Dr. Primm's Warm and Fuzzies

This morning when I woke up there was an email for me from a client that has moved with her dogs to Shanghai, China. She wanted to thank me for helping to make their trip easier.  She knows how complex the health certificates and international paperwork were and she wanted us to know that she appreciated it. We did everything in our power to decrease the stress of an already momentous change for her and the dogs and her gratitude today just made my day! 

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My trip to the Big Apple was amazing and I learned so much.  One thing that I learned (that I always suspected) was that animals pull us together, no matter who we are. When people hear that I am a veterinarian (no matter how famous they are), they smile and start to tell me about their pets.  The pets' silly antics, how they comforted them in times of sickness or sorrow or how their lives are made better because of the animals.  I found out that George Stephanopoulos has a long haired Dachshund and a Corgi mix that make him smile. Robin Roberts has a Jack Russell that was her steadfast companion when she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. We talk about "quality of life" as veterinarians and we use this ambiguous term to help us make some tough decisions.  But I think that the biggest "quality of life" issue that I see as a veterinarian is how animals make our lives better with every wag and purr.

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Thank you for your comments on my blog post about ticks.  In answer to your question about how long ticks live in the environment-it depends on the species of tick, but some ticks have a life cycle of up to 2 years. As a veterinarian, I mostly see the ticks during the attachment phase on the pets, so I had to do a little research myself.  Dr. Michal Dryden is a veterinary parasitologist who has published many articles about fleas and ticks.  I did a search on "ticks and Dr. Micheal Dryden" and I was able to find his articles at http://www.drmichaeldryden.com/ticks/.   I hope this helps!

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According to VPI pet insurance claims, the top three most common claims in dogs are ear infections (thought linked to allergy), skin allergy, and hot spot (also a skin issue that could be linked to allergic disease).   Atopy (inhalant allergies) tend to run in breeds and families, so when you are looking for a pet, ask questions about the parents and relatives.  Good questions might include: "Have his parents ever had any severe itching? Do they ever seem to obsessively lick their paws? Have you ever noticed any related dogs losing hair or excessively shedding?"  Certain breeds seem more likely to have allergic disease also and any dog that is a terrier-type dog is at increased risk.  Advances in DNA testing might allow you some insight into the breed heritage of rescue dogs also. We are always happy to share our experiences with certain breeds of dogs, so use us as a resource when interviewing and adopting.  We work closely with Pet Placement Center, so if you are considering a pet from them, they would be happy to let us examine the pet and talk with you about his/her potential risks of allergic disease prior to adoption.
Although allergies are not curable, there are many things that can be done to help head them off and minimize the severity of an outbreak. Knowledge is power so knowing that your new pet might have a risk factor can help you be alert, but should not stop you from bringing the pet into your life.

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I do! Especially my pediatrician.  When I was a new mom, I felt so helpless and it seemed like having to call and talk to a motley crew of receptionists and nurses was a lot of bother for a simple question that I wanted to ask the doctor.  This was when I started to give my email out to all my clients for them to use at times when calling my office was not ideal or not possible. They understand that emergency situations are not for email, but for questions about parasites or their medical discharge instructions (or a huge variety of other topics) email is perfect! Because they can email anytime the questions occur and I can answer when I have a free moment, it really works for us. Being able to email me personally and to email my staff as well, is one of the perks of being a part of the Applebrook family! :)

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