WAG the DOG BLOG

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2009-02-07T14:43:00.001-08:00

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Sniffing Butt Glands 101

2008-11-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was indisposed with an abscessing doggie anal glands, hence no post, but I do DO have a very current and new story for you!

I foster dogs, but my own, three dogs are Boston Terriers. Boston Terriers are among the dog breeds that anal gland problems are very common, and amazingly unpleasant. Anal gland problems can range from needing regular expression to infection, abscess and bursting. It is relatively easy to express your dogs anal glands, and there are a variety of videos on YouTube that clearly show how to express doggie anal glands.

How do you know if your doggie may be having anal gland issues? A mercury, metallic or fishy smell from the behind is a huge hint. Anal swelling is a huge hint. If your other dogs take a unusual or persistent interest in one of the dogs butts, it may be a anal gland issue. If your dog is minding his butt often, it may be a gland issue. Here is what happened with me...

Thursday evening I remember Cousteau, my new Boston Terrier that I adopted from one of the Los Angeles shelters, two weeks ago, being fairly extra clingy. He was in my arms and I got a wet, yucky smudge on my arm from his butt. He came home sick and has been getting better daily, but diarrhea was common for him. I assumed it was a little poo left on his butt from a potty break, and promptly cleaned us both up.

Late Friday afternoon I noticed the other dogs were sniffing Cousteau's butt with some sense of consistency (something other than a "hello"). It was at this time that I noticed a tiny amount of swelling around the anus and realized that he had butt problems. Friday evening I discussed that I needed to go to the CVS and get some surgical gloves and KY Jelly so that I could try to express his butt glands, and plans were made to go first thing in the morning.

I would like to point out that while I have had my other dogs for three years and am very aware of their personalities, heath, appearance and can notice the tiniest changes in behavior, Cousteau is an addition of less than two weeks, and has been on the road to steady recovery, however I have yet to experience this dog totally healthy. I have no observational baseline for his health! Of my two other dogs, one needs to be expressed about once a season, and is not problematic, and the other one, has no butt problems at all.

With that kind of interlude paragraph you know something relatively bad happened... The following morning I awoke with my dogs around dawn for a potty break and was very alarmed when I glanced at Cousteau. One side of his anus was so swollen and abscessed that it looked like his butt ate a golf ball. I really couldn't bring myself to photograph it or document it, sorry. Trying to palpate it was pretty much out of the question as the kind of pain it was causing was horrible to behold and sickening when palpated. It seemed to me a local anesthetic was needed.

I waited for my regular vet to open (where I have spend many thousands of dollars over the years and they treat me as a respected, welcomed and valued client; and they are open weekends) to let them know the situation and that I needed to come in immediately. My regular doctor was in and after a very brief exam she let me know that the abscess needed to be lanced, and that my dog needed to be anaesthetised, not just a local. My dog had to be put under. I kind of knew this was going to be the case when, after the local, I could hear poor Cousteau screaming from the back.

General anesthesia can be terrifying for dog owners but none more than dog owners of short nosed breeds. Deaths in short nosed breeds from general anesthesia is much, much more common than in longer pallated breeds. On top of that, Cousteau needs to have a soft pallate surgery to clear his airway. Breathing problems are NOT what you want when your dog is receiving general anesthesia. I expressed these problems and how easily his tongue will turn blue, even when normally sleeping. My vet made sure several techs were with my doggie to keep him upright and breathing okay.

I dropped him off at 9am and picked him up at 1pm. His butt was big and red, and had been lanced and had white puss and blood oozing out of it in what I can only describe as waves. I held him for about 12 hours, with a red towel, as he drained. My bill:

$ 40 Exam/Office Visit
$100 Anesthesia Sevo <15mins
$ 30 Dual Pen Injection
$ 35 Buprenex Injection
$ 65 Anal Gland Treated
$ 25 Clavamox 125mg
$ 12 Tramadol 50mg
$ 14 Rimadyl 25mg

Grand Total $320.50.

For anyone who thinks I should have noticed this coming, or that the signs were clear... They were not. Cousteau has already been to several specialists and to my vet twice before this. I had blood work, fecal, urine, physical exams, etc. I spent a lot of time and money to get this dog healthy, and STILL illness came.

It is funny to admit that I will be sniffing my dogs butts more often.

Sales Tax on Veterinary Medicine?

2008-11-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

In an effort to balance the California State budget, the Terminator, Gov. Schwartzenegger has called to raise state sales taxes to 9.25% (as high as 10.25% in Los Angeles!). While a sales tax hike of that nature is a horrific thing, this is not a political blog!!

My "naughty-doggie-detector" started tingling when I noticed that the raised sales tax was to include VETERINARY MEDICINE which is not currently sales taxed. Adding sales tax is a big deal to me for at least three reasons:

1. It makes a significant impact on me financially
2. It discourages people from taking their pet to the vet by driving prices up
3. It forces vets to raise their rates as clientele slows

Lets discuss my personal stake in this: I have 3 dogs and I foster a fourth (whom is waiting to be re-homed, at which point we will welcome another foster). Foster dogs are often an unknown quantity and almost always require veterinary care. This amounts to many hundreds of dollars a year. My alpha dog has allergies that require medicine and monitoring, and once needed a surgery and a extended stay at the hospital amounting to thousands of dollars in addition to the allergies which is another few hundred dollars a year. My number two has epilepsy, requiring medication and regular blood work. Another thousand a year. My number three seems to be healthy, but is a bit new and an unknown from a local shelter. He does require a soft pallate surgery to assist his breathing which will be about two thousand dollars. Clearly what we are talking about amounts to MANY hundreds of dollars of taxes, if not more than a thousand.

How does this discourage people from going to the vet? I live in Los Angeles where things are beautiful on television but, admittedly, living expenses are very high. Playing with my dogs in the front yard a lady walks by with her dog. The dog limps visibly, walking mostly on three legs. While she was admiring my Boston Terriers (she was a fan of small dogs) I asked her, "Awww, whats wrong with his leg? Poor guy!". To which she responded, "Oh, I don't know, he hurt it a while ago, it hasn't really gotten better." When I inquired about what the vet said, she exclaimed that she wouldn't take a dog to the vet! She acted like I was crazy and like I had no idea how much it cost to go to the vet. I suggested that she look online for a low or differed cost vet and decided that it was a good idea to go inside before we had a culture clash.

How will this force vets to raise their rates? Lets face it, the economy in the USA is an unknown, the stock market is not in good shape, the country is in debt, inflation is very high and unemployment is climbing rapidly. That, coupled with adding taxes at the vet makes going to the vet much less affordable. If the vet has much less traffic, they are going to have to raise their rates or reduce their costs/quality. No one wants to see vets go out of business, raise their rates or reduce their quality of care.

Look, I am not saying we don't need taxes, but I definately don't want to see sales tax on the wonderful, lifesaving services that vets provide. I do not think sales tax should apply to healthcare for people, or the pets they love.

One Litter at a Time

2008-11-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Pet overpopulation is created and perpetuated one litter at a time.

This statement is not a myth. Lets take a look at the very real numbers from the annual, national Humane Society US estimates:
Cats and dogs entering shelters: 6-8 million
Cats and dogs euthanized by shelters: 3-4 million
Cats and dogs adopted from shelters: 3-4 million
Cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters:Between 600,000 and 750,000—30 percent of dogs and 2-5 percent of cats entering shelters
Number of animal shelters in US: Between 4,000 and 6,000
% purebred dogs in shelters: 25 percent
Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year: 3 (12-18+ kittens)
Average number of kittens in a feline litter: 4-6
Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2 (8-18+ puppies)
Average number of puppies in a canine litter: 6-10

I know some pet owners find this is a touchy subject, and certainly you terrarium owners may not relate, but I am going to go ahead and say it.

Neutering. Spaying. Yeah that’s right, the ol’choppy-chop. To me, the best thing about neutering is taking comfort in the knowledge that my pet’s offspring will never end up euthanized in a shelter.

If you live in Los Angeles it is the LAW! Los Angeles Municipal Code 53.15.2 states that "all dogs of cats residing in the city of Los Angeles must be spayed or neutered unless they meet certain medical criteria, are active show or service dogs, or are licensed for breeding purposes. Stiff fines and penalties can be assessed for persistent failure to comply."

If you adopted your dog or cat from an animal shelter in California, state law requires the pet be spayed or neutered before you are allowed to take it home (unless there is a valid medical reason for a delay).

If you are wondering where to have your pet spayed or neutered, related costs, and healing, you can ask your veterinarian. If you do have trouble affording their fee, there are other, convenient, low-cost options available to you. You can call your local animal shelter; they may operate or know of a clinic that offers subsidized services, or may offer vouchers to have your pet spayed or neutered at a reduced fee by local veterinarians. You can also call 1(800)248-7729 or 1(800)248-SPAY to contact spayusa.org, a national spay and neuter referral network.

Lastly, if you are somehow confused and feel that removing your dogs testicles emasculates the dog (and henceforth you), I suggest either getting a female dog or seeking therapy immediately, and I don’t mean for the dog.

Myths vs. Facts about Spaying and Neutering

MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.
FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners over-feed them and do not exercise them enough!

MYTH: It's better to have one litter first.
FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat have fewer health problems and generally live longer. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age.

MYTH: My children should experience the miracle of birth.
FACT: Most pets prefer to give birth in seclusion and generally in the dark or at night. Your children are very unlikely to see the actual birth, and when one of the litter die, the lesson you will really be teaching your children: Animals can be created and discarded as it suits adults. Instead, purchase your children a DVD of "The Miracle of Life" and explain to them that the real miracle is that preventing birth in some pets can ultimately save lives.

MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.
FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats—mixed breed and purebred who need homes. Two of my three purebreds came from shelters.

MYTH: I want my dog to be protective.
FACT: Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog's natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones. I have territorial dogs that are happy to prove their protectiveness.

MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.
FACT: Pets don't have any concept of sexual identity or sexual ego. Neutering will not change a pet's basic personality. He doesn't suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered. At most, they will be less likely to run away, mark indoors and slightly less aggressive (aggressiveness should not to be confused with protectiveness – they are not the same thing!).

MYTH: But my dog (or cat) is so special, I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her.
FACT: A dog or cat may be a great pet, but that doesn't mean her offspring will be a carbon copy. Professional animal breeders who follow generations of bloodlines can't guarantee they will get. Genetic engineers can make a copy but it still won’t "just like" her.

MYTH: It's too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.
FACT: If you are concerned that spaying or neutering your pet is too expensive, chances are, a pet may not be in your budget. Spaying or neutering is a paltry fee next to a necessary major surgery. Whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost—a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits. It's a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to thousands of dollars of veterinary bills with any complications.

MYTH: I'll find "good" homes for all the puppies and kittens.
FACT: You may find homes for all of your pet's litter; Each home one of your litter finds its way to, shuts the door for another needy animal in a shelter, potentially leading to their demise. In less than one year's time, each of your pet's offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population.

MYTH: It’s just for dogs and cats.
FACT: Rabbits reproduce even faster than dogs or cats, and often end up in shelters where they must be euthanized. Spaying or neutering rabbits can reduce hormone-driven behavior such as lunging, mounting, spraying and boxing. Spaying females can even prevent ovarian, mammary and uterine cancers, which can be prevalent in mature females!

California Says "NO" to Animal Cruelty with a YES on Prop 2!

2008-11-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

Proposition 2 is a moderate measure that helps prevent cruel and inhumane treatment of animals. This effectively ends the practice of cramming farm animals into cages so small that they cannot turn around or move about.

If you voted YES on Prop 2 you voted to:

Prevent animal cruelty
Support family farmers
Protect the environment
Promote food safety

What difference does this really make? Is it cruel and inhumane to confine veal calves, breeding pigs, egg laying hens and the like in cages barely larger than their bodies? Calves are tethered by the neck and put in pens so small they cannot move; pigs in severe confinement try to bite through the metal bars that contain them; hens become injured and trapped and can be impaled in their wire cages.

I would never force my pets to live in filthy, claustrophobic cages for their entire lives and we should not force farm animals to endure such inhuman, miserable conditions. If you feel you need to jump up and down and call me a hippie-vegetarian, I should explain that not only am I not a hippie-vegetarian, but I possibly eat enough meat to make up for my vegetarian girlfriend!

I very strongly believe that all animals, even those raised for food, deserve our appreciation, respect and humane treatment.

Everyone who voted yes, it is time to celebrate! In an effort to make this a kinder, gentler planet to live on, you have made California, one BIG animal agriculture state change its ways. I thank all the people that worked so hard, every step of the way, to make this change for those who cannot speak for themselves.

For those of you who may have voted no, know that food quality and safety will be improved with better farming practices. Better food directly improves your quality of life. The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on new factory farms because of the devastating effect they have on groundwater due to untreated waste. Prop 2 was supported by the Consumer Federation of America, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Episcopal and Methodist church leaders, Republican and Democratic elected officials, the Pew Commission on animal agriculture, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and California Veterinarians. Similar laws were already passed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Oregon but with such a large animal agriculture here in California, it was really important to enact something here as well.

Hello and Welcome!

2008-11-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

I encourage and invite you to join me on a hands-on adventure to bring animals and humans together, to better both of their lives.

Love is an enigma. It’s so terribly difficult to quantify, qualify or even control quality in the expression of love between human beings; I think it is that very thing that makes our relationships with pets, and dogs in particular so amazing.

People’s feelings and expression are incredibly complicated. Often we are left asking ourselves what someone meant by what they said; We never wonder at our canine companion’s feelings as they do not play games of the heart. Dogs, in their black-and-white way, love a good patron/owner more purely, steadfastly, and wholeheartedly than all but the best mate.

It is widely accepted that dogs extend the lives and improve the health of their owners; Personally, I can’t imagine a greater gift than a longer, healthier, happier life.

Tens of thousands of pets across the country are held in shelters and available for adoption. These animals want nothing more than to have a family, a home, and a patron. Every day many intelligent, adorable and loving animals are killed because they do not have a home or family to belong to.

I have received so much love and joy from animals over the years that it is hard to imagine my life as complete without them in it. It really is remarkable how a furry, four-legged companion can improve your life. My dogs are my cheerleaders, my constant companions, and my best friends.