Sometimes I feel that people may have a misconception of how a veterinarian's life goes. Because we're doctors, we should be living in bigger houses, driving expensive cars, and having relatively easy lives. Part of my reason for beginning this blog was to give the public an insight into the daily life of a vet. Strip away the doctorate and the title, and we're just regular people with problems just like anyone else.Let's take the last few weeks in my life. First, the water pump on my car sprung a leak (it's a 14 year old-car, so there goes the illusion that we drive fancy vehicles). Then the air compressor on my wife's mini-van locked up and the belt broke while she was about an hour away from home. We managed to get these things fixed to the tune of many hundreds of dollars, pretty...
De-stressing
It should come as no surprise to readers of this blog, or to those in the profession, that being a veterinarian can be very stressful. Most jobs carry some stress, but I think that it's especially noticeable in those where you are responsible for someone else's well-being. This can be physically mentally, or financially. Your decisions can lead someone into ruin or bring them back from it. That's a lot of pressure for people in these kinds of professions. And at some point you have to learn how to leave it behind and de-stress.That's a very, very hard thing for me to do, as I tend to dwell on things for much longer than I should. But I still try to work on reducing my stress once I get home. Of course, I'm a husband and father, so there is often a different set of stresses waiting for...
It's been a month...
... since I've posted. My sincere apologies. I'm afraid I was not being completely honest in my last post. The difficult time I have been going through was much greater than the euthanasia of my cat, Isaac. My seven-year relationship had just ended as well, sending me into a state of shock, confusion, and near-depression. Here I was thrown a massive obstacle, completely out of nowhere, knocking me completely off a course of apparent bliss. Only very recently have I rediscovered my path, or at least a path, on which I have began to walk.It is only natural, normal, to take these things personally when they occur. My ego was smashed, sent flying...
What, Me Worry?
It's a classic phrase, originating with Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman. It implies that someone has not a care in the world. Unfortunately, it's hard to put into practice, and it's something that I can never seem to master. Earlier this year I had an epiphany, realizing that problems I have with anxiety stem almost entirely from worrying about things that have yet to come to pass and may never actually happen. Even though I come across as confident in my profession, I struggle with feeling that confidence inwardly. I think this is something many vets and other doctors also have an issue with.Today I removed the anal sacs on a poodle. I've...
Dr. Chris Bern, Evil Overlord
Dreams are pretty interesting thing. My sister in-law, Mary, sent me this description of a dream she had of me.I had a dream about you. In my dream you were pretending to be a good kind-hearted vet, when in reality you were performing evil genetic experiments on animals as part of your nefarious plan for world domination. Somehow your actions were the catalyst for some kind of Armageddon-type thing that happened in the USA. There was anarchy and a whole lotta killing, and eventually people moved out in groups for other parts of the world because North America was no longer habitable. It was kind of cool, but it was pretty violent and graphic. The best part that I remember was that you had a bunch of loyal followers that would do anything for you and you lived in this huge compound. The...
Follow-Up On Fleas & Frontline
My post yesterday generated several comments already, and I thought they were worthy of more discussion, especially if people don't always read the comments section. I'll copy the comments here.In New Zealand, these products are vet only lines and the manufacturers will not sell to pet shops etc.It is a concern if these are to be so freely available as we need them to be sued properly, and to ensure the battle against the other 95% of the life cycle is also being fought in the environment!Historically most of these products have been only available through veterinarians here in the US also. However, there are unscrupulous vets who buy these products in bulk and then sell them to other retailers who provide them to the public. Several manufacturers have gone after vets like this, but it's...
eBay Flea Prevention
Kathy asked a follow-up that was a little more generic, and I think it makes a good discussion.I was looking online and found bulk supply of Frontline Plus on Ebay. It says that the formulation is the same for cats and dogs except that for cats it's a bit stronger... Is this true? This would be the only affordable way for me to treat the boys right now. It would truely help out with finances. The flea problem is awful currently. We live on a barranca and have all sorts of fun critters visit the yard to share hitch-hikers with our 'indoor only' boys.Frontline Plus is manufactured by Merial, and is a common topical flea and tick prevention, though not my personal preference. Based on my experience, published data, and discussions with well-recognized parasitology specialists, I much...
Cat With Food Allergies?
Kathy sends in the following situation about her cat... Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;...
Pet Voyeurs
I'm sure that most people with pets can relate to the following scenario. Nature calls and you go to the bathroom to relieve yourself. Since you're in the privacy of your own home, you don't bother closing the door. While you're sitting there, one of your dogs or cats comes in to get some attention. Shortly thereafter the others follow. Before you know it you have a small audience as you take care of your business.In our house it's not uncommon to have these voyeurs watching us. I've had both dogs and a cat or two standing in front of me at one time. This event is obviously entertaining to the pets, as just prior to this they were off doing their own thing. For some unknown reason, a human using the bathroom is fascinating to them and a signal to come watch. There you are, doing your...
Overheated
Today I saw a dog for an emergency that had suddenly collapsed in the yard. When it came in it had a temperature of 105.2 F. Considering that a dog's normal temperature is 101-102, that's pretty high, and is very dangerous. Thankfully we were able to get his temperature down to normal, and he ended up stabilizing and doing fine. But this brings up an important discussion.Heat stress and heat stroke can kill a pet, and I have seen it happen several times. When the core body temperature gets above 105, cell membranes and body proteins can begin to degrade and break apart. This can lead to numerous problems such as brain damage, internal and external bleeding, diarrhea, muscle damage, and many other serious consequences.Truthfully, this is usually a completely preventable problem. Pets...
Stuffy-Nosed Kitty
Here's a question about a not-uncommon problem.How do you get a cat to eat when she can't smell her food? We have a sick kitty with a stuffy nose so I got three cans of the smelliest Fancy Feast I could find and mixed it together with some tuna juice. My husband could smell it from across the room. The cat though, doesn't seem to be interpreting it as food when it's right under her nose. I've also got her segregated away from our other two cats in the bathroom. I've got a vaporizer running in there for her to help break up her congestion. Is there anything else I can do to help her feel better and get her to eat?Cats are very particular about being able to sense their food. When a cat can't smell the food, they won't eat it. This can make sinus or upper-respiratory infections pretty serious...
Microchipping Pets
Pretty much everyone has been faced with the fact or risk of a petting getting away from them. I have had one of my dogs make it a few houses down before I noticed and called her back, and three of my cats have managed to get out of the house at one point or another; one of them was missing for two weeks before we saw him and coaxed him back in. And that's why all of my pets have microchips.If you're not familiar with this, it's a pretty fast and easy way to permanently identify your pet. A chip the size of a grain of rice is quickly implanted with a needle under the skin between the shoulder blades. Most pets don't object to this, though it is admittedly a large needle, and it's over in a couple of seconds. This chip is inert and won't affect your pet in any way. If he or she ever gets...
Dachshund Back Problems
Anyone who has or intends to have a dachshund needs to pay attention to this entry. Many dachshund owners are already aware of this issue, but those who aren't need to learn about it.As a breed, dachshunds are extremely prone to injuring their backs. Specifically this involves a herniation of one of the discs between the vertebrae in their back. Between each bone is a cushioning disc that helps to soften movement of the spine and prevent pain and injuries. Imagine the disc like a seeded grape. If you squeeze the grape firmly, you'll compress it without breaking it, and the grape will return to its shape. If you squeeze too hard, the grape ruptures and the seed inside shoots out. An intervertebral disc is like that grape, with a hard center. When the center of the disc comes out, the...
Higher Price Vs. Longer Wait
A little while back I posted my first poll after some entries on quality or quantity of medicine. The results are interesting.Get a free or discounted office visit, but have to wait for an hour or more--35%Pay a full office visit ($40) and be seen in 15-20 minutes--65%Many people talk a lot about wanting discounts, and unfortunately we see a lot of price-shoppers in veterinary medicine. Many people call around to various vets wanting to find the cheapest price but aren't as interested in exactly what services are included. Not all services are created equal, and it can be frustrating when people care more about the cost than their pet's health. Don't get me wrong, as I look for good value also. But there is a difference between "cheap" and "value". Something that is a great value may...
The Clients You Want
The last two days I have been dealing with a rather difficult case and a rather great client. In fact, he was the kind of client that every vet wants to have. Let me explain.Maggie is a dog I've seen before, a 10 year old large breed dog. She's had arthritis problems that we've been managing, but over the last month she has had more difficulties moving around. I saw her yesterday to be evaluated, and noted that she was weak and had pale gums. The owner is actually in another state for his job, and wasn't going to be home for weeks. He wanted to handle anything over the phone so his wife wouldn't have to worry about things. I called him with my initial assessment and my plan to run some tests. He said that he was willing to try and figure out what was going on, but also didn't want...
Pop Culture Pets
It's pretty interesting how people pick names for their pets. Much of the time it has to do with whatever is big in pop culture at the time. When the 101 Dalmations movies came out, we saw several new dogs named Pongo and Perdita. After The Lion King we started seeing a lot of cats named Simba and Nala. I even saw several Frodos after The Lord of the Rings series. It's understandable, as these films touch us in one way or another. We show our respect and interest by naming our pets after characters. One of our cats is named after the main character in Pokemon (Ash). This comes up now because in the last month I have seen at least four pets named Miley. For those without girls, this is Miley Stewart, aka Hannah Montana. She is the biggest thing in tween girls minds, and often pre-teen....
Dane Disorder
Here's a question sent in by Malinda...I read your article about people thinking that their dog has something stuck in their throat. I guess I'm one of those people. I have 2 Great Danes. The one in question is 7yrs old. He keeps "coughing" or gagging. I'm not real sure what I would call it. I plan to take him to his own Dr. Monday. He has quit eating, acts like he feels bad. He does this coughing thing mostly when he moves around a lot. Before he quit eating, he would regurgitate his food.My question, if they don't have something in their throat, then what can it be? I have also noticed him doing the "wobblers" thing with his head. Could this be related to the problem?He's also been having trouble getting up and down. Something with his back legs or hips. I have been giving him...
Pregnant Or Not?
Martha asks about this situation...I need help, my toy fox terrier is 8 yrs old she is producing milk is been for a couple of weeks lately she is has been having diahrrea does the milk produce this, or is it sometimes not to oftern i give her ground meat with veggies or chicken and the results are the same. please adviceThere are several situations to discuss here. First, I would want to know if your dog is spayed. If she is spayed, then we have a completely different problem with her lactating. There could be a serious hormonal disorder here and she needs to be examined for it. If she isn't spayed, then we could be dealing with a false pregnancy. This condition happens when hormones get out of whack and the body thinks it's actually pregnant. The dog will show all signs of pregnancy,...
