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Fuzzy Pet Vet

Snippets of vet information for your rabbit, dog, cat, guinea pig and anyone else that is fuzzy and not going to be eaten.

10/07/2024

He went from an upset, panting, trembling hot mess to snoozing 😴 with me on the floor within ten minutes.
My poor dog has developed thunderstorm and fireworks phobia over the last year. It hurts my heart to see him so stressed. I tried comforting him and counterconditioning (feeding him high value treats) when he started to act scared but this phobia just escalated. And when a lab is too stressed to eat treats you know the world is ending!
This summer I’ve been using a product called Sileo which is FDA labeled for the treatment of noise aversion in dogs. It’s absorbed from the gums so works very quickly. The medication blocks the fight/flight/freeze part of the brain. It also causes the blood vessels of the skin and mucous membranes to tighten up so the gums look a bit pale and blue, which is totally fine when on this type of medication but totally scary any other time!

05/07/2024

Manicures and pedicures aren’t always frivolous hedonistic expenditures.
Many older kitties develop very thick claws that don’t shed their claw sheaths normally. If left uncut these thick claws continue to grow and eventually curl into the pad pads. Ingrown claws are obviously quite painful!
This also happens with polydactyl (extra toe) cats especially when they have an extra claw in the webbing between the dewclaw (thumb) and second digit (pointer finger).
Check your kitties claws every 1-2 months (if your cat is spicy for this ask your vet for help and recommendations on a pre visit pharmaceutical like gabapentin).

06/05/2024

Modern performance art? Or why else did someone glue this white disc thing to this pet??
Dogs and cats get diabetes just like humans- dogs develop type 1 diabetes (when the immune system destroys the pancreas’ beta cells for no good reason) and cats mostly develop type 2 (insulin resistance usually due to metabolic disease from obesity). Dogs will need lifelong insulin injections but cats can go into remission with a low carbohydrate diet and weight loss.
One way to monitor blood sugar and adjust insulin dosages is through a continuous blood glucose monitor. These work in non human furry animals just like they do in human animals. Usually they are used for just a few weeks to fine tune insulin dosing without stressing the pet with multiple blood draws- stress actually makes blood sugar go up (stress hyperglycemia) so results from a product like a Freestyle Libre the pet can wear at home can be more useful.

04/05/2024

It can sometimes be difficult to know if a tooth is broken underneath the tartar accumulation.
Veterinarians know what the normal shape would be and compare it to the other side for symmetry (in this dog’s case both upper fourth premolars were broken which obfuscated the issue).
The large last premolar on top, aka the carnassial tooth (a carnivore thing), is the most commonly fractured tooth in dogs. Fractures are caused by chewing on objects that are too hard- bones, antlers, hooves, rocks, ice. And your dog will usually not tell you that it hurts!
Complicated crown fractures- those which expose the pulp chamber which houses the nerve- are always painful when they happen, and eventually cause a painful tooth root abscess. The treatment is extraction or a root canal, unless the fracture is treated within 24-48 hours of it occurring in which case a veterinary dentist can perform a vital pulpotomy.
My parents used to give their dogs marrow bones, and when I warned them about the risk of tooth fracture they gave me the classic parent what-do-you-even-know-we’ve always done-this-and-it’s-fine- thing. (Like the baby car seat argument- I am alive so therefore statistically car seats aren’t necessary.) And sure enough their dog, named W***y after Kaiser Wilhelm, fractured both his carnassial teeth.

30/04/2024

It’s black fly season. In dogs black fly bites look hideous but don’t hurt.

Dogs don’t get a bull’s eye rash when bitten by a Lyme infected tick, so don’t worry about this. Worry about climate change and obesity and allergies instead.

14/02/2024

Wishing every living creature love on this Valentine’s Day.
The yellow tinge in vomit occurs when the stomach is empty and bile, which is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, is refluxed into the stomach from the first part of the small intestine before being expelled.
Vomiting can occur with many medical conditions from relatively benign to life threatening.
If your fur kid is vomiting please call your vet for advice. Usually it’s a good idea to let the stomach settle and withold food for at least four hours after an episode of vomiting. Dogs don’t always make the best choices- some will eat what their body just threw up. 🤷‍♀️

11/02/2024

Superbowel.

Some cats are prone to developing severe constipation. Please make sure your kitty p**ps daily. This poor guy had a mastiff sized p**p filling up most of his belly and needed to be sedated for multiple enemas. The unfortunate vet (that would be me after my shift) had to double glove to manually help birthe this monster p**p. (Reason #483 I am not in human medicine.)
Luckily dogs rarely get constipated- in twenty years I have seen three cases. One dog ate a lot of fiberglass insulation which must not feel good on its way through, one was unneutered and had a huge prostate that was partially obstructing his colon, and one had floppy weak colon musculature for no good reason.

18/10/2023

I appreciate my vet techs- and so should you!
I stink at drawing blood. The technicians are my phlebotomists.
I need to focus on the surgery my hands are performing. The technicians are my anesthetists.
I need to call back clients, reporting labs, answering questions, going over diagnostics and options for treatment, discussing quality of life. In the meantime the technicians are my lab techs, my pharmacy techs, my surgical recovery nurses. They are giving my patients fluids and medications, placing IV catheters (another thing I stink at), taking X-rays of hurt limbs and grumpy bladders and hearts that aren’t doing what they should. They are scaling and polishing teeth, charting the mouth. They are cleaning p**p and freshening up the patients post procedure, walking them and feeding them, providing emotional support (so often tiny pups are carried around in a sling post op to keep them warm and comfortable), and advocating for the best pain management and fear free handling.
They are triaging the sick pets that all want to be seen today when we are fully booked and short staffed yet again. Can’t breathe go to ER, broken bleeding toe nail c’mon in, his breath smells bad but he is eating fine and a dental procedure has been recommended for years but you didn’t follow through- scheduling you for next week. They are helping make the puppy who ate pink underwear vomit his loot back up (the underwear is always worn not freshly laundered).
I inject the medication that helps your suffering pet cross the Rainbow Bridge so she is finally pain free and at peace. We have pulled ourselves together but when you have left the room we tear up and gather up the supplies and carefully wrap up the body and respectfully prepare the remains for the crematorium. I’ve known your pet most of my career and my tech comforts me while I sob, then gets the new puppy into the exam room and takes a history while I dry my eyes and take deep breaths.
My tech also tells me when I have Great Dane drool on my shoulder, blood running down my arm from a Frenchie scratching me, or a flea in my eyebrow (all true stories).
I saw a sticker recently- “behind every great vet is an exhausted vet tech”- so true!!
Please take the time to thank the veterinary technicians not just this week but every week. I couldn’t do it without them.
Pic of my colleague’s dog Charlie today, he is so stinking cute, posted with permission.

10/11/2022

Ever had a miniature porcelain leaf rake get stuck sideways in your teeth? Me neither, but I think that is what this would feel like…
The photo on the left shows a bunny with sharp spurs on her right lower cheek teeth that are poking at the tongue. The second photo shows the scar on her beautiful pink precious little tongue from the trauma.
She had an appointment because she wasn’t eating well, and I added her on to my already overloaded surgery schedule because I couldn’t bear to think of her suffering any longer. ❤️
Rabbits’ teeth grow continuously, and if they don’t eat enough hay or have wonky jaw anatomy (ahem I’m looking at you, adorable dwarfs, lops and lionheads) their teeth can overgrow, causing painful chewing, drooling and weight loss. I once had a patient whose tongue was almost cut in half, he weirdly never complained just kept eating and drooling blood tinged saliva. It stinks not to have fingers to dial the vet for help!
Post molar trim pic in comments.

27/10/2022

Something I hear several times a week when discussing dental home care “Oh yes, the groomer brushes her teeth.”
So… what would your dentist say if your hair stylist is the only one who brushes your teeth?… 😱
With gentle slow desensitization and counter conditioning, most dogs and cats will allow for tooth brushing.
https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/4-tips-to-make-pet-tooth-brushing-a-habit-2/

Other options that can help (most effective in addition to tooth brushing) are VOHC- Veterinary Oral Health Council- accepted products like HealthMouth water additive, CET chews, Whimzees, Greenies, and HealthyMouth wipes. Check outhttp://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf

23/10/2022

‘Tis still the season for ear infections… neither of these pups had an appointment for signs of an ear infection. (The first came in for what old school vets call ADR- “ain’t doin right”- the other for decreased appetite).
That’s why it’s important to do a full exam in vet medicine, even for a “focused” problem like limping or mouth issues- so often one can find other problems. Although in this case patient #1 was flailing and trying to bite so my tech and I risked fingers and face to look at the ears.
Pics are of normal ear and infected ear.

20/10/2022

Vet Tech Appreciation Week:
Fabulous wranglers of hairy hay-y beasties ❤️
Phlebotomist, radiology tech, lab tech, anesthesia nurse, psych nurse, patient advocate, medical assistant, grief counselor, morgue attendant, so many jobs- most of which are highly skilled- and their love of animals is what keeps them in this profession.
Please show a vet tech or assistant your appreciation this week. I couldn’t do my job without them.
And the best of them herd their doctors and keep them on task and on time best as possible, are project managers, are emotional support techs, and it feels like hanging out with a friend all day long… ❤️

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