www.atlantabeaglerescue.org

Where would we be without them?

Last week we had a scare when one of our own dogs suddenly became unsteady on his feet and started throwing up. He didn't appear to be in any pain, but we took him to the emergency vet. I feared the worse - a stroke. Luckily, it was not a stroke but an episode of vestibular disease. Basically something went kaflooey with his inner ear and he had very bad vertigo. It is relatively common in older pets - dogs and cats. We took Shep to our vet today for a follow up and were reassured that although he's still a bit "tilty", his symptoms were mild and as long as he's eating and happy he'll be fine.

Vestibular disease does come back. Hopefully Shep's symptoms will continue to be mild and we can help the nausea with some doggy Dramamine. Now at least we'll know what it is when he starts walking around like he's drunk!

We found out from Rolling Dog Ranch that Briggs' blindness and perhaps even his wobbliness was caused by untreated Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever! Who knew?! The sad thing is that it could have been treated much earlier and perhaps prevented him losing his site and his fine motor skills. The good news is he's getting the treatment he needs to be comfortable and healthy.

When Ruby had a seizere my vet was there on the phone with me and was willing to look at alternative treatments. When Jake needed further diagnosis the vet specialist was there to do a thorough job of figuring out how we could treat him. Not everyone can or will spend the money that rescues do, but just like your pediatrician is your partner in raising healthy children, your vet is your partner in helping you raise a healthy, long-living pet. The more preventive care you put in up front the less extensive and expensive care you will need later on. Good food, good care and regular visits to the vet can prevent a host of illnesses and diseases. Your vet can also help you with questions about behavior (the #1 reason dogs are surrendered to shelters).

So we take a moment to salute the vets!