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.

Read more...

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.

Read more...

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!

Read more...

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

Read more...

Exercising the Privilege of Euthanasia

One of the sad tasks that I perform as a veterinarian is euthanasia. The loss of a life and the loss of the companionship of a friend is a sad event. As I remind owners, euthanasia is never meant to be an easy decision or an easy procedure to perform. I am glad that my profession has the privilege to end suffering.
Clients will often ask if their pet is suffering. For me, as a clinician, suffering occurs when a patient is experiencing pain and distress with no hopes of recovery. These are exactly the patients that deserve the right to be relieved of their burden. Clients often take weeks or months with their chronically ailing pet, making sure that their decision is made carefully and at exactly the right time. In other instances clients are faced with acute illnesses or traumatic events that lead them to consider humane euthanasia.
There are times when I feel that euthanasia is inappropriately utilized. An example is when it is used to control healthy populations in shelters and at humane organizations and then there are the instances that we at our hospital call 'convenience euthanasia'. I was presented with a convenience euthanasia just this past week. It was an older dog, he was brought in through our emergency service, he had severe dental disease and some other mild, chronic issues. He was walking and alert, he was eating and drinking. He desperately needed a dental, but otherwise he appeared healthy and stable. I had never seen this pet or these owners before so we had no long term relationship to use as a reference. I explained to the owners that I could not euthanize such a healthy individual. I offered teeth cleaning and other management options. They were irate saying that I was taking advantage of them since I felt I could make more money off of treating their pet than euthanizing the little dog. They stormed out of the office in search of another veterinarian to assist them.
It certainly is true that treating illnesses is my business and it is more profitable to make a patient well than to kill it. But that is not my motivation for my decisions and I take grave exception to those that think otherwise. I feel it is more ethical and humane to make a pet well rather than to euthanize it. That is why I am a veterinarian.
Fortunately, the vast majority of the patients that I assist in passing are owned by conscientious and well informed owners that take care in making the tough decision to allow their pet to pass away peacefully. For those clients I can be there for them and their pets.

Read more...

Not All MRI's Are Ceated Equal....

I have been performing MRI's on my patients since I left my residency in the early 1990's. Back then we utilized human facilities when they were closed. The trips to an MRI facility were clandestine events, in the dark of night, entering at the back door or loading dock of the facility. Basically the MRI's that we performed were run by skilled, trained technicians and they were of the same quality as the MRI's that were being produced by the facility for people. All the MRI'sd that I had the experience of performing were of excellent quality. The techs would even joke that they preferred our patients over the humans, because our patients were, in general, much easier to deal with! Then, over time, the human MRI facilities became so busy that they began to run 24/7 and there was no time to squeeze in the veterinary patient during off hours when no human patients would be bothered.

In a way it was a relief to not have to get up at 3 AM to deliver a patient to the MRI facility and manage its anesthesia then to arrive back at work to start my clinic day. But along with all that extra sleep time there came a new problem, where were we going to take the patients that needed an MRI? Slowly, facilities developed that provided MRI and CT to veterinary patients, we began using The Lawson Imaging Institute , www.MBVS.CA. This facility is awesome. It is run by a group of individuals that are devoted to providing the highest quality images and patient care. I can say that I have never had a bad experience or customer complaint about their services except that they are along drive away in Mississauga , Canada. These folks have the very best equipment and they price their studies (including anesthesia and interpretation) at about $ 1,500 US. Many members of this operation are scientists, engineers and physicists. They understand the way that the MRI works and the need for the best quality equipment to achieve the most acurate study. Although I would love to have a MRI within our facility, I have always said that we would only consider it if we could provide a similar service to the one provided by our colleges in Canada and for a similar cost. Otherwise, sending my patients to Mississauga, where they can get the best study for the best price, is the right thing to do.

As time went on otherlocal hospitals got MRI's. These were small mobile units or even less powerful machines that were far inferior to what was provided across the border and they were charging 2-3 times more. Colleagues were impressed by these other hospitals providing a MRI service, but very few were able to appreciate, or they didn't care to address, the differnces in study quality.

A few months ago my partner forwarded an article from the New York times explaining how how MRI machinary can vary and the quality of studies can vary to such an extent that misdiagnosis' can occur. Take a look at this article entitiled 'The Scan That Didn't Scan', http://s.nyt.com/s/NbdAuJZ. I was very pleased to see that someone was trying to eduacate the general public regarding the differences in MRI services. I hope that over time veterinary clients too will become more informed consumers. Just because a tool is in a hospital it does not mean that it is the newest or best quality and sometimes you do not get what you pay for!

Read more...

The Changing Face of Family Medicine

It has been a long time in the making, but we have officially kicked off a new phase to our hospital. We call it a family medicine service or a wellness clinic. The focus of VCS Pets First is to provide the routine, day to day, veterinary care that all pets need within a facility that houses an emergency service , a specialty hospital and hopefully, in the future, many other pet orientated services. This gives the client and the pets access to some incredibly skilled individuals, both doctors and staff, as well as access to the hospital 24/7 and all of its advanced equipment.
What is really exciting about developing this service now, are the chages that are occuring within our industry. We are setting the foundations for a service at the same time that our profession is realizing that vaccines are not necessary every year or even every other year. We are starting to see that the annual visit should be a time to focus on wellness, physical examinations, early diagnosis of health issues and, in general, preventative medicine that really, only includes vaccines as a minor aspect of patient care. This is exciting to me because I have always felt that we as a profession had made a fatal error in trying to use vaccines and dispensing drugs as the focal point of general practice and its revenue. Veterinarians are so much more than administrators of shots and drugs and we had been, in my etimation, selling ourselves short.
I recently had an opportunity to attend a lecture about vaccine protocols in veterinary medicine. It was great to hear that our professional organizations like ACVIM, AAHA and even the drug companies are recommending vaccines every 3 years after the 1 year -old cat or dog receives its booster and that after 7 years of age our cats and dogs may only need a rabies vaccine every 3 years. It is quite possible that we will learn over the next few years that we will extend the interval between vaccines even further.
Don't think that that means your pet should visit the veterinarian less often though, its those regular visits and examinations that will keep you pet healthy and make you aware of health issues that you might not have noticed if it were not for t he annual wellness examination with your family veterinarian.

Read more...