A Lesson Learned From a Tree That Fell In The Woods

A few weeks ago we were experiencing an increadible indian summer. It was fantastic, if you don't live in a climate like Michigan's you might not appreciate what this means. It was a few days of warm sunshine and soft breezes, the smell of fall is all around, but the house windows are open, just days before winter. I was reading on one of those warm nights, the windows open and it was still outside. I was startled by the crash of a tree in our woods, it was large, you could hear the groans and cracks of the surrounding tress and when it hit the ground. There was thud that shook my chair. The crash of the tree was a suprise. There was no wind and no recent violent weather that would help trigger such a dramatic event.

Yet there were many forces at work on that tree, maybe the tree had gotten older and weaker, then there had been some type of trauma followed by an infestation of bugs or a infection of a mold or bacteria. Then those infections quietly ate away at what was once a healthy tree. At first the tree had plentiful foliage and stood tall. Then, in imperceptable chagnes over time, it would have fewer leaves and not grow like it used to. It became smaller compared to the other trees and began to loose branches. This process might have taken years. Then, on that indian summer evening, the final straw was placed on the proverbial camel's back and the tree collapsed.

Often clients arrive at our hospital explaining that their pet 'just became ill', but after some diagnostics we learn that perception may not be accurate. Our pets are unable to communicate little aches and pains, changes in vision or hearing, or changes in cognition that humans can articulate more easily. They only demonstrate signs of discomfort or ill health once it has become so severe they can no longer maintain their normal daily activities. Sometimes these signs come too late for us to intervene.

Recently, a client brougt her 10 year old laborador for evaluation. He had epilepsy since he was seven and his seizures were escalating in severity and frequency. Often when dogs develop seizures at less than 5-6 years they suffer from primary epilepsy, a short circuit of the brain that is often caused by a genetic defect. But when the seizures develop in the older dog, we expect to identify an underlying disease process, like a tumor or many other metabolic or intracranial causes that may cause seizures. The owner explained that the dog was completely normal between the seizures, this was great news. However, as we chatted, she told me about a time, recently, that the dog had asked to be let in the house through a door they never use. The dog had to be retrieved and taken in the usual entrance. Afterwards the dog seemed to be fine. This little story was alarming. Our pets are creatures of habit, their days are laden in routine. They follow regular patterns of activity every single day. The dog asking to be let in at a totally new door after years in the house was alarming. I recommended that the pet have a MRI of the brain, based not only on the age of onset for the seizures, but on this telling change in his activity.

As I mentioned animals follow daily routines just like we do. Sometimes we notice the changes in routine. The cat isn't sleeping inthe same spot it usually does, the dog does not meet us at the door when we arrive home, these are easy cues that may indicate a change in your pets health. But as I illustrated, its not always that easy. When I am counseling a client with a pet with a chronic illness I often suggest that they weigh the pet weekly. The trends in the pets weight will aide in knowing they are eating enough, or if they are loosing weight related to their disease. Sometimes this regular monitoring helps the owner become more aware of the pets hair coat, general body condition and comfort level, all of which may indicate a deterioration or (more optimistically!)an improvement in the animals condition.

Regular examinations, annual laboratory testing, blood pressure monitoring, and radiographs (x-rays) can all aide in both monitoring some one with chronic illness or keep us aware of developing disease. Annual examinations may do nothing more than establish that all is normal or provide baseline to compare to in the future.

A veterinarians job is to provide you with the clinical tools as well as knowledge of the signs that you should monitor for at home. When we are successful, your pet never ends up like that tree in my woods.