FEATURED ARTICLES:
“DR. GOOGLE” NOT ALWAYS BEST FOR SICK PETS
HOPE FOR DOGS WITH STORM OR NOISE PHOBIAS
LEAVE YOUNG WILDLIFE ALONE!
“Dr. Google” Not Always Best For Sick Pets
By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USATODAY
Pets are increasingly being diagnosed and having treatment protocols developed by folks without veterinary training: their owners. Feeling bolstered by the abundance of advice offered on websites or in online forums — usually by people with a similar lack of training or expertise — owners often are responding to their animals’ ailments, injuries and emergencies by heading to their computers instead of the vet clinic. And there are sometimes unhappy results, veterinarians across the country say.
“There’s great risk of unnecessary pain, expense or worse,” says veterinarian Marty Becker, who practices in Coeur D’Aleneand Sandpoint, Idaho, and has written several books, including the just-released Your Dog: The Owner’s Manual (Grand Central Life & Style, $25.99). This ask-a-fellow-pet-owner-online approach has become so common, he says, it’s become “the new normal.”
Becker calls it the “vets vs. Net” phenomenon; veterinarian Nancy Kay, internal medicine specialist at theVCAAnimalCareCenterinRohnert Park,Calif., calls it the “Get Dr. Google’s Opinion” approach to pet care. And though many veterinarians say they appreciate the Internet because it broadens clients’ knowledge base and presents, for example, cutting-edge options for chronic conditions and support from other owners dealing with the same heartaches, too many people use it as a primary source when they have a sick pet, “and they put things off until it’s too late,” Becker says. He knows that when a vet says such things, some people assume it’s merely to keep revenue constant. But he often encounters the unfortunate fallout of delays.
Many conditions that make a dog or cat miserable can be quickly and relatively cheaply addressed with a veterinary visit and proper medications, he says. There’s the dog that suffered for six years with feet so itchy he licked and chewed constantly. The owners, concluding it was allergies, used countless anti-itch products and shifted food regularly. Finally, weary of the wee-hours sounds of foot-chewing, they sought vet help. The dog had a “carpet of yeast and staph in his feet,” Becker says. Within 48 hours of being prescribed an antifungal and an antibiotic, the itching disappeared.
Sometimes, though, the veterinary visit comes too late.
A dog arrived comatose at Becker’s clinic after the owners had concluded a minor stomach upset was causing the non-stop vomiting. In fact, he’d swallowed a chunk of carpeting that lodged in the intestine, it ruptured, the abdomen filled with pus, and when they finally sought treatment, the dog couldn’t be saved.
“Sometimes hours or minutes matter,” Becker says. In fact, a dog’s obvious abdominal distress might not be just an upset belly but an obstruction (that can be fatal if surgery isn’t done in a few hours), bloat (stomach swelling and possible twisting that will kill the dog in an hour without vet intervention), or ingestion of a toxin.
“People are crestfallen when, despite their best — though delayed — intention, and our best — though very late — efforts, we can’t save them,” Becker says. “Responsibly surfing (the Web) is fabulous,” Kay says, but that “does not take the place of a call or visit to your veterinarian.”
Kay, author of Speaking for Spot (Trafalgar Square Books, $19.95), a consumer guide on how to advocate for your pets, often advises vets at conferences how to help clients use online sources wisely. “Clients will surf,” she says, and it’s best if vets instruct them how to find reliable sites, so they don’t find and believe information that causes “a prognosis to become bleaker.”
Two tips she offers: “If a site has stuff for sale on it, skip it.” And “when you plug in symptoms, follow them immediately by ‘veterinary school’ or ‘college of veterinary medicine.’ ”
And in an emergency, don’t go first to the computer.
Hope for Dogs With Storm or Noise Phobias
By Lorrie Shaw,The Community Contributor
One of the things that I hear from dog owners frequently is that their dogs are frightened of storms. I always ask, “Are they frightened of the storm itself — or the noise of the thunder?” The responses seem to be about divided right down the middle.That’s interesting, because one would think that the noise of thunder would solely be a trigger for dogs.Then again, canines use all of their senses much more effectively than humans, so there’s a possibility that they pick up on other cues that are a signal to them that a storm is coming.
I had a blackLabradorretriever years ago that was deathly afraid of storms, thunder, and even rain. If he smelled rain, he would retreat to the bathroom and hide in the shower stall; shivering, drooling. It was so sad. Our current dogs are much more relaxed when it comes to storms. Bruiser could care less, unless the thunder is really loud. Gretchen, now that she’s older, isn’t fond of the noise of thunder. It seems that the noise to her these days is just different, possibly because of changes in her hearing. Simply keeping her doggy bed next to where we sleep does the trick, along with a scratch behind the ears and a kind word.
But, not all dogs are so lucky when a thunderstorm makes an appearance. There have been a lot of solid theories as to what can trigger a pet into an anxious state when it comes to storms — the noise of thunder itself (especially in sound-sensitive dogs), or as Dr. Nicholas Dodman points out — a dog’s ability to sense the static electricity generated during a storm (which evidently is an uncomfortable feeling), sensing barometric pressure or perhaps just an association with a traumatic experience during a storm.
All of these are pretty valid theories, but what I find is that people are less interested in theories and just want their pets to not be anxious. Not being able to console your dog is a disheartening thing.
There are a few things that have been floated around as effective ways to help combat the stress that our four-legged friends experience during unruly weather:
Counter classical conditioning: This method is simply based on getting your pooch to associate the noise of the thunder with something good. I wrote about this last summer in a blog post titled, “Storm Treats! Help for dogs scared by storms, thunder and lightning”.
Pressure wraps: Swaddling and deep pressure have been proven to provide both humans and animals a sense of comfort. Temple Grandin, Ph.D. expands on the topic of deep pressure in animals. Some dogs can benefit from wearing a Thundershirt, or a snug-fittingT-shirt.The theory is that the sensation of deep pressure, (in this case a variation of it) around the torso primarily, or swaddling — modulates the central nervous system, producing a calming effect.
Anti-static capes, sprays and softener sheets: The premise of using any of these is to to reduce static build up. Dr. Dodman has had success instructing owners to spray anti-static spray on their dogs’ paws or swiping them with a softener sheet (I’m not too keen on the latter suggestion, as even the most natural ingredients could be licked off and ingested by your pooch.) Find more about a Tufts University study on a product called Storm Defender here.
T-Touch: An approach first developed for horses by Linda Tellington-Jones, this method is used worldwide to address a number of issues, including noise phobias in canines.
Dog appeasing pheromone: Also referred to as DAP, a synthetic pheromone produced by lactating bitches. Undetectable and safe for anyone outside of the canine species, DAP has been effective in addressing anxiety of various forms for dogs, and can be found in a spray form, a collar that is worn and replaced every four weeks or in a diffuser. You might recall my talking about Feliway, the feline version of the same pheromone. DAP helps to attain an overall sense of well being in dogs.
The great thing about these specific suggestions, they are easy to implement and none of them have side effects. Depending on the severity of your dog’s discomfort when it comes to anxiety associated with storms, you can tailor a plan of action that works by trying one at a time, or perhaps more than one in tandem.
Springtime Caution: Leave Young Wildlife Alone!
From The Salina Journal – Salina, KS
Young animals may seem abandoned but are seldom alone in the wild; “rescue,” however, may kill them. Spring is a time of rebirth and birth, with trees budding and young wildlife being born and hatched, and different levels of parental care are employed within the animal kingdom, all designed to work without human interference. But one common problem occurs when seemingly abandoned or orphaned wildlife are picked up by well-intentioned persons, often with tragic results.
Mammals such as deer often leave their young to search for food. Deer fawns are born with natural camouflage and little scent, making it difficult for predators to detect them. A spotted coat helps hide young as they sit motionless in surrounding cover. These adaptations make it possible for the doe to move about and feed, maintaining her strength as she provides for her young. Raccoons and other mammals employ similar strategies.
Well-meaning individuals sometimes discover young deer, raccoons, foxes, rabbits, or skunks and assume that they are orphaned or abandoned. Usually, the mother is close at hand but out of sight waiting for the human intruders to leave the area. In this situation, it is extremely important to leave the animals as found in the wild. To pick them up and take them home is illegal, for good reason. Wild animals often have very specific dietary requirements and often die under human care. Those that do survive have little chance of surviving if returned to the wild.
Another reason to avoid picking up wild animals is health. Wild animals carry diseases and parasites that can infect humans or their pets. Dogs, if not vaccinated, may contract distemper from infected coyotes, foxes, or even weasels. Bobcats can transmit a similar disease to domestic cats. Ticks from host animals can expose humans to Lyme disease, and perhaps the greatest danger wild animals pose to humans is rabies. Many animals can carry rabies for several days without showing any outward symptoms.
Pet dogs and cats should also be restrained during the season when young birds, rabbits, and other wildlife are young. Both dogs and cats can be deadly to wild young, no matter how friendly they may seem to humans. It can be a wonderful experience to see young animals in the wild, but for the benefit of the wildlife, it is important to leave them in the wild, where they are best equipped to survive.