I highly recommend veterinary medicine as a career. I think I have the best job in the world. Working with animals is lots of fun, and so is working with their owners. Vets work more with pet owners than with the animals themselves, so it’s important you like people if you want to be a veterinarian!

One of the things I really enjoy about my job is my ability to educate people about pet care. I love teaching, and I get to do this every day with my clients and staff. (It’s also why I enjoy writing this column so much.)

Every day I work in my practice is so interesting! There’s always something different going on every day. Working through a mysterious case to try to come up with a diagnosis very challenging; it’s like being a detective, trying to put all the clues together, to figure out what’s causing a certain illness in my patient. It’s one of the many things I love about veterinary medicine. Also, after you’ve figured out what’s going on, it’s very gratifying when an animal responds well to treatment.

Yes, not every patient gets better and some have diseases we can’t cure. And yes, having to euthanize dogs and cats is one of the hardest parts of my job. However, since I don’t have the unpleasant task of killing healthy pets like a shelter veterinarian has to, almost all of the animals I “put to sleep” are terminally ill or suffering. So, I take comfort in knowing I’m doing something to help them, so they don’t have to go through a painful death.

I graduated in 1986 and things have really changed since then. For one, pets are more important to people than they used to be in the past. Dogs and cats are important members of the family, so their owners are willing to do more and more to keep them healthy. Secondly, technology has changed so much. Medical advances mean we can offer better and better care. Medicine is constantly evolving and there’s more and more knowledge every year. It makes it hard to keep up, but it also makes my job very exciting.

Training to become a veterinarian involves 6 years of medical school at a university that offers the program. There are currently several universities offering the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program. One is the University of Guelph; the others are located in P.E.I, Quebec and in Saskatchewan. It’s a very difficult course (some say even harder than training to be a “people doctor)”, and the schooling doesn’t stop when you graduated if you’re dedicated to staying current in your field. However, it’s definitely worth it.

Veterinarians have many job options. We can work in private practice, in teaching or research, in government jobs such as food inspection or prevention of infectious disease outbreaks, or we can work for pharmaceutical or food manufacturers. Those of us who want to work in clinical settings can work as general practitioners, or we can specialize in disciplines such as surgery, dermatology, cardiology or ophthalmology.

There are plenty of animal-related jobs for people who want to work around animals. Your daughter could become a veterinary technician, a groomer, a trainer, or a zoo-keeper. She could work on a farm, at the Humane Society, or in a retail store that sells pet supplies.

I highly encourage your daughter, and anyone else who has aspirations of becoming a veterinarian, to pursue their dreams. I couldn’t imagine doing anything different.

http://canadianveterinarians.net/about-career-medicine.aspx
http://www.vin.com/Careers/OtherCareers.htm
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientEd/

However, more recent studies on the behaviour of domesticated and wild animals have de-bunked many of the dominance myths. Dominance was thought to explain that some animals would act aggressive towards others to get first dibs at food, mates, and resting places. So, if our pets were acting out, it was supposedly because they viewed us as weaker and therefore needing to submit to them.

Some of the earlier studies on dominance behaviour were done on captive wolves. The way these wolves acted towards each other was very different than how their wild counterparts do. Watching how wolves in the wild, and how our domesticated dogs interact, has updated our knowledge in this field.

Behaviour specialists tell us that our pets usually misbehave not because they’re dominant, but rather because we’ve accidentally rewarded them for acting this way. Some dogs have learned they’ll get our attention when they bark, or beg, or jump up on us. They might not come when they’re called because something interests them more than we do. At that time, it’s more rewarding to ignore us than to stop what they’re doing. Or, perhaps they’ve learned that if they come when they’re called, we’ll sometimes hit them because they didn’t come fast enough.

Specialists also feel that most cases of canine aggression are not due to dominance, but because they’re fearful. They might be afraid of children, of other dogs, or (gasp) their veterinarian. They might even be afraid of their owners.

Why is using older dominance theories to train dogs a bad idea? By punishing a fear-aggressive dog, we may temporarily suppress certain behaviours, but we’re actually making these dogs even more afraid. If we increase their level of anxiety, we’ll eventually make them worse, not better.

For example, if I yank hard on Fido’s leash and “choke” him, to force him to walk calmly whenever he starts lunging at another dog he is afraid of, he may stop pulling and barking. After all, it hurts if he continues. However, next time Fido sees a dog, he will not only be afraid of the dog, but of me as well. He’ll have learned to associate something negative with seeing other dogs.

Secondly, some dogs will act even more aggressive when they’re punished. Training these dogs using dominance methods puts us at risk of getting badly bitten.

Instead of trying to dominate our pets, we need to act as leaders. We need to set clear limits to our dogs and cats. We need to let them know what we expect from them. We need to be consistent. We need to use praise and rewards rather than punishment.

And, if they misbehave, we’ll ignore them. So, they learn they won’t get our attention by barking or jumping all over us. We can teach Jack that we won’t pet him until he stops acting that way.

We can teach Fido that if he sits calmly whenever he sees an approaching dog, he’ll get treats, praise and lots of petting from us. He’ll learn to be happy when he sees other dogs, rather than nervous about what might happen.

For more information, check out these links:
AVSAB position statement on dominance
Why Not Dominance

Buying or adopting a puppy is such a big step for most pet owners. There’s so much to know and do, including house training, vaccinations, deworming, socialization and nutrition. One hopes the puppy is healthy and will be a good fit for the family. I highly recommend bringing all new puppies to a veterinarian for a post-purchase exam. Make an appointment to go straight to the vet on your way home from the breeder’s place. Better yet, ask the breeder if you can have a pre-purchase exam done by your veterinarian, before you pay for the dog.

During a pre-purchase or post-purchase exam visit, if the puppy has any serious health concerns, your vet can reveal them right away. If there are some major findings during the physical exam on the dog, such as luxating patellas that need expensive surgery to correct, or a heart murmur that might require lifelong management, you’ll get advance warning before everyone at home falls in love with the puppy.

Some pet owners choose to exchange the pup for another dog in the litter if the veterinarian identifies a serious congenital problem. Others decide to keep the puppy anyway. I feel it’s important that you have a choice, by getting the heads-up during that post-purchase exam. Then you can make an informed decision. However, once you’ve had a dog home for a couple of days, you and your family will already be so attached to it that taking it back to the breeder may no longer be an option.

I realize that most breeders have their puppies examined and vaccinated by their veterinarian before you pick it up. However, that does not replace a post-purchase exam, in my opinion. Remember, the breeder’s veterinarian’s loyalties are to the breeder, not to you.

Your vet will also start your puppy on the road to good health. If the dog has parasites, be they fleas, lice or worms, your veterinarian will identify these before the puppy introduces them into your home and yard. Treatment can be started before you even get the puppy home.

A microscopic examination of the puppy’s feces will help identify parasites such as roundworms, hookworms and coccidia. Worm eggs are not visible to the naked eye. In addition to fecal testing, we’ll also dispense medication for prophylactic deworming. Roundworms are present in 95 per cent of most puppies and kittens and can be a public health concern.

Another reason that a post-purchase exam is a great idea is that your veterinarian will give you all sorts of tips on care of your puppy. We’ll discuss house-training and obedience training. We’ll give you some tips on how to socialize your puppy so it’s not afraid of other dogs, people and noises as an older dog. We’ll show you how to clean its ears, trim its nails, and brush its teeth. We’ll give you advice on the right food for your new pet. We’ll review the vaccination history and tell you when your puppy is due for its next inoculation (sometimes we need to make changes to the breeder’s schedule). We’ll get your new dog started on medication to prevent heartworm and fleas. We’ll talk to you about pet insurance and about spaying and neutering.

For more tips on puppy care, check out the information I’ve uploaded here: www.hespeleranimalhospital.com/puppy-care-information/

I also wrote an article for The Record years ago on how to choose a good breeder. I’ve put a copy of it on our web page as well: www.hespeleranimalhospital.com/2010/06/10/how-to-choose-a-good-dog-breeder/I hope you’ll agree a post-purchase exam is a great value. Don’t forget, your veterinarian is your best source for pet care information!

I sometimes get pet owners who are frustrated with my colleagues and me. Many of them want medication refills without having to bring the pet in for a checkup. Others would rather not have to do blood work in order to get more of certain medications for their pets.

Here’s a letter I wrote to one of my clients some time ago. His dog was on Metacam, one of the drugs used to treat arthritis in dogs and cats. I’ve changed his name and his pet’s name, to protect his identity. I hope this will give you some insight into why veterinarians need to stick to their guns about this one.
Hi Jeff, it was nice speaking to you today.

Thank you for your understanding that the College of Veterinarians has very strict rules about us prescribing certain medications and requires we examine our patients before doing so.

As I mentioned on the phone, all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can have side effects. These can include stomach ulceration, liver disease, and kidney failure.

Ibuprofen is toxic to dogs, so the pharmacist who told you it’s OK to give it to Buffy was very wrong. Dogs given Tylenol have been known to go into liver shutdown as a result, even when proper doses are given, so I don’t recommend that either.

Some dog owners give Bufferin or A.S.A., at a dose of 10 mg per kilogram (not per pound), twice daily with food. I’m not that keen on this practice now that there are better medications available to us. Please keep in mind that the side effects are more common with Bufferin than with the newer generation NSAIDs, so its chronic use is not without risk.

I strongly feel that since the newer NSAIDs such as Rimadyl, Deramaxx or Metacam are not only safer but also more effective than A.S.A.; it makes sense to use them instead. Also, they’re licensed for use in dogs, so you have the support of the manufacturer should anything go wrong. Using people medications for pets is unwise, and leaves you no recourse should your pet have any problems while on the medication.

Here are the links to good internet articles I promised to send you:

www.dolittler.com/2009/03/26/On-Metacam-Rimadyl-and-their-NSAID-ish-side-effects
and
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/ibuprofen-toxicity-in-dogs/page1.aspx

I think the articles above illustrate why we run blood tests before dispensing these medications, and why we monitor the liver and kidneys on a regular basis when pets are on NSAIDs long term.

By the way, unlike the horror story outlined in the Dr. Dolittler blog, at Hespeler Animal Hospital, we give a handout outlining side effects to every client the first time we dispense Metacam. We counsel our clients to monitor carefully for vomiting, black feces, or loss of appetite. We recommend stopping the medication immediately if pet owners observe any of these signs and to bring the animal in for an exam right away.

We care about Buffy, as we do about all our patients, and want to keep her safe. I understand asking you to bring her in for regular rechecks can appear as a “cash grab,” as you worded it, but it really isn’t.

If you want to see some of the photos, check out the slideshows on the GWTA web page.

I’ve uploaded a gps track on everytrail.com
Right click on the “x” in the top right corner of the Trip Stats window to see the satellite map with the gps overlay.

Great Waterfront Trail Adventure

Map your trip with EveryTrail

Is it just me, or are there an unusual number of mushrooms growing in grassy areas this year?
I’ve noticed many of them when I’ve gone for an early morning jog, or during walks with my dog Ernie.

I’ve wanted to write about the hazards of mushroom poisoning in dogs. Seeing how abundant they seem to be right now has made me think this is a good time to do so.

There are hundreds of different types of mushrooms. Some mushrooms are ok to eat, some are fatal, and others only cause milder symptoms if consumed. By the way, don’t ever pick and eat wild mushrooms unless you are an expert in telling them apart!

We probably underestimate the incidence of mushroom toxicity in dogs. This is an easy diagnosis to miss. Dogs eat all sorts of things and it’s not uncommon to see them grazing on grass, twigs, leaves and other goodies they find on our lawns. Unless you see your dog eat mushrooms and put two and two together when it’s sick later on, how would you or your veterinarian know? And, in cases of unexplained death, unless you ask for an autopsy and the pathologist knows to test for mushroom-derived toxins, you might never find out what killed your pet.

Amanita species are the most commonly documented cause of mushroom-related fatalities in dogs and 95% of mushroom-related deaths in people. The mushroom Amanita phalloides, also known as “death angel”, is a dangerous one. One mushroom cap of this species can kill a full-grown human. Typically, signs of poisoning aren’t seen until 10-12 hours after the mushroom was eaten. Early signs include vomiting and diarrhea that lasts about 24 hours. Then, about three to four days later, liver and kidney failure show up, along with signs of brain disease. Most animals die three to seven days after they first get sick.

Other common poisonous mushrooms can include A. virosa (destroying angel), A. muscaria (fly agaric), some Boletus spp., Chlorophyllum molybdites (backyard mushrooms), some Clitocybe spp., Cortinarius spp., Galerina spp., Gyromita spp. (false morels), Inocybe spp., and some Psilocybe spp. (’magic mushrooms’). The list is long and rather overwhelming. The signs of poisoning can be as variable as the mushrooms themselves. Some cause stomach upsets, like death caps do, others drooling or wheezing, and some signs of nervous system disease such as dizziness, seizures or coma.

If you suspect your dog has eaten a mushroom, it’s important that you seek treatment right away. If your veterinarian can give your dog medication to make it vomit, it’s possible to prevent absorption of the poison before it’s too late. Your vet will likely also give activated charcoal, which will bind to any toxins left in the dog’s stomach and keep it from getting into the blood stream. Milk thistle and a medication called acetylcysteine might be given to try to protect the liver. There are no specific antidotes or cures for mushroom poisoning, so immediate action provides the best chance for your dog.

Bring samples of the mushrooms your dog has gotten into with you when you seek emergency treatment. However, don’t place them in a plastic bag. Wrap them in a moist paper towel and put them in a paper bag instead. Your veterinarian might need to send them to an expert for identification and this helps preserve them for this purpose.

How do you prevent mushroom poisoning in your dog? It’s hard to stop dogs from eating things from the ground during walks, but do your best. Do a walk-about in your back and front yards on a regular basis. Remove any mushrooms you see daily, so your dog can’t get into them.

1. My pet doesn’t have fleas, so why is he constantly scratching himself?

Fleas aren’t the only cause of itching in pets. Allergies may be to blame for all that scratching. When pets touch, eat or inhale things they’re sensitive to, their skin reacts by becoming inflamed. That makes them itchy. And, if they get secondary bacterial or yeast infections, it’s even worse.

Flea allergies usually result in itchiness and rash of the lower back, back of the legs and belly area. Dogs with environmental or food allergies tend to be itchy all over. Hay fever-like allergies are often seen in the spring and fall, with the face, ears and feet being more affected.

2. Why does my pet need tests?

It’s hard to treat something if we don’t have a proper diagnosis. Unfortunately, most skin conditions in dogs and cats become a life-long thing. So it’s important to know what the cause is. Trial-and-error treatments that don’t work often end up costing you far more than a proper work-up.

Also, skin can only do so many things: get red, itchy, bumpy, crusty or oily. There are many conditions that look alike. It’s really hard to determine the reason just based on physical exam findings alone.

To confirm or rule out food allergies, your veterinarian will recommend an elimination diet trial. A food with a new protein and a new carbohydrate source must be fed to see if the itch disappears. This can take up to 8 weeks. If the itch improves, it’s important to re-introduce the old diet, to make sure it was a food allergen and not something else that resolved as a coincidence.

A microscopic exam is done to check for mites such as Demodex or Sarcoptes, and to rule out bacterial or yeast infection. Intra-dermal skin testing or blood testing for high antibody levels against certain allergens is used to diagnose environment allergies.

3. What’s the cure?

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for allergies. We can manage them, but your pet will always have recurrences. Likewise, secondary yeast and bacterial infections can be treated, but are likely to return because the underlying cause is always there.

4. Why do we need to go back for so many rechecks? Can’t I just monitor my pet at home?

Rechecks are very important for pets with skin and ear conditions. First of all, a recheck will allow your vet to make sure any infection being treated is really gone, and to monitor for recurrence. Even if it looks better to you, we need to look into the ear with an otoscope, and examine samples under the microscope to be sure. Otherwise, your pet will continue to get worse.

Secondly, your pet’s doctor will review response to treatment, and the plans for managing your pet’s disease during each follow-up visit.

Even though there’s a cost involved with all those rechecks, it’s usually less than the expense of having to start all over again if your pet has a relapse. Not to mention the aggravation for your dog or cat. It’s a lot easier to deal with things when they’re mild than waiting until the condition is out of control.

Itchiness in pets is complex, but you and your veterinarian can tackle it together to keep your pet as comfortable as possible.

Q. How do I go about choosing a good dog breeder?

A. That is a good question and I wish more prospective dog owners would ask this one.

I will assume you have already decided what breed of dog you are interested in. If you have not, some things to consider are:

1/ Your lifestyle. How much time do you have to train a dog, give it the exercise it needs, and brush or groom it if needed?

2/ What size of dog do you prefer?

3/ Do you want a quiet companion to sit on your lap while you watch TV, or an energetic friend who will accompany you on your morning jogs?

4/ How much money do you have to devote to dog food, toys, supplies, and vet bills? For example, larger dogs consume more food, small dogs are more prone to dental disease and need more frequent dental cleanings, and certain breeds need regular professional grooming.. All dogs should have annual physical examinations, inoculations, and be on a Heartworm and Intestinal Worm preventative program.

For a good article on the costs of dog ownership, check out http://www.peteducation.com Type in “cost of owning a dog” in the window under Search, to the left of Fetch.

5/ Does the breed of dog you are interested in have any predispositions to medical problems? Large breed dogs are more prone to orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament injuries, terrier breeds often get allergic skin disease, spaniels are prone to ear infections, etc etc. Are you prepared to deal with these if they arise?

Your veterinarian can help with recommendations for a breed of dog for you and your family.

Before I answer your question on how to choose a good breeder, have you considered adopting a dog from the local Humane Society? If you want a purebred dog, there are often purebred dogs available from animal shelters. However, mixed-breed dogs are good choices because they are less prone to genetic disorders. Dogs are usually surrendered to shelters because their previous owners had not found the dog to be a good fit, for lifestyle reasons, rather than because there is something wrong with the dog. Adopting a pet from the humane society is a win-win situation. You get a great companion and the animal gets a home.

If you prefer to deal with a breeder, some things you should look for include:

-a legitimate breeder, rather than someone who got a female and male dog together in order to sell puppies (the term for the latter is a “backyard breeder”)
-only breeds one or two kinds of dogs (puppy mills usually breed many kinds of dogs)
-doesn’t always have puppies in stock (sign of a puppy mill) but rather has a waiting list of prospective homes
-breeder asks you questions about your lifestyle and is picky about who buys the puppies
-houses the parents and puppies in their home rather than in dog runs or in a barn (the latter is a potential sign of a puppy mill)
-is willing to show you where the puppies and parents are kept (not foolproof since some puppy mills house hundreds of dogs in a barn, but bring the parents and puppies to the house during a viewing, to lead prospective buyers to believe they are house dogs)
-lets you meet the sire and dam of the puppies
-the dog’s environment is clean and the puppies look and smell reasonably clean
-breeder is knowledgeable about the breed, including genetic predispositions to disease and breed standards
-breeder screens for diseases such as Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, Cardiomyopathy, Retinal Atrophy, and has certification from the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA) or from a veterinary university screening program, if applicable
-breeder has a good relationship with a veterinarian and shows proof that the parents and puppies have received regular veterinary care, de-worming, and vaccinations
-provides a reference list of families who have recently purchased puppies
-breeder asks you to sign a non-breeding contract and requires you spay or neuter, unless the puppy is of show quality
-wants the puppy back if things don’t work out
-gives you a health guarantee
-asks you to take the puppy to a veterinarian of your choice for a post-purchase exam

How do you find these good breeders? Try asking your veterinarian, local breed associations, or groomers for recommendations. You can also attend dog shows in order to meet with some breeders, and to get an idea of some potential breeds you might like.

Take your time researching the breed of dog that you want and selecting a good breeder and hopefully you will be rewarded with a healthy, well-adjusted pet.

I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. Feline Leukemia is a terrible disease. It is easy to prevent but usually fatal once an infected cat is sick.

Not that long ago, I had a new cat owner in with a kitten she had recently adopted. When she told me the home it came from housed at least 50 cats, I became very concerned. I wonder if the shelter where you got your cat from had a similar situation. This is a very high- risk environment for spreading this virus. You see, if one or two cats in the home are harbouring Feline Leukemia, chances are pretty good that many more cats will get infected. And, because infected cats can be symptom-free in the beginning, there’s no way without a blood test to know who has it and who does not. Luckily for my client, her kitten tested negative for both Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency viruses.

Readers, be very cautious about adopting a cat from a cat rescue that has many cats living under the same roof. It’s much better to adopt from the local humane society, or from a rescue that places the cats in foster homes.

What causes Feline Leukemia in cats? The culprit is a retrovirus. It’s primarily spread by cat-to-cat contact, usually via the saliva. Fighting, mutual grooming, and sharing food bowls puts cats at risk of getting this disease. It can also be spread from a male to female or vice-versa during the act of mating, or from mother to kitten via the placenta. Some veterinarians nick-name this disease “Feline A.I.D.s”, because the virus is in the same family as the HIV virus, and because some aspects of both diseases are similar.

Signs of Feline Leukemia are as variable as the manifestations of the disease. Many cats show no signs at all. Others can have chronic gum disease, respiratory infections, or chronic diarrhea. Some cats infected with feline leukemia come down with cancer of the blood or lymph nodes, hence the name of the disease. Some are sickly, the runts of the litter or the poor-doers.

Not all cats that are infected die from the Feline Leukemia virus. About one third will mount a successful immune response and test negative within several months. Another third will become chronic carriers. The rest will become ill shortly after time of infection, and eventually succumb to the disease.

Readers, what can you do to protect your cat against this horrible virus? For one, make sure you quarantine any new-comers, before you introduce them to your cats. Make an appointment with your vet for the new cat or kitten to have an exam and blood test first. Secondly, ask to have your cat vaccinated if it goes outdoors or if you have a multi-cat household.

Hopefully, with a few precautions, you’ll never have to suffer the heartache of having your cat die of Feline Leukemia disease.