ladysprite | Sharing A Secret

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Sharing A Secret

Hey, y'all, listen up.

I'm going to let you in on a secret. It's apparently a very well-kept secret, and one that only a few people know. I'm not sure why that's the case, but it is. Here you go:

You know those folks called veterinarians? The ones who give your pets their shots? Guess what?

You can ask them questions.

It's true. They do not, in fact, explode upon hearing an interrogative. And they'll even answer. You may not get an answer you like - it might even be 'I don't know - they are mortal, after all, and can't necessarily figure out over the phone why your cat is making that funny noise or your turtle is limping. But they'll try. And it's even free.

As a matter of fact, most veterinarians actually like being asked questions. It gives them a chance to actually help people, and maybe prevent problems. And that's a good chunk of the reason why they got into the profession, usually. It sure wasn't for the glamour or the money, at least.

And while I'm at it - you know that old adage, 'it's better to ask forgiveness than permission?' Not true, at least when living creatures are involved. Please, ask before you do. Though, if you do something, and you're pretty sure you shouldn't have, please don't avoid calling because you don't want to get yelled at. Your vet won't yell at you, I promise. They may tell you that you made a mistake, or suggest that you do something differently in the future, but that's not because they hate you, or think you're a bad person, or want to take your pet away. It's because they want you to learn, and you can't learn if noone teaches you.

F'rinstance:

Good Question: "Hey doc, my cat fell out of a tree and now she's limping. Can I give her some tylenol?"
(Answer: "I'm glad you called to ask - no, tylenol and most other over-the-counter pain meds are very toxic to cats. If you want to make an appointment, we can check and make sure nothing's broken, and prescribe some kitty-safe painkillers.)

Bad Question: "Hey doc, my cat fell out of a tree and she was limping, so I gave her some tylenol. Was that OK?"
(Answer: "No - tylenol is very toxic to cats! How long ago did you give it? If it was within the past hour, and you can make her throw up, then drive straight to the emergency clinic, she might be able to survive. Here's how to do that, and Jane at the front desk can give you directions.")

Worse Question: "Hey doc, my cat fell out of a tree three days ago, and I gave her some tylenol. I didn't want to bother you by calling, but now she's throwing up blood and she hasn't moved for 24 hours. Is there anything I can do for her?"
(Answer: "Certainly - we have a lovely selection of urns that you can choose from, if you want her ashes returned, or you can have her buried at the local Pet Memorial Park.")

Seriously - if you're not sure whether you should do something or not, please call and ask. We don't bite, we don't yell, and we don't hate. If there's anything we *do* hate, it's when problems happen because people don't ask questions.

Good question: "Hey doc, my dog went running in the woods this morning and cut her leg on something pointy. Should I bring her in to have it checked out?"

Bad question: "Hey doc, my dog went running in the woods last week and cut her leg on something point. I wasn't sure whether I should bring her in or not, so I've been watching it, and now it's all purple and puffy and there's green stuff coming out, and she's not eating. What should I do?"

And while I'm on the subject, let me just state that we don't pull these answers out of the ether. We went to school and stuff, and studied hard. So please, ask us. Not your neighbor, unless your neighbor *is* your vet. Not your cousin Joe who has three dogs so clearly knows everything, not the kid at Petco, not the lady behind you in line at the grocery store. You don't have to believe us, you don't have to agree with us, you don't have to do what we tell you to. It's your life and your pet, and you do have free will. Calling and asking doesn't oblige you to do anything. But it does give us the chance to help, and it lets you make an informed decision.

That's all.....

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I can guess what you've seen so far this morning :-(

Hey doc, my dog is ridiculously smart. She excels in feats of escape, up to and including bending a chain-link gate back to get out, or somehow BENDING THE GATE HASPS EVEN WHEN THEY HAD PADLOCKS IN THEM. This is, needless to say, a bit of a problem. She's smart at escape but retarded in the avoiding cars and potentially dangerous people. She will jump into a car with ANYONE.

Any idea WHY she's wanting to escape? The other dog stayed in the yard and looked worried, even with the gate wide open.

Any idea how to stop her?

Yours,
The owner of a lab-mix gone wild

Is she spayed?

Oh yeah, everyone in the house is fixed.

Does she have a buddy she is trying to get to? Is she alone in the yard? Is she more likely to escape when alone? I've had escape artist dogs - I swear Sheba just liked the challenge (she never went far)

She has a buddy in the yard with her, a big gentle Rottie named Melanie. Melanie didn't leave the yard, even when Vera broke out and left the gate wide open. Vera is likely to try to escape when the humans are away, which unfortunately is every weekday when we go to work.

Unfortunately, some dogs are just way too smart for their own good. I'll be honest, if a smart dog wants to escape, I have yet to find something that's completely escape-proof. Have you thought about something like having a dog-walker come halfway through the day to exercise her, or letting her go to doggie day-care a couple of times a week? That may be enough to help her redirect her energy.....

I think a dog walker is a great idea. Our next door neighbor's teenage son used to walk both our dogs, because he loves them, but then he tore a hamstring (he plays high school football). I will have to look into actually *paying* someone, I guess! :-)

That was my next suggestion - great minds!

can barely type, laughing so hard...

It's true! Except the fish, come to think of it. We don't even know if it's a boy fish or a girl fish, though we call it "he."

I'm really, really hoping that you're making these up.

But -- thinking of questions: should I ask my old vet to send me copies of all of the bunnies' vet records, to bring with me to the new vet? I've never heard of anyone doing that, but on the other hand it's something I'd try to do for myself. Thanks!

I'm also thinking of scheduling a visit with the bunny vet in the area for him to do a well bunny check and meet the critters, before I need to go in for an emergency. Is that something you'd recommend? It's *not* something I'd do as a human, but it seems right for the buns, somehow.

Yes, to both thoughts (getting the old records sent, and doing a "get to know you" visit).

Actually, your old vet will likely be happy to forward the records for you, esp if you've moved recently :-)

Thank you! This is good to know. Now I just need to remember to add calling my old vet to my to-do list. ;)

I guessing you had a bad day with some stupid pet owners. *hugs*

Just so you know I always ask my vet stuff. We are very chatty. I luv her.

I'm sorry those poor animals had to suffer for their humans ignorance.

I used to do that a lot with my old vet's office's bunny vet, when she was still working there (she moved due to family issues). She had bunnies herself, so she *really* knew what they could be like, as opposed to textbook stuff. I loved talking with her!

The funniest, though, was when I had to take Cinnabun to Red Bank when she was having major digestive and other troubles, and stayed overnight at the hospital. The vet said they loved having her around, and let her out in the lab so she could exercise.

I said, "wait, she actually ran around?"

"Well, not exactly. She'd go find a spot she liked, and then in a bit one of us would go and nudge her, and then she'd find another spot for a while."

"Okay. So there's not some secret to getting a lazy bunny to exercise that I don't know about?"

"No, not really."

Sing it sister!! I've heard all of these myself, way too often. My latest one was the MD on the phone with her neighbor, second guessing my advice during the office call
Just remember the GOOD clients!

We have the dumbest cat in the world, but she is sweet and sometimes even loving, should we try for a brain transplant and take a chance on her losing her sweetness?

Yep, it's Meow. She just adores Bill, but tolerates the rest of us, as long as I remember to feed her often. She thinks twice a day, but her vet says once a day, so it is once a day. However, they are both nibblers, so it really doesn't matter too much.

Now if she would just stop sharpening her claws on everything *but* the sharpening box, it would be nice.

I should have thought to ask you before now, but it didn't occur to me.

Do you have any brilliant insights for finding a lost cat? I'm not sure if you know

derspatchel, but his cat Abbie has been missing for a week and he's frantic.

ratatosk,

derspatchel, and others have:
- contacted Somerville Animal Control
- called a lot of vets in the area
- put up a lot of fliers
- put laundry out on the porch that smells like

derspatchel
- searched side streets

There was a brief effort at leaving out food to attract him home, but it failed because it attracts other cats in the neighborhood.

If you have any further advice beyond the above, it would be exceedingly welcome.

Oh, geez - I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like they're doing everything right, though.

Keep calling Animal Control, and the vets. Call every day - it may seem like being a pest, but it'll keep things fresh in their minds. Keep looking, too - a week feels like forever, but cats are strong and can survive plenty long outside and come home after weeks or months.

Have-A-Heart traps can help, and you might be able to rent one from Animal Control - just be prepared to catch a few other critters in the process.

Talk to your neighbors, too. Knock on doors, ask them to check their garages and basements if they have them. Not everyone looks at posters.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, and I'll keep my eyes open if I wind up at any local clinics. (Which ones have you called? I'll see if I can think of any others that you mightn't have contacted yet)

Here is the list we have put together....

Porter Square Vet
Winter Hill
Union Square
Huron Animal Clinic
Fresh Pond Animal Hospital
Angell Medical (apparently this is also the ASPCA)
Somerville Animal Control
PawSafe Animal Rescue Shelter
Animal Rescue League of Boston
Animal Shelter of Boston

It sounds like you've covered just about everywhere I can think of. I'll keep my ear to the ground, though. And I saw the link to the posters - if I'm at any local clinics, I'll bring them along....

Thank you, I really really appreciate it.

Thinking about it, you might want to try calling Mill Brook Animal Clinic and City Cats, both on Mass Ave in Arlington. It's a bit of a stretch, but not too far - it couldn't hurt.

You can almost certainly find numbers for them online, but if you can't, let me know and I'll hunt them down. I'd post them now, but I'm on my way out the door - I just wanted to get this idea down before I forgot.....

Thank you! I'll add them to the list.

Do you still work at Dr. Wember's office, and if now, how can I find you to make sure She-Who-Licks-The-Rug-Constantly is still in top terrorizing shape?

Unfortunately, for a series of reasons that I really can't go into in a public post, I've parted ways with that clinic. :( I'm sorry - it must be really frustrating for friends like you who are dedicated enough to follow me around.

When she's due for her annual, let me know and I'll figure out when I'm going to be nearby. I know for the next few months I'm working at least two days a week in Sudbury, which isn't *too* far away....

I'm not going to complain. You do good work, and I can't remember the directions long enough for it to matter if the annual is in the same place or not.

I just checked her records (which were 118 times easier to find than last year's taxes), and her exam was in mid-April, so I suppose I'll see you then.

No matter how strict the training regime, my cat still uses the wrong fork for the fish course. Do you have any tips on how I can improve her appalling behaviour?

Is it baked or poached fish? If baked, you must remove the skin, and make sure the fish is not overdone so that the meat is tender enough for fork-flaking.

This is a situation where understanding your cat's behavior and history can actually help come to a compromise. Cats have, for millenia, been bred and raised to eat their fish with a spork, the better to trap the savory juices. The fork is actually better for the semimoist course, which has less sauce to worry about.

OMG, we get so many stupid people at our groom salon too. "What do you mean my dog's matted? I brush it everyday!" With a human pinbrush... and they're brushing *over* the mats. We also had a lady with a 10 month old yorkie who never knew that there were three puppy boosters and a rabies shot. My favorites are the people who don't understand why their matted dogs need to be shaved. *sigh* I feel ya sister!

Like Melissa, I'm inferring what your day was like. I'm so sorry. When my "clients" (students) mess up, usually they only hurt themselves academically.

Ooo, what a great place to ask my question! (I wonder if you guessed this post would generate a lot of these.) I'd ask at the clinic where I volunteer, but I won't be there until Saturday.

A friend of mine is trying to save a buck. She takes care of the veterinary care for her indigent neighbor's cats, and since she's not feeling hugely flush herself, she's in the awkward position of trying to balance risk and money for someone else's animal.

Oddly, she asked me what I think. Um, if I'm lucky I start vet school in three years. So I told her I'd find somebody with clue and ask them. Anyway, here's her question:

In November the 4 month old kitten was given FeLV and distemper vaccines. My friend was told to come back in 2-4 weeks for boosters and rabies. Due to a comedy of awful circumstances, she couldn't. Twelve weeks later she brought the kitten back, got the rabies shot, and was told the FeLV and distemper series had to be started from the beginning.

Is there a difference between an initial vaccine and a booster? What goes on with a kitten's immune system when he gets the initial vaccine and then gets boosters? If this (indoor-only) kitten has the first but not the second, how much more at risk is he? If at this point the kitten simply didn't get anything else until his annual checkup, would a vaccine (booster?) given a year from now be effective when he hadn't had any booster(s) earlier?

Thanks so much for any info. As you say, she just wants to make an informed decision, and I am soooooo not qualified to answer!

Happy to help - let me see if I can explain it....

The difference isn't in the vaccine; it's in the immune system of the animal receiving it. The initial vaccine causes a brief increase in antibody production, which tapers off quickly. If that isn't boostered within a few weeks (usually 3-4 weeks), the immunity will taper down to below a functional level. The second vaccine builds off the antibodies created by the first one to provide a higher, longer-lasting immunity.

In puppies and kittens, this is complicated even more by maternal antibodies that taper off over time and interfere with vaccine-generated antibodies - that's why they often get 3-4 boosters instead of two. But in an animal over 16 weeks old, the two boosters are generally enough.

Unfortunately, if the series of two vaccines isn't given properly, proper immunity doesn't develop - that second boost *needs* to be within the 3-4 week window in order to work. So if the kitten doesn't get the two vaccines now, an annual given later wouldn't be very effective. He's not *more* at risk, but he's not really protected at all, and it's easier and safer to re-start the series now than to re-start it when he's a year old.

Does that make sense, and answer your question?

Awesome explanation! Thank you very much. I'll forward that along. (Plus I enjoyed learning it for my own sake. It's so cool to think that I may actually know things like this some day!)

Ya know, I was explaining this post to Jason last night and getting all upset. We have insurance on both our furry children (the dog has paid for both of them multiple times over) but still don't go in for everything. For instance, Jason was feeling bad that the cat had come in a few days ago with a cut on his head and we hadn't done anything but look at it and try to keep the dog from licking it (and failing). I agreed with him and said 'Yeah, we should at least put some neosporin on it" and he said "is that safe?". I had fallen into the same trap WITHOUT EVEN THINKING right after I had explained all that you had said! I felt so bad!! And then I realised that we had done the same thing at work when a coworker wasn't going to pay for her adult daughter's cat to get stitches on a cut and we all figured that cleaning it out and putting a butterfly bandaid on it should work fine...

So, can one use neosporin on cats and dogs? And can I be taught not to be such an idiot?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset!

No, I don't generally recommend using Neosporin on pets. It's not toxic when used topically, but at the same time, 1) they don't tend to absorb topical medications very well, and 2) they're just going to groom it right off and swallow it in the process, and it's not very good for them to ingest.

If you don't want to bring the animal in, and want to know if there's something you can do at home, just call your vet and ask. We understand that not everyone has the time, money, or inclination to run in at the drop of a hat, and if there *is* something you can do at home, we'll tell you.... :)

I have to say that I'm constantly impressed with how quick the vets I have met are to answer questions over the phone.

And doesn't everyone realize how scary tylenol really is? I swear, that stuff would never get approved if it had to go through the process today.

I'm sorry that your OP is probably from real experience. *hugs*

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Sharing A Secret

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ROTFLOL!!!

Re: ROTFLOL!!!

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