Deefa is going fine. It was actually a complete shock when I saw the needle on the radiograph, and initially I went back and checked to see if there was anything in his fur!
I suspect at some point he's eaten the needle and it may have become walled off now. Because he hasn't had any clinical signs we're going to leave it in there for the moment. If you look closely you can see it almost looks like it's rusting in the middle - and it's been quite a while since I've embroidered and ages since I've lost a needle, so for the moment we're just going to keep an eye on him. Poor little boy.
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, March 01, 2008
In Memory of Barney 1996 - 2008
It feels like months since I've last posted here. After posting to the blog in the morning I went into work and got results from blood tests I'd run on Barney the day before. He'd just been lethargic and a bit off his food and radiographs hadn't shown anything. When I got to work and read the blood results they gave a diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, which is very rare and also has a very short lifespan. He was also very anaemic and had very low platelet numbers (which are important for blood clotting). Dad ended up bringing Barney in that day for a blood transfusion. It picked him up a bit over the weekend and he had a really good day on Sunday, but on Monday night he collapsed when coming in from the toilet so we took him into work, and one of the other vets put him to sleep.
We knew from the diagnosis that he didn't have long, but it was terrible to watch him deteriorate so quickly. In the end though, he had a wonderful life and gave us so much joy. We still have his brother Deefa, who has such a different personality from Barney, but is equally loveable. He's obviously missing Barney, but seems to be coping alright at the moment.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Podgy Puppies and Curvy Cats
I'm bringing up a non-craft issue today, which is work related for me, but may affect some of you guys. If it does, don't take it personally, but it is a bit of an issue that's got me riled up at the moment and I figured since it was getting close to Christmas, it's probably something worth thinking about.
Overweight pets. They're a common site in vet clinics, ranging from the podgy to the massively obese. I've seen a number of animals, both cats and dogs, recently which have been double their desired weight. It is a joy to see a labrador of normal weight, and rare to see underweight animals (normally due to a health problem, rather than malnutrition).
Obesity in pets can lead to a number of health problems, many similar to humans. As well as the visible fat under the skin, fat surrounds internal organs and obesity can lead to diabetes, liver disease, cancer, heart and respiratory problems, and joint disease. Excess weight can lead to worsening of some diseases such as arthritis. Individual fatty meals can lead to pancreatitis, which not only makes pets extremely sick, but can be fatal.
Surgery and anaesthesia is more risky in overweight pets, as in position their lungs may not expand as much. Fat surrounds blood vessels, making them slippery and difficult to tie off. Suture material becomes greasy and slippery which can make knots less secure. This means surgery takes longer, which again is less than ideal for the patient.
So how do pets become overweight? There are a couple of medical reasons, but the most common causes are too much food and not enough exercise. Lack of exercise tends to be less than a problem in dogs (this is a wide generalisation and obviously doesn't apply to every case) than cats, who are obviously quite difficult to exercise. Indolent cats are also at an increased risk of urinary crystals.
Excessive calories is a more common reason for weight gain and often snacks and scraps are a big part of this. Many dogs in particular are very food responsive and food is a common reward when training. If you give your dog treats when it begs, you are rewarding this behaviour and training them to beg. Rewards given randomly are an excellent means of reinforcing behaviour for long term training as well.
The question is then, how do you get your pet to lose weight?
Increasing the amount of exercise can help, and activities such as a getting the cat to chase a torch beam around can help. If your pet is getting enough exercise, or for one reason or another they can't be exercised more, you have to concentrate on the diet. There are a number of restricted calorie diets available for obese pets. These have increased fibre and bulk to make them feel full, but don't have the calories. In less obese pets cutting down the food given, feeding a lower calorie dog food or substituting some of the meal with grated carrots can help. Pets should be fed for their desired weight and marking a cup rather than eyeballing the amount will help. Switching to a smaller food bowl can also make it look more full. Cutting out treats and scraps from the table is also key. One very important factor is communication. Everyone who feeds the pet needs to be involved in the weight loss plan so their is consistency in the diet and exercise.
Unfortunately, like in people, weight loss in animals is hard once they've put the weight on. One of my dogs was 42 kilograms and is now down to a healthy weight of 36 kilograms. This has involved persistence with diet and a lot of yelling at other family members. However he suffers from arthritis and so the little treats, while giving him a brief pleasure, are ultimately more harmful than helpful to him. At 11 years old it's far too late to stop him begging when food is around (he's been trained too well) but it's something we do our best to ignore now.
In the end our pets weight is our responsibility, and any preventative health care we can give them we deserve.
Overweight pets. They're a common site in vet clinics, ranging from the podgy to the massively obese. I've seen a number of animals, both cats and dogs, recently which have been double their desired weight. It is a joy to see a labrador of normal weight, and rare to see underweight animals (normally due to a health problem, rather than malnutrition).
Obesity in pets can lead to a number of health problems, many similar to humans. As well as the visible fat under the skin, fat surrounds internal organs and obesity can lead to diabetes, liver disease, cancer, heart and respiratory problems, and joint disease. Excess weight can lead to worsening of some diseases such as arthritis. Individual fatty meals can lead to pancreatitis, which not only makes pets extremely sick, but can be fatal.
Surgery and anaesthesia is more risky in overweight pets, as in position their lungs may not expand as much. Fat surrounds blood vessels, making them slippery and difficult to tie off. Suture material becomes greasy and slippery which can make knots less secure. This means surgery takes longer, which again is less than ideal for the patient.
So how do pets become overweight? There are a couple of medical reasons, but the most common causes are too much food and not enough exercise. Lack of exercise tends to be less than a problem in dogs (this is a wide generalisation and obviously doesn't apply to every case) than cats, who are obviously quite difficult to exercise. Indolent cats are also at an increased risk of urinary crystals.
Excessive calories is a more common reason for weight gain and often snacks and scraps are a big part of this. Many dogs in particular are very food responsive and food is a common reward when training. If you give your dog treats when it begs, you are rewarding this behaviour and training them to beg. Rewards given randomly are an excellent means of reinforcing behaviour for long term training as well.
The question is then, how do you get your pet to lose weight?
Increasing the amount of exercise can help, and activities such as a getting the cat to chase a torch beam around can help. If your pet is getting enough exercise, or for one reason or another they can't be exercised more, you have to concentrate on the diet. There are a number of restricted calorie diets available for obese pets. These have increased fibre and bulk to make them feel full, but don't have the calories. In less obese pets cutting down the food given, feeding a lower calorie dog food or substituting some of the meal with grated carrots can help. Pets should be fed for their desired weight and marking a cup rather than eyeballing the amount will help. Switching to a smaller food bowl can also make it look more full. Cutting out treats and scraps from the table is also key. One very important factor is communication. Everyone who feeds the pet needs to be involved in the weight loss plan so their is consistency in the diet and exercise.
Unfortunately, like in people, weight loss in animals is hard once they've put the weight on. One of my dogs was 42 kilograms and is now down to a healthy weight of 36 kilograms. This has involved persistence with diet and a lot of yelling at other family members. However he suffers from arthritis and so the little treats, while giving him a brief pleasure, are ultimately more harmful than helpful to him. At 11 years old it's far too late to stop him begging when food is around (he's been trained too well) but it's something we do our best to ignore now.
In the end our pets weight is our responsibility, and any preventative health care we can give them we deserve.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Look what I borrowed from work
Alright, so actually I got asked to look after it overnight, and unlike the normal overnight things where I go into work to check stuff, I'm just putting this little puppy in a crate once I go to bed next to me (so hopefully I'll get some sleep - if it doesn't whine too much!), but until then I'm giving it lots of pats and cuddles.
It's an eight week old puppy and it's only 1 1/2 kilos, how tiny is that!
It's an eight week old puppy and it's only 1 1/2 kilos, how tiny is that!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Fishy Photos
When I was at university I had to do lots of work experience during my holidays (so I didn't really get that many holidays!). Anyway, I managed to go to the aquarium quite a bit which was lots of fun, particularly when I got there before it opened and I could go behind the scenes and everything. Anyway, here are some of my favourite photos.
For some reason, I've always thought sharks were really cool and misunderstood. This little one was cute, and I kind of wanted to pat him, but I didn't.
For some reason, I've always thought sharks were really cool and misunderstood. This little one was cute, and I kind of wanted to pat him, but I didn't.
Friday, January 12, 2007
My Boys
So these are my boys, and I miss them a lot when I'm in Adelaide, although last time I went home they initially ignored me because they weren't very happy with me for going away for so long, luckily after a day they forgave me.
This is Deefa and this photo was only set up a little bit. He came and lay on all the sheets in the laundry and then I tucked him in a bit, but as he was still like that 10 minutes later I then took a photo. Deefa is a big softy.
This is Barney and he's a bit more naughty, but just as loveable. His favourite game is sneaking out the house if someone has left a gate or door open. He just goes across the road, but if you don't notice he gets bored and comes back, and he manages to have a specific "I've been on an adventure" look, which lets us know that he's very proud of himself for tricking us, and that we have to go and check all the gates. For some reason Deefa never goes on those adventures, we're not sure if it's because he's being good, or he just doesn't realise the possibilities for escape (he's not the smartest dog around!)
This is Deefa and this photo was only set up a little bit. He came and lay on all the sheets in the laundry and then I tucked him in a bit, but as he was still like that 10 minutes later I then took a photo. Deefa is a big softy.
This is Barney and he's a bit more naughty, but just as loveable. His favourite game is sneaking out the house if someone has left a gate or door open. He just goes across the road, but if you don't notice he gets bored and comes back, and he manages to have a specific "I've been on an adventure" look, which lets us know that he's very proud of himself for tricking us, and that we have to go and check all the gates. For some reason Deefa never goes on those adventures, we're not sure if it's because he's being good, or he just doesn't realise the possibilities for escape (he's not the smartest dog around!)
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