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JLaw — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Top Pet Products Reviews

Doc Truli — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Doc Truli Recommends may ingenious and convenient products every day. Now these same recommendations come to you, online! Soft Paws Gentle Leader Headcollar DAP Dog Appeasement Pheromone Bach Flower Remedies: Rescue Remedy

VV Services

Doc Truli — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding Pet Pharmacy Law in the United States

Doc Truli — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding Pet Pharmacy Law in the United States FDA Valid veterinary client patient relationship First do no harm Standards of Care Emergency med refills

AcuPuncture Chronicles

virtuavet — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Idea: Chronicle learning acupuncture 1st identify learning places gainesville chi institute move there find mentor get book advice (3 books to study)

4-Year-Old Mixed Breed Shaggy Dog Licks Antifreeze

virtuavet — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2937" align="alignleft" width="121" caption="Charlie"][/caption] How Can a Perfectly Watched Pet Get Sick in a Day?

Charlie laid like a rag on the animal hospital ceramic tile floor. He did not look up, nor did he great Doc Truli with a tail wag, not even the tippy tip. Charlie could not summon the energy to lift his own head. "We just found him like that in the front hallway," said Charlie's dad. "I swear he was perfect last night. We always go out with him on walks, he's never alone. Same bag of dog food, no new treats. We never give him treats made in China. He's on a holistic, all-natural diet. Charlie's never out of our sight. I don't understand how this could be happening! Doc Truli asked," Has Charlie been vomiting, had loose stool?" "He vomited once last night. But we figured he was eating grass in the yard. He does that sometimes," said Charlie, the shaggy white with brown-eared medium sized, mixed breed, 4-year-old dog's dad. "It's fall. Charlie's mucous membranes are tacky and sticky to the touch. His hear rate is way up over 150 beats per minute when it should be more like, maybe 100 maximum, here in the vet office. Has he gone out to urinate this morning?" said Doc Truli. "Honey, did he go out," Charlie's dad asked Charlie's sister - the teenage daughter. "No, Dad. Charlie just looked so tired and weak, I didn't force him," said Charlie's human sister. Doc reached the back of Charlie abdomen with both hands, one hand on each side of his abdomen just in from of the pelvis. A quick pancaking motion of pressing Charlie's guts between Doc's hands confirmed a problem. "Did Charlie go out last night?" "He didn;t really want to. He sort of ate dinner, moped around, and then didn;t want to do anything else anymore," said Dad. "So, Charlie should have about 18 hours' worth of urine in his bladder. In that case, I should be able to feel a ballon-like bladder in the back part of his abdomen. Yet I do not," said Doc Truli. Then, the big question: "Could Charlie have gotten into antifreeze?" Charlie's dad clinked. "We watch him really well. We never take him out without a leash." "Dad," said Charlie's human sister, "Remember the back of the SUV yesterday? You thought the carpet was damp and we could;t figure out why? We picked up antifreeze at the car store. Maybe it spilled and Charlie licked some." "No, Honey, besides," Charlie's Dad turned to face Doc Truli, "Just licking antifreeze wouldn;t make hm so sick, would it? If he did lick it, it was just a tiny amount." "Unfortunately," said Doc,"any little lick of antifreeze can kill the kidneys. We need to treat Charlie with intensive care right now while we run some tests to see what's really going on." "Anything, anything, Doc. Please save our boy!" said Charlie's Dad.

What Does AntiFreeze Do to the Body?

Elevated Kidney Values

The little shaggy dog had "kidney values" beyond the reference range of the chemistry machines to measure. The Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN, pronounced just "B" "U" "N", not "bun" like in the oven) and Creatinine (pronounced kree-a-ti-neen) were very, very high. What does this mean?

Blood Urea Nitrogen

Well, BUN is a breakdown end-product of red blood cell turnover. Every day your body, your cat's, and your other mammalian pets' bodies filter and search through the red blood cells for damaged, old, crappy, infected, or otherwise useless cells. The red cells usually last for about a week or two, depending on the species, and then the body takes those cells out of circulation and breaks them apart. When the hemoglobin is released, it contains toxic chemicals that have to be packaged and excreted from the body for safety and health. Bilirubin from the liver and excreted via the colon is an example of a hemoglobin break-down product you need to get rid of or else you'll get sick. Nitrogen from blood urea is another waste product. Plants like Nitrogen. It is found in crop fertilizers because plants use it to live and grow. But mammals need to get rid of the excess in feces and urine.

Huge VirtuaVet Aside About Nitrogen and the Environment
That's where the "water contamination from nitrogen waste" news comes from. Except, in addition to legal run-off from over-taxed city sewer systems, and intensive farming run-off from overflowing lagoons after a rainstorm, plant agriculture spreads manure and manufactured nitrogen all over the fields on purpose. Thousands of tons of that nitrogen just runs off the ground into the water supply. Ever hear of "nitrogen fixing?" Meaning plant roots and the jungle plants and native ground covers "fixing " the nitrogen? Well, the plants are not out "fixing" numbers on a corporate report with underhanded accounting! They are absorbing the nitrogen into their fabulous green bodies and keeping the nitrogen in themselves in a healthy way, "fixing" or locking the nitrogen in a healthy location - their bodies!

Creatinine

Creatinine is a chemical breakdown product produced from muscle metabolism. Even standing still, you use muscles, like the core balance muscles. There's a constant flow of creatinine, and too much of it causes symptoms of achiness, weakness, tiredness, vomiting and sometimes diarrhea. You, your cat, or your dog, just feels sick! Normally, the kidneys urinate out excess creatinine. The body can withstand and adapt to mild to moderate elevations in creatinine - and often does. This adaptation is why a cat can be stable in IRIS Grade 2 Renal (kidney) insufficiency for years and years - the elevations in BUN and creatinine can be tolerated. However, Charlie got sick all of a sudden in one night. This variety of peracute (meaning immediate) to acute (meaning a day or so) onset of illness - and especially kidney dysfunction - is immediately incompatible with life. And it feels awful. Just sick and pukey and weak and, well, just awful.

What Is Antifreeze?

Standard antifreeze contains ethylene glycol. It is poisonous to life as we know it. It tastes sweet. The ethylene glycol prevents water from freezing at the normal freezing point, allowing your vehicle's gas to remain liquid in very cold weather. The sweet taste makes animals, especially dogs, lap it up right away!

Tru Tip Q: Why do cats rarely get antifreeze posioning? A: Cats do not have "sweet" taste buds. Therefore, they will only drink ethylene glycol for strange amusement, not the taste. Most cats are too smart to do this!

Alternative antifreeze contains a less toxic propylene glycol. It also prevents the freezing. Proplyene glycol is thought to be barely toxic. It is used as a softening agent in semi-moist pet foods and treats, and added to many cosmetic and cleansing products for humans.

Tru Tip Q: What's the deal with Propylene Glycol and Cats? A: Repeated exposure to propylene glycol is poisonous to cats in a unique way through their little catty liver. Certain intravenous medications are carried in aliquot with propylene glycol. Veterinarians know not to give these meeds, and certainly not to give them repeatedly to a cat, or liver failure will ensue. Q: If it's poisonous to cats, why did I just read "propylene glycol" on a semi-moist cat food label? A: Good question. Do you think the label regulators have time to protect our cats when they let corporations sell products that kill our children? Hmmm......

Basically, What Does Ethylene Glycol Do to My Pet?

This chemical forms acidic crystals in the kidneys that immediately attack the kidneys and shut down kidney function. There is a prescription medicine to help prevent these crystals. If you get immediately to your veterinarian, or pet emergency room, they will administer this medicine. The symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning = symptoms of sudden renal failure.

Symptoms of AntiFreeze Poisoning

excessive thirst and urination
incoordination, called ataxia (legs not organized right)
weakness
nausea and vomiting
tremors, usually whole body
rapid breathing and heart rate
diarrhea
convulsions and seizures
paralysis

Charlie's bladder was empty because, after placing a urinary catheter to measure is urine output, and pumping him full of intravenous fluids, he still had almost no urine. No urine in anuric (pronounced an-nyer-ick) renal failure. If those kidneys don't come back on line, you've got to go for kidney dialysis. Not enough, or intermittent urine is called oliguric (pronounced ah-li-gyer-ick) renal failure . The kidneys could be deteriorating to anuric failure, or trying to start back up. Usually, some intravenous fluids will kick the kidneys into gear. Charlie's urine contained a few calcium oxalate crystals. These are squarish clear to yellow microscopic mineral crystals with X-sahped cross looking 3-D patterns on them. Calcium Oxalate Crystals are never normal in a dog or cat, and the crystals themselves can block the kidney ducts and tubules causing more damage than the original acid attack from the ethylene glycol. To get Charlie out of the oliguric renal failure, Doc gave him special medications to drive the kidneys back online. If a pet is so sick as to need these medications, you should have a serious talk with your veterinarian about prognosis and costs involved in intensive care. Charlie made it! (Most pets do not.) He spent three weeks in the hospital. He needs special kidney diet food for the rest of his life. But he survived a few licks of antifreeze due to quick action on his family and the vet's part.

References

The Environmental Protection Agency tells us used antifreeze picks up so many heavy metals and industrial strength toxins in use in the car or truck, that most states regulate antifreeze disposal for the safety of life on Earth! The Arizona Phoenix reported on death of three pet dogs. Fabulous article with symptoms, chemical action of the Antifreeze, very detailed.

Test

JLaw — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome

Doc Truli — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:28:12 +0000

Welcome to Dr. Truli's blog intended for pet parents who need pet health insight, coaching and guidance, and even one-on-one private veterinary consultations and second opinions. In my daily practice, I meet many pet parents who are looking for deeper answers, need to know how to interpret news and information they find, and need to know how to navigate healthcare decisions for their pet. Everyone secretly wonders: "What would you do if it were your cat?" "Tell me-as a friend--is it worth it?" and "How do I know if my dog has a good quality of life?" We wish, at times, our best friend was a veterinarian so we could ask the sensitive and sometimes awkward questions we feel we cannot ask a professional in the office call. I became a veterinarian to help animals and to find out what do doctors know that's so special? My wish is to impart some of my journey to you. To share my perspective and insight into pets, their people, medicine, the modern medical community, and even explore the meaning of health and wellness. You can't leave Doc Truli's office - or blog - without a dose of philosophy!

About VirtuaVet

virtuavet — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:28:12 +0000

VirtuaVet Shares Information, Stories, and Insight

Welcome to VirtuaVet, a website intended for pet parents who need pet health insight, coaching and guidance. In my daily practice, I meet many pet parents who are looking for deeper answers, need to know how to interpret news and information they find, and need to know how to navigate healthcare decisions for their pet.

"Your healthcare decisions regarding your pet are practical, moral, ethical, and spiritual decisions," says Doc Truli.

Everyone secretly wonders: "What would you do if it were your cat?" "Tell me-as a friend--is it worth it?" and "How do I know if my dog has a good quality of life?" We wish, at times, our best friend was a veterinarian so we could ask the sensitive and sometimes awkward questions we feel we cannot ask a professional in the office call. I became a veterinarian to help animals and to find out what do doctors know that's so special? My wish is to impart some of my journey to you. In return, I want you to share your perspective and insight into pets, their people, medicine, the modern medical community, and even explore the meaning of health and wellness.

"What do doctors know that's so special?" Doc Truli asks.

VirtuaVet Focussed on Providing Inspiration and Information

Doc Truli provides the stories and philosophy behind VirtuaVet. Practical, heartfelt, relevant stories let you know hope and cures abound. Every day, Doc Truli hears similar questions and misunderstandings about people and pets in society, and pet healthcare.

"I remember what it's like to not be a scientist, not be a doctor, and I love my pets," says the Doc.

VirtuaVet was created to provide coaching, guidance, explanations, and positive examples so you can remain confident, optimistic, and happy in your healthcare decisions regarding your pet! You can't leave Doc Truli's office - or website - without a dose of philosophy! Frequently Asked Questions about Doc Truli Testimonials from Doc Truli's Pet Parents

Pet Emergencies

Doc Truli — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:31:17 +0000

Let me be perfectly clear: [caption id="attachment_888" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Emergency! We lost our fur! Oh, we're just Sphinx Cats. We're supposed to be this way."][/caption]

If your pet is seizing, not functioning, not breathing, or not even conscious, go to the nearest emergency veterinarian immediately!

I'm not kidding. I'm shocked every day by the emergencies that people misjudge and their pet suffers tremendously and/or dies.

A Special Note About Poisoning

If you think maybe your pet ate something, chewed something, rolled in something toxic. Or if your pet is seizing, semi or not-conscious, or having trouble breathing, go right to the emergency hospital and call on the way over. If your pet is not exhibiting these signs, or you are not sure about a certain poison, read VirtuaVet's advice regarding Poisonings and Toxicities.

Reasons to Take a Pet to the Emergency Room

First of all, think of your pet as yourself. If whatever (fill in the blank) horrible thing had just happened to you, you would want Painkillers at the very least:

Hit by car
Fell off balcony
stereo dropped on your head
trapped in flat screen television cables for an hour howling in terror
broke your leg
fell out of the car
near-drowning in pool
chewed electrical cord
had a seizure
in a coma, not moving, you don't have any idea why
passed out and managed to wake up on your own
fell out of tree
can't open one or both eyes
bitten by rattlesnake, scorpion, black widow spider
ate poison, or drugs (pot, tylenol, fentanyl lollipop, etc, etc,etc)
ate sharp objects
can't pass a puppy when birthing (don't imagine that's you- they didn't even do that in Dr. Who!)

These are just examples I've seen where people have waited for days. I can only imagine the pain and frustration and loneliness their pet felt! If your pet is very young, old, or already diagnosed with a medical condition, go to the e.r. sooner than later!

Doc Truli has seen it all in the ER. "The #1 reason for pets to go to the emergency room is vomiting and diarrhea, with or without blood in it. The diagnosis for these problems at the emergency room is often 10 different things in 10 different pets. #2 in America is being hit by a car," reminisces the Doc.

Standard Reasons to Take Your Pet to the Emergency Room

The standard list of emergencies I taught to the Marblehead, Massachusetts Boy Scouts (and they got them all right!):

Bleeding profusely
vomiting more than 4-6 times in 24 hours
ate medications or poisons or household cleaners
cannot urinate, or also, meowing and going in and out of the pan for hours
eye trauma, eye redness, eye discharge (pets get glaucoma)
seizures, especially if they last more than 5 minutes, or repeat 2+ times in 24 hours
broke something (or limping painfully/not sure)
suddenly swollen body part
attacked and bitten by another animal (get rabies vaccine info!)
drowning
burning
deep cuts
lots of porcupine quills, fishhooks embedded, chain collars knotted together at neck, luggage clip trapped on toe
trying to retch and nothing coming up, pacing, cannot sit or lie down, uncomfortable- your dog will be dead if you wait even 12 hours!
foul-smelling vaginal discharge
extreme tiredness for no reason
constant coughing, tongue lavender - blue
paralysis (believe it or not, people wait, no kidding! Not good...)
shooting or stabbing
panting cat
super painful ear (won't kill your pet, but should be seen to eliminate pain!) -
allergic reactions (wheezing, hives, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, face or part swollen) -
super painful "hot spots" I consider emergencies because they are very painful and your pet might injure herself chewing and scratching

There are a few things that generally are not emergencies

but I can't say for certain in your case- use your common sense:

Remember that paws, noses, tongues, and ears bleed like crazy even from tiny little spots. Hold pressure if you can for 15 minutes - no peeking! - and get a good look before you run to the e.r.
Ticks are almost never an emergency, unless they cause tick paralysis- and with that, your dog is paralyzed all over (for real!) until you or the vet removes the offending tick(s)- check face, paws, and ears especially, remove just by pinching close to the skin and pulling in the direction of the tick, no alcohol, fire, petrol, etc. - these cause the tick to regurgitate diseases into your pet!
Word to the wise- do not trim your pet's nails when your vet is closed. If you cut too short and it does not stop bleeding, your emergency vet will make a fast buck helping you out. But this is a waste of veterinary sleep-time and money! Same goes for using the shaver or scissors to cut out hair matts. Once I sutured the chest on a retired veterinarian's cat because she cut a big hole in the skin at midnight!
If your pet is pregnant, probably no veterinary hospital or emergency room in the world has the personnel or time to birth the litter for you and watch the brood the first night. Plan ahead, educate yourself, hire a local pet nanny or midwife with experience (like your pet's breeder). Or better yet, do not breed your pet, please! There are millions of extra cats and dogs in the U.S, euthanized at shelters each year - it happens to be about the same number as produced in puppy mills- hmmm... Some things, even in this modern, technological world, are still not available, no matter how much money you can pay.

Do not assume your pet is angry with you, go to the vet! Your Pet Is Sick!

If you are worried that your pet vomited
did not eat dinner
would not come out of the closet when you came home
seems tired
personality changed
urinating anywhere unusual or new

Go to the vet. Use your common sense. If you call the vet, they will try to assess severity over the phone. The more accurate and descriptive you are about everything coming in and going out of your pet (eating, drinking, poop, pee, vomit, coughing) the more the vet can help you, but ultimately, they will tell you to have your pet examined right away if you are not sure. If your pet is in pain, not functioning, or not even conscious, go to the nearest emergency veterinarian immediately! Still not sure? Go to the e.r.!!!!!

Download

VirtuaVet's Hyperlinked List of Pet Emergencies:

(great for school research projects)

VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies

[caption id="attachment_861" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pet Emergencies Page 1"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_862" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pet Emergencies Page 2"][/caption]

6 week old Great Dane Survives Stereo

Doc Truli — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:28:19 +0000

If your 6 week old Great Dane puppy has a stereo dropped on his head, come to the emergency room right away!

I walked into the exam room at 5:15 p.m. We opened at 5 p.m. Reggie was on the exam table in a blanket, having a grand mal seizure, head thrown back, frothing, legs twitching. I scooped him up, placed an intravenous catheter and gave him valium to calm his seizure. I tucked him in a baby incubator to stay warm and comfortable while I talked with his mom. She told me that somebody at her house had dropped a stereo on his head at 2 p.m. and they wanted to wait until she got home from work to take him to the vet's. I told her about treatment, how the first 24 hours would tell if he had a concussion, or would pull out of it, and how much it would cost. (So far, I'm disappointed that the puppy wasn't brought right in, but I figured, she had been at work, it wasn't her fault. She was trying to fix the problem.) The puppy's mom told me she would have to call a few friends about getting payment for the treatment. Okay, I left her alone to call. Next thing I hear the door open and a car peel away, and no puppy in the incubator! She lied to me, and took the puppy! He was sure to have more seizures. I had a tough decision to make. I called county Animal Control Services. The officer on duty was 10 minutes from the end of his shift. He took his own time to drive to the puppy's house. He found three adults high on drugs and several toddlers, and no puppy. "Where's the puppy?" "My brother-in-law took him to the woods." "You tell him to go get him right now, or I'm taking you all in for animal abuse." (He couldn't really do that, but they were not in their right minds, so they believed him.) It took the guy an hour to go out in the woods where he had left the puppy to "die naturally" and bring him back to the house. The officer rushed him to the e.r., where we treated his seizures all night long. The next morning, the seizures stopped, he ate breakfast, and never had another episode. A local police officer adopted him, and he lived happily ever after! P.S. That animal control officer saved many animals' lives. The Great Dane puppy was one lucky pup. The officer called child services and they check on the family from time to time to make sure the kids are all okay. P.P.S. In that county, if you couldn't pay for vet care you could sign your pet over to the county, and they would take care of your pet and adopt it out to a family that could care for it. She never indicated that she needed help, and ran out before I could let her know that the puppy didn't have to suffer because of lack of money.

[caption id="attachment_911" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Seven Years and Going Strong!"][/caption]

Philosophy: Beyond Medicine

Doc Truli — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:32:04 +0000

I believe your decisions regarding your pets' care are practical, ethical, moral, and spiritual decisions. Therefore, my advice and approach is unique in veterinary medicine. I love animals to an obsessed, crazy degree. But I do not adore, love, or idolize medicine. Here's why: (did you guess it already?) It is imperfect, limited, narrow-minded, and ineffective at helping us live our lives, and make important life-altering decisions. We need more humanity, more coaching, more reflection and soul-searching than any veterinary hospital or examination room can provide. Those who practice medicine usually act as if it is way more important than it really is. Medicine is a tool. Nothing more or less. I practice knowing the limits of what medicine is applicable to, and what it is not. Medicine can tell you which organ system is failing in your beloved older pet, but it cannot tell you how much longer she's got, and it cannot tell you how your cat feels about having tons of medical treatments. Sometimes that's mainly what you want to know. "How do I apply the information the vet just gave me?" "What's the right thing to do?" or even, "How can I help my pet keep living, when the vet says there's no hope?" There is so much more to being a health advisor. Helping you figure out what is best for your pet and your family based upon solid evidence-based medicine, science, experience, and your values is my passion. I still remember what it's like to not be a veterinarian. And if we're perfectly honest, most veterinarians would admit they feel like regular people - with anxiety and indecision - when it comes to deciding proper diagnostics and courses of treatment for their own pets. I remember not knowing medical terminology, not feeling like I had any power at all at the doctor's office, not liking it one bit! I sympathize with where you're coming from. Even if you are a physician, it is totally different when your cat or dog is on the surgery table facing an endotracheal tube. As an emergency physician once told me, "I can put a guy's brains back in his skull, but I can't watch my Beagle get a Rabies shot!" He's not crazy; that's normal! I feel strongly that the relationship between you and your pet is a sacred soul journey. I believe you found each other and your journey is tied together. I believe animals have souls. I believe your soul journey with your pet is a privilege and a major life purpose. Your status as a human being imbues you with a unique and awesome responsibility of guiding your pets healthcare and even, if the time comes, deciding to end a painful, dying life. Not many people feel comfortable with signing on the dotted line to end their pet's life, yet it is the kindest, most human(e) thing to do in many cases. Of course, euthanasia is also the most stressful and difficult aspect of a veterinarian's service to society, and a major reason most people who would otherwise pursue veterinary medicine do not. Frankly, I created this blog to provide information and perspective on issues I feel impact our pets' health, to attract people who may appreciate my services as an advisor and counselor regarding their pet's care, and to spark novel and perhaps off-kilter discussions and solutions in efforts to help our soul journey with our pets be as complete and fulfilling as possible. "Your decisions regarding your pets' care are practical, ethical, moral, and spiritual decisions."

Specialists

Doc Truli — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:13:27 +0000

Who are veterinary specialists?

A veterinary specialist is just like a specialist in medicine for humans. A veterinarian who completes an internship, residency (usually 3-7 years), and passes examination certification by the governing specialty board in their area of expertise can then put themselves forth to the public as "specialists." The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recognizes Specialty Boards.

How Do I Find a Veterinary Specialist?

Veterinary specialists almost always work through your regular veterinarian, by referral only. The exceptions are the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, who work directly with the public. Ophthalmologists and dentists often will see your pet, especially if you are new in town ,and then refer you to a general practitioner for other care. An emergency critical care specialist may be a first-line care provider if your pet visits a pet emergency room, especially in a major metropolitan area. However, the vast majority of specialists, especially ones who work with the public, follow a code of professional ethics which precludes them from seeing your pet instead of a general practitioner. They will not provide preventative care, health certificates, and routine follow-ups. They will provide follow-ups for chronic conditions, after consultation with your personal veterinarian.

Links to Specialty Boards in Veterinary Medicine

These links are provided generally for research purposes, especially if you are moving to a new town with a pet, and would like to see what veterinary specialists are in the area. Who is NOT a Veterinary Specialist?

Board Eligible

Furthermore, there are veterinarians who are not specialists, but they may have enhanced experience and insight to offer. They put themselves before the public as "board eligible." These are veterinarians who are completing their residencies, case reports and perhaps have only the certification examination remaining. They are not specialists.

Practice Limited To

There is also the potentially misleading moniker of "Practice limited to." Certain veterinarians have a talent and a passion for a selected component of medicine, such as dermatology, or surgery, or behavior. And perhaps for personal reasons, they have not completed, or may not even have started, a residency, or case reports or any of the rest of the formal certification process. Yet they may have talent and knowledge valuable to your pet. These are not specialists.

Clubs, Associations, and Organizations

There are official clubs, associations, and organizations that are not specialty boards. For example, a veterinarian can be a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners by paying annual dues. While these members love cats and may be excellent practitioners, they should not be confused with specialists.

15 Year-old Shih Tzu Passes Out, Wakes up in Lobby

Doc Truli — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:41:55 +0000

[caption id="attachment_913" align="alignleft" width="271" caption="Cappy's Doing Well, in Spite of the Tumble!"][/caption] I saw a sweet 15-year old tiny 10 pound shih tzu named Cappucino. His owner had returned home from shopping and Cappy was riding in the crook of his arm, waiting for the elevator, when Cappy slipped and fell onto the marble floor of his condominium lobby. Cappy did not move and his tongue turned blue. His owner freaked out, sure he was dead, and unable to bring himself to touch him, he boarded the elevator and rushed into his condominium.

"Cappy's dead! He's dead on the floor of the lobby! You'll have to go down and get him, " he implored his housekeeper. The housekeeper went down to the lobby, no Cappy! Where could his body be? Turns out, Cappy woke up, started wandering around all on his own in the lobby and found a friendly doorman to sit with while he waited to be taken home. Cappy had nothing wrong with him on examination. He probably just had the wind knocked out of him. Waking up all alone in a cold, marble lobby - not so much fun. He's reunited with the crook of his owner's arm, with a snazzy new harness that I taught his human to keep a finger on at all times!

How to Prepare for a Vet Visit

Doc Truli — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:06:05 +0000

Don't Stick Your Head in a Box, Prepare for the Veterinary Visit!

Prepare for your veterinary visits by observing your pet as closely as you can.
Take your pet to the visit yourself, and if you can't, be available by phone to answer questions.
Share your observations with the veterinary team. 85% of a medical diagnosis comes from the history and descriptions of what has happened.
Showing up at the doctor's office without information means the veterinarian will have to perform many more diagnostic tests and your costs will increase possibly by hundreds of dollars.
Read VirtuaVet's Top Ten Strategies for Making the Most Out of Your Veterinary Visit
Participate cooperatively with the doctor in deciding your pet's future. You are essential to your pet's well-being in more ways than you can imagine!

Pick a Vet Who Encourages Cooperative Decision Making

A pet parent that appreciates a conversational, cooperative style of decision-making, in which the veterinarian gives you some time to talk and values your input will appreciate coaching very much. Some people still prefer an authoritative doctor who tells you like it is and does not have much time for questions, but most people in this day and age do not. Be sure your pet's general practitioner lets you talk! Research shows that if a patient is left to talk uninterrupted about their issues, they will stop after 2 minutes. Just 2 minutes to pour out your heart! And the diagnosis was found in that 2 minutes over 75% of the time!

Coaching just before a doctor visit reduces stress and improves results

Coaching medical patients just prior to their doctor visit increased positive results, increased compliance, and lowered stress hormone levels!

Doc Truli explains, "Compliance is a fancy management word for 'doing what you are told.' I've expanded the term to mean, 'following through on the health plan at home.' It is a subtle, but important distinction. If you do not understand why your pet needs a special diet, or pills, or a medicated bath, how can you be expected to whole-heartedly go through the motions and make sure the treatment gets done? Your veterinary team needs to teach you why and how to do the treatments that need to be done."

Research into physician-patient interactions has shown that having checklists of relevent items to prepare before a doctor visit, and having Coaching before your visit, increases patient satisfaction with the visit and decreases stress more than many other strategies studied like greater physician communication training. It stands to reason the same is true of visits to the veterinarian.

"Patients need to have the courage and confidence to ask questions," said Sherrie Kaplan, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Health Policy at the University of California, Irvine. "Many patients don't want to look stupid. Studies have shown that even doctors find that when they are patients, they don't want to ask questions that will make them look stupid." Doctors can underestimate their patients' information needs for a variety of reasons, according to the review authors. When treating patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses, doctors might be reluctant to dispense information that they feel could be harmful or disturbing. Alternatively, they sometimes focus so hard on confirming a diagnosis that they do not take the time to encourage patient involvement in constructing more individualized treatment approaches. "Doctors are prepared to ask questions, to formulate what's wrong, find it and fix it," Kaplan said. "In studies we've done, the patient will talk for about 30 seconds before the doctor interrupts with more questions and takes over." Ref 1

Coaching works! When doctors were given advanced communication training, patients were called after a visit for follow-up, or patients were given a briefing days before their visit, none of these strategies lowered stress or increased understanding between the doctor and the patient.

How to Get the Most out of Veterinary Visits:

Observe your pet closely, especially anything coming out of, or going into the pet (food, water, urination, defecation, vomit, energy, etc)
Complete a pre-visit checklist
Hire a veterinarian to coach you before the visit, or choose a veterinarian with a coaching style of cooperative decision-making
Only work with a veterinary team (receptionists, customer care representatives, nurses, and doctors) who allow you to speak your mind!
Politely bow out and seek another veterinarian if you are not comfortable.

Ref 1 Center for the Advancement of Health. "Coaching For Doctor Office Visits Helps Patients Ask Right Questions." ScienceDaily 20 July 2007. 19 September 2009 /releases/2007/07/070719130634.htm>.

Maximize Your Veterinary Visit

virtuavet — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:06:05 +0000

Strategies to Make the Most of Your Veterinary Visit

Prepare for your veterinary visits by observing your pet as closely as you can.
Take your pet to the visit yourself, and if you can't, be available by phone to answer questions.
Share your observations with the veterinary team. 85% of a medical diagnosis comes from the history and descriptions of what has happened.
Showing up at the doctor's office without information means the veterinarian will have to perform many more diagnostic tests and your costs will increase possibly by hundreds of dollars.
Participate cooperatively with the doctor in deciding your pet's future. You are essential to your pet's well-being in more ways than you can imagine!

Pick a Vet Who Encourages Cooperative Decision Making

Coaching just before a doctor visit reduces stress and improves results

Coaching medical patients just prior to their doctor visit increased positive results, increased compliance, and lowered stress hormone levels!

Doc Truli explains, "Compliance is a fancy management word for 'doing what you are told.' I've expanded the term to mean, 'following through on the health plan at home.' It is a subtle, but important distinction. If you do not understand why your pet needs a special diet, or pills, or a medicated bath, how can you be expected to whole-heartedly go through the motions and make sure the treatment gets done? Your veterinary team needs to teach you why and how to do the treatments that need to be done."

"Patients need to have the courage and confidence to ask questions," said Sherrie Kaplan, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Health Policy at the University of California, Irvine. "Many patients don't want to look stupid. Studies have shown that even doctors find that when they are patients, they don't want to ask questions that will make them look stupid." Doctors can underestimate their patients' information needs for a variety of reasons, according to the review authors. When treating patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses, doctors might be reluctant to dispense information that they feel could be harmful or disturbing. Alternatively, they sometimes focus so hard on confirming a diagnosis that they do not take the time to encourage patient involvement in constructing more individualized treatment approaches. "Doctors are prepared to ask questions, to formulate what's wrong, find it and fix it," Kaplan said. "In studies we've done, the patient will talk for about 30 seconds before the doctor interrupts with more questions and takes over." Ref 1

How to Get the Most out of Veterinary Visits:

Observe your pet closely, especially anything coming out of, or going into the pet (food, water, urination, defecation, vomit, energy, etc)
Complete a pre-visit checklist
Hire a veterinarian to coach you before the visit, or choose a veterinarian with a coaching style of cooperative decision-making
Only work with a veterinary team (receptionists, customer care representatives, nurses, and doctors) who allow you to speak your mind!
Politely bow out and seek another veterinarian if you are not comfortable.

Ref 1 Center for the Advancement of Health. "Coaching For Doctor Office Visits Helps Patients Ask Right Questions." ScienceDaily 20 July 2007. 19 September 2009 /releases/2007/07/070719130634.htm>.

Visit Checklist

Doc Truli — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:47:48 +0000

Prepare a Veterinary Visit Checklist

Download your customizable VirtuaVet Pre-Visit Checklist here. If you prepare for a veterinary visit, especially if your pet is very sick, or has a previously diagnosed disorder, you will get the most out of the visit. You will feel better, remember better, and have less stress than if you have no coaching before the visit. Let's get started! I suggest you print this page and fill out the questions as best as you can before the visit. This checklist is for a basic sick pet visit.

When was your pet last normal?

What is the problem?

Has it been getting better, worse, or staying the same?

Has your pet been out of the area? Where?

Any coughing?

If yes, does anything come up?

Any sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes?

Any vomiting?

If yes, did you see it yourself? If yes, was the stomach actively heaving in and out? (tells vomiting from regurgitation)

Any loose stool or diarrhea? Blood? Slime or mucous? What color? What consistency? How often? Is there urgency?

Limping?

New lumps or bumps?

Any change in eating or drinking?

What do you feed your pet? (Food and "other!")

How is your pet's energy level?

Are any other pets or people in the house sick?

Have you noticed any new behaviors or aggression?

Is your pet's personality changed?

Is your pet itchy? (This includes sensitive, not just obvious scratching)

Do you ever see fleas or ticks? Do you know what they look like?

Did you know? If your pet has itchiness, baldness, or flaking at the tail base, especially on the top of the back, then 95% of the time, that is from flea allergy dermatitis. Dermatologists call it the "Christmas Tree Pattern." 1 flea can jump on your cat or dog, bite, lay 50 eggs, jump off, and your pet will stay itchy for up to 2 weeks, while you see nothing!

Is your cat or dog on monthly heartworm prevention?

If your pet is on medications, when was the last dose? Does he or she take the medications regularly? Do you need tips or help giving medication? (It doesn't do much good in the cupboard!)

Do you have contact with the breeder or littermates of your pet so that you may find out if there is a familial connection?

How do you feel about your pet's illness? Do you feel it is serious/hopeless/severe/pet is too old?

VirtuaVet Tip: If your pet is taking medications, vitamins, supplements, special shampoo, bring them to the visit for the veterinarian to see. You will get much more specific advice and guidance with the actual products and ingredients right there for the vet to assess.

[caption id="attachment_846" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pre-Vet Visit Checklist Page 1"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_847" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pre-Vet Visit Checklist Page 2"][/caption]

Wheaton Terrier Eats a Sewing Needle

Doc Truli — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:13:43 +0000

[caption id="attachment_908" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Josh the Wheaton is Relieved of his Sewing Needle"][/caption] Josh is a 6 year-old Wheaton Terrier, beloved by all. I received a frantic call on a Wednesday morning, "Josh ate a straight needle! What do I do?"

"When did he eat the needle? And by the way, are you sure? And by the way, you sew?!" "Last night, when my husband was watching him. He saw him eat it! I don't know how I have time, but sometimes I sew." Now, I'm not at all shocked that a curious, rambunctious Wheatie will eat a sewing needle. I was very surprised, to say the least, that a busy mom, dental hygienist, running her husband's dental practice, had a sewing room! People are amazing. "Bring him right over, I'll take an x-ray." There it was -- 2 inches of Made-in-China steel -- straight needle. The funny thing was, it had made it through 17 feet of intestine and was just inches away from being pooped out uneventfully. Which it was the next morning. Problem solved. Dad off the hook (er, needle.) Not to make light of the situation, a hole in your innards from a needle, or a needle loose in your insides doing what it wants can necessitate emergency surgery. But you'd be surprised how often things work out, in spite of the vet.

Pet Quality of Life

Doc Truli — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:20:56 +0000

You Want to Make Clear, Confident, No-Regret Decisions Regarding Your Pet's Care

The main pet quality of life considerations fall into the realm of ethical and even moral beliefs.

[caption id="attachment_882" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Maddie the Golden Retriever Waits for Doc Truli's Housecall"][/caption] If you ask yourself certain questions, you may feel a jolt, and understand immediately what you believe about certain topics. Once you know your beliefs, you will be able to make clear, confident, no-regret decisions. This process takes time. Moments of certainty may bring up further questions and the sinking feeling of weighty responsibility. Think of these trying times as an opportunity to process your beliefs, thoughts and emotions. Answers may or may not came to you all at once. Keep at it; with help, you will know what is right.

Doc Truli advises, "Dig into those gray areas, those confusing thoughts and emotions, and pull up diamonds of truth and clarity. I've helped thousands of people with this process; if you need help, I can help you, too."

Does your pet experience a good quality of life?

Your Pet Lives for Today

Did you know that cats and dogs live in the moment? They are literal, steadfast, in-the-moment beings. This means they will not suffer with thoughts of self-pity when they feel ill. If their infirmity is temporary, or the severity of it is temporary, then treatment is certainly worthwhile. Your pet will enjoy future days just as she has in the past. How do you know if your pet has a good quality of life? If your pet is very ill, or is facing a terminal diagnosis, like a cancer, or chronic, incurable, perhaps difficult-to-manage illness, you must be facing some tough decisions. These are often the most difficult issues a person will ever have to face. As a friend of mine said, "How can I make that kind of decision for another living being?"

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards," --Sooryen Kierkegaard

If Your Pet is Young and Healthy, Write Down Your Beliefs About Pet Quality and End of Life Now, for Your Reference Later

If your pet is young and/or well, then you should be thinking about these issues for the future. Before you are facing the emotion, expense, and sheer denial of the time to come (someday), it helps a lot to feel out and think through your personal beliefs and values. Discuss with your family and loved ones how they feel, if they have an impact on the decisions. Write down your family thoughts about quality of life. When the inevitable approaches, you will have a reference, created by you and for you, to help future-you through the rough times. To help objectify some of the issues to consider, you may consult a quality of life scale. Dr. Alice Villalobos is a veterinary oncologist in California who has published a Quality of Life Scale which many people find helpful to quantify their pet's quality of life and track good days and bad. She suggests rating each item 1/10 with 1 being crappy and 10 healthy and happy, and adding each day up to see if your pet is over or under 35 altogether. Sometimes, no one thing is an obvious clue that your pet is ready to leave this world, and they do not give you "the look." You have to make a semi-objective decision and the Quality of Life Scale can help.

Who Makes Medical Decisions for Your Pet?

Being sure about who is the decision-maker clarifies things when the time comes.

Some families leave the decision to the person who had the pet before the family got together.
Some families know that one person is super attached compared to everyone else.
Some families make a group decision.
Oftentimes I see people fight and stress out at each other because no one wants to take the brunt of the other people's grief, so no one wants to make decisions.
Sometimes, I see parents try to have under-age children decide, so they won't be angry with them when they are older.
Do not put healthcare decisions on children. This is the one scenario that I do not like to see.

Professional Help is Available on Many Levels

If your veterinarian, or a trusted nurse at the hospital can speak with you, that helps tremendously. Sometimes the veterinarian is very busy, or perhaps your pet is hospitalized with a specialist or emergency room with a staff whom you have just met. Oftentimes, family and friends may not understand the depth of your distress about your responsibilities to decide the right things for your pet, and also the loss and devastation you may be imminently facing upon the passing of your beloved. If you are without understanding family and friends, as many people are in society today, if you are isolated and confused, in one of those awful situations, then reach out for help in further resources and links with VirtuaVet's Bereavement Support Information . Several veterinary colleges offer support phone lines. There are online support groups. Local humane societies often run community support groups in person to help you with your overwhelming, and natural emotions and responsibilities. You know what? Some people pray. Prayer can help tremendously, especially if you practice it. Do not overlook any help you can get!

Tough Questions Emerge When a Pet Becomes Ill

Questions you may be asking yourself include:

Is it the right time for euthanasia?
How could you possibly be expected to take G*d's will into your own hands and sign a permission form for euthanasia?
What if you do it too soon?
What if your pet suffers and you do it too late?
Is there anything else that could be, or should be done?
What if you do not have a diagnosis, because getting one is expensive and/or inconclusive? How do you make the decision when there are scientific degrees of uncertainty regarding your pet's actual diagnosis?
What if you just cannot afford anything else, even if the veterinarian indicates that the condition is manageable or treatable?

There are no perfect answers

There are some questions you can ask yourself to help sort out how you feel. These are exactly the sorts of questions I ask when I am coaching someone to reach a decision about their pet and their life.

How would you feel if you never knew the name of the disease? Would you be okay not knowing as long as it meant your pet didn't have any more tests? Or would it drive you crazy that you left a stone unturned.
How would you feel if you knew your pet was only staying alive to please you? Would you feel badly, and ask your pet to go on their own if they had the power to? Maybe it is time.
Do you feel that some of the indecision and uncertainty is about financial resources? Try to pretend you have unlimited money. If you had all the money in the world, would you want your pet to have further procedures or treatments? If you would, figure out a way to make it happen. You'd be surprised what mountains you can move when you set your whole being to the project. If you wouldn't, then do what you feel is right, and know that the money situation is not the reason you made your decision.
If you could walk, kneel, bend down, pill, inject with a needle into your pet, or otherwise perform the actual nursing home care your vet is talking about doing, would you feel your pet would want that? If you want your pet treated, and you cannot overcome a phobia (of needles, for example), talk with the nurses, and the vet about how to overcome the obstacle.

Personal, specific traits about your pet should validly factor into your decision about Quality of Life

[caption id="attachment_850" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pet Quality of Life Self-Coaching Questionnaire"][/caption]

Does your pet hate the car ride for follow-ups?
Are needles in the house/in the cat/out of the question for you?
Does your pet vomit medication?
Is your pet eating and drinking? Have you tried tons of suggestions from your veterinarian?
Is your pet clean and neat? Can he or she be groomed comfortably? Does touching hurt your pet?
Is your beloved still doing something he or she enjoys more days than not? Laying in the sun? Coming to the kitchen at dinnertime? Playing? Laying with you on the sofa? Watching TV? Sitting on your shoulder for a potato chip? You know--whatever your pet likes to do?
Or, is he or she hiding, withdrawn?
Is your cat sitting hunched up with her hair fluffed, eyes half shut, chin down? This is a painful cat. No kidding. Lots of agonizing pain.

Pawspice Care May be Right for Your Pet

If your pet is not ready to go, Pawspice, may be a wonderful option for you. Dr. Villalobos also authored this concept, which is a refinement and improvement on hospice care for people. As you consider further treatment, or further diagnostics and monitoring for your pet, your veterinarian should provide you with an approximate plan or follow-ups, trips to the office, and costs. Armed with this information, and a clearer ethical and moral view of yourself, you may still be very torn and unsure of what to do, but you will inevitably make the right decision. May you have the clarity, strength and heart to do what you know is right for your beloved. Remember, old age is not a disease! Continue reading about pet quality of life and moral dilemmas...

Pet Loss Support

Doc Truli — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:21:48 +0000

Pet Loss Support Online and Resources

To help you find the support you need and deserve, especially if your family and friends cannot help you feel right, please contact any of the following: University Of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's Department of Social Work and Pet Bereavement Services (Comprehensive Site with many questions answered. Many, many more resources.) The Argus Institute at the University of Colorado (Wonderful connection for books about pet loss, the human-animal bond, spirituality and pets) Rainbow Bridge Pet Loss Support (homey, non-professional site, automatic music when it opens up) The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (a non-profit organization with an online presence to help you with your questions.)

Pet Loss Support Hotlines Staffed by Volunteers

Anyone may call any of these pet loss support hotlines. However, most are staffed by volunteers, and U.C. Davis in California had to stop their hotline because of budget cuts. For this reason, these hotlines have local numbers, and may cost a long distance call. Several veterinary colleges offer support online and through telephone calls. They may operate during college sessions. (They may not be staffed during summer vacation and holiday school breaks) Do not be discouraged if the first hotline you call is unavailable, call another! Cornell University, Tufts University, Michigan State, University of Florida, University of Illinois C.A.R.E. Hotline (includes 877 number)

Reach Out for Pet Loss Support in Your Community

Your psychologist, psychiatrist, religious guide, or friends and family should also be able to help you. If you are feeling terribly depressed, despondent, calling out from work, abusing you body in some way, or specifically thinking you want to kill yourself, please, please, tell a trusted healthcare professional right away. Losing our best friends can precipitate our most challenging times. {Note: Please notify Doc Truli if these links go down. No one needs the added stress of annoying broken links!}

Quality of Life Scale

Doc Truli — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:22:45 +0000

You Can Use the Following Pet Quality of Life Scale to Objectively Record Your Pet's Status

Download your customizable .odt copy of the Quality of Life Scale. Download .odt Doc Truli's Quality of Life Self- Coaching Questionnaire. Download pdf VirtuaVet's Quality of Life Self-Coaching Questionnaire. Dr Alice Villalobos, a renowned veterinary oncologist, published a scoring system for life quality called the HHHHHMM Scale. The letters stand for: Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, Happiness, Mobility and More Good Days than Bad. Having a semi-objective scale, and having notes about your wishes and feelings before your pet became ill, can help you clear your heart and your mind when your pet is ill and you are confused or worried you may not be thinking clearly enough to make a proper decision on your pet's behalf.

Quality of Life Scale: The HHHHHMM Scale
Pet caregivers can use this Quality of Life Scale to determine the success of care. Score patients using a scale of 1 to 10.
Score	Criterion
1-10	HURT - Adequate pain control, including breathing ability, is first and foremost on the scale. Is the pet's pain successfully managed? Is oxygen supplementation necessary?
1-10	HUNGER - Is the pet eating enough? Does hand feeding help? Does the patient require a feeding tube?
1-10	HYDRATION - Is the patient dehydrated? For patients not drinking enough, use subcutaneous fluids once or twice daily to supplement fluid intake.
1-10	HYGIENE - The patient should be brushed and cleaned, particularly after elimination. Avoid pressure sores and keep all wounds clean.
1-10	HAPPINESS - Does the pet express joy and interest? Is the pet responsive to things around him or her (family, toys, etc.)? Is the pet depressed, lonely, anxious, bored or afraid? Can the pet's bed be close to the family activities and not be isolated?
1-10	MOBILITY - Can the patient get up without assistance? Does the pet need human or mechanical help (e.g., a cart)? Does the pet feel like going for a walk? Is the pet having seizures or stumbling? (Some caregivers feel euthanasia is preferable to amputation, yet an animal who has limited mobility but is still alert and responsive can have a good quality of life as long as caregivers are committed to helping the pet.)
1-10	MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD - When bad days outnumber good days, quality of life might be compromised. When a healthy human-animal bond is no longer possible, the caregiver must be made aware the end is near. The decision needs to be made if the pet is suffering. If death comes peacefully and painlessly, that is okay.
*TOTAL	*A total over 35 points represents acceptable life quality

Adapted by Villalobos, A.E., Quality of Life Scale Helps Make Final Call, VPN, 09/2004, for Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology Honoring the Human-Animal Bond, by Blackwell Publishing, Table 10.1, released 2006. [caption id="attachment_840" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Dr. Alice Villalobos' Pet Quality of Life Scale"][/caption]

What Do You Believe About Pet Healthcare?

Doc Truli — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:25:33 +0000

What are Your Core Values and Beliefs Regarding Pet Healthcare?

"It is a virtue to contemplate and face your fuzzy, grey, moral frontiers on a continual basis. Sharpen your focus on the near concepts and ever-more dilemmas pop up on the horizon. This is how we know ourselves. This is how we know if we are being good pet parents." --Doc Truli

Do you believe in chemotherapy for pets?

See if you agree or disagree with this comment: "I do not believe in chemotherapy for pets." Some people intuitively and vehemently believe that a cat or a dog should never undergo chemotherapy. They have seen human loved ones suffer and do not think a creature who cannot tell you if it is suffering, and if it wants treatment, should not be asked to go through chemotherapy on our behalf. Other people believe any chance for extension of life or a cure is worth the temporary setbacks.

Do you believe any surgery that medical science has approved is okay?

Full mouth tooth extractions

How do you feel about this statement: "I do not believe in extracting all of a cat's teeth, even though the vet says it's the only way to cure her mouth pain."

As a veterinarian, I extract teeth in cats to cure feline stomatitis-gingivitis when medications and cleanings have not worked. But I have been told by some people, "There has to be a different way. I am morally opposed to that solution." I'll tell you what: modern medicine knows of no other way at this time. But I cannot argue with a person's core moral beliefs. I tried my best to educate this person and explain the situation, and she thoroughly understood the situation. She just has a firm moral point of view on the subject. Perhaps you do, too.

Amputation of a dog's leg diagnosed with osteosarcoma

Does it make a difference to you if the dog is young or old?
Fat or thin?
Sick anyway with some other disease?
Does it make a difference how long the dog is expected to live?
- one year?
- three months?
Would you change your mind if you knew the osteosarcoma was incredibly painful and no amount of opioids or anything was going to take away the pain?
Would you change your mind if you thought the dog would suffer a pathologic fracture at the site of the cancer and bleed in front of young children?

What about "routine" surgeries?

spaying and castrating?
- what if your dog gets pregnant and needs a c-section?
- what if your dog makes unwanted puppies at a construction site down the street and they starve to death?
declawing cats
- would you change your mind if the owner was 65, diabetic, lived because of the cat, and couldn't risk a skin infection from inadvertent clawmarks?

Do you believe in euthanasia?

It's okay to think about it. Some people do not believe in it. Most people express a wish that they could leave this world with dignity someday. You may be having extra trouble making decisions for your older, or infirm pet because deep-down, you do not believe it is right to decide to euthanize anyone. But we are also mindful of prolonging suffering in a little animal that depends on us for everything. Hindsight is 20/20. (We say that often at the animal hospital.)

The Center for Humans Interactions with Animals in Society

The first center at any major university to study and form a peer group to review research and hold conferences specifically devoted to the scientific study of the relationship of humans and animals together in society was founded by Dr. James Serpell at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. If you enjoy contemplating and debating veterinary medical ethics, this is the premier starting point for your journey!

VirtuaVet Society

VirtuaVet is building on online home for interactive discussions and debate regarding issues of interactions of humans and animals in society and our moral and ethical obligations toward animals.

Doc Truli believes, "Committing our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual capital to the study of the moral imperatives inherent in our relationships with animals , as well as each other, actually is our first moral imperative."

Please write VirtuaVet or leave a message on this page if you are interested in becoming a founding member of this community. Original opinions, true argument, and first thoughts are especially respected and valued in this endeavor.

Can Doc Truli be Your Vet?

Doc Truli — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:37:05 +0000

VirtuaVet Focussed on Providing Inspiration and Information

"I remember what it's like to not be a scientist, not be a doctor, and love my pets," says the Doc.

VirtuaVet was created to provide coaching, guidance, explanations, and positive examples so you can remain confident, optimistic, and happy in your healthcare decisions regarding your pet! Personal Referrals If a friend has referred you to Doc Truli, email VirtuaVet@BostonBrainBank.com today for your toll-free direct access to Doc Truli! Please let the Doc know who referred you, your preferred contact info, and times you will be available.

All Consultations increase in value the more information Doc Truli analyzes about your pet.

Download the VirtuaVet Release of Medical Records today. Fill it out, and deliver it to your veterinarian via hand, email, fax, or snail mail. If your computer does not read .odt files, download free OpenOffice software or, see VirtuaVet's Medical Records Release page for a .pdf download, or cut and paste the text into your favorite writing program.

Records Release Form

Doc Truli — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:47:06 +0000

VirtuaVet Release of Medical Records

Download to your computer, fill out,and email or fax your VirtuaVet Release of Medical Records here.

Request for Release of Medical Records

From: __________________________ To: ____________________________ I request that copies or summaries, as required by state law, of the medical records pertaining to my animal(s) named ____________________________________________ be released to Dr. Truli at VirtuaVet, preferably via email at VirtuaVet@BostonBrainBank.com, or by fax: 888-377-3332. Payment of $_______________ is enclosed as payment of the fee required to photocopy and mail this information as directed. (No fee required by VirtuaVet; check with your current veterinarian regarding their policies). I hereby authorize and provide my written consent to this transfer of medical information. ____________________________ ____________ Signature of Owner or Authorized Agent Date ************************************************************************ _____________________________________ ____________ Signature of Veterinarian Who Approves This Request Date [caption id="attachment_852" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download VirtuaVet's Medical Release Form"][/caption]

Cat Survives Feline Distemper

Doc Truli — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:30:15 +0000

Bring a Sick Cat to Your Veterinarian Right Away

I met the nicest couple. But they were in big trouble. 12 "outside cats" had passed away in their back yard within the past week. Little skinny cat bodies lying lifeless all over the back yard. They brought me a tiny short-haired domestic black cat named "Negrita."

Many People Assume a Neighbor Poisoned Their Cat

They spoke very little English, and I spoke even less Spanish. I managed to figure out that they believed the other cats were poisoned by the neighbor and Negrita was the remaining cat. She had started to twitch , vomit, and act lethargic just like the other cats had acted before they died. Negrita was extra special to this couple because she was the only cat who had walked into their house, curled up on a La-Z-Boy chair and moved in with them. They loved her very much. I barely had the heart to tell them that I thought their cat had feline panleukopenia virus, otherwise known as feline distemper virus. It is about 99% deadly in unvaccinated cats (which Negrita was). A white blood cell count showed Negrita has almost no cells in her blood, just like with pan (all) leuko (white blood cells) penia (gone, missing, really low), There was a test, but the results take weeks and it costs hundreds of dollars.

"Feline Distemper is easily and inexpensively prevented with a "distemper" series of vaccines ("shots," or, for the Brits in internet land, "jabs"). Unvaccinated cats almost always die in spite of intensive care treatment in an animal hospital," says Doc Truli.

10's of Thousands of Cats Die from Distemper

You have to imagine that in the mid 1970's, in a subtropical city like Miami, about 10,000 cats each summer were dying from feline distemper. Just a catastrophic epidemic of suffering. Researchers scrambled to find out what was happening. They finally concluded that the panleukopenia virus was a mutated form of canine distemper virus that had jumped species and ravaged the unvaccinated cats. Now that we have feline panleukopenia vaccines, the disease is 100% preventable, if the cats get the vaccine. Negrita had never been vaccinated. Never seen a vet. I had to tell Negrita's parents that she was going to die, like I say, unless we cash in on a miracle! I never discount a miracle, I just do not want people paying over a thousand dollars for hospital care for a week or more and thinking they have a good shot of seeing Negrita home again. I was crystal clear. I never said, "she's going to die." But darned near close. Through a Spanish-English translator, I felt they understood the gravity of the situation. Yet they said, "No, treat her, try, please." So I did. Intravenous fluids, nutritional support, mainly trying to keep her body going while time healed the virus, if at all possible. I was secretly afraid that Negrita's parents had not understood how small her chances for survival were because of the difficulty being sure if my intentions were translated correctly.

Intensive Care Treatment

The whole family came to visit Negrita every day...for hours. Mommy and Pappi (pronounced "poppy") and grown children and relatives of all shapes and sizes jammed into my small exam room where Negrita had her own set-up so she would not make other cats sick. Mommy sat and sang to Negrita most afternoons. Would you believe Negrita got better? After the first 2 days, she got stronger and stronger. Mommy had a look on her face like, "of course, silly doctor, you worry too much."

I asked Pappi what Mommy had been singing. "Cuban love songs," he said in his gravelly Spanish accented English. I'm convinced to this day that the Cuban love songs were the miracle that saved Negrita's life! PS (March 2010 update): Negrita came in for a check-up today. She's a normal, happy cat. She even got a little bit fat!

SealPointHimalayanReviewsYourWebsurfing.jpg

virtuavet — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:19:15 +0000

http://virtuavet.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/SealPointHimalayanReviewsYourWebsurfing.jpg

Chocolate Lab Survives Because of Publix Free Antibiotics

Doc Truli — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:57:48 +0000

I was waiting for my last patient of the day. "Chocolate" was a 2 year-old chocolate labrador retriever. He had been seen by an emergency vet the night before, and I was supposed to check him to see how he was doing. I was told he had bumps on his body, had a bunch of tests done, but still no one knew what was wrong with him or how to treat him. I wish I had taken a picture! A happy, Chocolate Lab walked into my waiting room, sniffing every nook and cranny as he went. But -- and I am not exaggerating -- he had huge, soccer-ball sized lumps on his shoulder, his chest, and under his arm. They were slightly squishy and jiggled when he walked. He didn't care. His owner, Jose, looked a little worried. The soccer balls were hematomas - blood filled lumps. I had never seen ones so large! And especially not on a dog who felt perfectly fine (There's a lot of blood in hematomas!) The tests narrowed his diagnosis down to a disorder of the platelets in the blood. Not to bore you - platelets are like little microscopic bandages in the blood vessels that plug up microscopic holes and keep your blood from leaking out into a soccer ball. The most likely reason in Chocolate's case was a disease spread by tick bites, called a rickettsial disease. Chocolate's dad had no more money left to run expensive tests. (He had already agreed to so many.) Jose told me that the emergency veterinarian had wanted Chocolate to take an antibiotic called doxycycline the night before. But a prescription Chocolate's size costs $100 a week! He just couldn't do it.

I said to Jose, "Do you know that doxycycline is on a list of 2-weeks-free antibiotics at Publix? Let me write you a prescription."

"Free? What do you mean, free?"

"Free. Publix will fill your prescription for 2 weeks of free doxycycline."

Jose looked like he was going to cry. Chocolate found a piece of cat fur under a chair that smelled particularly fascinating. I wrote the prescription.

Jose called the other day. Chocolate took all of his medicine. The soccer balls shrunk and disappeared. Thank Publix for helping save Chocolate's life!

P.S. Dogs take much, much more doxycycline than humans. So the prescriptions are much more expensive than for a person. Publix has never refused to fill my prescriptions from their short, but vital, list of generic antibiotics.

P.P.S. Doxycycline was added to the list after the 2007 launch of the program. Thank goodness for Chocolate's sake.

P.P.P.S. Publix states that the antibiotics on its list account for 50% of pediatric prescriptions, so targeting these medications helps thousands of families. This is not an advertisement for Publix. I'm just so happy my patient is cured!

VirtuaVet Online Services

Doc Truli — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:01:02 +0000

Doc Truli is available online through VirtuaVet Online Services

presented by Boston Brain Bank, LLC If you could benefit from Doc Truli's services, please contact me at VirtuaVet@BostonBrainBank.com.

VirtuaVet Online Consultations Will Enhance Your Pet's Healthcare

Doc Truli reviews you pet's medical records, explains testing and treatment options, and provides scenarios and input to help you put everything in perspective. Doc Truli's coaching is a natural extension of this process of including your intuition, insights, feelings about your pet, and your beliefs about pet care into a plan or decision for a course of action that you understand, believe,in, and feel is right for your pet.

Coaching to organize your thoughts before seeing your veterinarian again, or before consulting a specialist.

*Coaching has been proven to decrease stress and increase healthcare outcomes in people seeing their physicians.*

Second opinions, guidance, discussion of options, and deeper discussion of specialist potential input into your situation.
Because I am not the veterinarian providing the actual tests and treatments, many of my clients feel reassured that the medical recommendations are separated from the financial compensation to the veterinarian. With VirtuaVet coaching and consultation, you will feel the advice is purely and only in your pet's best interest.
Private, personal consultations about euthanasia decisions and pawspice care.
Interpretation and help understanding what the heck your veterinarian is talking about. Always from a practical, philosophical, and moral point of view.
Given the diagnosis you have for your pet, you can expect a thorough, understandable layout of your diagnostic, follow-up, and treatment options according to modern, evidence-based medicine. If a treatment or test has less-than-stellar research to support it, we can still discuss it, but I will always let you know the quality of evidence behind the options. For instance--much of holistic medicine is useful, but not scientific.

VirtuaVet Online Cannot Help in Certain Situations

I do not offer emergency consultations. An emergency is any consultation which you need within 48 hours. Please see an emergency hospital or emergency and critical care specialist veterinarian-staffed facility for the best care veterinary medicine has to offer.
I do not offer consultations about a specific pet without written medical records from your veterinarian(s).
I do not offer legal advice.
I do not offer expert witness testimony.
I do not offer opinions about whether another veterinarian is "good."
I do not discuss reasonable and customary prices for veterinary services, such as, "An ultrasound should cost you xxx."
I do not offer a medical diagnosis, prognosis or treatment plan for any animal I have not personally examined in my physical presence. Let me be clear: you will not receive a diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan from me over the internet or telephone.

How to Get Started with a VirtuVet Online Pet Health Consultation

Your initial email request should include in a sentence or two, what the situation or concern is that you face.
A case review outlines your pet's previous medical treatment, diagnostic testing and trends. If your pet's condition is phenomenally complex, I will notify you of any research or further information-gathering needs, and they will be billed at the research rate.
After we have agreed to consult, please fax or email all information from your veterinarian including medical notes and laboratory and hospitalization notes. Alternatively, you can complete the medical release form, and your veterinarian can release these records directly to me for review. I do not charge for this office work. Your veterinarian may require a medical records fee, at their discretion.
Personal email consultations usually consist of several back-and-forth discussion-type contacts between us, within the first 48 hours, as we discuss your concerns and delve into all of your questions. A VirtuaVet toll-free number is available if we decide a personal conversation will address your needs.
Follow-ups to the initial consultation via email will be available weekly, or monthly, depending upon your pet's condition and your needs. In addition to your peace of mind and better healthcare for your pet, our sessions may very well streamline and simplify your pet's visits and expenses.
Additional records review, telephone or email conversations with your local veterinarian(s), and research time spent on your case will be billed hourly, with documentation provided to you on request to track this time.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns at VirtuaVet@BostonBrainBank.com. Virtuavet is a Boston Brain Bank, LLC Company and we will only use your email to contact you.

How Payment is Accepted

All payments are confidential and transacted through PayPal because of the enhanced security features PayPal provides. Payment will be made by credit card (Mastercard, Visa, American Express) in U.S. dollars through my business partner Boston Brain Bank, LLC. Payment for a case review and consultation is billed when I receive your records and we agree to a consultation.

Special News for Technicians, Practice Managers & Veterinarians

I consult with private practices on a case-by-case basis:

Set up Coaching services in your practice!
Work with me to better enhance comfort and communication with your individual clients.
Technicians: start your own Pawspice practice in partnership with a veterinarian in your area.
Work with me through my parent company, Boston Brain Bank, LLC, to coordinate Concierge veterinary services in your area!

What are VirtuaVet Petxecutive Services?

Meowxecutive Feline Health Program

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:39:20 +0000

Meowxecutive Feline Health Service

Meowxecutive Program Overview

VirtuaVet's Meowxecutive Feline Health Program is designed just for your cat. The tests your cat receives are based upon your cat's age, genetics, breed, lifestyle risk factors, and specific physical examination findings. Your cat's consultation may include:

Whole Body General Examination
Screening for heart and thyroid disease, including blood pressure evaluation, which is much more accurate in a home environment than in a hospital environment
Orthopedic evaluation. It used to be thought that cats did not get intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and back pain. We now know cats get arthritis, IVDD, and other orthopedic ailments
Neurologic Examination, Ophthalmic Examination
Skin and Ear evaluation: itchiness, allergies, and skin discomfort account for 50% of veterinary office visits
Leave no lump untended: Measurements and aspirate cytologies of all body lumps, including photo recording
Full Parasite and Infectious Disease Screening & Monitoring, according to American Association of Feline Practitioners Association guidelines
Full laboratory studies necessary to obtain a complete profile of major organ function.
- "How do we do it?" Years and years of steady, calm, practice. Your cat will be comfortable, or safely sedated: Cat's Choice.
Mental Health Evaluation: intercat aggression, inappropriate urination, excessive scratching of humans
3-Dimensional Environment Evaluation for Cats, including Exercise & Litterbox Facilities

Doc Truli enthuses, "As a cat parent, whether your live with one or many, you understand that cats can be private, ninja-like creatures who may not complain about health problems until they are advanced and irreversible. The Meowxecutive Program is designed to detect feline health concerns early, especially kidney and thyroid disorders, and provide guidance for avoiding illness and prolonging healthy life. Taking proactive care of your cat's health pays off not just for you, but may add up to four extra years of healthy life for your cat!"

Meowxecutive Optional Services

You may choose to enhance your understanding of your cat's health risks by adding the following services for an additional fee:

Genetic disease screening tests, for example, polycystic kidney disease screening for Persian, Burmese and Himalayan Cats
Blood typing for Persian, Himalayan, Siamese, Burmese, Birman, Exotic Shorthairs, and select other rare breeds which are likely to carry a rare blood type
Consultation with a boarded veterinary dentist
Consultation with a veterinary behavior specialist

Schedule Your House Call

To schedule a house call or find out more about the Meowxecutive Feline Health Program, email Doc Truli at VirtuaVet. (VirtuaVet is a Boston Brain Bank, LLC Company and we will only use your email to contact you.) See the VirtuaVet Woofxecutive Health Program.

Woofxecutive Canine Health Program

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:16:58 +0000

Woofxecutive Canine Health Service

Woofxecutive Program Overview

The Woofxecutive Canine Health Program is designed to detect canine health concerns early, especially mental and emotional disorders, obesity, and arthritis, and provide guidance for avoiding illness and prolonging healthy life. Taking proactive care of your dog's health pays off not just for you, but may add up to four extra years of healthy life for your dog! VirtuaVet's Woofxecutive Canine Health Program is designed just for your canine companion. The tests your dog receives are based upon your dog's age, genetics, breed, lifestyle risk factors, daily activities, and specific physical examination findings. Your dog's consultation may include:

Whole Body General Examination
Screening for heart and lung, including blood pressure evaluation, which is much more accurate in a home environment than in a hospital environment
Body Condition evaluation. I'll teach you how to assess if your dog is too fat or too thin (so you don't have to listen to your friends' opinions about it anymore!)
Orthopedic evaluation. Many, many dogs suffer unrecognized orthopedic pain. Canine physical therapy makes pain a thing of the past.
Neurologic Examination, Ophthalmic Examination
Skin and Ear evaluation: itchiness, allergies, and skin discomfort account for 50% of veterinary office visits
Leave no lump untended: Measurements and aspirate cytologies of all body lumps, including photo recording
Full Parasite and Infectious Disease Screening & Monitoring, according to the Companion Animal Parasite Council guidelines
Full laboratory studies necessary to obtain a complete profile of major organ function.
Mental Health Evaluation: Thunderstorm phobia, separation anxiety, excessive attention-seeking, elderly cognitive dysfunction
Gentle Leader Headcollar, with fitting, training to Sit and Walk with the Gentle Leader
Physical therapy, exercise, grooming, and nutritional counselling based on your dog's health needs and your lifestyle

Doc Truli challenges you, "If you're lucky, you live with that once-in-a-lifetime dog. And maybe a few of your dog's friends. If you could keep your dog with you 12-14-18-how about 25 years, wouldn't that be wonderful? How do you do that? You start with luck and good genetics, and comprehensive, proactive health and wellness care. You make sure to address your dog's physical and psychological needs, and your dog will take care of you.

Woofxecutive Optional Services

You may choose to enhance your understanding of your dog's health risks by adding the following services for an additional fee:

Genetic Breed Determination
Genetic disease screening tests, for example, MDR1 Inhibitor gene test for Collies, Shelties, and individuals sensitive to the drug ivermectin
Blood typing
Abdominal ultrasound screening for tumors that could be the start of hemangiosarcoma and other cancers
In home consultation to train your dog to have nails trimmed, ears cleaned, face wiped, teeth brushed, and any other daily function, with a certified behaviorist to use clicker training to teach your dog how to accept necessary care without stress
Consultation with a boarded veterinary dentist
Consultation with a veterinary behavior specialist

Schedule Your House Call

To schedule a house call or find out more about the Woofxecutive Canine Health Program, email Doc Truli at VirtuaVet. (VirtuaVet is a Boston Brain Bank, LLC Company and we will only use your email to contact you.) (**Woofxecutive is not intended to exclude any barkless dogs. A special, private note to Basenji parents, if you would like, we could tailor a Basenjxecutive program for your mute loved ones. We could focus on desert psychology and you could participate in Zen training regarding the acceptance of immovable stubbornness.) See the VirtuaVet Meowxecutive Program.

Dachshund Dumps Collar After 6 Years

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:51:36 +0000

Heidi came to me with a satellite-dish Elizabethan collar around her head and a terrible case of skin problems. She had lived the last 6 years in that collar, because her mom, Susan, told me that whenever Heidi had the collar off, she would immediately start to chew at herself until her skin bled. I looked at the frisky little reddish-brown short-haired Dachshund, and from a veterinarian's perspective I saw thickened folds of blackened, greasy skin turned thick and rolling down her hind legs. This is called hyperpigmentation and elephantitis. Heidi also had patchy areas of thinning fur and flakey, dry, dandruffy skin. I looked over her 4 inch thick pile of previous medical records, including dermatology consults, prescription diets, holistic raw foods diets, and acupuncture treatments, and I saw some things missing."I'd like to do a skin evaluation, some quick tests, and see if we can't fix Heidi's skin," I ventured. Susan replied, "You don't understand. Nothing works, And this is looking pretty good, for her. As long as she keeps that collar on, she's okay." Well, I told Susan what I had seen missing from Heidi's previous treatment. "Susan, Heidi has never had treatment for malassezzia yeast infection. She's never had allergy treatment and anti-bacterial medicines at the same time. And she's never had all these medicines and topical shampoo therapy coordinated together, either. And she's never had medications for long enough to make a difference." After checking for normal organ function, and making sure her thyroid hormone levels were not too low, we started Heidi on oral treatments for yeast, bacteria, topical therapy, omega chews with therapeutic levels of EPA's, and she was already eating a hypoallergenic fabulous diet. After a few weeks of killing infections and strengthening her immune system, we started Atopica (cyclosporin), a medication to treat atopy, otherwise known as allergies from inhaled allergens. Then I received the call every veterinarian loves to hear, "We took Heidi's collar off two days ago. She is not itchy, she's playing with our other dog for the first time in 6 years, and my husband is really happy I brought her to you." I saw Heidi at a recheck visit. Her skin is smooth and soft. She has no dandruff. And her fur is mostly grown back in, even after only a month. I'm sure Heidi is glad Susan took my advice!

25 Year Old Cat Arthritis Cured

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:10:10 +0000

My oldest cat patient was 25 years old. She was a tiny little 5 pound calico cat named Sweetie. She had no ongoing health problems, no kidney disease, no hyperthyroidism, no heart disease, not even a heart murmur. She had escaped all of the older cat major maladies. She came to see me about once a week to have her ears cleaned. It wasn't difficult to do. Her owner could perform the task at home. However, she preferred to have Sweetie's ear cleaned in the animal hospital. Why? (you may be asking...) The reason it was a little unpleasant to clean Sweetie's ears, is this: she would get so intent on the sensation of having her ears cleaned, that she would lay on her side, with a hind paw up, scratch in the general direction of her ear, and send an arc of urine spraying out like a lawn sprinkler all over the room! Her mom did not want that mess to clean up at home, so we used the tub at the hospital. One day, Sweetie's mom mentioned that she wondered why Sweetie wasn't jumping up on the furniture anymore and she wasn't sleeping in bed with her people, like she had for 25 years. I thought maybe Sweetie had arthritis, and I suggested an "off-label" (non-FDA-approved) use of Adequan injection for arthritis treatment. Since we didn't anticipate any bad side effects, and Sweetie wouldn't have to eat a pill, her mom agreed to try it. Two days later, I received a phone call,"Sweetie came up the stairs last night, jumped on the bed, and slept with us all night! It's a miracle! It's like she's 20 again!" So, when you think your cat is getting old at 10, or 12, or 15, or 17, think of Sweetie acting like a young 20 again.

(Near) Death by Biscuits

Doc Truli — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:28:59 +0000

One look at Sammy, and anyone would know he was in trouble. At 120 pounds, Sammy was a gigantic, chubby yellow lab. But that night in the emergency room, he looked miserable. He was pacing around the waiting room and retching up mostly nothing with a little foamy phlegm every few minutes. He couldn't even sit down for a second. Sammy's gums were almost blue and his femoral pulses were weak and thready. His stomach bulged out behind his ribs; he looked as if he had a soccer ball inside his abdomen. Sammy was in shock, and near total collapse. Suspecting the big guy had a gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), I lined up face to nose with Sammy to snake a 2-inch diameter by 72-inch long clear plastic stomach tube down his throat and into his stomach. If Sammy had a GDV, his stomach would be twisted on its long axis. The two ends where food comes in through the esophagus and out into the intestines through the pylorus, would be twisted shut. The stomach acids and gases would be stuck inside the stomach and expanding with the both ends twisted tight. If the stomach was twisted shut, not even a two inch plastic tube could thread through the corkscrew at the opening. Sammy was so sick, he didn't even notice a tube being (gently) pushed down his throat. But the tube didn't stop at the opening to the stomach! It kept going all the way in! So what was making his stomach so big and bloated? After a few minutes, I noticed only a little tan-colored stomach juice was starting to come up the tube. So I attached a vacuum pump to the end of the stomach tube and hit the "on" switch. Chunks of light brown food material came up the tube. I examined the first few chunks in a collecting bucket. They were gritty, brown, and then I found an intact piece. It was a dog biscuit! I continued pumping Sammy's stomach until nothing more came out. He heaved a sigh of relief, his color came back to normal pink, and his heart beat stabilized. In a few minutes, Sammy felt great! He stood up on the treatment table, where he had just been lying near death, jumped onto the floor, and ran directly over to the food storage cupboard and started eating dry dog food out of the top of an open 40 pound kennel pack! Apparently, Sammy believed eating cures overeating! When I told his mom he did not need emergency surgery she was thrilled. She told me that she had gotten an urgent family call just as she came back from a shopping trip to a "big box" store. She had bought a 2 foot high box of Large Dog Biscuits, set them in the middle of the kitchen floor, and then ran out when she got the emergency call. When she came home, the biscuits and the box were completely eaten. Sammy looked guilty and sick, and her other lab felt fine. She guesses Sammy pigged out on the whole discount biscuit box while growling and guarding to keep them all to himself! Sammy the gluttonous yellow lab recovered fully and did *not* receive a cookie from his veterinarian for good behavior! P.S. Sammy was in circulatory shock because the biscuits filled his stomach and stretched it so much, that he squished the large blood vessel that returns all of the blood from the back of the body to the heart (called the caudal vena cava), and his heart wasn't getting enough blood to pump properly. Sammy would have died if I hadn't pumped the dog treats out of his distended stomach.

When a Twisted Stomach is Not Twisted

virtuavet — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:28:59 +0000

Fastidious Himalayan Content with 2 Litter Pans

Doc Truli — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:17:08 +0000

Giacomo was a 2 year-old Seal Point Himalayan cat with a penchant for (this cannot be put delicately) moving his bowels on the front hall throw rug. After laboratory tests, parasite screening tests, and a detailed conversation about his stresses (none) and his lifestyle (couch potato), his mom and I decided there was nothing wrong with Giacomo. He just liked going on that rug. Giacomo's mom wanted to get rid of the rug, as she was tired of washing it everyday. But she was rightly afraid Giacomo would start using her expensive Oriental dining room carpet if he couldn't find his favorite. Giacomo was in serious threat of loosing his house privileges. We devised a scheme whereby Giacomo was given two side-by-side litter pans. Of course, they were cleaned at least once or twice a day. Because Giacomo always went on the throw rug, almost no matter where he found it lying in the house, including in the laundry room, I diagnosed him with inappropriate elimination due to substrate preference. This means Giacomo liked to feel something soft under his paws when he relieved himself. Giacomo enjoyed the choice of regular, soft, scoopable clay litter, which most cats appreciate very much, and even softer pelleted newspaper litter. The pelleted newspaper litter is often preferred by carpet cats. I would have bet he preferred pellets, if I were a betting person. Giacomo used both litter pans! He urinated in the scoopable litter, and then moved his kitty bowels in the pelleted litter. We experimented to find out if he just liked having two pans. When only clay litter was put in both pans, he went back to the rug. So his mom and I decided, it was much easier to just buy two litter types and have two pans than deal with the nasty hall rug mess. And the dining room carpet lived happily ever after!

A Wolf in My E.R.

Doc Truli — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:04:49 +0000

One hectic Easter Sunday... "Hey Doc, the wolf in Room 1 is waking up!" I couldn't hear very well through the din of activity in the pet emergency room. "The what in the what is what?" An exasperated nurse retorted, "the wolf, you know, from the wolf sanctuary, her sedatives are wearing off." "Sure," I said. I did not stop what I was doing. This is obviously another one of those e.r. practical jokes. "Seriously, Doc, I know you think I'm joking. There's really a wild wolf sleeping on the table in Room 1. But she's starting to wake up." I still wasn't getting it, "How could there be a sedated wolf? Did they call and tell us they were on their way?" "Yes, you were too busy for us to tell you. They called from the Sanctuary about an hour ago." So...everybody, except me, knows what's going on? "How could she be sedated, I didn't even see her yet to prescribe anything?" "No problem, Doc. The Sanctuary's regular vet gave them a bunch of syringes of sedatives in case they needed them." Really??? Wow. That's tough to argue with. Sure enough, draped across my little, but sturdy, utilitarian stainless steel examination table was a full grown female, mostly sleeping wolf. Her skinny grey-brown body was arranged on her side, and her head gave a quarter-jerk up every few minutes, as if she was trying to fight the sedative. Mind you, this was not a domesticated puppy dog, but an opinionated adult of a wild and proud species. To say we would have a problem if she woke up in unfamiliar surroundings understates the gravity of the situation. Her caretakers looked nervous. "What brings you here today?" I ventured. "Well, Doc, she's been peeing blood for days now, and we thought it could wait til the regular vet comes out to the farm, but then today, she just looked crappy." I performed a full physical on a sleeping wild wolf, obtained a urine sample and blood for laboratory tests, sedated her a little, tiny bit extra when she started to look around and freaked everybody out. "What's the verdict, Doc?" "Well, your wolf has a urinary tract infection. Have her take these antibiotics in a deer meatball? and have her regular vet check in on her tomorrow." Sighs of relief emanated all around until we all realized she was waking up and had to get to the secure truck out back. Before she was fully awake, we set her down on the floor. We couldn't carry her far because she was coming to, and she was heavy! She was much heavier than a dog that would look her size. Lined up with a straight shot to the back door of the emergency room, and the open door of the re-enforced transport vehicle invitingly ajar, we formed a suggestive line of people bodies spaced about every 3-4 feet from each other on either side of her projected path. To her credit, the wolf girl staggered right down our "people alley" and up into her spot in the truck. Who ever said a wild half-drunk wolf couldn't be reasonable? That was so cool.

When Bootsie Became Spider

Doc Truli — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:30:54 +0000

[caption id="attachment_906" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bootsie aka Spider Poses for a Close-up, He's Smiling (Honest!)"][/caption] A black, orange-eyed Persian named Bootsie came to see me because he couldn't get up, would not eat, and had not urinated in 24 hours. Of course, you're thinking he had a urinary tract obstruction and was being poisoned by his own retained urine. And you'd be right! Bootsie became obstructed in a unique way. Upon examining him, I discovered a scab blocking his urethra. He could not pee at all and it looked like he had been injured. But how? His parents wracked their brains and searched the house for answers. Finally, Bootsie's dad lifted up the computer power strip and liquid poured out - not dripped - all over his foot. "I remember him spending too much time behind that desk. He must've squatted over the power strip and electrocuted himself 'down there.'" Ouch! Bootsie was super sick. I placed his intravenous line, his urinary line, and gave him multiple injections of medication day and night for a week. We bonded as I hand fed him and whispered, "Bootsie, Bootsie, Bootsie." Bootsie pulled through and I saw him 2 weeks later for a check-up. "Spider's here for his recheck. He's doing great!" "Who's Spider?" "Oh, we forget to tell you, Spider's name is Bootsie. But we've called him Spider since he was a baby. We just used his official name, Bootsie, for the paperwork." I thought we bonded, but I guess Spider was wondering, "Who's Bootsie?"

Bella Learns Tug of War

Doc Truli — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:21:59 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1023" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Look at that smile!"][/caption] Abandoned on Interstate 95, Bella was a surprisingly healthy 2-year-old Maltese in need of a good home. No one had registered her microchip number and the pet shop she came from was out of business. "She's yours!" I told her ecstatic rescuer. Her new mom brought Bella for a check up and we found she had lots of dental tartar. When Bella came for her deep dental cleaning, even though her teeth looked sparkling, her dental x-rays showed a tiny black spot in her jawbone under her premolar. "How could she have an abscess? She eats really well," Bella's new mom questioned me. We could see the spot right there on the x-ray. "What should I do?" I removed the offending tooth. Bella took her painkillers and antibiotics. Then her new mom made an amazing discovery. "Before her tooth surgery, she never played tug of war. Now it's her favorite game!" Bella felt great and enjoyed a new favorite game after her teeth were properly treated. Without dental x-rays, she would have stayed in pain for years without any humans suspecting!

Top Ten Tips for Getting the Most Out of a Veterinary Visit

Doc Truli — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:47:31 +0000

Prepare for Your Visit to the Veterinarian

1. Come Prepared. Bring hard copies of previous records, x-rays, passports, and vaccine records. Special Tip: bring food ingredients from pet food, all vitamins or supplements or herbal remedies, shampoo, flea and tick products, and even toys and training treats so you can truly get the vet's opinion regarding any of these items. Hire a veterinary coach for complicated problems and write down your observations ahead of time. 2. Take your pet to the visit yourself. Or, have the person that knows your pet best be in charge of the visits. 3. If your dog bites, bring your own muzzle, or ask for one right away so your exam gets moving along. If your cat gets nervous, as most do, leave him in the pet carrier until the nurses are ready. Letting a cat wander around the exam room usually encourages self-defense when then veterinary team walks in. 4. If your pet has a skin or ear problem, do not wash or clean the skin or ears before the visit. You might wash away clues the vet needs to diagnose the problem. 5. Write down your observations and questions so you get to cover everything that you've been wondering about. 6. Call on your cell phone from the parking lot if you need help bringing your pet inside. Whether your pet cannot walk and needs to be carried, or your rambunctious puppy tries to pull your shoulder apart, call for help. 7. Ask for copies of your visit and any test results. If your vet has online record access, make sure you sign up. 8. Always ask if there are viable alternatives to any recommended tests or treatments. Your veterinary team should be able to tell you if there are alternatives, or explain why there are not. 9. Make your follow-up appointment before you leave. You'll be more likely to remember, and you can ask for a reminder call, too. 10. Always ask to visit your pet when he or she is in the hospital. Ask to see where your pet will stay. Ask for a tour of the surgery and recovery area. If it cannot be arranged right away, go back for a tour. It's worth it. If there is anything that does not look right to you or you do not understand, and reputable veterinary team will be thrilled to show you where they work and how everything works. Make sure you are comfortable. Bonus 11. Have a friend or relative you trust come to the visit and take notes. Having a second set of eyes and ears really helps later, when you're trying to figure out what the vet said!

19 Year-old Cat Needs Emergency Dental Surgery

Doc Truli — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:59:53 +0000

Cleo was a skinny orange tabby cat who had not eaten for 3 days. Normally, I'd perform the physical examination, make my testing and treatment recommendations, and that would be that. In Cleo's case, emotionally-charged decisions abounded because Cleo was born before my new kennel assistant. She was 19 years old! "I don't know if we should put her through blood tests. She's so old," her mom ventured. "Old age is not a disease," I countered. "But I know she's needed dental care for years, how could she survive anesthesia?" "First of all, we're talking about her mouth. This is central to her every waking thought. Can she eat without pain? Cleo deserves to be happy and comfortable." "But I heard that old pets die under anesthesia." (Here's the deal--and I'm talking to you-- yes, the statistical odds of an "adverse anesthetic event" go up with age. But, with proper, thorough patient selection: meaning bloodwork, stable underlying conditions like thyroid or kidney disease, heart screening, and careful delicate use of anesthesia. And with fastidious nursing care and monitoring meaning: a dedicated anesthetist, body temperature and blood pressure regulation, and all the rest of the usual monitoring, with an experienced and practiced anesthesia team, your pet has every expectation of a wonderful outcome.) Cleo underwent dental surgery. She needed 11 rotten teeth removed. She woke up from her anesthesia within 20 minutes and actually ate right away! At her 2 week post-op check-up, she had already gained a pound! She could potentially live for years longer, and now she is comfortable to do so.

How I Diagnosed a Fur-Lined Ectopic Urethra in a Golden Retriever

Doc Truli — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:24:31 +0000

[caption id="attachment_879" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Brinkley Relaxes by the Fireside"][/caption] I thought Brinkley's mom was kidding or lying when she first told me about his little problem.

"When Brinkley squats to poop, pee comes out the back of his leg." Oh, really? Pet mommies and daddies tell me all sorts of things. "She lets him eat liver pate straight from her lips, is that okay?" Uh, I guess so. "I know you're not a shrink but, sometimes, I think he loves that dog more than me." Probably does... So, when a cute, stuffed-teddy-bear-looking 8 week Golden Retriever puppy comes to see me for his first vet visit, and his mom announces, "he pees out of the back of his leg when he squats to poop," I am skeptical, to say the least. I believe pet parents have great intuitions, and they often do know something is wrong, even when laboratory tests do not show an answer, but still, I was skeptical. I examined Brinkley's offending leg especially closely. In the center of the swirly at the very back of his right haunch, there was a reddish-brown 4mm spot. The spot looked like an insect bite that was licked until it turned a distinctive reddish-brown color, like the tip of the paws on a white allergic shih tzu. He did want to "squat," so I asked his mom to catch some of the alleged "urine" and bring it into the office for analysis. The next day, she brought a tiny plastic cap from a prescription bottle, with some liquid in it. Looked yellow. Chemistry machine measured creatinine. Wow! How could this liquid come from the back of a puppy's leg? Brinkley stayed with me for a day of iodine-contrast radiography. I carefully injected iodine into an intravenous line. This radio-opaque iodine travels through the bloodstream and begins to be filtered through the kidneys and into the urine in minutes. This process is called an iodine contrast urethrocystogram. As the contrast agent is filtered into the urine and excreted, radiographs (x-rays) are taken to highlight the travels of urine in his system. In Brinkley's case, everything looked fine. I postulated that there may have been an one-way membrane, acting as a biologic valve, over the abnormal, or ectopic, opening of the pathway through which the urine travelled from somewhere inside his body , out to the swirly of the back of his thigh. I walked Brinkley outside, in case the pressure of urination would open up the pathway and iodine would flow out the back of his leg. No such luck. It seemed the pressure of squatting helped open up the extraordinary spigot, and Brinkley was much more interested in playing than squatting. In this case, retrograde contrast should highlight the problem. For anyone reading this who has not worked in an animal hospital, you may think this sounds hard enough. If you have worked in an animal hospital, you know that any, any contrast agent that gets on you, the x-ray table, the fur, anywhere, will show as white smudges on the x-rays and obscure the delicate structure you are attempting to elucidate. I attached an open-end tomcat catheter to the end of a 60cc injection syringe full of iodine contrast agent, lubricated and inserted it about 1 inch into the abnormal hole in the thigh. Holding pressure around the opening to prevent flow-back, I slowly and gently injected the agent. After about 10 cc's and after 20 cc's, we snapped the x-ray exposures. Sure enough! There was a skinny white line on the x-ray extending from the pelvic urethra just after the prostatic urethra, out through the caudal-most point of the upper thigh. If you have been paying attention, you are asking, but how did I know the ectopic urethra was fur-lined? Good question... The board-certified surgeon to whom I referred Brinkley, told me so. Brinkley was at great risk for recurrent life-long urinary tract infections if he kept his special plumbing, and he needed it fixed. A wonderful specialty surgeon followed the path, and removed the offending tube. He stopped short of removing the part inside the puppy's pelvis, as the surgery would have required... (gross out warning: but you're reading a medical story, so you probably like this stuff.)...would have required sawing this puppy's pelvis in half, finishing the surgery, and then screwing it back together. Luckily, Brinkley has remained healthy since his surgery without the pelvic surgery part! I know I've discovered an unusual patient when the specialist calls and thanks me for the interesting and challenging case, gets all excited and blurts out, "Would you believe it was lined with fur the whole way into the pelvis?"

Top 10 Veterinary Practices that are Normal and May Surprise You

Doc Truli — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:26:53 +0000

1. You cannot sleep over with your pet. Imagine zoning for a hotel and a pet hospital for the same business. Hard to imagine, right? Although it would be nice... 2. Drawing blood from the jugular vein in the neck is quickest, safest, least painful, and a good sample for accurate results. 3. If your pet is in an intensive care unit or emergency room, the vet may not have time to answer your calls. It is common for a doctor to oversee 20 inpatients in a local e.r. At 5 minutes per patient, that's 100 minutes on the phone, instead of caring directly for patients. If you think you're the only person that wants a special call anyway, rest assured, so does everyone else! 4. We do not use an alcohol pad to wipe the skin where a shot goes in. Actual studies have proven it inconsequential, especially for someone covered with fur! 5. It is required for an assistant to place a gentle finger or hand over the site where blood was drawn in order to assist in the vein closing over and not bleeding further. We do not wear gloves for this; do not be alarmed. 6. Your pet will probably be placed in a cage for cleanliness and safety reasons. 7. We take your pet's rectal core temperature at every physical. Surprise! This information, especially when your pet is well, establishes a baseline so we can tell when your pet has a fever. 8. Blood pressure readings are tricky and difficult. Normally, we take 3-5 readings and average them. Cats are particularly touchy because their pulses are tiny, almost like working on a premie baby. 9. We often need x-rays, laboratory tests, etc. because, unlike you, your pet cannot verbalize what is wrong. Do not be surprised if your vet recommends tests. 10. Pets bite the hospital personnel. Your pet may never have bitten anyone ever, but we can read your pet's body language, and you probably cannot hold your own pet adequately, unless you were or are a veterinary technician or animal expert. Do not be upset if we want to hold your pet for you! Bonus 11. If you take your pet to the emergency room, a triage nurse will assess the severity of your situation and you may have to wait. I know you rushed over there, but if there were 10 doctors on shift, 11 pets would squeeze through the door 30 seconds between each one and then it takes an average of an hour per pet to clear a case from the board. Yes, 10 other pets in the waiting room when you are there means your doctor (if there is only one) is guaranteed 10 hours of work. And it is probably only 5:15 p.m.!

Doc Truli's Top Five Medical Pet Peeves

Doc Truli — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:16:05 +0000

Doc Truli is feeling raw and honest today. Enjoy! 1. Here's 1 practice that probably bothers you, and a veterinarian has probably told you it is normal when you complained or expressed disbelief and a little shock on your face. What am I talking about? Scruffing Cats. This may come as a shock to you, but, in my hospital, no one ever scruffs cats. Never. It is an unneccessary practice that is to be avoided. Additionally, it does not provide the best control of a cat's body anyway. Many cats experience pain from excessive or hurtful scruffing and many animal care workers get clawed or even bit when they attempt to scruff a cat for everything. While we're on the subject of cats: 2. "Boxing down". Do you know what this is? If your small pet, usually this happens to cats, is impossible or difficult to handle and needs sedation or anesthesia, they may be placed in an "induction chamber." Anesthetic gas is allowed into the box until your pet is anesthetized, then they are taken out and the procedure resumes. I never "Box Down" anyone. It uses excessive anesthetic gas, which is a potent carcinogen for the pet and the hospital staff. It is physiologically very stressful for your pet. Pets die during and just after this procedure. And, most importantly, it is completely unnecessary. There are wonderful, effective injectable drugs to accomplish restraint for your pet. Here's my point of view of "boxing down:" Your cat is placed in a clear lucite chamber and the top is held down. A tube is attached to the side and invisible gas is let in. The cat usually flips out, claws at the sides, tries to push out the top, and turns upside down and struggles. Most of the cats urinate and defecate on themselves in their terror and panic. All in the name of medicine! It is, literally a gas chamber. It smells bad. The eyes sting and burn. And it is scary. It usually only lasts a few minutes. But it is unneccessary. I would videotape it for you, so you would never allow it, but I will not do that to a cat, not even for educational purposes! 3. Truli speaking, I cannot believe that veterinarians extract teeth without dental x-rays! There is a huge gap in the standards of care. Approximately 5-10% of animal hospitals have dental x-Ray capability. Of those which do, few use it regularly. Try to find a good veterinarian in your area who can x-Ray your pet's teeth when they are performing the cleaning and exam. 4. Do not let anyone perform a non-anesthesia dental cleaning. They are purely cosmetic and your pet will still have unhealthy gums and teeth. The American Veterinary Dental College has formally spoken out against non-anesthesia dentistry. 5. Reluctance to sedate or anesthetize a pet for proper testing and treatment is archaic. The excuses are many: Too old Heart murmur Slow to come out of it last time Pet years ago, or neighbor's pet, passed away at some vet clinic somewhere Great outcomes from sedation: Discover and fix painful teeth Properly diagnose knee and hip problems Perform deep ear flushing, repeatedly if needed Perform yearly physical and laboratory screening on " impossible" cat, find diseases early, help cat live longer. I am positive that people who perform these practices day in and day out will feel defensive. I understand. Everyone starts somewhere. Ask yourself what little things you can do to make your patient's lives better. Soon, all those little things will add up to a professional life having been worth living!

Cat Attacks Owners Hands and Ankles

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:35:41 +0000

Talia was a 2-year-old black domestic short-hair cat with a penchant for stalking her mom, wrapping herself around Mrs. Small's wrist and bunny-kicking her hand. Ouch! My usual favorite remedies for this sort of cat exuberance include increasing structured playtime. At least 20 minutes twice a day of hard ball-chasing, string-chasing fun (supervised, of course!) My next favorite remedy if the kitty is already very well entertained with attention and exercise, is a "natural" slightly unpleasant consequence. Not punishment, because that usually ups the stakes and makes the cat gain your attention with more vigorous and inconvenient means. A "natural" consequence is a bit of canned air pfoofed in the cat's direction. Not water, not a can with coins, not sharp sounds like the crack of newspaper. It even sounds like hissing. Mrs. Small couldn't implement any of this advice because she was 100% blind. So what was she going to do? "How can I even say anything to Talia? I can't see her coming." Aha! This gave me "the" idea. "Why don't we put a bell on her collar?" Perfect! Talia tried her little game a few more times, but Mrs. Small heard her coming every time now. Not so much fun anymore!

American Board of Veterinary Practitioners

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:56:48 +0000

Species Specific Certification

The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners Diplomates are certified in medical excellence for one or several species of animals. The other Specialty Boards certify in branches of medicine, such as neurology, or aspects of medical science, such as pathology. An ABVP Diplomate could be your regular veterinarian, although only about 300 veterinarians are certified in, for example, Canine and Feline Medicine, worldwide. Species specialties are: Avian Practice Beef Cattle Practice Canine and Feline Practice Dairy Practice Equine Practice Exotic Companion Animal Practice Feline Practice Food Animal Practice Reptile and Amphibian Swine Health Management

A Career as a University Veterinary Specialist

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:45:59 +0000

A University Career

What University Life Means to Me

You live near a major university in faculty housing, or usually, an historic house of your choice.
You have full access to many university resources such as gymnasium, swimming, clubs, book clubs, poetry readings, art shows, theatre troupes, and the people making these things happen.
Elegant dinner parties at your house, or even, just a trip to Costco for fixin's and a fun get-together of friends and ideas.
You work with an office, a laboratory, colleagues who help you, give feedback at lunch and in the hallways, and share their ideas with you.
You are surrounded by people who are leaders in their fields of research, and share this knowledge, because they are also teachers! It is a very compelling, nurturing, productive life.
Competitive grants, exciting races to the cure, gritty experiments to elucidate the meaning of everything...

But I'll Bet It's Impossible to Get In...

Becoming a Diplomate of a veterinary Specialty Board is no joke. It is competitive to get into veterinary college. It is stressful and challenging to score well in college. It is competitive to get a prestigious internship and residency. It is years of hard work to finish.

Here's a Critical Secret No One's Talking About (yet)

The secret is...there has been a massive shift in the veterinary industry in the last 15 years. From the late 1970'2 through the early 2000's, medical school tuition skyrocketed, sometimes doubling within a student's 4-year tenure. This absolutely ginormous increase in tuition and fees led to student loan debt as high as $200,000, sometimes more, with 30-year repayment plans. The financial pressure drove Specialists to leave University departments and large public hospitals such as Angell Memorial (MSPCA) in Boston and Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City, sometimes staff of whole departments left in 1 year! They left to open competing private specialty hospitals. Therefore, many specialists today only practice clinical medicine. They do do enjoy research and teaching privileges, or the collegiality and excitement of new discovery and sharing.

How Can This Help Me? (You may wonder...)

In 2008, several veterinary colleges began restructuring their student aid departments to offer grant-heavy student aid, instead of loan-heavy aid. This means, as a student today, looking at veterinary medicine, you have the financial breathing room to choose a career path based on personal, spiritual, or a contributing-to-the-planet basis, rather than making a purely financial strategic decision. This is an amazing opportunity to become the next generation to shape the direction of research, application, and teaching for the future. You will not be boxed into the daily grind of working for the buck like the generation before you. You can choose to innovate and hopefully, design a future for animals and people together.

The Opportunity is Waiting for You

There are critical shortages of most Specialists in the universities. For example, every veterinary school in North America is required to have a Board Certified Radiologist head the imaging department. Yet, there are not enough graduates each year to fill the positions! These colleges have to make do with conditional certification! The retiring leaders in the universities need a new generation to carry on the tradition and blaze a new path. You can live a life of cooperation, discovery, ideas, and service, all wrapped in a love of animals so blinding, you want to take your pets to your condo on the moon! Prepare Your Future Today! Begin researching the American Veterinary Medical Association's list of accredited Veterinary Colleges. Review the Veterinary Specialty Boards.

Links to Veterinary Specialty Boards

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:51:31 +0000

The American Veterinary Medical Association Specialty Boards

These links are provided for research purposes, especially if you are moving to a new town with a pet, and would like to see what veterinary specialists are in the area.

Veterinary Specialists Working by Referral

These veterinary specialists generally work with clients and pets, usually through a referral from your family practice veterinarian. Specialists are limited to practice their specialty and will refer you back to your regular veterinarian for wellness, emergency, routine, and follow-up care for uncomplicated medical conditions.

Veterinary Specialists Working Directly With You

The American Board of Veterinary Practitioners generally all work directly with the public. These Specialists could be your regular family veterinarian, or your dairy or production vet. They complete a rigorous review process of 3 referrals from prestigious veterinarians, 2 comprehensive case reports as examples of veterinary medicine practiced at its finest, and examination by testing or test question writing, or teaching, every 10 years.

Veterinary Specialists Working "Behind the Scenes"

The Diplomates of the following Specialty Boards usually work in university research departments at veterinary and medical colleges, in industries such as pharmaceutical development and food production, and as consultants available to your family veterinarian for consultations to improve your pet's healthcare. Return to Specialists Main Page

Veterinary Specialists Available by Referral from Your General Practitioner

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:52:47 +0000

Veterinarians Behind the Scenes: Specialists

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:04:05 +0000

University Veterinary Specialists

Veterinary Specialists working in the university environment typically teach, run research laboratories, and sometimes consult with the public. Of course, Diplomates of boards such as surgery and internal medicine do work with the public in the universities, as well as teach and perform research. These careers are influential to the development of medicine for humans and animals and to the planning and strategic development of planetary resources.

Consider a Career as a Veterinary Specialist working in a University Environment

A career spent in the university environment can be exhilarating! If you are a student, consider university work. It is competitive, influential, collegial, and civilized. Any of the Specialty Boards are represented in university life, after all, they are needed to teach future generations! Your choices are wide open. American Board of Veterinary Toxicology aka poisons American College of Poultry Veterinarians American College of Theriogenologists aka reproduction American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology American College of Veterinary Microbiologists American College of Veterinary Nutrition American College of Veterinary Pathologists American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine American College of Veterinary Radiology The Diplomates of clinical, public specialties also work at Universities.

Veterinary Specialists as Researchers and Clinicians Caring for the Animals Used in Research

Laboratory animals need specialized care. Their emotional and physical needs are unique to their environments and the demands of the actual research. Veterinarians trained to care for and advise committees about these animals have a singularly rigorous career field. American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine BTW Did you know that rats and mice are not animals according to the U.S. government? The laws have a definition of animal which precludes rats, mice, fish, reptiles, and all invertebrates. Therefore, animal cruelty laws do not apply to rats and mice. (Only a veterinarian and a few select other professions {like cosmetics lobbyists}would know that...) Many veterinary specialists help shape the future behind the scenes in government, industry and even zoological medicine.

Veterinarians Behind the Scenes: Government, Industry, and Zoo Medicine

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:05:45 +0000

Government Veterinarians

Who do you think will discover a biological, epidemic, or food supply contamination threat first?

Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to recognize health and disease across any species, even undiscovered ones! We are uniquely trained in meat and food production systems and analysis. A veterinarian makes a terrific public health consultant. A veterinarian was nominated as Surgeon General to the United States (he stepped down quickly for personal reasons.) Government veterinarians research terrible diseases, train and deploy service animals for the military, and maintain and protect the integrity of the food supply. A United States military veterinarian discovered why thousands of people were dying after eating the meat in Bangladesh: the meat was preserved with poisonous formaldehyde! Any Specialists might be employed by the government of their nation. If your country does not do so, convince them they need you, because they do!

What kinds of work does a government veterinarian do?

Entry level US government veterinarians start as GS-11

Regulatory

The United States Animal Health Association is an alliance of US government and other animal health professional coordinating and communicating healthcare at a national level.
The animal plant health inspection service (pdf), a division of the USDA, employs veterinarians.
The US Food Safety Inspection Service employs many veterinarians to ensure that food animals are handled humanely, plants are sanitary, and the public food supply is safe. The FSIS is our first line defense against mad cow disease.
In The United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, you can be a veterinary entomologist (A Bug Vet!)
The Cooperative Extension Systems Offices are run by the USDA and they provide county-by-county support to the agriculture industry nationwide. The Extension Services are often one the local agriculture industry's best resources.

Public Health

US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps hires veterinarians, not just physicians. This is the service for you if you wish to serve the poor and underprivileged in America.
The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) helps direct and develop uniform public health procedures, especially regarding zoonotic diseases and biological hazards.
- Public health veterinarian shortage in the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control veterinarians study the disease and present the United States authority on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy BSE, methicillin resistant Staph aureus, H1N1, and all other scary diseases no one wants to get.
Food and Drug Administration hires veterinarians for many duties including veterinary epidemiologist
The National Institutes of Health conduct vast research and fund almost half of the research at veterinary universities nationwide. Their website, however, is set up to assist you in your veterinary health career research. The actual jobs veterinarians perform at the NIH are varied and cannot be searched under "veterinary," yet a veterinarian is often the best qualified to fill a position of epidemiologist, or public health doctor.

Military Service

Air force
Army
US Customs and Border Patrol, including the Beagle Brigade, keeping foreign biologics out of the country.
Veterinarians are even needed to care for animal space shuttle astronauts (pdf download page)!

Veterinarians in Industry

Veterinary Specialists in the Food Animal Production Industries

Food Animal Production veterinarians juggle the responsibility for animal health and quality of life with the industry's demands for production, sometimes confinement, and sometimes at the expense of an individual animal's life. It is challenging and interesting work, especially for someone with an "outsider's" perspective, who did not grow up on a farm. Many new insights are changing entrenched factory farming systems. Large housing stalls with a friend for veal calves, and cooperative piglet raising on grassy hillsides for production swine are just two fairly new practices changing the industry. Happy animals are health animals. Healthy animals are more profitable. It seems simple, but it's been decades in the making. Production medicine offers a unique extreme career of rural, outdoor site visits and work, combined with air-conditioned, civilized, theoretical computer modeling and systems design to increase production through health measures and production system measures implemented through management schemes. Few careers offer the diversity of work and settings of production medicine. Dairy, Beef, Chicken, Swine, Ducks, Rabbits, Ostrich, Fish (Aquaculture), Elk, Deer, Bison

Veterinarians in the Equine (Horse) Industry

Horses no longer take everyone to work and the grocery market, but they are still companions for pleasure and sport, professional racers, and trusted farm workers. Equine practice is anything from backyard trail horse hoof care to competitive, cutting edge and highly technical sports medicine. American Association of Equine Practitioners.

And the One Specialist Every Kid Would Love to Be...Zoo Vet!

American College of Zoological Medicine American Association of Zoo Veterinarians

Novel Veterinary Careers

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:46:30 +0000

Veterinarians in Unexpected Places

Most people think of their dog and cat or horse or cow veterinarian. Or they may think of the veterinarian who teaches other veterinarians at the university. You may imagine that lots of movie set veterinarians must work in LA and you have seen the veterinarians on Pet Planet. The surprise lies in the richness and depth of knowledge and application of that knowledge that a veterinarian has attained. If aliens arrive on earth, a veterinarian must be in the contact team! (Dana Scully should have been a veterinarian.)

Veterinary Specialists Behind the Scenes in University Settings

Veterinarians Behind the Scenes in Industry, Government, and Zoological Medicine

VirtuaVet Petxecutive Health Services

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:58:47 +0000

What is Petxecutive Healthcare?

Petxecutive is Real-World in-your-home pet doctoring by Doc Truli, available in several US States. Doc Truli offers the most compassionate, understanding, comprehensive, personal, and confidential pet healthcare you can imagine! Petxecutive Healthcare is thorough, proactive and progressive. Petxecutive was designed for the pet parent who:

expects a comprehensive, understandable, best-medical-practices health screening and plan built upon solid medical practice and compassion
wants only the best preventative care, modern vaccination protocols, genetic screening, and mental health and exercise physiology advice
assumes medical coaching to be a part of the process, as a given
actively partners in the decision-making process
requires the utmost in client-patient confidentiality, because the Petxecutive pet parent will also require customization of their beloved's plan to fit their schedule and lifestyle

"The Petxecutive program provides an excellent, comfortable, efficient format to examine all aspects of your pet's life, including mental health needs, in a relaxed home environment. I believe this comprehensive approach to pet lifecare will lay the foundation for long-lived, contented pets," reports Doc Truli.

The Virtuavet Petxecutive Health Program, including Meowxecutive and Woofxecutive, will help you identify issues and weaknesses in your pet plans, and give you a roadmap to better pet health and happiness. With comprehensive in-home, personalized medical care, customized preventative medicine, and counseling specific to your needs, you will feel in control and your pet and you will enjoy the best of competent, compassionate care.

Shepherd Mix Battles Diamondback

Doc Truli — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:14:00 +0000

The Lady in question was a 9-year-old female German Shepherd mix. She was camel-tan with a black mask. Lady's rump raised up 2 inches above her tail and had a cute little dimple in it. Basically, she was fat and did not look too fast or self-reliant. She looked like she ate a lot of Alpo and laid around digesting all day. Boy, was I wrong! "Lady attacks and eats any critter crossing her property. She left a racoon paw on the back porch the other day." I could see her face was swollen at least 3 times it's normal size. An obvious envenomation. I started her anti-venom, cleaned her bite wounds, treated her to prevent infection and soothe her pain. I wanted more answers. "How big was the snake?" "About 6 feet long." "How long was it attached to Lady's face?" "Only a few seconds before I pulled it offa her. You wanna see?" What? I walked out to the parking lot and shined the flashlight into the bed of a blue Silverado. A dead 6 foot diamondback rattlesnake lay stretched across the truck bed. I could not tell you who was tougher, Lady, or her dad. Lady made a full recovery and went back to killing and mostly eating any critter on her property.

Portuguese Water Dog Revenge Chews Gentle Leader

Doc Truli — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:50:55 +0000

"I'm gonna hafta get ridda my dog if he doesn't stop pulling. I can't have him pulling when I'm pushing the baby stroller." Brian's family researched Portuguese Water Dogs for a year before the took his curly black-haired-self home. They joyously taught him housetraining, sit, gimme paw, and Brian performed like a smart little champ. But when he went on walks, he pulled like crazy. He had dragged his mom into the street twice, and now that she had a new human baby, she just couldn't see how she was going to manage with one hand holding Brian's leash, and one hand on the stroller. "Let me fit him for a Gentle Leader Headcollar," I advised. "I'll teach him how to wear it properly and how to walk and sit in 5 minutes." Brian's mom was doubtful, but she was ready to try anything. After all, he was her first baby. Brian was fitted and behaving in minutes. "He's a completely different dog, I love it!" his mom enthused. " Do not overdo it the first few days," I warned. "He's smart. As soon as he thinks you're not looking, he's going to work at that Gentle Leader until he gets it off." "Okay." Sure. You can guess what happened. But it's funnier when you know the details. Brian's mom went home. She liked him calm and obedient so much, she left the Gentle Leader on. She went upstairs and ran the vacuum. Brian peeked up the stairs, went into the corner of the living room behind a chair and proceeded to strip off the offending hardware. Not 30 minutes after she left my office, I got a call. "The Gentle Leader is in 100 pieces all over my living room floor." (Surprise!) Knowing this would happen, I just said, "the replacement is $9.99. The company catalogue calls it a 'revenge chewing replacement.'" Obviously, Brian was not the first dog to vindictively shred the device that "made him behave!"

Two Rottweilers and a Porcupine

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:39:37 +0000

As a veterinarian, I'm often asked, do any dogs scare you? Like Rottweilers? Or Pit Bulls? And the answer is forever "no way!" I've had two questionable moments with Rottweilers. I should not have been at work the first time. I had 103F fever, and the Rottie's parents dropped his leash as he dove across the exam room to greet me. Judging by the pallid look on my face, the dad assured me,"Oh, he would never hurt you." I barely managed a feeble,"That's not what I'm worried about," when he launched his paws around my neck and licked my face from chin to forehead. I felt so weak I stumbled against a counter that was thankfully right behind me! "Oh, sorry. We didn't realize how strong he could be." Seriously? The second time I had a close encounter of the Rottweiler kind, I was examining a lovely, dusty, axle-grease covered coupla junk-yard Rotts. The male was twice as big as his lady friend, and I sat on the floor between them to perform the examination. Again,"He'd never hurt a fly, Doc. But don't tell the car thieves that he's a pussy-cat." No sooner did I rest the stethoscope on his lady friend than my peripheral vision became disturbingly blocked. He licked the right side of my face so fast, I didn't have time to blink! Ever have your cornea licked by a small, domestic buffalo? Ow! That brings me to the two Rottweiler brothers who lived in the woods in Maine. Let's call them Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. This dynamic duo met Mr. Porcupine in the back yard. Brother One attacked the porcupine and got 30 quills to the face, while Brother Two watched and then decided he needed some pain, too! Bam! 40 quills in 40 seconds! I sedated the brothers, one after the other, and painstakingly removed 70 quills from their muzzles. Einstein would have absolutely loved these 2 statistical anomalies, (if not only for the mathematical curiosity) but also the shear anecdotal quality. So, guess who was back at my office a mere 4 hours later? Not one, but both Rottweiler brothers with faces full of quills again, twice in the same day!! All for one and one for all! Viva la Porcupine!

Standard Poodle Cannot Play

Doc Truli — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:55:55 +0000

I met Gabriella in the living room of her parents' house. She was a beautiful, well-groomed apricot Standard Poodle. Her parents had spoken of her in my office because they were worried about her. Gabriella could not act like a normal dog. She was rescued from a garage where she and her sister had spent the first year of their lives. Only a dog bed with food and water thrown in to them most days. My clients adopted Gabriella when she was a year old and her sister had been taken from her weeks earlier. They built Gabriella a doggie clubhouse in between the BMW and the Mercedes, complete with LL Bean dog beds and a blanket roof. A doggie door from the front hall of the house into the garage, and another to the outside gave her freedom to come and go as she pleased. They adopted a normal, happy black Standard Poodle puppy to keep her company. Each night, Max snuggled into his dog basket in the master bedroom and Gabriella perched in hers, and they were tucked under their genuine shearling Woolrich blankets. Gabriella was as loved as a dog could be. Yet Gabriella was still having trouble. She would sit in a corner and stare at the wall for hours. She didn't know to come when she was called, even for food. She leaned on her Poodle brother Max, but would never join him to play. I asked Gabriella to sit, and she could only look at me and jiggle her head and stand there. After a several- hour behavior consult, her parents decided medication was needed to help balance her brain chemistry. Often, behavior modification through exercises and conditioning will provide permanent and lasting change. But a beginning is tough when you can't even focus. Two weeks after starting medication, I received a phone call. "She's like a new dog! She even picked up a ball and romped in the yard yesterday!" Gabriella will never be normal. Dogs have a certain window for development up until 6 months old. If a dog does not experience people by 6 months, they never feel comfortable unless in the company of dogs. They are very much like children locked away who never learn to speak. If they do not do so by the age of about 6, it cannot happen. But with a family that never gives up on her, Gabriella makes progress every day!

Standard Poodle Learns to Play

virtuavet — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:55:55 +0000

Quaker Parakeet Casting

Doc Truli — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:39:19 +0000

Orlando, the Quaker Parakeet suffered a broken left leg, which wouldn't have been half as bad if he hadn't previously broken his right leg and it never healed quite right. He needed his legs to stand and to hold his food to eat. Several years prior, Orlando was attacked by a dog and his right leg took the brunt of it. Two of his toes still moved, but they were stiff and couldn't tighten around a perch. He was used to standing on his good left leg. He lay on a towel on my lap, his belly facing me, his head resting on my left thigh, his left leg jutting out at an obviously broken angle. He must've been very frightened. I had a tongue depressor split in half lengthwise, tiny strips of soft stretch guaze rolled into little doll-size rolls, and pre-cut strips of self attracting wrap. I asked Orlando to lie still. "Lay back little buddy, let me see that leg." Orlando laid on his back, but when I touched his leg, he bent his neck forward and nibbled at half bandage/ half doctor finger. I just barely touched my finger to his beak and guided him to lay back, "Just relax, little dude." And he did! I applied two bandages to his leg. The first soft cast resembled a bulky, technically correct splint. It looked like it would slip off. I took a look at that handiwork and removed it. Then I devised a practical lightweight birdie bandage. He relaxed in my lap and let me finish the whole "cast" without interfering at all. He was amazing! Orlando's parents helped him stay upright and eat and sure enough, his leg healed against the odds! P.S. Doc Truli advises everyone to check local laws regarding keeping a Quaker Parakeet. For example, they are considered endangered in New Jersey and you may not own one legally.

Two Little Bite Holes Caused All This Damage?

Doc Truli — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:16:44 +0000

A small 14 pound Westie, name of Henry, lay shaking on my exam table. His gums were pale pink, almost white, his heart beat rapidly, his eyes glazed over with a faraway look. Blood dripped from two little 4 millimeter holes in his skin on his right side. "What happened?" "We have an invisible fence to keep Henry in, but the neighbor's big dog ran right into our yard and bit Henry." "Bite wounds can sometimes be much more extensive than they appear. I'm concerned that Henry may have internal bleeding (which an ultrasound confirmed), and, see here? (I pressed gently on his right side.) Even though there're only two little holes, I can feel a tear in his muscles under the skin." I took Henry to emergency surgery to stop his internal bleeding. Let me list the injuries that were absolutely invisible to the eye. And let me tell you now, it took me 5 hours to sew Henry together again. 1: muscles on his right side ripped open from behind his elbow to his hip 2: kidney fileted in half like a steak, with a giant blood clot in the middle (it's a miracle he didn't bleed to death) 3: 6 holes in his diaphragm, with collapsed lung lobes on the right side 4: shredded epaxial and hypaxial muscles (the muscles about and below your spinal cord) What Henry did not have, or it could've been even worse: 1: no holes in his intestines or stomach 2: no broken flail ribs 3: no spinal cord injury or paralysis I removed his destroyed kidney, sewed his diaphragm together, cleaned his insides, aligned his torn side muscles, and gave him a blood transfusion, antibiotics, and plenty of painkillers. The next day his regular vet called in amazement. "I can't believe he made it through all that, thank you!" 1 month later, Henry walked into my waiting room, tail wagging, tongue out in a big Westie smile. Apparently he had picked out a dozen assorted Dunkin Donuts for myself and his nurses. Although I think his parents helped...

Snakes are People, Too!

Doc Truli — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:00:05 +0000

It was only 7 p.m. The E.R. was empty. How strange! Then a young 8-month-old brown and tan Doberman girl was rushed in because she had been bitten on the upper right muzzle by a rattlesnake. The snake in question fit in a Zip-Loc sandwich bag because he (or she) was one of the Spring crop of baby Rattlers. All sass and no finesse. Could've injected tons of venom into my patient, or maybe none. Youngsters are uncontrolled like that. Tasia, the inquisitive Dobie, had two little marks by her whiskers, but no swelling. "How long ago did this happen?" "Well, Doc, we live out on Rattlesnake Hammock Road and it took us an hour to get here. Happened just before that." One hour and no swelling...that means, no venom. "Tasia's going to be just fine. We'll just clean her wounds and get her some antibiotics and painkillers." (A bite still hurts, and can get infected, even if there was no poison in the bite.) Now I focused my attention on the Zip Loc. Inside was a 5 inch-long Diamond Back Rattlesnake. It had been bludgeoned with a brick (or so I was told) and feebly twitched in the bag, still alive. I'm a veterinarian. I just couldn't see the snake suffer. I felt along its side for its little snakie heart and gave it a shot of euthanasia solution. Then I paid for a general cremation for the snake, just like it was somebody's pet. I like to think I was setting an example of mindful compassion for the e.r. staff. The second snakie suffering was a 4 foot-long Black Racer with his head stuck in a Budweiser can, thrashing in the hot sun on the parking lot behind the animal hospital. I brought him into the A.C. and set about determining how to get the exhausted snake's head out of the can. He (or she) had shoved his head into the can through the flip-top opening and his scales prevented him from backing out of the can. Every time he tried, he cut his skin painfully! I got some bolt cutters. (Vets usually have them to cut fish hooks, but that's another story...) I gently cut the opening in the can far enough for the snake to back out if he wanted to. Black Racers are not venomous, but a bite still hurts! After widening the opening, I set the snake and the can in a cool, dark box and watched to see if he was okay. After a few minutes a small, 3 inch, green frog came walking out of the can, traversing down the length of the snake's back, like he was on some bridge over the abyss in The Lord of the Rings! I guess greed got the better of the Racer and he went into the can to have a frog snack. Surprise! He got stuck, and the frog sauntered away unharmed. After a few hours of A.C. and rest, I took the racer to a field by a stream and let him slither away as fast as he could go!

Maltese Cured of "Broken Back"

Doc Truli — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:54:49 +0000

Shaina was a 2-year old Maltese. She sat, shaking, in the center of the examination table, back hunched. "She's been like that since last night. All of a sudden, she can't walk, and she's shaking like she's in pain." "She didn't eat dinner and has not peed or pooped since last night." I began a careful, thorough examination. Shaina's vital signs, and heart function were normal. Her abdomen was not painful. Her joints all moved as they should when I moved them through their normal ranges of motion. I gingerly felt along her vertebra. Everything seemed okay. Her neurological exam was okay. What could it be? I discovered years ago that ear infections can make a dog shake and act paralyzed. But Shaina's ears were perfect. Sometimes a dog acts paralyzed when the anal sacs are full or painful. I lifted Shaina's fluffy little Maltese tail. Everything looked a-okay. But it gave me an idea. "When did she get this haircut?" Normally, Maltese have beautiful, silky long white fur. It can grow to the floor in a show dog. Shaina had a puppy cut- 1/4 inch all over, with longer fur on her face, ears, and her tail. Her tail was swishy. "Nurse, please get me some guaze and surgical tape." I wrapped her tail in white soft stretch guaze and applied a little piece of tape to keep it on her tail. Shaina popped right up and started running around the exam room! I took the wrap off and she sat hunched and frozen, with a miserable look on her face! Mystery solved! Shaina was groomed the day before. She had never had short body fur with long tail fur swishing against the back of her legs before. She did not like it one bit. It took another tail bandage and a few more days for Shaina to adjust to her new hairdo. No surgery required! P.S. October 22, 2009: Doc Truli just saw another Maltese today with the same problem. Had her first short haircut 2 days ago, with a fringe left on the tail. Sitting suddenly like in sudden sharp pain. Tail again!!!

34 Pound Cat Looses 10 Pounds

Doc Truli — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:29:26 +0000

Flash was an 8-year-old domestic short hair grey tabby cat with 4 white paws and white belly fur. And a profound belly it was! Flash ate 3 full meals a day, at the table, on a plate, just like his humans did. He really liked 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of bacon, and buttered toast for breakfast. The day I met Flash, he weighed in at 34 pounds on the dog scale (he was too wide to fit on the cat scale.) His problem? Flash was constipated so badly that his colon had stretched and the muscle walls had weakened in a condition called megacolon. Flash needed a surgery called a total colonectomy in order to remove the useless, floppy intestine. I called a board certified surgeon who relished the job, "Total colonectomy was the subject of my certification work." I basically had the surgeon who invented the surgery work on Flash! The surgeon's eyes glowed, "Thank you so much for this wonderful case." No problem, if you enjoy performing surgery at the bottom of a foot-deep abdomen of kitty fat, be my guest! Unfortunately, Flash had a tiny, 2mm lump on the intestines, which was removed along with his colon. Flash recovered quickly from surgery. Luckily, cats can live just fine without up to 90% of their colons (unlike humans.). There are side-effects. I faced Flash's parents, "Everything went well. He may experience some soft stool, he may have to eat special prescription food." His parents were eager to provide any care Flash would need. A sobering warning came next. "The little lump turned out to be adenocarcinoma. This is a kind of cancer of the intestines. Usually, it brings a prognosis of 3 months of life after diagnosis. But in Flash's case, it was found at surgery for another problem, so the statistics probably do not apply to Flash." Flash continued to do well as one, two, and then three months passed. He ate regular Fancy Feast, he had nice, comfortable formed stools, and he weighed only 24 pounds at three months post surgery! After a year, Flash's parents were concerned about the cancer, "How much time has he got, Doc?" "Well, according to science, minus 9 months. Every day is a bonus!" Flash lived four more years, virtually the lifespan of a formally morbidly obese kitty cat. And what a spoiled, beautiful boy he was!

Yorkie Puppy Needs 3 Months in ICU

Doc Truli — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:22:05 +0000

[caption id="attachment_904" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Kisses the Yorkshire Terrier Practices Head Shots for the Model Agency"][/caption] An 8 week old 2 pound Yorkie puppy named Kisses lay on a Spider-man fleece blanket. He did not move. His body temperature was 96 (normal is 101 to 102.5 for dogs.) He had been deathly ill for 3 days.

At 11 pm the night before Kisses' parents took him out of the ICU; they were out of faith and out of money. They kept him at home for the night, not knowing what to do for him, and brought him to me first thing in the morning. "We'll have to let him go. He's so sick, and we just can't afford another penny. Please put him down for us." They signed the permission form for euthanasia, and went home (they couldn't bear to stay and watch.) It was up to me to end his suffering. Even my nurses gathered in another room and could not watch. I leaned over Kisses, a syringe of euthanasia solution at the ready in my right hand. He lay on a blanket, on a heating pad, his IV in his little tiny left arm. As I leaned close to speak in his ear, he lifted his tiny round head and licked my nose. It was the most I had seen him move in hours. I leaned back on my heels, and just said, loudly, "No way, I just can't do it!" The nurses came bursting in the room, "Oh, Thank God!" "Okay, who's adopting the Yorkie?" One of my nurses volunteered. "Get on the phone. Tell Kisses' parents we'll take care of his medicine and adopt him out, if they approve of us not euthanizing him." His parents were crying and grateful. Surprisingly, they never called to ask about him after that day. Kisses spent 3 months in my hospital receiving treatment for severe parvovirus enteritis, pneumonia, and malnutrition. The parvo virus ruins the lining of the gut, so it's hard to digest and absorb nutrition. Meanwhile, fighting the pneumonia eats up proteins and nutrients at an alarming rate. It's a deadly 1-2 punch that is difficult to survive. After three intense months, Kisses was ready to go home with his new mom. He is now about five years old, and runs the household. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about how Kisses became a seizure alert dog for Billie, the cat.

Inspiration

Doc Truli — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:11:48 +0000

Has Your Veterinarian Inspired You? Add Your Story Today!

Doc Truli helps Family on Friday Night...

[caption id="attachment_1093" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Maddie, the Day Before Her Visit With the Doc"][/caption] "Just wanted you to know how much we appreciated your kindness, compassion, and centeredness concerning Maddie. On a Friday night after a long, busy week, you were able to give us the support and patience we so needed. Added to that the fact that Maddie wasn't a patient at your clinic and we never met you. We can't thank you enough." -Gordy and Bobbie C

Sometimes the vet has to deliver news...

"We appreciate your candor, professionalism, and overall concern for his well-being and recovery. Your efforts and phone calls helped us through a difficult time and we want you to know it means a great deal to us." -Dixie and Steven M

Do you ask tons of questions? Do you repeat yourself? Good!

"Doc Truli was very sweet and kind and explained everything in detail to me over the phone. She kept her word and called me twice to review Stan's history and explained everything to my satisfaction and left me with no worries. It was my pleasure to speak to this fine doctor!" -Romanina M

Doc Truli is Honest

"We are certain that we made the right decisions in large part because of the clarity and diplomacy of your briefings. Surely there can be no better veterinarian. We consider ourselves lucky that we got you." -Warren and Caran B (&Blossom)

Doc Truli says, "If I can, I will." The patient comes first.

"Your dedication to animals comes across clearly. Thanks again so much for helping us out after hours." -Susan P and Rosie

International Help for Animals

[caption id="attachment_1092" align="alignleft" width="111" caption="Thanks for my medicine!"][/caption]

Doc Truli diagnosed German Shepherd Pannus via internet pictures...

"Thank you so much for saving Ivo's vision. We thought our German Shepherd Ivo was going blind, and none of the veterinarians in our country knew what was wrong. After you consulted with our vet, we got Ivo the right medication and his eyes are perfect after only 3 weeks!" -Dragosh I

Many families straddle continents.

"Thank you for taking our call and explaining Leishmaniasis to us. With your help, we were able to give our veterinarian in Venezuela an answer we are sure is best for our dog." -Eugenia C

Some people have to, or like to, do everything for themselves. That's welcomed!

"I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your attention to our problem. With no veterinarians by my sister's house in Ukraine, I thought our Persian cat would not receive any care whatsoever. Thank you for the recipes and ideas for herbal treatments she can use to fight her kidney disease." -Irina M

Accolades

Doc Truli is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation Leadership Award, the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association Scholarship Award, and a Merck Foundation Competitive Research Grant that resulted in advancing gene therapy treatment for meningioma (brain cancer) in dogs. See Doc Truli's Paper in the Journal of Neurovirology.

Read What Others Are Saying About Doc Truli

[caption id="attachment_1090" align="alignleft" width="89" caption="Sammy the Cockatiel"][/caption] No vet would see this egg-bound darlin'...

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for helping our little bird. Thanks for making the extra effort. She is back to normal." -Lauren and Graham

All Mickey really needed was a sedative and some advanced diagnostics, not the same basic lab work 3 times in 4 months!

"I am relieved that someone could finally tell us what was wrong with Mickey." -Michele and Guido

Kramie couldn't breathe. Doc Truli stabilized him, and got him to a specialty surgeon for throat surgery immediately!

"We extend our heartfelt thanks for saving our beloved dog, Kramer. Your willingness to go beyond the call of duty makes it possible for us to have a very merry Christmas." -Joyce M and Ryan C

I'm not sure Brian still wants to be a veterinarian...

"I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for making my job shadowing experience so enjoyable and beneficial. I know that it will help me in my future. Especially the CASTRATION!! Thanks," -Brian

Cats need arthritis treatment, too!

"Pepper is doing GREAT. Jumped on bed (high 4 poster) last night with no help for the first time in years." -Francesca K

Webster was lunging through the truck windscreen at other dogs. One home behavior consult later...

"Many thanks for your time. We now have a good working dog." -Lois et Ed, Webster, too!

See Brinkley's story!

[caption id="attachment_1091" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Brinkley Relaxing by the Fire"][/caption] "I am very appreciative of all your time and patience with our strange situation." -Karen R

Doc Truli seems to be on a crusade to make regular service look bad...

"Thank you for your attentiveness and care of 'Moss the Cat' or as she likes to be called 'Miss Moss.' I really appreciated you calling and leaving me the messages on her lab work results. So rare to find a physician that finds the time. You enjoy your work with all our pets. I am so grateful for your expertise!" -Kelli S and Moss

After visits to 3 vets in 2 days, Harvey found Doc Truli, an Addison's diagnosis, and ICU care. He would've died waiting for a diagnosis...

"Thank you for your care of Harvey. Without your diagnosis we may have lost our 2 years-young family member." -Roddy, Gretchen, and Harvey

Accolades

virtuavet — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:11:48 +0000

Doc Truli Loves Hearing Feedback, Add Yours Today!

Doc Truli helps Family on Friday Night...

Sometimes the vet has to deliver news...

Do you ask tons of questions? Do you repeat yourself? Good!

Doc Truli can be blunt (in a good way...)

Doc Truli says, "If I can, I will." The patient comes first.

"Your dedication to animals comes across clearly. Thanks again so much for helping us out after hours." -Susan P and Rosie

VirtuaVet International

[caption id="attachment_1092" align="alignleft" width="111" caption="Thanks for my medicine!"][/caption] Doc Truli diagnosed German Shepherd Pannus via internet pictures...

Many families straddle continents. Why not get intercontinental advice?

"Thank you for taking our call and explaining Leishmaniasis to us. With your help, we were able to give our veterinarian in Venezuela an answer we are sure is best for our dog." -Eugenia C

Some people have to, or like to, do everything for themselves. That's welcomed!

Accolades

Read What Others Are Saying About Doc Truli

[caption id="attachment_1090" align="alignleft" width="89" caption="Sammy the Cockatiel"][/caption] No vet would see this egg-bound darlin'...

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for helping our little bird. Thanks for making the extra effort. She is back to normal." -Lauren and Graham

All Mickey really needed was a sedative and some advanced diagnostics, not the same basic lab work 3 times in 4 months!

"I am relieved that someone could finally tell us what was wrong with Mickey." -Michele and Guido

Kramie couldn't breathe. Doc Truli stabilized him, and got him to a specialty surgeon for throat surgery immediately!

"We extend our heartfelt thanks for saving our beloved dog, Kramer. Your willingness to go beyond the call of duty makes it possible for us to have a very merry Christmas." -Joyce M and Ryan C

I'm not sure Brian still wants to be a veterinarian...

Cats need arthritis treatment, too!

"Pepper is doing GREAT. Jumped on bed (high 4 poster) last night with no help for the first time in years." -Francesca K

Webster was lunging through the truck windscreen at other dogs. One home behavior consult later...

"Many thanks for your time. We now have a good working dog." -Lois et Ed, Webster, too!

See Brinkley's story in the VirtuaVet Blog!

Doc Truli seems to be on a crusade to make regular service look bad...

After visits to 3 vets in 2 days, Harvey found me, an Addison's diagnosis, and ICU care. He would've died waiting for a diagnosis...

"Thank you for your care of Harvey. Without your diagnosis we may have lost our 2 years-young family member." -Roddy, Gretchen, and Harvey

Brain Damaged Kitten Finds Friends

Doc Truli — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:27:29 +0000

A tiny black domestic short hair kitten was left in a box on the animal hospital doorstep. Apparently, he had been hit in the head by a car. His little skull looked half caved in on one side and he was only semi-conscious and twisted into a little neurological ball of kitty misery. I treated him for infection, pain, and starvation. Throughout the first day, he had about ten small seizures. Not surprising, considering his brain injuries. Yet not hopeless, because kittens and brains are more resilient than most people imagine. Still, the head trauma looked massive. We nursed him at the hospital, and tried many different anti-seizure medications. We named him Billie. With no medication, Billie experienced about 100 small seizures a day. He would not drink water (and still never has), and needed to be hand fed 1 morsel of canned kitten food at a time (eats on his own now). He couldn't walk a straight line and he needed to run a crooked little jig before he would be able to have a bowel movement ( still needs a running start to get the 'ol bowels goin'.) Yet everyone grew so attached to Billie, all we could think was how to find the right medication so he could become normal. As the months passed, and he grew into a young cat man, it became obvious Billie would never be normal. We found a seizure medication for people that kept the seizures down to about one every other day, but his eyes still looked a little dull on the medication. Billie never learned to be touched. If he walked by a person, and they reached down to pet his back, for example, he would automatically twist around and bite them. He was impossible to hold for medical care without sedation. Billie was never mean, bit he wasn't safe to handle, either. I started wondering if he enjoyed life, or if he had any understanding of pleasure or being cared for in any way close to what other cats may experience. I grew doubtful, second-guessing whether Billie had a life worth living. One of my nurses was convinced Billie's life was worthwhile, and here's how she proved it. She took Billie to her house. He had access to one room in the beginning. Three other cats lived in that part of the house. At first, Billie fought with them, or shied away from them and would sit alone all day and all night. One day, Kisses (yesterday's bossy Yorkie miracle pup) busted into the cat room, ran right up to Billie, and started licking him all over! Billie allowed Kisses to lick him. He did not move. He maybe looked a little bit like he enjoyed the tongue bath. Then Sammy, an 11-year-old red tabby cat found the forbidden room. Their mom found Kisses and Sammy sandwiching Billie on the sofa. Billie was calm and still. They lay like that for hours. Day after day, Kisses and Sammy would go into the cat room and sit touching Billie on either side. Until one day, Kisses came running into the kitchen. "Bark, bark, BARK!" His mom knew something must be wrong, bit what? A few minutes layer, she heard the distinctive sounds of a flopping, seizing cat on the sofa, knocking decorative pillows to the floor. A couple of nights later, Kisses barked at 2 am. Another seizure! The seizures almost never happen now, because Kisses barks a few minutes before a seizure is due to start, and then his mom gives Billie some of his seizure-control medicine. If she can get it into him before he starts, the seizure is averted. Who knew Billie would develop friendships and have a somewhat normal cat social life? I would not have bet on it, but life certainly works in mysterious ways!

2-Year-Old American Pit Bull Terrier Beats Paralysis

Doc Truli — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:32:47 +0000

It was my very first night on clinical call as a senior veterinary student. I finished my treatments at 9 pm. At 9:05 I received the page. Maggie was a 2-year old tan, chubby, red-nose American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) with white paws. She had been sleeping on the sofa, yawned, stretched, and rolled over, only to fall off the sofa! When she tried to get up, she discovered she was paralyzed in all four legs! I was called to assist the resident-on-call. The myelogram (x-rays of the spinal canal after it has been infused with a liquid that shows bright white on the x-rays) showed compression of Maggie's spinal cord from a ruptured intervertebral disc at C2-C3. She needed emergency neck surgery is she was ever hoping to walk again. Her parents immediately agreed to a ventral slot surgery. In this procedure, Maggie was laid on her back and the surgeon approached her spinal canal from the front of her neck. Once the canal was identified, the offending ruptured disc was cleaned out and the pressure relieved from the spinal cord. My job, as the student, was to apply suction to the surgical site do the resident surgeon could see what she was doing. The surgery went great. The spinal cord looked good. Maggie's vital signs were perfect. Then, as we finished, we took Maggie off of the anesthesia. There was a problem. Maggie could no longer breathe! Her spinal injury, at C2-C3 was right where the nerves to the diaphragm for breathing are born. Maggie could breathe before the surgery, but not after. We kept Maggie on the ventilator, while the resident surgeon had the unenviable job of calling Maggie's parents with the news. I listened in order to learn how these difficult calls could be handled. The situation was outlined. Then the questions began. I heard the answers. "Well, yes, we have seen this before." "Once." "A Doberman Pinscher." "Yes, she walked." "About 10%" That was all Maggie's parents needed to hear. They agreed to keep Maggie on the ventilator in order to keep her alive while her spinal cord inflammation had a chance to heal. Maggie was set up on a treatment table in the middle of the intensive care unit. She was awake, but could not move below her neck. She actually could move her neck, and she chewed through several breathing tubes a day in her boredom and creativity! At 5 days into the ventilator therapy, at 2 in the afternoon, I remember Maggie's parents standing next to her face, talking to her. All of a sudden her hind legs kicked together and she launched through the air! Luckily, her mom just held out her arms and caught her. After that day, Maggie's tail tip wagged and she kicked occasionally. From days 7-10, we weaned her off of the ventilator in order to let her breathing muscles build up their strength. Maggie went home, walking, 10 days after her emergency back surgery. I saw her one more time six months later. She had figured out how to run, although it was a little crooked. She gave a big, wide APBT smile and took off without a look back!

Doc Truli's Top 5 Tips for Physicians

Doc Truli — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:30:06 +0000

Doc Truli sometimes spends hours correcting off-handed misinformation put forth by well-meaning physicians. If you are a physician, watch what you say or your words could accidentally lead to a pet's death! 1) Blood sugar of 300, or even 400, in a cat is NOT diagnostic for diabetes mellitus. 2) Pets help people who are sick, they should not be taken to the shelter or given away. See The Center for Humans Interactions with Animals in Society. 3) Rabies is real. If my friend is viciously bitten by a stray cat in DC, the epicenter of rabies in the US, do not run her out of the emergency room without a second thought. 4) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine samples you give my client to give their dog, kills the dog. No kidding. Don't give them to your own dog, either. 5) It feels different giving injections to your own cat, than a person. If you cannot give your cat injections at home as prescribed, tell me, I'll understand.

Doc Truli's Top 10 Requirements for Anesthesia

Doc Truli — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:42:30 +0000

Make sure your animal hospital has and does the following before you agree to an anesthetic procedure: 1. oxygen, endotracheal tubes, gas anesthesia (most states mandate these, yet some places, especially low cost places, may not have these basics) 2. licensed veterinarian in the room with your pet ("direct supervision") 3. intravenous access and fluids used for every procedure lasting more than 10 minutes (in my hospital, it is every procedure) 4. anesthetist for every patient. This is a person, not the veterinarian performing surgery, or their nurse, if they are scrubbed in, monitoring your pet under anesthesia 5. clean and sterile equipment for your pet, including surgical pack, sutures, and drape material 6. monitoring of blood pressure (you'd be surprised...if it takes a nurse more than 2 minutes to find the equipment, they do not use it regularly) 7. doctor performs a physical examination of each pet before surgery 8. external heat source for your pet. Heating pad, Bair Hugger, hot circulating water blanket, hot water bottles 9. separate surgery room, not a through-passage, never doubling as a kennel or overflow room, clean and neat (also usually mandated by law, you'd be surprised here, too) ***10. Staff and a veterinarian who demonstrate caring and concern for your pet

Doc Truli's Top 10 Requirements for Pet Anesthesia

virtuavet — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:42:30 +0000

Anesthesia for Pets is Customized and Tricky, Especially for Tiny Pets

Make sure your animal hospital has and does the following before you agree to an anesthetic procedure: 1. oxygen, endotracheal tubes, gas anesthesia (most states mandate these, yet some places, especially low cost places, may not have these basics) 2. licensed veterinarian in the room with your pet ("direct supervision") 3. intravenous access and fluids used for every procedure lasting more than 10 minutes (in my hospital, it is every procedure) 4. anesthetist for every patient. This is a person, not the veterinarian performing surgery, or their nurse, if they are scrubbed in, monitoring your pet under anesthesia 5. clean and sterile equipment for your pet, including surgical pack, sutures, and drape material 6. monitoring of blood pressure (you'd be surprised...if it takes a nurse more than 2 minutes to find the equipment, they do not use it regularly) 7. doctor performs a physical examination of each pet before surgery 8. external heat source for your pet. Heating pad, Bair Hugger, hot circulating water blanket, hot water bottles (especially for tiny, young, or thin pets) 9. separate surgery room, not a through-passage, never doubling as a kennel or overflow room, clean and neat (also usually mandated by law, you'd be surprised here, too) ***10. Staff and a veterinarian who demonstrate caring and concern for your pet

Sudden Paralysis at 5 Weeks Old

Doc Truli — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:03:22 +0000

A seal-point Himalayan called Porthos dragged himself after his littermates, paw over paw. He wasn't very fast because he was suddenly dragging his hind legs; they did not move at all. I examined him carefully. He had a heart murmur so loud you could hear it just walking into a room where he was sitting. This is called a 6 out of 6 murmur. You don't even need a stethoscope to hear the abnormal whooshing sound of the heart! His little furry dark brown hind legs and his super-long swash-buckling tail hung limply. But they did not hurt him like they would if he had a blood clot stuck in his aorta back where the legs arteries branch off of the main aorta. I surmised he had fallen and knocked hard against his spinal cord. The murmur I felt was probably from a patent foramen ovale. A 5 week-old kitten with a murmur probably has a genetic or congenital problem. Genetic deformities occur because the gene coding is wrong. Congenital means something you're born with, but it doesn't have to be a flaw in the genetic coding. It could be an enzyme, protein, or physical problem. (Geek alert) The foramen (hole) ovale (oval) is a hole in a fetus of a mammal like a cat, or a human, that allows blood to bypass the lungs on the fetus. After all, oxygen comes from mom through the umbilical cord, not from the lungs. At birth, the umbilicus is cut, the lungs open up, and the foramen has a thin film of membrane that closes it right over. Some people and some animals have a hole that stays. If it is large, the heart doesn't work right. There is a surgery for babies to close the defect. There is no such surgery for kittens. Porthos made slow recovery. He went to a cardiologist 2 weeks later. No murmur, echocardiogram was clear, EKG was normal. Kittens are so tiny, a foramen could be missed. I'm convinced it closed over in between the first exam and the cardiology visit. When Porthos was 8 weeks old, he wanted so badly to climb onto the bed his first night in his new home. His dad built a climbing mountain out of a sleeping bag and a comforter. He took Porthos' little paws and directed his feet, paw over paw, up the fabric onto the bed. Just once! Little Porthos hauled himself up onto the bed every night all by himself. Over the months, his hind legs got stronger and stronger. By the time he was 6 months old, he walked with only a slight wobble in his heals. Today, Porthos is 12 years old. Neither his heart, nor his legs have ever bothered him again! [caption id="attachment_901" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Porthos, aka Buster, aka VirtuaCat Gives Mommy the Brush Off (13 Years Old December 2009)"][/caption]

Doc Truli's Top Ten Spoiled Pet Stories

virtuavet — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:43:39 +0000

Publix Free Antibiotics

Doc Truli — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:42:44 +0000

Publix Supermarkets are Offering 2-weeks of selected Antibiotics Free

Of course, with a valid prescription. Doc Truli phoned the Publix Vice-President of pharmacy, who graciously confirmed that animal family members are equally eligible for the free antibiotics offer. Amoxicillin Ampicillin Cephalexin (capsules and suspension only) Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP) Ciprofloxacin (excluding Ciprofloxacin XR) Penicillin VK Doxycycline Hyclate (capsules only) Erythromycin Stearate & Ethylsuccinate This list is accurate as of January, 2010. Please see Publix' corporate website, or call the pharmacy for details or changes. Back to VirtuaVet Stories.

Pet Poisoning

Doc Truli — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:31:17 +0000

Poisoning, or Possible Poisoning is a Worry for Pet Owners

If you believe your pet has been poisoned, or ate something poisonous, or just ate something, and you do not know if it is poisonous, your family veterinary hospital is your first source of information! Call right away to find out if there is basic first aid you should do at home before/or while driving to the veterinary hospital. The veterinarian can get on the phone with poison control if they need to report a toxicity or gather more information while you travel to the hospital, or they may have seen the same problem before, and can set up for your pet to be seen immediately.

National Animal Poison Control Hotline: (888) 426-4435

For $60, you get:

This service is staffed by board-certified veterinary toxicologists. They can provide information and advice about a specific toxin or suspected toxicity. A credit card is required, it is a toll-free call, but there is a US$60 fee as of October, 2009. They can provide specific advice, and follow-ups with your veterinarian as needed for that fee. The ASPCA Hotline advises to go directly to your emergency hospital if your pet is having seizures, losing consciousness, or has lost consciousness, or is having difficulty breathing.

Information Your Vet and the Poison Control Expert Will Need:

If these symptoms are not present, you should have time to call the hotline yourself. You will need to let the consultant know the :

the species, breed, age, gender (sex), weight, and how many of your pets are involved
the symptoms
the potential toxin, the name (if known), the amount involved and the time since first exposure
if you have the container or wrapper, bring it to the vet hospital for reference. also collect in a new (clean) sealed plastic bag anything vomited up or chewed up

Write Down Your Case Number!

The phone consultation could answer your questions and prevent a veterinary visit. If a trip down veterinary lane is required, write down the Case Number # the Hotline will give you. They will speak directly to your veterinarian to offer further advice regarding your pet's case.

Starting Points for Research Regarding Poisoning and Toxicitities

Veterinary Medical Information Including Toxins

Free online access the the Merck Veterinary Manual. United States National Library of Medicine, Toxicology Database Search.

Poisonous Plants, Pictures, Veterinary Information

University of Pennsylvania, Computer Aided Learning Projects, Poisonous Plants Remember, if in doubt, call your veterinarian! Back to Pet Emergencies

Pet First Aid/Evacuation Checklist

Doc Truli — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:58:44 +0000

Every pet needs an Emergency/Evac Checklist

Keep emergency supplies by the Parent's Bed, or at the Door to the Outside of the Residence. Hurricane, Earthquake, Fire, 2012, whatever it is, you will want to plan ahead to take your pets with you, and they will need documentation and supplies.

First Aid Checklist

New bottle of hydrogen peroxide, USP 3%, to induce vomiting
Turkey baster, or large needle-less syringe to administer peroxide according to your vet's instructions (approx 2mL/lb of dog, by mouth, repeat if no puke in 15 minutes)
- There are important situations in which you should never induce vomiting: sharp objects, caustic substances, call your vet for advice!
Saline eye wash
Artificial tear ointment or gel
Mild grease-cutting dishwashing liquid (like Dawn) for removing oil and toxic residue
Forceps (tweezers), handy for removing splinters, glass, stingers
Muzzle (to protect you from fear-induced biting, also calms many pets so you can examine the problem areas better)

Download Your Own Customizable Checklist: VirtuaVet Pet First Aid Checklist

Check	Item	Where Best Obtained	Cost
	Hydrogen peroxide 3% USP	Pharmacy or medical supply
	Turkey baster or needle-less 12 cc syringe	Supermarket or vet's
	Saline Eye Wash	Pharmacy or medical supply
	Artificial tear ointment	Pharmacy, med supply, vet's
	Mild grease-cutting detergent (Dawn)	Supermarket
	Forceps (tweezers)	Pharmacy, med or beauty supply
	Muzzle	Pet Store
	Bandages/guaze/Medical tape	Medical supply
	Triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)	Pharmacy or med supply

[caption id="attachment_854" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download VirtuaVet's Pet First Aid Checklist"][/caption]

VirtuaVet Tip: Medical supply stores carry fascinating, useful inventory like packages of bandages, non-stick medical tape, guaze pads, cotton balls, those cool long cotton swabs the vet uses, inexpensive absorbent pads for potty training(without the hormone to make them go on the pad), all at bulk-rate prices. These are still retail to the public, but far, far less costly than a packet of 4 sterile guaze sponges from a major chain pharmacy.

Look for stores selling wheelchairs, oxygen, and other home health supplies. These stores sell the good stuff at good prices. They usually name themselves “Blah Blah Town Medical Supply.” Just look it up; you will be thrilled you did!

Documentation

Your pet should have a tattoo or microchip identification. You can register your address, a family member (I recommend someone out-of-state in case of a large-scale disaster), and your veterinarian. Homeagain registration offers Lost Pet Medical Coverage through Pets First Insurance and free ASPCA Poison Control Hotline consultations (normally $60). Check with the company for details and current information.
Bring a current valid copy of your pet's rabies vaccine and local county or city license as applicable.
It is always good to keep your own copies of your vet records. Most states allow veterinarians to stop storing records after 3-5 years, and most vets will discard the records if your pet has been inactive for 3-5 years or more. (These records are expensive to store!)

Supplies

Pet carrier
Collar, leash for dogs
Collapsible Water and Food dishes
3-4 days of canned food (keeps, and can't get wet and spoil in a flood, etc)
A few weeks of your pet's medication.

A flaw in pet pharmacy law most people do not know about:

Unlike pharmacy law for people, there is no emergency pharmacy law for pets. If your pet runs out of an essential medicine, especially one which causes withdrawal symptoms if stopped suddenly like high-dose prednisone, phenobarbital, prozac, etc., the pharmacist cannot legally give you a few pills to tide you over. I know this sounds inhumane, but there is a gap in the law which has not been remedied as of this time! Make sure you call your family veterinarian ahead of a storm or other dire prediction. Well ahead, everyone else will call, too!

2-Year-Old Boxer Crashes Into Windshield

Doc Truli — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:46:42 +0000

Webster was a 2-year-old Boxer, newly adopted by Ed and Lois. His main job was to ride around in the passenger seat of Ed's pickup, keeping Ed company all day long. Having raised many Boxers over the years, Webster was a welcome addition to Ed's workday. But Webster had an immediate and violent problem the reared its big Boxer head the first day on the job. As soon as Webster saw another dog through the windshield of his truck, he launched himself off the passenger seat hard enough to bash into the glass and give himself a bruise on his forehead. Ed was devastated. "He's a great dog, but I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself and go right through the windshield." Webster was impossible to live with. We set up a home behavior consultation. Ed and Lois filled out about 5 pages of questionnaires and I arrived for our session together. Webster wiggled his way up to me at the door, and immediately gave me sloppy Boxer kisses. We sat in the living room and Lois offered me tea and fantastic homemade cookies. I noticed a beautiful blue bubble Depression glass bread plate under a plant by the side of the living room window because I collect blue bubble glass. Lois was flattered I noticed the plate. We discussed Webster's daily activities, I assessed him for signs of aggression. Webster showed none. But, suddenly, he ran over to the front picture window, pushed back the closed curtain and started slobberibg and barking, bashing his paws against the glass. I ran over, "What is it, Webster? What do you see?" I saw a young yellow lab about a block away nonchalantly walking on the end of his leash. Webster went nuts. My differential diagnosis list just narrowed to territorial aggression and interdog aggression. Dogs certainly can have portable territories. They can define a space, usually around their favorite person or people, and guard them. But in Webster's case, his maniacy seemed to be triggered exclusively by other dogs. I taught Ed and Lois how to fit Webster with a Gentle Leader head collar made for short-nosed breeds of dogs. Then we practiced deference and relaxation training ("sit for everything"), with instructions for 10 minutes of practice every morning and evening. Webster's parents called a friend with a Labradoodle who set up 3 blocks away from the house. We determined that Webster was only mildly interested in a dog 3 blocks away, whereas he found 2 blocks to be insufferable. We had to prevent Webster from being triggered by strange dogs until he learned to handle himself properly. Lois, Ed, Webster and I went out to the truck and rigged up a doggie seat belt so that Webster had to lay down on the seat, without looking out of the window. This rig bought him time to let the habituation training to his Labradoodle friend take hold. I left Webster's parents to their work. I called 2 weeks later, Lois reported, "He's perfect!" The Labradoodle friend moved a little bit closer to the house every day and Webster got used to him, with tons of encouragement from Ed. By the fourth week, we had Webster sit in the truck and just look at a dog while everyone talked to him so he would not be startled. He showed no aggression! Now Ed has the work companion he was hoping for! P.S. Lois remembered my fondness for the Blue Bubble Depression Glass. At Christmastime that year, she found 2 of the antique plates at the swap barn at the town dump. They were in near perfect condition, except they had homemade cookie crumbs all over them when I was through!

VirtuaVet 101

Doc Truli — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:55:55 +0000

VirtuaVet 101: Real World Practice Strategies

You Don't Have to Become a Specialist Just Because School Didn't Teach You How to Get Started

Learn the secret relationship between well-crafted treatment plans and getting paid for what you do!
- Secrets to extracting excellent histories
- Persistent, high-quality information gathering every time
- Step-by-Step excellent physical examination
Learn how to think step-by-step, lay out, and present a treatment plan cost estimate no matter the management system where you work!
- Generating, Prioritizing, and Ordering a Problem List
- Differential Diagnosis Walk you to your Diagnostic and Treatment Plan
- The Secret to Helping Your Client Trust Your Treatment Plan Every Time!
Learn how to read body language and vocal cues to discover falsehoods and cover-ups in the history, and willingness to pay!
- How to determine if a client is "making things up"
- How to tell if someone is listening
- Getting to the Decision-Maker: Do Not Push the Wrong Person
Learn how to use your voice, body, and technicians to get thorough, healthy treatment plans approved all day long!
- Neurolinguistic Programming for Veterinarians
- Body Language Works!
- The Proper Technique to Generate Trust and Loyalty in and for Your Technicians
Learn how to spot thieves, grifters, and con-artists masquerading as pet parents
- Learn From Other's Experience: the Cons Laid Out Before Your Eyes
- Strategies and Tips for Staying Safe and Extracting the Criminal from Your Presence
- Scripts That Work! Practice Until Your Response is Automatic and Your Emotions Unaffected

How To Pay Off Your Student Loans Without Overhead

Learn how to rethink the idea of "associate," and become your own boss no matter where you work!
- Overturn the old-fashioned adage "only owners get that pay!"
- Getting the Balance Right: Over-delivering on your contract without killing yourself with work
- How to Behave Like a Professional Among Professionals
Learn how to run your "job" as a business! Pay attention to get paid!
- Keep "books" of your cases and income as if you were paid 100% commission, even if you are not!
- Audit your client records, manage the management
- How to Keep Current With Industry Standards
Learn how to become a top-producing associate, no matter where you work!
- How (and Why) to Work Collaboratively Even if You Loose Commissions
- Target the goals and skills you want to develop
- Learn How to Use the Patient to Drive the Medicine
Compensation structures and bonus plans, how to make sure your employer pays what you're worth!
- How to Think About Base, Percentage, and Bonuses
- Recognize the Top Three Work Types and Pay Structures that Suit Them
- Be Fair and Firm, How to Avoid Getting the Short End of the Bargain
Learn how to translate your passion for medicine into dollars and cents in the real world!
- How to put the Patient First and Use Up Inventory on Hand: A Practical Guide to Running the Day
- How to Work the Laboratory for High Mark-ups and Value for Your Clients
- Learn How to Put Dollar Values on Your Time

How to be a Million Dollar Grossing Veterinarian in 5 Years

Full VirtuVet 101 Program from now to 5 years from now!
- Template for Goals, Family, Career, and Finances
- Career and Employment Options Abound, Choosing the Highest Return May Not Be the Career You Thought!
- VirtuaVet Reveals, Step-by-Step, How Doc Truli Became a Million/Year Grossing Doctor
Learn how to turn your favorite skills or medical interests into full-blown programs for any practice!
- Guides for Research, Education, Technician education, Equipment Upgrades, Pricing, Client Education, Marketing and Management Convincing
- Where to Get Started? Tips for Top Five Skills and Services That will each add $100,00/year to an average grossing veterinarian's production
- Guide to Getting the Most From Conferences and Continuing Education
Learn how to start right where you are and find new ways to get paid!
- Negotiating for What You are Worth and How to be Worth More!
- How to Restructure Management's Point of View to Benefit You in 5 Irrefutable Ways
- How to Collaborate With Other Associates and Technicians to Invent Whole New Hospital Departments
Learn how to market yourself internally and externally to benefit business and draw informed clients!
- How to make Yourself Irreplaceable
- Community Service that Matters
- Learn How to Mentor and Be Mentored
Learn how to measure and assess you personal performance to keep on track!
- Tracking retention, client satisfaction, and employee feedback
- Schedules and Data to Request from Management
- Monthly and Yearly Goal Adjusting for Success

17-Year-Old Italian Greyhound Needs 17 Teeth Removed!

Doc Truli — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:12:54 +0000

Antonio was a 17-year-old grey and white epileptic Italian Greyhound. He walked into my office with the right half of his face so swollen, he looked like he tried to swallow a sausage and it got stuck lengthwise in his mouth! His big brown eyes looked miserable. "I know what it is," announced his mom, "I know I should have had his teeth looked at years ago, but I was afraid because he's so old and he's on 2 kinds of medicine for epilepsy." Indeed, Antonio needed emergency dental surgery. The infection from at least one tooth root abscess had caused the side of his face just below his left eye to swell painfully. He could barely eat; he did not want to drink any water. In fact, Antonio had started to generate a fever. He was on his way to becoming septic and possibly dying from the tooth abscess! As his doctor, I know that with proper pre-anesthesia laboratory testing, monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, carbon dioxide, electrocardiogram, temperature, pulses, and Antonio's general status under anesthesia, he was likely to do just fine and make a full recovery. An elderly patient like Antonio has several increased risks of anesthesia compared to younger, healthier pets. For one, he was very skinny; he was an Italian Greyhound, after all! The lack of body fat made him prone the hypothermia, or a low body temperature under anesthesia. He also took phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide to control epileptic seizures, which he still had about twice a year. While his liver bile acids showed good hepatic function a few months before at a routine check-up, a healthy liver is essential to a good anesthetic outcome. These issues can be dealt with by proper pre-anesthesia checking and proper monitoring. The other, by far the hugest, anesthetic risk, was the deep periodontal dental disease itself! By waiting 3 years since his last dental cleaning under anesthesia, his mom had allowed harmful bacteria to establish huge colonies in his gums and around his tooth roots. This chronic disease process causes untold pain, immunosuppression, and subtle, often immeasurable damage to the whole body. Antonio's pre-anesthesia work-up looked perfect. Anesthetics were chosen in combination with each other to minimize pain, smooth his anesthetic experience, and be as gentle as possible on his liver and kidneys. Antonio's vital signs were perfect throughout his dental surgery...which turned out to be 3 hours! First, the technician obtained a full-mouth set of digital dental radiographs (X-rays), then cleaned the teeth with an ultrasonic scaler and subgingival hand tools. Then I examined the radiographs and Antonio's oral cavity. He had 17 teeth that were loose and infected! 17!!! I called his mom to let her know the work that needed to be done. Luckily, I have developed my dental medical practice over the years to the point where I can take care of nearly anything without waking the pet up and having them go to the dental specialist. Antonio needed exodontia (full teeth extractions) for the 17 teeth, treatment of the alveolar sockets left behind, and careful gingival surgery to prevent "dry socket" and to help Antonio heal quickly. "Antonio's mom? Well, the good news is, I can fix him. The bad news is, Antonio needs to loose 17 teeth." "How will he eat?" (Everybody's first question.) "Fine. Much better than he's eating now, that's for sure!" "How many teeth will he have left?" (Everybody's second question, sort of irrelevant to Antonio, but humans like these sorts of numbers.) "8." "Oh my G*d!" (At this point, most people forget to ask how much it will cost, and if I would chicken out and not bring it up, they would have mini-parental heart attacks when they collect their pet to go home. Just imagine, three hours of advanced surgery!) "It is ____ dollars worth of work." "Well, if we have to, we have to; he needs it." (The third thing everybody says.) Antonio did well. He woke up just great. His eyes looked bright and happy right away. He went home a few hours later. Three days later he came for his post-op recheck. His face looked perfect! His mom reported, "He's eating more than he has in years!" A healthy mouth makes for a happy pet at any age!

Top Ten Veterinary Practices to Keep Your Pet Calm and Safe

Doc Truli — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:43:23 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1114" align="alignleft" width="89" caption="Ear Pressure Point Massage Relaxes This Dog"][/caption] Be sure your animal hospital follows these practices to help your pet be as stress free as possible. (Were you looking for things to do at home to keep your pet safe?) 1. Clean, quiet hospital environment 2. No waiting in view of other pets; staff takes your pet in right away 3. Established pattern of check in and check out with pets standing behind walls/ not in sight of each other; Preferable, a circular flow pattern with some doors in between areas; "Out of sight is out of mind." 4. Cats and dogs scheduled at separate times of day 5. Clean, quiet examination/consultation rooms with closing, solid doors 6. Please keep your cat in the carrier until the nurse or the doctor is ready to see him or her! Cats are territorial creatures. When they are taken out of their territory (your house and/or yard) they become agitated. In fact, some of the hardest cats to handle in the animal hospital are the ones that are the sweetest at home! 7. Quiet, calm, smooth-moving assistants. No sudden movements, no hesitation, a firm, gentle grasp is often all that is needed to communicate calmness to your pet and get the job done! 8. During the office call, any distasteful or slightly painful procedures should be saved for last, so your pet is upset the least amount of time. For example, for many pets, the rectal thermometer is a big no-no. Other pets hate their ears or their paws being touched. If some part of the body is painful, a good veterinary practice is to examine that part last. (Like a painful knee or ingrown toenail.) There is a caveat to this practice. If an animal is likely to be totally violent in the hospital, there may only be time to examine the one main area of interest before your "license to examine" has expired! 9. "Never trust an owner's leash!" Sorry- but well-trained veterinary staff know how loose or tight your pet's collar should be. Sometimes you've got it wrong! We've all seen dogs or cats run across busy streets outside of our clinics, and believe me, if we advise you to get a small cat carrier, or tighten your dog's collar, we know what we're talking about! 10. Selective sedation makes for less stressful visits for the pet, the people, and the doctor.

Pomeranian Puppy Pukes Parasites

Doc Truli — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:10:15 +0000

[caption id="attachment_899" align="alignright" width="297" caption="Samantha at about 5 months old"][/caption] An 8-week old red Pomeranian puppy vomited blood and white spaghetti-worms on my examination table and then collapsed. Samantha had never seen a veterinarian, so she had not been given puppy deworming medicine. Almost all puppies are born with roundworm intestinal infection because the worms hibernate in the mother's muscles out of the reach of any dewormers. Then, when the mom dog is pregnant, the worms travel to her womb and infect the puppies! Then, to add to the danger, puppies ingest hookworm eggs from their mom's skin which is contaminated with fecal material (after all, dogs don't take showers every day.) Hookworms look like they have swords for tongues when you magnify them under the microscope. Hookworms make a tiny slice in the intestinal lining and lap up the blood that comes out. Then they let the site continue to bleed while they move to another spot and make a new slice. Samantha weighed only 2 pounds, and she was bleeding internally. She vomited blood and passed out because she felt weak. I scooped her up, placed an intravenous line and gave her a transfusion of universal donor canine whole blood. After 10 minutes, she sat up and blinked at me! Samantha was going to be just fine! P.S. Worms can cause illness in puppies as young as 4 weeks old. Take your adopted pup to your veterinarian as soon as you adopt him or her. If your dog has puppies, your vet should check them at one to two days old to make sure they are formed properly and set up their preventative medicine schedule.

Pet Proofing: Keeping Pets Safe at Home

Doc Truli — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:10:17 +0000

How did Doc Truli's beloved 15-year-old long hair green-eyed grey Persian cat, Mitzi, end up under the trailer out in the cold, meowing her head off for 2 days? As a senior veterinary student, Doc Truli lived in a former cow milker's trailer on a large dairy farm. Facing East, with the Western sunset illuminating the red with white trim outbuildings, the green grass road edgings trimmed perfectly short with white fences lining the mile-long driveway, the farm glowed like a movie set. The trailer sported brand new double hung windows, a new circuit box, all new wiring, beautiful little custom-made John Deere green fabric curtains and a koi pond in the front yard! Well, I'll tell you. I'm a fairly decent pet-proofer. I should be, I'm a professional. But your pets will find nooks and crannies you cannot imagine. Guess how Mitzi did it? It took me a few hours to figure it out. She opened the bathroom cabinet door under the sink, which shut behind her automatically. Then, 3 feet to the right, under the dark sink counter, was a 1 foot by 1 foot hole in the wall (don't ask me why! I have no idea how it got there.) Grey tufts of long fur stuck out from the hole's jagged edges all the way around. Mitzi must have shoved her portly self through the hole, which led to the outside crawl space under the trailer. Your truly was away for the night, so when I pulled up the next day and opened my car door, "Meeeooooow." And, as a bonus, two hungry farm dogs with eyes glued to the underside of the trailer. Luckily, my girl did not become a play toy for Murphy Brown, the fat Chocolate Lab, or, Binx, the black German Shepherd fox-killer. Get Down to Your Pet's Eye Level! Temple Grandin, a world-renowned animal behavior expert, teaches veterinarians and animal handlers to move through the animal's environment exactly at the animals' eye level. She discovered that pigs will stop moving, for example, to load onto a truck, if they cannot see around a corner, or if a shiny wet spot on the floor reflects funny, or if they see an inexplicable shadow in front of them. If pig chutes are curved, with no corners, covered, with no shadows, and dry, with no reflective glassy water slicks, they move right along, nice, relaxed, and calm. You can imagine, staying calm promotes health. Panicking, and backing up on 100F heat on a hot, dry summer day, when you are supposed to be moving to a new barn, kills hogs in minutes from heat stroke. Seeing the world from an animal's point of view saves lives. Crawl around rooms and especially the kitchen and bathrooms at your pet's eye level. I kid you not. If you are unable to crawl, even with gardening knee protectors, get your kids to do it. If you are young, you probably cannot afford a pet emergency visit because Barney found the roach trap you missed. Use those knees and look around! Previous tenants in your place probably left pictures, dryer sheets, ant traps, you-name-it! behind when they moved. Doc Truli found a picture of a previous owner and his sister at a party, with cat chew holes lacing the edge! Obviously, Porthos (VirtuVet gravitar) found the picture before the Doc! Remember, cats are three-dimensional beings. Look up, to the ceiling even. Or beyond. Mitzi once spent a week in the insulation above a ceiling because she was shy in her new home. Cats will find holes and crannies you ignore. Try to see the unseeable when cat-proofing. Actually, how about this: try to think as if you were designing a movie set for the Neil Gaiman sci-fi novel Neverwhere. That's where your cat looks for fun! Electrical Cord Proofing A special note about electronics and electrical cords and plugs: eliminate, cover, or group the electrical stuff in an off-limits section of your place. Televisions fall on curious pets, they get stuck in the cords, pets electrocute themselves on the cords, you-name-it. Don't be stubborn. Bundle the cords in a cord-tube from the hardware store, or hire an electrician to properly put casings on them, or a contractor to run them behind the walls. If your budget is tight, group your computers, televisions, etc, in a room off-limits to the curious pet. If Porthos ventures into Doc Truli's home office, he sets off a Star Trek Enterprise bridge red-alert warning, "Woop! Woop! Cat-Alert!" Bird-Proofing Challenges Another special note about birds. Wow! If you love living with bird(s), you have a handful of pet-proofing to do. Landlords be warned! After a fish tank water disaster, a pet bird chewing all the trim inside your property destroys your property value unimaginably silently and efficiently! Yet Doc Truli's first landlord at veterinary school said, "You have to leave an extra cat deposit, and a dog deposit, but I don't care about the bird." Ha! My Cockatiel, Othello ("Birdie" for short) ate her 150-year-old window trim in three days flat! Good Birdie!

4-Year-Old American Staffordshire Terrier Finally Allergy-Free

Doc Truli — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:45:06 +0000

Specialists estimate 50% of American dogs have allergies

Dexter was a 4-year-old rednose tan and white American Staffordshire Terrier. He was itchy every day of his life since he was 8 weeks old. Allergy skin testing, blood testing, special baths, antibiotics, Omega-3 fatty acids, nothing worked.

True food allergies are thought uncommon. I beg to differ in the case of the APBT...

Only an estimated 5-10% of dogs have food allergies. The APBT must be overrepresented. It seems like at least 50% of APBT's have food allergies! But, no veterinarian had suggested properly testing for food allergies. Many "pit bulls" have food allergies. It takes 72 hours for a food allergy to run its course. No matter what a laboratory report lists with fancy numbers, There are no accurate blood tests for food allergies.

Food Allergies must be discovered through and Allergy Elimination Diet and Food Trials

First Step: The Allergy Elimination Diet Takes About 8-12 Weeks Maximum

"What Dexter needs is an allergy elimination diet." "What's that?"

Ultrahydrolyzed technological food can provide a "clean" base to start the food trials

So, here's how it works. Your dog eats a truly allergy-free diet for about 12 weeks. Your vet can prescribe Hills Z/D, Royal Canin HP, or Purina HA. These foods are technologically engineered from hydrolyzed protein. Hmm... "What?" The local immune system in the gut cannot react to amino acid chains smaller than about 16 kilodaltons. These are the tiny building blocks of proteins. (Nov 10, 2009 Update: New research shows some pets with allergies to the parent protein, say, soybean, will show adverse reactions to the ultra hydrolyzed soy protein isolate product in spite of the scientific theory which states they should not have a problem with it! Be careful! No one food fits every pet or situation.)

Allergy Elimination Diets Can be Designed (Carefully) at Home

Now, if you can't or won't call your vet to consult with you, there is another way to start an allergy elimination diet. Pets have the most likelihood of being allergic to ingredients they eat the most. In America, dogs are most likely to be allergic to:

beef
chicken
corn
soy
and egg

In Australia, dogs often react to lamb, because the commercial food is made with abundant and cheap lamb. Australia imports beef for their allergic dogs! "But he's eaten the same food his whole life." (Everybody says that; reread previous paragraph!)

Pets have the most likelihood of being allergic to ingredients they eat the most.

(Cats in America are most often to beef, chicken, fish, corn, soy, and egg. Same rules apply for finding a hypoallergenic diet.)

Your dog is unlikely to be allergic to an ingredient he or she has never eaten before.

Back to novel ingredient diets. The theory is, your pet will be unlikely to be allergic to a protein he or she has never eaten before. There is a slight chance of cross-reactivity. For example, if you are allergic to chicken, duck may make you itch. Beef allergy may make you react to venison. The potential list goes on. That's why the expensive prescription diets are often the way to go.

Careful Reading and Interpreting of Ingredients is Key

If you go the novel protein route, read the ingredients carefully. Look for "poultry fat" which could be chicken. Read the ingredients! All natural and organic are just as likely to be allergenic. There is no legal definition of "natural" in the United States, or federal law for "organic" regarding foods in the US. Many producers and companies use the California Organic guidelines or follow guidelines published in other countries, hopefully in all good faith. Now, realize that anything that goes into your dog's mouth could trigger the allergies.

Rawhide is beef.
Cow hooves are beef.
Pig's ears....well, duh.
Heartworm preventatives are often flavored. Call your veterinarian for hypoallergenic options. Do not stop preventative! Heartworms are deadly.
Laxatone for cats is fish and corn syrup.

Seriously, read your labels.

Continue Feeding the "Hypoallergenic" Diet Until Your Dog's Symptoms Subside

Your veterinarian can help you interpret symptoms of secondary infections versus just the plain old allergy itself. In general, if your APBT has yeast, bacteria, demodex, or other skin issues, vomiting, intermittent soft stool, etc., then those conditions need specific prescription therapy to help the body clear them up. You will not be able to tell if the medicine helped the allergy, or the food. But you know your dog. You've probably given antibiotics and medicines before, only to have the problem return within ___amount of time. One month, 3 months, you know what the pattern is for your dog. So, while you are using the food allergy elimiation diet, you are looking for the pattern NOT to rear it's ugly snout! For example, if your veterinarian has your dog on medicated baths, antibiotics, and maybe even anti-inflammatory medication like prednisone, you know if your dog flares up again "as soon as the medications stop." Maybe that is why you searched for this posing in the first place. You are not alone. Many, many people have this situation with their dog. You have taken the problem and the solution into your own hands (with your veterinarian's counsel), and the allergy elimination diet should help your dog become less reactive with allergic symptoms.

No Treats or Homemade Treats

Your dog may be used to treats, and there are few safe options. More and more companies are putting out vegetarian treats and biscuits (some of these are appropriate). A small, reputable, caring company will probably answer your concerns of there are any unfamiliar terms on the labels. Many of my clients use homemade cookie recipes. These must also be modified to your dog's situation, but they are a starting point. The longer they cook, and the longer they sit out after cooking, the crunchier they get!

Second Step: The Food Trial May Take 6 Months or More of Investigation

So, after 12 weeks on the special diet, Dexter did not itch anymore, and his skin cleared up! Now for the real work. Each week, Dexter was given 1 ingredient with his special food. The first week, 1 piece of popcorn caused his face to swell and his eyes to water. Bingo! The next week, beef caused him to have nearly instant diarrhea. Another hit! In between weeks, we let his system reset with the special diet. Overall, it took 25 weeks to determine corn, beef, chicken, milk (cheese) and potatoes. The final step in the food allergy elimination diet (think: process of elimination) is fun! Read ingredients and find food that matches. Work with your vet to find hypoallergenic medications without real allergenic ingredients. Dexter's skin cleared up, his ear infections stopped, his occasional vomiting and diarrhea stopped, he grew calmer and less hyperactive. It was totally worth it! P.S. If you are frustrated and your dog is not better with the food allergy elimination, remember that allergies are additive. This means that each dog has a threshold for allergic reaction. Perhaps mold, a food, a flea, and a certain tree pollen sets your dog off, that explains why flea and food are important, even if you only see symptoms certain times of the year. Stunning facts, 50% of dermatology referral cases in dogs are flea-allergy related, and 50% of dogs in America are thought to have atopy, or inhaled allergen reactions.

50% of dermatology referral cases in dogs are flea-allergy related, and 50% of dogs in America are thought to have atopy, or inhaled allergen reactions

Do this:

Keep a calendar of basic food, and pollen, hayfever counts from the news, etc.
Rate your dog's itchiness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being unbearable and not sleeping, and 1 being virtually nothing. This helps you track your progress and objectify your observations.
Close the windows and run the AC on high pollen count and smog warning days, keep your pooch indoors with you.
Be certain your dog has no exposure to fleas. Ask your vet about Comfortis organic prescription flea preventative pills.
Treat your home and yard with IGR Insect Growth Regulator products to eliminate fleas, eggs, cocoons, READ the LABELS, these products can kill fish birds, etc. Repeat procedure in 2 weeks. Then maintain every 3-6 months. (Doc Truli likes VetChem and Zodiac brands, available from Petsmart and other pet supply centers.)
Ask your veterinarian about intradermal allergy testing or allergy blood testing
- no steroids before the testing
- best done during an allergy flare-up
- changes over the years, may be worth retesting!

Good Luck! Look for more allergy strategies from VirtuaVet.

Truli Speaking: Good Questions to Ask the Vet

Doc Truli — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:07:14 +0000

Doc Truli hears certain questions in the course of the day that may feel awkward to ask at first, perhaps confrontational, but would be awesome if everyone asked their veterinarian. 1. Can I see your state veterinary license? 2. Where do you go to vet school? Can I see your diploma? (* If you feel uncomfortable asking, both of these questions can be researched online, in private, by searching your state's professional licenses website under veterinarian and veterinary hospital.) 3. Can I see where my pet will be staying? 4. Will you be the surgeon performing the procedure? (*For dental prophylaxis and cleaning, it is normal for a qualified, or in some states certified technician to perform these procedures.) 5. Are there other treatment options? And the corollary, what are the pros and cons of the treatment options? 6. What is my pet's prognosis? This means: what is the expected, or possible outcome? It's a doctor's job to give you their professional opinion regarding prognosis. You should hear your vet say something like, "Your puppy has xxx disease. With treatment he has a good prognosis, with almost 100% of puppies surviving and going on to live a normal life. Without treatment, he has a guarded prognosis, with a 50/50 chance of making it through the night." 7. What part of this treatment plan is urgent, and what part or parts are preventative medicine? 8. Does my pet need so many shots? 9. How long might it take? (for laboratory tests, x-rays, etc). And it's sister question: when can I expect results? 10. If your pet is very sick and you'd like a second opinion, just ask! Whom do you recommend as a specialist? Easy! Don't be shy! Your vet is there to help your pet and help you.

Don't Declaw, Soft Paw!

Doc Truli — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:43:21 +0000

Maggie was a 6-year-old female Bengal, tearing up the carpets, curtains, and an antique upholstered chair. Athletic, intelligent, and curious, Bengals may not respect property. But that is no reason to remove their claws! Maggie's mom asked me for an alternative to declawing. I suggested Soft Paws. "We'll trim her nails, fit the latex tips to the sizes of her claws, use the special glue to apply the tips carefully. You have to make certain no skin or fur gets caught in the glue, or she'll hate it!" Maggie loved her new nails. We picked hot pink. When a soft paw tip fell off, the pink was easy to see, Maggie's mom could replace the nail right away. Quinn, Malfoy, Ginger, and Toby were tearing up their house, too. They each got Soft Claws in different colors. That way, when a nail cover fell off naturally, after about 4-6 weeks, only the cat who needed a new claw cover would be examined! Soft Paws (the veterinary brand) and Soft Claws (repackaged for pet stores) stay on most cats. But not all... Fred was a 6-month-old long-hair red tabby cat. His soft paws stayed on about, oh, 47 1/2 minutes! I applied the nail covers, his mom drove Fred home. She opened his carrier door. Fred walked out, sat down next to a wicker porch chair, and proceeded to shove each toenail into the lattice, give a quick twist of his little cat wrist, and presto! Fred removed the soft paws quickly and efficiently in 5 minutes flat! Luckily most cats accept soft paws with nonchalence.

FREE E-BOOK: Happy Halloween With Pets

Doc Truli — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:25:59 +0000

View e-Book Here: HappyHalloweenWithPetsByDocTruli In this book Doc Truli reveals:

Six hazards of pet costumes
What to do if your pet eats chocolate
Secret deadly poison in chewing gum
Home remedies for anxiety and noise phobia
Which pet needs the most protection on Halloween?

(Control Click or Right Click)To Download Here: HappyHalloweenWithPetsByDocTruli New! Download from E-Junkie

HappyHalloweenWithPetsEBookByDocTruli

virtuavet — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:59:11 +0000

In This Free E-Book Doc Truli Reveals: • Six hazards of pet costumes • What to do if your pet eats chocolate • Secret deadly poison in chewing gum • Home remedies for anxiety and noise phobia • Which pet needs the most protection on Halloween?

HappyHalloweenWithPetsByDocTruli

virtuavet — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:03:54 +0000

In this book Doc Truli reveals: Six hazards of pet costumes What to do if your pet eats chocolate Secret deadly poison in chewing gum Home remedies for anxiety and noise phobia Which pet needs the most protection on Halloween?

The New Dog Flu

Doc Truli — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:46:46 +0000

Doc Truli heard a cough in the kennel. A guilty-looking miniature dachshund's big brown eyes stared back. "Who is this boarder? And why is she coughing?" "Coughing?" Adopted from a shelter, Heidi was an elderly red dachshund, who coughed ever since her adoption four weeks earlier. "The vet at the shelter said the cough was from her breathing tube from when she was spayed. We didn't think it was anything," reported Heidi's mom when I called. Heidi immediately returned to her home and her parents cancelled their vacation. Heidi tested positive for the new canine influenza, H3N8, otherwise known as dog flu. She felt fine and her cough cleared up within a few more days. The 10 minutes in the kennel spread the virus to 2 other dogs. An ancient shih tzu named Baby broke with a cough 2 days later. Baby developed walking pneumonia, slept most of the day for about a week, and sustained himself on water and intravenous fluids and electrolytes for most of the week. With intensive hospital care, Baby made a full recovery, but he scared us for the first few days! The new canine influenza virus jumped from horses to racing Greyhounds in Florida in 2004. The H3N8 has since spread to nearly every US state. In Winter 2009, the Northeast US boasts more cases than other regions of the United States. Luckily, after only a few years, a new canine influenza vaccine is available to help prevent disease and lessen the severity. The H3N8 canine influenza virus does not transfer to people. The virus spreads through coughing and through the air, on clothing, and shoes, basically, through aerosolized moisture droplets just as a cold spreads. The first symptoms resemble garden-variety "kennel cough." Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, runny, watery eyes, lack of appetite and lethargy are common. Most cases are "self-limiting." Self-limiting means your dog gets better with rest and supportive care over time. But, approximately 5% of dogs infected with H3N8 develop a terrible pneumonia and could die from the infection, especially without full treatment! Once the virus infects a dog, it incubates for 1-5 days. During this time, there are no signs of illness whatsoever, yet your dog spreads the virus to other dogs! Imagine the unknown dogs your dog meets. They could spread the flu virus to your dog and their parents would not ever know they harbored the virus in their system for 1-5 more days! If your dog goes to the groomer, boarding, or mingles with unknown dogs regularly, ask your veterinarian for the new influenza vaccine. The vaccine course involves 2 boosters ideally 2-3 weeks apart and lasts for a year! The vaccine decreases the chances of catching the H3N8 flu strain in dogs and makes the disease less severe if your dog develops symptoms. More H3N8 Info for Total Geeks (I'm not kidding...) More readable, yet still nerdy article from the University of Florida about Dr. Cynda Crawford, foremost canine influenza expert in the world.

Dachshund Spreads H3N8 Canine Influenza

virtuavet — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:46:46 +0000

Catahoula Leopard Dog Tick Paralysis Cured in Seconds

Doc Truli — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:23:27 +0000

A 5-year-old male Catahoula Leopard Dog named Smokey arrived in the ER on a stretcher. His one blue and one brown eye darted all around the room in sheer terror. Smokey was utterly paralyzed. [caption id="attachment_1112" align="alignleft" width="118" caption="Catahoula Puppy"][/caption] The day before, Smokey ran and played with his Irish Setter friend, Kevin. He slept well and ate a full breakfast. At 11 a.m. his parents discovered him on his side on the kitchen floor, panting, eyes wide and panicked. His parents scooped him up and rushed to the pet emergency room. Few diseases cause utter sudden paralysis in a young, healthy male dog. Smokey showed no neck pain, like a slipped intervertebral disc or a rarer spinal disease. No injuries occurred. It dawned on me that Smokey liked to run and play in his wooded back yard. Sometimes he hinted with his dad and Kevin. On a hunch, I directed the nurse to help me look for ticks. Sure enough, after about four minutes, we pulled a tick off of his webbing between his hind toes. A few seconds later, Smokey stood up. He was cured! The return to normalcy is so striking with tick paralysis as to be unbelievable. Your dog looks like death is imminent and then, presto! Back to normal. Lucky for Smokey, tick paralysis reversed just as soon as someone removed the offending tick.

16-Year-Old Diabetic Cat Cured

Doc Truli — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:50:44 +0000

Tommy was a 16-year-old diabetic long-hair white cat with yellow-gold eyes. I met him for the first time when he stopped eating for 4 days. When I gently pinched the skin over his shoulder blades, it stood up, and did not bounce back into a normal, flat position. I tried the same trick over his hips; Tommy's skin just stood up. This is called a skin turgor test, and in this case, it meant Tommy was severely dehydrated. Many people become confused by the fact that a cat drinking tons of water can be dehydrated. "But he's drinking tons of water, Doc. I thought that meant he was okay." Drinking the proper, usual, regular amount of water is okay. Suddenly drinking tons of water, is very , very bad. Tommy's eyes stayed half closed, his heart rate was too fast (over 240 beats in a minute, even when one is nervous at the vet's, is still awfully fast). Normally, I'll bet his kitty heart rate was around 120-150 beats per minute. His body temperature was 99F. What's normal cat temperature, you say? 101 - 102.5 F. Tommy was shutting down. The next step was coma! A quick blood sugar revealed a level of 550! The urine had greater than 450. Given the symptoms, and the test results, I knew Tommy had diabetes mellitus. Most cats newly diagnosed with diabetes also have urinary tract infections. A urine culture and sensitivity test showed Tommy did, too. Tommy needed to stay in the hospital for intravenous hydration, tests, insulin, and close regulation of his body vital systems. Money was not a severe limiting factor for Tommy's father, so I was optimistic treatment could proceed. "Doc, can I talk to you in private?" "Of course, what's on your mind?" "Doc, I'm old, and my knees are shot. My hands shake, and there's no way I can catch him." Uh, oh, I hope he doesn't tell me he wants me to put Tommy down... "Doc, it breaks my heart to say this..." Oh no! Here it comes... "Can you help me find a good home where Tommy can live out his days. I'll sure miss him, but he needs better care than I can give him." Thank goodness!!!! I spoke with one of my nurses about the dilemma. With a devilish twinkle in her eye, she offered, "Well, if he takes Spunky, the feline aids positive cat we need to find a home for in exchange, I will take Tommy home and nurse him back to health. Do you mind if I tell Tommy's dad I will do that?" Do I mind? Do I mind? Do I mind if an angel solves my problems without my own cat disowning me because I brought another one home? Tommy's dad was tickled pink. We swapped cats. Tommy went home with the nurse. Mr. Tommy went home to prepare for the new cat. He knocked his back out cleaning and arranging cat beds on the chair, sofa, and two windowsills. A week later, he was well enough to take Spunky home. She thought she was in kitty heaven, after her life of abandonment and living on the streets! A little-known factoid about diabetes mellitus in cats: if treated aggressively enough, with the right kind of insulin, and if you are lucky, it can be cured in up to 75% of the cats! Within three weeks, the nurse came to me with news. "I haven't given Tommy any insulin in three days, and his blood sugar is good. He is so happy and my other cats wash him every night!" Spunky stayed with Tommy's dad until, one day, Mr. Tommy had to go to the ICU, so Spunky came back to the animal hospital. Being such a cat-lover as he is, as soon as Mr. Tommy came back out of the hospital, we drove Spunky back to stay with him. Spunky sleeps on Mr. Tommy's head every night, and sheds fur all over the sofa by day. My nurse checks on Spunky and Mr. Tommy every other week. She brings cat food and sugar cookies. Mr. Tommy's memory is not great these days, but he always welcomes "my cookie lady" for a quick visit! Tommy never looked back. He poses for pictures, which Mr. Tommy enjoys. But both boys are happy in their new situations and wouldn't have it any other way!

Chow Chow Becomes Therapy Dog

Doc Truli — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:39:37 +0000

When I met Bo, he was four pounds of red [caption id="attachment_894" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bo as a Puppy"][/caption] fuzzy Chow puppy. Healthy, sassy, and a little nippy, Bo was a handful. Naturally, Bo had to be taught bite inhibition. All puppies chew everything. They bite and gnaw on people, too. Gently teaching a puppy "no bite" consistently, firmly, and fairly goes a long way toward communicating proper puppy manners. When a puppy plays too roughly, firmly say the chosen words like "no bite." Everyone in the family must use the same terminology for your puppy to understand.

How to Teach a Puppy Bite Inhibition If your puppy still insists on roughhousing and nipping, then take away your attention by leaving the game. Do not be tempted into wagging or pointing your finger in the puppy's face of holding the muzzle closed. This means fun to a puppy! If you have already tried these tactics, you know that the puppy becomes more hyper and tries even harder to play roughly! As a last resort, super hyper puppies can be crated for a few minutes, like a 5 minute "time out." They will connect the idea that roughhousing results in boring time spent alone in the crate. Now, keep in mind, if anyone in the house (usually dad) is playing "hands," rolling the pup, wrestling, on the floor at puppy level, allowing the biting play when it suits the human, your puppy will have a difficult time telling the difference between when roughhousing is allowed and when it is not. To keep the situation under control, be clear, and forego inappropriate, confusing animal play until a puppy is older and understands the family hierarchy.

Bo's mom was a natural. By the time Bo was six months old, he sported his Gentle Leader, performed his obedience exercises, and looked fabulous in his full long fuzzy black Chow Chow coat. That's when Bo's mom asked me an unexpected question. "How do I get Bo certified as a therapy dog?" The question surprised me a little bit because, usually, Chows are private, family dogs. They tend to tolerate strangers without enjoying their company. Bo's mom was certain he would make a good therapy dog. I warned, "Don't be disappointed if Bo doesn't pass the test. Chows usually aren't the obvious choice for visiting nursing homes and hospital wards." Bo participated in the Delta Society's therapy dog certification program. He passed with high honors! Bo loves his new job visiting senior citizens. He remains calm and relaxed, even around wheelchairs and IV poles. He is living proof anyone can become a therapy pet, with the right encouragement and training! You and your dog can become a therapy team and provide amazing support and care to people in hospice care, children at risk, and hospitalized patients. Miracles happen when people give them a chance! P.S. Doc Truli recommends this video about Baxter, a Chow-mix Therapy Dog. After a lifetime of service to people in need, even though paralyzed, Baxter visited hospice care patients and provided companionship and kisses, sometimes in the final hours of people's lives.

Quality of Life Scale

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:15:00 +0000

The Pet Quality of Life Scale helps families set numeric levels, and track pet quality of life semi-objectively. This scale can assist families struggling with end-of-life decisions for their pet.

VirtuaVet Pre-Visit Checklist

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:20:02 +0000

Preparing before your pet's veterinary consultation enhances your value for the money and decreases your stress as a pet parent.

VirtuaVet Pre-Visit Checklist Page 2

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:24:40 +0000

Continuation of the VirtuaVet pre-visit checklist.

VirtuaVet Pre-Visit Checklist

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:30:26 +0000

Prepare to get the most out of your pet's vet visit by filling out this simple form ahead of the consultation.

VirtuaVet Pre-Visit Checklist Page 2

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:31:53 +0000

Continuation of the preparation checklist for a productive veterinary consultation.

Doc Truli's Quality of Life Coaching Questions

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:34:58 +0000

Let Doc Truli help you decide whether or not your pet has a good quality of life.

Doc Truli's Quality of Life Coaching Questions

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:37:52 +0000

Let Doc Truli help you decide, "What is your pet's quality of life?"

VirtuaVet: Release of Medical Records

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:42:06 +0000

Give your previous veterinarian, or your general practitioner permission to share your pet's medical file with Doc Truli by printing, completing, and sending this form today.

VirtuaVet Pet First Aid Checklist

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:46:00 +0000

Prepare today for the unexpected tomorrow!

VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:55:46 +0000

VirtuaVet Pet Emergency Checklist for Reference or Research Projects

VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:59:32 +0000

VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:03 +0000

VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:21 +0000

VirtuaVet's List of Pet Emergencies for Reference and Research

VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:07:14 +0000

VirtuaVet Pet Emergency List for research and reference.

VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies Page 2

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:08:27 +0000

VirtuaVet's Pet Emergency List for reference and research.

VirtuaVet Pet First Aid Checklist

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:11:47 +0000

VirtuaVet's Pet First Aid Checklist for your editing and use at home.

Quality of Life Scale

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:16:37 +0000

Use this pet quality of life scale to help guide your decisions regarding your pet's overall health and well-being.

VirtuaVet Pre-Visit Checklist

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:18:53 +0000

Coaching and preparation before your pet's visit to the veterinarian reduces your stress and creates a more quality experience for you and your pet.

VirtuaVet Release of Medical Records

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:21:25 +0000

Release of Veterinary Medical Records Form

Release of Medical Records

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:29:02 +0000

Download and fill out this form today for release of your pet's medical records to Doc Truli.

Giacomo Kitty

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:37:51 +0000

Giacomo, a grey tabby DLH kitty cat thanks Doc Truli for the medicine that saved his life!

Giacomo Kitty

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:43:12 +0000

Giacomo, a grey long-hair (DLH) tabby thanks Doc Truli for prescribing medicine that saved his kitty cat life.

Mini Schnauzer Familial Hypertriglyceridemia

Doc Truli — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:52:27 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1116" align="alignleft" width="97" caption="Miniature Schnauzer Perfection"][/caption] [Caution: kinda gross subject matter, but super important.] Heidi was a salt n pepper 6 year old miniature schnauzer with recurrent bouts of soft stool and occassional little spit ups of vomit in the morning. Usually she ate well, but about once a month, she would not touch her dinner. Her parents thought it was normal for a dog to have irregular bowel movements because they get into so much "stuff" on walks, and in the backyard. Normal consists of regular meals, usually twice a day, and bowel movements 2-3 times daily. If a dog steals garbage, gets gravy or bacon put on their food, or eats a child's hit dog, then done soft stool and vomiting makes perfect sense. Heidi was a miniature schnauzer. Did you know miniature schnauzers are likely to have hypertriglyceridemia and a propensity for pancreatitis? I'll repeat in English: high levels of certain fats in the bloodstream and bouts of inflammation and pain in the pancreas. Pancreatitis is probably more common than veterinarians think. The inflammation can cause anything from a mild stomach upset to super painful abdominal pain and severe illness. Heidi suffered from the mild, recurrent sneaky variety of pancreatitis. A blood panel identified the high fats. A special pancreatitis test, combined with her symptoms, and an abnormal look to the pancreas on an abdominal ultrasound study, gave us the answer. So what did we do about it? There are no drugs or medicines to stop the pancreas from overreacting. In fact, certain medications, like phenobarbitol for seizures, can trigger pancreatitis. In Heidi's case, we switched her to avptescriprion low fat diet. Her triglycerides can right down. If they had not, I would have prescibed medication to help her. Luckily, Heidi didn't need pharmaceuticals. This little Schnauzer ate better, had nice stools, no vomit, lost done weight, and generally enjoyed life to the fullest once we solved her problem. P.S. If you are a Miniature Schnauzer parent, ask your veterinarian about screening for hypertriglyceridemia!

Cat in Desperate Need of Tooth Removal

Doc Truli — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:45:12 +0000

[caption id="attachment_896" align="alignleft" width="279" caption="Simon, Before Surgery with his Left Lower Canine Tooth Hanging Out"][/caption] Sometimes cats need emergency tooth extraction. In Simon's case, his left lower canine tooth avulsed so it stuck out of his lower lip at almost a ninety degree angle. Talk about painful! To top it off, Simon was 18 years old. Anesthesia carried inherent risk for him, but there was no way he could go on with that tooth like that! I put him under light anesthesia and painkillers and delicately removed the offending tooth. Simon's recovery after anesthesia was uneventful. An elderly cat feels sleepy for several hours. He wobbled on his feet and jerked his head to and fro a bit, trying to focus on my face. We did not offer any food for the first two hours. Then Simon started to look more "with it." He drank some water when it was offered. (Just a little bit. Cats normally do not drink very much; cats are thought to be originally desert animals.) After two hours, we let him walk around his own bedroom in the hospital, without fear he would trip or try to jump up and hurt himself. He ate a little dinner, and went to sleep. Simon recovered quickly. Some cats are groggy until the morning or afternoon after surgery and anesthesia. Sleepiness for more than 24 hours warrants a call to the veterinarian. [caption id="attachment_940" align="alignright" width="150" caption="See the little white thing hanging out of the corner of Simon's mouth? That's the tooth!"][/caption] Simon ate soft canned cat food for about 5 days. I checked his gums and they were 100% healed! Some dental specialists wait up to 2 weeks after dental surgery before allowing a cat unrestricted access to dry food. 6 months after his surgery, Simon had gained a pound, and looks younger than ever! P.S. Tooth avulsion occurs after accidents, or in Simon's case, from years of periodontal neglect. The jawbone holding the tooth becomes fragile, the tooth is no longer strong and firmly rooted, and an insignificant bump to the mouth dislodged the tooth. Whammo! An avulsion is born.

Cat's Tooth Was Just Hanging Out!

virtuavet — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:45:12 +0000

Doc Truli's Top 10 Dogs Predisposed to Allergies

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:13:14 +0000

[caption id="attachment_944" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Lolita, APBT, eats Hills Z/D & runs 7 miles daily!"][/caption] No solid data for ranking in order of severity exists. However, let's group the Mastiff Breeds all together, or they might just take over the list! 1. Mastiff (Bulldoggie-type Breeds):

American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
French Bulldog
English Bulldog
English Bull Terrier
American Bulldog
Neopolitans
Bullmastiffs
Dogue de Bordeaux
Cane Brasiliero
Boxers
Etc. It almost does not matter which continent, Bulldogs itch!

2. Shih Tzus and Lhasa Apsos [caption id="attachment_948" align="alignright" width="90" caption="This elegant Shih Tzu enjoys hypoallergenic dog shampoo."][/caption]

These breeds are so allergic to grasses, dust mites, molds, pollens, etc (allergy syndrome called "atopy") that they actually have less than a 50% chance of allergy desensitization shots working. Other dog breeds have a 75% allergy cure or control rate with monthly allergy shots.
You know your Shih Tzu or Lhasa has allergies if they lick their paws, or the paws are stained a reddish brown from stealth licking they sneak when you are not looking (like when you are sleeping.)

3. Bichon Frise (many of these little tykes actually break out each time they are groomed. Then you are in a catch-22. Can't get too dirty= allergy and infections. Can't irritate the skin with a bath, blow-dry and brush out! The solution? Ask your veterinarian about allergy treatment of a dermatology referral.) 4. Retrievers [caption id="attachment_949" align="alignleft" width="134" caption="Elmo the LabraDoodle chews his nails. Itch much?"][/caption]

Labradors
- including Labradoodles and Goldendoodles
Goldens
Chessies (Chesapeake Bay Retrievers)
Flat Coated Retrievers
even the Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retrievers have way too many allergies. "Hot spots" anyone!!!!

5. Chinese Shar Pei 6. Spaniels, especially those ears! Recurring wax in ears? Allergies are likely underlying your inability to cure your dog's problem with the ears. (Be sure to ask your vet about the allergies, instead of just another visit to only take care of the secondary ear infection.)

Cockers
- American
- English
Clumbers
Field
Springers
Brittanies

7. Yorkshire Terriers

If your Yorkie has thin fur, flaky skin, itchiness, and a greasy coat, odds are, yeast, bacteria, allergies probably plague your little lapwarmer.

8. Wheaton Terriers [caption id="attachment_953" align="alignleft" width="111" caption="The atopy accessory-the "][/caption] 9. German Shepherd Dogs 10. Parson's Russell Terriers (Who are we kidding? Jacks. Do you know the story why the name changed? When they became AKC eligible for registration, the AKC requires the breed founder's last name to be used for the breed name. The breed founder? Jack Parson, of course.)

VirtuaVet Terms of Service and Disclaimer

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:45:04 +0000

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Tangled Choke Collar Nearly Fatal

Doc Truli — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:02:38 +0000

At the end of a busy Friday, a red Porsche convertible screeched to a halt and a frantic guy came running into the animal hospital. "Help me, you gotta help me, my dog, my dog is choking to death! I just went to pick him up at the kennel and this other dog's stuck on his choke collar! Help me, please, he's dying!" "Get the bolt cutters! Who's coming with me?" (I didn't know the guy. I wasn't about to go alone.) My 6 foot tall receptionist Jeanie came running out of the kennel with the bolt cutters at the end of a 3 foot set of wooden handles. (We keep them handy for fish hook removal.) The 2 seater convertible was a tight squeeze. Jeanie plopped into the passenger seat with me on her lap, the bolt cutters sticking up above the windshield. The Porsche tires screeched as we sped out of the animal hospital parking lot. We lurched to a stop in front of a small square building and took the stairs to the front door three at a time. Panting, the three of us burst through the door like bolt-cutter wielding superheroes. I could hear dogs barking in the back. "Where are they?" I started toward the back kennel. The workers seemed unusually calm. "They just came apart on their own!" The Weimaraner's neck was slightly swollen with done red marks on his skin. The German Shepherd's gums bled just a little. Neither dog suffered major injuries, but one or both could easily have died! Do not leave choker collars, pinch collars, or other dangling collars or leashes on your dog at boarding, grooming, in the dog park, or any time you are not training or walking your dog. What to do if your dog becomes entangled: 1. Do not get bit! 2. Stabilize the dogs and slip a bolt cutter through a metal link to snap it and free the dogs. 3. Get both dogs to a veterinarian, even if they look okay. They could have vagal nerve damage, which affects cardiac function. Or they could have a tracheal tear, causes internal leaking of every breath. Of course, disconnecting dogs entangled at the neck is dangerous and difficult. That is why preventing the accident becomes paramount. Never, ever leave your dog alone with a metal collar in place. It's just too dangerous.

Yellow Cat Spends Weeks in Hospital

Doc Truli — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:27:25 +0000

Nicco was a very sick kitty cat. Thin, dehydrated, yellow with jaundice, fleas running everywhere, Nicco, the white short-hair golden eye wonder at could barely manage to croak a little meow of confusion as I lifted him out of his cat carrier and onto the hospital scale. His mom started the story, "He always seemed so healthy, I didn't even notice when he started loosing weight. But thinking back, maybe he's been drinking tons of water and getting thinner for a coupla months. Nicco usually hangs out in our garage and plays in the storage boxes. Do you think he could've gotten sick on ribbons or party flavors I keep stored for my catering business?" If you love animals, are a veterinarian, or an aspiring veterinarian, or just have cats that get sick often, you've probably already noticed several red flags in the situation. Nicco's Red Flags: Ribbons, strings where a cat can get to them Kept in a garage (toxic chemicals anyone?) Sick for months Weight loss Dehydration (how do we know? Remember Skin Turgor?) Fleas Oh yeah, Jaundice. "What's jaundice?" you ask? Well, Doc Truli will tell you...yellow skin, usually seen first in the back of the mouth, or more practically in cats, the whites of the eyes turn yellow. In fact, the yellow is what Nicco's mom noticed most. "I went to pick him up from behind some cardboard boxes, when I noticed his skin was all yellow, especially his ears and his eyes." Yikes! Jaundice means a build-up up of the metabolic waste-product bilirubin, in the bloodstream. Normally, red blood cells break down in the body, get filtered and converted vis bilirubin in the liver, and travel out in the bile and the intestines. So anything which makes extra dead red blood cells, messes up the liver, or blocks the out passageway can cause back-up of bilirubin yellow pigment into the blood, which is carried all over the body and makes a cat or a person feel weak and tired, achey, and sick. Nicco's Total serum bilirubin was sky-high! We became treatment with intravenous fluids to dilute and attempt to flush out the toxin. But, without figuring out the underlying cause of the jaundice, we were doomed to fail. Read more tomorrow about Nicco, the jaundiced cat.

Treating a Sick Cat With No Diagnosis

Doc Truli — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:37:56 +0000

Nicco was anemic, jaundiced, dehydrated, lethargic, not eating, full of fleas, and generally looking like crap. (Yes, that's the official scientific term.) So, the quest for the reason began. First, I determined Nicco's Minimum Database Laboratory, which at my hospital consists of a complete blood count, with microscopic cytologic examination of the blood, 12 chemistries of the blood, including liver enzymes, kidney-related toxins, electrolytes, proteins, calcium, sugar, a urinalysis chemistry and microscopy. In this case, we also checked for diseases that ticks spread, because many of those disease can cause bleeding internally, anemia, and jaundice. No feline leukemia or feline AIDs on his tests. These preliminary tests showed anemia, which was regenerative, high liver enzymes, high blood values related to dehydration, concentrated urine (which is good; he was dehydrated, so his body should keep in fluids as much as naturally possible), and high bilirubin in the blood. Now, if I see anemia and jaundice, I worry that something is destroying blood in the body and the release hemoglobin from the dead red blood cells overloads the liver and leads to extra bilirubin. So Nicco also had some tests for auto-immune hemolytic anemia. Well, long, boring laboratory story short, we could not identify a reason for the blood problems. I treated Nicco with doxycycline, an antibiotic for mycloplasma hemofelis, an infection that attacks blood and is spread by fleas. I rehydrated him, and retested his blood the next day. Nicco was much, much worse!!! Yikes! Radiographs (x-rays) of his body revealed no reason for hemolysis and anemia and jaundice. Ultrasound revealed nothing unusual. Because of anemia, we looked for problems in his bone marrow. The specialist called and said she had never seen bone marrow like Nicco's before. It was abnormal, but she couldn't say that it fit any particular syndrome. Meanwhile, Nicco still was not eating well, his bilirubin was still fairly high, and things were not looking bright for the little guy. I started, as a doctor, thinking, maybe there is hidden cancer somewhere, or a reaction where his body is attacking the blood. If I am right, predisolone (steroid) will save him. If I am wrong, and it is an unidentified infection, steroids could kill him. After discussion with his mom and several specialists, we decided to try prednisolone. A horrifying, and unexpected result made me question everything I ever knew about medicine. (More tomorrow...)

Cat's Skin Tears Off

Doc Truli — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:30:37 +0000

Sometimes I must treat a patient without knowing the exact diagnosis. Sometimes thongs go upsettingly wrong. When we started Nicco on the prednisolone and antibiotic, I still did not have a diagnosis why he was jaundiced, anemic, attacking his own blood, and many, many tests had come up negative or inconclusive. With the prednisolone, Nicco ate better, felt better, the anemia started to resolve, the jaundice resolved. We were on to something good! Then an 8 inch patch of skin from the back of his neck to his shoulder and down his arm just ripped open. No kidding! My assistant was gently holding him, when a crack opening up in his skin over the shoulder on the left, and the skin just slid back 4 inches like cellophane pulling off a loaf of bread. Then another crack opened over his right shoulder. The epithelium- the outer top layer of skin that holds hair, was so thin I could see light through it. And, by the way, Nicco was furious about this whole weeks in the hospital an intravenous thing. He had had enough!! So, here I am, my beloved patient on the table in front of me, his mom standing there (she had come for a visit and was thinking of taking him home that night). Yours Truli, my assistant, and Nicco's mom just watched this eruption of the surface of his skin break into cracks, like the 2012 crust heaving and splitting. "Thank G*d that happened here!" was the first thing anybody said. "If that would've happened to me at home, I would have fainted, maybe died." Me too. (Another one of those things I think, but I can't say for the sake of professionalism.) Okay. Now, if you're a veterinarian, you're thinking, "this is real bad." That's what the dermatopathologist told me, too. I cut a couple of biopsy samples from the edges of the cut skin (figuring, I might as well get a diagnosis.) I reached for the sterile surgical glue, which I had almost zero hope would actually stay in place and gently peeled the skin back over the underlying fat, glued it in place, gave antibiotics, and crossed everybody's fingers for good luck. Of course, the next day, the skin had reopened. I reluctantly put Nicco under sedation (I didn't want to, he had just had massive jaundice and organ dysfunction and the most likely thing causing the skin problem was a drug reaction, but I had to). You just cannot live without good skin; the skin is the largest organ of the body. I took tiny sutures used to sew the clear cornea on the surface of the eye, and delicately sewed the skin into place. By now, the skin was purplish in color, and I was sure it would just slough off. But I had to try. Nicco wore a little shirt (he despised it.) But he was eating and drinking, and had not broken with a fever. I weaned him down on the prednisolone pending the pathology results because my most likely theory was either the medication caused the skin reaction, or the unknown disease did in the first place. The dermatopathology revealed microhemorrhages throughout the blood vessel bed underneath the skin, The disconnect n the microvascular supply had caused the skin the thin and whither and eventually rip. That all sounds great, but it really did not tell us why it started in the first place, or how to prevent it from spreading over his whole body. The dermatopathologist felt it was not a drug reaction, and it resembled nothing she had ever seen before; she sent the samples for another opinion. The second cat dermatopathologist concurred with the first and was equally mystified. Meanwhile, Nicco was at home, and coming to the hospital every 2-3 days for me to check under his shirt and make sure all his skin wasn't falling off or infected. It tore open a tiny bit after a few days, but we left it alone. He got his shirt off one night and clawed a 2 inch gash, which I surgically glued shut. 3 weeks into this skin tearing part of the saga, I noticed that Nicco still sometimes had fleas on himself. "You know, fleas may have triggered this problem in the first place. You really MUST get rid of every flea on him and in his room in your house." Here's the deal: I gave him a Capstar prescription flea pill in the hospital which kills every flea on him. Then, when he went home, he went in a tile-floor bedroom, which mom had flea sprayed. I told her,get IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) products, like VetChem brand or Zodiac brand at the pet store. Well, she sprayed under the bed, she upended an upholstered chair and sprayed that, there was no closet, no hiding places for fleas. Yet Nicco still had some fleas. After 2 weeks of me trying to figure this out, and his mom trying to get the room cleaned, we figured it out! "What do you mean IGR? I got this stuff at the supermarket. It says it's for fleas." OMG! Did I not say?....Did I not write in a letter?....Did I not provide a handout?....she never really listened before. Then all of a sudden,she clicked on the IGR part and I helped her pick out the right flea spray. No more fleas!!! Yay! After 23 wek in his shirt, the purple area started to turn pink. The skin thickened up. After a month, we tried without the shirt on. Nicco was fine! The dermatopathologist called to check up on "the case" and see what the autopsy showed. "He made it; he's fine!" "What? That never happens! But I'm happy for him!" Honestly, I'll never know for sure what made Nicco sick. A weird toxin in the garage that we couldn't find? A disease spread by fleas? An immune system dysfunction that righted itself? And feline Fragile Skin Syndrome is a death sentence. But miracles happen, especially when you don't give up!

Non Anesthesia Dentistry (NAD)

Doc Truli — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:56:51 +0000

[caption id="attachment_994" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Puggie's Tongue Hangs Out Ever Since He Lost His Right Mandibular Canine Tooth"][/caption] I've noticed many people are looking for dentistry information for their pets. There is one board certified dental society, the American Veterinary Dental College in the United States, and a second Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, which has less stringent membership requirements. Both are sources of official information about dentistry. There is a practice which concerns Doc Truli greatly, so-called Non-Anesthesia Dentistry. This is an evil wrong perpetrated on pets, sometimes under the roof of an animal hospital. The American Veterinary Dental College has issued a position statement speaking out against this practice. I have included the text at the end of this post, in its entirety, or you can go to the Academy site and read it there. Here's how Doc Truli first learned of this "practice:" "Doc, you have a call!" "Hi, this is Ralph, I'm here with Jamie, the Yorkie. You need to prescribe antibiotics for her." "Pardon Me?" Who is this? "Who are you?" "Oh! I'm Jamie's groomer. I just scaled her teeth and it's bleeding a little and a couple teeth fell out. She's gonna need antibiotics." "Tell Jamie's mom to bring her right over." Well, Jamie had massive periodontal disease with many, many loose teeth. Her mom always nodded her head and ignored me when I brought up the need for tooth surgery. She always said she didn't have the money. It took 4 hours in surgery and over $1,000 to fix the mouth, otherwise the bleeding from the groomer extracting loose teeth would not stop. Yikes! I found out that there was a company out of California certifying veterinary technicians, groomers, or whomever paid for the class, to scale dogs teeth without sedation or anesthesia. This is the practice of veterinary medicine without a license! It is very, very dangerous, and the disease spread or overlooked can kill a dog. As this company morphs across the US from West to East, they are sued and shut down state by state. But not until countless animals are injured. All because people are afraid of anesthesia. Now, in 2009, there is a new version of this travesty. Now, the technicians "certified" by this, and other bogus programs, come into veterinary hospitals. Instead of a real cleaning, exam, and full x-rays of the teeth, the vet actually prescribes the NAD, or non-anesthesia dentistry, often without examining the pet, or even meeting the pet parent. [caption id="attachment_995" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Sheba Has Clean Teeth, But Raging Periodontal Disease Persists, all Because of Expensive Non-Anesthesia "Dentistry""][/caption] One of my medical clients likes the (excellent) groomer who happens to work at a nearby animal hospital. She had been dithering about dentistry, saying it cost too much. What did she do? She got talked into an $180 NAD! $180!!!! for cosmetic cleaning!!!! It doesn't do anything to help her dog feel better, live longer, or be healthier. They talked her into it. Did not examine her pet, and a vet who has not been in active practice for at least 7 years was the name on the antibiotic prescription bottle. This nasty, money ripping little trick has not been found to be malpractice in a court of law, but it should be. It's just a matter of time. Talk with your veterinarian about anesthesia for your pet. Be sure your vet has full dental x-ray capability and uses it on every dentistry patient. Preferably, digital x-rays decrease the amount of time your pet is under anesthesia, but if your vet's team is good with the regular old-fashioned x-rays, that'll be fine, too, (regular old-fashioned x-rays can be better visual quality than digital, anyway). Be sure your vet team monitors anesthesia rigorously, especially if your pet is under 10 pounds. Ask your vet about this anesthesia/dentistry check list:

-pulse oximeter
-carbon dioxide
-external heat, like bair hugger, circulating hot water blanket, heating pad, hot water bottles, or heated surgery table
-continuous core body temperature monitoring
-blood pressure monitoring
-protected airway with intubation
-intravenous fluids on every dentistry patient
-anesthetist assigned to monitor pet
-high speed drill
-dental x-ray capability and familiarity
-hospital with many tiny patients. The more experienced your vet is with condo pets and lap dogs, the better.
-if more than 2 hours under anesthesia, venous blood gas analysis capability

Pet Anesthesia Checklist (pdf) Pet Anesthesia Checklist (.odt) If they are missing some of these basics, ask if you may have a referral to a board-certified specialist in dentistry, or search for one on the AVDC website. I have not listed nearly all the "university" bells and whistles you could have used to monitor your pet, just the basics I use every day. I believe every veterinarian practicing dentistry should have no trouble checking off every item on the basic list. The carbon dioxide monitor, the venous blood gases, and the dental x-rays may trip up about 80-90% of regular small animal hospitals. Very few have invested in this equipment. Some dentists for people do not have high-speed hand pieces for their drills, so be sure your veterinarian does. It all comes down to the people working with your pet. Can you see the treatment area? Will they show you where your pet will be staying? Do they look you in the eye when they say they've never lost a patient under anesthesia? Do you feel cared for, and your pet is cared for? The people can mess up any fancy machine, and many miracles can be performed without fancy machines, although the hidden risks are higher.

The American Dental College Position Statement Against Non-Anesthesia Dentistry In the United States and Canada, only licensed veterinarians can practice veterinary medicine. Veterinary medicine includes veterinary surgery, medicine and dentistry. Anyone providing dental services other than a licensed veterinarian, or a supervised and trained veterinary technician, is practicing veterinary medicine without a license and shall be subject to criminal charges. This position statement addresses dental scaling procedures performed on pets without anesthesia, often by individuals untrained in veterinary dental techniques. Although the term Anesthesia-Free Dentistry has been used in this context, AVDC prefers to use the more accurate term Non-Professional Dental Scaling (NPDS) to describe this combination. Owners of pets naturally are concerned when anesthesia is required for their pet. However, performing NPDS on an unanesthetized pet is inappropriate for the following reasons:

1. Dental tartar is firmly adhered to the surface of the teeth. Scaling to remove tartar is accomplished using ultrasonic and sonic power scalers, plus hand instruments that must have a sharp working edge to be used effectively. Even slight head movement by the patient could result in injury to the oral tissues of the patient, and the operator may be bitten when the patient reacts.

2. Professional dental scaling includes scaling the surfaces of the teeth both above and below the gingival margin (gum line), followed by dental polishing. The most critical part of a dental scaling procedure is scaling the tooth surfaces that are within the gingival pocket (the subgingival space between the gum and the root), where periodontal disease is active. Because the patient cooperates, dental scaling of human teeth performed by a professional trained in the procedures can be completed successfully without anesthesia. However, access to the subgingival area of every tooth is impossible in an unanesthetized canine or feline patient. Removal of dental tartar on the visible surfaces of the teeth has little effect on a pet's health, and provides a false sense of accomplishment. The effect is purely cosmetic. (Doc Truli's emphasis.)

3. Inhalation anesthesia using a cuffed endotracheal tube provides three important advantages... the cooperation of the patient with a procedure it does not understand, elimination of pain resulting from examination and treatment of affected dental tissues during the procedure, and protection of the airway and lungs from accidental aspiration.

4. A complete oral examination, which is an important part of a professional dental scaling procedure, is not possible in an unanesthetized patient. The surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue cannot be examined, and areas of disease and discomfort are likely to be missed.

[caption id="attachment_996" align="alignleft" width="143" caption=""Thank you for my proper dental care, can I sleep on your pillow tonight?" (Who am I kidding, cats don't ask first...)"][/caption] Safe use of an anesthetic or sedative in a dog or cat requires evaluation of the general health and size of the patient to determine the appropriate drug and dose, and continual monitoring of the patient. Veterinarians are trained in all of these procedures. Prescribing or administering anesthetic or sedative drugs by a non-veterinarian can be very dangerous, and is illegal. Although anesthesia will never be 100% risk-free, modern anesthetic and patient evaluation techniques used in veterinary hospitals minimize the risks, and millions of dental scaling procedures are safely performed each year in veterinary hospitals. To minimize the need for professional dental scaling procedures and to maintain optimal oral health, the AVDC recommends daily dental home care from an early age. This should include brushing or use of other effective techniques to retard accumulation of dental plaque, such as dental diets and chew materials. This, combined with periodic examination of the patient by a veterinarian and with dental scaling under anesthesia when indicated, will optimize life-long oral health for dogs and cats. For general information on performance of dental procedures on veterinary patients, please read the AVDC Position Statement on Veterinary Dental Healthcare Providers, which is available on the AVDC web site (www.AVDC.org). For information on effective oral hygiene products for dogs and cats, visit the Veterinary Oral Health Council web site (www.VOHC.org).

Free Holiday E-Book: Airline Travel With Your Pet

Doc Truli — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:12:54 +0000

"This book is dedicated to all of you pet lovers out there traveling during the holiday season, have a safe and memorable Holiday with your furry family" -Doc Truli In This free E-Book I Cover: 1. The International health certificate

Where to find your destination country's current requirements for importation

2. Information you need to bring to the Vet's for the International Health Certificate 3. The true reasons why authorities bother you with the health certificate

Diseases that hurt people
Diseases that destroy agriculture industries
Tracking Patient Zero

4. Why anti anxiety medication is different, and better, than sedatives for your pet 5. Be Secure or Be Dead: Pet Carriers

5 Must-Have Features of a Secure Carrier

6. How to Check Airline Pet Death and Injury Reports 7. Pet Airline Travel Scams Click Link To View E-Book or Right Click Link To Download: Thanksgiving e-Book-" Airline Travel With Your Pet", By Doc Truli

Shish Kebab Skewer Danger

Doc Truli — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:37:41 +0000

Doc Truli answers the phone on an autumn Saturday night. "Is this the Doc?" "Sure is, how can I help you?" "Brandy's panting real hard, standing in one spot, and hasn't wanted to eat or drink all day. She's a big, fat yellow lab. She usually loves to eat." "I'll meet you at the hospital in 15 minutes." "I dunno Doc, I just want to wait and see." "That's a terrible idea!" "She seems better now. Bye, Doc" Brandy waited the whole weekend to see a veterinarian. When her dad finally decided to bring her in, she was grunting in pain, had a fever of 105F, and her abdomen was super painful. Radiographs (x-rays) showed a strange area behind and above her stomach. Her bloodwork, combined with her physical, told me Brandy was septic, meaning infection was rampant in her blood. An ultrasound showed fluid in her abdomen where none should be. "That settles it! Brandy has peritonitis (inflammation and infection free-floating in her abdomen.) She needs emergency surgery to find and fix the cause and clean her out." Luckily, Brandy's family realized by this point that they had already waited too long. They agreed to emergency abdominal surgery. Once surgery started, as soon as I could see into her abdomen, the unbelievable problem was immediately obvious. Brandy had swallowed a whole 9-inch wooden shish-kebab barbecue skewer! Probably Labrador Retriever gluttony made it possible. The skewer went into her stomach and punctured out the bottom of her stomach and into her back muscles 1/2 inch to the side of her aorta. Brandy survived two days with a wooden spike digging into her back from the inside! The skewer was removed at surgery, her abdomen cleaned, the hole in the stomach needed just a little stitch. Brandy recovered completely from her incident. She was a lucky dog, another 1/2 inch, or a slightly stronger infection, and she could not have survived.

Treat Recipes for Dogs With Sensitive Stomachs

Doc Truli — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:44:05 +0000

All-Natural Homemade Treats for Dogs with Sensitive Stomachs

Oatmeal "Cookies"
Adapted From The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner, Earthtones Press 1996. 1 1/4 c oat flakes 3/4 c water 1/8 t sea salt 2 T sesame oil 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 c leftover (ie cooked) brown rice 3 T sunflower seeds 3-4 T rice or barley syrup Lightly roast oats by stirring in a skillet over medium heat. (Just until you start to smell warm oats, not until brown.). Boil water and pour over oats and let sit 10 minutes. Mix in salt, oil, and rice syrup. Then add flour, rice, and seeds. Shape by the spoonful into round, flat cookies on an oiled baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes at 375•.

VirtuaVet Oatmeal Sensitive Stomach Doggie Cookies (download pdf)

Ginger-Carrot Digestion Cookies
Adapted From The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner
Tru Trip: Dogs with hot, itchy, red skin may become over stimulated by the ginger in this recipe. Consult your veterinarian, or a holistic veterinarian. Doc Truli's consults can offer useful guidance once your local veterinarian has assured your pet's basic general health.

For instance, Doc Truli generally recommends this recipe for sluggish, lethargic, overweight dogs with oily, greasy skin and fur, like a fat, lethargic Cocker Spaniel, Labrador, Shih Tzu, or Lhasa Apso.

Yorkies with flaky, red, itchy, dry skin, even if it is greasy, generally feel better with the Oatmeal cookies, no ginger! And see your veterinarian for allergy and yeast dermatitis testing!
3/4 c rolled oats 1/2 c oat flour 1/4 c brown rice or barley flour (I prefer the barley flour) 2 c cooked millet 1 1/2 T corn oil (may substitute sunflower oil esp if corn allergy) 1 c fine shredded carrot 1 tsp vanilla (real, not artificial) 1 tsp finely grated Ginger 1/4 t sea salt 1 T sunflower seeds 1/2 c water ( approx ) Lightly roast oats and flours by stirring over medium heat in a skillet, until toasty smelling but not browned. Mix all ingredients and add just enough water for a moist, pliable but not mushy dough. Shape into cookies on an piled baking sheet. Bake at 350• for 30 minutes.

VirtuaVet GingerCarrot Doggie Digestion Cookies (download pdf) Never Cooked Millet before? It's super easy! Cooked millet: 1 c millet 3 c water Pinch sea salt Wash millet and drain in a strainer. For the fluffiest texture and best flavor, dry roast in a skillet by stirring over medium heat until it smells toasty. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil. Add millet, salt, cover and simmer 25 min.) For your vegetarian and vegan loved ones (all easy to order from Amazon): -The Cookbook for People Who Love Animals, vegan -The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner, macrobiotic -Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello, macrobiotic (some recipes with fish, easy to avoid) All three: no milk, no eggs, no cheese, no artificial, no packaged brand names. The books are fantastic to get started. I took classes with Christina Pirello and love her cooking and her wonderful spirit! Yours, Doc Truli

Mystery Weight Loss Traced to a Toy

Doc Truli — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:12:55 +0000

Every once in a while a patient breaks the rules. Dolly was a small, 2-year-old long hair little cross between a dachshund and maybe a chihuahua or a third tiny cocker spaniel, maybe. She had flappy little ears, a long fringed tail, and feathery fur on her legs and belly. Her dad had taken her to 6 doctors with no answer. His friends in police Canine told him to come see me. Dolly was squirmy and wagging her tail, but her ribs, hips, and shoulders stuck out at jarring angles. She ate, her stools were firm and medium brown, and she never once vomited. Her normal laboratory tests offered no clues, save one. A tiny protein called albumin was low in her blood. The liver can fail to produce Albumin. A liver bile acids test showed Dolly made enough albumin. So I knew she had to be loosing it somehow. The two main places a body can loose albumin is out through the kidney filters, called glomeruli. Comparison of her urine filtering capacity with the protein in her urine, called a urine protein-creatinine ratio, came up normal (<1). The other albumin leaking culprit could be the intestinal lining. Usually, if a dog vomits or has diarrhea, albumin could be lost through the walls of the fine network of blood vessels feeding the lining of the gut. Dolly never had diarrhea! We ran the test anyway. Over 3 days, her dad collected 3 separate stool samples, which we froze and shipped to the gastroenterology laboratory at Texas A&M Veterinary College. The test revealed massive intestinal protein leakage! An abdominal radiograph study (x-Ray series) was normal. Finally, Dolly underwent abdominal ultrasound. A small section of small intestine looked lumpy. It looked like a mass, maybe cancer. As we went over the upsetting news, Dolly reached out her front legs and stretched her belly, with her rump high in the air. "Does she do that at home?" "Yeah, a couple times a day, why?" "She's in 'prayer position.' It's a sure sign of abdominal pain." Dolly probably felt abdominal discomfort for 6 months! I performed surgery at 10 the following morning, expecting the worst and hoping for a miracle. Dolly lay on her back under a surgical drape. I incised along her ventral midline (middle of her belly). In a dog, the strong connective tissue in the middle of the right and left abdomen cuts easily and heals quickly. I exposed her peritoneum, the clear layer over the abdominal contents. I was through that in seconds and on to the culprit region. I felt Dolly's small intestine until I found the lump. I gently exposed it outside of the abdomen and made a small incision just behind the lump. I swept my gloved finger into the lumen, or insides, of the small intestine. Something firm and rounded pushed back! 5 minutes later, I was the proud possessor of one green slime-covered squeaker! I biopsied the sore spot, sealed the intestine and checked everything else in case multiple abnormalities lurked. Dolly was clean, so I closed her up. She recovered quickly! Two weeks later, she'd already gained 2 pounds. That one little squeaker stayed stuck in Dolly's mid small intestine for 6 months. The albumin protein leakage caused her body to steal protein from her muscles until she'd lost half of her body weight. All without ever experiencing any vomiting or diarrhea. Dolly is the reason doctors run tests. She's the reason I do not give up. She just celebrated her 8th birthday, fat and happy! P.S. (March 2010): to read another, very in-depth case of nebulous indistinct symptoms that turns out similar to this case read Titus' the Canine Narcotics Officers story.

Doc Truli's Top Ten Tips for Getting the Kids a Christmas Pet

Doc Truli — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:23:00 +0000

1. Only get a pet that mom wants. Mom will be doing 95% of the feeding, walking, brushing, ear cleaning, and paying for the vet visits out of the grocery budget. (Seriously.) 2. Budget properly to care for your new pet Dog expenses Cat expenses Ferret Rabbit Hamster/rat/mice/gerbils Potbelly pig Bird Fish freshwater Reptiles 2. Be certain your pet is legal in your state, city, and community. (insert state laws list link here, or make one) 3. Research your chosen pet. (link to animalplanet, akc, cfa, hsus) 4. Your children cannot be alone with your pet until they are at least 7 years old. (link to pediatric psych society or whatever) 5. Biosecurity when bringing home a new pet

Lyme Disease Mini Manifesto

Doc Truli — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:22:46 +0000

I thought Lyme disease in dogs was complicated! Then I read that Lyme disease goes undiagnosed, denied, or poorly treated in humans. Perhaps 200,000 people per year in the US suffer from Lyme disease! Wow! No wonder research into canine Lyme disease is spotty. It is poorly underfunded for humans, too. And no one says anything about whether or not it is an issue for cats or ferrets. I've come across several known presentations of Lyme disease. I'll describe them here, in case you are wondering about your dog's situation. The first case I saw was in 1998 in Philadelphia at the Matthew Ryan Veterinary Teaching Hospital Emergency Room. The Penn Vet small animal hospital and the emergency room in particular were the busiest in the country, with the highest caseload. It was my clinical year at school. It was also my first time seeing a grown man cry. I didn't know whether to ignore it and let him keep some dignity or hand over a box of tissues. I forked over the Kleenex. "Thanks, doc." Why was this man crying? Because his 2-year-old female chocolate Labrador retriever was in full blown acute renal failure (sudden, total kidney shut-down) and positive for Lyme disease. He did not have money for dialysis in New York City, and no other treatment was going to work. I decided I did not like Lyme disease. As a practicing clinician, I saw the limping, aching, cardiac arrythmia, high fever Lyme disease which is treated with intravenous or oral doxycycline. Then an affordable screening test was invented and packaged with yearly heartworm blood tests. In a small seaside town in Massachusetts, one in three patients screened tested positive for exposure to the Lyme organism. This means a tick carrying the Lyme borreliosis organism bit the dog and injected enough organism for the dog's immune system to recognize it and create antibodies to try and wipe out the invading organism. "How could she be exposed to Lymes, doctor? I carry her everywhere and she never has a tick on her!" Good question. I. Do. Not. Know. Now what? Run a DNA test on all of those dogs looking for the Lyme bacterium? Nice thought. Except the organism famously sequesters and hides inside internal organs, instead of floating within convenient reach in the bloodstream. Treat every dog as if it had Lyme disease? Not a horrible idea, not too expensive, perhaps unnecessary and inappropriate antimicrobial use. And, oh yeah! 20%, or 1 in 5 patients got a sick stomach and vomited the doxycycline. Yikes! Most likely, the response of the immune system to the organism is more salient in the feeling of illness and disease, than the organism itself in the first place. What this means is, we need to treat the immune system and the patient, not just administer antimicrobials and expect the body to naturally balance itself. As you may already be aware, Western medicine of the past 100 years or so is not very focused on treatment of the patient as a whole organism. Perhaps infectious diseases like Lyme disease are responsible for a certain large amount if the chronic diseases in people in the US? Perhaps early diagnosis and treatment could prevent further debilitation. Perhaps my positive screening tests for dogs are more likely to result from actually, actively infected dogs than anyone knows. Suddenly, I rethink Lyme testing and treatment in my non-speaking and largely non-complaining patients. They need the benefit of the doubt. If you live part time around the deer tick in the NE US or the black-legged tick of the Western US, talk with your veterinarian about tick prevention. (For more information, Lyme disease and tick pictures, see Wikipedia.) Faq's Clients ask Doc Truli: Q: Where does my dog get the ticks? At the borders of grassy areas and brush, bushes, or trees. Suburban sprawl and strips of "forest" sinuating between miserably constructed box homes maximizes tick habitat. Q: Please get political on us about wildlife management and ticks. Sure! The deer tick in the Eastern US needs deer to winter over on a comfortable warm body, and the tick needs a mouse. Your dog is a side project. State gamelands committees consist almost exclusively of deer hunters who feel pressured to increase hunting license revenue. So they purposefully leave too much land as food for deer (grasslands, corn). When the deer start taking out cars and overrunning orchards, they issue extra hunting licenses to keep the deer population under control. (Notice their land management decisions set up the situation in the first place). More deer equals more deer ticks equals more sick pets and people. Q: What can I do about ticks in my neighborhood/parks/condo association common areas? First of all, walk your dog where you're supposed to. A gentleman recently complained to me that the nature preserve where he walked his Labrador would not spray for ticks because it might hurt the wildlife. Well, your dog is not supposed to be playing in the nature preserve! Your condo association has an obligation to help protect life and property. Your dog, technically, is both. Ask the association or better, the property manager to provide the exterminator contract with the products used and the schedule thy are contracted to follow. Insist. In your yard, cut back fallen scrub and trees, get rid of garbage, cars, old wood, etc. Or keep your dog out of it. Do not feed your dogs outside, stray cats, or put out cheap bird feed where it will attract tick-infested rodents like rats and chipmunks. New information, research, and perspectives evolve daily. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open!

Would You Call This a Pit Bull?

Doc Truli — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:51:14 +0000

What's your guess? At our hospital, we pitch in guesses about how the test will come back. Breeds 12% or more, included in the approx 200 in the database, will show on the test. Results will be in around January 11, 2010. 16 week old male puppy 16 pounds. Scooter. Breed analysis test sent out today. Fur is wiry, slightly curly, with tightly curled black and white whiskers. He is sweet, friendly, and smart. If you have a guess, we'll include it in the comments. Comments are moderated; it takes about a day to show up. Try to guess before you read other people's guesses!

***************Spoiler Alert!!!************** Our guesses at the hospital: Guy: boxer/pointer/staffordshire terrier/greyhound Paul (daddy): Great Dane/pointer/staff terrier/boxer Tara: staff terrier/boxer/(Rottweiler) Veronica: boxer/pointer/hound Tiffany: boxer/apbt/catahoula/greyhound Eugene: boxer/apbt/curly coat retriever/fila brasiliero Doc Truli: German shepherd dog/American bulldog

********************************************* Answer: 25%-33% Boxer 25%-33% Chow Chow 25%-33% Large Munsterlander (seriously, that's what the DNA said) Many cities, countries, and insurance companies have enacted policies against "pit bulls," even though there is not clear definition of a pit bull in most cases, and often gross misunderstandings and misidentifications. It is not unusual for a legal pet in a fenced yard to be confiscated, euthanized, or gunned-down in extreme cases where the authorized person or agency mistakenly believes the dog to be an illegal pit bull. If you or someone you know lives with a dog which is frequently mistaken for a pit bull, please exercise extreme caution when housing, handling, or otherwise presenting your dog to the public. Be certain you have an up-to-date rabies vaccine and any required local dog licenses. And even then, be aware that your "rights" only extend to the replacement market value of your dog. This is a sad situation; Doc Truli hates to see anyone, dog or otherwise, branded and outlawed for what and who they are, instead of only for their culpable actions and behaviors.

About Doc Truli

Doc Truli — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:47:31 +0000

Frequently Asked Questions About Doc Truli

Q: Are you a Veterinarian?

A: Yes. Doc Truli is a practicing general practitioner for small animals like cats, dogs, mice, rats rabbits, pot bellied pigs, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets...etc. The Doc has also worked as an emergency pet veterinarian, and a swine production veterinarian. The unique perspective Doc Truli brings to practice combines allopathy (Western medicine) with an understanding of farming and food production, and an appreciation for holistic medicine. [caption id="attachment_1083" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Doc Truli at Butterfly World"][/caption]

Q: So, where'd ya go to school?

A: Bryn Mawr College and the University of Pennsylvania. With a stop-off at Harvard for extra science classes because I was an undergraduate English, philosophy, linguistics, and art student. Sciences came after the undergraduate degree...

Q: Isn't Vet School Harder to Get Into than Med School?

A: Well, yes. The three years before matriculating at UPenn, I went to Harvard Extension night school, worked from 7-10 am at the Franklin Park Zoo leading an Education Animal Research Project to enhance the animal's lives, worked at a veterinary hospital which was also a pet store, boarding, and grooming facility from 12 noon until 7 pm, and then took the bus to school or back home. I also volunteered at the Philadelphia Zoological Park gift shop when I was completing my pre-med credits, which required a 40 minute walk each way through rough areas of Philadelphia, while holding down three part-time jobs. You do what you have to do.

Q: What Kinds of Animals Have You Had?

A: Well, starting with Charlie, the grey-striped kitten, I've had: grey tabby, long hair grey angora cat, white angors, seal-pt himalayan, dilute tortie-point himalayan, silver tabby short hair, mackeral tabby short hair, maine coon, siamese, ascob cocker spaniel, black and white bearded collie {one of first 400 in the US}, APBT, rednose, tan brindle in the sunlight, black and white chihuahua short hair, dalmation, tan chihuahua, goldfish- betta fish- mice- hamsters- gerbils- rats- tropical fish (angels, pearlescent gouramis, silver dollars, weather loach {favorite}, coolie loaches, catfish, horse-face loaches, scissor-tails, neons, mollies), nasty, dirty channel catfish {mistake}, crayfish, snakes, budgies, cockatiel, frogs, guinea pig, rabbit, thoroughbred horse, skunk, potbelly pig, production piglet {Snorkle}.

Q: What's the Strangest Case You Ever Solved?

A: That would be Brinkley, the Golden Retriever Puppy Who Peed Out the Back of His Leg! I'm not kidding!

Q: Tell Us About How Roger Tory Peterson Inspired You to Become a Veterinarian.

A: Roger Tory Peterson spoke under a tent at Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, and Doc Truli was hooked!

Questions Almost No One Ever Asks, But They Should

Q: In What U.S. States Do You Hold Veterinary Licenses?

A: Active in Florida. On hold in Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, as I used to, or thought I might practice in those states someday.

Q: Are You a Member of Any Professional Societies?

A: Someone asked me if I was a member of the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association, and if not, why not? Here's the deal: if I pay $100-$200 or maybe $250 US$ per annum, I can be a member. I am a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association because they offer health and liability group insurance as a benefit. I am a recipient of awards from the American Holistic Veterinary Association, the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation, and the Merck Veterinary Research Foundation.

Q: Do You Have Time for Anything Besides Veterinary Medicine?

[caption id="attachment_1084" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="VirtuaCat Takes His Morning Post by the Faucet"][/caption] A: Motorcycle trips (BMW R1200GS, Triumph Rocket III) A: bird-watching A: science fiction TV, movies, and books (currently Fringe, Doctor Who, rewatching Farscape from the beginning) A: visiting my nieces A: satisfying my cranky Himalayan cat's need for watching water trickle from an active sink faucet A: macrobiotic cooking and photographing the cooking process Let me know any other questions you may have. The comments are moderated, so you can just post them here and I'll get back to you. --Doc Truli

About the Doc

virtuavet — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:47:31 +0000

Frequently Asked Questions About Doc Truli

Q: Are you a Veterinarian?

A: Yes. Doc Truli is a practicing general veterinarian for small animals like cats, dogs, mice, rats rabbits, pot bellied pigs, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets...etc. The Doc has also worked as an emergency pet veterinarian, and a swine production veterinarian. The unique perspective Doc Truli brings to practice combines allopathy (Western medicine) with an understanding of farming and food production, and an appreciation for holistic medicine. [caption id="attachment_1083" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Doc Truli at Butterfly World"][/caption]

Q: So, where'd ya go to school?

Q: Isn't Vet School Harder to Get Into than Med School?

Q: What Kinds of Animals Have You Had?

A: Well, starting with Charlie, the grey-striped kitten, I've had: grey tabby, long hair grey angora cat, white angora cat, seal-pt himalayan, dilute tortie-point himalayan, silver tabby short hair, mackeral tabby short hair, maine coon, siamese, ascob cocker spaniel, black and white bearded collie {one of first 400 in the US}, APBT, rednose, tan brindle in the sunlight, black and white chihuahua short hair, dalmation, tan chihuahua, goldfish- betta fish- mice- hamsters- gerbils- rats- tropical fish (angels, pearlescent gouramis, silver dollars, weather loach {favorite}, coolie loaches, catfish, horse-face loaches, scissor-tails, neons, mollies), nasty, dirty channel catfish {mistake}, crayfish, snakes, budgies, cockatiel, frogs, guinea pig, rabbit, thoroughbred horse, skunk, potbelly pig, production piglet {Snorkle}.

Q: What's the Strangest Case You Ever Solved?

A: That would be Brinkley, the Golden Retriever Puppy Who Peed Out the Back of His Leg! I'm not kidding!

Q: Tell Us About How Roger Tory Peterson Inspired You to Become a Veterinarian.

A: Roger Tory Peterson spoke under a tent at Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, and Doc Truli was hooked!

Questions Almost No One Ever Asks, But They Should

Q: In What U.S. States Do You Hold Veterinary Licenses?

A: Active in Florida. On hold in Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, as I used to, or thought I might practice in those states someday.

Q: Are You a Member of Any Professional Societies?

Q: Do You Have Time for Anything Besides Veterinary Medicine?

Rescued "3-Legged" Kitten Healed by Kindness and Time

Doc Truli — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:48:01 +0000

Without kind rescuers, even if they cannot keep a kitten in their home for a variety of reasons, and benefactors to provide supplies and healthcare, and a generous nurse who fosters the kitten as her own, a street kitten has a very short expected lifespan. Especially if the kitten has a paralyzed leg. A sorry sight, the eight week old kitten was dehydrated, starving, and his right arm flipped around uselessly. He couldn't feel his leg and it flopped out from his ribs like it was barely attached. His elbow was swollen and fixed in a bent position, with a two inch round open sore on the inside of his elbow area. X-rays showed an old break, poorly healed, right at the growth plate where the humerus meets the elbow. His rescuers wanted to know what needed to be done to ensure a normal leg and a normal life. While they couldn't keep a cat in their condominium, they committed to providing the best healthcare. The real trick was figuring put what really was the right medical course of action. After consulting several kind, respected Specialists, we decided to wait and see how the kitten would grow. We used the following criteria to be sure we were being fair to him: 1. Be certain he had no pain 2. Be certain he had no lingering nidus (focal point) of infection that would reactivate and make him feel sick 3. Be certain he could move and play without hurting himself, causing the leg to become raw or sore 4. Be certain no early surgery or medical intervention could prevent further damage in the future. We could figure out the first three on our own. He grew, ate, had no fever, and could not feel the leg- so no pain! We worried he might feel frustration or discomfort about his abnormal leg. After watching him play, we realized that hecthought the leg was normal; it was just a part of him. The Specialist confirmed my assessment: "You don't have an elbow joint left to save; he probably had a brachial plexus avulsion (armpit stretches so much nerves and sometimes blood vessels and muscle attachments rip), and the growth plate is probably damaged so it won't grow any more. It's best, in this case, to wait and see how he grows." His rescuers were very disappointed. Honestly, usually when people fond a cat or kitten, they do the best they can afford to help the cat, often not affording specialists or surgery. In this case, his people would do anything. They asked about elbow replacement surgery, rebreaking and setting the leg, how to stimulate the growth plate. Not options ethically, practically, or medically in 2009! They wanted me to answer, "How will his life be? Will he be normal?" These answers are beyond medicine and into the realm of time and destiny. One afternoon, I passed his cage in our treatment area and he was playing in the kitty faut sheepskin bed and stalking anything that appeared just over the horizon of the rounded edge of the bed. His little head jiggled, his eyes fixed, ears perked forward, tail twitching back and forth and butt wiggling in the air. First my fingers, then my pen, the stethoscope dangling from my neck, and my long straight hair all fell prey to his stalking. Then his crooked little foot dangled over the edge of the bed as he lay on his side. He stalked his paralyzed foot like it was the best toy ever. He gave it a few hind leg bunny kicks and a few bites until he bored of the game and fell asleep. Uh oh! What if he continues to attack his own foot, as if it were not alive and attached to his body? Instead of outwardly panicking (which is how I felt), I stayed cool and mentioned to his nurse to keep an eye on the play style and intervene if he started hurting himself. He never did. He spent the nights at my nurse's home, riding up under her fluffy white dog's tail like a swashbuckling adventurer, and the days partly in a cage at work, and mostly loose and playing in an extra examination room. Each day he comes to work with his nurse foster mom, his rescuers came to visit and play with him for an hour. "Doctor, come see what he can do!" There he was, swatting at a string and feather toy with his bent, paralyzed right paw. He learned to throw his shoulder muscle and swat the dangling leg around like an uncoordinated kitty paw tennis raquet. Now, five weeks after the little kitty was rescued off a street, he faces a bright future. He's healthy and happy with his normal three legs and he a acts like the crooked right leg poses no issues for him. His one remaining deficiency actually reflects his human's shortcomings: we don't really have a name for him. For now, we call him, "Puppy."

Blood Donor Saves American Bulldog Puppy's Life

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:03:11 +0000

My nurse ran to the treatment room,

"We have an emergency in room one; the puppy is white."

He meant the gums, nose, pads, and even her little toenails were snow white with anemia. The 8 week old little American Bulldog had almost no red blood cells to carry life-sustaining oxygen. She needed an emergency blood transfusion.

"I took Ella to a pet shop and showed them the white gums and they said she probably had hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and they sold me Nutrical. That was two days ago. This morning, I told my boyfriend, even though we don't have money for a doctor, we can't just let her die."

I assured her, "You're here for help now, that's the important thing."

I attempted to bark treatment orders, but was stopped at the first one, "Get Franklin to donate blood." "He's not here." "What do you mean, he's not here? He lives here. His main job is donating blood." (Our dog Franklin has saved 6 dogs over the past 3 years.) "Remember, he's at an appointment at the Specialists."

Oh no! Now I remembered! Of all the days for Franklin to take a field trip. We called friends and relatives and Ella's mom called people she knew to find a large, calm dog to donate some blood for the puppy. Then a gentleman, his two sons, and his Boxer walked in.

My nurse pounced,"If you could save a life, would you?" "Of course," Sam the Boxer's dad replied.

He was more than happy to volunteer his dog, Sam, for a small amount of blood giving. The Boxer sat patiently on our raised exam table and we placed the needle in his jugular vein. The fresh, life-giving blood travelled through the sterile tubing and into the A-C-D blood collection syringe. Normally, we use a unit jar, but Ella only needed about 20cc (one ounce) to save her life! Sam thought the whole thing was funny. He smiled, let his tongue hand out to maximum, and licked any nurse that came within reach. We tested the blood for parasites and compatability with the puppy, attached a filter and began the transfusion.

Turns out, Sam's dad was a blood donor himself! "Any time you need help, give us a call."

Ella lay quietly, her body temperature was 99, instead of 101-102F, she barely lifted her head. The blood slowly trickled into her vein. After thirty minutes, the initial transfusion was complete. Ella opened her eyes and lifted her head a little. Then we placed a bowl of food in front of her. She jumped up! Food scarfing commenced! We dewormed her, and defleaed her.

Doc Truli explains: Hookworms and fleas are parasites that eat blood. A compelling infestation can kill a puppy. I've even seen fleas kill grown cats and small to 15 pound dogs. One smart cat climbed into the kitchen cupboard and sat on a pile of dishes to escape painful and irritating flea bites!

Ella's mom received puppy care advice and instructions for a recheck in a few weeks. With a little help from Sam the Boxer, hopefully Ella will live a long and happy life!

Top Ten Breeds Commonly Mistaken for "Pit Bulls"

Doc Truli — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:52:22 +0000

It's not quite the new year, and as I was posting about Scooter's breed analysis results, I realized that many breeds are mistaken for pit bulls. The general public does not understand or even see the differences in these dogs. Sometimes, the dissimilarity is so wide, a dog lover such as myself (or, probably, as you are reading this, yourself) cannot believe people can't tell the difference.

You wouldn't believe the dogs people mistake for pit bulls!

The general public does not understand or even see the differences in these dogs. Sometimes, the dissimilarity is so wide, a dog lover such as myself (or, probably, as you are reading this, yourself) cannot believe people can't tell the difference.

A psychology experiment regarding facial recognition was performed on college students. What was confirmed was the fact that people had a very quick and, generally, accurate recall of people faces. In a darkened room, projected slides of people faces were shown in pairs, first one, then a second one would flash on the screen. The study participant was asked to click "same" or "different" on a recording device. Even upside-down and backward people faces were recognized most of the time, and correctly identified when they were flashed very, very quickly.

People easily recognize people faces.

Then the experimenters went a step further and flashed dog faces. Generally, people performed very poorly on this part of the experiment. There was a distinct successful group of people, however. The psychologists discovered that people who worked with dogs such as breeders, vet technicians, veterinarians, and dog owners, recognized the dog faces whether they were upside-down, backward, or normal. Often, these people performed better recognizing the dogs than they did looking at people faces!

"Dog" people recognize dog faces even quicker and more accurately than they recognize people faces!

I take away this message from this study: we all have differing experiences and abilities. I can tell a dog breed by the sound of the bark in the kennel. I can remember my patients, even after I have not seen them for 5 years, and I am visiting the kennel and walk by their cages. "Hi! Lollipop!" But when I was asked to pick out a drug dealer from mugshots, even though I spent an hour consulting with him about his dog, I guarantee you, I could pick out his Doberman Pinscher to this day! The guy? Thankfully, another doctor at my practice picked him out. I could not have done it!

"I'm a dog person" is Doc Truli's excuse for having lousy ability to pick a guy out of a lineup or mugshot book!

Be as understanding as you can about pit- bull public ignorance. Stay upbeat about your wonderful dog, don't foist your dog on other people who may be phobic or terrified, and

protect your dog from the stupidity and ignorance of those we have not yet educated.

Let's chuckle together over the list, and if your dog has been singled out, set a picture, and I'll post it for the betterment of the world! Names changed to protect the innocent, of course!

Send in pix of your Mistaken Pit Bulls and we'll all chuckle sympathetically...

[caption id="attachment_1169" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Can you see the APBT?"][/caption]

Boxer
American Bulldog
English Bull Terrier
Mastiffs (Cane Brasileiro, Dogue de Bordeaux, Neopolitans, etc.)
Chunky Labradors, especially Chesapeakes with their muscular heads
Chow mix
Rottweiler and mixes
French Bullies
Shepherd/Lab mixes, especially if they have those bulging masseter chewing muscles on the sides of their jaws.
Once, people ran at the sight of my friend's Pug, I mean, he was large for a Pug and manly, but, seriously, people!

Further Reading (if you don't already have this bookmarked): Rio's Pit Bull Kingdom and ask your vet for the Wisdom Panel blood test for mix-breed dog identities.

8-Week Old Lab Mix Puppy Fights Pneumonia

Doc Truli — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:44:39 +0000

"How long has the puppy been coughing and had crusty eyes and nose?"

"One day."

Now, when a pet parent tells me their new puppy has suddenly gotten boney, won't eat, vomits once and has diarrhea, I doubt the problem is only 24 hours old. In eight-week-old Shella's case, she had worms for a month (the shelter diagnosed hookworms and gave directions to see a vet the month before she saw me.) The little puppy was weak. with crusty yellow discharge by her eyes and her nose. She breathed fast and noisily, was crackling, fluidy sounds emanating from her chest cavity. Her belly hung down to her knees. Radiographs (x-rays) confirmed my fear that the little lab puppy had full-blown pneumonia. Her lungs had little space for air, because of the fluid build-up in the air sacs (alveoli) and she was super anemic, which means she had less red blood cells to carry the little bit of oxygen her lungs picked up. (In the picture, see how her tongue is salmon pink, instead of a bright, healthy pinkish-red?) After two days of fluids, nebulization, hand feeding, and tender loving care, Shella looked like a new dog. Puppies can develop pneumonia for many reasons:

Distemper virus
Canine H3N8 Influenza
Bacterial pneumonia
H1N1 Influenza has been confirmed to spread from infected human to dog
many more....

In Shella's case, she developed aspiration pneumonia. Her family isolated from other dogs for at least five weeks before she developed symptoms, no humans in the house were ill. And she became violently and suddenly sick. What happened was: Shella vomited because her intestinal hookworm infection made her symptomatic with gastroenteritis. She coughed in the middle of vomiting and breathed in some vomit. Now she had an unfamiliar liquid in her lungs, full of bacteria, too!

The lungs react violently to improper materials onside them (ever cough and choke after just breathing in a little piece of dog fur?) Imagine spoonfuls of vomit in your lungs. You become very sick very fast.

Shella continued her treatments for over a month, and eventually made a full recovery! Here's Shella's picture just after her first medical treatment. She really enjoys eating out of the nurse's hand!

Parsons Russell Terrier Glaucoma

Doc Truli — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:39:31 +0000

If you have a Parson's Russell Terrier (aka Jack, JRT), whether your dog be smooth coat or rough coat, sudden blindness can hit at any time. These terriers are genetically prone to anterior lens luxation.

Anterior lens luxation means the lens inside the eye slips forward (anterior) through the black hole that is the pupil, and ends up wholly or partly in the front acqueous chamber of the eye, just behind the clear cornea window of the eye.

As you might imagine, anterior lens luxation is painful and unnatural. That lens in front of the colored pupil, instead of behind it, causes increased pressure build-up of the fluid in the globe of the eye. This pressure leads to the disease called glaucoma. In lens luxation, the solution usually means removing the throbbing, painful eye. The lens has little muscular attachments to the eye (think of them like living tethers) that rip when the lens slides forward into the wrong area of the eyeball. Modern surgery cannot (at this time), surgically repair the cilia tethers. The lens has to come out. Sometimes removing the lens will fix the pressure problem. Since we use our lenses to see writing and see far, and dogs do not have to accomodate (see near detail and far), they usually do well with no lens. In Jessie's case, her glaucoma just wouldn't let up. Medications barely controlled her elevated eye pressure making her unhappy and uncomfortable. You may have noticed in the picture, she eventually needed her right eye removed. What you may not have noticed is...Jessie needed her left eye removed as well. "But I can see her eye!" you say, indignantly. Oh, yeah? Look again. Jessie's left eye was healthy for several years after her enucleation aurgery to remove the diseases right eye. But, most dogs with glaucoma in one eye will eventually end up with glaucoma in the contralateral eye as well.

Most dogs with glaucoma in one eye will eventually end up with glaucoma in the contralateral eye as well.

In spite of frequent check ups and preventative medication, the day came when Jessie left eye kept getting red, swollen, tearing, and she was pawing at it in discomfort. The easiest thing would have been to surgically remove the left eye. After all, the glaucoma succeeded in blinding her remaining left eye anyway. But, her cute little face would forever be missing both eyes, and her family just couldn't stand the thought of it! Jessie underwent a surgery to insert an artificial eye replacement, in which the everything of the inside of the eye is removed, and an artificial firm, gel-like orb is slipped into the empty eye pouch. So the surface is her own cornea, the muscles of the eye and eyelids still blink and move the connective tissue pouch that a blind, sort-of decorative eyeball sits inside. The downside was, blind Jessie sometimes runs into sticks and things, and needs special eye drops to keep the cornea lubricated. The upside is, Jessie really doesn't care either way, and this way, she looks more normal in pictures and people treat her like a normal dog when they meet her. Eye sparing surgery isn't for everyone. It costs more than removal, and there remains ongoing care and protection of the cornea issues. But got a family set on not looking at a sunken empty furry eye socket (or two) for the rest of their dog's life, the artificial eye provides peace of mind and a pretty look.

Yorkshire Terrier Puppy Freezes

Doc Truli — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:20:32 +0000

"There's a lady on the phone. She says her dog is having trouble breathing. Can she bring the dog in now?" my Saturday receptionist asked, phone receiver dangling from her fingers. "Of course, how long will it take her to get here?" I asked. Wonderful receptionist replies, "She lives on 167th Street." I do rudimentary math in my head," Oh, just a few minutes away." Now, "trouble breathing" in a patient we have not seen before means they probably do not enjoy regular preventative care. Anything could be wrong.

Choking
Heart failure
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Seizures
Poisoning

We set up the oxygen mask, heating pad, and IV emergency box. A nurse waited on the front step of the clinic. Sometimes helping get a pet out of the car means life or death. "Fendi" arrived within five minutes of a call. My nurse ran her limp 3 1/2 pound, 3 1/2 year-old skinny Yorkie body to the treatment table for heat and oxygen. I waited with my stethoscope poised. I saw a tiny dog with pinpoint nonresponsive pupils. Her heart barely uttered a sound. There it is! About 30 beats in a minute. Terrible! A Yorkie should have 80, 100, even 110 beats a minute with no problems. I put my hand under the towel her mom had wrapped her in. Her body felt like wet, hard ice. Oh no! She was nearly frozen stiff. We wrapped her in a circulating hot water pad, with hot water bottles snuggled against her back and her belly. When a rectal thermometer read Nothing, that meant her core body temperature was below 90 F. Her gums were grey and cold. Fendi had bubbly slimey saliva covering her teeth. Her little legs kicked weakly in random directions.

While the nurse searched for a vein with enough blood pressure to identify intravenous cathether placement, I asked Fendi's mom, "What happened?"

"Fendi was running around outside for three hours with two shirts on. When I went out to get her, I found her like this. I can't hear if she barks or asks to come in because I live in a big house and my room is far away from the door."

That answered my main question, how could Fendi get like this and not bark or cry for help? She probably did and no one heard her. In situations like this, I have to put aside my sadness and anger. Many accidents and unfortunate emergencies are preventable if people realize or watch their dog. Most people would never leave a tiny Yorkie unattended in the yard, especially on the coldest day of the year. A tiny dog can:

Get stolen
Get lost
Get captured by an owl or a hawk
Or just plain get hurt and be too tiny to do anything about it

For these and many, many other reasons, go outside with your dog. Do not leave a dog unattended in the yard. Last year, Broward County, Florida (near me) actually passed a law making an unattended dog in the yard illegal between 10am and 4 pm because of extreme heat most of the year. I've treated many dogs for heat stroke, but only once before for freezing. (That dog escaped and froze solid in mud in a swamp for three days. She made it!) After one hour of heat, Fendi's core body temperature registered on the thermometer at 92.1F! Enzymes and life functions slow and stop below 93. We were asking for a miracle. After 70 minutes, her pupils responded to my penlight. Her body shivered. Her heartrate came up to 70. By two hours, Fendi stood up and licked my face. She had no seizures, no paralysis. Fendi looked fine! What a happy, lucky miracle. Her mom stood by and watched the whole time. She helped hold the oxygen mask when we asked her to. She was quiet and seemed unemotional. I guessed from my years of experience she was too upset for words. When Fendi pushed her little body to sit up, tears rolled down her mom's face. Fendi could still show symptoms of massive organ damage. After near death by freezing, kidneys could decide not to work. Brain damage could be worse than we think. Many other body systems could fail. BUT, Fendi walked, wagged her tail, and drank water from a syringe as soon as the warmed up to 98F. What's normal core body temperature in a dog? 101-102.5F. We did something amazing today. We helped bring a miracle to life.

Sheltie Mix Anterior Lens Luxation

Doc Truli — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:30:35 +0000

A ten-year-old Sheltie mix names Trixie blindly sniffed in my direction. She appeared perfectly normal until you focussed on her eyes. Bilateral cataracts had taken Trixie's sight years before. Today, I saw a new problem. The lens in her left eye had slipped from behind the brown iris to the front (anterior) aqueous chamber of her eye. The lens looked like a white slippery bouncy ball, jiggling every time Trixie tilted her head. Normally, the torn cilia muscles that hold the lens would send out incredible pain signals causing blinking, squinting, and tearing of the eye. Trixie didn't care. Her right eye sported a blood spatter on the backside of the tippy-top of the clear cornea window which makes up the front of the eye. No doubt, the right lens stretched and wrenched at its anchors attempting to join its left compatriot in lens limbo in the forbidden anterior chamber. Usually, emergency eye surgery to remove the useless, painfully positioned lenses commences urgently. Sometimes a doctor must adjust her beliefs about what may be best for the patient. In Trixie's case, she experienced no pain. Therefore, no surgery! In the pictures, her left eye, on your right, contains the anterior lens luxation. Rarely can this lens be seen in a picture because the cornea becomes so irritated by the lens behind it that it turns a blue-white color from fluid build-up within the cell layers (corneal edema). Trixie's right eye (on your left) holds a cataract. The cataract also appears white, but it is peeking through the pupil in the lens, not an oval form in front of it compared to the left eye.

Cat Skin Allergies

Doc Truli — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:30:20 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1218" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Beautiful Liz practices, "If I can't see you, you can't see me at the vet's office.""][/caption]

Sometimes a Cat Itches All the Time!

A beautiful brown-black long-hair tabby kitten stared out of her black Sherpa soft-sided carrier. She hissed. Our formal introduction deteriorated into cajoling and negotiating as I snuck a full physical examination in between angry kitten hisses. My first visit with little Liz ended 20 minutes after our introduction. She was obviously displeased with me. I fell in love with her. Normally, I see a cat once or twice a year. If they despise the veterinary visit, at least a year or so rolls by in between appointments. Liz came back one week later! Some cats run around the house, madly dashing with tail arched up and paws flying, biting ankles, tearing around corners, frisking curtains, and gnawing electrical cords. Liz added frantic hair pulling and self mutilation to the repertoire.

Cat Skin Diagnostic Work-Up

That first, "Can you check the itch?" visit involved into skin scrape cytology, skin tape cytology, ear swab cytology, and ringworm culture (called "worm", not a worm!). Basically, samples from the surface of the skin, prepared and analyzed under the microscope. Some critters, like sarcoptic mange (insects), and ringworm (fungus) infect people; they are zoonotic diseases. Liz came up clean.

Doc Truli lists the tests needed for a basic first, thorough dermatology visit:

Skin scrape cytology

Skin tape cytology

Ear swab cytology

Ringworm culture (called "worm", not a worm!).

Basically, samples from the surface of the skin, prepared and analyzed under the microscope. Some critters, like sarcoptic mange (insects), and ringworm (fungus) infect people; they are zoonotic diseases.

A note about the ultraviolet light test (Wood's Lamp Test): 50% of ringworm fungi species will glow candy-apple green along the hair shafts under the UV light. Your veterinarian will still need a fungal culture test to speciate the fungus. This test takes 1-3 weeks to grow.

Try This at Home to Decrease Itchy Skin

We instituted strict flea control, oatmeal hypoallergenic baths, and high quality food with balanced omega 3: omega 6 fatty acids at a ratio of 1:5.

Official Cat Allergy Testing

Still itchy weeks later. We drew blood for allergy testing from a reputable laboratory. Liz tested 5/6 (seriously allergic) to several allergens:

Black ants
Sheep wool
Human dander
And various grasses, ragweed, palm trees

Here's How a Conversation About Cat Allergies Goes:

She's a sweet little indoor cat in South Florida. The intense allergy to black ants and sheep wool stumped this doctor until I spoke with her parents.

"She catches these huge black ants in the house, plays with them, and eats them." "How often does she find ants?" "Almost every day."

(For those of you who do not live in a sub-tropical climate, while ants in the house sounds gross and irresponsible, remember: there are bugs all over down here. It barely matters how clean or meticulous you are.)

"Um, can you, maybe, call an exterminator?"

(Just call me Doc Obvious.)

"Now, why would a hot climate like Florida lead to sheep wool in a cat's environment? Most people down here have tile or hardwood floors."

"Not us, we have Berber wool carpets. And we custom ordered Liz a real sheepskin cat bed."

Whoa! Who would've guessed? (Whodathunk.)

"Let's start by replacing the cat bed. What can be done about the carpet? Can she go to a part of the house without it?"

"No, but we're moving next month."

Awesome!

Sometimes You Just Have to Try Steroids

Little Liz felt better for a few months, then she was back. I injected the standard cortisone to suppress her itchiness, and she felt fabulous for 2 months. We repeated this ritual until we went to monthly, then, after about 4 months of this, the cortisone only lasted 3 weeks.

Cortisone can have significant side effects to a body, although cats are fairly resistant to most of the effects compared with people or dogs:

Precipitate heart failure in hidden cardiomyopathy patients

Trigger diabetes mellitus

In plain talk: try not to require cortisone chronically. It might not be good in the long run.

Custom-made Allergy Shots Avoid Steroid Side Effects

So, we ordered custom-made allergy desensitization vaccines (a.k.a. "allergy shots"). The allergy shot serum takes about 4 weeks to arrive. 12 hand selected antigens comprise the cocktail. The cat allergy specialist assisted in the selection of useful ingredients for Liz.

Tru Tip A note about allergy shots: Allergy shots take approximately a month to make because the serum sits for weeks at the customizing facility and must be tested for bacterial sterility before shipping. This process, reliant on the laws of time and nature, cannot be shortened through technological advances!

Administering allergy shots requires finesse and practice. Pet parents usually lack both in their pet's hour of need. Of course, it might be creepy if you were naturally good at giving shots to a cat with no training and no practice! Liz resisted shots like a pro. At first, she needed daily increasing doses, injected just under her skin. Her mom and dad handled these treatments fine after the nurses taught them the basics. Liz stopped itching for 6 months. She settled into a routine of monthly shots. After six more months, the little cat person decided she didn't want shots anymore. So, her parents brought her to me at the animal hospital monthly. Liz abhored her hospital visits. [caption id="attachment_1221" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Liz, the amazing allergic cat, typically gives Doc Truli this annoyed and ready-to-hiss attitude."][/caption] As long as this independent cat could walk around the exam room, explore, jump up on the counter, and not be touched, she was happy and agreeable. As soon as anyone *at all* tried to pick her up or cradle her, she hissed, squirmed, and attacked with her teeth and front claws. Liz became "a handful."

We developed a system for successful allergy shot visits:

Quick in
No see or hear a dog
Stay in soft carrier
Distract front bitey end of cat with hands and toys
Squash (gently) carrier around mid section of Liz, or else she'd whip around and attack
Inject allergy shot in nearest haunches of cat
Quick let go and gently close zippered door on carrier
Discuss briefly how much Liz hated the car and the vet

"See you next month!" Then, the itchiness returned! She saw a board certified cat dermatologist who could add nothing to the case. That visit did, however, give Liz's parents a renewed idea.

Cat Allergy Elimination Diet

"Doc, didn't you tell us some cats have food allergies. And the only way to diagnose the food allergies is through an allergy elimination diet?" Yup. Three days. I repeat: Three days after starting Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline HP, Hypoallergenic, the itchiness subsided. We're at three months and counting. Liz has relapsed before, but hope springs eternal. We may finally have licked the cat allergy!

How Roger Tory Peterson Inspired Doc Truli

Doc Truli — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:37:19 +0000

This is a highly personal story and doesn't exactly fit the professional tone I've tried to stick with in the VirtuaVet pages. Seeing as the topic is "About the Doc," I feel I can take liberties and tell a personal, subjective story.

Pre-Doc Truli Begs to Hear Roger Tory Peterson Speak

In 1986, at the tender, impressionable age of 16, I saw an advertisement for a talk by the Roger Tory Peterson at the Hawk Mountain sanctuary. While other teenagers were hassling for rides to the mall and dates out with boys, I launched a campaign to climb a mountain in the dark at 7 o'clock at night and sit under a lit tent at a wooden picnic table with 40-90 year-old bird watchers on the auspicious site of the world-famous Hawk Mountain raptor sanctuary. Luckily, my mother thought, and still thinks, that individuality and rebelliousness is cool.

1/4 Acre of Middle Earth

No Fighting the Mortal Peril

I grew up on 1/4 acre triangular-shaped patch of land in a house built in 1950, the second home in a "development" in a valley across from a hillside full of grazing dairy cattle. The importance of the valley was twofold. One: I could not ride my bike very far without having to hustle up tremendous hills, or walk the bicycle and two, when I was a teenager, an illegal water treatment plant was built on the hill above our neighborhood and we became a part of a chemical emergency evacuation route, thereby making our house worth nothing, and the wildlife propagation sanctuary at the bottom of the valley nestled by a forested stream-side in mortal peril along with our natural wells, and the artesian spring water stream running under my house. The city commissioning the water treatment plant paid the maximum legal fine of $30,000 and dug 8 feet into my front yard (and through the pet graveyard under the cherry tree) to do us the "favor" of providing "city water." (Thanks a ton for that. What an improvement, not.)

Bloody Maple Trees

My 1/4 acre of magical land housed 22 trees, including many large maples who turned brilliant yellow, orange, and red in autumn. The maples came in two groups: the ones with pretty, large leaves good for collecting and making art projects and standing about 40 feet tall. Then, the 60-80 footers that had smaller leaves, some brown on the edges of the colors, and the leaves often curled up and looked distasteful for art design. These maple trees grew tremendous root systems that pressed on the foundation of the house, rooted into the terra-cotta sewer lines that led to the septic system in the back and front yards (clogging them often), breaking apart the stone and cement driveway retaining wall, and most importantly, tunneling across the lawn to pop up in the grassy, mowy part. My dad constantly mowed over these roots and they would weep and ooze sticky, clear fluid. My mother chided him for this, I imagined the reason was, they were bleeding tree blood, weakening their health, and generally causing lawn-mower tree agony. The solution was a tulip and daffodil garden covering all the root areas instead of grass, and converted into perennial lily of the valley and Pachysandra for the rest of the growing months.

Cherry Trees, Grosbeaks, and Bricks

A tall cherry tree (grey bark, white-pinkish blossoms) attracted a flock of Evening Grosbeaks, standing tall and straight in the midpoint of the back yard hillside rock garden. I liked the symmetry and politeness of that tree. It held a squirrel corn feeder that looked like a windmill and made the squirrels spin around if they dared hang on for a snack. The base of that cherry tree raised up out of a bed of dark green shiny Hostas edged with used red brick from the Asa Packer Mansion historical house and gardens in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, where my great-aunt Bertha and Uncle Tom were caretakers for thirty years. We steadily liberated bricks from a refuse pile at the mansion for ten years, placed them side to side in beds of sand and lined the entire yard. The sand discouraged weeds, and the bricks repelled my dad from driving the push-mower over into the gardens. After 30 years, about 75% of the yard was gardens, instead of grass, but that's another story.

The Oak Tree and the Knacker

An old, decrepit oak tree stood across the slate path outside my bedroom window. My mother always threatened the oak with the "tree doctor." (I imagined tree doctors were tree knackers who killed their patients and carted away the body for profit.) This oak stood about 60-70 feet. It was the second tallest tree in my dominion, and the tallest expanse of trunk before some branches started. Maple trees clearly grew too close and bushy, and the poorly oak reached high and skimpy to get a few leaf-covered branches to reach the UV of the sun. When I was about 20, the oak tree, indeed, met the tree doctor and became an oak stump turned into a flower-pot-on-the-spot. The oak gave me acorns. Painfully, up into my bare arches, but also my pockets. I believe acorns were my first imaginary money. When I found a Buffalo-head nickel, it went next to my favorite acorn on my closet book shelf.

The Front Yard Dozen

There was a cute little ornamental weeping cherry tree that my mom planted in the center of the triangle that was the "front," kind-of side, yard, over the bald patch my brother and I used for a pitcher mound in our two-person baseball games. Later, the cherry tree became mostly a pet rat memorial graveyard. The diseased apple tree in the front part of the yard by the road suffered along with 2 3rd to bloom lavender lilacs and the second-to-bloom in spring yellow forsythia that was big enough for me to climb when I was 6 and pretend it had rooms like a house underneath it. This little brave band of trees and shrubbery suffered the snow plow and road salting in the winter. The road treatments did nothing for the foliage's health come spring! (The apple tree did, however, allow us to place bottles over the apple buds, and thereby grow "apples in a bottle." I thought that was too cool, but I never once tasted those apples. Some of them housed satiated worms. I did not think worms were appropriate human menu items. Call me opinionated.)

Memorializing Fuzziness

When we first moved to this house when I was 5, there was a precious pussy-willow tree that bloomed its soft grey little pods very first in the spring just after the pastel and white croci peeped their heads out of the ground under my favorite tree. Pussy willow branches usually displayed on the corners of my bedroom mirror, until my great-grandfather passed away, and I took a flourescent-pink dyed oak branch from on top of his coffin just as it was laid into the ground. I never removed that branch from the corner of the mirror, even though it dripped fluorescent pink dye down the white and gold mirror trim for a goodly 15 years.

Mercenary Pine Trees

About 8 pine trees graced the edges of the back yard, flanking a grape-vine on a trellis that resembled a children's jungle-gym apparatus. We had grapes, and home-made wine emergency yeast explosions for a few years before mom cut down the grapes and all but one pine tree. The trees that went to their demise were unattractive short, chubby, stunted blue spruce trees. A few rabbits with bunny babies hung out under them, but mostly, they just dropped pine needles all over the yard, causing autumn clean-up problems and blocking the view from the future hillside rock garden. The pine tree that survived the tree devastation was a tall Scotch pine. It stood about 25-30 feet tall, skinny, and compact in the back corner of the triangle, on top of a little 7 feet-high, medium slope hill, blocking the view of the neighbor's yard up that hill. That neighbor believed in mowing his grass lawn only twice yearly, like in Russia, or Italy, and so, twice yearly, he sat on his expensive riding-mower, smoked, and flushed all the black racer, corn, and garden snakes into our yard for a few months. The hostas under the cherry tree provided snake-in-the-hand if you weeded without looking what you grabbed!

The Winged Denizens

That pine tree anchored the laundry line/dog tie-out line. When my mom upgraded to a plastic-coated line, so the dog's clip on the line wouldn't make metallic jangling noises, it was a happy day. When the dog passed, and was not replaced (we were a cat family), bird feeders graced the line. About every 6 feet hung a vertical pendent-style feeder. Two held millet seed and one held a mix, with tiny black oily sunflower seeds. Never grey seeds! Those drew squirrels, grackles, mourning doves, pigeons, starlings, catbirds, cow birds, crows, and other "undesirables." Don't misunderstand, all birds are cool in their own ways. But the aforementioned species are messy, loud, and pushy. Plus, they ate at the neighbor's cheap-eats buffet-style feeders, so they did not need extra food in the dead of winter, like some birds do. Our basic mix drew English sparrows, White-throated sparrows, Blue Jays sometimes, 2 Cardinals (a pair), Juncos, Tufted Titmice, once I saw a Cedar Waxwing, but I think it was lost because we didn't have any berries put out, Mockingbirds sometimes, Wrens, and many, many more. A platform feeder by the kitchen window under a maple tree held suet for the Downy Woodpeckers, Flickers, Nuthatches, and an occassional confused Starling. They felt so comfortable at that feeder, they sat 1 foot in from of my face at the window above the kitchen sink and ate to their heart's content. The third feeder on the line, the coup de gras, had tiny holes for the beak openings that the birds widened over the years, and perches above the holes. (If you feed birds, you already know who ate there.) We paid tons for black, tiny, round thistle seed for that feeder. Guess who came to dinner? About 250 Goldfinches! We must have become a stop on their migration route! That pine tree lasted about 15 years, then it grew sparse and met its end at the teeth of a saw. We dried the wood over the summer and burned the wood in the fireplace for heat the following winter. The bird line attached to a newly installed pole. (Sigh, not a lamp post in the woods...)

Hummingbird Advance Corps

When I was a teenager, mom added potted red hibiscus to the deck. You know who that attracted! Yep, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. Four of them. Hummingbirds are phenomenally territorial and will (and did at the Philadelphia Zoo when they first opened their Hummingbird House before Hummingbird ferocity became known to scientists) fight to the death for their territory. The Hibiscus pots dotted the four points of the compass around our deck seating area, about 10-15 feet away from each other. These Hummingbirds seemed to come from the four compass points and shared our delectable honey-water and Hibiscus. Sometimes they grazed my ear in their haste to get at the food in spite of my sitting on a deck chair near to the flowers!

The Almost-Trees

Various tree-like shrubs decorated the house. Japanese yew in the front, to hold Christmas lights, a huge Juniper covered the side of the house for years, to hold me on a branch 3 feet off of the ground for reading purposes. Ironically, through the wall of the house, I was perhaps, at most, 4 feet from my comfortable desk chair when I read in the Juniper. Imagine my surprise when I learned people cook with those nasty blue hard Juniper berries! I thought they were as poisonous as the little bright red berries with the hollow centers I collected off of the Yews. 2 ornamental holly bushes sat next to the garage, shaped into little spirals by my mom's will and handiwork. I never really warmed up to them as much as the neighbor's hillside of tree-shaped hollies and his magical elven toolshed behind the holly garden with accordion music streaming out on warm summer evenings. I only braved going close to his house once, at Halloween, and the treats were disappointing. (I believe they were 1930's style Mary Jane's and Root Beer Hard candies. Yuck.) A line of special shrubs was catalog-ordered and planted along the back of the triangle, which formed the border with Anna and Andy's house to the left of our domicile. These shrubs were hard to grow, even harder to trim so they wouldn't look like they wore highwaters, and a source of great financial concern. Not only did they cost precious dollars on a tight budget, they required the purchase of an expensive cordless hedge trimmer. How dare they! On summer nights, when I grew antsy sitting at the picnic table waiting for my parents to finish dinner, and when the lightning bugs were too sparse to collect and make a glass jar lantern, Japanese beetles covered these shrubs. (Those shrubs really were a bad idea.) The beautiful Coleoptera with shiny metallic green carapaces filled my jars. I intended to let them go when I was done with my hunt, but my mom urged me to leave the beetles to her. My fun was the redemption of her shrubs' health. Without my happy hunting, I fear the voracious beetles would have finished very last leaf in days. As it was, the Japanese beatles took semi-circular bites out of the edges of the leaves and left round to oval holes in the fleshy bodies of the singularly pointed, serrated leaves.

The Heart and Soul Tree

I come to my favorite tree. The breed and the individual. Of all time, for all time. The tree that taught me about snow crickets and entomology, Downy woodpeckers and Flickers and ornithology, climbing, howling, supposedly stuck cats and umm, cat-ology (leave them a few hours, then rattle and shake a cat food bag by the house door, they can descend just fine on their own!) This tree held our "old-man-of-the-forest" wooden face sculpture we found at a yard sale. The daffodils grew to protect its roots. My mom water hosed the hill into ice over a fresh snowfall, and we sledded under it every winter. Huge, enormous branches died, and the tree doctor came and fixed them, more times than I saw the doctor as a child. My dad sat on the deck and shot bee-bee's at the Grackles, to unsuccessfully protect a Flicker's nest, while drinking a fine glass of Cabernet, under this tree. It's delicate, almost invisible white flowers in the spring, and whirligig helicopter spinning seeds in the summer flashed in the sunlight as the branches swayed in the breeze. That tree should never have been planted next to a house on a hill. It should have lived its time along a stream on a cow-farm, with a curve in the stream deep blue and shoals of rainbow trout resting in its shade. My messy tree would not have had every stray branch that crossed over Andy's property line cut off and would not have endured an early disfigurement and death if it had not been selfishly planted by the homebuilder in an inopportune dry hillside.

Goodbye, Childhood Friend

When this house went into foreclosure, because of the chemical treatment plant, being graduated from veterinary college, I had not lived there for many years. I visited one last time to speak with my remaining tree friends. I lingered with my favorite, my confidante, the first being I thought was perfect no matter how many flaws other people pointed out (my first crush), my weeping willow tree. Even though that tree lived a life of lawn-mowed roots, rotting branches, a cracked, rotten core trunk, woodpeckers, savage neat-freak neighbors, dry, shale soil, and a premature demise because no one wanted the tree to fall over on the house suddenly one day, I am certainly glad the weeping willow tree was there. Is that selfish?

Pre-Doc Truli Forgets the Point of the Speech, Finds Meaning Anyway

When I read the Roger Tory Peterson announcement, I had already memorized my white special-edition Field Guide to the Birds that I got as my 15th birthday present; my insect collection sported 230 individuals (none endangered like the Walking Stick) in 23 Orders; I learned that 2 crayfish do not sprout from one; they shed their skin, and cats can be trained to do almost anything if you have enough patience and food leverage. Hawk Mountain was about a 40 minute drive from my house, and I sat on the rocks and counted Sharp-Shinned Hawks in the hopes of seeing a free-flying Bald Eagle many a Saturday or Sunday afternoon (I never did; they were always on the list from the day, or the hour, before I got there!) That night, sitting under the tent with the strings of caged light bulbs edging the roofs, people in LL Bean shirts, puffy down utility vests, hiking boots, and ironed dark blue jeans with razor creases down the front of the legs, I was, by decades, the youngest person in the room. I belonged with those people, ahead of my time. I do not remember RTP's speech, or the topic, other than something about Raptors and their essential place in nature. I remember this elderly white-haired man bringing together a bunch of nature enthusiasts in a tent under the stars on a mountainside overlooked by Birds of Prey. I knew from that night on that those were my people. I called us The Experience Breed in my Bryn Mawr College application essay. Veterinary Medicine is almost a distraction. A side endeavor to the point of my life. I am not one of those people who does only one thing for their life, or only works for pay for a lifetime, and then consumes a retirement package. You will see me out in nature and offline in the future. Not just yet, but soon.

Border Collie Needs a Good Home

Doc Truli — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:29:00 +0000

This fantastic 3-year-old male Border Collie needs a new home. His Australian Shepherd friend moved the Argentina to herd sheep. He currently lives in Miami. He's a working dog used to herding sheep and cattle on a Texas ranch. Obedient, friendly, healthy. If you believe you are a wonderful, loving, active home for him, contact Doc Truli at VirtuaVet and I'll pass along your information to his family.

How to Tell if Your Dog Secretly Itches

Doc Truli — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:56:06 +0000

This little shih tzu pretzeled himself when Doc Truli scratched his tail base.

7 Signs of Canine Discomposure

How can you interpret if your dog itches?

These signs commonly mean itchiness. Get it checked out!

Scratching body or face with hind paw (standard itch)
Rubbing ears or face on furniture, floor, carpet, or something scratchy like matting or indoor-outdoor carpeting
Licking paws, toes, forelegs, or sides obsessively
Reddish-brown stains on toes, paws, body...even if you do not see your dog licking (the saliva turns color when UV light hits it)
Chewing at tail base, legs, etc. Especially when your dog digs his or her nose in and chews and nibbles so hard the skin on the nose crinkled up (they look as if they were chewing corn on the cob when they do this)
Pinnal (ear flap)-Pedal (foot) Reflex: When you rub the edge of your dog's ear and the hind leg automatically comes up to scratch. With scans and crusts on the ears, this often means sarcoptic mange. This mange is contagious. See your vet!
When you scritch the tail base and your dog tries to nibble where you're scratching (picture above.)

Itchy Flea Facts

Tru Tips:

itchiness and hair loss at the base of the tail means fleas in 95% of cases
fleas spend 5% of their entire life cycle as biting adults, the other 9.5/10 fleas survive in the form of larva, eggs, and cocoons that resemble dust in your environment
flea cocoons can survive at least 7 years in between blood meals. This means if you move into a place that used to have pets, you may have inherited fleas!
fleas do not die outside until the ground freezes for ten days in a row
50% of veterinary skin specialist consults result in a diagnosis of fleas, even after the family vet has already addressed the case

Doc Truli advises, "Don't be proud or in denial about fleas. If your cat or dog itches, especially by the tail and hind legs, think fleas first! Talk with your local vet hospital about the best, most effective flea control recommendations. Do not waste your time and money suffering from amateur advice and supermarket products!

Tru Tip:

Any shampoo will kill adult fleas; you do not need "flea shampoo" to kill fleas. Flea shampoo might repel fleas for a few days, but it will also weaken your topical product you bought at the vet's office.

Geek Factoid:

Shampoo with lather breaks the surface tension of water over the breathing sphericals that line the flat sides of a flea's body. The lather allows the water to pour into the flea's breathing system and drown the flea! You don't need chemicals to enhance the shampoo!

How to Tell If Your Cat is in Pain

Doc Truli — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:31:30 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1296" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Does this cat look like she's in pain?"][/caption]

Cats Hide Their Pain Exceptionally Well

Holly, a seventeen-year-old domestic short-hair cat came to see me for weight loss and not wanting to eat for 3 days (we call this symptom anorexia in veterinary medicine, but I prefer the term inappetence, because it does not resemble the psychological and physical disease many people suffer by the same name.) She gradually lost weight over the past 6 months. Holly was 11 pounds in June, and only 5 1/2 pounds when this picture was taken in the hospital. Holly died the following afternoon. I do not mean to be melodramatic, but to illustrate a point. This cat suffered from pancreatic cancer for 6 months, without her family realizing she was sick until it was too late to help her or to ease her pain. Many, many people can miss the signs of illness and pain in a cat, because cats hide their pain from us. (Look at the first picture above. Holly knew I was visiting her, so she "faked it." Many studies have shown pets will do this to please us, and then quiver in misery after we leave the room, as proven by hidden camera technology.) When Holly thought I wasn't looking, without opening her baby incubator I had set her in for warmth and extra oxygen, I snapped the following pictures: [caption id="attachment_1297" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Note the hunched back and head down near to the floor with paws gathered up under the body."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1298" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Holly shows us abdominal pain by sitting up on her paws, back arched, nose to floor."][/caption] (In case you worry that I let Holly suffer in pain, rest assured she received strong opioid painkillers. Unfortunately, certain types of painful conditions, like pancreatic cancer, still cause pain unless the patient undergoes anesthesia. Sometimes a constant rate infusion CRI of painkillers works.)

5 Signs A Cat is in Pain:

Behavior change. Noisy cat is quiet, quiet cat vocalizes.
Hiding, withdrawn, reclusive.
Sitting hunched with back arched, paws gathered under the body, nose resting on the floor, eyes closed.
Purring does not mean a cat is happy! Some cats purr to comfort themselves when they hurt.
Distant or faraway look to the eyes, like cat thinks about internal pain, instead of noticing the external environment.

5+ Signs a Cat Might be Sick:

1. Eating more or less. Or nothing. A fat cat can die if they refuse food for 3-4 days in a row (hepatic lipidosis.) 2. Vomiting.

Doc Truli summarizes recent thinking in feline internal medicine, "Vomiting hairballs is not normal for cats! Veterinarians used to believe hairball vomiting was a normal cat function; vomiting is abnormal. Something is wrong; see your vet!"

3. Drinking lots of water.

"Cats were desert animals thousands of years ago. They usually drink very little compared to dogs."

4. Loosing weight for no reason. This can be difficult to appreciate when you see your cat every day.

Look for: bony hips, spine prominent, shoulders visible, ribs visible, temples atrophied and gaunt-looking.

"If your cat is not on a weight control diet, and his or her exercise has not increased significantly (like you moved to a gigantic house), then weight loss is a sign of illness."

5. Diarrhea, Coughing, Sneezing, Yellow or green discharge coming out of anywhere on your cat. 6. Signs of pain like hiding, change in verbosity, change in voice, eye pain like blinking and tearing, and squinting...

Get Your Cat to the Veterinarian You Trust With Cats!

If you know your cat is ill, and the question is more about quality of life, see Doc Truli's Pet Quality of Life discussion. P.S. Added March, 2010, More How to Tell If Your Cat Is in Pain after an Auto Accident.

How to Bathe a Kitten

Doc Truli — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:59:50 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1380" align="alignleft" width="123" caption="Kitten gets her first bath, note the soapy tub and the rinse tub"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1381" align="alignleft" width="119" caption="Be sure you firmly and gently hold the kitten. She's looking for a shoulder to...climb!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1382" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Kitten is still wet from her bath"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1383" align="alignleft" width="116" caption="Kitten is gently towel dried until she fluffs, we changed towels several times"][/caption] Cats do not require too many baths. But, when you find a kitten on the street and take the little tyke home, you need to bath away the fleas and grime, maybe lice and ticks, too.

Be sure the kitten looks alive and strong enough for a bath. Some kittens are so anemic from fleas sucking their blood they will become too cold, and die from a bath. If you are worried, and can't get right to the vet, use a fine-toothed flea comb to pick the fleas off of the kitten. Don't be surprised if there are several hundred fleas!
Gather your supplies ahead of time. Towels, blow dryer, brush, spray nozzle or pitchers for warm water.
If you have sterile eye lubricant, lubricate the kitten's eyes to prevent soap from blinding the tyke.
Start by holding the kitten with the head away from you. If you allow the kitten to contemplate your shoulders and neck, kitten will climb you with sharp little kitten claws, and you will not have a successful experience!
Use tearless kitten shampoo. Be certain, absolutely sure, the shampoo you use states in writing that it is safe for cats and kittens. Do not use dog products Flea and tick shampoo is unnecessary and may be toxic.
Wet the kitten, while holding your hand over the face to guide water away from the ears and eyes. Let the water drain out of the sink or tub. Kittens hate immersion into the water.
Turn running water off whenever possible. Kittens usually are petrified of running water.
Start the shampooing by putting some shampoo in a small cup with warm water, about 1:4 dilution (if you use cheap shampoo, you may need 75% shampoo to 25% water)
Apply the lather first to the kitten's head in a ring around the skull just by the ears and under the chin. The reason for this is: fleas are smart. When they sense you, your hands, the soap, etc, they run to the eyes and the short, dense fur around the eyes and nose to escape your bath.
Create a "ring of death" of soap around the face, so the fleas die from the lather as they try to reach the "promised land" of the face.
Lather the body and scrub the kitten from head to tail and back to toes, especially under the tail and between the toes.
Rinse by using a spray nozzle or pitchers of warm water. Rinse until you're bored. Until you are looking at the water on the kitten and you aren't sure if there are a few soap bubbles, or just the pattern of the water glinting on wet fur. Rinse one more time to be sure
"The secret to a good bath is a good rinse," a wise show groomer once told Doc Truli. (She also said, "and the secret to a good groom, is a good bath."
Towel dry the kitten by rubbing the body gently, you may need several towels. You may try a blow dryer if the kitten is not unduly frightened, but test the heat with your hand constantly.
Be sure kitten is warm and dry after the bath.
You may flea-comb renegade fleas from around the eyes and nose after the bath.

Isolate the kitten from your cats for 30 days. See the vet right away, and retest for feline leukemia after thirty days to be sure your first test was not a false negative. VirtuaVet How to Bathe a Kitten (pdf)

Hidden Horrors: Dog and Cat Dental Dilemnas

Doc Truli — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:36:12 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1367" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Half of this tooth is sitting in an abscess. Can you tell which half?"][/caption] February is National Pet Dental Health Month in the U.S.

Doc Truli declares Earth Pet Dental Health Month. Everyone is welcome to help their pet feel better, look younger, and live longer! The Doc will devote a series of posts all month long just to pet dental health. Proper dental care adds 2-4 healthy years to a pet's expected lifespan. And old-age diseases like arthritis delay for 2-4 years, too. Would you like your Chihuahua to live to be 18, instead of 14? Of course you would!

Unbelievable Disease Hides in the Mouths of (All*) Pets

*If you worry your pet may need dental care.
*If you smell your pet's breath every time he or she licks your face (or worse, when they walk in the room.)
*If your veterinarian never specifically checks the teeth.
*If your pet is more than two years old and you do not brush their teeth every day.
*If your pet is a baby and the veterinarian has not checked for mis-aligned teeth or extra teeth.

Then, you need to take your pet for a dental check-up!

"More than 75% of pets 2 years of age and older have periodontal disease. The most basic, Grade 1 of 4 disease is red, sore gums, called gingivitis. Left untreated, gingivitis, plaque, calculus, and periodontal disease shorten your pet's life by up to 4 years!" explains Doc Truli.

Pet Dental Health Resources:

The American Veterinary Dental College has a comprehensive pet parent (they call you "owners," we'll have to forgive them) information site. Text heavy, dearth of pictures (dearth is the opposite of plethora.) All Pet's Dental, Dr. Jan Bellows' site has fantastic pictures, and pretty detailed information. Mostly, I like the balanced, medium-thorough approach. Very good diagrams and tips for tooth brushing, too! Dr. Bellows is my favorite veterinary dentist, and I refer my complex dental work to him for care (like braces). Plus, he literally wrote most of the veterinary textbooks on the subject of pet dentistry. (Also great ferret page.) Ferrets need dental care, too! Check out this thorough article with some nice pictures. **Doc Truli will revisit that x-ray in a future post. Keep an eye out! [caption id="attachment_1362" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Under the tartar, this root was just sitting outside the bone!"][/caption] In the picture to the left, this dog came to Doc Truli for a routine "dental." Her dad was sure she just needed the calculus "scraped off." Well, once we started removing the tartar, we found this premolar actually half in and half out of the bone. Somehow, the back root of the tooth had worked its way out through the side of the bone. The gums were red and sore and bled easily when lightly touched. Obviously, this tooth had to be fully extracted. (Click on the image to see lots of detail; Doc Truli had a nice camera that day!) This little dog never stopped eating, or cried, or bit anyone, and was trusting and calm with the Doc. The whole time, this nasty tooth festered in her mouth. This case is a little spectacular, but this severity of hidden periodontal disease, unfortunately, is commonplace in veterinary practice. Until many, many people start brushing their pet's teeth, veterinarians like Doc Truli will see disease like in this picture every day!

Dental Healthcare for Puppies and Kittens

Doc Truli — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:37:18 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1327" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Crossbite in a mixed breed dog."][/caption] Dental Healthcare starts as a Puppy and Kitten

No kidding! Your precious pup or kitten needs to be assessed right from the start for oral health status. Some life-long problems can be prevented as young as 8 weeks old!

Checklist for Baby Visits:

Occlusion means how the teeth come together when the mouth is closed. Young animals can have overbite (top jaw longer than bottom), underbite (bottom longer than top, like in Bulldogs), crossbite (a mix, see picture), or certain other abnormalities.
- Surgery at a very young age, before 12 weeks old when the permanent incisors (front teeth) come in, can save your pet from a lifetime of toothaches.
Canine Teeth (the biggest "eye" teeth in the four corners of the front of the mouth) must erupt in proper position, or your dog could have pain until expensive corrective oral surgery is performed.
Sometimes, the canine tooth on the mandible (bottom jaw) will start coming in on the inside of the baby tooth. This is called Base Narrow. This situation will cause the permanent tooth to poke up into the roof of the mouth when your dog grows up. It is fixed by removing the retained canine teeth at about 5-6 months' old.

"A tooth is defined as retained when the permanent tooth can just start to be seen budding through the pink gingival lining of the jaw. Do not wait to remove the deciduous (baby) tooth, or your pet will suffer the consequences," warns Doc Truli.

Missing Teeth: all dogs, except hairless Chinese Crested Dogs and their fluffy Powderpuff relatives, have 28 baby teeth and 42 permanent teeth. Cats have 26 baby teeth and 30 permanent teeth.

"Dogs have 28 baby teeth and 42 adult teeth. Cats have 26 baby teeth and 30 adult teeth."

"Why are Missing teeth a problem?" you're probably asking yourself!

Well, if the tooth is impacted or unerupted, an ever-growing bone cyst, or fluid-filled pocket can form around the tooth out of site inside the jaw. Over time, it keeps growing and can eat away 100% of the jaw, cause eventual loss of all the teeth and a rubbery, useless jawbone! So there. Convinced you should get it checked out? (Unfortunately, not kidding.)
A dental x-ray shows if the tooth is hidden in the jaw and if a cyst has started. Surgery to remove the tooth and/or the cyst results in full recovery. Obviously the sooner this condition is fixed, the better.

Search and Rescue Golden Retrievers Save Lives in Haiti

Doc Truli — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:34:20 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1435" align="alignleft" width="130" caption="Can I have my physical now?"][/caption] "Doc, check 'im out. We just got back from deployment in Haiti." Just making casual conversation while I gave Vegas his physical, "So, how was Haiti?" "We found many, many people in the rubble. We were there for the 6.4 aftershocks. What's weird is, nobody we met in Haiti trusted the dogs. "They have these little short-haired white dogs with tails curled up over their backs, stand-uppy ears and pointy noses that look kinda like big Chihuahuas. "They run as soon as they see people; they are not tame. So, when the people see a big red Golden Retriever, they can't believe the dogs work with us. "We'd be driving through a neighborhood with collapsed buildings everywhere and you could see if somebody was digging frantically versus someone looting. We'd go there with the dog to find out if the person they were digging for was alive. The dogs are trained to signal a live person, but they will not signal a deceased person. "Well, sometimes the person was dead. But none of the people believed the dog could know that. They never heard of a dog working like that before. They would get angry and desperate when we had to tell them their loved one was passed and we were not going to dig them out because we had to move on to help rescue living people. "We found a woman who had been trapped without food or water for 15 days. Then we worked for 17 hours to free another person. "Some of the volunteer doctors had to come right out to the wreckage and help free people by performing surgical amputations right there in the field. There's no follow-up healthcare, so some of the surgeries were more extreme than they would be in the US. Here, skin grafts, bandage changes, and advanced medical care are available." I had heard some of our fire department search and rescue teams travelled to Haiti to help rescue people. I wondered about the conditions in Haiti. "Well, we stayed in tents on the lawn of the US Embassy. We had Haitian drivers who took us out in armored vehicles during the day to search for survivors. After we cleared the schools, hospitals, and hotels, they dropped us off in the regular neighborhoods. The drivers were surprised we didn't carry guns. We didn't run into any trouble. Maybe because everybody was scared of the dogs." Vegas, Stryker, and Sierra fared well. Only a few scratches. None of the buildings collapsed on them. Before anyone could stop him, Vegas jumped up on a 3 foot high wall with a 6 foot drop on the other side! He didn't even hesitate in his search to find people alive! Our service dogs and officers served humanity and represented America proudly. How many of us use the skills and talents we have to help others? Start today; you will be glad you did!

Doc Truli whole-heartedly, "Thank you so much to all the Search and Rescue teams risking their health and their own lives, sacrificing to save people and help Haiti recover from the earthquake."

[caption id="attachment_1437" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="So happy, tail not even focussing!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1431" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Fantastic Full Focus Working Dog!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1432" align="alignleft" width="99" caption="A search and rescue dog settles and waits in a relaxed position."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1433" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Thank You, Kind Nurse!"][/caption]

The Down and Dirty of Pet Dental Disease

Doc Truli — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:20:58 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2053" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Doubtful Italian Greyhound"][/caption] Many Pets Harbor Hidden Painful Periodontitis

Or, How an Italian Greyhound Ends up Needing 17 Teeth Extracted...

Periodontal Disease refers to problems with the bone, gums, tough little fantastic periodontal ligaments inside the sulcus (tooth socket), basically everything around the tooth itself.

Doc Truli fills us in,"A careful exam of each tooth and 6 points of the gingiva around each tooth, and dental radiographs (x-rays) reveal hidden periodontal disease. There is no other way to find out what is wrong with your pet's teeth. This examination requires general anesthesia, every time, every pet."

Hidden Disease Doc Truli Finds Daily With X-Rays:

[caption id="attachment_1317" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The root on your right sits in a pocket of pus, called an abscess."][/caption] In the picture to your left, the root on the left sits in the white bone. The darker grey line in the center of the bone represents the marrow cavity. The bone is thinner, because marrow, nerves, and blood vessels live there. The root on the right is not resting in white bone, but rather, fuzzy, messy grey-black stuff. Pus and debris have eaten away the bone and the root sits in nothing good! This x-ray was taken during a "routine dental" cleaning. The dog had no symptoms and the tooth looked fine from the outside. It did not wiggle in the jaw, because the left root held firm. Careful probing and an x-ray showed the massive problem. If this dog had undergone non-anesthesia cleaning, this problem would persist. NO way would the person scaling the teeth have found this disease. The tooth was removed, and the dog gained a pound because she ate better after the surgery. This tooth was also a candidate for a tooth-sparing procedure in which the tooth could be cut in half, the good root could have a root canal, and a crown made to replace the diseased front half. In this case, the pet's parent elected not to undergo the added expense and requested the disease simply be removed from the mouth. [caption id="attachment_1318" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Before tooth scaling, the back molar sits in a huge abscess pocket."][/caption] The little molar in the far left has an abscessed root and a large pocket. The technician scaled and polished the teeth after the full mouth radiographs were obtained. When she scaled the back molar, it was so loose and fragile, it fell out, leaving a hole in the jawbone. This tooth is categorized Grade 4/4 Periodontal Disease, and would've been extracted if it hadn't fallen out on its own. This hole was filled with a material to encourage new bone growth and the gingiva was delicately sutured in place to cover the sensitive hole. Antibiotics appropriate for the mouth and painkillers helped the dog through the healing process. Typically, Doc Truli recommends soft food for a time after the surgery (some veterinary dentists recommend 14 days of soft food). [caption id="attachment_1319" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Why is the tooth sticking up out of the bone that way?"][/caption] This dog had a loose abscessed back molar, too (Opposite side, so pocket is on your right.) Note how this molar sticks up out of the white bone. The black space under the top crown on the tooth in the furcation between the two roots should be filled with white bone just like in the tooth x-ray above. But it is not. This is called horizontal bone loss. It extends 25-30% down the root of the tooth. When it reaches 50%, that is Grade 4 out of 4 Periodontal disease, and the tooth will have to be extracted; it cannot be salvaged. In this case, the tooth was a Grade 3 out of 4 Periodontal disease. Nothing will make the bone grow back in the furcation, but careful root planing to clean out any pus, calculus, and build-up can be performed, then the root can be treated to discourage further bone loss and disease. If the tooth was already loose, it would downgrade to a Grade 4/4, and surgical extraction would be the treatment option left to the pet.

What Can Endoscopy Do for Your Dog?

Doc Truli — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:11:53 +0000

Keynes is an eight-year-old Boxer. He slobbers, bounces, occassionally limps, had a benign leimyoma intestinal muscle wall tumor surgically resected by yours Doc Truli four years ago, and generally loves loving everybody. About three months ago, he started obsessively drinking water. From his bowl, the cat's dish, the toilet, the birdbath, even the mop water. You're thinking, "Diabetes, kidney disease, urinary tract infection, accidental poison ingestion, or crazy because of workmen doing construction on his house." Or, at least, that's what his mom and I were thinking. Well, we were wrong. Normal blood and urine tests. So I thought, "Maybe mom's mistaken. Let's measure how much water Keynes drinks in a day." A dog or cat can drink in the ballpark of 30mL per pound per 24 hour Earth day. (approx 65mL per kg per 24 hrs). Keynes was drinking well over 100 mL/pound/day. Next we looked at chest and abdominal x-rays, really hunting for trouble. Then we performed an abdominal ultrasound. Keynes had a mass growing off of the tail of his spleen that might be cancerous or benign. He had 4 abnormal lumps in his pancreas. And his mom thought to let me know he had regurgitated and vomited water several times daily, although sometimes not for several days, for three months! "That's a symptom," responded Doc Truli. Now, some Specialists encouraged laparotomy, open abdominal surgery where I check everything and surgically remove or correct or at least biopsy everything abnormal (wonky) looking. (I'm psyched to have readers from Britain; I spent three years in Mildenhall as a child.) Your Doc Truli uses an endoscope. Regularly. The endoscope possesses a digital camera on the end, so I can see what's going on. I decided Keynes needed his esophagus and stomach checked because of the news about the vomiting. A mass on the spleen with normal complete blood count and no anemia could cause pressure on the capsule of the spleen and a feeling of nausea. Masses in the pancreas could cause pancreatitis, but his PLI snap pancreatitis screening test was perfectly normal, he had a good appetite, and did not vomit food. Only water. Instead of going right to abdominal surgery, I scoped the Boxer. Here's a picture of his stomach lining. And no, it's not supposed to look like it has a rash. These pictures document a biopsy site where a piece of the stomach lining was grabbed (about 5mm, this is greatly magnified), the spot pooches out for a minute, then starts normal bleeding. A mostly visually normal area of stomach lining is pink and smooth. Keynes woke up in good spirits. Hopefully, the minimally invasive biopsies give us the answer to his problems without the need for invasive internal surgery. P.S. After 2 days, we had some results. The mass on the spleen was called a leiomyosarcoma. and the stomach lining was just basically irritated. Now begins the hunt for metastasis-or cancer spread to parts of the body in addition to the spleen. In most cases, if chest radiographs (x-rays) show lumps or nodules, then the cancer us assumed to be spread already. However, chest x-rays only reveal lumps about one centimeter (1/2 inch) or larger. So basically, just because a dog has a "clear chest met-check" does not guarentee "no spread of cancer."

Prevent Periodontal Problems: How to Brush Your Pet's Teeth

Doc Truli — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:50:00 +0000

"Doc Truli, how can I prevent periodontal problems?"

If you are half-way normal, you are thinking, "Dear Heavens! (If you are aged 90)" "Holy crap! (If you are 40)" and "What the F***!! (If you are <30)" "Is periodontal homicide {pomicide} happening to my pet right now??????"

YES

Sorry, it's the truth. Actually, if you are truly lazy, it's happening to you, too. Flossing your teeth every day adds 6 years to your expected lifespan. (Unless you're already 90, then I'm not so sure...) Brushing your pet's teeth daily and having a deep cleaning, and x-ray study under anesthesia once a year adds 2-4 healthy years to your cat or dog's lifespan.

"Brush your pet's teeth every day"

I'm not joking. Seriously. Grow up and get to it. Do not attempt if your pet bites or you cannot approach your "pet," like a vicious kennelled yard dog (I'm guessing you wouldn't have read this post so far if you housed vicious, untouchable yard dogs.)

Tips to Teach You and Your Pet to Enjoy Tooth Brushing

[caption id="attachment_1321" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The gold-brown stuff is calculus."][/caption] Note: If your pet already has visible calculus build-up on the teeth (picture at left), then see your veterinarian for a proper dental assessment, treatment, and prophylaxis right away. Brushing gingivitis, and painful teeth will only cause your pet to "rightfully" reject your idea of toothbrushing!

Choose the same time and place each day to make a habit of it.
- Doc Truli suggests brush your teeth, brush pet's teeth.
- Probably best in evening, in bathroom.
- Small pets can have a mat or pet bed placed on the counter, sit in the bed, get teeth done.
Use a soft baby toothbrush, or soft pet brush (feel the bristles, make sure is soft.)
Run the brush under warm-hottish water for a few minutes to super soften the bristles.
Or use gauze 4x4's (buy at medical supply store, not chain pharmacy, for best deals.)
Use "finger brush" if you like it, Doc Truli finds them unfriendly and hard to feel what you are doing.
Use warm water, or best, dog toothpaste (from pet stores or your vet.) They don't have to spit; it is nonpoisonous (unlike our toothpaste)
- Note: DO NOT go "all natural" and buy baby toothpaste. Most of it contains the sweetener xylitol which is poisonous to dogs (causes liver failure.) Just because something is safe for babies does not mean it is safe for dogs and cats.
Have treats or reward like a walk or snuggle ready for 30 seconds after you are done (pets do not connect rewards more than about 30 seconds from the good activity.)
Talk calmly to your pet and tell them what you are doing as you do it.
- Use a word or short phrase like , "Tooth time!" One client I have uses, "Open your mouth!" every time you brush the teeth. (Some pets will learn to relax and settle into the routine with the words, just as some pets learn to pee on cue when someone consistently says "hurry up!")
Feel along the teeth, and run the brush in circles as you would in your mouth.
Chewing on the brush and squirming is allowed. Head turning is acknowledged, but firmly ask to try again. Only do about 25% of the mouth the first few times, reward briskly and right away. Do not push past panic, calmly take it back a notch, if you have to. Even take it back to "sit" on the spot you assign for toothbrushing and reward that when your pet manages to pull it off.
Do not let your pet stop the session. If you cannot continue, ask for one last good sit (even for a second), reward it, and then the session is over.
Build up to calm, longer brushing with treats and pats on the chest under the chin.
When you are successful, the whole thing should take less than 5 minutes a night!

If you have neglected to teach your pet how to learn, hire a dog trainer to help, schedule a nurse visit at your veterinarian's if they offer tooth brushing training, or comment on this post, and Doc Truli will make the demonstration the first video podcast on the site! It is that important to keep your pet's teeth healthy! These same tips work after a deep cleaning and surgery. Preventing further problems helps your pet stay pain-free and live a longer, happier life! Download your own toothbrushing instructions for free from VirtuaVet! If you wish to use these instructions on a professional website, or school project, credit VirtuaVet and include a link back to www.virtuavet.com Pet Tooth Brushing (.odt format) Pet Tooth Brushing (pdf format)

Top Ten Breeds for Progressive Periodontal Disease

Doc Truli — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 01:53:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2046" align="alignright" width="150" caption="What disease lurks behind those cute lips?"][/caption] Progressive periodontal disease means, unless you are a super-duper toothbrush trooper, your pet's teeth will need annual, or even twice yearly root planing, deep cleaning, and gingival and periodontal therapy. Yay! If you do not feel like spending $600-$1,200 per year on your pet's oral health, consider a different breed from those listed below. And hope you are lucky and do not adopt a periodontal pariah anyway.

Italian Greyhound
Maltese
Yorkshire Terrier
Greyhound, & most sitehounds
Chihuahua
Bichon Frise
Toy and Mini Poodle
Pomeranian
Shih Tzu
Himalayan and Persian cats

Doc Truli apologizes to any pet in these breeds with healthy teeth. Though I doubt there are many of you... For the rest of you, please, please, learn to brush your dog's and cat's teeth!

Western Veterinary Conference

Doc Truli — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:34:55 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2042" align="alignright" width="150" caption="MGM Lion Snoozing"][/caption] Learning Never Ceases So, your bloggin' Doc sat through hours of lessons about vomiting and diarrhea here in Las Vegas, Nevada. We veterinarians call this "continuing education." That's when we sit in a convention hall and listen to professors present their lectures. In Las Vegas, you'd think I could sleep in. And then maybe go to a show, maybe stuff myself at a buffet. No, instead, I left VirtuaCat at home with a trusted friend and schlepped to Vegas in order to wake up even earlier than on a typical workday! Sometimes lecturers drop true pearls of wisdom. Sometimes I learn something new. For example: if your dog has hypoalbuminemia (low albumin blood protein) and your vet is working on figuring out why, one reason could be bad skin disease that eats up the albumin protein. Good tip. Or try this crazy story on for size: A fellow takes his Chihuahua to his vet for acute (sudden) onset of swelling in the brain (called hydro- like water- cephalus- which refers to "head." Know how an octopus seems to be all head and then eight tentacles? They are called "cephalopods" - which literally means "head feet.") So, tons of tests later, including Magnetic Resonance Imagining, the guy remembered that he was moving large 2x4's in the yard and he swung a piece of wood and thought it hit something and he saw something "brown" go rolling down the hill! So, this fella knew he smacked his Chihuahua with a 2 x 4 and yet did not tell his vet! The swelling was a bruise. The dog did fine with some painkillers and time. Then I saw an endoscopy picture of a bleeding ulcer in the stomach lining of a dog with an Ecotrin tablet (a brand of coated aspirin) stuck right in the ulcer crater! Illustrative of the ulcerative risk of aspirin in pets... Remaining 40 hours of the week to go at the Western Veterinary Conference. Ah! One last note: if any veterinarians or conference-goers find this post: the conference organizers invented "an app for that!" I'm carrying only my iPhone. The WVC app shows my chosen courses and my notes app lets me jot my thoughts quietly during lectures. No more notebooks and pens, and no bulky clicky keyboard laptops! As an aside, I'm also looking forward to the iPad. I have not sprung for a Kindle, although lots of people I know adore their Kindle eBook readers. I read on the iPhone and the computer, but I can't wait for a slightly larger screen and yet still all my iPhone apps!

First Puppy Visit 1-2 Days Old

Doc Truli — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:24:51 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1373" align="alignright" width="150" caption="One Day Old Bug Puppies (Boston Terrier x Pug)"][/caption]

Puppies Need Doctor Check-Up at 1-2 Days of Age

Doc Truli Starts Out Happy, but Turns Melodramatic

Why Does Everything Wonderful Have to Have a Dark Side to It?

For many reasons, puppies should see the veterinarian at 1-2 days old. First, we need our puppy "fix." Why do you think we became vets in the first place?

What to Expect at the Newborn Puppy Visit

Seriously, we check for birth deformities, including cleft palate and anal atresia. Weigh the pups, check the heart, legs are placed in proper positions, check that mom is okay and has passed her placenta(s). (Each puppy has their own placenta.) Doc Truli refuses to dock tails, but will remove very dangly dew claws (the "extra" claws on front, and sometimes hind legs.) If someone needs tails docked, it should be done before the puppies are 4 days old, by a licensed veterinarian. But honestly, and maybe Doc Truli will draw the ire of enthusiasts everywhere, there is no standard, blanket medical reason for puppy tail docking. It is illegal in many countries for good reasons, like it is painful and unnecessary. Yes, puppies do have nerve supply to the tail when they are born; do not be fooled by that old vet's tale! The first sign of illness in a puppy is weight loss. Weigh puppies on a gram scale daily. An accurate postal scale, or a food scale will work. Zero the scale with a container on it to hold the puppy. If a puppy fails to gain, or looses weight you have a big problem, even if the puppy is still eating and active.

"Weigh puppies on a gram scale daily. For you Americans reading this, that's a postal scale or a small food scale. You can place a basket or box on the scale to hold the puppy. "Zero" the scale. Then weigh just the puppy," says Doc Truli. (Everyone else probably knows how to weigh in grams...)...

Why You Should Not Have Puppies "Just for Fun"

Pretty much all puppies are cute, and these Bug puppies (pictured below) are no exception to the cute rule. But, before you run off and let your dog have puppies of your own, plan carefully! Be sure you have extra adopters lined up so you do not end up with so many puppies you have to take some to the animal shelter. Your dog may have 2 or 4 or 12 or 18 puppies (yes, labradors, American pit bull terriers, and other breeds can have teens of puppies in just one litter.) Imagine all those puppies starting to grow up. Probably you planned for their mom's post partum check-up and the puppies' first vet visit. How about booster shots for 10 puppies? How about 3 or 4 sets of shots? Maybe you make it through the first four months, yet, in this downturned economy, you still can't even give away perfect purebreed puppies. How will you have them all neutered at six months old? Will you further delay a decision until you have 30 or more related dogs? Some people find themselves in this situation and end up turning the dogs or cats over to a rescue organization. A shelter. Really? Yes, really. So, if you think it would be "nice" or "cute" or that anyone would want a dog like yours, remember that many of these people do not come through for you when the time comes, or they take a puppy home but then return it to you later. Ultimately, those lives are your responsibility!

Your Next Puppy Visit Should be at 4 Weeks Old...

Don't Stick Your Head in a Box; Get Pet Insurance Now!!!

Doc Truli — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:55:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2032" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Office Cat Calculates: You Need Pet Insurance!"][/caption]

Office Cat Says: 10 Instances When Pet Insurance Means the Difference Between Life and Death

or, Why the Black Swan* Accident or Illness Ruins All of Your Plans, and You Cannot Predict It!

Certain illnesses and accidents cannot be overcome without surgery and/or intensive care. If your pet comes down with any of the following, money may be the only thing standing between your cat or dog and a cure and a normal life. Only money. With pet insurance your pet probably lives, without insurance or a large savings account, you may have to decide to put your friend down only because of money, not because of lack of technology or veterinary know-how.

1. Your female dog needs a C-section.

Doc Truli and every emergency veterinarian knows all too well the tragedy of a complicated, unplanned canine pregnancy. Usually, the human family either did not have the finances or the understanding to prevent their dog from becoming pregnant. Now, if she cannot bear her puppies by herself, she and the puppies will die without expensive emergency surgery! [Warning:shocking story; skip if squeamish. Continue at brackets a few paragraphs down.] Spay your female dogs. Do not find yourself in this situation: A couple found their Beagle unable to pass a stuck puppy through her birth canal. Not having money for a veterinarian, and guessing their dog might die if they didn't remove the puppies she was carrying, the husband and wife held their own dog down on her back and used a kitchen knife to incise her belly. They pulled the dead puppies from her uterus and found sewing thread to sew her up. All with no painkillers or anesthesia of any kind! The veterinarian discovered this horrible circumstance when they called for help the following day because their Beagle was bleeding and feverish. (Of course.). Somehow, one day after performing the dog torture, they had enough money to pay to have the whole surgery and clean-up redone and the ruptured uterus and infected abdomen cleaned out. Doc Truli was not the attending. (I do not know what I would have done about those people! In some states a vet is required to report cruelty to animals. In other states, reporting is voluntary so as not to discourage people from seeking veterinary care in the first place.) [If you did the squeamish skip, continue reading here.]

2. Your dog or cat needs orthopedic, neurologic, or oncologic surgery

You may do everything right: keep your pet on the thin side, feed high quality ingredients, maybe even omega fatty supplements and vitamins. If your beloved breaks a leg, suffers an accident, slips an intervertebral (back) disc, or needs surgery to remove cancer, you could be faced with knowing you have to leave your pet suffering just for lack of enough money to cover a Specialist's bills. Many people where I live in Miami come from all over the world--Miami is the city with the most immigrants of any city in the world-and they cannot comprehend how pricey medicine in America can be! After all, many countries provide free University education and frankly, many have unqualified or technician-level veterinary degrees. We know this because many professionals from training in other countries find the sheer volume and depth of knowledge needed to pass the United States Veterinary National Board examination daunting or requiring extra years of study, even after they have earned their degree and practiced many years in their home country. So yes, the medicine can get expensive for the average family. But veterinary medicine on America, while being on the cutting edge of biosecurity, technology, and one-health medicine, still costs 10% of the comparable procedure for people in the U.S. Your cats and dogs pay a bargain price!

Veterinary medicine on America, while being on the cutting edge of biosecurity, technology, and one-health medicine, still costs 10% of the comparable procedure for people in the U.S.

3. Your dog gets an esophageal stricture

What is this, you say? Well, it is a horrible condition that can happen to anyone. For one dog Doc Truli treated, it all started when she ate a shoe. Even though the shoe was readily removed with an endoscopic camera grabber device (no surgery), the pooch had vomited stomach acid enough times to erode through her esophagus in a ring around the inner side of the whole thing. A badly damaged esophagus might form contractive scar tissue, especially if the eroded, ulcerated, sore part rings the whole food tube. This scar tissue acts as if you tied a string around your esophagus and only liquids, or maybe nothing can get down your throat into the stomach. You would painfully starve to death! The insurance part comes in like this: esophageal strictures are treatable with a procedure under anesthesia where an endoscope is snaked into the throat and a balloon device expanded to stretch and pop the scar tissue. Medicine is injected at the scar to discourage the same old tight scarring from coming right back. Sometimes 1 or 2 procedures does the trick. They cost about $2,000 to $2,500 EACH! Some dogs need....thirteen procedures until the throat heals. Imagine the sheer cash standing between your dog and a normal life. Now imagine paying thousands of dollars (somehow) for one or two or three procedures, and your dog still can't eat. Now you are faced with giving up, putting your dog down, or having your friend live with a permanent indwelling feeding tube in the side of the body. All for lack of extraordinary financial resources. This situation is sad and frustrating. If a decision to quit has to be made, many people cannot shake the feeling they've failed their family member. Insurance means you don't have to make that decision until, depending on the policy limits, you've reached 3,000, 5,000, or even $10,000 in bills (Trupanionpetinsurance.com).

Tru Tip: As of February, 2010, Trupanion has a promotion through your veterinarian. Your vet examines your pet that is 8 wks- 1 year old. They sign the form and note if anything abnormal was found in the physical. Then you take the promo code from the form and enter it at the top right hand corner of the site for a free 30 days of insurance, with no obligation to buy! If you want to buy before the thirty day trial is up, you re-enter the code before the month is up! As a veterinarian, I like this promotion because it encourages more pet parents to overcome that initial indecision and sign up, but it is not an automatic enrollment, so it is not sneaky or tricky! Your vet can get the promo for free from Trupanion while they are still running it.

4. Your cat or dog acquires diabetic ketoacidosis

If your cat develops diabetes mellitus these days, you have up to an 80% cure rate with prompt, proper treatment. With a dog, diabetes management can mean years of fun times together. But, if your pet is so sick as to need intensive care, especially when the condition is first recognized by you and diagnosed by your veterinarian, this ICU care can cost between $1,000 and $1,500 per day for a week! Are you ready for that?

5. Your pet develops heart failure and needs continuous medication and monthly vet visits

Heart failure patients may stabilize for months or years. They may suffer crises a few times a year on top of their regular echocardiograms and check-ups. Many, many families try to treat their pet, but gaps in medication due to lack of money to buy refills on time, lack of money for proper follow-up care, and lack of funds for occasionally emergencies coupled with the knowledge-at least for some pets-that the heart may never be normal again, leads families to put their pet down. Please note, for some reason no one understands, sometimes a cat's heart muscle will heal and recheck echocardiograms prove normal function, even off of medication! So, sometimes that seemingly expensive recheck means proof of a cure and no more need for daily medications! What a present when that happens!

6. Your new puppy gets parvovirus and/or pneumonia

Always have a new puppy or kitten checked out. If problems exist, you may have compensation rights depending on your state laws, and at least you will understand and get early treatment for any problems.

Tru Tips: Beautiful Humane Society of the United States .pdf Chart of US Puppy Laws, 2009 HSUS Puppy Mills Frequently Asked Questions: beautiful, succinct review of frequently asked questions about puppy mills.

Sometimes a new family member arrives with bacteria or viruses and needs hospitalization to survive. If your new little one survives the initial illness, they can go on to live a normal, full life. How many people scrape together funds to buy love, only to be tapped days layer when the little one needs expensive life-saving treatment? Veterinarians, even in a rich country like the United States see this almost every day. You can sign up for health insurance even before you pick up your four-legged bundle of fuzzy joy! Many Humane Societies now offer "Shelter Care.". This is a limited, but effective insurance policy for the top, common ailments for the first thirty days home. Most helpful!

7. Your cat needs a kidney transplant

Yes, young, otherwise healthy cats are candidates for renal (kidney) transplant. For example, if your cat licks antifreeze or eats Lilly plants and sustains sudden kidney shut-down. If you could say "yes" to a transplant, instead of saying goodbye forever, wouldn't that feel good?

8. Your puppies eat your medication. And you have four puppies. And you don't know which one did it.

This may sound silly, bit emergency vets often see a family where to cat spills a bottle of say, for example, Rimadyl, or Tylenol, or Xanax, or diet pills, or whatever, and the dogs get into it. I feel bad for a family when they are faced with a bill for three large Labrador retrievers to have their stomachs pumped, lab tests, intravenous fluids, activated charcoal, and recheck tests. This could easily cost $800 or more Per Dog! What an awful accident!

9. Several of your pets gets sick at the same time (same idea, another creative way to get there!)

What if one dog is drinking and urinating too much, and his father, who is two years older is urinating blood and straining to pee? You know whatever expenses one dog incurs, you're probably looking at double. Think this is far-fetched? I saw this situation last weekend. I made a plan for one dog and the family took him home while they "think about it." Probably they had him put down at the animal shelter anonymously and free. How sad for them and their dogs. I wish everyone could get pet insurance so they do not have to face heartbreak like that! And finally,

10. You have awful luck and something stupid and expensive happens to your pet--three times in a row!

My friends' Dalmation, Spotty Scotty, jumped in the pool like he did ten or more times a day. Only this time, for some reason unknown to me, his paws hit bottom. He snapped all the paw ligaments in the backs of his ankles. So he hobbled painfully with his feet sunken to the floor for the ten minutes it took them to get him in to see me. We fixed Spotty with metal plates to fuse his ankles so he could walk (we cannot successfully rebuild ligaments and tendons in dogs at the specialists by me). Spotty needed to stay in two identical front leg hard casts for 8 weeks. Expensive and traumatic as that surgery was, here's the catch: Spotty jumped into the pool two more times while he was casted. Soaked casts need replacement, with the pet under general anesthesia each time. Luckily, he finally healed. The whole process took 5 months, instead of two, and cost three times as much as expected, because of, well, "special luck." See the Rottweilers and the Porcupine for another example of dogs getting into the same expensive dilemma over and over again!

Think of Pet Insurance as a Necessity

Do Not Get Caught Up in Indecision; There is No Perfect Plan!

Insure yourself against the unexpected. After you've read these stories, it's a little less unexpected, isn't it? Our pets will need "Black Swan" insurance after all; Doc Truli can't teach you everything she's seen, and she hasn't seen everything possible!

***My favorite pet insurance is Trupanion. My reasons are:

major medical and accident coverage $10,000 per incident; $20,000 lifetime

choose your deductible and therefore, premium

no age limits

no breed exclusions

90% back after deductible

pays as quickly as 4 hours

multipet plans

go to any licensed veterinarian, emergency room, or specialist (not a club or buying group)

American Animal Hospital Association approval

What you will not get:

coverage for routine care such as vaccines

Insure Your Relationship With Your Pet Today!

*For you philosophy buffs who don't already know, the highly improbable, unthinkable, unimaginable, and thus, unplannable may be called "A Black Swan." See Nicholas Taub's book of the same name at his website called "fooled by randomness."

Doc Truli's Version of the Black Swan Phenomenon of Human Nature and the Denial of Reality

So the story goes:

"Everyone" thought that swans were white. Everyone academic and living and working in Europe for hundreds of years believed that swans only came in white. "No one" (that they knew, anyway) had ever seen any swan other than a white swan. So the rule was: swans are white. This would be like growing up on a farm where all the Labrador Retrievers were yellow. You could make a rule and say that "all Labrador Retrievers are yellow" because in your world, they all are! Then you visit a friend's farm when you are about 5, and are allowed to go visiting, and up bounds your friend's black labrador for some socializing with your visiting yellow labrador. "Hey, you got your yellow in my black! Well, you got your black in my yellow!" Not only were chocolate labrador puppies born, but no one knew what color to upholster their furniture from that fateful visit forward. One day, year, whatever--somebody academic from Europe visited Australia "for the first Time." (You know how these academics like to own certain places and times-they stamp their point of view POV on the whole reality and declare the case and the countercase as if no one actually lived and philosophized in Australia ever before.) I digress. Pardon me. So, this European, maybe British, whatever, saw a ... black swan! "What the...." "Maybe it's some other bird..." "No, it definitely resembles a swan in every way, except all swans are white." Well, not anymore, buddy! The recognition of one...single...black...swan, changed the rule forever. No longer were all swans white. This one solitary (well, they tend to mate for life, so the other black swan was hiding behind the branches of a weeping willow tree) changed the rule, forever. Now, I could challenge another "rule," that nature abhors interracial couples! For, behold, a beautiful, coy white swan glides out from beneath the swaying weeping willow branches and integrates ornithology forever. So, Doc Truli says, get insurance, because you never know when the chocolate swan is going to arrive and you will be covered, because the insurance company does not know about it in order to exclude it...yet!

Share your Pet Insurance Saves with VirtuaVet! We love to hear inspirational stories!

Top Ten Reasons to Get Pet Insurance Or Black Swan Insurance Today

virtuavet — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:55:36 +0000

10 Instances When Pet Insurance Saves Lives

or, Why the Black Swan* Accident or Illness Ruins All of Your Plans, and You Cannot Predict It!

1. Your female dog needs a C-section.

2. Your dog or cat needs orthopedic, neurologic, or oncologic surgery

Veterinary medicine on America, while being on the cutting edge of biosecurity, technology, and one-health medicine, still costs 10% of the comparable procedure for people in the U.S.

3. Your dog gets an esophageal stricture

Tru Tip: As of February, 2010, Trupanion has a promotion through your veterinarian. Your vet examines your pet that is 8 wks- 1 year old. They sign the form and note if anything abnormal as found in the physical. Then you take the promo code from the form and enter it at the top right hand corner of the site for a free 30 days of insurance, with no obligation to buy! If you want to buy before the thirty day trial is up, you re-enter the code before the month is up! As a veterinarian, I like this promotion because it encourages more pet parents to overcome that initial indecision and sign up, but it is not an automatic enrollment, so it is not sneaky or tricky! Your vet can get the promo for free from Trupanion while they are still running it.

4. Your cat or dog acquires diabetic ketoacidosis

5. Your pet develops heart failure and needs continuous medication and monthly vet visits

6. Your new puppy gets parvovirus and/or pneumonia

Tru Tips: Beautiful Humane Society of the United States .pdf Chart of US Puppy Laws, 2009 HSUS Puppy Mills Frequently Asked Questions: beautiful, succinct review of frequently asked questions about puppy mills.

7. Your cat needs a kidney transplant

8. Your puppies eat your medication. And you have four puppies. And you don't know which one did it.

9. Several of your pets gets sick at the same time (same idea, another creative way to get there!)

10. You have awful luck and something stupid and expensive happens to your pet--three times in a row!

Think of Pet Insurance as a Necessity

Do Not Get Caught Up in Indecision; There is No Perfect Plan!

***My favorite pet insurance is Trupanion. My reasons are:

major medical and accident coverage $10,000 per incident; $20,000 lifetime

choose your deductible and therefore, premium

no age limits

no breed exclusions

90% back after deductible

pays as quickly as 4 hours

multipet plans

go to any licensed veterinarian, emergency room, or specialist (not a club or buying group)

American Animal Hospital Association approval

What you will not get:

coverage for routine care such as vaccines

Insure Your Relationship With Your Pet Today!

Doc Truli's Version of the Black Swan Phenomenon of Human Nature and the Denial of Reality

So the story goes:

8-Year Old Boxer Battles Splenic Leiomyosarcoma

Doc Truli — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:25:41 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1478" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Keynes Eyes the Mop Bucket for a Draught"][/caption]

First, We Just Had Too Much Drinking

Keynes is an eight-year-old Boxer. He slobbers, bounces, occasionally limps, had a benign leiomyoma intestinal muscle wall tumor surgically resected by yours Doc Truli four years ago, and generally loves loving everybody. About three months ago, he started obsessively drinking water. From his bowl, the cat's dish, the toilet, the bird bath, even the mop water. You're thinking, "Diabetes, kidney disease, urinary tract infection, accidental poison ingestion, or crazy because of workmen doing construction on his house." Or, at least, that's what his mom and I were thinking. Well, we were wrong. Normal blood and urine tests (except his urine was very dilute.) So I thought, "Maybe mom's mistaken. Let's measure how much water Keynes drinks in a day." A dog or cat can drink in the ballpark of 30mL per pound per 24 hour Earth day. (approx 65mL per kg per 24 hrs). Keynes was drinking well over 100 mL/pound/day.

Tru Tip: A dog or cat can drink in the ballpark of 30mL per pound per 24 hour Earth day. (approx 65mL per kg per 24 hrs)

Next We Searched for an Answer Visually

and an "oh, by the way" gives the Doc a big clue!

Next we looked at chest and abdominal x-rays, really hunting for trouble. Then we performed an abdominal ultrasound. Keynes had a mass growing off of the tail of his spleen that might be cancerous or benign. He had 4 abnormal lumps in his pancreas. And his mom thought to let me know he had regurgitated and vomited water several times daily, although sometimes not for several days, for three months! "That's a symptom," responded Doc Truli. Now, some Specialists encouraged laparotomy, open abdominal surgery where I check everything and surgically remove or correct or at least biopsy everything abnormal (wonky) looking. (I'm psyched to have readers from Britain; I spent three years in Mildenhall as a child.)

Minimally Invasive Biopsies Identify a Diagnosis

The endoscope finds ugliness, but not disease

Your Doc Truli uses an endoscope. Regularly. The endoscope possesses a digital camera on the end, so I can see what's going on. I decided Keynes needed his esophagus and stomach checked because of the news about the vomiting. A mass on the spleen with normal complete blood count and no anemia could cause pressure on the capsule of the spleen and a feeling of nausea. Masses in the pancreas could cause pancreatitis, but his PLI snap pancreatitis screening test was perfectly normal, he had a good appetite, and did not vomit food. Only water. Instead of going right to abdominal surgery, I scoped the Boxer. The first picture is the stomach lining. And no, it's not supposed to look like it has a rash. [caption id="attachment_1479" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Those red spots are not normal!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1480" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Magnified Biopsy Instrument at Work"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1481" align="alignleft" width="147" caption="Seconds after the Biopsy Bite"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1482" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Normal Drops of Blood Stream from the Biopsy Site"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1483" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Normal Stomach Lining in a Dog"][/caption] The second picture shows the magnified biopsy instrument grabbing a piece of mucosa. (That's all there is to that!) The next picture document a biopsy site where a piece of the stomach lining was grabbed (about 5mm, this is greatly magnified), the spot pooches out for a minute, then starts normal bleeding. A mostly visually normal area of stomach lining is pink and smooth.

Ultrasound-guided biopsies into the splenic mass

Doc Truli pointed the ultrasound at Keynes' large spleen lump and used the images to guide a tru-cut biopsy needle into the heart of the mass. Two diagnostic quality samples were obtained, without invasive surgery. These ultimately brought the diagnosis to light. Keynes woke up in good spirits. Hopefully, the minimally invasive biopsies give us the answer to his problems without the need for invasive internal surgery.

Disappointing Results; but at least we had results!

P.S. After 2 days, we had some results. The mass on the spleen was called a leiomyosarcoma. Any biopsy ending in -sarcoma is bad. Sarcomas are tumors of the connective-tissue family of cells. They like to spread around microscopically, but occasionally they like to stay local and can be cured with surgery. The trouble is, you can never be 100% certain which way they will be. (Like a relative that sometimes is thoughtful and insightful and other times just gets too drunk and all over the place. You just can't predict, good family holiday? or embarrassing family holiday?) And the stomach lining was just basically irritated. Now begins the hunt for metastasis-or cancer spread to parts of the body in addition to the spleen. In most cases, if chest radiographs (x-rays) show lumps or nodules, then the cancer us assumed to be spread already. However, chest x-rays only show lumps about one centimeter (1/2 inch) or larger. So basically, just because a dog has a "clear chest met-check" does not guarantee "no spread of cancer."

The Drinking Water--Lump on the Spleen Connection

P.P.S. Keynes' oncologist felt that he had no identifiable spread of the cancer. He had hyperplastic (hyperactive) nodules of Delta-cells on his Pancreas. The pancreas makes hormones that help regulate thirst and water intake. Splenic Leiomyosarcomas are known to make a "fake" hormone to trigger the pancreas, which in turn makes a dog drink tons of water for no good reason. These nodules were the homes of the hyperactive Delta cells that were responding to the inappropriate signal the cancer was sending their way.

Keynes Surgery

or, Why We Have to Remove the Whole Bloody Thing

Keynes underwent surgery to remove his spleen. Dogs survive without their spleen. The spleen is so bloody because its primary job is to filter blood. IN fact, so much blood is stored in the spleen that racing greyhounds, and horses have muscular capsules on their spleens that contract and push extra oxygen-carrying blood into their circulation when they are running or racing. As much as 30% more blood can enter the bloodstream from the spleen! I digress. The point is this: because of the architecture and the job of the spleen, it cannot be cut in half, or just a part f it removed without the patient bleeding to death. That is why surgeons remove the whole thing! Days after surgery, Keynes has gained weight, he's eating well, and he stopped stealing water from every source he could find!

Where Did This Yorkie's Tooth Go?

Doc Truli — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:31:43 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1486" align="alignleft" width="114" caption="Can you spot the root fragment?"][/caption]

Another Good Example of Why You Need Full Mouth X-Rays Every Patient, Every Time

GiGi was a five-year-old female spayed black and tan Yorkshire Terrier. Her parents could see the tartar build-up on her teeth, so they scheduled an anesthetic dental exam the same day as her annual check up. Good thing they did! It does not matter how many times I advise people to brush their dogs' teeth. Most people can't be bothered. People love the idea of their dog much more than the reality of another living being. A little accomodation and learning on your part will keep your dog's teeth healthier and can add Years - YEARS - dog your dog's too short lifespan. Years. GiGi's x-rays showed a retained incisor root overlapping an incisor that was loose and sitting in an infected tooth socket. Probably, the crown, or top enamel part, of the broken tooth snapped off, the gums healed over, and then the festering root caused the early demise of the neighboring tooth. (In the picture, the lower right middle incisor is missing, there is a gap in the teeth, and a little overlapping root fragment sticks out.) Imagine your tooth snapping off and you never tell anyone or complain. Doesn't seem possible, does it? Dogs suffer silently exactly like this all the time. Doc Truli removed the offending root and the loose incisor and GiGi made 100% recovery by the following day! [caption id="attachment_1488" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="A Little Gap Between the Incisors Reveals a Big Hidden Problem"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1490" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Absorbable Stitches Didn't Stop This Little Girl from Playing Ball When She Went Home!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1491" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="What a cutie!"][/caption] If you've found a good veterinarian, do not be afraid of anesthesia and tooth surgery! Your dog will live years longer and be happier and healthier if you take decisive and fast action! Dogs have six lower incisor teeth. These are the little lower teeth in the front in between the big canine or eye teeth on the four corners of the front of the mouth. If your dog is missing one for no reason, get it checked out!

Top Ten Boxer Bumps

Doc Truli — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:36:56 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2022" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Boxer Puppy in Pink"][/caption] Boxers Grow Lumps and Cancer Better Than Any Other Breed of Dog*

But if you live with a Boxer, you probably already know this! Did you know Boxers used to have a predicted lifespan of 4-6 years? The breed was bogged down with genetic predisposition to cancer, and they passed on an inherited heart condition that shortened their lives. The breeders got together and agreed to selectively breed healthy dogs so as not to pass on the traits. Now, Boxers can expect to live 8-10 years, sometimes as much as 12-14 years, or longer. Still, if you see a new growth or lump on your Boxer, have your vet check it urgently. Here is a rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly... Boxer Bumps I've Diagnosed: 1. Mast Cell Tumor, the chameleon of lumps, can look like any other lump! (bad, but potentially curable if caught early) 2. Lipoma, fatty lump, this is what you hope every lump turns out to be. (good) 3. Adenoma, a cauliflower-looking skin tumor.(good) 4. Hair follicle tumor, or cyst. Also recently named Subcutaneous Keratinizing Trichoepithelioma. The pathologists love to classify and reclassify.(good) 5. Histiocytoma. Raised, cherry-red lump. Your vet can do a simple test to diagnose this little number. Quite curable!(good) Internal: 6. Hemangiosarcoma. A tumor of blood vessel lining cells. No one yet knows if early detection would increase survival from this devastating tumor. Now that ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) are becoming more available for animal patients, perhaps these tumors will be found to be more survivable.(very bad) 7. Lymphoma, inside and out. Treatable.(bad) 8. Acanthamatous Epulis. Lumps on the gums in the mouth. Your vet can diagnose gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth) from these growths that can be invasive and cancerous.(bad, but potentially curable) 9. Osteosarcoma. Bone cancer. If a leg is suddenly super painful, and especially if there is a hard lump at the pain spot, do not delay. Even if you don't want to hear the bad news, you also don't want your Boxer to be in pain. Go to the vet and get answers and at the very least, painkillers.(bad) 10. Sometimes a lump is just a lump! Bee sting, skin infection, hair follicle cyst, allergic reaction (boxers get hives.) Good Luck, Go to Your Vet, Don't be Afraid, they're there to help you! **As of May, 2010, Golden Retrievers have been declared the most likely breed of dog to grow cancer. Good news for Boxers? Only if they don't have a Golden Retriever friend at home! P.S. May 2010: Check out more "Bump" Stories under the "Bump" Tag.

Boxer Bumps

virtuavet — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:36:56 +0000

Boxers Grow Lumps and Cancer Better Than Any Other Breed of Dog

But if you live with a Boxer, you probably already know this! Did you know Boxers used to have a predicted lifespan of 4-6 years? The breed was bogged down with genetic predisposition to cancer, and they passed on an inherited heart condition that shortened their lives. The breeders got together and agreed to selectively breed healthy dogs so as not to pass on the traits. Now, Boxers can expect to live 8-10 years, sometimes as much as 12-14 years, or longer. Still, if you see a new growth or lump on your Boxer, have your vet check it urgently. Here is a rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly... Boxer Bumps I've Diagnosed: 1. Mast Cell Tumor, the chameleon of lumps, can look like any other lump! (bad, but potentially curable if caught early) 2. Lipoma, fatty lump, this is what you hope every lump turns out to be. (good) 3. Adenoma, a cauliflower-looking skin tumor.(good) 4. Hair follicle tumor, or cyst. Also recently named Subcutaneous Keratinizing Trichoepithelioma. The pathologists love to classify and reclassify.(good) 5. Histiocytoma. Raised, cherry-red lump. Your vet can do a simple test to diagnose this little number. Quite curable!(good) Internal: 6. Hemangiosarcoma. A tumor of blood vessel lining cells. No one yet knows if early detection would increase survival from this devastating tumor. Now that ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) are becoming more available for animal patients, perhaps these tumors will be found to be more survivable.(very bad) 7. Lymphoma, inside and out. Treatable.(bad) 8. Acanthamatous Epulis. Lumps on the gums in the mouth. Your vet can diagnose gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth) from these growths that can be invasive and cancerous.(bad, but potentially curable) 9. Osteosarcoma. Bone cancer. If a leg is suddenly super painful, and especially if there is a hard lump at the pain spot, do not delay. Even if you don't want to hear the bad news, you also don't want your Boxer to be in pain. Go to the vet and get answers and at the very least, painkillers.(bad) 10. Sometimes a lump is just a lump! Bee sting, skin infection, hair follicle cyst, allergic reaction (boxers get hives.) Good Luck, Go to Your Vet, Don't be Afraid, they're there to help you!

VirtuaVet Downloads

Doc Truli — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:45:39 +0000

VirtuaVet Offers Free Downloadable Pet Health Advice

The VirtuaVet website contains downloadable content on various pages and posts. For your convenience and amusement, you can browse the complete collection from this one page! If you prefer only pdf files, see the quick VirtuaVet pdf-only page. If you prefer only odt customizable files, see the quick VirtuaVet odt-only page (or check it out if you need to know what odt is.) Control Click or Right Click to Download

VirtuaVet Downloads .pdf Format

Doc Truli — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:39:51 +0000

VirtuaVet .pdf Format Downloads Available

This standard file transfer format is like a picture of the text content. You will be unable to add words or edit the file unless you have installed a program like pdf pen (for Mac) which converts the text from a picture of text, back to actual text. Control Click or Right Click to Download

E-Books

Happy Halloween With Pets, By Doc Truli Thanksgiving e-Book-" Airline Travel With Your Pet", By Doc Truli

Quality of Life Checklists and Tools

VirtuaVet's Quality of Life Self-Coaching Questionnaire (pdf) Dr. Villalobos' Pet Quality of Life Scale (pdf)

Checklists

VirtuaVet Pet First Aid Checklist (pdf) Pet Anesthesia Checklist (pdf)

Instructions

VirtuaVet's Pet Tooth Brushing (pdf) VirtuaVet How to Bathe a Kitten (pdf)

Recipes

VirtuaVet Oatmeal Sensitive Stomach Doggie Cookies (pdf) VirtuaVet Ginger Carrot Doggie Digestion Cookies (pdf)

Forms

Release of Veterinary Medical Records (pdf)

Return to VirtuaVet Downloads for the Complete Selection

VirtuaVet E-Books

Doc Truli — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:40:23 +0000

Control Click or Right Click to Download

E-Books

Happy Halloween With Pets, By Doc Truli Thanksgiving e-Book-" Airline Travel With Your Pet", By Doc Truli

Return to VirtuaVet Downloads for the Complete Selection of VirtuaVet Pet Health Information Downloadable Content

VirtuaVet Downloads .odt Format

Doc Truli — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:41:06 +0000

VirtuaVet .odt Format Downloads Available

.odt format lets you download files and then the OpenOffice free Software opens the files and lets you edit and add to the content. This ability is highly recommended for quality of life worksheets if you prefer to do all of your "writing" on the computer and prefer never to print out flat small pieces of trees in order to write your notes. (Microsoft Office formatting would allow this, too, but VirtuaVet highly supports open platform software that all computer users can share without spending tons of hard-earned money!) If your computer does not read .odt files, download free OpenOffice software. Control Click or Right Click to Download

Click here for VirtuaVet E-Books

Quality of Life Checklists and Tools

VirtuaVet's Quality of Life Scale (odt) Doc Truli's Quality of Life Self- Coaching Questionnaire (odt)

Checklists

VirtuaVet Pet First Aid Checklist (odt) VirtuaVet Pre-Visit Checklist (odt) Pet Anesthesia Checklist (odt)

Instructions

VirtuaVet Pet Tooth Brushing (odt)

Return to VirtuaVet Downloads for the Complete Selection

When a Fat Bump Goes Bad

Doc Truli — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:18:53 +0000

Boxer Fatty Lump Goes Bad

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Boxer Puppy in Pink"][/caption] The first time I saw a fatty lump was also the day I saw my first convertible Jaguar XJ8 (before they sold to Ford.) The SUV in front of the pet emergency room, behind the Jaguar, held a nervous, frightened brown Brindle Boxer on a comforter, named Manny. Manny's dad parked by the yellow curb and opened the overhead rear door to the SUV, placed the carpeted doggy ramp at the back car gate, and Manny slowly climbed down to the sidewalk. I saw the reason for the slow walking a few moments later. The late afternoon sunlight glowed across his Brindle side and then he turned. The Boxer's right side, where only his ribs should be, looked like a Basketball sticking out of his ribcage, covered with brindle fur. Manny, the Boxer was diagnosed with a fatty lump -- a Lipoma -- several years earlier. Since the veterinarian said not to worry about it, the family did not worry as the thing grew and grew. Usually a lipoma shows up, almost as if instantly, is a certain size, and then stays that way. Sometimes a lipoma grows or shrinks if the dog gets fatter or skinnier. Generally, surgery is not needed. In Manny's case, because of the enormity of the lump, and the fact that Manny could not lie down to sleep on his right side, the lump was removed surgically for diagnosis and Manny's comfort. It was a Liposarcoma.

Liposarcoma is a cancerous, metastatic, disease-causing tumor made up of fat cells.

Now, any lump that is just an -oma, is not so bad as a carcin-oma, or sarc-oma, both of which like to spread in the body and like to send microscopic satellites of themselves into the body, making them almost impossible to completely surgically remove. The Boxer survived, but the massive surgery and the follow-up chemotherapy would have been unnecessary if intervention as soon as the lump started growing had been undertaken.

Sheltie Fatty Lump Goes Bad

[caption id="attachment_2339" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Hi, Doc!"][/caption] Nevada was the cutest, sweetest, most loved Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) I know. Nevada sported thick, shaggy fur in brown and white patches, with perfect white paws, brown soft fur on the top of his head, and his tongue hanging out in a perpetual smile. Usually, a visit to see the Doc was all licks and kisses. "Doc, I'm worried about this lump I just found by his tail. It's soft and it doesn't hurt, but it keeps growing," Nevada's dad said over the phone. "Bring Nevada right in," Doc Truli said. So there was Nevada four feet up in the air on top of an electric hydraulic lift table, butt facing the Doc, the lump looming about 4 inches in diameter next to the right side of his tail. Even with all of the fur, you could see the bulge. Normally, an aspirate cytology will suffice for diagnosing a Lipoma (fatty lump). Aspirate cytology means sticking a needle into the lump, pulling back on the syringe, pulling the whole deal out of the lump, the pet parent saying, "Did you get anything?" and looking at the "nothing" in the barrel of the syringe. Then the Doc pfoofs the sample onto a microscope slide and the fat globs sparkle in the fluorescent indoor light. That's usually all it takes.

Aspirate cytology means sticking a needle into the lump, pulling back on the syringe, and spreading the sample on a microscope slide.

The slide can be set aside to dry and be stained for analysis, but generally, the fat will not dry, the sample will not fix to the surface of the slide, and only a few fat cells, or nothing is left to look at under the microscope. Fabulous! A lipoma is diagnosed and everyone breaths easier. There are a couple of glitches with this plan. One is, perhaps the sample came from a part of a tumor that is fat, but it is not representative of the whole lump; in that case, the diagnosis is missed altogether. The other glitch is meanly serious. A Liposarcoma will reveal just fat under the microscope, too. It behaves in the body like a vicious cancer, but it is still made up physically speaking , of fat. In Nevada's case, yours Truli suspected foul play. The lump grew fast, was large, and everyone had a bad feeling about it. Instead of a plain old cytology, that would miss a sarcoma diagnosis, we performed a tru-cut biopsy. A tru-cut biopsy involves a larger needle-like biopsy instrument that penetrates deeper and further than a skinny little syringe needle. It is designed to obtain a core sample. Lidocaine numbed the skin, a small incision allowed the tru-cut instrument to enter nicely under the skin, and then several core samples were obtained for histopathology analysis. The incision did not even need a stitch.

A tru-cut biopsy involves a larger needle-like biopsy instrument that penetrates deeper and further than a skinny little syringe needle. It is designed to obtain a core sample.

Nevada's core sample looked like a squiggly worm piece of fat. The cores were dunked into formalin fixative and sent to the laboratory marked "stat." We had a diagnosis of Liposarcoma within 48 hours. Nevada underwent surgery with a specialist oncologic surgeon- a surgeon that specializes in how to remove cancer without missing some or spreading it during the surgery. Nevada felt good for about 10 months. Then he grew another lump on the left side of his tail and it grew fast. His parents decided not to make him undergo another surgery, and he felt okay with painkillers for another month. He larked in the yard and enjoyed spoiling with steak and treats. Nevada passed away 11 months after his original surgery. If he had been given only a cytology aspirate test and not a core tru-cut biopsy that first day, the Doc feels he would not have been around even a month, the tumor was growing so fast.

Bichon "Fatty Lump" Actually Masquerading Mast Cell Tumor

[caption id="attachment_2344" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Happy Bichon Frise"][/caption] Snowy was a street dog. His mom found him hanging around her car, full of heartworms, matted, smelly, hungry, and friendly! She fed him and then brought him right in to see the Doc as soon as he finished his first meal. "Doc, what kinda dog is he?" Doc replied,"I think he's a very dirty, mud-brown Bichon." "A what?," his new mom asked. "A Bichon. You know, usually a little white fluffy cute dog," Doc said. "That thing?" his mom fluffed up a little with pride,"Do you think he has papers?" **(You know-- like registration, like AKC, or something...) Education is one thing. Explaining the inexplicable is senseless. "Sure, he's a real handsome guy under all this filth. We'll clean up the fleas and ticks and dirt," Doc said. We explained the heartworm treatment protocol and cleaned up the little guy. He became known as Snowy after that first bath, not before! Snowy was middle-aged, and he liked to eat. He grew a little fat and he grew lumps on his body that worried his mom. Like a good doggy mom, she had the lumps checked. Now, a veterinarian can usually look at many different lumps and have a fair idea what they are, like adenomas. These are often hair follicle cysts, skin tags, or cauliflower-looking growths that are ugly, but won't make your dog sick. The dreaded tumor is the mast cell tumor. It is made up of angry little immune cells called mast cells that release histamine when they are disturbed and can cause illness and even a shock reaction called anaphylaxis. And did I mention they come in three annoying grades of 1,2 and 3. Ones are removed surgically and you're cured. Twos may or may not be cured, time will tell. And you had better have a thorough surgeon. Threes are nasty, have already spread to the internal organs, and surgery alone will not cure the problem.

The dreaded tumor is the mast cell tumor. It is made up of angry little immune cells called mast cells that release histamine when they are disturbed and can cause illness and even a shock reaction called anaphylaxis.

Mast cell tumors are the reason Doc Truli performs at least an aspirate cytology, measurement of the lump, and marks it on a dog body "map" in the medical record. Snowy had 8 lumps on his body. 6 were adenoma-like skin bumps. Two were soft and under the skin. The one by his right shoulder aspirated fat only. The 1 cm lump in his right inguinal region (down between his legs on his lower belly), was full of mast cells. Snowy went to surgery almost right away. Doc Truli removed the lump and 4 cm of normal-looking dog belly fat and skin all around the spot. About 11 stitches closed the whole thing, and a satellite dish and some painkillers helped Snowy at home the first day. After that, he did not care, and acted like he never had surgery. Snowy's lump was a Grade One mast cell tumor, cured by surgery. Whew! That was a close one. If the Doc would have assumed that lump was fat, then it would have stayed a long time and has a chance to change and spread into a bad cancer. P.S. If you were paying attention as you read, you may be asking yourself, “How does the doctor know if fat is from a sarcoma or a lipoma without the tru-cut biopsy test. Isn't this just guessing?”

“Well yes,” says the Doc,”It is educated guessing. We know Liposarcomas are very rare and Lipomas are ubiquitous. Liposarcomas grow so fast the odds of seeing it when it is only 1 cm (half an inch or so) are tiny.”

Doctors have to make these kinds of educated guesses everyday. P.S. (May 2010): Check out the "Bumps" tag or these posts to see other "bump" stories: Beagle Bump Blues and Cocker Spaniel Belly Lump and Bichon Suffers Bump Under Tail

6-Year Old Maltese Needs 12 Teeth Removed

Doc Truli — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:08:44 +0000

Or, How 3 of Those Teeth Could Have Been Saved

Including 3 Questions All Pet Parents Ask When They Are Told Teeth Need Extraction

Also Including the Important Tip: What Are the Most Important Teeth?

[caption id="attachment_1613" align="alignleft" width="126" caption="Bennie wakes up after his oral surgery."][/caption]

Bennie's Bad Breath

A little white fluffy dog trimmed in a two-inch puppy cut wagged his whole hind end along with his tail as Doc Truli patted his head and leaned in to check his teeth. Benny had terrible breath! His front incisors moved a little when yours Truli touched them lightly. His molars were hard to get a good look at because he wiggled so much, but the Doc could see some of them overlapped and they were covered with tartar. "Bennie needs to undergo dental surgery," Doc Truli said. "But he's only six years old!" mom said. "Almost all dogs his age have periodontal disease unless they've had their teeth brushed pretty much daily," Doc Truli reassured,"Once his teeth are cleaned, assessed, and taken care of, we can teach you how to keep his teeth healthy from now forward." Bennie's mom left him for the day for dental surgery.

Bennie's Dental Day

First, Bennie had his pre-op EKG (painless) and his pre-op bloodwork. The nurses put an IV in his little arm, and he got some diazepam (one brand name is valium) to help relax him for the anesthesia. Bennie's anesthesia went well, but his dental exam was horrendous. The incisors were loose (useless). 3 major molars had one abscessed root and one or two normal roots. The rest of the diseased teeth were rotten premolars. [caption id="attachment_1614" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The reddish black spot under the white crown is the diseased, bloody root exposed to the air!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1617" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Crowded, unhealthy teeth"][/caption] In fact, one of the premolars was damaged because a baby tooth was stuck under the gums and never fell out. Two other molars were damaged because their neighboring teeth crowded them, leaving no room for healthy gums, or tooth sockets.

Doc Truli says,"Everytime I call a pet parent to tell them teeth have to be extracted, everyone asks the same questions: 1-How will he (or she) eat? A-Better than with rotten, painful teeth. 2-How many teeth will be left? Comment-Doctors always focus on how many will come out, it takes extra effort and time for us to flip the perspective and have the answer ready for you. I take the extra minute because everyone, bar none, asks this question. 3-Is that the best price you can do? A-No matter if your vet charges $10 or $100 or $1,000 for dental work, it always feels like "extra." Probably, this has to do with the absolute fact that no vet can predict how much disease will be found until x-rays are analyzed. And no pet sits still for x-rays of the delicate mouth structures without anesthesia. So your pet will never have a firm cost estimate before you leave him or her for the procedure." Unnerving, I know. And to top off your feeling of being cornered, you really do not want your beloved to undergo another anesthetic procedure just because you were not financially prepared for any outcome! That's just the physics and biology of the situation!

Treatment Options for Bennie

Those 3 important large molars had two treatment options. The first was extraction (which we ended up performing because the second option was too expensive for Bennie's folks.) Let me explain how those 3 teeth could have been saved with option 2. But first, a little lesson in tooth priorities.

What Are "Important Teeth?

There are 8 "important" teeth in a dog's mouth. The four canine, or eye teeth, you see in the front. Then there are two big molars (technically, premolars) on the right and left upper arcade. They are called carnassial teeth. They each have three roots, two toward the front and one toward the back of the mouth. The other two integral teeth are the big bottom molars on right and left. These bottom teeth each have two roots. These molars can look normal to the eye, and they will not wiggle when examined, because one root may be damaged while the other root or roots are solid. Between a careful exam with periodontal probes under anesthesia and dental x-rays, the pattern of disease is revealed. If only one root is damaged on one of these molars, the tooth can be saved.

How Molars Can be Saved

"How can we save molars?" you ask. The molars are sectioned in half. The useless, diseased half is removed from the mouth altogether. The remaining healthy part of the tooth now has a hole into the pulp and no enamel to protect the cut surface. Root canal therapy fills and seals the remaining canal, so there is no pain and no infection can attack the inside of the tooth. A mold is made of the tooth. In a separate anesthetic procedure, a crown replaces the original chewing surface and appearance of the tooth! This surgery does not replace the need for daily toothbrushing. The saved root can still get disease around the tooth (called the periodontum), become loose, and be lost. The financial expense? The same as for a person! This kind of advanced salvage and reconstructive work is usually best performed by a board certified veterinary dental specialist.

Bennie Came Through Like a Champ!

Bennie's parents wished to save his molars, but would have needed to wait a year to save up the money for three root canals and crowns. Bennie could not stand the pain and disease for another day, let alone a year! All of the useless, diseased teeth left his mouth that day. [caption id="attachment_1621" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The Dirty Dozen (Apologies for the lack of focus) The premolars on the bottom were not broken on removal, the roots were rotted away!"][/caption] After surgery, Bennie rested comfortably with his strong opioid painkillers. After arriving home, he seemed just like his old self! Bennie even still eats dry dog food, even without those 12 teeth. (Note: It looks like more than twelve teeth in the picture because some of the teeth have been cut in half, and do not count as 2 teeth.)

How to Tell If Your Kitten Is In Pain

Doc Truli — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:40:19 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1661" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="The hip joint on the left shows the pelvic fracture"][/caption]

6-Month Old Kitten Versus Automobile= Fractured Pelvis

Sugar is a 6-month-old grey and white short, plush haired cat. She usually stayed indoors all the time, but when repairman came tho the house, she slipped out the door. Her family looked for hours, but she was nowhere to be found. 3 days later, she crawled up to the porch, her hind legs dragging, a pained, awful, desperate look on her face. Still, mom and dad did not rush to the emergency room. They gave her food, water, and a warm, comfortable bed, and waited until the next day to come see Doc Truli. They could find no sores, no wounds, they really couldn't tell what had happened to Sugar. "Why didn't they take the kitten right to the vet's office," you ask. I was wondering the same thing. Sugar's mom explained, "I thought she must be in pain, but she didn't cry or meow or anything. So I thought maybe I was wrong and she'd be okay. I didn't want to stress her with the car ride." (Veterinarians hear this almost every day.) Doc Truli had the benefit of x-rays, that showed fractures in many places in Sugar's pelvis. But there were clear signs that Sugar was in a great deal of pain.

Signs of Pain in a Kitten or Cat:

1. Look at the kitten's face. Look at this picture and ask yourself, "Is this kitten happy or sad?" [caption id="attachment_1636" align="alignleft" width="149" caption="Notice how this kitten stares inward and back a little."][/caption] Sad, right? Notice the unfocused, distracted, almost inward stare slightly to her side and to the back. She is thinking about the pain in her hips and back. Don't worry, I took this picture as I was giving her a good painkiller injection. 2. Watch the breathing. Sugar was calm, and then she started breathing faster with the ribs visibly moving up and down with the effort. A cat in pain takes great effort to breath. Normally, you should not notice any increased respiratory effort. 3. Watch the body language. (We saw this before with the hunched back kitty.) [caption id="attachment_1626" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Notice the abnormally extended and malpositioned hind legs."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1627" align="alignleft" width="72" caption="Close-up of unnatural leg positioning."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1662" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Compare the x-ray to the kitten."][/caption] In this case, look at the hind legs. This kitten is not relaxed in the animal hospital, she is barely moving at all. The hind legs are extended and positioned in a wholly unnatural pose, especially for being in a stressful, unfamiliar environment. This position is because of pain in the hind end, and a reduced ability to move. 4. Illogical purring and "kitten bread-making" indicate self-comforting, coping, trying to cope with pain. Many, many people say," But I thought purring meant the cat was happy." Same goes for the kneading with the front paws, reminiscent of the kneading a neonate performs at the nipple in order to simulate mother's milk to flow. Sometimes the Doc thinks maybe people aren't as smart as the kittens. All meaning is contextual. If you see a kitten purring in an extremely stressful situation, or after 3 days of no food, after dragging herself up the porch to let her family know she needs help, this purring is a coping mechanism, like a person rocking themselves to sleep the first night in a strange new place.

Always, always assume there is pain if you have any suspicion there might be pain. "I didn't know" is a poor excuse, at best.

Always, always assume there is pain if you have any suspicion there might be pain. And always assume there is pain if you have knowledge that something occurred that you or a reasonable person would find painful. Like a gunshot wound, or auto trauma, or dog attack. You may think this advice is obvious, but every day veterinarians run into people who either didn't think it through or perhaps believe "I didn't know" is an adequate excuse.

Labrador Puppy Cannot Swim

Doc Truli — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:34:47 +0000

Labrador Retriever Puppy Falls in Pool, Panics!

Plus, Labrador "Swimmer Tail"

[caption id="attachment_1641" align="alignleft" width="141" caption="Max is not feeling very snappy after falling into the pool!"][/caption] You would think a Lab puppy would naturally be able to swim. Like a dolphin. Of course, this is only the case sometimes. Max fell into the family in ground pool while larking in the back yard. Even though the family's other dog jumps in and out of the pool all day, and swims whenever he feels like it, Max had never gone into the pool before. He came to see Doc Truli in a shivering, huddled mess of dog misery covered in beach towels. Max fell into the pool. The pool did not have a protective fence, and Max never learned to swim, or to find the stairs out of the pool. For about 15 minutes, he frantically hung unto the side of the pool and tried to claw his way up to safety.

"You need just a half hour to teach your puppy to find the stairs in case he or she falls into the pool," says Doc Truli. "And, never, never leave your pets unattended by an in ground pool. They can fall in just like a small child."

As he was clawing, he ground his hind claws down to the nubs, and they bled profusely on the car ride over to the animal hospital. When he arrived at the hospital, he shivered, moped, and refused to walk with his hind legs. Max acted as though he were paralyzed, Luckily, he was just frightened and terrified. After drying off, some painkillers for his paws, and some antibiotics to prevent osteomyelitis (bone infection) from the open quicks on his toes, he responded well to a dog treat. [caption id="attachment_1642" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Unsuccessfully scaling the wall of a swimming pool results in ground nails."][/caption]

FAQs About Bleeding, Ground Down, Broken Toenails in Puppies and Dogs

Q. How do I bandage it? A. Don't. The bandage hurts every time pressure is put on the paw because of the exposed "quick" nerve endings. If bleeding is profuse, apply pressure or bandage only for 15 minutes until the bleeding stops. The bandage can be made of sports or medical guaze or guaze pads and medical tape to hold it on. DO NOT LEAVE ON MORE THAN 15 MINUTES! If you are not a vet or vet tech, or some kind of bandaging expert, you will probably apply the bandage wrong for long-term use. You can easily tourniquet the paw and cut off the blood supply. Q. Will the toenail grow back? A. In most cases, yes. Sometimes, the damaged nail may grow back curved or crooked. Very rarely it does not grow back. Q. Does it hurt? A. Like crazy. See your veterinarian for painkillers, if nothing else. Q. Can it get infected? A. Yup. The quick of the nail is a direct line into the blood system. See your veterinarian for advice regarding antibiotics. Not all cases need antibiotics; follow your veterinarian's advice.

Another Strange Labrador Malady: "Swimmer's Tail"

While Doc Truli thinks about Labradors and water sport trauma, here's another good one. Sometimes a veterinarian will see a Labrador in the emergency room acting as if his or her back were broken. "Doc, he won't get up, his tail hangs limp and funny, and he showed me his teeth when I touched his back. What's wrong?" The physical exam ensues. Nothing too remarkable, except tons of pain on the hip/tail base area, and a slight warmth and swelling to the muscles at the base of the tail. Then, extreme pain if the tail is lifted up. "Did you go out in the boat yesterday?" asks the Doc. "Why, yeah. How'd you know?" "Well, this looks like a case of swimmer's tail," says Doc Truli. What the...? You see, Labrador Retrievers are so enthusiastic and energetic, they might just swim all day if you let them. Some of them do this off the boat in the ocean. That tail acts like a rudder all day long and the muscles get sore and swollen the next day. A little anti-inflammatory painkillers and rest, and your Labrador is begging to go out swimming some more!

How To Syringe Feed a Cat

Doc Truli — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:29:40 +0000

Respect the Kitty!

Syringe Feeding an Exercise in Planning and Execution

"Why Do I Have to Put Myself and My Cat Through Syringe Feeding?"

Sometimes the difference between life and death for an unwell cat is nutrition. Syringe feeding is the slow, gentle administration of soft, soupy food through a feeding syringe, into your cat's mouth in such a way that natural swallowing is encouraged. [caption id="attachment_1650" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Notice the towel around the body and neck, and the hand gently resting under the chin. No pressure exerted (prevents running away!)"][/caption]

Planning: Gather Your Supplies

6cc Oral Feeding Syringe From the Veterinarian

An oral feeding syringe is much like any other syringe, except, instead of a tiny opening where a needle attaches, there's a gentle cone-shaped tip with an enlarged opening for thicker-than-water food to pass through. They come in various sizes, but the best size for cat feeding is "6 cc." (5 cc is a teaspoon.) Syringes are prescription items in the United States. Since an oral syringe cannot be used for Drug administration, your vet, medical supply stores, feed stores, or sometimes a pharmacy are sources for oral dosing syringes.

High Calorie, Soupy Food

Soft, soupy cat food. Your veterinarian can provide maximal calories per volume cat foods like Recovery formula, AD formula (alimentary diet), Maximum Calorie formula. Depending on your cat's needs, you can also blend fresh meats with pure water in a blender to make a gruel consistency. Your veterinarian can help you calculate your sick kitty's daily caloric needs.

Kitty Burrito

Use a towel for wrapping your kitty in a "kitty burrito." Control of your cat's body is a key to success. Claws and squirming will facilitate kitty escape and your failure in your endeavor. Choose a medium size towel for a 10-12 pound or less cat and a thin, but sturdy beach towel for a bounder-sized kitty. Thick, fluffy towels do not work well, because they limit your ability to feel where your cat is in the towel and they limit your holding ability. Thin, small towels do not work, because paws and arms start slashing at you from under the towel, not fun!

Planning Tru Tips

Gather your supplies. Blend the food. Have fresh water to rinse your cat's mouth after the feeding. Measure the food intake by proportion of a can used, not by the cc's of liquid given. You will vary amounts of liquid or water with the food each day, depending on the need at the time. If one meal is 30% water and another meal is 50% water, then cc's fed will not help tell you caloric intake from the actual nutritious food.

Warm the Meal: No Microwaves!

Warm the food before serving. Use warm water, or place the dish or syringes of food into warm water or a vegetable steamer before serving. Do not microwave. Microwaved food has zero energetic healing ability and the microwave radiation changes the fats and proteins in the food into very difficult to assimilate forms of molecules which do far more harm than good.

Bribe Friends and Family to Help

Gather your supplies at a feeding location you can manage. Get a helper if needed to hold your cat.

Gather You Cat: Get This Right the First Time

Ready, Aim, Blanket!

Gently burrito your kitty on the blanket. Start at the neck, just behind the ears and wrap the towel around kitty medium loosely. Include paws and claws under the blanket. Tuck kitty-in-blanket under your non-dominant arm (left if you are right-handed.)

Zygomatic Arches=Kitty "Handles"

[caption id="attachment_1649" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Note the hand gently wrapped over the head, and note the syringe angled up and slightly back and midway along the jaw."][/caption] With kitty tucked under your left elbow and forearm on your lap or a sturdy tabletop, grasp your cat's head by placing your left hand (your eight hand if you are left-handed), up over the back of kitty's head behind or just over the ears. Your thumb should be resting on your cat's cheekbone (zygomatic arch) on the inside toward your body and your fingers should ne resting on the cat cheekbone facing away from your body. If you have cheekbone control, you have head control.

"If you have cheekbone control, you have head control," says Doc Truli.

Execution: the Best Way to Get the Food Into Your Kitty

Approach from the Side

Lift preloaded syringe of food to kitty's left side of the mouth. Do not approach straight on from the front! The sight of your hand and the syringe coming straight into the front, frightens most cats and triggers then to bring a paw up to bat you away. Do this with your dominant hand, as the most dexterity is needed to guide the syringe and slowly push the plunger to feed your kitty without frightening him or her.

Wiggle the Syringe Tip Against the Lips and Teeth 1/2-Way from Front to Back

Come from the side, and slightly underneath the side of the mouth. In between the sharp canine (eye) teeth and the back of the mouth, the premolars are small and short. Nudge the tip of the feeding syringe into the space between the front and back and between the jaws. Wiggle the syringe up and down and/or give a slight quarter turn at the midway location. This movement on the midway spot causes the jaw to open.

Slowly Inject the Food Upward to the Roof and Slightly to the Back of the Mouth

Slowly inject the food into the center of the mouth. Aiming at about a 15 degree angle for the roof of the mouth also promotes swallowing and helps prevent choking on the food.

Plan on Three-four Times Daily: Do Not Overwhelm Your Cat

About three ounces of canned cat food with water times maybe 6 to 9 of these syringes in a sitting. An average 10 pound car might need 3-4 feedings a day. Your veterinarian can accurately weigh, figure our the caloric content in the prescribed diet, and give you a starting calorie point for your cat. Every cat, disease, and diet presents a unique combination of caloric needs; follow your veterinarian's advice. [caption id="attachment_1651" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Look at the big, shiny, black pupils in this cat."][/caption] P.S. Did you notice the big, black, shiny pupils in this cat? Especially in the first picture? Even under the bright treatment room lights, her pupils did not constrict. Why? This seventeen-year-old cat has chronic, long-term kidney disease, which caused secondary hypertension (which also makes the kidneys worse), and the high blood pressure caused the retinas in the back of her eyes to up and detach all of a sudden, making her just, well, suddenly blind one day last week. There's no reversing this. If your cat looses weight, changes urination habits, starts eating more or less, get him or her checked out. This kitty's mom waited six months and her kidney disease was so advanced, she went blind in spite of medications, and she comes to the hospital twice daily for subcutaneous fluid administration ands syringe-feedings to supplement her poor appetite at home. On the bright side, she has gained weight, and purrs, and has started playing again!

Syringe Feed Your Sick Cat

Doc Truli — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:50:20 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2007" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Syringe Feeding a Cat"][/caption]

Syringe-Feeding Saves Cats' Lives

A cat will not eat if he or she cannot smell the food, feels too much pain, is frightened the food may have caused the pain (called food aversion), obviously if the food has gone bad (use your sniffer to see if your cat is trying to tell you something), another cat is guarding and patrolling the food bowl (behavior conflict, call the veterinarian!), has a painful or blocked stomach/alimentary situation. Syringe-feeding saves lives when the reason is not surgically fixed, and the medicine is adequate. Certain cats just need a little help for a while until they get their kitty "mojo" back.

Kidney disease (hyperparathormonemia)
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Blocked sinuses (any reason)
Sore throat (any reason)
Post intestinal or stomach surgery
Hepatic Lipidosis (fatty liver disease)
Pancreatitis
Liver disease in general
Painful Teeth (Surgery to fix the teeth, and then gentle feeding during healing)
Cancer

Alternatives to syringe feeding include a surgically-placed feeding tube through the nose, pharynx (at the back of the throat), esophagus, into the stomach, or into the jejunum (second part of the small intestine). Obviously, these are doctor-prescribed and performed and monitored happenings. If you think the syringe feeding is "difficult" or "time-consuming," think of the discomfort you may be saving your cat, and the finances you will have freed up for follow-up care for your cat (or yourself!) See VirtuaVet's How to Syringe Feed a Cat.

When to Syringe Feed Your Sick Cat

virtuavet — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:50:20 +0000

Syringe-Feeding Saves Cats' Lives

Kidney disease (hyperparathormonemia)
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Blocked sinuses (any reason)
Sore throat (any reason)
Post intestinal or stomach surgery
Hepatic Lipidosis (fatty liver disease)
Pancreatitis
Liver disease in general
Painful Teeth (Surgery to fix the teeth, and then gentle feeding during healing)
Cancer

Uncomfortable Smelly Tumor Removed on 14-Year Old Golden Retriever

Doc Truli — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:04:50 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1668" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Tucker's a handsome old guy!"][/caption] Tucker needed surgery. Not because he would die without surgery. Not because he was miserable. Tucker needed surgery because the smelly lump/bump/mass THING growing under his left armpit on the front of his chest had just gotten totally out of control! Two years has passed since Tucker was diagnosed with a benign (read: not spreading inside his body) skin growth by his left armpit. The lump was cauliflower shaped, pink and white, maybe 1-2 inches across. It really did not bother him, and his human mom elected to leave it be for the time. At twelve years old, Tucker was not young for a Golden Retriever and his mom felt he would be happier and stronger of she took a "wait and see" approach to the lump. In medicine, doctors call this approach "benign neglect."

"Benign neglect is a term doctors use when a problem or condition is not life-threatening and appears stable. It refers to the approach of monitor without treatment. Most people would call it, wait and see," says Doc Truli.

Forward two years. Tucker's mom was laid off from her formerly fabulous publishing job, she lost her husband to divorce, and her house to foreclosure. Literally, she was living out of her car with Tucker, and would stay at friends' houses when they welcomed her. And the lump grew larger. [caption id="attachment_1669" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Disgusting, smelly, uncomfortable tumor about to bid adieu!"][/caption] The lump became about 9 inches across, it smelled infected, and Tucker seemed tired and self-conscious of the stink emanating from under his left front leg. Boy, Tucker's mom wished she would've had the surgery years before. After meeting a veterinarian who is a friend of Doc Truli's, she mentioned Tucker's problem. The friendly doctor visited her car, brought her non-perishable groceries, water, and gas for her tank. He shaved and cleaned the lump. But still, he did not own his own hospital, and Tucker needed surgery. So he called his friend at Doc Truli's hospital. Everyone met and agreed to perform surgery and take care of Tucker's surgery at no charge to Tucker's bankrupt mom! Where do you hear of this kind of generosity in this day and age? The surgery went smoothly, Tucker's lump is gone and the skin healed smooth and neat. Tucker feels like he's 10 again! We all need to pull together in this economy. Life is more important than money.

Complex Chemical Analysis

virtuavet — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:51:10 +0000

The Vomeronasal Organ

The Vomeronasal Organ in most vertebrates performs the complex chemical analysis. If you see your dog or cat "licking" at urine and then seemingly pushing the tongue up on the palate, like a wine connoisseur, or if you see them sniff with their mouth partly open, eyes slit, and then maybe drool profusely, and maybe chomp or swish their lips like a fine wine taster, that's the use of the vomeronasal complex. They are performing a phlehmen (pronounced flay-men) gesture, or phlehmen response. Some dogs may look like they are smiling, crinkling their nose, almost sneezing, while they perform the phlehmen response.

Human Sixth Sense

Click here for Bryn Mawr College's Interdisciplinary Serendip Community discussion of "The Sixth Sense: The Vomeronasal Organ" in humans, and the scientific evidence that we may also have this sixth sense! Return to Bennie's Story.

Tru Tip

If you found this page surfin', and searchin', or combing through VirtuaVet's Site-Map, and you like science, society, service, philosophy, and interdisciplinary cooperation in exploring life's questions, Check out the Serendip link (above). You will have direct access to professors, researchers, thinkers, and an interactive research and thinking community.

6-Year Old Bichon Frise Suffers Bump Under Tail

Doc Truli — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:52:10 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1674" align="alignleft" width="140" caption="What a Cute Bichon!"][/caption] Bennie had a bump. A red, painful swollen lump under his tail, just to the left side of his anus. He was miserable! "Doctor, he was perfect yesterday. Now I see this lump and he doesn't want to eat today," said Bennie's human mom. Doc Truli responded,"Bennie has a blocked, infected left anal sac, that is about to rupture through the skin." "What?" said Bennie's mom. Okay, most people do not know about this secret of dog (and cat, and ferret, etc) anatomy. Doc Truli might have paused before signing up for veterinary school if she knew a proportion of each and every workday would be spent examining, feeling, and emptying anal sacs. This is a disgusting, soul-trying part of the job of being a veterinarian. Here's the "dirt." The anal sacs are 2 pouches under the skin at about 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock next to the anus of the cat or dog. The pouches are lined with cells that produce a foul-smelling liquid. The pouches connect up to the edge of the anus via thin tubes called ducts. Each time the dog or cat defecates, the muscle pressure should squeeze the liquid out of the pouches into the bowel movement. This added smell leaves a scent marker for other animals to understand sexual receptivity, health status, and who knows what else animals know? Think of it as "doggie email." Now, in some pets, the anal sacs are not normal. (say it slowly and carefully. In fact, most veterinarians call them anal glands. They are not glands, in the proper sense of the scientific word, but then, there is not misunderstanding or mispronunciation. You can imagine the offense someone might take if you say "anal sacs" too quickly!) If a pet is fat or has neurological or muscular disease, the anal sacs may not express well with each bowel movement. Monthly cleaning out at the vet's office can help. Some pets develop allergies and the sacs fill up too quickly, or the small ducts become inflamed and swollen shut. The liquid may explode the sac through the skin, instead of the duct. Or, E. coli or other infectious bacteria might infect the sac through the duct and cause an anal sac abscess, like Bennie's.

"I suspect that anal sacs do not function as nature designed in many of today's dogs, because the dogs have not mated based on biology and picking each other by smell and individual analysis. Instead, humans have selected dogs for looks and personality and working traits that we humans understand. I doubt anyone has ever picked a stud dog based on the fine chemical analysis of his anal sac contents!" says Doc Truli.

[caption id="attachment_1676" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Ruptured abscess before treatment"][/caption] Bennie was sedated, his anal sac was expressed. The duct was patent (not blocked). The area was treated. After the minor surgery, the area looked worse than before! [caption id="attachment_1677" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Bennie's tail is to the right, The ruptured anal sac caused the angry red, swollen skin."][/caption] The sac needs to heal by finding the shattered pieces of the wall of itself and reforming a pouch under the skin. The swelling and inflammation will go down once the liquidy, chunky antigenic material from the cystic pouch is removed by the doctor. You can imagine the pain associated with this condition! Anti-inflammatory prescription painkillers, and warm water compresses for 5-10 minutes twice a day for a few days will help Bennie heal faster and help with the pain. An elizabethan "cone collar" will keep Bennie from licking and chewing the sore area while it heals. Sometimes, the anal sac does not heal properly and the condition can recur, necessitating a surgery called an anal sacculectomy. Delicate, important nerves and blood vessels travel under the skin just next to the anus, where the anal sac lives. Therefore, surgery must be carefully considered for pros and cons. A small percentage of dogs undergoing anal sacculectomy surgery become fecally incontinent afterward. Bennie felt fine. His anal sac healed in under the expected two weeks and he is back to normal. P.S. *Bonus Question* Do you know the name of the sense organ dogs and cats use to perform a complex chemical analysis of smells like urine and poop? (Hint, in some dogs and cats, the incisive duct leading from the midline of the palate just behind the incisors up to the septum of the nose where it lives is vestigial and does not function.) Click here for Bonus Question Answer. P.S. May 2010: Check out more bump and mupm stories under the "Bump" tag!

5 1/2 Year-Old Yorkie Finally House Trained

Doc Truli — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:28:08 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1698" align="alignleft" width="118" caption=""Love me, love my poop!""][/caption]

Sometimes House Training Takes a Nudge in the Right Direction

"Doctor, since I talked to you, Mitya has only pooped on his pads on the bathroom, not anywhere else in the house! Thank you so much!" Rewind two weeks. Mitya was a 5 1/2 year-old male black and tan puppy-cut Yorkshire Terrier totalling 3 3/4 pounds "with his IV in," as his nurse was fond of saying. "Doctor, he keeps pooping anywhere he wants all over the house. I'm beside myself," said his mom. "Does he sleep in a crate at night?" yours Truli asked. (Horrified look.) "Of course not, he sleeps on his pillow next to me," she replied. "Where do you want him to go? Outside on the grass, inside on a pad?" Doc Truli asked. "He pees on his pad in the bathroom. It's just, he usually poops behind the dining room door or the living room sofa," Mitya's mom said. "And what is your response when he does this?" Doc asked.

10 Common Puppy House Training Mistakes

Rubbing puppy's nose in "it"

Punishing Puppy

Feeding Puppy on an irregular schedule

Confusing Puppy with Several choices for the potty

Not taking puppy to toilet first thing in the morning

Not coming home on time

Not getting up in the middle of the night for very young puppies under 4 months old

Not getting Puppy to the toilet when Puppy feels like going

Not praising Puppy gently and calmly for being "good"

Not even trying to house train Puppy because of excuses (The kids are supposed to do that; too busy with work...)

"I tell him no, rub his nose in it, to tell the truth, I get very frustrated sometimes and maybe angry," she said. Doc Truli said,"Okay, here's what you do. Do not punish him. Do not raise your voice. Mitya has no idea what you are angry about, but he becomes frightened and nervous, and he only wants to please you. So no more punishment at all. "Instead, set him up for success. Establish a schedule of feeding him two or three times a day and taking him to his pad. When he is not ready to relieve himself, because he has never known a crate, carry him around with you all day. Set him down on his pad when he's ready to go. This is guaranteeing his success."

10 Keys to Teaching Puppy About House Training

Establish a realistic, consistent schedule

Watch Puppy at ALL times, No excuses!

Choose a quiet, safe place for the Puppy toilet

Take Puppy for a check-up and be sure Puppy is not ill (makes "holding it" difficult)

Be calm and reassuring; do not punish, shout, or act frustrated (Yorkies and Chihuahuas will hide the poop if they are scared)

Feed Puppy the same times every day

Crate or hold or tie Puppy to your waist with a 6-10 foot training leash or parachute cord in between toilet opportunities

Clean up Puppy's mess when Puppy is not looking

Be patient. Some Puppies "get it" in a day; most take weeks or months

Never, never, never give Puppy the run of the house until the house training is learned and understood. Reliably.

Two weeks later, peace and tranquility abound at Mitya's home. After a few weeks, he's able to run wherever he wishes, and he is happy to use his pads. Mitya understands what he is supposed to do. He is a happy dog. "Mitya has been perfect since our conversation," reports his ecstatic mom.

8-Year Old Curly-Coat Retriever Takes a Long Road to a Simple Answer

Doc Truli — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:56:13 +0000

A Canine Officer with Lack of Interest in Work is a Big Problem!

Warning: This is a technical, geeky, post. Have organic green tea or organic coffee before reading! (If you are wondering about tests your vet has ordered on your dog, this post explains many advanced tests.) [caption id="attachment_1711" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Titus looks depressed and sad"][/caption] Titus, an 8 year-old Curly Coat Retriever sat on my examination table with a forlorn look on his face. (The white fur around his eyes in the picture is normal for him after he had entropian (rolling in of the eyelids) surgery years ago, the new fur grew in white instead of black.) His handler of 6 years from the Narcotics division looked equally dismayed and worried. “Doc, Titus just doesn't have his drive anymore. He was the best dog in the unit. Now he just doesn't want to work sometimes. The other day, he actually just sat down in the middle of a search and refused to move. That's not like him!” he said, “Maybe he's upset because I started training the new Malinois.” Doc Truli agreed Titus had never looked so depressed. Even when he flipped his stomach and bloated a few years before, and then got a hand towel stuck in his intestines two weeks after that. Even then, Titus looked energized and happy to work. Jealousy would not cause the awful “down” look on Titus' face. We worried he was getting old. “I hate to have to retire him, he's my best dog. But if he doesn't feel like working anymore, then that's it,” said his handler. “Remember, old age is not a disease. There is an answer to this problem,” said Doc Truli.

Titus' Diagnostic Work Up for the Symptom "Lack of Interest"

Thorough, Detailed Physical Examination

The physical examination revealed slightly stiff hip joints. We knew Titus was negative for the Degenerative Neuropathy gene that some Retrievers, Shepherds, and other dogs can express as progressive loss of strength and function in the hind legs. (Your veterinarian can contact a veterinary neurologist to ask how to become eligible for this free test that is still in the research stage and not commercially available.) We knew he had a small contribution of osteoarthritis in his left hip. Titus had been under multimodal arthritis management for years and seemed stable and happy.

Minimum Database: Complete Blood Count, 25 Blood Chemistry, Urinalysis, Heartworm, Fecal Analysis

Tests revealed low blood albumin. Otherwise, no evidence of pancreatitis (Pancreatic Lipase Immunoreactivity test negative), metabolic disease, hormonal, endocrine-type disease, no signs of hidden infection. Doc Truli knows that the body tightly regulates albumin protein in the blood because of albumin's essential importance for blood pressure and homeostasis in the body. Either Titus was not making enough albumin in his liver, or he was loosing albumin through his kidneys or his intestinal lining.

Advanced Diagnostics

Bile Acid Test: Pre and Post Prandial (Prandial means Eating in Doctor-speak)

A bile acids challenge tests Titus' liver function. A bile acids test involves fasting your pet for 12-16 hours. Then the veterinary team draws a blood sample and feeds your dog a small amount of food to challenge the liver and bile acids system and see if it responded properly to the food. After 2 hours, we check the blood again. Based on the levels before and after eating, the pattern provides valuable information about liver function. Titus' bile acids test came back normal. So his liver synthesized albumin normally. This left albumin leakage out of the body as an explanation for the hypoalbuminemia (low blood albumin). There are two main ways albumin sneaks out of the body: through the glomeruli (pronounced glow-mare-you-lie) filters in the kidneys, which indicates kidney damage, or through a leaky gut wall.

Urine Protein:Creatinine Ratio Clearance Test

Max's urine showed some extra leaking protein. A special test called a urine to creatinine protein ratio showed a higher than normal level of protein leaking through the kidneys compared to the amount of creatinine the kidneys were expelling from the body. Basically, you don't know if the protein in the urine is because of more urine overall or more protein in normal urine. You have to compare the protein in the urine to a close approximation of urine output, which is the urine creatinine clearance number. Of course, Titus' urine tested negative for a urinary tract infection. If your dog has a urinary tract infection, the white blood cells that enter the urine to fight the infection contain protein, especially in their cell nuclei, and they invalidate the assumption that the protein leaked through the filters in the kidneys.

"If your dog has a urinary tract infection, the urine protein creatinine ratio test is invalid," cautions Doc Truli,"This is one reason your veterinarian is ordering a urine culture and sensitivity test, even if your dog does not show symptoms of a urinary tract infection."

Titus' urine showed some abnormally high levels of protein loss, but not enough to account for the problem. In his case, that left leakage through the intestines.

Alpha-1 Proteinase Inhibitor Test

We do an alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor test on 3 poop samples from three separate bowel movements. The frozen samples ship to the gastroenterology laboratory at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine (the only place on the world set up to run this test.) This test will prove the protein loss is through the intestines, even in a dog without no signs of vomiting or soft stool. However, the alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor test takes sometimes 2 weeks for results. And, if the problem is only in the stomach, and not in the intestines, the test will look normal. Most sick dogs cannot wait 2 weeks for an answer; they will become too weak and sick in the meantime.

Diagnostic Imaging

Radiology (X-Rays) and Ultrasound

Titus transferred to radiology and we x-rayed his abdomen. Nothing too distinctive there. We ultrasounded his abdomen. Nothing bad there. We fed him some barium. [caption id="attachment_1712" align="alignleft" width="119" caption="Titus shows little enthusiasm or energy as he lounges on the x-ray table. His belly was shaved for the ultrasound study."][/caption] What is a Barium Series and What Can It Show? A barium series consists of your dog eating liquid barium (some formulas taste like strawberries). The barium is a liquid metal that is not unhealthy and shows up bright white on radiographs (the real word for x-rays). Any obstructions in the intestines, or masses, growths, lumps of cancer, and we assess the transit time it takes for the barium to travel through the parts of the gastrointestinal system. It usually takes at least 12 hours of snapping radiographs every few hours or so until the pattern of transit through the “plumbing” can be appreciated. “Why does my dog need radiographs (x-rays), and ultrasound? Don't they both take pictures of inside the abdomen?”

Many people wonder or ask this question.

“Radiographs show the relative sizes and positions of the abdominal contents. They highlight bone and mineral material, and show gas or liquid build-ups in the intestines well. Ultrasound can highlight the inside of the organs well and allow doctors to see the structure and texture of the liver, spleen, kidneys, intestinal walls, adrenal glands, lymph nodes, etc. But ultrasound can miss even large lumps in the abdomen because the intestines move around all the time. There is no way to mark or tag each region that has already been seen and be sure you are moving on to a new section. This is also the limitation in using ultrasound to count kittens or puppies in the womb. Unless they all show up on the same computer screen together at the same time, you can never be sure if you are single or double-counting the little ones!” explains Doc Truli.

Titus' barium series showed a tiny area of barium left in his stomach 12 hours after eating. And it showed a “possible thickening of the pylorus” (the outflow sphincter of the stomach.) That was all!

Digital Camera Endoscopy: "Scoping"

Because no intestinal obstruction appeared, and a digital camera endoscope reaches the stomach, Titus went under anesthesia and a scope snaked down into his stomach. What do you think we found? Remember all his tests showed nothing. Only some protein leaking from somewhere in his intestines.

Nothing
Ulcers
A blockage

Well, I'll show you what we found: [caption id="attachment_1728" align="alignleft" width="147" caption="The fuzzy grey on the left is the tip of the foreign material, the foreground shows silver graspers"][/caption] First, this picture shows the first sign we knew there was something in there. After about 2 hours of grabbing and slowly pulling out pieces of material and rope and towel and whatnot (we even found a piece of embroidery fabric in there!), we had a plastic bag full of the blockage material. Keep in mind, none of this goop showed on the tests! [caption id="attachment_1714" align="alignleft" width="94" caption="The first offending material of many on a blanket"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1769" align="alignleft" width="117" caption="bag full of fabric and fibers that did not show on any imaging study!"][/caption] Titus recovered with some medication to protect any scraped and sore areas. He returned to eating with gusto, gained weight, works like a champ, and has a relaxed, happy look on his face once again! No retirement for this canine Narcotics officer! (P.S. To read a short, medical story about a chihuahua mix with the same sort of problem as Titus, but very different symptoms, check out Mystery Weight Loss Traced to a Toy) [caption id="attachment_1715" align="alignleft" width="84" caption="Titus is bright, alert, and back on the job!"][/caption]

18-Year-Old Cat Getting Fat for No Reason

Doc Truli — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:19:04 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1774" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Does this cat look healthy to you?"][/caption]

"My old cat is gaining weight!"

A friendly tabby striped cat with white paws peered out through the cat carrier door. "Doc, my wife's mother came to visit two months ago and she said Sparky gained weight. We weren't sure, but it did look like her belly was bigger. So we switched her to Senior weight loss food. But it looks like she's still gaining weight." Actually, Sparky lost muscle over her shoulders, back, and hips while her belly sagged and grew large and pendulous. Over-all, if you picked her up, she would feel heavier. But the weight was in all the wrong places! Why would an 18-year old cat suddenly start gaining weight? Probably no "good" reason!

Doc Truli says,"It's common for people to miss weight loss or gain in their pet. Then a friend or relative visits and sees the difference right away. After all, they don't see the gradual daily change that you see, just the dramatic end results."

A big cat belly does not mean "fat"

A dehydrated, cachectic Sparky, her huge belly full of fluid mewed at the Doc and pressed her forehead into Doc's palm. A big belly does not mean that your cat has gained fat. Fat feels like, well, you know, fat. It is firm and solid, and feels like stuffing. An older cat that gains weight, often has gained fluid in the wrong places in the body, like the peritoneal space. The peritoneal space is the virtual space between the abdominal organs. Usually, there's really only a teaspoon-full (approx 5 mL) of clear fluid in there helping everything stay lubricated and keeping your innards from rubbing against each other. In Sparky's case, there was over a Liter of fluid expanding the peritoneal virtual space! A Liter (for Americans, half of a 2-Liter Coke bottle.) No kidding, a Liter!

The peritoneal space is the virtual space between the abdominal organs and each other. Usually, there's really only a teaspoon-full (approx 5 mL) of clear fluid in there helping everything stay lubricated and keeping your innards from rubbing against each other.

Now, if you consider your cat might weigh 12 pounds (5 kilo) and you add that much fluid, and your cat seems "maybe a little heavier," don't you think that something was lost to arrive at just a little heavier. If a weight gain is so slight you argue with yourself whether or not to go the vet's, this weight gain is a huge deal. It is the wrong kind of weight. Do not self medicate your cat in this situation. Get expert help!

Do Not Be Embarrassed, It Takes an Expert to Recognize Cat Diseases

Sparky's dad was a physician, so he had some ideas about her weight gain. "I'm concerned she might have diabetes, hypothyroidism, or a slow metabolism," he said. Fact is, hypothyroidism is incredibly rare in cats even though it is common on people, dogs, and even horses. You would probably notice if your indoor cat urinated lakes from possible diabetes mellitus. This kind of litter box mess rarely goes unnoticed. If Sparky were an 80-year-old human, he might be right. Unfortunately, it's easy to misinterpret a large belly in an older cat as fat, when the cat is actually losing valuable body condition. Often, the fur on the cat's back sticks up from dehydration and weight loss and the vertebrae stick put because the atrophied, tiny muscles on either side of the spine. [caption id="attachment_1775" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The top arrow points to the ruffled, shelved fur appearance from dehydration. The bottom arrow points to the big belly."][/caption] The symptoms of eating a lot, spine sticking out, ruffled fur, and a large belly concern a veterinarian. We think heart failure, cancer, or liver failure causing fluid build up in the abdomen.

Blood Work Gave No Answers

Guess what Sparky's bloodwork showed? Did you guess, nothing? Nothing! The complete blood count and the blood chemistries showed no abnormalities! The bloodwork was totally normal. The fluid obtained from the abdomen was clear. Ascites is clear fluid in the abdomen. Other causes for fluid in the abdomen include: blood, pus, urine, lymph, or rarer fluids like bile (not usually a Liter!) In a young cat, FIP, feline infectious peritonitis (wet form) will cross your veterinarian's mind. Your veterinarian must do a belly tap procedure called abdominocentesis to get a sample and see what the fluid actually is. Your vet cannot really tell just by looking at your cat!

Abodminocentesis sounds complex, but the procedure, done properly, is quick and almost painless. The nurse or veterinary technician shaves the belly in an ideal area and preps the skin to remove dirt and bacteria. Lidocaine or a similar numbing agent is often used to numb the skin, although puncturing the peritoneal lining causes the most momentary discomfort. Some cats need sedation so they do not wiggle! The veterinarian inserts a sterile needle into the abdomen and collects the fluid for analysis.

Abdominal Ultrasound Diagnosed the Symptom of Ascites

Abdominal ultrasound revealed the clue. Sparky had a large growth in her abdomen extending from her liver (in us and cats just behind the diaphragm) to almost the bladder (located down by the pelvis.) The liver has several lobes that all attach deep inside the abdomen by the diaphragm (the "solar plexus." Sometimes, a mass or lump grows off one lobe, but not the others. In these cases, a surgeon can attempt to remove the offending mass and save the cat's life.)

Separate Your Financial Concerns from Your Heartfelt Concerns to Reach a Clear Decision

It was a difficult decision, but Sparky did not undergo surgery. The tumor was massive and encompassed the deepest, non removable parts of the liver.

"If you're faced with deciding whether to have your older pet undergo surgery, first set aside your financial worries to clear your mind and understand what is best for your pet separate from money concerns" says Doc Truli.

Think about your cat's situation. (See VirtuaVet's Quality of Life decision-making help.) In Sparky's case, the tumor was deep, huge, and attached to a vital organ. No amount of money in the world was going to cure that problem. We helped Sparky pass over later that afternoon. She slept peacefully and then passed away. If you would like to see the tumor that caused Sparky's demise, keep reading!

Cancer All Through a Cat's Liver and her Abdomen

Warning: The following picture shows the massive tumor. The top arrow points to a small sliver of normal-looking liver. The bottom arrow points out the large, cavitated, fluid-producing mass. The fluid in the abdomen leaked from the mass! Poor Sparky! How uncomfortable. [caption id="attachment_1777" align="alignleft" width="141" caption="Liver Cancer in an 18-year-old cat"][/caption] The arrow points to normal appearing liver, the green circles the tumor area. The pink thing with vessels is the stomach wall, the yellow is omental fat with bumps of cancer carcinomatosis. The reddish-purple thing on the right is the spleen. Sparky's red and bloody spotted diaphragm and her abdominal lining (peritoneum) revealed bumps of spreading cancer. Angry red lines from cancer streaked her thick, congested bladder wall. Remember: if your cat gains weight for no reason, that's a symptom! See your trusted veterinarian today!

Top Ten "Real World" Questions to Ask the Vet About Your Pet's Medications

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:18:33 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1842" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Demonstrating proper administration of liquid medication to a cat"][/caption]

FDA Launches Pet Medication Information Campaign

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently republished a helpful pdf for pet owners regarding "Ten Questions to Ask the Vet About Your Pet's Medications." Download VirtuaVet's handy checklist VirtuaVet Pet Med Question Checklist for easy reference during your vet appointment.

Quick Summary of the Basic Questions:

By all means, ask your vet:

why prescribed and how long to give?
how do I give? with food?
how often, how much? if liquid, shaken, or stirred?
how to store?
what if my pet vomits, spits out?
If I miss a dose, give right away or wait? What if I give too much?
Should I finish it all?
Interactions w/ other meds?
What reactions, what side effects?
When recheck? Will you call, or should I call you?

VirtuaVet "Real World" Top Ten Questions to Ask the Vet About Your Pet's Medications

Before the electronica on the screen came resolve, comments and questions started popping up in response to the same-old basic info news outlest in the Unites States are busy regurgitating (See USAToday's blog where they republished the same info.) VirtuaVet works in the examination room. Here are the most common questions, beyond the basics, that Doc Truli anticipates daily:

Are there other effective treatments I should know about?
What do I do if my pet will not take the medicine? Is it okay to give it with favorite treats?
When will the medicine start to work? When should I start seeing results?
Is it okay if my other pet eats the medicine/supplement out of the food?
Is there one prescription diet that will work for all my pets?
Will my pet be on this medicine for life?
What follow-up visits and bloodwork will I need to keep my pet healthy?
I cannot afford all the needed medicines today. Can you prioritize the medications for me?
Can I have a prescription for the medicine? Or is it only available here?
What number do I call if I have an emergency or medication side effect?

VirtuaVet Pet Med Question Checklist

How to Check Your Pet's Medications

Doc Truli — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:33:21 +0000

VirtuaVet's: How to Check Your Pet's Medications

Check your pet's medications when you pick them up! Mix-ups, mistakes, mistaken identity, wrong count, wrong meds, wrong directions, expired medications, or just plain old unclear, confusing directions can leave you out some money and your pet not feeling any better. Be sure you understand the label and the label is clear and correct before you take that medication home with you!

You'd be Surprised How Easy It Is to Misunderstand

The doctor says, "Mom, if I gave you a prescription and told you to give your cat two pills every 12 hours, tell me what you would put in your cat's body." "Okay," says mom," I'd give a tablet in the morning at about 8 am and another tablet at night at 8 pm. That's two tablets every 12 hours, right?" Can you see the problem with this? Some people do, about 20% of people (1/5) do not find the glitch. Most technicians will print "2 tablets every 12 hours on the label" or worse, "Two tablets twice daily." The twice daily thing ends up with busy people giving the meds at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., and then going off to work a 15 hour shift. That medicine has just cost them money, maybe injured their pet and done nothing good for the pet. Writing "two tablets in the a.m. and 2 tablets in the p.m." is better. The best label would be printed after consulting the pet parent about their schedule and their life. Then, "Give 2 tablets by mouth at 8 a.m. and two tablets by mouth at 8 p.m. for 2 weeks," would be a perfect prescription direction.

Twice daily means every 12 hours. {In doctor prescription speak "BID" (pronounced bee eye dee)} Once daily means every 24 hours. It does not mean giving pills before bed on Thursday and when you get up on Friday and then you are covered for Thursday and Friday. The biology and processing in the body do not work that way, even if you hope you are clever and getting the job done! Three times a day means every 8 hours. Four times a day means every 6 hours.

This Stuff is Complicated: Do Not Hesitate to Ask for Help

If you must give a medicine more than four times a day, and you cannot calculate the hours, you should get a helper, or board your pet at the vet's hospital. The likelihood of an inadvertent mistake goes up in proportion to whether you understood the word inadvertent just now. I'm not being facetious. This stuff is tricky. We use treatment sheets at the hospital and double-check the treatment orders with the doctor.

Check the Prescription

Correct name (yours and pet's)
Correct date
Name and strength of the medication
Do the directions explain how much to give, whether the meds are by mouth, in the ear, on the skin, in the eye, or what?
Do the written directions match what the technician or doctor told you?
Check the expiration date on the bottle.

What to do if you have a concern about the prescription

Ask if the nurse can double-check the expiration on the bottle.
If some pills look different, ask why (sometimes different generic meds look different).
Read the label to a technician and check if you got it right.
Ask the nurse to teach you how to administer the medication.
Ask for a non-child-proof container if you do not have children and cannot open the containers.

Another frustrating, common misunderstanding

If the label does not specify "by mouth" or given "orally," double-check!

"Doc, those ***** pills didn't do anything for his ear infection," says frustrated, somewhat irate gentleman. Doctor looks in ears to see why the infection is still bothering the dog. Uh-oh! The ear canal was full of pills! This dog's dad put medication right where the infection lived. The doctor sedated the poor dog and picked the pills out one-by-one like ticks!

"Doc, those ***** pills didn't help his diarrhea at all." That's strange. Usually they work great. "Did you give them twice a day like I told you?" said the Doc. "Well, it was hard to hold him still, but I finally got 'em up there," he said. Scratch of needle on record, rrrrrr? "What do you mean, 'up there?'" asked a befuddled veterinarian. "Well, you know, them suppositories," said the dog dad. Really? "Do you really think I'd prescribe a suppository for your dog? And put you through that?" Doc Truli asked. "Well, I didn't know," he said.

So, don't assume or you'll be hurting your pet and giving yourself way too much work. Just ask, even if you think everything seems clear!

How to Know When You've Gone Around the Bend

Ask a receptionist to take the pills out, count them, and then tell them you want new pills because the receptionist just touched them. (This happened! Can you see how this would be a never-ending cycle?) Read more pet prescription advice: VirtuaVet's Real World Pet Medication Questions

How to Read Your Pet's Prescription Labels

virtuavet — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:33:21 +0000

VirtuaVet's: How to Check Your Pet's Medications

You'd be Surprised How Easy It Is to Misunderstand

Twice daily means every 12 hours. {In doctor prescription speak "BID" (pronounced bee eye dee)} Once daily means every 24 hours. It does not mean giving pills before bed on Thursday and when you get up on Friday and then you are covered for Thursday and Friday. The biology and processing in the body do not work that way, even if you hope you are clever and getting the job done! Three times a day means every 8 hours. Four times a day means every 6 hours.

This Stuff is Complicated: Do Not Hesitate to Ask for Help

Check the Prescription

Correct name (yours and pet's)
Correct date
Name and strength of the medication
Do the directions explain how much to give, whether the meds are by mouth, in the ear, on the skin, in the eye, or what?
Do the written directions match what the technician or doctor told you?
Check the expiration date on the bottle.

What to do if you have a concern about the prescription

Ask if the nurse can double-check the expiration on the bottle.
If some pills look different, ask why (sometimes different generic meds look different).
Read the label to a technician and check if you got it right.
Ask the nurse to teach you how to administer the medication.
Ask for a non-child-proof container if you do not have children and cannot open the containers.

Another frustrating, common misunderstanding

If the label does not specify "by mouth" or given "orally," double-check!

"Doc, those ***** pills didn't do anything for his ear infection," says frustrated, somewhat irate gentleman. Doctor looks in ears to see why the infection is still bothering the dog. Uh-oh! The ear canal was full of pills! This dog's dad put medication right where the infection lived. The doctor sedated the poor dog and picked the pills out one-by-one like ticks!

"Doc, those ***** pills didn't help his diarrhea at all." That's strange. Usually they work great. "Did you give them twice a day like I told you?" said the Doc. "Well, it was hard to hold him still, but I finally got 'em up there," he said. Scratch of needle on record, rrrrrr? "What do you mean, 'up there?'" asked a befuddled veterinarian. "Well, you know, them suppositories," said the dog dad. Really? "Do you really think I'd prescribe a suppository for your dog? And put you through that?" Doc Truli asked. "Well, I didn't know," he said.

So, don't assume or you'll be hurting your pet and giving yourself way too much work. Just ask, even if you think everything seems clear!

How to Know When You've Gone Around the Bend

American Bulldog Bleeding from the Eye

Doc Truli — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:49:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1853" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Fresh red blood collected below Roxi's eye"][/caption]

2-year-old female American Bulldog's eye bled on and off for a week

"We don't know what happened. Roxi's eye just started bleeding." Before you think, "How terrible! Why didn't they take her right to the vet's?" Let's question further. "When did you first notice the problem?" said Doc Truli. "You know, we really noticed it this morning. But when we started talking about it at home, the kids thought maybe they saw something that looked like blood last week. But then it went away," said the mom. This happens often. A problem seems horrible. But in hind-sight it came on gradually, or it came and went. Often, you just cannot be certain if there really is a problem or not!

"My advice about eyes: if in doubt, check it out!" says Doc Truli,"Blindness can be so sudden, you wouldn't believe it!"

Eyes can bleed from punctures and injuries, infections (maybe), honestly, as a veterinarian, I hardly ever see blood coming put of a dog's eye. Roxi's family thought that she sniffed too many cacti in the yard, or she ran into a wood splinter on the back-yard fence. They prepared for bad news. I immediately reached out and turned down Roxi's lower lid! (Now, an unhealthy pet rat will have blood-red tears. This is not bleeding in most cases. It is a stress reaction. Solve the stress and your rat will look and feel better.) A crumbling cauliflower looking tumor with a bleeding top grew put of the edge of the eyelid! These tumors are almost always benign. Usually, they look unsightly, sometimes these growths rub against the cornea and cause painful ulcers. This one was bleeding uncomfortably. A brief surgery to remove the lump and Roxi's back to playing in the yard all afternoon. [caption id="attachment_1854" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Another view of the blood in Roxi"][/caption]

6-Year-Old Miniature Pinscher X Dachshund Obsesses About Water

Doc Truli — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:13:24 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1862" align="alignleft" width="98" caption="Nervous Elmo"][/caption]

Drinking Too Much Water Lands Dog in the Intensive Care Unit

Elmo's Drinking was a Bigger Problem Than his Family Knew

Elmo drank too much water. If you set a bucket of water in front of him, he'd drink right to the bottom. While this may sound amusing for a party trick, he ended up in the doggy intensive care before his veterinarian diagnosed the problem. Elmo became weak, trembling, staggering, retching and vomiting. He needed intravenous fluids and medications to become well again. How did this happen? Before his family even knew he had a problem, Elmo drank so much water he washed his electrolytes out of his system. Once the electrolytes go out of balance, death closes in.

A Definitive Diagnosis Was Needed to Help Elmo

The intravenous fluids replace the missing electrolytes, but a massive investigation launched to find out why Elmo couldn't stop drinking water.

The symptom of drinking too much water is called polydipsia (polly Dip see ah). (Also spelled polydypsia.)

Differentials (Possible Diseases) That Can Cause Polydipsia

Reasons could include kidney, liver, adrenal disease, infections, poisons, cancer, and diabetes mellitus. Elmo was negative for everything.

Insipidus Diabetes Confirmed Culprit

When everything science knows how to check comes up negative, the diagnosis for polydipsia could be diabetes insipidus. The brain tells the body it's thirsty through an unregulated diuretic hormone system.

Tru Tip: Inhibition of the body's anti-diuretic hormone results in excessive urination after alcohol consumption. The alcohol turns off the hormone that stops you from urinating too much, and you urinate like crazy. This leads to dehydration. If you couple this dehydration with excessive sweating and exertion from dancing while drinking a lot of alcohol, you can just imagine the strain on your heart. Your heart needs liquid to push the oxygen around your body in the bloodstream. Doc Truli couldn't drink alcohol and go out dancing through all of medical school because this anti-diuretic hormone class lecture precipitated mental flashes of a stressed-out, pissed heart. Have a nice day now that you read that! :)

Diabetes insipidus is a diagnosis of exclusion. When you've checked for everything, this is left by default. Maybe someday, medicine will understand the exact metabolic defect better and be able to directly test for diabetes insipidus.

Just the Knowledge of the Diagnosis Lets Elmo's Family Keep the Little Dog Healthy

[caption id="attachment_1864" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Elmo hears the water turned on in the next room. Ears Up!"][/caption] There's no cure for diabetes insipidus. The good news is, once you know about the problem, you can limit your dog's water intake under your veterinarian's instructions. If you can't keep water away from your dog, there are medications that suppress the urge to drink too much water. Elmo drinks his allotted water each day. He gets his bloodwork checked every six months and it's always normal. His family manages his water and he does not need medication. Now, look at Elmo's ears when he hears a water faucet turned on!

1-Year Old Chihuahua's Eye Pops Out

Doc Truli — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:57:20 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1870" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="This soulful tan chihuahua gazes at the camera with his good left eye. The spot where his right eye used to be is now a line of stitches holding the empty lids together."][/caption]

Chihuahua Versus Car Door

Chi Chi's head ran into an open car door. His right eye popped out of the socket. When this happens, sometimes, it is mild and the optic nerve running in to the center back of the eye is only stretched, not ripped, and sight is preserved. In Chi-Chi's case, the nerve ripped.

Why Won't That Eyeball Just Go Back In?

Once the eyeball slips out from the eye socket and in front of the eyelids, the lids usually form a tight band behind the eye, preventing it from easily sliding back in. In you take a dog (or cat) directly to the vet right away, under sedation, your pet's eyelids can undergo a small release incision, the eyeball is replaced, and then some stitches tighten the eyelids so they can hold the eye globe in place.

Eye Problems Require Immediate Veterinary Attention

If you wait at all, the muscles and conjunctiva (the tissues around the eye, like the mucus membranes and the "whites of the eye" start to swell up. Once swollen, they are much more difficult to replace into the eye socket. Chi Chi's family did not know what to do when the accident happened, and they waited until the regular vet office opened in the morning. If your dog has an accident like this at night, call your vet, or find an emergency animal hospital right away!

Chihuahua Needs Emergency Eye Surgery

Chi Chi sat calmly on the examination table, like nothing bothered him. He never whimpered. Never cried. Never quivered or acted nervous. What an amazing Chihuahua! Chi Chi's eye already looked swollen, it was blind, and an infection had stared. He needed enucleation surgery.

Enucleation is a fancy term for removing the eye. The center or heart of something is the nucleus and the e- on the front of the word means "to remove" or "take away."

Given Proper Emergency Attention, Eyes Usually Heal Well

While it seems gross to even talk about surgery on the eye, you'd be surprised how resilient your eyes really are. Of course, our mothers all warned us not to run with sharp objects or we'd "poke out an eye." Moms were correct. But many eye problems heal much more readily than we imagine. Chi Chi's surgery went well. He wore a big, ugly head bandage for 12 hours to prevent swelling of the eye socket contents. Then, when the nurses removed the bandage, he looked comfortable. [caption id="attachment_1871" align="alignleft" width="132" caption="Chihuahua after enucleation surgery"][/caption]

Painkillers are Key

Be certain your Chihuahua receives plenty of pre-op, intra-op, and post-op painkillers. Chi Chi stayed on a morphine drip overnight and into the next day. He was a little "out of it" but he didn't experience pain and terror from the pain when he woke up from surgery.

How Will My Dog Get Along Without His Eye?

Dogs can get along just fine with one eye. In fact, many blind dogs do great with no eyes. Dogs rely on their sense of smell so heavily, Doc Truli wonders if dogs make a "mind map" of what they smell, the way humans make a view of the world from what we see and hear. Maybe science and research will find these answers someday soon. (If you're thinking about a major in college, experimental psychology is the major that deals with the science of the senses. Check out the Sense of Smell Institute and Serendip's super geeky Experimental Psychology discussions.)

1-Year-Old Shih Tzu Mistakes Eyeglasses for Snack

Doc Truli — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:28:06 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1881" align="alignleft" width="148" caption="Fendi the Shih Tzu looks guilty after eating dad's eyeglasses!"][/caption]

Glass Makes for a Scary Snack!

Fendi, a black and white one-year-old Shih Tzu wagged her tail and attempted to climb on Doc Truli's shoulder. Fendi's first visit to Doc Truli was off to a good start. "What 're we in for today?" "Well, Doc, we caught her on our bed last night, chewing my eyeglasses into smithereens," said Fendi's dad. Seriously? "We found her with pieces of glass littered all around her, and a piece of glass in her mouth. Then this morning, Fendi had a small amount of fresh red blood in her stool," dad continued. Fendi wagged her tail when she heard her name. Her physical examination was normal. No more stool problems. No cuts in her mouth. Soft, nonpainful abdomen. No fever, normal vital signs. "Unfortunately, glass will not show on X-Rays. Fendi shows no evidence of discomfort, or a problem, so watch for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or any change in her appetite or behavior," said Doc Truli. "By the way, how did you hear about the animal hospital?" Fendi's dad said,"Your Yellow Page ad was large and easy to see, especially because I was nearly blind without my glasses!" [caption id="attachment_1883" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The left lens (on the right of the picture) is gone! The right lens is missing a chunk of glass!"][/caption]

Hypothyroidism in 14-Year Old Golden Retriever

Doc Truli — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:39:58 +0000

"Help! I shaved my dog and now the fur won't grow back!"

Haley smiled up for a picture from Doc Truli. Her front end wore a clown-face mask of grey and white fur. Her bald nether regions told a different story! "Doc, I shaved Haley last summer to help with the heat, and to help make sure there were no fleas or ticks. Then that fur in the back there never grew back in!" Haley had dental calculus build-up, skinny, atrophied hind limb muscles, and no fur on her tail, back of her legs, or part-way up her rump! How embarrassing. [caption id="attachment_1899" align="alignleft" width="73" caption="Notice the bald tail and hind end, and the position with no bending of the knees whatsoever."][/caption] Doc Truli suggested,"Let's test Haley for hypothyroidism." "What's that?"

Dogs and People Get Autoimmune Thyroiditis

-Hypo means low, or below. So a hypothyroid condition means that the body is not producing enough of the master metabolic hormone, called thyroid hormone. In dogs, we test for the Total T4, unbound T4 by dialysis (which refers to the process in the lab to separate out the hormone, dialysis), and sometimes the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and the T4, T3, TSH autoantibodies. The University of Tennessee performs most of the test design for the United States, and they are very good at it.

Testing for Hypothyroidism Just Requires a Quick Blood Sample

Painless, quick, and easy for your dog. If your veterinarian determines your dog has a sluggish thyroid, then thyroid hormone supplementation is available and affordable.

Tru Tip Dogs are insensitive to thyroid hormone supplementation compared to people and they urinate much of the hormone unchanged. Therefore, the doses are astronomical compared to human doses. If you ordered the medicine through a pharmacy for humans, the pharmacist would assuredly question the dose!

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Because the thyroid hormone helps set the metabolic rate for the body, when it runs low, or the body does not respond to the hormone properly, metabolism slows down. Therefore, the symptoms relate to a slowed metabolic rate. Remember, you need to see your veterinarian for a diagnosis because many of these symptoms are general and not specific to the thyroid problem.

Gain weight easily, for no clear reason
Recurrent, or difficult to cure infections, like bladder, ear or skin infections
Sagging belly and thin fur
Bald "Rat Tail"
Snoring and a change in the bark voice
Sluggish, lethargic, tired
Skin cool to the touch

How Your Dog Feels Better With Thyroid Hormone Supplementation

More energy
Warmer body
Heal faster
Arthritis feels better
Digest food better
Fur can regrow
Loose weight (which helps breathing, the heart, the joints, etc.)

What is "Euthyroid Sick?"
Euthyroid sick basically means another primary disease suppresses the thyroid; the thyroid itself is not the primary problem. You must let your veterinarian find and treat the primary problem. Often the thyroid will normalize without specific treatment.

Each Dog is Unique, Let Your Veterinarian Diagnose and Monitor Your Dog

Be careful to have your dog diagnosed properly. You cannot rely on the Total T4 Level alone.

Doc Truli says,"If you start hormone supplementation based only on the screening Total T4 number, then your dog may need to continue the hormone for the rest of his or her life, even if hypothyroidism was not a problem in the first place!"

Let your veterinarian check your dog's T4 level about 1 month after every change in dose, or after a major illness. Doc Truli recommends checking the T4 at least once every 6 months, and checking full laboratory profiles at least yearly. Probably your hypothyroid dog also suffers arthritis, and needs special blood tests to make sure the arthritis program is properly monitored.

Haley's Laboratory Tests are Pending

Doc Truli and most veterinarians have treated hundreds or more dogs with hypothyroidism. If Haley turns out not to be hypothyroid, we're going to investigate Cushing's disease next! P.S. If you highlighted the picture of Haley's back, there's a round, raised bump. That turned out to be a cyst filled with fluid, not a tumor!

cropped-Picture-39.jpg

Doc Truli — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:02:45 +0000

http://theinternetvet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/cropped-Picture-39.jpg

Understanding Pet Pharmacy Law in the United States

virtuavet — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:01:14 +0000

Understanding Pet Pharmacy Law in the United States FDA, EPA, State Jurisdiction Valid veterinary client patient relationship First do no harm Standards of Care Emergency med refills

Hungarian Sheepdog Hypothyroidism

virtuavet — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:34:03 +0000

Rescued on the Streets of Europe, This Huge Patient Had a Rough Life Start

Sugar Bear peered out at Doc Truli from under tight, curly white furry eyebrows. His gigantic, round curly white furry tail and rear end wedged between a black leather chair and a black wooden side table with a box of white scent-free facial tissues teetering half-way over the gold gilded edge above his enormous white tight curly furry shoulder blades. This Kommondor was not taking his examination lightly. Rescued from the streets of Budapest when he was only a 4 month-old puppy, he was grey, wet, matted, filthy, hungry, and suspicious of people. Abandoned on the streets and kicked and yelled at by people who just wanted to chase him away from piles of food thrown away in the alleys behind their bistros, the puppy learned to distrust everyone. When she saw him on the street, his (future) mom tried to call him over to her. Kicked too many times, hungry and cold, he snarled and ran behind a car. She knew he just needed food and love. Starting with the food, Sugar Bear sniffed cautiously from behind a car tire. He snatched the food and gobbled it behind the safety of the car. For days, his mom visited the alley and brought food until finally, the lonely puppy let her approach and pick him up. Tens years later, 180 pounds, snowy white curly fur, and immigration to the United States turned Sugar into a mostly trusting soul. "He won't bite you," said his mom. Hmmm, the start of many fateful examinations.....

A Careful, Calm Approach Avoids Sedation for Examination

"Please ask him to come out of the corner and sit in front of you," said Doc Truli. "Sugar, Sugar, honey, come on out," said mom. Yeah, right. Sugar glared at the Doc and glanced uncertainly toward his mom. "Come on, Sugar, sit here in front of mommy." Doc Truli calmly, slowly opened the exam room door. Sugar thought he was going back out to the car. He took a few steps forward, out of the corner. "Good boy, Sugar," she held his leash, "Sit here, sweetheart."

Get a Large, Fearful Dog to Move Out of a Corner; Do Not Reach Out and Pull Him Out!!!

This 180 pound Hungarian Sheepdog miraculously stopped in front of his mom's knees and sat down! There was no way Doc Truli was going to force him to go along with the program. Everyone was glad Sugar cooperated willingly. A sigh of relief was heard around the exam room.

Crouch at the Dog's Level, But be Ready to Jump to Safety If He Lunges!

Doc Truli crouched down shoulder to shoulder with Sugar Bear and tickled under his right ear. He leaned into the Doc. This was a good sign he was not going to become aggressive. Up flipped the ear flap. A foul, sickly sweet smell wafted over the room. Dry, flaky, gooey yellow crusted ooze covered the underside of Sugar's ear flap and stuck in the tight curly white fur.

Tru Tip A yeast ear infection (yeast otitis externa) often causes a thick, dry, yellow flaky, waxy appearance to the ear discharge, often causes the ear flap and ear canal where you can't see deep inside to swell and become hot pink and bumpy on the surface. The yeast infection has a classic sickly sweet fermented smell to it. Your veterinarian performs a test using a microscope called an ear smear cytology and identifies the yeast by their classic "shoeprint" shape of a man's traditional office dress shoe.

Sugar turned his head to lick Doc Truli's cheek. Only the first fifteen years of her life flashed before her eyes as she realized Sugar Bear relaxed. His expression seemed humorous, like he thought the Doc's concern for him was amusing. Maybe he enjoyed having his submandibular lymph nodes felt for enlargement. They were normal.

Be Careful to Tuck Your Fingers Out of the Way When You Approach a Frightened Dog's Mouth

The Doc took a finger and lifted his upper right lip gently, careful not to press against his sensitive ear with her arm. Sugar's teeth looked clean and healthy. A critical test came next.

Never Stare Directly Into a Frightened Dog's Eyes!

Staring directly into a dog's eyes, especially when he feels nervous or threatened, may precipitate immediate violence.

However, Every Veterinarian MUST Stare Into the Dog's Eyes to Examine the Eyes!

Doc turned 3/4 to face Sugar's right eye. Yellow-green crusted goo stuck to his eyelids and the whites of his eyes were beet red with inflammation. An assistant handed Doc a clean, white sterile gauze with saline eye wash to wipe the crust away. Even though Sugar's eye undoubtedly ached, the gauze felt cool and soothing. Doc wiped away the crust from both eyes. Now that Doc and Sugar were getting to know each other, the rest of the physical examination proceeded smoothly.

Hypothyroidism Causes Many Health Problems

"He's been acting old, Doc," said Sugar Bear's mom. "Sugar grew the eye infection, ear infection, and has an arthritis flare-up because he is low on his thyroid hormone," said Doc Truli.

Tru Tip The thyroid is called a master gland because the thyroid hormone it produces helps to set the body's metabolic rate. The metabolic rate is the speed of all the hormones, enzymes, electric signals, muscle activity, heart rate, immune system response time, skin healing...everything! If the thyroid is slow, the hormone is down and the body becomes tired and unresponsive to whatever stimulus it does get. Stress, infections, toxins...everything attacks the body and causes further illness.

"Really? The thyroid can do all that? I just didn't have time to bring him in for his physical and the blood test, so I ran out of pills about 6 months ago," said Sugar's mom. "Think of the thyroid this way: the thyroid has a skeleton key to get into all parts of the body. If it is low, the body functions all slow down," said Doc Truli. "So, it's really that important?" asked mom. "Yes, it's that important," said the Doc. Sugar wagged his tight, curly white furry tail and licked the Doc's cheek again. Do you have a Pet Rescue Story to Share? Comment here or email your story to VirtuaVet@BostonBrainBank.com subject line: Pet Stories. We'd love to hear from you!

golden

Doc Truli — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:54:10 +0000

Golden Retriever

shihtzuguilt

Doc Truli — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:58:43 +0000

shihtzuguilt

chiposteye

Doc Truli — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:00:35 +0000

chiposteye

water1

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The Chihuahua Manual Purse Ninja Pocket Guide By Doc Truli Chihuahua How To

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The Chihuahua Manual

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The Chihuahua Manual Purse Ninja Pocket Guide By Doc Truli Chihuahua How To

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The Chihuahua Manual Purse Ninja Pocket Guide By Doc Truli Chihuahua How To

The Chihuahua Manual

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The Chihuahua Manual Purse Ninja Pocket Guide By Doc Truli Chihuahua How To

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How To Check Your Pets Medication

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Curly Coat Retriever

Rottweiler Mix Slated for Death

virtuavet — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:50:17 +0000

Shelter Website Advertises Rottweiler for Adoption

The picture was sooo cute. A 6-month-old Rottweiler girl was found running the streets, taken to the shelter, and posted on the adoption website. Doc Truli's client, Tom, fell in love with Heidi right away. He didn't even call first. He shot off an email to reserve her, hopped in his car and boogied over the shelter to pick her up. "We're sorry sir, that puppy is deemed unadoptable and must be destroyed." Tom couldn't believe his ears. "But I just saw her picture on the adoption website on the internet and I came over to pick her up," he said.

Rottweiler Slated for Destruction

"Well, we can't help you,"said the unconcerned volunteer at the shelter. "She tried to bite a volunteer here and she has been through her behavior intake evaluation and she's too big to adopt out with a biting problem. If she hurt someone, you could sue us, so we do not make ANY exceptions to this rule anymore!" Tom would not take "no" for an answer. "I've rescued Rottweilers before, I know how they think," he said. "It doesn't matter, she has to be put down," said the volunteer. "I'll sign a waiver," he said. "That's what the last guy did, and then he sued us," she said. "When is it scheduled to be done," Tom asked. (He was thinking of a way around the "rules.") "Tomorrow," she said.

How Heidi's Savior Got Around the Rules

As a lawyer, Tom knew influential people. Before 5 pm, he had phone calls and letters of support from 2 U.S. Federal judges, several lawyers, and a board member of the shelter, too. Tom took Heidi out of the shelter the following morning and drove directly to Doc Truli's office for a check-up. How does Doc Truli know this whole story? Tom recited it during the hour it took Heidi to learn to trust the Doc.

How Doc Truli Gained Heidi's Trust

Lean in, Slow and Steady, Do Not Grab or Irritate with Your Touch

First, yours Truli sat on the floor about 1 foot away from the frightened, thin Rottweiler. Tom began to tell her story. Doc Truli sat next to Heidi, without touching her, and without looking at her. Heidi panted and her eyes rolled from left to right to see where the Doc was sitting. The petrified dog did not dare move her whole head in the Doc's direction. After ten minutes, Doc rested the back of her hand against Heidi's side just behind the left unilateral shoulder-blade. The Rottweiler did not flinch or move. Doc rolled her hand, without ever lifting the hand off of the dog, until the palm was firmly and gently resting on Heidi's black fur. Slowly, Doc moved her hand up to the front of the shoulder blades where the prescapular lymph nodes live. Then up to the submandibular lymph nodes under the left angle of the jaw. Then around the top of the neck to the right angle of the jaw, and back down to the right prescapular lymph nodes.

Ease into a Physical Examination Seamlessly

Next, Doc's left hand put the head of the cardiac stethoscope in her right hand and she pressed the stethoscope behind the left elbow in the position of the heart. Normal heartbeat. Then around the top to the right side of the chest. All the while, Doc moved calm, steady, very slowly, and kept the identical pressure on all body parts. All assistants were ordered to stay clear of the room, the doors, or even near the doorways! Heidi's new dad kept up a steady drone of storytelling, almost hypnotically reciting their short history together. Next, Doc felt the left side of the abdomen and the abdominal organs, and then under the belly to the left side. Hands slowly travelled back up to Heidi's head and her ears. Without shifting her weight, Doc Truli checked under the left and then right ear flaps. Heidi's frantic panting slowed to a nice relaxed pant. From the left side, Doc checked the left eye, and lifted the left lip to check Heidi's teeth. The right was too much of a shift in position, and would have to wait for the next visit.

Do Not Announce Anything, Just Get the Job Done

By this time, forty minutes elapsed. Heidi was leaning into the Doc's side and shivering for attention. Tom stopped his story long enough to ask, "When's the physical going to start?" "All done," said the Doc. "What? Wow! That was a trick!" said dad. Heidi's physical revealed a healthy, strong, skinny, starving, nervous dog. "Tom, you have tons of work to do to make this dog happy. But see how she is leaning into me? She's not mean; she's lonely. She's so starved for attention, she's even accepting a physical exam just to be touched by another living being," said the Doc. Heidi followed her new dad out of the office.

A year later...

Heidi and Zena came in for yearly check-ups. Who's Zena? A frightened, nervous, "biter," Siberian Husky slated for destruction, adopted by Tom in spite of the rules. Know what? Doc Truli could not tell either of these dogs had ever growled at anyone, let alone been labelled vicious. Two happy, tail-wagging dogs, a smallish Rottweiler and a largish Siberian Husky stood shoulder to shoulder and begged for their shots, hopped on the examination table, and tilted their heads for chin scratches. Perfect sisters. Perfectly happy.

Black and Tan Rottweiler Mix Dog

Doc Truli — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:42:16 +0000

Rottweiler Mix slated for euthanasia at the shelter saved by persistent dad

Judge Called to Save Death-Row Rottweiler

Doc Truli — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Shelter Website Advertises Rottweiler for Adoption

Rottweiler Slated for Destruction

"Some animal shelters will not adopt out a large-breed dog with the propensity to bite. They simply cannot aford to be sued by a grieving family if the dog hurts or maims a family member -- a child, for instance. The persistence of this good samaritan saved this dog and gave her a normal life!" said Doc Truli.

"When is it scheduled to be done," Tom asked. (He was thinking of a way around the "rules.") "Tomorrow," she said.

How Heidi's Savior Got Around the Rules

How Doc Truli Gained Heidi's Trust

Lean in, Slow and Steady, Do Not Grab or Irritate with Your Touch

Ease into a Physical Examination Seamlessly

Do Not Announce Anything, Just Get the Job Done

A year later...

The Chihuahua Manual

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2-Year Old Golden Retriever Jumps in Pool, Comes Out With Infection

virtuavet — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:13:20 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1926" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Hot Spot Dermatitis Below Ear and on Neck"][/caption]

"Hot Spot" Symptoms

A miserable, itchy Golden Retriever sat on the floor in the corner of Doc Truli's examination room and attempted to scratch an oozing, sticky, furry mess under his right ear with his right hind paw. He was too tired and lazy to make the ear to paw connection. He settled for rubbing the ear on the nearest leather chair.

"Hot Spot" Skin Infection Spread in Hours

"When did you notice the problem?" asked Doc Truli. "Just 2 days ago," said the housekeeper. Jake swam regularly. Usually, the family's housekeeper was in charge of hosing Jake down and making sure he dried off after a swim in the family pool. This time, the housekeeper was out sick. Jake went swimming and stayed damp under the fur - down to his skin - for two days.

A "Hot Spot" Makes a Dog Feel Sick All Over

By the time anyone realized something was wrong, Jake was lethargic, listless, had no energy, did not want to eat, and constantly rubbed or itched his ear area. The normally happy-go-lucky Golden Retriever felt miserable. He smelled fairly ripe, too.

"Hot Spot" is the slang for "Pyotraumatic Dermatitis," explains Doc Truli. "Most pyotraumatic dermatitis results from everyday bacteria, like Staphylococcus spp. finding a hospitable environment on the body. A thick, damp coat of fur holds the moisture and keeps the healing UV sunlight off of the skin. The bacteria can multiply and infections spread in those ideal conditions."

"We'll have to shave the infected area and see the extent of the damage," said the Doc, beginning to shave. Some dogs allow a veterinarian to shave a sore area without a fuss. Oftentimes, when an infected area is red, swollen, and painful, the kindest course of action is some painkillers and anti-anxiety medication.

A "Hot Spot" Can be Considered an Emergency

While a dog is unlikely to die from a sudden skin infection, the pain and suffering the infection causes should be stopped as soon as possible. Doc Truli saw one dog drag his canine tooth into his side and scrape a furrow in his own skin to scratch at a hot spot area over a weekend. Do not hesitate to visit a pet emergency room to get help in stopping the pain and itchiness from a hot spot.

Pain Medication and a Clean Up Start the Healing Process

Remove the Fur Over All of the Infected Area

Under sedation, Jake's clean-up began. The crusts and infected, sore skin extended below both ears, down the front of his chest under the pretty ruff fur, and around the back sides of his neck! He looked like he met a lawn mower and the lawn mower won by the time we were through with him!

Antibiotics and Anti-inflammatory Medication

Jake needed good antibiotics for skin infection along with some medication to take the redness and pain out of the wounds. Even though he's not going to win any dog shows after the medical shave he received, Jake began to feel better immediately. [caption id="attachment_1927" align="alignleft" width="107" caption="After 3 Days of Healing, Jake Looks Better"][/caption] The healing time, as with most skin wounds, will be about 14 days. The fur, however, will take about 6 months to grow into the thick, lustrous coat it can be!

virtuavet — Sat, 01 May 2010 02:19:21 +0000

Chihuahuas are unlike other dogs. You may have read about dog first aid from many other sources. Now read about Chihuahua first aid. Chihauhau CPR- Cardio-pulmonaryResuscitation First of all, do not stress if you cannot do this. Why? Because 4% of human patients undergoing CPR survive to hospital discharge. The rate for dogs is much less. Your ability, or lack there-of will probably not be the deciding factor in your Chihuahua's survival. There is a noteable situation where CPR could save your chihuahua. If your chi falls into a body of water and appears to have breathed in water, first hold yur chihuahua upside down to let water run out of the throat and lungs. A few seconds, maybe 15 seconds, should do it. Then start nose-to-mouth resuscitation. Do not press on the chest or pound on the ribs to simulate cpr. Instead, gently, with your chihuahua lying on his or her back , fold the nose to the tail in a bellowing, accordian-styale motion. The pressure of the stomach and abdomen pressing up on the chest will push air out of the lungs, and then straightening the chi will pull it back in. This folding motion is the closest to cpr you can safely do without breaking your little chis ribs. Breath in your chihuahu's nose, or into the mouth and press the lips shut around your mouth. Your breathe contains only about 23% oxygen, compared to 70% in room air, but it's more than your chihuahua has when he or she is not bbreathing at all! Then fold and watch to see that the chest is compressd and expanded with each folding. Get to the veterinarian immediately. OF someone can drive while you do this, then that is better. Drive safely in an emergency. Do not add yourself to the list of casualties, or you will be unable to help your chihuahua. Usually, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation does not help a dog. Why not? Because CPR is designed to keep the body's and heart's blood circulating oxygen during cardiac arrest. CPR primarily saves people with hardening of the arteries and blocked arteries bringing blood to the heart muscle itself. Dogs (except for a family of Boxers), do not suffer atherosclerosis and hardening of the arteries. Dogs do not have heart attacks from clogged cardiac arteries. Therefore, the CPR designed to help in those situations does not help dogs. A Chihuahua who has had a shock or an accident, especially a young, strong chihuahua, may just need some cardiac stimulation to get the heart beating again if it stops. In this case, CPR may help. dystochia If you want your female Chi to have puppies, prepare, prepare, prepare! Be certain she has had 2 heat cycles, so that she is fully grown and as strong as she can be. Be certain the male is smaller than the female. Puppy sizes do not naturally match the mom's size (like foals do with mares), so a puppy can grow way too large for a chihuahua to give birth through her birth canal. Monitor the breeding, and start counting the days of gestation. There should be 62-64 total days until the puppies are born. An emergency caesarian section surgery will be necessary to save your chihuahua's life and that of the puppy. These surgeries cost anywhere from $500 (somewhere in the mountains where the average household income is $6,000 for a family of 4), to $2,500 in most major US cities. Please, please plan ahead. If you find your chihuahua growing for no reason, have her checked by your veterinarian. She may be pregnant. But she may also have pyometra, mucometra, hydrometra, or some other health condition making her belly enlarge. To find out if your chihuahua is truly pregnent, note the first mating date. At day 32-34, a progesterone hormone blood test can be run for pregnancy. Before 32 days, false negative results would make you think your chihuahua is not pregnant when she really is. Also at about day 3-0-34 gestation, an abdominal ultrasound can see puppies in the amniotic sacs, and check for heartbeats. Puppies cannot be counted with ultrasound because the whole abdomen cannot be imaged on a single viewscreen. You have no way of knowing whether you are counting the same puppy twice or not. Also, puppies can still be resorbed by the mother's body after day 30-34, so even if there are heartbeats then, it does not guarantee live birth. If your chihuahua gets a big belly, big mammry glands, starts having milk, and nesting, probably she is pregnent. But not necessarily. Dogs can have False pregnancy in which everything looks exactly like pregnancy. But there are no puppies. (No kidding!) Radiographs (x-rays) taken at day 50-55 of gestation, when the puppy skeletons are calcifying, can be used to count how many little ones to expect. Ask for a 2-view study of the abdomen, even if it costs more money, so you will not be surprised by a miscount. Most chihuahuas have 1-4 puppies in a litter. First time moms have less on average, maybe 1 or 2. If you know how many to expect,you will know if she is finished on the night she gives birth. If you do not know, you will end up in the emergency room getting x-rays to conform if all of the puppies have come out. That costs you more and stresses you, mom dog, and the puppies she may already have. If there has been more than 2 hours of constant contraction since the last puppy, then you have to go to the vet's. If there has been more than four hours since the last puppy, without constant straining, then you must go to the vet's. Each puppy comes out with their own unbilical cord and aminiotic birth sac. If mom does not know to open the sac gently with the edge of her tooth and lick the puppies dry to stimulate their breathing relflex, then you have to immediately step in and open the sac, tie off the unbilical cord (many breeders use dental floss). Do not tie too close to the belly or you may injure the fragile, thin chihuahua belly skin! Leave 1/2 tpo 1 inch. The stump will dry up and fall off on its own naturally. Be sure there is an afterbirth with each puppy. Most mom chihuahua's will act doggy enough to want to eat the afterbirth. If you can stand it, let her. It is very nutritious. If you can't, you can dispose of the afterbirth for your chihuahua. If you do not count an afterbirth for each pup, then there ay be retained pacentas inside the uterus. These will become infected and diseased if left in there. Give it at least 4 hours after the birth of the last pup (unless there's straining, and then 2 hours), and if she has not passed the afterbirth, get to the vet's for an oxytocin shot to clean out the uterus. You should give the puppies a brief, crucial physical exam shortly after they are born, or after their first meal. Open the mouth with your finger and check the roof of the mouth. It should be complete and whole. Chihauhuas can be born with cleft palate. If this is the case, the hole or cleft between the mouth and the sinuses will coae the puppy to have trouble eating. The milk will run out their nose. If the cleft is large, they may not be able to apply suction to the mom's nipple to get milk out in the first place. This defect may be surgically corrected. In the meantime, assist the puppy with tube feeding or syringe feeding. It's easy to accidently drown a puppy's lungs with syringe feeding newborns, so follow your veterinarian's directions carefully. Use puppy milk replacer. The nearest t the milk replacer is goat's milk with fresh egg mixed into it. Cow's milk is inadequate for canines. It has the wrong protein to fat ratios. Check if the puppies have their legs and that the legs face the correct directions. Check that the belly button umbilicus area is closed and not hanging open. Some chihuahuas are born with an incomplete bely wall. They need immediate surgery to close the defect. Check under the tail to be sure the puppy have an anus. Some chihuahuas are born with varying degrees of coanal atresia. Their little puppy butt holes are closed. They cannot poop. After a few days of this, the poop backs up and they feel very sick and they die. If it is caught early, and is not too severe, a surgery may be performed to open the hole. Mom and pups should get to the veterinarian within 24-48 hours for a health check-up. eyes Chihuahuas are fairly brachycephalic (brake-ee-sef-alick). This means their cephala (heads) are round and their noses short. Their eye sockets are shallow like a human baby. Their little chihuahua eyes bulge more than breeds like a german shepherd, or a yorkshire terrier. These eyes are prone to injury and wwear and tear. First, cihuahua eyes can fall out if alittermate walks over their head and slips and kicks out their eye as they try to walk over their head. Now you have to rush to your veterinarian to have an eye surgery to try and save the eye. Do not wait. Te longer the eye sits out of the socket, the more dry and swollen it becomes, quickly blinded and impossible to replace. The other common injury is a scratch or eye ulcer. Dogs with bulging eyes (likr chihuahuas) have a curved, relatively large corneal surface to keep refreshed with natural tears. Ulcers, sores, and dry eye can result from inadequate tear production. Injury easily finds a cihuahua. a cat scratch, a twig, a sticker bush, a violent 10 secong tussle over a rawhide chewie, and somebody looses an eye! this ridiculpus chihuahua behavior looses many a chi an eye. Get to the vet urgently. Eye injury is an emergency, or else your otherwise salvagabke eye becomes a removal surgery. PLus, do not think for asecond that your little Napoleon will learn a lesson. it is you who must learn to keep the dogs apart when valuable, exciting food items enter the house. A note about administering eye medication to chihauhua. Good luck! Just kidding. Manychihauhau parents cannot medicate their chihuahua's eyes. If your little one is crabby, then read on to learn how to get your chihuahua to accept any physical maintainance you need to perform. Chihuahuas are unlike other dogs. You may have read about dog first aid from many other sources. Now read about Chihuahua first aid. Chihauhau CPR- Cardio-pulmonaryResuscitation First of all, do not stress if you cannot do this. Why? Because 4% of human patients undergoing CPR survive to hospital discharge. The rate for dogs is much less. Your ability, or lack there-of will probably not be the deciding factor in your Chihuahua's survival. There is a noteable situation where CPR could save your chihuahua. If your chi falls into a body of water and appears to have breathed in water, first hold yur chihuahua upside down to let water run out of the throat and lungs. A few seconds, maybe 15 seconds, should do it. Then start nose-to-mouth resuscitation. Do not press on the chest or pound on the ribs to simulate cpr. Instead, gently, with your chihuahua lying on his or her back , fold the nose to the tail in a bellowing, accordian-styale motion. The pressure of the stomach and abdomen pressing up on the chest will push air out of the lungs, and then straightening the chi will pull it back in. This folding motion is the closest to cpr you can safely do without breaking your little chis ribs. Breath in your chihuahu's nose, or into the mouth and press the lips shut around your mouth. Your breathe contains only about 23% oxygen, compared to 70% in room air, but it's more than your chihuahua has when he or she is not bbreathing at all! Then fold and watch to see that the chest is compressd and expanded with each folding. Get to the veterinarian immediately. OF someone can drive while you do this, then that is better. Drive safely in an emergency. Do not add yourself to the list of casualties, or you will be unable to help your chihuahua. Usually, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation does not help a dog. Why not? Because CPR is designed to keep the body's and heart's blood circulating oxygen during cardiac arrest. CPR primarily saves people with hardening of the arteries and blocked arteries bringing blood to the heart muscle itself. Dogs (except for a family of Boxers), do not suffer atherosclerosis and hardening of the arteries. Dogs do not have heart attacks from clogged cardiac arteries. Therefore, the CPR designed to help in those situations does not help dogs. A Chihuahua who has had a shock or an accident, especially a young, strong chihuahua, may just need some cardiac stimulation to get the heart beating again if it stops. In this case, CPR may help. dystochia If you want your female Chi to have puppies, prepare, prepare, prepare! Be certain she has had 2 heat cycles, so that she is fully grown and as strong as she can be. Be certain the male is smaller than the female. Puppy sizes do not naturally match the mom's size (like foals do with mares), so a puppy can grow way too large for a chihuahua to give birth through her birth canal. Monitor the breeding, and start counting the days of gestation. There should be 62-64 total days until the puppies are born. An emergency caesarian section surgery will be necessary to save your chihuahua's life and that of the puppy. These surgeries cost anywhere from $500 (somewhere in the mountains where the average household income is $6,000 for a family of 4), to $2,500 in most major US cities. Please, please plan ahead. If you find your chihuahua growing for no reason, have her checked by your veterinarian. She may be pregnant. But she may also have pyometra, mucometra, hydrometra, or some other health condition making her belly enlarge. To find out if your chihuahua is truly pregnent, note the first mating date. At day 32-34, a progesterone hormone blood test can be run for pregnancy. Before 32 days, false negative results would make you think your chihuahua is not pregnant when she really is. Also at about day 3-0-34 gestation, an abdominal ultrasound can see puppies in the amniotic sacs, and check for heartbeats. Puppies cannot be counted with ultrasound because the whole abdomen cannot be imaged on a single viewscreen. You have no way of knowing whether you are counting the same puppy twice or not. Also, puppies can still be resorbed by the mother's body after day 30-34, so even if there are heartbeats then, it does not guarantee live birth. If your chihuahua gets a big belly, big mammry glands, starts having milk, and nesting, probably she is pregnent. But not necessarily. Dogs can have False pregnancy in which everything looks exactly like pregnancy. But there are no puppies. (No kidding!) Radiographs (x-rays) taken at day 50-55 of gestation, when the puppy skeletons are calcifying, can be used to count how many little ones to expect. Ask for a 2-view study of the abdomen, even if it costs more money, so you will not be surprised by a miscount. Most chihuahuas have 1-4 puppies in a litter. First time moms have less on average, maybe 1 or 2. If you know how many to expect,you will know if she is finished on the night she gives birth. If you do not know, you will end up in the emergency room getting x-rays to conform if all of the puppies have come out. That costs you more and stresses you, mom dog, and the puppies she may already have. If there has been more than 2 hours of constant contraction since the last puppy, then you have to go to the vet's. If there has been more than four hours since the last puppy, without constant straining, then you must go to the vet's. Each puppy comes out with their own unbilical cord and aminiotic birth sac. If mom does not know to open the sac gently with the edge of her tooth and lick the puppies dry to stimulate their breathing relflex, then you have to immediately step in and open the sac, tie off the unbilical cord (many breeders use dental floss). Do not tie too close to the belly or you may injure the fragile, thin chihuahua belly skin! Leave 1/2 tpo 1 inch. The stump will dry up and fall off on its own naturally. Be sure there is an afterbirth with each puppy. Most mom chihuahua's will act doggy enough to want to eat the afterbirth. If you can stand it, let her. It is very nutritious. If you can't, you can dispose of the afterbirth for your chihuahua. If you do not count an afterbirth for each pup, then there ay be retained pacentas inside the uterus. These will become infected and diseased if left in there. Give it at least 4 hours after the birth of the last pup (unless there's straining, and then 2 hours), and if she has not passed the afterbirth, get to the vet's for an oxytocin shot to clean out the uterus. You should give the puppies a brief, crucial physical exam shortly after they are born, or after their first meal. Open the mouth with your finger and check the roof of the mouth. It should be complete and whole. Chihauhuas can be born with cleft palate. If this is the case, the hole or cleft between the mouth and the sinuses will coae the puppy to have trouble eating. The milk will run out their nose. If the cleft is large, they may not be able to apply suction to the mom's nipple to get milk out in the first place. This defect may be surgically corrected. In the meantime, assist the puppy with tube feeding or syringe feeding. It's easy to accidently drown a puppy's lungs with syringe feeding newborns, so follow your veterinarian's directions carefully. Use puppy milk replacer. The nearest t the milk replacer is goat's milk with fresh egg mixed into it. Cow's milk is inadequate for canines. It has the wrong protein to fat ratios. Check if the puppies have their legs and that the legs face the correct directions. Check that the belly button umbilicus area is closed and not hanging open. Some chihuahuas are born with an incomplete bely wall. They need immediate surgery to close the defect. Check under the tail to be sure the puppy have an anus. Some chihuahuas are born with varying degrees of coanal atresia. Their little puppy butt holes are closed. They cannot poop. After a few days of this, the poop backs up and they feel very sick and they die. If it is caught early, and is not too severe, a surgery may be performed to open the hole. Mom and pups should get to the veterinarian within 24-48 hours for a health check-up. eyes Chihuahuas are fairly brachycephalic (brake-ee-sef-alick). This means their cephala (heads) are round and their noses short. Their eye sockets are shallow like a human baby. Their little chihuahua eyes bulge more than breeds like a german shepherd, or a yorkshire terrier. These eyes are prone to injury and wwear and tear. First, cihuahua eyes can fall out if alittermate walks over their head and slips and kicks out their eye as they try to walk over their head. Now you have to rush to your veterinarian to have an eye surgery to try and save the eye. Do not wait. Te longer the eye sits out of the socket, the more dry and swollen it becomes, quickly blinded and impossible to replace. The other common injury is a scratch or eye ulcer. Dogs with bulging eyes (likr chihuahuas) have a curved, relatively large corneal surface to keep refreshed with natural tears. Ulcers, sores, and dry eye can result from inadequate tear production. Injury easily finds a cihuahua. a cat scratch, a twig, a sticker bush, a violent 10 secong tussle over a rawhide chewie, and somebody looses an eye! this ridiculpus chihuahua behavior looses many a chi an eye. Get to the vet urgently. Eye injury is an emergency, or else your otherwise salvagabke eye becomes a removal surgery. PLus, do not think for asecond that your little Napoleon will learn a lesson. it is you who must learn to keep the dogs apart when valuable, exciting food items enter the house. A note about administering eye medication to chihauhua. Good luck! Just kidding. Manychihauhau parents cannot medicate their chihuahua's eyes. If your little one is crabby, then read on to learn how to get your chihuahua to accept any physical maintainance you need to perform. Chihuahuas are unlike other dogs. You may have read about dog first aid from many other sources. Now read about Chihuahua first aid. Chihauhau CPR- Cardio-pulmonaryResuscitation First of all, do not stress if you cannot do this. Why? Because 4% of human patients undergoing CPR survive to hospital discharge. The rate for dogs is much less. Your ability, or lack there-of will probably not be the deciding factor in your Chihuahua's survival. There is a noteable situation where CPR could save your chihuahua. If your chi falls into a body of water and appears to have breathed in water, first hold yur chihuahua upside down to let water run out of the throat and lungs. A few seconds, maybe 15 seconds, should do it. Then start nose-to-mouth resuscitation. Do not press on the chest or pound on the ribs to simulate cpr. Instead, gently, with your chihuahua lying on his or her back , fold the nose to the tail in a bellowing, accordian-styale motion. The pressure of the stomach and abdomen pressing up on the chest will push air out of the lungs, and then straightening the chi will pull it back in. This folding motion is the closest to cpr you can safely do without breaking your little chis ribs. Breath in your chihuahu's nose, or into the mouth and press the lips shut around your mouth. Your breathe contains only about 23% oxygen, compared to 70% in room air, but it's more than your chihuahua has when he or she is not bbreathing at all! Then fold and watch to see that the chest is compressd and expanded with each folding. Get to the veterinarian immediately. OF someone can drive while you do this, then that is better. Drive safely in an emergency. Do not add yourself to the list of casualties, or you will be unable to help your chihuahua. Usually, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation does not help a dog. Why not? Because CPR is designed to keep the body's and heart's blood circulating oxygen during cardiac arrest. CPR primarily saves people with hardening of the arteries and blocked arteries bringing blood to the heart muscle itself. Dogs (except for a family of Boxers), do not suffer atherosclerosis and hardening of the arteries. Dogs do not have heart attacks from clogged cardiac arteries. Therefore, the CPR designed to help in those situations does not help dogs. A Chihuahua who has had a shock or an accident, especially a young, strong chihuahua, may just need some cardiac stimulation to get the heart beating again if it stops. In this case, CPR may help. dystochia If you want your female Chi to have puppies, prepare, prepare, prepare! Be certain she has had 2 heat cycles, so that she is fully grown and as strong as she can be. Be certain the male is smaller than the female. Puppy sizes do not naturally match the mom's size (like foals do with mares), so a puppy can grow way too large for a chihuahua to give birth through her birth canal. Monitor the breeding, and start counting the days of gestation. There should be 62-64 total days until the puppies are born. An emergency caesarian section surgery will be necessary to save your chihuahua's life and that of the puppy. These surgeries cost anywhere from $500 (somewhere in the mountains where the average household income is $6,000 for a family of 4), to $2,500 in most major US cities. Please, please plan ahead. If you find your chihuahua growing for no reason, have her checked by your veterinarian. She may be pregnant. But she may also have pyometra, mucometra, hydrometra, or some other health condition making her belly enlarge. To find out if your chihuahua is truly pregnent, note the first mating date. At day 32-34, a progesterone hormone blood test can be run for pregnancy. Before 32 days, false negative results would make you think your chihuahua is not pregnant when she really is. Also at about day 3-0-34 gestation, an abdominal ultrasound can see puppies in the amniotic sacs, and check for heartbeats. Puppies cannot be counted with ultrasound because the whole abdomen cannot be imaged on a single viewscreen. You have no way of knowing whether you are counting the same puppy twice or not. Also, puppies can still be resorbed by the mother's body after day 30-34, so even if there are heartbeats then, it does not guarantee live birth. If your chihuahua gets a big belly, big mammry glands, starts having milk, and nesting, probably she is pregnent. But not necessarily. Dogs can have False pregnancy in which everything looks exactly like pregnancy. But there are no puppies. (No kidding!) Radiographs (x-rays) taken at day 50-55 of gestation, when the puppy skeletons are calcifying, can be used to count how many little ones to expect. Ask for a 2-view study of the abdomen, even if it costs more money, so you will not be surprised by a miscount. Most chihuahuas have 1-4 puppies in a litter. First time moms have less on average, maybe 1 or 2. If you know how many to expect,you will know if she is finished on the night she gives birth. If you do not know, you will end up in the emergency room getting x-rays to conform if all of the puppies have come out. That costs you more and stresses you, mom dog, and the puppies she may already have. If there has been more than 2 hours of constant contraction since the last puppy, then you have to go to the vet's. If there has been more than four hours since the last puppy, without constant straining, then you must go to the vet's. Each puppy comes out with their own unbilical cord and aminiotic birth sac. If mom does not know to open the sac gently with the edge of her tooth and lick the puppies dry to stimulate their breathing relflex, then you have to immediately step in and open the sac, tie off the unbilical cord (many breeders use dental floss). Do not tie too close to the belly or you may injure the fragile, thin chihuahua belly skin! Leave 1/2 tpo 1 inch. The stump will dry up and fall off on its own naturally. Be sure there is an afterbirth with each puppy. Most mom chihuahua's will act doggy enough to want to eat the afterbirth. If you can stand it, let her. It is very nutritious. If you can't, you can dispose of the afterbirth for your chihuahua. If you do not count an afterbirth for each pup, then there ay be retained pacentas inside the uterus. These will become infected and diseased if left in there. Give it at least 4 hours after the birth of the last pup (unless there's straining, and then 2 hours), and if she has not passed the afterbirth, get to the vet's for an oxytocin shot to clean out the uterus. You should give the puppies a brief, crucial physical exam shortly after they are born, or after their first meal. Open the mouth with your finger and check the roof of the mouth. It should be complete and whole. Chihauhuas can be born with cleft palate. If this is the case, the hole or cleft between the mouth and the sinuses will coae the puppy to have trouble eating. The milk will run out their nose. If the cleft is large, they may not be able to apply suction to the mom's nipple to get milk out in the first place. This defect may be surgically corrected. In the meantime, assist the puppy with tube feeding or syringe feeding. It's easy to accidently drown a puppy's lungs with syringe feeding newborns, so follow your veterinarian's directions carefully. Use puppy milk replacer. The nearest t the milk replacer is goat's milk with fresh egg mixed into it. Cow's milk is inadequate for canines. It has the wrong protein to fat ratios. Check if the puppies have their legs and that the legs face the correct directions. Check that the belly button umbilicus area is closed and not hanging open. Some chihuahuas are born with an incomplete bely wall. They need immediate surgery to close the defect. Check under the tail to be sure the puppy have an anus. Some chihuahuas are born with varying degrees of coanal atresia. Their little puppy butt holes are closed. They cannot poop. After a few days of this, the poop backs up and they feel very sick and they die. If it is caught early, and is not too severe, a surgery may be performed to open the hole. Mom and pups should get to the veterinarian within 24-48 hours for a health check-up. eyes Chihuahuas are fairly brachycephalic (brake-ee-sef-alick). This means their cephala (heads) are round and their noses short. Their eye sockets are shallow like a human baby. Their little chihuahua eyes bulge more than breeds like a german shepherd, or a yorkshire terrier. These eyes are prone to injury and wwear and tear. First, cihuahua eyes can fall out if alittermate walks over their head and slips and kicks out their eye as they try to walk over their head. Now you have to rush to your veterinarian to have an eye surgery to try and save the eye. Do not wait. Te longer the eye sits out of the socket, the more dry and swollen it becomes, quickly blinded and impossible to replace. The other common injury is a scratch or eye ulcer. Dogs with bulging eyes (likr chihuahuas) have a curved, relatively large corneal surface to keep refreshed with natural tears. Ulcers, sores, and dry eye can result from inadequate tear production. Injury easily finds a cihuahua. a cat scratch, a twig, a sticker bush, a violent 10 secong tussle over a rawhide chewie, and somebody looses an eye! this ridiculpus chihuahua behavior looses many a chi an eye. Get to the vet urgently. Eye injury is an emergency, or else your otherwise salvagabke eye becomes a removal surgery. PLus, do not think for asecond that your little Napoleon will learn a lesson. it is you who must learn to keep the dogs apart when valuable, exciting food items enter the house. A note about administering eye medication to chihauhua. Good luck! Just kidding. Manychihauhau parents cannot medicate their chihuahua's eyes. If your little one is crabby, then read on to learn how to get your chihuahua to accept any physical maintainance you need to perform.

If Your Dog Sits Funny, Get a Knee Check Up!

virtuavet — Sun, 02 May 2010 14:14:48 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1941" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="This abnormal sitting position indicates a knee injury."][/caption]

6-Year-old Belgian Malinois Police Dog Injures Cranial Cruciate Knee Ligament

Ashley ran the fence every night. She guarded the yard from the ominous strangers delivering pizza and walking their poodles on the other side of her fence.

One Spring night, suddenly, for no clear reason, Ashley started yelping and soul-wrenchingly howling in pain! She held her right hind leg up close to her tummy and limped back to the house, licking her lips on pain and anxiety.

Her handler/human father had no idea what could have happened!

"Doc, you gotta believe me, she howled so loud, me and my wife thought she got bit by a snake," said the canine officer, "By the time she got to the back door of the house, she was putting a bit of weight on it. But I can tell it still just isn't right."

When a Dog Holds a Leg Up, Something's Wrong!

When your dog holds a leg up, something is wrong. The only way your dog knows to deal with the pain is to hold the leg up, sometimes with just the toes touching the ground. Usually, running is easier than walking, turning, or especially, getting up from a down position. The slow movements are harder than the fast running. During running, the paws hardly touch the ground, and a dog can run just fine on three legs, and really never put any weight on the painful fourth leg.

"Many people are fooled by the easy running. They sense their dog may have an injury, but they are confused by the ability to run better than to walk. Do not hesitate to bring your dog to your veterinarian if there is severe limping, or limping for more than 24 hours," says Doc Truli"

Sudden Limping On a Hind Leg Usually Means Knee Injury

Check your dogs paws and pads for cuts, stones, hair mats, cysts, ulcers, sores, bee stings, etc. Sometimes the problem is a laceration (expensive doctor word for a cut). Sometimes matted up fur knows in a clump and makes your dog feel like he or she is walking with a stone in the proverbial shoe.

If your dog will not touch one hind leg to the ground at all, go to the emergency room or your vet's if they are open. Hip dislocation, fractures, and severe urgent problems make a dog completely stay off of a leg.

Most dogs limp and have a slight lameness called toe-touch lame, this means your dog will put weight on the leg sometimes, but leans heavily on the sound leg. Orthopedic surgeons tell us that 85% of hind limb lameness in dogs is attributable to knee instability. The patella and the cruciate ligaments are often to blame!

Your Dog Sits "Sloppy" With a Knee, or Both Knees Thrown Out to the Side

If your dog sits like the canine officer in the picture, with one or both legs out to the side, this is a sure sign of knee pain and dysfunction. Some dogs have had a sore knee most of their lives, and a slow degenerative process eats away at the stability of the knee, and the dog's confidence and comfort.

Diagnosing Cruciate Ligament Injury

"Doc, what the heck is the cranial cruciate ligament?

What is This Cruciate Ligament of Which You Speak?

Inside the knee, under the kneecap, lives the cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments. These are the ligaments that professional athletes often rupture as they torque and pound on their knees during performance. They are x-shaped tough fibrous, somewhat elastic bands inside the knee in an X-shape. The X pattern helps these ligaments hold the knee from sliding too far forward or backward with each step. When the ligaments are not working, or have ripped, the femur (upper leg long bone) painfully grinds against the top of the lower leg tibia.

So That's It? What Does My Veterinarian do to Diagnose this Injury?

Cranial Drawer Test

Your dog is asked or helped to lie on his or her side. Then, the veterinarian holds the affected leg in an extended straight position. With a finger on the patella (kneecap), and a hand on the tibia, the knee apparatus is moved front to back, and back to front. A normal knee exhibits no laxity during this Cranial Drawer Test. Think of a drawer sliding open and shut. There should be no drawer in the knee. If there is, there is probably a loose, stretched, or ripped ligament.

Tibial Thrust Test

Still in the side position, your veterinarian will do a Tibial Thrust Test. The hands are almost in the same place on the kneecap and the tibial crest in the front of the tibial. The tarsus (ankle) is help at a ninety degree angle and then flexed to a smaller, perhaps twenty degree angle, while the knee is held still. The knee-joint should stay solid. If a ligament is ripped, the tibial will thrust forward. Obviously, this test is painful in an abnormal knee. Some dogs need to wear a muzzle for this test so they do not bite when they feel the pain. If the test hurts a lot, or your dog is tense from anxiety, your veterinarian will administer sedatives to your dog (not you!).

Can X-Rays Help?

"Captain Morgan" Radiograph Position

Radiographs (X-Rays) may need to be obtained. An anesthetized, or relaxed sedated dog, is placed on his or her side, and knee radiographs are obtained. The knee and ankle are each bent in ninety degree angles. This means a nice right angle to the knee, and also to the ankle. Doc Truli calls this the "Captain Morgan" x-ray position because of the popular television ad campaign. This position allows the laxity in the knee to be seen and measured. If a line is drawn through the center of the tibial in a properly positioned image, and the top comes out in front of the patella, instead of just behind the front of the patella, then there is excessive joint laxity.

Great. Now, What Can I Do About a Cruciate Injury in my Dog?

Surgery

Big Dog. Big laxity. Lots of pain. Or two knees injured at the same time. Or one hind leg missing in your dog. Surgery. There are many, and sometimes controversial, surgeries to change the physics of the knee to lessen laxity, or apply strong sutures to the sides of the knee to stabilize the joint. Consult with a recommended orthopedic veterinary surgeon. Choose a qualified, board-certified surgeon who has performed 100's of procedures for the best results. The arguments for each type of surgery vary by country, training, surgeon's preference, education opportunities, etc. There are, however, no surgeries that successfully rebuild the natural ligaments in the dog. The biofeedback of the living ligament helps to make the joint what it is. Installing a cadaver ligament or an artificial fiber does not work anything like a living ligament. Researchers keep looking, however, because ligament regeneration or replacement would help humans with this same injury.

No Surgery

Small dog. Three other good legs. Mild to moderate pain. No harm in the "wait n see" approach. Pain control is a necessity. Non-steroidal prescription anti-inflammatory medication, opioids, Class IV Laser therapy, hydrotherapy, and physical therapy are all good options.

What Is Class IV Laser Therapy? Well, I'm glad you asked! Class Four Laser therapy delivers infrared wavelengths in a certain frequency and time to make a dose that penetrates different thicknesses and compositions of body parts. (A knee is not the same as a paw, etc.) The Laser Therapy has not been shown scientifically to help in knee instability. It help arthritis tremendously, but unstable is unstable. Unless you stabilize that joint by healing, exercise, and/or surgery, it may always cause pain. The infrared heats the area, warming it and increasing blood circulation, which brings healing factors and feels relaxing. The Class IV Laser also acts on local acupuncture points to release natural endorphins and help with pain control. Less pain means more healing and more ability to take part in physical therapy. But even better, the Class IV Laser energy is absorbed by the cellular energy factories (mitochondria) that make the energy of life, ATP. These mitochondria use the infrared energy to make more ATP for healing, detoxification, and healing. Therefore, the Class Four Laser has been shown to help sooth the joint cartilage surfaces, decreasing arthritis symptoms and pain.

Warning: Do not administer aspirin (old-fashioned remedy), as recent research shows aspirin always causes ulcers in dogs, at any dose. Also, do not give your painkillers. Many medications for humans, especially painkillers, kill dog's livers. Get to your veterinarian or an emergency room. If you absolutely live in the middle of nowhere, cold pack therapy within the first 24 hours of injury helps decrease the pain and inflammation.

Ashley Feels Better

In Ashley's case, she's taking her prescription medication, getting her laser treatments, and resting for 2-6 weeks. Probably, she'll need knee surgery. The lateral suture repair technique has an 85% chance of return to pet function, chasing the ball in the yard. The TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) procedure has an 85% chance of return to athletic function. As she is a working police canine officer, she need athletic function, which is probably not possible without surgery. P.S. Cats get cruciate ligament injuries too! And they throw that leg out at a sloppy funny angle also!

cruciatekneeinjury

Doc Truli — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:03:44 +0000

If Your Dog Sits Funny, Get a Knee Check Up!

Doc Truli — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:05:13 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1941" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="This abnormal sitting position indicates a knee injury."][/caption]

6-Year-old Belgian Malinois Police Dog Injures Cranial Cruciate Knee Ligament

Ashley ran the fence every night. She guarded the yard from the ominous strangers delivering pizza and walking their poodles on the other side of her fence.

Her handler/human father had no idea what could have happened!

When a Dog Holds a Leg Up, Something's Wrong!

"Many people are fooled by the easy running. They sense their dog may have an injury, but they are confused by the ability to run better than to walk. Do not hesitate to bring your dog to your veterinarian if there is severe limping, or limping for more than 24 hours," says Doc Truli"

Sudden Limping On a Hind Leg Usually Means Knee Injury

Your Dog Sits "Sloppy" With a Knee, or Both Knees Thrown Out to the Side

Diagnosing Cruciate Ligament Injury

"Doc, what the heck is the cranial cruciate ligament?

What is This Cruciate Ligament of Which You Speak?

So That's It? What Does My Veterinarian do to Diagnose this Injury?

Cranial Drawer Test

Tibial Thrust Test

Can X-Rays Help?

"Captain Morgan" Radiograph Position

Great. Now, What Can I Do About a Cruciate Injury in my Dog?

Surgery

No Surgery

What Is Class IV Laser Therapy? Well, I'm glad you asked! Class Four Laser therapy delivers infrared wavelengths in a certain frequency and time to make a dose that penetrates different thicknesses and compositions of body parts. (A knee is not the same as a paw, etc.) The Laser Therapy has not been shown scientifically to help in knee instability. It help arthritis tremendously, but unstable is unstable. Unless you stabilize that joint by healing, exercise, and/or surgery, it may always cause pain. The infrared heats the area, warming it and increasing blood circulation, which brings healing factors and feels relaxing. The Class IV Laser also acts on local acupuncture points to release natural endorphins and help with pain control. Less pain means more healing and more ability to take part in physical therapy. But even better, the Class IV Laser energy is absorbed by the cellular energy factories (mitochondria) that make the energy of life, ATP. These mitochondria use the infrared energy to make more ATP for healing, detoxification, and healing. Therefore, the Class Four Laser has been shown to help sooth the joint cartilage surfaces, decreasing arthritis symptoms and pain.

Ashley Feels Better

4-Week Old Kitten In a Coma From Fleas

Doc Truli — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:20:50 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1970" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Nom,nom,nom"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1955" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The three amigos"][/caption]

Tiny Kittens Nearly Killed by Tinier Fleas

Sugar was a 2-year-old Siamese mix short-haired cat, mostly cream with light brown and dark brown patches. One of kittens looked like her and meowed and tugged at Sugar's ear. The other two kittens were black and white with short fur and almost dead.

Yes, you read that right. Here's what happened.

Fleas in a Multi-Cat Household

Sugar's humans brought her to see Doc Truli 4 weeks before this day. She was part of a group of six make and female cats that they had caught that lived in the back yard and came in and out of the house as they pleased. Sugar's family wanted to get everybody spayed, neutered, feline leukemia and feline AIDS tested, and dewormed. All of the cats had tons of fleas. One of the females, Sugar, was very far along in her pregnancy. "Doc, we don't understand how Sugar got so fat!" said the dad. "Well, she's pregnant," said Doc Truli. "Do you think?" asked dad. I hope that question's rhetorical...

Get an Exterminator

"Most certainly. The kittens are due any day. Let's get the fleas off of all these cats, and you need to call an exterminator and get the house treated for fleas. Once the kittens are born, they are too small to put flea medicine on them, so you'd better get rid of the fleas now, while you have a chance'" said Doc Truli. "We can't afford an exterminator. What else can we do?"

Get Products Containing IGR and Use Them per the Label Instructions

"You can buy products from the pet store or the hardware store that contain IGR 'Insect Growth Regulator.' But you will have to make sure all the cats and the two of you are out of the house all day when you use those products. Follow the label instructions," said Doc Truli. "We can't do that," said dad. This is my life folks. I have to solve obstacles all the time. Usually, they are artificial obstacles...

All Natural Boric Acid Powder Home Treatment for Fleas

"Okay, then you can use the all natural treatment of boric acid powder. Clean up all your debris and clutter, because fleas are smart and they hide under big pieces of furniture. They run under magazines, newspapers, and clothing strewn about. After you have everything cleaned up, sprinkle the boric acid powder over all the carpet and leave it for two weeks. The flea eggs hatch on a two-week cycle and you need to break their life cycle," said Doc Truli. "Oh, okay. We can do that," said dad. BTW, they didn't...

Home Remedies for fleas that do not work Like the reason a pagan tree symbolizes a Christian messiah's birth, illogical home remedies for fleas get handed down and passed around. You probably don't even know the original logic. And the remedies waste time and do not work. Here's the scoop: garlic: the oil coming out through the pores is supposed to directly repel fleas. it does not in practical doses. it does not kill the fleas. the fleas continue to breed and infest the environment eventually overwhelming all the warm-blooded creatures in the house brewer's yeast: supposed to strengthen the immune system through the addition of vitamin b complexes. the stronger, healthier body is thought to be a poor environment for fleas. fact: fleas don't care. they will infest anybody with a warm body temperature (cats and dogs are over 101F). cedar shavings/beds/oils in collars: cedar repels insects. that's why we line our closets with it to repel wool moths. cedar industry workers also have the highest levels of lung cancer of any of the lumber workers, small animals like hamsters that live in a cedar bedding environment have higher levels of cancer than they should. therefore, cedar's really bad for everybody, not just fleas. again, does not kill the fleas or disrupt their life cycle in your house. essential oils/herbal collars/medicated flea collars: Doc Truli says,"If they work, you didn't have any fleas in the first place." Do not waste your money on ineffective products!

Emergency Blood Transfusion Saves Kitten

One of the kittens, they named him Miracle 1, came to Doc Truli cold, white gums, and in a coma. He barely lifted his little chest to breathe.

Emergency Room Supportive Care

Immediately, we warmed him up, gave him supplemental oxygen to support his weak, anemic body. Doc Truli drew blood from his mother with a special syringe , filter, and anti-coagulant solution to save the blood and give it to the kitten.

[caption id="attachment_1956" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="femoral intramedullary kitten catheter"][/caption] Intramedullary Catheter

His tired, depressed little body held only collapsed veins. Doc Truli placed an intramedullary catheter in his tiny femur. The bone marrow connects to the venous blood system. A transfusion, fluid, or medicine instilled into the bone marrow enters the body circulation as quickly as if you put it into the arteries or veins themselves. His transfusion took about 30 minutes. By the end of the thirty minutes, a little sign of life started. Miracle 1 kneaded his paw and pushed Doc Truli's hand away. Yay! Maybe he was starting to come around. [caption id="attachment_1957" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="post transfusion strength"][/caption] Two hours later, he sat up and mewed for food. Too weak to suckle from his mom, Doc bottle fed him warm kitten formula. Then he tucked into a plate of warm canned kitten food. What a pleasant surprise!

Four Hours Later, Kitten's Brother Needed Transfusion, too

Not to be outdone, Miracle 1's brother set his head on the blanket and would not move. His gums look paler than ever, even though we had given him prescription medication to kill all the fleas on him within 30-60 minutes. Another blood donation and transfusion, and he was resting in the recovery incubator. The kittens and mom will de discharged from the hospital when the home has been cleared of the flea infestation and the other cats treated. Those kittens will become deathly anemic again if they return to the same environment.

[caption id="attachment_1958" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="We feel better. K Thx."][/caption] "Those Kittens are Our Children!"

A curious pet parent saw the litter of kittens in the recovery ward, "Oh, I know somebody who would just love that little cream-colored kitten," she said. Doc Truli said, "I'm not sure they will be up for adoption, but they have 8 other cats, so maybe. I'll call and ask." Doc Truli called, "I have a good home for the cream kitten when she's older, if you want to adopt her out." "Those kittens are our only children! Don't you dare; they are not up for adoption! I should drive over there and smack you!" said the eighty-year-old mom. Well, there it is. [caption id="attachment_1959" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Kitten eats from spoon dish "spish," keeping his paws clean!"][/caption]

4-Week Old Kitten In a Coma From Fleas

virtuavet — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:12:48 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1955" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The three amigos"][/caption]

Tiny Kittens Nearly Killed by Tinier Fleas

Yes, you read that right. Here's what happened.

Fleas in a Multi-Cat Household

Get an Exterminator

Get Products Containing IGR and Use Them per the Label Instructions

All Natural Boric Acid Powder Home Treatment for Fleas

Home Remedies for fleas that do not work Like the reason a pagan tree symbolizes a Christian messiah's birth, illogical home remedies for fleas get handed down and passed around. You probably don't even know the original logic. And the remedies waste time and do not work. Here's the scoop: garlic: the oil coming out through the pores is supposed to directly repel fleas. it does not in practical doses. it does not kill the fleas. the fleas continue to breed and infest the environment eventually overwhelming all the warm-blooded creatures in the house brewer's yeast: supposed to strengthen the immune system through the addition of vitamin b complexes. the stronger, healthier body is thought to be a poor environment for fleas. fact: fleas don't care. they will infest anybody with a warm body temperature (cats and dogs are over 101F). cedar shavings/beds/oils in collars: cedar repels insects. that's why we line our closets with it to repel wool moths. cedar industry workers also have the highest levels of lung cancer of any of the lumber workers, small animals like hamsters that live in a cedar bedding environment have higher levels of cancer than they should. therefore, cedar's really bad for everybody, not just fleas. again, does not kill the fleas or disrupt their life cycle in your house. essential oils/herbal collars/medicated flea collars: Doc Truli says,"If they work, you didn't have any fleas in the first place." Do not waste your money on ineffective products!

Emergency Blood Transfusion Saves Kitten

One of the kittens, they named him Miracle 1, came to Doc Truli cold, white gums, and in a coma. He barely lifted his little chest to breathe.

Emergency Room Supportive Care

[caption id="attachment_1956" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="femoral intramedullary kitten catheter"][/caption] Intramedullary Catheter

Four Hours Later, Kitten's Brother Needed Transfusion, too

[caption id="attachment_1958" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="We feel better. K Thx."][/caption] "Those Kittens are Our Children!"

Chihuahua Walloped With Wood

virtuavet — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:02:23 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1978" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Worried Chihuahua"][/caption]

How Do You Know if your Chihuahua has a Headache?

If your chihuahua is quiet, lethargic, flinches or cries out at the slightest touch, especially on the head area. If your little chihuahua friend is holding both eyes 3/4 closed and then opens then when a bright light or sharp noise cracks in the room, suspect a headache.

Chihuahua with Concussion Symptoms

Rocky was tired, whining, holding his eyes shut, he barely wanted to move, and did not want to eat. A red bump stuck out on the side of his little skull above his right ear. Most Chihuahuas have thin fur on their scalps. Bruises are easier to see than with most other breeds of dogs.

Possible Signs of a Chihuahua Headache

Holding eyes shut

Whining

Flinching when sound or light anywhere near head

Quiet, lethargic

Not wanting to move, not eating

Vet Identifies Neurological (Brain) Problem

Rocky's pupils were uneven. Normally, the pupils should look even with each other and they should quickly constrict to a pinpoint when a penlight shines in the eyes. Rocky was not acting right. His vet referred him to a specialist.

Chihuahua Visits the Brain Doctor

The dad took his Chihuahua to a specialist vet for acute (sudden) onset of swelling in the brain (called hydro- like water- cephalus- which refers to “head.).

Know how an octopus seems to be all head and then eight tentacles? They are called “cephalopods” – which literally means “head feet.”)

Obvious Reason for Brain Swelling

So, tons of tests later, including Magnetic Resonance Imagining, Rocky's dad remembered that he was moving large 2×4′s in the yard and he swung a piece of wood and thought it hit something and he saw something “brown” go rolling down the hill! So, this fella knew he smacked his Chihuahua with a 2 x 4 and yet did not tell his vet! The swelling was a bruise. The chihuahua did fine with some painkillers and time. Rocky could have avoided anesthesia (required for MR in dogs) and a day's delay in getting the proper painkillers if his dad had mentioned the 2x4 in the beginning!

Chihuahua Walloped With Wood

Doc Truli — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:07:02 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1978" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Worried Chihuahua"][/caption]

How Do You Know if your Chihuahua has a Headache?

Chihuahua with Concussion Symptoms

Possible Signs of a Chihuahua Headache

Holding eyes shut

Whining

Flinching when sound or light anywhere near head

Quiet, lethargic

Not wanting to move, not eating

Vet Identifies Neurological (Brain) Problem

Chihuahua Visits the Brain Doctor

The dad took his Chihuahua to a specialist vet for acute (sudden) onset of swelling in the brain (called hydro- like water- cephalus- which refers to “head.).

Know how an octopus seems to be all head and then eight tentacles? They are called “cephalopods” – which literally means “head feet.”)

Obvious Reason for Brain Swelling

How to Help Your Chihuahua Live 18 Years

Doc Truli — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:01:21 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1984" align="alignleft" width="119" caption="Is there a treat involved in this office visit?"][/caption]

We Want Our Chihuahuas to Live Forever!

Chihuahuas are not only lap dogs and purse ninjas, they are confidantes and best friends. We want them to stick around a long time.

Chihuahuas Live Longer Than Big Dogs

Usually, a small dog like a Chihuahua will have an expected lifespan of 12-14 years. The oldest Chihuahua Doc Truli has treated was 20 years old when he passed away from heart disease.

2 Best Things to do to Extend Your Chihuahua's Life

You can do two specific things to help your Chihuahua live a long, healthy life: You want to keep your chihuahua thin and brush the teeth once a day to extend that lifespan to 14-18 years!

Keep Your Chihuahua Thin! Brush Your Chihuahua's Teeth Every Day!

Keep Your Chihuahua Thin

If your Chi stays on the thin side, research shows he or she will live two to four years longer than expected and old age diseases like arthritis will wait two to four years before they become an issue.

How to Judge If Your Chihuahua is the Right Weight

You can't go by breed charts or breed standards in books. You want to look at and feel for three things:

First: RIBS

Place your open hands on either side of your chi's chest at the same time. Can you feel ribs? If no, your chi is fat. If yes, but you cannot see them during a bath, that's a good weight. If you can feel and see ribs, your chi is probably too skinny.

Second: PEANUT

Look at the "peanut view" of your chihuahua. Look down at your chihuahua's back. Does your chi's waist go in just in front of the hips? Like an hour-glass shape? Then your chi will live longer. If there is no waistline, your chi is fat.

Third: TUMMY TUCK

Look at your chihuahua from the side. Does the tummy tuck up under the hips? It should. If the belly just looks straight across, or bulges out and down, your chihuahua will not live as long as he or she should.

"Each extra pound of fat is one mile (2.2 km) of extra blood vessels for the heart to pump blood through," says Doc Truli.

Brush Chihuahua Teeth Daily

Daily tooth brushing adds 2-4 years of healthy life to the chihuahua expected lifespan! Chihuahuas are one of the top ten breeds predisposed to periodontal disease. To prevent progressive periodontal disease, every day, at the same time, brush those choppers!

See " target="_self">How to Get Your Chihuahua to Beha " target="_self">ve

Here's a link to a " target="_self">fabulous training video showing a chihuahua learning to relax for nail trimming. It works just as well for tooth brushing, or other maintenance.

Read Secrets and Tips: How to Brush Your Chihuahua's Teeth

Check out VirtuaVet's How to Brush Your Dog's Teeth for specific instructions. Of you're already behind on the toothbrushing (Chihuahua is over 6 months old), be sure there is not already dental calculus and tartar before you begin brushing. Your chihuahua may experience pain if there is dental disease and you brush. That pain would cause a bad memory. Warning: If your little Chihuahua already has tartar, or you are unsure, see your veterinarian for help and a deep dental cleaning under careful chihuahua anesthesia.

How to Help Your Chihuahua Live 18 Years

virtuavet — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:01:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1984" align="alignleft" width="119" caption="Is there a treat involved in this office visit?"][/caption]

We Want Our Chihuahuas to Live Forever!

Chihuahuas are not only lap dogs and purse ninjas, they are confidantes and best friends. We want them to stick around a long time.

Chihuahuas Live Longer Than Big Dogs

Usually, a small dog like a Chihuahua will have an expected lifespan of 12-14 years. The oldest Chihuahua Doc Truli has treated was 20 years old when he passed away from heart disease.

2 Best Things to do to Extend Your Chihuahua's Life

You can do two specific things to help your Chihuahua live a long, healthy life: You want to keep your chihuahua thin and brush the teeth once a day to extend that lifespan to 14-18 years!

Keep Your Chihuahua Thin! Brush Your Chihuahua's Teeth Every Day!

Keep Your Chihuahua Thin

How to Judge If Your Chihuahua is the Right Weight

You can't go by breed charts or breed standards in books. You want to look at and feel for three things:

First: RIBS

Second: PEANUT

Third: TUMMY TUCK

"Each extra pound of fat is one mile (2.2 km) of extra blood vessels for the heart to pump blood through," says Doc Truli.

Brush Chihuahua Teeth Daily

See " target="_self">How to Get Your Chihuahua to Beha " target="_self">ve

Here's a link to a " target="_self">fabulous training video showing a chihuahua learning to relax for nail trimming. It works just as well for tooth brushing, or other maintenance.

Read Secrets and Tips: How to Brush Your Chihuahua's Teeth

9-Year-Old Chihuahua Suffers Cystic Endometriosis

virtuavet — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:41:14 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1999" align="alignleft" width="109" caption="Chihuahua Waiting for her abdominal sonogram"][/caption]

"We Think Our Chihuahua is Pregnant!"

Okay. Veterinarians hear this often. Here's the checklist in Doc Truli's mind of questions to go through before we decide if a nine-year-old Chihuahua is pregnant or not: Girl? Check. Unspayed? Check. In heat in the past 2 months? "Well, she's looked big in the back under her tail, and there have been strange male dogs camping out on the front lawn." Hmmm...could be. In heat for the past two months? "Yes!" That's not normal...most Chihuahuas go into heat for 1-2 weeks at most. Tied, or bred with a male dog? "We don't know." Veterinarians hear that a lot, too... "So, you're saying your 9-year-old female intact Chihuahua who has never had puppies before and only lives in the house has been in heat for 2 months, with bloody vaginal discharge, and now her belly is so big and tight, you are sure she must be pregnant because you can't think of anything else that would cause the belly to get that big?" asked Doc Truli. "Yeah!" said mom. Eating well? Feeling fine? No vomiting? No diarrhea? No coughing? Check, check, check,check, check.

Chihuahua With Swollen Belly Undergoes Diagnostic Tests

Complete Blood Count, 25 Blood Chemistries, Heartworm Test

Laboratory bloodwork? Normal. Hmmmm.....totally normal. What are the odds of that in a nine-year old dog? Well, according to Antech Diagnostic Laboratories, about 70% This is distracting.

Let's Go to Ultrasound and Take a Look!

[caption id="attachment_2000" align="alignleft" width="109" caption="Chihuahua Belly Prep for Ultrasound Examination"][/caption] The ultrasound exam uses sound wave technology to image inside the body. Sound waves do not travel well through air (even though that's how we hear), so the insulating fur must be clipped from the area of interest before the sonogram can begin. The ultrasound revealed a large, fluid-filled structure above the bladder and filling the abdomen. The structure pushed the intestines out to the sides of the abdomen. "The only organ in the body that can stretch that much and not make you feel sick is the uterus," said the ultrasonographer. He went on to say, "Usually, if the uterus is full of infection, the ultrasound picks up a white-reflecting, flecked fluid. This fluid is clear, and there are bubble-looking structures lining the large uterus." Surgery was scheduled for the next morning.

Ovariohysterectomy Reveals Cystic Endometriosis

[caption id="attachment_2002" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="2-pounds of uterus in a 9 1/2 pound chihuahua!"][/caption] Normally, the uterus in a Chihuahua is pencil-thin, maybe slightly larger if she has had earlier litters of puppies. In this case, the uterus had twisted at its base, trapping clear cystic fluid inside. Over time, the uterus grew to weigh 2 pounds (approx 0.75 kg)! No wonder the little Chihuahua looked pregnant! [caption id="attachment_2003" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="See the cysts on the inner lining of the uterus!"][/caption] Cystic Endometriosis might be hormonally driven. The clear fluid-filled cysts are non-painful. The fluid build-up, however stretched the uterus and was compressing the other abdominal organs uncomfortably. After the ovariohysterectomy, our little patient will be back to normal. She recovered well from surgery. Never even a moment of low blood pressure. She's looking thin and happy these days!

Spay 'em Young: Prevent Breast Cancer

Have your Chihuahua spayed when she is 6 months old to 99% prevent breast cancer when she's older (Breast cancer is the #1 cancer in older female dogs.) If your Chihuahua has had a heat cycle, have her spayed before a second heat. This will 50% decrease the incidence of breast cancer. After two heats, spaying does not decrease the odds of Chihuahua breast cancer. However, if you find breast lumps, spaying can shrink or eliminate them, and spaying can also cure diabetes mellitus in some older female dogs!

9-Year-Old Chihuahua Suffers Cystic Endometriosis

Doc Truli — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:42:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1999" align="alignleft" width="109" caption="Chihuahua Waiting for her abdominal sonogram"][/caption]

"We Think Our Chihuahua is Pregnant!"

Chihuahua With Swollen Belly Undergoes Diagnostic Tests

Complete Blood Count, 25 Blood Chemistries, Heartworm Test

Laboratory bloodwork? Normal. Hmmmm.....totally normal. What are the odds of that in a nine-year old dog? Well, according to Antech Diagnostic Laboratories, about 70% This is distracting.

Let's Go to Ultrasound and Take a Look!

Ovariohysterectomy Reveals Cystic Endometriosis

Spay 'em Young: Prevent Breast Cancer

2-Year-Old Chihuahua Mix Delivers Puppies!

virtuavet — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:12:30 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2014" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Where are you taking my puppy?"][/caption]

The Story of Virginia, the Pregnant Chihuahua

Virginia looked at Doc Truli with those big, watery, teary Chihuahua eyes. A squirmy black puppy with a brown mask nuzzled under her mom's warm thigh. "Doc, this one was there when we got up this morning. Then, I went to take a shower, and when I came out, there were two more, but they weren't moving," said Virginia's dad. "Let's take x-rays and see how many more are in there," said the Doc. (See if you can count the puppy skulls by enlarging the x-ray image below. Can you see where there are three more puppies?) Virginia had gotten out and run the neighborhood. No one was sure who the papa dog was. But surely, the little Chihuahua mix had three puppies born by 7 am (two stillborn and 1 live), and there were three more on their way! A quick sonogram of the abdomen revealed at least one puppy had a beating heart. The other two were less of a certainty. "Doc, we looked at You-tube videos of the birthing process, and we even got a hand towel and massaged the pup that wasn't breathing, and held it in the palm of our hands and tried to get the mucous out of the nose so it could breathe," said one of Virginia's humans.

The Most Important Tip When Your Dog is Giving Birth

"Okay guys, but you missed THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP when helping any dog give birth," said Doc Truli. Do you know what the most important tip is when a dog is whelping (doctor word for giving birth for dogs?) "Do not turn your back or leave for even a minute!" Virginia's people didn't realize how fast a dog can give birth. They took a shower, ran an errand, and had breakfast. Instead, one person should have kept watch to help out while the other ran the errands. Take turns to get your dog through. In the end, they lost 4 puppies, and had 2 live pups to celebrate! [caption id="attachment_2019" align="alignleft" width="124" caption="8 hours old!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2021" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="One Day Old Chihuahua Puppy!"][/caption]

How Do I Know If My Chihuahua is Pregnant?

Chihuahua Pregnancy Checklist

Female?
Unspayed?
Been with a make or out of the house?
Probably pregnant!
Big belly? Milk? Making a nest on your pillow?
Might not be pregnant!

3 Tests the Vet Can do and When

[caption id="attachment_2016" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can You Count the Puppies?"][/caption] Keep track of when your Chihuahua mated/escaped.

At 32-34 days: Pregnancy blood test. Call ahead, not all veterinarians stock this test.
At 30-34 days: Ultrasound (Sonogram). Good for: confirming live pregnancies. Bad for: Counting puppies accurately by ultrasound is impossible!
At 50-55 days: Radiographs (X-Ray). Good for: Counting Puppies so you know how many to expect. Bad for: Determining if the pups are live or stillborn.

[caption id="attachment_2018" align="alignleft" width="72" caption="This Chihuahua Mix mom delivered 3 puppies just after this picture was taken!"][/caption]

Signs That May NOT Mean Your Chihuahua is Pregnant

Nesting behavior
Getting fat
Getting milk

"False pregnancy can look just like a real pregnancy, with mammary gland development, an enlarged belly, and nesting behavior. But there are no puppies!" says Doc Truli, "I even knew an American Pit Bull Terrier who would make a nest out of towels and pillows and then collect all the family's cell phones and guard them like they were her puppies! She would whine and lick the phones when they rang because she thought the phones were puppies in distress!"

At 62-64 days after the mating, viola! Puppies!

2-Year-Old Chihuahua Mix Delivers Puppies!

Doc Truli — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:14:58 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2014" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Where are you taking my puppy?"][/caption]

The Story of Virginia, the Pregnant Chihuahua

The Most Important Rule When Your Dog is Giving Birth

"Okay guys, but you missed THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE when helping any dog give birth," said Doc Truli. Do you know what the most important rule is when a dog is whelping (doctor word for giving birth for dogs?)

"Do not turn your back or leave for even a minute!"

Virginia's people didn't realize how fast a dog can give birth. They took a shower, ran an errand, and had breakfast. Instead, one person should have kept watch to help out while the other ran the errands. Take turns to get your dog through. In the end, they lost 4 puppies, and had 2 live pups to celebrate! [caption id="attachment_2019" align="alignleft" width="124" caption="8 hours old!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2021" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="One Day Old Chihuahua Puppy!"][/caption]

How Do I Know If My Chihuahua is Pregnant?

Chihuahua Pregnancy Checklist

Female?
Unspayed?
Been with a make or out of the house?
Probably pregnant!
Big belly? Milk? Making a nest on your pillow?
Might not be pregnant!

3 Tests the Vet Can do and When

[caption id="attachment_2016" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can You Count the Puppies?"][/caption] Keep track of when your Chihuahua mated/escaped.

At 32-34 days: Pregnancy blood test. Call ahead, not all veterinarians stock this test.
At 30-34 days: Ultrasound (Sonogram). Good for: confirming live pregnancies. Bad for: Counting puppies accurately by ultrasound is impossible!
At 50-55 days: Radiographs (X-Ray). Good for: Counting Puppies so you know how many to expect. Bad for: Determining if the pups are live or stillborn.
If no puppies show on an X-Ray that means: either your chihuahua is not pregnant, or she was pregnant and she resorbed the puppies, or, most likely, you did not count right how many days since breeding!

[caption id="attachment_2018" align="alignleft" width="72" caption="This Chihuahua Mix mom delivered 3 puppies just after this picture was taken!"][/caption]

Signs That May NOT Mean Your Chihuahua is Pregnant

Nesting behavior
Getting fat
Getting milk

"False pregnancy can look just like a real pregnancy, with mammary gland development, an enlarged belly, and nesting behavior. But there are no puppies!" says Doc Truli, "I even knew an American Pit Bull Terrier who would make a nest out of towels and pillows and then collect all the family's cell phones and guard them like they were her puppies! She would whine and lick the phones when they rang because she thought the phones were puppies in distress!"

At 62-64 days after the mating, viola! Puppies!

Take the newborns and mom for their post-partum check-up at 24-48 hours old!

kitten eating from his "spish"

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:37:01 +0000

After a blood transfusion, A pie wedge cut from a paper plate serves as a spoon-dish for a tiny black and white kitten

Belgian Malinois Officer

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:53:08 +0000

Black and tan Belgian Malinois Canine Officer smiles for Doc Truli

Curious tan Chihuahua

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:16:24 +0000

Tan 3-year-old chihuahua dog waits on the examination table for his veterinarian

Old Gray Cute Chihuahua

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:26:40 +0000

brown and tan chihuahua with a gray muzzle and bright eyes looks peaceful and happy

One Eyed Chihuahua

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:29:36 +0000

A young, tan short-haired Chihuahua experienced and accident that knocked his eye out of the socket

Chihuahua Belly Sonogram

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:36:40 +0000

Chihuahua Abdominal Ultrasound

Newborn Chihuahua Puppy

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:44:55 +0000

Newborn Black and tan Chihuahua Puppy Resting in a Hand Towel

Shaggy Rottweiler Mix

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:49:12 +0000

Longish black fur and a smiling tan mask adorn this happy Rottweiler Mix Dog

old smiling golden retriever dog

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:52:04 +0000

old smiling golden retriever dog

Yorkshire Terrier with Bow

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:00:17 +0000

Black and Tan Puppy Cut Yorkshire Terrier

maltese2cini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:03:49 +0000

bichon frise

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:04:20 +0000

Close up of the face of a white curly furred Bichon Frise

Old White-Faced Golden Retriever

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:05:56 +0000

Old White-Faced Golden Retriever Dog

Syringe Feeding a Cat

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:07:49 +0000

Syringe Feeding a Cat

Old Cat Needs Syringe Feeding

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:15:40 +0000

Skinny Old Red Tabby Cat with Golden Eyes

Hand Positions to Syringe Feed a Cat

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:24:35 +0000

Hand Positions to Syringe Feed a Cat

yellow labrador retriever puppy

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:27:01 +0000

yellow labrador retriever puppy pulls away in suspician of a physical examination

1-month-old Kitten Shows Pain on her face

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:29:36 +0000

Grey with white spots kitten stares into space in pain response to her broken pelvis

Maltese Waking Up From Anesthesia

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:34:36 +0000

Maltese Waking Up From Anesthesia

Boxer Dog

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:41:14 +0000

reddish-brown Boxer with white around neck and white sox

Boxer Puppy in Pink

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:49:46 +0000

Boxer Puppy in Pink

Boxer Puppy

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:52:19 +0000

Boxer Puppy

Yorkshire Terrier

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:55:37 +0000

Yorkshire Terrier

Office Cat Calculates: You Need Pet Insurance!

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:05:57 +0000

Office Cat Calculates: You Need Pet Insurance!

Get Your Head Out of Your...Get Pet Insurance

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:07:58 +0000

chipupcinema

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:13:40 +0000

Sleeping Lion Over my Head

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:18:17 +0000

MGM Lion Snoozing

Long-hair tan Chihuahua

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:24:54 +0000

Long-hair tan Chihuahua

Dilute Tortoiseshell Persian Cat

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:26:17 +0000

Dilute Tortoiseshell Persian Cat

Xolo

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:28:07 +0000

Xolo

Italian Greyhound

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:30:09 +0000

Italian Greyhound

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:37:14 +0000

Hi, Kind Nurse

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:44:14 +0000

pugsharcini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:46:00 +0000

chilonghair

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:47:16 +0000

kittenseatingcini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:49:37 +0000

catinpaincini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:51:33 +0000

shepeyecinii

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:53:00 +0000

frozenyorkiecini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:53:59 +0000

bulliecini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:55:33 +0000

labpuppneumoniac

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:57:24 +0000

jessecini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:58:33 +0000

puptransfusecini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:00:18 +0000

puppycini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:02:22 +0000

americanbulldogcini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:03:44 +0000

Mini Schnauzer

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:08:09 +0000

olddixiecini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:09:10 +0000

Soft Paws

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:11:40 +0000

Sleeping American Staffordshire Terrier

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:14:09 +0000

pom perfection

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:18:59 +0000

VirtuaCat

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:20:29 +0000

VirtuaCat

Old Cat Needs Syringe Feeding

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:22:35 +0000

oldsmilinggoldencini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:27:32 +0000

maltesecini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:28:19 +0000

blackpersianbootsie

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:29:34 +0000

bathkittenscini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:31:09 +0000

oldgoldencini

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:32:03 +0000

zorro

Doc Truli — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:34:17 +0000

german shepherd

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:10:16 +0000

chincini

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:11:26 +0000

buster2

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:12:33 +0000

what'sthatsmell

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:15:26 +0000

lolabrighteyes

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:18:13 +0000

Chihuahua mix

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:23:04 +0000

itchyshicini

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:24:39 +0000

Old Cat Needs Syringe Feeding

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:28:55 +0000

Cat Tooth Hanging Out

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:36:33 +0000

Cocker Spaniel getting ready for surgery

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:40:32 +0000

Cocker Spaniel getting ready for surgery

lump on dog's belly

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:43:25 +0000

lump on dog's belly

postop sutures

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:51:07 +0000

A straight incision line on the belly closed with cruciate "X" shaped sutures

Cocker Spaniel

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:54:46 +0000

beaglecini

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:02:43 +0000

beagle with lump

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:03:42 +0000

beagle with lump

intra op lump on leg

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:06:41 +0000

Oval, raised, firm red lump on the forearm of a Beagle

Beagle forelimb plastic surgery

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:16:18 +0000

Beagle forelimb plastic surgery

Complex Chemical Analysis

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:34:16 +0000

The Vomeronasal Organ

The Vomeronasal Organ in most vertebrates performs the complex chemical analysis. If you see your dog or cat "licking" at urine and then seemingly pushing the tongue up on the palate, like a wine connoisseur, or if you see them sniff with their mouth partly open, eyes slit, and then maybe drool profusely, and maybe chomp or swish their lips like a fine wine taster, that's the use of the vomeronasal complex. They are performing a phlehmen (pronounced flay-men) gesture, or phlehmen response. Some dogs may look like they are smiling, crinkling their nose, almost sneezing, while they perform the phlehmen response.

Human Sixth Sense

Tru Tip

8-Year-Old Cocker Spaniel With Lump on Belly

Doc Truli — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:39:46 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2152" align="alignright" width="150" caption=""Are we starting surgery?""][/caption]

Lily's Lump Lasted Six Months

"Doc, there's this lump on Lily's side that's been bothering me," said the Cocker Spaniel's mom. "I know she's had the fatty lump on her shoulder for years, and the other fatty lump on her chest that you check every year, but there's a new, hard lump on her belly," she said. Indeed, Lily had a round, firm, non-moveable lump located along her mammary gland chain on her belly. "I don't want to do surgery if it's something bad, I just want her to be happy," said Lily's person.

"Most people hesitate to authorize surgery, especially for a middle aged or elderly pet. What people fail to realize is, the veterinarian cannot guide you well without a diagnosis. Most lumps need a surgical sample, or the whole thing removed in order to diagnose the growth," says Doc Truli.

At Six Months, the Lump Opened Up

[caption id="attachment_2153" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Lily's lump after it opened up."][/caption] If a lump hangs around for six months and does not grow friends to keep it company, it is more likely to be benign. Benign is a medical term that means the lump has not spread cancer to other parts of the body. Lily's lump pulled the typical trick of not exfoliating cells into a needle. Oh, sure, a few inflammatory cells. These are non-specific and really don't guide the treatment or help predict future behavior of the lump. After six months, Lily's bump started to rot in the center and smell. Her human mom gagged just thinking about cleaning the center of the lump with a mild antiseptic solution. "We should remove this growth and have it tested," advised Doc Truli. "If it turns out to be cancer, then we can Stage the Cancer. That will involve chest radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, and maybe some specialized blood work."

Lily's Lumpectomy Surgery Went Well

Lily withstood surgery very well. In fact, a rotten molar was found when we cleaned her teeth. So, she got the stinky lump removed and the stinky mouth infection taken care of. She's going to feel like a new dog! [caption id="attachment_2154" align="alignright" width="150" caption="A nice straight incision line will heal in 7-10 days."][/caption] The nurses placed an absorbent belly wrap for the first night after surgery. The next morning, Lily was up, wagging her stumpy little Cocker Spaniel tail and begging for breakfast. In about 3-5 business days, the board-certified veterinary pathologist will let us know what the lump consists of. Hopefully, nothing serious! P.S. May 2010: Check out more Dog Bump Stories under the "Bump" tag.

8-Year-Old Cocker Spaniel With Lump on Belly

virtuavet — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:58:09 +0000

Lily's Lump Lasted Six Months

"Most people hesitate to authorize surgery, especially for a middle aged or elderly pet. What people fail to realize is, the veterinarian cannot guide you well without a diagnosis. Most lumps need a surgical sample, or the whole thing removed in order to diagnose the growth," says Doc Truli.

At Six Months, the Lump Opened Up

[caption id="attachment_2153" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Lily"][/caption] If a lump hangs around for six months and does not grow friends to keep it company, it is more likely to be benign. Benign is a medical term that means the lump has not spread cancer to other parts of the body. Lily's lump pulled the typical trick of not exfoliating cells into a needle. Oh, sure, a few inflammatory cells. These are non-specific and really don't guide the treatment or help predict future behavior of the lump. After six months, Lily's bump started to rot in the center and smell. Her human mom gagged just thinking about cleaning the center of the lump with a mild antiseptic solution. "We should remove this growth and have it tested," advised Doc Truli. "If it turns out to be cancer, then we can Stage the Cancer. That will involve chest radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, and maybe some specialized blood work."

Lily's Lumpectomy Surgery Went Well

[caption id="attachment_2154" align="alignright" width="150" caption="A nice straight incision line will heal in 7-10 days."][/caption] Lily withstood surgery very well. In fact, a rotten molar was found when we cleaned her teeth. So, she got the stinky lump removed and the stinky mouth infection taken care of. She's going to feel like a new dog! The nurses placed an absorbent belly wrap for the first night after surgery. The next morning, Lily was up, wagging her stumpy little Cocker Spaniel tail and begging for breakfast.

5-Days Post-Op

[caption id="attachment_2074" align="alignright" width="78" caption="5-days post melanoma removal surgery in a cocker spaniel dog"][/caption] Lily's lump was a melanoma! What a surprise! It was located exactly where a mammary tumor would grow. Luckily for Lily, dog melanomas on the trunk of the body that are completely excised by an expert surgeon are less likely to metastasize than melanomas on the head or legs. P.S. (May 2010): Check out the "Bumps" tag or these posts to see other "Bump" stories: When a Fat Bump Goes Bad and Beagle Bump Blues and Bichon Suffers Bump Under Tail

IMG_0378

Doc Truli — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:02:02 +0000

DSCN0330

Doc Truli — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:05:24 +0000

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Doc Truli — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:07:44 +0000

DSCN0371

Doc Truli — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:11:01 +0000

Beagle Bump Blues

Doc Truli — Sat, 22 May 2010 04:01:28 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2160" align="alignright" width="150" caption="beagle with lump"][/caption]

7-Year-Old Beagle Sports Leg Lump

Bailey might be the cutest beagle ever. Short, roly-poly, friendly, and well-loved, Bailey fears nothing and eats everything! But the other day in the vet's office, she was a little apprehensive. "When did you notice this lump?" asked Doc Truli. "Just last night," said Bailey's mom. Uh, oh... If a lump goes from zero to this.....in one night???! What on Earth is it? [caption id="attachment_2161" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Oval, raised, firm red lump on the forearm of a Beagle"][/caption]

"A lump this size on a leg concerns the veterinarian because this location does not have much extra skin in order to close the defect that a lump removal will leave behind," says Doc Truli. "Special plastic surgery techniques for dogs must be employed to make a safe, beautiful skin closure."

Bailey underwent surgery to have the lump removed and tested at the clinical pathology laboratory to find out what cells make up the lump. The red color and fast-growing nature worry the veterinarian.

Beagle Bump Differentials

Your veterinarian calls a list of likely possible diagnosis, the differentials (not to be confused with the stuff in the car that makes the transmission and the wheels work.) This bump might be: hemangiopericytoma (tumor of the pericytes, cells surrounding blood vessels) hemangioma (tumor of the blood vessel cells themselves) nerve sheath tumor other connective tissue tumor hemangiosarcoma (tumor of the blood vessels that spreads like crazy really fast, but usually does not grow in a neat oval package like this)

Beautiful Beagle Bones

After the lump removal, and the fancy closure pattern to make the skin come together without extra tension to pull at the stitches, Bailey's leg looked like this: [caption id="attachment_2162" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="A nice modified "Z" pattern closes the hole left behind when the tumor was removed."][/caption] Bailey's stitches will heal in about 10 days, give or take 3 days. She will need to wear the Elizabethan collar (the cone) to prevent her from nibbling at the stitches! Bailey's bump came back as "histiocytic sarcoma." Histiocytic sarcomas can be nasty cancer. If signs of spread are present as abnormal chest radiographs or lumpy organs on ultrasound, that will be bad news for long life for Bailey. The good news is, a histiocytic sarcoma on the skin and nowhere else has a chance of being an isolated tumor. If it can't be found anywhere else, then microscopic cancer is unlikely, and Bailey could live a normal life. Let's keep our fingers crossed! P.S. May 2010: Check out more "Bump" Stories under the "Bump" Tag.

Beagle Bump Blues

virtuavet — Sat, 22 May 2010 04:21:40 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2160" align="alignright" width="150" caption="beagle with lump"][/caption]

7-Year-Old Beagle Sports Leg Lump

"A lump this size on a leg concerns the veterinarian because this location does not have much extra skin in order to close the defect that a lump removal will leave behind," says Doc Truli. "Special plastic surgery techniques for dogs must be employed to make a safe, beautiful skin closure."

Beagle Bump Differentials

Beautiful Beagle Bones

After the lump removal, and the fancy closure pattern to make the skin come together without extra tension to pull at the stitches, Bailey's leg looked like this: [caption id="attachment_2162" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="A nice modified "][/caption] Bailey's stitches will heal in about 10 days, give or take 3 days. She will need to wear the Elizabethan collar (the cone) to prevent her from nibbling at the stitches! Bailey's bump came back as "histiocytic sarcoma." Histiocytic sarcomas can be nasty cancer. If signs of spread are present as abnormal chest radiographs or lumpy organs on ultrasound, that will be bad news for long life for Bailey. The good news is, a histiocytic sarcoma on the skin and nowhere else has a chance of being an isolated tumor. If it can't be found anywhere else, then microscopic cancer is unlikely, and Bailey could live a normal life. Let's keep our fingers crossed! P.S. (May 2010): Check out the "Bumps" tag or these posts to see other "bump" stories: When a Fat Bump Goes Bad and Cocker Spaniel Belly Lump and Bichon Suffers Bump Under Tail

DSCN0469

Doc Truli — Sun, 23 May 2010 16:19:36 +0000

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Doc Truli — Sun, 23 May 2010 16:24:08 +0000

Inspiration 2.0

Doc Truli — Sun, 23 May 2010 16:24:58 +0000

You and Your Precious Pets Inspire Doc Truli Every Day!

"May God reward you and your family -and your pets - with His choicest blessings." -Sister Yamile

"I was proud to help the Sister keep her animal family as safe from harm as her human family," says Doc Truli.

"I want to thank you for the kind and professional way you handled putting down my dog, Macha. Your tone and reassurance that I chose the right time meant a lot. You make a terrible experience a lot easier. Thank you." -Maia

"I met Macha on emergency call. Meeting someone for the first time and then going through such a personal, stressful life experience together is exhausting, and so essential to be handled with compassion and loving care!"

"Thank you for your kindness and dedication. You have been a savior." -Danny, Erin and Bailey

"Without my persistence, Bailey's folks were going to give up. They were told everything had been done for Bailey's arthritis. Well, they hadn't tried multi-modal pain control, therapeutic laser, or acupuncture!"

"We look forward to many continued years of your special care." -Elaine R

"I'm not sure what Elaine meant by "special," but it has something to do with the fact that I care about my patients experiencing a good quality of life as much as their parents do!" says the Doc.

"Thank you very much for all your help and kindness. I like you a lot!" -signed, Kozmo, the Rottweiler

"Kozmo cut his paw, and he was nervous and suspicious to have it cleaned and bandaged at the animal hospital. A few loving words, a slow steady hand, a lot of crawling around on the floor so Kozmo would not be inconvenienced, and his paw healed right up!"

"Thank you again for your help over the phone for Bear. I appreciate you taking the time to help." -Betsy G

"Sometimes general knowledge and logic can be shared over the phone. While medicine cannot be practiced remotely, the skills and clear thinking of a talented veterinarian can save you tons of worry," says Doc Truli.

"It's very comforting to know that you're there, doing what you do (and doing it so well!)" -Deborah

"Yep. I'm here. 27/7."

"Thank you for your incredible caring that you demonstrated to me during the treatment of our beloved Bug-Bug. It meant so much that you telephoned to console and answer my questions. I know that she could not have had a better vet." -Deachy

"The medicine is one thing. Caring for people and helping people understand, digest, and live through the medicine is quite another skill! If your veterinarian can keep you in the loop and communicate the medical needs clearly, you will feel much better about your pet's care!" explains Doc Truli.

"Thank you for your kindness and gentle care which you provided to Miss Weanie during her later years. I am confident she knew that she had a friend in you, and I am comforted by that." -Janice B

"Miss Weanie was a sweet, grand old girl, that absolutely despised coming to the animal hospital. Even though she was nervous, she grew to relax and appreciate my massages," says Doc Truli.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Randy (and Harry!) and generally being your wonderful self." -Shelley and Keith

"Cats can be skittish and unpredictable at the animal hospital. Randy and Harry enjoyed house calls. They especially liked running around the yard and avoiding me when it was time for a physical!"

"As I'm sure you know from your years of practice, pets are like family. We treated Zoe that way and so did you. For that, we will always be grateful to you." -Eric, Laura and Lily S

"Pets are family. If you do not believe that, I'm probably not the veterinarian for you!"

"Thanks for taking Hannah right in and saving her." -Brian, Mary, Matt, and Fred

"Brian was about 16 years old when he wrote me this note. Hannah was hit by a car, and Brian was freaked out. But, I'll tell you what, he got her right in for care and stuck it out through the whole ordeal while he called his parents to leave work and come help him through the emergency. Good job, Brian!"

"Thanks for your love and support and for the unconditional love you show your furry patients." -Mel R

"Phone calls, advice, explanations, current preventative medicine, advanced dental care without having to go meet a specialist, all of these factors help people feel support and caring."

"We thank you so much for saving Teddy. We know how much love and care you have given him. You brought him back to the Teddy we know and love." -Sharon and Steven G

"I'm often found inside the kennels with the patients. Close nurturing helps the pets recover faster from their illnesses," says Doc Truli.

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Doc Truli — Sun, 23 May 2010 16:41:05 +0000

Credentials

Doc Truli — Sun, 23 May 2010 17:50:33 +0000

Doc Truli's Credentials

Education

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, attended 1995-1999, Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris, graduated May, 1999, Food Animal Major with Dean's List for Swine and Dairy Production Medicine Harvard Extension School, attended 1993-1995, Pre-Veterinary coursework including Biochemistry, Genetics, Biostatistics Northeastern University, attended 1995, Pre-Veterinary Microbiology coursework Bryn Mawr College, attended 1992-1993, Post Baccalaureate Pre-medical Certificate Program, coursework including Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry Bryn Mawr College, attended 1988-1992, Artis Baccalaureus, cum laude, Honors English Major, Philosophy Minor, graduated May, 1992, additional coursework including Anthropology, Experimental Psychology, Sensation and Perception, Language Acquisition, Semantics, French and German

Publications

VirtuaVet.org and related publications Sandra T Springer, Charles H Vite, Ara C Polesky, Santosh Kesari, Nigel W Fraser, John H Wolfe, Infection and Establishment of Latency in the Dog Brain After Direct Inoculation of a Nonpathogenic Strain of Herpes Simplex Virus-1, Journal of Neurovirology, Volume 7, Issue 2, Apr 2001, Pages 149-154, DOI 10.1080/13550280152058807, URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13550280152058807 Sandra Truli Springer, Paul Pitcher, Introduction to Swine Production, Sept 1997, URL http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/swine/

Professional Membership

American Veterinary Medical Association

Leadership Roles in Veterinary Organizations

Past Secretary, University of Pennsylvania's Food Animal Club Past Treasurer, Veterinary Medical Student Government

Community Activities

Exclusive Care Provider to the Miami-Dade Canine Patrol, Fire Department, Aviation, Narcotics, Corrections, and Parks Department Canine Officers Host Senior Veterinary Student Externs for the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine Host Technician Students for the Miami-Dade Community College Veterinary Technician Practicum Rotations Host High School Students for Miami-Dade Community Service Externships Past Medical Director, Friends of Marblehead Animals No-Kill Shelter Speaker for Boy Scouts of America Veterinary Medicine and Animal Care Merit Badges

Synopsis of Veterinary Practice Since Graduation

Small Animal Clinical Practice

50 hours/week, Maine, USA, May 1999-July 2000

Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Veterinary associate responsible for clinical appointments, surgeries, on-call 30% of nights and weekends for 8 doctors. Developed pre-anesthesia blood testing protocol, implemented pain control program, veterinary staff education weekly seminars, and started behavior consultation service. Complete blood counts, urinalysis, cultures, aspirate cytologies, blood chemistries, and hand-differentials, cross-matches and blood typing completed in-house. Performed physicals, sterilization surgeries, cystotomy, laparotomy with intestinal resection and anastomosis, double mastectomy, radial-carpal full-thickness skin graft, ear hematoma repair, anal sacculectomy, pyometra surgery, and caesarian sections, intramedular bone pinning, tracheotomy, and many and varied lumpectomies. Performed radiography, ultrasonography, and electrocardiography. Managed blood transfusions (whole and blood products), lymphangectasia with hypoalbuminemia, canine and feline urethral obstructions, immune mediated thrombocytopenia, ehrlichiosis, leptospirosis, lyme disease, feline hyperthyroidism, chronic heart failure (dilated, restrictive, and hypertrophic), chronic and acute renal failure, canine hypothyroidism, feline ureteroliths, and methimazole toxicity with megakaryocyte depletion and thrombocytopenia.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Saw same # of cases and worked same hours as associate with 7 more years experience, produced 30% more income than that associate Implemented pain management program for the 5-doctor hospital, unknown financial impact Implemented pre-anesthesia testing protocols, resulted in an increase of $30,000 in revenue from these services over the first year Designed, implemented and provided Behavior Consultation service, performed 1 consultation per week, with an additional income of $175 per consult

Small Animal Clinical Practice

50 hours/week, Massachusetts, USA, July 2000-March 2003

Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Veterinary associate responsible for appointments, surgeries, the town no-kill shelter, and on-call. Developed cleaning, isolation, air-flow, vaccine, deworming, and record-keeping protocols for the shelter. Instituted Shelter Education Nights for the volunteer staff of 20. Performed splenectomies, managed triple step-fractured spine in a dog, referred ectopic ureter puppy, megacolon cat, and four gall bladder stone cats to boarded surgeons and then managed the case follow-ups. Expanded medical case management to include pancreatitis, diabetic ketoacidosis, insulinoma, hepatic lipidosis, aspiration pneumonia, hemophilia in a cat, feline triad disease, pemphigous foliaceus, blastomycosis, inter-dog aggression, territorial aggression, and attachment disorder in an unsocialized Standard Poodle managed medically with concurrent behavior modification. Became proficient in feeding tube placements, nasal oxygen canulas, nasal retrograde flushes, trans-tracheal washes and broncho-alveolar lavage. In hospital instrumentation added electrolyte analysis, blood pressure, and intraocular pressure measurements.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Gained new client full caseload within 3 months, instead of management's expected 6 months Performed all dentistry for 3-doctor practice (no one else liked dentistry) Implemented senior wellness screening, with an increase in $35,000 gross revenue the first year Started house-call Behavior Consultation service, performed 2 consultations per month, with an additional income of $250 per consult (pre-prescription lab testing plus consultation)

Small Animal Clinical Practice

45 hours/week, Florida, USA, March 2003-March 2005 and March, 2006-present

Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Work with ABVP canine and feline veterinarian. Acting medical director establishing and maintaining standards of medicine. Mentor new graduate associates. Interesting new cases diagnosed and managed include: Fanconi syndrome, subungual feline chronic cysts, beagle pain syndrome, feline idiopathic hypercalcemia hyperparathyroidism, feline heartworm disease, anaplasmosis, familial schnauzer hypertriglyceridemia, dysplastic anemia, saprophytic anaerobic bacterial dermatitis. Perform chemotherapeutics: managed canine and feline lymphoma cases, osteosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, oral malignancies, squamous cell carcinoma, splenic leimyosarcoma with hyperglucagonemia, oral mast cell tumor in the fat lip of a Chinese Shar Pei. Continue to perform ultrasonography, in-house coagulation analysis, blood gas analysis, and added personal skill with endoscopy and bronchoscopy. Perform arthrocentesis, spinal taps, videoscopic ear procedures including myringotomy. Expanded oral surgery capabilities to include exodontia with gingival flap surgery, and endodontic root canal therapy. Multi-modal pre-emptive and constant rate infusion pain control techniques routinely used. Use new therapeutics such as pimobendan, etomidate, and cyclosporin for inflammatory bowel disease and feline plasmacytic stomatitis (in addition to atopic dermatitis).

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Established Junior and Senior Wellness Protocols resulted in increase of $75,000 net income to the practice/year Set dental standards of care, including full-mouth digital radiographs every patient, every time, developed finesse and proficiency with extractions and gingival surgery, periodontal packing, and use of Consil, resulting in Average Charge for Dentistry increasing along with the quality. Advanced dentistry now accounts for 30-50% of doctor's generated income in this down economy. Started genomics department with preventative testing recommendations for susceptible breeds, financial impact to be determined Became proficient in ultrasound, keeping profit in-house Maintain income of formally 3 doctor-practice as 1 1/2 doctor practice with 3 FT equivalent technicians, 3 FT equivalent assistants, 3 FT equivalent receptionists (when 3 doctors worked, there were 4 techs, 5 assistants and 5 receptionists.) For 6 months of the year, practice as solo practitioner while owner/practitioner practices semi-retirement

Emergency Small Animal Practice

47 hours/week, Florida, USA, March, 2005 - March, 2006

Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Sole clinician weeknights and one of two clinicians on weekends, some cases managed for 72 hours on holiday weekends. Performed ultrasonography, radiology, splinting, front and hind-limb amputations, gastric-dilatation surgeries, caesarian sections, pyometra surgeries, diaphragmatic hernia repair, splenectomies, nephrectomy, thoracic wall repair, including remedying flail chest, chest tube placement, abdominal closed drain system placement, closed urinary collection systems, ultrasound-assisted pericardiocentesis, vacuum-assisted wound closures. Managed fifteen smoke-inhalation greyhounds, ruptured gastric ulcers, glaucoma, melting corneal ulcers, anterior lens luxation, heart failure cases, parvo virus enteritis, hyperinsulimemia, 15-hour collapsed trachea, chemotherapy toxicities and tumor lysis syndrome, hemmorrhagic gastroenteritis, tetanus in a puppy, rattledsnake bites, heat stroke with disseminated intravascular coagulation, jaw alignment and wiring, managed acetaminophen, nsaid, fentanyl, and diet pill toxicities.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Exceeded management production expections by 30%. Produced $100,000 more gross income than next producing associate with same shifts and length of shifts. Basically, if I saw a case, the owner could put $20 more in his pocket than if he saw a case himself, even after paying me my percentage! The job ads for the ER position I used to have still quote my income from years ago as a possibility to entice prospective applicants!

foodscooter

Doc Truli — Sun, 23 May 2010 18:34:59 +0000

tabby

Doc Truli — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:57:44 +0000

TabbyBeauty

Doc Truli — Mon, 24 May 2010 01:42:55 +0000

wheatinterr2

Doc Truli — Mon, 24 May 2010 01:57:28 +0000

wheaton terrier

Doc Truli — Mon, 24 May 2010 01:57:53 +0000

Hazel, the blue Wheaton Terrier Dog leans on her mom's lap for emotional support

bluecini

Doc Truli — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:01:57 +0000

10-Year-Old Cat Can't Urinate

virtuavet — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:40:28 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2054" align="alignright" width="87" caption="George Looks Annoyed"][/caption]

If Your Cat Can't Urinate, It's an Emergency!

George was a 10-year-old brown tabby Domestic Short Hair cat with four white paws and a litter box problem. He kept going into the pan and nothing was coming out! "He hasn't been able to urinate since last night," said George's mom. Doc Truli felt George's abdomen. Just in front of his hips, a hard, round bladder felt like a hard grapefruit. George stretched our his back legs and meowed in pain. "He's blocked," said the Doc. "George needs to be unblocked, he needs IV fluids to flush the toxins put of his body, and he needs painkillers." "Why won't he heal if we just unblock him? Why does he have to stay in the hospital," asked mom.

After a urinary blockage, the kidneys respond by going into a state called diuresis (die er ree sis). They urinate excessively for at least 24 hours. Without a balanced fluid solution to replace the losses, severe dehydration will occur. Even if a cat survives that dehydration, it is metabolically stressful on the body. This kind of stress shortens lives. The urine retained in the bladder has all the toxins that are supposed to be peed out. The potassium, for one, causes heart rhythm disturbances and death. In the hospital, an EKG monitors the heart rhythm, and immediate treatments can avert disaster. None of this care happens "naturally" trying to "sleep it off" at home.

"I don't want George to suffer, go ahead and do everything you have to so," said George's mom. George laid on his side on a heating pad and received his first dose of intravenous painkillers and anti-anxiety medication. He relaxed enough to let the Doc pass an open-ended firm tomcat urinary catheter. The firm catheter lets the doctor push through blockages and clear the urethral passage. Red, bloody urine came pouring out of George's bladder. Next Doc Truli flushed George's empty bladder with warm sterile saline solution to dilute any crystals, proteins, or plugs and help get him back to normal quickly. Doc removed the firm catheter and replaced it with a silicone urinary catheter. These cost much more than a tomcat or a red rubber catheter, but they work the best! The silicone glides smoothly and the delicate urethral lining appreciates the comfort and heals readily. The catheter is actually stitched to the skin to hold it in place! Doc has a heart; she numbed George's prepuce with lidocaine before the stitch. An Elizabethan collar, intravenous fluids, and a few days, and Georgie healed up good as new!

Preventing Urinary Blockages in Cats

Q: "How do we prevent blockages in the future?" asked Georgie's mum. A: Actually, research shows only changing to canned food helps. The theory is the increased water intake dilutes the urine and helps prevent blockages. If your veterinarian diagnoses specific urinary crystals, then specialized prescription diets designed to increase urine production will help.

Why Do Cats Block?

Q: Why do cats get urinary blockages? A: Nobody knows! About 98% of cats in the US and 90% of cats in Europe with urinary tract discomfort and blockages have sterile cystitis. This means they have NO bacterial infection! Most pet parents think their cat needs unblocking and antibiotics and that's all there is to it. Budget animal hospitals often offer these basic services if someone says they cannot pay for hospitalization. The fact of the matter is, save your money by declining the antibiotic. The majority of cases (98%) in America, do not need antibiotics! Physicians cannot explain why women get sterile cystitis, nor can they explain why cats do, either!

The Four Current Theories Why Cats (and Women) Have Bladder Problems

Q: What are the current theories about why cats get urinary tract discomfort? A: No matter the name of the syndrome: Feline lower urinary tract disease Feline urologic syndrome Feline lower urinary tract syndrome FUS Plus many others... The theories are:

Nervous system disregulation of the signals in the bladder causing spasms, functional blockage, bleeding and pain.

Immune system disregulation causing immune cells to populate the lining and muscles of the bladder.

Allergic-type immune system disregulation affecting the bladder lining.

Miscommunication of the local nerve plexi in the bladder wall resulting in the stress, cramping, and even bleeding of the syndrome.
Basically, we know it's not bacterial, viral, toxic, or cancerous in any known way. Other than that, science does not know!

10-Year-Old Cat Unblocked

Doc Truli — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:57:22 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2054" align="alignright" width="87" caption="George Looks Annoyed"][/caption]

If Your Cat Can't Urinate, It's an Emergency!

After a urinary blockage, the kidneys respond by going into a state called diuresis (die er ree sis). They urinate excessively for at least 24 hours. Without a balanced fluid solution to replace the losses, severe dehydration will occur. Even if a cat survives that dehydration, it is metabolically stressful on the body. This kind of stress shortens lives. The urine retained in the bladder has all the toxins that are supposed to be peed out. The potassium, for one, causes heart rhythm disturbances and death. In the hospital, an EKG monitors the heart rhythm, and immediate treatments can avert disaster. None of this care happens "naturally" trying to "sleep it off" at home.

Preventing Urinary Blockages in Cats

Why Do Cats Block?

The Four Current Theories Why Cats (and Women) Have Bladder Problems

Nervous system disregulation of the signals in the bladder causing spasms, functional blockage, bleeding and pain.

Immune system disregulation causing immune cells to populate the lining and muscles of the bladder.

Allergic-type immune system disregulation affecting the bladder lining.

Miscommunication of the local nerve plexi in the bladder wall resulting in the stress, cramping, and even bleeding of the syndrome.

Basically, we know it's not bacterial, viral, toxic, or cancerous in any known way. Other than that, science does not know!

brinkley

Doc Truli — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:01:26 +0000

Wheaton Terrier Lump Surgery Cures Behavior Problem

Doc Truli — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:59:02 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2267" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Hazel leans in for some much-needed emotional support"][/caption] A medical school graduate, Hazels mom asked Doc Truli to share this strange story in case it might help other dogs with anxiety and aggression problems.

Wheaton "Terror" Bites Anyone Who Pets Her!

Hazel's problem was biting. And fidgeting. And acting hyper and nervous almost all the time. She would bite her family, her veterinarian, kids in the neighborhood, anyone! It was an unusual, nervous, hyper, fidgeting, uncomfortable anxiety disorder. Hazel started when she was about 8 months old and the biting and hyper nervousness worsened over the years. By six years old, she had behavior consultations, trainers, Prozac, Xanax, and many other drugs fr the brain to try and make her comfortable and make people safe in her presence. Luckily for Hazel, her mother loved her very much and never gave up on her.

"The most important component 0f successful treatment of a behavior problem in a pet is the commitment of every family member to never give up!" says Doc Truli. "A dog with only one family member who believes they will get better will never have as good a chance as a dog with every family member believing in the best."

Wheaton's Mom Swears She's a Suddenly Changed Dog

Hazel, a 6-year-old female spayed blue Wheaton Terrier fidgeted around her mom's chair in the examination room. She waged her stumpy little tail nervously and tried to stuff herself under the chair. "I can see you, Hazel," said Doc Truli. Different year, same routine. "She's different, Doc, watch this," said her mom,"Come here, Hazel honey." Hazel slunk out from under the chair and sat in front of her mom's legs. "Stay, Hazel." Then Hazel's mom looked up at Doc Truli and said, "Go ahead and pet her, I swear she's a changed dog."

Veterinarian Reluctant to Test the Theory With Her Own (Much Needed) Skin!

This is a Wheaton I had to muzzle every visit. A dog that would wag her tail, act excited, and then start jumping up with her teeth bared in terror and nip anyone. A dog that latched onto the mailman's calf muscle one day and did not let go. A dog I had prescribed Prozac for. And Xanax for thunderstorm phobia, just to keep her from tearing apart the house. A dog her mom had adopted another dog for, in order to try and calm her and keep her company. I'm not even going to mention the professional dog trainer and the relaxation and desensitization therapy. "Go ahead, she won't bite you," said mom. I hear that a lot... "Run this by me again. Why do you say Hazel is a changed dog?" asked Doc Truli.

One Week After Skin Cyst Removal Surgery, the Wheatie is a Changed Dog

"Remember that nasty skin cyst in between her shoulder blades? The one we didn't remove for years because it was cosmetic? But then it oozed and looked infected, so we finally removed it? (You did such a great job on that surgery by the way...) Well, you're going to think I'm crazy, but she's like a new dog since the surgery. You have to write this up," said Hazel's mom.

"The only explanation seemed to be, the skin cyst caused internal discomfort and contributed significantly to Hazel's anxiety disorder," says Doc Truli.

Doc Truli let a hand dangle down by her leg, next to Hazel's right ear. Hazel looked up and nudged the hand with her soft Wheaton muzzle. "There!" said mom,"Would the old Hazel have done that?" Actually, never...

From Impossible to Touch to Sweet and Affectionate...

Doc Truli sat down on a chair next to Hazel and she wagged her whole rear end happily. She shoved her head on Doc's lap for pets. Doc obliged with soft pats and scritches under the chin. Hazel got overstimulated and gently gnawed on Doc's hand with a soft biting motion. Just a little. "She's not perfect, but she's 90% better, isn't she?" said mom. Yes! Hazel was like a new dog! In the spirit of potentially helping other dogs like Hazel, Doc Truli agreed to report on this result from a cyst surgery. If your dog is edgy, bitey, hyper and not trustworthy, and has a cyst, think twice about whether or not that lump or cyst bothers your dog. Maybe it bothers him or her more than you know....

Wheaton Terrier Lump Surgery Cures Behavior Problem

virtuavet — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:03:55 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2267" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Hazel leans in for some much-needed emotional support"][/caption] Hazel, a 6-year-old female spayed blue Wheaton Terrier fidgeted around her mom's chair in the examination room. She waged her stumpy little tail nervously and tried to stuff herself under the chair. "I can see you, Hazel," said Doc Truli. Different year, same routine. "She's different, Doc, watch this," said her mom,"Come here, Hazel honey." Hazel slunk out from under the chair and sat in front of her mom's legs. "Stay, Hazel." Then Hazel's mom looked up at Doc Truli and said, "Go ahead and pet her, I swear she's a changed dog." This is a Wheaton I had to muzzle every visit. A dog that would wag her tail, act excited, and then start jumping up with her teeth bared in terror and nip anyone. A dog that latched onto the mailman's calf muscle one day and did not let go. A dog I had prescribed Prozac for. And Xanax for thunderstorm phobia, just to keep her from tearing apart the house. A dog her mom had adopted another dog for, in order to try and calm her and keep her company. I'm not even going to mention the professional dog trainer and the relaxation and desensitization therapy. "Go ahead, she won't bite you," said mom. I hear that a lot... "Run this by me again. Why do you say Hazel is a changed dog?" asked Doc Truli. "Remember that nasty skin cyst in between her shoulder blades? The one we didn't remove for years because it was cosmetic? But then it oozed and looked infected, so we finally removed it? (You did such a great job on that surgery by the way...) Well, you're going to think I'm crazy, but she's like a new dog since the surgery. You have to write this up," said Hazel's mom. Doc Truli let a hand dangle down by her leg, next to Hazel's right ear. Hazel looked up and nudged the hand with her soft Wheaton muzzle. "There!" said mom,"Would the old Hazel have done that?" Actually, never... Doc Truli sat down on a chair next to Hazel and she wagged her whole rear end happily. She shoved her head on Doc's lap for pets. Doc obliged with soft pats and scritches under the chin. Hazel got overstimulated and gently gnawed on Doc's hand with a soft biting motion. Just a little. "She's not perfect, but she's 90% better, isn't she?" said mom. Yes! Hazel was like a new dog! In the spirit of potentially helping other dogs like Hazel, Doc Truli agreed to report on this result from a cyst surgery. If your dog is edgy, bitey, hyper and not trustworthy, and has a cyst, think twice about whether or not that lump or cyst bothers your dog. Maybe it bothers him or her more than you know....

2-Year Old Cat Survives Massive Infection

virtuavet — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:19:55 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2087" align="alignleft" width="133" caption="Tiggy Eating After Near Death!"][/caption]

Feline Leukemia Virus Complicates an Already Devastating Illness

105.6F Fever & Swollen Lymph Nodes & More in a Young Cat!

Tiggy looked up at Doc Truli from the discomfort of a plastic laundry basket. He gave a sad little meow. "We noticed he wasn't eating, then we saw his one testicle is swollen," said Tiggy's mom. The little short-haired black cat had one testicle swollen four times bigger than normal. Chains of lymph nodes under the right and left sides of his jaw line bulged under Doc's sensitive fingers. Tiggy have a fever of 105.6!

Veterinarians Often Advise Euthanasia for Ill Feline Leukemia Infected Cats

"We called a different vet before we came here. She said I'd have to put Tiggy down over the phone. She didn't even give him a chance!" said Tiggy's mom. Many veterinarians advise humane euthanasia for a sick cat diagnosed with antibodies to Feline Leukemia virus because the virus tries to shut down the body's ability to heal, making treatment long and costly. Many cats die in spite of proper and thorough treatment because of the effects of the Leukemia virus. However, some cats do not die! Or they do not die that week, month, or year. If a family understands clearly that their cat may not recover, and they are willing to commit the time and emotion and money into trying to help the cat live, then Doc Truli believes it is a doctor's responsibility to offer treatment options, not just death options.

"Make no mistake--Feline Leukemia Virus is deadly sooner or later--and the treatment of an ill, Leukemia infected cat may be considered "extraordinary treatment" by some. If anyone feels they have been ripped off by huge vet bills, and their cat passed away anyway, I hope the chance of a miracle and the hope for a good life helps you feel more comfortable with the expenditure," says Doc Truli.

"Tiggy is deathly ill. But, miracles are unlimited. And a doctor should advocate for life. Do you understand Tiggy is likely to die no matter what we do?" said Doc Truli.

"Doctors should advocate for life," said Doc Truli.

"Yes, doctor. Please, please, please try," said Tiggy's mom.

Supportive Care Leaves Space for a Miracle to Work on the Body

Deadly Immunosuppressive FeLV Virus Found

Tiggy received IV fluids, blood work, dewormer, and antibiotics. He still looked weak and tired after a day of treatment. "We need to remove the abscessed, infected testicle. It keeps seeding infection into his body. Plus, Tiggy tested positive for Feline Leukemia virus. The virus weakens his immune system and antibiotics need a strong immune system to work with them," said Doc Truli. "The surgery could take away the last of his strength, or it could give him a chance to live. If we do nothing, Tiggy won't make it," said Doc.

"I understand, I trusted you from the minute you said you were for life," said Tiggy's mom.

Tiggy Needs Surgery

Late Friday afternoon, after the sick little black cat had 24 hours of time and medicine to gather his strength, he underwent anesthesia and a surgery to remove the deadly infection.

Regular Cat Castration Surgery

The surgery was not a straightforward neutering procedure. Usually, a small 1 inch (2.2 cm) incision is made just over the scrotum and the slippery testicles pop out easily. They are clamped or tied to prevent bleeding and the tiny incision closes without the need for stitches.

Unusual Cat Castration Surgery

In Tiggy's surgery, the diseased testicles stuck to the inside of the skin. They were swollen, hard, and scarred into the body. Plus, the massive pus-filled infection travelled 2 inches (about 4 cm) down the testicular cords and into the body. Doc carefully separated the diseased tissue and removed all the infection. Then, the abnormally large (2in/4cm) incision came together with tiny stitches. Even if the surgery went perfectly, any irritation or slow-healing would invite infection in this immunocompromised Feline Leukemia infected cat. He handled the anesthesia well and woke up with no complications. However, Tiggy did not want to eat and he looked depressed in spite of impressive painkillers.

Nursing Care Key to a Chance for Recovery

"He's going home tomorrow. You're going to have to nurse him and be sure he eats. Plus, he still has the terrible virus that is trying to kill him," said Doc Truli. "I know, I know. But he has a chance," said mom. The next morning Tiggy looked hydrated. He was awake, and he had no pain from the surgery. But his core rectal temperature was 99F. A cat is supposed to be 101-102.5F. 99 could mean his body was trying to shut down and die. Doc Truli warned Tiggy's mom again. Tiggy was in grave danger. The nurses taught syringe-feeding and spoke with his mom for 45 minutes before Doc heard a voice calling down the fluorescent-lit hospital corridor.

Miracles are Real!

"Doc, come look at this!" There was Tiggy on a towel on the treatment table, his mom and his nurse hovering over him...while he chowed down a whole bowl-full of canned cat food! Another miracle granted! I don't know how long Tiggy has to live, but he has a fighting chance. And he's not leaving the world this weekend!

Feline Leukemia Virus Facts

How Feline Leukemia Virus is Acquired

Feline Leukemia Virus is a retrovirus for cats. The Feline Leukemia gets into the body through saliva, licking, grooming, sharing dishes, hissing through screen windows, intimate sexual contact and bite wounds from fighting.

Why is a Retrovirus so Awful?

Retrovirus is a special term saved for viruses that can insert themselves back into the DNA of the infected host, thus hiding from the body and wreaking havoc!

Tests for Feline Leukemia Virus

Antibody Test

In most countries, a blood test to detect Feline Leukemia virus antibody is performed on the cat. If the cat was infected only 30-60 days before the test, the virus might not show yet. For this reason, keep all new cats away from your current cats for 60 days until you can be certain the new cat is not carrying hidden contagious disease.

Antigen Test

There's another, more exact test, called immunofluorescent antibody. Usually, this test is performed on a bone marrow aspirate sample. The fluorescent antibody is a molecular key. If it finds the Leukemia Virus lock it is made for, it will hold tight. Then the fluorescence will not wash away from the sample, and can be detected by the lab technician. This test confirms the presence of the virus.

Feline Leukemia Cure?

There is no cure for Feline Leukemia and the virus is highly contagious between cats. Be safe. Get your cats tested, keep them indoors, and do not introduce unknown cats to your household ecosystem.

Feline Leukemia Prevention

A further note about the Feline Leukemia Virus vaccine: the best prevention is keeping your cat indoors and away from strange, untested cats. An adult cat 1 year or older has about 75% natural immunity to the virus and the vaccine adds another 75% to the remaining 25% (follow?). There is a confirmed 1:1,000 cat chance of the vaccine actually causing your cat to grow a painful, fast growing cancer called Vaccine Associated Fibrosarcoma. Think very carefully before you vaccinate your cat! Keep your cat indoors for the best protection!

Feline Leukemia FAQ:

Q: Should I bring a FeLV infected cat inside with my other cats, as long as I vaccinate the other cats? A: Most vets say no. It's an ethical and moral question. How would you feel if one of the other cats came down with a deadly disease because you wanted to bring the infected cat home? Some people do it anyway. They say, "there are limited homes for these cats. This infected cat is probably going to die. Life is better than no life." So they bring the infected cat into their home and hope their own cats do not get sick. This can be an expensive proposition, because every time someone gets sick, they'll have to be tested. Because of the 60 day pre patent period when the infection may not show on a test, you will not be certain if you have harmed your existing cat. Q: Should I just put the infected cat back outside where he came from? A: No. I believe this is immoral and cruel. The cat will become ill with no home environment to succor him. Also, you will knowingly allow the virus to spread through the outdoor cat population causing disease and suffering. This dilemma is a top reason many people humanely euthanize a cat that hates being contained indoors and will continue to spread the virus. At the very least, if you are going to put the infected cat back outside, have it altered to decrease sexual activity and fighting, both of which enhance spread of the Feline Leukemia Virus. Q: I don't want to the wrong thing by the infected cats or my cats at home, what else can I do? A: There are kind people throughout the world who run homes for cats infected with feline leukemia and homes for feline Aids infected cats. Also, many people consider the introduction and household building of only infected cats to be a viable option. That way, they do not infect anyone healthy and they can enjoy the company of other cats for the rest of their lives. In the US, Craig's List often has posts for homes needed or homes available. An animal hospital might display the cat for you for a boarding fee until a family with no other cats, or only infected cats comes along. The last time Doc Truli did this, it took 18 months to find a "forever home." But we succeeded in the end! More About Feline Leukemia Virus from the Cornell University Feline Health Institute. If you are researching Feline Leukemia Virus, be careful to differentiate the virus from the cancer, Leukemia, which can be triggered by the virus, but can also arise on its own without the virus.

A Final Note

If your cat is diagnosed with Feline Leukemia virus, do not panic. Think about your beliefs, and your options. If you disagree with your veterinarian's ethical stance and strongly feel you wish to treat the cat and offer the cat a home, just realize you carry that responsibility. You cannot delegate or pay anyone else enough money to deal with your feline leukemia cat problem. The vet might take 1-2 years to find your cat a home. Your cat may recover from illness, only to become sick monthly. It will be an interesting and hopefully fulfilling journey! If you wish to share Feline Leukemia stories with VirtuaVet's readers, feel free to post them here. Everyone needs a little hope with this devastating Diagnosis!

Feline Leukemia Looses Today

Doc Truli — Mon, 31 May 2010 20:24:09 +0000

2-Year Old Cat Survives Massive Infection

Doc Truli — Mon, 31 May 2010 20:35:18 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2087" align="alignright" width="133" caption="Tiggy Eating After Near Death!"][/caption]

Feline Leukemia Virus Complicates an Already Devastating Illness

105.6F Fever & Swollen Lymph Nodes & More in a Young Cat!

Veterinarians Often Advise Euthanasia for Ill Feline Leukemia Infected Cats

"Make no mistake--Feline Leukemia Virus is deadly sooner or later--and the treatment of an ill, Leukemia infected cat may be considered "extraordinary treatment" by some. If anyone feels they have been ripped off by huge vet bills, and their cat passed away anyway, I hope the chance of a miracle and the hope for a good life helps you feel more comfortable with the expenditure," says Doc Truli.

"Tiggy is deathly ill. But, miracles are unlimited. And a doctor should advocate for life. Do you understand Tiggy is likely to die no matter what we do?" said Doc Truli.

"Doctors should advocate for life," said Doc Truli.

"Yes, doctor. Please, please, please try," said Tiggy's mom.

Supportive Care Leaves Space for a Miracle to Work on the Body

Deadly Immunosuppressive FeLV Virus Found

"I understand, I trusted you from the minute you said you were for life," said Tiggy's mom.

Tiggy Needs Surgery

Late Friday afternoon, after the sick little black cat had 24 hours of time and medicine to gather his strength, he underwent anesthesia and a surgery to remove the deadly infection.

Regular Cat Castration Surgery

Unusual Cat Castration Surgery

Nursing Care Key to a Chance for Recovery

Miracles are Real!

Feline Leukemia Virus Facts

How Feline Leukemia Virus is Acquired

Why is a Retrovirus so Awful?

Retrovirus is a special term saved for viruses that can insert themselves back into the DNA of the infected host, thus hiding from the body and wreaking havoc!

Tests for Feline Leukemia Virus

Antibody Test

Antigen Test

Feline Leukemia Cure?

Feline Leukemia Prevention

Feline Leukemia FAQ:

A Final Note

Tibetan Terrier

Doc Truli — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:24:40 +0000

Tibetan Terrier Grows Red Bump in One Day

Doc Truli — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:21:54 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2096" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Tibetan Terrier Bump"][/caption] A two-year-old Tibetan Terrier beauty rescued from the pound when she was one, Lucy was the pride of her pappa's life. "Doctor," whispered her concerned human,"Lucy has this mass, this growth, this...thing on her nose. There was nothing, and them suddenly, there it was. I hope it's nothing bad." This is a difficult moment in any pet parent's life. You've noticed a mass. You ponder how it came to be. You hope you can think of a "good" reason for the lump. "The cat scratched Lucy two weeks ago when they were playing. Maybe it's an infection?" said the dad. "Don't tell me it's anything bad." You know some things are bad. Cancer, for one. You can't imagine what could grow on your dog and be okay. "Maybe it's allergy. She went to a new dog park. Maybe she caught something. Maybe she needs antibiotics," said Lucy's dad hopefully. Every veterinarian already knows what this bump probably is based on a description over the telephone. A raised pink to red round topped lump, no fur, growing on the nose of a young dog. -mast cell tumor -papilloma virus lump -if the description is off, infection, hive, bug bite -or, my favorite- histiocytoma (pronounced: his tee oh sigh toe ma) A quick aspirate cytology, a procedure involving a needle stuck into the lump, and the cell sample placed on a glass slide, dried, stained, and analyzed under the microscope, diagnoses the lump. "Great news! Lucy grew a histiocytoma," said Doc Truli. "That sounds bad, Doctor. Will she be okay?" Histicytomas grow suddenly when immune cells called histiocytes accumulate in a clump. No one knows why. But we do know that the histiocytoma will go away on its own in about two weeks. "That lump will crack off and leave a bald spot in about two weeks. Then it will heal over completely," said Doc Truli. "Are you sure Lucy doesn't need surgery?" "This is one situation where a little inexpensive test at the vet's saves you lots of worry," said Doc Truli.

Tibetan Terrier Grows Red Bump in One Day

virtuavet — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:16:42 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2096" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Tibetan Terrier Bump"][/caption] A two-year-old Tibetan Terrier beauty rescued from the pound when she was one, Lucy was the pride of her pappa's life. "Doctor," whispered her concerned human,"Lucy has this mass, this growth, this...thing on her nose. There was nothing, and them suddenly, there it was. I hope it's nothing bad." This is a difficult moment in any pet parent's life. You've noticed a mass. You ponder how it came to be. You hope you can think of a "good" reason for the lump. "The cat scratched Lucy two weeks ago when they were playing. Maybe it's an infection?" said the dad. "Don't tell me it's anything bad." You know some things are bad. Cancer, for one. You can't imagine what could grow on your dog and be okay. "Maybe it's allergy. She went to a new dog park. Maybe she caught something. Maybe she needs antibiotics," said Lucy's dad hopefully. Every veterinarian already knows what this bump probably is based on a description over the telephone. A raised pink to red round topped lump, no fur, growing on the nose of a young dog. -mast cell tumor -papilloma virus lump -if the description is off, infection, hive, bug bite -or, my favorite- histiocytoma (pronounced: his tee oh sigh toe ma) A quick aspirate cytology, a procedure involving a needle stuck into the lump, and the cell sample placed on a glass slide, dried, stained, and analyzed under the microscope, diagnoses the lump. "Great news! Lucy grew a histiocytoma," said Doc Truli. "That sounds bad, Doctor. Will she be okay?" Histicytomas grow suddenly when immune cells called histiocytes accumulate in a clump. No one knows why. But we do know that the histiocytoma will go away on its own in about two weeks. "That lump will crack off and leave a bald spot in about two weeks. Then it will heal over completely," said Doc Truli. "Are you sure Lucy doesn't need surgery?" "This is one situation where a little inexpensive test at the vet's saves you lots of worry," said Doc Truli.

How to Tell If Your Dog is Fat

Doc Truli — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:52:58 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2309" align="alignright" width="150" caption=""I'm not fat, I'm...not fluffy!""][/caption]

How to Tell How Much Padding Your Dog Should Have

Use Body Condition Score: BCS!

Body condition score is a semi-objective way to get an idea if your dog has the right amount of weight for his or her body structure. The weights and weight ranges published for pure-breed dogs are show standards. The show standard means the breeder organization (fanciers) of that breed want a dog of their breed to fall within a certain weight range. This is no guarantee that your dog will become only that size. It also is no insurance that a 18 pound Shih Tzu in a 10-pound Shih Tzu frame is okay, even though the numbers might fit the breed standard. A majority of dogs are of mixed-breed descent. You cannot look in any book to really get any idea of how much a mutt should weigh. It is pure guesswork.

Body condition scoring is a way to observe at 3 things on your dog to tell if he or she is fat:

1. Amount of flesh over the ribs

With your dog facing away from you, place your open palms on either side of the chest where you should be able to feel and not see the ribcage. If you gently press with your open palms and fingers, you should feel the ribs under the fur, skin, and a light coating of muscle and maybe a tiny amount of fat. You should be able to feel and count the ribs. When your dog's furcoat is wet, you should not be able to see the ribs. Common sense applies: a Greyhound, Sighthound, Italian Greyhound, certain German Shepherd dogs, working police and rescue dogs, Iditarod dogs and other performance athletes may show their ribs. Your Labrador, Golden, Cocker, Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Mini Poodle should not have ribs showing!

[caption id="attachment_2310" align="alignright" width="150" caption="No tummy tuck!"][/caption]

2. Tummy Tuck

Your dog should have a nice tummy tuck when viewed from the side. If the bottom line of the chest extends right back to the legs, or sags down, your dog might be fat (not always, their are medical exceptions). This Chihuahua is too fat! Notice the belly just goes straight back to the legs, with no graceful tummy tuck upward curve.

3. Hourglass Figure [caption id="attachment_2311" align="alignright" width="150" caption="No hourglass, more like barrel-shaped!"][/caption]

When viewed from above and behind, your dog's waist should pinch in just in front of the hips in a nice "hourglass" shape. If fur gets in the way, you can feel your dog through the fur to gain an idea of the shape underneath. (No excuses!) This same Chihuahua when viewed from above is obese. Not only is the hourglass gone, but it has been replaced by a bulge on each side of the waist, a dimple at the base of the tail, and two little "doggy love handles" on either side of the hips.

"If you cannot feel your dog's ribs, cannot see or feel a tummy tuck, and cannot see or feel an hourglass waist, your dog is fat," says Doc Truli. "Furthermore, your dog is extra bonus fat is there is a tail head dimple and lumps of fat over the front of the hips that make you wonder of they are tumors."

Get The Skinny on Your Dog's Diet!

or, Three Common Reasons Pet Dogs Are Fat

1. Feeding Waaay Too Much

"But I'm Feeding What it Says on the Bag!" The chart on the bag is just a starting point. If you want to figure this right, do these three things: 1. Ask your veterinarian how much your dog should probably weigh, the ideal weight. It takes a professional to estimate the magnitude of the problem. Or you can guess. 2. Ask your veterinarian to calculate your dog's daily energy needs.

Dog's Daily Energy Needs: Generally 30 kcal per pound ideal body weight per 24 hours.

For example, an ideally 10 pound Chihuahua should eat 300 kcal total per day. If the calories come from a high-quality balanced dog food, the nutrients are supposed to be matched to the kilo-calorie needs. However, there is a flaw in this system. Scientists theorize that a dog (or cat) eats to satisfy caloric needs. Generally, this seems true. But some animals seem to have no stopping point. Clearly, these pets do not follow the textbooks! There's another catch to this plan. You cannot get the kilo calorie information off of the food container! You can study the label until the dogs come home and never find it. On the plus side, most of the food companies publish the information on their websites, or you can call their 1-800 customer support number and ask. You are looking for kilocalories (kcal) per cup. It doesn't have another name, or a fancy name, or another spelling. Do not be fooled! You can also ask your veterinarian to do this for you. 3. The 3rd thing you can do to help your dog, Be honest! If Doc Truli sees a dog as fat as the Chihuahua in this story, about 2-3 times too many calories are being consumed in a day! Many of the semi-soft dog treats contain 36 calories per treat! Ten of those to a Chihuahua, and your over for the day/ And those are non-nutritious calories as well.

2. Food Labels Lie

"I'm Not Feeding too Much, and my Dog Still Won't Lose Weight." How do you know how much is too much? Can you find the kilocalories published on the bag? No? Then you don't know. Stop wasting your time and money arguing with the veterinarian. Write down everything you know your dog eats in a few days and let your veterinarian help you calculate how many calories you've got there. Most fat dogs eat 100% to 200% too many calories. If you've followed your veterinarian's advice and your dog is still fat, what about the thyroid gland function? Ask your vet!

3. Lack of Exercise

"I Know My Dog is Fat, I Had Health Issues and We Couldn't Walk as Much." Okay, this is a true excuse. Try to cut back on your dog's food when you know the two of you were going to recuperate together for a few weeks or months.

Have a neighborhood kid walk the dog.
Find a volunteer.
Pay a dog sitter.
Learn to throw a ball.
You can fix this!

You will not like to see your dog in knee pain or respiratory distress, or worse. We're talking obesity, not just a little fat.

Let's Play, "How Big Would My Dog be if She or He Were a Human Person?"

10 pound Chihuahua weighs 20 pounds. This is like a 150 pound woman weighing 300 pounds! 75 pound Labrador Retriever weighs 120 pounds. This is like a 550 pound man. He can still get out of the house, but barely. 25 pound Beagle weighs 65 pounds (I've seen this!). This is like a person who weighs 600 pounds and cannot get out of bed or fit through the doors to go out. A person that looses hot dogs in their belly rolls. Your dog might smile and pant and wag his tail, but he's suffering. And he will live a shortened lifespan.

Start Loosing Weight Right Now!

Call your dog over, give the ribs, tummy tuck and hourglass a feel.

Get the ideal weight.

Get the kilocalories from the food company website.

Figure out how many calories your dog usually eats.

See the overage! Wow! I bet you had no idea!

Cut back gradually over a few weeks so as not to cause psychological family trauma.

Or go cold turkey onto the new amount, your choice.

Ask your veterinarian if diet food would be better for your dog, given all of the issues you are dealing with.

Then, weigh your dog weekly and watch the pounds melt away!

How to Tell If Your Dog is Fat

virtuavet — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:54:23 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2309" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=""I'm not fat, I'm...not fluffy!""][/caption]

How to Tell How Much Padding Your Dog Should Have

Use Body Condition Score: BCS!

Body condition scoring is a way to observe at 3 things on your dog to tell if he or she is fat:

1. Amount of flesh over the ribs

[caption id="attachment_2310" align="alignright" width="150" caption="No tummy tuck!"][/caption]

2. Tummy Tuck

3. Hourglass Figure [caption id="attachment_2311" align="alignright" width="150" caption="No hourglass, more like barrel-shaped!"][/caption]

"If you cannot feel your dog's ribs, cannot see or feel a tummy tuck, and cannot see or feel an hourglass waist, your dog is fat," says Doc Truli. "Furthermore, your dog is extra bonus fat is there is a tail head dimple and lumps of fat over the front of the hips that make you wonder of they are tumors."

Get The Skinny on Your Dog's Diet!

or, Three Common Reasons Pet Dogs Are Fat

1. Feeding Waaay Too Much

Dog's Daily Energy Needs: Generally 30 kcal per pound ideal body weight per 24 hours.

2. Food Labels Lie

3. Lack of Exercise

Have a neighborhood kid walk the dog.
Find a volunteer.
Pay a dog sitter.
Learn to throw a ball.
You can fix this!

You will not like to see your dog in knee pain or respiratory distress, or worse. We're talking obesity, not just a little fat.

Let's Play, "How Big Would My Dog be if She or He Were a Human Person?"

Start Loosing Weight Right Now!

Call your dog over, give the ribs, tummy tuck and hourglass a feel.

Get the ideal weight.

Get the kilocalories from the food company website.

Figure out how many calories your dog usually eats.

See the overage! Wow! I bet you had no idea!

Cut back gradually over a few weeks so as not to cause psychological family trauma.

Or go cold turkey onto the new amount, your choice.

Ask your veterinarian if diet food would be better for your dog, given all of the issues you are dealing with.

Then, weigh your dog weekly and watch the pounds melt away!

fat chihuahua

Doc Truli — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:08:09 +0000

chihuahua

No tummy tuck

Doc Truli — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:20:27 +0000

an chihuahua viewed from the side: you can tell the stomach starts at the chest and goes straight back to the legs

No hourglass

Doc Truli — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:27:53 +0000

Chihuahua felt or viewed from above: sides just in front of the hips actually bulge out, instead of curving inward

ChihuahuaMan

Doc Truli — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:56:23 +0000

Top Five Ways Dogs Fracture Their Teeth

virtuavet — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:29:05 +0000

8-Year-Old German Shepherd Fractures Critical Tooth

Mia is an 8-year-old female spayed German Shepherd Dog. Mia is gentle and sweet and kind. She leaves her food for the other dogs, and backs away to share her toys with friends' dogs who come over to play. She has soft, wavy chestnut-brown and honey tan fur and soft brown eyes, with long curved black eyelashes. Mia also chews like a demon dog from you-know-where! “Doc, how do Mia's teeth look?” asked her mom. “They would be perfect, except for the broken carnassial (pronounced car-na-see-ul) tooth,” said Doc Truli. “I don't know what you just said, but I don't like the sound of that,” said Mia's mom. Mia broke the substantial left maxillary carnassial, #108, Upper Left 4th Premolar tooth. (It has lots of names.) This carnassial tooth is one of the 8 most important teeth in the mouth. What are "important" teeth (it sounds discourteous to the other teeth, doesn't it?). Read about important teeth in Bennie's Story of how he had 12 teeth removed!

Top Five Common Ways to Break Dogs' Teeth

Hard Bones

Ice Cubes

Nylabones

Rocks

Accidents (Fighting, Hit by car)

“Broken how bad?” asked mom. “Broken, we can't do a root canal or cap the tooth. Broken. Dead. Kaput. Fin. Basta!” said Doc Truli. “That tooth is dead and must be removed from the mouth.”

When a Tooth has to Go...

[caption id="attachment_2113" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Mia intubated for her exodontia procedure"][/caption] Mia underwent a thorough dental cleaning and radiographic (x-ray) evaluation under anesthesia. Her teeth were in perfect condition, except for the broken culprit tooth. That tooth was fractured in half. The back half was partly missing, with the nerves exposed, and the remaining enamel fractured into 40 pieces during the exodontia procedure. The front half of the tooth looked good. But it too, fractured into many little slivers of diseased, useless enamel and dentin. A while later, and several post-extraction x-rays later, the tooth was all out of the mouth! [caption id="attachment_2114" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="missing back half of the upper fourth premolar"][/caption] “We had to take many x-rays to confirm that every bit of the tooth was gone,”explained the Doc. [caption id="attachment_2115" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Better no tooth than a Diseased Tooth!"][/caption] “That's great,” said Mia's mom. She went on to explain,”Years and years ago, I had a dog with a rotten tooth. The vet removed the tooth, but they left a piece in there. That piece became an abscess and she needed another surgery to clean out the infection. I'm so happy you have the x-rays to be certain the procedure is done right the first time,” said Mia's mom. “I wouldn't have it any other way,” agreed Doc Truli. Just two days after surgery, Mia was up and running with her dog friends, eating freely, and feeling so much better!

shepherdanes

Doc Truli — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:31:13 +0000

Top Five Ways Dogs Fracture Their Teeth

Doc Truli — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:32:23 +0000

8-Year-Old German Shepherd Fractures Critical Tooth

Top Five Common Ways to Break Dogs' Teeth

Hard Bones

Ice Cubes

Nylabones

Rocks

Accidents (Fighting, Hit by car)

“Broken how bad?” asked mom. “Broken, we can't do a root canal or cap the tooth. Broken. Dead. Kaput. Fin. Basta!” said Doc Truli. “That tooth is dead and must be removed from the mouth.”

When a Tooth has to Go...

oldlumpydog

Doc Truli — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:56:51 +0000

bassettcini

Doc Truli — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:43:59 +0000

VirtuaVet Vs Chihuahua! The Chihuahua Manual eBook Already Updated

Doc Truli — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:54:40 +0000

The Chihuahua Manual

Purse Ninja Pocket Guide

Information you need to know about your Chihuahua

Dear Chihuahua Fanatics, Originally published April 26, 2010, my first Chihuahua Manual has already been updated, per customer enthusiasm. I know these little "land sharks," as veterinarians like to call them, are secretly the most lovable, fun, and heart-grabbing dogs. My Chihuahua, Chiquita Bovita (white with black Holstein cow spots) was my diminutive soulmate. Stop fighting and misunderstanding your Chihauhua today and get that perfect companion you dreamed of in the first place! Please enjoy The Chihuahua Manual, Purse Ninja Pocket Guide! Yours, Doc Truli

Retail Price $24.99 Updated Chihuahua Manual ONLY $9.99

THIS FULLY SEARCHABLE AND INDEXED EBOOK WILL HELP YOU:

Learn to raise a Chihuahua who is so friendly, your friends just can't believe it!
Select a bed for your Chihuahua that makes house training quick and clear!
Use the comprehensive first year Chihuahua medical budget to pay for everything you need and nothing you don't!
Save money by choosing the best pet insurance plan!
Learn the surefire solution to preventing low blood sugar in teacup Chihuahuas
Learn the secrets to effective house training
Have a Worry-free Chihuahua: learn when shaking, dancing, rolling, and refusing to budge are normal
Gear up for adventure with your Chihuahua: cars, boats, even motorcycle Chihuahua gear
Learn the secret to happy Chihuahuas and children
Learn how to leverage a pet sitter for a happier Chihuahua
Learn games Chihuahuas Love to Play

All updates will be provided FREE to Chihuahua Manual Purchasers!

Excerpt from "Playing Games With Your Chihuahua" Chapter of The Chihuahua Manual:

"Chihuahuas are supposed to be lap dogs. But, in their role as personal appendages, they also relish a little privacy. Not much, but a little bit. Does your Chihuahua take a piece of food and run under a chair to work on it? (Be sure the eating area is safe, peaceful and quiet.) Do dog bones and treats pile up under the bed and sofa? Or under the pillows in the corners of the sofa? This is the Chihuahua need for privacy, not a terrier-like burrowing fixation. A toy basket or toy box, a sleeping crate, and a family with people who pay attention and design their daily schedule to include the puppy give a Chihuahua a sense of steadiness and security. Respect the little one's very little needs for privacy. After all, your Chihuahua will probably sit on your arm, lap, or chest 90% of the time you are not working, a little kitchen area, bathroom, sleeping area, and toy chest of his or her own is not too much to ask!"

Doc Truli shares the love of Chihuahuas and the insight of a veterinarian in The Chihuahua Manual: Purse Ninja Pocket Guide. Join the fun today! Updates are free. Get more and more medical advice and heartwarming Chihuahua stories for just one purchase price.

"I love Chihuahuas, Chi CHi CHI! I hope you'll take advantage of my hard work and insight and get your own copy of The Chihuahua Manual today, and free Updates as I continue to add Chihuahua advice and inspirational Chihuahua Stories. All Chihuahuas, all the time!" says Doc Truli.

13-Year-Old Basset Hound Bump

Doc Truli — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:45:56 +0000

Anastasia smiled up at Doc Truli and wagged her tail. After 8 years of annual check-ups, Anastasia still thought Doc Truli had nothing to do with the shots and blood draws. What a sweet, trusting, simple Basset Hound. What a doll! [caption id="attachment_2122" align="alignright" width="114" caption=""Hi, Doc! Where's my treat?""][/caption] A soft fatty lump lived in the middle of the basset girl's tail. Recently, it had begun to grow larger. So large, it might circumnavigate the tail. If this happened, and the lump continued to enlarge, Anastasia might need a tail amputation just to control the locally invasive, benign tumor. [caption id="attachment_2123" align="alignleft" width="83" caption="A round, hairy, 2 inch around soft lump sticks out of the side of the tail"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2124" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Maybe we should remove this...hmm..."][/caption] “I recommend Anastasia undergo surgery to have that fatty lump removed as soon as possible. If it continues growing at this rate, she might lose her tail!” said Doc Truli. Another, smaller new lump grew on the outside surface of Anastasia's ear flap (pinna). This lump was covered with fur, round, and symmetrical. A needle aspirate into the lump revealed only red blood cells. No cancer cells spilled into the needle for analysis under the microscope. “Any time I aspirate blood from a lump, I advise we go ahead and remove that lump,” said Doc Truli. “Bumps with that much blood supply have easy and ready access to the bloodstream. They can travel if they want to. That's not good for the body. We want to get that lump off the ear quickly, before it has a chance to spread,” advised the Doc. [caption id="attachment_2125" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="New raised, haired, round, soft ear bump on the external pinna."][/caption] The ear bump removed in a straightforward way. It consisted of a benign hemangioma, which is a tumor of red blood cells that does not show microscopic features of being aggressive or mobile. The tail bump took some work. It actually did not pop out of the skin in one piece as expected. After some exploration and careful removal of all parts of the lump, there was enough skin left to close the surgical site nicely. The tail healed in 2 weeks and Anastasia feels like a new dog!

13-Year-Old Basset Hound Bumps

virtuavet — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 22:41:44 +0000

xolo

Doc Truli — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:41:34 +0000

Xolo

dental anesthesia and x-rays

Doc Truli — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:43:09 +0000

yorkie face full coat

Doc Truli — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:44:34 +0000

yorkshire terrier with long fur

bichon frise

Doc Truli — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:46:24 +0000

Bichon Frise

catnboxcini

Doc Truli — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:24:01 +0000

Quirky Lump Problem

virtuavet — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:35:34 +0000

Sometimes a lump on a dog is just a lump. The lumps have fancy names, but it really doesn't matter to the dog's health or lifespan. Sometimes quirky problems can arise as a result of a lump... Sammy grew lumps and bumps more than most Labrador-Beagle mixes. His black fur had faded grey over the years, but he still had his wag and loved to go for walks every morning. Four years ago, Sammy suddenly grew a lump on the end of the left side of his nose, just above where the black leather cobblestone part of the nose began. Doc Truli diagnosed a mast cell tumor on the end of Sammy's nose. As you know from reading VirtuaVet, mast cell tumors can be very, very nasty. Usually, the longer they stay on or in the body, the more they grow and metastasize, often killing the dog. [caption id="attachment_2131" align="alignright" width="129" caption="That gray area on the right side of the picture is the mast cell tumor on Sammy's nose."][/caption]

“Metastasize means spread,” says Doc Truli,”Medical terminology complicates the obvious. Metastatic cancer is – spreading body stuff – pure and simple. Obviously, stuff where it's not supposed to be is bad. That's the basis of why cancer is bad. Stuff growing where it's not supposed to grow is bad for you!”

Sammy's family decided, four years ago, that they did not want surgery to remove the mast cell tumor on his nose. How lucky Sammy is to be alive today! Sammy also grew about 10 other lumps. The other ten where benign lumps, meaning they only grow at their original site and do not spread to other parts of the body. If your dog has a lump, you hope it is benign. Something happened and Sammy's benign lump on his inner left knee started to bleed. And bleed. A lot! Doc Truli held pressure against the lump for five minutes straight (no peeking!) and examined the resulting pink area. [caption id="attachment_2132" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Raised red soft lump with black skin over half of it filets and bleeds."][/caption] “Sammy cut this lump a quarter of the way through. If he leaves it alone and doesn't lick it, it might just heal on its own,” said Doc Truli. The actual cellular components of each lump remain a mystery unless the lump is removed and analyzed under a microscope. Certain types of lumps heal well. Cancerous lumps may not heal properly; they are not biologically equal to normal skin. Sammy's lump healed right up! Doc Truli still wishes to remove the mast cell tumor on Sammy's nose. Sammy's family still says no. So far, at fourteen-years-old, and counting, they must be doing something right!

Quirky Lump Problem

Doc Truli — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:55:14 +0000

Sammy's Mast Cell Tumor

Sometimes a lump on a dog is just a lump. The lumps have fancy names, but it really doesn't matter to the dog's health or lifespan. Sometimes quirky problems can arise as a result of a lump... Sammy grew lumps and bumps more than most Labrador-Beagle mixes. His black fur had faded grey over the years, but he still had his wag and loved to go for walks every morning. Four years ago, Sammy suddenly grew a lump on the end of the left side of his nose, just above where the black leather cobblestone part of the nose began. Doc Truli diagnosed a mast cell tumor on the end of Sammy's nose. As you know from reading VirtuaVet, mast cell tumors can be very, very nasty. Usually, the longer they stay on or in the body, the more they grow and metastasize, often killing the dog. [caption id="attachment_2131" align="alignright" width="129" caption="That gray area on the right side of the picture is the mast cell tumor on Sammy's nose."][/caption]

“Metastasize means spread,” says Doc Truli,”Medical terminology complicates the obvious. Metastatic cancer is – spreading body stuff – pure and simple. Obviously, stuff where it's not supposed to be is bad. That's the basis of why cancer is bad. Stuff growing where it's not supposed to grow is bad for you!”

Sammy's family decided, four years ago, that they did not want surgery to remove the mast cell tumor on his nose. How lucky Sammy is to be alive today!

Sammy's "Other" Tumor

Sammy also grew about 10 other lumps. The other ten where benign lumps, meaning they only grow at their original site and do not spread to other parts of the body. If your dog has a lump, you hope it is benign. Something happened and Sammy's benign lump on his inner left knee started to bleed. And bleed. A lot! Doc Truli held pressure against the lump for five minutes straight (no peeking!) and examined the resulting pink area. [caption id="attachment_2132" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Raised red soft lump with black skin over half of it filets and bleeds."][/caption] “Sammy cut this lump a quarter of the way through. If he leaves it alone and doesn't lick it, it might just heal on its own,” said Doc Truli. The actual cellular components of each lump remain a mystery unless the lump is removed and analyzed under a microscope. Certain types of lumps heal well. Cancerous lumps may not heal properly; they are not biologically equal to normal skin. Sammy's lump healed right up! Doc Truli still wishes to remove the mast cell tumor on Sammy's nose. Sammy's family still says no. So far, at fourteen-years-old, and counting, they must be doing something right!

calico cat

Doc Truli — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:10:18 +0000

Help! My Dog's Mouth Smells Bad!

virtuavet — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:31:09 +0000

Why Does my Puppy's Breath Smell so Bad?

Romeo was a 10-month-old Brindle Chihuahua with halitosis (hal -i -toe- sis). That's doctor-speak for bad breath. "Doctor, why does my 10-month-old Chihuahua have such bad breath?" said Romeo's dad. One look under his lip revealed the answer. [caption id="attachment_2142" align="alignright" width="106" caption="The arrow points to a retained deciduous canine tooth with golden, shaggy muck stuck to it."][/caption] "Romeo's maxillary deciduous canine tooth is retained," thought Doc Truli. "Romeo's left upper baby canine tooth didn't fall out on time," said Doc Truli. Romeo had two other retained canine teeth and a retained upper incisor front tooth as well. "Romeo needs surgery right away to remove the abnormal tooth before it causes further damage and infection in the mouth," said Doc Truli.

FAQs About Retained Baby Teeth in Dogs

Questions Every Pet Parent Asks About Baby Teeth: Q: Shouldn't we give it more time to come out on its own? A: No! The minute a baby tooth and a permanent tooth share the same space, when the permanent tooth just starts budding through the gingiva, the baby tooth is retained, by definition. The body usually dissolves and absorbs the roots of the deciduous (baby) teeth, and the tops, or crowns of the teeth naturally drop off. Retained teeth do not resorb, or only partly resorb, creating a crowded, crooked, disease-holding spot in the mouth. Q: Can't we wait? My puppy seems too young to undergo surgery. A: No! Never underestimate the disease and pain-causing ability of abnormal teeth. Any risk of anesthesia, in most patients, is far outweighed by the health risk of doing nothing. If you do nothing, your puppy will have a problem. Q: How long will it take to heal? A: Deciduous tooth extraction sites heal phenomenally quickly. Textbooks say 14 days, but usually, you'd be challenged to find the hole in the gums within 3 days or so. For this same reason, unless a surgical approach is needed to remove a long, delicate tooth root, sutures are rarely needed for baby teeth removal. Q: Do all dogs have this? A: Any dog could have retained baby teeth. But, most puppies with retained teeth are small breed companion dogs.

Tru Tip: Top Dog Breeds for Retained Baby Teeth

[caption id="attachment_2352" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Yorkshire Terrier"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2350" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Xolo (Mexican Hairless Dog)"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2353" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Bichon Frise"][/caption]

Chihuahua,
Yorkie,
Shih Tzu,
Maltese,
Poodle,
Miniature Pinscher,
Miniature Dachshund,
Miniature Schnauzer,
Whippet,
Xolo,
Powder Puffs,
Papillon,
Italian Greyhound,
Lhasa Apso,
Havanese,
Coton de Tuleur,
Bichon Frise, even
French Bulldogs and other Bulldogs sometimes.

What Happens During Surgery to Remove Retained Baby Teeth?

Romeo underwent dental surgery under anesthesia that same afternoon.

Puppy Pre-Op

First, the puppy gets his physical examination, pre-operative testing, which may include laboratory blood work, EKG, or other tests your veterinarian feels necessary to assess anesthesia risks in your puppy. Then, a sedative, anti-anxiety medication, and painkillers are given.

Dental Diagnostics and Monitoring Anesthesia

Once anesthesia is induced, dental radiographs are obtained (in 5-10% of veterinary hospitals in America. The others do not have the technology.) Monitoring equipment is hooked up. And the x-rays are taken. [caption id="attachment_2143" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The x-ray tube (blue arrow), digital plate (red arrow), and anesthesia machine (yellow arrow) surround Romeo"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2144" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Canine Tooth Chart"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2145" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Veterinary Anesthesia Record-Keeping"][/caption] Can you find Romeo (upside-down) in the picture? The little guy is almost covered in diagnostic and monitoring equipment! The doctor charts the teeth while the technician monitors anesthesia. Charting means examining 6 points around the base of each tooth and assessing the periodontal pockets (if any). Charting also means recording missing teeth, extra teeth, crowded, broken, tipped, dead (sickly grey color), or otherwise notable teeth. The dental x-rays help to find impacted teeth that may not have erupted. You can imagine, if this Chihuahua did not drop baby teeth normally, well then, possibly some teeth have not even shown up at all! Even if the teeth are not impacted, crowding, root deformities, and missing teeth need x-rays to show them.

Finding the Problem

[caption id="attachment_2146" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="x-ray of retained deciduous canine tooth"][/caption] The retained tooth (pictured above) looks wavy and small and crooked on the x-ray. The gap between the deciduous tooth and the normal canine tooth in front of it (to the left) harbors fur, food, and soon-to-be tartar! If this tooth is not taken care of and removed, the infection, fur, and food will impact into the gums and wear away at the space behind the permanent canine tooth. Most dogs will not show discomfort, even though logically, this has to be annoying at the least! If left for years, the permanent canine will become loose and infection can travel up the long root right into the floor of the nose! If this happens, infection and pus might leak out one nostril, but usually not both. What a shame all that pain and suffering and disease could be stopped when the puppy is young and strong! Read another story about masquerading retained baby teeth in a 3-Year-Old Maltese, with more information about painkiller drug interactions and steps to anesthesia recovery the night you take your baby home after the surgery! After dentistry procedures, wait about 3-5 days, or until your veterinarian says it is safe, and then you can start brushing your dog's teeth to prevent new problems. [caption id="attachment_2147" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Just a normal canine after Doc Truli removes the retained baby tooth!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2148" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="The four retained teeth after surgical extraction"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2149" align="alignleft" width="88" caption="All better!"][/caption]

Help! My Dog's Mouth Smells Bad!

Doc Truli — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:40:45 +0000

Why Does my Puppy's Breath Smell so Bad?

FAQs About Retained Baby Teeth in Dogs

Tru Tip: Top Dog Breeds for Retained Baby Teeth

Chihuahua,
Yorkie,
Shih Tzu,
Maltese,
Poodle, Miniature Pinscher,
Miniature Dachshund,
Miniature Schnauzer,
Whippet,
Xolo,
Powder Puffs,
Papillon,
Italian Greyhound,
Lhasa Apso,
Havanese,
Coton de Tuleur,
Bichon Frise, even
French Bulldogs and other Bulldogs sometimes.

What Happens During Surgery to Remove Retained Baby Teeth?

Romeo underwent dental surgery under anesthesia that same afternoon.

Puppy Pre-Op

Dental Diagnostics and Monitoring Anesthesia

Finding the Problem

[caption id="attachment_2146" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="x-ray of retained deciduous canine tooth"][/caption] The retained tooth (pictured above) looks wavy and small and crooked on the x-ray. The gap between the deciduous tooth and the normal canine tooth in front of it (to the left) harbors fur, food, and soon-to-be tartar! If this tooth is not taken care of and removed, the infection, fur, and food will impact into the gums and wear away at the space behind the permanent canine tooth. Most dogs will not show discomfort, even though logically, this has to be annoying at the least! If left for years, the permanent canine will become loose and infection can travel up the long root right into the floor of the nose! If this happens, infection and pus might leak out one nostril, but usually not both. What a shame all that pain and suffering and disease could be stopped when the puppy is young and strong! To read more about deciduous teeth in dogs and puppies, read VirtuaVet's Maltese with Baby Teeth including bad drug reactions to watch out for and normal steps to recovery when you take your puppy or dog home after the anesthesia. After dentistry procedures, wait about 3-5 days, or until your veterinarian says it is safe, and then you can start brushing your dog's teeth to prevent new problems. [caption id="attachment_2147" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Just a normal canine afer Doc Truli removes the retained baby tooth!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2148" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="The four retained teeth after surgical extraction"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2149" align="alignleft" width="88" caption="All better!"][/caption]

Red Cat Belly Rash

Doc Truli — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:58:01 +0000

The Rash Problem

Sheila was a four-year-old spayed orange-black -and-white short-haired cat with a nasty red bumpy rash on her stomach. [caption id="attachment_2164" align="alignright" width="112" caption="This painful rash appeared spontaneously, not as a result of licking."][/caption] Sheila also had tiny red bumps lining the edges of both her ears. She licked her belly throughout most of the night and had barbered the fur on her belly down to a fine fuzz. She hated having her ears, paws, or back touched, and was generally, difficult to comfort or show affection to. Like most cats with her symptoms, Sheila ate well. Occasionally she would vomit just foamy liquid, or a little hair from licking too much. She liked to sit and look at birds outside the living room window and liked to rub against her people's legs in the kitchen to meow for food. "Doctor, this rash just showed up," said Sheila's mom. "Let's take a look," said Doc Truli. [caption id="attachment_2165" align="alignleft" width="145" caption="close up of the red splotchy rash"][/caption] The fur on the lower abdomen was licked short, almost bald. The area of the rash was red, heat exuded off the surface, red raised, patchy, almost serpentine patterns coalesced. A shiny, sticky, clear film coated the surface, cracking in spots where it had dried to the rash. Clearly, this kitty was uncomfortable.

Tru Useless, but Interesting Tip: This color combination is called "calico." If even one speck of white fur or pink pad shows, a "tortoiseshell" automatically becomes a "calico" for show purposes.

The (Un)Rash Tests

Doc Truli performed a three-slide technique analysis of the skin. Three slide technique in veterinary dermatology includes a microscopic examination of samples taken with tape, a skin scraping, and ear swabs, all three samples placed on microscope slides and analyzed. In addition, a ultraviolet "black" light trained to the area for a few minutes will excite the electrons inside 50% of ringworm fungi and make them glow a brilliant light green color.

Common Differentials (Possible Diagnosis) for Cat Skin Rash:
Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex Autoimmune (Pemphigus...) Bacterial, fungal ("ringworm"), or yeast infection Parasites: mange or lice or flea allergy Allergic Break-out Burn or Contact Irritation Skin Cancer

The skin reacts to the assault by becoming inflamed. The redness, swelling, and heat felt over the area, combined with the pain and discomfort of the cat show inflammation. The inflammation is a reaction to the skin being attacked. The inflammation does not offer the answer we're all looking for: What is making this cat itchy and rashy?

The Rash Answer

In Sheila's case, the tape impression cytology showed masses of immune cells called eosinophils (pronounced: ee o sin o fills). These immune cells fight allergies or parasites. Since Sheila's parasite tests came out clean, allergy was left. For some unknown reason, many cats break out in red, itchy rashes when they suffer an allergic attack. If the rash is seasonal, meaning only at certain times of the year, and if the rash is not present throughout the year, then a seasonal allergy becomes more likely.

Tru Tip Save money and help diagnose your cat's itchiness or rash by doing two things right now: 1. Start a calendar and mark each day your cat is abnormally itchy or rashy 2. Eradicate fleas from your cat's life

Let your veterinarian know if you have seen a pattern to the itchiness or rash. Your veterinarian can run allergy tests (whether skin tests or blood tests), or can try trials of various medications to help the skin settle down. Sometimes a masking treatment of the symptoms, like a steroid shot, can also be a test. If your cat receives a steroid shot and the symptoms completely clear up, then an allergy is likely.

Rash Treatment

In Sheila's case, her folks did not want to invest in $150-$200 worth of allergy testing and allergy desensitization shots. They opted for a long-lasting methylprednisolone steroid shot. They chose not to go with an oral medication like prednisolone, because Sheila hated taking pills and would refuse to do so.

Steroid Side Effects
Never take medication, especially steroids, lightly. Cats are more immune to the side effects of steroids than people or dogs. But real risk still applies. [caption id="attachment_2167" align="alignright" width="113" caption="Can't you see by my ears that I'm annoyed?"][/caption] First of all, steroids are not FDA approved for use in cats in the United States. They, along with about 80% of pet medicine, are prescribed as an "off-label use." "Off-label" means the research may be good, doctors have been prescribing it for a while, everybody thinks they know the doses and benefits and risks. However, an off-label drug has not been put through the expensive, intensive US FDA process of formal drug approval for that species of animal. In cats, prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, and other steroids, have been reported by researchers to unmask hidden heart disease. Approximately 15% of cats may be walking around with cardiac muscle disease with absolutely no outward signs or symptoms. If your cat is one of these cats, a steroid could precipitate sudden decompensation of the heart, and lead to the symptoms of heart failure and sudden death. Your veterinarian may recommend cardiac health screening before prescribing a steroid. A cat with hidden cardiac disease may get a steroid shot, and then later in the day, or later that night, start open mouth breathing, panting, gurgling chest and breath sounds, maybe start foaming at the mouth, bellowing the chest and ribs in and out trying to get more oxygen into the lungs. The tongue may look blue. Without treatment, the cat will die. With treatment, some die. If you see any symptoms like these in your cat, stop reading this and go to an emergency pet hospital or call your veterinarian right now! The other well-known, possible side effect of a steroid pill or shot in a cat, is diabetes mellitus. The steroid can trigger diabetes in cats. The cat will start drinking and urinating a lot. The urine will be sticky and have a sickly sweet smell. The cat may eat a lot and act hungry all the time. Luckily, the diabetes is transient and will resolve with treatment and with discontinuation of the steroid. Call your veterinarian if you see these symptoms. These side effects are thought to be uncommon, but you should know they are possible.

Sheila got her steroid shot. The next day her ears stopped itching. Two days later, her belly skin looked pink, instead of red. Within a week, all the rash was gone. Until the underlying allergy is discovered, the rash may come back. In the meantime, Sheila is one happy kitty!

Red Cat Belly Rash

virtuavet — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:58:21 +0000

The Red Rash Problem

Tru Useless, but Interesting Tip: This color combination is called "calico." If even one speck of white fur or pink pad shows, a "tortoiseshell" automatically becomes a "calico" for show purposes.

The (Un)Rash Tests

Doc Truli performed a three-slide technique analysis of the skin. Three slide technique in veterinary dermatology includes a microscopic examination of samples taken with tape, a skin scraping, and ear swabs, all three samples placed on microscope slides and analyzed. In addition, a black light trained to the area for a few minutes will excite the electrons inside 50% of ringworm fungi and make them glow a brilliant light green color.

Common Differentials (Possible Diagnosis) for Cat Skin Rash: Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex Autoimmune (Pemphigus...) Bacterial, fungal ("ringworm"), or yeast infection Parasites: mange or lice or flea allergy Allergic Break-out Burn or Contact Irritation Skin Cancer

The Rash Answer

In Sheila's case, the tape impression cytology showed masses of immune cells called eosinophils (pronounced: ee o sin o fills). These immune cells fight allergies or parasites. Since Sheila's parasite tests came out clean, allergy was left. For some unknown reason, many cats break out in red, itchy rashes when they suffer an allergic attack. If the rash is seasonal, meaning only at certain times of the year. And if the rash is not present throughout the year, then a seasonal allergy becomes more likely.

Tru Tip Save money and help diagnose your cat's itchiness or rash by doing two things right now: 1. Start a calendar and mark each day your cat is abnormally itchy or rashy 2. Eradicate fleas from your cat's life

Rash Treatment

In Sheila's case, her folks did not want to invest in $150-$200 worth of allergy testing and allergy desensitization shots. They opted for a long-lasting steroid shot of methylprednisolone. They chose not to go with an oral medication like prednisolone, because Sheila hated taking pills and would refuse to do so.

Steroid Side Effects
Never take medication, especially steroids, lightly. Cats are more immune to the side effects of steroids than people or dogs. But real risk still applies. [caption id="attachment_2167" align="alignright" width="113" caption="Can't you see by my ears that I'm annoyed?"][/caption] First of all, steroids are not FDA approved for use in cats in the United States. They, along with about 80% of pet medicine, are prescribed as an "off-label use." "Off-label" means the research may be good, doctors have been prescribing it for a while, everybody thinks they know the doses and benefits and risks. However, an off-label drug has not been put through the expensive, intensive US FDA process of formal drug approval for that species of animal. In cats, prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, and other steroids, have been reported by researchers to unmask hidden heart disease. Approximately 15% of cats may be walking around with cardiac muscle disease with absolutely no outward signs or symptoms. If your cat is one of these cats, a steroid could precipitate sudden decompensation of the heart, and lead to the symptoms of heart failure and sudden death. Your veterinarian may recommend cardiac health screening before prescribing a steroid. A cat with hidden cardiac disease may get a steroid shot, and then later in the day, or later that night, start open mouth breathing, panting, gurgling chest and breath sounds, maybe start foaming at the mouth, bellowing the chest and ribs in and out trying to get more oxygen into the lungs. The tongue may look blue. Without treatment, the cat will die. With treatment, some die. If you see any symptoms like these in your cat, stop reading this and go to an emergency pet hospital or call your veterinarian right now! The other well-known, possible side effect of a steroid pill or shot in a cat, is diabetes mellitus. The steroid can trigger diabetes in cats. The cat will start drinking and urinating a lot. The urine will be sticky and have a sickly sweet smell. The cat may eat a lot and act hungry all the time. Luckily, the diabetes is transient and will resolve with treatment and with discontinuation of the steroid. Call your veterinarian if you see these symptoms. These side effects are thought to be uncommon, but you should know they are possible.

Sheila got her methylprednisolone steroid shot. The next day her ears stopped itching. Two days later, her belly skin looked pink, instead of red. Within a week, all the rash was gone. Until the underlying allergy is discovered, the rash may come back. In the meantime, Sheila is one happy kitty!

canine neck skin infection

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:13:38 +0000

canine neck skin infection golden retriever with crusted patches and scabs on neck

golden retriever hot spot down neck

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:17:33 +0000

golden retriever hot spot down neck

dog shaved crusts on neck

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:22:30 +0000

red raw scabs oozing crust on the neck and under the ear of a young golden retriever dog

golden retriever healed

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:35:38 +0000

Healed hot spot in Golden Retriever

happy golden retriever

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:37:03 +0000

happy golden retriever

golden retriever pyotraumatic dermatitis

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:37:34 +0000

What is a "Hot Spot?"

Doc Truli — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:37:51 +0000

Cash was a two-year-old male Golden Retriever with a crusty problem. [caption id="attachment_2389" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Look at those itchy scabs!"][/caption] "He kept going in and out of the pool all weekend, and no one had time to dry him off. Then we noticed him scratching and we felt a wet spot under his ear," said Cash's 20-year-old (human) brother. "Well, let's take a look," said Doc Truli.

What Are Symptoms of a Hot Spot?

First, your dog is itchy. Super-duper obsessively itchy. And it can happen fast. Within a few hours. Second, hot spots are usually on the cheeks, under the ears, on the haunches, on the sides, on the middle or base of the tail, or maybe anywhere else! Third, you might see a clump of fur and feel a wet spot, or a crusty spot if it is a few days old. Fourth, the problem is waaay bigger than you think! [caption id="attachment_2390" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Cash's "spot" went from ear to ear and under his chin, too!"][/caption]

Shaving to Assess the Hot Spot Damage

After shaving all the crusty, red, sore, oozing yellow discharge (pus) areas, the infection went from Cash's left ear under his chin to his right ear and down his chest and between his front legs.

"Shaving and getting the fur off of the problem helps limit the spread of the infection under the skin and helps identify just how surprisingly extensive the hot spot really is," says Doc Truli.

[caption id="attachment_2391" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Wow! More damage!"][/caption] After an inelegant shave, Cash felt much better. The nurses soaked the area in surgical scrub solution to clean away dirt, fur, and bacteria.

"Even though Cash is the biggest sweetheart ever, we needed to sedate him and use a strong painkiller to get this infection cleaned up!" says the Doc.

Cash looked as if he argued with a lawnmower and the mower had the final word! He needed a steroid injection to calm his over-reactive immune system and take away the intense itch and redness. Cash also needed oral antibiotics to fight the infection. A hot spot of this size and intensity can continue to spread under the fur and infect the whole body. "I once saw a Sheltie mix with a skin infection on her rump that was covered by a tight bandage for 5 days. When the bandage came off, her skin peeled off, too! The infection had eaten away the skin attachments on her back, belly, and down her tail and half-way down her thighs! She survived thanks to two skin graft surgeries," remembers Doc Truli.

But Doc, "What IS a Hot Spot?" You Ask

The fancy word for it is pyotraumatic dermatitis. That'll be $150. Just kidding. An injury, allergy, cut, insect bite, we-don't-know-what, irritates the skin and normal bacteria in the environment change and signal themselves and bacteria around them to turn toxic and start attacking the skin. Quickly. All of a sudden. In the earliest stages, shaving and cleaning the area may stop the reaction by removing the offending bacteria. But if the immune system has started making everything red and itchy, watch out! You may need your veterinarian to help soothe that itch.

How Do I Prevent a Hot Spot?

Keep your dog clean. With a new generation, good quality shampoo every week or two may be just fine. (Ask your vet if your pooch has special skin problems.) A good rinse is the secret to a good bath. Rinse until you're bored, seeing spots, and wondering if the air bubbles from the water are really soap bubbles, or not! Dry your dog thoroughly. Especially if you live with a thick-coated breed like a Husky, German Shepherd, Malamute, Newfie, Komondor, a Rottweiler counts (thick, thick fur), you know who you are! Don't cheat and cut corners or your dog's undercoat will mildew! Prevent fleas. I'm not kidding. Get rid of the fleas. [caption id="attachment_2392" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Cash is all healed"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2393" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="All Better!"][/caption]

What is a "Hot Spot?"

virtuavet — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:42:35 +0000

What Are Symptoms of a Hot Spot?

Shaving to Assess the Hot Spot Damage

After shaving all the crusty, red, sore, oozing yellow discharge (pus) areas, the infection went from Cash's left ear under his chin to his right ear and down his chest and between his front legs.

"Shaving and getting the fur off of the problem helps limit the spread of the infection under the skin and helps identify just how surprisingly extensive the hot spot really is," says Doc Truli.

"Even though Cash is the biggest sweetheart ever, we needed to sedate him and use a strong painkiller to get this infection cleaned up!" says the Doc.

But Doc, "What IS a Hot Spot?" You Ask

How Do I Prevent a Hot Spot?

x-ray of abscess in kitten's voice box

Doc Truli — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:28:45 +0000

kitten with neck lump

Doc Truli — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:30:53 +0000

Black, green-eyed short haired kitten looks worried at the camera!

kitten neck abscess

Doc Truli — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:34:01 +0000

A centimeter rent in the skin on the neck over the firm swelling of the muscles where an infection was brewing.

kitten x-ray of throat abscess

Doc Truli — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:52:25 +0000

kitten x-ray of throat abscess

Kitten Loses Her Voice

Doc Truli — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:54:41 +0000

10-Week Old Kitten with Lump on Neck

"I just noticed a lump on June's neck on the left side below her chin. Last night, it was bigger and she was sleepy and didn't want to eat dinner. Today the bump is smaller and she looks brighter, but she can't meow anymore," said June the Kitten's worried mom. "What is going on?" [caption id="attachment_2403" align="alignright" width="150" caption=""Are you going to help me, doctor?""][/caption] June was a ten-week-old female black short-haired kitten with green eyes and a lump on her neck underneath the left side of her chin. A small, ragged 1 cm (1/2 inch) hole in the center of the lumpy area looked red and raw.

The Initial Diagnostics...

"First, we're going to shave over the area to remove the fur, clean the wound, and get a good look at the problem," said Doc Truli. June sat still for her shaving and cleaning. When the nurses finished with her, she looked a little bit unpretty! [caption id="attachment_2404" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The red arrow points to the epicenter of an abscess from the night before."][/caption] "Has June ever gone outside?" "No." "Do you have other pets she could have fought or played rough with?" "No." Hmmm.... Okay, VirtuaVet admits, sometimes we'll just never know what happened!

Further Diagnostics for a Suspicious Neck Bump

"I'm very suspicious in your situation that June may have swallowed something she ought not to have, we should take throat x-rays and do a complete blood count, looking at the proportions and types of immune cells in her blood," said Doc Truli. The complete blood count ("CBC") showed an elevated white blood cell count.

White blood cells are immune system cells that fight infection and travel to the areas of injury or disease and try to clean up the problem. It's normal for white blood cells, like neutrophils, to travel to the site of skin infection and kamikaze themselves by rupturing open and pouring their toxic cell contents all over the invading bacteria. The neutrophils little microscopic dead bodies make up pus. Yep, that's what pus actually is! (If you go to med school you learn all sorts of cool stuff...)

[caption id="attachment_2407" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Red arrow=swelling. Blue arrow=trachea airway open and ready for breathing!"][/caption] A radiograph ("X-Ray") showed a swollen area (red arrow) under the skin just at the level of the voice box ("larynx"). The black arrow in the accompanying picture points to the airway, also called the trachea (pronounced tray key ah in the US and tra kee uh in countries influenced by HRH-you know who you are!). June's little kitten airway was fine, she could breath perfectly well. A feline leukemia virus test turned up negative for the virus. While kittens can have a false negative test result for 30-60 days after infection, it's a good sign that June should be able to fight off the infection.

Treatment

Some wound cleaning, antibiotics, topical antibiotics, and instructions for a very light neck bandage to be replaced by mum every -oh, perhaps 10 minutes, whenever June decided to scratch it off, and this little kitten's going to be just fine! P.S. If the hole left by the exploding pus from the abscess had been greater than 1-2 cm across, then surgery to close the hole and bring the skin edges together would probably have been a better idea than leaving the wound to heal on its own!

Kitten Loses Her Voice

virtuavet — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:58:29 +0000

10-Week Old Kitten with Lump on Neck

The Initial Diagnostics...

"First, we're going to shave over the area to remove the fur, clean the wound, and get a good look at the problem," said Doc Truli. June sat still for her shaving and cleaning. When the nurses finished with her, she looked a bit unpretty! [caption id="attachment_2404" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The red arrow points to the epicenter of an abscess from the night before."][/caption] "Has June ever gone outside?" "No." "Do you have other pets she could have fought or played rough with?" "No." Hmmm.... Okay, VirtuaVet admits, sometimes we'll just never know what happened!

Further Diagnostics for a Suspicious Neck Bump

White blood cells are immune system cells that fight infection and travel to the areas of injury or disease and try to clean up the problem. It's normal for white blood cells, like neutrophils, to travel to the site of skin infection and kamikaze themselves by rupturing open and pouring their toxic cell contents all over the invading bacteria. The neutrophils' little microscopic dead bodies make up pus. Yep, that's what pus actually is! (If you go to med school you learn all sorts of cool stuff...)

[caption id="attachment_2407" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Red arrow=swelling. Blue arrow=trachea airway open and ready for breathing!"][/caption] A radiograph ("X-Ray") showed a swollen area (red arrow) under the skin just at the level of the voice box ("larynx"). The black arrow in the accompanying picture points to the airway, also called the trachea (pronounced tray key ah in the US and tra kee uh in countries influenced by HRH-you know who you are!). June's little kitten airway was fine, she could breathe perfectly well. A feline leukemia virus test turned up negative for the virus. While kittens can have a false negative test result for 30-60 days after infection, it's a good sign that June should be able to fight off the infection.

Treatment

Some wound cleaning, antibiotics, topical antibiotics, and instructions for a very light neck bandage to be replaced by mum every -oh, perhaps 10 minutes, when June decided to scratch it off, and this little kitten's going to be just fine! P.S. If the hole left by the exploding pus from the abscess had been greater than 1-2 cm across, then surgery to close the hole and bring the skin edges together would probably have been a better idea than leaving the wound to heal on its own!

Pluto the tuxedo cat

Doc Truli — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:25:21 +0000

cat resting in oxygen tank

Doc Truli — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:30:50 +0000

cat resting in oxygen tank

tumor by a cat larynx

Doc Truli — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:34:38 +0000

A radiographically white lump grows up onto the airway of this cat behind the voice box

there's the tumor

Doc Truli — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:38:34 +0000

lumpy, nasty tumor growth sticking up onto the airway of a cat

feeling better after treatment

Doc Truli — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:54:23 +0000

Tuxedo Cat looks handsome and relaxed after lymphoma treatment

Cat Loses His Voice

virtuavet — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:00:51 +0000

2-Year-Old Cat Breathing With Difficulty

"Doc, I don't understand it. Pluto was fine yesterday. This morning, he looked a little tired, didn't want to eat much of his breakfast and he can't meow," said the concerned dad of a big black and white short-haired Tuxedo Cat. "In fact," he went on,"we never heard him purr until this morning. Usually we could feel the purr, but never hear it." VirtuaVet felt a firm lump just under Pluto's chin, right where only the voice box should be. The lump was not soft, fluctuant or oozing. It was just a firm, annoying, painful lump. Every time Doc Truli pressed near the area, Pluto would open his mouth slightly, and breathe with his mouth open and his neck stretched out.

"A cat breathing with his mouth open and the neck stretched out is an extremely bad sign of a huge problem," says Doc Truli. "Cats do not open-mouth breath unless they have to. It is a choice of last resort for them. Get to a veterinarian right away!"

[caption id="attachment_2415" align="alignright" width="150" caption=""I feel better in here with extra oxygen in this air!""][/caption]

Diagnostics for the Neck Bump

Unlike the kitten from Monday, Pluto did not have a fever. He also had a normal white blood cell count, normal blood chemistries, and negative feline leukemia, and feline AIDs retrovirus tests. Puto's breathing became more and more difficult every time he was removed from the comfort of the oxygen incubator. "We need radiographs (x-rays) to see what's going on in his neck," said the Doc.

More Diagnostics for the Neck Lump

We started with radiographs of the neck. We could supply oxygen by a breathing mask if Pluto became distressed and we did not have to do anything invasive or painful to him to get the test results. [caption id="attachment_2417" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Radiograph of a cat voice box."][/caption] The first x-ray shows the voice box toward the left of the picture. The head faces left. The round curves at the top are the bottom of the middle ear tympanic bullae. The finger-like bones in the middle of the left of the picture are the hyoid apparatus, the fine bones of the voice box that string the vocal cords. The lump is the irregular, lumpy thing on the right of the picture sticking up into the black air space of the windpipe. After you're done looking, scroll to the next picture, where the lump is marked for you to pick out. [caption id="attachment_2418" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The red arrow points to the lump. The blue arrow oints to the tiny little tube for breathing that this cat has left!"][/caption] "No wonder Pluto is having such a hard time breathing! He's only got about 10% or less of the windpipe diameter left to breathe through," said Doc Truli.

Possible Causes for the Throat Mass

1) Lymphoma I know...he's only 2 years old! I know, unfortunately, lymphoma strikes any age cat, even the young adults. 2) Granuloma Granuloma is a wall-off mix of infection and scar tissue. It blocks up airways as effectively as cancer. This voice box location is a heckofa spot to try and surgically cut out a lump! 3) Other Weird, unlikely, hard to think of, you know..."other!"

One Last Test

There's one more only slightly invasive test. Pluto was such a good cat, we could put a small needle into the lump and take out a sample to look at under the microscope. This kind of fine needle aspirate often diagnoses te difference between infection and cancer. Unfortunately, the sample looked like lymphoma. A pathologist's specialty review of the sample is pending, but it looks like Pluto is that rare, but not impossible case of a cat with cancer at the tender age of two. :(

Outcome So Far

Pluto started on a conservative treatment aimed at shrinking the throat lump with steroids. He is a candidate for an oncology consult with a board certified veterinary internal medicine specialist subspecialty oncology. And lymphoma is the most treatable of cat cancers. There's up to a 50% remission rate among lymphoma cats treated with a state-of-the-art multidrug protocol. "We really can't afford an oncologist, or even just the medicines to treat the cancer with a multidrug protocol," said Pluto's people. "You must understand, if you change your mind in the future, then the option of a proper chemotherapy protocol helping Pluto will have been lost. The lymphoma needs to get treated by the different drugs from the beginning, or else the cure we want is unlikely to materialize," said Doc Truli. "We understand," said the family.

"My job, as a doctor, is to let you know my opinions, my understanding of the facts, my interpretations, and the scientific options you have open to you. Working the medicine, meaning, getting a diagnosis. Using all treatment options from the most simple to the most complex, gets patients better more often than not. Once we've discussed the whole situation, then it's up to the family to let me know the path they will take," says Doc Truli.

[caption id="attachment_2419" align="alignright" width="150" caption=""Is that my Daddy out there, coming to take me home?""][/caption] Pluto felt much better by the next morning with his medicines. He ate well, purred, and came out of the oxygen comfortably. The throat lump felt half as big as the day before!

Cat Loses His Voice

Doc Truli — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:57:07 +0000

2-Year-Old Cat Breathing With Difficulty

"A cat breathing with his mouth open and the neck stretched out is an extremely bad sign of a huge problem," says Doc Truli. "Cats do not open-mouth breath unless they have to. It is a choice of last resort for them. Get to a veterinarian right away!"

[caption id="attachment_2415" align="alignright" width="150" caption=""I feel better in here with extra oxygen in this air!""][/caption]

Diagnostics for the Neck Bump

More Diagnostics for the Neck Lump

Possible Causes for the Throat Mass

One Last Test

Outcome So Far

"My job, as a doctor, is to let you know my opinions, my understanding of the facts, my interpretations, and the scientific options you have open to you. Working the medicine, meaning, getting a diagnosis. Using all treatment options from the most simple to the most complex, gets patients better more often than not. Once we've discussed the whole situation, then it's up to the family to let me know the path they will take," says Doc Truli.

Home

virtuavet — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:48:23 +0000

Emergencies

virtuavet — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:48:23 +0000

Let me be perfectly clear: [caption id="attachment_888" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Emergency! We lost our fur! Oh, we're just Sphinx Cats. We're supposed to be this way."][/caption] If your pet is seizing, not functioning, not breathing, or not even conscious, go to the nearest emergency veterinarian immediately! I’m not kidding. I’m shocked every day by the emergencies that people misjudge and their pet suffers tremendously and/or dies. A Special Note About Poisoning If you think maybe your pet ate something, chewed something, rolled in something toxic. Or if your pet is seizing, semi or not-conscious, or having trouble breathing, go right to the emergency hospital and call on the way over. If your pet is not exhibiting these signs, or you are not sure about a certain poison, read VirtuaVet’s advice regarding Poisonings and Toxicities. Reasons to Take a Pet to the Emergency Room First of all, think of your pet as yourself. If whatever (fill in the blank) horrible thing had just happened to you, you would want Painkillers at the very least: Hit by car Fell off balcony stereo dropped on your head trapped in flat screen television cables for an hour howling in terror broke your leg fell out of the car near-drowning in pool chewed electrical cord had a seizure in a coma, not moving, you don’t have any idea why passed out and managed to wake up on your own fell out of tree can’t open one or both eyes bitten by rattlesnake, scorpion, black widow spider ate poison, or drugs (pot, tylenol, fentanyl lollipop, etc, etc,etc) ate sharp objects can’t pass a puppy when birthing (don’t imagine that’s you- they didn’t even do that in Dr. Who!) These are just examples I’ve seen where people have waited for days. I can only imagine the pain and frustration and loneliness their pet felt! If your pet is very young, old, or already diagnosed with a medical condition, go to the e.r. sooner than later! Doc Truli has seen it all in the ER. ”The #1 reason for pets to go to the emergency room is vomiting and diarrhea, with or without blood in it. The diagnosis for these problems at the emergency room is often 10 different things in 10 different pets. #2 in America is being hit by a car,” reminisces the Doc. Standard Reasons to Take Your Pet to the Emergency Room The standard list of emergencies I taught to the Marblehead, Massachusetts Boy Scouts (and they got them all right!): Bleeding profusely vomiting more than 4-6 times in 24 hours ate medications or poisons or household cleaners cannot urinate, or also, meowing and going in and out of the pan for hours eye trauma, eye redness, eye discharge (pets get glaucoma) seizures, especially if they last more than 5 minutes, or repeat 2+ times in 24 hours broke something (or limping painfully/not sure) suddenly swollen body part attacked and bitten by another animal (get rabies vaccine info!) drowning burning deep cuts lots of porcupine quills, fishhooks embedded, chain collars knotted together at neck, luggage clip trapped on toe trying to retch and nothing coming up, pacing, cannot sit or lie down, uncomfortable- your dog will be dead if you wait even 12 hours! foul-smelling vaginal discharge extreme tiredness for no reason constant coughing, tongue lavender – blue paralysis (believe it or not, people wait, no kidding! Not good…) shooting or stabbing panting cat super painful ear (won’t kill your pet, but should be seen to eliminate pain!) - allergic reactions (wheezing, hives, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, face or part swollen) - super painful “hot spots” I consider emergencies because they are painful and your pet might injure herself chewing and scratching There are a few things that generally are not emergencies but I can’t say for certain in your case- use your common sense: Remember that paws, noses, tongues, and ears bleed like crazy even from tiny little spots. Hold pressure if you can for 15 minutes – no peeking! – and get a good look before you run to the e.r. Ticks are almost never an emergency, unless they cause tick paralysis- and with that, your dog is paralyzed all over (for real!) until you or the vet removes the offending tick(s)- check face, paws, and ears especially, remove just by pinching close to the skin and pulling in the direction of the tick, no alcohol, fire, petrol, etc. – these cause the tick to regurgitate diseases into your pet! Word to the wise- do not trim your pet’s nails when your vet is closed. If you cut too short and it does not stop bleeding, your emergency vet will make a fast buck helping you out. But this is a waste of veterinary sleep-time and money! Same goes for using the shaver or scissors to cut out hair matts. Once I sutured the chest on a retired veterinarian’s cat because she cut a big hole in the skin at midnight! If your pet is pregnant, probably no veterinary hospital or emergency room in the world has the personnel or time to birth the litter for you and watch the brood the first night. Plan ahead, educate yourself, hire a local pet nanny or midwife with experience (like your pet’s breeder). Or better yet, do not breed your pet, please! There are millions of extra cats and dogs in the U.S, euthanized at shelters each year – it happens to be about the same number as produced in puppy mills- hmmm… Some things, even in this modern, technological world, are still not available, no matter how much money you can pay. Do not assume your pet is angry with you, go to the vet! Your Pet Is Sick! If you are worried that your pet vomited did not eat dinner would not come out of the closet when you came home seems tired personality changed urinating anywhere unusual or new Go to the vet. Use your common sense. If you call the vet, they will try to assess severity over the phone. The more accurate and descriptive you are about everything coming in and going out of your pet (eating, drinking, poop, pee, vomit, coughing) the more the vet can help you, but ultimately, they will tell you to have your pet examined right away if you are not sure. If your pet is in pain, not functioning, or not even conscious, go to the nearest emergency veterinarian immediately! Still not sure? Go to the e.r.!!!!! Download VirtuaVet’s Hyperlinked List of Pet Emergencies: (great for school research projects) VirtuaVet Pet Emergencies [caption id="attachment_861" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pet Emergencies Page 1"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_862" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pet Emergencies Page 2"][/caption]

Quality of Life

virtuavet — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:48:24 +0000

You Want to Make Clear, Confident, No-Regret Decisions Regarding Your Pet’s Care The main pet quality of life considerations fall into the realm of ethical and even moral beliefs. [caption id="attachment_882" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Maddie the Golden Retriever Waits for Doc Truli's Housecall"][/caption] If you ask yourself certain questions, you may feel a jolt, and understand immediately what you believe about certain topics. Once you know your beliefs, you will be able to make clear, confident, no-regret decisions. This process takes time. Moments of certainty may bring up further questions and the sinking feeling of weighty responsibility. Think of these trying times as an opportunity to process your beliefs, thoughts and emotions. Answers may or may not came to you all at once. Keep at it; with help, you will know what is right. Doc Truli advises, “Dig into those gray areas, those confusing thoughts and emotions, and pull up diamonds of truth and clarity. I’ve helped thousands of people with this process; if you need help, I can help you, too.” Does your pet experience a good quality of life? Your Pet Lives for Today Did you know that cats and dogs live in the moment? They are literal, steadfast, in-the-moment beings. This means they will not suffer with thoughts of self-pity when they feel ill. If their infirmity is temporary, or the severity of it is temporary, then treatment is certainly worthwhile. Your pet will enjoy future days just as she has in the past. How do you know if your pet has a good quality of life? If your pet is very ill, or is facing a terminal diagnosis, like a cancer, or chronic, incurable, perhaps difficult-to-manage illness, you must be facing some tough decisions. These are often the most difficult issues a person will ever have to face. As a friend of mine said, “How can I make that kind of decision for another living being?” “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards,” –Sooryen Kierkegaard If Your Pet is Young and Healthy, Write Down Your Beliefs About Pet Quality and End of Life Now, for Your Reference Later If your pet is young and/or well, then you should be thinking about these issues for the future. Before you are facing the emotion, expense, and sheer denial of the time to come (someday), it helps a lot to feel out and think through your personal beliefs and values. Discuss with your family and loved ones how they feel, if they have an impact on the decisions. Write down your family thoughts about quality of life. When the inevitable approaches, you will have a reference, created by you and for you, to help future-you through the rough times. To help objectify some of the issues to consider, you may consult a quality of life scale. Dr. Alice Villalobos is a veterinary oncologist in California who has published a Quality of Life Scale which many people find helpful to quantify their pet’s quality of life and track good days and bad. She suggests rating each item 1/10 with 1 being crappy and 10 healthy and happy, and adding each day up to see if your pet is over or under 35 altogether. Sometimes, no one thing is an obvious clue that your pet is ready to leave this world, and they do not give you “the look.” You have to make a semi-objective decision and the Quality of Life Scale can help. Who Makes Medical Decisions for Your Pet? Being sure about who is the decision-maker clarifies things when the time comes. Some families leave the decision to the person who had the pet before the family got together. Some families know that one person is super attached compared to everyone else. Some families make a group decision. Oftentimes I see people fight and stress out at each other because no one wants to take the brunt of the other people’s grief, so no one wants to make decisions. Sometimes, I see parents try to have under-age children decide, so they won’t be angry with them when they are older. Do not put healthcare decisions on children. This is the one scenario that I do not like to see. Professional Help is Available on Many Levels If your veterinarian, or a trusted nurse at the hospital can speak with you, that helps tremendously. Sometimes the veterinarian is very busy, or perhaps your pet is hospitalized with a specialist or emergency room with a staff whom you have just met. Oftentimes, family and friends may not understand the depth of your distress about your responsibilities to decide the right things for your pet, and also the loss and devastation you may be imminently facing upon the passing of your beloved. If you are without understanding family and friends, as many people are in society today, if you are isolated and confused, in one of those awful situations, then reach out for help in further resources and links with VirtuaVet’s Bereavement Support Information . Several veterinary colleges offer support phone lines. There are online support groups. Local humane societies often run community support groups in person to help you with your overwhelming, and natural emotions and responsibilities. You know what? Some people pray. Prayer can help tremendously, especially if you practice it. Do not overlook any help you can get! Tough Questions Emerge When a Pet Becomes Ill Questions you may be asking yourself include: Is it the right time for euthanasia? How could you possibly be expected to take G*d’s will into your own hands and sign a permission form for euthanasia? What if you do it too soon? What if your pet suffers and you do it too late? Is there anything else that could be, or should be done? What if you do not have a diagnosis, because getting one is expensive and/or inconclusive? How do you make the decision when there are scientific degrees of uncertainty regarding your pet’s actual diagnosis? What if you just cannot afford anything else, even if the veterinarian indicates that the condition is manageable or treatable? There are no perfect answers There are some questions you can ask yourself to help sort out how you feel. These are exactly the sorts of questions I ask when I am coaching someone to reach a decision about their pet and their life. How would you feel if you never knew the name of the disease? Would you be okay not knowing as long as it meant your pet didn’t have any more tests? Or would it drive you crazy that you left a stone unturned. How would you feel if you knew your pet was only staying alive to please you? Would you feel badly, and ask your pet to go on their own if they had the power to? Maybe it is time. Do you feel that some of the indecision and uncertainty is about financial resources? Try to pretend you have unlimited money. If you had all the money in the world, would you want your pet to have further procedures or treatments? If you would, figure out a way to make it happen. You’d be surprised what mountains you can move when you set your whole being to the project. If you wouldn’t, then do what you feel is right, and know that the money situation is not the reason you made your decision. If you could walk, kneel, bend down, pill, inject with a needle into your pet, or otherwise perform the actual nursing home care your vet is talking about doing, would you feel your pet would want that? If you want your pet treated, and you cannot overcome a phobia (of needles, for example), talk with the nurses, and the vet about how to overcome the obstacle. Personal, specific traits about your pet should validly factor into your decision about Quality of Life [caption id="attachment_850" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Download Doc Truli's Pet Quality of Life Self-Coaching Questionnaire"][/caption] Does your pet hate the car ride for follow-ups? Are needles in the house/in the cat/out of the question for you? Does your pet vomit medication? Is your pet eating and drinking? Have you tried tons of suggestions from your veterinarian? Is your pet clean and neat? Can he or she be groomed comfortably? Does touching hurt your pet? Is your beloved still doing something he or she enjoys more days than not? Laying in the sun? Coming to the kitchen at dinnertime? Playing? Laying with you on the sofa? Watching TV? Sitting on your shoulder for a potato chip? You know–whatever your pet likes to do? Or, is he or she hiding, withdrawn? Is your cat sitting hunched up with her hair fluffed, eyes half shut, chin down? This is a painful cat. No kidding. Lots of agonizing pain. Pawspice Care May be Right for Your Pet If your pet is not ready to go, Pawspice, may be a wonderful option for you. Dr. Villalobos also authored this concept, which is a refinement and improvement on hospice care for people. As you consider further treatment, or further diagnostics and monitoring for your pet, your veterinarian should provide you with an approximate plan or follow-ups, trips to the office, and costs. Armed with this information, and a clearer ethical and moral view of yourself, you may still be very torn and unsure of what to do, but you will inevitably make the right decision. May you have the clarity, strength and heart to do what you know is right for your beloved. Remember, old age is not a disease! Continue reading about pet quality of life and moral dilemmas…

Ringworm Circus

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:04:14 +0000

White kitten glows purple under ultraviolet light, ringworm circle glows candy apple green

Candy-apple green UV glow

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:30:19 +0000

Close up of candy apple green glow on kitten's infected fur

Ringworm Kitten

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:55:46 +0000

Ringworm Circus

Doc Truli — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:02:23 +0000

Ringworm Fungus Infects Mangrove Kitten

[caption id="attachment_2426" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Candy Apple Green Glow of Ringworm Fungal Infection"][/caption]

Quick, Basic Ringworm Diagnosis

A tiny, short-haired white green-eyed kitten with a grey smudge on the top of her head toddled across the examination table and butted her head into my outstretched palm. What a sweetie! "I found her starving in the mangroves by the State Park," said her new daddy. "We call her Sissy." Sissy had fleas, earmites, a huge belly full of worms, and a round reddish-sore almost bald spot on the underside of her belly. A quick turn out of the lights and turn on of an ultraviolet "UV" Wood's lamp, and a few seconds later, there was our answer. Sissy glowed from a fungal infection. 50% of ringworm infections glow; 50% do not!

What is Ringworm?

Ringworm is a name for a group of microscopic organisms in the fungus family, not actually a worm. The pattern of infection on the skin starts at a center point and moves outward in a ring. The line looks wormy and the ring gives it that name. This stuff is everywhere in the environment, and most of the time our bodies fight it off successfully. The very young, very old, infirm, or immunocompromised become easily infected with ringworm. It is an equal-opportunity fungus. People, cats, dogs, ferrets, sugar-gliders, hamsters, opossums, just about anybody can become infected. A disease that will transmit between humans and animals is called zoonotic. Ringworm is a zoonotic disease.

Further Testing is Needed

Every pet parent asks, "If we know it's ringworm, and the treatment is the same, why do we have to do another test to see which type it is?" Everyone's mind goes here! The test is called a dermatophyte culture. The fancy doctor word for ringworm is dermatophyte. (Saprophyte is a soil fungus, dermatophyte is a derm, or skin, ... you get the idea.) A nursing technician plucks infected furs from the ring edge of the freshest lesion and puts the sample on a special nutritional gel designed to feed and grow ringworm. 7-21 days later, the fungus grows. Once the fungus grows, a microscopic examination reveals the fine architectural detail of the organism. Depending upon the appearance and certain growth factors, a speciation is made. The exact fungal organism species identified determines the length and strength of treatment. The dermatophyte culture test takes one to three weeks, and the test can vary from US$25-100. Many pet parents wonder why they have to spend that extra money.

Why Not Just Treat in Case of the Worst Scenario Anyway?

There are at least three good reasons not to just treat for the worst case scenario: One- Treatment is expensive. Itraconazole can run $400 per cat per month for 3 months or so. Other fungal medications cost more or do not work! Two-Prescription fungal medications tax the liver to process and eliminate them from the system. They can cause liver damage, failure, or other serious side effects. Three-Ringworm is zoonotic. If people, children, grandparents are to be treated properly, the pet must be diagnosed properly. [caption id="attachment_2428" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Ringworm Glow Close Up"][/caption]

Ringworm Treatment

Treatment for cats or dogs is similar. First: Clean the house. Clean the house. Clean the house. You don't need fancy antimicrobial soaps. Much recent research shows these soaps to be harmful to our planetary water supply. The breakdown products of triclosan, for example, are poisoning the environment and the ingredient is illegal in many countries! Clean up clutter, dust, furballs. Use dilute bleach and water on bleachable surfaces. Dilute bleach kills ringworm. A capful of bleach in the laundry kills ringworm on the bedding. Be careful to follow the bleach instructions on the product label and do not bleach any sensitive items that may ruin. Next, clean the pet. At the hospital, we use prescription shampoo and a prescription lime-sulfur dip product. If you use this dip, follow the label instructions, wear gloves, goggles, and a water proof apron. Do not get the lime-sulfur into your eyes or your pet's eyes. It causes a vicious corneal irritation called keratitis. Usually, your veterinarian will prescribe dips once a week for many, many weeks.

New Ringworm Research: Animal shelter researchers have found that investing in repeated weekly ringworm dermatophyte cultures may prove the resolution of the problem sooner than traditionally thought. The additional investment in the testing might cause a kitten, for example, to become adoptable to the public many weeks sooner than if we used guesswork. The shelter would save money in housing the little one, and the kitten could get a home during his or her primary stage of behavioral development called social bonding.

Important: Isolate the ringworm-infected pet(s) from non-infected pets. This fungus spreads easily and you do not want to be culturing and treating a household full of people and pets! Finally: follow your veterinarian's advice regarding your particular situation. VirtuaVet helps this story clarifies your misunderstandings and helps you feel like you're on the right track. Only your veterinarian can prescribe oral anti-fungal meds, check liver function, prescribe dosing and frequency intervals for the dips and for retesting. And remember, half of ringworm does not glow, and many times ringworm is not in a ring! Let your veterinarian test your pet.

Tru Take-Home Message Clean, clean, clean, culture, culture, culture!

What if There are No Lesions?

Ah! Yes! A human in the house is diagnosed with ringworm and the physician asks you to have the pets checked to be certain they are not a reservoir of ringworm reinfecting the humans. Your veterinarian can take a clean, new toothbrush and comb your pet's whole body. The samples go to the reference laboratory for a dermatophyte culture. If you find any itchy, red spots on your skin or a family member's skin, see your physician for a diagnosis.

Sissy Likes Her Dips!

Sissy actually loves taking baths. Thank goodness, because she needs a lot of them! Her ringworm does not glow anymore and we are waiting on the fungal dermatophyte culture results to see if she can stop the dips soon. Kitten's skin bad, and no ringworm? Read about a full cat skin work-up resulting eventually in a diagnosis of food allergy.

Ringworm Circus

virtuavet — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:03:11 +0000

Ringworm Fungus Infects Mangrove Kitten

[caption id="attachment_2426" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Candy Apple Green Glow of Ringworm Fungal Infection"][/caption]

Quick, Basic Ringworm Diagnosis

What is Ringworm?

Further Testing is Needed

Why Not Just Treat in Case of the Worst Scenario Anyway?

Ringworm Treatment

New Ringworm Research: Animal shelter researchers have found that investing in repeated weekly ringworm dermatophyte cultures may prove the resolution of the problem sooner than traditionally thought. The additional investment in the testing might cause a kitten, for example, to become adoptable to the public many weeks sooner than if we used guesswork. The shelter would save money in housing the little one, and the kitten could get a home during his or her primary stage of behavioral development called social bonding.

Tru Take-Home Message Clean, clean, clean, culture, culture, culture!

What if There are No Lesions?

Sissy Likes Her Dips!

Sissy actually loves taking baths. Thank goodness, because she needs a lot of them! Her ringworm does not glow anymore and we are waiting on the fungal dermatophyte culture results to see if she can stop the dips soon. If your cat or kitten does not have ringworm, read about how Doc Truli diagnoses skin allergies and other skin problems.

irritatedmel

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:32:04 +0000

maltese schirmer tear test

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:42:18 +0000

maltese with a tiny strip of white paper tucked a little under his lower eyelid and a line a tear-stained blue to indicate progression of the tears in a minute.

close up of dry eye test

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:58:04 +0000

7-Year Old Maltese Dry Eye Discovered

virtuavet — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:04:16 +0000

Dogs Get "Dry Eye," Too!

Harry was a seven-yer-old male intact Maltese (little white fluffy dog) with an excellent groomer and conscientious, detail-oriented parents. If they said his eyes had too much goop, then the eyes were too gooey. "Doc, we clean Harry's eyes every morning, sometimes in the evening, too. And they still have this discharge!" said Harry's mom. "Is the goo yellow, green, or grey?" asked Doc Truli. "What?" "What color is the goo?" repeated Doc. "Oh, it's a grey-white color, sort-of," said mom. "What does that mean?" "Yellow or green usually means an active eye infection. Grey or greyish, clearish goo is better because there's probably not a complicating infection," said Doc Truli. "What causes that?" asked mom. See, you're not the only one who wonders... "Let's do a few eye tests and we'll see," said Doc.

Eye Tests

The intraocular pressure was normal. That means, no glaucoma. The fluorescein dye (fluorescent orange dye that glows green under an ultraviolet light) was negative for cuts, scrapes, or ulcers on the eyes. But wait! Before the orange glowing stuff, we test the tear production in the eyes. [caption id="attachment_2450" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Schirmer Tear Test for a Maltese Dog"][/caption]

Schirmer Tear Test

A small porous strip of white paper with millimeter lines marked on it is placed with the end 4 mm bent under the lower eyelid. A blue dye in the bottom of the paper gets picked up by the tear liquid and carried on the paper. We measure how far the tears travel in one minute. They should travel 15-25 millimeters in a minute. If they do not, there is reduced tear production. Harry measured 6 mm of tears a minute in each eye. Not enough tears! People who have "dry eye" say it makes the corneal surface of the eye feel like there is sand stuck in your eye all the time! It is uncomfortable, and the lack of normal tears makes bacterial and other infections take hold more easily than in a normal eye.

What is Dry Eye?

The fancy doctor word for dry eye is keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or "KCS" for short. Either the tears stop and an infection sets in, or infection irritates the tear glands and ducts and they stop producing enough tears. So the first step is to be certain there's no infection, and remeasure the tears in a few days or a week to confirm if the dry eye remains. If dry eye persists, be sure the dog does not have a reason for sluggish tears, like hypothyroidism, allergies, or an autoimmune disease.

Can I Treat Dry Eye at Home?

No, the treatment involves prescription medication. The treatment for the dry eye is lifelong medicine that stops the immune system from attacking the tear glands so they can do their work and make tears! Sometimes, a dog suffers a relatively mild case of KCS, and artificial tears or overnight tear drops can help. But mostly, you're kidding yourself if you think your dog is comfortable with the tear drops. Ask anyone who suffers dry eye! People will tell you after about an hour, they feel the abrasive sand-feeling return. Can you put eye drops in your dog's eyes every hour? This treatment needs to be continued forever in most dogs.

Tru Tail Benny the Shih Tzu had terrible dry eye, with thick leathery brown corneas and he was blind in both eyes. He came to the animal hospital for a check-up, and his eyes were stuck shut with green pus, thick scabby material crusted on his eyelids, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. "Isn't the medicine working anymore?" asked Doc Truli. "We stopped giving it," said Benny's parents. "Why?" asked the Doc. (It can be expensive, maybe money was tight?) "We figured he's blind anyway, what does it matter?" Here's the point: Dry Eye hurts. KCS is painful. Treat the eyes even if your dog is blind. Anything less is agony for your dog.

Harry's Happy Ending

Harry returned one week later. The antibiotic eye ointment helped, but he still was not producing enough tears. The little Maltese started taking cyclosporin 2% eye drops several times a day (it varies, your vet has to prescribe the right timing for your dog.) After 3 days, the eyes cleared up and he started eating better and playing again! Harry felt normal again. He will always need some medicine to keep his eyes comfortable and healthy.

Addendum October 2010

Based on reader emails, please note these additional possible causes of tear staining on a Maltese' face. Blocked tear ducts are possible. Your veterinarian may need to sedate your Maltese in order to identify and treat a blocked tear duct. Some Maltese (and other small breed dogs like Chihuahuas, Mini and teacup Poodles, Shih Tzu, Bichon, Yorkies, etc. actually are born either without the tear duct passageway being open, or with a tiny shallow pool in the bottom eyelid that directs tears onto the face, instead of down the tear duct to the inside of the nasal cavity (normal.) Also, many Maltese express allergies to food or inhaled allergens through excessive tear staining and sometimes anal sacs that fill up too frequently (more than monthly). Please see VirtuaVet's story about a Pit Bull with Food Allergies to read about detailed step-by-step instructions for food allergy investigation at home!

7-Year Old Maltese Dry Eye Discovered

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:05:06 +0000

Dogs Get "Dry Eye," Too!

Eye Tests

Schirmer Tear Test

What is Dry Eye?

Can I Treat Dry Eye at Home?

Tru Tail Benny the Shih Tzu had terrible dry eye, with thick leathery brown corneas and he was blind in both eyes. He came to the animal hospital for a check-up, and his eyes were stuck shut with green pus, thick scabby material crusted on his eyelids, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. "Isn't the medicine working anymore?" asked Doc Truli. "We stopped giving it," said Benny's parents. "Why?" asked the Doc. (It can be expensive, maybe money was tight?) "We figured he's blind anyway, what does it matter?" Here's the point: Dry Eye hurts. KCS is painful. Treat the eyes even if your dog is blind. Anything less is agony for your dog.

Harry's Happy Ending

obese dachshund

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:26:23 +0000

obese dachshund

top view fat dachshund

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:27:55 +0000

top view fat dachshund

fat dachshund

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:28:38 +0000

beagle mix

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:42:13 +0000

fibroadnexal hemartoma

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:43:46 +0000

6 by 6 inch brown lobulated soft squishy lump with hairs growing out of it found on beagle mix's side

fibroadnexal hamartoma

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:53:08 +0000

fibroadnexal hamartoma

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:53:36 +0000

fibroadnexal hamartoma

lump pathology report

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:58:24 +0000

lump pathology report

white cat cini

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:39:02 +0000

boxerfront

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:45:38 +0000

prepuce endoscope

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:57:19 +0000

canine preputial endoscopy

prepuce pinch

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:58:23 +0000

prepuce pinch

prepuce flush

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:59:23 +0000

preputial flush in a dog

filamentous preputial material

Doc Truli — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:00:46 +0000

filamentous preputial material

Did You Know? (Audio)

virtuavet — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:27:04 +0000

[audio http://virtuavet.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/audio-post-2010-07-08-11-27-04.mp3|titles=Audio Post] Post your guesses. There's a whole group of animals that don't get rabies. Squirrels are your hint.

lab mix chillin

Doc Truli — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:22:56 +0000

shepherd cini

Doc Truli — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:09:46 +0000

tan chi cini

Doc Truli — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:56:22 +0000

Fat Dachshund

Doc Truli — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:09:31 +0000

Fat Dachshund Reminds VirtuaVet of a Purina MisLeada'

[caption id="attachment_2458" align="alignright" width="150" caption="This dachshund is morbidly obese!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2459" align="alignright" width="150" caption="top view fat dachshund"][/caption]

The Scoop on Fat Dogs and Purina Dog Food

Picture fit, thin, healthy, happy yellow Labrador Retrievers galloping along a sandy shoreline, their paws splashes in the surf , their long red tongues lolling out the side of their mouths. Happiness and health exude from their every golden fur on their hairy, shaggy, tail-wagging fit bodies. That's a beautiful Purina dog food commercial that implies feeding Purina Dog Food will keep your dog fit and trim and healthy. The narrator states that a study shows that dogs that eat Purina stay fit. You know the ad if you watch American television. Doc Truli always laughs when that ad comes on with the suggestive voice over. You really think Purina food alone made those dogs so healthy and happy.

Here's what the study was and what it proved, in a nutshell:

Purina sponsored a longitudinal study to characterize the effects of portion size on obesity in dogs. A litter of 12 Labradors -- the most popular American Kennel Club breed in the United States, the country where corporations test their theories because people seem to buy anything in America -- was preselected for the study. All twelve were raised in normal households with normal lives. 6 were allowed to eat any amount of their Purina food they wanted every day. The other 6 were paired with a partner littermate, but sent to different households. Each unlimited feeding puppy was matched with a littermate who was allowed to eat 75% of what his partner ate each day.

The important point is: calorie control led to healthier, longer lives.

So, the eating whatever-he-wanted puppy's owner would measure the amount, call the partner-puppy's owners, and that second owner would feed their dog 75% of what it's littermate wanted that day. Basically 6 ate as much as they wanted and 6 ate 75% of that amount! The study is important to VirtuaVet because it lasted their whole lives. The puppies that ate 75% of the amount of Purina lived 2-4 years longer and old age diseases like arthritis started 2-4 years later than their fatter litter mates. Same genetics, almost the same family situations. Cutting back and restricting the food helped add about 25% to the lifespan of the Labradors. That's like adding 15-20 years for a human being! Of course, Purina just reports in the commercial that feeding Purina food led to 2 years longer, healthier lives! The actual study probably could have been done with any food as the base. The important point was the calorie control led to healthier, longer lives. That commercial is patently misleading. Next time you see a Labrador looking fit and happy on the television, or at the beach, remember the advertising will tell you what they want you to hear. You need an unbiased professional to help you navigate the misinformation campaign!

Fat Dachshund

virtuavet — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:33:32 +0000

Fat Dachshund Reminds VirtuaVet of a Purina MisLeada'

[caption id="attachment_2458" align="alignright" width="150" caption="This dachshund is morbidly obese!"][/caption]

The Scoop on Fat Dogs and Purina Dog Food

Picture fit, thin, healthy, happy yellow Labrador Retrievers galloping along a sandy shoreline, their paws splash in the surf , their long red tongues lolling out the side of their mouths. Happiness and health exude from their every golden fur on their hairy, shaggy, tail-wagging fit bodies. That's a beautiful Purina dog food commercial that implies feeding Purina Dog Food will keep your dog fit and trim and healthy. The narrator states that a study shows that dogs that eat Purina stay fit. You know the ad if you watch American television. Doc Truli always laughs when that ad comes on with the suggestive voice over. You really think Purina food alone made those dogs so healthy and happy.

Here's what the study was and what it proved, in a nutshell:

Purina sponsored a longitudinal study to characterize the effects of portion size on obesity in dogs. [caption id="attachment_2459" align="alignright" width="150" caption="top view fat dachshund"][/caption] A litter of 12 Labradors -- the most popular American Kennel Club breed in the United States, the country where corporations test their theories because people seem to buy anything in America -- was preselected for the study. All twelve were raised in normal households with normal lives. 6 were allowed to eat any amount of their Purina food they wanted every day. The other 6 were paired with a partner littermate, but sent to different households. Each unlimited feeding puppy was matched with a littermate who was allowed to eat 75% of what his partner ate each day.

The important point is: calorie control led to healthier, longer lives.

standard poodle relaxed

Doc Truli — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:50:35 +0000

fat dachshund

Doc Truli — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:16:12 +0000

Fibroadnexal Hamartoma

Doc Truli — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:38:00 +0000

What?

Okay, okay. Sometimes doctors get carried away. But, if you saw this lump, you'd be speechless, too. Ready for it? [caption id="attachment_2468" align="alignright" width="150" caption="fibroadnexal hamartoma"][/caption] This brown, squishy multi-lobulated lump grew out of a beagle mix's side for a year! It never bothered her and it didn't seem to get in the way. Surgery to remove the lump was successful. The specialty pathology report stated this was a fibroadnexal hamartoma. A what? Okay, first of all, it's benign. This means it's a cancer, but it doesn't spread around the body. That's good.

Benign means a "good" cancer. One that does not metastasize, or spread around the body to distant areas.

Fibro means related to connective tissue. Most of the skin contains connective tissue. Ligaments, joint capsules, the underlayment of the skin: these are all connective tissues. Adnexal relates to the adnexa. Okay, I know, that doesn't help. Adnexa are the structures of the skin surrounding a hair follicle. Its just what they're called. Because doctors need fancy words for things to make money - I mean, to be specific when they talk about things. (Did I say that out loud?) I think of "nexa" as "next to." Hamartoma. Hmmm. -Oma means benign cancer. Hamar. No idea!! Ha, so there. It sounds cool and weird though, doesn't it? [caption id="attachment_2471" align="alignright" width="150" caption="I'm not making this up!"][/caption] Moral of the story: sometimes you pay a lot for a diagnosis that no one really understands. Except the peace of mind that it won't kill or harm your dog (at least not any more than the veterinarian did with the scalpel.) Plus, the thing just looked nasty sticking out of the poor dog's side. Sometimes we just should make things look less nasty.

Fibroadnexal Hamartoma

virtuavet — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:59:42 +0000

What?

Okay, okay. Sometimes doctors get carried away. But, if you saw this lump, you'd be speechless, too. Ready for it? [caption id="attachment_2468" align="alignright" width="150" caption="fibroadnexal hamartoma"][/caption] This brown, squishy multi-lobulated lump grew out of a beagle mix's side for a year! It never bothered her and it didn't seem to get in the way. Surgery to remove the lump was successful. The specialty pathology report stated this was a fibroadnexal hamartoma. A what? Okay, first, it's benign. This means it's a cancer, but it doesn't spread around the body. That's good.

Benign means a "good" cancer. One that does not metastasize, or spread around the body to distant areas.

Fibro means related to connective tissue. Most of the skin has connective tissue. Ligaments, joint capsules, the underlayment of the skin: these are all connective tissues. Adnexal relates to the adnexa. Okay, I know, that doesn't help. Adnexa are the structures of the skin surrounding a hair follicle. It's just what they're called. Because doctors need fancy words for things to make money - I mean, to be specific when they talk about things. (Did I say that out loud?) I think of "nexa" as "next to." Hamartoma. Hmmm. -Oma means benign cancer. Hamar. No idea!! Ha, so there. It sounds cool and weird though, doesn't it? [caption id="attachment_2471" align="alignright" width="150" caption="I'm not making this up!"][/caption] Moral of the story: sometimes you pay a lot for a diagnosis that no one really understands. Except the peace of mind that it won't kill or harm your dog (at least not any more than the veterinarian did with the scalpel.) Plus, the thing just looked nasty sticking out of the poor dog's side. Sometimes we just should make things look less nasty.

The Best Cat i.v.

virtuavet — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:05:49 +0000

Sick Cats Need TLC

Cats are trickier to care for than most dogs. In the US, there are about 5% more cat than dog households. About 65% to 60%. (That means, for all you pet lovers out there, 40% of households do not have a pet. Yes! 40%, Can you believe that?!) Yet cat medicine is still a new endeavor. Cats are not small dogs. We learned that in the 1970's, when cats went blind and suffered dilated cardiomyopathy from lack of the essential amino acid taurine. Dogs and humans assemble their own taurine in the body. Cats do not. So the poor things were going blind and suffering heart attacks because no one knew! Cats are tricky to hold, restrain, and work with. And they oftentimes hide their symptoms of illness until they are rip-roaring super-duper sick. A sick cat often needs intravenous fluids to save his or her life. Many people ask Doc Truli, "How do you keep an i.v. in a cat?" Well now, that's a good question.

The SAIV i.v. Line

[caption id="attachment_2237" align="alignright" width="150" caption="comfortable cat on iv fluids"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2238" align="alignright" width="113" caption="yellow=coil line, purple=swivel base, pink=regular i.v. to pump"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2239" align="alignright" width="102" caption="close up of the swivel attachment base that allows the patient to walk around and not tangle up"][/caption] Pronounced "Save," Dr. Donohue invented the SAIV i.v. system before Doc Truli's time at the University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center. Dr. Donohue is a ground-breaking equine surgeon who saw a need for an i.v. line that would not twist up into knots when a horse patient paced around a stall. He configured a coil i.v. line that runs up to the center of the enclosure above the patient's head to a swivel base that spins with the patient. The invention was held up in litigation for years. The University claimed anything the professor invented belonged to them. Dr. Donohue contended that he invented and perfected the thing at home, on his own time. After many years, Dr. Donohue prevailed and the SAIV system is now available to veterinary patients. The horse system was scaled into two smaller systems. One is cat and small dog sized, and a bigger i.v. line for large dogs.

The Jugular Intravenous Catheter

The jugular vein in the neck (incorrectly pronounced "Jag-you-lar" by Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh) is a central line. This means it is a large-bore, main vein with direct access to the bloodstream. Blood samples obtained from a central line are more accurately analyzed; they have more intact cells and less cellular debris. The jugular provides a larger, quicker sample for blood. It is more comfortable for the cat than a peripheral intravenous line in a leg. [caption id="attachment_2240" align="alignright" width="106" caption="This cat is getting a cephalic peripheral vein catheter for a short-term procedure under anesthesia."][/caption] A peripheral intravenous line, such as the cephalic vein running along the inside of the foreleg, may be used as a back-up intravenous access, but it is less ideal than the jugular vein. If the peripheral line is used, then an i.v. extension line runs up the leg to a bandage around the neck to offer a good bottom pivot point for the coil. If you do not run the i.v. up to the back of the neck, then the intravenous line will wrap around the cat's leg when he or she walks. The core SAIV system with a jugular catheter keeps the i.v. running in a cat and saves lives!

The Best Cat i.v.

Doc Truli — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:16:48 +0000

Sick Cats Need TLC

The SAIV i.v. Line

[caption id="attachment_2237" align="alignright" width="150" caption="comfortable cat on iv fluids"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2238" align="alignright" width="113" caption="yellow=coil line, purple=swivel base, pink=regular i.v. to pump"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2239" align="alignright" width="102" caption="close up of the swivel attachment base that allows the patient to walk around and not tangle up"][/caption] Pronounced "Save," Dr. Donohue invented the SAIV i.v. system before Doc Truli's time at the University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center. Dr. Donohue is a ground-breaking equine surgeon who saw a need for an i.v. line that would not twist up into knots when a horse patient paced around a stall. He configured a coil i.v. line that runs up to the center of the enclosure above the patient's head to a swivel base that spins with the patient. The invention was held up in litigation for years. The University claimed anything the professor invented belonged to them. Dr. Donohue contended that he invented and perfected the thing at home, on his own time. After many years, Dr. Donohue prevailed and the SAIV system is now available to veterinary patients. The horse system was scaled into two smaller systems. One is cat and small dog sized, and a bigger i.v. line for large dogs.

The Jugular Intravenous Catheter

The jugular vein in the neck (incorrectly pronounced "Jag-you-lar" by Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh) is a central line. This means it is a large-bore, main vein with direct access to the bloodstream. Blood samples obtained from a central line are more accurately analyzed; they have more intact cells and less cellular debris. The jugular provides a larger, quicker sample for blood. It is more comfortable for the cat than a peripheral intravenous line in a leg. [caption id="attachment_2240" align="alignright" width="106" caption="This cat is getting a cephalic peripheral vein catheter for a short-term procedure under anesthesia."][/caption] A peripheral intravenous line, such as the cephalic vein running along the inside of the foreleg, may be used as a back-up intravenous access, but it is less ideal than the jugular vein. If the peripheral line is used, then an i.v. extension line runs up the leg to a bandage around the neck to offer a good bottom pivot point for the coil. If you do not run the i.v. up to the back of the neck, then the intravenous line will wrap around the cat's leg when he or she walks. The core SAIV system with a jugular catheter keeps the i.v. running in a cat and saves lives! If you are interested in cat health, VirtuaVet recommends you check out the single most popular post on VirtuaVet with the most popularly downloaded picture: How to Tell If Your Cat is in Pain

World's First! Endoscopic Prepuce Exam in a Dog

virtuavet — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:09:06 +0000

Boxer Needs Prepuce Exam

Veterinary medicine presents constant new challenges. Franklin was one of those challenges. A handsome, happy 11-year-old Boxer undergoing successful chemotherapy, he had a problem that kept flaring up about 2 days after each chemotherapy treatment. Franklin would start leaking and dripping gooey green pus from his prepuce. The prepuce is the skin pouch the penis lives in. So basically, he was dripping pus from his penis. But not exactly, because the penis was okay and his bladder was bacteria-free. Franklin was a typical hyperactive Boxer which made holding him still for a detailed examination impossible. Doc Truli sedated the old boxer gentleman and proceeded to attempt a prepuce examination. Normally, the prepuce can be reflected back and the penis extruded for a thorough exam. We needed to be sure Franklin did not have a metastatic tumor in there, or foreign material like a plant sticker or awn. But, because of the recurring nature of the problem, the prepuce was stuck, and would not reflect back far enough for a complete examination. That's when yours Truli got an idea.

Preputial Endoscopy in a Dog

[caption id="attachment_2483" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Doc Truli snakes the endoscope into the prepuce"][/caption] Never one to give up lightly, Doc Truli thought, "Why not use the endoscope to look at the prepuce thoroughly?" With Franklin under anesthesia, Doc Truli snaked the scoped into the prepuce. Nothing is very visible this way, because the membranous lining of the prepuce just sits against the camera on the end of the scope and all you see is pink. [caption id="attachment_2485" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Surgeon's hands maneuver the flush and the camera endoscope"][/caption] Sterile saline flush solution was flushed into the prepuce using an open-ended tomcat catheter and a twenty millilitre syringe (one ounce for Americans.) [caption id="attachment_2484" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="prepuce pinch"][/caption] The water would just flush right out, but Doc cleverly pinched the prepuce shut and inflated the space with the saline. The scope was moved circumferentially around the penis to view the fornix in 360 degrees. The sterile saline infusion ended up being super useful because filamentous white connective tissue kept blocking the camera view. The saline flush gently pushed it away to leave room for a clear view. [caption id="attachment_2486" align="alignright" width="150" caption="filamentous preputial material"][/caption] No foreign bodies or tumors were seen. Basically, Franklin received an endoscopic-guided preputial flush! This story is a world-first published description of a canine preputial flush procedure. Franklin is feeling great and has not had a recurrence of the discharge since the procedure!

World First Report: Endoscopic Prepuce Exam in a Dog

Doc Truli — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:40:55 +0000

Boxer Needs Prepuce Exam

Preputial Endoscopy in a Dog

[caption id="attachment_2483" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Doc Truli snakes the endoscope into the prepuce"][/caption] Never one to give up lightly, Doc Truli thought, "Why not use the endoscope to examine the prepuce thoroughly?" With Franklin under anesthesia, Doc Truli snaked the scoped into the prepuce. Nothing is very visible this way, because the membranous lining of the prepuce just sits against the camera on the end of the scope and all you see is pink. [caption id="attachment_2485" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Surgeon's hands maneuver the flush and the camera endoscope"][/caption] Sterile saline flush solution was flushed into the prepuce using an open-ended tomcat catheter and a twenty milliliter syringe (one ounce for Americans.) [caption id="attachment_2484" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="prepuce pinch"][/caption] The water would just flush right out, but Doc cleverly pinched the prepuce shut and inflated the space with the saline. The scope was moved circumferentially around the penis to view the fornix in 360 degrees. The sterile saline infusion ended up being super useful because filamentous white connective tissue kept blocking the camera view. The saline flush gently pushed it away to leave room for a clear view. [caption id="attachment_2486" align="alignright" width="150" caption="filamentous preputial material"][/caption] No foreign bodies or tumors were seen. Basically, Franklin received an endoscopic-guided preputial flush! This story is the first published description of a canine preputial flush procedure. Franklin is feeling great and has not had a recurrence of the discharge since the procedure!

German Shepherd Injured During Auto Collision

virtuavet — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:25:06 +0000

Including: Ileopsoas Muscle Tear, How to Care for Your Dogs' Fentanyl Patch, & All-Natural Class IV Laser Therapy

The Collision

"Doc, I was just stopped to aid another car that was pulled over on the side of the highway. Thank goodness I wasn't in the car, but Maxx was in his kennel in the back," said Maxx's dad. "Next thing I knew, I heard car tires screeching from about 200 yards away. Judging by the skid marks in daylight the next morning, he must've been going at least 100 mph. He hit the back left tire. The axle of his car stuck in my back tire and he just crushed the side of my car. Would you believe the guy tried to run?" A healthy six-year-old German Shepherd, Maxx was in the back passenger compartment of the car at the time. He bounced around inside his vehicle as the forces of the oncoming car reverberated through the stopped car and through his German Shepherd body. Just by looking at Maxx, you would not guess he had been through an excessive automobile trauma. Until you saw him try to get up and walk.

The Injury

Maxx could not rise up from a sitting position into a standing position. Radiographs (x-rays) showed no fractures. The pelvis, femurs, hip joints, knees, hocks, feet: everything looked intact. A neurologist declared him neurologically normal, so no apparent spinal cord injury. Yet Maxx couldn't stand up without help and he yelped in pain if you tried to abduct (move away from the body) his left leg at the level of the hip-joint. "What's that little bone chip inside the left hip-joint?" said Doc Truli. A board-certified specialist in radiology interpretation looked a second time at the x-ray. "Now that you mention it, that looks like a tiny piece of bone," stated the specialist. The car accident had ripped Maxx's ileopsoas (pronounced eel-ee-oh-so-as) muscle right off its attachment to the femur. That little muscle lives inside your hip area and helps hold everything together. It hurts like crazy when it's stretched, let alone suddenly ripped from its mooring. That muscle will never grow back. The site deep inside the hip is not amenable to surgical repair. Maxx will have to learn to walk and move without the aid of that little muscle.

The Treatment

[caption id="attachment_2276" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Maxx's fentanyl patch, correctly applied & labelled"][/caption] Maxx needed strong painkillers. But more importantly, he needed physical therapy to learn to walk with strength and confidence without the use of the ileopsoas muscle. The nurses applied a fentanyl patch to a shaved patch of skin on Maxx's side. A fentanyl opioid pain relief patch applied to his shaved side provided 24 hour constant pain relief for at least 72 hours before it started to wear out and need replacement.

Fentanyl Patch Care and Tips for Dogs If your dog requires ongoing opioid pain relief and mobility (i.e., not stuck on an i.v. in a kennel in an i.c.u. ward), your veterinarian may prescribe a fentanyl patch. Originally designed for people, the patches are tricky to apply to dog skin because even the best shave job leaves some fuzz and fur that will block the stickiness and absorption of the medication. If a dog (or a child, for that matter) licks or eats the patch, all the remaining medication will absorb into their system immediately and they experience an opioid overdose. Without treatment, this is often deadly. Some veterinarians will never send an animal to a home with children with a patch in place. Some veterinarians will not send the pet home at all because of the risk that you will be unable to handle keeping your pet from chewing the patch. Do not let anyone touch or eat the patch! The patch needs to stay clean and dry and attached for about 72 hours. After three days, it starts to become weaker and should be removed or replaced. If a fentanyl patch accidentally falls off at home, do not touch the patch! Delicately pick the patch up by a few millimeters on the corner and flush it down a toilet. Flushing is considered a safe and proper disposal method in the US at this time. Sometimes the skin under the patch develops a red rash. This irritation subsides within a few days of patch removal.

Maxx's patch itched a little, and some skin irritation developed. His replacement patch went on his opposite side to allow the skin time to heal.

The Class IV Cold Laser Therapy

[caption id="attachment_2277" align="alignleft" width="91" caption="Maxx's "lawnmower job.""][/caption] A CLass IV Cold Laser provided warmth, light energy, released natural endorphins for all-natural relaxation and pain relief, and provided sub-visible light energy for the mitochondrial energy factories in his cells to make more cellular ATP energy for healing and recuperation. In short, Maxx loved his Laser treatments! [caption id="attachment_2278" align="alignright" width="90" caption="Maxx receives his Laser treatment. The red light is just a guide; the actual healing energy is not in the visible spectrum for humans."][/caption] After a series of six laser treatments, several patches, some prescription oral painkillers, and a little R&R, Maxx was back to his normal happy self! It may be several more months before he can walk completely without a limp, but he's adjusting very well to the torn muscle. Cold Laser Therapy Class Four Laser Therapy has been around for a while. The Class Three Lasers, advertised by physicians in the 1980's, created warmth and healing through relaxation. Underpowered and over-promised, Laser therapy as an all natural pain and physical therapy tool fell out of favor. The Class IV Lasers are stronger. Class 1's do things like guide CD players. Class 5's make surgical incisions. The 4's penetrate deeply enough to go clear through a German Shepherd Dog's knee or into the hip area.

"The coolest thing about these newer generation Lasers is the laser energy is appetizing to the cellular energy factories called mitochondria. Those little factories suck up the laser energy and actually produce more energy of life, called ATP, for healing and rebuilding purposes. The Lasers are great for healing injuries, infections, and handling arthritis pain in dogs and cats," says Doc Truli.

P.S. If you were paying attention, I'll bet you have this question: "Doc, if the Laser can penetrate through a dog's knee, why does the fur need to be shaved?" (Right? You were kinda wondering, weren't you?) Answer: The dark pigments in the fur actually absorb the laser wavelengths and turn it into heat. Maxx's fur would heat up more than the Laser helps the muscles. If Maxx were an Alsation (white shepherd), he would not need to be shaved!

German Shepherd Injured During Auto Collision

Doc Truli — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:09:30 +0000

Including: Ileopsoas Muscle Tear, How to Care for Your Dogs' Fentanyl Patch, & All-Natural Class IV Laser Therapy

The Collision

The Injury

The Treatment

Fentanyl Patch Care and Tips for Dogs If your dog requires ongoing opioid pain relief and mobility (i.e., not stuck on an i.v. in a kennel in an i.c.u. ward), your veterinarian may prescribe a fentanyl patch. Originally designed for people, the patches are tricky to apply to dog skin because even the best shave job leaves some fuzz and fur that will block the stickiness and absorption of the medication. If a dog (or a child, for that matter) licks or eats the patch, all the remaining medication will absorb into their system immediately and they experience an opioid overdose. Without treatment, this is often deadly. Some veterinarians will never send an animal to a home with children with a patch in place. Some veterinarians will not send the pet home at all because of the risk that you will be unable to handle keeping your pet from chewing the patch. Do not let anyone touch or eat the patch! The patch needs to stay clean and dry and attached for about 72 hours. After three days, it starts to become weaker and should be removed or replaced. If a fentanyl patch accidentally falls off at home, do not touch the patch! Delicately pick the patch up by a few millimeters on the corner and flush it down a toilet. Flushing is considered a safe and proper disposal method in the US at this time. Sometimes the skin under the patch develops a red rash. This irritation subsides within a few days of patch removal.

Maxx's patch itched a little, and some skin irritation developed. His replacement patch went on his opposite side to allow the skin time to heal.

The Class IV Cold Laser Therapy

"The coolest thing about these newer generation Lasers is the laser energy is appetizing to the cellular energy factories called mitochondria. Those little factories suck up the laser energy and actually produce more energy of life, called ATP, for healing and rebuilding purposes. The Lasers are great for healing injuries, infections, and handling arthritis pain in dogs and cats," says Doc Truli.

Fat Chihuahua

virtuavet — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:27:42 +0000

Fat Dogs Epidemic in US

Well, we finally made our dogs as needy, neurotic, and fat as the average American! 65% of American dogs are fat. Many are obese. No one seems to either 1) know it, or 2) think it's a big deal.

Here's how you know if your dog is fat:

Cannot feel or count the ribs.
Cannot see a waistline from the side.
Cannot see a waistline from the top.

Simple. See what I mean?

A fat dog is a "big" deal.

If your dog is fat, he or she will:

Suffer arthritis, bronchitis, collapsing trachea, or heart failure much more easily than a thin dog.
Die 2-4 years before he or she should.

2-4 years to a chihuahua or a labrador is like 20 years for us! Imagine that! [caption id="attachment_2294" align="alignleft" width="99" caption="fat fetching chihuahua coquette"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2296" align="alignleft" width="68" caption="fat back chihuahua"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2298" align="alignleft" width="127" caption="fat side chihuahua"][/caption] Get the skinny on your dog's diet.

A Fat Dog Is a Big Deal!

Doc Truli — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:43:43 +0000

Fat Dogs Epidemic in US

Well, we finally made our dogs as needy, neurotic, and fat as the average American! 65% of American dogs are fat. Many are obese. No one seems to either 1) know it, or 2) think it's a big deal.

Here's how you know if your dog is fat:

Cannot feel or count the ribs.
Cannot see a waistline from the side.
Cannot see a waistline from the top.

Simple.

A fat dog is a "big" deal.

If your dog is fat, he or she will:

Suffer arthritis, bronchitis, collapsing trachea, or heart failure much more easily than a thin dog.
Die 2-4 years before he or she should.

jack russell terrier

Doc Truli — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:18:59 +0000

JRT vs SUV

virtuavet — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:06:25 +0000

Ever meet a calm, quiet, reasonable Jack Russell Terrier (err, Parson's Russell Terrier?) Okay, I have, too. Once in a blue moon. But usually, the JRT's are like Henry, the 3-year-old male intact sport-utility-vehicle-stoppin' JRT in my emergency room. Henry ran around his mom's legs and knotted his leash around the waiting room chair legs at 5 pm on a busy Saturday afternoon. The problem? "Let's see that tooth," said Doc Truli. "Grrrr," said Henry. Then his little stump Jack Russell Tail said, "Wag, wag, wag." (Now Doc knew Henry was all show and no go.) "Open up, Henry," said the Doc as she placed her thumb into the side of the Jack's dental arcade behind the canine tooth and before the big carnassial molar in the back. Henry's mouth popped open. "There's the problem! And it's not nearly as bad as we thought," said the Doc. So here's what happened: Henry's mom went into her garage to pull the SUV out into the driveway before loading the family for a drive. Henry took great offense at the SUV rolling out of his garage, busted between some hapless child's legs at the kitchen to garage passage door, and shot out into the driveway to stop the SUV. Yes, the little charger fully implemented his plan to forbid the two-ton family vehicle from pursuing a course out of the driveway! How did Henry carry out his scheme? By biting and holding the right front truck tire, of course! (Why didn't my dog think of that? Oh! Because he weighs 10 pounds (5 g) and the car weighs 2 tons!) Henry succeeded in stopping the vehicle because the kids started screaming, "Stop, stop, stop!" There was Henry, about 1 1/2 feet up in the air, his canine tooth stuck in the black rubber of the truck tire. So, in a sense, he did stop the SUV. The tooth disengaged and Henry slumped to the tarmac, stunned for 10 seconds, just long enough for the kids to bundle him into the SUV for his journey to the doggie ER. "Well, considering what he attempted to do, he suffered minimal damage. His upper canine tooth is crooked, but it will heal almost in a normal position. I can't wiggle it, so he has a chance of a normal recovery," said Doc Truli. Henry took his painkillers for 2 days, then he ignored all attempts to feed him the non-steroid anti-infammatory medication and went back to his sentry duties without the doctor's permission to return to work. Please remember, any time your dog pulls a trick like this, you must prevent it from happening again! Amazingly, dogs seem not to learn from these "mistakes." I suspect the dogs do not consider them mistakes at all, but rather, "missions accomplished!"

JRT vs SUV

Doc Truli — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:15:13 +0000

Ever meet a calm, quiet, reasonable Jack Russell Terrier (err, Parson's Russell Terrier?) Okay, I have, too. Once in a blue moon. But usually, the JRT's are like Henry, the 3-year-old male intact sport-utility-vehicle-stoppin' JRT in my emergency room. Henry ran around his mom's legs and knotted his leash around the waiting room chair legs at 5 pm on a busy Saturday afternoon. The problem? "Let's see that tooth," said Doc Truli. "Grrrr," said Henry. Then his little stump Jack Russell Tail said, "Wag, wag, wag." (Now Doc knew Henry was all show and no go.) "Open up, Henry," said the Doc as she placed her thumb into the side of the Jack's dental arcade behind the canine tooth and before the big carnassial molar in the back. Henry's mouth popped open. "There's the problem! And it's not nearly as bad as we thought," said the Doc. So here's what happened: Henry's mom went into her garage to pull the SUV out into the driveway before loading the family for a drive. Henry took great offense at the SUV rolling out of his garage, busted between some hapless child's legs at the kitchen to garage passage door, and shot out into the driveway to stop the SUV. Yes, the little charger fully implemented his plan to forbid the two-ton family vehicle from pursuing a course out of the driveway! How did Henry carry out his scheme? By biting and holding the right front truck tire, of course! (Why didn't my dog think of that? Oh! Because he weighs 10 pounds (5 g) and the car weighs 2 tons!) Henry succeeded in stopping the vehicle because the kids started screaming, "Stop, stop, stop!" There was Henry, about 1 1/2 feet up in the air, his canine tooth stuck in the black rubber of the truck tire. So, in a sense, he did stop the SUV. The tooth disengaged and Henry slumped to the tarmac, stunned for 10 seconds, just long enough for the kids to bundle him into the SUV for his journey to the doggie ER. "Well, considering what he attempted to do, he suffered minimal damage. His upper canine tooth is crooked, but it will heal almost in a normal position. I can;t wiggle it, so he has a chance of a normal recovery," said Doc Truli. Henry took his painkillers for 2 days, then he ignored all attempts to feed him the non-steroid anti-infammatory medication and went back to his sentry duties without the doctor's permission to return to work. Please remember, any time your dog pulls a trick like this, you must prevent it from happening again! Amazingly, dogs seem not to learn from these "mistakes." I suspect the dogs do not consider them mistakes at all, but rather, "missions accomplished!"

lab mix dog sleeping cini

Doc Truli — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:43:55 +0000

tan lab mix dog face

Doc Truli — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:46:01 +0000

tan labrador retriever mix dog face. photo credit Doc Truli of VirtuaVet.com 2010

bunny cini

Doc Truli — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:26:28 +0000

sheltie cini

Doc Truli — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:50:23 +0000

What’s That Lump on My Dog?

virtuavet — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:33:21 +0000

Small Lump Turns Into Big Problem

A big, 45 kilo (92 pound) tan Labrador Retriever mix smiled at Doc Truli and wagged her tail. A smallish, 2 cm (1 inch) round lump covered with tan fur popped up out of the middle of her left front leg.

Annual check-ups can be interesting. Nothing is routine in veterinary medicine, and Lucinda proved to be just the interesting case of the day your Truli enjoys helping.

"I noticed that lump on her front leg about three months ago. I know I should've brought her in sooner, but I just couldn't. Can you check it out?" said Lucinda's mom. [caption id="attachment_2316" align="alignright" width="150" caption="A stainless steel scalpel blade handle measures the 2 cm rounded leg lump"][/caption]

Testing the Lump

Doc Truli aspirated the lump. Only dark purple-red blood came into the aspirate syringe. Any time a lump provides blood in the aspirate, that lump should be removed as soon as possible. A lump with good blood supply has a chance to travel through the blood easily and lodge anywhere in the body. It is not normal for cells to grow where they ought not. This is one basis of cancer. Lucinda looked strong, healthy, happy. She did not feel sick at all. The lump was not growing; it just showed up one day. Nevertheless, the presence of blood on the aspirate concerned Doc Truli. "Let's schedule Lucinda for surgery tomorrow," Doc Truli said.

[Have you ever wondered what a lump on your dog could look like under the skin? Of course you have, or else you wouldn't enjoy reading all the gruesome details VirtuaVet provides!]

Lumpectomy Surgery

Lucinda's surgery went well. Here's the rundown in pictures: [caption id="attachment_2318" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="At surgery, the skin turns back and the lump is a purple-red blob adhered to the underside of the skin."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2320" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The incision after the lumpectomy"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2321" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The pretty suture line will heal in 10-14 days."][/caption]

The Very Best Result

The pathology report took about 4 days to materialize. The diagnosis was the very best thing a bloody, red lump can be: an Hemangioma.

"Hemangiomas are benign tumors formed from renegade blood vessel lining cells. They do not metastasize, so they do not cause disease in the whole body. They stay local and can grow to be very large and intrusive. Once fully removed, they are gone for good. Of course, a dog capable of growing one Hemangioma lump, may grow more," says Doc Truli.

Lucinda made a full recovery, deep not lick her stitches, and cannot remember anything was wrong in the first place!

What’s That Lump on My Dog?

Doc Truli — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:41:40 +0000

Small Lump Turns Into Big Problem

[caption id="attachment_2536" align="alignleft" width="120" caption="Sweet Lucinda!"][/caption] A big, 45 kilo (92 pound) tan Labrador Retriever mix smiled at Doc Truli and wagged her tail. A smallish, 2 cm (1 inch) round lump covered with tan fur popped up out of the middle of her left front leg.

Annual check-ups can be interesting. Nothing is routine in veterinary medicine, and Lucinda proved to be just the interesting case of the day your Truli enjoys helping.

Testing the Lump

Have you ever wondered what a lump on your dog could look like under the skin? Of course you have, or else you wouldn't enjoy reading all the gruesome details VirtuaVet provides!

Lumpectomy Surgery

The Very Best Result

The pathology report took about 4 days to materialize. The diagnosis was the very best thing a bloody, red lump can be: an Hemangioma.

"Hemangioma's are benign tumors formed from renegade blood vessel lining cells. They do not metastasize, so they do not cause disease in the whole body. They stay local and can grow to be very large and intrusive. Once fully removed, they are gone for good. Of course, a dog capable of growing one Hemangioma lump, may grow more," says Doc Truli.

[caption id="attachment_2605" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="All Better!"][/caption]Lucinda made a full recovery, deep not lick her stitches, and cannot remember anything was wrong in the first place!

Baby Bunny Blues

Doc Truli — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 11:24:03 +0000

A Sick Baby Bunny is No Joke

Inexperienced Bunny Mom Mistakes Choking

A baby bunny rested on Doc Truli's examination table. "Doc, I think he's choking. Is he going to die?" said the Bunny's new mom. Doc Truli looked at the tiny bunny. He was a soft silvery-grey and white. He fit in the palm of your hand with his face hanging over the side. He kicked a little, which is good for a scared bunny. If a bunny is too sick, they do not even complain about strangers holding them. Unfortunately, Doc could feel every vertebra and every rib underneath the fluffy soft fur. This baby bunny was in real trouble.

Lack of Knowledge Made This Bunny Sick

Adopted a few weeks before from a neighbor who had extra baby bunnies, the new mom never had a pet before. A pet store employee had advised her to feed timothy hay (which is correct), but had never told mom not to feed fruit,and to buy nutritionally complete bunny pellets to round out his diet. Mom ad-libbed and gave bunny lots of fresh vegetables, which should only be introduced to a bunny's diet after they are at least 4-6 months old, and then only a bit at a time. No one advised her to seek veterinary advice, which would have saved this bunny a lot of pain and illness.

Lack of Bunny Experience Also Made This Bunny Sick

"But he was eating well, and running around a lot. How could he be sick?" said mom. Many people underestimate how much a bunny should be eating, and do not realize the bunny may be starving to death. Furthermore, no one taught the new bunny mom to take the bunny to the veterinarian for a check-up.

"Find a veterinarian familiar with rabbits, who enthusiastically enjoys rabbit medicine and care," says Doc Truli. "It might be difficult to find a veterinarian who can care for bunnies, as many vets these days sub-specialize in cat and dog medicine."

Doc Truli Diagnoses the Problem

The little bunny was pulling his head back and gasping for air. His eyes looked dull and "out of it." He looked like he was having a neurologic problem caused by a metabolism deficiency, probably a nutritional problem. [caption id="attachment_2329" align="alignleft" width="127" caption="Bunny Baby Boy"][/caption]

Hypoglycemia, Just Like a Yorkie or Chihuahua Puppy

Eureka! Low blood sugar! The nurse gave him 50% dextrose solution on his lips and he swallowed a little of it and perked up. He even hopped around the table a bit. If you have no veterinary care, you can try karo syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, malted barley syrup, or other sugary liquid to perk up you bunny. Be sure the bunny swallows; do not force the liquid or bunny could drown in the liquid! The bunny received subcutaneous fluids for hydration. If he had been bigger, we could've placed an intravenous line and placed him in hospital intensive care.

Sometimes Diagnosing the Problem Is Not Enough

Just replacing the sugar is only the start of treatment. His little bunny body was so deficient in nutrients, dehydrated, cachectic, and malnourished, he could not recover on his own.

A Bunny's LifeLine in His Stomach!

His cecum (the biological sister of our appendix, only in bunnies it is most of the intestines and does the work of digestion) was empty. It is supposed to be big and full of hay and healthy bacteria. The healthy microorganisms actually make vitamins and nutrients that a bunny needs to live and be healthy, like Vitamin B. There's just no good replacement for a healthy bunny digestive system.

Too Little, Too Late

The bunny's mom fed him vegetable baby foods and Pedialyte hourly throughout the night. Still, he had a poor prognosis, which is the worst predictive medical value of them all. He layed a little, ate a little hay, but a few hours later, he did not get up anymore, that was the end of the road for the little bunny. While this story may seem uninspirational, because it is sad, Doc Truli hopes every bunny sees a good veterinarian to have coccidia parasite intestinal infections treated, and to get good advice about feeding and raising a healthy bunny so this little guy did not live in vain!

Baby Bunny Blues

virtuavet — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 11:51:10 +0000

A Sick Baby Bunny is No Joke

Inexperienced Bunny Mom Mistakes Choking

Lack of Knowledge Made This Bunny Sick

Lack of Bunny Experience Also Made This Bunny Sick

"Find a veterinarian familiar with rabbits, who enthusiastically enjoys rabbit medicine and care," says Doc Truli. "It might be difficult to find a veterinarian who can care for bunnies, as many vets these days sub-specialize in cat and dog medicine."

Doc Truli Diagnoses the Problem

Hypoglycemia, Just Like a Yorkie or Chihuahua Puppy

Sometimes Diagnosing the Problem Is Not Enough

Just replacing the sugar is only the start of treatment. His little bunny body was so deficient in nutrients, dehydrated, cachectic, and malnourished, he could not recover on his own.

A Bunny's LifeLine in His Stomach!

Too Little, Too Late

sleeping chihuahua

Doc Truli — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:14:55 +0000

maltese puppy

Doc Truli — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:42:59 +0000

maltese puppy photo credit Doc Truli at VirtuaVet.com 2010

Low Blood Sugar Can Kill a Puppy

Doc Truli — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:44:25 +0000

"Puppy Passed Out, Shaking, Won't Get Up!"

A 12-week-old female Maltese puppy curled up in an unnatural position in the middle of a dirty pink kitchen towel. Slimey drool and corn syrup stuck all over her chin and her whiskers. Her little eyes shut tightly, she barely breathed. Then her paw twitched spastically. (There is no picture of this because Yours Truli, VirtuaVet, was running down the hospital hallway to the treatment room, "Get the Dextrose solution and the I.V., STAT!" No time for pictures when a little life is on the line.) Shasta needed sugar desperately to keep her brain functioning. The body itself can run on replacement molecules, for example: ketones. The brain, however, needs glucose, a particular kind of sugar easily obtainable from food. If the brain does not receive the glucose it needs, the symptoms of low blood sugar rear up. After 15 minutes, her eyes open, breathing smooths, seizures subside, and a puppy might look like Shasta did: [caption id="attachment_2373" align="alignright" width="117" caption="Shasta after some Dextrose"][/caption]

Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar in a Puppy (or Rabbit, or Kitten, or...)

Weakness
Confusion
Incoordination
Falling Over
Tremors, Spastic Movements, Falling Over
Twitches, Seizures
Coma
Death

Dog Breeds Likely to Become Hypoglycemic

Yorkshire Terrier
Chihuahua
Maltese
Toy Poodle
Shih Tzu
Miniature Pinscher
Toy Terrier
Papillon
Japanese Chin
Pomeranian
any tiny breed destined for 10 pounds or less full grown...

Low Blood Sugar Treatment

Your puppy will perk right up with glucose in its system.

Sources of Sugar for your Puppy in an Emergency (approx 1-2 cm strip, that's 1/2-1 inch or so for the "Standard Measurement" people):

NutriCal
Karo syrup (corn syrup)
Molasses
Maple syrup (pancake syrup, too)
Barley Malt
Brown Rice Syrup

If your puppy gets to the veterinarian before you know what's going on, the veterinarian will give dextrose, a clean, safe, medical form of sugar that is given by mouth or intravenously. The body converts dextrose to glucose almost instantly. But that's not all! Your veterinarian can measure blood glucose levels to confirm the diagnosis. There are a few other conditions that cause passed-out, weak puppies. Dehydration, hepatic encephalopathy, renal dysplasia...to name a few.

VirtuaVet Pet Peeve The hand-held glucometers that measure the blood glucose really quickly on a tiny drop of blood are accurate to about 60 mg/dL glucose in the blood. Below about 60 (it varies from device to device), the measurement is inaccurate. It is low, for sure. Too low, and confirms the diagnosis. But when a nurse or a doctor says, "The sugar was 7!" or "The sugar was 20" or whatever ridiculously low number, technically, they cannot confirm that exact number from the hand-held machine reading. Below 60, the measurement could be 1, or it could be 59. The hand-held machines are not accurate below 60! The diagnosis is correct. Your puppy is hypoglycemic. VirtuaVet's Pet Peeve is this: the panic, and the awesome story where everybody justifies US$1,500 worth of ICU care because "the sugar was 5!" is sheer human emotion. Let's just be clear about the accuracy of what we are saying, that's all.

[caption id="attachment_2378" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Shasta slept a lot the first day!"][/caption] After your puppy perks up, the little tyke looks like everything's all better. Do not be fooled. Do you think you could go from a coma, or seizures, when you weigh 2 pounds, you have almost no body fat, and you probably have, or had intestinal parasites within the past week, and you will just bounce back to normal with no problems? Without hospitalization, most hypoglycemic puppies will relapse in the first 24 hours. Now you're in a bind. If you have a tiny puppy, you probably spent every penny you had on the tyke. Now you are facing intravenous fluids with a slow IV dextrose drip, maybe heat and oxygen therapy, and tons of specialized nursing care. Your hypoglycemia puppy may have complicating infections, like pneumonia, kennel cough, coccidia, hookworms, or other illnesses. If you have the financial ability, let the veterinarian hospitalize your puppy, if your vet recommends that course of action. If you do not have the money (it can be US$500-$1500, depending on the city, sickness, etc), your puppy may still pull through. Do not give up on the puppy. You just inherited a ton of work, that's all. Your veterinarian can give subcutaneous fluids ("clisis" for you old nurses out there!), deworm your puppy, and give you oral dosing syringes made especially for administering liquid food to sick animals. Keep reading to learn how to care for a tiny, potentially hypoglycemic puppy.

Inexperience: The Easiest Way New Puppy Parents Are Fooled by Low Blood Sugar

"But she was eating just fine." Doc Truli hears this every day. There are a few reasons a puppy that appears to be eating still gets hypoglycemia - low blood sugar. Most of these reasons have to do with husbandry, or the way you care for the new puppy. A very few of the reasons have to do with healthcare and disease of the puppy. This is why most pet stores and less-then-reputable breeders will not honor a health guarantee if the illness is hypoglycemia--Hypoglycemia is almost always preventable in a healthy puppy. So, the easiest way you are fooled and let your new puppy get hypoglycemia is inexperience. You either never cared for a small breed puppy before, or your previous dog was "always healthy," and you never really had to pay attention, because your perfect dog was an "easy keeper" and never seemed to need special care or attention to detail.

Most small breed puppies need special attention

Here's what you do to keep these puppies eating, and keep their blood sugar steady:

Put one person in charge of the puppy. Everybody an help out. But make sure one person keeps the weight and food chart in one place, like pinned to the kitchen fridge or counter.
Get a gram scale. Weigh the puppy every day. Puppies gain weight every day, or else they are in BIG TROUBLE (Go to the vet's). Write down the weight and check the trend each day.
Get a high quality puppy food. Canned food is palatable. The tastier, easier to eat food makes the puppy get more calories and nutrition than only dry food.
A 2 pound puppy should eat 1 Tablespoon (15 mL) food every 4 hours, approximately. If you are not sure if the puppy is eating enough, then weigh the puppy each day. If puppy will not finish the Tablespoon, then try a teaspoon every 2 hours. Really work at it! Set the alarm and get up, you human, you!
Measure how much you give puppy. Measure how much is left when puppy is done eating. Feel if puppy's belly feels big and full all day long. Good human!
Puppies might be weaned at 4-6 weeks old. But possibly, of your puppy is 6 weeks or under, he or she still needs some mother's milk. Feed Puppy Milk Replacer, or mix Puppy milk replacer into the canned food to be sure your puppy eats what he or she wants.
If your puppy is older than 6 weeks, he or she should be able to eat puppy food. If the puppy cannot, something is terribly wrong. Probably intestinal worms or a genetic defect. Go to the vet's!

Do Not Make These Top Common Mistakes When Feeding a Tiny Puppy

To Kill a Puppy:

Put the kids in charge of the feeding. By "kids," let me be clear: any female under the age of 18, and any male under the age of 35. I'm not kidding. This is based on years of experience! (I don't care if "the puppy was a present for Fiona," who's 12. Fiona will feel terrible when her puppy dies because she tried her best, but she's a kid, and you made her in charge of something you should have been helping her with.)
Do not weigh the puppy daily.
Weigh the puppy, but do not write it down, and forget the number every day. Then tell your veterinarian you "forgot." (Be sure to also tell the vet you lost your job because of the economy and could they please do your thinking for you for no charge?)
Say "the puppy ate an hour ago," but when Doc Truli--looking at a seizing, passed out puppy asks, "how much did the puppy eat?" look blank and have no idea how to estimate how much food the puppy eats. That's super helpful.
Again--be sure you act helpless, do not take responsibility, feel overwhelmed by the idea that your emotional purchase/adoption is taking too much work, freeze up and refuse to accept responsibility. Cry at the vet's office as you sign over a US$2,000 puppy because you thought it would just be a great present for the kids because daddy was out of country on assignment and they were lonely, and the sleazy pet shop won't even take the puppy back for free.

With Love and Home Nursing Care, Puppies Pull Through Hypoglycemia!

[caption id="attachment_2374" align="alignleft" width="135" caption="Maltese puppy tries her paw at accounting on the adding machine. Should we hire her?"][/caption] Shasta's original family had purchased two tiny puppies, and with 3 kids, and dad away on work, it was too much for mom. Shasta needed treatment for tracheobronchitis (kennel cough), coccidia, and hookworm intestinal infections. Shasta's new mom fed her every 2 hours for the first 48 hours, bringing her to work and feeding her 1 teaspoon of Puppy Canned food (and some puppy cookies) every few hours. Whenever it was feeding time, and Shasta was asleep, her new mom let her sleep a little while, but watched. When Shasta woke up, she got taken out to the bathroom, and then fed. The first 24 hours, she gained 50 grams. Another 30 grams the second day, and counting!

Low Blood Sugar Can Kill a Puppy

virtuavet — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:44:41 +0000

"Puppy Passed Out, Shaking, Won't Get Up!"

Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar in a Puppy (or Rabbit, or Kitten, or...)

Weakness
Confusion
Incoordination
Falling Over
Tremors, Spastic Movements, Falling Over
Twitches, Seizures
Coma
Death

Dog Breeds Likely to Become Hypoglycemic

Yorkshire Terrier
Chihuahua
Maltese
Toy Poodle
Shih Tzu
Miniature Pinscher
Toy Terrier
Papillon
Japanese Chin
Pomeranian
any tiny breed destined for 10 pounds or less full grown...

Low Blood Sugar Treatment

Your puppy will perk right up with glucose in its system.

Sources of Sugar for your Puppy in an Emergency:

NutriCal
Karo syrup (corn syrup)
Molasses
Maple syrup (pancake syrup, too)
Barley Malt
Brown Rice Syrup

VirtuaVet Pet Peeve The hand-held glucometers that measure the blood glucose really quickly on a tiny drop of blood are accurate to about 60 mg/dL glucose in the blood. Below about 60 (it varies from device to device), the measurement is inaccurate. It is low, for sure. Too low, and confirms the diagnosis. But when a nurse or a doctor says, "The sugar was 7!" or "The sugar was 20" or whatever ridiculously low number, technically, they cannot confirm that exact number from the hand-held machine reading. Below 60, the measurement could be 1, or it could be 59. The hand-held machines are not accurate below 60! The diagnosis is correct. Your puppy is hypoglycemic. VirtuaVet's Pet Peeve is this: the panic, and the awesome story where everybody justifies US$1,500 worth of ICU care because "the sugar was 5!" is sheer human emotion. Let's just be clear about the accuracy of what we are saying, that's all.

Inexperience: The Easiest Way New Puppy Parents Are Fooled by Low Blood Sugar

Most small breed puppies need special attention

Here's what you do to keep these puppies eating, and keep their blood sugar steady:

Put one person in charge of the puppy. Everybody an help out. But make sure one person keeps the weight and food chart in one place, like pinned to the kitchen fridge or counter.
Get a gram scale. Weigh the puppy every day. Puppies gain weight every day, or else they are in BIG TROUBLE (Go to the vet's). Write down the weight and check the trend each day.
Get a high quality puppy food. Canned food is palatable. The tastier, easier to eat food makes the puppy get more calories and nutrition than only dry food.
A 2 pound puppy should eat 1 Tablespoon (15 mL) food every 4 hours, approximately. If you are not sure if the puppy is eating enough, then weigh the puppy each day. If puppy will not finish the Tablespoon, then try a teaspoon every 2 hours. Really work at it! Set the alarm and get up, you human, you!
Measure how much you give puppy. Measure how much is left when puppy is done eating. Feel if puppy's belly feels big and full all day long. Good human!
Puppies might be weaned at 4-6 weeks old. But possibly, of your puppy is 6 weeks or under, he or she still needs some mother's milk. Feed Puppy Milk Replacer, or mix Puppy milk replacer into the canned food to be sure your puppy eats what he or she wants.
If your puppy is older than 6 weeks, he or she should be able to eat puppy food. If the puppy cannot, something is terribly wrong. Probably intestinal worms or a genetic defect. Go to the vet's!

Do Not Make These Top Common Mistakes When Feeding a Tiny Puppy

To Kill a Puppy:

Put the kids in charge of the feeding. By "kids," let me be clear: any female under the age of 18, and any male under the age of 35. I'm not kidding. This is based on years of experience! (I don't care if "the puppy was a present for Fiona," who's 12. Fiona will feel terrible when her puppy dies because she tried her best, but she's a kid, and you made her in charge of something you should have been helping her with.)
Do not weigh the puppy daily.
Weigh the puppy, but do not write it down, and forget the number every day. Then tell your veterinarian you "forgot." (Be sure to also tell the vet you lost your job because of the economy and could they please do your thinking for you for no charge?)
Say "the puppy ate an hour ago," but when Doc Truli--looking at a seizing, passed out puppy asks, "how much did the puppy eat?" look blank and have no idea how to estimate how much food the puppy eats. That's super helpful.
Again--be sure you act helpless, do not take responsibility, feel overwhelmed by the idea that your emotional purchase/adoption is taking too much work, freeze up and refuse to accept responsibility. Cry at the vet's office as you sign over a US$2,000 puppy because you thought it would just be a great present for the kids because daddy was out of country on assignment and they were lonely, and the sleazy pet shop won't even take the puppy back for free.

With Love and Home Nursing Care, Puppies Pull Through Hypoglycemia!

e collar big enough

Doc Truli — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:31:26 +0000

huge elizabethan collar on labrador retriever mixed breed dog. photo credit Doc Truli at VirtuaVet.com 2010

secretary cini

Doc Truli — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:44:47 +0000

secretary cini

Doc Truli — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:47:16 +0000

9-Year-Old Chihuahua Needs 9 Teeth Removed

Doc Truli — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:48:12 +0000

It Starts as a Tiny Lump

"Doctor, I'm worried about this lump on Tiny. It's been there for a coupla years, but it's been bothering me, and I wanted to get it checked out," said Tiny's mom. A black, long-haired 9-year-old Chihuahua stood looking up and smiling at Doc Truli. Her tail wagged faster than a puppy Boston Terrier's tail! "Has the lump gotten bigger, smaller, or stayed the same?" asked Doc Truli.

Tru Tip:
"Doctors want to know if a lump has gotten bigger, smaller, or stayed the same since you first noticed it. Getting bigger might be a bad sign. Getting smaller could mean the lump is inflammation, not cancer. Staying the same makes the doctor wonder what made you feel the urge to make the appointment. A good doctor will ask more questions to find out what put you over the uncomfortable edge and made you schlep your dog or cat to the vet that particular day," says Doc Truli.

"It's exactly the same. I just figured, since we're here because I got that reminder card, I'd mention it," said Tiny's mom. "Well, the lump is about 4 mm, round, and fully under the skin. There's a chance it's benign. We should schedule surgery and have it removed and tested," said the Doc.

Hidden Dental Disease Unveiled at Annual Check-Up

"You have a bigger problem with Tiny's health. Her teeth are in abysmal shape." "I just had her teeth done last year," said mom. (Everybody says that!) "Believe it or not, it's been three years!" said the nurse, after double-checking the chart and the computer record. "I can't believe it, are you sure?" said mom. (Everyone says that, too.) "Yup. August 3, 2007," confirmed the nurse. "OmiGawd! How much is that gonna cost?" asked mom. Doc Truli examined Tiny's mouth as best as possible in an awake, nervous, squirming Chihuahua. The upper left front canine (fang) tooth was loose, and Tiny sneezed any time Doc touched the tooth tip. 4 other premolar teeth wiggled when Doc Truli lightly touched them. So, at least 5 teeth were not useful any more. "Let's schedule Tiny for a surgery day," said Doc Truli

Tiny the Chihuahua Needs 9 Teeth Removed!

[caption id="attachment_2366" align="alignright" width="150" caption="furcation exposure"][/caption] Under anesthesia, after ultrasonic cleaning, full mouth radiographs and a physical examination of each tooth, Doc found 9 loose, infected teeth and 1 tooth that was in danger of becoming loose, but could be saved for later. The blue arrow in the picture points to the furcation in a premolar- the arch under the crown of the tooth that marks the separation between the front root and the back root. Normally, you should not see this furcation. This damaged tooth, and the ones on either side of it also wiggled when Doc touched them. The radiographs (x-rays) revealed pockets of bone missing where the roots were; the teeth were barely holding onto anything. These premolars had to come out! [caption id="attachment_2367" align="alignright" width="150" caption="segmented tooth"][/caption] Here, the two surrounding premolars are already removed. The arrow points to a cut drilled through the tooth dividing the front and back roots at the furcation. The loose tooth is much less likely to crack and leave a fragment of root in the jawbone if the two sections are removed individually. Doc Truli then irrigated the tooth sulci (sockets) with sterile water, applied Consil bone filler, and sutured the holes in the gingiva for quick healing.

Tiny made a full recovery and ate a Tablespoon of soft canned food about 40 minutes after waking up from her surgery. "For about 14 days after mouth surgery, Tiny should eat only canned, soft food," said the Doc. "Oh, Doc, she stopped eating dry hard kibble a year ago," said Tiny's mom. *!*# If your dog suddenly stops eating hard food or hard crunchy treats, get the teeth checked by a veterinarian who enjoys and understands working with teeth!!!! P.S. The lump took about 2 minutes of surgery, came out in no time, and tested benign. Not a problem at all!

9-Year-Old Chihuahua Needs 9 Teeth Removed

virtuavet — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:48:30 +0000

It Starts as a Tiny Lump

Tru Tip:
"Doctors want to know if a lump has gotten bigger, smaller, or stayed the same since you first noticed it. Getting bigger might be a bad sign. Getting smaller could mean the lump is inflammation, not cancer. Staying the same makes the doctor wonder what made you feel the urge to make the appointment. A good doctor will ask more questions to find out what put you over the uncomfortable edge and made you schlep your dog or cat to the vet that particular day," says Doc Truli.

Hidden Dental Disease Unveiled at Annual Check-Up

Tiny the Chihuahua Needs 9 Teeth Removed!

Why Would You Let a Tumor Get Like This?

virtuavet — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:57:21 +0000

A Huge, Ugly Tumor Ruptured Open, Required Surgery

Every nurse in the animal hospital, and each nursing assistant looked shocked, as they saw this tumor in turn, and asked Doc Truli, "Why did they let that tumor get like that?" Do you want to see the disgusting lump? If you do, read further. If you really don't, VirtuaVet has lots of pretty stories for you on other posts! [caption id="attachment_2383" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="huge ugly tumor"][/caption]

The Dog Lump Lottery

You may have one of those types of bumps on your dog now. You know, the lump that's been there a while, the vet looked at it a year or more ago and thought it was okay, your dog is a little elderly, the money's a little tight for frivolous surgery "just to be safe." You know, probably millions of pet dogs have one, two, or ten of these lumps now while you are reading this. It's like a lump lottery. You hope you choose right. You hope everything will be okay. Usually it works out.

You Lose The Lump Lottery If the Lump Changes

Only once in a while, a lump changes. It grows suddenly, or opens up, gets scraped, or ulcerates (a fancy word for the surface coming off and the dog gutsy stuff underneath getting exposed.)

Tru Tip "If the skin stays intact over a lump, then the immune system can keep out everyday infections. Once that skin breaks open, for whatever reason, infection can set in. Because the lump is not normal body tissue, infections can take hold and never go away, no matter how strong the antibiotic medication. And, the skin over the lump will not heal like normal skin. You're almost always facing a surgery to keep quality or life and good household hygiene," says Doc Truli.

Bailey, the Lab Mix's, Lump Surgery

Bailey (the carrier of this particular shocking lump) underwent some surgery to remove the offensive bump. [caption id="attachment_2384" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Pretty suture line sure beats ugly bump!"][/caption] The resulting suture line sure looked better than the original lump! Doc Truli performed the surgery on the cheap. For VirtuaVet, this means no histopathology to test what the lump was. Mom's philosophy was, "I'm not going to do anything about it if it's cancer, so why spend the extra money?" If you cannot afford a whole surgery, do not skimp on safety and comfort measures, like intravenous fluids and pre-operative laboratory testing and post-operative painkillers, unless your veterinarian advises you they are not needed. Doc Truli believes knowledge truly is power, so the added cost of the histopathology can give gains and insight in the future that cannot be anticipated today. True, they are theoretical benefits, but if you can, follow your veterinarian's advice! [caption id="attachment_2385" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The tumor cut in half. The doctor still cannot diagnose the tumor just on the looks of it!"][/caption] This soft white to tan fatty-looking tumor had round areas of white material in it. Hopefully, it is a lipoma (a fatty tumor). But it could be lymphoma, mammary cancer (even on a boy, they have mammary tissue, too), or many other kinds of cancer. Bailey is 15 years old and his mom felt like he was lucky to have made it this far! She's not too worried about another tumor at his age. He pulled through the surgery just fine. The huge Elizabethan collar prevented Bailey from chewing at his suture line. Over the years, Doc Truli learned not to trust Bailey with sutures. But that's a story for another day! P.S. VirtuaVet's Lump or Bump TAG will give you a big list of posts about other lumps and pictures. Let us know if we've helped you help your dog with inspirational stories or information!

Why Would You Let a Tumor Get Like This?

Doc Truli — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:57:41 +0000

A Huge, Ugly Tumor Ruptured Open, Required Surgery

The Dog Lump Lottery

You Lose The Lump Lottery If the Lump Changes

Only once in a while, a lump changes. It grows suddenly, or opens up, gets scraped, or ulcerates (a fancy word for the surface coming off and the dog gutsy stuff underneath getting exposed.)

Tru Tip "If the skin stays intact over a lump, then the immune system can keep out everyday infections. Once that skin breaks open, for whatever reason, infection can set in. Because the lump is not normal body tissue, infections can take hold and never go away, no matter how strong the antibiotic medication. And, the skin over the lump will not heal like normal skin. You're almost always facing a surgery to keep quality or life and good household hygiene," says Doc Truli.

Bailey, the Lab Mix's, Lump Surgery

chihuahua anesthesia

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:32:18 +0000

chihuahua anesthesia

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:33:38 +0000

maltese puppy

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:37:23 +0000

baby bunny

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:40:47 +0000

baby bunny

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:41:18 +0000

baby bunny

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:42:38 +0000

labrador mix anesthesia

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:48:08 +0000

yellow labrador retriever mixed dog smiles after successful lumpectomy surgery

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:51:55 +0000

yellow labrador retriever mixed dog smiles after successful lumpectomy surgery

jack russell terrier

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:58:42 +0000

jack russell terrier

Doc Truli — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:58:58 +0000

little black dog

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:02:20 +0000

OfficeCat Looks for Discounts

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:07:21 +0000

Mydriatic Tabby Cat

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:09:04 +0000

Tabby cat stares with big, dilated pupils

miniature pinscher

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:12:08 +0000

brown and tan Addisonian miniature pinscher snarls at the idea of unnecessary vaccines

chihuahua mask face

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:17:45 +0000

chihuahua mask face

brown and tan chihuahua

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:26:25 +0000

brown and tan chihuahua with outie helicopter ears

yorkie pink bow

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:32:26 +0000

white Persian cat

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:39:09 +0000

Persian cat

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:40:56 +0000

brown tabby cannot walk, but lives happily!

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:44:11 +0000

brown tabby cannot walk, but lives happily!

Hungarian Sheepdog

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:52:23 +0000

Rottweiler beauty

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:54:05 +0000

Rottweiler looks relaxed but sideways eye glance reveals tension

Belgian Malinois sittin' pretty

Doc Truli — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:56:26 +0000

Belgian Malinois sittin' pretty

Are Vaccine Clinics Bad for Pets?

virtuavet — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:15:36 +0000

Vaccine Clinics: Bad for Pets?

Answer: Probably. Sometimes deadly. Sometimes MORE Expensive. Sometimes save a few bucks. Never healthy. Pet parent calls VirtuaVet. "Doc, did you know they're vaccinating pets at the pharmacy down the street? I mean, is that even legal?" "Yes, I know about the pet vaccine clinics," says Doc Truli. (It's legal if they have their state and local permits to run a vaccine clinic.) "Well, aren't they bad for pets?" asks concerned pet parent. Hmmm...good question. Are vaccine clinics bad for pets? Probably, if you read VirtuaVet, you like to research your decisions. So this post is most likely not for you, because you seek competent veterinary advice. This post provides you with information to help someone you know, maybe a son or daughter, neighbor, or coworker.

The Argument for Vaccine Clinics

1) Save money: do not have to pay for veterinary examination and advice. 2) Prevent disease by vaccinating larger population of animals because people who cannot afford the vet can still get their "shots."

The Reality About "Shots"

1) There are "core" and "non-core" vaccines.

Core vaccines are: 1) Rabies vaccine for cats, dogs, and ferrets. Must have. Huge public health hazard. Deadly, Awful. Period. 2) Distemper, parvovirus vaccine for dogs and ferrets and panleukopenia, calicivirus, rhinotracheitis virus vaccine for cats. Deadly, spread easily, totally preventable with inexpensive shots. That's it.

Rabies Vaccine Details

The rabies vaccine needs to be given to a pet older than 12 weeks old, and then a booster 9-12 months later. Then a three-year vaccine every three years (unless a law in your area requires you to get the vaccine more often).

"Distemper" Details

[caption id="attachment_2613" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=""How much is my bill?""][/caption] The distemper (or panleukopenia for cats) is two solid injections when your puppy or kitten is 12 weeks or older and they must be 2-6 weeks apart. No closer or farther. or you need to ask your veterinarian what to do. Then one year later, then once every three years. (If your puppy or kitten is under 12 weeks, get vaccines every 3-4 weeks to prevent perinatal disease and death.) Non-Core Vaccines Non-core vaccines can protect your family from disease, help your pet be a little healthier, prevent illness and expense, or just waste your money. A veterinarian with the training in epidemiology (pronounced eh-peh-dee-mee-ah-low-jee), public health, zoonotic disease, disease prevalence and morbidity can guide you to the right vaccine protocol for your family and your pet. Doc Truli spends years thinking and researching and updating knowledge in order to tailor your vaccines to your life situation. 1) Coronavirus for dogs 2) Leptospirosis vaccine for dogs 3) Feline leukemia vaccine for cats 4) Lyme disease vaccine for dogs 5) Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccines for cats and dogs 6) Canine H3N8 Influenza Vaccine Many, many others!

Vaccine Clinics Do Not Save Money

[caption id="attachment_2615" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=""I disapprove of unnecessary vaccines!""][/caption] You Pay for Extra Unnecessary Shots at Vaccine Clinics

What happens at vaccine clinics, and at the humane low-cost places is this: you are not paying for the time to screen you and ask what lifestyle your pet has. They give the core vaccines, every year. So after the puppy and kitten vaccines, you're actually paying ever year for shots your pet might not need every year.

What Happens When You Need Heartworm Preventative

Then, when you need heartworm preventative, which every cat and dog in America should take, you need a prescription form a licensed veterinarian, who must EXAMINE your pet to write or fill a prescription. So you end up paying for a physical examination anyway!

Sometimes the Actual Prices Are Higher than a Private Hospital!

Plus, check your prices! If you are truly price-shopping, then BEWARE! Some shot clinics and shelters actually charge the same or more than your veterinarian for the shots. Then they give them too often because you are not paying for the interview screening process to see if you even need the vaccines in the first place. You might be better off with the $45 office call and your veterinarian than the vaccine clinic, even if you are a frugal cheapo price shopper! How does the saying go? Oh Yes! "Penny wise and pound foolish."

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish Rant
Ever notice how food companies have started making the "economy" and "family size" containers of certain items cost more per ounce than the smaller sizes? VirtuaVet reads the tags on the shelves. Some supermarkets give you the cost breakdown comparing pounds or ounces or 100-count (whatever fits). Or you can freakishly calculate the comparisons for yourself -- the iPhone calculator makes you look suave while you're looking for cheap deals! -- By comparing equal units of an exact product, you can tell how much each item costs on an equal footing with the other sizes of its kind. You always assume the "Family Size" is cheaper because of bulk cost savings, right? Well, the food companies know that you don't really check! So sometimes, they sneak that price per...pound (or whatever) up over the smaller sizes of the same item. So sometimes, when you buy the enormous ketchup or cereal, you might be paying even more to have the item sit on the pantry shelf. (Don't even get me started on the time value of money, or the "rent" that food costs you in electricity, air-conditioning, or just sheer space on the shelf while it waits for you to consume it...how many people pay extra mortgage for a huge kitchen and pantry to hold all of this "economy" food?) Those food companies know that they have your money today. They can invest that money and use it to make more money. By the time you eat that econo cereal, someone has gotten richer off of your purchasing decision.

Humane Societies and Vaccine Clinics across the United States have figured out that they, too, have a "brand." You assume they are keeping costs down, right? You assume it's cheaper there than anywhere, right? Did you check? I see many people a month who pay the same cost out-of-pocket for the vaccine clinic to give their dog extra shots they did not need. If you really want to save money, check!!!

The Best Reason to See Your Veterinarian for Vaccines

Administering vaccines to a sick or compromised animal can injure or kill the pet. Are you qualified to know if your pet has hidden disease? The vaccine clinic is not being hired to check! What if your pet is showing signs of illness, and you do not know it? The vaccine will tax his or her immune system, possibly be unnecessary, possibly more expensive than you think, and possibly trigger an underlying disease to become virulent and awful. [caption id="attachment_2617" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=""Please don't give me extra cheap vaccines!""][/caption] That's exactly what happened to Linda's dog Charlie....read more next time on VirtuaVet!

Are Vaccine Clinics Bad for Pets?

Doc Truli — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:18:38 +0000

Vaccine Clinics: Bad for Pets?

The Argument for Vaccine Clinics

The Reality About "Shots"

1) There are "core" and "non-core" vaccines.

Rabies Vaccine Details

"Distemper" Details

Vaccine Clinics Do Not Save Money

[caption id="attachment_2615" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=""I disapprove of unnecessary vaccines!""][/caption] You Pay for Extra Unnecessary Shots at Vaccine Clinics

What Happens When You Need Heartworm Preventative

Sometimes the Actual Prices Are Higher than a Private Hospital!

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish Rant
Ever notice how food companies have started making the "economy" and "family size" containers of certain items cost more per ounce than the smaller sizes? VirtuaVet reads the tags on the shelves. Some supermarkets give you the cost breakdown comparing pounds or ounces or 100-count (whatever fits). Or you can freakishly calculate the comparisons for yourself -- the iPhone calculator makes you look suave while you're looking for cheap deals! -- By comparing equal units of an exact product, you can tell how much each item costs on an equal footing with the other sizes of its kind. You always assume the "Family Size" is cheaper because of bulk cost savings, right? Well, the food companies know that you don't really check! So sometimes, they sneak that price per...pound (or whatever) up over the smaller sizes of the same item. So sometimes, when you buy the enormous ketchup or cereal, you might be paying even more to have the item sit on the pantry shelf. (Don't even get me started on the time value of money, or the "rent" that food costs you in electricity, air-conditioning, or just sheer space on the shelf while it waits for you to consume it...how many people pay extra mortgage for a huge kitchen and pantry to hold all of this "economy" food?) Those food companies know that they have your money today. They can invest that money and use it to make more money. By the time you eat that econo cereal, someone has gotten richer off of your purchasing decision.

The Best Reason to See Your Veterinarian for Vaccines

Vaccine Clinic Nearly Kills 8-Year-Old Chihuahua

virtuavet — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:57:42 +0000

Coughing Chihuahua Gets Six Vaccines!

If you want to do the right thing, you might try to save money with a pet vaccine clinic

Well-meaning people try really hard to do right by their pets. Linda was one of those people. Disabled, spending almost her whole day in her wheelchair, on a tightly fixed income, and loving her companion Chihuahua, Charlie, more than anyone else on planet Earth, Linda needed to save money to keep Charlie healthy.

These vaccines might be cheap, but you're getting 6 to 13 of them!

Linda took Charlie to a vaccine clinic set up at a local pharmacy. A veterinarian gave the rabies vaccine and issued the rabies certificate. An assistant gave a distemper, parvovirus. hepatitis, parainfluenza vaccine ("distemper" vaccine), which also contained coronavirus vaccine. They also gave a bordetella vaccine, flu vaccine, lyme disease vaccine, and leptospirosis (3-in-one) vaccine. Six jabs. Thirteen antigens. Linda approved these vaccines because she believed Charlie needed vaccines to stay healthy.

Not only are some vaccines unnecessary, without the right boosters, the vaccines are also USELESS!

No one told Linda the lyme, leptospirosis, and flu vaccines needed boosters in 2-4 weeks because it was the first time Charlie was ever getting them and the immune system would not activate and reach full potential protection until after a booster shot. So those vaccines were essentially useless. No one told Linda coronavirus until causes clinically detectable disease in puppies under 8 weeks old. No one told Linda Rabies and Distemper are available in a three-year vaccine, so she didn't technically have to keep coming back to the vaccine clinic every year. No one suggested a seven pound Chihuahua maybe shouldn't have 6 jabs, or 13 antigens on the same day. The whole thing was over in about 10 minutes. Start to finish. Paid. Dog rabies and license certificate and all. Maybe ten minutes.

Coughing Charlie Lands in the Pet Emergency Room

Doc Truli looked into the first examination room. Linda's wheelchair filled the doorway. Linda's neighbor sat in the room on a chair, waiting to see what Doc Truli would say. Charlie perched on Linda's kneecap, lunging and snarling at Doc's gestured hand of friendship. Obviously, Linda's lap was Charlie's natural habitat, and he did not want to leave the lap! Then Charlie coughed. A big hacking, gasping, wheezing, slightly gurgling fit of coughing that caught his breath, turned his tongue blue, and made his ribs heave in and out like a wood fire bellows in a medieval blacksmith's shop. Charlie nearly fell over from the effort. He couldn't take much more. Doc scooped Charlie up, listening to his chest sounds through the stethoscope while quick-walking him to the oxygen support chamber. "Lasix, stat!" ordered Doc Truli. Linda was in tears, so worried about her Chihuahua friend. Charlie chilled out in the oxygen and breathed easier. Doc ordered chest x-rays , an intravenous access line, more lasix, and some laboratory tests to make sure Charlie could handle the medications. Doc Truli returned to Linda, bound to her wheelchair, unable even to roll into the treatment room and see her little buddy; the door frame blocked her chair wheels. Doc knew she'd have two patients on her hands if she didn't reassure Linda. And quick!

"I Told the Vaccine Doctor About the Cough, How Could This Happen?"

A distraught, worried dog mom, Linda bursted with -- it seemed like -- 1,000 questions. [caption id="attachment_2619" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=""How could you?""][/caption] "How could this happen? I just took him to the vet. I keep all his shots up to date. I'm a good dog owner, I swear! But I told the other vet he was coughing, they didn't seem worried. How could this happen so fast?" In the midst of the panic, Doc Truli figured out that Charlie had been to a vaccine clinic two days before the emergency. Linda told the clinic assistant that Charlie was coughing, but instead of notifying the vet, and maybe advising a trip to a regular veterinarian and holding on the vaccines, the assistant just thought they'd better add bordetella and flu vaccine to the protocol (they have something to do with coughing, right?)

Your Pet Does Not Receive a Check-up at a Vaccine Clinic

"But I though they checked Charlie before giving the shots," said Linda. "They do not," replied Doc Truli. "Ideally, the vaccine clinic staff should quickly screen out sick-looking pets, or pets who seem like they might have an illness, but really, only consultation with a licensed veterinarian can decide if a pet is well enough to receive vaccines."

The Vaccine Clinic Staff May Legally Vaccinate Your Dog if You Hire Them to do So

Linda believed, as many people do, that the vet would not give the vaccines if her pet was sick. Not being a veterinarian herself, she had no way of knowing that the vet could not tell in a few minutes. Linda thought she was helping Charlie by taking him to the vaccine place. In fact, Linda spent all of her meager savings on useless vaccines Charlie did not need and would not have boostered, meanwhile, her dog had terrible dental disease which led to a heart murmur, mitral valve disease, and heart failure.

Thankfully, Good Samaritans Help Out

Linda's neighbor, the emergency room staff, Doc Truli, and a client in the waiting room all pitched in to offer Linda a loan to pay for some tests and medicines for Charlie. Linda cried in gratefulness, and even though it took her 6 months, she paid back every penny. Such a shame this loving woman had to go into debt after the vaccine clinic ignored her requests for help and wasted her money on useless jabs!

A trusted veterinarian can save you thousands of dollars!

She no longer frequents quickie, cheap vaccine clinics. Charlie actually received a county exemption, with your Truli's help, and no longer needs any vaccines whatsoever. His heart condition is stable, and volunteers continue to donate the expensive heart medications so that Charlie can stay with Linda as long as possible. Someday we'll lose Charlie. But not today! Next time on VirtuaVet : Tell us more about those license exemptions!

Vaccine Clinic Nearly Kills 8-Year-Old Chihuahua

Doc Truli — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:06:10 +0000

Coughing Chihuahua Gets Six Vaccines!

If you want to do the right thing, you might try to save money with a pet vaccine clinic

These vaccines might be cheap, but you're getting 6 to 13 of them!

Not only are some vaccines unnecessary, without the right boosters, the vaccines are also USELESS!

Coughing Charlie Lands in the Pet Emergency Room

"I Told the Vaccine Doctor About the Cough, How Could This Happen?"

Your Pet Does Not Receive a Check-up at a Vaccine Clinic

The Vaccine Clinic Staff May Legally Vaccinate Your Dog if You Hire Them to do So

Thankfully, Good Samaritans Help Out

A trusted veterinarian can save you thousands of dollars!

Pet Vaccine License Exemptions

virtuavet — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:58:00 +0000

How to Find Out if Your Municipality has an Rabies Vaccine Exemption Procedure

Many laws in the US are available online. If yours are not, then you can get copies from the county courthouse, chat up a good clerk if you're in a small town, or ask the local veterinarian if they know about an exemption.

Propose a Rabies Vaccine Exemption Clause if You Can't Find One!

A rabies vaccine exemption clause is a reasonable guideline or law detailing what to do in the event a pet cannot be vaccinated safely. If your local ordinances do not allow for these special circumstances, and the people involved have to appeal to the better side of a clerk or authority, or else pay fines, or else vaccinate their pet, then an actual written process for how to achieve a legal exemption is a great idea. Propose it, write it, and get it passed!

Components of a Well-Written Vaccine Exemption Clause

These clauses usually outline specifically how they can be activated:

Current physical examination

Veterinarian certification letter

Statement that animal is unfit for vaccination for "physiologic reasons"

Specific reason the vaccine would harm the pet

A time when the exemption status will be reassessed (no longer than one year)

Why Do We Give Pets (Children, People) Vaccines?

There are two main over-arching reasons we give vaccines. One will make sense to you. The other, I'll have to explain a little.

We Give Vaccines to Prevent Disease

Duh. Your pet (or you!) gets a vaccine in the hopes that the vaccines prevents the disease altogether (rabies), or lessens the severity of disease if you do catch it (flu, etc). This makes sense to most people. If the disease itself is worse than the vaccine (rabies), then get the vaccine. If the disease is much, much worse (smallpox), than the vaccine, get the vaccine faster! Some vaccines do have the proven potential for catastrophic effects (death, crippling, brain damage...), but in general, the courts in the United States agree that if a vaccine reaction, or any other bad medical side-effect, is likely to be less than 1 in 20,000 chance of happening to you or your pet, then the veterinarian or doctor is not obligated to sit in a room for days and list all the possible terribly unlikely things that could occur.

"Doc, could he die?" says the pet parent. "Of course!" says Doc Truli cheerfully. What? I'm not gonna lie...

Now, if you want a feline leukemia vaccine for your cat because you insist you can;t keep your cat safely indoors, then you will get a vaccine side effect talk. Why? Because the feline leukemia vaccine has a 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1o,000 chance of causing cancer (a vaccine induced fibrosarcoma) at the vaccine injection site. You need to be informed about that! Think twice!

**We Give Vaccines to Prevent the Spread of Disease**

Well, double duh. Now wait! This is different from what you think. Here's the deal. You, and your pet(s) are part of a group. No one knows which group will be the tastiest for a certain disease. But we do know, from scientific mathematical research, if we vaccinate a certain percentage of the "at risk" population (the Tasty group), the disease stops dead in its tracks. Statisticians call this number the "k" number, and it is different for each disease. It depends on the strength, biology, lifestyle, and features of the disease. There is a unique "k" number for each disease. Let me repeat -- we can stop diseases by vaccinating, or protecting, a certain percentage of the at-risk "tasty" part of the group. So, if 75% of puppies in a city get their parvovirus vaccine, the disease stops spreading. If 80% of children get their diptheria (whooping-cough) vaccine, the disease can't spread through the at-risk "tasty" population. This "k" number explains why a few people can refuse childhood vaccines and nothing horrible happens. But, if too many people refuse, and the protected number of children dips too low, bam! Whooping cough is back! And guess what? It is back! So many parents in the UK refused childhood vaccines that old diseases are new again. (Of course, always talk with your pediatrician and doctor about your vaccine needs. Every disease and every vaccine is different.) So, aside from the personal benefit of vaccination, there is a group, societal protection, just a calculation by the numbers.

The Case for Pet Licenses

Pet Rabies Vaccines Protect People

Enter pet licenses. Rabies is so deadly. So expensive. So devastating. So variable in the months it takes from bite wound to symptoms. So impossible to test for without removing and analyzing the brain, that the United States and many other countries have adopted national strategies to keep people safe from rabies. Did you know Rabies is the #1 infectious disease killing people in China today? Over 1,000 people a month contract Rabies in India from unvaccinated stray dogs? Neither country has a national rabies control strategy, although many American organisations are helping them set up Rabies control programs. In the US, cats and dogs must be vaccinated against rabies. Period. No talk-backs! The alternative, vaccinating people against rabies, is expensive (US$1,000/person). (I know, veterinarians get vaccinated!) Instead, the pets are vaccinated. It makes sense, The vaccines for them are cheap, safe, and our pets get into the wildlife and the edges of the yard much more than the humans do. Vaccinating our pets creates a buffer for us and our children. The pets are protecting us in this way.

Pet Licensing Fees Directly Pay For Local Animal Control Services

Furthermore, most governing bodies, be it the town or county level, have enacted rabies license requirements. Many people find this silly, "If I have the Rabies vaccine certificate, why do I also need the license certificate?" Well, a redundant system helps keep unvaccinated pets off the streets. It also is a tax, basically, to help pay for the animal control services you want to call when there's a raccoon under your bed, a bat stuck in your chimney, or an injured bird by the road.

"If I have the Rabies vaccine certificate, why do I also need the license certificate?"

Every governing animal control organization has its own structure and duties. This is a local effort for national protection. You must become familiar with the operations of your animal control unit in your area. For example, is it run through the local police department? Or is it a separate department?

Person on phone: "Hello? Animal control? I need a deceased racoon carted away from the street in from of my house." Animal Control: "You need 'dead animal control.' Click. Person on phone: "?"

Learn your town! In the town in the exchange (above) there was a "live animal control officer" and a "dead animal control officer." If the person who called knew this (they lived in the town), they might not have been half so frustrated and angry when they called the animal hospital for help! Keep your pets vaccinated and licensed as required by law.

Sometimes Vaccines Make No Sense at All

Certain health conditions in a dog or cat make a vaccine seem ridiculous:

Pet has cancer.
Pet has autoimmune disease.
Pet has serious infirmity (heart disease, etc)
Pet is temporarily super-sick when the vaccine renewal becomes due.
Pet has family history of dying from certain vaccines.
Pet almost dies from the last jab.

In these extreme cases, some licensing agencies have a clause for how your veterinarian should handle the situation. You do not ever want to ignore the situation and "work it out later." Government employees frown on that sort of thing! An exemption clause might be worded, "If, for physiologic reasons, your veterinarian feels a vaccine is not healthy..." These clauses usually outline specifically how they can be activated. Usually, a current physical examination, a veterinarian certifying the situation, and a time when the exemption status will be reassessed (no longer than one year) are basic components of a good rabies vaccine exemption clause.

Pet Vaccine License Exemptions

Doc Truli — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:01:37 +0000

How to Find Out if Your Municipality has an Rabies Vaccine Exemption Procedure

Propose a Rabies Vaccine Exemption Clause if You Can't Find One!

Components of a Well-Written Vaccine Exemption Clause

These clauses usually outline specifically how they can be activated:

Current physical examination

Veterinarian certification letter

Statement that animal is unfit for vaccination for "physiologic reasons"

Specific reason the vaccine would harm the pet

A time when the exemption status will be reassessed (no longer than one year)

Why Do We Give Pets (Children, People) Vaccines?

There are two main over-arching reasons we give vaccines. One will make sense to you. The other, I'll have to explain a little.

We Give Vaccines to Prevent Disease

"Doc, could he die?" says the pet parent. "Of course!" says Doc Truli cheerfully. What? I'm not gonna lie...

**We Give Vaccines to Prevent the Spread of Disease**

The Case for Pet Licenses

Pet Rabies Vaccines Protect People

Pet Licensing Fees Directly Pay For Local Animal Control Services

"If I have the Rabies vaccine certificate, why do I also need the license certificate?"

Person on phone: "Hello? Animal control? I need a deceased racoon carted away from the street in from of my house." Animal Control: "You need 'dead animal control.' Click. Person on phone: "?"

Sometimes Vaccines Make No Sense at All

Certain health conditions in a dog or cat make a vaccine seem ridiculous:

Pet has cancer.
Pet has autoimmune disease.
Pet has serious infirmity (heart disease, etc)
Pet is temporarily super-sick when the vaccine renewal becomes due.
Pet has family history of dying from certain vaccines.
Pet almost dies from the last jab.

Good Pet Mommies and Great Nurses

virtuavet — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:22:21 +0000

These three pet-parents stand out for their devotion, hope, optimism, and dedication to learning to offer whatever their pet needs to be happy and comfortable.

You've Come a Long Way, Mommy

This first pet parent is a single woman on her mid-forties, divorced, with two beautiful Persian cats. She loved her cats, but she did not realize her older cat, Simon, was in complete and utter kidney failure, with hypercalcemia and hypertension until he needed intensive care just to get him through the first night. Does not sound very impressive, right? Listen to this: not only did Simon get better. Mom gives him his subcutaneous fluids, special food, hypertension meds, kidney meds, and vitamins every day. This cat has such a poor prognosis (Phosphorus of 24, people...the vets out there know what I'm talking about), that the internist called Doc Truli to ask what the autopsy showed! "What autopsy? He's fine," said Doc Truli. "You're kidding," said the internist. "Nope. Even went home," said Doc Truli. Six months later, mom is now a medication/treatment pro. Simon lays in the kitchen sink calmly for his subcutaneous fluids. (He used to scream and hiss and a home nurse had to come to the house to get the treatments into him.) Simon has gained four pounds and even stopped two of his medications! Simon's mom inspires VirtuaVet.

You Never Give Up

Lucky's mom is a 64-year-old electronics technician. She's precise, skilled, and invaluable in getting the city going after a storm. Lucky's mom does not understand medicine at all. She tries to comprehend when Doc Truli explains the medications and what they are for, but really, Lucky's mom just wants to follow instructions and see her bouncing Boxer boy get better. Why does Lucky's mom inspire VirtuaVet? She's nursed him through two cancer surgeries (4 years apart), several gastritis, and esophagitis episodes. Lucky just finished his chemotherapy for his second cancer (now in remission.) Lucky's mom tried to give him away when he was about 10 months old. "Doc, I just can't do it. He's so energetic. He needs a bigger house, with a family who's home more. I just don't think I'm a good home for him," said Lucky's mom. Nine years later, do we have any doubt how "lucky" Lucky truly is?! Lucky's mom inspires VirtuaVet.

You Can't Get a License to Care

The #1 most inspirational pet mommy also happens to be a veterinary nurse. She is so multi-talented she can place an iv, massage your pet, and teach the other mommies on this list how to be better pet parents (which she did). But all of that does not come with the title of veterinary nurse. This woman was born to inspire. She cares so much, as a girl, she used to brush a 2 inch wide spider who came to the bathroom sink every morning, with the only comfortable sized brush available, her own toothbrush! How many kids do you know who would imagine a spider would like some grooming, let alone not smoosh the spider immediately? She did. The spider came to her for grooming each morning for several years, until it disappeared one day. [caption id="attachment_2627" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Adopted brown tabby cannot walk, but lives happily!"][/caption] She cares so much, half of her pets only have three legs, or half of their calvarium (skull), or half the ability to move. They were each brought to animal hospitals where she worked for euthanasia. Each time she refused to give up, asked to adopt, was granted guardianship, and saved the pet. Most of these pets live until they are almost twenty, decades after other people had given up on them! If this nurse tells Doc Truli something is wrong with a boarding pet, Doc looks twice to find the problem. This nurse is never wrong. Sometimes, though, she knows something is wrong before the laboratory equipment can detect the problem! You cannot grant a license to care. You cannot train a person to be inspirational to others. This nurse inspires VirtuaVet every day. What a privilege to work with such a wonderful human being!

Do You Know an Inspirational Pet Parent?

Have you met someone, your neighbor, a friend, a relative, your spouse, a client at your animal hospital, that takes your breath away with their dedication, hope, and persistence? The world needs to know about these people! They are quietly working every day to make a better world through love and caring. It doesn't take riches, just devotion.

Spider-Grooming and Other Inspirational Stories

Doc Truli — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:53:14 +0000

These three pet-parents stand out for their devotion, hope, optimism, and dedication to learning to offer whatever their pet needs to be happy and comfortable.

You've Come a Long Way, Mommy

You Never Give Up

You Can't Get a License to Care

Do You Know an Inspirational Pet Parent?

Adopted Dogs Suffer Needlessly

virtuavet — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:39:49 +0000

Rescued on the Streets of Europe, This Hungarian Sheepdog Had a Rough Life Start

Sugar Bear peered out at Doc Truli from under tight, curly white furry eyebrows. His gigantic, round curly white furry tail and rear end wedged between a black leather chair and a black wooden side table with a box of white scent-free facial tissues teetering half-way over the gold gilded table edge above his enormous white tight curly furry shoulder blades. This Kommondor was not taking his examination lightly. Rescued from the streets of Budapest when he was only a 4 month-old puppy, he had been a grey, wet, matted, filthy, hungry, and suspicious of people. Abandoned on the streets and kicked and yelled at by people who just wanted to chase him away from piles of food thrown away in the alleys behind their bistros, the puppy learned to distrust everyone. When she saw him on the street, his (future) mom tried to call him over to her. Kicked too many times, hungry and cold, he snarled and ran behind a car. She knew he just needed food and love. Starting with the food, Sugar Bear sniffed cautiously from behind a car tire. He snatched the food and gobbled it behind the safety of the car. For days, his mom visited the alley and brought food until finally, the lonely puppy let her approach and pick him up. Tens years later, 180 pounds, snowy white curly fur, and immigration to the United States turned Sugar into a mostly trusting soul. "He won't bite you," said his mom. Hmmm, the start of many fateful examinations.....

Part Early Abuse, Part Misbehavior

Many people rescue their dogs from a shelter, the streets, or another household. Dogs can have a rough start in life and turn out perfectly behaviorally normal. In VirtuaVet's story about a Rottweiler mix that the shelter deemed vicious and almost refused to adopt out, the dog became indiscernable from a normal, happy dog. While no one knows for sure why one abused dog retains biting and nervous, suspicious traits, and another dog forgives and moves on with a happy life, the fact remains, it can go either way. Far too many people give up and assume their dog as abused and will always have some "issues." If your dog snaps, bites, shakes, hides, growls, and attacks you, do you think your dog is happy? Really?

Sampson Turns Around

Sampson was a white with tan spots wired-haired Terrier nixed breed dog from the animal shelter. He was about 10 months old when his mom adopted him. The first time he came to the animal hospital, he tried to bite Doc Truli. He really tried in earnest to take some flesh off of the hand that was helping him. He snarled, lip curled, fur up over his shoulders (indicating aggressivity, not just fear), and he lunged. His mom was a quiet, mild-mannered gentle person. Doc Truli doubted he would be handled well. "I recommend you hire a personal dog trainer. I can recommend a great one to come to your house immediately, tonight if possible, and get Sampson started off on the right foot," said Doc Truli. Sampson's new mom agreed, much to my surprise! Still, most people who hire a dog trainer do not listen, do not follow-through, and generally, waste their money. [caption id="attachment_2631" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Rottweiler looks relaxed but sideways eye glance reveals tension"][/caption] We placed a "severe caution" red sticker on Sampson's file and went on with the day. At the next check-up 3 weeks later, the nurse got the muzzle ready when Sampson's mom said, "You won't need that." Now, just so you know, almost everybody with a nervous biting dog says, "They never bit anyone before," or, "He'd never bite you," or sometimes, "My poor baby, you bad doctor, you!" These objections precede someone getting bitten, restrained hissing instead of cursing out loud, bandages, blood everywhere, and a chagrined dog parent apologizing while we politely say,"It's okay, he was just afraid." FYI that's why they use the muzzle at the animal hospital!

A study done a few years ago at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine found that the number one indicator of whether a worker would be bitten was not what everyone expected. We expected long shifts with tired caregivers, inexperienced staff, or severity of illness to be a greater risk. It turned out, the only thing that would accurately predict bites was this: if a pet already had a note on the file that they were a "caution" animal, and you ignored it, you were likely to get bitten!

In Sampson's case, his mom was right! Doc Truli has cared for Sampson over 5 years now. Sampson wags his tail, says hello, gets excited, and wiggles his bottom like any other dog. He never even thinks about biting anyone. [caption id="attachment_2633" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Belgian Malinois sittin' pretty"][/caption] Sampson proves: early, proper, dedicated intervention can help your dog overcome bad first experiences.

Get Help for (You and) Your Adopted Dog

Do not accept the idea that your dog was abused before coming to you. Fight for a happy, healthy, sane dog.
Hire a reputable, good, gentle, positive reinforcement trainer.
Be certain your dog gets plenty of exercise. Outside. With olfactory stimulation, too! (This means 20-40 minutes heart-pounding exercise for most dogs in most climates, work up to it, not all at once!)

Your adopted dog can be happy. A little guarded at the vet's, but terrified, no! Do not accept it. Train your dog. Exercise your dog. Desensitize the dog. Teach the dog to relax. Work at it consistently and your dog will be a happier, better adjusted individual.

Adopted Dogs Suffer Needlessly

Doc Truli — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:59:42 +0000

Rescued on the Streets of Europe, This Huge Patient Had a Rough Life Start

Sugar Bear peered out at Doc Truli from under tight, curly white furry eyebrows. His gigantic, round curly white furry tail and rear end wedged between a black leather chair and a black wooden side table with a box of white scent-free facial tissues teetering half-way over the gold gilded table edge above his enormous white tight curly furry shoulder blades. This Kommondor was not taking his examination lightly. Rescued from the streets of Budapest when he was only a 4 month-old puppy, he had been a grey, wet, matted, filthy, hungry, and suspicious of people. Abandoned on the streets and kicked and yelled at by people who just wanted to chase him away from piles of food thrown away in the alleys behind their bistros, the puppy learned to distrust everyone. When she saw him on the street, his (future) mom tried to call him over to her. Kicked too many times, hungry and cold, he snarled and ran behind a car. She knew he just needed food and love. Starting with the food, Sugar Bear sniffed cautiously from behind a car tire. He snatched the food and gobbled it behind the safety of the car. For days, his mom visited the alley and brought food until finally, the lonely puppy let her approach and pick him up. Tens years later, 180 pounds, snowy white curly fur, and immigration to the United States turned Sugar into a mostly trusting soul. "He won't bite you," said his mom. Hmmm, the start of many fateful examinations.....

Part Early Abuse, Part Misbehavior

Sampson Turns Around

A study done a few years ago at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine found that the number one indicator of whether a worker would be bitten was not what everyone expected. We expected long shifts with tired caregivers, inexperienced staff, or severity of illness to be a greater risk. It turned out, the only thing that would accurately predict bites was this: if a pet already had a note on the file that they were a "caution" animal, and you ignored it, you were likely to get bitten!

Get Help for (You and) Your Adopted Dog

Do not accept the idea that your dog was abused before coming to you. Fight for a happy, healthy, sane dog.
Hire a reputable, good, gentle, positive reinforcement trainer.
Be certain your dog gets plenty of exercise. Outside. With olfactory stimulation, too! (This means 20-40 minutes heart-pounding exercise for most dogs in most climates, work up to it, not all at once!)

Red Party Color Cocker Spaniel

Doc Truli — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:20:04 +0000

Red Party Color American Cocker Spaniel

Doc Truli — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:24:49 +0000

4-Year-Old Cocker Spaniel Attacked by Large Dog

Doc Truli — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:25:48 +0000

Cocker Spaniel Attacked by Neighboring Dog

Angel wagged her stump and looked up trustingly at Doc Truli. Her shaved, soft buff fur on her right front leg opened up in angry red bloody gashes. Her right elbow looked and felt twice as large as the normal left elbow. Angel relished the attention inspire of the obvious pain she must have felt. [caption id="attachment_2459" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Notice the swollen elbow on the right leg (left side of pic)."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2460" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Note the swelling at the top of the radius, the bite holes penetrated into the elbow joint"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2461" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="The left elbow looks normal and thin"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2462" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Note the red bite holes on the left shoulder, opposite from the leg that was attacked!"][/caption] "What happened?" asked Doc Truli. Miami, FL 8:37 pm EST daylight savings 4-year-old 10kg/22lb female spayed buff cocker spaniel escapes put front door of her house, runs across street to yard belonging to 2-year-old male neutered brown and white American Bulldog. They are not friends. American Bulldog defends his yard, rips Cocker Spaniel a few new ones. American Bulldog parent feels horrible. Cleans wounds. Applies triple antibiotic. Applies gigantic bandage from human sports medicine section at pharmacy. No one thinks of calling or visiting an animal emergency room. Baby aspirin administered at 10 pm does not help Angel sleep. 10 am, both pet parents show up at your Truli's hospital for help. Angel's whole leg is swollen, pus oozes from her wounds, and she did not want to eat breakfast.

Surgery for a Dog Bite Wound

[caption id="attachment_2463" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Penrose Drain for a Dog Bite Wound"][/caption] This photo shows an "after" surgery shot of the extent of the hole underneath Angel's skin. The teeth penetrated the skin and lifted the upper layer of skin off of the muscles underneath, creating an air and bacteria filled pocket for pus to linger. The drain extends the length of the pocket and provides drainage for the bite wound for 3-5 days. Once the draining decreases, the drain is pulled to prevent dirt and bacteria from traveling back into the wounds. The holes seal over and heal up. In 10-14 days, Angel can have her stitches removed and be good as new again!

Basic Penrose Drain Care for a Dog

Do not let your pet eat or chew the drain. If pieces are left in the wound, the wound will fester and not heal. Most Penrose drains come embedded with a strip that will show on an X-Ray to check if a piece has been left in the wound! (An Elizabethan "cone" collar helps! Many pet stores now sell them, or you can make one with an old plastic bucket by making a hole in the bottom of the bucket, and well, bottoms up! Put the bucket on your pooch's head!)

Clean the openings twice daily with dilute Chlorhexidine solution (from the vet's), or, as in Angel's case, iodine (the brown-orange color on her fur is iodine scrub solution.) The idea is to keep the drains open so infection does not pocket under the skin and attack the body.

Take the drain to your vet for removal when the veterinarian prescribes (usually 3-5 days), so infection does not get up into the drain.

Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like to always leave a bandage over these drains to catch infection and protect the wound. Some like the fresh air to keep the wound open and draining. Ask your veterinarian which way they think is best.

Also Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like the drain "flushed" daily with a sterile hospital solution they give to clean debris and infection out of the wound. Other veterinarians do not want you to inadvertently push infection deeper by inappropriate flushing. Follow your veterinarian's advice!

What could Angel's papa have done better?

Give your ideas, then check back for VirtuaVet's tips for dog attack first aid, and reasons to go to the animal emergency room!

4-Year-Old Cocker Spaniel Attacked by Large Dog

virtuavet — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:54:21 +0000

Cocker Spaniel Attacked by Neighboring Dog

Surgery for a Dog Bite Wound

Basic Penrose Drain Care for a Dog

Do not let your pet eat or chew the drain. If pieces are left in the wound, the wound will fester and not heal. Most Penrose drains come embedded with a strip that will show on an X-Ray to check if a piece has been left in the wound! (An Elizabethan "cone" collar helps! Many pet stores now sell them, or you can make one with an old plastic bucket by making a hole in the bottom of the bucket, and well, bottoms up! Put the bucket on your pooch's head!)

Clean the openings twice daily with dilute Chlorhexidine solution (from the vet's), or, as in Angel's case, iodine (the brown-orange color on her fur is iodine scrub solution.) The idea is to keep the drains open so infection does not pocket under the skin and attack the body.

Take the drain to your vet for removal when the veterinarian prescribes (usually 3-5 days), so infection does not get up into the drain.

Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like to always leave a bandage over these drains to catch infection and protect the wound. Some like the fresh air to keep the wound open and draining. Ask your veterinarian which way they think is best.

Also Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like the drain "flushed" daily with a sterile hospital solution they give to clean debris and infection out of the wound. Other veterinarians do not want you to inadvertently push infection deeper by inappropriate flushing. Follow your veterinarian's advice!

What could Angel's papa have done better?

Give your ideas, then check back for VirtuaVet's tips for dog attack first aid, and reasons to go to the animal emergency room!

Dog fight wounds

Doc Truli — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:17:47 +0000

Red Party Color American Cocker Spaniel

Doc Truli — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:18:37 +0000

clear eyes normal cat

Doc Truli — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:45:19 +0000

Emergency First Aid for a Dog-on-Dog Bite Wound

virtuavet — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:15:47 +0000

How Could Angel's Family Respond Perfectly to a Dog Bite Attack?

[caption id="attachment_2473" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Cocker Spaniel with swollen leg"][/caption] When a little Party-Color Cocker Spaniel suffered bite wounds from the neighbor's dog, her parents did not know how to respond. The neighbor knew some dog first aid and applied his knowledge as best he could. No one thought to go to the animal emergency room, even though they lived in a major metropolitan city in the US, 10 minutes from a 24/7 animal e.r.! Quick thinking and proper urgent care would have allowed Angel to avoid extra pain and heal faster without surgery.

Emergency First Aid for a Dog-on-Dog Bite Wound

Get dogs apart without humans getting injured: this is probably the most likely time in your life to get bitten!
Clean and assess wounds
- Muzzle your dog if necessary, bite wounds hurt
- ideally 16 ounces sterile saline from the pharmacy flushed over the wound with a big syringe (sold at pharmacy for this purpose).
  - If wounds penetrate through the skin, see vet for professional cleaning and antibiotics.
- If the wounds might be deep, or you are not sure, seek veterinary care for wound cleaning and antibiotics, preferably within 8 hours.
Apply triple antibiotic liquid or ointment: bacitracin, neomycin, polymyxin
Bandage. It is very important to protect an open wound from further contamination. For example, studies have shown that even a light bandage on a dog's open leg fracture can prevent post-op infections compared to no first aid bandage.
Use an Ice Pack for 10-15 minutes to decrease inflammatory tissue damage and help control pain without dangerous OTC medications.

Be Very Careful Not to Bandage a Leg Too Tight

Bandaging is a tricky procedure. In Angel's case, the bandage was too tight, lumpy, uneven and basically tourniquetted the leg. This tight bandage caused the paw and lower leg to swell, prevented natural healing factors in the blood from circulating to the injury. If that bandage stayed on a few more hours, Angel might have lost her leg!

Do Not Give Your Dog OTC Painkillers

Aspirin is a problem for a dog! I know what you're thinking,"But Doc, my vet used to say baby aspirin or buffered aspirin was fine!" I know, I know. I used to say that, too...ten years ago. Research completed in the past few years has proven that dogs always get microulcers in their intestinal tract lining from aspirin. Always. Sometimes the ulcers are big and become life-threatening perforating bleeding ulcers! Plus, nobody gives the right dose of aspirin. So you're risking bleeding ulcers and not helping your pup's pain. Why? To make yourself feel better because you gave a "pill?". Try 10-15 minutes of cold therapy with ice to numb the area and prevent further injurious swelling. Do tell your veterinarian if you gave any sort of pills. (Before you found this VirtuaVet post.) Don't be shy! Your veterinarian needs to know what's in your dog's system so any prescription painkillers do not interact badly.

Tru Tip: Rabies Vaccines and Dog Bites
Get written proof of a current rabies vaccine from the biter so your bitee does not have to undergo rabies quarantine. (If you live in a rabies-free part of the world....island, just disregard. Try not to be smug about it! That's you, too, UK!) If the biter does not have a valid rabies certificate, a quarantine may be necessary for your family's safety. Most municipalities allow home quarantine which is not arduous or expensive for the other dog's person. So don't worry, you won't be taking food off their table or hurting their dog. Unless....if the dog that bit your dog has a "record" of biting people or breaking laws, then the consequences of your report could reach further into the dog's life situation. But you should join community efforts to keep a menace out of your neighborhood if that is the case.

Angel made a fast, full recovery. She felt a little sick from her prescription painkillers and stopped eating for a day about two days after the attack. Once we stopped the painkillers she ate well within 12 hours. Angel's wound required minor surgery and cleaning, including the placement of a Penrose Drain.

Basic Penrose Drain Care for a Dog

Do not let your pet eat or chew the drain. If pieces are left in the wound, the wound will fester and not heal. Most Penrose drains come embedded with a strip that will show on an X-Ray to check if a piece has been left in the wound! (An Elizabethan "cone" collar helps! Many pet stores now sell them, or you can make one with an old plastic bucket by making a hole in the bottom of the bucket, and well, bottoms up! Put the bucket on your pooch's head!)
Clean the openings twice daily with dilute Chlorhexidine solution (from the vet's), or, as in Angel's case, iodine (the brown-orange color on her fur is iodine scrub solution.) The idea is to keep the drains open so infection does not pocket under the skin and attack the body.
Take the drain to your vet for removal when the veterinarian prescribes (usually 3-5 days), so infection does not get up into the drain.
Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like to always leave a bandage over these drains to catch infection and protect the wound. Some like the fresh air to keep the wound open and draining. Ask your veterinarian which way they think is best.
Also Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like the drain "flushed" daily with a sterile hospital solution they give to clean debris and infection out of the wound. Other veterinarians do not want you to inadvertently push infection deeper by inappropriate flushing. Follow your veterinarian's advice!

The other dog was up to date on rabies. This truly was a standard kind of accident that can happen between neighbors. It was thoughtful of the Bulldog owner to pay the bills, but pet insurance would have paid, too.

Emergency First Aid for a Dog-on-Dog Bite Wound

Doc Truli — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:16:33 +0000

How Could Angel's Family Respond Perfectly to a Dog Bite Attack?

Emergency First Aid for a Dog-on-Dog Bite Wound

Get dogs apart without humans getting injured: this is probably the most likely time in your life to get bitten!
Clean and assess wounds
- Muzzle your dog if necessary, bite wounds hurt
- ideally 16 ounces sterile saline from the pharmacy flushed over the wound with a big syringe (sold at pharmacy for this purpose).
  - If wounds penetrate through the skin, see vet for professional cleaning and antibiotics.
- If the wounds might be deep, or you are not sure, seek veterinary care for wound cleaning and antibiotics, preferably within 8 hours.
Apply triple antibiotic liquid or ointment: bacitracin, neomycin, polymyxin
Bandage. It is very important to protect an open wound from further contamination. For example, studies have shown that even a light bandage on a dog's open leg fracture can prevent post-op infections compared to no first aid bandage.
Use an Ice Pack for 10-15 minutes to decrease inflammatory tissue damage and help control pain without dangerous OTC medications.

Be Very Careful Not to Bandage a Leg Too Tight

Do Not Give Your Dog OTC Painkillers

Tru Tip: Rabies Vaccines and Dog Bites
Get written proof of a current rabies vaccine from the biter so your bitee does not have to undergo rabies quarantine. (If you live in a rabies-free part of the world....island, just disregard. Try not to be smug about it! That's you, too, UK!) If the biter does not have a valid rabies certificate, a quarantine may be necessary for your family's safety. Most municipalities allow home quarantine which is not arduous or expensive for the other dog's person. So don't worry, you won't be taking food off their table or hurting their dog. Unless....if the dog that bit your dog has a "record" of biting people or breaking laws, then the consequences of your report could reach further into the dog's life situation. But you should join community efforts to keep a menace out of your neighborhood if that is the case.

Basic Penrose Drain Care for a Dog

Do not let your pet eat or chew the drain. If pieces are left in the wound, the wound will fester and not heal. Most Penrose drains come embedded with a strip that will show on an X-Ray to check if a piece has been left in the wound! (An Elizabethan "cone" collar helps! Many pet stores now sell them, or you can make one with an old plastic bucket by making a hole in the bottom of the bucket, and well, bottoms up! Put the bucket on your pooch's head!)
Clean the openings twice daily with dilute Chlorhexidine solution (from the vet's), or, as in Angel's case, iodine (the brown-orange color on her fur is iodine scrub solution.) The idea is to keep the drains open so infection does not pocket under the skin and attack the body.
Take the drain to your vet for removal when the veterinarian prescribes (usually 3-5 days), so infection does not get up into the drain.
Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like to always leave a bandage over these drains to catch infection and protect the wound. Some like the fresh air to keep the wound open and draining. Ask your veterinarian which way they think is best.
Also Ask your vet: Some veterinarians like the drain "flushed" daily with a sterile hospital solution they give to clean debris and infection out of the wound. Other veterinarians do not want you to inadvertently push infection deeper by inappropriate flushing. Follow your veterinarian's advice!

How to Tell If a Cat Is Dehydrated

virtuavet — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:20:30 +0000

Cat Dehydration and Drinking Problems

Doc Truli stood over a dehydrated, lethargic, sick-looking seal-point Siamese cat named Archie, who did not possess the willpower to meow. (Can you see the signs of cat dehydration in Archie's picture?) "I think he ate a lizard," said Archie's mom. "That's normal," said Doc Truli. "What's very concerning is the dehydration." "My cat is drinking so much, how could he possibly be dehydrated?" said Archie's mom.

Dehydration in a Cat Can be Difficult to Distinguish

In the face of evidence of dehydration most people cannot believe their cat suffers dehydration, usually because the cat drinks so much water!

4 Symptoms of Dehydration in a Cat

sunken eyes

dry, tacky gingiva that your finger sticks to when you feel your cat's gums

fur standing up in clumpy shelves of gloppy unhealthiness

glazed stare at the bathroom water spigot

"But he urinates a lot," most cat moms insist. (Perhaps at this point, the obviousness of the conclusion overwhelms people, and rampant guilt takes over.)

[caption id="attachment_2485" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can you see the skin never went back down?"][/caption] Veterinarians Use the Skin Turgor Test for Dehydration

The final, definitive physical test for dehydration in a cat is the skin turgor test. Turgor refers to the rigidity of the skin. Normally skin will bounce back flat just after being released from a pinch. Decreased collagen with aging will also cause a delayed bounce-back, but this is much less pronounced in cats. If you are unsure when pinching the neck skin, try the skin over the mid-back and haunches to be sure. (Do not get bit!)

Practice the Skin Turgor Test on Your Own Hand: Maybe You Can Tell How Long You Might Live!

First, practice on the back of your hand. If you are under age 50, you most likely have plenty of collagen left in your skin. So you pinch the skin on the back of your hand and notice how quickly the skin goes back down. Should be immediate!

At a recent conference focused on aging in people and pets, the presenter told the veterinarians in the audience to do this test on their own hands. The presenter said,"The longer your skin stays tented up, the less time you have left!" Seconds later, a colleague from the front of the lecture hall said,"Oh, sh*t!" Doc Truli is happy to report the colleague is alive and well; specialists do not know everything!

Perform the Skin Turgor Test on Your Cat

[caption id="attachment_2486" align="alignleft" width="139" caption="A close up of a terrible skin turgor result!"][/caption] Now test your cat. Here's how to do a skin turgor test for dehydration on your cat:

gently pinch some skin on the back of the neck/shoulder area.
- If the skin stays up and does not go down, your cat is so severely dehydrated you have to get to a veterinarian urgently.
- If the skin takes a second or two to go down, you have to go to the vet's because of moderate to severe dehydration.
- If your cat's skin snaps back in place, you annoyed your cat with the test, fur is thick and shiny, and your cat is lively and happy, why are you reading this? Prepare a cup of organic green tea and leave your cat alone!

Moderate to Severe Dehydration Requires Hospital Care

Archie's skin formed a leathery, furry brown ridge along his back. The skin never went back down. "I can give him more water. Should I offer him wet food?" said Archie's mom. (Most people ask this same question.) Doc Truli said,"Archie is gravely ill. This severity of dehydration, even if the original cause was simple and fixable, has advanced. Rehydration involves much more than pouring liquid into his body." "How could this be, he drinks all the time," lamented mom.

Here's the VirtuaVet scoop on dehydrated cats who drink water like crazy: If you cat drinks a ton of water, yet still shows symptoms of dehydration, then the fluid homeostasis of the body is not functioning properly. This means the liver, or kidneys, or brain, or a disease like diabetes mellitus, is driving your cat's body to kick out too much water. This is unhealthy and unnatural, of course. "You cannot fix metabolic, neoplastic, or toxic dehydration by throwing more water at the problem!" says Doc Truli.

"Why Does My Cat Have to Stay in the Hospital?"

The next question almost every cat parent asks: "Oh, does he have to stay overnight?"

"Rehydration involves providing intravenous fluids slowly over time to rehydrate and balance your cat's internal functions. The rehydration cannot occur in just minutes or hours, because the volume of fluid required to rehydrate a cat like Archie is considerable," says Doc Truli.

Gradual Rehydration Spares Stress on the Heart

If you suddenly added several liters of blood into your veins and arteries, do you think your heart would like the extra work? No! Your heart would probably become congested and over-worked, then your lungs would fill up with the extra liquid and you would drown from congestive heart failure. Cats are the same as people. Sample rehydration calculations: Archie weighs 4.5kg (10lb). Archie is about 10% dehydrated. (You die around 10-12% dehydrated.). About 70% of his weight should be water. For rough estimating, he is about 0.5 kilogram short on water! Usually, Doc's cat patients will gain about a pound of water weight after 24 hours of rehydrated. That's like a 75 kg person (150lb) gaining about 7kg or 15 pounds! How do you think your heart would respond to an extra 7 kg/15 lbs of liquid to push around? Not good! This much rehydrated takes physical, mechanical adjustments in the body.

Rehydration Allows Rebalancing of all Bodily Functions

The lymph and blood circulation carries the waste and toxic substances of the body to the liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and skin, where they are excreted in many forms.
The liver produces bile to excrete toxins.
The kidneys filter toxins out of the blood.
The spleen grabs bacteria, parasites, and damaged, old cells out of circulation and repackages them into non-toxic proteins, or walls them off for storage.
The lungs breathe out toxins.
The largest organ of the body -- the skin -- releases toxins through sweat and excretion onto the surface of the skin.

Cellular functions improve and healing begins when intravenous fluids jump-start the complicated and natural process of healing. If someone is visibly 10% dehydrated, you can bet this swapping out, housecleaning process will take *at least* 24 hours. Every cat differs and every disease condition sets the recovery speed individually. That's why Archie stayed in the hospital a few days.

Helping Diagnose and Treat the Underlying Reasons for the Dehydration Allows a Return to the Home Environment

Archie the cat suffered hyperthyroidism, hypertension, and Iris classification 3 kidney insufficiency. With treatment and intravenous fluids, his renal problems improved enough to become a Grade 2, which is stable but not normal, the hyperthyroidism is controlled with medication and the hypertension resolved over two months of medication and sorting out the other problems. Because of optimism, persistence, and financial ability, Archie continues to enjoy chasing lizards on the screened lanai porch!

Cat Dehydration Self-Quiz and Gallery

[caption id="attachment_2487" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Archie: Failed Skin Turgor Test in a Cat"][/caption] This is Archie. He is probably the most dehydrated cat Doc Truli has ever seen still living and breathing. Notice the skin folds after the turgor test? Most cats will have a few seconds delay on the folds going away, but they will smooth out. Archie's folds never smoothed out! [caption id="attachment_2488" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Sammy: Ridges of neck fur= dirty or dehydrated? Labwork showed dehydration!"][/caption] Sammy was a little sick. He was medium-dehydrated. About 4-6%. He got sick after eating spoiled cat food and after a night on intravenous fluids, he felt new again. Precious suffered from kidney disease. She was very sick by the time her family realized. Notice how she sits in the hunched position that indicates pain and discomfort in cats? Plus, if you followed the twitter feed to the mouse pain article, you'll recognize the cheek bunching and squinting that human babies, mice, and cats show when they are is discomfort or pain. With renal specific diet changes and treatment, Precious is still doing well. [caption id="attachment_2490" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Ralph: Look at how dull and sunken this cat's eyes are, compared to...."][/caption] Ralph suffered liver cancer. It hit him all of a sudden and he passed away a short time after he was hospitalized. His folks chose Pawspice care, instead of invasive liver surgery which had a very poor chance of helping him live longer anyway. Doc Truli heard he had filet mignon for his last meal. Sometimes home care is the right way to go. For more information on hospice for pets, visit VirtuaVet's pages about Pet Quality of Life. [caption id="attachment_2482" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="King: Clear, plump bright eyes and smooth soft fur = well hydrated cat. Can you just see the difference?"][/caption] King was a healthy, strong cat. You can see how bright and lively his eyes look compared to a dehydrated sick cat in pain. [caption id="attachment_2491" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Max: No brainer, right? Hydrated!"][/caption] Doc threw this picture in there to test if you are awake! Max was a fat, sassy guy. He's going to star in a cat obesity story one of these days. However, he's not "stuffed," like a stuffed toy, Max is hydrated. Notice the shiny, smooth fur that is sleek and elegant to the touch. [caption id="attachment_2484" align="alignleft" width="137" caption="VirtuaCat: How about the skin behind the elbow?"] [/caption] Okay, the final exam on cat dehydration. This is VirtuaCat just after VirtuaVet shaved him! VirtuaCat is a Seal-Point Himalayan. Notice the folds of skin behind his elbow. Do you think he is dehydrated? If you answered "no!" you are correct. What's the deal? Certain breeds of cats have different skin from other cats. Especially Hairless Cats, Himalayans, Persians, and many others. VirtuaCat's skin is softer and more flexible, with extra droopy folds behind his arms, and sagging down from his gut, even though he has never been fat! Everything is in the experience and the interpretation. If you suspect dehydration in your cat, visit your veterinarian to be sure! Final FAQ: IS dehydration painful? Yes! It's also a major cause of headaches in anyone consuming a "modern American diet."

How to Tell If a Cat Is Dehydrated

Doc Truli — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:47:58 +0000

Cat Dehydration and Drinking Problems

[caption id="attachment_2484" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Can you tell this cat is dehydrated?"][/caption] Doc Truli stood over a dehydrated, lethargic, sick-looking seal-point Siamese cat named Archie, who did not possess the willpower to meow. "I think he ate a lizard," said Archie's mom. "That's normal," said Doc Truli. "What's very concerning is the dehydration." "My cat is drinking so much, how could he possibly be dehydrated?" said Archie's mom.

Dehydration in a Cat Can be Difficult to Distinguish

In the face of evidence of dehydration most people cannot believe their cat suffers dehydration, usually because the cat drinks so much water!

4 Symptoms of Dehydration in a Cat

sunken eyes

dry, tacky gingiva that your finger sticks to when you feel your cat's gums

fur standing up in clumpy shelves of gloppy unhealthiness

glazed stare at the bathroom water spigot

"But he urinates a lot," most cat moms insist. (Perhaps at this point, the obviousness of the conclusion overwhelms people, and rampant guilt takes over.)

[caption id="attachment_2485" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can you see the skin never went back down?"][/caption] Veterinarians Use the Skin Turgor Test for Dehydration

Practice the Skin Turgor Test on Your Own Hand: Perhaps You Will Gauge How Long You Have to Live!

At a recent conference focused on aging in people and pets, the presenter told the veterinarians in the audience to do this test on their own hands. The presenter said,"The longer your skin stays tented up, the less time you have left!" Seconds later, a colleague from the front of the lecture hall said,"Oh, sh*t!" Doc Truli is happy to report the colleague is alive and well; specialists do not know everything!

Perform the Skin Turgor Test on Your Cat

[caption id="attachment_2486" align="alignleft" width="139" caption="A close up of a terrible skin turgor result!"][/caption] Now test your cat. Here's how to do a skin turgor test for dehydration on your cat:

gently pinch some skin on the back of the neck/shoulder area.
- If the skin stays up and does not go down, your cat is so severely dehydrated you have to get to a veterinarian urgently.
- If the skin takes a second or two to go down, you have to go to the vet's because of moderate to severe dehydration.
- If your cat's skin snaps back in place, you annoyed your cat with the test, fur is thick and shiny, and your cat is lively and happy, why are you reading this? Prepare a cup of organic green tea and leave your cat alone!

Moderate to Severe Dehydration Requires Hospital Care

Here's the VirtuaVet scoop on dehydrated cats who drink water like crazy: If you cat drinks a ton of water, yet still shows symptoms of dehydration, then the fluid homeostasis of the body is not functioning properly. This means the liver, or kidneys, or brain, or a disease like diabetes mellitus, is driving your cat's body to kick out too much water. This is unhealthy and unnatural, of course. "You cannot fix metabolic, neoplastic, or toxic dehydration by throwing more water at the problem!" says Doc Truli.

"Why Does My Cat Have to Stay in the Hospital?"

The next question almost every cat parent asks: "Oh, does he have to stay overnight?"

"Rehydration involves providing intravenous fluids slowly over time to rehydrate and balance your cat's internal functions. The rehydration cannot occur in just minutes or hours, because the volume of fluid required to rehydrate a cat like Archie is considerable," says Doc Truli.

Gradual Rehydration Spares Stress on the Heart

Rehydration Allows Rebalancing of all Bodily Functions

The liquid going into Archie's veins needed to re-equilibrate with the interstitium between his cells. "What?" (you might be thinking.) (Doc Truli doesn't talk like this in person, but you're reading this to learn more details.) Basically, the electrolytes -- sodium, potassium, and chloride -- proteins, tiny molecular factors, inflammatory chemicals, bodily waste products, etc swap out of the cells and on their way to excretion through the lymph and blood. The intravenous liquid going into Archie's veins stays there a few minutes. A process of swapping toxic waste by-products from inside the cells to the interstitium surrounding the cells accelerates due to the infusion of intravenous liquid. The lymph and blood circulation carries the waste and toxic substances of the body to the liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and skin, where they are excreted in many forms. The liver produces bile to excrete toxins. The kidneys filter toxins out of the blood. The spleen grabs bacteria, parasites, and damaged, old cells out of circulation and repackages them into non-toxic proteins, or walls them off for storage. The lungs breathe out toxins. The largest organ of the body -- the skin -- releases toxins through sweat and excretion onto the surface of the skin. Cellular functions improve and healing begins when intravenous fluids jump-start the complicated and natural process of healing. If someone is visibly 10% dehydrated, you can bet this swapping out, housecleaning process will take *at least* 24 hours. Every cat differs and every disease condition sets the recovery speed individually. That's why Archie stayed in the hospital a few days.

Helping Diagnose and Treat the Underlying Reasons for the Dehydration Allows a Return to the Home Environment

Cat Dehydration Self-Quiz and Gallery

maltese

Doc Truli — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:19:02 +0000

maltese dog

Doc Truli — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:20:42 +0000

maltese dog

3-Year-Old Maltese Baby Teeth Infected

Doc Truli — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:17:12 +0000

This Maltese Baby Avoided Major Infection

Sweetie, a 3-year-old happy Maltese wiggled her tail and smiled at Doc Truli. "She'll need the tartar removed from her molars," said the Doc. "Okay," said Sweetie's folks. "We know keeping the teeth healthy will add years to her life. At three, it's about time we had her teeth cleaned." "Just so you know, we always take full-mouth dental x-rays with every dental cleaning," said Doc Truli. "Oh, good! But why? She's so young, why does she need that?" "You'd be surprised..." said the Doc.

Young Dogs: Common Problems Found on Dental X-Rays

[caption id="attachment_2515" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Can you see the abnormality?"][/caption]

Problem: Retained deciduous, or "baby" teeth
- Danger: Harbor Infection, Misalign Permanent Teeth
Problem: Impacted Teeth
- Danger: Possibly Painful, Often become cysts in the bone, which are fluid-filled ever-growing pockets of fluid. Eventually the cyst eats away at the jawbone and teeth fall out and/or the jaw breaks!
Problem: Crowded Teeth
- Danger: Crowding Creates easy nooks and crannies for bacteria to fester, often causing bone support loss and loosening of permanent, important chewing teeth
Roots with no tops to the teeth
- Broken-off teeth with just the roots stuck in the bone act like a thorn in the skin: they aggravate the immune system and lead to pus and infection in the jaw. Ouch!

Can You Tell What's Wrong With This Dog's Mouth?

Neither could a veterinarian! Unless there are x-rays... Which problem do you see in the radiograph (X-ray) above? If you see a shadow of a part of a tooth up above the premolars, with one visible root, you are on the right track. What is this? Now, look at the picture of the mouth on the far left: [caption id="attachment_2516" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Maltese under anesthesia"][/caption] Nothing weird, right? Look at these pictures with the retained tooth circled on the x-ray, and the crown of that same tooth pointed out with an arrow. [caption id="attachment_2517" align="alignleft" width="132" caption="focus on baby tooth"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2518" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="arrow points to retained tooth"][/caption] Here's the scoop on this retained baby tooth in a 3-year-old Maltese dog: If a veterinarian just looked at the mouth, without the x-ray, they would probably think that there was nothing wrong in this mouth at all. Why? Because the baby tooth stayed in the mouth and the permanent tooth that is supposed to live in that spot in the mandible never grew at all. Even to a trained professional, without the x-ray, the tooth looks fine, maybe a bit small. Under anesthesia, a probe slid under the back edge of the crown of the tooth, and the gums bled easily. A normal, permanent tooth should never admit a metal probe underneath the crown. The x-ray revealed the true nature of the tooth: The premolar was a retained baby tooth masquerading as a permanent premolar. Actually, the other side of the mouth looked identical. If the probe had not caught on the edge of the crown, and if the baby tooth had two solid roots, then it could have stayed in the mouth. This tooth, and its matching twin on the other side of the mouth, found themselves in the air on a gauze pad within a few minutes!

Recovery After a Dog's Baby Teeth are Extracted

Sweetie woke up quickly after the anesthesia. She took some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers for about 3 days and she had to eat only soft food. Her mom did not prefer canned food, so she soaked Sweetie's dry food in hot water for 15 minutes until it bubbled into a mash she could eat without hurting her tooth extraction sites.

"Be certain your dog never takes prednisone with an NSAID. The combination causes bleeding stomach ulcers which can lead to deadly holes in the stomach. Let your veterinarian know if your dog is taking a steroid, like prednisone, before the dental procedure," says Doc Truli.
Examples of NSAIDs for Dogs: Do Not Mix With Steroids
(These are examples of Common NSAIDs and steroids, not a complete list. If the drug you are looking for is NOT HERE, it could still be an NSAID or a steroid, be careful and ask your veterinarian: "Is this drug and NSAID or a steroid?)

Rimadyl brand carprofen (Rimadyl is trademark of Pfizer)

Etogesic brand etodolac (Etogesic is a trademark of Fort Dodge)

Deramaxx brand deracoxib (Deramaxx is a trademark of Novartis)

Metacam brand meloxicam (Metacam is a trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim)

Previcox brand firocoxib (Previcox is a trademark of Meriel)

Zubrin brand tepoxalin (Zubrin is a trademark of Schering-Plough)

Examples of Steroids Used for Dogs

Prednisone/ Prednisolone

Dexamethasone (pills or injections)

Depo-Medrol brand methylprednisolone acetate (usually injection)

Temaril-P brand allergy tablets have prednisone in them (Temaril is a trademark of Pfizer)

Vetalog brand triamcinolone acetate (usually injection)

Again, not a full list. If the drug you are wondering about is not on here, ask your veterinarian, "What is this drug? Is it safe to give with the other medications my pet is taking?

Steps to Recovery for a Dog After Anesthesia The young Maltese was a little tired the first night and her first poops were semi-soft, which can be normal after anesthesia. She drank a cupful of water when she got home, but mom and dad did not give her more water for 30 minutes, to let stomach settle. If Sweetie ate or drank too much right when she got home, she might start vomiting and not stop for hours! Sweetie also started with a small, quiet cough that first night. In order to protect her airway from calculus and debris and liquid during the dental cleaning, the anesthetist placed endotracheal tube in her airway. Sometimes the tube can cause a little irritation. If the tube does not do its job, then aspiration pneumonia could cause a cough.

"If your dog seems too tired, will not eat, coughs a lot, especially if the cough sounds wet and crackling, get to the emergency room right away. Aspiration pneumonia kills dogs quickly," says Doc Truli.

3-Year-Old Maltese Baby Teeth Infected

virtuavet — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:07:21 +0000

This Maltese Baby Avoided Major Infection

Young Dogs: Common Problems Found on Dental X-Rays

[caption id="attachment_2515" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Can you see the abnormality?"][/caption]

Problem: Retained deciduous, or "baby" teeth
- Danger: Harbor Infection, Misalign Permanent Teeth
Problem: Impacted Teeth
- Danger: Possibly Painful, Often become cysts in the bone, which are fluid-filled ever-growing pockets of fluid. Eventually the cyst eats away at the jawbone and teeth fall out and/or the jaw breaks!
Problem: Crowded Teeth
- Danger: Crowding Creates easy nooks and crannies for bacteria to fester, often causing bone support loss and loosening of permanent, important chewing teeth
Roots with no tops to the teeth
- Broken-off teeth with just the roots stuck in the bone act like a thorn in the skin: they aggravate the immune system and lead to pus and infection in the jaw. Ouch!

Can You Tell What's Wrong With This Dog's Mouth?

Recovery After a Dog's Baby Teeth are Extracted

"Be certain your dog never takes prednisone with an NSAID. The combination causes bleeding stomach ulcers which can lead to deadly holes in the stomach. Let your veterinarian know if your dog is taking a steroid, like prednisone, before the dental procedure," says Doc Truli.
Examples of NSAIDs for Dogs: Do Not Mix With Steroids
(These are examples of Common NSAIDs and steroids, not a complete list. If the drug you are looking for is NOT HERE, it could still be an NSAID or a steroid, be careful and ask your veterinarian: "Is this drug and NSAID or a steroid?)

Rimadyl brand carprofen (Rimadyl is trademark of Pfizer)

Etogesic brand etodolac (Etogesic is a trademark of Fort Dodge)

Deramaxx brand deracoxib (Deramaxx is a trademark of Novartis)

Metacam brand meloxicam (Metacam is a trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim)

Previcox brand firocoxib (Previcox is a trademark of Meriel)

Zubrin brand tepoxalin (Zubrin is a trademark of Schering-Plough)

Examples of Steroids Used for Dogs

Prednisone/ Prednisolone

Dexamethasone (pills or injections)

Depo-Medrol brand methylprednisolone acetate (usually injection)

Temaril-P brand allergy tablets have prednisone in them (Temaril is a trademark of Pfizer)

Vetalog brand triamcinolone acetate (usually injection)

Again, not a full list. If the drug you are wondering about is not on here, ask your veterinarian, "What is this drug? Is it safe to give with the other medications my pet is taking?

"If your dog seems too tired, will not eat, coughs a lot, especially if the cough sounds wet and crackling, get to the emergency room right away. Aspiration pneumonia kills dogs quickly," says Doc Truli.

Even though Doc Truli warned that Sweetie might seem a painful for a few days, the little Maltese looked perfect the next morning! She did not cough again after noon on the next day and her tooth extraction sites fully healed in 72 hours. Read more about Retained Baby Teeth in Dogs, including Top Breeds with Retained Teeth and Frequently asked Questions, Like: What exactly is the definition of a Retained Tooth? at VirtuaVet's: Help, My Dog Has Smelly Breath! Plus, you may have noticed, VirtuaVet includes many stories about pet teeth. Healthy teeth add years, literally 2-4 years, to your pet's lifespan. Read up and start helping your pet live a long time!

black cat with green eyes

Doc Truli — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:01:29 +0000

How to Catch an UnCatchable Cat

virtuavet — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:51:56 +0000

How Did That Huge Hole Get in This Cat's Face?

Including VirtuaVet's Advice for Catching an Uncatchable Cat

Sometimes you must catch an independent or frightened cat who does not understand why he or she needs to go to the vet.

Sparky Needed to See the Veterinarian

Sparky might not be the handsomest cat in the world, and he hates staying inside all the time. His fur is brittle and dry. His body a little skinny and tough. He wanders the neighborhood and refuses to stay in the house. An unneutered male cat, he runs when anyone tries to pick him up, but otherwise, he purrs, stretches, rubs, and enjoys human companionship. Sparky risks deadly Feline Leukemia virus (FeLV) from hissing, licking, sex, or fighting with infected cats outside. He also risks Feline Immunodeficiency virus (FIV) from sex and fighting. Since he is one of a group of about 20 cats that come to the back door for plates of food each day, his humans care for him and love him, but cannot offer the preventive care and testing that a pampered house cat might enjoy. Besides, Sparky abhors the car! So when Sparky showed up with a gigantic hole in the side of his face, his people took a large comforter blanket and quickly scooped him up and put him in a cat carrier even before Sparky knew what was happening!

Tru Tips to Catch a Cat

"Half of my cat appointments each day show up late. At least one a day does not manage to make the appointment at all! Why? Because cats can be very tough to catch. Even when they are sick and need help," says Doc Truli.

Sometimes you just have to catch a cat for their own good. You might feel like a terrible person for tricking them and upsetting them. Cats often argue and resist help, even when they are very sick. Resolve to help the cat no matter how much he or she complains and resists!

Catch Your Cat for an Appointment by Shutting Extra Rooms Off the Day Before the Appointment

Most cats are not difficult to catch. The cats are not mean and they do not hate their family. The problem with catching the cat lies in the people's technique and the cat's lack of experience with being carried. If you carry and lift your cat several times a day, maybe take walks to the food bowl, then catching your cat for a physical is no big deal. Some cats hate to be lifted or touched, except on their terms. A cat that only comes to you on their own terms is difficult to catch on schedule on the day of a vet appointment! The night before the appointment, find your cat. Shut your cat into one small room. If that is impossible, then shut all the doors to other rooms. You will cut your cat-finding and cat-digging-out activities considerably! Try to keep the cat out of a room with a large bed under which to hide! (It can be difficult to get them out in the morning!) If your cat is under the bed, try getting the vacuum out and setting it as if you are going to start vacuuming. Turn it on for noise and most cats will run out from under the bed!

To Catch a Cat: Offer a favorite food and grab the cat

Be rotten. Catch 'em while they are eating! The down-side is this: if you miss, the cat will not trust you for a while, or ever. Do not attempt this technique unless you are sure it will work right the first time; you will not get a second chance.

Habituate the Cat to the Carrier

Be sly. Put the food in a carrier for a week. As your cat gets comfortable with the crate, even if you cannot actually touch your cat or lift your cat, at least Kitty will not panic so much when you finally shut the door. Again, be decisive. If you bungle the door-shutting, kitty is probably done with eating out of that carrier!

Advanced Cat-Catching Technique

The Pillow Case

Be quick. Get an old pillow case. The sturdier the fabric, the better. Bunch up the pillow case like you do a sock before you put it on your foot. Slip the case over the cat's head from above (when he's not looking, preferably with his head plastered in a food bowl.) Slide the case over the body; get those hind legs and claws in there quickly!

The Key to the Pillow Case Technique

Then *KEY* slide the cat bundle in a case into a hard-sided cat carrier. If kitty is still wrapped, you may carefully open the case and let the cat turn around and breathe fresh air. At this point, some cats are already carving their way out of the pillow case with their angry stabby claws, and you need not worry about their breathing situation; they will take care of that! Shut the carrier door before you lose the cat!

Feral Cat / Barn Cat-Catching

Dish Drainer Squish

For professional-strength cats, like a running, feral barn cat, get a plastic coated wire dish drainer. When the cat runs up a wall, quick press-smoosh the cat to the wall. You must press firmly or you will lose the cat. Slide the cat down the wall into a waiting container. Preferably use a container with air holes.

Spring-Loaded Trap

For professional-strength cats with non-agile people, as a last resort, you may catch the cat in a trap. A Have-a-Heart type trap (Brand Name: Havahart) is a wire cage with a weighted bait plate for food. (Hardware stores sell or rent them. Many Animal Control departments loan or rent traps.) When the cat goes inside and eats, a latch trips and the door behind the cat closes suddenly. You can imagine the terror and shock a feral (wild) cat feels when the door closes. Because the cat could hurt itself, or have a heart attack from fear and panic, do not ever leave a trap unattended for more than a few minutes. It is best if you watch from a house window.

"Be careful with a cat trap. To prevent injury to the cat, do not use these traps in excessively hot or inclement weather or the cat could easily die from stress and exertion." says Doc Truli.

Sparky's Cat Bite Abscess

[caption id="attachment_2552" align="alignleft" width="148" caption="That red spot is a hole with no skin over it!"][/caption] Sparky came to Doc Truli in a hard-sided carrier. Even though he lived outside all the time, he came for a bowl of canned cat food each morning. When his people saw the wound, they got the carrier right away. While Sparky was still eating, they quietly and calmly picked him up, and put him directly into the carrier they had waiting right by the food dish. He was not happy, but he was safe for transport to the animal hospital. A huge patch of skin was missing from the side of his right cheek.

"Is it a tooth root abscess?" asked his dad. "No, this is an infected, old bite wound," said Doc Truli. "Do you think an opossum bit him? Or maybe he got in a fight with a rat," asked dad. "No, cats care about other cats. An infected bite is almost always from a cat fight," said the Doc.

Cat Bite Abscess Treatment

Believe it or not, Sparky let Doc Truli clean the wound with dilute iodine antiseptic solution. Some bits of necrotic, grey, dead connective tissue peeked out from the edges of the pink, healing wound. Sparky allowed Doc to trim the grey dead stuff with sterile surgery scissors. Most cats require anesthesia for this cleaning because their fear and pain drives them to struggle to escape. Sparky just sat on the examination table and purred. A dirty, infected wound of this type cannot be surgically sealed closed without trapping infection inside the body. Plus, the skin can heal amazingly large holes (up to 2 cm across) through biological processes called contraction (pulling the edges in to the center), and re-epithelialization (re- epi - theel - ee - al - i - zay - shun). In re-epithelialization, the body sends new, thin, pink skin cells over the defect. This is not a whole new thick skin with hair follicles and all the skin structures, but the thin pink "scar" serves the purpose of closing the wound without a skin graft surgery. When Sparky comes for his 2-week recheck, Doc Truli will post the pictures. Sparky's giant hole in his face might heal without any surgery! Update October 2010: Sparky's parents did not bring him back for a recheck. But when they brought the dog in for a check-up, they let Doc Truli know that the hole healed over 100% and they felt Sparky did not need the stress of the car ride to confirm what they could see with their own eyes!

How to Catch an UnCatchable Cat

Doc Truli — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:59:09 +0000

How Did That Huge Hole Get in This Cat's Face?

Including VirtuaVet's Advice for Catching an Uncatchable Cat

Sometimes you must catch an independent or frightened cat who does not understand why he or she needs to go to the vet.

Sparky Needed to See the Veterinarian

Tru Tips to Catch a Cat

"Half of my cat appointments each day show up late. At least one a day does not manage to make the appointment at all! Why? Because cats can be very tough to catch. Even when they are sick and need help," says Doc Truli.

Sometimes you just have to catch a cat for their own good. You might feel like a terrible person for tricking them and upsetting them. Cats often argue and resist help, even when they are very sick. Resolve to help the cat no matter how much he or she complains and resists!

Catch Your Cat for an Appointment by Shutting Extra Rooms Off the Day Before the Appointment

Most cats are not difficult to catch. The cats are not mean and they do not hate their family. The problem with catching the cat lies in the people's technique and the cat's lack of experience with being carried. If you carry and life your cat several times a day. Maybe take walks to the food bowl, then catching your cat for a physical is no big deal. Some cats hate to be lifted or touched, except on their terms. A cat that only comes to you on their own terms is difficult to catch on schedule on the day of a vet appointment! The night before the appointment, find your cat. Shut your cat into one small room. If that is impossible, then shut all the doors to other rooms. You will cut your cat-finding and cat-digging-out activities considerably! Try to keep the cat out of a room with a large bed under which to hide! (It can be difficult to get them out in the morning!) If your cat is under the bed, try getting the vacuum out and setting it as if you are going to start vacuuming. Turn it on for noise and most cats will run out from under the bed!

To Catch a Cat: Offer a favorite food and grab the cat

Habituate the Cat to the Carrier

Advanced Cat-Catching Technique

The Pillow Case

The Key to the Pillow Case Technique

Feral Cat / Barn Cat-Catching

Dish Drainer Squish

Spring-Loaded Trap

"Be careful with a cat trap. To prevent injury to the cat, do not use these traps in excessively hot or inclement weather or the cat could easily die from stress and exertion." says Doc Truli.

Sparky's Cat Bite Abscess

[caption id="attachment_2552" align="alignleft" width="148" caption="That red spot is a hole with no skin over it!"][/caption] Sparky came to Doc Truli in a hard-sided carrier. Even though he lived outside all the time, he came for a bowl of canned cat food each morning. When his people saw the wound, the got the carrier right away. While Sparky was still eating, they quietly and calmly picked him up, and put him directly into the carrier they had waiting right by the food dish. He was not happy, but he was safe for transport to the animal hospital. A huge patch of skin was missing from the side of his right cheek.

"Is it a tooth root abscess?" asked his dad. "No, this is an infected, old bite wound," said Doc Truli. "Do you think an opossum bit him? Or maybe he got in a fight with a rat," asked dad. "No, cats care about other cats. An infected bite is almost always from a cat fight," said the Doc.

Cat Bite Abscess Treatment

About

JLaw — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:43:46 +0000

This is an example of a WordPress page, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many pages like this one or sub-pages as you like and manage all of your content inside of WordPress.

3/4 Boxer, 1/4 APBT Puppies!!!

virtuavet — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:49:18 +0000

Boxer and American Pit Bull Terrier - Boxer Mix Make 12 Puppies

Mom is a Purebred Boxer. Dad is the 50/50 Boxer/American Pit Bull Terrier from the neighbor's house. "We were just about to make the appointment to get her fixed!" said the human in charge of the Boxer Dog. (How many veterinarians have heard that?) So Shana, mom Boxer-Dog, had 12 puppies! Twelve! Twelve! Now, where are they going to find homes for 12 large, hungry puppies in this economy? Maybe 4. Maybe 6 will find good homes. But 12? (How many times have you seen "surrendered with litter. Too many dogs at home" on the animal shelter paperwork?) So, enjoy these photos. And take your unspayed female dog to get spayed. Tomorrow morning!

Keep Track of the Puppies at Their First 2-Week Check Up

Transfer the puppies to another well-ventilated holding container to avoid double counting the pups during their 2-week check-up. All mom dogs and their pups should have their first check up at 1-2 DAYS old, and then at 2-4 weeks, the puppies can start their routine preventative medical care. Name collars help the family and the vet keep track of who is who in a pile of 12 puppies! [caption id="attachment_2565" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Place the pups in the second ventilated container, or you will be double-counting for sure!"][/caption] These Boxer-American Pit Bull Terrier Puppies were weighed, examined, and received their first prescription-strength liquid deworming medication at this visit. The dewormer made each puppy stick out his or her tongue for the picture!

Tru Tip: How to Weigh a Puppy

When you go to weigh a neonate pup, you need a small, accurate scale, like a food scale or a postage scale. A large house scale has too much inherent variability for you to trust the readings from day-to-day. Preferably, find a scale that weighs in grams, as grams are a tiny unit of measurement. Your puppies should each gain weight every day. The first sign of illness in a pup is lack of weight gain. Place a small basket, or box on the scale. Turn the scale on. Press "zero" if you have to. This will make the scale think the basket or box is part of the tray on top of the scale. The readout should register 0.0 Place the puppy in the center of the basket and try to catch the weight when the puppy is still. Write this weight down! You will not remember the weight accurately the next day, unless you are special. [caption id="attachment_2566" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Sleeping Puppy = Easy Weigh Job"][/caption] To read a little more about what the vet checks for at the first puppy visit, See VirtuaVet's First Puppy Check -Up at 1-2 Days Old. Doc Truli is curious. What's the most puppies you've ever seen in a litter? Doc has seen 18 Golden Retrievers in 1 litter. The whole town had a "Maddy Puppy" after that! Post your answers and we'll see how ridiculous it gets! (If you have a picture of the brood of puppies, post it, or email it.) Now, here are your puppies: [caption id="attachment_2568" align="alignleft" width="116" caption="Bleh!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2569" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Sleeping Puppy"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2570" align="alignleft" width="109" caption="Pick of the Litter"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2571" align="alignleft" width="138" caption="Fffpht!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2572" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="These blue eyes will be brown in the next few days. Awe!"][/caption]

Cheap Cat Carrier Nearly Kills Cat

virtuavet — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 15:43:28 +0000

Caveat Emptor! (Buyer Beware!)

Cat and dog toys, clothing, beds, strollers, and carriers are not regulated by the government and industry "watch dogs" like baby equipment is. You assume if you buy a car seat, a stroller, a crib, or other equipment for a baby, toddler, or child, that it is safe for your child. The consumer protection safety board, better business bureau, and everybody else keeps watch over these items. If a stroller is deemed unsafe, it gets recalled. Remember the baby carrier wraps from months ago that smothered a few kids in their parent's arms because it was easy to use them the wrong way? Those hard-to-use items come from the market, and if they have harmed a child, the company is sued and held accountable for the faulty design or construction. No pet products receive the scrutiny baby and child products undergo. Be very careful when you buy one of those cute, new puppy strollers. Ever look at one? Most strollers for pets look more like doll toys than children's strollers. They wiggle and collapse like a toy stroller, too. Be very careful. The #1 reason pets pass away in airplane cargo is a faulty carrier. Sure, brachycephalic (pronounced bray-key-se-fallic), or short-nosed breeds like French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, and English Bulldogs have been shown to be at greater risk of passing away on an airline flight because they cannot exchange air and breathe as well as other dogs. But, far and away, the #1 reason a pet suffers an "adverse outcome" on an airplane is because the carrier failed. Either the door was not shut, a latch was missing, the carrier was too flimsy, or nuts and bolts were missing. Faulty carriers do not do the job they need to do and pets can die as a result.

Incomplete, Useless Zipper

Just today, Doc Truli narrowly avoided losing a cat brought in for an appointment in a hastily bought cat carrier. Out-of-breathe, cat's mom said, "She just popped right out, right there in the parking lot, I can't believe it!" On closer examination of the carrier, we all believed it! The zipper to close the top of the soft-sided style carrier was not sewn in all the way to the clasp flap. The flap was flimsy, with only one attachment in the center. Of course, the workmanship was shoddy, but most importantly, this brand-new cat carrier was not designed to hold a cat. The bag resembled a cat carrier in name alone. [caption id="attachment_2581" align="alignright" width="112" caption="See how the zipper stops short of the end of the opening?"][/caption]

A Zipper Guard is a Fabulous Thing

Doc Truli also recently attempted unsuccessfully to sedate a cat for examination. This 18 pound red tabby catcat, Chomper, is the #1 most aggressive cat Doc has ever seen in an animal hospital, other than a wild bobcat, but that's another story. Chomper growls and rattles the zippers on his designer carrier. (That carrier costs about $1,200 retail! It had gold letters "L" and "V" all over a brown background....) Chomper attacks before he even assesses the situation. Practically, the attacks meant that Doc Truli tried to open the zipper on his carrier just a bit to test if he had mellowed since the previous year's check-up. No siree! Chomper was in full form. He shot a claw-extended leg out through the tiny zipper opening and his head with teethed bared was shoving through the hole behind the paw. His aim was uncanny. Luckily, Doc has gotten good at cat avoidance over the years. A quick towel over the opening, and Chomper recoiled into the dark of the carrier cave. Now, it was clear Chomper was not undergoing any procedures this fine day. He needed to be re-ensconced into a carrier with butt-access. What does a veterinarian mean by butt-access? We mean: a good mesh window with kitty butt fur sticking out through it so we feel confident the kitty flesh is available to our needle full of sedative. Yes sir. That's how we roll. (Adam Sandler, "That's how we roll...") Doc Truli could not get Chomper's carrier re-closed. Why not? Because the $1,200 luxury carrier lacked a zipper-guard. Yes...a zipper guard. If you like your veterinarian and your cat does not like the veterinarian, buy a carrier with a one-inch strip of fabric just under the length of the zipper. Not only does the zipper guard prevent your cat's fur from becoming caught in the zipper, the guard also prevents your cat from raking anyone who tries to grasp the zipper pull. Chomper was all over that zipper pull. Finally, Doc Truli dribbled some overwhelmingly yummy cat treats into the opening from a 6 inch height. Chomper was too professional of a kitty-objector to be fooled by the treats. No way! But the momentary thought that crossed his mind, "Why is that vet bribing me with treats when she knows I abhor this whole process?" gave a split second opening to grasp the zipper pull and close the gap. Viola! Chomper returned the next week in a carrier fit for administering sedatives. The moral of the story: check the carrier you buy. Be sure it seals tight, the latches work, preferably metal, and a zipper guard lies under the top zip.

Dogs Suffer Impacted Teeth, Too!

virtuavet — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:30:37 +0000

Impacted Teeth are Not Normal As a doctor, abnormalities often mean opportunity for disease, not wellness. An impacted tooth is no exception. Impacted teeth bring disease, not health. What is an impacted tooth? You've probably heard of "impacted wisdom teeth" in humans. The furtherest-back molars on the top and bottom arcades in our mouths may not have enough space to erupt through the gumline. The teeth stay in the jawbone and often actually press on the roots of the healthy neighboring teeth causing great pain and disease. Dogs get impacted, teeth, too! Many dogs suffer impacted teeth. Oftentimes, you cannot tell if your dog has pain or any mouth problem. You may assume your dog is moody. Or aggressive. Or anxious. Perhaps your dog mouths the kids, or grabs a hand with the teeth in an agitated but not hurtful way, especially if your dog is nervous. Some dogs nibble on their people's forearms in an affectionate, ritualistic way. Some dogs refuse to chew on bones or chew toys. These dogs accumulate more tartar and suffer periodontal disease by the age of 2 or 3 years because they will not vigorously chew toys and treats like a normal dog. Sound like some-dog you know? Instead of assuming your dog is "just like that," get it checked out! How Does the Veterinarian Find Impacted Teeth? Here's the glitch that stops many people from investigating their dog's teeth: general anesthesia. That's right! To keep your pooch calm and perfectly still for the deep examination, cleaning, and the dental radiographs (x-rays), anesthesia is required. Only x-rays can find impacted teeth in your dog. "I have radiographed plenty of dogs' mouths, only to find hidden impacted teeth, extranumerary teeth, or spaces with missing teeth in which the tooth is actually still hidden under the jaw line," says Doc Truli. What does an impacted tooth look like? Well, nothing, unless you have an x-ray of the jaw. There might be a missing tooth in your dog's mouth. Or is there? The tooth might have cracked off, and the roots fester in the bone. Or there is no tooth and there never was a tooth. Or, sometimes, the tooth never erupted. So What? Good question. In some dogs, that unerupted tooth just stays put. It doesn't push on other teeth. The area of the mouth seems non-painful. Perhaps the dog is already 6 years old. So, what harm is that tooth causing? "If a dog has reached the age of 5 or 6, or even older, before an impacted, unerupted tooth is discovered, and the dental radiographs show no abnormalities like loss of the jawbone integrity, probably the best course of action is to leave that tooth alone and check with radiographs in 3-12 months (the timing depending on periodontal needs for a recheck based on the other teeth in the mouth)," says Doc Truli. Some impacted teeth form a cyst around themselves. The cyst is thought to originate from renegade cells that should form a normal tooth sulcus (pocket) and should have helped that tooth erupt in the first place. The signals get confused and disorganized, and the tooth stays put in the jaw. Then those defective, confused sulcus lining cells create even more trouble. Dentigerous Cysts = Big Trouble! If the impacted tooth starts to show a black circular-type space on the radiographs, like a black halo of no-bone around the tooth, bog trouble has already begun! Left unidentified, and untreated, a cyst can eat away at the jawbone. Nothing stops it. The teeth over the area will fall out. Then the cyst can get so large, that no normal jawbone is left to hold together. Eventually, the jaw breaks, and your dog is in bog trouble. The weak, broken bone has no bony substance for metal plating or wiring to hold it together. An impacted tooth can cause a nightmare! What Can be Done About an Impacted Dog Tooth? If the tooth can be removed, especially if a cyst is already clear, then removal of the impacted tooth, curetting (technically, in doctor-land, fancy scraping) to remove the diseased crazy cyst lining cells can stop the problem. Authorize your veterinarian to send a sample of the cyst lining for biopsy. The biopsy identifies which cells caused the trouble and guide further treatment. Many dogs need reconstruction of the area with bone matrix-encouraging products or other advanced procedures. Done right, the jawbone can fill in with new bone and become strong again. Some impacted teeth can be surgically removed by your family veterinarian, especially if they already have dental radiology ability. Some of the impacted teeth, like impacted mandibular (lower) canine (fang) teeth in a Yorkie or Chihuahua can require advanced dentistry expertise. Your veterinarian will refer your dog for dentistry with a board-certified, or, depending on availability in your area, a board-eligible veterinary dentist. If you are lucky, your veterinarian may be skilled in advanced dental procedures, like Doc Truli, and you pet can have the problem taken care of all in the same day as the diagnosis and dental cleaning. "I've seen impacted canines in a Yorkie that comprise 75% of the structural integrity of the dogs' whole lower jawbone. One of the dogs was already 6 years old, and no cyst was evident. After a stat consultation with a board-certified dental specialist, we decided extracting those teeth would risk more harm than leaving them in place to serve as a scaffold for the strength of the jawbone," says Doc Truli. Bottom Line: Keep Your Dog on a Comprehensive Dental Health Protocol

ask for specific dental examinations when your dog is a puppy
be sure to get a 5-6 month dental check-up for retained baby teeth
authorize a dental cleaning and diagnosis with radiographs every year under anesthesia from the time your dog is 2-3 years old and every year afterwards
get a baseline of x-rays at the first anesthetic tooth cleaning
- specifically ask your vet if dental x-rays are performed every time for every dental assessment under anesthesia
- if yes, your technicians and veterinarian will be accurate quick, and familiar with the x-rays
- if no, find a hospital that does the work comprehensively, at the very least, for the first baseline
- This advice runs opposite to the advice of most veterinarians. Doc Truli feels that early years, when the tartar is light or non-existent, are the years best spent investing in your dog's oral care.

Find problems in the first 1-3 years, and your dog will live 2-4 years longer, and old-age diseases like arthritis will onset 2-4 years later than other dogs in your demographic, just because of the comprehensive dental care! Read more about Retained Baby Teeth in Dogs: Help! My Puppy's Breath Smells Bad!

Clumping Cat Litter Can Kill a Dog

virtuavet — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:54:41 +0000

Fact: Dogs Love to Eat Cat Feces

Dogs love eating cat feces like beer and pizza go together on football Sundays. There is nothing wrong with your dog is he or she imbibes in the feces snack. Feces-eating is a culturally normal canine activity. VirtuaVet does not condone dogs' feces eating past time. It is disgusting, bad-smelling, possibly full of parasites, and generally makes dog kisses smell awful. Plus, if your cat likes the clay or clumping litter, your dog's nostril linings can become clogged with a light crusted coating of kitty litter: Looks kind of like peanut bits on top of a chocolate coated ice cream bar. Only not.

Chihuahua welcomes Doc Truli home,"Hi mommy! Kiss me! Guess what I did today?" "Why, my darling pookums Chihuahua, you ate cat crap today." "However did you know?" "You have kitty litter jammed up inside your nostrils, that's how. Plus, anyway, I know you, you're smaller than the cat, so I can't keep you out of the litter pan." "Oh, mommy, you're so smart! But somehow you still have a smelly, disgusting cat-poop-eater sleeping next to your pillow every night." "*Sigh*," says Doc Truli. Chihuahua - 1. Human - 0.

Bassett Hound Takes the Cat Poop Eating Too Far

An ultrasonographer and a veterinarian with 45 years experience bet Doc Truli that it is not possible for a dog to die from clumping cat litter. While Doc did not see the dog die, the surgery to save the greedy Bassett Hound's life was invasive and extensive. If you've lived with a dog and a cat for more than one week, you probably figured out by now that dogs love to eat cat crap. I mean dookie. I mean feces. Bowel movements, turds, sh*t, you-know-what-I-mean. Dogs believe cat feces snacks will make everything better. It seems like a religious, cultural endeavor for the dog to seek out the cat crap and eat it lustily. Kitty logs from the garden under the shrubs, from the cat litter pan, and sometimes, unfortunately, the dog gets carried away! In the pet emergency room one fateful Friday evening:

"Doc, Fred ate clumping cat litter about 3 days ago, and we have not seen him eat or poop since," said the Bassett Hound's parents. A 4-year-old male neutered 65 pound red and white Bassett Hound stood quietly and moped behind the chair leg in the emergency examination room. Thinking someone could not possibly eat enough cat litter to create a blockage, Doc Truli asked for more information. "Any vomiting, strange food, food changes, history of problems, travel outside the area, new treats, missing toys or toy parts," asked the Doc. You know, typical questions to narrow down the search for the problem. "Just the litter. He ate a lot of it," said dad. "Let's see what x-rays show, and we'll go from there," said Doc Truli. (I wish I had this x-ray to show you, but this happened years ago, before I carried a camera everywhere with me.)

Imagine this: dog x-ray. Head facing left, tail facing right. Big, tubular white thing through the center of the abdomen. Sort of facing from mouth to anus. Big white thing = clumping cat litter hardened to the consistency of cement. Lots and lots of it. How shocking! How disgusting! Doc Truli could not imagine the motivation it took for this dog to eat that much dry, disgusting cat litter. Must've been some amazing cat poo in there!

Massive Surgery Needed to Remove the Cat Litter Blockage

The only surgery Doc Truli has performed in which more sand-filled impacted intestine was removed was a horse at New Bolton Center that needed surgery to remove a sand impaction. (Horses grazing on inadequate or low-quality forage often ingest too much sand, which accumulates in their system and impacts them horribly.) This Bassett Hound's intestine was second fiddle only to a horse's intestine in size and hardness! The kitty litter travelled to Fred's mid-range area, in the extensive curls and folds of the jejunum. Normally, the jejunum is about 17 feet long and absorbs nutrients as part of the digestive process. Instead, Fred has 2 solid feet and about 5-6 inches across of tubes of hard sand. The clumping quality made the litter dry out the walls of the intestine and they stuck firmly to the litter. There was no way to remove the sand from the intestines. Instead, the intestines had to be removed from Fred. Several feet of intestines. Luckily, a dog, or a person, can survive without many feet of the jejunum. Once resected, the healthy ends of the intestine were matched together and Fred needed to spend about 2 weeks healing from his misadventure. So, an ultrasound technician and a veterinarian owe Doc Truli a bet! Bottom Line: do not allow your dog access to kitty litter! Next Time on VirtuaVet: Tips to Keep the Dog Out of the Cat Litter!

How to Prevent a Dog From Getting to the Cat Litter

virtuavet — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:00:07 +0000

How do you keep the dog out of the cat litter?

We know how much dogs love kitty *snacks* (cat poo).

Creep Access to Prevent Your Dog From Eating Cat Poo

For medium to large dogs, the solution is a creep access. You basically place the cat pan somewhere like a ventilated closet, laundry room, lanai, small room, and set the door open just far enough for the cat's head to pass through, but too small for the dog. A chain across the opening that you can remove when you wish to enter the room will suffice. Or a cat door in the bottom of a door or wall that is just bg enough for the cat to get its head through, but too small for the dog, will work, too.

Creep Access comes from Creep feeding. On farms, like sheep farms, the ewes like the extra nutritious lamb food and they will greedily et up all the expensive special food that is intended for their babies. To prevent this gluttony, pens are built around the lamb food with narrow openings for the lambs to slip in the pen and eat, leaving their greedy moms behind. The lambs can come and go as they please. This system is called Creep Feeding and inspired Doc Truli to try Creep Access for the cat litter pan.

Special Challenge: Keeping a Tiny Dog Out of the Cat Litter Pan (and Poo)

The challenge comes when your dog is the same size, or smaller than the cat. Like a stinkin' greedy, sneaky, adorable Chihuahua. Your little jacket-wearing, stroller riding, arm hitching darlin' loves cat poo as much as the neighbor's gawky Labradoodle. You are in trouble, my friend. Doc Truli established a creep situation in an unused closet, with a chain across the opening at human eye level. The pit bull could not access the pan and seemed bored after a few attempts to test the door. The Chihuahua, however, relished the sanctity and privacy of the dark, quiet litter pan. Because of a messy grey-long haired diva-cat named Mitsy, the cat litter was contained in an 8-inch deep litter pan with the enclosed, ventilated hood on the top. The opening was a good 6-7 inches off of the ground. Chiwa stood about 12 inches at the shoulder.

Many a day, Doc Truli returned home, only to see a tiny black and white tail sticking out of the cat litter closet. "Wa! No, yucky," said Doc Truli.

Chihuahua's response? The tail started bobbing up and down ferociously. When Doc opened the closet door all the way, Wa was wedged with her belly see-sawing over the brim of the pan, her hind feet kicking in the air in order to push her nose deeper into the cat litter. The more Doc chided, the faster she kicked, until she was lifted out of the pan and carried to the bathroom sink for a much-needed bath! Ewww!

Litter Box Table to Restrict Dogs' Access to the Cat Litter Pan

The solution Doc later discovered was a specially-made table. The special table enclosed the cat pan. Now, if you do a Google search for litter box furniture, most of the furniture is nice, but the cat access hole is on the front or back or side of the box, making dog ingress just as likely as cat egress. You need the hole to be up off the floor, where the dogs will have a tough time getting to the litter. (If your dog does jump up, and then down into the pan, he or she will probably get stuck. How embarrassing!) The table Doc Truli used was even better than a potty-hole on top of a table. It had sides that went up about 2/3 of the way to the table-top, then the table had about 8-12 inches of space underneath the smooth, flat tabletop. The open space allows cat access, prevents dog access, and provides the best air ventilation Doc Truli has seen in cat litter box furniture. Cats can jump up and glide through that space. A dog, however, is rarely even remotely as agile as a cat. So that table stopped Chiwa short in her dirty-habit tracks! As Mitsy got older and arthritic, we switched back to a pan that was easier to get in and out of, with a low lip so she did not have to climb over to get to her relief. WaWa left that pan alone. Maybe she sensed mommy could only handle one problem at a time! National chain pet stores now sell a Rubbermaid brand (or knock-off) plastic bin with a cover with a hole in the top for the cat to jump on and then go down into the pan. This bin has poor air circulation and quality for the cat. A bigger enclosure, with an opening at jumping-height for a cat, but not a small dog, would work. An internet search in 2010 (the table was a 1990 model) revealed no tables like the one that cured Chihuahua of her poop-snacking habit. You could make one, or commission one from a handy craftsman or neighbor; it is easy with the right tools and experience!

Cat Litter Box Furniture Resources that Might Work for You

Doc Truli does not endorse or have any agreements with these cat pan businesses. They offer litter box furniture that could possibly keep dogs out of the pan! This first furniture would work. Doc Likes the 2-story furniture with an access shelf. Dogs will not get in that one! Cat Litter Box Furniture with Jump-Shelf Access or Access Door 1/2 Way Up the Side Cat Pan Furniture with Hole in TableTop Cat Pan Furniture with High Door and Play or Book Shelves Dog Play Website has a list of more ideas for obstructing dog access to the cat pan. (Again, these links are provided to speed your research. Doc Truli looked at the pretty pictures and thought you might agree. Otherwise, VirtuaVet.com and Doc Truli have no affiliation with these websites whatsoever!)

VirtuaVet Year in Review

virtuavet — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 04:01:49 +0000

VirtuaVet Year in Review

VirtuaVet Provides Original, Inspirational Pet Medical Stories

On September 19, 2009, VirtuaVet went online with original, informative, and most importantly, inspirational pet medical stories. Doc Truli shares original, inspirational, educational stories about real pets she treats in her animal hospital. Usually Doc approaches the stories from a philosophical, ethical, and informative point of view. Guided through these stories by a veterinarian who is in touch with your worries and concerns makes the medical *thing* work better for you and your pet!

"Every day, either a client or a hospital team member says, 'I never knew that!' or, 'I never thought of it that way!' Knowledge should be shared with as many people as possible. If I can help animals and give people the confidence and inspiration they need to care for their loved ones and hope for the best in all situations, then I am a happy doctor!" says Doc Truli on the eve of VirtuaVet's first anniversary.

Over 3,000 People a Week Find Inspiration at VirtuaVet!

The Top Seven Countries Visiting VirtuaVet Are:

United States Canada Germany Spain France Russia Australia

Quirky VirtuaVet Facts

Google Translator turned VirtuaVet into Turkish, and Czechoslovakian. (That looked interesting. The translator didn't know what to do with the word "meow!") One person this past year Accessed VirtuaVet from a Nintendo Wii Browser! One puppy found a home because of VirtuaVet. Yay! Several elderly pets successfully underwent oral surgery after their parents gained confidence by reading VirtuaVet's dental stories!

Search Terms That Make Doc Truli Wonder

(Cut and pasted right out of WordPress Stats, I swear these are all real! If it's you, feel free to comment and explain!)

goldendoodle mixed with a german
- Uh, "Shepherd?"
puppies in wheelchairs
- Doc Truli did meet Two Chihuahua sisters born with no front legs. The family carries them.
my whippet mix was mistaken for a pit!
- Really!!??
how to tell your cat to trust you
- Jungle Book did it, "Trust in me. Trust in me." You need the hypnotic eyes, though. I think Disney patented them!
cat lost voice now has breathing problem
- And you're on the internet?
kitty burrito for feeding
- Okay, I know what they mean. But it reads in an upsetting way!
therrier and pog
- Subsidiary of Abercrombie and Fitch

The Top Ten Posts for VirtuaVet's First Year Are:

How to Tell If Your Cat is in Pain 8-Week Old Lab Puppy Fights Pneumonia When a Fat Bump Goes Bad If Your Dog Sits Funny, Get a Knee Check Up 6-Year Old Maltese Needs 12 Teeth Removed 1-Year Old Chihuahuas Eye Pops Out Red Cat Belly Rash First Puppy Visit 1-2 Days Old Help! My Dog's Breath Smells Bad Sheltie Mix Anterior Lens Luxation

The Top Ten Pictures People Clicked On Are:

[caption id="attachment_1297" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Note the hunched back and head down to the floor with paws gathered up under the body."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1298" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Holly shows us abdominal pain by sitting up on her paws, back arched, nose to floor."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2016" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can You Count the Puppies?"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1941" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="This abnormal sitting position indicates a knee injury."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2096" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Tibetan Terrier Bump"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1296" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Does this cat look like she's in pain?"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1169" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can you see the APBT?"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1626" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Notice the abnormally extended and malpositioned hind legs."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1926" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Hot Spot Dermatitis Below Ear and on Neck"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2634" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="1-day old bug puppies"][/caption]

10 Quik Subtle Cat Pain Signals

virtuavet — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:53:19 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3108" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="If you come any closer, I'll run....."][/caption] This Week On VirtuaVet: Helping Cats in Pain

VirtuaVet Presents a Weeklong Quik Series Devoted to Helping Cats in Pain

10 Quik Signs of Subtle Ordinary Cat Pain

Drooling (stomach pain, mouth pain)
Taking longer to aim a jump (back, hip)
Jumping and missing (back pain)
Squinting. No, cats don't squint to see better!
Hesitating to touch paw down (shoulder or paw pain)
Licking fur until it's bald on sides (kidney stones)
Holding one ear down (earache)
Blinking and tearing (eye pain)
Not eating (fever, aches and pains)
Meowing in the litter box (bladder or urinary tract pain)

Read more about cats in pain at VirtuaVet's How to Tell If Your Cat is in Pain

VirtuaVet Interactive

Does your cat have a possible symptom that worries you? Leave a comment for Doc Truli and she'll get back to you!

virtuavet — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:40:04 +0000

Dog's been sick for a week, but it's an emergency now! That's code for, I dont want to spend money and I was hoping it would go away!

10 Ways to Get Painkillers Into a Cat

virtuavet — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:17:58 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3105" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="grey and white long haired cat"][/caption] Help! My Cat Refuses to Take Medicine!

VirtuaVet Offers 10 Quik Tricks to Give Cats Medicine

Pill Pockets

Piller

Pencil With Eraser Tip, sticky butter, dexterous fingers

Compounded Liquid Formulation with Eyedropper

Compounded Flavor Chewies

Crush medicine and mix with tuna juice, give via eyedropper (ask veterinarian or pharmacist if crushing is okay for that medication)

Transmucosal

Transdermal compounded

Gelatin Capsules

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Strips

How to Hold a Cat Still Enough to Give Liquid or Pill Medications

Ready, Aim, Blanket!

Zygomatic Arches=Kitty "Handles"

[caption id="attachment_1649" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Note the hand gently wrapped over the head, and note the syringe angled up and slightly back and midway along the jaw."][/caption] With kitty tucked under your left elbow and forearm on your lap or a sturdy tabletop, grasp your cat's head by placing your left hand (your right hand if you are left-handed), up over the back of kitty's head behind or just over the ears. Your thumb should be resting on your cat's cheekbone (zygomatic arch) on the inside toward your body and your fingers should ne resting on the cat cheekbone facing away from your body. If you have cheekbone control, you have head control.

"If you have cheekbone control, you have head control," says Doc Truli.

Approach from the Side

Lift preloaded syringe of medicine, dropper, piller, or pencil to kitty's left side of the mouth. Approach from underneath and the side. Do not approach straight on from the front! The sight of your hand and the syringe coming straight in from the front frightens most cats and triggers them to bring a paw up to bat you away. Do this with your dominant hand, as the most dexterity is needed to guide the syringe and slowly push the plunger to feed your kitty without frightening him or her. You can gently turn your cat's head a little left, right, up, and down, to match the trajectory of your "loaded hand."

Wiggle the Syringe Tip Against the Lips and Teeth 1/2-Way from Front to Back

Come from the side, and slightly underneath the side of the mouth. In between the sharp canine (eye) teeth and the back of the mouth, the premolars are small and short. Nudge the tip of the feeding syringe into the space between the front and back and between the jaws. Wiggle the syringe up and down and/or give a slight quarter turn at the midway place. This movement on the midway spot causes the jaw to open.

Slowly Inject Tiny Amounts of Medicine Upward to the Roof and Slightly to the Back of the Mouth

Slowly inject the medicine into the center of the mouth. Aiming at about a 15 degree angle for the roof of the mouth also promotes swallowing and helps prevent choking on the food. Aim behind the hump of the tongue, about 2/3 of the way back in the mouth. If you but liquid or a pill on the front of the tongue, your cat will spit that medication out before you have your hand down.

Gently Hold the Mouth Closed

Keep your cat's head at a 20-30 degree upward angle to prevent spitting and hold the jaw gently closed. It must stay just loose enough for the cat to stick out his or her tongue upon swallowing. When you see that tongue, and if you also see the throat move like a swallow, you are safe to give the water chaser.

"A water chaser is just my way of saying, nobody wants to dry swallow anything, do they? So give your cat some water to wash the medicine down," says Doc Truli.

Common Cat Painkillers and Best Ways to Give Them

Meloxicam

Meloxicam comes from the manufacturer (in the US) in a honey-flavored liquid. Cats cannot taste the flavor sweet. Cats do not have sweet taste buds. They still seem to like the meloxicam as it comes from the manufacturer. Just use the dropper and administer. Meloxicam can also be put in food.

The trick to putting meds in the cat's food

You must give a hungry cat a spoonful of food with the meds hidden well. No sight, or smell of the food. The small amount of food is to confirm your cat eats the meds and to tap into the greed of a hungry cat.

"We put medication in a small amount of a hungry cat's food, hoping the cat does not chew or taste. Some cats will snarf the glob of food and never notice the medication. You are lucky if your cat is this piggy!" says the Doc.

Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine tastes bitter. You can squirt it into the cheek pouch. Your cat will probably drool, squint, glare at you, shake his or her head, and run off to sulk. This medicine is such a powerful, awesome painkiller for cats, it is worth it!

Caution: Never Give Human Over-the-Counter (OTC) medicines to a cat. Most of them kill your cat; all of them make your cat sick. Tylenol, especially, will kill your cat. Never. Never. Never.

You probably already knew that, but just to make sure: do not do it! Only follow your veterinarian's advice for cat painkillers! See also: VirtuaVet's Professional Tips to Give Painkillers to a Cat

Professional Tricks to Give Your Cat Medication

virtuavet — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:43:04 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3102" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Nom nom nom"][/caption] How to Give a Cat a Pill, and Other Meds like Liquids

Pill Pockets

Pill Pockets are a brand of treat designed with a hole in the center of a soft, yummy chewie treat. You place the pill in the center and pinch the treat "shut." Greenies Brand makes two flavors for cats: salmon and chicken. These Pill Pockets are incredibly, overwhelmingly tasty to most cats.

"My cat, Mitsy learned to spit out her thyroid medication. I almost gave up medicating her until we found pill pockets. No expense of custom compounding, and she thinks it's a treat!" says Doc Truli.

Possible down-side to Pill Pockets: if your cat has food allergies (they have a new one for that!), digestive issues, or pancreatitis, your veterinarian can advise you whether pill pockets will be safe for your cat.

Piller

Another tip for pilling a cat is apiller. A piller is a pencil-shaped tool with a soft, hollow rubber tip to place the pill inside, and a plastic plunger to push it out once the piller is positioned after the back 2/3 of your cat's tongue. Remember to follow any pill you give your cat with a dropper of water to help her or him swallow and to prevent a pill from sitting in the esophagus and eroding a hole in the wall. If your fingers are unable to deliver a pill, the piller may improve your chances!

"The piller helps the nurses avoid the teeth! Some cats will chomp on your fingers if you're not careful. Or sometimes, we just can't get the pill far enough back in the mouth. A piller is quick and easy," says the Doc.

Possible down-side to a Piller: be careful not to place the pill directly into the center of the back of the throat. You could shove that pill right into the trachea! This is the same danger as you have with normal pilling. To learn how to hold a cat for meds and how to direct the meds into the mouth, see VirtuaVet's Cat Holding Advice.

Pencil Trick

Here's an oldie, but a goodie, especially if you don't have a Piller.

Take a pencil with the eraser tip intact (or a pen, but the wooden pencil is easier and lighter to handle the balance of it.
Apply a small bit of butter, honey, or cream cheese to the eraser.
Stick the pill to the dollop of gooey food to help hold the pill to the pencil.
Hold your cat's head as shown and insert the pencil from the side.
Angle 15 degrees toward the back roof of the mouth and behind the hump of the tongue, about 2/3 of the way back.
Push the pill toward the side and back of the throat.
Lightly close the cat's mouth when you are done and massage the neck to encourage swallowing.
Do not crack the mouth shut; cats will stick their tongue out just as they swallow. If you shut the mouth tightly, they have a harder time, and you can't see the tongue movement to confirm swallowing. Follow with water!

Veterinary Compounding: Liquid Formulation with Eyedropper, Compounded Flavor Chewies, Transdermal

Compounding means taking the raw pharmaceutical ingredients and building the treatment for an individual patient. For cats, who often cannot take regular manufactured sizes or forms of medication, compounding is a blessing! Read more about pros and cons of compounding on VirtuaVet tomorrow! You must call your veterinarian about writing a compounding prescription.

Crush medicine and mix with tuna juice, give via eyedropper

Many medications for cats can be crushed or powdered, or capsules could be opened at home. Your veterinarian technically should not do this for you, as it is the practice of compounding without a license to guide the results. But you may alter medication at home without violating any laws. Your veterinarian can advise you if you cannot split or crush certain medications. Powder the med. Mix with cream cheese, tuna juice from the cat, pureed favorite meat, pate, butter, whatever your cat finds yummy. If you mix with liquid, use an eyedropper or oral dosing syringe to administer the medication orally. If you use a creamy, pasty food, then smear the mix on the roof of your cat's mouth (if your cat is docile and swallowing well), or smear the paste on e front paw. Cats hate mess and usually lick the paste off! Do not dollop. Your cat will shake the paw and you will have a glop of medicine on the wall!

Transmucosal

Certain medications have been proven efficacious when administered transmucosally. The mucosa means the lining of the oral cavity, or mouth. A painkiller such asbuprenorphine hydrochloride (buprenex brand in the US), will absorb through the mucous membrane lining of the mouth. It works that way! It does not work so well when swallowed. If your veterinarian carries or prescribes buprenorphine, it is a powerful mixed opioid painkiller that helps many cats in pain!

Gelatin Capsules and Melt-in-Your-Mouth Strips are Brand New Delivery Systems Being Tested for Cats

Gelatin Capsules are squishy and easy to stick in a cat's cheek pouch. The melt-strips are omega-3 fish oil thin strips, like the breath strips that have become popular in the past few years. Recently published research shows cats and their people like taking the gelatin capsules and the thin strips. They haven't studied flavors, which may make the cats like them even more, or actual medication in the delivery capsule or strip, which may make the cats like them less, but the early research is encouraging! You may have the option of rolling a little thin strip and tucking it into your cat's cheek pouch, instead of pushing a pill down the ol' gullet! Some compounding pharmacies have come up with custom melt-in-cats-mouth little gel tablets. Ask your veterinarian for options until you are satisfied you can humanely medicate your cat!

Limping 10-Month Old Doberman-Shepherd Puppy

virtuavet — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:57:32 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3099" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Shepherd Puppy, temporarily happy because he saw a treat!"][/caption] Puppy in Pain

Karl doubted he was in the right place. The 10-month-old black and tan mostly Doberman Pinscher-German Shepherd puppy sat on the ceramic tile floor and turned his nose to the side. He did not want to look Doc Truli in the eye. Karl was a strong, sleek, beautiful puppy. Except for his right front leg. From across the veterinary examination room, Doc Truli could see Karl's right front leg did not touch the floor. The puppy sat with his right leg crooked and flinched in pain if anyone reached toward the foot. "Doc, he's been limping for a few days now. We thought he injured his leg, but wouldn't it be getting better after a few days?" said Karl's person. "He should feel better if a sprain or injury caused the limp. Karl's in severe pain, and I think I know why," said Doc Truli. After checking Karl's paw, including pressing on the toes to determine a splinter or stinger wasn't stuck in his pads, Doc felt up Karl's leg. He didn't show any specific pain on first examination. The second time Doc felt his foreleg, he yelped and pulled away. We let Karl walk up and down the hallway. He barely put weight on the right leg. Nothing seemed broken, nothing was out-of-place, no wounds or injuries showed. Something was hurting this puppy. "Let's take some x-rays." said Doc Truli. [caption id="attachment_2706" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can you see a white area in the middle of the top bone?"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2707" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="There's another lesion hidden here, too!"][/caption]

Major Reasons a Large Breed Puppy Will Suddenly Become Lame for No Reason

OCD, HOD, and panosteitis What? Osteochondritis dissecans, OCD, is a condition in which the cartilage (chondro-) lining the bones (osteo) becomes irregular and flaps or chunks of the cartilage fracture off the bone or form moving, painful flaps. OCD looks like gauges out of the peri-articular cartilage (by the joints). The propensity for OCD is inherited. These are surgical or arthroscopic procedures to help, but there is no cure at this time. Hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD) is also an inherited condition in which the growth plates do not form properly. They look wavy and "doubled" on an x-ray. There are no treatments or cures. HOD is so painful and debilitating, puppies are often humanely euthanized and not live with the pain. Panosteitis was Karl's problem. "Pan" means "all" and "osteo" means bone, then "itis" means inflammation. So all-bone-inflammation. Basically, panosteitis is inflammation of the marrow of the long bones (radius, humerus, ulna, femur, tibia, usually). Panosteitis affects large breed dogs. It is sort-of like growing pains in very tall humans. The good news: puppies grow out of panosteitis by 1 to 1 1/2 years old. The bad news: it hurts like crazy until then! Most puppies with panosteitis will actually stop eating because they are experiencing so much pain. Karl had lost 5 pounds and was skinny. He couldn't afford to lose any more weight. Check these x-rays and you'll see what the panosteitis looks like! [caption id="attachment_2708" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The white fuzzy area is abnormal"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2709" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="See the white area in the center of the bone? Inflammation!"][/caption]

Pain Control for Panosteitis Puppies

Prednisone. That's all Western medicine has. Steroids. Karl felt better, still limped, but gained weight and ate well on his prednisone. Possibly, if research into alternative medicine advances, homeopathy, herbal remedies, acupuncture, and Class IV therapeutic laser could help. At this time, these modalities have not been studies in panosteitis. A further note for vets reading this, or nerds, or perhaps you are fortunate to be both: are you thinking fungal? Karl lives in an area of the US with little environmental fungal pathogens. You would not be wondering wrongly, though, depending on the area in which you live.

Afraid of Anesthesia? Older Pet? Read On!

virtuavet — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:48:57 +0000

Do I Have to Take Care of My Old Cat/Dog's Teeth?

Why? why why why why why. Everyone asks the Doc, "He's so old, he's been living with it that way, he eats just fine. I'm afraid of the anesthesia. Isn't she too old for anesthesia? What good will it do to put my pet under anesthesia for tooth cleaning?" Let's unravel the logic this way:

How to Make a Dog Tail Cover

virtuavet — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 02:24:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3096" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Happy, energetic working dog"][/caption] Dog Tail Bleeding is Difficult to Stop

If you don't have this problem, you probably will not get how important this advice is for some poor dog out there in the world! [caption id="attachment_2722" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The bald area has bumps and cracks that bleed when the wagging tail hits walls and the sides of the sleeping kennel."][/caption] Some dogs wag their fool tails so hard, they crack the skin open near or at the tip, and the tail bleeds like crazy all over the house and just never seems to stop (because they keep on wagging!) Some dog kennel managers call it "Pointer tail" because so many Pointers do this. Other dogs with skinny, whippy tails do it, too. Greyhounds, Dalmatians, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, and even some furry breeds, like Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd dogs (especially if they are excited, high energy working dogs wagging and spinning in the squad car all day!) Once the sore opens up on the tail, it can be incredibly difficult to heal. Some dogs require tail amputation just to cure the bleeding and prevent recurrence of the problem. Successfully bandaging the tail can mean the difference between surgery or no surgery.

Bandaging a Dog Tail Tip is Incredibly Tricky

You can't just put an adhesive bandage on a dog tail and have it stick. Actually, you rarely can stick a bandage on a cat or dog at all. The fur gets in the way, the skin oils repel the stickification, and the patient can tear the bandage off with his or her teeth. Hmmm... However, done right, the tail can be bandaged for weeks until the sores heal.

Dog Tail Bandage Supplies Needed

Sports tape, or medical tape
roll cotton thinly split or 1 inch stretch gauze
plastic firm cover, not hard plastic - match to size of tail diameter
- I use a plastic 6-12-or 20 cc recycled syringe case cover
- sometimes a pill bottle will work
dremel drill with sanding bit, or file, and cutting implement like plant snippers or poultry scissors
hair clippers (shaver)

Make the Tail Cover

Key to the process of making a tail protector is the plastic cover. It needs to be lightweight, just big enough to cover the affected tip of the tail, wide enough in diameter to slip over the tail, but not pinch or contact the skin. It needs ventilation. If the plastic tube-shaped thing you've found has a closed end, use the snippers or scissors to open up the end. Then use the dremel or a file to smooth the edges. [caption id="attachment_2720" align="alignleft" width="90" caption="Dremel tools work great to smooth the edges! If you bought the knock-off nail filer from TV, that might handle it!"][/caption]

Prepare the Tail

If you have any doubts, consult your veterinarian about whether your dog needs stitches or whether there's an infection. Tail infections can remain hidden under the damaged skin and dissect along the connective tissue up the tail. "I once treated a Golden Retriever for a tail the groomer caught in the door when they visited the dog's house. The dog's mom thought it looked fine. Three days later, the hidden infection travelled all the way up to the lumbar spine. Maggie needed massive tail amputation surgery and lost some feeling in her nether-regions after that!" says Doc Truli. If you do not see any lesions, but your dog is hitting the tail on a crate, wall, or car seat too much, inspect the tail.

Shave the fur away from any bleeding or open spots.
Clean any wounds with dilute iodine solution, hydrogen peroxide, or dilute chlorhexidine solution (follow the package instructions for whatever brand you have; they are not all the same.)
It is generally safe to use over the counter polysporin antibiotic ointments on dogs. You can apply a dab after shaving and before bandaging.

Applying the Dog Tail Bandage

Preparation and applying the bandage in the right situation are the keys. Once you have that figured out, there are some major tips to a successful tail bandage. [caption id="attachment_2723" align="alignleft" width="89" caption="This was a long wound, so the bandage is twice as long as most dogs need"][/caption] First, respect a bandage! You can tourniquet the tail with a tight bandage. You can actually cut off the venous return for the blood supply and screw up the bandage and cause your dog's tail to become infected with an improper bandage. Apply the bandage layers neatly and comfortably. Feel how loose the bandage is, and do not apply tighter than you would want it on a human. Second, put a stirrup strip on the tail! You read that right. That's what it's called. You place a strip of the 1/2 inch, 4-6 inch long sports tape (for a large tail) along the tail for about 2-3 inches, leave 2-3 inches hanging off the end of the tail. Do not cover any wounds with the tape. Make the tape skinnier by ripping lengthwise if you have to to get the size to fit the tail. You are going to twist that tape end so it comes back up over the in-palace bandage at the end of the process! "You can attach a wooden tongue depressor or a small, light, removable something-or-other to the underside of the dangling tape to keep it from sticking to everything while you work on the rest of the bandage," says Doc Truli. Place about 1/4 inch roll cotton, or roll 2 layers of the roll stretch gauze over the area for padding on the tail. Slip the plastic cover over the bandaged area. Twist the stirrup piece from underneath and stick it to the plastic cover, lengthwise. This stirrup keeps the bandage and the cover from sliding off the end of the tail when your dog wags. Finally, gently apply the medical tape in smooth layers around the base of the plastic cover. Be sure to cover about 1 inch of the tail skin above the cover for stickiness. Ideally, wrap the tape layers with 50% coverage to create a smooth surface as you wind the tape around the plastic. Do not glop on extra layers of tape "for extra hold." Too much weight on the bandage will cause it to swing like a pendulum when your dog wags. That bandage might just came flying off the tail like a projectile weapon!

Caring for a Dog's Tail Bandage

Do not let the bandage get wet! Remove, dry, and redo.

"No bandage is better than a wet bandage every time!" says the Doc.

Use an Elizabethan collar or a bite-not collar if your dog insists on chewing the cover. If your dog goes berserk over the cover, maybe it is too tight! Your dog may be telling you something, there... Leave the bandage in place no more than 2-3 days. Not too long. If an infection, or blood clot forms under the bandage and the thing is damp or wet in any way (licking, can make it wet, for example), the bandage would trap the infection close to the skin and cause a massive, fast spreading problem. Believe me when I say, redo that bandage every few days, just to be safe. You never know where that tail has been! (Toilet water, anyone? Wiping wet shower curtain, Sitting on dew on the grass, etc.) Skin grows a new top epithelial layer usually in 5-7 days in a dog with a normal metabolism. Holes heal in 10-14 days, usually. If you allow about 2 weeks, most tiny tail problems will heal. Please see your veterinarian if you are unsure of any part of this whole tail business. Believe it or not, most animal hospitals charge only $15-$30 for this whole bandaging process. Considering the shaver ($200), the dremel ($99), the bandage materials ($12 at the feed store) and at least two assistants to build the cover and hold your dog, it's worth it!

10-Year Old German Shepherd Dog Needs 9 Teeth Removed

virtuavet — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:18:29 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3093" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The Dirty Nine"][/caption] This Shepherd's Sewer Mouth Made Professional Nurses Faint!

Abigail's mouth smelled like a toilet from across the examination room. The 10-year-old German Shepherd Dog looked normal. She acted normal. She even walked normally. But, if she licked your hand in greeting, you could not get that smell off your hand for 48 hours, no matter how many times you washed! Abigail suffered horrible, horrible dental disease. This dog had one of the top ten worst mouths Doc Truli and the nurses had ever seen. Luckily, Abigail's mom suspected there was a problem and came ready for dental surgery. "I know her mouth is bad..." said mom. (That's worlds better than the usual shocked response Doc gets from pet parents, "How can it be that bad, he's eating just fine.")

Veterinary Technician Student Blown Away by Tartar

Doc Truli hosts clinical technician students from the local veterinary technician college. "Wow! My teacher would love to have those teeth so we can use them in class!" said the Thursday student. "For what?" asked Doc. "Our teacher mounts the teeth in a fake plastic dog jaw and we clean the teeth in the dental lab for practice," said the student. "Okay, well, I'll ask Abigail's mom if she wants to donate the teeth for teaching purposes after we get this mouth cleaned up," promised Doc Truli.Veterinarians see many strange and disgusting things. Abigail's mouth counts as one of those foul things we vow to fix. [caption id="attachment_2741" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="That brown stuff where teeth should be? That's thick, slimy, smelly tartar!"][/caption]

Guided Tour of a Dog's Tartar Removal

The tartar is so thick and crusted and caked onto the tooth surfaces that it looks like one big continuous shiny brown glop of muddy cement dentures. Underneath this filth and decay are delicate mucous membranes and tooth roots. [caption id="attachment_2742" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="A horizontal ridge across the "middle" of the tooth structure demarcates the crown from the roots. Just as much root is showing as crown."][/caption] When the upper lip is lifted, you can see the tartar covering the upper carnassial tooth - the largest tooth in the dog mouth. The ridge across the tooth midway through the brown tartar is actually where the gingival margin should be. The gingiva, or gumline, has receded so much, the tartar covers the roots of the tooth, not just the crown enamel! If you look at the previous picture, the calculus on the mandibular - bottom jaw - large back molar is also thick and extending too far into the gums. In fact, the x-ray of this molar reveals massive loss of the bone structure under the tooth. [caption id="attachment_2743" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Tooth root abscess in Grade 4 Periodontal Disease"][/caption]

X-Ray Showing Stage 4 Periodontal Disease in a Dog

The second of the 2 roots on the 2-root molar is sitting in a pocket of pus. On the x-ray, you see the crescent-shaped darker shaded area under the right side root? This is an area with no bone holding the tooth in place. Over 50% bone attachment loss is Grade 4 out of 4 Periodontal disease. This tooth had 100% attachment loss. Only the second molar root was holding the tooth in place. There is absolutely no saving a Stage 4 Tooth like this one; it must be removed from the body. [caption id="attachment_2744" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="After some tartar cracking, a little enamel starts to show!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2745" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="After some more cleaning, the roots are visble. The gums also bleed easily."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2746" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Extraction of the Upper Fourth Premolar Using Extraction Forceps in an Already Loose Tooth"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2747" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Post-extraction sulcus."][/caption] Abigail needed nine Stage 4 Periodontal Diseased Teeth extracted. Doc Truli removed the diseased, loose, infected teeth.

Tip for Strong Jawbone Healing: Consil

The tooth sockets were lavaged (cleaned with a clean water spray), and packed with Consil bone packing powder, pH balanced to be so alkaline no bacteria will grow in it, the Consil forms a matrix to speed new bone formation in the jaw.

"Research shows that sulci treated with the Consil powder regrow bone and the bone is just as thick as the normal bone at one-year radiographic follow-up examinations. What this means is, your dog's jawbone will be stronger with the powder than without the powder," says Doc Truli.

Abigail woke up uneventfully from her anesthesia. She asked for, and ate, a bowl of food 40 minutes after surgery! She continues to do well at home and her arthritis seems less painful now that Doc Truli removed the chronic dental irritation and inflammation.

Rickettsial Disease, from tick bites, like Ehrlichia canis
Rat poison, or other poison like bleeding side-effects from arthritis medication
Sore, irritated throat
Fungal Infection
Foreign object, like a plant awn in the bronchial tubes
Parasite infection, like lungworms from eating a snail
Sore, bleeding gums or tooth
Bacterial Infection
Hemophilia (specific, inherited bleeding disorder)
Cancer, in lungs, throat, mouth, sometimes stomach

Tests to Determine Why a Dog Coughs Blood

Physical examination, especially the oral cavity (mouth), under the tongue, and the sound of the lungs
Complete Blood Count
Chemistries of the blood show liver, kidney function and indicators of other organ functions
Tick tests, blood tests to search for traces of past or present tick diseases
Imaging: radiographs (x-rays)

Marley's X-Rays Show a Problem

Marley's bloodwork, physical, and tick tests looked normal. The chest x-rays showed a huge problem. Here are images, first of a normal dog chest seen from the side and the top-to-bottom view, and then Marley's x-rays. Can you spot the problem? [caption id="attachment_2780" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Top-to-Bottom View of Marley's Chest. What is the white round thing on the right?"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2779" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Negative Contrast of Marley's Chest. What is the Round thing on the far right?"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2777" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Normal Lateral View Canine Chest"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2778" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Normal Dog V/D Chest X-Ray"][/caption] Can you see the tumor on the x-rays? Marley had a huge, round white abnormality in his chest on the right on the x-rays. The tumor could be cancer, a granuloma - or walled-off infection, or a fungal granuloma.

Tru Tip Doctors show radiographs (x-rays) by placing them for viewing with the right on the left and the left on the right. So, in Marley's x-rays, the lump is on the right in the picture, which is actually Marley's left in reality. For another clue to figure out right from left in a chest x-ray: the apex, or lowest point, of the heart in a person or a dog lies to the left of midline. Except in super-rare genetic variants where all of the internal organs are reversed.

Without a biopsy, the kind of cancer or infection cannot be determined. Marley's person decided not to put Marley through any invasive tests, even a simple needle aspirate, because he decided he did not want surgery or heroic measures to save Marley's life.

When is a Lump a Lump?

Doctors will often say "nodule" when they see a lumpy, smallish thing (like in the thyroid gland on ultrasound viewing.) Nodule just means lump. It does not mean cancer or anything else. A doctor might say "mass," but this sounds more like cancer. You could also call Marley's lump a "tumor." Tumor implies a growth of some sort, and would be wrong in Marley's case if the lump was caused by a walled-off infection. The treatment would still necessitate surgery, however, with the hope of a cure! A "bump" is a lump on the surface of the body. This chest mass lies inside, so a doctor would not call it a "bump."

Dog's Coughing Improves with Supportive Treatment

Marley received antibiotics (because masses are altered in their immune system protective functions.) He gained 5 pounds in a week after Doc explained the importance of good nutrition, and even substituting some puppy food for dog food to give Marley extra building blocks to fight the tumor. Marley coughs a few times a day now. Sometimes he cannot catch his breath. He's slowing down, but he loves his walks (slowly), daily massages, and his food. So far, so good.

17-Year-Old Cat Treated for Multiple Diseases at the Same Time

virtuavet — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:10:14 +0000

"My Cat's Eating All the Time, Losing Weight, and Crying all Night."

Circe's (pronounced Sir-Sea) mom beseeched Doc Truli to understand, "I feel like I'm losing my mind. She won't let me sleep and I've tried every kind of food to make her happy, but she's still hungry." Doc Truli examined the 17-year-old skinny seal point Siamese cat. Circe butted her head into Doc's hand and arched her back with her whippy Siamese tail straight up in the air; she danced on her tippy toes all over the examination table. Doc predicted these signs of friendliness masked extreme nervousness; Circe would erupt in kitty violence if she felt restrained or threatened. Vertebra bones jutted out along her back. Her big blue eyes looked sunken into her skull. Her skull outlined against the examination room light. Her petite little paws carried half the weight from 10 months before at her annual check up. The little cat's ribcage stuck out like a spring-loaded drum around her spastic heart beating 300 beats a minute! Circe was one sick cat! "Circe is very sick. She needs hospitalization and a full medical work-up. My nurse will go over the diagnostic and treatment plan with you before we do anything further," said Doc Truli.

"How can I avoid putting my cat through all of those tests?"

"But she's so energetic. She eats. She purrs. Doesn't that mean she's not that sick? Do I really need a bunch of tests? Can't we just start with one test and, if we find the answer, we don't have to put her through the other tests?" said Circe's mom. Doc hears this almost every day. Probably, if you just found VirtuaVet, you are asking yourself the same questions. Maybe you don;t have the money for "lots of tests." Maybe you're hoping for some direction without personal data about your cat. "Here are the reasons she needs all the tests I am prescribing," said Doc Truli," First, she lost half her body weight." "That's just this week. That's why I brought her in, she used to eat anything I gave her and now she just wants to eat the juices from the canned food." "She did not lose 50% of her body mass in 1 week. It's very tricky to notice weight loss in a cat that you see every day. The weight changes are subtle and gradual." "My cat can't be dehydrated. She drinks a lot of water." Doc Truli showed Circe's mom the skin turgor test, so she could see the abnormal skin reaction with her own eyes. Still., it's hard for someone to believe something so obvious that they never knew before that minute!

: Can you see the skin never went back down?

"But, do we really have to do all these tests? Can't we just start with one? I don't want to put my cat through all these tests!"

Diagnostic Tests for a Sick Cat with Severe Weight Loss

"Minimum database" consists of Complete Blood Count, Blood Chemistries, and Electrolytes, urinalysis

Feline leukemia and feline AIDS virus tests, even for cats who are indoors all the time

fecal parasite examination

Thyroid Level

Blood Pressure

Urine Culture and Sensitivity (15% of cats 10 and older have a hidden urinary tract infection.)

Full body radiographs (2 views)

Probably abdominal ultrasound

If You Have Pet Insurance, You're Liable for Only 10-20% of the Bill!

Probably, depending upon where you live, you're looking at 1-2 week's pay. If you live in the US, 3% of you have pet insurance. If you live in the UK or EU, 75% of you have pet insurance. If you have pet insurance, you will spend a few days' pay, instead of weeks! Most people at this point say (or think), "That's too expensive! Isn't there anything I can do at home to help without spending so much?"

The Two Most Common Misconceptions About Cat Medicine

1. Can't I just do some tests? and 2. Can't we just try antibiotics and see if my cat feels better? No, and no! Okay, honestly, maybe your cat will have the first disease tested for, and no other diseases. Maybe your cat has a deep kidney infection, and nothing else wrong. In that case, a few tests and some antibiotics, fluids, and special feeding instructions might just get you through. Now, while no research proves the likelihood of multiple diseases at the same time, Doc Truli is here to tell you: Cats Get More Than One Disease at a Time!!!

Comorbidity

Circe had Hyperthyroidism, renal disease, hypertension, hypercalcemia, anemia, and now inflammatory bowel disease with bouts of pancreatitis. This list of ailments is not unusual in an elderly cat. Cats often have comorbidity (fancy doctor word for several diseases that seem to occur together.) There's even an officially recognized disease called "triad disease" with pancreatitis, hepatitis and diabetes at the same time! Do you think one test would have helped Circe? Do you think she would have come back to the hospital several times a week for weeks and weeks if one thing was treated at a time? Do you think Circe would be alive, gaining weight, and eating her cat food normally today? No, she would not. In fact, this cat is still doing well one year after diagnosis. Her hyperthyroidism is under control, her kidneys are stable. The hypertension resolved when the thyroid and kidney disease stabilized. Once her blood pressure came down from 280/160 (!), her appetite returned. Her options for food that helped her inflammatory bowel disease expanded and she was able to discontinue her Budesonide medication for the inflammatory bowel disease. We never figured out why she had hypercalcemia. More than half of the time, cats have idiopathic hypercalcemia, which means science cannot find the cause. The high blood calcium did complicate the kidney disease treatment. A very good medication to lower the toxicity of parathyroid hormone that is overproduced in kidney disease cannot be used when the calcium and phosphorus in the blood are significantly elevated. Still, Circe improved with the personal, hand-crafted treatment only the full application of medical technology and knowledge can provide. Circe stopped crying at night. Maybe she had been uncomfortable. Maybe her illnesses were wearing at her sanity. Maybe she had been yowling for help. Persistence, medicine, and patience gave this cat - and her mom - her life back!

Dr. Sandra Truli Springer, VMD

virtuavet — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:42:21 +0000

Goal

Continue practicing high quality community medicine and surgery while learning Chinese medical diagnosis through the study of acupuncture and herbal medicine

Education

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attended 1995-1999, Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris, graduated May, 1999, Food Animal Major with Dean’s List for Swine and Dairy Production Medicine Harvard University Extension School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, attended 1993-1995, Pre-Veterinary coursework including Biochemistry, Genetics, Biostatistics Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, attended 1992-1993, Post Baccalaureate Pre-medical Certificate Program Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, attended 1988-1992, Artis Baccalaureus, graduated May, 1992, cum laude, Honors English Major, Philosophy Minor

Publications

VirtuaVet.com, Inspirational Pet Medical Stories. 3,500 unique visitors weekly Sandra T Springer, Charles H Vite, Ara C Polesky, Santosh Kesari, Nigel W Fraser, John H Wolfe, Infection and Establishment of Latency in the Dog Brain After Direct Inoculation of a Nonpathogenic Strain of Herpes Simplex Virus-1, Journal of Neurovirology, Volume 7, Issue 2, Apr 2001, Pages 149-154, DOI 10.1080/13550280152058807, URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13550280152058807 Sandra Truli Springer, Paul Pitcher, Introduction to Swine Production, Sept 1997, URL http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/swine/index.html

Awards

Alpha Psi Award, Second Place Research Paper, “Testing Safety and Transduction of a Herpes Virus in the Dog Brain,” Sponsored by the Merck Veterinary Research Foundation competitive grant, 1997 American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Richard Kearns Award, 1998 Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation Award for Future Leadership Potential, 1998

Pre-Veterinary Animal Care Work Experience

Educational Animal Research Project Leader, Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, Massachusetts, 1993-1995 Supervised animal care staff of seven volunteers, established and implemented animal stress behavior research program, lobbied for and constructed a dedicated space at the zoo for the docents to exercise and socialize the education animals such as ferrets, kinkajoo, pygmy hedgehogs, electus parrots and others. Veterinary Technician, Kennel Manager and Retail Sales, Upper Newbury Pet Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 1993-1995 Worked my way up from retail puppy, kitten, bird, fish, and reptile sales, to kennel assistant, to kennel manager of a staff of four, to veterinary technician at an upscale pet shop, grooming, boarding, and animal hospital facility in Boston’s trendy Back Bay.

Community Activities

Exclusive Care Provider to the Miami-Dade Canine Units: Patrol, Fire, Aviation, Narcotics, Corrections, and Parks Department Canine Officers University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine, host for Senior Veterinary Student Externship Miami-Dade Community College Veterinary Technician Practicum Rotations Host Friends of Marblehead Animals No-Kill Shelter, Past Medical Director Boy Scouts of America Veterinary Medicine and Animal Care Merit Badges Advisor

Synopsis of Veterinary Practice Since Graduation

Biddeford Animal Hospital

Biddeford, Maine, 50 hours/week, May 1999-July 2000 Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Veterinary associate responsible for clinical appointments, surgeries, on-call 30% of nights and weekends for 8 doctors.
Developed pre-anesthesia blood testing protocol, implemented pain control program, veterinary staff education weekly seminars, and started behavior consultation service.
Complete blood counts, urinalysis, cultures, aspirate cytologies, blood chemistries, and hand-differentials, cross-matches and blood typing completed in-house.
Performed physicals, sterilization surgeries, cystotomy, laparotomy with intestinal resection and anastomosis, double mastectomy, radial-carpal full-thickness skin graft, ear hematoma repair, anal sacculectomy, pyometra surgery, and caesarian sections, intramedular bone pinning, tracheotomy, and many and varied lumpectomies.
Performed radiography, ultrasonography, and electrocardiography.
Managed blood transfusions (whole and blood products), lymphangectasia with hypoalbuminemia, canine and feline urethral obstructions, immune mediated thrombocytopenia, ehrlichiosis, leptospirosis, lyme disease, feline hyperthyroidism, chronic heart failure (dilated, restrictive, and hypertrophic), chronic and acute renal failure, canine hypothyroidism, feline ureteroliths, and methimazole toxicity with megakaryocyte depletion and thrombocytopenia.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Saw same # of cases and worked same hours as associate with 7 more years experience, produced 30% more income than that associate
Implemented pain management program for the 5-doctor hospital, unknown financial impact
Implemented pre-anesthesia testing protocols, resulted in an increase of $30,000 in revenue from these services over the first year
Designed, implemented and provided Behavior Consultation service, performed 1 consultation per week, with an additional income of $175 per consult

Atlantic Veterinary Hospital

Marblehead, Massachusetts, 50 hours/week, July 2000-March 2003 Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Veterinary associate responsible for appointments, surgeries, the town no-kill shelter, and on-call.
Developed cleaning, isolation, air-flow, vaccine, deworming, and record-keeping protocols for the shelter.
Instituted weekly Shelter Education Nights for the volunteer staff of 20.
Performed splenectomies, managed triple step-fractured spine in a dog, referred ectopic ureter puppy, megacolon cat, and four gall bladder stone cats to boarded surgeons and then managed the case follow-ups.
Expanded medical case management to include pancreatitis, diabetic ketoacidosis, insulinoma, hepatic lipidosis, aspiration pneumonia, hemophilia in a cat, feline triad disease, pemphigous foliaceus, blastomycosis, inter-dog aggression, territorial aggression, and attachment disorder in an unsocialized Standard Poodle managed medically with concurrent behavior modification.
In hospital instrumentation added electrolyte analysis, blood pressure, and intraocular pressure measurements.
Became proficient in feeding tube placements, nasal oxygen canulas, nasal retrograde flushes, trans-tracheal washes and broncho-alveolar lavage.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Gained new client full caseload within 3 months, instead of management’s expected 6 months
Performed all dentistry for 3-doctor practice
Implemented senior wellness screening, with an increase in $35,000 gross revenue the first year
Started house-call Behavior Consultation service, performed 2 consultations per month, with an additional income of $250 per consult (pre-prescription lab testing plus consultation)

Sky Lake Animal Hospital

Miami, Florida, 45-60 hours/week, March 2003-March 2005 and March, 2006-October 2010 Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Worked with ABVP canine and feline veterinarian.
Acting medical director establishing and maintaining standards of medicine.
Mentored new graduate associates.
Interesting new cases diagnosed and managed include: Fanconi syndrome, subungual feline chronic cysts, beagle pain syndrome, feline idiopathic hypercalcemia hyperparathyroidism, feline heartworm disease, anaplasmosis, familial schnauzer hypertriglyceridemia, dysplastic anemia, saprophytic anaerobic bacterial dermatitis.
Performed chemotherapeutics: managed canine and feline lymphoma cases with CHOP protocol, osteosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, oral malignancies, squamous cell carcinoma, splenic leimyosarcoma with hyperglucagonemia, oral mast cell tumor in the fat lip of a Chinese Shar Pei.
Continued to perform ultrasonography, in-house coagulation analysis, blood gas analysis, and added personal skill with endoscopy and bronchoscopy.
Performed arthrocentesis, spinal taps, videoscopic ear procedures including myringotomy.
Expanded oral surgery capabilities to include exodontia with gingival flap surgery, and endodontic root canal therapy.
Multi-modal pre-emptive and constant rate infusion pain control techniques routinely used.
Used new therapeutics such as pimobendan, etomidate, and cyclosporin for inflammatory bowel disease and feline plasmacytic stomatitis (in addition to atopic dermatitis).

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Established Junior and Senior Wellness Protocols resulted in increase of $75,000 net income to the practice/year
Set dental standards of care, including full-mouth digital radiographs every patient, every time, developed finesse and proficiency with extractions and gingival surgery, periodontal packing, and use of Consil and Clindoral, resulting in average charge for dentistry increasing along with the quality. Advanced dentistry accounted for 30-50% of doctor’s generated income in this down economy.
Started genomics department with preventative testing recommendations for susceptible breeds, financial impact to be determined
Became proficient in ultrasound, keeping profit in-house
Maintained income of formally 3 doctor-practice as 1 1/2 doctor practice with 3 FT equivalent technicians, 3 FT equivalent assistants, 3 FT equivalent receptionists (when 3 doctors worked, there were 4 techs, 5 assistants and 5 receptionists.)
For 6 months of the year, practiced as solo practitioner while owner/practitioner practiced semi-retirement
Earned referral business of 100% holistic practitioner when he needed allopathic input

Animal Emergency Hospital of Collier County

Naples, Florida, 47 hours/week, March, 2005 – March, 2006 Job description including job responsibilities and assignments, types of cases seen and specific diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative measures personally performed:

Sole clinician weeknights and one of two clinicians on weekends, cases managed for 72 hours on holiday weekends.
Performed ultrasonography, radiology, splinting, front and hind-limb amputations, gastric-dilatation surgeries, caesarian sections, pyometra surgeries, diaphragmatic hernia repair, splenectomies, nephrectomy, thoracic wall repair, including remedying flail chest, chest tube placement, abdominal closed drain system placement, closed urinary collection systems, ultrasound-assisted pericardiocentesis, vacuum-assisted wound closures.
Managed fifteen smoke-inhalation greyhounds, ruptured gastric ulcers, glaucoma, melting corneal ulcers, anterior lens luxation, heart failure cases, parvo virus enteritis, hyperinsulimemia, 15-hour collapsed trachea, chemotherapy toxicities and tumor lysis syndrome, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, tetanus in a puppy, rattlesnake bites, heat stroke with disseminated intravascular coagulation, jaw alignment and wiring, managed acetaminophen, nsaid, fentanyl, and diet pill toxicities.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Exceeded management production expections by 30% by being thorough and maintaining high standards of care and communicating the benefits of medicine to pet parents, so we could partner in choosing the best course of action for their family.
Produced $100,000 more gross income than next producing associate with same shifts and length of shifts.
Basically, if I saw a case, the owner could put $20 more in his pocket than if he saw a case himself, even after paying me my percentage!
The job ads for this ER position in JAVMA still quote my income from years ago as a possibility to entice prospective applicants!

Sky Lake Animal Hospital

Miami, Florida, March, 2006-October 2010: Returned to Sky Lake Animal Hospital under new ownership (see job duties and business outcomes above)

Unpublished Testimonials

virtuavet — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:42:23 +0000

"May God reward you and your family -and your pets - with His choicest blessings." -Sister Yamile "I want to thank you for the kind and professional way you handled putting down my dog, Macha. Your tone and reassurance that I chose the right time meant a lot. You make a terrible experience a lot easier. Thank you." -Maia "Thank you for your kindness and dedication. You have been a savior." -Danny, Erin and Bailey "We look forward to many continued years of your special care." -Elaine R "Thank you very much for all your help and kindness. I like you a lot!" -signed, Kozmo, the Rottweiler "Thank you again for your help over the phone for Bear. I appreciate you taking the time to help." -Betsy G "It's very comforting to know that you're there, doing what you do (and doing it so well!)" -Deborah "Thank you for your incredible caring that you demonstrated to me during the treatment of our beloved Bug-Bug. It meant so much that you telephoned to console and answer my questions. I know that she could not have had a better vet." -Deachy "Thank you for your kindness and gentle care which you provided to Miss Weanie during her later years. I am confident she knew that she had a friend in you, and I am comforted by that." -Janice B "Thank you so much for taking care of Randy (and Harry!) and generally being your wonderful self." -Shelley and Keith "As I'm sure you know from your years of practice, pets are like family. We treated Zoe that way and so did you. For that, we will always be grateful to you." -Eric, Laura and Lily S "Thanks for taking Hannah right in and saving her." -Brian, Mary, Matt, and Fred "Thanks for your love and support and for the unconditional love you show your furry patients." -Mel R "We thank you so much for saving Teddy. We know how much love and care you have given him. You brought him back to the Teddy we know and love." -Sharan and Steven G

virtuavet — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:58:34 +0000

VirtuaVet Shares Information, Stories, and Insight Welcome to VirtuaVet, a website intended for pet parents who need pet health insight, coaching and guidance. In my daily practice, I meet many pet parents who are looking for deeper answers, need to know how to interpret news and information they find, and need to know how to navigate healthcare decisions for their pet. “Your healthcare decisions regarding your pet are practical, moral, ethical, and spiritual decisions,” says Doc Truli. Everyone secretly wonders: “What would you do if it were your cat?” “Tell me-as a friend–is it worth it?” and “How do I know if my dog has a good quality of life?” We wish, at times, our best friend was a veterinarian so we could ask the sensitive and sometimes awkward questions we feel we cannot ask a professional in the office call. I became a veterinarian to help animals and to find out what do doctors know that’s so special? My wish is to impart some of my journey to you. In return, I want you to share your perspective and insight into pets, their people, medicine, the modern medical community, and even explore the meaning of health and wellness. “What do doctors know that’s so special?” Doc Truli asks. VirtuaVet Focussed on Providing Inspiration and Information Doc Truli provides the stories and philosophy behind VirtuaVet. Practical, heartfelt, relevant stories let you know hope and cures abound. Every day, Doc Truli hears similar questions and misunderstandings about people and pets in society, and pet healthcare. “I remember what it’s like to not be a scientist, not be a doctor, and I love my pets,” says the Doc. VirtuaVet was created to provide coaching, guidance, explanations, and positive examples so you can remain confident, optimistic, and happy in your healthcare decisions regarding your pet! You can’t leave Doc Truli’s office – or website – without a dose of philosophy! Frequently Asked Questions about Doc Truli Testimonials from Doc Truli’s Pet Parents

Credentials

virtuavet — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:39:55 +0000

Dr. Sandy Springer, VMD

Objective

Continue practicing high quality community medicine and surgery while learning Chinese medical diagnosis through the study of acupuncture and herbal medicine. Available for relief work, and unique pet medical journalism marketing for your hospital.

Education

Publications

Awards

Pre-Veterinary Animal Care Work Experience

Community Activities

Synopsis of Veterinary Practice Since Graduation

Biddeford Animal Hospital

Veterinary associate responsible for clinical appointments, surgeries, on-call 30% of nights and weekends for 8 doctors.
Developed pre-anesthesia blood testing protocol, implemented pain control program, veterinary staff education weekly seminars, and started behavior consultation service.
Complete blood counts, urinalysis, cultures, aspirate cytologies, blood chemistries, and hand-differentials, cross-matches and blood typing completed in-house.
Performed physicals, sterilization surgeries, cystotomy, laparotomy with intestinal resection and anastomosis, double mastectomy, radial-carpal full-thickness skin graft, ear hematoma repair, anal sacculectomy, pyometra surgery, and caesarian sections, intramedular bone pinning, tracheotomy, and many and varied lumpectomies.
Performed radiography, ultrasonography, and electrocardiography.
Managed blood transfusions (whole and blood products), lymphangectasia with hypoalbuminemia, canine and feline urethral obstructions, immune mediated thrombocytopenia, ehrlichiosis, leptospirosis, lyme disease, feline hyperthyroidism, chronic heart failure (dilated, restrictive, and hypertrophic), chronic and acute renal failure, canine hypothyroidism, feline ureteroliths, and methimazole toxicity with megakaryocyte depletion and thrombocytopenia.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Saw same # of cases and worked same hours as associate with 7 more years experience, produced 30% more income than that associate
Implemented pain management program for the 5-doctor hospital, unknown financial impact
Implemented pre-anesthesia testing protocols, resulted in an increase of $30,000 in revenue from these services over the first year
Designed, implemented and provided Behavior Consultation service, performed 1 consultation per week, with an additional income of $175 per consult

Atlantic Veterinary Hospital

Veterinary associate responsible for appointments, surgeries, the town no-kill shelter, and on-call.
Developed cleaning, isolation, air-flow, vaccine, deworming, and record-keeping protocols for the shelter.
Instituted weekly Shelter Education Nights for the volunteer staff of 20.
Performed splenectomies, managed triple step-fractured spine in a dog, referred ectopic ureter puppy, megacolon cat, and four gall bladder stone cats to boarded surgeons and then managed the case follow-ups.
Expanded medical case management to include pancreatitis, diabetic ketoacidosis, insulinoma, hepatic lipidosis, aspiration pneumonia, hemophilia in a cat, feline triad disease, pemphigous foliaceus, blastomycosis, inter-dog aggression, territorial aggression, and attachment disorder in an unsocialized Standard Poodle managed medically with concurrent behavior modification.
In hospital instrumentation added electrolyte analysis, blood pressure, and intraocular pressure measurements.
Became proficient in feeding tube placements, nasal oxygen canulas, nasal retrograde flushes, trans-tracheal washes and broncho-alveolar lavage.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Gained new client full caseload within 3 months, instead of management’s expected 6 months
Performed all dentistry for 3-doctor practice
Implemented senior wellness screening, with an increase in $35,000 gross revenue the first year
Started house-call Behavior Consultation service, performed 2 consultations per month, with an additional income of $250 per consult (pre-prescription lab testing plus consultation)

Sky Lake Animal Hospital

Worked with ABVP canine and feline veterinarian.
Acting medical director establishing and maintaining standards of medicine.
Mentored new graduate associates.
Interesting new cases diagnosed and managed include: Fanconi syndrome, subungual feline chronic cysts, beagle pain syndrome, feline idiopathic hypercalcemia hyperparathyroidism, feline heartworm disease, anaplasmosis, familial schnauzer hypertriglyceridemia, dysplastic anemia, saprophytic anaerobic bacterial dermatitis.
Performed chemotherapeutics: managed canine and feline lymphoma cases with CHOP protocol, osteosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, oral malignancies, squamous cell carcinoma, splenic leimyosarcoma with hyperglucagonemia, oral mast cell tumor in the fat lip of a Chinese Shar Pei.
Continued to perform ultrasonography, in-house coagulation analysis, blood gas analysis, and added personal skill with endoscopy and bronchoscopy.
Performed arthrocentesis, spinal taps, videoscopic ear procedures including myringotomy.
Expanded oral surgery capabilities to include exodontia with gingival flap surgery, and endodontic root canal therapy.
Multi-modal pre-emptive and constant rate infusion pain control techniques routinely used.
Used new therapeutics such as pimobendan, etomidate, and cyclosporin for inflammatory bowel disease and feline plasmacytic stomatitis (in addition to atopic dermatitis).

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Established Junior and Senior Wellness Protocols resulted in increase of $75,000 net income to the practice/year
Set dental standards of care, including full-mouth digital radiographs every patient, every time, developed finesse and proficiency with extractions and gingival surgery, periodontal packing, and use of Consil and Clindoral, resulting in average charge for dentistry increasing along with the quality. Advanced dentistry accounted for 30-50% of doctor’s generated income in this down economy.
Started genomics department with preventative testing recommendations for susceptible breeds, financial impact to be determined
Became proficient in ultrasound, keeping profit in-house
Maintained income of formally 3 doctor-practice as 1 1/2 doctor practice with 3 FT equivalent technicians, 3 FT equivalent assistants, 3 FT equivalent receptionists (when 3 doctors worked, there were 4 techs, 5 assistants and 5 receptionists.)
For 6 months of the year, practiced as solo practitioner while owner/practitioner practiced semi-retirement
Earned referral business of 100% holistic practitioner when he needed allopathic input

Animal Emergency Hospital of Collier County

Sole clinician weeknights and one of two clinicians on weekends, cases managed for 72 hours on holiday weekends.
Performed ultrasonography, radiology, splinting, front and hind-limb amputations, gastric-dilatation surgeries, caesarian sections, pyometra surgeries, diaphragmatic hernia repair, splenectomies, nephrectomy, thoracic wall repair, including remedying flail chest, chest tube placement, abdominal closed drain system placement, closed urinary collection systems, ultrasound-assisted pericardiocentesis, vacuum-assisted wound closures.
Managed fifteen smoke-inhalation greyhounds, ruptured gastric ulcers, glaucoma, melting corneal ulcers, anterior lens luxation, heart failure cases, parvo virus enteritis, hyperinsulimemia, 15-hour collapsed trachea, chemotherapy toxicities and tumor lysis syndrome, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, tetanus in a puppy, rattlesnake bites, heat stroke with disseminated intravascular coagulation, jaw alignment and wiring, managed acetaminophen, nsaid, fentanyl, and diet pill toxicities.

Business efforts and outcomes at this job:

Exceeded management production expections by 30% by being thorough and maintaining high standards of care and communicating the benefits of medicine to pet parents, so we could partner in choosing the best course of action for their family.
Produced $100,000 more gross income than next producing associate with same shifts and length of shifts.
Basically, if I saw a case, the owner could put $20 more in his pocket than if he saw a case himself, even after paying me my percentage!
The job ads for this ER position in JAVMA still quote my income from years ago as a possibility to entice prospective applicants!

Sky Lake Animal Hospital

Miami, Florida, March, 2006-October 2010: Returned to Sky Lake Animal Hospital under new ownership (see job duties and business outcomes above)

Pet Parent Testimonials

Feline Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex

virtuavet — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 21:11:33 +0000

What is That Painful-Looking Red Wound on my Cat's Lip?

"Feline eosinophilic granuloma complex," said Doc Truli. "What?" said Shadow's mom. "Do you want the $20 name, or the $200 name for that red, ulcerated sore area on your cat's lower lip," said Doc Truli. "Umm. That was the $200 word, right? How about you explain that in people-talk," said Shadow the cat's mom. A two-year-old female spayed black cat with big golden eyes looked up at Doc Truli. Though Shadow was confident and beautiful, she sported a giant raw, red ulcerated, slightly oozing wound near the middle of her lower lip. [caption id="attachment_2848" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="This red, raw spot on a cat resembles ECG: feline eosinophilic granuloma complex"][/caption]

Diagnosing Feline Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex (EGC)

No signs of any other skin sores or lesions. Otherwise healthy cat. Feline leukemia and Feline AIDs virus negative. No foreign objects like a stinger or plant awn stuck on the sore. No history or signs of trauma or injury. Doc Truli placed a clean, new microscope slide with a special tacky adhesive layer on the skin, stained the sample, and examined the results microscopically. "There are just wall-to-wall eosinophils in here," said the Doc. (Pronounced ee-oh-sin-oh-fills) "What does that mean?" "It means there is not pus, like from an infection, or lymph cells, like a skin cancer, there are these red granules (eos- is a prefix for red in Greek) inside the immune cells. These cells react to allergies and parasites. In some cats, these eosinophils like to congregate somewhere on the skin and cause itchy, red, sore, ulcerated areas. The condition has been given the name "Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex," said Doc Truli.

"Rodent Ulcer is a common alternative name for the eosinophilic granuloma wound that spontaneously forms on the lip of an affected cat. It is not contagious. It does not come from a rodent. I have no idea why it's called a Rodent Ulcer!" says Doc Truli.

To truly diagnose EGC, your veterinarian must biopsy the area. A small piece of your cat's sore skin gets removed, surgically, sometimes under local anesthesia, usually under general anesthesia, and sent for processing and interpretation by a pathology specialist familiar with feline dermatology. As the condition is not thought to affect internal organs and the treatment is inexpensive and fairly benign, your veterinarian may skip the biopsy to avoid further injury to your cat.

What Else Can EGC Look Like?

Round, flat, sometimes irregular plaque-like sores that can be very itchy pop up for no visible reason on your cat's lip, down the spine, down the back on the hind legs, and sometimes on the belly and underarms. Ringworm fungus, bacterial infection, food allergies, cutaneous (skin) lymphoma and various other diseases can resemble EGC; you will need a veterinarian, especially because some infections, like ringworm are contagious to people, your kids, and your other pets.

Will the EGC Go Away?

Yes! The basic treatment involves steroids of some sort. Steroids may cause temporary diabetes mellitus, or can unmask hidden heart disease and throw your cat into heart failure (check with your veterinarian). But generally, cats tolerate steroids like methyl prednisolone and triamcinolone and prednisolone very well. The wound will disappear almost magically. Allopathic medicine - by which Doc Truli means "modern, Western, US-style, University of Pennsylvania medicine - gives no reasons why some cats get these red sores. Perhaps allergies affect some cats causing the eosinophils to go nutty and aggregate into painful red lumps. Let Doc Truli tell you about her personal cat who suffered EGC, waxy ears, and full anal sacs constantly.

"My little white barn cat, Minga, constantly needed ear cleaning and anal sac expression for the first two years of her life. Then Minga developed a nasty red, ulcerated sore that covered half her lower lip. I had read somewhere that allergies could trigger a rodent ulcer - so I thought and thought until I had an idea. Minga loved fresh catnip from the plant growing on the porch. She would go over to the closed wooden front door, paw the door, and then sit up like a begging bunny to be allowed on the porch. Minga scored catnip almost every day with this adorable routine! Then a light went on in my brain - I knew that people often crave foods they are allergic or sensitive to - like popcorn, or sugar, or white flour. I thought, what if Minga is allergic to catnip? So we experimented. No catnip for a month. After no catnip for a month, the lip healed, the ears stayed clean, and her little butt situation stopped bothering her. But, the scientific part of any great experiment is the test of the theory. After a month, I gave her catnip. The very next morning, her anal sacs were full, butt red, ear canals coated with medium brown oily wax, and the sore returned to her lip! Minga did not need steroids! The little white cat needed to lay off the fresh nipper!"

How to Investigate a Cat's Potential Allergy

Your cat may not be so clear-cut to figure out. Here are some allergy detection tips for cats:

Be certain to use non-plastic dishes.
Use fresh, clean water.
Rinse the soap residue very well after washing the dishes.
If you change basics like the litter, only try one new thing a week.
If the change helps, go back to the old way the next week to see if the symptoms return!
Be suspicious of new bedding, especially wool or polyester.
Talk with your veterinarian about hypoallergenic food. 10% of cat allergies are food allergies. Again, after the 8 week food trial, if it is working, you must go back to the old food for 3-4 days to confirm the allergy.

EGC Resolution

Shadow received a long-acting steroid shot. The sore went away on 5 days. Because EGC is not primarily an infection, all the Triple Antibiotic cream in the world was never going to work. It just annoyed the poor cat! Make your cat happy as quickly as possible by consulting your veterinarian!

7-Year Old Shepherd-Yellow Lab Mix Lipoma Surgery

virtuavet — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:58:51 +0000

Large, Soft Lump Under the Skin on a Dog's Right Side

Abigail sat in front of her person, right paw pressing - probably crushing - her mom's toes as the slightly overweight shepherd-lab mixed breed dog leaned harder on the toes of her mom's Birkenstocks. Doc Truli asked the standard "history" questions, "Any coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or loose stool?" "No, everything is fine," said Abigail's mom. "Any stiffness, lameness, or lumps or bumps worrying you?" added Doc Truli. At seven, some of the labrador and shepherd dog patients start slowing down on walks. And many, many dogs grow lumps that can hide from the sensitive fingers and sharp eye of a veterinarian. Asking helps get to answers where the physical can be misleading. "Oh, yeah! I meant to ask you about this," Abigail's mom said, as she spun Abby around until her right side faced the doctor. "Aha!" [caption id="attachment_2858" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Lump and Center"][/caption] At the time, it didn't look like much. The fur covered the area. Doc Truli could feel a firm, rounded area under the skin and just to the back of the ribcage. Mom reported it had just shown up one day; she did not remember when. A needle aspirate cytology (sticking a needle into the area and pulling back on the plunger to encourage a few microscopic samples of the lump to come out and then vigorously pressing the plunger, thus pfoofing the sample onto a glass microscope slide) revealed only greasy fat cells under the magnification of the microscope. Mom asked the classic question. (Can you guess what it's going to be?) "If it's just fat, why does it feel firm under the skin?" Good question!

Tru Tip There's a thin layer of muscle under the skin in most animals called the panniculus muscle. (pronounced pan-ick-cue-luss). This muscle makes the fur twitch when you tickle the tips of a dog or cat's fur on the sides or back (called panniculus response). Some fatty lumps grow underneath the thin panniculus muscle, instead of just under the skin and over the muscle. The lumps over the muscle, you can get your fingers around the sides and kind of hold them like a golf ball under the skin. The fatty lumps and bumps under the muscle feel firm and you cannot clearly make out the edges.

If We Know It's Just Fat, Why Do We Need Surgery?

Scary Differentials (Doctor Speak for "Other Possibilities")

Maybe you don't. But Doc Truli will tell you what you absolutely do need - you need a doctor's diagnosis. Do not read this article and then think you've nailed it. A deadly, awful, invasive cancer called hemangiosarcoma can grow under the panniculus and feel exactly the same as a lipoma. For that matter, a liposarcoma (a cancerous, invasive fat cancer), can grow exactly the same as an innocent lipoma, and produce fat on the aspirate cytology test. Your veterinarian puts together all of your pet's information to arrive at an educated opinion about the lump.

Your Pet May Need Pre-Operative Staging

The aspirate before surgery helps your veterinarian tell you how many pre-operative tests your pet may need, called cancer staging. If it looks like blood on the cytology, your vet will probably advise you to authorize chest radiographs and abdominal ultrasound. If the lump reveals only fat, surgery depending on the growth and duration of the lump, may be all that is warranted. Staging helps categorize your pet's lump or tumor into a risk category. A lower number usually means less chance of a recurrence or less chance you will need chemo or radiation.

Lipoma Surgery, Looks Like a Breast Implant!

Abigail went though surgery because her lump size doubled in 4 months. If it kept increasing at that rate, the surgical recovery, bandages, time for healing, and pain involved would increase. Abigail's mom (rightly) wanted the thing gone quickly. [caption id="attachment_2860" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Post Op, Before Hydrogen Peroxide Clean-Up"][/caption] A smaller soft lump became clear after the surgery clipping. Murphy's Law of Medicine (Doc Truli made that up) says that leaving that inconsequential lump would cause it to grow rapidly and Abby would need another surgery in a few months. The corollary of the Law being, if we had never noticed the second lump, it would stay quiescent for a decade at least. (More about Murphy's Law of Medicine in the next VirtuaVet post!) [caption id="attachment_2861" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Dog Fatty Lump After Surgery Top View"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2862" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Dog Fat Lump Side View."][/caption] Surprisingly, the surface of an encapsulated lipoma, like Abigail's, feels crinkly and dry to the touch, not greasy like you might imagine. Sure does look like a yellow-orange breast implant! Abigail felt fine within 40 minutes after surgery. She wore a belly bandage for 24 hours and went home happy the morning following surgery. See VirtuaVet's When a Fat Bump Goes Bad for more information.

Murphy's Top Ten Laws of Veterinary Medicine

virtuavet — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:54:41 +0000

Medical Secrets Medical School Deems Unscientific

Doc Truli has determined there are secret Laws of the Universe governing health and medicine. Here are a few for your edification.

If you have the lab results on a Friday night, you will not need to go to the pet E.R. If you do not have them in hand, your pet will need to go to the E.R.
Never end a prescription on a Saturday night. The pet will relapse when all the vet offices are closed. If the pet has the medicine, everything will be perfect.
There is a secret agreement among all pets. They know when a long holiday weekend is coming up and get sick just then.
If your pet vomits and you decide to buy all the medication the vet recommends, your pet will get better like nothing happened and make you feel like you wasted your money. If you skip the meds, figuring the white rice will work, your pet will vomit all night until intravenous fluids and a $1,000 vet bill become mandatory to save your pet's life.
If you say "no" to annual, routine bloodwork to check for hidden disease in your pet, your pet will get sick the next week, making you feel guiltier than anything before in your life.
If you say "yes" to the annual screening lab work (in pets 7 and older, 30% chance of an abnormality on routine lab tests in a healthy-looking animal), your pet will also get rip-roaring sick in the next week. But at least you will know it's a new problem and you won't feel guilty. So, does preventative medicine prevent disease, or does preventative medicine just prevent guilt?
All coughs and limps disappear at the animal hospital.
Your unspayed female dog will come down with a life-threatening pyometra infection 1 week before you finally scheduled the spay procedure to try to avoid pyometra!
Female dogs and cats do not go through menopause. Just when you think babies are impossible, bam! A litter!
A corollary to #9, no, the puppies and kittens do not "just know" that they shouldn't mate with their own brother or sister. And they will get to that task as young as 6 months of age!

Hope these Murphy's Laws of Pet Medicine help you laugh, and maybe understand how to avoid catastrophe and emergency rooms.

Murphy's Top Ten Laws of Veterinary Medicine

virtuavet — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 17:05:54 +0000

Medical Secrets Medical School Deems Unscientific

Doc Truli has determined there are secret Laws of the Universe governing health and medicine. Here are a few for your edification.

If you have the lab results on a Friday night, you will not need to go to the pet E.R. If you do not have them in hand, your pet will need to go to the E.R.
Never end a prescription on a Saturday night. The pet will relapse when all the vet offices are closed. If the pet has the medicine, everything will be perfect.
There is a secret agreement among all pets. They know when a long holiday weekend is coming up and get sick just then.
If your pet vomits and you decide to buy all the medication the vet recommends, your pet will get better like nothing happened and make you feel like you wasted your money. If you skip the meds, figuring the white rice will work, your pet will vomit all night until intravenous fluids and a $1,000 vet bill become mandatory to save your pet's life.
If you say "no" to annual, routine bloodwork to check for hidden disease in your pet, your pet will get sick the next week, making you feel guiltier than anything before in your life.
If you say "yes" to the annual screening lab work (in pets 7 and older, 30% chance of an abnormality on routine lab tests in a healthy-looking animal), your pet will also get rip-roaring sick in the next week. But at least you will know it's a new problem and you won't feel guilty. So, does preventative medicine prevent disease, or does preventative medicine just prevent guilt?
All coughs and limps disappear at the animal hospital.
Your unspayed female dog will come down with a life-threatening pyometra infection 1 week before you finally scheduled the spay procedure to try to avoid pyometra!
Female dogs and cats do not go through menopause. Just when you think babies are impossible, bam! A litter!
A corollary to #9, no, the puppies and kittens do not "just know" that they shouldn't mate with their own brother or sister. And they will get to that task as young as 6 months of age!

Hope these Murphy's Laws of Pet Medicine help you laugh, and maybe understand how to avoid catastrophe and emergency rooms.

Barium Study in a Dog

virtuavet — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:32:51 +0000

Weight Loss, Vomiting, and Intermittent Soft Stool in a German Shepherd Dog

Frisko panted nervously and looked up at the Doc from underneath steady eyebrows. He doubted he needed to see the doctor. After all, dogs vomit occasionally, right? The 5-year-old male black and tan German Shepherd Dog thought he had everything under control. Except he lost 6 pounds in one month! Oops! Rapid weight loss in a dog for no good reason warrants a trip to the animal hospital. "I watch him like a hawk and we're always together. Do you think it's the twisted stomach again like he had a few years ago?" said Frisco's dad. "No, we tacked his stomach that time so it can't flip anymore. (23% chance the tacking suture breaks down, scientifically speaking.) Besides, those symptoms are sudden and violent, unless there's a twist that comes and goes on its own, which can be very difficult to diagnose," said Doc Truli. Frisco's complete blood count, 25 blood chemistries, electrolytes, fecal parasite examination and pancreatitis screening test (snap PLI) were normal. His surgery radiographs (x-rays) looked normal. [caption id="attachment_2893" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Frisco's normal abdominal x-ray"][/caption] Yet clearly, there was something very wrong with Frisco. "The next step is a barium series," said Doc Truli.

What Is a Barium Study in a Dog?

A metal called liquid barium is fed to the dog. Silly, enthusiastic dogs (like Pit Bull Terriers) will often just eat the stuff out of a bowl, especially if you put a dollop of cat food on top of it. If you've ever tasted barium, it has a chalky, metallic taste. The manufacturers mix barium with strawberry flavor to try to mask the taste. Then you get a chalky, metallic, artificial strawberry taste. Bleck! There are also newer technology beeds impregnated with barium that are easier to swallow and don't taste bad. The beads are not always appropriate to show details in the lining of the stomach or intestines, like in Frisco's case. The barium beads are very good to show the motility, or rate of movement of a substance through the intestinal system.

Stuff That Barium Can Miss

peach pit

squeaker from a toy

fabric

cat toys

lymphoma

inflammatory bowel disease

pancreatitis

helicobacter gastritis

Frisco donned a towel and ate barium by 2-ounce (60 mL) oral dosing syringe. The barium gets everywhere if you let it! Since metal shows easily on an x-ray as a solid white area, no barium could touch the dog on the outside of his body. Even a tiny smudge of barium on the fur on his side could happen to cover the pylorus or a critical component of his insides and render the study incomplete or invalid. (Another Murphy's Law of Medicine: a tiny 1 inch (2.2 cm) smudge will line up exactly over the x-ray area of interest) After 5 syringes, he was loaded for the barium study.

Why Does the Barium Study Take All Day?

Once the barium is loaded into the patient, x-rays are taken every 15 minutes to 1 or 2 hours (depending on the problem being investigated.) The idea is this: the barium should move through normally. The stomach and intestines should fill nicely and evenly, and the barium should move through the esophagus immediately, the stomach in 30 minutes to 2 hours tops, the intestines over a few hours. [caption id="attachment_2896" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Normal: Barium in the stomach and a little in the intestines"][/caption] The whole thing takes about 12 hours to be sure nothing abnormal is missed. Sometimes, you get lucky and the problem is in the beginning of the body, like the stomach, and the barium outlines the abnormality within the first few x-rays. The abnormal outline is called a filling defect because the barium cannot fill the area as expected. This indicates a possible problem. Of course, x-ray interpretation is part science and part art of medicine. Seeing the problem with your own eyes during endoscopy or surgery is the only way to be sure of the interpretation on the barium study. (As we shall see later in Frisco's story.) Sometimes your vet will have you come back in the morning after the study for one last x-ray. Why? Because , if there is any barium held up in the system after 24 hours, that is very abnormal and helps diagnose a serious problem.

Plus, Why So Many X-Rays?

(Does my vet just want to charge more? Or, is my vet being over-cautious?) Well, this is a time-space continuum sort of problem. The x-rays must be taken at the right time to see the problem. Too much time in between, you'll miss it completely. Too little time, you'll be in the x-ray room all day.

There's a special x-ray technology for pets who need real-time x-rays. It's called fluoroscopy. A fluoroscope is like a special x-ray unit that shows the pictures on a screen as they happen. It is available usually in one or two university and specialty hospitals per state in the US. Fluoroscopy is an excellent diagnostic modality to determine motility disorders, especially megasophagus and hiatal hernias.

Frisco's Barium Study Was 100% Normal

[caption id="attachment_2898" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Normal Barium Study in a Canine: Read from Bottom to Top (Note the times)"][/caption] A possibility with a barium series - or study - is NO abnormalities! X-rays and Barium can miss the spot, miss the problem, slide past the problem, or the problem could be within the muscle walls of the intestines and not show in the lumen - or interior - where the barium is passing through. Every test has its limits! Frisco underwent abdominal ultrasound next. Ultrasound is non-invasive; there's no recovery time. The ultrasound could theoretically tell if Frisco has thickened intestinal walls, large abdominal lymph nodes, or other signs of a reason why he was losing weight. Guess what happened? Everything looked normal! Believe it or not, tests can all be normal in a severely ill dog.

Frisco's Endoscopy

The next decision was complicated. Should Frisco undergo abdominal exploratory surgery - called laparotomy - with the idea being, if there is a big problem, it can be surgically fixed right away? Or should the big vomiting German Shepherd undergo endoscopy. He'd need general anesthesia, but he would not have to be "cut." No surgery! The endoscopy could miss the problem, unless the problem was inside the innards of the stomach or the duodenum - the first par of the small intestine. No endoscope can reach inside all of the intestines. Intestines stretch out up to 70 feet long in a large dog! Endoscopy was chosen next because it does not involve healing from surgery and the pain of surgery. And good thing we chose endoscopy. Do you want to know what was inside Frisco's pylorus? A mop head. Yup. The strands and fibers of a mop head wedged in the outflow valve of the stomach called the pylorus. And, oh boy, was his stomach lining red and angry! Without medical intervention, Frisco would have died! Doc Truli removed the offending mop head and Frisco received stomach medicine for a month. He's back to normal after taking his medication! Go to VirtuaVet's Long Road to a Simple Answer for another barium study case.

Dog Halloween Costume or....?

virtuavet — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:31:37 +0000

Check this out! The ultimate dog Halloween "look." No, really. This Chihuahua woke up with red irritation in the whites of his eyes. He was blinking and squinting and tearing and it just wasn't a good situation. First, little Romeo had his eye pressures measured. Normal. So, no glaucoma! That's good news! Nothing looked wrong with the corneas on the physical examination, but before prescribing any medication which could potentially make a corneal scratch or ulcer worse, a fluorescein dye test was needed. (People get this, too!) The dye looks orange when you open it up. Then, mixed with sterile saline or tears, it turns a green-yellow color. Turn out the lights, turn on a black-light, and viola! Halloween doggie!

"A normal corneal surface on the eye repels liquids and dust and washes away irritating little what-nots that can damage your eyes. If the dye sticks anywhere on the surface of the eye, then you've identified a defect in the surface," says Doc Truli.

Ever get sand or dust in your eye? Hurts, right? Corneal ulcers and scratches are super painful. People even call in sick to work from a corneal scratch. Ask your veterinarian if any of the medication they've prescribed helps with the pain. Romeo's flourescein dye washed off the eyeball readily. No ulcers or scratches. A plain old cause of conjunctivitis (usually non-contagious in dogs BTW). Some eye drops and a few days out of the sun and Romeo was as good as ever!

Even a Few Licks of Antifreeze Matter!

virtuavet — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:10:10 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2937" align="alignleft" width="121" caption="Charlie"][/caption] How Can a Perfectly Watched Pet Get Sick in a Day?

Charlie looked like a rag on the animal hospital ceramic tile floor. He did not look up, nor did he greet Doc Truli with a tail wag, not even the tippy tip. Charlie could not summon the energy to lift his own head. "We just found him like that in the front hallway," said Charlie's dad. "I swear he was perfect last night. We always go out with him on walks, he's never alone. Same bag of dog food, no new treats. We never give him treats made in China. He's on a holistic, all-natural diet. Charlie's never out of our sight. I don't understand how this could be happening! Doc Truli asked," Has Charlie been vomiting, had loose stool?" "He vomited once this morning. But we figured he was eating grass in the yard. He does that sometimes," said Charlie, the shaggy white with brown-eared medium-sized, mixed breed, 4-year-old dog's dad. "Charlie's mucous membranes are tacky and sticky to the touch. His heart rate is way up over 150 beats per minute when it should be more like, maybe 100 maximum, here in the vet office. Has he gone out to urinate this morning?" said Doc Truli. "Honey, did he go out?" Charlie's dad asked Charlie's sister - the teenage daughter. "No, Dad. Charlie just looked so tired and weak, I didn't force him," said Charlie's human sister. Doc reached the back of Charlie abdomen with both hands, one hand on each side of his abdomen just in from of the pelvis. A quick pancaking motion of pressing Charlie's guts between Doc's hands confirmed a problem. "Did Charlie go out last night?" "Yes, he was normal last night. He ate dinner, and fell asleep by us in the family room," said Dad. "So, Charlie should have about 12 hours' worth of urine in his bladder. In that case, I should be able to feel a balloon-like bladder in the back part of his abdomen. Yet I do not," said Doc Truli. Then, the big question: "Could Charlie have gotten into antifreeze?" Charlie's dad thought. "We watch him really well. We never take him out without a leash." "Dad," said Charlie's human sister, "Remember the back of the SUV this morning? You thought the carpet was damp and we couldn't figure out why? We picked up antifreeze at the car store. Maybe it spilled and Charlie licked some." "No, Honey, besides," Charlie's Dad turned to face Doc Truli, "Just licking antifreeze wouldn't make him so sick, would it? If he did lick it, it was just a tiny amount." "Unfortunately," said Doc,"any little lick of antifreeze can kill the kidneys. We need to treat Charlie with intensive care now while we run some tests to see what's really going on." "Anything, anything, Doc. Please save our boy!" said Charlie's Dad.

What Does AntiFreeze Do to the Body?

Elevated Kidney Values

The little shaggy dog had "kidney values" beyond the reference range of the chemistry machines to measure. The Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN, pronounced just "B" "U" "N", not "bun" like in the oven) and Creatinine (pronounced kree-a-ti-neen) were very, very high. What does this mean?

Blood Urea Nitrogen

Huge VirtuaVet Aside About Nitrogen and the Environment
That's where the "water contamination from nitrogen waste" news comes from. Except, in addition to legal run-off from over-taxed city sewer systems, and intensive farming run-off from overflowing lagoons after a rainstorm, plant agriculture spreads manure and manufactured nitrogen all over the fields on purpose. Thousands of tons of that nitrogen just runs off the ground into the water supply. Ever hear of "nitrogen-fixing?" Meaning plant roots and the jungle plants and native ground covers "fixing " the nitrogen? Well, the plants are not out "fixing" numbers on a corporate report with underhanded accounting! They are absorbing the nitrogen into their fabulous green bodies and keeping the nitrogen in themselves in a healthy way, "fixing" or locking the nitrogen in a healthy place - their bodies!

Creatinine

What Is Antifreeze?

Tru Tip Q: Why do cats rarely get antifreeze poisoning? A: Cats do not have "sweet" taste buds. Therefore, they will only drink ethylene glycol for strange amusement, not the taste. Most cats are too smart to do this!

Alternative antifreeze contains a less toxic propylene glycol. It also prevents the freezing. Propylene glycol is thought to be barely toxic. It is used as a softening agent in semi-moist pet foods and treats, and added to many cosmetic and cleansing products for humans.

Tru Tip Q: What's the deal with Propylene Glycol and Cats? A: Repeated exposure to propylene glycol is poisonous to cats in a unique way through their little catty liver. Certain intravenous medications are carried in liquid form with propylene glycol. Veterinarians know not to give these meds, and certainly not to give them repeatedly to a cat, or liver failure will ensue. Q: If it's poisonous to cats, why did I just read "propylene glycol" on a semi-moist cat food label? A: Good question. Do you think the label regulators have time to protect our cats when they let corporations sell products that kill our children? Hmmm......

Basically, What Does Ethylene Glycol Do to My Pet?

Symptoms of AntiFreeze Poisoning

excessive thirst and urination
incoordination, called ataxia (legs not organized right)
weakness
nausea and vomiting
tremors, usually whole body
rapid breathing and heart rate
diarrhea
convulsions and seizures
paralysis

Charlie's bladder was empty because, after placing a urinary catheter to measure is urine output, and pumping him full of intravenous fluids, he still had almost no urine. No urine in anuric (pronounced an-nyer-ick) renal failure. If those kidneys don't come back on line, you've got to go for kidney dialysis. Not enough, or intermittent urine is called oliguric (pronounced ah-li-gyer-ick) renal failure . The kidneys could be deteriorating to anuric failure, or trying to start back up. Usually, some intravenous fluids will kick the kidneys into gear. Charlie's urine contained a few calcium oxalate crystals. These are squarish clear to yellow microscopic mineral crystals with X-shaped cross looking 3-D patterns on them. Calcium Oxalate Crystals are never normal in a dog or cat, and the crystals themselves can block the kidney ducts and tubules causing more damage than the original acid attack from the ethylene glycol. To get Charlie out of the oliguric renal failure, Doc gave him special medications to drive the kidneys back online. If a pet is so sick as to need these medications, you should have a serious talk with your veterinarian about prognosis and costs involved in intensive care. Charlie made it! (Most pets do not.) He spent three weeks in the hospital. He needs special kidney diet food for the rest of his life. But he survived a few licks of antifreeze due to quick action on his family and the vet's part.

References

The Environmental Protection Agency tells us used antifreeze picks up so many heavy metals and industrial strength toxins in use in the car or truck, that most states regulate antifreeze disposal for the safety of life on Earth! The Arizona Ph oenix Examiner reported on death of three pet dogs. Fabulous article with symptoms, chemical action of the Antifreeze, very detailed.

Antifreeze Poisoning or...

virtuavet — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:15:21 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2946" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="VirtuaCat "][/caption] Doc Truli's Short List of Causes of Sudden Kidney Failure: Get to an Animal Hospital Right Away!!!!!

Antifreeze - ethylene glycol poisoning
Lyme Disease Vaccine
Lyme Disease rickettsial infection
Leptospirosis bacterial infection
***Cats**** (Remember this at Easter and Christmas) - Eating Lilly Plants, any part of the plant, even one bite causes sudden, kidney failure in cats. No cure; they die!
***Dogs*** Raisins, grapes and currants. Possible only a few of the fruits could cause it!

"VirtuaCat, being a lazy Himalayan pussums, barely notices floral arrangements on the dining room table. Still, we have a rule in our house: no lilies in or near the property, ever!" says Doc Truli.

Symptoms of Sudden Renal Failure

excessive thirst and urination
incoordination, called ataxia (legs not organized right)
weakness
nausea and vomiting
tremors, usually whole body
rapid breathing and heart rate
diarrhea
convulsions and seizures
paralysis

Two Dogs Saved by Ethics, not Medicine!

virtuavet — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:33:18 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="alignleft" width="135" caption="Saved!"][/caption] Veterinarians Often See Accusations of Abuse or Human Mental Illness

A few days ago, Doc Truli came across a Phoenix Examiner article about Antifreeze Poisoning in three pet dogs. One of the anonymous comments caught her eye:

Anonymous wrote: The owner Jasmine is a nutcase. She makes pet profiles at dogster.com, says they died, gets sympathy, then removes the pages. A few days after these dogs died she got a new dog named Aldo. Guess what? he got poisoned too behind a fenced in patio! and his page is now gone. She either did this herself or knows who did it because she never does anything about it and states that her family hates her new dog Aldo so anyone could have poisoned them! She needs to be stopped and never get a dog again because she endangers the life of every dog she comes near. How many more dogs will suffer die at this mad woman's hands?

Of course, we do not know if there is a "Jasmine" or three dead dogs, or an anonymous poster, or a new dog named "Aldo." Perhaps the exchange is a fiction created for scintillation and attention. But every veterinarian who has practiced medicine more than a few months has seen or heard amazing things that would not be believed if it wasn't real. Doc Truli will share some of these stories with you, from time to time. Many, many animals are saved by ethics, not medicine. Here's one stunning example.

Woman Schedules Euthanasia for 2-Year-Old Lab Mix Dog

"Really?" said Doc Truli. "Did she say why she scheduled euthanasia for a two-year old dog?" "No," said the animal hospital receptionist. "Let me know when she checks in, we have to see what's going on." Doc Truli worked at a hospital under the mandate that pets are property, according to US law, and the person who brings the pet for services and signs that they are the owner or guardian, decides what services the animal will receive. The owner of the animal hospital said, "If a pet owner requests euthanasia, you are ethically bound to follow their wishes regarding their property." While Doc Truli thought something sounded "off" with this narrow interpretation of medical and property ethics, she was about to be put to the test.

Woman Arrives With Not One, But Two Dogs for Euthanasia

"What?" said Doc Truli. The nurse had just gone into the consultation room. She came out shaking,"She says the three-year-old dog needs to be put down, too." "Go find out why," said Doc Truli. "The boss doesn't like it when we ask why," said the nurse. "It's already a sensitive subject." "Two lives are on the line. I'm hard-pressed to imagine a legitimate reason to euthanize two young dogs on the same day," replied Doc Truli. "Find out if they are sick, or what."

Woman Claims Dogs "Have No Quality of Life"

The woman said that the dogs belonged to her and her ex-boyfriend and when the humans broke up, she had no money to care for the dogs, so she left them with the ex. She claimed the dogs were tied out all day with no food or water and they had a terrible life, therefore, she thought the best thing for the dogs was to have them put down so they would not suffer. "That sounds fishy. Tell her to take them to an animal shelter," said Doc Truli.

Woman Swears Animal Shelters are "All Full"

The nurse came back after a few minutes. "She says she called four shelters and they were full and could not take the dogs." "Oh, yeah! Let's call those shelters," said Doc Truli. All four had space. Plus, all four said they would never turn away any animal. Now the woman was caught in a verifiable lie. Doc became concerned that the dogs would suffer a terrible fate if their paws ever left the animal hospital that day.

Doc Truli Adopts the Dogs

"Tell her we'll take the dogs and find them good homes." Now the woman was stuck in her lies. She signed the dogs over to the hospital. Two healthy, young lab mixed breed dogs. Actually calm, patient, and well-behaved. They dogs bedded down in the kennel for the night and enjoyed their supper. The next morning, the boss came on shift and asked (rightfully so), "Who are these dogs in the kennel?" Upon hearing the start of the story about how the woman had ordered euthanasia, he grew very concerned that the woman's rights had been trampled, "A pet owner has the right to euthanize their dog." Doc Truli explained, "Yes, but something didn't seem right. So I had her sign the dogs over. I suspect, she's not even the rightful owner of the dogs."

Real Owner Finds the Hospital!

Two hours later, a gigantic, tattoo-covered, grey bearded, leather-wearing Harley guy showed up at the front desk. He had red bags under his eyes. He asked if a woman had come in with two dogs. "Yes!" As it turned out, the motorcycling gentleman was the owner of the dogs. One dog was on daily anti-epilepsy medication. He had a regular vet who confirmed his regular up-to-date visits over the telephone. The woman was a vindictive ex-girlfriend who fought with him, stole the dogs, and then called him and told him they were dead. She had planned to throw their dead bodies in his front lawn in order to hurt him! You never saw a more grateful, happy man in your life! Doc Truli's boss puffed with pride and said, "Here come look at how safe they are; we saved your dogs!"

Saving Animals, One Logic at a Time

Doc has saved many others pets over the years and will share their stories on VirtuaVet from time to time. Most people do not know how abhorrent ill people came be. That's just the way things are. But you can still keep a clear head and help the pets in need!

References:

Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society founded by animal ethicist Dr. James Serpell. Pet Law has become a specialty and area of interest within the practice of Law. This is an example of a specialty Law firm with thought-provoking articles.

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JLaw — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:27:35 +0000

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JLaw — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:08:08 +0000

Banner

JLaw — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:08:33 +0000

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Allergic Pet?

virtuavet — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 02:20:58 +0000

Allergies in Dogs and Cats

Common Symptoms

Runny Eyes and Nose
Rubbing face and ears
Licking paws
Licking belly fur
Scratching all over
Red, red skin
Recurrent bouts of "hot spots"
Frequent, inexplicable "sensitive stomach"

Atopy

Up to half --half -- of American cats and dogs, and probably just as many worldwide in industrialized countries, suffer from atopy. Atopy is a fancy word for allergies to inhaled allergens. The standard allergy selection panels check for mites, molds, pollens, grasses, cat dander, human dander, and insects like fleas, usually about 60-80 allergens in a standard geographically regional "allergy test."

Food Allergy or Sensitivity

Then 10% (by recent estimates) of dogs and cats suffer from food allergies. There are no statistically accurate laboratory or skin tests for food allergies in pets. An allergy elimination diet trial must be performed. VirtuaVet has a comprehensive article explaining how to perform your own allergy elimination diet trial at home.

Allergy Treatment in Dogs and Cats

Medicine

70% of dogs respond favorably to allergy treatment with custom-made allergy desensitization shots and many respond to cyclosporin modified capsules of immunomodulatory medication, which often continues once a month for years or for life to keep allergies under control.

Remove/Avoid the Allergen

Occasionally, the allergen is removable from the pet's life. "I had a patient who came up with a 5 out of 6 score on a blood allergy test to Red Cedar. I'd never even seen higher than a 4 of 6 before this little Westie," said Doc Truli, "Luckily, his dad switched to pine needles, instead of Cedar mulch in the yard, and the symptoms cleared up!"

Nutrition

Many pets respond favorably to immune system strengthening. Whether a deficiency is corrected, or the nutrition boosts the immune system is a debatable subject. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation of a Quality Fish Oil or (for dogs) Flax Seed Oil with the subcomponent called "EPA" at the proper published dose to boost the immune system and decrease itchiness. DO NOT supplement your dog without consulting your veterinarian (that's why I did not publish the dose here; VirtuaVet is not responsible for what you put in your pet's mouth!) Some dogs, like Miniature Schnauzers, are prone to potentially deadly pancreatitis and could die from a change in their fat intake! Cats lack an enzyme needed to convert flax omega's into active, useful omega's, so feed your cat a fish oil source of Omega 3's like menhaden fish, salmon, cod liver oil, anchovy, or krill. If you home cook for your dog, or already have a skin/coat health/allergy diet, it may already have enhanced Omega 3 Fatty Acids. These fats accumulate in the fat storage areas of the body and therefore, can become overdosed and make your pet sick. Your veterinarian can advise you. Ask your veterinarian about adding Vitamin E to your pet's diet for immune system health, skin health, and decreasing itchiness. Some scientific research says Vitamin E does not help in people, but the research is performed on incomplete, laboratory-made Vitamins. Research done with fresh, natural Vitamin E proves it's amazingly helpful qualities. Plus it helps the body absorb Omega 3's better! There is no published dose for Vitamin E in dogs and cats. Ask your veterinarian to decide on a dose for your pet(s). Both Omega 3's and Vitamin E are Fat Soluble vitamins. This means they are stored in fat in the body and you can overdose and cause serious disease with too much. More does not equal better with fat soluble nutrients!

Topical Therapy

Shampoos, lotions, oils, grooming, ionizing bath treatments, oatmeal baths, proper timing of baths. (Some dogs need weekly, some get worse with weekly, ask your vet!) These all help. Some contain prescription pharmaceuticals like hydrocortisone, diphenhydramine and pramoxine. They help.

VirtuaVet Digs Deeper for the Pet Who Still Suffers Allergies

Sometimes you've "done everything." Next time on VirtuaVet, read about common mistakes people make when trying to figure out their pet's allergies. Then. after that, next week, VirtuaVet explores potentially toxic cosmetics and cleaning agents you may still be using. Half of them are "green!"

Reference

VirtuaVet's 4-Year-Old Staffordshire Terrier Finally Allergy Free, detailed Article on How to Perform Your Own Allergy Elimination Diet Trial at Home.

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JLaw — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:28:31 +0000

Are Your Household Cleaners Making Your Pet Sick?

Doc Truli — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 13:49:32 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3012" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Clean with Confidence!"][/caption] Some Pets Suffer In Spite of Your Best Efforts

Doc Truli came across a scientific report that might explain why some pets are still itchy and miserable after all of your best efforts. Maybe you have tried the allergy diet trial. Maybe you cook for your pet. Maybe your cat is ripping her fur out and still itchy after seeing the dermatologist several times. Maybe you've done the gammit of allergy investigation and treatment. Maybe your veterinary behavior specialist has tried 3 or 4 drugs on your pet thinking that he or she is "crazy." Maybe your dog only feels okay if he takes daily prednisone, and you cannot fathom why he's still allergic.

Are Scented Products Safe and Enjoyable for Your Pet?

Many people cannot stand scented products. For some, it gets so bad, their bodies become "universal reactors." (Multiple chemical sensitivity is considered an illegitimate diagnosis, it is fascinating to consider, however.) Any chemicals set these people into migraines, hives, and excruciating pain. They usually end up living in special housing with strict control of the products they use. These people can get sick from touching a new shirt in a store that has a cotton protectant on it to prevent soiling during the shipping and sales process. A universal reactor might be responding to the chemicals and poisons the rest of us just "live with." Most physicians in the US believe this is quackery, but still, it is interesting to study and consider! Think this is melodramatic? It is not! Ever try to read the label on window cleaner? Laundry detergent? Dryer sheets? Dish soap? Dishwasher detergent? Drain decloggers? Go look under your kitchen sink right now! (You're back quick!) No ingredients, right? Or a tiny list of one or two, and that's it! (Doc Truli recently bought Martha Stewart brand counter spray at Home Depot. Gasp! It listed the ingredients! Maybe they're all there...) What's the deal? US Federal law does not require ingredient labeling on household products. You read right. They put lots of stuff in there, and no one has the right to require manufacturers to tell us what's in there!

If it smells to you, what do you think your cat or dog smells?

[caption id="attachment_3014" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Can't you smell that, mommy?"][/caption] Dogs can smell breast cancer before a pathologist can see it under the microscope. With a nose that sensitive, do you think your household cleaners smell a little strong? Do you think your dog enjoys your dryer sheets? Ever see a dog sneeze as you shake out the sheets to make the bed? How about your perfume? How about the air freshener in the car on the way to the vet's office? Don't you get a tiny headache the first day you put the thing in the car? Imagine if the lining of your dog's nose was spread out flat. It would cover a football field. Doc means world football (soccer to the US), not NFL stuff. A whole field being assaulted by your cosmetics, cleaners, and scents. So what?

Fabulous Study Looks at Household Scented Products

You know what they found? Of 133 chemicals detected in 25 products, which were the leading best-selling brands on the market, 25% of those chemicals are toxic or hazardous under federal law. More than a third of the products emitted at least one probable carcinogen according to EPA standards. All products tested emitted at least one toxic or hazardous chemical! Now the kicker that got VirtuaVet's attention: half of the products tested were labelled "organic," "natural," or "green!"

"Surprisingly, the green products' emissions of hazardous chemicals were not significantly different from the other products," said lead author Anne Steinemann, UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs.

So, really, what's bothering your pets?

Reconsider Your Products

Lock up your scented products for a month or two. Food allergy tests take 8 weeks. Therefore, two months is a reasonable amount of test time for a "scent" test. The study authors were clear to point out that they could not publish the product names because they did not want to seem to imply that those products tested were any worse than any other products on the market. Do you understand? They mean, all the products could all be bad. There is legislation proposed in Congress to require complete labeling of household products. The study authors suggest we try vinegar, baking soda, open the windows to ventilate while cleaning, and perhaps try products with no fragrance. You may have a transition period in which you feel like things do not "smell clean" because you are used to pine or lemon or whatever scent signifies clean to you. But, remember, the products tested all emitted at least one chemical known to be toxic, and half emitted a carcinogenic chemical. Perhaps you will finally break the cycle of allergic insanity in your pet. Who knows? Maybe your life will become easier and happier once the scented products are no longer challenging your system with toxins!

Reference

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Spurious Diagnosis by Stephen Barrett, MD Science News Daily: Scented Consumer Products Shown to Emit Many Unlisted Chemicals

dog-chest-tumor-x-ray

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:28:19 +0000

dog-chest-tumor-x-ray, courtesy of VirtuaVet 2010

american-bulldog

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:30:30 +0000

american-bulldog

the-dirty-nine

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:32:09 +0000

nine tartar and calculus encrusted teeth extracted from a suffering german shepherd dog's mouth lined up on a gauze pad. Photo courtesy of VirtuaVet 2010.

high-energy-working-dog

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:34:01 +0000

black and tan burnished belgian malinois smiles up at his handler. Photo courtesy of Doc Truli 2010.

large-breed-puppy-panosteitis

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:36:36 +0000

large-breed-puppy-panosteitis, photo courtesy of Doc Truli 2010

black-cat-eating

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:38:41 +0000

black kitten eating photo courtesy of Doc Truli 2010

grey and white long haired cat

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:40:06 +0000

grey and white long haired cat, photo courtesy of Doc Truli 2010

dilute tortoiseshell shaded silver himalayan cat

JLaw — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:44:02 +0000

dilute tortoiseshell shaded silver himalayan cat, "Ketaruh" Photo courtesy of Doc Truli 2010. Copyright Boston Brain Bank 2010.

chocolate-standard-poodle

JLaw — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:07:49 +0000

Pet Allergy Investigation Checklist

virtuavet — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:44:59 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3116" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Where'd my face fur go?"][/caption] Diagnosing an Allergic Pet Takes Medicine and Sleuthing

Work with your veterinarian to figure out your pet's allergies. If more than one pet in your household is allergic, do not become discouraged, about 50% of American pets are allergic. It is probably not a poisonous horrible thing you did to your pets, it's probably just that they are related by family, breed, or they are all in the affected 50%! If it seems like your veterinarian wants to run a million tests, this checklist can help you keep track of the tests, and maybe reassure you that all the investigation is needed!

"I check the general health of a patient first, because back health or a disease and make allergies worse," says Doc Truli. "Then we 'control the controllable' with a food elimination diet, and give nutritional supplements to see if the allergy resolves. Then we go into excluding common skin diseases and then finally, allergy testing and treatment."

Pet Allergy Investigation Checklist

Thorough, thoughtful physical examination
Perfect flea prevention and treatment if present (If you can do this yourself, you may save a vet visit! 50% of pet dermatology specialist appointments turn out to be a flea problem!)
Most allergic pets have secondary skin infections that need to be treated so we can see what the condition is like when only the allergy is present
- skin scrape cytology for mites (mange)
- skin tape cytology for lice and yeast and bacterial counts
- ear cytology for concomitant otitis (very common with skin problems)
CBC, Chemistry, Thyroid screening test, fecal parasite exam, heartworm test, for cats feline leukemia and feline aids test
Try Omega 3's and Vitamin E
Allergy Elimination Diet (8-12 weeks). See VirtuaVet's Detailed article on how to perform the food trial at home.
Lyme-sulfur dips in case of hidden mange or infections tests did not identify (tests are not perfect).
Skin surgical biopsy (usually tiny samples, can be done in non-sedated patient... usually.)
allergy blood serum tests and/or allergy skin testing (usually does require sedation, shaving the sides, and a dermatologist to correctly interpret the results.)

Your veterinarian will help you treat any secondary yeast, mite, or bacterial infections. Your pet may need anti-itching oral or topical medication for comfort while the investigation takes the necessary months to complete. If you discover another condition, such as hypothyroidism, get it treated. Sometimes the body just needs some balancing in order to handle the allergies itself. Next time on VirtuaVet: Are Common House Product Scents setting off your pet's allergies? Q: Why can't I just use an anti histamine? A: Only 10% of cats or dogs respond to antihistamines.

Are Your Household Cleaners Making Your Pet Sick?

virtuavet — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:45:54 +0000

Some Pets Still Suffer

After the allergy diet trial, maybe you cook for your pet. Maybe your cat is ripping her fur out and still itchy after seeing the dermatologist several times. Maybe you've done the gammit of allergy investigation and treatment. Maybe your veterinary behavior specialist has tried 3 or 4 drugs on your pet thinking that he or she is "crazy." Maybe your dog only feels okay if he takes daily prednisone, and you cannot fathom why he's still allergic. Doc Truli came across a scientific report that might explain why some pets are still itchy and miserable after all of your best efforts.

Consider

Many people cannot stand scented products. For some, it gets so bad, their bodies become "universal reactors." (Multiple chemical sensitivity is considered an illegitimate diagnosis, it is fascinating to consider, however.) Any chemicals set these people into migraines, hives, and excruciating pain. They usually end up living in special housing with strict control of the products they use. These people can get sick from touching a new shirt in a store that has a cotton protectant on it to prevent soiling during the shipping and sales process. A universal reactor might be responding to the chemicals and poisons the rest of us just "live with." Most physicians in the US believe this is quackery, but still, it is interesting to study and consider! Think this is melodramatic? It is not! Ever try to read the label on window cleaner? Laundry detergent? Dryer sheets? Dish soap? Dishwasher detergent? Drain decloggers? Go look under your kitchen sink right now! You're back quick! No ingredients, right? Or a tiny list of one or two, and that's it! (Doc Truli recently bought Martha Stewart brand counter spray at Home Depot. Gasp! It listed the ingredients! Maybe they're all there...) What's the deal? US Federal law does not require ingredient labeling on household products. You read right. They put lots of stuff in there, and no one has the right to require manufacturers to tell us what's in there!

If it smells to you, what do you think your cat or dog smells?

Dogs can smell breast cancer before a pathologist can see it under the microscope. Do you think your dog enjoys your dryer sheets? Ever see a dog sneeze as you shake out the sheets to make the bed? How about your perfume? How about the air freshener in the car on the way to the vet's office? Don't you get a tiny headache the first day you put the thing in the car? Imagine if the lining of your dog's nose was spread out flat. It would cover a football field. Doc means world football (soccer to the US), not NFL stuff. A whole field being assaulted by your cosmetics, cleaners, and scents. So what?

Fabulous Study Looks at Household Scented Products

You know what they found? Of 133 chemicals detected in 25 products, which were the leading best-selling brands on the market, 25% are toxic or hazardous under federal law. More than a third of the products emitted at least one probable carcinogens according to EPA standards. All products tested emitted at least one toxic or hazardous chemical! Nowthe kicker that got VirtuaVet's attention: half of the products tested were labelled "organic," "natural," or "green!"

"Surprisingly, the green products' emissions of hazardous chemicals were not significantly different from the other products," said lead author Anne Steinemann, UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs.

So, really, what's bothering your pets?

Reconsider Your Products

Lock up your scented products for a month or two. Food allergy tests take 8 weeks, so that's a reasonable amount of test time for a "scent" test. The study authors were clear to point out that they could not publish the product names because they did not want to seem to imply that those products tested were any worse than any other products on the market. Do you understand? They mean, it all could be bad. There is legislation proposed in Congress to require complete labeling of household products. The study authors suggest we try vinegar, baking soda, open the windows to ventilate while cleaning, and perhaps try products with no fragrance. You may have a transition period in which you feel like things do not "smell lea" because you are used to pine or lemon or whatever signifying clean, even from your childhood to the present day. But, remember, these products tested all emitted at least one chemical known to be toxic, and half emitted a carcinogenic chemical. Perhaps you will finally break the cycle of allergic insanity in your pet. Who knows? Maybe your life will become easier and happier once the scented products are no longer challenging your system with toxins!

Reference

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Spurious Diagnosis by Stephen Barrett, MD Science News Daily: Scented Consumer Products Shown to Emit Many Unlisted Chemicals