Does My Dog Need Surgery?

I read an article a while back that stated that dogs with cruciate tears (or as I say to my clients "you know that football player injury"), may not need surgery. This article went on to say that rest and anti-inflammatories along with a slow return to normal activity over a few months,  is the way to go.


Since that time, though I've observed what I've seen in my patients. I still have always recommended referral and consultation with a veterinary surgeon. They can evaluate the dog and radiographs the best and in my opinion, their decision to cut or not is what I'd go with.  And no, they don't all push to do so. 


But I've been able to see in a population what happens when dog's don't get surgery. I have clients that don't or can't get the specialist's opinion.  If the dog is small, then I can say, it may be ok. If they are large, invariably, there will be issues. There is often a subsequent issue with the other rear leg because of the extra strain put on it by the weight the dog shifts to that side. There's also a lot of tissue damage that gets done by the abnormal bone on bone contact, not to mention pain. 


In this column a veterinarian explains why surgery is best for most dogs.

I Went Looking For A Smile

And found this...kinda true huh? Yeah. Sorta. My cats do come when I call, they do listen. They don't EVER go out. 


But it's cute. Has some truth. One reason I love cats is that *I* am very cat like: I love my independence, to sleep, to do what pleases me (as much as I can :) ), to bask in the sun, and I don't like change either! 

I Had No Idea

I've been following politics a lot more in recent years but this is one thing I didn't know. 

Las Vegas (CNN) -- One minute, he's checking a cat's mouth for gingivitis. The next, he's carefully bandaging a dog's bloody, broken nail.

This could be any hard-working veterinarian tending to ailing animals. But the embroidered name on his crisp white medical coat bears a familiar name: Dr. John Ensign.

He's better known as former Nevada Sen. John Ensign, who abruptly announced his resignation 10 months ago amid a high-profile sex scandal.

Read the rest of this interesting story.

Sigh

I'm going to bow out of today and I realize I wasn't in here yesterday.


Veterinary medicine is a stressful enough profession but when you add drama from within staff ranks, it gets even worse.


So between that, a tedious surgical procedure, a bunch of sick animals to diagnose and treat and spending my entire day at veterinary speciality centers getting MY new dog diagnosed, I am too tired to present anything too intelligent.


I will say this:


1. My surgery went extremely well and I have a fantastic veterinary nurse to thank for her incredible assistance. 


2. At least I know what is wrong with Theo and why he is how he is and that I can reassure his previous owners, they were NOT at fault.


Just for fun..and I need a few laughs:

Tomorrow's Excitement

So tomorrow I get to do a new procedure. I'm pretty excited but a bit nervous too. I am a perfectionist. 


I will let you know how it goes!


Promise!

A Picture IS Worth A Thousand Words

This gorgeous young cat is a perfect example of why I never count a cat out until she's literally dead.


This was a little kitten I mentioned in a blog last year that nearly died of pneumonia. She made the wise choice to climb up on the deck of the Stone Bar Inn, where a lovely and sweet animal loving lady, Mary Ann, took her in and brought her to us. She had a few battles with upper respiratory bugs but then nearly lost it all to pneumonia. She was in an oxygen cage for 2 days and there were a few times, I was preparing myself to make "that call." But she made it. She's had a few bumps in the road but she is literally flourishing! She was a scraggly, tiny little kitten who is now a stunner!


Mary Ann couldn't take her in permanently but her sister, also a huge hearted animal lover, has and she is living a great life!

Interesting Week Ahead

This week coming up is going to be interesting on several fronts - not all veterinary. 


I am the only vet at the practice this week and that's ok. The only down side is that we don't have any surgeries.


Surgery is my favorite thing. It's fun. It can be challenging. It's where I can get in a zone. I don't have to deal with crazy or nasty clients. 


Last week, I was thrilled to find out someone we work closely with on cruelty cases needed her own dog neutered this week if possible. I was happy to fit it in during a lunch break this week.


Yes, as much as this Italian girl loves and lives for food, I would rather eat quickly (and as a veterinary student you become very good at that!) and do a surgery.


Now, it looks like I'll get to help make our sweet black blocked kitty into a girl. Essentially he needs to lose his penis. No, I am not kidding. We need to make him a bigger outlet like a girl cat so his chances of re-obstructing are minimal (not 0%). This will be a challenge. AND we need to find out when we can do this. So I"ll be juggling appointment around to be able to do this procedure.

It Felt Like Old Times

Well, this evening I had to go in and unblock (or place a urinary catheter) in a sweet black kitty. 


This is a cat that came in nearly dead. He had been blocked for likely just under 72 hours. He was in acute renal failure and his potassium was so high, his heart was in danger of stopping.


We saved him and he was doing great. We took the catheter out and he was going to go home but our wonderful surgery nurse palpated his bladder before putting him in the carrier and was like "um..uh oh..Dr.B?" 


So, sure enough, he was reblocked. Not that unusual, especially in the first two weeks after the initial blocking. He didn't have stones but a lot of "sand like" material in his urinary bladder. 


So we kept him and decided to keep him through the weekend because the owner was not going to be home AND to save the owner money from a potential emergency hospital visit. 


Thank God we did.


Another wonderful nurse at the practice, called me to report she thought he was blocked this evening. 


Chris and I drove in and yep, he was. I unblocked him with the assistance of Chris, acting as my trusty technician. I trained him when I was doing mixed animal practice because I wasn't "allowed" to call a tech in though we lived in a rural area and there were plenty of large and small animal emergencies.


I should say, we were "allowed" but when I did call one in for 3 emergencies we saw back to back, I got reprimanded. They didn't want to pay her. I inquired how I was supposed to take blood, put a catheter in, and get x-rays by myself. Then I was told I see too  many emergencies. You know what? You cannot tell when someone calls you up how serious it is. If I am on call and there is any doubt, I, in good conscience, can't blow it off. I'd rather go in and find it's not a big deal. 


But tonight's trip in reminded me of those times we used to go in. He saw me do an emergency C-section/spay where I had to cut a dead pup in half because it was lodged in mom's birth canal. We had a hell of a time once euthanizing a 100lb+ nastier than a son of Satan Komondor even though I used the horse drugs I had access too. Oh and there was the nasty cat that needed gas anesthesia to just be examined. The German Shepherd we found on the way home from another call - lying in the  middle of the road bleeding from his nose. We took that one back and found the owners who proceeded to be nothing short of difficult and truly "not getting it." That one died. 


I don't miss those days but we do have some memories from them.


As for tonight's sweet kitty, since this is blockage number 3 in the past week, he's going to need a little sex change operation we call a PU (perineal urethrostomy). 

His "Achille's" Heel Cost Him 1/9

Cat's never cease to amaze me. The places they go and come from, the things they survive, the ways they find to get where and what they want. However, it sometimes comes at a cost.


Here's a story about a lucky cat that leaves me wishing Chris could fly this kitty home! I just wonder if he was hoping for a flight to a more feline friendly destination? 


Cat Rescued From Airport Ceiling

Love THIS!

I like to discuss a variety of issues relating to animals and veterinary medicine. As my regular readers know, I don't just talk about cases I see or educate on specific animal diseases.


This article is a perfect example of something we deal with on a regular basis and that, frankly, can kill a business - or at least, stifle it's growth! It's deadbeat clients and sadly, I believe my yellow cat's owner is one of them.


The Cost of Deadbeat Clients


An except I particularly loved is:

Some companies take a cheekier approach. Cliff Stepp, owner of SteppUp Consulting, a branding and marketing company in Arroyo Grande, Calif., learned from his bookkeeper that sending out overdue reminders in sealed envelopes was too subtle.

“She bought a bunch of vacation post cards, and on the message side wrote: ‘We wish we were here, but can’t afford it because you haven’t paid your bill,’” said Stepp. “Her rationale was that the message on the card was public, and that employees might see it. After the third post card, one company that owed us $1,400 paid up in full. That was three years ago and we’ve had a couple of occasions to use that strategy again.”

If you've been in this business any length of time, this sort of stuff growths thin. Time and time again, you lose money because of compassion. There is a very good reason many vets do not accept payment plans. This is especially true of "new" clients. Yes, like yellow cat owner, who was having his dad help him pay but is now not returning phone calls.

Our suppliers - of drugs, medical equipment, surgery equipment, our laboratories and our staff all expect to be paid. The mortgage or lease is due each month. There are taxes. Electric bills. General office supplies. The list goes on. I tell this to people. Flat out. If you want to have a vet to go to, pay your bills!


As it says in the Bible (as a matter of principal = no matter what you intend to do, build a barn, agree to host a party, consent to being in a wedding or acquire a pet - first count the cost and then have integrity):  

New Living Translation (©2007) "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

They Have NO Clue

In going through some animal related articles, I found this article about College Majors that Are Useless.


On this is list is MY major: Animal Science. 


I found that first article after reading this on how WE took issue with the assertions.


Anyone that knows me, knows I can't stand by and just listen to it, so yeah,  I commented on it:


Here is what I wrote: 


As the proud EARNER of a BS in Animal Science, I beg to differ here. As the article quotes: "Graduates with animal science degrees who responded to a recent Purdue University survey said they used their majors to find careers in animal production, at zoos and the pharmaceutical industry. A degree in animal science also opens doors for additional graduate and professional training in areas such as veterinary medicine, research and education".

I'm thrilled it came from the place I received my SECOND and professional degree THANKS to my Ani Sci degree - Purdue Univ. 

I am a practicing veterinarian and my love of large animals came from the experience I gained at the Univ of Delaware earning my Animal Sci degree. I didn't grow up on a farm and sadly, we are more and more removed from the source of our food, clothing and other supplies we all use day to day. I didn't know I loved working with poultry, cattle, sheep, etc until that experience. I am glad UD can provide that for so many. I know other universities that do the same. 

There are so many paths you can take with this degree. It is extremely strong in science but gives you the extra edge of having education related to animals - above what a regular biology degree would give you.

I could've done research, worked for the government, gone on to a PhD, an MPH, or an MD (if I didn't make it into vet school), worked in a zoo, worked for all sorts of companies from pharmaceuticals to feed companies and everything in between.


I would NOT trade this degree for anything. If I didn't want to go to vet school, I have no doubt I could be employed in any of a wide variety of jobs. It was not an EASY degree because of the strong science component - organic chem, physics, biochem, microbiology, etc. The best part of it for me WAS the animal component. It's like a biology degree but so much more fun!

Misc

Just a few thoughts today:


1. I haven't seen my yellow cat back. He missed his Monday appt and attempts to contact the owner have not been successful. I hope the cat is ok but I suspect his outstanding bill may have something to do with it. Though there was an agreement made. This is exactly why some vets do NOT do any type of payment agreement. We spent thousands to do the work. Now we could be screwed. And yeah, it adds up. I know of a vet that has zero..yes ZERO..accounts receivables. Great way to run a business. 


2. I am still amazed at how people act at a veterinary office 


  a. Complaining about money and being downright mean/nasty as if it's OUR fault their pet, who hasn't seen a vet in years (add the money up they saved..they have NO excuse NOW) and is not spayed but could have a serious uterine infection, is sick now. Let me clue you in on something here: if you are nicer, you'll get a lot more. Vets are often very willing to throw things in and we give away a lot more than you know about but when you are mean, nasty and have disdain for your pet's health and the people who care for her, you can bet, we will make sure you get charged for everything.


  b. Don't bring pets you didn't make an appointment for, ask us to examine them (bad enough) and then complain when you are called on it and told you are expected to pay for the always extended doctor's time you take up.

Cruelty? Neglect? Either Way You CUT It..NOT GOOD!

I am not going to say much and just let pictures speak for themselves here...

Now, let me ask YOU how you think that happened? How long did it take? Was it an accident? If so, do you think it could've gone unnoticed for days? 

Perish the Thought!

A web site, called Life's Little Mysteries cites a work done by a Purdue researcher on what the world would be like with no little felines in it.


But alas, it is NOT a good thing - so phooey to the haters out there! Here's a taste of the article. Click the page line for the full thing!
----

Perhaps you're a cat lover. Perhaps you abhor the lazy critters. Either way, when you see a cat lounging on an armchair, napping all day but for the occasional stretch or window gaze, "useless" is by no means the last word that comes to mind. Cats, beloved or otherwise, don't radiate the message that they're indispensable, hard-working members of the household, or the world.

But, in fact, they're just playing it cool (as usual). Experts say that if all the world's cats suddenly died, things would quickly go to hell in a handbasket.

Cats, both pets and strays, may fool us into thinking that they depend on our food and trash for survival, but according to Alan Beck, professor of veterinary medicine and director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University, they're expert predators with adaptable hunting behaviors. "They are a significant predator of small animals, and can survive as almost solitary animals when the prey is scarce, while thriving in high density when the prey is abundant," Beck told Life's Little Mysteries.

And that's just why we'd miss them. By killing mice and rats in barns and grain storage areas, cats are vital for keeping those pests in check. In India, Beck said, cats are believed to play a significant role in lessening the amount of grain loss caused by consumption or contamination by rodents. In other words, it may be true that humans feed cats, but without cats, humans would have less food in the first place.

One of my lazy felines!

Cat Gets Free Rides

Ha! I love this cat. This is just more evidence of what I keep telling you all about how cool and amazing cats are!

Valentine's Day Warnings

Since I am in the middle of working on a talk for some high school students, I truly appreciate the ability to find or be given a relevant blog topic that is quick but informative. 


Today, my blog topic is thanks to a friend who sent me this link. Last year, I warned about the dangers of chocolate. Every year, I find we have to warn about the seasonal dangers to our pets. People forget. Some people become pet owners for the first time. Or maybe they haven't had a pet in years to decades!


So here it is: Valentine's Day Risks

And all 3 of these can apply to many times through the year - holidays and regular days!