Update 8/16: Scooter is almost completely healed! His bandages came off a week ago, and the site of amputation is almost completely healed. Between online and in-person donations, we are a little over 50% of our $800 goal! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far – please continue to spread the word anyway you can. Thank you!

My name is Scooter and I need your help. I thought it would be fun to play with some fishing line, but ended up getting hurt really bad. A good Samaritan brought me to an animal hospital who has been taking great care of me. I had to have one of my legs amputated and still have some nasty wounds, but the doctors think I’m going to be fine with the right care.

The doctors have donated a lot of their time, but I still have a big bill – around $800 dollars!

I know everyone’s budget is tight right now – and I greatly appreciate you donating any amount using the button below (you don’t even need a Paypal account – just a credit card).

Thank you for listening to my story!

-Scooter

I'm learning to get around pretty well!

Chef Jason Hill may be able to stir up a decent guacamole, but his YouTube video recipe for homemade dog food left me scratching my head. I don’t think Jason has any mal intent by posting something he believes to be ‘Vet Approved,’ though with nearly 50,000 views and hundreds of misinformed comments, I felt it necessary to take a moment and explain why some ingredients and diets could be harmful to your pet.

Jason mentions that the pet food recall a couple years ago caused a surge in do-it-yourself diets for dogs, but he did not mention any of the ill effects that veterinarians saw as many owners made the switch with the best of intentions. Dental disease from lack of hard foods, obesity, malnutrition, and nutrient deficiencies are all problems that veterinarians saw across the country from owners who thought they were helping their pet by cooking homemade food.

While some homemade diets won’t necessarily hurt your dog, owners need to be cautious. For instance, owners should never feed a puppy homemade food. It is very difficult for puppies to get the nutrition they need early in order to grow strong and healthy. For instance, calcium and phosphorus need to be in a certain balance in order to promote healthy bone development, which is very hard to calculate in home-made meals.

Certain ingredients can be dangerous for dogs, if not deadly. In the video, the recipe calls for a pound of cooked ground beef, a cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, and a 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese – all of which can have high levels of fat content, and ingestion of fatty foods can cause pancreatitis in dogs. Pancreatitis can sometimes be caused by a single, sudden intake of fatty foods, and in some cases can cause death. Even if the cheese was fat free, 50% of the dog population is lactose intolerant, and ingestion of cheese could cause diarrhea and flatulence.

There is the note on the video about some dogs being allergic to Corn, which was undoubtedly added after some viewer comments. While adding whole kernel corn to the recipe isn’t a good idea, it isn’t because of allergy concerns. In fact, corn is among the least allergenic foods (along with rice), and accounts for less than 1% of all canine food allergies (top food allergens in dogs include chicken, beef, fish, wheat, and soy). The reason for not adding corn to the recipe is because whole-corn is difficult for a dog of any size to digest. In dog food, corn is prepared in a special way to make nutrients digestible.

Any sudden changes in a dogs diet (as a ‘special occasion’ food suggested in the video and in the comments) can cause vomiting and diarrhea – and as mentioned above, certain ingredients can be even more problematic than cleaning that spot on the new carpet.

Do your dog a favor: Feed them what YOUR veterinarian recommends, and for a special treat, stick with the name-brand biscuits from the store. Really want to treat your dog to something they’ll love and is really healthy? Take them for a walk.

According to the CDC, 80% of the affected patients in the current Salmonella outbreak are under 10 years old, though it has sickened people as old as 54 years old.  The people most likely to risk a serious infection are young children (under 5), the elderly, and anyone with a weakened immune system.

The CDC put out these guidelines for responsible amphibian care:

* Keep amphibians and reptiles out of child care centers.

* Don’t keep amphibians or reptiles in a child’s bedroom, especially kids younger than 5.

* Do not allow amphibians or reptiles to roam about the house.

* Keep amphibians and reptiles out of kitchens and other areas where food and drink is prepared or served.

* Wear disposable gloves when cleaning habitats and thoroughly wash your hands afterward, just in case. The gloves should be thrown away.

* Do not bathe animals or their habitats in your kitchen sink. If bathtubs are used, they should be disinfected with bleach.

Cats with H1N1 seem to have mild flu-like clinical signs, such as inappetence, lethargy, runny nose and eyes, and sometimes a fever. Unfortunately, these are the same clinical appearances that many other viruses, like herpesvirus, have in cats. Ferrets exhibit similar signs. Generally, an ill cat that has not been exposed to people with the flu should not be at risk for the H1N1. If a human family member has had a confirmed case of H1N1 (or even if it was highly suspected) and their feline family member becomes ill, it will be important to have the cat evaluated by their veterinarian and possibly tested for the virus.

Currently, the AVMA is tracking cases and reporting them on their website. They also have information for both veterinarians and pet parents about the virus. Treatment is largely supportive, as with other viral infections, and fortunately, this particular flu seems to be fairly mild.

If you are worried your cat or ferret has contracted H1N1, I encourage you to ask your veterinarian about testing and treatment options for your furry friend.

When the procedure is performed with appropriate anesthesia, pain management, and post-surgical care, the results are usually good.  Cats that are declawed must always be indoor pets.  Cat parents should discuss with their veterinarian their concerns.  I do not believe that city council members are equipped to make blanket decisions as to how veterinarians should practice.  If an individual veterinarian chooses not to perform the procedure, that is one thing, but government deciding how he or she should practice medicine is quite another.  However, I think that the vets in cities surrounding those with declaw bans are going to see a nice increase in their business.

I am always surprised at the number of people I meet that say they always wanted to be a veterinarian or that one of their children wants to be one.  While becoming a veterinarian takes considerable commitment and sacrifice, the end results are well worth it!  It is never too early (or too late) to think about applying to vet school.  When I first decided to give it the old college try, I had no idea how to get started.  Here are a few of the basics about applying to vet school:

Veterinary school itself is a four-year program.  There are 28 vet schools in the country, and several in Canada, the Caribbean, and abroad.  In order to be eligible to apply for vet school, you must complete the prerequisite courses for the particular school you wish to apply to.  Most of the schools have very similar requirements, but there are some small differences.  You do not have to obtain a degree to apply, although many people (including myself) do.  Another requirement for most schools is to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).  It is somewhat similar to the SAT, but more difficult, of course.  Unlike most other graduate/professional schools, experience does count!  Many students work or volunteer for veterinary clinics during high school and undergraduate studies.  However, quantity does not necessarily matter.  I had 3 years of experience working with horses and 1 year experience working at a small animal practice.  My personal opinion is that experience in many different areas will make you a more solid candidate and will also help with your career decisions down the line.  It is also important to realize that getting accepted to veterinary school is difficult and once you do get in, it is expensive!  The average applicant applies 3.8 times before being accepted (2007 number) and the average graduate has around $100,000 in debt.  In the end, any veterinarian will tell you that it was worth the all of the blood, sweat, and tears it took to get there!   For more information about applying to veterinary school, visit the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.

When I first decided to become a veterinarian, people often asked me: “Why don’t you want to be a real doctor?”  Nothing infuriated me more, until I realized, people often do not know or understand what the veterinary profession is all about.  First of all, becoming a veterinarian is a very similar process to becoming a medical doctor.  There are 3 to 4 years of undergraduate studies and then 4 years of professional school.  Unlike medical students, veterinarians do not have to continue on into internships and residencies unless they choose to.  However, in the same 4 years that a medical student is learning human medicine, veterinary students are learning canine, feline, equine, ruminant, and swine medicine (and more!) and all the while learning a smattering of human medicine for our roles in public health.    What this training prepares graduates for is to practice “comparative medicine.”  Veterinarians that you commonly encounter are general practitioners who own or work at clinics where you might bring your dog or cat for their yearly checkups.  These veterinarians on any given day might be an internist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, dentist, ophthalmologist, surgeon, and psychologist.  In such a setting, the veterinarian is equipped to deal with common problems, and when more complicated diseases and illnesses present, there are “specialists” to which they can refer.  Veterinary specialists focus on one area of medicine, just as medical doctors do at hospitals and the like.  They are board certified in their particular field and work at large referral centers or veterinary teaching hospitals.  In addition, there are many veterinarians employed by the government in the USDA and CDC and other branches.  There are veterinarians that work as pathologists (sort of like medical examiners and coroners) or are even elected officials.  The American Veterinary Medical Association has a Governmental Relations Division that operates in Washington, DC to help pass laws relating to animals.  As you can see, this is quite a diverse list of occupations, and is by no means is exhaustive.  Having learned a little bit about the veterinary profession, I think you would agree that you can’t be more of a “real doctor” than being a veterinarian!