#defendersofshield

[ask-a-vetblr]

Is it okay if I let my dog get away with eating a little more than he should because he’s really old and has a lot of medical conditions? So we think he’s around 10 years old and he’s a large dog so he’ll probably live to around 12 if he’s lucky. He also has cancer and some sort of liver problem and arthritis. We’re treating the arthritis with pain meds and some other medication(I’m not sure exactly what since my mom handles most of that)but we decided not to do anything about the cancer since1/

2/ it hasn’t caused any problems so far besides one small tumor that was removed and the vets didn’t what was causing his liver problems and it hasn’t caused an actual problem yet so we’re not doing anything about that either. We’ve been letting him eat some extra dinner each night if he wants because he keeps stealing some food from our other dogs. Now he eats in another room so he can’t steal their food and we’re giving him a normal amount of food but at breakfast he eats with the other dogs

3/3 and every once in a while he’ll take some of the other dogs food but usually he doesn’t at breakfast. He’s only a little overweight (we think but he hasn’t actually been weighed yet) and it hasn’t caused any problems so far so is it okay to give him some extra food and treats every once in a while since he probably doesn’t have a lot of time left?

Also I just want to clarify that we are taking my dog to the vet regularly and if something major comes up we’ll deal with it and if we find another tumor we’ll have it removed but we’re not going to do chemotherapy or anything like that for his cancer because it’s just too expensive and he’s doing really well for now so there isn’t really a point to it but if he was younger or we had more money we would definitely do more than we are now 

For older dogs with cancer (and it varies hugely depending on what sort of cancer you’re talking about) there is a balancing act between wanting to keep their condition on, so they may need a bit more food than they used to, while still trying to prevent too much weight gain which makes it harder on their arthritic joints. If he’s not gaining heaps of extra weight, that little extra food is probably fine.

A few caveats though - sometimes weight gain is not gaining fat or muscle, but gaining fluid or a growing tumor, so weird shapes or a bulging belly are still worth checking out, as is weighing the dog every few weeks or a month if you can.

And some foods are good to avoid with certain liver problems (metabolic ones) so if your dog happens to have one of those you’d be best to run the treats by your vet, though if it’s just high liver enzymes or a possible tumor in the liver, most things will be fine. Whether he’d benefit from lower-fat treats or not depends on the nature of that liver problem.

It’s not like you’re getting him McDonalds for breakfast every day, some medical conditions require more food to maintain the patient, and as long as he is maintaining that’s probably ok.

[howtoimpersonateanadult]

I’m thinking of applying for a job right now but I won’t be able to work until social distancing/quarantine is over. Should I apply now or wait until I can actually go in to work to apply? (In case is relevant I’m 17 and I don’t need a job right now and the place I want to apply to tends to be more forgiving and flexible with schedules from what I’ve heard)

tbh without knowing any other info, your best move might be to call/email the place and ask the hiring manager if they are taking applications and if so, if they’re only looking for staff now or also for after the pandemic - assuming their website doesn’t have info in it already. I’m guessing they’ll want you to wait to apply because a lot of places aren’t even sure what staff they’ll be able to afford once the pandemic is more contained. However, depending on what kind of place it is they may be willing to keep your CV on file or something. If you know someone who works there you might be able to find all this out in a more informal way. But honestly it’s really going to depend on what sort of place it is and what their hiring needs are. Posting this publicly so anyone with more insight can comment or reblog with ideas.

[missnoodliness]

Since you work at a cat friendly clinic is there anything you could tell me about cat/kitten handling? I volunteer at a shelter and I want to work with the cats more but I don't want to make them uncomfortable

This is a really good ask and I'm sorry it took me so long to get to it. My personal life kind of went to shit a week ago.

The cat friendly concept is at its basis keeping cats in an environment of low stress and maximum reward for anything a cat might find aversive for veterinary care. It involves gentle handling (Sophia Yin has amazing videos), not exposing cats to barking dogs at the vet, etc. You can read more here.

Helping to socialize young cats is very helpful. Introducing them to new toys, positive reinforcement, and rewards for gentle handling is what I can think of off the top of my head. A lot of cats hate restraint because they are not accustomed to it or usually rewarded for it. Starting young helps so much.

Oh, and brush those kittens while they get yummy food! I can't tell you how many cats I see who are so matted because owners can't brush the cat. It sometimes doesn't become necessary until the cat ages, gets arthritis, and can't do it for themselves anymore. Or they come in because the owner cut the cat with scissors. Brush them while they snack briefly so they begin to tolerate it!

Just remember to disinfect everything!

[actuallyservicedogs]

I saw a supposedly funny video about an "out of control service dog" that was doing tbings like dragging its owner's wheel chair around (without the owner in it). Do you think that dog is actually a service dog if it has behavioral issues like that?

If you’re talking about that video of the shepherd mal thing that is in a training facility it is a video that is showing how he is NOT a service dog and cannot be one because of his drive. So no, a dog would not be a service dog if it had those issues. That’s the point of the video. He isn’t one because his ball drive and toy drive is way too high. 

And it was a pretty funny video. (:

Chelsea

[gettingvetted]

Hi! I just wanted to say that I really love your blog! Also what is American vet school like? I'm asking because I want to be a vet but for some reason most of the vetblrs I've seen are Australian and the rest aren't American so I can't get a completely accurate picture from other blogs because I know vet school is different in different countries

Thank you! <3

Vet school in America is 4 years, after 3-4 years of undergraduate study. Most vet schools have 3 years of classroom education, where you take classes like anatomy, physiology, immunology, radiology, pharmacology, parasitology, surgery, and “medicine” courses, in normal semesters like undergrad with summer, Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks (though there are also one or two schools that use a quarter system similar to high school and have breaks at different times during the year). Then your 4th year begins the instant you finish finals in spring of your third year and you spend an entire year on rotations until graduation. A couple of schools are beginning to start you on clinics in spring semester of your third year and I think there’s at least one that has you do two whole years of clinics, so while that means you get to spend more time on clinics and get more experience, you also have to cram 3 years of classroom education into 2.5 or even 2 years which can be pretty stressful.

“Rotations” basically mean that you rotate through each/most of the services offered at the school’s teaching hospital, from small animal pet health to food animal health to equine health (like would be offered at a “normal” vet clinic) to orthopedic surgery to soft tissue surgery to anesthesia to radiology to cardiology to necropsy to internal medicine to to ophthalmology to dentistry, etc. Those are your “core” rotations, and you also have to take a number of electives. Schools vary in how many of each category you’re allowed to take at other schools or at private practices that offer a specialty department. At my school, all of your “core” rotations have to be taken at the school, and only 5 out of 11 of your elective credits can be taken outside the school. At other schools you can do a certain number of your cores outside the school if you want and also take all of your electives outside the school, should you choose to do so. Some schools don’t have a teaching hospital at all, so you have to take all of your rotations outside the school to start with. But most vet schools do have a teaching hospital so it will usually be one of the first two scenarios or a variation of those.

Do you have any more specific questions? Because that’s how vet school “works,” but I’m not sure I’ve given you an adequate description of what it’s “like.” There’s a difference :P

Some great American vets/vet students to follow are @vulnera-sanentura, @drmannimal, @vetloading, @soontobedvm, @wineingveterinarian, @llcoolswick, @vetmedirl, @bowtievetguy, @theyoungvet-blog, @drownedwednesday, @talesofaveterinarystudent, @dxvetstudent, @vetintraining, @vet-and-wild, @sarahseesarahdew, @datvetlife, @justvetschoolthings, @just-like-a-real-doctor, @vet-in-progress, @awomanofletters, @vetstudent-tears, @ashleygoestovetschool, @theexoticvet, @veterinaryrambles, @fortheloveofcows, and @veterinarianinprogress.

At least, I think they’re all American. Great to follow regardless of nationality!

[tinymintywolf]

Hi I just wanted to say that I really love your art and your defenders drawings were actually what got me into the show which is really great because I love the show and the other marvel Netflix shows now

aww that’s awesome, im glad you like them too! tbh convincing more ppl to watch defenders with my art is an accomplishment i strive for 😎😎

[ask-a-vetblr]

I just saw something about a breeder who removes the dew claws in her dogs and I was wondering, does that have any negative effects on dogs?

Hind dewclaws are a vestigial digit and don’t do much. Front dewclaws are used in gripping and have some purpose.

[ask-a-vetblr]

Hi! I just saw that there's a volunteer program at the clinic I've taken all three of my dogs to which is open to high school students and the clinic treats exotics and normal animals which is really cool. The problem is that they ask about previous work experience on the application and I've never had a job before. Do you think it's still worth it to apply/do I have a chance at getting the position or should I just not apply?

If you never apply, you’ll never get it.

Consider listing extra-curricular activities instead, if that helps. Things you’ve volunteered at, things you’ve helped out with.

- Dr Ferox