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Help in Healing
By Melody Daugherty
Wellbeing
Wellbeing comes to our animal companions in many ways. My spiritual lineage can be traced back to the indigenous people’s way of life. And it is a way of life. I was always drawn to Nature. Learning how to live in balance and harmony with Nature in accordance with my Elders perspectives was a whole different thing. It wasn’t until Tiberius, my feline companion of 20 years, was in such a state of disharmony that I stretched my limited human understanding and once again stepped into uncharted territory. I am a Shamanic Practitioner dealing with the Spiritual dimension of disharmony in our lives. A shamanic journey is undertaken on behalf of the person not feeling well that might include a soul retrieval bringing back soul parts that had left their lives. The entire journey with the help of spirit guides is intended to help restore overall balance, harmony and well-being. If this worked for people why then wouldn’t it work for Tiberius, was my thinking. I performed a shamanic journey for him that encompassed a soul retrieval and ended by including the animal spirit guides who gladly stepped forward to accompany Tiberius on his earthly walk. I wasn’t prepared for the dramatic shift in his personality or health upon rising the next day. Tiberius was up and moving, clear eyed and eating. He was no longer depressed or lethargic. He had stopped throwing up. He was interested in his surroundings. I was stunned. Tiberius has been my greatest teacher and my greatest love. Here he was again being of service teaching me how Shamanism applies to him also. I was reminded that here, that there are no barriers or separations in the spirit world, be it plant, animal or human because we are all spiritual in nature. And as my Elders have taught me animals are much closer to Spirit than we are. Perhaps this is why he had such a turnabout in his condition. Either way I was taken on a new soul journey with the help of my animal companion that brought about Wellbeing for the both of us. |
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Holidays are a Hazardous Time for Pets |
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 The holidays can be especially dangerous for dogs, cats, and small pets; keep yours safe this season (and year-round) by watching out for the following:
Foods
- Acorns
- Alcoholic beverages
- Bones from poultry, fish, or other meat
- Canned tuna (for human consumption)
- Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeinated items
- Dairy Products
- Fat trimmings
- Fruit pits and seeds
- Grapes and raisins
- Liver
- Macadamia nuts
- Mushrooms
- Mustard seeds
- Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder)
- Potato and tomato leaves and stems
- Raw eggs and fish
- Rhubarb stems
- Salt, baking soda, and baking powder
- Sugar-free foods containing Xylitol
- Sugary sweets
- Table scraps in large quantities (as they might contain other harmful ingredients such as those listed)
- Yeast dough
- Walnuts
Holiday Plants and Items
- Antifreeze
- American holly
- Batteries
- Christmas cactus
- Christmas tree preservatives and tree water
- Electrical cords
- Holiday decorations
- Ice melts
- Liquid potpourris
- Lilies
- Mistletoe
- Rodenticides
- Poinsettias
Common Human Medications
- Acetaminophen
- Aspirin
- Cough/cold/flu medication containing pseudoephedrine
- Ibuprofen
If you suspect that your pet has consumed any of the above listed items or is displaying any unusual symptoms, seek immediate medical attention by contacting your veterinarian or calling the 24-hour ASPCA National Poison Control Center at 1-888-ANI-HELP (1-888-426-4435). Keep these numbers in a visible, convenient location in case of an emergency. |
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Pet Meds Update: Pharmaceuticals for Finicky Felines |
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 You pick up your cat and cradle him in the crook of your arm, applying slight pressure to his cheeks to open its mouth. After popping in the cat’s pill, while waiting for Fluffy to swallow, the cat suddenly flees your grasp, and his pill goes flying across the room. You retrieve the cat and the pill and try again. This time, the cat takes off like a bullet, burrowing under the bed while you search desperately for the pharmaceutical projectile.
When you finally find the pill, it’s too soggy to use again. You get a new pill and roust Fluffy from his hiding place, hoping that the third time is the charm. Now you force the pill toward the cat’s throat with your forefinger and then hold his mouth closed for a count of ten, hoping that he will finally swallow, but Fluffy springs from your arms again, seeking higher ground atop your tallest piece of furniture. The pill plops into the aquarium.
You realize that you need reinforcements, so you enlist the aid of your spouse or neighbor. You grab yet another pill. While kneeling on the floor with the cat securely between your knees, you hold Fluffy’s front and rear paws. Your assistant holds the cat’s head firmly with one hand, while sliding a wooden ruler to the back of his mouth, flinging the pill down the ruler and rubbing the his throat vigorously to promote swallowing. Fluffy musters all of his strength, and in a whirlwind of teeth and claws, perches atop a nearby curtain rod, arching his back and hissing. This time, you can’t even find the pill. Note to self: buy a new ruler and sew up the curtains after the doctor stitches up your gaping wounds at the emergency room! Does this sound familiar?
Pilling a cat can seem like an exercise in futility, meaning that the persnickety feline doesn’t get the medication that he needs and that you have spent extra money for pills that can no longer be used. If your kitty won’t take his meds, don’t despair! Veterinary compounding pharmacies—which customize pharmaceuticals to suit individual patients’ needs—can craft a preparation that will please your finicky feline, according to your veterinarian’s prescription order.
If taste is the issue, then your veterinarian can order a flavored form of your cat’s medication. Depending on the active pharmaceutical ingredient needed, a compounding pharmacy can prepare a tasty liquid suspension. Some medications can even be incorporated into a palatable chewable treat. Fish and meat flavors please most feline palates, but a compounder can also offer alternate flavorings to accommodate felines with unusual preferences.
Some cats, however, refuse all sorts of oral medications. There’s hope yet! Compounding pharmacies can incorporate many different active pharmaceutical ingredients into transdermal gels that can be rubbed into the cat’s ear, per your veterinarian’s prescription order. If you go the transdermal route, be sure to use a glove or a finger cot when applying the gel so that you do not dose yourself. If you apply the gel with your bare hand, then you will absorb part of your cat’s medication, diminishing its effectiveness.
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Pain Control - Not Just for Humans |
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There have been many articles about human pain in magazine, newspapers, on the radio and on television. This has created a great interest amongst pet owners. Fortunately, we know quite a bit about pain in dogs and cats. The following questions are a good sample of what many owners ask on a daily basis when they come into our practice.
Why is controlling pain important?
There are many adverse physiologic effects of pain in both pets and their human counterparts. Both acute and chronic pain can elicit a stress response which affects virtually every organ system in the body. Severe acute pain and unchecked chronic pain can decrease the rate of healing, impair the immune system, and decrease cardiac and pulmonary function to mention a few. Studies have documented that pain can make healthy patients sick, sick patients sicker, and can even kill critically ill patients.
What are some signs of pain in dogs and cats?
Domestic species like dogs and cats have the innate ability to hide behavioral signs of pain, especially in the presence of a potential predator, in order to not show any signs of vulnerability. This is a carryover from their wild ancestors. This can complicate the diagnosis of painful conditions because the behaviors and signs a pet owner may notice at home may be hidden in the presence of a veterinarian.
Animals with hurt limbs often limp or show changes in walking, trotting and/or running. However, the signs of pain may be much less obvious and may just manifest themselves as behavioral changes. Common behavioral changes include decreased ability to walk long distances and decreased tolerance of people and other animals. The decreased ability to walk relates to pain in the limbs or back. As pets get more uncomfortable, they cannot tolerate as much exercise. With less exercise, the pet usually develops muscle atrophy due to decreased use, which results in progressive weakness, making it increasingly difficult to perform more common functions. Increased aggression is typically a protective warning mechanism pets use to keep themselves from getting hurt. Animals will growl or hiss to keep other animals or people from acting in manners which the pet associates with potential pain. In general, anytime a pet demonstrates changes in behavior, some source of pain should be considered and searched out, either as a primary cause, or secondary to some other source of illness.
What are the common types of treatment for acute and chronic pain?
The most common initial treatment for chronic pain in dogs is the prescribing and administering of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), of which there are six approved for use in dogs: Rimadyl® (carprofen), Metacam® (meloxicam), Deramaxx® (deracoxib), Zubrin® (tepoxalin), Previcox® (firocoxib), and Etogesic® (etodolac). Aspirin is a non-approved NSAID and in general should be avoided in dogs for pain relieving purposes.
As pain worsens, there are a number of other prescription oral medications which are helpful. These include narcotic (opioid) or narcotic-like, anti-seizure, antidepressant, and anti-influenza medications. Other useful and effective non-drug therapies include acupuncture, microcurrent electrical stimulation, therapeutic laser, pulsed electromagnet field therapy, massage, and physical rehabilitation.
Should a pet be euthanized because of pain?
Very few pets have uncontrollable pain. Chronic pain in pets, like that in humans, is a very individual problem. One pet may require very different combinations of drugs and therapies for a specific problem compared to another pet with very similar sources of pain. Virtually every pet that has been deemed a candidate for euthanasia can be given weeks, months, or even years of a high quality, comfortable life with some patience on the part of the owner and with the right combination of therapies.
Dr. Gaynor is the Director of the Animal Anesthesia & Pain Management Center at the Veterinary Specialty Center. He is a specialist in anesthesiology and pain management.
©AAPMC 2007
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Specialist for Pets??? You Bet!!! |
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Zoe, a 6-year-old lab escapes from her yard one September night. Mom and Dad are worried sick and organize friends to walk the neighborhood. Zoe is found by the side of the road, alive but badly injured after being hit by an automobile. Zoe is rushed to a veterinary specialty center and is first seen by emergency doctors who stabilize Zoe’s life-threatening problems. Digital radiographs are taken and reveal numerous pelvic fractures, free abdominal fluid and a possible sacral fracture.
Abdominocentesis (abdominal fluid collection) yields free fluid, and analysis reveals the fluid to contain urine. Abdominal ultrasound and contrast cystogram lead to the diagnosis of a ruptured urinary bladder. Zoe is placed in ICU and her care is taken over by a board certified internal medicine specialist. Intensive monitoring, abdominal drainage, fluid therapy, antibiotics and general supportive care are continued to stabilize Zoe’s condition. Radiographs are emailed to a radiologist and Zoe is scheduled for surgery. A board certified anesthesiologist anesthetizes Zoe using the safest combination of injectable and inhalant drugs and anesthetics. Once under anesthesia, a morphine epidural is performed and Zoe is taken to surgery. The anesthetist monitors Zoe’s vital signs through both hands-on and sophisticated monitoring techniques. As is often the case, anesthesia goes smoothly, but an entire arsenal of emergency treatments is ready if needed.
Two boarded surgeons (one soft tissue and one orthopedic) team-up for the case. An abdominal exploration performed by the soft tissue surgeon finds not only a ruptured bladder but also a ureteral avulsion. The torn ureter is reimplanted into the bladder and the bladder closed. Next, the orthopedic surgeon begins to explore the comminuted hip fracture. The hip joint is broken too severely for primary repair and the decision is made to perform an artificial total hip replacement. Surgery goes well and the anesthesiologist who also specializes in pain management recovers Zoe. Short and long-term pain management protocols are established and Zoe is returned to ICU under the care of the internist. An email from the radiologist reports that the sacrum is indeed broken but not displaced. The decision is made to allow the sacrum to heal on it’s own.
Zoe recovers well over the next several days and is discharged from the hospital. She is comfortable, happy and home but sees the anesthesiologist/pain management specialist weekly for acupuncture. Two weeks after surgery Zoe begins physical rehabilitation using an underwater treadmill. Three months later Zoe is amazingly normal.
This story represents the state of the art care veterinary specialists offer dedicated pet owners. The example is extreme, but the specialists at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Southern Colorado have provided even more extensive care for even more extensive injuries with successful outcomes. Veterinary specialty facilities exist in virtually all-major U.S. cities. Veterinary specialty care may not be for everyone, but if you love your pets the way we do, it’s nice to know it’s available if needed.
By Dr. Michael Bauer, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons and owner of Colorado Canine Orthopedics at The Veterinary Specialty Center, Orthopedic Surgery Column Writer
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A true friend is the best possession -Benjamin Franklin
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