Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Top 5 Myths that Vets Hear- Part 2



Top 5 Myths that Vets Hear- Part 2
By the Veterinarians at WAH

Myth #4: My cat/dog can’t have bad teeth because he’s eating just fine.

Animals don’t usually exhibit pain as obviously as we humans do. This is partially from instinctual reasons: to curl up in a ball and not move is to invite predators. But it’s also because we are just not keen enough to notice.

More often than not, they are showing us they are in pain or discomfort, but we just aren’t getting their clues.

When we do oral exams on our patients, we often find oral disease like pus along the gumline, receding gums with tooth root exposure, loose or fractured teeth, boney swelling, and erosions of the teeth along the gumline. Any or all of these would make for a very bad day for a person! But our cats and dogs show very subtle signs, like a decrease in activity, not hanging out with the family as much, chewing on one side of the mouth, or not wanting to grasp toys in the mouth. For some cats, urinating outside of the box or marking around the house is their way of saying, “I’m in chronic pain.” In most cases, unless the problem has reached a point where there’s an obvious abscess or broken jaw, the dog or cat continues to eat.

On the flip side, it is very common for us to hear from our clients that after the bad teeth were extracted, it was like they had a new cat or dog! We hear very commonly how clients had no idea that their pets were in so much discomfort and now the cat is back playing and hanging out with the owners every night, or the dog is playing tug-of-war again.


Myth #5: You can’t teach an old dog –or cat- new tricks.

Yes you can!  They just may take a little longer to learn.  When does this become important?

Many dogs, as they age, start to lose some housebreaking habits. Owners often come home to find accidents in the house, representing a behavior that had not been present since puppyhood.

The first step, of course, is to rule out or treat a medical reason for this. Meanwhile, patient re-training can be started. Just as with puppies, training involves all positive reinforcement: rewards outside for good behavior, pointing to the elimination and praising, letting the dog watch you clean it up. On the flip side, you have to ignore the indoor accidents in front of the dog- never let him see you clean it up, and don’t scold him or rub his nose in it.

Finally, don’t allow him the opportunity to do the wrong thing. This often entails confining him in certain areas of the house, restricting access to the newly minted accident areas, or even crating her.

When cats age, they often have special dietary requirements. Converting a cat that is addicted to a certain company’s flavor or texture of food, like only dry food, can be a challenge. And this challenge is magnified when other cats in the house transition to the improved diet at different rates, or when other cats have their own special dietary needs.

The good news is that you can train cats to eat in their own areas, and it will take just a few days. One of our technicians used to line up four cat carriers, each one designated for a specific cat. And they all learned within a few days to go into their specific carrier at mealtime. Dr. Epstein has three cats that eat at different paces, including one who has pills hidden in her food. At mealtime, they each go to a different location in the house (laundry room on top of the dryer, floor outside the laundry room door, and upstairs hallway).

These are just two examples of teaching old dogs and cats important new tricks. It just goes to show you that with age comes wisdom!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Final Moments: A Veterinarian’s Decision to Euthanize her Dog


By Lexie Hanna, VMD

October 30, 2012: Hurricane Sandy came in like a storm, forcing us to hunker down as a family and be together. We could not predict the outcome, but prepared for the unknown. Our beloved black Lab Brasco’s final days arrived in the same manner, and at the same time.

What started as some presumed muscular pain quickly turned into paralysis, anxiety, leaky urine and uncontrollable bowels. The cause became irrelevant at some point. After our MRI was cancelled twice due to the state of emergency from the hurricane, we stopped wondering and did the best that we could to help ease his pain at home. Since I’m a veterinarian and acupuncturist, this involved acupuncture, massage and heat therapy, in addition to pain medication. But he is not only my patient- he is “our boy.”

So we did what any parents good would do. We loved him, nursed him, “sling walked” him, gave him extra treats, and let him lick my husband’s head as much as he wanted, until even that became of little interest to him. We talked to family, friends, and colleagues, each of us trying to grasp what happened so quickly, and why.

A great colleague of mine finally gave me light. She asked if I would “go crazy” not “knowing” what he had. And eventually I realized I did not need to know. I just needed to be with our boy (he is next to me now as I write). We did not want to spend a good part of his last days driving in the bad weather to an unfamiliar place to have him anesthetized and put through the MRI machine, just for an answer. Not that that would have been wrong. My colleague eventually said, “just do what feels right in your heart, and no guilt!” I realized then: she is part vet, part therapist and part religious guide. In our profession, we must be all three at times.

So we bathed our boy (whose urine was now very strong smelling and dribbling on him constantly). We sat with him, hugged and loved him and allowed him to guide us. We can’t control what life brings. (And right now, it’s bringing our three young boys up from the basement screaming about some fight they just had). Ahh life. A rest. God’s rest. Perhaps this is what Brasco really needs.

Addendum:
Brasco was humanely euthanized on Halloween morning, October 31, 2012. He became so painful throughout the night that we knew we had to end his suffering. But the decision was not easy. I am sure many of you have faced these same challenges. Is there a “right” time, a “perfect” scenario? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. It is a very individual decision. For some (including myself with a previous pet), euthanasia never feels “right,” and letting the animal go in it’s own time is the answer. Many of you come in asking for our advice on this very topic. Our role is to help guide you, support your decision and help maintain your companion animal’s quality of life to the best of our ability.

Euthanasia comes with many opinions, stereotypes and emotions. It is a very unique aspect of our job, and one that we do not take lightly. However, it has its place, and we feel humbled to be able to help owners and pets in the end of life process. So “no guilt!” Just listen to your heart, and do what is right and best for YOU and YOUR pet.