Regular reader Mary sends in another question.I recently saw a person who means very much to me. This person has two cats. In all the time that I have known this family, they have always taken very good care of their pets, but since they have had children, their cats have been banished to the basement where they are fed from a giant trough. (Before this time, their cats were a reasonable weight.) While I was visiting this person, I got to see the cats. It had been a while since I had seen the animals, but they have become ENORMOUS! I am concerned, because I'm pretty sure these cats have got to be pushing 30 pounds. I don't know how to talk to this person about the unhealthy condition of their pets, or how to urge them to put their cats on a diet. I know they have lots on their plates (pardon...
More "Dog Whispering"
At my favorite neighborhood café, I kindly asked two young ladies if I could give them a short training lesson, after their dominant Chihuahua became aggressive when I introduced myself to him. It seemed he had a combination of dominance, fear, and territorial aggression. After the dog bit my fist (which I made so that fingers would be spared), I quickly put my left index finger around his tiny collar, and constrained him on my lap in this painless manner. After expressing his stinky anal glands and urinating all over me, I used my right hand to gently correct him until he was calm and submissive. The two young ladies were very pleased....
Well, Poop!
Here's a consequence of being in veterinary medicine that nobody seems aware of. When you're around animals on a daily basis you WILL get "stuff" on you. There is literally not a bodily excretion or fluid that I haven't had on me at one time or another. Most of the time you just get used to it since it all washes off. To someone in this profession, it's really not a big deal to get blood, pus, urine, feces, etc. on you. If that kind of thing really bothered you or disgusted you, you simply wouldn't last long.Some days, however, are worse than others. Like today. The very first pet I handled was a dog that had been dropped off to be neutered. And apparently he wasn't too happy about it as he tried to bite my tech. I managed to get ahold of him so that she could put a muzzle on, but...
Emergency Diarrhea
It surprises me how many people consider diarrhea a dire emergency. A pet can be coughing for weeks and I never see them, but they have diarrhea on the owner's floor one time and they're right in. Most of the time these are cases that would resolve on their own, and there isn't really a need to see the vet. However, there are some guidelines to follow, as diarrhea can also indicate some health problems that should be addressed.If your pet has diarrhea for 1-2 days but is otherwise acting normal and eating, it probably doesn't need to be seen. If there is vomiting at the same time and the pet isn't eating, I would definitely recommend a vet visit. If the diarrhea continues for 3 days or more, you should see the vet, even if it turns out to be minor.Most people are highly concerned about...
Sore After Vaccines
Something I always try to tell my clients is that vaccines can cause soreness and lethargy. Unfortunately, some people seem to get very upset if this happens. I occasionally have clients who bring their dogs back to me the day after being given vaccines because their pet is just laying around and not eating. In probably better than 99% of the cases, there is nothing to worry about, and they never needed to come back in the first place. So I thought I would spend a little time telling everyone about this so maybe you won't worry about your own pets and won't bug your vets.When we give a vaccine we are stimulating the immune system. The goal is to create antibodies so that if the pet (or person) is exposed to that disease, their body will be prepared to fight it off. Vaccines stimulate...
Horner's syndrome
.... revisited, again, for the third time. Not that I'm complaining or anything, it seems Horner's is quite common. With over 70 million dogs in the US and 4 million in Canada, I would imagine that a significant number have been afflicted with Horner's syndrome at some point in their life. Have you heard of this syndrome? Has your dog or cat (or you) had Horner's? If so, tell me about it. Any questions? I'll try to help you out the best I can.PS: See my post "Iranian kisses woman's breast," and the comments. By golly, I've been branded a racist.A woman with Horner's syndrome (see previous two posts for photos of cat with Horner's). Addendum:...
Polo horses drop dead
It appears a pharmacy's mixing error is to blame for the death of 21 horses in Florida this week. Many of the horses started dropping like flies at a prestigious Polo Club in Palm Beach. Five horses not given a mixture of vitamins were the only ones that survived. How utterly devastating. While this does not appear to be a deliberate intoxication of the animals, it is nonetheless heart-wrenching. If I can digress: I'd rather see a horse running free in a field than chasing a ball in one.I'm ok with th...
Pet Peeves #5 & 6
I was looking back over my archives, and realized that the last time I talked about some of my pet peeves was way back in November. Well, today I came across a couple more. Both have to do with cheap clients.Number 5: Clients who come in for exams but already know they can't do anything. This really gets me. A client will come in with a sick or injured pet, yet they have absolutely no money to do any diagnostics or treatment. Today I had someone who brought a small dog that had been completely lame on a hind leg for two weeks after being bit by another dog. There was something wrong with the knee and I needed to take x-rays. They couldn't afford to to that, but also didn't want to get any pain medication. All I ended up doing is telling them that their dog had a problem with his left...
Painting
"Guppy," 48 inches X 36 inches, acrylic and mixed media on wood panel.Not vet stuff, sor...
Therapeutic Purrs
Sometimes you just have a hard day, and nothing seems to help you feel better. This afternoon I had two appointments and two walk-in clients in the last hour, all with sick or injured pets. That's always a bit of a stress, as I hate leaving work late. I'm very much a home-body, and really want to get home on time to have at least some time with my kids before they go to bed. Having last-minute clients often delays me, and that makes me frustrated. Then when I came home, I had to take pictures of our pets for a school project of my daughter's. If anyone has ever tried to get pets to pose exactly as you want them, you know how hard this can...
Evil Cell Phones?
It's pretty crazy how our society has changed in the last 10 years. I remember a time with dial phones, no answering machines or voice mail, no cell phones, and no call waiting. If you called someone and they weren't home, you tried calling back at another time. But that's not the way it works anymore. Many people don't have traditional land lines anymore, opting strictly for cell phones (including myself and my wife). Nowadays if you can't get ahold of someone at home, you call their cell phone. If you can't get ahold of them there, you might freak out a little (like happens with members of my wife's family). I couldn't imagine not having my cell phone, yet I also see how it has changed how we act towards each other and how we interact with society.One of the areas that I see it is...
Prolific
Not in the bunny rabbit sense. However, I have been busy painting my butt off the last few weeks. Some of my artwork will be going up at Red Rocket Coffee May 1st. How exciting!Untitled, 36 X 24 inches, acrylic and mixed media on wood pan...
Being A Vet Vs. Having A Life
Here's the last of Jessica's questions (read the last two days). I wanted to post this one separately because it's a great topic of discussion.And finally, I consider myself a mix between introvert and extrovert... but I really value having free time alone and stuff. Does this job take up a lot of your time, so that you don't have any time to NOT think about your job?I'm not sure how much of an issue this is in other professions, but it's a big one for most vets that I've know, myself included. Historically it was common for veterinarians to work 60 hour weeks as a rule, and many older practitioners see nothing wrong with this kind of schedule. However, most people getting into the profession in the last 5-10 years actually want a life outside of work, and so it's more common to emphasize...
Part-Time Vets
Remember yesterday? Here's the next part of Jessica's question.I was also wondering if it's possible to be a part time veterinarian. Only because if I ever get married and have children in the future, it might be hard to be a full time veterinarian at first.Women are now in the majority of veterinarians, and this is changing the business of veterinary medicine. Part of these changes are directly related to Jessica's question. More and more women want to have a family AND a career. Instead of having a full-time job and putting the kids in daycare all of the time, they want to work part-time. So this is definitely not an unreasonable thought.I know many people who are veterinarians and only work part-time. Most of them work 3-4 days per week. This kind of work pattern is in the minority...
Puppies from China
Today the Toronto Star reported that a Toronto woman has spent thousands of dollars bringing seven puppies from China to Canada. Our country (continent actually) has enough rescue organizations which could have used that money to save a few cats and dogs. Perhaps a few fractures could have been repaired on a few Canadian rescue dogs (who will now have to be euthanized)? I am certain that this woman could have expended the same energy to find them a home in China. Of course, most of us are gaga over the (never-ending) sensationalist Star coverage: adorable, happy little puppies in their recent Canadian photo-op. This story and photo likely...
The Viability Of Veterinary Medicine
Here's the first of several questions from a reader, Jessica. She has some good ones that merit discussion so I'll split them up and answer each in turn over the next couple of days.Hi! My name's Jessica and right now I'm eighteen years old, trying to decide my future and all that... haha. I've been considering going into some sort of medicine for some time now, and I think veterinary school would be a good option for me. I've always grown up with animals and loved animals, and I would like to make a difference in animals' lives and in the lives of their owners. So, I've been thinking a lot about being a veterinarian. But I was wondering if you could answer a couple of my questions on it. First... do you think it's easy to find a job and a practice to join right out of veterinary college...
Acromegaly in a cat.
My 14 year-old domestic short-haired cat, Isaac, has been diabetic for a little over a year. He was well-controlled, and even went into diabetic remission, meaning that he was completely off insulin for a few months (cured, essentially).Then he started drinking and urinating more, a clear sign that his glucose (sugar) was high. Chronic stress could lead to insulin resistance, however, this cat is virtually never stressed. He's the coolest cat I've ever met (no bias there). A herd of wildebeest can run through the house and he would not bat an eye. Three dogs were recently brought over to the house while family was here for dinner. Isaac...
...A Beginning
Timing can be a funny thing sometimes. Two days ago, after I made the decision to euthanize Perceval, my wife mentioned that we could get a new kitten. I nixed the idea right away. It was a bit odd to think of doing that so close to Percy's death, and I also wasn't eager to go through the kitten stages again.Yesterday a kitten was found abandoned by a nearby dumpster, and somebody brought him in to be checked over. He was about six weeks old, and overall good condition. He was also a little cutie. We knew the person who brought him in and knew that she was looking for a home for him. All of my techs immediately started trying to get me...
An Ending...
Regular readers may recall my post a few weeks ago about my cat who has been sick. I had narrowed the possibilities to either inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal lymphoma. For the last several weeks I have been treating him for IBD. Unfortunately, he hasn't responded to therapy, and is getting worse. He can't hold down any food, and many days doesn't even want to eat. He is emaciated and down to nothing but skin and bones. His behavior has changed, and he is obviously weaker. At this point I don't have many good choices, and it's killing me to see him waste away and suffer. Tomorrow I am going to take him to work with me and put him to sleep.This is a very hard thing for me, even though I understand the necessity of it. He will be the second pet I have had to euthanize as an...
Foreign Veterinarians In the US
Armando sends in this question that brings up an interesting topic of discussion.I am planning to move to Houston, TX. My girlfriend who graduated from Vet. School in Costa Rica is planning to move with me. She does not have her boards in the States, therefore she can not work as a Vet in the states. Since the move will be for a year tops, then we will move to Costa Rica, we wanted to know if there is any job opportunity for her in the Veterinary field or if there is maybe a course she can take while we are there in order for her to specialize in a section of Veterinary medicine. Is there any possibility of her making an income doing something in the Vet. field? Also if there is, what steps must we take? Thank you very much for your time.There is a pretty extensive process for becoming a veterinarian...
Pet Shop Boys and PETA
Last week, it was reported that PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, had asked the famed 80s British pop band, The Pet Shop Boys, if they would change their name to "The Rescue Shelter Boys."Why not "The Vegan Tofu Granola-Crunchy Boys," or the "I forgot that I'm a Human Living on Planet Earth Boys?"PETA, land your UFO back on solid ground and get the heck back to Earth. Temple Grandin, who has revolutionized the way animals are lead to slaughter, eats meat - have the nutbars at PETA boycotted her books??In addition to many of their other shenanigans, PETA are seeking to have the word fish changed to sea-kitten. This way, it seems,...
The Most Important Day Ever
Today is Easter Sunday, the celebration of Jesus Christ rising from the dead. I think it can be successfully argued that today is a celebration of the most important day in the history of the world. Think that's a merely Christian viewpoint? I would take a position that it's not merely religious.The resurrection of Christ is the linchpin of Christian theology. Yes, we celebrate His birth on Christmas, and that is a much bigger holiday in secular societies than is Easter. But as important as that date was, it is not the most important one. Yes, the fact that Jesus was born and the circumstances of his birth are crucial and we should indeed celebrate it. But if He had been born, lived, and died, that would not have influenced the world in the same way as His resurrection.You see, Christianity...
Recovering From A Vacation
Have you ever come back from a vacation and said that you needed another vacation to recover from the one you just took? I'm kind of feeling like that now. This was the first week-long family vacation we've taken in three years, and one we were all looking forward to. Usually we plan a lot of activities to maximize our time away from home, but this time we planned on just taking it easy and relaxing. All of that was well and good until I managed to either get food poisoning or pick up some nasty gastrointestinal virus. Pretty much the entire day Thursday I spent in our room laying in bed or crouched over the toilet trying to keep my stomach from coming out of my mouth. Yay, me. And even three days later I'm still not completely recovered. That kind of put a major damper in the last...
Hit-and-run
Very sadly, a man driving a pick-up truck struck a rider and her horse in Collingwood, Ontario. The rider sustained minor injuries while her horse did not fare nearly as well. The full extent of what transpired is not known, however, we do know that it was a man in the truck, and that he fled the scene after the incident. Let's hope they catch him.Jessica Ruppel, riding Bella. A brief description of the horse's injuries and the suffering she endured after being hit nearly brought tears to my ey...
Time For Family
The older I get, the more that I realize that my life is not defined by what I do. More and more I tell people that being a vet is what I DO, not who I AM. As much as I enjoy parts of it, it's a job that allows me to support my family and my hobbies, and not something I am disappointed leaving at the end of the day. Unfortunately, I see many people who don't seem to realize this, and put their careers ahead of their loved ones. I used to want more out of my career, but now I want to find more excuses to spend time with my family. It's an often-used phrase and kind of a cliche, but nobody comes to the end of their life wishing they had spent more time at the office.With that in mind, I'm getting ready to spend some well-earned family time. The kids aren't getting any older, and we haven't...
The Humor Of Abscesses
Vets can be a pretty strange group of people. This week I was mentoring a doctor new to our practice, and showing her around. One of my last cases of the day was a cat who had a nasty open wound that the owner had just noticed. When I was done with the exam and was working up the estimate for fixing it, the new doctor and I were talking about it. The conversation went something like this...Me: Just saw a cat abscess. Looks nasty, but the cat is in really good shape and is purring.New Doc: Was it a bite wound?Me: Looks like it. [and I proceed to give her the history] It had already opened and the owner noticed the hole.New Doc: Did you get anything out?Me: Nah, already opened and drained. Too bad.New Doc: Yeah. Me: I haven't seen a good messy cat bite abscess in a long time.New...
Dog Portraits
By now, most know me as a guy who is not into eccentric "doggie culture." That said, the leftopath Toronto Star recently ran an article on pet portraits. Far from cheesy, these pieces of art demonstrate incredible talent. Beautiful and original, they really capture some personality and charm. Here are some examples.A Katie Sonnichsen portrait. Fantastic.Paul Boddum's work. Apparently, this is his dog. What incredible tale...
It's April 2nd!
Well, it might be when you're reading this, but as I write it's actually April 1st. Happy April Fool's Day! I'll admit that I'm not much of a pranker, though I do enjoy a good joke. Thankfully my day was pretty uneventful, and I didn't have any tricks played on me. I almost did prank my staff, though. My associate had taken a personal day today and I was the only doctor on staff. My plan was to call the hospital from the parking lot and tell them that I wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming in today. Since they wouldn't have a back-up doctor, I knew that would cause them fits. Once I got off the phone, I was going to walk in and tell them "April Fool's!" I know they were pretty happy not to have me do that.My kids really got into the whole thing. They kept wanting to play tricks...
