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What Should You Do When You See a Stray Dog?

November 23, 2015

What should you do when you see a stray dog?

Stop, drop, and roll.

Just kidding, that’s for fires of course. However, like emergency or unexpected situations, spotting a stray dog can make many people freeze and panic. So, we need to establish a plan that is clear and easy to remember.

I have encountered this situation many times. Some of these instances have occurred while Rooney was with me, and others occurred while I was by myself. Some have occurred while I was driving, and other times I have been out for a run and vulnerable to the situation. In an effort to be helpful, I am going to describe my “tips & tricks” for several different types of situations you might encounter with a stray dog.

If you are driving:

I would love to say that I have never seen a dog on the road, but I have. In fact, a few months ago I saw a cow getting on the freeway. In an area where we have a high volume of cars, animals on the road could spell disaster. So these are the steps I recommend for handling this particular situation.

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Can Pets Suffer from Motion Sickness?

November 16, 2015

I don’t know about you, but I suffer from a variety of different travel illnesses; car sick, air sick, sea sick…you name it!

Which means that I have to take special precautions when traveling. If we are on a curvy road, it is best if I drive because keeping my eyes on the road helps me keep my stomach settled. On any plane or boat ride, I take Dramamine and order ginger ale. Like most people who suffer from motion sickness, I found this out the hard way. I was about 6 years old, and I was coloring in the back seat of my mom’s car when we discovered that looking down in the car was not for me.

Considering you may be traveling this holiday season, I thought it would be appropriate to address motion sickness in pets and what you can do to prepare for your trip. It’s important to understand that both cats and dogs can experience motion sickness. To identify motion sickness in your pet, you should look for the following symptoms when traveling by car (PetMD):

Yawning or crying out in distress: Rooney is what I would call a talker. He is always verbally expressing his opinion, and occasionally, he cries out in the car. However, he has the habit of doing this to get our attention. So, if your dog is very vocal on a regular basis, cries or vocalization in the car may not be a sign of motion sickness. Cats can also cry out in distress while in the car. We would often see cats arrive at the veterinary hospital still crying loudly from the car ride. Knowing what is normal for you pet can be helpful to determine if this is a sign of motion sickness or not.

Excessive Licking: Excessive licking can be a sign of nausea and stress or a combination of the two. Dogs often exhibit this behavior when they are uncomfortable in some way. When I worked at the veterinary hospital, we would occasionally see some patients excessively lick while recovering from surgery. In these cases, it was often a combination of anxiety (from being in the hospital) and possibly some nausea from the anesthesia. In any case, be sure to keep checking on your dog throughout the trip for this symptom.

Excessive Drooling: Drooling is a sign of nausea in both dogs and cats. Your dog may drool a bit if you are traveling in warmer temperatures. However, excessive drooling is what you want to avoid.

Posturing: Occasionally, pets will look very stiff and uncomfortable. They might even refuse to move and almost look frozen. In this case, they are expressing their true discomfort regarding the car ride.

Vomiting: Because your pet can’t shout out, “HEY! I don’t feel good back here!”, vomiting in the car may be the only symptom you see associated with your pet’s motion sickness.

Urinating/Defecating: Lastly, some pets may even urinate or defecate every time they get in the car. I had a feline patient named Bailey, who defecated every single time he came to the veterinary hospital. Unfortunately, he had diabetes, and therefore, his trips weren’t infrequent. We eventually started doing his exams at his house, so he didn’t have to experience the anxiety/nausea associated with the car.

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What is Preventive Medicine and is it Appropriate for Your Pet?

November 9, 2015

Firstly, let’s define preventive veterinary medicine.

According to the Medical Dictionary, preventive medicine is the branch of medical study and practice aimed at preventing disease and promoting health.

I am a fan of preventive medicine in regards to both my health and the health of my dog. I believe that a combination of proactive and preventive efforts can add years to our lives. However, there are times where I draw the line for both of us, and I support other pet parents doing the same.

It is important to understand that you can be proactive as a pet parent without actual using medicine. For example, taking the time to brush your pet’s teeth will prevent dental disease in the future, but does not include the use of medicine. However, having an early dental procedure to keep your pet’s teeth healthy and prevent extractions is the use of preventive medicine.

There are many ways that you as a pet parent can be proactive without the use of medicine. Examples include:

  1. Maintain a Healthy Weight: Obesity can make your pet susceptible to so many other diseases and health complications. Maintaining a healthy weight and Body Condition Score can make the world of difference for your pet’s health long term.
  2. Brush Your Pet’s Teeth: As mentioned above, regular brushing of your pet’s teeth can prevent the progression of dental disease. Preventing the severity of dental disease can be integral to your pet’s overall health. Additionally, dental disease can be very expensive to treat, so regular brushing can also provide benefits to you financially.
  3. Feed High-Quality Food: Purchasing the right food for your pet can be challenging with so many options on the market. I highly recommend working with your veterinarian to determine the best high-quality food for your pet. Providing the right mix of nutrients for your pet can add quality years to their life.
  4. Keep Your Dog Groomed: Grooming isn’t always considered a part of your pet’s health, but it is important. Specifically, long unattended nails can cause dogs and cats to sustain injuries due to irregular gaits and posture.
  5. Don’t Skip Out on Annual Exams: My experience in veterinary medicine made it clear that annual exams were crucial to the health of pets. During these exams, we were able to answer pet parent questions and concerns in addition to thoroughly evaluating their pet’s health. I have said this before and will say it again, I have seen annual exams save lives, and they are important.
  6. Add Supplements: There are some excellent supplements available for pets these days. The most common in my experience include joint and digestive support, both of which are very important to your pet’s longevity. Work closely with your veterinarian, or ask about supplements at your next annual exam (see what I did there?).

I would define the above list as proactive medicine (if I was allowed to make up my own definitions). Pet parents can be very proactive by making sure their pet receives the care and guardianship provided above. However, preventive medicine includes some additional treatments in my opinion, and they are as follows:

  1. Flea & Tick Prevention: Not only are fleas annoying and gross, but your pet can also suffer from flea bite anemia and flea allergy due to a severe infestation. I once rescued a kitten who weighed only 2 pounds at 5 months of age and suffered greatly from flea bite anemia. To give you an idea; after 2 days of feeding and treatment, he was so weak from anemia that even a bath was exhausting for him. Ticks put your pets at risk for lyme disease, which can be lethal, so it is important to know if your pet’s activity exposes them to ticks. Working with your veterinarian to select the correct flea & tick prevention is important. I have seen animals have reactions to certain flea & tick products, so research and carefully watch your pet after application.
  2. Vaccination: It is so important that you keep your pets up to date on their vaccines. However, vaccine protocols can vary significantly from region to region, so I encourage you to research the norm for your area. You can even call local hospitals to research the different protocols. I strongly believe that vaccines are important, but I also believe that there are instances of over vaccination happening around the United States. Therefore, I suggest doing your research and making the right decision for you and your pet.
  3. Heartworm Prevention: Heartworm disease can be a huge threat to your pet’s health and longevity. Of course, the southeast region of the U.S. has a higher density of cases than many other areas, so prevention is more important there. The good news is that there are products on the market that combine flea and heartworm medication. One of these products is called Revolution, and it is my prevention of choice for Rooney.
  4. Bloodwork: At a certain age, bloodwork should be a standard part of your pet’s annual exam. Bloodwork gives your veterinarian a very detailed look at the quality and functionality of your pet’s internal health. Bloodwork is especially important if your pet is on long-term medications. I have Rooney’s bloodwork drawn every other year since he is still young. If we don’t see anything to be concerned about, at least his veterinarian has a baseline for all of his values.
  5. Urinalysis: This is especially important for cats. So many cats are prone to renal disease, and it’s important to catch the signs early. Additionally, certain long-term medications can affect kidney function. A preventive urinalysis can avoid long-term damage and add time and quality to your pet’s life.

In my opinion, preventive and proactive medicine is always appropriate for pets. However, certain aspects may be better suited. or more important, for your individual pet. The point in preventive medicine is to provide your pet with the best health outcome possible.

To read Carol’s Mom perspective, please visit her at Fidose of Reality.

MedicineVsMom

What Exactly Does Overnight Monitoring Mean?

October 5, 2015

Have you ever been told that your pet would be “monitored overnight”?

Think for a second about what that term means to you, and then see if the following information matches your definition.

Unfortunately, “overnight monitoring” or “monitored overnight” doesn’t mean the same thing in every veterinary or boarding facility, and I believe this causes a lot of confusion among pet parents. Determining the appropriate level of monitoring necessary for your pet when boarding overnight depends on a few different variables. Specifically, the level of care that your pet needs, AND the facility.

One of the best examples I can give comes from my years as a vet tech.

During the holiday season, a family brought in their cat named Tank for his annual exam, a few days before Tank was to board at our hospital. Tank was an overweight male cat who had a history of urinary issues (and he was one of my favorite patients). During his annual exam, his mom mentioned that he was drinking and urinating excessively at home. We knew this might lead to a diagnosis, so we began running bloodwork and a preliminary urinalysis. After a few tests, we determined that Tank was diabetic (Diabetes in Cats: PetMD).

Tank was going to need insulin injections to regulate his blood sugar. Standard procedure is to determine their ideal insulin dosage by performing a glucose curve. Essentially, Tank would need to come into our hospital for a day, and we would record his blood sugar every 2 hours over the course of 10-12 hours. However, we only had a few days before Tank was scheduled to board with us at the vet hospital.

Our veterinary hospital didn’t have a complete boarding facility. However, we did offer overnight boarding for cats. Although the cats had a place to sleep comfortably overnight, no one would be at the hospital during non-office hours. Normally, Tank staying the night would be no problem, but in light of his new condition, we didn’t feel it was wise to leave him unattended overnight so soon after starting him on insulin. Therefore, we referred his mom to our local emergency facility where Tank would have veterinary staff nearby to check on him in case his blood sugar dropped suddenly.

In this example, Tank wasn’t going to be monitored overnight either way. However, some pet parents may have made that assumption based on a few things:

1) Boarding at a Veterinary Hospital = Overnight Monitoring: Unless your veterinary hospital is open 24 hours a day, it is likely that they will not have staff on site overnight. Therefore, your pet will only be available to veterinary staff during regular business hours. Secondly, unless the veterinary staff determines that your pet is in need of monitoring, they will simply be fed twice daily, given their necessary medications, and walked regularly (unless we are talking about cats, of course). At our hospital, we also kept brief medical record that included: daily food intake/output, necessary medications, and daily weight. This record helped us monitor the pet’s health during their stay. On occasion, we determined that a pet needed additional monitoring and brought them to the doctor for an exam. If necessary, the cat would be brought to the main part of the hospital to be monitored.

2) Emergency Hospital = Overnight Monitoring: This definition depends on the facility and the classification of your pet (i.e. boarding versus patient). The true definition of overnight monitoring (as far as I am concerned) means that your pet’s vitals are being recorded, and your pet is being physically checked on every hour at minimum. If your emergency hospital offers boarding, it is not safe to assume that they are also monitoring your pet overnight.

These assumptions can lead to significant communication issues between pet parents and veterinary staff. Therefore, to clear the air, it is wise to ask the following questions when considering a facility for your pet to stay:

1) Is your hospital open 24 hours a day? If not, will someone be here with my pet during non-business hours?

2) Will my pet be monitored by your veterinary staff as if they were a patient?

3) If my pet doesn’t need monitoring throughout their stay, how often will your staff check on my pet?

4) What type of medical record is kept while my pet stays at your facility? i.e. do you track their weight or food intake?

5) How far away will my pet be from veterinary staff while boarded?

6) Is your boarding facility separate or connected to your veterinary hospital? i.e. are they operated as two completely separate businesses or the same business?

7) Do your hours change over the holidays?

Lastly, it is important to understand that boarding facilities don’t necessarily have veterinary staff on site. That’s right. Although your pet may be receiving medications and being watched by the employees of the facility, it does not mean that they are receiving veterinary care. There is no guarantee that they have any veterinary background or experience. Here are pertinent questions to ask your boarding facility:

1) Does your staff have veterinary experience? i.e. do you have a veterinarian or veterinary technician at the facility at all times?

2) Does someone with a veterinary background administer medications to my pet if they need them?

3) Is your staff required to be Pet CPR certified?

4) What type of medical record is kept while my pet stays at your facility? i.e. do you track their weight or food intake?

5) Is someone at the facility 24/7 or only during business hours?

6) If there are times when no one is at the facility, where will my pet be housed?

7) Do your hours change over the holidays?

Although some of the answers to these questions may seem simple and intuitive, these questions may provide you as a pet parent with better insight to the term “monitoring”.

Boading-Questions

Have you ever been in a situation where your boarding staff or veterinary hospital did not meet your expectations?

To read Carol’s Mom perspective on this same topic, please visit her at Fidose of Reality, here!

MedicineVsMom

The Evolution of Pet Insurance

September 22, 2015

PetInsuranceMVM

As it turns out, September is Pet Health Insurance Month, so there is no greater time to discuss the Evolution of Pet Insurance. I first learned about pet insurance back in 2010, when I started working at the veterinary hospital. When I mentioned the concept to people I knew, they often gave me this look like a) your crazy, and b) I hear pet insurance is a rip off.

Typically, people thought I was crazy because they didn’t realize that pet insurance even existed, and who could blame them? As of 2012 less than 1% of pets were covered by pet insurance in the U.S (Embrace).

People who felt that pet insurance was a rip off had either experienced or encountered people who felt duped by the pet insurance industry. Somehow, pet insurance got a really bad rap with pet parents, and I wasn’t totally sure why. I began asking the veterinary staff I worked with, “What’s up with people hating pet insurance?”. As it turns out, there are several factors that helped form notions of pet insurance; history of mistakes, differences in regions, and lack of information.

History of Mistakes:

Pet insurance in the U.S. is only a little over 30 years old. When the concept was new, many pet parents were still trying to figure out what was covered and what wasn’t. Still to this day, many insurances don’t cover wellness exams, preventative treatments, or preexisting conditions. Unfortunately, in its early years, the pet insurance industry simply did not live up to clients expectations.

When speaking with clients who felt they were duped by pet insurance, they would often say that their insurance never covered them when they needed it, OR that they were dropped from their coverage when their pet became sick.

Although I couldn’t find any evidence online that people were wronged by pet insurance companies in the past, it’s possible that there were simply misunderstandings about what the companies COULD cover and to what extent.

I have not had this experience first hand, nor have I seen this happen to a client. However, it is possible that in the early years of pet insurance there simply wasn’t enough money being invested into the industry to provide comprehensive coverage. Basically, the more people invest in pet insurance, the more claims insurance can cover.

What I can tell you is that as of today, I have had several patients who have significantly benefited from pet insurance.

Lack of Information:

Many people still assume that pet insurance works the same way human insurance does. Which is inaccurate. Pet insurance allows you to make small monthly payments which go toward paying for any claims you might have in the future.

When you are faced with a large veterinary bill, you will pay that bill up front, and you will then be reimbursed by the insurance company if they decide to cover your claim. Recently, however, some pet insurance companies have added on express claims that allow the insurance company to pay the covered portion of the bill directly to the hospital.

Additionally, many people don’t believe they will use pet insurance. However, according petinsurancequotes.com, 75% of pet owners will make a claim within their first 3 years of having pet insurance, and 35% of those claims will be for chronic conditions. In the 3.5 years that Rooney has been insured, we have made at least 8 or 9 claims, many of which were for his allergies, which are chronic.

The important thing to remember is that as we continue to use pet insurance, the industry will continue to improve, and the companies will cover more and more.

Differences by Region:

As it turns out, the history of pet insurance outside of the U.S. is much longer than you would image. The first pet insurance claim was filed in 1890, but was primarily focused on livestock and horses. Additionally, the first dog received coverage in 1924. However, despite many policies and companies being in place, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association wasn’t established until 2007. Perhaps its because the industry is more established outside the U.S., but 25% of dogs and cats in the UK are insured and 45% of dogs and cats in Sweden. This is compared to the 1% that are insured here in the U.S..

Photo Courtesy of petinsurancequotes.com

Photo Courtesy of petinsurancequotes.com

I have always wondered why pet insurance was more popular in the UK, and my own personal opinion is that there are two main reasons for the increased coverage in the UK:

1) History: As stated above pet insurance is a more established industry in Europe.

2) Health Insurance Mentality: The human health insurance industry is much more comprehensive in Europe, where as here in the U.S. we pay extensive amounts of money for our own insurance. Therefore, the disparity might make pet insurance seem more plausible and affordable to UK residents.

Employee Coverage:

I live very close to Silicon Valley which is the epitome of employee competition. Companies like Google and Facebook offer everything under the sun to their employees so that they can hire the best of the best. Some companies even offer pet insurance coverage these days. Companies that offer pet insurance to their employees include:

Deloitte

Walgreens

Caterpillar Inc

Amazon.com

Google, Inc

American Express

and the list goes on…(Yahoo)

I am hopeful that as more companies provide pet insurance for their employees, the industry will continue to grow, and more animal lives will be saved.

How does a vet choose who to recommend?

Often times, your veterinary office has an established relationship with one type of pet insurance. I have worked for hospitals with relationships with VPI and Trupanion. Just because your veterinarian has a pamphlet in their office doesn’t necessarily mean its the best pet insurance for you and your pet.

A great way to determine what would work best for you and your pet is to ask the veterinary staff who they use as their pet insurance provider. For example, I have Trupanion and I have had an excellent experience with that company, and have shared my experience with many of our clients.

How will I know what is right for my pet?

The North American Pet Health Insurance Association has a buying guide that is very comprehensive and I recommend reviewing that document before making a pet insurance purchase.

Now, jump over to Carol’s blog Fidose of Reality to read her Mom perspective on the Evolution of Pet Insurance.

MedicineVsMom

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