Unsung Animal Advocates

Late one afternoon my technician entered the busy treatment room carrying a brown paper lunch bag. It looked like it had been blown up and then tied at the top. She held it away from herself and the bag seemed to be jumping and periodically one section would pop out. The technician appeared a little concerned with this mysterious jumping bag. She thrust the bag in my direction, unwilling to set it down since it was already very mobile. ‘Some ladies found this at the park, birds were pecking at it’, she said dryly. I opening the bag cautiously and inside discovered an extremely disgruntled and indignant fledgling bird. With some difficulty the small bundle of energy was removed from the bag and examined. One eye was indeed abnormal, but the baby looked to be in otherwise good health. I replaced it in its bag and walked to the phone. In on few moments I was speaking with our area wildlife rehabilitator. In a short time, Pat was at the hospital and taking our little bird into her expert care.

I think we would all agree that these times are tough, jobs are few, and housing expensive, day to day living is a full time obligation. Yet there remains a large population of really exceptional people that volunteer their time, energy and finances towards the care, feeding and rehabilitation of animals, both wild and domestic. People like Pat, with Southeastern Michigan Wildlife Rescue, who devotes her time around the clock feeding fledgling birds, orphaned deer and other wildlife then being sure that they are rehabilitated and released. My friend Sharon, donates part of her boarding kennel towards the care and housing or rescued Bull Terriers, until they too are rehabilitated and can find a new home. Then there is the army of people that are caring for orphaned kittens right now (this is ‘kitten season’), getting up at all hours, transporting kittens to work so they can be fed on a lunch hour, and then finding homes for each one when they are ready for adoption.

Literally, an army of animal advocates is out there. Their work is unending; each animal is given their unwavering commitment and attention.

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You Are Never Too Old

Selma is a 12 year old Golden Retriever owned by a friend. She is in excellent condition and has been healthy throughout her life. Recently she and my friend were visiting. My friend explained that she was concerned because every time Selma was evaluated by her general veterinarian he recommended a dental. I looked at Selma’s mouth, some tartar, but not seriously diseased, I suggested a good cleaning sometime in the next 6 to 8 months. She looked surprised and exclaimed ‘she’s too old! The anesthesia will kill her !’.

‘Age is not a disease’, is a mantra we often recite at our office. Selma’s owner was gently reminded that Selma’s age does not prohibit anesthesia or the procedures that may help prolong her life, but as pets age other health issues do develop. Prior to any anesthetic or surgical event, we collect a baseline of information to be sure that the patient has no other conditions that could cause problems under anesthesia. Selma would have a blood panel, chest radiographs and her blood pressure checked prior to anesthesia. As long as these tests were normal she would be cleared for her dental. My friend looked skeptical, I think she was glad to have eight months to consider her options.

Over the years, I have seen patients that have not received dental care or other minor surgical procedures for only one reason, they were too old. The majority of these animals were well cared for, well loved members of the family. If not for the urban legion of age + anesthesia/surgery = death, they would receive the care they needed. I would argue that in many cases the pets would have lived longer and happier lives with the benefit of these procedures.

The anesthesia and surgical techniques used in veterinary medicine have advanced significantly, particularly over the past 10 years. We use short acting anesthetic agents that have fewer side effects. Veterinarians are also very aware of the need for pain management and we have a plethora of medications available to assist dogs, cats, and exotic pets with post operative pain. Surgical skills have also become more refined with lasers, laparoscopes, endoscopes and other instrumentation allowing less invasive (and less traumatic) techniques and shorter anesthesia times.

A colleague and I were discussing a case she had recently referred to me. The dog was geriatric, but he had been healthy and active up until recently. After extensive tests we had found only one significant health problem, a single tumor of the lung. My colleague asked, ‘how do you handle the issue of the pet’s age in discussing surgery with this owner?’ I explained that I do not feel that I should be factoring the pet’s age into my decision making. We had essentially ruled out any other major health issues. It was now time for the owner to consider the pets age and whether they will want to make the financial and emotional investment in caring for their pet, recognizing that the dog is geriatric and that he may live two more years after the surgery or six more months. Make no mistake, I will always be available to discuss the factor of the pet’s age, but ultimately it is the owner’s decision. The bottom line is, your pet is never too old to receive care, as long as excellent medical practices and good communication from your veterinarian create a sound foundation for your decision making.

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Ashtons Story

Aston McCabe walked willingly out of his crate. He surveyed the exam room and looked disdainfully at each of the occupants. Then he sat on the examination table facing his owner and with his back, squarely directed towards me. Ashton had visited my office frequently over the past year and a half. Ashton is a cat and he was not going to embarrass himself, he would cooperate, have his blood drawn and blood pressure checked, but he did not need to be happy about it.

Ashton is one cool cat alright, but about a year ago he was at my hospital in renal failure. After renal biopsies, blood transfusion and intravenous fluids he went home. We monitored his progress closely with regular check-ups and blood tests. Now his visits are every 6 months! A few weeks after Ashton’s initially hospitalization his owner mentioned that he felt badly that Ashton had become so ill. He went on to explained that he should have recognized that Ashton was getting more sick based on the data he was recording. In fact, he had spreadsheets (he was an engineer) with recorded dates and parameters such as Ashton’s body weight, appetite, etc. You could actually appreciate when Ashton began to decline as his body weight gradually dropped once by once, just a few weeks prior to his hospitalization. I explained that this sort of data was fantastic and we could use these observations to our benefit to avoid another illness. The clients keen observation skills and meticulous record keeping was just what we needed to be sure that Ashton remained healthy.

One of the frustrations every person that lives with an animal experiences is their inability to communicate verbally, particularly when it comes to their health. In many cases we rely on intuition, wives tails and we anthropomorphize. Some of this is helpful and some of these techniques can get in the way of the observation skills we all have.

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Companions Are Priceless During Difficult Times

Companions are priceless during difficult times


Julie A. Hass DVM, MS
Veterinary Care Specialists
Milford, MI
248.684.0468



Rosemary is a cancer survivor. Recently, when I saw her, she was calmly surveying a makeshift auditorium. She sat patiently on her mistress’ lap waiting for the ceremony to begin. The chatter and general hubbub that surrounded her was familiar. Rosey was an elder states woman at this event and I was her fortunate guest. Despite unpleasant weather I and about 100 other people attended the Celebration of Life at Michigan State’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Approximately 78 patients, both living and passed, were recognized and they each had their own, very special story. It appeared they were selected for a variety of reasons. They may have struggled bravely against disease or adverse circumstances or they may have served their owners valiantly prior to their illness. Some appeared to have extraordinary personalities and charm that won the hearts of the veterinarians and staff. But, to be sure, each had their story and during the presentation some of the stories were shared.

What struck me about each of these animals, whether it was a horse, cat, dog or ferret, was that they were all exceptional companions. They were members of closely knit families, beloved confidants of children, or hunting companions. They, in turn, were embraced and loved for the contribution that they made to the people surrounding them. When illness struck, the families did every thing within their means to ease the pets suffering and return them to good health.

Based on my own experiences as a veterinarian, I know that the stories that I heard that day are not uncommon. Almost every pet and owner I meet has a special bond and an equally interesting story. I think most pet owners would say that their pet provides a priceless commodity, companionship, and that they would do what ever is within their means to care for that pet.

Companionship is most often appreciated when times are the darkest. The silent, non-judgmental, friendship that a pet offers can be most comforting.

Over the past month I have been involved in a food drive for a group called Community Sharing. Not only do they provide food for the humans within a family, but they also have a pet pantry to aide the pets within those families. During the early phases of the food drive I eagerly took on the responsibility to organize the pet food collections. When I met with the representatives at Community Sharing one woman explained that she was concerned that by collecting pet food they might be taking food resources away from area rescue groups. I was impressed by this thoughtful observation. However, I quickly suggested that their program is also supporting the rescue groups who are already over burdened with pets surrendered by people who can no longer care for them. By keeping pets at home, healthy and fed, the folks at Community Sharing are helping decrease the number of pets within the shelter system.

There is an even more important contribution that is being made by keeping pets in their homes. Children, concerned with what each day may bring, will still have their cat to cuddle and the dog’s owner will have a reason to take time for a short walk each day. These pet owners, just like the ones I met with Rosemary, would most likely do what ever they could for their pet because they are family, friends -companions.

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Learning How To Fall Off The Horse

My 8 year old daughter had her first horseback riding lesson a few weeks ago. My friends TJ and Barbara own the Crown V Ranch and operate the riding stables at Highland Recreation Area. TJ is an accomplished horseman and he is fond of pointing out that he has never had a formal riding lesson. His lack of experience with riding instructors has lead to a novel approach to the new rider and one that I, as a parent, appreciated greatly. Isabella’s lesson consisted of learning how to lead a horse on a rope, walk around a horse, without startling the animal or putting herself in harms way, and, most importantly, how to fall off a horse. Essentially, it was disaster preparedness for the horseback rider. I have taken my share of riding lessons, and never have I been taught how to fall off. I have to admit Isabella was tentative at first, but eventually she became accomplished enough for uncle TJ to declare that lesson complete. However, she was only done once the horse was brushed and ready to be turned out to the pasture. Talking with my dad a few days later, I told him about her lesson. In his early life he was a cowboy, he smiled and agreed that it was awfully important to learn how to fall rather than to learn about falling by accident.

I recently have been reading a book by Temple Grandin, Animals in Translation. She talks about how animals perceive their environment differently than humans and how humans commonly miss the fact that the animals perspective on events happening around them is totally different than our own. The obvious result from these differing perspectives is miscommunication. It is these little misunderstandings between human and animal that leads to accidents, injuries and general mayhem. An example would be the friends meeting on a walk with their dogs, they stop and chat, the dogs introduced for the first time appear inquisitive, but one begins to shy behind the owners legs. The owner pushes it away, insisting it needs to be friendly, after all the other dog is a nice dog. Then the shy dog gets pushed too far and it attacks that nice, but pushy, dog . The dog fight was actually created by the humans misunderstanding of the cues given by the dogs. Both the dogs went to the emergency room and the owners were uncertain if their pet was aggressive or mean. Neither one has an aggression problem. They were just acting like dogs.

So what does this have to do with falling off a horse? It is about misunderstandings, miscommunications that then lead to injuries or worse. The small child that wants to hug the dog, but as he wraps his arms tightly around the dogs neck, the dog senses not the fondness the child has for him, but restraint and confinement. If the dog cannot wriggle free then it resorts to biting. So that is why the 8 year old, first time on her horse, learns to fall. Because shortly there will be a misunderstanding and her horse will give her a hard time and off she may go. That is why my children, since they were very small were taught how to approach a cat or a dog, how to pet them and respect them. Even now that my children are older I watch them closely when they are interacting with animals whether they are our family pets or not.

Animals are integral parts of our families and our leisure activities. They are such a part of the fabric of our lives that we assume that they perceive our actions and our environment just like we do. It would be wise to remind ourselves that we are still learning about speaking our pet’s language and understanding their communications. We are on the steep side of that learning curve and we should always expect the unexpected.



Crown V Riding Stables is having its open house and ribbon cutting ceremony on the April the 18th beginning at 12 noon. Come out and visit us at Highland Recreation Area.

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An Ounce of Prevention......

I have been besieged with car problems recently. My Suburban has served me well, but now that its age is in the double digits, I have had to visit the town mechanics shop a little more often than I would like. The owner of the shop is very kind, every time I pick up the Red Bus, he reminds me of the regular maintenance and daily care that would help the old car run a little better and keep the parts from wearing out so quickly. I have to admit, I am not good at preventative car maintenance. Of course, this personality flaw is what makes me one of his better customers.

I think that we understand that an ounce of prevention, early intervention, and preventative maintenance are all excellent philosophies for keeping mechanical as well as living organisms happy and healthy. But, we all have so much going on in our lives that it can be hard to put them into practice. Top this challenge off with our current economy, every one being short on funds, life can become a little over whelming. My recent experiences with the Red Bus have led me to think a little about some of my recent conversations with my clients.

Last week our surgeon and I, sat down with a client with a geriatric pet. She had two masses, or tumors, that needed to be removed. They were both most likely benign. They were also still small enough that they could be removed easily. However, it would not be long before they would be large, most likely infected, and much more difficult and costly to remove. The owner listened to our well reasoned arguments and went home to consider her options. Often I see patients through the emergency service that have pets with slow growing masses that, for what ever reason, the owners have chosen to wait on removing. Quietly it grew until its removal seemed too complicated, then it broke open and became necrotic. Next there came the struggle of what to do, since now the problem was far more complex.

Recently, we performed a dental on a patient that had such severe disease, that only a few teeth were salvaged. The dog had been ill and not eating well. He had been lethargic and inactive. As any one with a cavity or a broken tooth can tell you, dental disease can be painful. Fortunately he had been spared the serious infections and damage of the kidney and heart that can occur as a result of such a remarkable bacterial infection. He came back to visit us this morning. He was a new man! Tail wagging, head held high. The owner mentioned she was amazed at the difference in his demeanor since the dental.

The first step towards the successful management of all of these patients was a wellness examination. Not an appointment just for vaccines or flea control products, but a visit to the veterinarians with the goal of discussing and evaluating the health of your pet. This could also be the time, if a few problems are identified, when treatments and diagnostics could be prioritized and procedures could be planned so the financial burden would be less severe. My proposal to any of these clients, if I had the benefit of seeing them months before, would have been the following: 1.Age is not a disease, otherwise healthy, older pets can have surgeries and other procedures. 2. Small tumors, moderate dental disease, mild kidney dysfunction are all much easier to treat than large, infected masses, severe, necrotic dental disease or kidney failure. 3. Taking care of these problems early is much less expensive than when the diseases are advanced.

I will be picking up my car tomorrow from Brian’s auto repair shop and I have learned my lesson. More frequent oil changes and don’t run the gas tank to empty. Hopefully, I won’t have to see him for awhile, except for the Red Bus’ regular check ups!

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Some advice for the prospective puppy owner

About 2 years go my friend Karen arrived at my hospital with a new puppy. He was a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel. I was a bit surprised since she had not mentioned getting a pup. Then she explained that he was from the pet shop. She had seen him while she was shopping and fell in love. I stared at her. She became a little uncomfortable. I was preparing to launch into a lecture on the evils of puppy mills, when in the nick of time, she said she knew it was wrong, but she had to save him. It is hard to be upset with your best friend and so little Gus got a thorough examination and went home to live happily ever after.

Puppy Mill is the term applied to places where dogs are bred indiscriminately and maintained in kennels (not in a home environment) and bred frequently, often with no concern for their health. The cruelty and essential barbarism of this industry is difficult to comprehend. These poor dogs are kept in conditions that are so horrific that I can not appreciate how any human being could be party to these operations. Then when you consider the total disregard and disrespect of the dogs, the lack of medical care, socialization, feeding or exercise, it should really make us all a little ashamed that these operations persist in our country. The puppies that leave these operations are the fortunate ones. The pups are transported by trucks, with no heat or air conditioning and are seldom fed, watered or cared for during the trip. Pups can arrive at their destination dead or gravely ill.

It is hard to imagine that the puppy mill industry is able to thrive when our humane organizations, rescues and shelters are overflowing and so many dogs are being euthanized for lack of a home. Often puppy mill puppies are sold for exceptionally high prices. Frankly, the industry of mass puppy production and sales depends on our humanity for its success. Whether it is the strong impulse we feel to rescue that cute puppy from a cage at a pet shop or our unwillingness to research our purchase before we make it, our human nature, our desire and empathy, draws us towards that immediate gratification and the purchase of that new pup.

Here are some suggestions that may help you avoid supporting the Puppy Mill industry:

1. Take time to research the type of dog you want. Never make an impulse purchase.
2. Always take time to visit local rescues because they may have a wonderful mixed breed dog or pup that meets or exceeds all your expectations.
3. Contact local rescues, shelters and humane societies to see if they have breeds for adoption that you are interested in. You would be surprised how many purebred dogs are available at the local shelters.
4. Visit with local breeders. Almost every breed group has a regional club. Those club members are active advocates for the breed and can be, quite literally, a fountain of information.
5. ALWAYS see where your puppy came from. Try to meet at least one of the parents.
6. People that breed often and breed multiple different breeds of dog should be held suspect of operating a Puppy Mill.
7. And most importantly - Remember, this is a new member to your family. They will be living with you for 10 or more years. Make a careful and well researched decision.

If you would like to learn more about Puppy Mills visit humanesociety.org/puppy or http://network.bestfriends.org/campaigns/puppies-arent-products

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