues on each side passionately defending their beliefs. But I am often shocked when this escalates to blaming and name-calling. 

If I came into a holistic discussion as a western practitioner, would I be immediately considered as closed-minded and dogmatic? And what if I presented myself in a conventional veterinary forum as a holistic veterinarian, would my colleagues dismiss things I have to say as anecdotal and woo-woo?

At the end of the day, I can’t choose sides. I can’t even see why there are sides. These labels that we place on each other are discrediting all of the hard work we have done to get to where we are. And we are all working towards a common goal of giving our patients the best life possible.

I am not suggesting we can all agree. Our practice of veterinary medicine is our art. An art curated to the unique needs of each patient. We can choose to disagree with a colleague, and we can choose to do so respectfully. We can share more facts, rather than emotions, so others can learn and grow from these lessons. We can put aside our biases, in the name of advancement of knowledge. We can listen.  

What I know, for a fact, is everyone I have met in the veterinary community has the best interests of our patients in mind. I don’t know of another profession that cares so deeply and personally about the work we do. This is an industry of compassion. The compassion and empathy we have for our patients and their families, we can have for each other – because we are all really working towards the same goals. 

As for Lucy at that time, I continued to manage her care as her regular veterinarian with conventional medicine, while another colleague took her on to treat her with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Lucy had the best of both worlds. She had another year and a half of very good life, going on walks and playing outside with her family. These are the things that meant the most to her and her family.   

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lily Chen, DVM, CVA is an integrative veterinarian practicing in Southern California. 

Trust Us, Please

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Everyone who works in the veterinary profession for any amount of time has heard that “vets are only in it for the money” or that we are in cahoots with pet food and pharmaceutical companies and get kickbacks for recommending their products. But those opinions are far from the truth. We know that our clients want their pets to live a happy, long, pain-free life. Well, here’s the big secret, we want that for your pets, too. That is why we do what we do.

When we recommend vaccinations, preventatives, prescription diets and tests for your pet, we do it with your pet’s best interest at heart. The recommendations we make are based on science. We spend numerous years studying veterinary medicine before entering practice, and once we enter practice, we don’t stop learning. We read journals and attend lectures so that we can stay up to date on the most current information on disease information and prevention.

It hurts when our clients trust other sources of information over our recommendations. I’m not saying that we as veterinarians are always right, but we have a lot of education behind the recommendations we make. When I spend a large part of a puppy appointment educating a client on preventive care and all of my recommendations are declined because of what the breeder said, or when I make a thorough dietary recommendation only to have it ignored because the teenager at the pet store said something else, it’s frustrating. When this happens multiple times in a day or a week, it can become demoralizing. 

With the wide use of social media, it is hard to escape this frustration outside of the office. Because we care about your pets, we often find ourselves sharing pet health information on our personal social media pages to help educate our friends and family. And then we get argumentative responses that are based on pure opinion, not science or fact, and get a harsh reminder about how little some people trust us as professionals.

One of the current hot topics on social media is the FDA’s investigation of a link between grain-free, exotic ingredient and boutique foods and dilated cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening heart disease. The FDA recently released an updated report that listed the most common brands they have seen in the reports they have received. Information from this report has been shared widely by the veterinary community and news media. 

While many of my personal friends, family and clients have simply asked for my recommendations on what to feed, I have seen posts on many other veterinarians’ clinic or personal pages that say this is a conspiracy, there’s no real science behind it, or praising the benefits of grain-free diets (without science to back them up). There have been hundreds of cases of diet-related cardiomyopathy, yet many still deny its existence. Many of these are the same people who refuse to use certain preventatives because they saw a news report that the product caused the deaths of a handful of pets, with no actual evidence other than the pet was given the preventative and died shortly after. No, we don’t know the whole story behind diet-related cardiomyopathy, but there are many more cases of this reported and much stronger associations between diet and this disease than there have been between preventatives and death. Science is complicated and there is much work to be done to truly prove causality in either of these situations.

There are ongoing investigations and studies into diet-related cardiomyopathies. We as veterinarians will keep you updated on what we know as the information becomes available. We truly want the best for your pet, but we don’t want to spend our evening at home arguing with you on Facebook.

You don’t have to trust us without question. In fact, I encourage my clients and friends to ask questions about the information I share with them in the exam room and online. Most veterinarians are happy to have a respectful conversation, but, please, don’t just ignore what we say because your breeder, or neighbor or local pet store employee told you something different. The bottom line is that we want you to trust us because we want the same thing you do — a happy, healthy pet who lives the longest possible life. The best health for your pet will only come through a partnership between you and your veterinarian. And that partnership will only work when it is based on mutual trust.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Kate Boatright, a 2013 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, is an associate veterinarian in western Pennsylvania. She practices small animal general practice and emergency medicine with special interests in surgery, internal medicine and feline medicine. She is actively involved in her state and local veterinary medical associations and is a founding member of the VBMA Alumni. She is passionate about the veterinary profession and enjoys educating both members of the profession, students, and clients through writing and speaking.