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.

The recent deaths of 21 polo horses has undoubtedly received the most interest in horses nationally since Eight Belles was euthanized at the Kentucky Derby almost one year ago.  The unfortunate event pushed current compounding laws into the spotlight.  It has been reported in an Argentinian newspaper (where most of the horses originated from) that a toxic dose of selenium was added to the vitamin mixture given to the horses.  The vitamin mixture was supposed to resemble Biodyl, which is not FDA approved in the US.  Biodyl, which is a popular injectible vitamin/mineral supplement in other countries, was never FDA approved simply because the company did not submit an application for approval.  However, in this instance, the prescribing veterinarian felt that the horses needed to have this drug, and therefore chose to have it compounded.  Compounding is a common practice in veterinary medicine as there are many drugs that are not suitable to give to animal patients as they are.  In some instances, flavoring is added, like chicken or fish, so that a cat likes it better, or two drugs are added together so that you only need to give one shot instead of two.  Compounding is a legal practice in the US, but in light of current events, companies that compound will be under heavy scrutiny.  It is our opinion that the FDA will be re-examining the compounding laws and the rules and regulations therein.  It is also our opinion that mistakes like this, although tragic, are the exception rather than the rule.  We applaud Franck’s for owning up to the error as soon as it was discovered.

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.

According to the CDC’s “Morbidity and Mortality Report” this week, at least 103 people were sickened by Salmonella from small turtles in 2007.  The main portion of these people were young children.  It is a well known fact that turtles and other reptiles carry Salmonella.  Additionally, small turtles carry higher amounts of the bacteria, making them more likely to pass the germ to people.  In 1975, the FDA banned the sale of turtles measuring less than 4 inches in an effort to reduce the exposure of children to the bacteria.  However, since turtle sales are on the rise, so too are cases of Salmonella infection.  It is fairly easy, if you do own a reptile, to prevent illness.  First of all, it is best for children under 5 to avoid contact with reptiles at all.  Everyone should wash their hands before and after handling a reptile.  Washing before handling a reptile protects it from your bacteria, while washing your hands after handling the reptile will protect you from bacteria like Salmonella.  If the reptile is in contact with a surface like a table or the counter, clean the area with a disinfectant wipe.  Another good idea is to keep a waterless hand sanitizer near the animal’s cage.  For more information about keep yourself and your family safe from Salmonella, consult the CDC.

One year ago today, Barbaro was sadly euthanized after a long battle with a shattered limb and laminitis.  While there are now many reports of the announcement of Barbaro’s ashes being returned to the spot of his spectacular victory in the Kentucky Derby, I feel that it would be an apt time to revisit the subject of laminitis.  While even a few years ago, a horse sustaining an injury like Barbaro did in the Preakness would have led to immediate euthanasia, great progress in veterinary medicine allowed Barbaro the fighting chance he deserved.  However, even with the amazing work of Barbaro’s surgeons in repairing the fractures, his life was cut short by the enigma that is laminitis. 

Laminitis is a disease of the hoof that causes separation of the hoof wall from its underlying attachments.  At best, laminitis is a short-term painful condition for a horse, while at worst, the entire hoof can come apart and the horse can literally step out of its hoof!  Ouch!  The main problem with this disease is that there is very little understood about how laminitis actually happens.  Researchers are hard at work identifying the underlying mechanisms and clinicians are busily experimenting with ways to treat laminitis once it starts.  Once the “pathogenesis” (how it happens) of laminitis is found, then the focus can move to preventing the disease.  As we all know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!  There are also many ways in which laminitis is initiated.  In ponies, it can be as simple as eating too much spring grass, or in horses, eating too much grain.  Sometimes diseases lead to laminitis or administration of certain drugs.  Barbaro got laminitis from putting too much weight on his left hind leg, in an effort to keep weight off of his broken right hind leg.  In short, there are so many ways in which a horse develops laminitis that it is extremely difficult to prevent.

 Fortunately, Barbaro’s legacy lives on, in the form of public interest and funding for research in laminitis.  The movement that he spurred brings hope for horses battling this debilitating disease.  While his ashes may be at Churchill Downs, his spirit will be with the horses helped by this new research and for the people that love them.

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!