Yet anoter Pet Peeve

It seems that summer is more stressful here at Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital than other times of the year. Or, perhaps, I've just learned that venting on line in writing is better than committing violent felonies against random people in the name of maintaining my own sanity and there has been no real increase in incidents.

The latest button pushing is the dumping of cats and kittens by my back door. Now this infuriates me for several reasons.

1. People dump these kittens in boxes with inadequate ventilation in all kinds of weather in the back of the parking lot assuming that we will find them before the elements cause them irreversible harm. (so far the idiots are right about this one.)
2. People dump these kittens (oh and lets not exclude the adult cats as well) assuming that I won't just put them to sleep or send them off to the shelter where they will put them to sleep. (Don't tell anyone, but they are right about this one as well. The exception is sick animals which are humanely put down)
3. I spent hundreds of dollars for video surveillance cameras and a sign pointing out that there is a system in place, only to have these morons circumvent the system or keep their cars out of the field of recording so I can't get their licence plate number and call the cops and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the federal law that they are violating. I would also publish their names and photos in the local papers so that they could be humiliated.
4. The final infuriation, the straw that breaks the camels back, the proverbial whatever it is that pushes me over my limit, is that I am accumulating cats again.
   

So, here I am. Defeated by the irresponsible, reckless, potential animal abusers. Outsmarted by those that I choose to assume are idiotic, morons (much dumber than a regular moron) that dump their responsibilities on my doorstep and leave all of their pet related problems for me to solve. And now dear readers, and I know you are out there because you all told me you are, I need your help. Look at these faces. They are attached to cats and kittens that need a home. They are growing up and their cuteness window is closing.

If you know anyone that wants a kitten, FELV and FIV negative, parasite free, and current on vaccines, have them give me a holler. I'm on Long Island and these guys are ready to go. I would keep them myself, but I've done that before and I have 5 of my own living in the hospital already. Call the office at 516 746 1566 or check us out on the web by following the link above.

Keith Niesenbaum, VMD
www.TheVetsChoice.com

The Scientific Method

Summer is finally here and we all have heard about the evils of leaving a pet in the car, even with the window's open a slit to keep it cool inside. Gosh, it's supposed to get hot enough to fry an egg in there. Now, if you've been following me on twitter, you know that I have been trying to figure out how to get multiple pictures in a single post. Well this little experiment is dedicated to the scientific method and multiple posts in the search of truth.

It is 90 degrees here in Nassau county and the humidity is somewhere near 90%. My car is white, as you can see above and the rear windows are covered. Take my word for it (I could only post a limited number of pictures), it was around 80 in the car with the AC on. I parked the car and put this thermometer on the dash. This reading was at 1:51 today, 10 minutes after I got out of the car.

Now, you're going to say, "yea, but that's the dashboard. What about the seat" Once again, due to photo limitations, you will have to take my word for it. The shady seat was only 100 degrees. The sunny seat was about 110. Both pretty hot, I would think. But remember, my car is white and the windows are covered. So lets move to the next car in the parking lot.

This little black beauty has been sitting in the lot all day. Windows are up and as you can see the temperature on the seat is maxed out at 120. Could be higher, don't know, didn't want to break my brand new thermometer. I know that I will have other uses for it and I don't want to cook it the first time that I play with it.

So 120, probably won't cook an egg. The car's owner wouldn't let me try. Some silliness about ruining the cloth seats with yolk. Still, way too hot for a dog. A simple experiment showing how hot it can quickly get in a car. Of course we don't know how long a dog would actually last in this environment, but something in my professional oath probably prohibits me from putting my dog into the car to find out, no matter how much she keeps my up snoring at night.

So, as you can see, no live animals were harmed during this experiment. Don't leave your pets, or kids in the car unattended. We haven't seen any cases of heat stroke and lets keep it that way.

Keith Niesenbaum, VMD

www.TheVetsChoice.com

Julie, Julia, and Niesenbaum

I saw the movies Julie and Julia last weekend at it was a momentous occasion for several reasons. First off, I saw a movie in the theaters rather than from the preferred location which is via Netflix in the comfort of my own bed. The Netflix/bed option has several distinct advantages over the theater. I can start and stop the movie as needed, I can snack on my choice of foods without taking out a mortgage to pay for them, the floor is not sticky, and of course, I am in my bed, with my wife and there are no strangers to interact with. Now, movie purists would argue that I am not getting the full movie experience as the film maker intended, but that would be way to big of a digression for my animal blog.

So why am I writing about this movie at all? Well the truth is, I identify with it on so many levels that I wanted to share.

First, I am old enough to remember The French Chef television show, not just the Dan Akroyd version, but the real show. Prior to Top Chef, Iron Chef, and the rest of the crop of current TV cooking shows, I was reared on Julia and Graham, both of whom entertained me as they worked their way, imperfectly through complex recipes that I could make at home if I purchased their books and was older than 10. I loved/love cooking shows as I love cooking and eating. Hence I liked the film.

Second, much like the second main character in this movie, I am blogging. This is an exercise that sometimes feels quite unappreciated. Sort of an unrequited labor of love. You see, until recently, I felt that I was ruminating (cow reference appropriate as I continue to eat and become more bovine as time goes on) only for myself. A sort of therapy, an exercise for me and unseen by anyone. Or so I thought.

You guys are reading this. Yeah!!! Not only are people commenting on the blog (please keep them coming) but people who follow me on twitter are letting me know that they are reading as well. Unlike Julie, I'm not getting 80 comments a day, but in all fairness, she is probably a better writer than me anyway.

Everyone have a great weekend.

Keith Niesenbaum, VMD
www.TheVetsChoice.com
www.PetsNeedFood.com

That's What I'm Talking About

Not that I want to gloat, but I would like to follow up on my last post about following recommendations of people that may not know what they are talking about.

I saw a dog last week as a second opinion. It was one of those cases where the first opinion wasn't wrong, the people just had a sick dog and wanted someone else to have a look at it. As a matter of fact, while I was having a look at it the first opinion veterinarian called the owner on their cell phone and actually suggested that they do a test that turned out to be the absolute correct test to do, but I jump ahead.

These nice people own a nice dog that went to their regular veterinarian because it wasn't feeling well. Turns out it wasn't feeling well because it was in liver failure. The vet diagnosed this and told them the dog had hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) Their friends said that if this dog is so sick you need to take him to see Niesenbaum (bless their souls). I examined the dog, and the blood tests the other vet had done, and looked at the x rays the other vet had taken. I also noticed a large bruise on the dog's chest. I suggested that we repeat the blood tests since things seemed to be getting worse. I added a clotting profile and a leptospirosis titer. (Link to previous post that I mentioned) First vet called and suggested we do a lepto titer (see above line). The blood count showed almost no platelets. An ultrasound showed mild to moderate liver disease and the rest of the clotting profile and the lepto titer were pending.

I started treating for the low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) and put the dog on antibiotics that would cover the possibility of leptospirosis. The dog stabilized and there was no more bruising. Guess what?? The lepto titer came back today and it was positive.

So all you pet owners that live in areas where your veterinarian tells you that there is a risk of catching leptospirosis VACCINATE YOUR DOGS! This dog almost died. It is not out of the woods yet. It exposed the staff at the previous vet hospital as well as my staff, and the family that owns this pet to a potentially dangerous disease.

Boo hoo, if it had been vaccinated it might, I mean might, have had a reaction. Most likely not and if it did, most likely very mild. It would have saved the owners thousands of dollars between the two hospitalizations. It would have kept dozens of people from getting exposed to a zoonotic disease. It would have prevented me from ranting about this topic twice in a week.

Keith Niesenbaum, VMD
http://www.thevetschoice.com/
www.CrawfordDogandCatHospital.com

A Veterinary Rant

Up until now, I have tried to keep my posts educational, non-opinionated, and free of controversy. But... all good things must come to an end. I need to ventilate about one of my pet peeves, breeders that think they are veterinarians.

Now, when I started practicing, I was more easily intimidated by breeders. I mean, they would say things like my breed can't do X, or my breed needs Y. They would tell the people that they sold to puppies to that they had been breeding all their lives and veterinarians don't really know anything about (fill in the blank for the breed). I was a baby vet, never mind that I had been in school for longer than most of these breeders had been in business, but it can be difficult to convince a new pet owner that the wizened old breeder that sold them Fluffy the maltipoodoodle has had no medical training and is talking out of a hole other than their mouths. So for years I would just nod and let it drop.

Now there is a new axe to grind. I have been practicing medicine for 25 years, the last 21 as a small animal veterinarian on Long Island and I know what I am talking about most of the time. If not, I refer to a specialist that will cover the rest of the time. My Ivy League education and years of experience should count for something.

That is why I am starting to loose it every time a new puppy owner comes in and tells me that their breeder said the dog can't have a leptospirosis vaccine or it will explode or something. I know that historically, this vaccine has caused more reactions than other vaccines. But hey, every vaccine that I ever got caused at least some reaction. Ever had a painless tetanus shot? Also, in our area, leptospirosis is a real problem, made worse by the wet summer that we have had. We have had several cases of lepto this year. I know dogs that have died of leptospirosis. Oh yeah, Mr. and Mrs. Breeder, it is contagious to people as well. So let's not vaccinate these dogs and let them bring a disease into the homes of these nice people that you sold this puppy to and make everyone sick. You know I only recommend these vaccines to make money anyway, or so I've been told.

So people, pick a veterinarian you trust and follow his or her recommendations. Get your information from a reliable source that has done some research, or read some research, or at least knows what they are talking about. Don't just take my word for it, here is what the CDC says about leptospirosis. They have some idea of what they are talking about, unless you think they are part of the greater government conspiracy to over vaccinate your dog. Your veterinarian is also a good source of information. They spent at least 8 years in school learning to take care of your pet and untold hours of continuing education since graduation honing their knowledge. The years that they have spent practicing have not been for naught, they actually have learned something over the years. If you don't trust your veterinarian and think that he or she is an idiot because the breeder told you so, find a different veterinarian, or a different breeder, or you will get what you deserve in the end. Unfortunately, your pet may be the one to suffer along the way.

Keith Niesenbuam, VMD
http://www.thevetschoice.com/

Cookie Week Three

So the little Shih Tzu that could is still kicking. It seems that the medication that we started her on, along with my obsessing, regular ultrasounds to evaluate her heart (by more than one veterinarian) and a cardiology consult have saved the day.

OK, maybe she is just stable and all the fussing isn't really doing anything other than make me feel better. She did have a follow up ultrasound with the Doc that helped me with the initial diagnosis. Dr. Leleonnec was kind enough to let me rush my beast down to his house on a Friday evening so that we could get the echo cardiogram. He even ruined the finish on his dinning room table with the alcohol that he used for the echo. (oops). We repeated that study last week and the disease hadn't progressed. I am trying to be good and remember to give her her medication every night. So far, success.

I also had Dr. George Kramer, a local cardiologist, have a look at her. He agreed with the echo diagnosis but thought that the condition was more chronic than I had first thought. To be fair, Dr. Leleonnec said the same thing. It appears that this is just a case of the murmur sounding much worse than the disease. He seemed to feel that exercise restriction and medication is not needed at this time. I think I'll keep her on the benazepril and not run her ragged fetching the stuffed duck. However, if she continues to keep me up at night with her bizarre sounds and snoring I'm going to feed her a bunch of salt and push her into failure I swear.

I'll keep you all posted.

Keith Niesenbaum, VMD

www.TheVetsChoice.Com