Pet talk

It was very hard to watch on TV.  The report that Barbaro was finally put to rest after his long battle with a shattered rear leg was all I thought about yesterday.  Horses are so fragile!  In some ways it is almost a miracle that they live and reproduce at all. 

But medicine has really come a long way.  Just a few years ago, horses with broken legs were immediately put down.  These days more and more horses can be saved from even the most serious of injuries.  But we still have a long way to go.  Just the make up of a horse makes surgery very difficult.  While it was said in veterinary school that you could spit inside a dog while spaying it and the patient would live, horses are extremely sensitive to infection.  Therefore the surgical suite must be totally aseptic and the surgeons hygeine must be impeccable. 

Then after knocking them out, they can not lay down too long because their own weight will collapse their lungs making breathing impossible.  After years of grazing on dirty grass, horses can pick up a hundred pounds or so of sand and dirt in their GI tract making recovery a crap shoot.  Will the instestines twist with all that sand in them while the horse is thrashing around comming out of the sedation?

Once awake, the horse has to stand in order to digest their food and breathe properly–thus making any leg problem difficult.  The other three legs take on the additional weight.  A normal horse has a structure in its foot called a frog.  This is a sack that is located on the bottom of each hoof.  When a horse walks, the frog strikes the ground (contracts) helping the pooled blood make its way back up the long legs and into the heart.  When a horse can not walk, the blood doesn’t get back to the heart efficiently and their legs swell.  This is what is known as “stocking up”.  That is why Barbaro’s other legs were wrapped up all the time and they were frequently filmed hand walking him.  It was important to keep him moving as much as possible.

After any severely traumatic event, (fever included), or even after a carbohydrate rich meal,  blood vessels in their hooves can expand and this causes the horse to begin to actually loose its hoof.  This process is similar to what happens when you hit your fingernail with a hammer and the nail falls off.  In horses it is just as painful.  Only when a horse loses a hoof, he is usually put down. 

Given all the factors against a horse recovering from any kind of surgery at all, it is a miracle that any do.  But thousands of horses every year survive broken legs, bowel surgery, and cancer treatment.  Yes, they still shoot horses these days, just not quite as often. 

These days everything is so expensive!  And in pet care, medicine has made leaps in the areas once considered fatal in pets so we are paying for so much more.

Take cancer for instance.  Twenty years ago, surgery to remove a tumor was the only treatment of choice.  Today, options are as numerous as the types of cancer out there.  Chemo, radiation, and other advanced therapies are commonly performed by board certified oncologists.  Heart valve replacement, organ transplants and joint replacements for hip dysplasia sufferers are as common as the animal specialists who put them in. 

Not that these procedures are cheap mind you.  I recently had an ACL repair procedure done on my 10 year old female boxer, Kia.  (The ACL is a ligament in the knee that frequently gets injured in football players and active dogs)  And even with the “professional” discount, the surgery cost me nearly $3000.00.  Of course, I went to the best orthopedic surgeon I could find (at least he had a good reputation among veterinarians), and she came through the whole thing wonderfully.  After several months of post op recovery we got a 5 year old acting dog back.  Would I do it again?  In a heart beat.  Would I consider health insurance?  No, I would not.  But that is a personal choice from someone who has extensive knowledge on how to raise healthy animals.  Would I recommend pet insurance for the average person?  Well, that depends…..

On What?  The factors in my mind are the breed of animal you have, the number of animals you are thinking about insuring, and the amount of care/diligence you put into keeping your pets healthy.  If you own animals with common, well described breed problems, like hip dysplasia, I would be inclined to advise getting the insurance.  Eventually, something is going to have to be done about the problem.  If you own several animals, how much are the premiums costing you every year–versus the amount of benefit you are getting out of the insurance?  The company is not going to lose money on you that is for sure!  Do you own a normally healthy breed of animal and do everything it needs to maintain its health?  Things like regular check ups, neutering, tooth cleaning, vaccinations, heartworm prevention, fecal exams, regular exercise, training, and grooming go a long way to prevent emergency surgery.  If something unexpected happens, the cost may be a bit overwhelming, but certainly not what you would have paid out in premiums over the years.

Bottom line:  research your own situation and make an informed decision.  But of course, you probably already knew that!

Last week while surfing the net, I checked in on a website that I frequent at least once a week.  It’s called Happynews.com and it boasts only good things to read about.  So instead of reading about deer/car accidents, over filled shelters, and the latest animal abuse case to hit the media, it normally has uplifting stories about pets saving their owners from some kind of danger.  But the story 10 Ways Kids Can Help Animals was pretty disturbing.

As I read the article, it soon became clear why I was dismayed.  It was basically a synopsis of the book called 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals , by Ingrid Newkirk.  Ms. Newkirk is the head of PETA which is the humane group associated with the terrorist group called the Animal Liberation Front. 

PETA’s main objective is to raise the status of animals to the level of people.  In their opinion, animals are beings which are not to be owned, or raised in captivity.  They are against eating meat, wearing leather, and of course all zoos, aquariums, medical research and yes even pet ownership.  PETA believes that if you can’t own people, you shouldn’t own animals–period.

The article encouraged children to avoid zoos and aquariums because if those institutions do not make any money, they will not stay in business.  And that piece of advice I whole heartedly agree with.  If you do not like what you are eating, buying, reading, or watching on TV, DON’T do it any more.

But then the article crossed the line and told the children that if they did go to the  zoo that they should bring some paper and a pencil to “document” how clean the place is and how much it smells.  It instructs the children to ascertain if the animals look healthy, and if they are well fed.  So what do you think is going to happen?  A kid walks into a zoo thinking he is going to save some animals by exposing abuse.  He walks into a North American exhibit, sees a skunk, then smells a skunk–and not actually knowing what a skunk looks like and how it defends itself in the wild, writes a complaint to PETA?  Or how about that poor, poor, snake that is so malnourished that it was losing its skin?  Or the chickens whose bodies were nearly featherless this fall?  Mistreatment or molting?

Isn’t that why we have those places in the first place?  Are they not teaching children about animals and how they are part of this world and our environment?  Not only do zoos do an amazing job of teaching us about animals and their habitats, they are pretty successful at propagating the endangered species that man is killing off. 

People need to be aware of what is happening around them.  Children need to be taught how to avoid talking to strangers and how to call 911 if the neighbors house is on fire.  They also need to tell someone if an animal is starving, or they witness abuse of any kind.  But they do not need to become spies for an organization with terrorist ties.  Common sense and compassion for all things, are awesome ways to help animals for any kid.

Remembering the time when I was helping blood test a herd of buffalo got me thinking about the guy who owned that ranch in Kansas.  He was a strange guy to say the least.  When it came to his buffalo, he had the most up to date innovatioon ever made for handling buffalo.  Pneumatic catch gates, 10 foot concrete walls and a circular design made working those buffalo almost fun.  But when it came to his lions, that guy was clueless.

You read that right, lions.  This ranch was also one of the largest breeders of African lions in the United States.  And I really didn’t find this out until the ranch owner graciously invited the group in for lunch.  While noshing on buffalo pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, 2 lion cubs were under the table begging for scraps just like most family dogs at dinner time.  Only these had real sharp, baby kitten like claws and I remember having to unhook them from my pant legs a couple of times during that meal.  But the cubs were so cute that after our testing was done I asked if I could see the rest of the lions at the ranch.  The owner was thrilled that someone from the group was interested in his beloved “pets” and agreed to give us a tour.

After packing up our blood samples and paper work, the owner dismissed the ranch hands who had been helping us and walked us down the path toward the his lion pens.  On the way toward the building, as I followed behind him, I was thinking to myself what a hard life this guy must have had.  You see, he walked with a cane, limping badly on a leg that was clearly shorter and unable to bend at the knee.  The hand that gripped the cane was missing two fingers and the other arm was unmoving as he held it to his chest.  What horrible thing did a buffalo do to this man I wondered?

As we neared the outside pens, I stopped my internal wonderings and actually started to listen to what the man was telling my friends and I.  It seems he was complaining about how hard it was to get decent help on ranches these days.  All he could get were hungry dropouts desperate to work any job until he showed them the lion pens.  Then, for some reason, they would just not show up for work anymore and he would have to scrounge around for another desperate soul willing to clean up after the animals.  Finally, he said, he just got tired of hiring people who quickly left him, and decided to clean the pens himself.  And that is the point where I finally put two and two together!  (OK so I am a little slow sometimes…..)  In building his pens, the idiot made it impossible to clean up after the animals without actually getting into the pen WITH the lions.

All those injuries and scars were inflicted by the lions when he had to clean their enclosures.  Every once and a while a lion would get angry (I never know what sets off a house cat for Gods sake, let alone a 500 pound lion), and would attack him.  These attacks resulted in the missing fingers, toes and mangled leg and arm.  No wonder good help was hard to find.  Or should I say, unbelievably dumb help?

This weekend WXYZ channel 7, aired a show called “Pet Pads”.  It explored several houses and the accommodations made for the pets each homeowner had living with them.  One lady had 17 pigs living in her home.  I have a hard enough time keeping things clean with 4 dogs, but 17 pigs?  Normally, pigs make great pets and I am all for keeping your pot bellied pig in the house.  In fact, they can be much cleaner than dogs.  But when it comes to the 600 pound, farm variety type of pig, I draw the line.  Can you imagine that on your lap?  Anyway, the lady kept saying her house was not a pig pen, but from what I could see it was a mess.  And what did you expect from a house with 17 pigs in it?

Another couple did not live with their pet buffalo, but let it in the house to wander around and watch TV.  For those of you who do not have any buffalo experience, they are astounding creatures.  They weigh nearly a ton, but can nimbly jump over a pick up truck like it was a small bale of hay.  They are vindicitive and have a very good memory as I learned one day while drawing blood from a herd of them in Kansas.  Cattle will run away from you after you collect their blood and release them, but a buffalo will remember who you are, and when released will come back to kill you!  But I digress.  This couple let a full grown, male buffalo into their house to keep them company in the evenings.  I can’t wait to read the newspaper article one day about how someting pissed off Mr. Buffalo and how he destroyed an entire home.  Wonder what their insurance agent would say?

The last lady worth mentioning was the one who lived with her monkey and some marmosets.  Okay, I admit that the marmosets were cute.  But primates are some of the most dangerous pets to own, and in my opinion, they should only be kept in zoos.  Because humans are in the primate family we catch nearly all the diseases that they carry.  And because many of the diseases are monkey diseases, some of them have only mild symptoms in the monkey but are deadly in humans.  Primates (us too), have bacteria in our mouths that are so virulent that the primate bite is the most harmful bite of all the animal kingdom infection wise.  Add to that the fact that they play with their feces and masturbate constantly when the males reach sexual adulthood.  Why would you want that in your house?

On the more sane side, there was an older gentleman living with a miniature horse, another couple with some parrotts (which are messy but fun pets), and a man with some real cool fish tanks.  These are the people I can relate to.  Everything but the horse is pretty common, and who hasn’t brought the horse into the house when mom’s gone shopping–at least once?  Note to moms everywhere: they fit through the patio doors quite nicely.

For years I have owned and raised pet chickens.  Both my mother and grandmother raised chickens as well as other fowl, so it must be in the genes or something.  I have had all types of chickens, from the biggest of the species, the Brahma, to the smallest called Bantams.  Right now I have a small flock of 15, mostly hatched last spring from my 2 most mothering hens.  In fact, both hens raised 2 clutches, (groups) of eggs this summer which is a tribute to their motherly dedication.

Because of my interset in chickens, I buy magazines about them and scour the internet for the latest in small flock innovations.  One of those innovations was a chicken “tractor” which I built last fall.  A chicken tractor is a mobile pen/coop that I pull around with a riding lawn mower.  By having a wire top and bottom, it protects the animals from predators,  But I can move it to different spots in the yard to allow the chickens to have fresh grass,(which they love to eat), and a new, clean environment.  The waste is good for the grass as well, and the eggs they lay are packed with much more nutrients that those pale yolked store bought ones, (due to the fresh air, food and sunshine they get)

The chickens also act as a garbage disposal at our house.  Because table scraps are forbidden for the dogs, (they cause too much GI upset), the chickens get all the leftovers.  You would not believe the things chickens go crazy over.  Spaghetti, mashed potatoes, and even beef and chicken are gobbled up by the happy hens.  After they eat what they want, I put the rinds and other un-peckable foods into the composter for a garden boost in the spring.

Chickens take around 21 days to hatch out of their shells.  Every spring I have allowed at least one hen to hatch out a few eggs to replace the ones that die of old age.  I do not eat my chickens because they are pets–although I do not begrudge those people who do.  I watch the hens hide their eggs in hopes that no one will find the nest.  Day after day, I observe the dedicated hens sitting on their nest tending to the eggs.  And then one day I start to hear the tiny peeping sounds typical of the new chicks.  Sometimes the loudest peeping comes from intact eggs!  The chicks are so cute too.  It is well worth the wait to see them with their mother learning how to find food and keep safe.

I highly recommend chickens as pet for most households where zoning is not a problem.  And believe me– zoning in a problem in Detroit Beach.  Just ask the blight inspector who came to my house when I used to live there with my chickens……..

Last week the world was all abuzz about a new drug approved by the FDA.  No, not a cure for cancer or blindness.  Not a vaccine for Equine Infectious Anemia.  But a drug to help fat dogs lose weight.

How stupid can people be?  Why would you spend lots of money, (and you can bet that this drug won’t be cheap!) for a drug that helps your dog lose weight, when you can SAVE money by feeding it less?

Weight loss in animals is simple.  Feed less, exercise more.  That’s it.  No pills, liquid shakes or sauna suits.  Put less in the bowl and get off the couch and play with your pet more.  Hey, if you put less on your plate, and walk the dog more, you will lose weight too.  What a concept………

I am sorry Jessika that you experienced such a horrible time in getting rid of your dog’s fleas.  Fleas are a real problem especially for those who have both cats and dogs living in the same home.  They are difficult to get rid of and animals can get very sick from the products sold to treat the problem.

Diagnosing fleas is as easy as taking a good look at your pet’s skin.  Seeing them is common, but even one flea can cause your pet to chew and scratch as though it is infested with hundreds of them.  A quick way of determining if you have fleas without actually seeing one, is to take a wet, white paper towel and place dirt from your pet’s skin on it.  If the section of paper turns red, it is “flea dirt” or digested blood and is positive evidence that you have fleas.

By the way, the best way to avoid treating for fleas is prevention.  Brewers yeast tablets given daily seem to be the best bet overall.  Also avoiding dog shows, boarding kennels, and wildlife are other ways to keep pets from being introduced to them.  Cats need to be kept indoors not only to protect them from predators and cars, but from fleas and ear mites as well.

Once you are sure you have fleas, the most important thing you can do is treat your house for them.  Fleas do not live on your pet.  They only jump on to eat a meal.  Then they are on to making more fleas in your carpet, pet bedding and rugs.  The entire house has to be treated and the most effective tool for that treatment is the vacuum cleaner.  Intensive vacuuming of all surfaces the pet touches actually will suck up most of the fleas and their eggs.  But you have to remember to either throw out the bag after each time, (or they will crawl out the hose), or put a flea collar in the bag to kill them once they are sucked up.  That is the only use for flea collars in my opinion–in the vacuum cleaner bag.  Attached to a pet, they can and do, cause severe skin blistering and overall sickness in a pet.

Next, the house has to be treated with a product that has a residual effect.  This means the product will stay on the surface even after you vacuum daily.  (The house needs to be vacuumed daily for at least 2 weeks)  Foggers are readily available from pet stores, but buy the sprays too for areas under the beds, tables and sofas.  Follow all directions on the label TO THE LETTER.  These are harsh insecticides and need to be handled properly.

As for the animal, I am much more cautious about using chemicals at all.  In practice, I evaluated each situation individually and recommended products based on the circumstance of each pet.  A nearly hairless pet with sores from chewing itself is a good canidate for flea allergy testing.  If allergic, then treatment for the allergies is coupled with flea abatement.  If the dog is merely scratching, then maybe just taking the fleas off with a flea comb, (while treating the environment), is the answer.  Over the counter stuff can be appropriate.  But use caution with any chemicals.  Look on the label for directions.  Many can not be used on cats, young puppies, or pregnant bitches.  Buy shampoos more than sprays because they kill the fleas and then rinse off.  Buy them with pyrethrins (which come from flowers), rather than the more toxic synthetic pyrethroids.  They are much less dangerous and work very well.

Jessika asked about “spot on” products.  Personally, I only directed owners to use them when the animals had a severe problem with fleas and the owners could not, for some reason, rid their home of fleas to prevent re-introduction.  Giving any substance to a level that kills fleas when they bite your pet is just not something I routinely recommend.  I am opposed to doing anything that drastic when other, less intrusive/toxic methods can be used successfully.

One day on a particularly slow day in private practice, I was sitting at my desk when my receptionist came in and asked me to speak to a very upset caller.  The man on the phone sounded more angry than upset to me as he explained that his dog had died.  He went on to say that he suspected his neighbor of poisioning his dog because they had been at odds for the past several years.  Things between them had escalated until, he said, the neighbor just killed the poor animal.  Being not quite sure of his diagnosis, he asked me if I could examine the dog and determine the cause of death.  “Finally something interesting to do for the afternoon–and all that toxicology would finally come in handy,” I thought!  I had always wanted to solve a mystery just like those guys on TV.  Not thinking my little fantasy through, I gladly accepted the challange and told the man to bring the body in.

The afternoon slipped by pretty quickly after getting in a dog that had been hit by a car so I forgot about the man and his dead dog.  I thought about him that evening though and wondered why a man who was so angry and wanted answers had decided not to bring his dog in?

The next day was much more busy.  We had a full schedule of surgeries to do that morning and I barely finished up before the afternoon appointments began filling up the waiting room.  While in an exam room vaccinating a dog with his yearly shots, my receptionist peeked in the room.  She had the most bewildered look on her face and that alone was enough to tell me that something was wrong.  I quickly finished up the exam and followed her to the exam room in the back.  That was another red flag that told me something wasn’t quite right.  The back exam room was saved for those animals that were either too loud, too agressive, or too smelly, (an encounter with a skunk was the usual cause).  If the animal was in this room, it was going to be unpleasant that’s for sure.

There in the exam room was the man I had spoken to on the phone.  In his hands he held a dirty, open cardboard box.  After introducing myself, I peered into the box expecting to see the dead body of a small dog.  What I found was something totally unexpected: A box of dirty dog parts!  I must have had an estonished look on my face because the man began to explain why he was so late in bringing the body in. 

“First”, he explained, “I forgot exactly where we burried him.”  “Then”, he went on to say, “after we dug him up we couldn’t find all the pieces!”  After some time I found 3 legs and a spine minus the head.  And even those parts were in rough shape as I found out that the dog had been burried for three years!  The man smiled at me and asked when I could have his diagnosis ready?

Of course I explained that I thought the dog had just recently passed away and that not even those guys on TV could determine the cause of death with so little to work with.  He left disappointed.  I learned more about people that day and to always get MUCH more information before accepting a challenge.