1

Therearemanychallengesforourdogsincold

winterweather,butpeopledon’talwaysconsiderthe

problemoficeballs!Thesehardballscanformunder

andbetweenourdogstoeswhentheygooutdoors.

Whenadogleavesawarmindoorenvironmentand

goes outside into very cold temperatures, he canSh

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The Telegram January/February 2015The Telegrams.paceset ter shelt ie.com • 260-434-1566 • w w w.shelt ie.com

( ”HowToIntroduceYourDogToRawFood”cont.)

I thought I’d look into this a bit as recently my wonder-

ful boy, “Max,” had this issue with his gallbladder. It doesn’t

matter the age of your dog as it can happen at any time.

I was lucky because I noticed it right away. Although I

didn’t know what was wrong at the time I just knew that the

dog in front of me was not the “Max” who I knew and loved.

He just looked at me with his big brown eyes, was quiet when

I got the food out for breakfast and his tail was straight and

he was standing away from the other dogs. None of this

was like him. He would never refuse food nor water and he

was doing both. I took him out to go to the bathroom and

he would not do that either.

I scooped him up and took him to Animal Arc Vets without

an appointment. They took him in immediately and put him on

meds as he was running a fever. The x-ray showed nothing

but a dark shadow. Then they did an ultra sound and found

out that his gallbladder was a solid mass of sludge.

People get stones and animals get sludge which can thicken

up to an almost solid state.

The vet said he needed to go to Guardian Vet. We went

there and I was told that “Max” would need to wait until the

morning to get his surgery as “Max’s” fever needed to come

down and his liver count was too high for the surgery at that

time.

I was told that it’s just like with people—if the gallbladder

is removed there shouldn’t be any problems unless it ruptured

before surgery.

There is always unforeseen risk in any surgery. “Max” had

a text-book surgery and recovery. I felt very confident know-

ing that Dr. Fowler was “Max’s” vet as he did a miracle on

my girl, “Abby.” She was not expected to live and he pulled

her though with no complications either.

“Max” came home with four different meds for his recovery.

He was on pain meds and antibiotics for seven days, as well

as a liver protection pill for 21 days. He was also taking a

pill twice daily for 21 days for what the Vet Tec could only

say was like a gallbladder replacement until he healed.

He was eating slowly the night I picked him up and by

the next day he was eating like normal. The hard part was

getting the meds to work with my work schedule and keeping

him from running, jumping, and no stairs for three weeks!

I had two exercise pens set up on blankets for him. One

pen was in the living room so he would not feel alone and

so I could keep a close eye on him. The other pen was

placed beside my bed so he’d feel comfortable

(as he normally slept in my room) and I could

hear him if he need pain meds during the night.

IfIdidn’tdothesurgerytheysaid“Max”would

have been gone within one to two weeks.

It was well worth it for me. “Max” is doing

great at 10 years of age and has been given a

second chance to run and play. And play he

does!

Dosomebreedshaveapredispositionforthis?

Well the answer is yes! Shetland Sheepdogs have

recently shown to be predisposed to gallbladder

disease. Here is a link for you to look at: www.

acvs.org/small-animal/gallbladder-mucocele. ❐

k

5

@

January/February 2015

Gallbladder Issues in Dogsby Linda Snider

❐

Avoiding The Ouch of Ice Balls on Your Dog’s Paws

byTracieHotchner

1

Why Dogs Get Dry and Itchy Skin... Vets state that most likely a dog’s flaky skin is

simplydue todryair inside thehouse (especially if

youusegasheat).

Dogswhospendalotoftimeindoorsduringthe

wintermonthstendtogetthesemildskinconditions.

It’susuallynobigdealandoliveoilwilltypicallyrem-

edy the situation throughout the entire winter sea-

son.Ifyourdoghaspersistentdryandflakyskin,be

suretodiscussitwithyourownveterinarian.

Tryaddingsomeoliveoiltoyourdog’sdryfood

a few timeseachweek foramonthor longer. Asa

bonus,thiswillprobablyhelpyourdog’scoatbecome

thickerandshinier.

2

(“The Telegram” continued—page 2of6)

5

geticeballsonhisfeet. Becausedogshavesweatglandsintheirtoes,

themoisturetherecanformintoballsoficefromtheabruptchangein

temperature.Theseiceballscanbesouncomfortablethatadogwillhop

orlimp,andtheycanevenbruiseorcutthefootpadastheytrytowalk

ontheiceball.

Doggy Pedicure

•Tokeepyourdog’sfeetcomfortableinthewinteryou’llneedtoadd

acoldweatherpersonalgroomingchoretoyourcalendar(removingthe

hairbetweenthefootpads).

•Getapairofsmall,round-tippeddog-hairscissorsfromapetsupply

store.Theyresembletheonesmenusetosniptheirnosehairs,but

they’retougher(forthickdoghair).

•Somedogshavehairgrowingbetweentheirtoesorthepadsatthe

bottomoftheirfeet.Thishairthatcancausetroubleifyoulivewhere

thereisiceandsnow.

•Iceandsnowwon’tbeabletobuildupifyousnipthehairtuftsfrom

betweenthefootpads.

•Togetyourdogtoenjoyhispedicure(orencourageareluctant

poochtoallowyoutohandlehisfeetwiththescissors)youcansiton

thefloorwithyourdogandencouragehimtoliedownnexttoyou.

•HaveajarofHaloLiv-a-Littlesopennexttoyou.

•Witheverysnipyoumakewiththescissors,givehimasmallpieceof

thefreeze-driedchicken,beeforsalmon.

•Tellhimwhatagoodboyheisinasoothingtoneofvoice,offering

himapieceofLiv-a-Littleaslongasheremainscalmandcooperative.

•Ifyourdogcannotliestillforallfourfeet,trydoingonepawatatime

andthentakingabreaktoplay.

Coat the bottom of your dog’s feet

Ifyouliveinaverycoldclimate,youcanavoiddamagetoyourdog’s

footpadsthewaysled-dogtrainersdo,byapplyingalayerofprotection

tothebottomofhisfeet.

•Musher’sSecretisabrandoffootsalveforuseinverycoldclimates,

butyoucanalsospreadathinlayerofpetroleumjellyoraloegelonthe

dog’sfootpadsbeforeyouheadoutintothebittercold.

•YoucansprayPamoragenericvegetable-oilcookingsprayunder-

neathhisfeetrightbeforeyougoout.

•It’sadvisabletoapplytheprotectivelayerjustoutsidethedooror

yourfloorsmightgetprettymessy!

•Evenifyourdoglickshisfeetlater,theresideoftheseproductswill

notbeharmful.

How to Get Relief from Ice Balls

•Ificedoesformbetweenyourdog’stoesorpads,youcangivehim

reliefwithahair-dryer.

•Putthedryeronthelowestwarmsettingandholdthebloweratleast

sixinchesawayfromthedog’sfoot.Becareful.Donotburnyourdog’s

paw.

•Youdon’twanttoheatthedog’sfoot,onlymelttheaccumulatedice.

•Dryoffthemeltedice.

•Rinsehisfeetinwarmwateriftherewasanysaltorice-melting

chemicalonthegroundoutside.

•Gentlyrubthefeettogetthecirculationgoing.

—RadioPetLadyNetwork ❐

2

Someofthethingsveterinariansdoduringexamsmight

seemstrange,butthosethingshelpthemlearnaboutwhat’s

goingonwithyourpet.

Youknowwhatmakesmehappiestaboutveterinary

medicine? It’sarealhands-on,touchy-feelyprofession.

I’velovedanimalsfrommyearliestyears,andIcan’thelp

showingit.I’vebeenknowntoscratch,rub,sniffandkiss

people’s pets during exams. Sometimes a pet’s owner

thinksI’velostmymarbleswhenIhearsomemusicand

takeholdofadog’spawsanddoaquickdancewithhim,

butI’llsharealittlesecretwithyou—there’softenamethod

tomymadness.

Weveterinariansneedtousealloursenseswhenwe

examineyourpets.Afterall,ourpatientscan’ttelluswhere

ithurtsorwhytheymightbefeelingalittleoff.Someof

thethingswedoaswe’reexaminingyourpetmightseem

alittleunusual(evenjustplainweird)buttheyoftentell

usimportantthingsaboutwhat’sgoingonwithyourdog

orcat.Here’ssomeofwhatwedoandwhy.

A Little Tickle Goes a Long Way

We’veallseenpetsgowildwhenwefindtheir“tickle

spot.” That’s called the scratch reflex, and you’ll see it

whenyoulightlytouch,strokeorscratchyourdog’sside,

usuallyatthebackoftheribcageorfrontoftheabdomen.

Thesensationofbeingtickledtherecausesdogstomake

ascratchingmotion, thesamemovementyoumight see

ifthey’retryingtoremoveafleaorotherirritant. Your

veterinariantakestimeduringanexamtotickleyourpet

foragoodreason:thereactionshowsusthattheneural

pathwaysandreflexesareingoodworkingorder.lackof

responsemayindicatespinaldamage.

Youknowhowyourcat’srearendgoesupintotheair

whenyouscratchthebaseofhistail? I liketocallthat

“elevatorbutt”becauseitgetsariseoutofyourcat,ina

goodway.Catslovethatsensationforacoupleofreasons.

One,itjustplainfeelsgood.Andtwo,you’llseefemale

cats“assumetheposition”whentheyareinestrus,orheat.

It’showmalecatsknowfemalesarereadyandwillingto

mate.Asaveterinarian,though,Iscratchacat’sbuttto

getthisreactionforaverypracticalreason:ifacattries

toraisehisrearbutcan’t,it’sacommonsignofarthritis

inthekneesorhips.

The Scent of Good Health

I’vewrittenbeforeabouthowsmellisanimportantpart

ofaveterinarian’sdiagnosticarsenal.Gettingawhiffof

yourpet’sbreath,ears,skinand,yes,evenhisbutttellsus

alotrightoffthebat.Yourpet’sbody,notevenhishiney,

shouldneversmellbad.(Well,hisnormalbuttodordoesn’t

smelllikearose,butitshouldn’tbegross.)IfIflipuphis

lip,burymynoseinsidehisears,orlifthistailandgivea

( ”Ice BallsOnYour Dog’sPaws” cont.)Why Does My Vet Tickle, Smell

and Kiss My Pet During an Exam?byDr.MartyBecker

3

Don’tbeafraidtodiscusssensitivesubjects likeweight,diet

andmanagingbehaviorissueswithyourveterinarian.

Weveterinariansarealwayshappytotalktoyouaboutyour

pet’shealthandanswerquestionsabouthiscare.That’swhatwe’re

herefor,afterall.

Butsometimestherearedifficultorawkwardissuesthatneed

tobediscussed. Wemightbeuncomfortablebringingup these

topicsourselves,especiallyifwe’renotsurethere’saproblem,but

wecanguaranteeyouthatwearehappytotalkaboutthemifyou

introducethesubjects.Weneverwantyoutofeelasifyoucan’t

discussconcernswithus,especiallyifyouranimal’swelfareisat

stake.Keepthelinesofcommunicationopen,andyou,yourpet

andyourveterinarianwillallbenefit.

We Need to Talk

Asecondopinion

Ifyourpethascanceroranunusualdiseasethatrequiresspecial

knowledgeorequipmenttotreat,yourgeneral-practiceveterinar-

ianwilllikelyconsultwithorreferyoutoaveterinaryspecialist.

However,ifthisdoesn’thappenandyoufeelasthoughyourpetisn’t

makingtheprogressheshouldbe,don’tbeshyaboutaskingfora

secondopinion.Agoodveterinarianknowsthatyourpet’scareis

yourfirstresponsibilityandwillunderstandyourdesiretogetthe

besttreatmentinformationpossible.

Money

Weknowthatmoneyisaconcernforpetowners,evenwhen

timesaregood.It’sourgoaltogiveyourdogorcatthebestcare,

but we also respect your budget. Hear us out as we make our

recommendationsandthenletushelpyouprioritizediagnostics

ortreatments,ifnecessary,tohelpyoustaywithinyourspending

limits.Wemayalsobeabletohelpyouapplyforano-interestor

(“TheTelegram” continued—page 3of6)

❐

Let’slookathowthesesignspresentwithsomeofthemorecommoncancersthataffectcatsanddogs.

Breast Cancer Possiblesigns:swellingsorlumpsthatenlarge;soresthatdonotheal. Inbothdogsandcats,breastcancercanbedetectedby thepetownerduringarelaxingsessionoftummyrubbingandscratching.Breastcancerstartsastiny,pinhead-sizelumpsanywherealongthechainofmammaryglandsfoundontheundersideofthechestandabdomenofyourmaleorfemaledogorcat(althoughitisrareinmales).Oncethetumorsreachthesizeofraisins,theycanoftenbefeltassomewhatsofttofirmlumpsormasses.Anylumpsormassesinthemammaryareashouldbeevaluatedbyyourveterinarian.

—VetStreet

( ”WhyDoes MyVet Tickle, Smell and KissMyPet?” cont.)

Top Ten Warning Signsof Cancer In Dogs

byDr.AnnHohenhaus

3

bigsniff,Idon’twanttosmellanythingrottenornasty.IfI

do,itcouldbeacluethataninfectionorabscesshassetup

inthatpartofthebody.

Andwhatabout“fritofeet”?Youmaynoticesometimes

thatyourpet’spawpadssmelllikepopcornorcornchips.

That’s because they’re crawling with billions and billions

ofmicrobes. Ifthesmellbecomesoverwhelming,though,

yourpet’syeastorganismsmaybeoutofcontrol.IfIgive

yourpet’spawsasniff,it’snotjustbecauseIlovethatsmell

(thoughIdo)butalsobecauseIwanttomakesurenoyeast

infectionsarebrewing.

A Dance — and a Kiss

WhenIhearafavoritesnippetofmusicduringanexam,

evenifit’sjustfromtheringtoneonaclient’sphone,it’snot

unusualformetopickupapet’sfrontpawsanddoalittle

two-stepwithhim.Sure,it’sfun,butitalsotellsmeabout

hismobility.Ifheseemsreluctantorstiff,I’mgoingtocheck

himovermorecloselyforsignsofarthritisormaybeaninjury

thatwentunnoticed.

Andlastbutnotleast:whydowekissyourpetsduring

exams?That’seasy.Wejustlove’em.—VetStreet

VetstreetVeterinaryBoardMemberDr.AnnHohenhaus,whoisalsoaboard-certifiedveterinaryoncologist,reviewssomeoftheimportantsignsthatcanhelpyousaveyourpet’slife. In a recent article, I compared the common types ofcancerinpetswiththosefoundinpeople.Mynextstep,inthisarticle,istowriteabouthowpetownersmightrecognizesignsofcancerinpets,withaspecialfocusonthecommontypes.Someofthesesigns,suchasweightlossandbadbreath,maybeindicativeofcancerortheymaysignifyotherhealthproblems.Regardless,theyshouldalwayspromptadiscussionwithyourveterinarian.Herearethetensignsthattopmyconcernlistasaveterinaryoncologist: 1. Bleedingordischargefromanyplaceonthebody,suchasthemouth,eyesornose,orintheurine; 2. Changeinurinationordefecationhabits; 3. Soresthatdonotheal; 4. Badsmellfromthemouthorbody; 5. Difficultychewingorswallowing; 6. Lossofenergy;reluctancetoexercise; 7. Lossofappetite; 8. Weightloss; 9. Swellingsorlumpsthatenlarge; 10. Lamenessorstiffness. 5

( ”Top 10Warning SignsofCancer inPets” cont.)

Ten Touchy TopicsTo Discuss With Your Vet

❐

k

Ten Touchy TopicsTo Discuss With Your Vet

byDr.MartyBecker

4

(“The Telegram” continued—page4of6)

❐

low-interestCareCreditcardorsuggestotheroptionstohelp

youcoveryourpet’sveterinarycare.

Diet

Ifeedmypetsahigh-qualitycommercialdiet,andIhope

youdoaswell. If youpreferahome-cookedor rawdiet,

however,talktoyourveterinarianaboutitscomponents.He

orshecanhelpyoufindaveterinarynutritionistwhowill

workwithyoutomakesureyou’refeedingacompleteand

balanceddiet.

Weight

It’sdifficulttotellpeopletheirpetsareontheheftyside.

Often,theydon’tbelieveus.Ifyouaskus,though,we’llbe

gladtohelpyouassessyourdog’sorcat’sbodyconditionand

determinewhetherheneedstoshedafewpounds.Andit’s

alwaysagoodideatocheckwithusbeforeyourpetbegins

anexerciseorweight lossplan, tobesurehedoesn’t run

theriskofinjuryorillnessfromworkingouttoohardornot

eatingenough.—VetStreet

( ”TenTouchy Topics to DiscussWithYourVet” cont.)

4

Are You Bathing Your Dog Wrong?byShaynaMeliker

Ifbathtimeisastruggleinyourhouse,you’renotalone.Manydogs

trytorunandhideunderthenearestbedwhentheyhearthefirstgush

ofbathwater,butitdoesn’thavetobethatway.Youcanimproveyour

dogbathingskillsbytakingalookatthingseventhemostcaringowners

occasionallydowrongwhenwashingtheirpets.

Common Mistakes Dog Owners Make at Bath Time

Don’tambushhim

Youknowthescene:chasingyourdogdownthehallwayinanattempt

towranglehimintothetubforthemuch-dreadedbath.Thoughitmay

seemlikefun,itmayalsoreinforcethebehaviorofrunningawayfrom

you—whichtrainerMikkelBeckerdoesn’trecommend.Instead,calmly

coaxhimtothetubwithatreatandreassuringwords.

Don’tusecoldwater

Doyouenjoytakingacoldbath?Probablynot,anditcanmakebath

timereallyuncomfortableforyourdog,too.Sousewarm(neverhot!)

watertobatheyourdog.Andhere’sanothertip:ifyourdogisnervous

aboutthebath,makesureheisn’tnearbywhenyoufillthetub. Dr.

MartyBeckersaysthesoundofrushingwatermayaddtohisstress,so

preparethebathbeforebringinghimin.

Don’tdouseyourdog’sfacewithrunningwater

Wehumansmaylovethefeelingofwarmwaterbeatingdownon

usfromtheshowerhead,butourdogsprobablydon’t.Instead,usea

washclothtocleanyourdog’sface.MikkelBeckersaysit’slessfrightening

thanhavingrunningwatersplashingoverhissnout.Andwhenrinsing

hisneckandthetopofhishead,holdhisnoseandchinatanangle k

( ”AreYouBathingYourDogWrong?” cont.)

abovethewater,soitdoesn’trunintohiseyesornose.

Don’tuseshampooforhumans

You may have heard that baby shampoo is a proper

substitutefordogshampoo,butevenshampoodesignedfor

infantshasadifferentpHthanwhatyourdog’sskinneeds.

Thebestthingtodoistotalkwithyourveterinarianabout

whichdoggieshampooisbestforyourpet—especiallyinthe

caseofcanineswhohaveskinproblems.

Don’tyellatyourpet

Eachtimeyoubatheyourdog,startbycalmlysayingthe

word“bath”beforegentlyputtinghiminthetub.Thishelps

reducestressandminimizesurprisesforyourdogatthenext

bathtime.Whilewashinganddryinghim,lavishhimwith

praisetomakeitabondingexperienceforyoutwo. And

whenthebathiscomplete,offeradesirablereward(likea

favoritelong-lastingcheworfoodpuzzle)soyourdoglearns

thatstayingcalminthetubresultsinanextra-specialtreat.

Don’tuseahotblow-dryer

Ifyou’vegotadogwithhairthatneedsmorethanjusta

towel-dry,ablow-dryercancomeinhandy.(Keepinmind

that some dogs may be afraid of the noise, so be on the

lookoutforsignsthatyourdogis fearful.) Ifyou’reusing

thesameblow-dryerthatyouuseonyourownhair,make

sureit’sonthecoolsetting,nevertheheatsetting.There

areblow-dryersmadeespeciallyfordogsthatblastroom-

temperatureair,ifthat’saninvestmentyou’dliketomake.

—VetStreet ❐

5 55

5

(“TheTelegram” continued—page 5of6)

7

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