Tag Archives: vet

Da Heat is On…

          It’s time fur doze lazy, hazy, crazy, days of Summer my pals and all paws aside—I am a snow dog. Dat doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a romp thru da grass on a hot day or a dip in a lake, but dat hot pavement & long walks in da sun are definitely not my bag puppy. I have a feeling dat dis is da case fur most pups, especially my short nosed pals such as da English & Frenchie bulldogs.  Unlike hoomans, dogs can’t sweat in the same way in order ta regulate dere temp.   A dog’s main cooling system is in his or her paws and tongue.

Yippeeeeeeee Snow!

           I’ve never had an episode of heatstroke or anything, though my tolerance fur da heat has waned as I’ve gotten older & fankfully dad has taken note.  But other anipals have not been so fortunate in avoiding heatstroke, which can cause serious injury & death even, and da shame of it is, is dat fur many, it could have been avoided if dey hooman(s) had just taken the proper precautions.   So if ya haven’t guessed, tadays blog post is gonna focus on keeping us anipals safe from heatstroke or other heat related injury like burned paw pads during those scorching Summer months.

Please Take Heed

          Furst off, all dogs need ta be carefully monitored in temperatures over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but short-haired breeds and doze with pale skins are particularly vulnerable ta heatstroke, as are short, snub-nosed dogs like Shih Tzus, Pugs and Bulldogs.   My foster brofur Sal, at 75-80 lbs, short haired, and pale skinned,  is a high risk fur heatstroke pup, and besides da fact dat it’s been scorching in NYC fur da past 2 days he’s da other reason why me and my dad were inspired to write dis post.

          Like we says tho, preventing heatstroke is something all pet owners need ta fink about during da summer months.  Pets need access ta plenty of shade and cool drinking water at all times in order ta prevent heatstroke.  Dat means, do not leave water bowls in da sun; place dem in shaded areas and please avoid metal water dishes cuz dey get hot.   As far as shade, remember dat da sun moves around during da day so make certain dere be lots of shade in different parts of da yard.   And although dey provide shade, a kennel or dog crate can heat up just as quickly as a car!

          Dat brings us ta cars. You’d fink dat dis was common knowledge & needn’t be discussed, but peeps continue ta lock dere pets inside vehicles on hot Summer Days. According ta da Humane Society da temperature inside a car will rise 30 degrees a minute if parked in da sun, on a hot, humid day . These temperatures are dangerous!!! It’s not safe ta leave your dog in da car fur even a quick errand…DON’T DO IT!!!!!!

BOL!!! Seriously though…

          Anudder fing not ta do…exercise or walk us pups during the heat of the day. we love our hoomans and unless were deathly ill will never turn down da opportunity ta send time with ‘em and play games with ‘em so it’s up ta our hooman parents ta make sure dey & we don’t over do it. da best time for ‘walkies’ during the day is when the heat and humidity is lower; early morning and late afternoon. Concrete and tarmac pathways can get very hot and can be painful on a dog’s paw pads.

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          I mentioned dat my tolerance fur heat has waned over da years & dat’s important cuz OLDER pets, I’m ten years young, are more susceptible to heatstroke. If dey are outside be sure ta monitor dem AT ALL TIMES. One udder fing ta watch out fur is da length of ya pups hair. On long haired pups like myself da recommended length is about one inch. Dat leaves some insulation and enough protection from sunburn. Matted fur needs ta go, mats trap heat.

Oh Boy dat lake sure does look inviting! And dis what i fink of dat “No Swimming” sign.

           If forbid, a doggie or cat does suffer heatstroke take ‘em to the vet as soon as possible.  Symptoms of heatstroke are vomiting and diarrhea, rapid breathing and excessive panting, along with warm, dry skin.  If his gums are pink or gray instead on a normal healthy red-pink coloration, WORRY!  Initially, get ‘em out of the sun, place ‘em in a bowl of cool water and gently rub dere underbelly. Don’t use cold or iced water. Give ‘em only a small amount of water ta drink or let ‘em lick ice cubes.

So be safe out dere my pals & enjoy your Summer da right way!  I fur one am making my dad look into cooling jackets & collars and da like for doggies and when we get ‘em, we’ll do a review and maybe post sum pics of me rocking my ‘Cool’ gear.

PAW LOVE, Hugs, and ArOOOOOOOOOOOO

Seeing Eye Dog

Hey out there to all my anipals & furiends!  What a crazy week I had! Full of up’s and ups—great weather, new squeaky toys, positive results on my retina exam–& a couple of downs—I may have Cushing disease?? WTH?!?!?!– but nothing too bad ‘cept when my dad had da nerve ta not come home one night.  I had a good talking with him & let him know dat he was forgiven, but dat I would require many extra treats & belly rubs fur da days following.

WELCOME HOME!!! Do us both a favor & know your place!!!!!!!!!

So since I last spoke ta you guys here I had a big exam called an Electroretinogram or ERG fur short & da reason fur dat is cuz I am goin ta finally have my cataract surgery so Iz can see clearly again & stop being so nervous whenever a car or bus passes by me when Iz walking.  I used ta loves ta chase my dad on his bicycle & I’d even regulate traffic when I saw motorcycles pass thru by givin’ ‘em a quick chase & a bark ta let ‘em know ta slow down & not make so much noise.  Da past year tho, I haven’t been seeing so good out of my right eye cuz of a cataract (A cataract is any opacity within a lens.) dat I have had since furever but dat only recently started ta matures as da doctors say & den adding insult ta injury, I started ta gets one in my left eye too!!!  Dogs can adapt well if one eye is blind from cataract & the other is not—so well in fact dat dere hoomans don’t realize that dey can’t see out of one eye.  But fur me to lose both??!!?! No offense ta my cool anipals like Cloverton da Deaf Dog or Lucy Da Blind Cat but Iz too young ta go blind & too old ta learn new tricks ta build my confidence ta feel comfortable outside if I can’ts see anything.  I’m just not builts dat way & so, me & dad, & grandpa spoke about it & decided dat surgery was da way ta go. We’re all excited, but because of da risks we’re a little scared too!

Left: Immature Cataract --- Right:Mature Cataract

Cataract surgery is an elective procedure, but even If surgery is not performed, dere are risks & possible complications.  Hypermature cataracts can cause a serious reactive inflammation inside da eye, &  dere is glaucoma, which is painful, in da form of headaches & deres even sumthin called lens luxation,  which can be quite painful depending on how da lens slips (luxates) out of position.  Being dat I already have ta deal wit allergies & complications from dat, dad decided he didn’t  wanna have me possibly suffer from this as well.

If any of my pals & dere hoomans out dere are wondering if dey or dere furbabies have cataracts just know dat most dogs beginning at 6 years of age tend to develop a hardening of the lens (Nuclear Sclerosis) dat causes da lens ta have a grayish appearance & dat is NOT da same as a cataract. It happens in hoomans too.  Dis is why peeps in dere 40’s & older sumtimes need ta use reading glasses.  Veterinary ophthalmologists are da peeps you wanna see, rather than ya regular vet in order ta  tell da difference between nuclear sclerosis & cataract, using specialized equipment & their expertise.   It’s important ta understand dat no cataract can be reversed & once da lens is cloudy, surgery is da only way ta remove it.

Woof! I know I saw dad go down dis long hallway, so kindly take me to him vet lady...Grrr

Cataract surgery is expensive cuz it requires specialized equipment & training. Da instruments & equipment used for cataract surgery in dogs are da same type used for cataract surgery in people & da pet owner pays 100% of da cost of cataract surgery. Dis is cuz even pet health insurance policies often exclude cataract surgery, cuz da cataracts are often genetic & most insurance companies will not cover any genetic or pre-existing condition. Hoomans, if you have health insurance fur your furbaby, do not assume it will cover cataract surgery—check with your insurance provider.  If your furbaby has cataracts but you believe dat you can’t afford surgery, it’s still VERY IMPORTANT fur your furbaby ta see a veterinary ophthalmologist cuz medical treatment of the affected eye[s] is almost always needed ta help prevent other serious complications dat can cause the complete loss of da eye[s]

Well my surgery is scheduled fur next week & Iz more den ready. I gots ta stay overnight  by myself though & I haven’t done dat since I came home 8 years ago. I’ll be sure ta have Dad take lots of pics & keep all my furiends updated & keep me updated with what’s going on with all of you & of course my foster brofur Sal.  Hope he’s okay without me, but he still betta stay out of my beds…BOL

PAW LOVE, Hugs, and ArOOOOOOOOOOOO

Scratch, Itch and Sniff

Hello Furiends and anipals!!! Back again! How has efurryone been dis beautiful furst week of April? Well, beautiful except fur Texas where all dose crazy tornados are hurting people and our furry friends. Say a little prayer fur efurryone down dere please. Gotta always remember ta count ya blessings is what my dad says and things like dose tornados and people losing their furever homes reminds me dat even though I live with allergies, I’m a blessed puppy. ..and dats right animals can have allergies too.

Click to Enlarge

In fact, da number of doggies with allergies has gone up, and up, and up, a whole lots in da past few years. I read on webmd fur pets dat a whole one in seven pups suffer from allergies, and all breeds and mixes can be affected. If any of ya out dere don’t know, an allergy is a nasty reaction dats caused by things likes exposure ta a food, an inhalant, or something in da environment. What da pup is exposed ta is what dey call da allergen. The way da pups immunie system responds to the allergen is the allergic reaction. When I furst found my human and came ta live with him, he didn’t know dat I has allergies. I didn’t even know; I knew something was wrong with me, but not exactly what, and I was afraid ta tell dem. I was so happy ta be out of da shelter and being loved dat I didn’t wanna give ‘em any reason ta take me back. Dey brought me home and I right away worked really hard at my training and being a SUPER good boy and makin sure dat I showed ‘em what a great boy I could be cuz I really did love dem, but I was also afraid of going back ta da shelter. I didn’t need ta be afraid tho as it turns out cuz when my secret finally came out, my dad and gramps didn’t make any fuss over it—dey just made sure I got da care I needed…and it wasn’t easy at furst.

Ya see, it took a while to even figure out what da heck was goin on with me—why I was itchy all da time and getting red spots– after dey realized dat something even was going on. While hoomans usually gets upper respiratory symptoms when an allergy is triggered, in dogs it is usually the skin, with super bad itching being the BIG sign. Pups with allergies will scratch all da time and are usually MISERABLE. So we went to a couple of different nice vets and one told us dat it looks like I gots allergies and so dey gave me some special food dats grain and gluten free (remind me ta look up what da heck gluten is buddies) & some anti-hista-sumthin and sent me home. Well, dat helped a lil bit but den da following Spring I hads a really,really bad reaction and dats when my dad found a special puppy dermatologist–one of only two or three in all of New York City–and rushed me over dere. Dey was, and are very nice, and dats where we learned all sorts of things like what exactly I was allergic too—basically everything, including my sisfur Kenny da cat—and dat pup allergies fall into four categories—ones caused by fleas, ones caused by inhaled allergens likes dust mites, and grasses, ones caused by foods, and finally, ones caused by irritants dat have direct contact with da skin—and we also learned dat if da allergies go untreated dat dey could even kills me if I have a bad enough reaction. Most importantly tho, we learned how ta fight dem and helps me live a more comfortable life.

I wear dis sumtimes when I have flareups so I don't eats myself #E-CollarProblems

I wanna let all of you know dat, yes it was pretty expensive fur all da testing and medicines and treatments and and ongoing treatments and downright stressful fur my hoomans sometimes cuz dey don’t likes ta see me, or any furbaby’s in pain, but if ya find ya self with an anipal with special needs, don’t just dump ‘em in a kill shelter like my furst “family” did ta me. We understand if ya can’t afford ta help us, but ya CAN afford ta take just a little time from ya schedule ta find us a nice new home, or a foster, or a no-kill shelter rescue. Your anipals don’t deserve ta die just cuz we suffer from the same things dat hoomans do sometimes. Dere is help out dere for dem and fur you hoomans too and we’ll talks about dat in a future post about anipal insurance and fundraising and da like. Well, I’m gonna go play with my squeaky toy and then take a nap and do sum other important pup business now, but tune in tomorrow fur more about allergies and my latest flare up and vet visit with pictures and all….

PAW LOVE, Hugs, and ArOOOOOOOOOOOO