Hello Steve,

Thank-You for the very important question!!

And for reminding us all, once again, that our kitties (which still far outnumber dogs), always have to play second fiddle to their bigger, slower, domestic partners, dogs.

The good news is that cats are incredibly smart, instinctive creatures. They intuitively know to sleep during the hottest part of the day and to stay low and hide in a dark moist spot..outdoor cats will hide under a shelter on the cool moist soil, or deep in heavily shaded foliage. They are calm, quiet, and slow their metabolism by sleeping or relaxing as a bear does in winter.

Inside cats will often find a cool floor spot, like tile (think tub, shower, sink, or bathroom floor), or wood, in the shade, and sleep.

A fan provides cooling but many cats are initially scared of the noise and the movement, so only a seasoned learned cat will use one, (but try anyway).

Running water, like a fountain, or hose also provides a source of cooling, or cool ground to relax on.

In general cats have a very high tolerance to heat IF they can get access to a cool shaded spot.

Here’s where my concerns come from:

Indoor cats; Have less places to hide, or can’t find soil, or water, or moving air. And they tend to be bigger (fatter) which significantly reduces their ability to dissipate heat (same holds true for bulldogs and thick, heavily muscled dogs). Or they are otherwise immuno-compromised so they do not thermoregulate as efficiently, or have trouble breathing making panting significantly harder to do.

Outdoor cats; these guys are smart, they just need to not be contained. Outdoor cats die if they get stuck in a trap, a box, a something, or if they are otherwise injured or compromised. In essence the sick, the young, the old.

As a last note, I would guess that just about everything written for dogs holds true for dogs. Except I would not try to immerse them in water (will cause stress and exacerbate heat problems) and I don’t know many cats who like fans, at least initially.

I hope this helps..

Please let me know if you have any other questions or things to add.

Stay cool! And if you ever need a cool place to visit, or keep the kitties come say hello!!

Or you can board your cats in an air conditioned facility while the A/C is waiting to be fixed.

Take Care,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Steve,

Veterinarians have malpractice insurance to use if a suit is filed against our license. But even with insurance there is a very high burden placed upon us because we are expected and treated as experts. So, if we know, or believe a pet will bite we are required to notify the owners and document it in the patient file.

This posses a terrible dilemma. Do we tell people and worry that they may give up on their pet? Or do we just cover our butts and place the burden on the owner to deal with.

I am sure that in reality there is a bit of each going on.

For me, I try very hard to notify and address each potential behavior issue with optimism in each pet. Every puppy that I meet gets unknowingly run through a list of behavioral challenges to elicit responses that help me advise owners on what to start doing now to prevent future issues. Because ALL behavioral issues magnify with time if not addressed early and correctly.

From my personal experience files I will add that I have participated in euthanizing two vicious dogs. Both were brought to me by their very devoted and loving parents. Both dogs had caused serious injury and could have killed someone is there had not been outside intervention.

It was incredibly difficult to put down a healthy young dog, but I had seen the damage they inflicted and like any other person or animal that could cause harm to the point of death, I take the responsibility to protect each other as paramount. If I had seen these pets trying to kill my family I would have also insisted that they humanely put them down. We have an obligation to protect each other, but long before that we have an obligation to train, educate, and take every single measure to avoid these behaviors from ever developing or being elicited.

A pet is a responsibility. A responsibility to them and the public.

Thank you for your question,

Take care,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello,

I think it is best to have it removed and biopsied.

It is almost impossible to know what a mass is without a biopsy. An impression smear can help but a biopsy is more definitive.

There is unlikely anything that will remove it without knowing what it is, especially if it has not responded to prednisone ( a steroid).

If you need any help from us at the clinic if you are close enough we would be happy to help.

Sincerely.
Krista.

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Ed!

Thank you for your question but THANK YOU even more for being a foster parent to Shelby. Without people like you countless pets would never get a second chance at finding someone to love.

I hope that you can understand how grateful I am for your kindness, care, compassion, and generosity. Please don’t ever underestimate how special a person you are for giving your time, attention and home to a pet in need. You are not a failure!! You are just being challenged..and what’s worth achieving is only gained through challenges. So don’t give up and don’t beat yourself up..I will help, and I know of an army of people who have insights, experience, and ability to help you and your puppy. Best yet, Pawbly has a world of people to jump on board and be your support staff, your cheering squad, and even your safety net..

OK, here’s where I would start. It sounds like you have done some medical work-up, but if you haven’t done a complete physical exam, especially with a veterinarian who either focuses on behavior and/or neurology this is a very good place to start.

Secondly, I think it is very important to talk about this breed. Border Collies are very very (like THE MOST very) active dogs. They need constant exercise and a serious job.

I agree that the licking might very well be anxiety (if the mouth is clean, the physical exam,blood work, and all other diagnostics are normal), a veterinarian or behaviorist can help diagnose this. The squatting, humping, and maybe even the herding are all examples of exerting or claiming dominance. They all could be anxiety, or magnified by anxiety also.

I think that you are providing a loving, caring, and compassionate home to Shelby, but I do think that you and Shelby might need some help in figuring out what needs Shelby has that you might be able to resolve and also help her deal with her anxiety.

As a last note I want to add that ten years ago very few of us vets ever thought about prescribing anti-depressants to dogs. I have changed my tune over the last five years. I now urge my clients to consider using this when we have a pet who seems to be struggling to be calm and happy. They are relatively inexpensive and I promise you I have seen miraculous results in some dogs. All of the clients I spoke to about trying this drug were very very skeptical, but ALL of them have come back to me saying that their pet is so much happier. I am not suggesting that this be the answer for Shelby but it might be a discussion to have with your vet along with a behavior plan.

Try to find a behaviorist that is local, reliable, and works with a veterinarian. They are incredible resources and can help immensely.

I hope this helps, and I thank you again for your question and your helping Shelby.

Please don’t hesitate to ask me for any additional information, or to find me at the clinic.

Have a wonderful weekend..go out and play some fetch, and see if Shelby is calmer afterward.

Best of Luck and warmest of wishes,

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Gary,

Thank you for your question, and thank you for being so proactive and compassionate to these kitties.

I think that in general you have a very good plan and it sounds like you are doing everything just as I would recommend. I think that 9 kittens is too much for one mom if they are all nursing (it sounds like they are not though). A mom that has too many kittens nursing can get hypocalcemia (we call it eclampsia). This can be life threatening.

By 4 weeks old the kittens should be able to be transitioned to kitten food. I would recommend leaving dry kitten food, wet kitten food, or softened dry food with kitten formula out every 4 hours. If the kittens continue to nurse I would start to rotate them so they have more individual time with you and a better ability to be encouraged to eat.

We estimate the age of kittens by one pound per month of age up to about 7 months old. A one pound kitten is about 4 weeks old.

If a kitten is not socialized and tamed by about 6 to 8 weeks old it gets increasingly more difficult. Spend as much time and attention that you can with them before this age.

Please be warned that unvaccinated cats and kittens can carry rabies. It can be deadly to them and to you.

I would also recommend that you contact your veterinarian and any local rescue groups for help in humanely trapping, spaying, vaccinating, de-worming, feline leukemia and feline immuno-deficiency testing, and microchipping. Many of the non-profits or rescues have low cost options for these.

I have included information about some local groups below.

Of course, if you would like to talk to me, or anyone else at Jarrettsville Vet about any of this you can find me at the link below.

For help on affordable pet care;
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

Alley Cat Allies;
http://www.alleycat.org/

Animal Rescue in New Freedom Pa;
http://www.animalrescueinc.org/

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Anna,

Thanks for your question.

This is very hard for me to answer because I don’t know how long ago the surgery was, and I don’t know why the tail was amputated.

Here is the advice I give all of my clients,

"If you ever have a question or a concern you should come in so I can take a look at it."

For any surgery that I, or any of my other doctors do, we do not charge for a re-check. We want you to feel completely at ease with coming to us with any question post-operatively, and we never want you to hesitate to come in. We also know that any problem is easier, safer, quicker, and cheaper to fix sooner versus later.

With that said, and without knowing all of the information, and most importantly, without being able to see the tail (which I think a veterinarian needs to do ASAP), dark, almost black skin is a sign of necrosis. When tissue dies it turns a dark red and then a black color. So anything other than nice fleshy-colored pink skin is a reason for a quick re-check with the veterinarian who did the surgery.

Normal helaing tissue stays a nice healthy color and does not get dry.

If your pup is acting normally then you are probably safe to wait until your vet is back in the office (like Monday morning), and I don’t think that you need a trip to the ER for this.

If the tissue is dying and not viable then the tail may need to be re-done. This sometimes happens (especially with the dogs who have amputations because of "happy tail").

If I can be of any help you can find me at Jarrettsville Vet on Monday, but we are also open tomorrow for walk-in appointments from 1-3…

Best of luck with your dog.

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello!!

Well, let’s see..

I in general do not use the stick information for too much other than the glucose, ketones, bilirubin, and pH. The rest of the info is far more accurate if read under the microscope.

I want to see white blood cells, red blood cells, and bacteria, casts, cells on the urine sediment under the microscope, and not read it on the stick.

By the numbers listed above there the RBCs (red blood cells) and the WBCs (white blood cells) are within normal ranges.

But the specific gravity is a little lower than it should be. Especially if it is a first morning sample (it says 7 am, so I am guessing it is). The specific gravity is highest in the first morning sample because the urine is the most concentrated then.

In general we want dogs specific gravity to be 1.030 or greater. If you get serial first morning samples of less than 1.030 ( I would recommend taking it again over the next few mornings to check the specific gravity), then I would check a full blood work, to look for any signs of renal impairment/insufficiency.

I don’t usually put too much weight on the stick, but if the stick says 3+ blood, check the sediment over the next few days also.

Other diagnostics to consider for any urinary issues are ultrasound, radiographs, and urine cultures.

I hope that this helps.

Thanks Jana for your question..

Best wishes to you and Jasmine.

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Brenda,

Thanks for your question.

There are a few things to discuss.

I would like to know how long you have had your puppy, and if she has been to the vet yet? I would also like to know if she has had a fecal check, she might need more than one? I always worry about intestinal worms with puppies, especially if they are vomiting or having diarrhea. (I tell my clients that "most puppies come with worms, it is very common, and worms come with the puppy package. So expect them, check for them, and treat for them.").

I am unclear as to whether the vomiting is related to the car trip? Or, if she is vomiting without it being related to the car? Many pets, especially puppies get car sick due to anxiety about being in the car, and the motion of the car. I always recommend taking your puppy with you in the car as often as you can so they get used to the car, used to the motion of a car, and over come their anxiety associated with the car.

Getting car sick and vomiting because of being in the car, but then stopping vomiting after you get home or to your destination is fairly common. But, if your puppy is still vomiting after the car ride stops then I am concerned that we have a puppy who is nauseous.

There are many things that can make a puppy nauseous. The best way to try to determine the triggers for nausea are to visit your veterinarian and start talking.

I am also concerned about your last statement; "Will eating the grass hurt her or will it help her to vomit?" Eating grass can cause a few things. Pets can pick up the eggs of the worms that evolve into the intestinal parasites that can be dangerous to the health of your puppy. Also, I have seen dogs that have eaten so much grass that the stomach becomes a vat of fermenting green discomfort. This grass becomes a stomach full of un-passable, un-movable, obstruction. It can get stuck in the stomach like cement, except this cement is fermenting. So their belly gets stretched to the point that the grass is stuck and may eventually cause the stomach to rupture. These dogs are miserable. They are trying to burp to expel the fermenting stomach gas, trying to vomit, to relieve the pressure in the stomach and feeling terrible. I have actually had to do surgery to remove grass from dogs because their stomach is bloating. Bloat is incredibly painful and can be fatal.

So, I don’t want you to think that she should be eating grass. A small amount of grass eating is likely to be safe and may be normal for a curious puppy who investigates the world by tasting it, but I am concerned that she is eating grass because she doesn’t feel good.

I hope that I have encouraged you to try to identify why she is vomiting, why she is eating grass, and that you will have a meeting with your vet soon to help your puppy feel better.

If you would like to discuss any of this, or see a veterinarian and you live close to us at Jarrettsville Vet we would love to help.

I also have other puppy tips available on our Pawbly blog.

Best of Luck, and here’s to wishing you and your puppy a long, happy, safe life together!
Krista

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com