Transcripts
Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the
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:people and rescues making a
difference in the lives of animals.
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:Hi everybody.
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:We're gonna have a very interesting
and informative episode today.
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:I'm sitting down here to chat with
my good friend and animal lover,
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:Charlotte, who is also a veterinarian.
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:Dr.
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:Milazzo, can you please tell
us a little bit about yourself?
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:Charlotte: I am Dr.
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:Charlotte Milazzo.
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:I am from New Orleans, Louisiana,
and I got my veterinary degree from
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:Tuskegee University in Alabama, and
I did my preceptorship in Australia.
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:A couple of externships in California.
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:And I like to do private practice
and charity work as well.
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:Birds are my favorite.
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:Everybody always asks.
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:Dixie: So, what's special about birds?
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:Why are they your favorite?
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:Charlotte: Well, they're forgotten
about by a lot of other vets.
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:Vets will say, oh no, I don't see birds.
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:And some things are pretty easy to take
care of with birds, but some things are
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:highly specialized 'cause they're so
different than all the other species.
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:They're just really cool creatures.
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:And the amount, the type of species
and the wide variety is huge.
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:There's so much diversity,
we've got raptors, we've got
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:parrots, we've got songbirds.
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:It's just interesting.
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:Dixie: I wanted to talk about a trend
that I'm seeing a lot on social media,
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:and it's basically where people get
on social media and they'll be having
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:some kind of veterinary emergency and
they're out there asking people for help.
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:Hey, what do I do?
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:So I wanted to quickly chat
about situations where people
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:should be going to the vet asap.
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:From your experience, what are some
of the most common situations where
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:pet owners hesitate to go to the
emergency room, but absolutely should?
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:Charlotte: Well, I, one of the hard ones
to make the call is when an animal eats
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:an object that is obviously dangerous
or something that's not gonna pass like
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:rope or material a lot of times it does
pass, but, some things are just obvious
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:foreign bodies that are gonna get stuck
and sometimes people will wait until the
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:animal gets really sick and they go in.
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:I think we probably see more cases
of object eating where people
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:wait too long than, coming in
and not needing to have come in.
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:So it's always best to catch
those things right away.
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:Dixie: I actually had a situation
with that when I was younger.
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:It was Christmas.
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:I had a relatively new cat.
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:He was probably about maybe
seven, eight months old.
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:And I saw him steal a piece of
ribbon off of a Christmas present.
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:Charlotte: Wow.
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:Dixie: And I saw him eat the ribbon
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:Charlotte: uhhuh.
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:Dixie: So I chased him down.
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:I tried to get it, couldn't get to him in
time, and I saw him swallow that ribbon.
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:Well, we ended up at the emergency vet.
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:It was like my worst Christmas ever.
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:Charlotte: Yep.
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:Dixie: And the vet had to
try to induce vomiting.
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:He vomited several times.
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:And it never came up.
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:Charlotte: Yep.
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:Dixie: And so the vet was
like, are you sure that, are
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:you sure you saw him eat it?
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:I'm like, I am absolutely
100% certain that he ate it.
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:Oh, well.
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:So they did send him home.
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:They said they thought that maybe
I just didn't see it correctly.
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:Charlotte: Uhhuh.
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:Dixie: So we got home and they
just, they did tell me, look
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:out for vomiting and diarrhea.
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:But we got home and he
did end up throwing it up.
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:Charlotte: Well that's good.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:So he did eat it.
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:Charlotte: Uhhuh.
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:Dixie: I wasn't wrong.
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:I did see him eat it.
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:Charlotte: Yep.
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:Dixie: So, what would you say about that?
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:Should people be a hundred
percent certain that they see them
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:eat it?
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:Charlotte: If you have any idea that
you think your animal ate something bad?
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:If you even have that inkling and the
animal seems in any way distressed, yes,
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:you definitely need to go to the er.
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:Also with like medications I have like.
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:Dogs and cats that will get into human
medications, eat a whole bottle of
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:like blood pressure medicine or ADD
medication or something like that.
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:And you have about 20 minutes
to get them to puke it up.
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:Sometimes emergency vets will tell
people to give a little bit like a
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:teaspoon or so of hydrogen peroxide to
get the animal orally, to get the animal
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:to throw up, especially if it's pills
because you only really have about.
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:10, 15 minutes really with some
pills before they start to be
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:metabolized and absorbed in the GI.
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:So, otherwise if not you need to rush to
the hospital and have them induce vomiting
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:so they can vomit up as many of those
pills as they can or whatever they ate.
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:You have to be careful too because
sometimes if they eat things like
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:batteries, like those button batteries.
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:You don't want them to vomit in those
case cases, they have to be opened up
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:because if they vomit that up, the acid
in the stomach, it's gonna burn the
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:esophagus and everything on the way up.
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:Same thing with things like bleach.
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:If an animal like eats a bleach bottle,
like gel bleach pen or something like
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:that, and they manage to get it down,
you probably don't want them throwing
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:that up again because it's just gonna
irritate the esophagus on the way up.
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:So it depends on what they ate.
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:And another big one too is
tampons, feminine products,
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:baby diapers, dental floss.
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:Those are all the things that we
pull out of animals, underwear.
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:All kinds of things.
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:So, if you see your animal eating
that, then it's time to go in.
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:A lot of people wait days and days,
and then by that time we have to go
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:in and remove sections of intestine
that have died and things like that.
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:And then the outcome of the
surgery is generally not very
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:good in, in a lot of those cases.
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:String foreign bodies like the ribbon,
you have to really be careful about.
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:If you think your animal has swallowed
a ribbon, the first place you wanna
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:check is the back of their tongue.
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:If you can, you should open the mouth
and check the base of the tongue.
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:There are cats that I have seen
that have played with yarn.
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:I always tell people it's not
cute to give a kitten yarn.
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:Not at all.
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:So if you have a cat that
plays with yarn, no stop.
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:I pull way too much yarn out of animals.
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:So, it can get wrapped around the tongue
base, go through the entire GI and be
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:hanging out the butt end of the cat.
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:And people will call the ER and
say, well, should I pull the string
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:that's hanging from my cat's butt?
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:And I'll tell them, no.
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:Check under the tongue first, and
you'd be surprised how many people
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:find the beginning of the yarn or the
ribbon or whatever it is wrapped around
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:the base of the tongue dental floss.
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:You it's incredible to think that it
could travel that far out of the animal.
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:And the problem is they get in
distress pretty quickly because
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:it's like everything from mouth to
butt turns into an accordion, all,
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:bunched up together on a string.
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:So definitely keep strings
away from your animals.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:And
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:I hate that every time you see a
drawing of a kitten they always
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:have a fricking ball of yarn.
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:Charlotte: Yes.
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:Exactly.
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:Dixie: And I hate that because kittens
should not be playing with string.
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:They should not be playing with yarn.
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:Charlotte: Yep.
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:I'll see people give rope toys
sometimes to the wrong size animal.
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:And they'll have a large dog with a
rope toy that they could easily swallow.
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:And there's plenty of safe things for
them to chew on without giving them
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:anything that could be dangerous.
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:Dixie: If they have string like
hanging out of the butt and Yeah.
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:So if they have the string hanging
out the butt, they should not
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:pull it.
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:Charlotte: Never pull string
hanging out of a butt.
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:Now if they're defecating and you
see a little bit and you know they
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:can't poop and you're, you can
gently apply a little pressure.
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:But if you have to, if you have to
actually pull on it, leave it alone.
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:If you can wipe it with a Kleenex or a
paper towel and it comes off or out, okay?
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:If you have to pull it, do not
pull it, go immediately to the er.
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:Dixie: Because I can imagine it
can get tangled on intestines
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:and all kinds of stuff too.
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:Charlotte: Oh yeah.
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:Dixie: Not just The tongue base.
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:Charlotte: Yep
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:Dixie: so are there other
situations aside from.
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:Foreign bodies.
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:Charlotte: Well, I see a lot of
unnecessary visits to the emergency room.
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:Well, I guess we'll talk
about the necessary ones.
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:Bloat in dogs is a big one
where people will see just the
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:animal uncomfortable pacing.
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:Sometimes there's
vomiting, but not always.
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:Sometimes the stomach can twist
and nothing's coming in or out.
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:It's extremely painful.
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:And if you stand over
the animal, you can see.
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:One side, bulging and it's, you can even
ping it and it sounds like a basketball
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:or some other air-filled cavity.
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:And it, if you don't decompress it very
soon, it will it can actually rupture.
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:So, there's certain breeds that are
more predisposed to that, like, mostly
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:large dogs and deep chested dogs
like German shepherds, greyhounds,
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:poodles standard sized poodles.
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:Dobermans they are one of those
that are suspect for bloat.
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:So, a lot of times when they eat, they'll
eat too quickly and swallow a lot of air.
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:And that can also be the
cause of like air bloat.
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:Sometimes they can bloat from
eating too much food, but usually
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:if the dangerous one is air bloat.
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:Dixie: Now, I don't know if it's
true, but I've heard something
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:about not giving them ice either.
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:Can ice cause bloat?
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:Charlotte: Not necessarily.
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:I think if you have an animal that has
a sensitive GI, that may be a bad idea.
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:I.
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:Most of the time, ice
really isn't gonna matter.
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:I'd be more worried about them
choking on it or, aspirating on a,
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:on something the size of an ice cube.
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:'cause some ice cubes are just
perfect to fit down the trachea.
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:But as far as it being cold, that's
really shouldn't be an issue.
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:But they even tell human athletes, that,
if you're overheated, sometimes it's a
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:bad idea to drink something that's very
cold, so it may cause cramping, but it's
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:certainly not gonna, cause anything major?
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:I always tell people two things.
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:You must go to the ER for if an animal
can't breathe and that it's turning blue.
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:This is not a regular thing,
meaning you, you have a boxer or
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:a French bulldog that gets excited
and they turn blue for a second.
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:If they're coughing or they
have a reverse sneeze situation
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:going on that's one thing.
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:But if you think they've inhaled food and
they look like they're really struggling,
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:it's time to, to get to the er.
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:But some of the things you can try at
home, if it's a dog that you can pick
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:up actually holding it upside down.
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:Is an excellent way to get something
out of a trachea with a small animal
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:or even a small person if need be.
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:People always forget, work with gravity.
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:So that's another one that you
a must for going to the er.
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:Bleeding.
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:Anything that's bleeding, that's
spurting blood a few inches up,
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:yes, you need to apply quick
pressure and get them to the er.
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:Things like toenails, bleeding
toenails, or dogs that bite their
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:tongues sometimes there can be a lot
of blood associated with that, but it's
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:not like a dangerous amount of blood.
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:So, I have never seen an animal
bleed out from a toenail ever though.
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:Generally toenails do
not need to go to the er.
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:It's always best to have quick
stop, which is some like styptic
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:powder that people use for shaving.
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:You can pack on the end of the toenail.
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:You can even use cooking flour in a
real emergency to help congeal some of
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:that blood at the base of the toenail.
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:And that's one of the
most painful injuries.
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:I see that in the ER a lot because
the dogs will limp and people
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:will think, oh, it's a broken leg.
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:It's a toenail that's cracked.
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:So I always say if your dog's limping
or your cat's limping, first thing
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:you should do is check the toenails.
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:If you can't do anything
else, at least do that.
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:And that's one thing you can rule out.
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:Dixie: I'd like to get
into cats a little bit too.
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:What are gonna be some of your more common
emergencies that you're gonna see in cats?
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:Charlotte: Cats.
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:One of the big things we see with cats,
especially male cats, is bladder stones.
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:And what happens is it they get a
stone in the bladder, same way that
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:people get stones in their bladder
and kidneys and other places as well.
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:The only problem is the urinary
tract of male cats is so small.
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:It's like a couple of hairs.
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:wide.
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:So if they get even just a little bit
of grit in their urine or a stone,
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:it can easily block the bladder from
draining into the urethra, especially
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:in a male because it's much smaller
and it has to go through the penis.
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:So, a lot of times they'll get
blocked and people don't realize that
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:their cat hasn't urinated for a day
or two and they're acting strange.
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:They're crying, they're just laying there.
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:And if they're starting to be in dire
emergency state, . You can even squeeze
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:the area of their body where their bladder
should be just around the pelvis from
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:underneath the abdomen, and you can feel,
it feels sometimes like the size of a
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:lemon or a baseball and it's completely
filled with urine and they can't urinate.
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:And it's a series of emergency.
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:So as soon as we get them
in, we try to sedate them
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:immediately and pass a catheter.
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:If we can't pass a catheter to push
the stone back into the bladder.
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:We'll we have to go in and, aspirate or
suck some of the urine out with a syringe
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:and needle to give them some relief so
we have a little time to work and that
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:they're not, in danger of their bladder
rupturing because if they don't get
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:attention for that, they, their bladder
will rupture and it will kill them and
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:that it's not a very pleasant way to go.
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:So I've unfortunately seen some some
folks that maybe didn't have the
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:funds to go to the emergency vet.
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:I think they can do something at
home, and unfortunately I've had to
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:tell them sometimes euthanasia is the
kindest option in those cases because
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:it's not a nice way to pass with your
bladder ruptured and dying of sepsis.
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:So if that's the case, it's
always best to put your animals'
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:feelings ahead of yours for sure.
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:Yeah, and
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:Dixie: Dr.
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:Milazzo also helped me with my cat Kipper.
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:Charlotte: Yes.
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:Dixie: Would you like to take the
credit for Kipper , Dr Milazzo?
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:Charlotte: Well, just to give
you guys an idea, I'm 45, so I'm
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:on the route to becoming what
we call a dinosaur veterinarian.
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:So I still know some of the old ways
of teaching and some of the quick fixes
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:that we've had to do to save animals.
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:Almost like battlefield medicine.
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:And sometimes that comes in handy,
especially when there are a lot
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:of young vets around that are
very smart, very on top of things,
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:very into the latest and the best
techniques and the current research.
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:And so, there's a little bit battle
between the dinosaur vets and the new
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:vets about what to do with blocked cats.
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:And over the 20 years
that I've been practicing.
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:I can tell you that the proof is in the
pudding and what I see when I treat it,
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:what cats get better and what cats don't.
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:And a lot of times when you have a
cat that either has a stone or has
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:severe urethral inflammation, so much
so that it's so swollen that they
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:can't pee and it's not necessarily a
stone, but it's just swelling of the
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:urethra that keeps them from urinating.
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:You have to go in and you have to put a
catheter in there just like a human would
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:get in the hospital so that they're able
to urinate from the bed or whatever.
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:And you have to leave that in there
for at least two to three days.
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:So that while the inflammation is
going on going down and you give
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:antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
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:The body has a chance to be able
to rid itself of waste products.
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:And while the inflammation is
stopping and you don't have to
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:worry about re blocking up again.
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:Now, there's a newer school of
thought that, that says, the
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:catheter shouldn't be in that long.
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:It needs to be taken out after,
10 or 12 hours, or sometimes even
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:less once the cat is unblocked
because it's a source of infection.
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:Well.
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:My, my train of thought is that you
don't have to worry about infection
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:killing you if your bladder ruptures.
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:So, you gotta pick the
lesser of two evils.
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:So the funny story is how Dixie and I
became friends many years ago was when
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:Kipper was blocked and for the first time.
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:Usually some male cats will happen
once in a lifetime, sometimes
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:twice if it becomes a repeat thing.
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:And they like, they're going into the
emergency several times with this.
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:Then they have to get what's called
a urethrotemy which is basically
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:they remove the penis and they
make a new opening that's much
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:larger for the bladder to drain.
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:So, it's basically just like they
will, most of them leak urine
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:after that, but it's a surgery that
you can do to save their lives.
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:But it's not something that
you wanna do on a cat that's
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:been blocked once in its life.
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:'cause chances are it had an infection.
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:And once we clear up the infection
or get rid of the stone and change
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:the diet, it won't happen again.
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:So Kipper went into a local er and they.
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:Wanted to perform a urethrotemy on
Kipper after he was there for the day.
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:And I wasn't at work that day, but
I was chit-chatting with Dixie here.
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:And I was out on the town in
my much younger days having
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:a drink and I got very angry.
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:I was like, I'm not letting
them cut your cat's penis off.
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:So I said, do I sound sober
enough to call the emergency room?
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:And Dixie says.
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:maybe, but just don't use the F word.
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:So, so at which point I instructed
her to go and get her cat in any
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:state that was in and bring it
to me first thing in the morning.
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:And thankfully she listened to
me and I saw the cat and we were
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:able to catheterize him a few
days and he lived the rest of his
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:life not having to have a Romy.
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:So, 'cause that's a big thing, that's like
a person getting like a colostomy bag.
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:Imagine if you had constipation one
day and somebody said, well, we're
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:gonna just give you a colostomy bag.
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:No that's definitely not the answer.
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:So, before you agree
to a surgery like that.
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:May maybe ask an older vet.
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:I don't know.
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:It's just a thought.
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:Us old folks, and I say I'm old,
but there's plenty of vets in their
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:eighties that are still practicing.
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:So I guess they think I'm a youngin still.
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:But if you run it by an older vet and
they make a face, chances are you might
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:wanna reconsider or get a second opinion.
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:Dixie: And Kipper never had a problem.
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:Charlotte: Exactly.
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:Dixie: After that it was just a
one time thing and we put him on
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:the special diet and that was it.
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:We never had a another problem.
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:Now I did watch 'em like a hawk.
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:To make sure.
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:Charlotte: Yep.
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:Dixie: And so some of the signs
that I would like to say if you see
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:first inappropriate elimination.
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:Charlotte: Yep.
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:Dixie: Okay.
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:Don't go on Facebook, don't
go on social media and ask.
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:Why is my cat peeing
outside the litter box?
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:Go to a vet because it could be
a sign of something much worse.
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:Charlotte: Exactly.
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:It could be just a UTI or infection.
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:It could be behavioral.
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:But if your cat always uses a litter box
and it stops, something is usually wrong.
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:And a lot of times if they urinate
in strange places to get your
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:attention, something's wrong.
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:Inappropriate.
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:Elimination is.
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:Probably more of a sign of issues
in cats than it is in dogs.
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:Sometimes dogs like to
mark certain things.
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:Of course, cats do too, but with cats
it's usually a sign that something
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:hurts them or something's going wrong.
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:Dixie: I'd also like to talk a
little bit about people who just
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:do fostering for younger animals.
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:So we're gonna talk about like
bottle kittens and bottle puppies.
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:Of course, I'm more familiar
with the bottle kittens.
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:'cause that's what I do.
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:So I see something frequently with
people when they have the bottle kittens.
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:The kittens might start to
dehydrate 'cause they're not
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:giving them say, enough fluid.
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:What is a good way for somebody to test
for that, to see if they're dehydrated?
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:Charlotte: Well, you can check
what's called their skin tur
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:or how wrinkled the skin is.
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:If you pull up the skin, either, on
their side or at the scruff area or
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:anywhere really, and you pick it up and
it tenses or it stays up in the pinch
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:position for longer than a second.
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:Then they're probably dehydrated,
sunken eyes around the eye sockets.
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:You'll see that they're sunken in.
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:And also of course really dark,
strong urine and not urinating
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:enough as well as a, is a pretty
good sign of dehydration too.
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:Weakness also.
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:And another good thing since we brought
it up, not that it's related to, well, it
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:could be related to bottle kittens too.
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:A lot of times people
get kittens and puppies.
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:They'll come in and they'll say, oh my
gosh, my kitten or my puppy is really
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:weak, and it's just laying there.
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:It's breathing.
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:It's okay, but it's just laying there.
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:Sometimes I've had, I've told people
before they do anything, as long
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:as the animal was breathing and not
obstructed in any way, like choking
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:on anything, I've told them to get
some plain karo syrup or pancake
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:syrup and rub it on the animal's gums.
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:A lot of times puppies and kittens
suffer from hypoglycemia or low
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:blood sugar if they miss a feeding,
or let's say mom got distracted
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:and didn't feed them and they went.
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:A little bit too long without a feeding.
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:Their blood sugar can drop
and they look horrible.
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:They look like death, and then all of a
sudden they're up and running around again
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:and it's because their blood sugar drops.
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:So that's always
something to keep in mind.
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:If you see a recumbent animal
that looks normal, otherwise, gums
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:are pink, they're breathing okay.
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:There's no bleeding anywhere.
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:They're not painful, but they
just look listless sometimes
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:a little bit of pancake syrup.
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:Which is probably the safest thing
to give them so they don't choke.
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:Rub it on the gums and it'll
be absorbed pretty quickly.
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:Dixie: Yep.
421
:And that is something
that I have done plenty
422
:times and they usually pop
right back up after that.
423
:Charlotte: Yep.
424
:Like if you find abandoned kittens,
a lot of times if they're weak,
425
:that's the first thing you should do.
426
:Along with hydrating them is
get their blood sugar back up.
427
:Dixie: Another thing that I would
like to talk about too is parasites
428
:and the little babies like that.
429
:Because I've seen situations where
the parasites can really do a number.
430
:Charlotte: Oh, yes.
431
:Dixie: And I know like coccidia and
Giardia are two really big ones.
432
:So what are signs of that people
would need to look out for?
433
:Charlotte: Usually they look bad.
434
:They're they're on the thin side.
435
:They have watery diarrhea.
436
:Sometimes it's discolored and green,
sometimes there's a strange odor to it.
437
:And the one thing to remember about things
like that is, especially, let's say.
438
:You find a cat in either a hoarding
situation or a kitten in a hoarding
439
:or even a cat in a hoarding situation
or where they're in an unclean
440
:environment that has a lot of animal
feces around sometimes will get them.
441
:And those are the ones that are
prone to having things like that.
442
:It's easy to get stuck in places.
443
:I've seen some rescues that
don't have very good cleaning.
444
:protocol.
445
:And so what'll happen is they'll
have one kitten that comes in with
446
:giardia or coccidia and they'll
clean, but they don't clean enough.
447
:And then the next batch of
kittens that come in also gets it.
448
:And it just continues in to persist
because they haven't cleaned properly
449
:or they haven't done a, like a
proper quarantine to make sure that
450
:any new animals that come in aren't
having profuse watery diarrhea.
451
:Dixie: Yeah.
452
:That's why I always
quarantine all my kittens.
453
:Charlotte: Yep, yep.
454
:I see it all the time and people
are like, why do all my kittens
455
:come to come and get sick?
456
:Everyone, they all have diarrhea.
457
:No.
458
:You just need to clean a little
bit better and practice a
459
:little bit different intake.
460
:And it doesn't mean that you have to
treat them like a, hospital patient,
461
:like things were, no, it just means you
need to keep them alone and keep the
462
:ones that have not been exposed to the
other ones away until, and then if you
463
:see diarrhea, you just keep 'em separate
and clean, it's not a hard thing, but
464
:it's an accumulation of all the little
things you do that make a successful
465
:like a shelter or rescue situation.
466
:I worked at a very fancy hospital in
another state at one point, and the kennel
467
:staff cleaned with a rag in a bucket in
detergent, or it was an antibacterial
468
:detergent, but still each cage was wash
washed with the same like rag and sponge.
469
:So I saw multiple cases of
diarrhea from boarding animals,
470
:and it didn't look unclean.
471
:It didn't smell unclean, but you're
transferring bacteria from cage to cage.
472
:So if one animal has something now
they all have it, so that's a big one.
473
:And then when you're talking about
parasites, like actual worms, coccidia
474
:and giardia are parasites, but they're
more akin to a bacteria than actual worms.
475
:You're not gonna see giardia, you're
not gonna see coccidia in the stool.
476
:That's something microscopic.
477
:But if you see things like round worms
that look like spaghetti, anything
478
:that looks like spaghetti that's
coming out the butt, or sometimes
479
:vomited is usually a roundworm.
480
:We usually don't, sometimes you can see
hookworms, but they're much smaller.
481
:They have a mouth part that allows
them to attach to the wall of
482
:the intestine and suck blood.
483
:Hookworms can actually be much more
dangerous than roundworms because they
484
:can make them anemic and, suck all
the nutrients and blood from them.
485
:Whereas the roundworms just sit
around and obstruct the bowel.
486
:Maybe they stop absorption of nutrients,
but it's not quite the same as hookworms.
487
:Those, both, all those
eggs come from the ground.
488
:That's why they tell kids that
are playing in the sandbox.
489
:Wash your hands, kids playing outside.
490
:Wash your hands.
491
:You can also get them, you can get
worms from walking around barefoot
492
:because there's a certain stage of
the larva that will migrate through
493
:the skin and then pick up residents
through the bloodstream into the GI.
494
:So that's how people very often in rural
areas end up getting worms as well.
495
:So, making sure your animals on a regular
deworming routine or that the monthly meds
496
:that they take cover, that is important.
497
:People get overly
concerned about tape worms.
498
:I see that a lot on emergency people
freaking out because tape worms,
499
:they look like little grains of rice.
500
:People have also described
them to look like inch worms.
501
:And sometimes they can be a
little long, but usually they
502
:look like long grain rice, and
those do not come from the ground.
503
:They come from swallowing a flea.
504
:And an animal doesn't have to be
infested to have to have tape worms.
505
:All it takes is one flea.
506
:They can swallow, one flea while
they're licking themselves and.
507
:They've got tape worms.
508
:So one problem I have with that is
people will come in and they want me
509
:to treat the tape worms because they
see them coming out the butt or stuck
510
:to the fur and they're freaked out
by it and they think they can get it.
511
:And I have to tell the owners,
no, you cannot get tape worms
512
:unless you swallow a flea.
513
:You have to swallow a flea.
514
:So unless you're swallowing
fleas, you're gonna be okay.
515
:Yes, it's gross, but we can take
care of it and they'll want.
516
:Their animal to be treated for tape worms,
but then they don't get flea prevention.
517
:So they come back in a few weeks
and they're like, I thought
518
:you treated the tape worms doc.
519
:And I say, well.
520
:Your animals swallowed another flea.
521
:And even though they're on prevention,
sometimes they still swallow a flea.
522
:So it's just one of those
things you have to look out for.
523
:A lot of times tapeworms
don't usually cause problems.
524
:They just hang out and look gross,
but they can cause soft stool and
525
:they can cause their butts to itch.
526
:So if you see them rubbing their butts,
chances are it could be tapeworms or it
527
:could be their anal glands, which are.
528
:Two little glands at the opening of
the anus that have a lubricant in them.
529
:It's a remnant from wild animals that
when they eat bones and fur, not that
530
:our current domestic animals could
tolerate a diet of bones and fur.
531
:They still have those vestigial type
organs there and it's supposed to
532
:lubricate the feces on its way out.
533
:Our animals now do not have
bulky stools like that.
534
:So some of them have problems with
their anal glands and they need
535
:to come in to see me and I have to
express them, or, basically push on
536
:them so that they can evacuate those.
537
:And that will help with but itching, so
538
:Dixie: since you mentioned fleas of
course I always recommend people to
539
:go for flea prevention, the topicals.
540
:And the oral medication to go to a vet.
541
:You don't wanna go to the grocery
store to go get those things.
542
:Exactly.
543
:Charlotte: There is a particular brand
which starts with an H and ends with
544
:a Z that is sold commonly in stores
that I see repeated Intoxications
545
:with that topical medication.
546
:Specifically for cats.
547
:Also, you never want to use dog
flea prevention on cat and cat flea
548
:prevention on dog stay within the
species guidelines on the box, and
549
:also read how to administer it.
550
:I've seen some people administer
topical meds or meds that are put on
551
:the skin or applied to the skin orally.
552
:And I've seen some things.
553
:I've also seen somebody give a
suppository for the butt orally and
554
:wondered why there was a problem or
why the animal wasn't getting better.
555
:So always read your instructions and
if you have any doubts about where the
556
:medication goes and how to give it.
557
:Ask the vet, they will be more than happy
to answer any question that you have.
558
:So don't ever fear that
you're gonna look silly.
559
:We would much rather answer the
question than try to figure out
560
:the mystery of what happened later.
561
:But yeah you wanna ask the vet and
if you don't necessarily want to
562
:make an appointment to see a vet.
563
:You can at least establish
a relationship with one.
564
:My clients, even if they aren't coming
in to see me, I get a lot of questions
565
:or they want prescriptions filled for
flea prevention and I have no problem
566
:doing that as long as I have some
sort of established relationship with
567
:them and some sort of knowing that
they're gonna use the product correctly
568
:and I can keep it in their records.
569
:So I know if something comes
up or they have a problem, I
570
:can see what they've taken.
571
:Dixie: So another thing that I
would like to ask you about, this
572
:is something that people freak out
about all the time is ringworm,
573
:Charlotte: oh
574
:lord.
575
:Ringworm is the hot topic,
especially when it comes to rescue.
576
:People see missing fur that looks
like it could be in a round like
577
:shape on an animal, and they
completely lose their minds and.
578
:The first issue being that it's a zoonotic
disease, and that's a fancy word for
579
:saying humans can get it and species
can transfer it from one to another.
580
:So, that's part of the reason
why people freak out, but
581
:also the name freaks them out.
582
:Ringworm is not actually
a worm, it is a fungus.
583
:It is the same thing as athlete's
foot or jock itch that humans get.
584
:It is nothing dangerous.
585
:But the problem is
that, it is contagious.
586
:If you go walking around on
dirty gym floors, you're probably
587
:gonna get athletes' foot.
588
:Kittens that have ringworm, chances are
all of the kittens that were exposed and
589
:sometimes the people who handled them
will come up with a few ringworm spots.
590
:It is not anything to panic over.
591
:You go to the drugstore, you
get some antifungal cream.
592
:The same stuff you would use
on Athletes' Foot or Jock itch.
593
:You apply it to the lesions about
twice a day for a week or so, sometimes
594
:a little longer, and they go away.
595
:If you have an immunocompromised
person in the family or around, then
596
:that might be a little bit different.
597
:But basically that's how you
handle it without freaking out.
598
:, I see it all the time.
599
:One time I had to do a bunch of
exams for some rescue animals that
600
:were going to a different state.
601
:And I got a callback from one of
the rescue people screaming at me
602
:telling me, you let a puppy with
ringworm go to another state.
603
:And I'm like whoa.
604
:First of all, by the time we would have
taken a sample of the missing fur on
605
:the spot on the dog in question and
actually put it in a medium to grow out.
606
:It would've been several days
before we would have a positive.
607
:Like we would have an answer to
whether or not it was ringworm or not.
608
:So if you don't know, a little fungal
antifungal cream will not hurt.
609
:And as I had told them before, it
did not turn out to be ringworm.
610
:It was a scab that had fallen off
and it was in a round shape and the
611
:hair had to grow back on the animal.
612
:So a lot of times things that people
think are ringworm are not actually that
613
:just because they're round and hairless.
614
:You can look up pictures on Google
and see what ringworm looks like.
615
:But just remember that some of
those pictures are not accurate.
616
:And also some of them are
like worst case scenarios.
617
:It's like if you look up a disease
online, you're going to see someone
618
:in a third world country that has
such an advanced state of disease
619
:that we may not even recognize.
620
:What it is because it's so far gone.
621
:So, just be aware of that.
622
:When you look things up on the
internet, usually it's the worst
623
:case scenario that you'll see.
624
:And what you have in real life is
something that's barely questionable.
625
:And if you bring your animal to the vet.
626
:If you want an answer of yes or no, this
is definitely ringworm or not, it's gonna
627
:take days to grow out on a culture plate
before we know if it's actually ringworm.
628
:We can even look at it with a
black light and sometimes that will
629
:help identify it, but not always.
630
:So when in doubt, just go get
you some miconazole cream at the
631
:drugstore and you'll be good.
632
:Dixie: Another topic that I'd like
to touch on are gonna be three of the
633
:feline diseases that people see a lot of.
634
:So one of 'em is gonna be FIP.
635
:Which there, last year it seems
like there was a huge FIP outbreak.
636
:And then of course the feline leukemia.
637
:And FIV.
638
:Charlotte: Feline leukemia and FIV
are more like long-term illnesses.
639
:FIV is almost like a person that has HIV.
640
:It's not a death sentence.
641
:It just means we need to watch them
for passing on the disease or also
642
:having problems with their immune
system and catching other things.
643
:So that's a big part of that is,
is not the actual disease, but the
644
:things that, that go along with them.
645
:That's the problem.
646
:I see a lot of people that have maybe
one cat and they'll see that it tested
647
:positive for FIV or feline leukemia
and they wanna put it to sleep, or
648
:the vet suggests putting it to sleep.
649
:There's no need for that.
650
:Keep your cat inside and keep your
one cat or adopt another cat that's
651
:positive and they'll be okay.
652
:So, there's that FIP is
a little bit different.
653
:There's still a lot that's not completely
understood about FIP and it is.
654
:Very much a diagnosis of exclusion.
655
:We have to rule out a bunch of
other things to realize that it's
656
:FIP and it's one of those things
as you get to be older as a vet,
657
:you can pick them out as they come.
658
:But it's often a disease of excluding
other things like feline leukemia,
659
:FIV, and other immune diseases.
660
:Dixie: Now back to the
feline leukemia and FIV.
661
:Can you tell us how feline leukemia is
662
:transferred
663
:Charlotte: Well, basically blood
and saliva, and those are two
664
:things with cats especially if
they're un neutered or unspayed.
665
:They're mating.
666
:There's lots of biting going
on, they're scratching.
667
:And exchange of saliva and blood
in any kind of way is just,
668
:that's the way to pass it on.
669
:So, that's basically how
they contract these diseases.
670
:Dixie: When it comes
to the feline leukemia.
671
:I've always heard that one's a little bit
easier to catch so that if you have a cat
672
:that has feline leukemia, you do not wanna
bring another cat into the household.
673
:Charlotte: Exactly.
674
:Dixie: Now with the feline aids?
675
:Or FIV.
676
:Charlotte: Yeah.
677
:Dixie: That one I have heard it's more
difficult for a cat to catch that because
678
:you actually have to have a bite for that.
679
:Charlotte: Exactly.
680
:Dixie: So.
681
:There's a little bit of controversy
with that because you hear some
682
:people will say, oh, well no, an FIV
cat cannot live with a another cat.
683
:But then you have other people that
are like, no, as long as you have cats
684
:that don't fight and they're not biting
each other, then they're fine together.
685
:So what are your thoughts on that?
686
:Charlotte: I tend to agree as long as you
know what kind of risk you're assuming
687
:and you understand how the disease is
transmitted I'm of the thought that.
688
:If the cat's going to lose its home or
this cat would be otherwise put to sleep
689
:or put in a shelter, it would be better
off given a chance to get along with
690
:another cat in an inside environment to
be given a chance at a good home versus
691
:ending up at a shelter or ending up
being put down as long as they get along,
692
:There are vets that would
disagree with me on that.
693
:But especially here, we have so many
unwanted animals and so many animals
694
:that die in the shelters in Louisiana
that I feel like anything we can do
695
:to stop that, at least to try is good.
696
:Dixie: Another topic that I would
like to touch on a little bit too is
697
:if you are open to any alternative,
holistic, or say new age concepts
698
:when it comes to treating animals?
699
:Charlotte: Absolutely.
700
:I say the best medicine that we can
provide would be western medicine and
701
:eastern medicine or alternative medicines.
702
:If we could actually, if the
communities could get along.
703
:We could definitely do some wonderful
things for people and for animals.
704
:It's a shame though that people tend
to be extremists and either, okay,
705
:I want it textbook, I want drugs, I
want surgery, I want Western style.
706
:Or we have people that
are completely holistic.
707
:They won't give antibiotics.
708
:They do everything to avoid
surgeries and things like that.
709
:Sometimes things just need antibiotics.
710
:Sometimes they're not gonna
get better without surgery.
711
:But there are so many other
things, so many other modalities.
712
:Cold laser ultrasound, there are
herbal medications that are very good.
713
:Now you have to be careful 'cause people
think just because it's herbal, it's safe.
714
:No the way we've derived antibiotics
and every other drug that's manufactured
715
:is originally from nature, from plants
and compounds that already exist.
716
:So a drug is a drug, whether it's a
plant or it's been rendered in a lab
717
:to mimic the same makeup as a plant.
718
:It's all drugs and it's all
going in your body, whether it's
719
:from the ground or from a lab.
720
:So you have to be careful,
especially with human supplements.
721
:People will take all kinds of
things and not tell their doctors,
722
:and then bad things will happen if
their doctors give them medicine.
723
:So, like a prescription medicine.
724
:and they're taking certain herbal things.
725
:But I think if the two communities
work together, we would really
726
:benefit from each other.
727
:I've met some holistic vets that are anti
parasite drugs and things like heartworms.
728
:Here in the south we get heartworms
are carried by mosquitoes and if
729
:your animal is not on heartworm
prevention here, more so with dogs
730
:than cats, but cats can get heartworms.
731
:If they're off prevention, they're
probably going to contract heartworm
732
:because we have so many mosquitoes.
733
:In the Mississippi Delta
area that it's ridiculous.
734
:So, you have to do that, and the amount
of drug that it takes every month to keep
735
:away heartworms or an injection that lasts
for a few months is so minuscule and tiny
736
:and really has no lasting ill effects
to the liver or the kidneys or anything.
737
:It's necessary to do that.
738
:So I disagree with some holistic
739
:medical people that don't
believe in doing that.
740
:And also you need to use antibiotics when
antibiotics are warranted because nobody
741
:wants to get septic, certainly if you have
a minor infection, you can try things.
742
:One of, one of the things that I see
humans mess up all the time is, well,
743
:I'm not gonna get antibiotics for this
UTI, I'm gonna drink cranberry juice.
744
:While that's great.
745
:And cranberries, actually can help as a
natural way to rid yourself of bacteria.
746
:You would have to have like several pounds
of dried concentrate cranberry to eat
747
:in capsules at a much higher dose than
drinking a few glasses of cranberry juice.
748
:Sure, it'll help flush out, but
it's certainly not gonna fix
749
:something the way antibiotics would.
750
:Dixie: To touch on that a little bit
. How would you feel about some of the
751
:supplements that they have out that
would be for assisting with the cats
752
:that do have the urinary tract problems?
753
:Charlotte: I think it's great.
754
:I think there is certainly
nothing wrong with giving some
755
:of the cranberry supplements.
756
:That are veterinary tested and approved
for having efficacy and safety.
757
:Because sometimes if you get
products online or in, in pet stores,
758
:you don't know what's in there.
759
:I've seen actually some supplements
in pet stores that are like 0.0,
760
:zero, zero 1% of active ingredient.
761
:It's like, well, you might as well
just give them water 'cause that's
762
:not gonna help, so make sure you get
a brand that is veterinary approved.
763
:Also fish oil.
764
:Fish oil is a great thing for all animals.
765
:Even for us, I'm a big user of fish
oil like salmon and krill oil and
766
:like your Omega-3 and six fatty acids.
767
:For all the itchy dogs that don't
have fleas or other skin problems, or
768
:even if they do, it really does help
change the quality of their skin.
769
:We can put moisturizer on and
help ourselves, but there's very
770
:little topically you can do for
a cat or dog to help their skin.
771
:But if you give them good nutrients
internally and you give things like
772
:fish oil, that can absolutely help
the way their coat looks, the way they
773
:feel all their organs and everything.
774
:Dixie: Yep.
775
:I do the fish oil.
776
:And it's remarkable to see the
difference on the hair when
777
:you start 'em, on the fish oil.
778
:Charlotte: Yep.
779
:You can sometimes see pets, especially
short coated dogs and cats too.
780
:You'll see flakes dry skin and
all of that will go away a lot
781
:of times just with some fish oil.
782
:and let me remind that goes on the
food internally because I once had
783
:a lady come to me and tell me, well.
784
:I've been slathering the fish oil all
over my dog every day for the month, and
785
:I just can't stand the way he smells,
especially when he lays in the sun.
786
:And then I see the dog and I'm like,
oh my gosh, this poor lady, she's
787
:been slathering fish oil on the
dog and letting it bake outside.
788
:Wow.
789
:That will take your breath away for sure.
790
:Dixie: Yeah,
791
:I can imagine.
792
:'cause
793
:It's nasty smelling when
you get it on your fingers.
794
:Charlotte: Oh, yes.
795
:Dixie: When you're trying
to put it on the food.
796
:Charlotte: Oh, yes.
797
:And this lady , I have to
admire her commitment because
798
:she really did love her dog.
799
:And I couldn't laugh at her.
800
:I just said, no ma'am.
801
:And she's like, I'm so sorry.
802
:I can't believe I didn't think about that.
803
:I just saw it was an oil in a capsule
and I assumed I was supposed to squeeze
804
:it out, like, face stuff for women.
805
:And I'm like no.
806
:No, it was for the skin, but you
were supposed to put it in the food.
807
:So, but you know what, I always tell
people, I'd rather you ask or come
808
:in when you think something's wrong.
809
:I'm not gonna make fun of you.
810
:I'm gonna, I'm gonna make
sure you get it right.
811
:Dixie: Considering the human animal
bond, do you feel that incorporating
812
:emotional and energetic wellbeing
into treatment plans is beneficial?
813
:Charlotte: Absolutely.
814
:Our animals pick up on our energy a lot.
815
:There's some spooky things that happen.
816
:Oh, I wouldn't call 'em spooky.
817
:I think we just don't understand it yet.
818
:Very often I see animals and people with
the same diseases, and I'm not talking
819
:ones that they caught from each other.
820
:Things like thyroid disease diabetes like.
821
:Insulin dependent diabetics glaucoma
and it's not a case of like, oh, well
822
:they're both intoxicated with something.
823
:It really is truly an energetic thing.
824
:And you can almost, if you're sensitive
to that kind of stuff, you can almost,
825
:tell, especially in animals that
are closely bonded with the human
826
:that has these issues as well.
827
:I think there's a whole lot of
energetic exchange with our animals,
828
:so I think there's a lot we can do
with them, for them in that sense.
829
:I'm not educated on a whole lot of those
things, but things like reiki and a
830
:massage, acupuncture, stuff like that.
831
:All that's really good.
832
:I said that wrong.
833
:It's Reiki, isn't it?
834
:Dixie: It's Reiki, yeah.
835
:It was close enough so it works.
836
:There we go.
837
:Charlotte: It works exactly that.
838
:That's how much I know about Reiki.
839
:Although I'm planning to
learn one of these days.
840
:I've seen wonders of that used with.
841
:Little weenie dogs or
dachshunds that have back pain.
842
:I've seen that in particular, along with
acupuncture make a difference for them.
843
:So, yeah.
844
:Dixie: Well,
845
:I'm a reiki master and then I can
say I have seen Reiki work, so.
846
:Charlotte: Exactly.
847
:Exactly.
848
:Dixie: So before we end this episode, is
there anything else you would like to add?
849
:Charlotte: When you're
looking for a veterinarian.
850
:You want one that wants to
establish a relationship with you,
851
:one, that when you come in, they
know you, they know your animal.
852
:They know as soon as they look at your
animal, they know something's wrong.
853
:And you wanna try to keep the same
veterinarian from puppy and kitten hood
854
:all the way through the animal's life.
855
:If and when it comes time at the end of
their life and you have to talk about
856
:euthanasia, it's a lot better when you
have a relationship with that vet because.
857
:They're gonna act in the best
interest of the animal too.
858
:And also to remember, if you have a
problem with your veterinarian, 99.9%
859
:of the time your veterinarian is
thinking of your animal first,
860
:or the animal's best interest.
861
:And sometimes people don't
always understand that.
862
:So if you have a problem with your vet or
you have something you don't understand,
863
:go to them and talk it out face to face.
864
:And tell them how you feel from the
heart and just, never underestimate
865
:the power of just a good conversation
and and a good relationship nowadays.
866
:There's a lot of huge veterinary clinics
and there's nothing wrong with that.
867
:They're wonderful places, but sometimes
you don't always see the same doctor.
868
:But if you're in a big place,
request the doctor that you
869
:like, find one that you like.
870
:Stick with that one each time . And
I think you'll have a much easier
871
:experience and your pet will too.
872
:Dixie: Well, thank you so much Dr.
873
:Charlotte.
874
:Charlotte: Absolutely.
875
:I
876
:was glad I could be here today.
877
:.
Dixie: And that's all the time we have for today's episode.
878
:If you are in animal rescue, or if
you know someone that has a story that
879
:should be told, please contact us.
880
:We would love to have
you or them on the show
881
:. Thanks for listening, and please
join us next week as we continue to
882
:explore the world of animal rescue.
