Tales from the Pet Clinic

By Ann Hohenhaus, DVM, DACVIM

Pet owners frequently ask their veterinarian: “What can I do to keep my pet healthy as long as possible?” I probably give the same answers as my colleagues across the country:

• Take your pet to the veterinarian regularly
• Keep your pet in ideal body condition
• Feed a complete and balanced diet
• Brush your pet’s teeth daily
• Exercise your pet regularly
• Pet proof your home

This week, the answers to this question came from a couple of The AMC’s pet owners. Through careful attention to their pet’s health, they may actually have saved their pet’s lives.

Wynston’s Tumor

Wynston’s owner does brush his teeth every day. But she doesn’t just brush his teeth; she looks at his mouth too. A couple of weeks ago, she noticed a redness around one of his upper front teeth which is easily seen in the photo.

Wynston’s upper front teeth with a red circle around the tumor.

His regular veterinarian performed a biopsy of the area and discovered a benign plasma cell tumor. Even though it is benign, if not treated, it will become larger and impede his ability to eat. Because the tumor is so small, Wynston is an excellent candidate for strontium radiation therapy.

Strontium works only on small, superficial tumors, and if Wynston’s owner had not been looking in the mouth regularly, the tumor might have become too large to use this type of treatment. We anticipate the tumor can be controlled without a surgical procedure. The cost of a doggie tooth brush and peanut flavored tooth paste: $4.99.

The cost of the lifesaving look at Wynston’s gums, $0.

Tito’s Kidneys

Tito lives in a multi-cat household. Because of a diet change, his owner started monitoring his weight on a baby scale because the “hold your cat and weigh yourself” method is not sensitive enough to detect weight loss in cats. Even though all the cats in the family seemed to be eating the new food, Tito kept losing weight, while the other cats gained weight on the new food. A visit to The AMC discovered kidney disease and an abscess on one of Tito’s kidneys. If his owner had not been closely monitoring his weight, the kidney damage might have been greater and Tito might have required a major hospitalization.

The cost of the lifesaving baby scale, $25-125.

Marty’s Heart

Marty the Beagle has myriad problems, including lung and heart disease. Right now his cough is really bad, but his owner is sure the cough is not his heart failure flaring up again. Why? Recent research has shown if a dog’s respiratory rate is normal, heart failure is not the problem. Marty’s cardiologist instructed his owner to count his respirations every day. When his rate is normal, she knows Marty does not need to be rushed to the animal ER for heart failure. Both she and Marty feel better and the cost of this lifesaver, $0.

What low cost lifesavers have you discovered for your pet. Let us know in the comments below or in our Pet Health Community.