Shelter, Don’t Dump, Unwanted Pets

by Dr. James W. Randolph on February 8, 2010 · 0 comments

And to “M” and “J” who took her in. Some low-life dumped Lucy out in their neighborhood.

The saddest part about Lucy’s story is we could tell no one cared about her before her arrival at M & J’s house.

No one cared enough to have her spayed.

No one cared enough to give her heartworm preventive.

No one cared enough to take her to a doctor and find out that she had hookworms and whipworms and get her appropriate treatment for those.

Lucy appeared to be a hunting dog, so we assume that she simply outlived her usefulness as a hunter and had to be disposed of. Or, maybe she no longer had the energy to hunt well because of heartworms, hookworms, whipworms and repeated pregnancies.

No one cared enough to take her to a pet doctor and have her humanely euthanized. Or even mercifully put a bullet in her head. No one even cared that much.

Maybe they thought it was caring to drop her off in an upscale neighborhood. Fat lot of good that did, as they left her on one of the busiest thoroughfares on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and she got hit by a car before M & J could rescue her.

Sadly, her injuries were too severe to save her, and Lucy finally got the merciful relief she needed.

We can only hope that now, as she rests in peace, she has pleasant dreams of younger, happier, healthier times.

Please, if you can no longer care for your pet, take her to a humane shelter or animal adoption agency. Statistics show that over 90% of dumped pets die. Of starvation. And a substantial portion of the remaining 10% suffer injuries from automobiles, most of which prove to be fatal.

Dumping is simply not the answer.

Surrendering unwanted pets to pet adoption agencies is the answer.

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Reeves Elementary Thank You Notes

by Dr. James W. Randolph on February 6, 2010 · 1 comment

Each Saturday for 24 Saturdays we will add  the Thank You Notes that Mrs. Lipski’s and Mrs. VonderBruegge’s students wrote when Dr. Randolph of MyPetsDoctor.com visited their Reeves Elementary First and Second Grade MultiAge Classroom.

 A dog with an X-ray of rocks in his stomach...this little boy thought that was very funny!

 

 

Catherine is on the Examination Table, ready for Dr. Randolph.

Catherine is on the Examination Table, ready for Dr. Randolph.

 

Making "puppies and cats healthy," yep, that's what veterinarians are about!

Making "puppies and cats healthy," yep, that's what veterinarians are about!

 
 
This little girl is very attentive when she brings her Amber to us.

This little girl is very attentive when she brings her Amber to us.

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Choose A Reputable Breeder

by Dr. James W. Randolph on February 5, 2010 · 0 comments

I saw a sad little case of a sad little puppy and a sad little pet owner involved in a sad little situation this week.

A young girl and her mother brought me a puppy they had traveled across two states to purchase. The puppy had an entire list of birth defects none of which would allow him to live more than a few months without major surgeries. Yes, that’s surgeries, plural.

How do these things happen? There is fault to be found on both sides.

First, let’s talk about the things you can control.

When shopping for a puppy or kitten, I’d like for you to make your first consideration where the pet will come from. Keep in mind that when adopting from a humane shelter that you are saving the life of a pet who, if not adopted, will be euthanized, along with about six million animals nationwide this year. Granted, you aren’t likely to get a purebred pet at a shelter, but you can’t begin to put a value on the good feeling you will get. And, purebred pets tend to have more medical and maintenance problems than mixed-breed pets.

If you’re set on a purebreed, consider the many breed-specific rescue organizations across the country. Most of these can be accessed through the Internet, and most are reputable. One downside is that some of these rescued animals have been in abusive circumstances, and may have developmental or behavioral problems.

Suppose you’ve made the decision to purchase a pet from a local or nearby breeder. How do you tell if the breeder is reputable, and what demands do you have the right to make?

As to the latter question, it’s your money, and your 15 years of taking care of this new pet, so you make any demands that make you feel good about your purchase. However, the breeder doesn’t have to agree to all of your demands. Any breeder who rejects reasonable demands should be taken out of consideration.

While I don’t wish to take the romance out of the purchase of a pet, there are some practical considerations:

  • is the facility clean, good-smelling and not overcrowded? Are all of the pets on the premises housed comfortably? If not, move on to the next facility on your list.
  • don’t take your children with you on the first trip. The first trip is for you to pick a few good candidates. If you see puppies or kittens who are obviously unhealthy or malformed, this is the time to reject those. After you find a clean source for healthy pets, the children can accompany you on the second trip, and they can pick their favorite from a collection of a few healthy pets you’ve pre-chosen.
  • insist to the breeder that you may have a full money-back guarantee if your pet’s doctor finds serious disease or defect within 24 hours. As an alternative, the breeder may be asked to pay for the diagnosis and treatment of health issues that are easily healed. And, ensure that you get this examination on schedule. If you put it off you may be so attached to the pet that regardless of what defects are found you are emotionally unable to extract the new pet from your heart. Though I’ve seen this happen countless times, without a doubt the saddest case was a tiny Cocker Spaniel puppy who had been with the new owners for less than 12 hours. Not far into the initial examination we discovered a congenital heart murmur. Though the defect is surgically repairable, it calls for a very expensive surgery. These owners were far too attached to even consider taking the puppy back. Fortunately, surgery was successful and the little guy lived a long and happy life.
  • take a quick look over the new pet for yourself. If you see fleas (which you don’t want to take home with you), call your pet’s doctor about what to do. In fact, making an appointment for that first examination before even going home with the new pet is a great idea. In the case of the sad little puppy in the first parzgraph, he was infested with intestinal parasites that could have infected the child and the child’s mother. That’s a danger she wasn’t willing to risk.
  • if your new puppy is a pure breed that has the potential to have an adult weight of 50 pounds or more, insist that you see certification from the Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) that both parents are free from hip dysplasia. German Shepherds are the classic breed to be afflicted with this genetically-transmitted cause of arthritis. However, many other breeds such as Labrador Retrievers, Collies, Chow-Chows and Great Danes also can be affected. Having OFA certification that the parents have not passed on this trait is your only assurance of minimizing the risk of crippling joint problems later in life.

Your specific situation may call for other, unique requirements. Feel free to ask your pet’s doctor for advice before committing yourself to a new pet. He is trained and experienced to help you with this important family decision.

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Carnassial Tooth Abscess

February 4, 2010

“Stephanie, I need to bring my dog, Sprint, in to see Dr. Randolph for an abscess on his face. We are visiting here from Iowa, thinking of buying a vacation home on the Mississippi Coast, but we’re headed back to Iowa in three days and I don’t want Sprint to have any complications on the [...]

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Oscar: Angel Cat Of Mercy

February 3, 2010

If you are fascinated by things unexplainable, you will love this story.
Oscar is a cat who lives at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, RI. Oscar would be rather ordinary if not for his uncanny ability. He is a beautiful cat with a medium-length grey tabby coat and a long, bushy tail. [...]

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Canine Arthritis Success Story

February 2, 2010

“I’m so happy,” said Trouble’s owner.
Could there be any better words for a veterinarian to hear about one of his patients?
Trouble, who is pictured below, and really is no trouble at all, has arthritis. It was June, 2009, when we first discovered pain and weakness secondary to arthritis. She was 12 years of age then [...]

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Cat Heartworm Disease And Prevention

February 1, 2010

Heartworm disease in cats is deadly but preventible. For cats there is no heartworm treatment to rid the infected feline of the parasite, as there is in dogs. Feline heartworm prevention is easy and affordable.
Just as with dogs, cats get heartworms from mosquitoes, which act as an intermediate host of the parasite.
Many people are under [...]

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Pet Loss And Grieiving For Pets

January 29, 2010

“He told of tales of 15 years how his dog and him, they traveled about. The dog up and died, he up and died, after 20 years he still grieves.” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1971.
 To someone whose pet is not a family member, this line from “Mr. BoJangles” might just be attributed to a [...]

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Zepp Lateral Ear Canal Resection-Lucy’s Update

January 28, 2010

 Recently we discussed Lucy, whose chronic ear problems required her to undergo a surgical procedure called Zepp Lateral Ear Resection.
We performed the procedure and it went uneventfully. The only down side is that, after the procedure, when we were easily able to access the horizontal ear canal, we found it to also be swollen closed.
Below you [...]

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Diabetic Cats-How Smart Are They?

January 27, 2010

At least some diabetic cats seem to know what’s good for them.
I have several feline patients who come to their owners at the appointed times to receive their twice-daily injections of insulin.
Of course, they do also get a treat when they get their injections, and the injection needle is very small, but I’m still amazed [...]

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Pets Must Not Ride In Drivers’ Laps

January 26, 2010

Recently we wrote about the dangers of pets riding in the front seats of automobiles.
Today I had to do a double-take when I saw this dog hanging out of the driver’s side door of this SUV.
 
Not only is he in the front seat, but he is totally unrestrained and his eyes are completely vulnerable to [...]

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Pet Adoption From Humane Shelters

January 25, 2010

The time is right, you’ve moved out of that cramped apartment and into your family’s first home. You’ve decided to add a pet to the family.
The family agrees we want to do the morally correct thing and save a life by adopting a puppy from the humane shelter across town.
For $250.00, you can get the [...]

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Photos From Reading At Reeves Elementary School

January 23, 2010

Having “virtually” been there for Dr. Randolph’s visit with Mrs. Lipski’s and Mrs. Vonderbruegge’s first and second grade classes Tuesday, we thought you would like to see the photos their classroom aide, Mrs. Fruge’, took during the presentation.
Thank you for having us. We had a blast with the kids and the Smart Board.
I haven’t yet [...]

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What Is A Life?

January 22, 2010

As daily readers know, my uncle, Sam Burrell died yesterday.
There was a time that I told my wife, Brenda, “Be prepared, because when Uncle Sam dies I will be inconsolable. I will need you to be with me, but there won’t be a single thing you can do to make me feel better. Still, I [...]

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Uncle Sam Passes Away

January 21, 2010

Sam Patterson Burrell.
Born: March 27, 1912
Went to be with Jesus at 8:27 AM, January 21, 2010
See you tomorrow, Dr. Randolph

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Giving And Loving For Pets

January 21, 2010

I graduated from Mary Carroll High School, Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1969. My best friend from 7th grade to 12th was Eddie.
My father was a teacher at Richard King High School, across town, and Eddie and I became acquainted at South Park Junior High because both of our fathers had to drop us off early [...]

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Sam The Westie Update

January 19, 2010

I am pleased to report that our little Westie patient, Sam, (original story) (first update) (second update) has made dramatic improvement.
We did all we could here at our hospital, but finally had to call in an expert, board-certified veterinary dermatologist Dr. Steven LeMarie’ to perform skin testing for Sam and begin hyposensitization, or “allergy shots.”
Hyposensitization [...]

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Early Spay And Neuter

January 18, 2010

Dear Reader,
Please be aware that the photographs of tissues below are graphic, which is why we have put them at the bottom of the page. Squeamish readers may elect to read the text and forego scrolling all the way down to the pictures.
EARLY SPAY AND NEUTER
Bob Barker and many other spay/neuter advocates, as well as [...]

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Happy Birthday, Stephanie!

January 16, 2010

Today is our receptionist, Stephanie’s, birthday.
To surprise her, all of the staff on duty this morning, and I, called her cell phone to sing Happy Birthday.
The surprise was on us, however. Her husband answered the phone, “Hola,” which is Spanish for “Hello,” according to Dora The Explorer.
They moved here about a year ago from a [...]

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Tapeworms In Dogs And Cats

January 15, 2010

Tapeworms in dogs are Dipylidium caninum, Taenia pisiformis and Echinococcus granulosus.
Tapeworms in cats are Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaformis.

Dipylidium caninum
Let’s begin with the tapeworms you are most likely to deal with in your pet, Dipylidium caninum or D. caninum. As with many parasites, the life cycle of D. caninum is complex and includes an intermediate [...]

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Guest-Pet Etiquette

January 14, 2010

Have you ever invited friends or family for a stay in your home, only to be surprised that they brought along an uninvited guest? A four-legged guest? Or two? This really happened to me and taught me a valuable lesson about taking one’s pets for visits.
Veterinarians tend to be gregarious folks, often learning their open-door [...]

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A Cat With A Urinary Tract Problem

January 14, 2010

A cat with a urinary tract problem.
After thirty years of practice it certainly isn’t an unfamiliar scenario for any day of the week. However, Theodore turned out to be a very unusual presentation.
His pet parents, we’ll call them Joe and Susie, had gone on vacation. Nevermind where they went, we’ll just say it’s one of [...]

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Reeves Elementary School Kids Learn About Veterinarians

January 12, 2010

Dear Readers,
This post is being presented today at Thomas L. Reeves Elementary School in Long Beach, Mississippi. Dr, Randolph will be in the classroom of Mrs. Jill Lipski and Mrs. Robbin VonderBruegge. as part of an annual January program to emphasize the importance of reading in the daily activities of various professions.

My name is Dr. [...]

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What Is A Veterinarian?

January 11, 2010

I’m writing this column at an interestingly serendipitous location: my Uncle Sam Burrell’s house in Attala County, Mississippi. Interestingly serendipitous because it is here that the seed was planted for me to become a veterinarian.
My wife and I talk to each other on the phone almost every night when either of us is out of [...]

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Heated Pet Bed

January 9, 2010

Knock, knock! FedEx delivery!
Pearl’s new heated kitty bed just arrived. We’re telling her it’s a heated pet bed . She can’t read the box and doesn’t need to know it says “kitty” and she is a Poodle!
The following are some of the candidates for a  heated pet bed:

Older pets, like Pearl.  Their metabolism is slower than [...]

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Stronger Antibiotics

January 8, 2010

“Doc, he’s just not getting well like he should. I think he needs a stronger antibiotic.”
This is a sentence one hears a lot in the medical professions. You may have even said it yourself. Today we will explore the “strengths” of antibiotics, and learn how “strength” differs from “spectrum.”.
First, let’s talk about what antibiotics are [...]

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Pet Health Insurance Saves Lives

January 7, 2010

“Our 1 year old Pekingese, Nick passed away on January 3, 2010. We don’t know if he ingested rat poison, but after taking him to emergency veterinarian he had X-rays taken and he was shown to be bleeding internally. They sedated him. He never woke up. They let us take him home and said if [...]

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Dog Raincoat

January 6, 2010

Most of us pet lovers probably already have a sweater to keep our dogs warm. A
dog raincoat can help keep him dry, healthy and happy.
What characteristics should we look for in a dog raincoat?

Of course, it needs to be waterproof. Most are made of PVC, polyvinylchloride, which is the same material that the water [...]

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Obesity Epidemic In Dogs And Cats

January 5, 2010

Obesity, is, of course, a national epidemic in people. Sadly, obesity in cats and obesity in dogs are also at epidemic proportions, and we’re not any closer to winning the battle in pets than we are in people.
Need some incentive to help your pet lose weight? Consider Trouble:
 
Trouble suffers from Feline Diabetes and Feline Hyperthyroidism. While [...]

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Interspecies Physical And Metabolic Similarities

January 4, 2010

“Is that the same as people amoxicillin?” Mrs. Jones asked.
It’s a logical question, since most people are under the mistaken impression that there are a lot of differences between people and animals.
I learned of mammalian anatomical similarities when I took a trip to Washington, D.C., between my freshman and sophomore years at Auburn University’s College [...]

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Interpreting Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) Tests

January 2, 2010

Smoky came to see us this morning. He has been hanging around since just after Hurricane Katrina, but it took four-plus years to get him sufficiently domesticated to bring him to the clinic.
Georgia, his new owner, had been under the impression that “he” was a “she” and that he had never seen a doctor before. [...]

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New Year’s Resolutions For Pets

January 1, 2010

“I don’t want to.”
“What do you mean you don’t want to?”
“I don’t want to and I’m not going to do it this year.”
“But, but, but…that would be nontraditional. That would be un-American.”
“Call it whatever you want, but I’m not making New Year’s resolutions this year!”
You can have this argument with yourself all you want to, [...]

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Perianal Gland Tumors In Dogs

December 31, 2009

Perianal gland tumors are common in intact (not neutered) male dogs. They are extremely uncommon in cats, as cats do not possess the sebaceous glands around the anus that dogs do.
Fortunately, we don’t see many mature dogs who have not been neutered, so this is a fairly uncommon tumor, but I suspect that a dog [...]

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Hairballs In Cats And Dogs

December 30, 2009

Hairballs.
Now there’s a delightful subject to read about over breakfast!
Also known as tricholiths, obstruction of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by ingested hair is a common problem in cats and a less common problem in dogs. While it is rare in people, it does occur, usually when a nervous habit causes a person to twirl, pluck [...]

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A New Christmas Pet

December 29, 2009

This time between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day is pretty laid back.
If pets stayed out of the turkey, dressing, giblet gravy and cranberries then there’s only a small chance that we will see them this week.
One kind of “case” though, that does show up is the new Christmas puppy. “Beaux” made his debut at [...]

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Heart Failure Takes Samantha Home

December 28, 2009

Sometimes the saddest events can be so touching.
I got a call from Samantha’s mom today. The whole family (including Samantha’s “nutso” brother, Deogie) was in Florida, visiting Dad’s side of the family.
Mom said, “Samantha hasn’t eaten in three days, she’s coughing and she’s drooling so bad her feet and chest are wet.”
“I know times are [...]

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Dog And Cat Food: Pick One

December 26, 2009

Clearly, in retrospect, I was premature in recalibrating Martha’s automatic feeder.
I just brought home a new bag of Martha’s food, Hill’s Mature Adult Indoor Cat Formula, only to find it has a new, pyramidal shape.
Oh, and the name changed, too.
Which, I’m relatively sure, has everything to do with marketing and little to do with nutrition.
But, it [...]

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A Christmas Prayer For Animals

December 25, 2009

Tis the week before Christmas, and one could say that this is where it all began, my relationship with animals. I’m spending the weekend with my second father, my Uncle Sam Burrell, who partly reared me on their dairy farm in the late 50s and 60s.
Uncle Sam, like many folks approaching age 98, began, and [...]

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Swine Flu In A Dog

December 24, 2009

First it was people, then it was ferrets, then a cat.
Now, swine flu has been confirmed in a dog.
Like the previously-reported cat, this Bedford, New York, dog was elderly at 13 years of age. As in previous cases of pets infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus, this dog’s owner had been ill with the same [...]

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Pet Care In A Pet Owner Emergency

December 23, 2009

Continuing the theme from yesterday of caring for pets in one’s absence, let’s discuss a less drastic situation, one in which a pet owner is simply disabled.
This scenario is reminiscent of my wife, Brenda’s injuries back in July, 2009. Her fall took place at 10 PM, and, while I live in the world of medical [...]

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