The danger of throwing sticks

It's Not All Fun And Games!
It's been an unusually warm and sunny start to the year and most of us dog owners have been enjoying more time out doors with our furry companions. That's probably why I've seen my first stick injury of the year already. A lovely wee Jack Russell was out playing fetch with his owner when the stick became lodged between his teeth, across the roof of his mouth. Understandably the poor wee dog was frantic trying to get it out but it was too far back and stuck to be removed by him or his owner, try as he might. By the time he arrived at the clinic, the dog and owner were both very upset. We had to sedate the wee dog immediately before anymore damage could be done and the stick you see in the picture was successfully removed without any lasting damage.
It caused me to reflect on all the stick injuries I've seen over the years and saddened me to say that not all were as lucky.
It's natural for dogs to want to play fetch and we as owners beam with pride when our dog returns an object to us. I have a Beagle, so nothing gets returned but others have told me it's a nice feeling! But when we throw sticks, we run the very real risk of injuring our pets. The sticks themselves can cause traumatic damage to any structure they hit but they also splinter leaving fragments of dirty wood travelling through the dog. I have seen two cases where the stick has torn through the oesophagus ( the tube that carries food to the stomach) and sadly both times these dogs did not survive. I have seen a stick penetrate the eye and result in the loss of the eye. But mainly its the annoying splinters that cause the most problems. They do not show up on x-ray so can be very difficult to find but even a tiny splinter can carry bacteria on its surface and cause untold damage. We often battle for months, even years to find and remove splinters that cause abscesses to develop far from the site of initial injury. These are the cases I hate the most. The dogs suffer pain and infection, repeated anaesthetics and a forever uncertain outcome. My heart sinks when owners ask me if there beloved pet is going to be fine, when the answer is, we just don't know. And for the owners themselves I am sure the guilt of causing the initial injury must be hard to bear. I often ask myself why people still throw sticks for their dogs when the results can be so devastating but I suppose the answer is, most of us don't realise the danger. So I am writing this in that hope that after reading this you will maybe think twice before throwing a stick and consider carrying balls and toys to fetch from now on. I found this fun toy and website some of you might enjoy www.safestix.co.uk which has some good links on stick injuries.

Ruff Dawg sticks + twigs

Safestix

Try not to worry about your pet's anaesthetic

There comes a time in every animal's life where they have an illness or ailment that the vet needs to investigate. Then the vet says "I need to give your pet an anaesthetic!". Owners always fear these words and some even ask if they could "just be sedated" as they perceive this as being less 'risky'. I hope this blog will help to put your mind at rest and also provide more information for you to better understand the procedure of sedating or anaesthetising your animal.
All anaesthetics pose a small risk and unfortunately there is occasion when an animal will take a reaction to an anaesthetic or succumb to the deleterious effects of an anaesthetic drug. There are many ways that we can minimise this risk.
The differences between general anaesthesia and sedation are that with sedation the animal gets given a drug and is then monitored throughout the procedure whilst breathing room air and can then be reversed. With general anaesthesia the animal is given premedication but then the induction and gaseous drugs are tapered to the individual animal and procedure and they have a tube placed in their trachea (windpipe) to provide oxygen.

• At Glenbrae Veterinary Clinic, each animal is given a full, head to toe, clinical examination by an experienced, qualified veterinary surgeon. This can flag up issues such as dehydration, heart murmurs, infection and pain. It also allows us to determine the animal's temperament as very quiet, subdued animals will often require less anaesthetic than aggressive or highly excitable animals. It thus allows the vet to establish the level of premedication that the animal requires for a full general anaesthetic or determine whether the procedure is something that the dog will cope with under sedation alone.
• We offer every animal a pre-anaesthetic blood test. In young, healthy animals undergoing elective procedures such as spaying and castrating, this is an entirely optional procedure. However, there are certain work-ups or situations when this is required for us to give the best care to the animal and thus the vet will make the decision that this is mandatory for the particular case. The pre-anaesthetic blood sample allows the vet to look at the levels of the red and white blood cells and do a complete blood count. This rules out dehydration, infection, anaemia etc. The vet also looks at the full biochemistry which looks at the health of organs such as the liver and kidneys. Glucose levels are checked to ensure there is no underlying diabetes mellitus. We can determine whether there is any issues that suggest inflammation of specific organs or generally within the systems. Sometimes certain cancers cause blood changes and this would alert us earlier in the disease and potentially improve the outcome.
• Every animal undergoing a general anaesthesia and certain 'at risk' animals for sedation also have an intravenous catheter placed. This is a small tube attached to an injection port that allows venous access to remain patent. We use this for inducing anaesthesia and other intravenous injections but in an emergency situation this enables us to give medications sooner and thus aim to get a better outcome on the very rare occasion that we need to perform resuscitative techniques.
• Every animal anaesthetised is monitored throughout by a fully qualified and registered veterinary nurse. All of our nurses are very experienced and monitor anaesthetics on a daily basis. They are all familiar with the regular anaesthetic drugs used and thus are aware of exactly what they expect to happen. a deviation away from the expected means they, together with the vet, react rapidly and because of this the likelihood of severe complications or deleterious effects are minimised.
• When an animal is anaesthetised they are given a calculated dose of premedication which has pain relief and sedative effects. The animal is then induced to fall asleep and intubated (a tube placed in the trachea) to keep the airway patent and provide oxygen and anaesthetic gases. The anaesthetic gas used in Glenbrae Veterinary Clinic is sevoflurane and this is a newer inhalational anaesthetic that the body manages to adapt to rapidly and thus when we change the anaesthetic dial the animal is very rapidly at this new level. Older anaesthetics were not as easy to manipulate and so on occasion the problem took longer to resolve.
• Certain cases, and in any circumstance where we feel it is indicated we have the ability to check the animal's blood pressure. We can detect changes and manipulate the situation using reduced anaesthetic depth or fluid therapy to normalise the blood pressure and thus reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality.
• All animals are monitored closely throughout recovery which is one of the riskiest periods and if there are any problems then these can be rectified. We then allow them to go home at the earliest time so that you can provide the TLC that you have been desperate to provide your animal.

I hope that the above gives you a slightly better insight into what is involved with an anaesthetic and helps to put your mind at ease as we do everything in our power to make this procedure as safe as possible.

Kennel Cough

Around this time of year, the vets in the clinic start to see a lot of coughing dogs. 

One of the most common causes of coughing in dogs is kennel cough.  Kennel cough is a condition that causes a severe dry hacking cough.  Sometimes owners even report that their dogs cough so much they make them selves sick!

Kennel cough itself is a condition that is caused by the bacteria Bordetella brontiseptica. The bacteria can be picked in almost any environment by a dog, and is not limited to being picked up in the kennels as the name suggests. 

The bacteria generate a lot of irritation and inflammation to the dog’s windpipe, and can also cause bronchitis.  The more the dogs cough, the more irritated their airways become, and so it turns into a vicious cycle.  If left untreated the infection can progress to cause asthma and pneumonia.  In very severe cases, these can lead to death. 

Happily however, this is not a common occurrence due to advances in medicine.  A number of very effective vaccines are available, which give dogs a good level of protection to these bacteria.  Most reputable kennels, dog clubs and dog walkers all now insist on dogs being vaccinated against kennel cough before using their services which has reduced the spread of the illness hugely.  It is still important to remember though, that the vaccine can only reduce the chance and severity of infection, and doesn’t prevent a dog from picking up mild cases of the condition.

As well as the vaccines, if a dog is unlucky enough to catch kennel cough, the good news is that there are a wide number of antibiotics that can be used to treat it.  Once a dog has been diagnosed by the vet a short course of antibiotic tablets along with some rest and relaxation is usually all that is needed to get them back to full health.

Even small dogs make a huge difference!!!

Imagine going through life not being able to hear and how difficult that could make even the simplest of tasks. Imagine then how valued a hearing dog would be.

        I am writing this blog with some first hand experience. My Aunt is profoundly deaf and has been for all of her life. Around 10 years ago my aunt was given the opportunity to get a hearing dog for the deaf. She took up this opportunity and was given a lovely Pomeranian called George. George is highly trained and will let my aunt know when the phone rings; the door bell goes and even wakes her up when the alarm goes off in the morning. The pair goes everywhere together and he alerts her to any danger. On one occasion he let my Aunt know that the kitchen tap was running and flooding the kitchen. The difference that George has made in my Aunt’s life is incredible, he is an absolute star!

        Unfortunately due to health problems George has recently retired from work but my Aunt has him now as a pet. Hopefully another dog for the deaf isn’t long away either.

      Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a charity that do spectacular work in training young dogs to do life changing things. The work they do and the dogs they provide make such a difference to people’s lives. If you wish more information or to make a donation the website is http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk

Below is a picture of George in his winter jumper.