Where are you taking your dog this weekend? (Thanks to Jenny Parker for the awesome pic of Phil and I).
I don't want to be nine-to-five-centric (esp as I work weekends), but it IS technically a long weekend which means...LOTS of time to spend with your dog. Or any non-humans in your life!
Plenty of local councils, community groups and even pubs have realised that people own pets and want to hang out with them at such times. "Doggie day out" events are the result and, if your dog enjoys the company of other dogs - not all dogs do - it can be the perfect way to spend some time.
This weekend the Vic Enmore Superdog promises to entertain with an obstacle course, jumping castle (presumably for kids, not dogs) and prizes. For more info check out the Vic's Facebook page or click here.
For those of you who tend to spend their long weekends reading, check out the fantastic guest post about Dingo behaviour on Do You Believe in Dog? Did you know that dingos can use tools? I had no idea. UQ Post doc Bradley Smith provides a fantastic discussion - and a video that will surprise you.
It's also mental health month. The NSW Mental Health Association is running its annual Stress Less Tips campaign. You can check out their tips (always beautifully designed - my favourite campaign every year without fail) here. One of the tips is "go out of your way to make someone's day". Well, here at SAT we acknowledge that that someone could have four legs, feathers or scales.
It might just involve spending time getting to know your cat.
Puppy delivered by caesarian section snuggles with brothers and sisters.
These items aren't related but I wanted to get them out there asap. If you're a pet owner interested in learning more about socialisation of puppies, canine behaviour and preventing cancer in pets, the Animal Referral Hospital is hosting a seminar just for you on Saturday November 9. Oncology nurse Tanja Richardson will talk about causes and prevention of cancer in dogs while Behavioural Specialist Dr Kersti Seksel will cover dog developmental stages and puppy socialisation. A hospital tour will be offered afterwards. It costs $25. RSVP by emailing seminar@arhvets.com.
Di Johnstone, secretary of the Pets and Aged Care Steering Group, alerted me to a media report about the Pets for Life Program run through Caloundra Community Centre, Inc. The program, a service available free to local senior citizens, pairs up volunteers with senior pet owners. The volunteers help owners out by walking dogs and helping with pet related tasks (visiting the vet or groomer).
Volunteers help reduce the number of pets surrendered - and the number of old people parted from their pets - by allowing the pet to stay with that owner.
Volunteering to walk and take someone else's dogs to the vet can make all the difference, allowing an elderly or unwell person keep their pet when the alternative is surrender. That helps reduce the number of animals in shelters and it promotes a healthy human-animal bond.
That is the sort of program that every local council should be establishing. It isn't just animals who stand to benefit - Pets for Life reduces social isolation of senior citizens.
(And the issue could prove important during local elections. A survey of Noosa and surrounds residents found that 97 per cent believed the elderly should be able to keep their pets when they go into retirement homes). You can read more about pets and aged care here and here.
No, Bluey isn't suffering from hemoabdomen, but I didn't want to shock everyone with a surgical picture up front.
Before I discuss VetGirl's fantastic webinar on approach to the
hemoabdomen, I need to mention that this post is one that comes with a
pre-warning: there will be a
surgical image of a ruptured spleen which for the uninitiated looks like a big
purple fleshy organ.
This week I attended the webinar hosted by VetGirl on “Approach
to the Hemoabdomen – to cut or not to cut?” by Dr Garret Pachtinger.
The hemoabdomen, or the abdomen full of blood, is most commonly
an acute process, but can be a chronic presentation. Either way these animals are in trouble and
need critical intervention.
Dr Pachtinger’s presentation was beautifully logical and
reassuring, and filled with pearls such as “the abdominal cavity is the most
common place for clinically significant haemorrhage”. I left feeling equipped
with a solid systematic approach to a presentation which can be hair-raising.
In general practice in Australia I tend to see hemoabdomen most
commonly in canine patients, particularly larger dogs, though the last
hemoabdomen I saw was in a cat with an avulsed kidney secondary to motor
vehicle trauma.
Common signs owners report include weakness, lethargy, exercise
intolerance, dyspnoea and of course a distended abdomen. The presentation is
usually acute but some owners report waxing and waning signs, often associated
with microbleeds of splenic masses.
On physical examination, affected dogs will have short/narrow/thready
femoral pulses and pale to white gums with prolonged capillary refill time. Depending
on how much abdominal effusion is present, the abdomen may not only appear
distended, but have a palpable fluid wave.
Patients are often both tachycardic and tachypneic. Along with the fast
heart rate, heart sounds may be diminished due to hypovolaemia. Patients often
have an increased respiratory rate due to lack of oxygen delivery to the
tissues. If the blood loss is severe, decreased
perfusion to the brain can lead to dysphoria. Mydriasis is a severe
manifestation of decreased perfusion and often precedes cardiac arrest.
In other words the most immediate problems for these animals are
hypovolaemia and decreased tissue perfusion due to blood loss. Hypovolaemic
shock is differentiated from other causes of shock based on the examination
findings above. For example, animals in compensatory
septic shock have injected mucous membranes, not pale or white mucous membranes
and animals in cardiogenic shock tend to have a murmur and/or bronchovesicular
crackles on cardiac and pulmonary auscultation.
Dr Pachtinger’s minimum database (MDB) includes a PCV, TP, BUN, and
blood glucose. The MDB is supplemented
with other diagnostics including lactate, electrolyes, CBC and biochem. In
patients that present with a hemoabdomen, usually both PCV and TP are low but
in a peracute bleed TP drops first and the PCV may be normal.
Ultrasound (FAST) is preferred to scan the abdomen: when
scanning the abdomen look at the diaphragmatic-hepatic, cystocolic, splenorenal
and hepatorenal views. FAST is a more sensitive technique for detection of
effusion as compared to other commonly used modalities including both
radiographs and blind abdominocentesis.
With a FAST scan, you can detect an effusion of 4ml/kg, whereas you need
a much larger amount of effusion, 5-25ml/kg, to detect via a blind
abdominocentesis. Radiographs are less sensitive than ultrasound but can be
helpful (for example screening for mets or signs of trauma like rib fractures).
If FAST is inconclusive it should be repeated once fluid
resuscitation has commenced.
Dr Pachtinger covered the ins and outs of effusion analysis,
including cytology and chemistry, and also talked us through techniques for
FAST and four quadrant abdominocentesis.
Splenic mass in a dog prior to splenectomy. You can see where the mass has ruptured and bled. This dog made a full recovery.
Once a haemoabdomen is diagnosed, further classification is
needed. The three common causes for hemoabdomen include:
Coagulopathic (the
most common cause being vitamin K deficiency caused by ingestion of
anticoagulant rodenticides)
Spontaneous
(non-traumatic, e.g. a bleeding splenic mass)
Traumatic (e.g. fracture
or laceration of the spleen, liver, or more serious an avulsed major artery
such as renal (kidney) artery)
One thing I found helpful in the discussion of anticoagulant
rodenticide ingestion was that Dr Pachtinger recommends decontamination if the
animal has ingested anticoagulant rat bait within six hours, then running a PT
48-72 hours later. If this is prolonged the animal should be given vitamin K
for at least four weeks.If this value
is normal 48-72 hours following ingestion and decontamination, it is unlikely
the patient either ingested or absorbed enough toxin to require therapy and
vitamin K at that time is not needed. (REFERENCE 1 BELOW).
The most common cause of spontaneous, non-coagulopathic
hemoabdomen is neoplasia (65-80% of the time). Haemangiosarcoma is the most
common neoplastic cause in these cases. BUT non-malignant growths can cause
hemoabdomen e.g. liver lobe torsion, splenic haematoma.
Before undertaking ultrasound, Dr Pachtinger prepares owners for
one of three common ultrasound findings.
Either:
A solitary mass is
identified. As long as chest rads are clear such patients considered better
candidates for surgery as compared to a patient that has multiple masses or
lesions throughout multiple organs.With
that said, a single solitary mass does not rule out malignancy and malignancy
remains the most common cause of hemoabdomen.
Multiple masses are
present – malignancy is more likely.
No masses or lesions
are identified – this is less common but warrants further investigation once
the patient is stable, such as scanning for signs of trauma, repeating the
clotting test and potentially advanced imaging.
Bosca digs the CVE's Control and Therapy series (this is the hard copy. We're not allowed to stick our paws on e-books).
At SAT we're a big fan of veterinary CE reading with a practical bent, and we like our CE delivered via multiple platforms.
The Centre for Veterinary Education has made their Control and Therapy series available as interactive e-books and you don't have to be a member to submit cases.
(As an aside, I noticed on their website that they've partnered with the Discipline of Psychiatry and Sydney Uni Med School to run a course on Taking Control of your Worry).
For little Sofi, every week is "Be Kind to Animals Week". But some animals aren't so lucky! Spread the joy.
This week its "Be Kind to Animals Week", and that is worth thinking about. Its not because most of us are unkind to animals. The sad truth is that quite often animals simply aren't considered. Their concerns are ommitted. They're easily forgotten.
As one of my friends said this week, "children, old people and animals just need a bit extra..." and we have plenty of that to give. Being kind to animals is an active process that warrants some planning and there are some things you can do this week (or next week, or every week) that will bring about joy.
Adopt an animal from a shelter. There are way too many animals seeking forever homes in Australia (read more here).
If you are a landlord, offer pet-friendly accommodation. There is a shortage of pet-friendly accommodation and this contributes to a large number of animals admitted into shelters.
Create something that animals will appreciate - a bird bath, a toy for a dog or cat, a shelter for wildlife. For more ideas click here.
Help your elderly relatives or neighbours with dog walking, pet feeding or cleaning up.
The best thing you can give a companion animal (apart from a home) is your COMPANY. Go on a date with your dog (Or cat. Or ferret).
Volunteer at an animal shelter, or help out with a fundraiser.
Donate to an animal-friendly organisation or cause. Most animal oriented organisations sell merchandise - do your xmas shopping early (make people AND animals happy). (If you're stuck for ideas, how about an Edgar's Mission Gift of Kindness?)
Invest in continuing education to improve the services you can offer your patients. The Centre for Veterinary Education is offering early-bird rates on their Distance Education program.
Jesse does the laundry (Image courtesy of Heather Brook).
This week SAT scored an interview with Heather Brook, companion to the dog known on the interwebs as Just Jesse the Jack. I first learned about Jesse when I spotted him on You Tube, which lead to a You Tube spiral - you know, the viewing vortex you can't pry yourself out of for at least an hour. Jesse can do just about ANYTHING, and Heather and Jesse make a fantastic team.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, my name is Heather Brook and I am blessed to share my life with my best friend; a multi-talented little Jack Russell Terrier named Jesse. I am a huge dog lover, but have a soft spot for Jack Russell Terriers; they are my favourite breed.
I am currently 24 years old and am a Studio Dog Trainer for dogs in print, commercial, and film work. I also make videos starring Jesse's life and many talents as well on his YouTube Channel, JustJesse197. Some of my hobbies include drawing (dogs are usually my main subject), agility, canine freestyle, disc dog, canine acting/modelling, and anything dog related. Jesse has been the inspiration to become who I am today.
Jesse jumps (Image courtesy of Heather Brook).
How did Jesse come into your life?
Jesse came into my life as a Birthday present for my 16th Birthday. I met Jesse the day he turned three weeks old; when his eyes and ears first opened. I have always loved dogs since I was little, and fell in love with the Jack Russell Terrier breed when I lived in England; five years before meeting Jesse.
The little dog that started it all was named Fraiser. I watched over him for 1 month before having to give him back. Ever since, I asked for a little Jack Russell of my very own. Five years passed, and I asked for a pup for my 16th Birthday. I knew that having your own dog is a huge responsibility, and was prepared for all of the wonderful challenges that came along with raising a puppy. I saved up all of my allowances to pay for all of his care; including his vet bills, food, and toys.
Heather and Jesse (Image courtesy of Heather Brook).
When I met Jesse at three weeks old, it was love at first sight! I couldn't believe that in just five weeks I would be bringing him home. I visited him every week until the day I could finally bring him home at eight weeks old. From the day I brought him home we have been inseparable, and he has taught me so much in the years we have been together.
When did you realise Jesse would respond so well to training? What did you start with?
When Jesse was 9 weeks old, he taught himself how to sit up and beg like a meerkat. He would come up and sit in front of me for what seemed like eternity, and ask to be picked up or for a bite of what I was eating; he was so cute I couldn't resist.
We started working on the basic tricks (such as rollover, play dead, and shake), and he kept picking them up really quickly; all the while with a big happy smile across his face, and a spark in his eye. We then started working on more advanced tricks (such as walking through my legs, jumping into my arms, and walking backwards), and Jesse was always ready for a new challenge. The speed and intensity with how Jesse learned each trick always had me in awe. He is also very creative in his techniques; thinking up many of the tricks he knows, all by himself.
Jesse performs a handstand. (Image courtesy of Heather Brook).
You mention that you use positive reinforcement. Can you elaborate on your approach?
Jesse and I train using positive reinforcement and relationship-based training. With this method, the relationship and bond between dog and person is put first and foremost, and is the foundation of our training method. Jesse is rewarded for offering and performing behaviours with treats, toys, and praise. To teach new behaviours, we use shaping and a clicker to mark the exact moment Jesse is doing something right. Shaping is where approximations towards a desired goal are rewarded all the way up to the finished behaviour. With this type of training, Jesse is encouraged to be creative and express himself.
I focus on what I would like to teach Jesse; and give him positive feedback. We don't use corrections in training because they don't give Jesse any information on what I would like him to do. Instead, in the face an unwanted behaviour, an appropriate behaviour would be taught instead.
I like to make sure that Jesse is having fun in all that we do. Doing tricks is always Jesse's choice and we would stop, no questions asked, if he did decide one day he no longer wanted to do them.
Jesse can also perform the usual tricks like retrieving balls (Image courtesy of Heather Brook).
Jesse’s talents are known worldwide. What kind of projects have you been involved in with Jessie and what have been some of the highlights?
Jesse and I have had the opportunity to be involved in print ads, commercial, television, film, live shows/performances, and parades. All of these experiences have been so much fun for us both, and we have shared many wonderful memories from our adventures together.
Jesse and I have been able to travel to various places to film several of the projects he has been involved in.
Some of our project highlights include travelling to Los Angeles to appear in the Disney movie "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2", North Carolina to appear in the TNT movie "Hornet's Nest", and have a professional film crew come to our house to film Jesse for "Mighty Dog Nation: The Movie".
We have also had the opportunity to be flown out to appear on National Television shows including the "Late Show with David Letterman" for the Stupid Pet Tricks segment twice (performing the suitcase trick and somersaults), "The Rachael Ray Show" (performing the jump rope trick), and "Good Morning America" to perform the walking hand stand. Jesse has also had his tricks featured on Japanese television multiple times, and we have even had a Korean film crew come to our house to film our story for SBS Korea TV. This was an awesome experience, and we have met some wonderful people along our journey.
Knowing many tricks and having a happy demeanor, Jesse has also appeared in lots of commercials. He has been in commercials for Circle K (2), WOW! Cable, VA Lottery, GAF Roofing (3), Disney, Purina, Mighty Dog, Fulton Homes (3), and SanMar. Jesse has also appeared on numerous news shows, and in newspapers and magazines around the world.
The best part of all of this is that I get to enjoy it all with my best friend, Jesse. The enhanced communication and bond that comes from spending time together is priceless.
How would you describe your relationship with Jesse?
My relationship with Jesse is one of a best friend, teacher, and guide. The secret to our success is that we have a wonderful relationship and bond. Jesse is a member of the family and we put our relationship first and foremost. When you have a wonderful relationship with your best friend the sky is the limit with where you can go. By being best friends first, and enjoying the time spent together through fun activities that we both enjoy, training just came naturally. We enjoy each other's company and I think that is the most important thing; to have a best friend you can take anywhere with you.
Jesse unstacks the dishwasher (Image courtesy of Heather Brook).
Jesse has taught me so many lessons in the years we have been together. He has changed my life so much for the better, and has made me a better person. He has taught me unconditional love and how to be a kinder person. I am much more empathetic and able to see things more from another's point of view thanks to Jesse.
Jesse has also encouraged me to learn as much as I possibly can about dogs, including health care, training, sports, and tricks; so that I can be the best guardian as I possibly can be for him.
What is it like living with a famous dog? Do you get constant phone calls? Do people stop you on your walks? Do you guys travel around the world first class???
Jesse (Image courtesy of Heather Brook, (c) Sunshine Portraits).
I don't really consider Jesse a famous dog because I treat him as a family member, and he gets to enjoy life doing things dogs normally do; he just also gets to travel and film commercials, movies, and TV shows on top of being a normal dog. He doesn't let it go to his head, that's for sure =o).
We do get a lot of calls, e-mails, and messages about Jesse's talents and either wanting him for performances, TV shows, appearances, commercials, or films. It can be a little overwhelming at times, but I put Jesse's happiness and well-being first and foremost.
I have turned down jobs and offers because I didn't want to over work Jesse, or put him in a situation where I believed it wouldn't be comfortable or safe for him.
When we go to events, or to the local pet store, Jesse gets recognized a lot. He is most widely recognized for his Useful Dog Tricks videos, but we also get people who recognize him from a commercial he has done. Jesse receives a lot of wonderful e-mails from people all over the world. We've received e-mails and comments from people, about Jesse, from many different places including Japan, Canada, England, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands, and all around the USA (to name a few). Many have had a Jack Russell of their own for many years, and have lost their best friend. They have written to us and told us how much happiness watching Jesse's videos has them when they are feeling sad, and that he has brought back many memories of life with their dogs. I also receive messages from people who say they love Jesse as if he was one of their own. I can't believe how many lives this little guy has touched by just being himself and enjoying each and every day to the fullest.
Have you ever taken Jesse to the vet? Can you tell us what that experience was like?
Jesse goes to the vet to make sure he is healthy and happy. I usually take him in more often than is necessary because I want to catch any illness he has before it gets advanced. If he is a little under the weather, I will take him in just to be on the safe side. Jesse does wonderful at the vet. He is a social butterfly, and will greet everyone at the vets with his ears back and a wiggly body. We have a regular vet we go to and everyone is always happy to see Jesse when he comes in for an appointment. He knows how to weigh himself on the scale, and will jump onto it and lay down to get a reading. Once in the room, he will sit on the table for an examination. Before we leave, we usually get asked by the staff to show off some of Jesse's tricks in the waiting room. Jesse and I make going to the vet a fun outing because when we are done, I always get him his own cup of cream at Starbucks for being such a good boy.
Jesse cleans the windows (Image courtesy of Heather Brook).
Have you got any advice for future or current veterinarians?
My advice would be to listen to your dog and learn as much as you can about dog body language. I have been to a few different vets where a little more knowledge on canine body language could have changed the experience for the dog from a bad one to a positive one. I think the best way to make an experience at the vet's office easy and care free is if the dog's parent teaches the dog that handling exercises are fun, so that when they go in for a check-up, the dog won't stress out because they know what is expected from them.
Any favourite pet related websites?
I am a big fan of the website Clean Run (https://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm). They specialize in equipment for dogs who do agility. They have a wide variety of toys, treats, books, and sporting goods for dogs and humans.
Thank you Heather and Jesse. And if you haven't seen it already, here are some of Jesse's "Useful Dog Tricks". You can read more about Heather and Jesse, and see a lot more footage, at www.justjessethejack.com
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