Watching People Ruin Their Pets. When Do You Intervene?

I saw an event unfolding last night that was not new to me, unfortunately.

A young women buoyed down by screaming, demanding, unrelenting children drags her new puppy in the hospital entrance. This puppy is a small, gangly, mopey, shy, quiet, a wallpaper scruffy scrawny little bag of bones. The last in tow.

As with every exam, my clock, the time you pay me for, begins the moment I set eyes on you and your pet. Being a vet who can only obtain the clues your patient can't verbally provide for you, is about observance. I do most of my work without the client talking or my hands on my patient. In many cases up to and almost 50 % of what I need to know comes from me just watching you and your pet interact before I even start taking notes.

This puppy was perfect. I knew he was perfect within the first minute of seeing him interact, or rather not react to this chaotic crew. He kept his nose down, his tail low, and his feet nimble. He went where directed, no argument, no challenge, no expectations. He sat next to a child ignoring him,,, the ipad was far too captivating. He rested his head on the baby seat carrier next to two month old toes wailing for a binkie. This puppy was last on the totem pole and he was so comfortable with this lot he had been lowered into that he didn't ask for anything more.

I loved him completely for just being so content in the cacophony of cries he misplaced himself within.

My pup Fripp. Abandoned in a box on the side of the road at 2 months old.

Trust me when I say this: puppies are born perfect. People screw them up. Even people who aren't trying to do it intentionally. It's just like kids. Why do they care so much about your opinion of them? Why are teenagers so internally conflicted? Fight so hard, care so much to be accepted? Because that's what youth costs. Puppies, like kids, need time, attention, acceptance, patience, and they need you to as much as possible. They need you to put them before yourself. That's what maturity costs. Juveniles often cannot articulate the exact origin of their dismay, but you know there is conflict if they aren't fitting into your life. The hard part isn't recognizing there is an issue, the hard part is stepping out of your own demanding, busy shoes and trying to fit your fleshy feet into their furred paws. March to the beat of a life without schedules, jobs, financial pressures. These are your problem, not theirs. They cannot relate to you. What happens when old and tired meets new and energetic? Division. Division leeches adoration. Puppies and kids need adoration. Maybe above all else.

My pup Storm. Abandoned at a shelter in NC.

I see far too many new pet parents who hold angst. Many know there is a problem. They can state it in pointed fingered deficiencies.

"It was a puppy mill puppy," (from which they paid for knowingly..), therefore insinuating every issue stems and is related to this... an excuse for us is easier than a plan to overcome.

"She was abused,,, " often a specific example follows to solidify the defense claim, "by a man with a hat. We know that because she is always afraid around men with hats." (Maybe she never had seen a man with a hat before? And, the point is??).

"She can't be crated." (I promise this is not her fault. It's why we start crate training at adoption. You don't go to any shelter in the world and see a room of "uncage-able" pets do you?).

"She can't walk on a leash." (what?)

"She doesn't like other dogs." (OK, that's setting her up for a big problem when an emergency happens, and it's also not fair to her to be so afraid of her own brethren. It's why we socialize as puppies. And, who was responsible for that?).

For new pets these issues, amongst the too numerous others, cause conflict. For the parents it adds stress and angst to an often already overburdened life.

Please don't give me, the veterinarian, the laundry list of "can't" or excuses as to why it "can't" be resolved.. I don't want to hear it. I don't subscribe to it, and, most importantly it isn't helping anyone involved. If you are giving me a problem that is affecting your pets ability to fit into your family we have to address it, solve it, and be prepared for other problems to follow. A road block is a dead end. More of these are likely to follow too.

My pups; Storm, Charlie (my local shelter rescue), Fripp.
All are PERFECT!

In some cases pet parent can't define the exact source of the angst, but, its palpable, and it's looming. I have to ask them to look at themselves? How did they contribute, exacerbate, precipitate, create the issue? It didn't happen without someone responsible for it. It is us, humans, never them. They are perfect. Your job, as their parent, their lifeline to everything in this world, is to help them feel that they are loved unconditionally. Isn't that after all the attraction to them we hold?

After they have tried to solve the source of their angst at home, usually with even more destructive options: like crating all day to avoid the chewing destruction. Chaining outside to avoid the inability to housebreak. Bark collars to shut them up. (They are barking for a reason, ever think of that?). Letting them run loose, because it is "natural." like the "natural" hit by car? After all of this fails they come to see me.

Serafina.. found after being hit by a car, multiple fractures,,,
my favorite part of my work day.

To be very successful in the capacity I wish to be as the family veterinarian, I think that I need a sociology, psychology, social worker and law degree, on top of my vet degree. People screw up everything. I know its not exactly the answer your therapist provides, but, damn, it's what the real life vet believes. YOUR PUPPY IS PERFECT! IT'S YOU. I'm sorry. YOU!

I have three perfect puppies who have been brought to me this year with owners who can't find the reason when they look into their doe eyes to want to keep  them. And, its always the same. It's always the same thing that I hear. "They (the accusatory kind of they), don't do...." whatever. The complaints at the end of the sentence might be a little varied, but essentially these clients want a quick fix to get this puppy to meet the restrictive containment of their humans life. They need to pee or poop less. They need to be quieter in the crate for longer periods of time. They need to bark, play, and overall NEED less." It is a recipe for disaster when these requirements meet my clinic. How can I possibly cure your overwhelming life? It's not your puppies fault you have no time for them. They are demonstrating that you have no time for them. Their lack of training, their rambunctious, unmet energy is your failing. Not theirs.

Fripp

Here's last nights scenario;

This client had just gotten her puppy. He was 5 months old. (Not the typical new puppy age).

"Where has he been?" I inquired.

"He failed out of a service dog program because he had separation anxiety." She then went on to describe how he was so anxious and afraid being left in his crate that she was finding him covered in his own urine and feces every time she left him alone in it. After some heated phone calls between the previous owner, (the supposed service dog training mom), it was discovered that he had never actually been crated, and he had never been left alone. Obviously he wasn't going to jump into a crate and be left alone and be happy about it. He had been set up to fail. Who created the separation anxiety? his previous mom. Some human set him up to be screwed in his next life with the inability to be crated, and never having been left alone. It isn't fair for him to be punished now for things he never learned. Sadly his next life hit him at 5 months old. I was also pretty perplexed how this could be any legit service dog organization? Of course he failed. He was destined to only fail. His new family consisted of a newborn baby, (like those we time stamp in weeks), and a three year old.. who liked to push buttons. The dog was for him, the three year old. He may be capable of feelings, but all I saw was indifference to anything other than the ipad. And three is too young. I stand by this. If you are an adult and you want a dog , fine, thumbs up, go for it.. but your kids under 10, you cannot convince me they are capable of the focus and attention a puppy requires. Stop setting the kids and the dog up to fail. Who is going to pay the consolation prize? The dog, always the dog.

Pets require time. Just like kids. When their needs are not met to their satisfaction they escalate. They escalate until the demand is manifested as a scream. And they tend to be the squeaky wheel that gets the time and attention and toy. The pets in highly active families learn to adapt. They are excellently skilled at adapting, but, they still need you. Many can adapt to being content tag-alongs; off to the beach, the lacrosse field, the family outings together. But, an untrained, unversed puppy, they are too much to manage on top of your kids.. so they get left behind. They get crated. Often too often when life gets too crazy to accommodate them.

When I am asked how much crate time is ok? I have to answer that every pet is different. But in general the puppies that are 8 weeks to 4 months old need lots of playtime.. like at least 4 hours a day. They need to be walked every 2-4 hours. During this time we work on leash walking, potty training. It is their time with you. They need to be fed 3 times a day. And they pee and poop A LOT! It's a full time job. If you already have a full time job and two full time kids why are you getting a puppy?

I make the mistake of asking. I am always met with indignation. Want seems to be an acceptable answer.. but, it doesn't serve your puppy. What is right for them?

It is my job, my purpose, my place to put them in front of your needs. To not set them up for failure. To find the place in your family where they belong, just as they are, a child growing and evolving and learning. Living to be a part of the place you are already solidly within, and  they are not.

I have watched too many families ruin a perfect puppy because they cannot put the puppy in front of themselves. there is no room in their too busy and cluttered life to allow them to grow, branch out, learn what works and doesn't. They are expected to be completely pre-programmed. Know what the dog before them, who had 14 years to figure it out did, and they are then brought to me.

The puppy I met last night was being diapered and drugged to fit better into the morning routine. Which allowed him time outside by himself while the kids and adult were getting ready. Wake at 430, leave at 630, no time  to play. He was fed, put outside and then crated. His frustration with this schedule was displayed by coming unraveled to the point he covered herself in his own pee and poo.

Mom wanted a stronger medication than her OTC to resolve the issue.

There are times I want to abandon civilization. Die in my own white coat and spare the pets of the world the neurosis we inflict upon them.

And yet I stay standing.

"Your puppy was set up to fail by his first family. He is being set up to fail again. He needs more time and attention. When he doesn't get her needs met he escalates. (Sound like your kid at the grocery store?). When he is ignored enough times he will develop his own bad habit, like barking, biting, growling, becoming aggressive, or even withdrawn. He is going to try everything he can to get the time and attention he needs. (I want to add hear in bold print AND DESERVES! but I am still dealing with a human who is putting her last and that won't work).

Melt down begins. "So you are telling me there is no answer?"

"No, I am telling you that we both recognize there is a problem. If you can't give him the time and attention he needs you can either pay someone else to do it; daycare, dog walker, etc. Or, you can re-home him so she can try to have his needs met elsewhere, Or do what I do, and, get a puppy for your puppy. But, there is no way around the needing to find more time dilemma."

I think I spoke to her for over an hour. I tried every imaginable conceivable idea I could muster.

In the end she wanted medication. It came back around to this.

"Medication is used while a behavior plan is being formulated. It is a bridge to allow time for the training to solidify. If medications are used and training fails the medication may need to be continued for years, maybe indefinitely."

"I am on anti-anxiety medication."

"Were you started on it when you were three? So you wouldn't cry? Or need a diaper?"

In the end I fear for this perfect pup. I fear he will be lost in the family that has no time for him. Lost in the expectations he hasn't been made privy to. Lost in the drugs his mom is intent on finding for him. And lost to a society that cannot possibly solve the problems that mount.

As she left she said to me that " She has lost her hope." I am losing mine too, I wanted to reply.

I want to add here that as frustrated, afraid, and concerned as I am, I recognize the scenario doesn't have a lot of options. And, I also recognize and verbalized that this mom needs to take care of herself too.. she, in typical mom fashion, dismissed this as relevant. My job is to be her puppies advocate. I have to figure out a way to help her help him. I HAVE TO! We BOTH have to...

Here's my recommendation for this puppies current dilemma. Crate for varying periods of time throughout the day, but, only after periods of playtime, exercise, training (remember training, yeah, this is so often over looked I cannot even mention it. Add another source of setting up to fail). Someone needs to be more  focused and generous to this puppy. NOW. The reply I got was, "there is no time." face palm.

When do  I intervene? When does my perception of the road ahead, the awful scenarios I have already witnessed; the dogs who resort to biting for attention and are euthanized because of it, and the dogs sent to live their lives alone in a cage, a chain, a shelter because they were perfect once and are ruined now?

I offered to re-home him. I offered to keep helping. Take the puppy during the week when mom was at work. It seemed that no matter what  I offered it wasn't the right answer.

The true joy in having a companion is watching them evolve into their own being. The antics, preferences, idiosyncrasies, quirks, etc. etc.., i.e. recognizing they are their own individual who enriches our lives as they live their own within the family we create for them. To try to mold them into what is easy or efficient for us is setting them up to fail. We know that for ourselves and our children already, don't we?

Muffins, one of our many clinic cats..
She was once feral. She now lives her life on her terms, and is unwanted because no one can see her for her, and love her in spite of it, except for us.

Medicine is as much intervention as it is hope. I question when to do either in a greater degree often. When do I intervene? Often and early. Every pet I fear is being forgotten, neglected, abused, or dismissed gets an intervention plea. Every, Single, One. I give out my email, my phone number, make an intro with my Office Manager (who has three kids and is far more adept at compromise than I), and I make weekly phone calls to inquire. I also offer to re-home. I know what shelters know. That if I can't fix it that pet will pay for it.. Bring them to me before dumping at a shelter. It happens. People screw them up and then give them up.

When clients arrive who cannot see their own participation in the poisoning of their pet, or, when blind pride will cost them a happy pet soul, I resort to hope. It's all I can do in some cases.

P.S. I wish more than anything that I could post the photos that I have of these pups. How much I worry for them every single day. And, how much I have to lean on hope because my influence of medical intervention limits my ability to stalk their homes. Why isn't there a social service for pets? Why? Because we live in a country where pets are property. Their rights end at food, water, shelter, and abuse.. not the kind that includes mental well-being and kindness that exceeds empathy.

Poe, our parvo puppy.
Puppies get sick, they need lots of time, training and vet care.. it is why they are often the most susceptible to abandonment, financial, emotional or otherwise.

Here's my real-life chart of euthanasia, abandonment, and pet related vulnerability;
X axis; age of pet; months to years
Y axis; desire to intervene on pets behalf to include; emotionally, financially, and medically.. new pets get a fraction when compared to pets in the family for years, as they age it declines. Based on my experience alone.

For related blogs see;

The Real Cost Of A Puppy. Parvo Puppy Poe.

Second Chance Cole. Your pet can live without and past you.

The Challenges Of Puppy Adoptions/Purchase

Planning Your Pets Lives Beyond Your Own.. A Moms Guide To Pet Parenting,,,

Top 10 Mistakes New Pet Parents Make 

Want to know what kills me? Watching a person ruin a perfect soul. Happens. That's what costs me my soul saving soul.

For more information on anything and everything pet related please ask us for free at Pawbly.com.

For more information on Jarrettsville Veterinary Center please visit our Facebook page, or website; JarrettsvilleVet.com

I am also posting lots of informative videos at my YouTube channel here.

Thank you for reading and sharing your life with the companions who remind us why life is worth working so hard to keep them in the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to.

The Real Cost Of A Puppy

If you haven't had a puppy recently, gone through all of the ups and downs, sweaty nights of worry, long days of potty training, and messy clean ups when "they just came in from outside?" in the last few years, then I strongly recommend that you listen to my tale of Poe before you willingly and feverishly jump back into those puppy days again.

This is Poe,,, so impossibly cute, fluffy, small and adorable you can't contain yourself from scooping him up for a face dive smother. He is the epitome of everything that causes the heart to flutter. All puffy-fluffy rounded edges of irresistible and full of possibility. He is perfect just the way he was born... they all start out like this.

It's us, the humans, who keep having to relearn what we can't get right, over and over again....

Poe came from Craig's List. An ad online. Cheap and available at the touch of a cell phone text message. Ugh,,, the number of bad endings that start at Craig's List. I wish I could say that I have more happy endings than disastrous consequences from Craig but in truth I wish Craig took his List and shoved it, hard, and indefinitely. Craig has no business in the pet business.

Every person who has no business breeding hocks their unplanned pregnancies via Craig and that damned List. Get yourself a dog, or two, and POOF! you are in business! Lucrative, dog breeding, business. Everyone oogles over puppies. And,, your dog, your dog is of course the perfect specimen. No courses, credentials, signature clad paperwork, no accredited oversight, no business related taxes or license fees, ordinances, nothing. Put one dog with another, call it a "designer" breed (people pay BIG bucks for them,, sshh! don't call anything a mutt anymore,, no money in "mutt"). Go online buy some acronymed derivative of something with a K(ennel) and a C(lub) in any random order and now your puppies are "purebred with papers." (Probably the biggest sham around).

$80 bucks. That's what Poe cost. His new dad and old dad met at a nearby parking lot and exchanged cash (always cash) for a small being of mercies being. That's all it takes. No questions, no paperwork, no legitimate form of this being anything other than a casual exchange. Sounds like a great deal, doesn't it? $80 bucks for that face! I mean, who can say no to that?

ME! I will say NO! I will say it for about ten thousand more times over my vet career.  I will roll my eyes, swallow hard, sink into my shoes each and every time I hear this prelude. "I got him off Craig's List." Every time I meet a new pet for their first vet visit I ask. It is important for me to know. I need to heighten my degree of paranoia and understand how much more at risk to everything these guys usually are.  Why is that? Because, I know, I have learned first hand, how terribly awful these stories can end. You haven't heard about how disastrous Craig's goods can be? Have you? Well, sit back, hold on, and let me tell you how hard a happy ending from this beginning can be, and often is... Let me tell you about Poe.

The person who had no business with puppies dishes them out to anyone with the cash to exchange. Too often this is unknowing meets unprepared,, and too often I can't cast blame unequally on one side versus the other.

Puppies, kittens, I would venture to say every living being, listed needs a better chance than Craig can deliver. These are living, breathing, vulnerable beings. Let me highlight "vulnerable" again.

I could go on for days. Will it change? Or, ever stop? Not in our current climate. The want ads are the lazy mans answer to affordability meets accessibility. No contracts, no fenced in yard requirements, no questions asked. Me personally, I take Craig's List to be a puppy mill incognito.

Poe was purchased by a family with good intentions. A puppy is pure joy. Undeniably simply flat out ubiquitous joy. They all start out like this. Joyful. The dream of a lifelong companion to grow old with, but, as every vet and rescuer knows the first two weeks are fraught with worry that there is some lingering issue about to rear its ugly Sith yielding cypher.

Poe was as unplanned in birth as he was in purchase. Poe probably had a mom who wasn't vaccinated, and a dad who was most likely a transient fly by night passer-byer. No decision with any living thing should be based on these.

Within days of purchase Poe got sick. He wasn't playful, wasn't barking and was both vomiting and having diarrhea. All the classic signs of parvovirus which was the first thing he was tested for when he arrived at the vets office.

A parvo puppy is like a box of chocolate. (I stole that from one of my favorite movies,, but it holds). You never know what you are going to get. Medicine is also like this. There is no crystal ball to foretell the future. No play book to follow. And, our last best analogy is to try to give you "an average case" scenario, but, even this doesn't always readily apply. Parvo can be quick, cheap and transient, or, prolonged expensive and still deadly. Which puppy gets which? That is all guessing and hoping.

Veterinarians have to prepare clients for this. The complete Pandora's box a parvo puppy presents. Within a day or two of being placed in his new home Poe was a sick puppy with a treatment plan that started at a few hundred bucks and had the potential to end at thousands and still include death. Who, which of these  poorly pet-educated brand new parents can face this. They did just pay $80 bucks for him. Poe's first vet visit was crippling emotionally. His first visit also cost over $150 and he only had a diagnosis,,, there was no treatment included with this.

Stubborn determination is a valuable trait to possess when you are a doctor. I can tell you all straight up that I have saved more cases by my dogged determination than my decades of intellectual tutelage. My devotion to my patients, my sheer hatred for unhappy sad endings, and this infatuation with feeling like love conquers all is omnipresent. It is how I have decided I must live this veterinary life I am trying to live through and still like myself when I hang up my stethoscope. Happy endings happen if you let them.

I always (YES! always!) see parvo as treatable. I don't ever suggest giving up on treating them until they prove me otherwise. I firmly believe that this disease is our fault. That negligent, unknowing, or otherwise breeder, parent, transport person, well intentioned or not, exposed this puppy and medicine is available to treat. But, I also always have to be honest. I have to confess to people that I never know which puppy is going to go which way, and even with all of the money in the world, (for which I have yet to meet the person who can admit this), you might still lose your puppy. It just goes like that. It's a crap shoot. Surely treating earlier and aggressively increases your odds of winning, but even these guys can take tragic turns and succumb. It's a tough one to watch. A puppy dying slowly in front of you. The worst deaths are the deaths without empathy and advocacy. I say this because I have seen it. Its not fair, it's not right and it's not the path I take.

Every,, yes, every parvo puppy who meets my hands is offered treatment. I don't want to sound self-righteous, I am not. I want to sound determined. I am determined to give every treatable patient a chance. Screw the pessimists, the hardened, the pragmatic economists. That face! Do you remember that face? Try euthanizing it. Try to talk yourself in and out of all the excuses to make it justifiable. I'll give you a minute....

When Poe's story crossed my path it was a quick three sentence inquiry from a fellow veterinarian.

"We have a parvo puppy here. Can you take him? We don't have an isolation area."

Now this is a veterinarian I know well. She actually worked at my practice for many years. She knows how I feel about parvo. And puppies. She knows where my heart strings are anchored and how to make a serenade of them.

"We don't have an isolation area either." I reply. I know she already knows this.

"And the guy has no money."

Of course he doesn't. If he did she would have sent him to the ER, who is more than capable and versed in treating this.

I call her. The texts aren't going to shed enough light to make this case comprehensible or resolvable.

The story is always (always, always,,,) the same. New (brand spanking!) puppy just purchased, (no accountable breeder would have unvaccinated, unquarantined puppies to set out into the world... never mind the cash exchange in the parking lot and no accompanying paperwork), and almost immediately the puppy gets sick.. really, really sick. New pet parent has no idea what parvo is? No way to transfer to the ER (who requires a $1,000 deposit and forewarns the final cost might be a multiple of this), and now the client is calculating if it is easier and cheaper to just get a replacement? After all they have only had this puppy a few hours/days.

Do the math. This whole scenario started with simple math. $80 bucks off Craig's List versus almost (or up to) $1,000 through some breeder.

The conversation with the other vet goes a little like this..

"We want to transfer him to the ER. He is dehydrated. Can you use some of your Good Samaritan funds to help?"

This puppy will do best at the ER. They can provide 24/7 care. They are however, expensive. People don't go because they don't want to, or don't recognize their value, they don't go because they cannot afford to.

"Ummm, what the??,,, that money is money we raised. We internally feed into, for our clients.. the short answer is "no." I don't apologize for my audibly shock-filled curt reply. But, I cannot stop talking here. Remember that face? She has already, before the text messages even started, sent me that photo.

"I am happy to show you how to create your own internal clinic fund for your own clinic. Or show this owner how to set up a Go Fund Me page." I reply.

 ... crickets....

I speak again, "If the only options come down to euthanasia then call me. I will see if I can get one of the rescues to take him and I will provide the care pro bono." Like I said I always offer options. They may not be what the pet parent wants to hear, but I am not offering for them, I am offering to give this puppy a chance.

"Ok, I'll see what he (the owner) wants to do. I'll call you back." click.

I go back to work. There are other cases in front of me to worry about. Internally I feel that bubbling nausea of frustration meets vomit induced worry that another sick puppy will be biting the dust because another vet who wants to feel like they are offering empathy is merely shirking the guilt and another vet practice who is happy to let me do what they can for their own patient for free.. I have to admit it gets overwhelming feeling like I am the only one around willing to offer and provide empathy with meaningful service and care. Not just lip service and wash your hands.. (permit me a bit of bitterness in my verbal exasperation.. I have to harbor it and set it to sail as a sort of cleansing endeavor).

Poe arrived a few hours later. I documented his arrival the next day. He arrived quiet (always a bad sign), depressed, and dehydrated. He didn't interact with us, he just sat there cowering on his pee pad  in his bare wired easy to decontaminate cage.

So the story begins. Will he make it? Will it take weeks of no sleep? Wondering and worrying and trying to protect my heart as he tries to survive? This is also always the same. Invest yourself without killing yourself.

Miraculously Poe only got better. He never had one episode of vomiting or diarrhea with us. Within 2 days I was pretty sure he would be ok. We, the collective small group of us who had intervened on his behalf, all talked about how lucky he had been. How nice it was to have an easy case with our much sought after happy ending. At least the ending of parvo.

We also talked about what was the right thing to do next?

The real hard cost to us was a few hundred dollars. We all agreed to donate our time. It was a gift we were happy to give him. I suggested that we give Poe back to his family. We had heard that there were children who were crying and distraught with the surrender of their puppy. That was something we didn't want to be a part of. We wanted to remedy that, if we could.

I called the vet who knew the family and asked if it would be a good idea to at least offer Poe back to them? (in other words, I was asking her to vouch for them as I didn't know them at all).

"Yes, the kids would be so happy. He (the dad) seemed like an honest good guy,, he was crying too."

And so it was, a veritable happy ending would be had in totality! We were all conjuring up the reunion videos in our heads. The crying crowd as we delivered a healthy puppy back to 4 little kids. Move over Walt, we were about to have our own Disney moment.

Now I am a pragmatic seasoned vet. I have learned (always the hard way) that helping people isn't just about getting them across the land mines, it is about being to that glorious sunset with the rest of the sun filled days behind you safely. I owe Poe this too. We wanted to spell out in black and white what being a pet parent entailed; regular vet visits, vaccines, preventatives, neutering, training, time and money. Love, yes, love is imperative, but responsibility is what assists you in curtailing the remaining potential land mines ahead.

We all agreed to give Poe back without any incurred costs. I would use donations and we all donated our time. We all felt really good about being a part of the good in the world when there is already too much sadness.

I called Poe's dad to share the news. I confessed that we don't usually do this. We don't usually contact the original owners, but Poe had been such an easy success that we felt it was the right thing to do in his case. I discussed the plan to help identify future costs of care, and even told him that we could help him find low cost options. Poe would be given back to them healthy and happy and we would help them with whatever he needed to stay this way.

He told me his kids had been upset with Poe's departure. He also said he wanted to speak to his wife about it. I left him my cell phone number and he said he would call me back.

He never did. He also never said "thank you," or, "I'm glad/relieved/happy, etc, that Poe is ok."

And so the dream ended,,, the fairy tale was half fulfilled. Poe made it..

Poe is still with us. A week and a half later. We will do everything we can to be a part of his life. Indefinitely.

And maybe there is one less Craig's List customer out there? Maybe he feels like he dodged a bullet? Maybe he thought that $80 is all a pet needs for their whole life? Maybe he just didn't have the $500 bucks I estimated Poe would cost over the next 6 months, and he couldn't listen to the kids cry again? I really don't know?

Maybe being a dreamer is not as important as a doer? And just maybe I need to revel in my own happy endings, even when the world doesn't deliver them in packages as marvelous as a puppy.

I would like to Thank Jenn for always being ready to take another potential heart break on. For making as many sacrifices as she does and for hoping for "happily ever "after as often as I do. But mostly for making every case a purpose and for never asking or expecting anything in return. It  is always about the animals who need us, never about what it costs us.

If you have a question relating to your pets care you can ask me, the whole team of us at Pawbly, for free at Pawbly.com.

If you want to learn more about Poe please see my YouTube channel here. Or, follow our latest rescue endeavors at our Jarrettsville Vet Facebook page. 

Parenting. If you breed your pet are you responsible for the offspring?

Charleston. My Harford County Humane Society rescue.

I have many dilemmas. They keep me up at night.. not the healthiest way of dealing, but it seems that during the day I am busy enough to keep the little nags at bay. Come sundown and sleepytime they rear up and tug at my conscious. Here's one I dealt with for the umpteenth time just the other day.

Said cute couple just starting their life together adopts their first four legged child. They love this girl to pieces. They dote on her, take her everywhere, and she, of course, sleeps in bed with them. There isn't one part of this pets relationship that isn't fully invested in their marriage. It is everything a vet hopes for a dog to find. Except, they want to breed  her.

My experience has shown me that the reasons for this vary immensely, but I find that breeders fall into one of four categories;

Best In Show

• These are the  people you watch on The National Dog Show on Thanksgiving morning. They are the pinnacle of expertise for their one specific breed. Almost all of them have dedicated their entire lives to the health, advancement and welfare of their breed. They know the family tree of their breeding line better than any of us could recall our aunts and uncles never mind our more distant relatives. They do not sleep with their dogs, their dogs sleep under security cameras.

Blue Ribbon

• The local breeders who manage one or two females, breed only after a complete vet work up, and sell privately to local families for upwards of $800 a pup. They work hard to provide healthy, well socialized family pets as an extension of their family business.

One Timers

• The amateurs who dabble in the idea of taking their self proclaimed prime canine specimen as a way of passing on their prides legacy. They learn quickly that the business of breeding doesn't come cheap or easy. The road to puppies may be paved with good intentions but one $3,000 emergency c-section later they are singing a different hard lesson learned tune.

Accidents/Cash Only/No Ethics

•  The people who breed because they never got around to spaying and neutering the brother and sister shih tzus who live in the house. Or, the person who is running short on funds and sees the Craigs List ads for "puppies for sale" that all seem to cost a few hundred bucks. Seems like an easy score right? Just breed your dog and grow your own at home business. I don't see these people much in practice. They do not seek veterinary advice, nor intervention when their lack of experience puts their prego pup in a serious pickle for a multitude of reasons. If you are contemplating purchasing a puppy from an ad see my blog on  Puppy Mill Cruelty.

The Black Dogs Rescue pups.

How do I talk to a person who wants to breed their pet honestly and openly when my lifetime of experience knows that there are a significant number of people out there in the world who purchase a puppy without the ability to care for them adequately and most definitely lack the ability to love them until they meet an untreatable end at a ripe old age? Here are some of the realities of pet ownership from this veterinarians perspective...

I know that people give up on treating a disease because it is cheaper to buy a replacement. Simple economics, right?

I also know that people surrender their older pets to get a newer edition, like it a status symbol, or the lease on the old car ran out.

That children who want a pet often lack the attention span to care for them when the monotony of daily feedings, poop clean  up and adequate exercise comes calling on a Saturday morning when the rest of their friends are headed to the mall.

The great breeders I know make a lifelong obligation to take back any pup the buyer no longer wants. They have contracts that require it. The best rescues also do this. Jarrettsville Vet has adopted out many an unwanted surrendered, abandoned, and denied convenience euthanasia pets to dozens of people over the last 10 years. Thankfully, many are in loving homes who share Christmas cards of "Thanks for helping us find our beloved Fluffy." But, I have many stories that attest to people's inability to love til death do them part. Even with a contract that states we will take our pets back "no questions asked" we get surprised. When an elderly woman who had adopted two cats many years prior became ill and needed to be hospitalized for two weeks her children (who promised to care for her cats while she was in the hospital) dropped them off as "ferals" at the local shelter. Luckily, those cats had our microchip and we were called to ask if our cats were lost? People can break your heart and destroy your faith in mankind.

The statistics in the US are awful. In the US we own 83.3 million dogs (all 2012 figures) and 95.6  million cats. The shelters house about 7 million pets and euthanize about 3 million dogs and cats a year. That means that 1 in 25 pets gets surrendered or brought to a shelter. Many of these are euthanized (about half of the dogs and three quarters of the cats). But think to of all of the pets that are euthanized at the hands of vets for the countless reasons we label as "convenience euthanasia." If I had to guess I would say that the 1:25 figure would be halved. Of the rest of the euthanasia's we perform many are due to plain old lack of funds to provide care. Halve that number again. One in 6. Add to that the number of pets that are not brought in for euthanasia, for instance, those that are killed outside of a shelter or vets office (think hit by car, disease, parasites, etc). and we are at 1 in 3. The statistics outside of the US in almost every other corner of the globe are even more abysmal.

How do you feel about knowing those odds? Me, not good enough to bring a soul into the world and bear the responsibility to provide for them for a decade or two should their parent no longer be willing to do so,,, and Lord knows I love me a puppy and/or a kitten. I just see reality too much. It keeps me up at night...

Stealing a moment with Max.
If you aren't taking time to kiss the pups what is the point of working?

Related Blogs;

So You Want To Rescue A Puppy? My advice on how to avoid the disasters of trying to do a good thing.

The Pain Of Breeding.

Breeders My Take On Them.

I am a veterinarian determined and dedicated to helping pets through the extension of educating and empowering people. For this reason I created Pawbly.com. We are a global community of compassionate people who know that there are options available for every pet need. We can help you find resources, understand your pets needs and link you to those who can assist. It takes a village to raise a happy healthy pet and we believe universal affordable pet care will someday be a reality. Please join us today.

If you would like to meet the amazing people at our clinic please stop by our Facebook page at Jarrettsville Vet, or find me on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

So You Want To Rescue A Puppy? Advice on how to avoid the disasters of trying to do a good thing.

Aurora

I remind myself daily that "No good deed goes unpunished."

So why do I keep finding myself back at the junction of "do the right thing," and "how to minimize kicking myself later?"

Cinderella and Aurora

I just have to keep reminding myself that I was called to become a veterinarian, and that my obligations remain with helping pets in need. I remain steadfast determined to continue to do this, no matter how many self-inflicted numskull blows to the head I deliver.

I do a lot of work with rescues. Truth be told, I truly love helping them. We are a bunch of frazzled, over-extended, die-hards stuck on the fix of that endorphin potion that tears of happy endings brings. It's the same high gamblers chase to clutch that big payout. That chance that our time, efforts, dedication, and unyielding conviction will pay off somewhere down the line. We all live for the "happily ever after." And, after all, it can happen.

Dasher

Prancer

Here is my advice for protecting your heart and wallet from the chances of sad endings when it comes to rescuing a puppy.

1. Go to a local, reputable, long standing rescue. Ask your vet for their recommendation.

2. Ask the rescue if they are a non-profit? Sadly, there are impostors out there. I call them puppy trafficking rings. There are people who go into high density, high-kill shelters removing puppies and shuttling them into high demand areas. The puppies are sold for profit and the cycle continues.

3. Ask when the puppy was transported? A conscientious rescue will hold the puppies for 10-14 days before adopting them out. The stress of transport, the confining of many dogs, and the odds one of them isn't exposed, or shedding disease all trigger and perpetuate disease. Most of these will become apparent within the first two weeks.

4. Ask where the puppies have been kept since arrival. Ideally, they were taken into a foster family with only a few other dogs. This allows socialization, observation, and understanding of what potential health or behavior issues the puppy may have.

5. When were they seen by a vet? All new pets should be seen by a veterinarian within 3 days. Rescue and adoptees alike. Not being seen is not acceptable. Medical records should be willingly surrendered for your perusal and copies should be transferred to you upon adoption.

Four  of the original seven reindeer pups on their way home
from their last vet puppy visit.

Puppies should have the following:

• Vaccinations every 2-3 weeks. Preferably by a veterinarian. These are patient and location specific.
• De-worming every 2-3 weeks between 6-10 weeks. Preferably by a veterinarian.
• Fecal examination for intestinal worms by a veterinarian at 8 weeks, or immediately if having diarrhea. At this time they should also start their monthly heartworm preventative to also protect against intestinal worms.
• Microchipped. Many rescues require that the chip stay in their name. I am fine with this. Quite honestly, this saves more pets than allowing microchips to be transferred into individuals names. People move, change their phone, and surrender pets. Keep the microchip in the name of the most stable place available, the rescue.
• A person who has loved them and treated them like family in the time between transport and adoption. The formative months of a puppies development are key to being an obedient, well-mannered companion. An invested foster parent can describe their pups like a proud parent.
• Pick your puppy based on how well they will integrate into your family. Each puppy, regardless of breed, size, color, or shape is their own person. There should be an equivalent 200 questionnaire to match your pet to you... not you deciding on who  is cutest? (Cute is important, but a long term good match is fundamental).

Dasher

Walk away if you encounter the following;

• Elusive, sneaky, "just don't feel right about something" people.
• High volume, high pressure, salespeople. Pets are not a commodity. People who treat them as such are not going to help you, or the puppy, if, or when, you need them. If they are truly rescuing puppies to help them than it is, and should be, a life-long commitment. The same applies to all  parties involved.
• A smelly, loud, over crowded, shanty looking site. This is either a halfway house, a store front because the real holding facility is even worse, or a poorly managed rescue. I know the common over riding gut reeaction is to help these souls by getting them out of their deplorable condition, BUT, you are only perpetuating the problem for another soul soon to follow. The only thing that stops a bad business is no business.
• An argumentative, aggressive, assertive person who makes you feel pressured to pay and go. All rescues need to be selective in their screening process. Please try to understand this. If you were that puppy wouldn't you want your foster parents to be protective and not place you in anything less than a safe loving home? 

Aurora hides.

Rejection; It happens. Don't take it personally. I understand that many loving families are turned down from adopting a puppy that they want for things like; lack of a fenced yard, lack of current vet care (OK, I do think that this is super important, and yes, I am biased), or family dynamics that make placement of a puppy in a household with small children, cats, or other pets less than ideal in the rescues eye. If everyone involved is making decisions simply to benefit the puppy there shouldn't be any hard feelings. I know of so many clients who wanted to rescue a puppy, found the one they wanted, had their hopes on adopting them, and were rejected. So they gave up and went and bought one from a breeder. Their response to why they gave up on adopting?
"Why should we be punished for trying to save a puppy? And why should we put themselves through that stress again?" Good questions.

My Feelings on Puppy Mills; Dealing with the emotional stress of witnessing a pet in dire straits, deep need, and a sad past is really hard to face. I know that many of my compassionate clients want to rescue the puppy from the horrible places they find them in, BUT, buying that puppy is condemning another to the same fate. Money talks. Don't perpetuate the problem by giving the seller the only thing they care about, a buck. Call the local authorities if you see a pet in a poor living condition. Use the power of references, and local word of mouth. Rescuing is not buying from any person who doesn't have the puppies best interest in mind.

Contracts: Read the contract you are given BEFORE you sign it. Know what you are paying for, and know what kind of people you are supporting when you hand over payment in exchange for a life long responsibility.

Dasher

Veterinary Care; Seek a veterinarian for an examination within three days of adopting your puppy. Bring a fresh fecal sample and all of your puppies records. Have the microchip scanned to insure it is there. If there isn't one have one placed immediately.

The reindeer puppy pile..
my happiest place.

Insurance; Get Trupanion insurance as the first vet visit. A puppy can, and does, get very expensive diseases within the first month. Why not have someone else pay for it? Trupanion offers a free 30 day membership.

Lifelong Relationships; Build a lifelong network centered around your puppy. Being involved with rescue work is hard, emotionally challenging and can be heartbreaking. But if your life is centered around helping pets who have been discarded it is vital to hear, watch, and be a part of pets life who is happy because people like you cared. There are lots of happy endings, there just isn't enough sharing them. Be a life long supporter and advocate for the good rescues that helped you find your forever companion. It is the best way to pay love forward, and the best way to live a life of giving back. 

If you have any advice that you would like to share about anything pet related please come visit us at Pawbly.com. Pawbly is all about sharing information to empower parents, and help pets. It is free to use and open to anyone and everyone who love their pets as family,

If you would like to visit me I am at the clinic stealing puppy kisses whenever possible. Jarrettsville Vet is located in northern Maryland. Or find me on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

Henry's Big Day. Neutering a Small Breed Dog

Henry and I on Sunday December 1, 2013.
He was at the clinic for our annual Pets With Santa event.
Coincidentally this was the day before his neuter.

Henry is a 7 month old Yorki-Poo. How is quite possibly the cutest scruffy pup you will ever see.

He has been to the clinic almost weekly since his parents adopted him at 8 weeks old.

There are a few important things that a small breed puppy needs.

First, every new puppy (or pet for that matter), should be to visit the vet within their first three days with you.
Bring your puppy and a fresh fecal sample.

Also, bring a list of questions. Your first visit (and every one thereafter), is the time to get your feet solidly in the ground.

For small puppies, (or sensitive dogs), I recommend splitting up vaccines. You are more likely to see a vaccine reaction if you give multiple vaccines. Smaller dogs seem to be more sore after vaccination also. The advantage to splitting them up is that we can reduce the likelihood of soreness and if you do get a reaction you know what vaccine caused it. The disadvantage, well, you have to make more trips to the vet. At my clinic, however, you will not pay for a separate office visit if we decide to split up the vaccines. But this is something to ask at your first visit. The cost of a vaccine is somewhere between $10-$30, but an office visit might be $30-$50, or more.

Another note on vaccines: All vaccines have the potential to cause a reaction. It doesn't really matter how many times a pet has been vaccinated, had the same vaccine, or whether they have never had a problem before. It can happen at anytime and with any vaccine. For this reason, I always recommend that you vaccinate your pet on a day that you can be with them after the vaccines have been given. You should also have the vaccines given as early in the day as is possible. Nothing worries me more than vaccinating a pet with known prior reactions 15 minutes before closing time. The worst reaction (anaphylactic shock, respiratory or cardiac arrest, or even death) is most likely to occur within the first few minutes to hours of the vaccine. Pets with known previous reactions should be watched very closely for a few hours after their visit. Some of my patients stay in the clinic for about 30 minutes after in the reception area so we are steps away from help if needed. Assume a reaction might happen and be prepared for it. But, remember vaccines save countless lives so please keep your pet vaccinated, and if you do have a problem talk to your vet about it. There are lots and lots of options!

At the puppy visits we discuss basic training, housebreaking, leash walking, socializing, behavioral concerns, any special breed health concerns, how to successfully get your pet used to having their teeth brushed and nails trimmed, etc.. We also set up the vaccine schedule for the first four months (or longer if you started late) of age. Spaying and neutering age is usually about 6 months old.

Henry dressed up in our ravens room.
Looking so dapper!

For Henry, like most small breed dogs, we waited and watched for his deciduous (baby) cuspid (canine) teeth to shed. This is never normally a problem in the larger breed dogs, but many smaller  breed puppies do not shed. These can cause significant and severe dental disease, tooth decay and affect overall health and longevity. If the teeth have not fallen out by 9 months old, they probably never will, so they should be removed under general anesthesia either with the spay/neuter or as a separate anesthetic event.

In Henry's case we waited until he was 7 months old in the hopes that they would depart on their own accord.

When they did not we scheduled his neuter and removed them.

Lucky for Henry, our resident dental expert was on hand. She removed his baby teeth as I removed his testicles.

Dr. Hubbard, our resident dental expert works on the front end, while I neuter the back end. Only the luckiest of dogs has two vets to work with them at the same time!

A prefect extraction!
The entire tooth was removed and the adult tooth was not damaged
or jeopardized in the process.

Henry also has vestigial rear dewclaws. Puppies should have these removed between days 2-5 after being born. Henry was not adopted from a breeder who followed this. So we removed them at his neuter.

Many clients ask me about dewclaw removal, (I have been asked to remove them from 10 plus year old dogs). The discussion about removal is multi-factorial and needs to be a discussion with your vet. Don't just ask them to remove them without your vet examining the feet and discussing the surgery.

For Henry the rear dewclaws were not articulated with the foot. They were what I refer to as "just hanging in the breeze." They had nail, but they were small. These nails will grow and bleed if you cut them too close, but becuase they are not held close to the leg they often catch on things and can tear easily. Because they are not articulated (joint and bone attached to the foot) they are easily surgically removed. Removing them at the time of neuter saves having to risk anesthesia and pay for a another surgery.

For those pets with dewclaws that are articulated (tightly adhered to the leg/foot), then we talk about why the client wants them removed. Most clients want them removed because they are cosmetically not pleasing. The client had expected they would have been removed before they adopted their puppy, or they are not comfortable trimming nails. Because these nails are not in contact with the floor they are not worn down naturally so they need to be trimmed. Nails should not be surgically removed because a parent can't (or won't or is afraid to) trim nails. Also those dewclaw that are held tight to the foot (articulated) must be surgically amputated at the joint that is at the very base of the toe. This can often cause a long (anywhere from an inch to multiple inch long) scar. The hair may, or may not grow back over this scar. The cosmetic after may not be as "pleasing" as the owner expects.

Henry's caudal half, post-op. He has some abnormal scrotal erythema (redness) and needed an ice pack post op. He also has two one inch incisions to remove his dangling dewclaws.

Waking up.

I don't bandage the feet unless I am worried about bleeding and want to keep pressure on the incision.

Bandages, in my opinion, are just a cover to hide potential disaster. They get wet, they hold in infection and they provide the perfect hiding place and environment for badness, warmth, humidity, and secrecy! Bandages in my hands are only used for very limited periods of time and under very close supervision. Bandages need to stay dry, be removed as soon as possible if they get wet (water or blood) and never be on longer then a few days.

Now he is awake!

Going home with momma! And an e-collar!
The more incisions you put in a puppy the more they want to investigate them!

Post-operatively for the tooth extractions, Henry should be offered softened food (either add water to dry food and let it sit until softened) or wet food for the first 3-7 days. A healthy mouth will heal very quickly after a tooth extraction, if it is done with minimal trauma, clean techniques, and surgical closure after. 

For the neutering Henry had a cold pack applied to the scrotum to reduce redness and aid in the discomfort of the incision.

For the dewclaws we keep them clean, dry, monitor for infection. Use booties if he goes outside and it is muddy, snowy, etc. 

For more information on puppies;

The Puppy Primer, The First Instructions

Crate training Your Puppy

Housebreaking Your Puppy

Puppy Diets

Baby Teeth Blog

If you have any pet questions you can find me at Pawbly, or on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.