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 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