The Height Challenged

Last week I saw Gabby, a 2 year old beagle closing in on 40 pounds and of considerable girth if not height. She was accompanied by her housemate Harley, at 114 pounds, an even rounder Rottweiler.

(Courtesy of zazzle.com)

Undertall
CFT (chronic food toxicity)
Dog and a half
Oh Beast
Big-Boned
Fluffy

All of the above are joking terms for our chubby canine friends. Even though obesity is a serious health concern for many of our pets, today I'd like to share some of the more humorous explanations and comments. These are actual quotes.

"We only feed them six times a day."

Only??
This from a family with two adult boxers. Maybe when they were 3 weeks old and nursing they needed feeding, on average, every 4 hours. But seriously...   I was dispensing medication for one of them and I gave the usual instructions that the tablets could be given with or without food and couldn't resist noting, "Not that their stomachs ever actually get empty..."

"Maybe she has a thyroid condition?"

This was a legitimate possibility hopefully offered for the 130 pound golden retriever. It's an easy blood test, her thyroid levels were normal. The simple math: Calories in >> > Calories out = Overweight Pet.

It's worth noting a recent veterinary study, (The exact source escapes me, write if you must know and I'll track it down.),  comparing the feeding recommendations on multiple brands of dog food bags to actual calorie needs. The conclusion was that recommendations for adult, indoor neutered dogs were consistently one third more than needed. Makes sense if you want to sell dog food, not so much if you want a healthy pet for a long time. Another reason to consider the source, not only of the ingredients but the information on the bag.


"She doesn't eat much. I only see her eating a few kibbles at a time."
                                                                      

(Courtesy of L.A.Unleashed)

The rest of the story: This was Gabby mentioned above. Both dogs grazed freely from a very large, never-empty dish of food. A few kibbles at a time all day and night add up pretty quickly. She probably only had room for a few kibbles at a time.

It was after I suggested separate dishes and measured meals that their owner added, "Oh, I did see her eating a bird the other day."
'Ah,' I thought to myself, 'One of those fat-laden, high-calorie, energy sparrows. Surely that explains the weight gain.'

Pride Goes Before a Fall

Soon after Pride's arrival

I met Pride for the first time early in 2001. A handsome young golden retriever and perfectly named, he was well-groomed and impeccably trained, light gold, with beautiful leg feathers, and the kindest eyes that also held a twinkle of mischief.  Pride came through the door ahead of his owner, which isn’t usually a good thing but in this case was entirely appropriate. Trained by Paws With a Cause, and the beloved companion of Julie Trine he was doing his job as a service dog and leading the way. Julie had lived with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis for more than 10 years before partnering with Pride, who enabled her to maintain a great deal of independence for almost 9 more.



And what a partnership it was. Pride assisted Julie with her stability, making it possible for her to navigate much more safely and easily, but that wasn’t all. He also retrieved the phone, opened doors, and transported baskets of laundry. When I talked to her for permission to write this, she joked, “He did everything but fold it and put it away.” I think if Julie had asked, he would have given it his best shot.



As much as she loved and depended on him, he adored her. He happily paraded his skills every year for re-certification, and would show off at home for visitors. His mischievous side he saved for the vet clinic. We knew he knew all the usual dog manners, like sit and stay and come. But he would look at us when we asked him to do something and with a gentle wag of his beautiful tail, completely ignore us until he checked with Julie first.



Pride was recognized by the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association in 2002, winning the Michigan Service Dog of the Year Award on the strength of Julie’s essay and accompanying her to a special dinner in his honor in Lansing.






Two years ago this week, at the age of 11, Pride wasn’t his usual happy-dog self. He’d eaten his breakfast but, as is often the case with such a special bond, Julie knew something wasn’t right. When he came in for an exam he was depressed and running a fever. He’d developed a heart murmur and his abdomen was distended.  A trip to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Michigan State University for an ultrasound led to a diagnosis of splenic cancer.  




In dogs, cancer of the spleen is almost always due to a malignancy called hemangiosarcoma, and usually has metastasized to other areas of the body by the time of diagnosis.



Pride came home from the College of Veterinary Medicine and entered the veterinary equivalent of hospice care. We did our best to keep him comfortable with anti-inflammatory medication and monitored his appetite and attitude. He rallied for about 2 weeks, eating and regaining some of his strength. But splenic cancer in dogs is almost always a fatal diagnosis.  


                                                  
         "Because of great love, one is courageous."
                                                        Lao Tzu

Honoring her relationship with her friend to the end, Julie
made Pride’s final appointment on a June afternoon.  Although age and his illness made him less steady on his feet than in his prime, Pride still positioned himself to support his favorite person in the world, and gratefully settled on the blanket beside her in a patch of shade. As I placed the i.v. and delivered the euthanasia solution, Julie and Pride shared a last hug. She softly told him, “Good bye.” And she heard him tell her, “Thank you Mom.”



Written in fond memory of  a fallen canine hero.

DogMa

(Courtesy of www.beagles.co.za)

Let me start by saying I think beagles are fine canines. My first dog as a child, Angus, was a beagle and I've known several since. So I know whereof I speak when I say that hounds in general and beagles in particular are a little different in the brains department. I have a suspicion that beagle brains have an unusually high percentage of neurons dedicated to the nose and that simply leaves fewer synapses for such mundane activities as, say, house training, and coming when called.

Training a beagle to do something that isn't his idea is an exercise in patience and reduced expectations. (Yours, not the dog's.) However, if you think of them as noses with dogs attached and use a sufficiently extravagant quantity of odoriferous treat rewards, (something in the bacon/sausage/week-old-carcass family for instance), you can get and momentarily hold a beagle's attention. Until some other lovely scent lures his nostrils to ground and away he goes.

It was a routine afternoon at the clinic, or at least as routine as things can be when you never quite know what to expect. We attempt a modicum of control by scheduling appointments but try as we do it seems merely a hard and fast suggestion. Car dealers have MSRPs, manufacturer-suggested-retail-prices, which everyone knows don't mean anything. I coined VSATs, veterinary-suggested-appointment-times, which, though agreed upon in advance, are often similarly ignored. In any case emergencies do happen.


And so it was that a gentleman came in with his extremely pregnant and unproductively laboring beagle in tow. As I recall, according to her owner, she had been in labor well over 24 hours and he'd reluctantly concluded that a visit to a vet was in order. I'd never seen pets for him before but her history and an exam indicated a cesarean section was in order if she and the pups were to survive.

We've done quite a few c-sections and have a protocol and rhythm that gets puppies delivered and breathing and mom safely recovered in as short a time as possible. This includes passing the pups, still covered in amniotic fluid, off to waiting hands for rubbing and drying as they're delivered. Sometimes a pup will have fluid or mucus in his airways, in which case holding him head up with your hands in a praying position and gently swinging down will clear his nose and throat and assist breathing.

Explaining the need for surgery and what to expect, and also trying to lighten the mood, my assistant joked with the owner that things moved fast and sometimes I got a little excited handing the pups off and needed reminding that we weren't playing puppy football. That prescient comment has haunted her since. (And, for the record, I prefer to think of it as "efficient" rather than "excited.")

I had just delivered the last of several pups across the operating table to her, the others were breathing well and the owner stood nearby watching. This puppy was 'wet' and I nodded that a gentle swing was in order. I started to close as she swung the pup between her legs...and hiked him out the door and across the room, inadvertently of course. She looked at me horrified as I raised my eyebrows and muttered through my surgical mask, "Slippery little buggers aren't they?"

She hastily retrieved the now thoroughly stimulated and breathing pup and was relieved to see no signs of injury. The owner never batted an eyelash and since we never saw him again, <g>, we still don't know if he thought that was the actual maneuver or not.

Although I don't condone puppy-hiking, given the abuse pups endure being carted around by the nape and dropped by their dams I was fairly certain the pup was uninjured from his trip across the linoleum. Leaving for the day a few hours later, my assistant was still fretting a bit and wondered, "Do you think he'll have brain damage?"

My answer, "He's a beagle, how would you tell?"

It's A Snap--Dog Bite Prevention Week

National Dog Bite Prevention Week is May 20-26.

"Dooes yoor doog baight?"

And so began one of Peter Sellers' funniest 90 seconds in movie history.

Except dog bites aren't funny. The facts:

       *Almost 5 million people were reported bitten by dogs in 2011 in the United States.

       *Nearly 1 million Americans, primarily childen and senior citizens, require medical attention for dog bite wounds EVERY YEAR.

Source: AVMA.org

Whether you place the primary responsibility for those disturbing statistics with the human or the dog, there are steps owners and especially parents and children can take to minimize risk.

(Courtesy of www.avma.org)

   

NEVER leave an infant or young child alone with a dog!






Parents can teach their children to WAIT


W – Wait to see if the dog looks friendly. If the dog looks afraid or angry, STOP and walk away slowly.

A – Ask the owner for permission to pet the dog. If the owner says no or there is no owner present, STOP and walk away slowly.

I – Invite the dog to come to you to sniff you. Put your hand to your side with your fingers curled in. Stand slightly sideways and dip your head down so you are not looking directly at the dog. If the dog does not come over to sniff you, STOP and do not touch him.

T – Touch the dog gently, petting him along his back while staying away from his head and tail.

Source: preventthebite.org


Pet owners can help take the CHOMP out of bites

C - Choose carefully. Consult your veterinarian or adoption agency counselor for tips on a pet that fits your lifestyle and abilities.

H - Health care. Have your pet vaccinated against rabies and other preventable diseases. Parasite control, oral care, pain medication, proper nutrition and other health issues should be addressed. How your pet feels affects how he behaves.

O -  OHE/OE, which stand for ovariohysterectomy, spaying in females, and orchiectomy, neutering in males. Unneutered male dogs on chains are the most likely to bite.

M -  Maintain control. Pups should be properly socialized and not fearful around new people and situations. All dogs need basic obedience training, "sit," "stay," "come," and "no" or "drop it" could save his life a lot quicker than "treat" or "shake." Secure fences and, (for the love of all that is good in the world!), NON-EXTENSIBLE LEASHES could save a child or adult from serious injury.

P -  Play responsibly. This means no threatening or teasing, especially with an impressionable puppy. Make an effort to form a bond of trust and respect with your dog. Provide regular exercise so your dog is physically healthy and mentally stimulated. This could also save your furniture and carpeting.

Source: Too much time and a strange sense of humor.

Quirky Answers I

Sometimes the answers are better than the questions. This was the case when a potential client called with questions about neutering her dog. A young and somewhat inexperienced but bright and competent assistant answered the phone. The conversation began:

Client: "So, like, how much to get my dog, like neutered or um, spaded, or whatever?"

(Please note that males are usually neutered and females are usually spayed, one syllable, one 'd'. Neither is ever "spaded" lest we be charged with animal cruelty. Similarly, one may have met an unfortunate demise by having drowned but never drownded.)

Assistant: "Well, is he a boy or a girl?"
Client: "I dunno. He's a boy."

Please note size similarities despite
vastly different coat colors.Courtesy of
Dog Breed Info Center.

Assistant: Brushing off the first part of the answer, "O.K., so how much do you think he weighs?"

This was a relevant question because anesthetic and surgical costs vary with weight.

Client: "I dunno. He's white."

At this point the look on our assistant's face was pricelessly baffled and we're still wondering to this day what coat color had to do with the dog's weight but she soldiered on.

Assistant: Becoming slightly less articulate due to confusion but nonetheless polite. "Uh, so he's white...uh, do you think he's over or under 50 pounds?"
Client: "I dunno. He's a schnauzer."

Now we were getting somewhere. Clearly this client began every answer with 'I dunno' and odds were running about even that the following sentence would be helpful if we could hang in there for it. A few more exchanges verified that the dog was in fact a miniature schnauzer and well under 50 pounds. Ever adventurous, our intrepid assistant attempted to determine if the dog was a current patient and forged ahead with further queries.

Assistant: "So, is he a patient here?"
Client: "I dunno."

We waited. Nothing. She'd thrown us a change up.

Assistant: "Well, has he ever been to a vet?"
Client: "I dunno. He's still a puppy. He doesn't get out much."

We were almost rolling on the floor. Not only has no schnauzer puppy in the history of dogdom ever exceeded 50 pounds, but the thought of him lacking a social life really tickled us. When she followed up by saying, "I think he had his tail done."
That was it. All we could think was that this poor dog was owned by a woman who didn't even know if he had a tail or not.

Several weeks passed and the "I dunno. He's white." episode faded from memory until one morning I was walking up the hall to the front desk and caught sight of a young blond woman at the counter saying, "I dunno. I think he's got an appointment to be spaded..."
And there I was, fresh out of shovels. Maybe hair color really does matter.

Quirky Questions Part I

A veterinary news site recently ran a contest requesting submissions of funny questions clients had asked their veterinarians. Reading the entries I realized I'm not the only one ever asked by a client, "Did you have to go to college to be a vet?"

I don't find this particularly funny but I do recall being asked this question my first year in practice by a young dairy farmer if not the exact details of the case at hand. Dairy farmers are often up at 4 a.m. and so think nothing of calling for emergency medical assistance for anything from a sore foot to a difficult delivery at such an hour. Defying reason and common decency, (in my opinion not only can sore feet ALWAYS wait until after sunrise, many cases are in fact cured by just such a delay in rising, at least  in my personal experience), many dairymen are repeatedly amazed that they've awakened you. Personally, I think cows would be just as happy being milked at a more civilized hour but their fair labor practices lobbying arm is notoriously weak as evidenced by the fact that we get ice cream and they're stuck with something called silage, which is too few letters away from sewage for my taste.

In any case, given the unfortunate frequency of mishaps at this farm, a frequency I attributed to a notable dearth of common sense and animal husbandry skills, it was very likely an extremely early and bitterly cold winter morning.  And I had likely left a warm bed to drive 20 miles in the dark, then hauled 40 pounds of equipment and medicine across a field of frozen muck to a remote cow-side location. (Cows are excellent at finding remote and inconvenient places to plant themselves while awaiting rescuing, in fact they're almost as good at it as cats.)

(Courtesy of Salad Days)

Once there I would have performed a comprehensive physical exam, diagnosed milk fever without benefit of lab work or testing equipment, expertly placed an i.v. on a mooving target, administered a life-saving combination of calcium and electrolytes while carefully monitoring for heart arrhythmias, then assisted the cow in rising and on her way back to breakfast and the safety of her barn. All this on a cranky, uncooperative 1400 lb beast and for under $100.00.

So when he asked me, tired, cold, dirty from cow-wrestling and hungry for breakfast myself,  if I had to go to college to do this I had to ask myself why I went to college to do this? The answer for many of us is a love of science and a special appreciation for the furry, feathered, or scaled with whom we share the earth.

For the record, most U.S. veterinarians have 4 year undergraduate degrees in addition to 4 years of medical school and many have advanced internship and residency training and/or board certification in one of 40 different specialties.  Interested in a career in veterinary medicine? Visit the AVMA. Wondering what the differences are between a veterinary medical education and a human medical education? Stay tuned for a future post.

Hello and What to expect

Courtesy of Cakkleberry Lane

Welcome to FURthermore--Tails from the Front, my inaugural and valiant attempt at a blog. First, thanks for reading. Second, please know that I'm writing merely to share some thoughts and not from a sense of expertise or belief that I have anything extraordinary to share. So, without FURther ado, what to expect in the coming weeks:

Fur Sure
There will be cats, as in cat stories, cat pictures, and caterwauling. (I hope to avoid catastrophes.)
There will be dogs. Big dogs, little dogs, scary dogs and sweet dogs. And probably some dogma.

There will be horses because, well, I'm a city girl who's spent over 20 years working with them and frankly some of my best stories involve horsing around.
There will be cows, at least a few, because they lend themselves so well to the absurd and words like Cowapunga.

And I like optimism. I may not be as "relentlessly positive" as our current governor, primarily because I appreciate the occasional bit of black humor, but my cup is closer to running over than not.

Cautionary Tails
There will very likely be sarcasm, sometimes I just gotta.

And actual, factual, veterinary information.

And there will be puns. Really bad puns masquerading as humor, and possibly tongue twisters about sheep because I have a special friend who so appreciates them and teenagers to embarrass.

Which brings me to observations on parenting, which those of you who have actually attempted and survived may agree is not unlike dealing with less than eloquent animals of undetermined cognitive ability on occasion, like from birth through age, well, I'll let you know. I have a list entitled, "Things you don't think you have to tell your children," the crucially mistaken word being "don't." It evolved from an unfortunate incident involving scissors. And eyelashes. In middle school. Also, my careful instructions, upon moving my college freshman and enough stuff to outfit 3 or 6 additional people into her dorm room were, "Remember we have to move you again in the spring. Please don't acquire any more stuff." Somehow this sounded to her like, "Sure honey, go ahead and get a futon and some casual tables and maybe a few chairs..."

Definitely No
There will be no rap music. None. Not even a hint or reference and certainly no links.

There will be no profanity laced diatribes, although I do reserve the right to an occasional FURvent commentary, (see warning above regarding bad puns.)

Sorry, no second opinions on pets examined elsewhere. I may comment in a broad way or answer a question of general interest but it wouldn't be fair, (not to mention legal or sensible), to attempt clairvoyant diagnoses and treatments. Not that I haven't been asked to prescribe medication after telepathically determining what ails a pet I've never seen belonging to someone I've never met...

Possibly
There may be errors, although as one who appreciates the English language and accuracy I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

Social media may arrive. Thus far, preferring a certain unfashionable degree of privacy,  I have neither Tweeted nor Tumbled from My Space or any other and, most inexplicably to my teenagers, I have yet to join Facebook. However, wild and crazy things have been known to happen and obviously the complete and utter privacy thing is over. Until then, if you're so inclined,  you'll have to "like" me via The News Herald, or whatever their equivalent to electronic adoration and carefully considered lavish approval happens to be. Or just comment, bearing in mind of course the injunction against profanity laced diatribes.

And there may be inspirational quotes, like this one from Pablo Picasso, "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

In closing this inaugural post, Happy Mother's Day to some of the most amazing people on earth.