Dogs Playing Poker Run for Community Sharing's Pet Pantry

If you live anywhere in Metro Detroit, please get your dog and join us in Milford, MI. We are holding a Poker Run with a pet friendly twist. The players are going to be walking through our beautiful down town, with their dogs and collecting their cards from merchants. They will end up at Central Park where the winners will be announced.
Milford has a picturesque downtown and some incredible shops and restaurants (we have a great dog bakery! Just Dogs Gourmet). It is a wonderful place to visit and an even better place to call home. Like the rest of Michigan we have been hit hard by the economic down turn. We have been hit longer than the rest of the US too. Our area food bank, Community Sharing, is over whelmed. What is extraordinary about Community Sharing is that a few years ago they began recognizing the need for the family pets and they have aided in preserving that human animal bond through good economic times and bad.
I have been lucky to have the chance to work with this organization over the past year. Between food, vaccines, spays and neuters, we have cared for over 750 animals! I think its great that we can focus on keeping these pets in their homes rather than adding to the already epidemic problem with stray and homeless dogs and cats.
Please come and get some exercise, walk your dog, meet new people, see our wonderful town and help a worthy cause.

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Taking Responsibility for the Wildlife in Our State

I have the good fortune of making an annual pilgrimage with my family to Cape Cod in the summer. Last summer I was on the beach and noticed an injured Sea Gull. Attempts were made to catch the bird, but he was too wily for that. The other sea gulls were beginning to appreciate that their comrade was injured and they were beginning to attack him. Gulls, being as they are, will attack injured birds and destroy them. I called the local animal control office and to my surprise they took my call and very cheerfully aided me. I explained that I realized this was ‘only’ a gull, but it appeared that shortly the other gulls would gang up on our injured beach comber and do him in. Within a half an hour a member the Animal Rescue League of Boston was at the beach, equipped with nothing less than a wildlife rescue ambulance, fully equipped for the task at hand. Together, we caught the bird and confirmed that his wing was broken. I later found that this was the result of children throwing rocks. I again explained to the rescuer that I realized that sea gulls were probably not a high priority in the sea-life rescue world, but I hated to see the animal suffer. The young man was a little surprised. He replied, of course they would rescue the poor gull and its fracture will be repaired by a veterinarian and hopefully he would be released! An organized community of individuals working together to aide injured wild life, how cool.

What prompted me to recall that event last summer was something that happened a few weeks ago. Two young men came into the hospital explaining that they had an injured and very ill juvenile raccoon. They had called animal control for our county; they had called the Michigan Humane Society, area veterinarians, and the local nature center, all of which refused to aide the boys. I suspect that the reasoning for these responses was the following: First, raccoons are essentially considered the equivalent of rodents, a nuisance and second they carry communicable diseases that can be spread to humans and domestic animals. The difficulty I have with this philosophy is that this small creature was being left to suffer by these animal welfare advocates and two young people, that were trying to do the right thing, would be left to watch the animal suffer and die or worse, they may try to destroy the animal themselves.

I explained that I could not allow it to suffer and would sedate the raccoon to be able to examine it to be sure that it could not be released and, if it was suffering, euthanize the creature. The young men were relieved. I found the little coon was very ill and infested with maggots. We humanely euthanized him.

I argue that we in Michigan have not remained focused on being good stewards to wildlife. Sure we have a department of natural resources, but they really function as advocates of hunting in Michigan, and animal population control, not caring for the wildlife within our state boundaries. Our Michigan Humane Society, although very well funded, much like the Animal Rescue League of Boston, has no wildlife rescue system. And the network of people that do rehabilitate animals are poorly funded and over taxed and they function, for the most part, autonomously, not as an organized group. Many veterinarians, like myself, try to help, but unless facilities are set aside for wildlife away from our patients we risk exposing our patients to serious diseases.

Michigan is a great state, with beautiful waterways and wonderful outdoor vistas, very similar to Cape Cod. The challenge I see for us is to become better stewards of our wildlife, to focus on and care for one of the things that makes or state great, the wildlife. I am not saying that this is going to necessarily involve any significant expense, there are many of us out there that want to help. What we need is a humane organization to step up and help weave us together, make a network of concerned veterinarians and rehabilitators. Maybe someone on the state level that would aide in refocusing the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) to be more of an advocate of wildlife.

I am happy to report that last I heard, that poor little sea gull is back on the beach, filling his ecological niche no matter how valuable or disposable we might think he is.

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WALK YOUR DOG!!!!!

Your dog has asked me to let you in on a little secret; they love to go on walks.
Short walks, long walks, rainy, sunny or snowy, they adore them.
The reason they love their walks is you.
You are the common denominator.
Whether a good day or bad.
They enjoy being with you.
Take time with a friend.
Grab that leash.
Breath deep
.



This summer I finally have had my weekends and most of my evenings free for activities other than work.
I have always enjoyed long hikes and walks.
My dog Zelda is so much happier now that she gets her walks and I don’t think that it is the actual walking that really gets her so hyped up, its being with me and whom ever else accompanies me. It is the time I spend with her. If I go without her, I have to admit its not quite as good of a walk as it is when she comes along.
Zelda and I are much happier and healthier as a result of our renewed love of the walk.

Next time you are sitting down to TV or vegetating on the couch, consider taking time for a walk, with your best friend, it will make you both

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WALK YOUR DOG!!!!!

Your dog has asked me to let you in on a little secret; they love to go on walks.
Short walks, long walks, rainy, sunny or snowy, they adore them.
The reason they love their walks is you.
You are the common denominator.
Whether a good day or bad.
They enjoy being with you.
Take time with a friend.
Grab that leash.
Breath deep
.



This summer I finally have had my weekends and most of my evenings free for activities other than work.
I have always enjoyed long hikes and walks.
My dog Zelda is so much happier now that she gets her walks and I don’t think that it is the actual walking that really gets her so hyped up, its being with me and whom ever else accompanies me. It is the time I spend with her. If I go without her, I have to admit its not quite as good of a walk as it is when she comes along.
Zelda and I are much happier and healthier as a result of our renewed love of the walk.

Next time you are sitting down to TV or vegetating on the couch, consider taking time for a walk, with your best friend, it will make you both happy.

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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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