Unusual things a Vet may encounter along the way

#1. A few days ago, a client asked me to euthanize a Rottweiler that weighed around 110 pounds. He was suffering from a hereditary skin disease called demodicosis, which refers to the inflammatory parasitic skin disease of dogs and cats, caused by the abnormal proliferation of a mite from the genus demodex. The mites are considered part of the normal skin fauna when present in low numbers.The disease state, demodicosis, is most frequently recognized in dogs.{{more}}

When generalized and chronic, demodicosis is a frustrating and difficult condition to treat.

Minor cases of demodectic mange usually do not cause much itching, but might cause pustules on the dog’s skin, redness, scaling, hair loss, warm to the touch, or any combination of these. It most commonly appears first on the face, around the eyes, or in the corners of the mouth, and on the forelimbs and paws. It may be misdiagnosed as a hotspot or other skin ailments.

In the more severe form, hair loss can occur in patches all over the body and might be accompanied by crusting, pain, enlarged lymph nodes, and deep skin infections.

In this case, the owner had the condition under control for the seven years of the dog’s life, but there came a point where the dog was not responding very well to treatment, hence his decision to put down the dog.

On the designated day, we decided to walk the dog towards the burial spot where a hole was being dug. He was very reluctant to go, but I had a lead around his neck and eventually coaxed him there.

To my surprise, on arrival at the site, the dog went down on his two front feet, both forelegs bent at the elbows, got down on his haunches and rested the side of his head on the grass, head turned towards the hole, away from me. As I held one of his front legs to administer the deadly injection, the dog did not even flinch. He remained in that very position while I injected him and slowly relaxed as the medication took its effect. He was dead.

I have tried to think of the reason why that patient was so compliant. Did he realize that he was going to be put down? Was he so fed up living with the disease that he just wanted to be put out of his misery? Was he hoping that I would spare his life? I guess I will really never know.

#2. One morning as I was waiting in the departure lounge at the airport, I was chatting with a long-time friend/client who recounted an incident with two of his dogs.

One morning, he awoke and noticed that one of his dogs had given birth to three dead pups. Later on in the day, he noticed two recently born pups that were alive and healthy. At first he thought that they belonged to the same mother that had the three dead pups.

Soon, he realized that the live pups were from a different mother. The interesting thing here, is that the two dogs in question decided to share the living pups. They both nursed and cared for them until they were grown enough to eat on their own. So, these puppies had two caring mothers that lived in harmony.

Sometimes it’s our pets who provide examples for us humans to emulate.

Website: www.uniqueanimalcare.com