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The Top 5 Emergencies Vets See on the Fourth of July

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Backyard barbecues, pool parties, picnics and fireworks shows might be fun for us humans on the Fourth of July holiday, but, we know they are not necessarily a good time for our pets. There are so many hazards related to the holiday that we decided to ask the veterinary professionals in the Uncharted Veterinary Conference Community to tell help us narrow down the list to the issues they see the most in practice. We also asked them to tell us the number one thing they wished pet owners knew about pets and the holiday. Here’s what they told us:

5. Your dog does not want to go see the fireworks.

Even the calmest dog isn’t going to enjoy hearing loud explosions in an unfamiliar environment. “I had to tell my mom that her dog did not, in fact, want to watch the fireworks! That made me realize how many things that seem obvious to me, do not seem that way to the general public.” – Anonymous

4. You’re asking for a dog fight.

Perhaps your dog is well-socialized and the life of the party, but that doesn’t mean other dogs at the picnic will be on their best behavior. Emergency veterinarian, Emily M. Tincher, says her clinic sees a lot of problems from dog fights from family and friends bringing dogs over. It’s best for everyone (and every pet) involved if you leave Fido home.

3. Watch what your pets eat.

Director of operations, Lee Allen, says they see a lot of dietary indiscretion problems on the Fourth. It’s no surprise with all of the ribs, chicken and other potentially harmful food served on the holiday. Tincher says they see “a lot of corn cob foreign bodies” in their emergency room, too.

2. Lost pets with no identification.

Many of the vets we polled said lost pets with no collars, tags or microchips is a huge problem for them on the holiday. Often when they do have microchips they aren’t registered. There are many reason dogs and cats get scared on the fourth and might try to escape. Be sure you have their collars and tags on, and offer them a safe place.

1. Last minute calls for medication to help noise phobia.

The number one piece of advice the majority of vet want owners to know is that they can help your pet deal with their fear of noises from fireworks, but it requires a prescription. Don’t wait until the last minute to call your vet. Plan ahead and let your vet help your pet have a more relaxed and comfortable holiday.

Uncharted member and veterinary practice manager Carol Hurst offers some great advice for pet owners,” They should put some sort of plan in place for their pet. Whether that means a cozy place to sleep, toys or treats to take their mind off of things, a nice long walk/jog or playtime during the day so they are nice and tired,” says Hurst.

The Fourth of July doesn’t have to be torture for anxious pets. Get help early and get a plan in place to keep them safe and happy.

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.

A Vet’s Guide to a Better Life For Your Cat

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You have decided to adopt an adorable spawn from hell otherwise known as a cat (I kid!). Cats are amazing, but also very complicated. Many people obtain cats through friends or rescues, but may not truly know what goes into cat ownership.

As veterinarians, we often only see cats for end-of-life care. Many times we don’t get to guide owners regarding behavior, vaccinations, abnormal habits, etc. It’s tough to see an animal that could have been helped sooner, but the owners were unaware of the options. If you are thinking of adopting, know someone who is adopting, already have a cat, and are concerned about its quality of life, or just want to learn something new then this article might be for you.

Cats are not small dogs. Let’s say it again – cats are not small dogs. Once people realize this it makes it easier to acknowledge their differences and what goes into cat ownership. If treated like a dog, you might have some behavioral issues to deal with or even miss out on the subtle way cats show you they aren’t feeling well. While a dog can easily miss a meal and recover quickly, one missed meal for a cat can mean a variety of things and needs to be acknowledged in a timely manner. While dogs crave attention from their owners, cats can be more independent and need more space to do their own thing – think hiding spaces and cat trees. Dogs enjoy walks outside and sniffing new things while cats… well, sometimes they enjoy that too.

The first few months of a kitten’s life are an ideal time to bond with you and with the veterinary clinic of your choice. Many people skip this step entirely and wait until they can take their kitten to a spay/neuter clinic to have them altered and a rabies vaccine is given. Although this is a great option for people who cannot afford regular care, it doesn’t help much with socialization and fears that can become ingrained at an early age.

We typically like to see kittens for the first time at eight weeks of age to start on vaccinations, deworming, and general socialization. For the next couple of months, the kittens will come in for visits to get used to being in a carrier, being around other people, and will be monitored for health issues. This is also the perfect time for us veterinarians to discuss the lifestyle you plan on giving your new kitten – outdoor, mixed, or indoor only. Many people do not realize that even indoor cats are at high risk for fleas, mosquitoes, flies, and roaches, which can carry some nasty diseases.

If you plan on obtaining a kitten or cat, identification is a good idea. Many owners do not realize that their little bundles of joy can escape and more than 90-percent of cats in the U.S. do not have identification whether it be a collar or ID chip. Starting early it is always a good idea to get a kitten or cat used to a collar and making sure it is a safe quick-release collar is key. If your cat or kitten will not accept a collar then permanent ID chips can be done during spay/neuter. That way if they get lost it is easy to ID them. Even if you plan on keeping your cat indoors they might have other plans and go rogue so make sure there is an easy way to identify them if they get lost.

More than half of shelter-surrendered cats are surrendered because owners’ expectations do not line up with how the cat is acting. Owners think that cats are being spiteful when they urinate on their bed when in reality it might be a behavioral issue or medical problem. Many times these cats do not get spayed/neutered at the appropriate time and can start having aggression issues or urination issues. The more cats you put into a household the more it can create a hostile environment that may also start to create more issues at home.

If you have multiple cats, but only one litterbox you are setting yourself up for frustration. The usual rule is one litterbox per cat, plus an additional litterbox. If your litterboxes are in places your cats do not like going into or are guarded by the other animals in the house then your cats may start peeing or pooping in inappropriate areas. Also, think about your older cats – do they have to go down into the basement to use a litterbox? If so they might have a hard time due to arthritic issues.

I am often brought cats for euthanasia where the owners state, “she just got sick for the last month and it’s not fair for her to live anymore.” While this statement may be true and I don’t want to see animals suffer, the first part is avoidable. Half of the issue is veterinarians can sometimes blow off how important healthcare is to cat owners – it isn’t that we don’t care, but a lot of owners aren’t as receptive to it since it’s “just a cat.”

We as veterinarians need to be better at explaining how important yearly checkups are for your feline friends. But the other half is your responsibility to get your friend to the clinic when it is sick. There are many “dying” cats that could be saved if they were brought in for regular checkups. We don’t want to just see you for end-of-life care. We want to help you, and your cat, have the best life experience possible.

Cats can be complicated creatures but are overall rewarding to own. If you take the appropriate steps many abnormalities or issues can be avoided. If you have a cat or are thinking of getting one, make sure you have a veterinarian you know and trust to discuss cat ownership. Your vet can help you make sure you are providing the best care available so your little feisty devil can give you years of joy. And don’t forget, the stupidest questions are the ones that are never asked, and we always welcome educating owners on their pet care needs.

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.

5 End of Life Myths About Pets – BUSTED

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Veterinary hospice and palliative care is my calling. That isn’t something I ever thought I would say, but there it is. I’ve devoted a large portion of my practice to helping pets at the end of their lives. Along with pets, I also support their people through the worst part of pet ownership. As I’ve spent more and more time with pets at the end of their lives, I keep hearing the same myths and misconceptions. Let’s bust those myths and help our pets stay as happy as possible for as long as possible!

1. They’re not in pain because they’re not crying

This bothers me so much that I started using #DontHaveToCryToHurt on @HHPHospice to try to get the word out. I’ve seen pets walking on broken limbs and not crying. The majority of pets with chronic pain don’t cry. They change their behavior far more often than they complain. They don’t want to jump, they don’t climb stairs, they don’t want to get up, they have accidents.

THEY LIMP. Limping is pain until proven otherwise. If I’m limping, it’s because I hurt. If my foot falls asleep, I do the crazy limping limb-shaking dance because it hurts, even for a short time. If you see your pet limping, please assume they are in pain and take them to the veterinarian for an examination. When in doubt, treat for pain and see if the problem goes away.

2. If pets are eating, they have a good quality of life

Yes, appetite is one of the ways that we assess quality of life. Pets in quite a bit of pain will often still eat. Pets with nausea may try to eat and walk away or only want to eat certain things (like treats!). Many of my patients go to the Rainbow Bridge eating delicious food. It’s not necessary or advisable to wait until they stop eating to say goodbye. If your pet has a decreased or nonexistent appetite, ask your veterinarian to try some medication for nausea. Just like us, pets will refuse to eat rather than eat and vomit.

3. There is a perfect time for euthanasia

I feel so badly for people trying to hit this impossible target. There is no such thing as the “perfect” time. There is a zone between “too early” and “too late” – we try to land somewhere in there. As human beings, that’s the best we can do with patients who can’t tell us for sure when they are ready. With veterinary-guided hospice care, that zone is a far more comfortable place to be. If your pet passes naturally, you have the added benefit of having everything you need to ease any distress they may have. There are veterinarians (like me!) with special training in not only keeping your pet comfortable at the end but also supporting you and your family during this difficult time. You can find them at IAAHPC.org

4. Once a large dog is “down”, it’s time for euthanasia

Well, yes and no. It really depends on a lot of factors. Large dogs are commonly euthanized for end-stage arthritis – when they are too weak and too painful to get up on their own. Sometimes owners help them up or even carry them for a long time before they decide to let go. So many patients I see have never been on pain management, and that’s really a shame. A good pain protocol with several different therapies can be a literal life-saver for these dogs. It’s best to start these treatments early, but some “down” dogs can be given a second chance with the right treatment.

5. Pain medicine is dangerous

We need to stop being afraid to treat patients for pain. I’ve had so many clients tell me they’d rather their pet be in pain than be groggy. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take sleepy over painful any day. Since your pet doesn’t have to drive or go to work, what’s wrong with a temporary increase in sleep? Obviously, if they are staggering around the house or falling face-first into their water dish, we need to make a change. It’s hard to see your pet lethargic or “acting like a zombie”, but letting them suffer in silence is far worse. In many cases, this lethargy is temporary and well worth the reward of having your pet happy and comfortable.

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) are a mainstay for the treatment of arthritis. Like any drug, they can have side effects. Damage to the kidneys, liver, or gut is possible. These aren’t inevitable complications nor are they always irreversible. Working closely with your veterinarian and paying attention to changes in your pet can allow you to use these drugs safely for the benefit of your beloved companion.

The field of veterinary hospice and palliative care is growing, and with that growth comes the opportunity to give our pets a longer, happier life. Pet owners and veterinary teams need to jump on the bandwagon of providing excellent end-of-life care. Our pets are worth it!

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.

Do You Know the Tick Season Myths?

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When the topic of heartworm and flea/tick preventatives comes up during an appointment, sometimes it feels like there’s an elephant in the room.

Often at this time of year, with talk of blizzards, cyclones, and polar vortexes, the answer to the question, “Do you need more flea-tick or heartworm preventatives?” is something like: “No, we’re good for a couple months.” or maybe it’s just a pleasant nod and a hastily mumbled “Yup.”

But is fall and winter really a reason to stop using preventatives? Is it worth saving money by saving doses? We are often accused in veterinary medicine of pushing products people don’t really need and especially now when we “don’t really need them.”

I have had dog owners tell me point blank that “everyone” knows ticks aren’t a problem from about September until April. According to a 2017 article in Parasites and Vectors that gathered data from over 500 clients, an average of only six months worth of flea and tick prevention was used over the course of a year for their dogs. This equates to use from about April to October or May to November. Sound familiar? It’s tick season, right?

Well, following are a couple myths I will debunk to suggest reconsidering the idea of “tick season”:

1. When the first killing frost comes in the Fall, all the ticks (and other insects) are all dead until Spring

My mom, a Master Gardener (a group at high risk for tick-borne diseases), attended a tick symposium. The main speaker described literally putting a tick into an ice cube tray filled with water and putting it in the freezer. Later, the ice cube containing the tick was removed and placed at room temperature. Once the ice cube melted, the tick simply crawled away to go back about its business.

If it’s above freezing for more than one day, I have seen ticks come right back out of their “hibernation” and go right back to business. Last year, I pulled three ticks off a dog in the middle of February during a warm stretch.

2. Ticks are seasonal, like birds. When Fall comes, they go “somewhere”.

Many people seem to feel that once the days get shorter and those Halloween decorations come out or people start shopping for Thanksgiving turkeys, that ticks kind of pack up their stuff and either go vacation somewhere warmer, or go bury themselves in a hole for a couple of months. But ticks don’t have any concept about seasons, or holidays. They have no idea what month it is. What they adapt to is ambient temperature.

I live in the Washington D.C. area and in our region, the ambient temperature varies quite a lot from fall into spring. In early January, temperatures were in the single digits for a whole week. However, once the polar vortex ran its course, we had about two days of balmy weather. When I drove to work one morning, only two days after scraping ice off my car, it was 60 degrees! (And a client told me that very day she didn’t need more preventatives because “it’s winter.”)

3. My dog doesn’t really go outside much during the winter so there’s no risk for ticks.

When I worked for a boarding kennel on the weekends as a teenager, I remember hosing down dog runs and finding plump, engorged ticks by the dozens trying to scramble along the drainage grate. While it might have been frigid outside, it was a balmy 75 and humid in the kennel, with plenty of warm bodies and clearly no preventatives given to deter them.

Playing the Game

We have a hard enough time accurately predicting the weather, so If you try to play the game of predicting when flea and tick season starts and ends, it’s a game you will eventually lose.

Lyme disease is the most common infectious disease I diagnose and every time I do, the owner is genuinely surprised. However, when I ask some questions, there’s always a gap somewhere, whether in preventatives or the vaccine interval.

I think many new cases of tick-borne diseases, like Lyme, occur during those transition periods between seasons, and during colder months when there are stretches of not-so-cold weather and people let their guard down. And remember, ticks infect people too, so don’t let your own guard down either.

So please, we’re not after your money. Unless you can guarantee me that it stays below freezing where you live every single day for six months, there really are good reasons to keep your pets on flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives year-round.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Chris Vanderhoof is a 2013 graduate of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) at Virginia Tech, where he also earned a Masters in Public Health. He completed a rotating internship with Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey and now works as a general practitioner in the Washington D.C. area.

Dr. Vanderhoof is also a copywriter specializing in the animal health field and founder of Paramount Animal Health Writing Solutions, which can be found at www.animalhealthcopywriter.com. Dr. Vanderhoof lives in the Northern Virginia area with his wife, daughter, and 3 cats.

Why You Should Consider “Drastic” Measures for Your Pet’s Cancer

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I hate osteosarcoma. This bone cancer is a cause of major pain for pets and heartbreak for their owners. Many dogs with osteosarcoma have a greatly improved prognosis with limb amputation.

However, the word “amputation” sends owners into a tailspin, and for good reason. They either have personal experience or they watch TV shows and movies where humans have amputation performed. Then they watch the amputee suffering through the mental and physical trauma as they adjust to missing a limb.

No one wants that for their beloved pet. What they don’t realize is that animals adjust rapidly in most cases. The pain they experienced in the cancerous limb is much worse than the healing pain of the amputation. My biggest problem with leg amputation is trying to keep my patients from running around while it heals!

In some cases, amputation is curative. Please, please read that again. Cancer can be CURED with amputation of a limb. Death can be warded off for months or even years in cases where a cure isn’t possible. Most importantly, quality of life can be restored to an acceptable level once the offending part is removed.

There are some cases where an amputation may not be the best choice. Pets whose cancer has spread can benefit from removal of the pain, but the cost of the procedure in relation to time left with good quality of life must be considered. If a pet has severe arthritis in their other limbs, removing one puts more pressure on the others.

However, with joint supplements and proper pain control, this may still be an option. I am still surprised and sad to see so many pets at the end of their lives that have never had any pain relief at all for their arthritis, but I digress.

When I worked in the shelter, I performed a large number of amputations. We didn’t have the funds to have fracture repairs done on pets. Amputation of a fractured limb was our only option. Animals with eye trauma or disease had eye removal (enucleation) performed. I vividly remember one of my enucleation cats rubbing her eye stitches against my hand while purring just a few hours after surgery!

If amputation isn’t an option for you, I completely respect your choice. I just want to make sure you are making a well-informed choice instead of having a knee-jerk response to the word “amputation”.

I’d hate for you and your pet to miss out on quality time together. If you have fears about the procedure, ask your veterinarian or veterinary nurse about their experiences (odds are, they’ve not only created tripods, they’ve owned them!).

This was my tripod, Jambie. He was injured badly as a kitten, and I amputated his leg. I was a young vet and terrified to perform the procedure, especially on such a small patient. He did extremely well. Sadly, I only had him for 3 years before a urinary problem from the trauma of the accident took him from me.

Still, I’m happy we got to love each other for 3 years and am grateful my boss was generous enough to allow me to operate on him. I took him home with me the night of his surgery to watch and worry over him, and he never left!  If you have a tripod (or tripawd), please share their story so we can save more lives and get more time with our pets because of this procedure. Don’t let fear steal your pet early!

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.

Sometimes, Bad Things Happen. It’s Not Your Fault.

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It happens all the time – the receptionist takes a phone call about a patient not doing well after surgery. Maybe they aren’t eating, maybe they chewed at their incision line, maybe they need more pain medications.

Regardless of what the issue is, I always get that sinking feeling in my gut: What did I do wrong? My default is to always blame myself and I feel sick until I see the patient and know they are going to be fine.  A couple of years ago, I joined a Facebook group for veterinarians. A lot of vets posted when cases didn’t go well and I started to notice a common theme – they blamed themselves as well.

The first few times I read these posts, I felt relief –it’s normal to blame ourselves. But when I looked at the case from another perspective, I saw vets torturing themselves for things that were beyond their control. Some were facing depression or considering leaving the field. I wanted to write something to encourage them when things go wrong, to tell them that’s not their fault. To tell them to learn from what happened but realize they are still great doctors and to move on. I knew the article needed to be written, but I couldn’t find the right words.

Then it happened to me. I performed surgery on one of my best client’s dogs. Things went well initially, but over the weekend, the dog ended up at the emergency clinic with septic peritonitis and almost died. When I heard, I was devastated! I immediately blamed myself and convinced myself that I had almost killed this dog. There were multiple factors that lead to the dog’s decline, most of which were out of my control.

But I couldn’t see that. I could only see my role and what I may have done wrong. I kept replaying the case over and over in my head. The what ifs went through my head: What if I had done the surgery sooner. What if I had referred it somewhere else. What if I had flushed the abdomen one more time. What if I had done the surgery quicker. What if I would have stood up to the client and insisted she follow my post-op recommendations. What if I’m just not good enough.

In my head, I tried to convince myself I was still a good veterinarian. I thought of the times when clients have said to me things like “Thank you for saving Buddy’s life last year!” Most of the time, I don’t even remember the life-saving procedure until I read the patient’s record. It becomes routine when the patient makes a full and unremarkable recovery.  I knew that I had many cases where the clients saw me as the hero, but I couldn’t remember them. All I could think is that I was to blame for this patient and I didn’t deserve to be a veterinarian anymore.

I needed support so I turned to my online veterinary friends in a Facebook post.

I received many words of encouragement, but Dr. Ryan Llera had the right words that took me out of my negative spiral:

“You shouldn’t beat yourself up. Sometimes things go wrong and I revert to some of the rules of vet med (as taught to me by some awesome mentors 20 years ago): 1) No matter what happens or what you do, things are going to die or not do well. 2) Unless you’re God, you don’t get to change rule #1. For any of us, by feeling sadness over losing a patient, it shows that we haven’t lost our humanity. You can always question the “what ifs” but at the end, remember you’ve helped more animals than you’ve lost. You’ve given hope and happiness to more people than have become sad over losing a pet in your care. I think the good outweighs the bad and that’s the part we have to remember.”

When I read those words, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off of me. It wasn’t my fault. I did all I could for my patient. Sometimes things go wrong, despite our best effort. We are not working in a laboratory with predictable conditions. We are treating living, breathing animals who are all different. They heal at different rates. They react differently to suture and medications. Their activity and post-operative care cannot always be controlled despite our best efforts.

Even when everything seems right, sometimes things go wrong. I have heard that 1% of enterotomies fail for no obvious reason. All we can do is our best and learn from each case.

A few weeks ago, I had another case where a dog didn’t recover well from surgery and was euthanized five days post-op. To make it worse, it was my technician’s dog. It was a hard case for everyone involved and we were all heartbroken. But this time, I didn’t blame myself. I looked at the case objectively – I had done my very best for the patient and despite that, he didn’t heal. He had underlying issues that affected his recovery, issues that were not my fault and could not have been prevented.

Unfortunately, these issues lead to his death. I am sad for the loss of my patient, but I know that I am still a good veterinarian. I will continue to do all I can to improve the health and life of all the animals under my care. When the outcome is not what I want, I will learn from the case and move on, doing my best not to blame myself. I hope that all of my colleagues reading this will do the same.

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.