Pet Talk: Listen and learn

About a month ago I received an email from my veterinary school that my favorite professor was retiring, and they were looking for funny stories or video tributes about this fantastic veterinarian.

Dr. B was more than interesting. In 30-plus years of teaching, he had left an unbelievable impression on his students. Interestingly, in all the years that he taught, the only year he won lecturer of the year was the year that he taught my graduating class.

He was “must-see TV” before NBC had it. He was from South Africa, and he just had a different way of looking at the world. Dr. B taught embryology and toxicology to the veterinary students, and every disease or interesting case had a story that he had experienced. I truly didn’t have to study from the textbook because his stories are what I remembered, and it made the cases real for me.

He used to tell us repeatedly that if you practice as long as he did, you should experience every condition that he taught us. It was up to us to remember it and appreciate it.

One day years ago a black Labrador was brought in for seizing. It was different from other seizure cases that I have worked on. Typically, the owner videotapes or describes the seizure, and it is up to me to determine the cause.

Well, this Labrador came in actively seizing and it was getting worse. I knew that there was no evidence of Bufo toad toxicity, so I started to ask the owner about the dog. He was not the owner, but the owner’s father. The owner was deployed overseas. The father told me that the Labrador was fine two weeks ago when he got the dog from his son, other than some loose stool. “The dog started to act drunk [ataxic], have muscle spasms, and his eyes got weird yesterday,” said the father.

On physical exam, the Labrador had nystagmus, which is an involuntary eye movement, when we moved him. He also had extreme muscle spasms of the legs, and his head kept turning behind him. The father was worried, my technician was crying, and the front staff were standing in the doorway because they loved that dog and his owner. I was writing down all the clinical signs and listening to the father explain to me that nothing can happen to this dog while his son was away, when the literal lightbulb moment of clarity happened. I remembered when Dr. B talked about metronidazole toxicity in dogs, and how a dog’s head turned backward like in the “Exorcist” movie.

I asked the father whether he had given the dog metronidazole as instructed. It is used to treat diarrhea and other intestinal problems. He told me that he finished the medications that I prescribed for the dog before his son’s deployment, and he had more at home from his other dog’s drug stash and has been giving the medication for weeks. He thought that it was safe for everyday use. I told him that metronidazole can be toxic if taken for prolonged times or at high doses.

The Labrador ended up recovering beautifully with Valium and supportive care.

So when it came time to send a video for my professor, I sent him a picture of the Labrador. I titled it “one of the thousands of dogs saved due to the teaching stories of Dr. B.”

Dr. B reached out to me and I told him the story. His smile went from ear to ear. Good luck in retirement, Dr. B.

Glenn Kalick, DVM

Brookside Animal Hospital of Coral Springs

www.brooksidevet.com

Broward’s ‘Hidden Heroes’ honored

Women from Parkland and Coral Springs were among a dozen Broward County residents recently honored as “Hidden Heroes,” by the Community Foundation of Broward.

These “Broward Nonprofit Hidden Heroes” were selected for helping their organizations to continue to provide valuable services to their clients and the community during the pandemic.

Tina Cortez, of Coral Springs, was honored for her work as Director of the Wildlife Hospital at the Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital, which also is in Coral Springs.

“Tina’s dedication to the animals is evident by the exceptional wildlife care and rehabilitation she provides,” said Robin Reccasina, CEO of the wildlife hospital.

“Tina designed a contactless drop off for the public to drop off injured animals at our gate and responded to every drop off herself. Having no volunteers, she quickly cross-trained other staff to assist in animal care. She transferred many of the animals that were most critical to her home so she could give them 24-hour care.”

Samantha “Sam” Kelly, of Parkland, was honored for her work as Vice President of Rehabilitation Programs at Lighthouse of Broward for the Blind & Visually Impaired in Fort Lauderdale.

“Sam provided vision and leadership,” said Ellyn Drotzer, CEO of Lighthouse. “We knew we had to pivot to an online platform, but our clients’ fundamental lack of sight made this seem almost impossible. Sam led the creative plan to provide uninterrupted rehabilitative services. We closed the building on Friday and by Monday, all of our programming was transformed into an electronic format and services were constructed using a web-based platform.”

Cortez and Kelly and their organizations are featured in a virtual awards presentation video via YouTube here:

 

Other Broward Nonprofit Hidden Heroes are:
–Timothy Curtin, Executive Director of
Community Services, Memorial Healthcare System, Hollywood

–Rebecca “Becky” Gould, STEM Center for Education and Career Development Manager, Museum of Discovery & Science, Fort Lauderdale

–Tammy Holder, Teaching Artist-in-Residence, Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Fort Lauderdale

–Xenia McFarling, Vice President of Rehabilitation Programs, LifeNet4Families, Fort Lauderdale

–Natasha McFarquhar, Emergency Basic Needs Navigator, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County, Lauderhill

–Alex Nesar, Director of Construction, Habitat for Humanity of Broward, Fort Lauderdale

–Belinda Paulicin, Director of Program Services, Gilda’s Club of South Florida, Fort Lauderdale

–Sandra Powell, Regional Laboratory Manager, Broward Health, Fort Lauderdale

–Patricia “Pejay” Ryan, Director of Marketing, Broward Education Foundation, Fort Lauderdale

–Elise Samet, Volunteer Program Manager, Canine Assisted Therapy, Oakland Park

Each of the winners received a $500 award and a prize package that included a 2-night staycation at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel and gift certificates from multiple restaurants. In addition, each of their nonprofit organizations received a monetary award of up to $25,000. For more information, visit www.cfbroward.link/HiddenHeroes.

Dogs have a life expectancy for a reason

I am sitting on a driveway with four other couples socially distancing and wearing a mask. Everyone is sipping wine or drinking beer. To be honest, the mask-wearing to not-mask-wearing ratio is not ideal.

The women are sitting on one side of the circle and the men are on the other. The women are talking politics and Dr. Fauci; while the men are talking football, their college’s record, and whether the SEC is still the best conference.

It was a quiet night until one of the women asked a question directed at me. She wanted to know if I knew that the last six dogs that died on our street all died of cancer and whether I should look into whether there was a cancer cell.

Let’s break down the statistics. The last six dogs that died over the past two years had an average age of 14. There were two Labrador retrievers, two golden retrievers (mine), one poodle who was 17, and a mixed breed.

The street is a fairly new street. Most of us have lived here less than three years. The electrical lines are underground and we have all had recent

Radon testing. If there is one thing about where I live, especially with the vast majority of us having empty nests and a little more disposable income, the dogs in our lives are very well taken care of and I am confident that they all moved to our neighborhood with relatively clean bills of health.

The average life expectancy for small dogs is 15-16 years, medium and large dogs 10-14 years and giant breeds around 7 to 8 years. I have been very lucky and I do EVERYTHING for my dogs and I have not had one live beyond 14. I like big dogs.

In my adult life, I have had five dogs and, other than a Keeshond who was hit by a car when I was a kid, every one of my dogs died of cancer. Let me make myself very clear, my dogs lived long enough to get cancer. They didn’t suffer from heart disease or infectious diseases but lived long enough to get cancer.

So, I answered the question with a question. In the past five years I asked everyone to think about the reasons why you’ve attended funerals. What was the cause of death?

The top three responses were cancer, heart disease, and COVID-19. I told them that those numbers probably reflect the national average. Dogs have a life expectancy for a reason, as do humans.

At some point in our aging process cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease become clinically relevant. The biggest decision, and the most humane decision we make as compassionate pet parents is that we don’t have to make our pets suffer and we advocate for them. I had to put my own golden retriever Kelly to sleep last week. She was 12. All of my dogs have lived to 14, but it was not in Kelly’s cards.

She got the dreaded metastatic Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen that is just devastating to golden retrievers. Kelly never gave me one second of grief.  he was sweet until the end, and my job was to not let her have one second of discomfort.

The woman in the circle just nodded her head agreeing that there was no cancer cell in our neighborhood. My wife sighed because hopefully the discussion was over before it got heated.

Older dogs make great pets

During the month of November, many humane societies and adoption centers worldwide bring attention to adopting senior pets.

Caring for an animal provides a sense of responsibility, purpose, and fulfillment. In more ways than one, pets can improve a person’s well-being. Not only are you saving the animal’s life, but you are enhancing your own. Pets can help reduce anxiety, depression, and stress.

Adopting a senior pet provides plenty of benefits. Older dogs usually require less training. Not only are they calmer, less energetic, and easy to train, many senior pets are house trained and understand basic commands.

Betty Delman, animal lover and creator of the phone application, “Dog, Cats, and Me,” agrees. “I just lost my 15-year-old dog a year ago. I couldn’t handle a lot of energy, chewing, and a not potty-trained dog. It was so much more relaxing having an older dog around. Everyone wants a puppy, but when they grow up, they lose interest. Older dogs are great companions. It is a friendship and easier having an older settled dog.”

Delman’s mobile application caters to kids ages four to ten. Not only does the application practice reading skills, but it helps children to learn more about dogs, cats, and the humane treatment of animals in a fun and engaging way.

Adjusting to a new home environment is easier for senior pets than puppies because they have come from a family life before being placed in a shelter.

When adopting an older animal, personalities and traits continue to develop by the time you bring them home, so you can tell right away if he/she will mesh well with your family.  Besides being calmer, senior animals do not require the constant attention and exercise that comes with puppies. Their mellow nature is an excellent fi t for older individuals and families looking to add companionship to their lives.

Delman believes that if you are unsure about adopting a pet right away, considering fostering fi rst. “If more people foster, then maybe the shelters can get more dogs and train them to be a good dog for their forever home,” Delman said.

Not only are you welcoming a lifetime of love into your home when you adopt a senior pet, but you are also saving a life with many fun years ahead.

If you are looking to add some excitement and companionship to your routine, reach out to Humane Society of Broward County, Abandoned Pet Rescue Inc, Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Center, and Paws South Florida Rescue to find your furry friend.

Interested in giving these two 10-year old beautiful cats (brother and sister) a new forever home?

Please contact publisher@theparklander.com