Red eye in the morning – Vet’s a Calling!

As a Pet Sitter it’s always a bit of a dilemma deciding when a pet in your care needs to go to the vet. You don’t want to run up bills for owners – but I judge it on ‘if this were my pet, would I take them to the Vet?’

I had to make such a decision this week. Let me introduce you to Lotti - a totally adorable to the max one year old Chocolate Lab.

Her owners had left for Bali two hours before I got there - and as I looked at Lotti the first thing I noticed was her winking left eye! I managed to get the owners by text just before their flight. They said she has a history of unresolved eye problems and bathe with saline.

Seeing her eye was weeping I was concerned. Eye problems can go from mild to serious in very short time so I texted back to ask permission to take her to the vet. They said of course if I thought it warranted a visit.

Mark the Vet quickly diagnosed TWO corneal ulcers on Lotti’s left eye. Mark said they would have got much worse without treatment. I came away with drops to administer and the guide that if her eye was not fully normal in three days to bring her back. Thankfully after 5 doses I could see her eye was already improving so looks as if she won’t have to go back.

Sometimes you can afford to leave things a while and see if they settle. Example – Elly, my daughter’s dog, has come up in massive bumps from a bite or sting of an insect more than once. I suggest giving Elly an antihistamine - but invariably my daughter rushes Elly to the vet anyway – and by the time she gets there the bumps are always on the way down!

However, never hesitate in going to the Vet with eye problems or even the slightest sign of gagging/weakness - which can indicate a paralysis tick attack.

Elly has had so many illnesses and visits to SASH that she’s nicknamed ‘Mazda3’ (what she’s cost in medical Bills). But when you're passionate about your pets there’s almost no limit to what you’ll do to care for them - as any pet loving owner will testify!

3 Top Tips to keep your dog alive

Northern Beaches people occasionally ask me what differentiates Perfect Pet Sitter from other dog minders and pet sitters. Key factors are depth of knowledge, experience and our professional approach to caring for peoples’ dogs and cats as it is a huge responsibility. Our expertise means knowing how to look after our Clients’ pets and how to keep them safe and well. Here are three examples:

 TIP 1   Avoid BLOAT/GVD with my feeding time frame guide  

Taking a dog for an easy stroll round the block shortly after feeding is one thing, but heavy exercise or run right after a big meal (especially kibble as it takes so long to digest) is a very BAD IDEA.  Dogs – and most importantly the large breeds - should NOT BE FED TWO HOURS before exercise.

Indi & her house mate, Lilo

If you're lucky, your dog might only feel uncomfortable, be extra thirsty and develop diarrhea. At worst, running soon after eating CAN BE FATAL especially for large dogs when their gut can flip/twist, and Bloat can ensue. Even with fast intervention 40% will not recover and it is a terrible and painful end.  

Big and active dogs such as Indi, a German Shorthaired Pointer
are especially prone to Bloat if exercised too soon after food

And after their run dogs should be left to settle calmly for at least 30 mins before feeding.   More:-  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/bloat

 TIP 2  Flea & Tick Treatments - BUY THE REAL THING!

There is a massive trade in counterfit drugs for humans and nowadays for our pets too. If you buy on-line instead of from your vet you cannot be sure what you are getting. This came to light when at one sit I noticed the dog in my care was infested with fleas. Talking to the owner he told me in he’d purchased treatments on-line from Europe as they were much cheaper.

A dog which has had a Flea & Tick treatment should not be covered in fleas!  What you can know for certain is if the treatment is not killing Fleas, then neither will it be killing Ticks. You then have the very real prospect of a paralysis tick latching onto your dog. If your pet then needs a life saving Vet intervention the cost will be far higher than genuine Flea & Tick treatments in the first place.

TIP 3  Don’t throw sticks on grass!

Ok, now I’m just sounding like a kill joy!  How can something seeming harmless turn out to be life threatening? After all, you’ve thrown sticks hundreds of times and it’s been fine. It is – until the day it isn’t when this happens… instead of landing flat the stick catches in the earth or grass and points upwards. Your dog rushes forward and pounces on the stick and bam – the sharp end pointing upwards pierces the back of your dog’s throat. Depending upon how far the stick penetrates, this is a potentially life threatening injury.  Added complications are splinters of wood left inside and bacteria in the throat mean these wounds cannot be stitched and have to be left to granulate (heal from the inside out).

This is sadly a very common injury - yet completely avoidable – as our Vet told us over 20 years ago when it happened to Flash our German Shorthaired Pointer.

It was, as any visit to the Vet tends to be, an expensive lesson. So if you must throw a stick choose one with no sharp ends – and throw it into water!