Thursday, November 6, 2014

@dochappycamper Brings Furbaby Friday to Thursdays with #home4Ary


Welcome to a Thursday edition of Furbaby Friday with Dr. Tammy. This week has been an exciting one at the veterinary hospital. One of our clients came in at her wits end. She came home to find her dog had created a HUGE hot spot over her hip and rump area. It was bad enough that this person felt she could no longer give her pet the care she needed. Heartbroken, she surrendered her in hopes someone else would be able to fulfill the obligation.

Meet Ary...



She is as sweet as she looks in her video debut. The hot spot she's sporting on her right has improved a great deal in just the two days she's been with us. From her previous allergy testing, we found out she's allergic to many of the local grasses and pollen, fleas and a variety of other environmental allergens. We suspect she may also have a food allergy component as her itching is constant...all year long. We've started her on a food trial to determine what proteins are her triggers.

Before you judge her previous owner too harshly, having a pet with allergies isn't easy. In fact, it's downright difficult at times and frustrating as hell. The larger the dog, the more costly medications will be. If they're lucky, caretakers of pets with allergies are able to find out the combinations of shampoos, oral medications and other therapy that work early on in their treatment plans. Realistically, it can take many attempts and treatment failure before improvement is noticeable. Visits to the veterinarian can be long and drawn out and just because one rash responded to antibiotics doesn't mean the next one won't be caused by yeast. Allergies for pets are ever changing...

and that's exactly what ends up becoming the last straw for many pet owners. Some give up entirely. They curl up into a fetal position and hope the allergies just go away. Others decide to ignore the problems. As long as their pet is eating and drinking, who cares if they scratch, chew and lick themselves raw 24/7? They'll put up with the smelly ears and skin because they've become immune to it.

The rest of the world is not...

It takes a village to raise children and it takes that and more to help manage pet allergies. It takes patience, dedication and understanding that allergies will NEVER be cured.

Let me repeat that in case you missed it. Never. Be. Cured. They can be managed and quiet effectively but it will take time to figure out what works and what doesn't for your furbaby. It takes a close working relationship with your veterinarian to help you find the combinations of therapies that make your pet comfortable.

If you feel like you are up for the challenge, and you live in or near the Seattle Metro area, why not meet Ary and see if you have a connection? Who knows? You just may be the one to bring great joy to this wonderful creature's life.

Come over to Ary's Facebook page and say hello! 

Until next time,

Dr. Tammy

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