Canine Cardiologist

I had the most surreal experience at our vet's office during Marley's annual exam.  The vet complemented Marley's svelte figure and sparkling teeth.  We talked about nutrition and she casually said, "Marley's heart murmur seems fine."

My response was, "No, Marley does not have a heart murmur!"  My vet looked at me and offered to check again at the end of the exam.  Once she did she confirmed the heart murmur and started talking about quality of life. I totally panicked and started asking a ton of questions in which I'm sure was a high pitched scared tone.  My vet suggested I schedule an appointment with a cardiologist, who might be able to answer all of my questions.  She referred me to three. I made appointments with all of them.  Did I mention I was panicking?

After conducting some research and calling all the cardiologists multiple times, I settled on one and tried not to overreact every time Marley coughed.  I found an overwhelming amount of information on canine heart murmurs and  a lot of anecdote about other dogs.

Our Canine Cardiologist was wonderful.  She conducted an EKG and an Echocardiagram on Marley.  The results indicate she has a degenerative mitral valve disease. 

This is a genetic condition and Marley was diagnosed at a rather young age. Her heart is still normal and her EKG and blood pressure are also normal.  We have a follow-up scheduled and will hopefully determine the rate of deterioration.  

The good news is the cardiologist gave us permission to allow Marley to gain some weight and we can continue our regular activities. 

I am still a bit overwhelmed at the fact that my sassy, athletic dog has a heart condition.  

Found Dog: What would you do?

Marley was enjoying a romp at the park and I realized it was really late.  I gathered all of our things and as I reached the gate I realized there was a dog inside the double gate structure.  I looked around for the dog owner and after a few minutes realized nobody was heading in our direction.  The dog was scared and kept trying to get out.  I went in and checked the dog for a collar, which he was wearing but had no tags.  We let him into the park, to keep him from escaping and allow other people to enter and exit.

I asked everybody if they owned the dog.  Everybody was shocked the dog had been abandoned at the park; however, nobody offered to help.  By this time it is quite late and I have no idea what to do with a large abandoned dog.

I start calling everybody I know asking for assistance.  I keep hoping somebody will say, "I'll be right over, I'll take care of it."  Nobody does, however everybody has a lot of great ideas.  I call the county shelter and their after hours response leaves a lot to be desired.

At this point the park is pretty empty and I decide to take him to the Emergency Vet to check for a microchip. I've also heard a rumor that they will keep found animals overnight.  Turns out the dog does not have a microchip and the Vet will not accept the dog overnight.

Found dog: Blue eyed border collie

The receptionist takes a few photos of the found dog and my contact information and wishes me luck.

I find myself sitting in the reception area wondering what to do?  I don't know this dog and while he seems calm, I know he is scared and therefore unpredictable.  I do not want to expose Marley or Bob to an unpredictable dog.  

What would you do in this situation? 

Dogs do need jobs!

Marley's BF Henry has always had a fascination with the hose. This fascination translates to a fascination of sprinkler heads. His parent's have had to replace multiple sprinkler heads due to Henry's need to play with water. Who knew Henry was auditioning for a job as Water Manger?

I recently discovered how easy it is to stop your dog from destroying your expensive irrigation system. The ladies at the Blue Thumb Blog posted a brilliant solution. Irrigation should occur at night while dogs are sleeping. Unfortunately for Henry, they also indicated he is just not qualified to be a Water Manger; he'll have to continue his current career as vicious skunk hunter.

They also discuss the dangers of allowing a dog to ingest too much water during play.

Emergency Pet Care

A local paper had a fascinating article about providing emergency veterinary assistance to low income pet owners.

The United Animal Nations provides small grants to people in emergency situations. These grants run between $100 - $300.

If you know someone who is homeless and their pet needs veterinary care they can go to the Mercer Veterinary Clinic.

Our local shelters and SPCA are not equipped to provide emergency care and they will refer you to an emergency pet hospital. Please do not surrender your pet to those agencies in the hope they will receive emergency care, if they have an abundance of needy pets they will euthanize pets in need of medical attention.

If you are looking for a place to donate funds or time please contact some of these agencies. Marley and I participate in the Mercer Vet clinic Santa Paws fundraiser every year and we have a great time.