What NOT to do When Your Pet Has an Emergency

When you're sick, do you jump in your car and just show up at your doctor's office? No. So why would you do that with your pet?

Today I received a phone call from a worried mom - she came home from work and noticed a 120mg Inderal (propanolol) partially chewed up on the floor. She has 2 dogs and a cat and didn't know which one had ingested it, if any. She called us and asked what to do. We advised her to induce vomiting immediately with hydrogen peroxide. Propanolol is a beta-blocker used in humans and dogs to control cardiac arrythmias and lower blood pressure. A safe dose for her dogs would have been 2-3mg, and it possibly ingested 60mg! We told her if she noticed signs of lethargy, seizures or slowed breathing and heartbeat to take the dogs/cat to the ER immediately.
This owner did the right thing. She called us, asked what to do, and heeded our advice.

Some people in this situation would have panicked, grabbed their pets, and showed up at our office. That's exactly what NOT to do. More than likely, your veterinarian runs by scheduled appointments only. When you show up at the office, unscheduled, you put us in a difficult situation. There are people that have standing appointments and when you show up, you're asking us to push other people's pets aside to take care of yours. We hate to be the bad guy and say, "sorry, we can't see your pet. You'll have to take him to another vet or the ER." Very rarely, there may be some extra time in the schedule where we can fit you in, but it's not often. Besides, if your pet is truly having an emergency, most general vet practices don't have all the tools to handle an emergent situation, such as specialized diagnostic equipment or technicians available to closely monitor the pet.

So please call your veterinarian first and let them guide you through your emergency. We will always tell you what is best for your pet, whether you think so at the time or not.

Guide to pet emergencies: http://www.petplace.com/dogs/your-guide-to-dog-emergencies/page1.aspx

7 Things Pet Owners Do That Drive Veterinarians Crazy

I'm stealing someone else's article for my blog post today! Every single one of these 7 things are true, so read and take heed!

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/the-7-things-pet-owners-do-that-drive-veterinarians-crazy

Can You Afford a Pet?

Did you recently adopt a pet? Or already have a pet? And you suddenly needed to see a vet and you couldn't afford it?  Are you that guy/girl? We need to have a little talk, mano y mano. If you can't afford to have a pet don't get one! Get a hermit crab or a goldfish. Or maybe stay away from moving creatures completely. Go buy one of those nice plants on clearance at Lowe's and plant it in the fish bowl that used to hold your goldfish!

Want to know the average of what people spend on a dog over a lifespan of 14 years? Click this link to find out: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1671&aid=1543

Someone called the office today. They recently "bought" a new puppy from a breeder. The puppy was coughing. At 12 weeks old, a cough can be a pretty serious thing. The man on the phone said he didn't have any money to bring him in. REALLY? You had hundreds of dollars to pay a breeder but can't bring your dog in for $50? I hated this guy already and wanted to give him a lecture, but kept my mouth shut like a trooper. I told him how serious coughs could be and that it could turn into pneumonia and the dog could DIE. The chances of that happening are actually nil, but I wanted to get my point across. I told him about Care Credit (click here) and luckily he took my advice and applied for instant approval. He ended up bringing the puppy in and it had an upper respiratory infection that required antibiotics.

One other thing to consider - pet insurance. Most plans cover yearly visits, preventative care, lifelong illnesses/treatments and emergencies. There are many levels of coverage available. The following are a few different options to explore.

VPI Pet Insurance
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
PetPlan

What's the moral of this story? Don't own a pet if you can't afford their upkeep and any emergencies that may arise. If you really want a dog or cat and can't afford the upkeep, consider fostering for a local animal shelter. They will pay for all the medical care! Best thing is, you're opening up a cage at the shelter for another animal to be saved! Here are a couple places in the Pittsburgh area that could probably use your help!

Western PA Humane Society
Animal Rescue League
Animal Friends
Hello Bully
A Little Bit Of Snuggles Dog Rescue

BB the Kitten

This blog will explore what it's like working in a veterinary hospital.. It will be about good experiences, bad experiences, good clients, AWESOME clients, bad clients, AWFUL clients...and the occasional rant about dog and cat health issues.

Let me start this new blog on a positive note! 

A man was driving across a bridge in the south side when he saw a little kitten staggering across the lanes. People were speeding past, swerving around the kitten but he just couldn't leave it there. He stopped his car and grabbed the kitten, almost getting hit multiple times. This good samaratin walked into our office with a tote bag. In that tote bag was a banged up, bloody little 5 week old black kitten. The man told us to please do what we could to help him and that he would pay for anything the poor helpless kitten needed.

We immediately brought the little black ball of fur into an exam room and assessed it. "It" was a he. He had blood coming from his nose and mouth and his eyes were almost swollen shut. It was assumed that the kitten, who we'll call BB, was thrown from a vehicle. We were expecting the worst when we took him down for x-rays, but the x-rays turned out great - no internal injuries! 

We decided it would be best to keep BB at the hospital for a couple days to make sure he was OK. After getting him on some medication, he was feeling much better and started eating like a little piggy. He looked 1,000 times better and was a purr machine! Two days later, the good samaratin returned to pick up BB and bring him to his new home in NE Pennsylvania, where his sister lives.

Unfortunately, not all stories like this end well. Most of those little kittens people bring in don't make it. They're either too young, too sick, or they don't have anyone willing to pay for their care. 

So please people, get your cats spayed/neutered and keep them inside!