Hello Steve,

Veterinarians have malpractice insurance to use if a suit is filed against our license. But even with insurance there is a very high burden placed upon us because we are expected and treated as experts. So, if we know, or believe a pet will bite we are required to notify the owners and document it in the patient file.

This posses a terrible dilemma. Do we tell people and worry that they may give up on their pet? Or do we just cover our butts and place the burden on the owner to deal with.

I am sure that in reality there is a bit of each going on.

For me, I try very hard to notify and address each potential behavior issue with optimism in each pet. Every puppy that I meet gets unknowingly run through a list of behavioral challenges to elicit responses that help me advise owners on what to start doing now to prevent future issues. Because ALL behavioral issues magnify with time if not addressed early and correctly.

From my personal experience files I will add that I have participated in euthanizing two vicious dogs. Both were brought to me by their very devoted and loving parents. Both dogs had caused serious injury and could have killed someone is there had not been outside intervention.

It was incredibly difficult to put down a healthy young dog, but I had seen the damage they inflicted and like any other person or animal that could cause harm to the point of death, I take the responsibility to protect each other as paramount. If I had seen these pets trying to kill my family I would have also insisted that they humanely put them down. We have an obligation to protect each other, but long before that we have an obligation to train, educate, and take every single measure to avoid these behaviors from ever developing or being elicited.

A pet is a responsibility. A responsibility to them and the public.

Thank you for your question,

Take care,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello,

I think it is best to have it removed and biopsied.

It is almost impossible to know what a mass is without a biopsy. An impression smear can help but a biopsy is more definitive.

There is unlikely anything that will remove it without knowing what it is, especially if it has not responded to prednisone ( a steroid).

If you need any help from us at the clinic if you are close enough we would be happy to help.

Sincerely.
Krista.

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Dee,

Thanks for your question.

This is a common complaint from clients, and I have to admit a common activity of my beagle in my own home. He prefers the ‘sit-and-spin’ versus the scoot, but the underlying causes to scoot are universal.

They are three primary reasons that pets scoot.

They include, in order;
1. Anal sacs are full.
2. The butt itches, (specifically the rectal tissue).
3. Worms, although honestly, I have never seen this.

I have a few blogs written on anal sacs, you can find them at KMDVM.blogspot.com.

<a href="http://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2012/12/anal-glands-scoot-story.html&quot; target="_blank">Scooting, Anal Sacs</a>

The best way to check for why your pup is scooting is to have a veterinarian or veterinary technician check.
You can call the clinic and make an appointment anytime.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Take care,

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Ed!

Thank you for your question but THANK YOU even more for being a foster parent to Shelby. Without people like you countless pets would never get a second chance at finding someone to love.

I hope that you can understand how grateful I am for your kindness, care, compassion, and generosity. Please don’t ever underestimate how special a person you are for giving your time, attention and home to a pet in need. You are not a failure!! You are just being challenged..and what’s worth achieving is only gained through challenges. So don’t give up and don’t beat yourself up..I will help, and I know of an army of people who have insights, experience, and ability to help you and your puppy. Best yet, Pawbly has a world of people to jump on board and be your support staff, your cheering squad, and even your safety net..

OK, here’s where I would start. It sounds like you have done some medical work-up, but if you haven’t done a complete physical exam, especially with a veterinarian who either focuses on behavior and/or neurology this is a very good place to start.

Secondly, I think it is very important to talk about this breed. Border Collies are very very (like THE MOST very) active dogs. They need constant exercise and a serious job.

I agree that the licking might very well be anxiety (if the mouth is clean, the physical exam,blood work, and all other diagnostics are normal), a veterinarian or behaviorist can help diagnose this. The squatting, humping, and maybe even the herding are all examples of exerting or claiming dominance. They all could be anxiety, or magnified by anxiety also.

I think that you are providing a loving, caring, and compassionate home to Shelby, but I do think that you and Shelby might need some help in figuring out what needs Shelby has that you might be able to resolve and also help her deal with her anxiety.

As a last note I want to add that ten years ago very few of us vets ever thought about prescribing anti-depressants to dogs. I have changed my tune over the last five years. I now urge my clients to consider using this when we have a pet who seems to be struggling to be calm and happy. They are relatively inexpensive and I promise you I have seen miraculous results in some dogs. All of the clients I spoke to about trying this drug were very very skeptical, but ALL of them have come back to me saying that their pet is so much happier. I am not suggesting that this be the answer for Shelby but it might be a discussion to have with your vet along with a behavior plan.

Try to find a behaviorist that is local, reliable, and works with a veterinarian. They are incredible resources and can help immensely.

I hope this helps, and I thank you again for your question and your helping Shelby.

Please don’t hesitate to ask me for any additional information, or to find me at the clinic.

Have a wonderful weekend..go out and play some fetch, and see if Shelby is calmer afterward.

Best of Luck and warmest of wishes,

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Gary,

Thank you for your question, and thank you for being so proactive and compassionate to these kitties.

I think that in general you have a very good plan and it sounds like you are doing everything just as I would recommend. I think that 9 kittens is too much for one mom if they are all nursing (it sounds like they are not though). A mom that has too many kittens nursing can get hypocalcemia (we call it eclampsia). This can be life threatening.

By 4 weeks old the kittens should be able to be transitioned to kitten food. I would recommend leaving dry kitten food, wet kitten food, or softened dry food with kitten formula out every 4 hours. If the kittens continue to nurse I would start to rotate them so they have more individual time with you and a better ability to be encouraged to eat.

We estimate the age of kittens by one pound per month of age up to about 7 months old. A one pound kitten is about 4 weeks old.

If a kitten is not socialized and tamed by about 6 to 8 weeks old it gets increasingly more difficult. Spend as much time and attention that you can with them before this age.

Please be warned that unvaccinated cats and kittens can carry rabies. It can be deadly to them and to you.

I would also recommend that you contact your veterinarian and any local rescue groups for help in humanely trapping, spaying, vaccinating, de-worming, feline leukemia and feline immuno-deficiency testing, and microchipping. Many of the non-profits or rescues have low cost options for these.

I have included information about some local groups below.

Of course, if you would like to talk to me, or anyone else at Jarrettsville Vet about any of this you can find me at the link below.

For help on affordable pet care;
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

Alley Cat Allies;
http://www.alleycat.org/

Animal Rescue in New Freedom Pa;
http://www.animalrescueinc.org/

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Anna,

Thanks for your question.

This is very hard for me to answer because I don’t know how long ago the surgery was, and I don’t know why the tail was amputated.

Here is the advice I give all of my clients,

"If you ever have a question or a concern you should come in so I can take a look at it."

For any surgery that I, or any of my other doctors do, we do not charge for a re-check. We want you to feel completely at ease with coming to us with any question post-operatively, and we never want you to hesitate to come in. We also know that any problem is easier, safer, quicker, and cheaper to fix sooner versus later.

With that said, and without knowing all of the information, and most importantly, without being able to see the tail (which I think a veterinarian needs to do ASAP), dark, almost black skin is a sign of necrosis. When tissue dies it turns a dark red and then a black color. So anything other than nice fleshy-colored pink skin is a reason for a quick re-check with the veterinarian who did the surgery.

Normal helaing tissue stays a nice healthy color and does not get dry.

If your pup is acting normally then you are probably safe to wait until your vet is back in the office (like Monday morning), and I don’t think that you need a trip to the ER for this.

If the tissue is dying and not viable then the tail may need to be re-done. This sometimes happens (especially with the dogs who have amputations because of "happy tail").

If I can be of any help you can find me at Jarrettsville Vet on Monday, but we are also open tomorrow for walk-in appointments from 1-3…

Best of luck with your dog.

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Dawn,

Thanks for your question.

I have to tell you that I hear you! I understand your dilemma and I want you to know that you are not alone!

Many of us move to no area that has amenities for us. I moved to the country for the open spaces, peace, solitude, and love of nature. BUT, I moved to a part of the country close to two major metropolitan cities so I can sneak in for the arts, the culture, and the gourmet food. I have the best of both worlds. For my pups they got open fields, and an ever abundant supply of things to play with, chew, and also a smorgasbord of wonderful things to eat.

My dogs have a long and varied list of delectable tid bits that they can find right outside my front door. Of particular delight is the ever abundant wildlife feces. My dogs are not discriminating. They love to eat rabbit and deer feces and they roll in ground hog poop, (which I will add is the most vile excrement imaginable).

Because we are both in the same boat I will tell you what I do and what I recommend.

The consequence of eating rabbit poop can be gastro-intestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, etc), parasites, and some diseases.

The only way to avoid these consequences of feces ingestion is to keep them from being accessible (keep the wildlife out), or keep your pet from eating them (by picking up feces, pretty much impossible with deer and rabbit poop, or keeping your pet on a leash with you and under constant supervision). In all honesty I will tell you that I am not doing either.

What I do is keep my dogs on a heartworm preventative that also protects against intestinal worms, and I check a fecal sample every six months, or anytime I get a bout of diarrhea.

In reality I will also confess that I know all of my patients eat poop, (in Northern Maryland we are buried under wildlife and there resultant waste products), and most do very well. When we get diarrhea we check fecals and de-worm as needed.

I would recommend you discourage your Yorkie Poo and see your veterinarian if you have an ill pup.

Once again thanks for your question.

I hope this helps.

If you need any assistance from me you can find me at Jarrettsville Vet.

Best of Luck,

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Beth,

You can resume the eye antibiotic but I am concerned that once you stop it you will be right back to where you are now. It sounds like there is an underlying allergy? or something going on, and that the steroid is just quieting it down or masking it while you are suing it, but the underlying problem remains.

IF the eye returns to being swollen and itchy make a re-check appointment (preferably) with one of the doctors that you have seen already and keep investigating the underlying cause.

Sounds ike it is time for an answer to the problem because the medicine we prescribed hasn’t cured it yet.

Thanks for your question! And please don’t hesitate to call for a re-check.

Sincerely,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

Hello Cybil,

I hear you! I am continually playing the same game at my house.

The puppies (my two three year olds) seem to go through periods of food boredom. They will go over to the well researched, expensive, high quality, commercially available, age and breed appropriate dog food, that I special order, deliver to their home, carefully measure, prepare with time, attention and love and then deliver by hand on their set structured time, and they will sniff the bowl, grunt in disgust and walk away.

It’s frustrating!

But, like every good mommy, and my mommy did for me, I will force them to sit there, nose to stainless steel bowl and watch it. They, just like the stubborn, fitful, ungracious child that I was, will sit until the adult, me, caves. Brats! I will then proceed to buckling and open a can of cat food to cover the offensive dog food smell, in as limited amounts as is possible, until they decide it is now prehension-worthy, and scarfe it up.

This has led me to do just what you are doing. I search for variety to try to coerce them. I am now mixing Iams Premium Protection (available at the clinic) with Chef Micheals, and a 1/4 of a can of Iams, Science Diet, or Purina low residue canned food.

I usually recommend that cients add some canned food to the dry. I tell them to add a little bit of water to turn the canned food into a sort of gravy to coat the dry food. I think it smells more interesting and appears to be more palatable to our pups. It also allows us to keep the dry food more consistent while we can vary the flavors of canned food.

I also tried the Iams gravy. I even tried every flavor. It is now being used as a condiment coverage/frosting in Strawberry’s (my pig) lunch.

So, my official, non-hypocritical advice is..stick to a good quality commericially available, readily available and consistently affordable dog food. And then offer variety (it is the spice of life) in the way of canned food. If you are still being met with reluctancy add a small amount of their version of Lucky Charms.

I talk about pet food like kids cereal. If it has fnky colors, cartoon characters on the box, or a prize inside and if it is available at every local grocery store then it is NOT a high quality pet food. You get what you pay for and you are what you eat. Ask any kid what kind of cereal they want and it is colored marshmellow sugar-laden leprechaun schlepping Lucky Charms. Dogs aren’t any different. They want sugar, smelly, junk food. How to convince them to eat healthy stuff? That’s the dilemma of every good parent.

Life’s all about compromise. Try to keep them as close to the optimal dog food in the highest amount as possible and then add ‘sprinkles’ to make the ‘salad’ seem not so boring.

As with everything else, you do the best you can, and then you try to coerce, cajole, and compromise without the other side knowing that you are letting them get their way. Wait is that my dog food advice or marriage? Gosh it gets to hard to distinguish the difference these days.

Oh, one last thing, I think that all of the foods you have been on are good. Be very very careful who you listen to for food advice. Very few are unbiased. I have a large number fo clients seeking a good quality food at a local boutiquish pet food store being told some outright litigious unfounded, uneducated, incorrect things. IF you aren’t getting advice from a veterinary nutritionist or your vet you are getting biased advice from what I consider to be a uncredentialed layperson. (Stepping off soapbox now).

I’m at the clinic tonight, and Tuesday nights. So you can always stop by and we can dig through dog food labels together. Or call and ask for Melissa. She’s my resident food expert.

Hugs annd Kisses to you, Roy, Minnie and Murray!

Love,
Krista

Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville, MD
http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com