Flea Prevention: Your Cost $15/mth.. My Cost $2-5/mth for flea, heartworm, and intestinal parasite prevention

If there is anything good about this long, long winter, it is the affect it has on the fleas. Last year, we barely had a winter and there was a huge population explosion of fleas as soon as it was warm enough. So for everyday its freezing outside, I just tell myself, that's one less flea.

With as many animals that live and pass through T.Paws Rescue, it is vital to keep the fleas at bay. I actually have a three step process that I do here at T.Paws to prepare for the fleas. But the secret that seems to garner the most attention is below.

I walked through a national pet supply chain the other day where I know many of the employees. While I was standing at the counter, I looked at them and said "You better hope none of your customers buy my book Secrets of a Vet Tech". They asked me why.

I pointed to the flea preventative nearby that was $84 for a six month supply. "Do you know how much I spend per dog for flea AND heartworm AND intestinal parasite prevention each month?"

My answer was "between $2-5 per pet per month using safe nationally known products".

They all looked around to make sure the boss was not nearby and took my business card.

While you will have to buy the book to get the entire secret, I will tell you that prevention begins the day it is warm enough for a flea to be "awake" and ready to go. If you buy my book a little too late and you already have a huge flea problem, there are three steps to getting rid of them.

• Treat the inside of the house (remove all pets)
• While outside, treat the pet with a topical flea product
• Once the pets are safely inside, treat the outside. 

Skip any of these steps, and you will lose the flea battle.  Another thing that will cause you to lose the flea battle is bathing your pet just before applying a topical flea preventative. The oils of the skin work like a highway transporting the flea preventative all over the body. Get rid of the oils, and you get rid of the transport system. Wait at least 2 days after bathing a pet to apply.

A word about cheap flea products make with Phenothrin (a toxin long ago banned as a lawn pesticide) and permethrin a neurotoxin. DON'T USE THEM. Actually that was three words, but you get my point. I've known many the pet who has died using these products. Read the label to be sure that your flea preventative doesn't contain any of these ingredients. 

Next time I'll cover the ever dreaded Flea Allergy Dermatitis.

The Decision of Euthanasia: In Memory of Buster

Euthanasia. I don't like it but I am a certified euthanasia technician. I chose to do it so animals that had to die, mostly because of illness and age, could go with as much love and gentleness as possible.Yet for each animal you put to sleep, a bit of you dies too.

This weekend I had to make that decision with my own dog. Buster, my 11 year old basset attacked my younger dog, Teddy. He went for the throat, ripped a hole in the vessel adjacent to the jugular. Once I got Teddy free from the attack, I took Teddy inside as blood gushed from his throat. I applied pressure to the wound, but couldn't let go to drive him to the vet.

I called my mom, asked her to come quickly. She was at least 20 minutes away. When the paper towels were saturated with blood, I took off my shirt and made a bit of a tourniquet just below the wound, which stopped the bleeding. Teddy was in shock and stayed very still. He looked at me and I looked at him and told him it was going to be okay. I could see that he was growing weak from blood loss.

My mom arrived and we rushed him to my vet Mt. Carmel Pet Hospital. They packed the wound in order to get the blood to clot. They kept him for the day to make sure it didn't start bleeding again.

I knew something was wrong with Buster to do something like that. Its not like him. He is one of my most patient dogs. The ironic thing was, the day Buster attacked Teddy, I had Buster scheduled to be seen because I had found a mass hidden between his hip and his anus.

 I discovered it by doing what I teach people to do. Know the normal, so you can spot the abnormal. I realized the problem because as he was walking up the hill, his anus seemed to be pushed just a bit to one side.

The day after the incident with Teddy, I took Buster in. I expected the verdict to be cancer because of the hardness and attachment of the lump to other tissues. The thing is, Buster was still so active and vibrant. He ate well although I couldn't get him to gain weight no matter how much I fed him.

The veterinarian did blood work which supported my suspicions that it was indeed cancer. Buster's calcium was so high that it was affecting the way he thought. I believe that's why he attacked Teddy.

We could tell the more we watched Buster, that he was in pain. He couldn't get comfortable, and didn't want to sit down. The doctor offered to send pain meds home, but I knew there was a bigger issue at hand. Buster tried to kill Teddy. Not just hurt him, but kill him. A few centimeters to one side or another and Teddy would have bled to death in a matter of minutes. Also, My two other basset/beagle mixes both died from the same type of cancer, so I knew what was to come for Buster.

I asked my parents to help me talk it out. We knew what we had to do. We couldn't let Buster go through the pain and we couldn't take the chance he would kill one of the others in his confusion.

The vet hesitated which I appreciated. She asked if we wanted a few days to think about it. After I explained my reasoning through my tears and she found out my background as a euthanasia technician, she went ahead with the procedure.

She was very kind and gentle. Buster was never scared. I explained how much I loved him and that he would soon be seeing his friends who had gone on before.

We brought his body home and Mom and Dad dug the grave. All the while Teddy watched as if he had done something wrong. Once Buster was buried and my parents gone, I went to Teddy, who always insist on getting in the top cage so he can put his paws on my shoulder and look me in the eye. I explained what happened.

People may find this strange, but even if Teddy doesn't understand my words (although I believe he does), he understands emotions. When his previous owner left him behind after telling me to get rid of him, he held on to me just the same way and he cried. He howled and talked and put his cheek against mine and when he was done, he laid it down and went about life.

This time he did the same. He whined when I told him Buster was sick and that was why he attacked him. Teddy put his forehead against mine, and it seemed to signal for him a closure of one part of his life and a new beginning.

Teddy is healing. The other dogs have accepted that Buster won't be coming back. Me? That's another story. So much of my heart has died in helping pets pass on gently as a euthanasia tech, that I don't know how much more is left. But I do not regret my decision. I had the power to prevent or put an end to Buster's pain. So I did. I had the responsibility to protect the other animals. So I did. And thanks to a very sweet veterinarian and her staff, Buster passed to the other side peacefully. And for that, I want to thank them. 

Financial Aid for Vet Visits: Options and Ideas

This week, my little Pearl, a tiny chihuahua, got very ill. She started coughing and could not stop. I mean, she could barely take a breath. I suspected kennel cough was being fought by all the dogs after fostering a little puppy who was apparently a carrier. Even though my guys had been vaccinated, this strain must have been a doozy.

It was 3:30 pm and I knew most vet offices closed at 5pm. I called the one place I had been considering after looking at their website, Mt. Carmel Pet Hospital and thankfully, even though we were new clients, they got us in right away. I knew this wasn't an issue I could treat myself and I am very thankful to the staff for helping me. Ms. Pearl is on the road to recovery and will be going back tomorrow for one more injection. 

Sometimes people assume that I wrote Secrets of a Vet Tech to replace a veterinarian. That is far from the truth.  First, the book was an autobiography showing what I did when I didn't have any choice. I could either figure out solutions or give up a group of un-adoptable animals to the shelter. If I did that, not only would several of the pets have died, I probably would have too as my heart exploded into a million pieces. So, yes I did some unconventional things to make it through.

Second, I'm a firm believer that while one should be well educated on things they can do at home, you also have to know when its time to go to the vet. There are simply things that should be left up to the vet and times when xrays and lab work are required. So being a partner with your veterinarian, or as I call it, part of your pet's health care team, is very important.

Knowing I didn't  have a lot of spare cash laying around, how did I pay for Pearl's visit?

Care Credit. This card is a healthcare credit card. It can be used for human care as well, but I try to reserve it for my pets. The way it works is you are given a certain debt limit, just like with any card. Once you use the card, you have usually 6 months to pay it back interest free. Go over that six months, and the finances charges are high, but you have to use it wisely. Not all veterinarians accept Care Credit, but you can find out on the website if your vet does. I was very happy to find out this week that my new vet Mt Carmel Pet Hospital did accept Care Credit.

On Facebook, I often see people asking if anyone knows a vet that accepts payments. This keeps that worry at bay. And you have to know that its really not fair to ask them to wait for payment if you have another option. 

There are also other options including a pet savings account that you put your nickles and dimes in and budget a certain amount monthly. There are groups who will help pay under certain conditions as well. In Secrets of a Vet Tech, I have a list of these types of groups, but today, this list came across my Facebook, so I wanted to share it.

We Need You! Fostering & Transportation Trains

Fostering isn't exactly a good way to save money, but it saves something more important: LIVES.

Its also the least we can do for animals who show such unbelievable unconditional love.

Normally when I tell people I foster, they say "Oh, I could never do that. I would keep them all."
Boy do I understand that!!! Its hard to let go.

I started fostering almost two years ago. During that time I have been able to foster and adopt out through a local humane society more than 30 animals. Now think about that. That's 30 animals that didn't have to die.

I'm not saying that to toot my own horn, I'm saying look what one person can do.

Sometimes these animals need only a few more days, maybe a few more weeks to find a home. Shelters are so overcrowded they do everything they can to avoid euthanasia, but where are all these pets to go?

The internet has helped.  Networking using methods like Facebook has helped. Shelters in the south are sending adoptable animals north. Breed rescues are being contacted from all over. Pilots for Paws are flying pets to new homes. A series of volunteers are driving pets all over the country to rescues. Petfinder.org is connecting pets in little ol' Southwest Virginia to the Big City!

The frustrating thing to shelter/rescue folks is knowing how many animals could be saved if three things happened:

1) People would spay and neuter their pets so there wasn't an overpopulation problem
2) More folks would open their homes and hearts to foster
3) Volunteers would step up to transport animals to new homes or rescues.

I've talked about spaying and neutering in other blogs, so lets focus on the other two. First, what does it mean to "foster"? Fostering usually is simply giving a dog/cat/small animal etc, a place to stay while a new home is found. Because of overcrowding, shelters can only give a pet so many days. For owner surrendered pets, that is usually between 3-5 days. If they have room, most shelters will keep them longer, because they, more than anyone, hate putting adoptable animals to sleep. But the reality is, there are very few uncrowded shelters.

So fostering gives them that time they need. Usually fostered pets will go up on Petfinder.org by the rescue you are fostering for, and normally, they will cover your expenses including food, vet care, etc. They will often ask you to bring the pet to adoption events to give folks a chance to meet him/her. You can specify what type of pet you can handle. For instance I specialize in small breeds like chihuahuas because I know I can integrate them with my other pets much easier. In the summer when it is warm enough, I might be able to take a larger dog because I have outdoor kennels.

You might prefer to foster cats, a couple dogs at a time, or maybe just one big dog. Its up to you.

I won't lie to you and tell you it doesn't hurt letting them go to a new home. But that hurt is worth knowing you saved their lives. I don't know about you, but I think that's worth it. Often the new family will be happy to send pics showing how great your little friend is doing. That's when it feels amazing!

Now the next thing that is desperately needed in animal rescue, are volunteers willing to transport pets. A dog in South Georgia may get adopted by a couple in Maryland. So, animal rescuers (who are wonderful and resourceful people) will set up a "transportation train". Volunteer A will drive Fluffy from the animal rescue to Chattanooga. Volunteer B picks up Fluffy in Chattanooga and drives him to Knoxville. Volunteer C picks up in Knoxville and drives to Wytheville, VA and so on.

If you love road trips, its an awesome thing!

Animal rescue is an emotional way of life, no doubt. Its not always easy. For those of us who are deeply into it, there is a saying. "You may lose your mind, but gain your soul".

But the thing is, you can get involved in small ways that make a HUGE difference. Contact your local humane society, SPCA, or rescue and see how you can get involved.

Because they can't drive themselves

Local contacts if  you are interested in helping transport pets:

 kathyboje @ gmail.com and
on.a.mission.from.dog@gmail.com

The #1 Way to Save Money as a Pet Parent

Photo Courtesy Janry Pet Resort

This is a subject that you either see the value of, or you don't. Some people don't care that 4 million pets are euthanized a year because they're not enough homes. However, if you don't care about that, then let me tell you this.

 I can help you save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Do I have your attention now? 

Give me a chance to explain before you determine I'm full of it. So here goes.

Note: "unaltered" means not spayed, neutered, or fixed. The following include some excerpts from my book Secrets of a Vet Tech

Lets start with the female dog.

For instance, it never seems to fail that at some point in the life of an unaltered female dog, she
will come into the clinic terribly ill. Often she is running a fever. Her white blood cell count will
be sky high indicating a heavy infection. Pyometra will be her diagnosis. “Pyo” as we call it, is
an infection of the uterus. The cure? Spaying her. Only this time it won't be cheap. I have
assisted in a lot of “pyo” surgeries and it is amazing what we will find. Sometimes, the uterus
and all surrounding tissues will be swollen to the size of full term pregnancy, but instead of
puppies, it will be full of infection. If not very carefully removed, you can puncture the tissue
sending infection throughout the body. The female dog will have to be on IV fluids and strong
antibiotics. The incision will probably be much bigger than it would have if her organs had been
a normal size. The cost of a surgery like this? Depending on the clinic and the severity of the
infection $350-$2500. The cost to have spayed her in the beginning $60-$250.  

In an effort not to gross you out too much, I have taken all the surgical images and put them in black and white. To the right is a normal uterus during spay. To the left is a pyometra. This particular one is in a small breed dog.

The image below is from a large breed dog. It is not unusual for the uterus to weigh 10-15 lbs when removed. The weight is caused by the infection. The incision needed to get out a uterus this size is MUCH more than a spay and takes longer healing time, IV fluids, and antibiotics.

Here in East Tennessee and  Southwest Virginia, and all across the country, there is financial assistance to get your pet altered. Contact your local humane society for what is available in your area. One of the best resources here in my area is the  Margaret B Mitchell Spay/Neuter Clinic . Another great one is Holly Help Spay and Neuter Fund . Often your local animal control will offer vouchers to pay for part or all of the cost of spaying your pet.

Female dogs, unlike cats, bleed during their heat cycle. That means on the carpet, the furniture,
the bed, or on YOU. I am amazed at how many people will buy diapers to put on the females
instead of spaying them. It is a waste of money and effort. Dealing with her mood swings are
also unpleasant and can lead to aggressive behavior 

Many things change when a pet is altered. For the ladies, the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer, as well as pyometra is eliminated. If spayed before the first heat cycle, her chances of breast cancer are drastically reduced. (And if you think breast cancer is rare in female dogs, I can promise you it is not). It also eliminated the chances of venereal tumors (yes, THOSE VD's) . Compare that to the cost of the surgeries, medications, and chemotherapy needed to treat those conditions and you are talking about thousands of dollars. Not to mention that by spaying her, her lifespan and quality of life is much improved.

This is true of female cats as well. 90% of female cats who contract breast tumors die from it. Not to mention her chances for contracting FIV and other diseases in increased massively.

If you've ever been around a female cat in heat, you no doubt know the sound. I never wait until a female cat goes into heat because it is one of the most annoying thing on the planet. Once, a kitten I rescued had to have a leg removed and her spay surgery had to wait. She begged everyone from my other cats, dogs, ferret, and even fighting cock (that I had also rescued) to relieve her of her....need. The day the vet gave the go ahead for surgery, it was done. And that little kitten is still alive sixteen years later.

Now onto the male dog and cat:

For the males, at least eight diseases or conditions are either eliminated or the chances greatly
reduced by neutering. Those include testicular cancer and torsion (twisting of the testicles),
rectal cancer, prostate abscess, cancer, and/or enlargement, hernias, benign perineal tumors,
orchitis (infection of the testicles, and venereal tumors (dogs can and do have venereal
diseases). Imagine the money needed to treat any one of those diseases.

This doesn't even include the practical side of the issue. Intact dogs and cats have as strong of a
desire to mate as the average human male teenager. (Scary, I know). The male of the species
(canine and feline) can smell out a female in heat from over a mile away. That's why 80% of the
pets hit by car are intact (unneutered) males. They have one thing on their mind and watching
for traffic is not it.

So now, not only do you have to worry about the cancers and tumors, you have to pay to have the pet treated for being hit by a car if he survives long enough to get to the vet. The cost of something like that? Its depends. Is it a broken leg, or internal injuries? On average my estimate would be anywhere from $200-$1000+. 

Unaltered males tend to fight more and urine mark more often. The cost of having your own
dog or cat repaired is one thing. Having an aggressive pet, may mean paying to have the
neighbor's pet (or child) repaired. Unaltered male cats tend to pick up deadly diseases and get
bite abscesses more often.

Contrary to popular belief, an unneutered male dog is NOT a better protection dog than a
neutered dog. And a final note. I realize some men have trouble neutering their male dogs. They
feel as if they are doing a disservice to them. In fact, the opposite is true. A dog that does not
have to worry about nature's urges can focus on the job at hand. You are helping him live a
longer, happier life. If you could give him many more years with you, wouldn't you do it? You
can! Don't let your feelings get in the way of doing what is right for your dog. He will not miss
out on “the joy of sex”. He will have a greater chance of missing out on the joy of being hit by a
car, however. Isn't that more important?