5 posts tagged “vet”

So i found a new veterinarian today I hope. They're just down the way from my house, they have an *actual* website with pictures of their office, their patients and bio's of the doc's. That impresses me!

So Ellie and Kisa will be going in next Saturday the 24th, for a wellness exam and some shots X= but shhh don't tell them that!

So happy that I have pet insurance. They will reimburse me after the visit of course after I submit the claims paperwork and all that but still! I'll be getting money back from it.

Eventually I'll need to get the other 3 cats done, but Ellie and Kisa are the biggest troublemakers so they go first!

On Ellie, the Dr just called said she had a fox tail (weed) stuck in her ear drum! OY!!

He had to do a reverse sedation on her to get it out, because it would be painful, and if she moved he could burst her  ear drum. But he got it out successfully, said it buried itself in there and opened its barbs so theres no way it could have come out on its own and was very painful! )=

So she's gets some antibiotics or ointment for the next week to clear everything up. And I get to go pick her up at 12, I'll take my lunch early and take her home and come back to work.

Here's an article I found:

May 5, 2005

Collie, a shaggy, bright-eyed, mostly border-collie mutt, ran down a canyon path overgrown with bright yellow dandelions. The dog darted into thick underbrush, chasing a rabbit, perhaps, or simply relishing the feeling of running free in bright morning sunshine.

What could be a more idyllic image of springtime in Southern California?

Trouble is, Collie's romp in a Del Cerro canyon could prove painful, or even life-threatening, and it could have landed the dog in a veterinary hospital because of a harmless looking stalk of grass.

They are called foxtails, the botanical nemesis of dogs (and cats).

In addition to colorful desert flowers, green lawns and verdant canyons, heavy winter rains have delivered a bumper crop of foxtails this spring. That is bad news for pets, especially dogs.

Local vets are bracing for a bad foxtail season between now and the return of the rainy season next fall.

"We're starting to see pets with them already, and it looks like it's going to be a very rough year, especially in the East County and other areas with open spaces," said Dr. Kenneth Porte, who works at both Woodside Animal Hospital in Lakeside and at Tri-City Veterinary Clinic in Vista.

"Foxtails can kill a dog if left to go."

Several types of grass can cause problems, but foxtail barley (hordeum jubatum) – whose stalk resembles a fox's tail – is the most nettlesome.

Foxtails grow rapidly in wet years from January through April. Then the plant begins to dry out, eventually changing in color from green to beige. It's the plant's dried seeds that cause trouble.

"The seed pods have an outer coating with a sharp point and barbed hairs. They work their way in, but not out because of the barbs," said Dr. Karl Jandrey, a veterinarian specializing in emergency care at the UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Foxtails commonly lodge between a dog's toes. But they also find their way into ears, eyes and nostrils, said Jandrey. Foxtails are a problem for cats, too, he said. "But we see them more in dogs because cats tend to be fastidious about grooming themselves.

"We've pulled foxtails out of every place in a dog's body you can imagine. They can be quite dangerous," Jandrey said. "They can work their way into the skin and cause an abscess."

That often means general anesthetic and surgery.

"They can also burrow into the abdomen, or get inhaled into the lungs, causing an internal abscess and infection. Any infection, especially if it's in the belly cavity or the lungs, can become systemic and threaten the animal's life."

Especially vulnerable, Porte said, are long-haired dogs.

"The problem is not so bad with Rottweilers, dachshunds, boxers and other short-hairs because you can see foxtails on their skin much more easily and remove them," he said. "But with long-hairs, the barbs can work their way in unnoticed.

"Frequent examination of the coat and lots of brushing really helps."

Collie's owner, Susan Luebben Maddox, said she carefully examines the dog during and after their canyon walks.

"Sometimes I see them on her fur, but they tend to stay on top and I get them off easily," she said. "Sometimes she gets foxtails on her feet, and I sit down and pull them out right away."

Luebben Maddox said that at the same time, she searches Collie's coat for ticks, which are black and are about the size of a sesame seed or watermelon seed, depending on their life phase.

Growth of foxtails and other grasses in her canyon overlooking Lake Murray was minimal last year, Luebben Maddox said. She was able to let Collie run free while keeping her other dog, a short-haired mutt named Topanga who loves to roll in grasses, on a leash.

But this winter's heavy rain changed everything.

"I'm starting to get really concerned. I may have to avoid the canyon as the foxtails dry out," she said. "I'm reluctant because the dogs love it so much."

The best remedy, of course, is to avoid areas where foxtails may grow, said Dr. Jandrey.

"If your animal gets into plant material on a hike, make sure to comb out the pet's coat and look for foxtails, along with ticks and other parasites," he said. "And be sure to check for any signs of discomfort."

If your dog is sneezing violently, shaking its head repeatedly, licking at its paws or develops a painful lump, it may have an embedded foxtail and should be promptly examined by a vet, Jandrey said.

I got up early this morning, around 7 I woke up but just laid there until 7:30 when my alarm went off. I really woke up because I heard a crash somewhere in the house, but no one was hurt or bleeding or crying so I

just let it be until I got up. I found the cat's food bowl on the ground with food everywhere. I don't know if they did it or Ellie did, either way I just cleaned it up really quick. It may have been Ellie because she didn't want to come near me to go outside lol

I got ready rather quickly, and put her in the car and off to the vet we went. Because I didn't have an appt, I had to just leave her there (and be charged an extra 30 bucks) and they said the Dr was in surgeries all day but he'd see her in between.

SOoooo glad I have insurance for her, and the cats as well. I'll have to pay up front and then they'll reimburse me. I'll just write them a check! I called my mom to tell her this morning and she said she'd send me some money to cover it yay. So now, I'm just waiting for them to call me. Who knows when that'll be though! They're only open till 5, so either way, I'm going to have to leave work early and come back probably after I pick her up and take her home.

So 35 dollars later, an hour earlier of a wake up, and driving through not so horrible morning traffic, my kitty is a-ok. It was just fluid build up around her incision, no allergic reaction, nothing that required x-rays,

just a small needle to drain it with. They advised me to keep a warm compress on it a few times a day so the fluid won't return. I didnt think about it till the drive home but I should have taken a picture of her while we were there, she was cool just walkin all over the exam room lovin the pettin from the tech and the Dr. wasn't too pissed either after the needle aspiration. And went back in her kitty carrier all by herself, (which she also went in willingly all by herself when it was time to go this morning) She might be one of the best cats EVAR.

I even got home and still had a half hour left till I had to leave for work. So I made my lunch, tuna sammich with horseradish again, heh, jalapeno cheddar chips and some cookies. I'll have to find some gum after that too!

 

After I made my lunch I tried to half ass fix the fence since the slats keep falling off, and ellie can just come out of the fence whenever she pleases, but she hasn't surprisingly. Only when I tell her its okay. So I nailed some of the slats back on to the fence and straightened it up so it doesnt look so white trash, and so everyone can't see right into the back yard. GO ME and knowing how to use a hammer.. (the only one I could find by the way was the pink hammer LOL)

Last night was another night of sleepless sleep.. all dreams. I kept thinking Marc would be home last night and everytime Ellie woke up to bark at something I shot straight up, and waited, and listened, and it wasnt him so I went back to sleep.

I had a dream, that one of the Telephony supervisors from my old building was a pizza delivery man for Anthony's pizza (who doesnt have delivery service) and that I went by my old apt, 2 apts ago, to return something I'd taken? and I held the door open for the pizza guy, he said he was selling them at bar close time at night to people, instead of burritos like everyone else does. (???) This was the middle of the day though. He then asked if I wanted to buy some and I said I didnt have any money, but reached into my pocket and pulled out 11 dollars... I don't think I ever ended up buying it though, and then I woke up. Now the ONLY reason that supervisor was in my dream is because he was at this building yesterday doing training and I saw him walk by ONCE for like 5 seconds, that was the ONLY time I saw him. The rest of the dream.. I'll have to look up. I don't remember any of the other ones though, that one was just WEIRD.