Senseless death

Last week, we saw a cat with a condition that I have fortunately only seen once before in my 21 years at the clinic and was hoping to never see again. We were presented with a 4 year old cat that was comatose on arrival. His gums were white indicating a severe anemia. He was covered in fleas and flea dirt. There were so many fleas that they were competing for spaces on him. Every time we touched him, we had to pick fleas off of our hands and arms. The fleas had basically drained the cat of most of his blood. The prognosis was grave and the owner elected euthanasia. Every death of a pet is difficult for me but to see a cat die from a condition that is totally and easily preventable is truly disturbing. It was all I could do to hold back from ranting and raving at him and smacking him upside the head. The over the counter product which he could not name was obviously started too late and had questionable effectiveness. I am so grateful for our pet owners who act proactively to prevent health problems in their pets. Sadly, I now have another horrific example to offer clients of how a flea infestation can have devastating consequences.

Jan Hueben, RVT

Poor Cherry Pie

A few weeks ago my beloved Shar-pei mix Cherry Pie and I were romping around Heritage Dog Park. I was enjoying the much needed break from the rain, as Pie enjoyed the mud. As she ran, I watched her approach a freshly dug hole, perfectly concealed with muddy water. I immediately called for her, knowing she is not nearly coordinated or agile enough to miss the hole that she was about to fall in. Sure enough…"slip….plop…whimper whimper whimper.” My poor Pie stumbled out of the hole with a limp and a bruised ego. After completing the necessary de-mud process, I noticed the leg she was limping on was beginning to swell. My hopes that she would “walk it off” were quickly fading.
The next day Cherry Pie accompanied me to the work. As an assistant at Trailridge, I’m very lucky to have access to the knowledge and resources Dr. Maasen and Dr. Cram generously provide. Upon examining Pie, Dr. Maasen became concerned about the swelling and deformation of Pie’s leg and recommended X-rays. After anxiously (me, not Pie) waiting for the films to develop, we were able to clearly see that she was not injured from her fall. What we did find however was somewhat more concerning. At only 4 years of age, my beloved friend and side-kick already has arthritis in her joints.
It surprised me how affected I was by this information. Due to my job title, I often console pet owners when they’ve received bad news about their pet, but now I truly understand just how it feels. Although it could’ve been a lot worse, hearing that my precious Cherry Pie has a condition that will most likely cause her pain and discomfort as she ages was absolutely devastating. It caused me to face the mortality of my best friend and reminded me what little time we might have together.
I’m truly appreciative for this realization, as it has inspired me to be pro-active with Cherry Pie’s treatment. Being that she is only 4 years old, I now have the opportunity to treat this problem before it actually becomes a painful problem.

-Laci Beard
Assistant