#FurbabyFridays: The Oath That Breaks Your Heart

This has been one hell of a week for me the veterinarian.  I’ve seen the best of pet owners and the very worst humanity has to offer. It’s the worst cases that weigh heavily on my heart today. I’m at a loss as to how to fix the overall ignorance of more and more of the people walking into our hospital doors. At every single turn we’re tossed road blocks and speed bumps that prevent us from upholding the oath we take when we become veterinarians.  Not only are we prevented from upholding it, we are constantly told we aren’t doing what we’re sworn to do by clueless individuals. These people have no idea what the oath states and most assuredly no understanding for what those words mean.  Here’s what the veterinarians before 2010 recited at their graduation ceremonies:

Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge.

I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

Now here’s the “revised oath” adopted by the AVMA since 2010 and recited by every graduate of a veterinary school in the United States.

Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.

I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

Read the words carefully. Where in there does it say that as veterinarians we are obligated by our oath to give away our services for free? Yes, we can and do eliminate suffering for animals presented to us by offering humane euthanasia at no cost. Yes, we do stabilize an animal that is in shock and pain until the owners can be found at no charge to the owner. Yes we do perform many services, nursing and supportive care to our four legged patients in need, often at a reduced or NO COST to the owner of the pet.   But nowhere in that oath does it say we have to vaccinate you pets for free, microchip your pets for free, give you free medications to treat your pet that’s been sick for months all for free.

Nowhere does it say we are responsible for your decision to NOT vaccinate your 10 month old puppy and then have to give you all the medications necessary to treat the same puppy because it contracted parvo due to YOUR negligence.

Nowhere does it say we have to perform the third C-section on your dog because you refuse to have her spayed after the first difficult pregnancy.  You didn’t think her “son” would breed with her since they were “related” even after we told you that doesn’t matter in the animal kingdom!

Nowhere does it say that we have to keep treating each and every new puppy you bring into our clinic with parvo FOR FREE because you didn’t listen to us when we told you the virus is deadly and can survive in the environment for at least six months to a year. We BEGGED you not to bring another puppy into your contaminated house and yard and yet you decided you and Dr. Google knew better than those of us who “took an oath.”

I take my oath very seriously that’s why I spend the time with you in the exam room and on the many phone calls you make to my hospital daily. I’m not trying to “rip you off” by recommending “unnecessary” tests. I’m trying to give the information you need to make informed decisions about the care and wellbeing of your pet.  Part of that oath I took implores me to “protect animal health and welfare.” I’m trying to do that by recommending the appropriate vaccinations for your pet’s lifestyle, the proper flea control methods and heartworm preventatives.  I’m “promoting public health” by discussing and recommending flea control for all of your pets, routine dewormings and fecal testing.  Many diseases can be spread to humans through parasites that infect animals. This is part of my job daily…and the bane of my life as a veterinarian.

Why?  Because so called experts online and those in the community who’ve “owned pets all their lives” claim to know more than I do and tell many of my clients to ignore all vets. “You don’t need that fancy flea control. Just feed your animals garlic.” “You don’t need no heartworm prevention. I’ve had dogs for over 30 years and not one of them have ever got it.”   “They’re all about money.”

Not in my hospital. Each and every one of my colleagues, nursing staff, and receptionists bust their butts daily for the health and wellbeing of our patients and their owners.  We work short-handed and hours after our scheduled shifts to make sure our patients get the care they need. We hold our patients in their last moments on this earth when their owners couldn’t bear to watch them die or just didn’t want to deal with them anymore.

At the beginning of the week, I had to step in and tell a pet owner enough was enough. No amount visits to my office or specialists were going to bring back their beloved Dalmatian to his glory. The poor thing was in full dementia, could no longer stand and refused to eat. He continued to yelp out in pain and at times for no apparent reason. This wasn’t the dog I first saw in my office many years ago. This was a shell of skin and bones the owner clung to. Both were suffering and I had to beg my client to please let me take away his best friend’s pain.

So the next time you think veterinarians are just out to get your money, think about that Dalmatian and his best friend and owner.  Think about YOUR responsibility as the owner and guardian of your own pets. Maybe if perspective pet owners had to take an oath such as the one I had to take, there wouldn’t be so many unwanted animals in the shelters. 

Maybe there still wouldn’t be so many unvaccinated puppies dying of distemper and parvovirus  annually.  Maybe there wouldn’t be owners just callously tossing their little Yorkie aside because they didn’t want to be bothered with the nursing care it would take to save her.  Instead, they tossed a hundred dollar bill down and walked out munching on their McMuffin as they went.

Maybe there would be more people setting up relief organizations that help pet owners with the cost of the care of their pets instead of pushing it off onto veterinarians and overcrowded shelters because we “took an oath.”

Maybe there would be more people spreading the CORRECT information about what it takes to keep pets healthy instead of perpetuating mistruths and Old Wives tales as facts. 

And maybe there wouldn’t be such a high rate of burn out in this profession.  Walk a few days in my shoes and you’ll learn a hell of a lot more than you ever wanted to know about the joys and the sorrows of being a veterinarian or veterinary technician.  The fuzzy kittens and chubby puppies will steal your heart while the injuries and diseases that attack them will shatter it into a million pieces.

~Dr. Tammy

#FurbabyFridays: Paint Ball Toxicosis in Dogs

I was perusing "Doctor Google" doing additional research for topics I wish to discuss for my Fur baby feature  when I ran into one of the sites that showcase questions answered by regular Joe Schmoes. Occasionally you will see someone who has the credentials answering the questions, but more often than not it's just people giving their two cents.

This time I found a question posted from a person whose dog eats paint balls on a regular basis—a lot of them. You see, they shoot their paint ball guns in their backyard at targets. The dog would then chase those that miss the targets and gulp them down before anyone can stop it. The question this person posed to the group was "Should I be concerned?"

Well, besides the usual "are you an idiot?" answers, there were a few who tried to help. One was a veterinarian who did give the correct information, but a couple of people still weighed in after that response with totally FALSE information although it was coming from the right place and they were genuinely concerned for the dog.

What's the REAL beef with paint balls?

Besides being called "paint" balls, there isn't any actual paint in them at all. Their ingredients vary depending on the manufacturer, but they usually include polyethylene glycol, glycerol/glyerin, gelatin, mineral oil, dye, ground pig skin and water. Many also contain sorbitol. The ingredients highlighted in hot pink are what are of concern here and what can lead to the symptoms associated with paint ball toxicosis. We'll get to that in a moment, but first...

If it's not the PAINT/lead toxicity that's the problem, what is?

Polyethylene glycol, glycerin and sorbitol are all what we refer to as osmotically active agents.  In other words, they pull water from the body's tissues and into the bowels. When this happens, it throws off the electrolyte balance of the body. The most worrisome change would be hypernatremia...elevated sodium levels. It's when this occurs rapidly, like when eating large numbers of paint balls or chronically ingesting them, that we get the problems. The organ most affected by the high sodium is the brain. With rapid removal of the water from the brain cells, you will see a rapid decrease in brain volume, cerebral vessels may rupture causing hemorrhage. This in turn leads to the various neurological signs listed in the next section.

Click HERE to read about one pet owner's experience dealing with paint ball toxicosis in her beloved dog, Lilly.

Special note! The contents of the paint balls are nontoxic to humans with skin contact, BUT they are not intended for consumption by people or animals. So it's best to avoid doing that for any and all species. There are reports of many of these balls being left in wooded areas where wildlife can ingest them. The tell tale signs are the rainbow colored vomit and feces. It's imperative that these forms of "ammo" be contained and properly disposed of for all concerned.

What are the clinical signs of paint ball toxicosis?

Symptoms can occur shortly after ingestion but sometimes can take several hours to become evident. In the case of chronic ingestion of a ball or two at at time, we may not see these signs at all. The body can compensate and correct the abnormalities if there are very little in the system at a time. Unfortunately, with our fur babies, this is usually NOT the case and the amount eaten can be quite large. Some of the containers have hundreds of them. Now add in those left in yards and paint ball game areas, and the number can easily grow exponentially.

Here's the list of the most commonly seen symptoms

1. vomiting and diarrhea with or without the technocolor
2. weakness
3. blindness
4. increased heart rate
5. fever or even low body temperature
6. seizures
7. coma
8. death

How do you treat it?

The dogs must be hospitalized for a minimum of twenty-four hours. If it has been less than one hour after the ingestion, vomiting will be induced. After the first hour, there will be multiple warm water enemas. This serves two purposes. The first is to help promote the passage of the paint balls and the second is to help replace the water the balls continue to pull out of the body the longer they are present in the intestines.

Other supportive therapy will depend on the clinical signs exhibited. These include intravenous fluids, anti-nausea medications, anti-seizure medications, and close monitoring of blood gas and electrolytes. Most patients will recover within 24-48 hours if supportive care is implemented immediately. Paint ball toxicosis can be fatal, so instead of spending time online asking non-veterinary personnel if your dog's habit of eating paint balls should be of concern, call your veterinarian or a veterinary emergency hospital immediately. It could very well mean the difference between life and death for your fur baby. 

The Honor and Privilege of Caring for a Pet

Here we are once again in the world of my day job as a small animal veterinarian. After nearly 19 years of taking care of my furry four-legged patients, I can honestly say I have seen just about everything. Does that mean I am not still surprised or shocked by the behavior of some "pet guardians?" Far from it! I don't think there is a day that goes by that I'm not bewildered by someone's lack of knowledge when it comes to the medical care their pet needs, but what has to get under my skin more often than not, is the willingness for some to believe any advice given to them by anyone who is not a veterinarian. You should hear the reasons that come up to defend why these people haven't brought their pet in for a routine check up before the animal becomes deathly ill.


I've heard it all. 


"My breeder told me not to get any vaccinations until Spot was six months old." Vaccinations start around 8 weeks of age and are given every month until they are 4-41/2 months old. This schedule is done in order to get past the mother's antibodies that could still be circulating in their system. There is no set time that these antibodies can still be present, but usually by the time they are 4 months old, they are gone. At that point, that last booster will be able to protect the pet for a year.  Only one booster is not enough for most of them. These vaccines need at least a series of two in order to boost the immune system properly.  Waiting until six months old is just putting your pet at risk for coming in contact with a disease they cannot fight off.


"You took an oath. You have to take care of my pet at no charge." I did take an oath and here is what I pledged.

"Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine,

I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills

for the benefit of society

through the protection of animal health,

the relief of animal suffering,

the conservation of livestock resources,

the promotion of public health

and the advancement of medical knowledge.

I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity

and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.

I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement

of my professional knowledge and competence."

No where in there does it say I have to give away my services for free. Yes, there are circumstances where I do euthanize an animal who is in a lot of pain whether or not the owner has the money to pay for it.  The bottom line is that it's the pet owner's responsibility to do the best they can to take care of their pet's needs. Sometimes we are able to do some services at a greatly reduced rate due to the generosity of other clients and community programs. Unfortunately, these funds do run out quickly and have strict rules about how the money gets distributed.


"All you vets care about is money."
So not true! We got into this profession because we love animals and want to help keep them happy and healthy. All we have is our knowledge. That office call/exam charge covers the physical exam, discussion of our findings and our recommendations as well as answering any questions you may have. For new puppies and kittens, this first exam can be a long one especially for new pet owners. We want to make the experience of owning and caring for a pet enjoyable for the whole family.


We call owners back with results of their pet's blood work usually the following day. How many of you can say the same for your own physician? Not only do we put in 10-12 hour days at least 4 days a week seeing patients, we perform surgery, review blood work, review x-rays, perform in house testing such as cytology of ear swabs to diagnose infection, skin scrapings to look for mites. We council our clients through all stages of their pet's lives from females giving birth to their first litters, to helping the children understand the loss of their 'best friend" to cancer.  Physicians do some of that during their day, but not all of it. I would like to see them do all of it and with more than one species! Oh, for less than 1/4 the salary to boot!


"I can't afford to vaccinate this new puppy. I spent my rent money to get her in the first place. When she starts having pups then I'll get her the shots."
If you don't vaccinate her when she is a puppy, she will be at risk of catching life threatening diseases. If she is lucky enough to make it to breeding age without vaccines, then her pups will not be protected when they are born. So if they are exposed to parvo for example, not only could you lose the entire litter, you could lose the breeding dog you got in the first place. No dog. No pups. No money.


"Yeah, three days ago after I saw my dogs eating the D-con I called that poison control hotline. They told me to bring them in right away to a vet, but I didn't do it. They seemed fine then, but now they are really weak and don't look so good."
This actually happened not too long ago. This case broke our hearts. If the owner would have taken the advice right in the beginning, we could have saved both of his dogs. Instead, the poison worked it's way into their systems, interfered with their body's ability to clot and both young dogs were bleeding to death.  The owner brought them in too late.

"What do you mean, my dog has diabetes? That's a human disease!"
Animals can get diabetes, epilepsy, cancers of all kinds, autoimmune diseases, allergies, allergic reactions, poisoned by foods and medications that are technically safe for humans, severe arthritis, cognitive disorder (similar to Alzheimer's disease), liver failure, kidney failure and heart failure. That's just the short list!

"Can't you just call up Hawaii and put a rush on the paperwork? I am moving next week and want to take my dog with me and don't have the time to go through all the testing they require."
Sorry, no we can't. Other countries around the world make up their own rules for entry. Hawaii does the same. These areas are considered free of Rabies and they want to keep it that way. No amount of begging on anyone's part is going to change their rules. If you want to travel to Hawaii, or out of the United States in general, do your research! Call the embassy of the country in question and ask them their latest regulations. DO NOT go by what the airlines tell you!  They haven't got a clue what the countries require and could care less if your pet is rejected at the borders.




Yes folks, people actually say things like that to me and other veterinarians. It gets worse. There are breeders out there that put in their contracts to not trust veterinarians because we "just want to give them vaccines they don't need. Everyone knows that there hasn't been a case of distemper in years."  Oh really?  Don't know what rock these people live under, but diseases like distemper and parvo are still around, very contagious, and deadly.


"Dogs in the wild eat bones so it's just fine to give raw or cooked bones to your pets at anytime."  
No, it's not. Most dogs do not chew these up properly at all and pieces become stuck trying to pass. These are medical emergencies!


It's not cheap to treat these very ill animals. You can't "just give them a shot" and make it all better. They need fluids, antibiotics, anti-nausea medications, sometimes blood or plasma transfusions in the case of some poisons, dialysis as in the case of antifreeze ingestion, and even surgery to remove pieces of bones that have become lodged in the intestines. We don't think of these things when looking at that cute puppy or kitten up for adoption, but maybe we should. 

That free kitten you got outside of the grocery store is adorable, but now you have another 12-18 years to care for it. First there are vaccinations, dewormings, flea control, heartworm prevention and neutering all by the time the animal is six months old. There are annual exams and some vaccinations, food, bedding, litter and litter boxes, and grooming if the cat has long hair.  If you live in a small studio apartment, one kitten/cat is fine, but don't try to squeeze in 3 or more. You need to provide them with one litter box per cat plus one additional one in order to keep the peace even if you allow your cats to go outdoors. If you don't, you will create a situation where the cats are crowded, stressed and urinating all over the place to show their displeasure besides the inevitable fights between them, or  god forbid them attacking you.


Your veterinarian wants you and your pets to have long and healthy lives together. They want to work with you to accomplish this. It's not one size fits all. You need to find a veterinarian you feel comfortable with and who you feel will help you offer the best care for your furry friend. Get out and interview veterinarians to find the best fit for you. Tour the hospitals and clinics in your area. Find out where the emergency clinics are if the local veterinarians do not have emergency hours.  If you invest the time and effort, you will have a veterinarian and nursing staff that you can trust.