Questions to Ask & Preparing Your Home for a Pet Sitter

Leaving your pets behind with someone can be scary.  Some people may know of a friend or family member who is available care for our fur-babies when they are on vacation or at work.  Other people may search online for local pet sitting companies.  But when it comes to interviewing a future pet sitter, do you have a list of questions to ask?

Here are some ideas on questions you may want to ask:

·       What experience or knowledge do you have when it comes to working with animals?

·       How often will you send me updates?  Can you also send me pictures or videos of my pet?

·       Do you feel comfortable with security cameras on the property?

·       If my pet needs medication given, do you feel comfortable giving medications?  (Especially find out if they have experience giving injections, if your pet is diabetic, for instance.)

·       How long will you be spending time with my pet(s)?  How often will they be walked or played with?

According to PetHub, they recommend these 7 important questions:

• Is the pet sitter insured and bonded?
• Can the pet sitter provide proof of clear criminal history?
• Does the pet sitter provide client references?
• Will the pet sitter use a pet-sitting services agreement or contract?
• Is the pet sitter a Certified Professional Pet Sitter (CPPS) and/or has he or she participated in pet-care training, such as pet first aid?
  
• How do you ensure my dog (or cat) does not go missing in your care?
• Do you have a plan in the event that my dog (or cat) goes missing?

Source article: https://www.pethub.com/article/7-critical-questions-ask-new-pet-sitter

When it comes to concern about your pet getting lost while you are out of town, here is a list of things to consider:

·       It is highly recommended to make sure your pet’s microchip information is up to date.  If you don’t know how to update your pet’s microchip information, contact your veterinarian and they can scan your pet to find the microchip, write down the microchip number and direct you on who to contact to update the information.

·       If your pet wears a collar, are their tags up to date?

·       Is your pet a runner?  Should your pet sitter be on-guard when opening doors to the outside?

·       Is your backyard fenced in and safe?  Does your pet know how to open doors or gates?

Once you’ve found your pet sitter, now what?  Most pet sitting companies or individual pet sitters will have a list of questions they will save for when they are booked to watch your pet.  Their questionnaire will most likely go over emergency contact information, feeding instructions, medication instructions, any notes for special care needs, etc.

But it is good to also have similar paperwork somewhere in the home for them to refer to in case their notes gets lost, or they cannot access online sources.

Ideas of what to include on a sheet(s) of paper or in a packet may be:

·       General information: feeding/walks/special care instructions, alarm codes, alerts, etc.

·       List which veterinary hospital and what veterinarian usually sees your pet(s).  And if it is not a 24-hour hospital, list which emergency hospital you prefer.  It is also a suggestion to contact your primary vet hospital to give them notice if you want your pet sitter to be listed in your chart as someone authorized to bring in your pet for treatment.

·       Make sure the first aid kit in your house is fully stocked and notate where it will be kept in the house.

·       Do you know your itinerary for your trip?  You can leave that information such as what hotel you will be staying at with their phone number, and what time your flight arrives home.

·       Contact numbers for you and the people you’re traveling with as well as any local friends/family/neighbors that you trust to help out in case an emergency comes up while you are out of town.

·       Extra cash in an envelope for purchases needed such as more pet food.  Or if you have a retail online account, you can always order pet supplies online to be shipped and let your pet sitter know when the package has been delivered to the house.

·       Is there a spare key somewhere?  If not in the house, is there someone local that has a spare key in case of emergencies?

For more great ideas on instructions your pet sitter should be aware of, click the link below:

http://www.vetstreet.com/learn/pet-sitter-instructions-what-they-need-to-know

Are there certain signs that my pet sitter should watch for 
when it comes to my pet’s health?

"Each pet may have their own special habits that would be good to share with a pet sitter.  If you know your pet also behaves differently when you are away, let your pet sitter know what to expect.  If your pet deviates significantly from their expected behavior (e.g. doesn’t eat when they always eat, or sleeps more than they used to, or is having accidents in the house but has not been known to do that before, etc.) they can alert you to these changes and together you can decide if they are worth seeking medical attention for, or come up with ways to alleviate the anxiety or whatever might be causing the changes.  Often changes in a pet’s normal behavior can be very telling that something could be wrong, and it is important not to dismiss these changes as just being due to the change in caregiver. 

If your pet is on regular medication, it is helpful to not only list out the medications, dosages and frequencies, but to also prepare filled pill boxes in advance for your sitter.  If you are to be gone longer than a week, they can refill them, but it helps everyone to remember whether or not medication has been given or not. 

Lastly, if something is concerning to your pet sitter, they should be comfortable contacting you to discuss it, and/or calling your veterinarian to consult with them.  Most things are best addressed as they happen, rather than waiting until your return. 

Once you have made adequate preparations, you will be able to relax and enjoy your trip knowing your pet is in good hands!   Happy travels!"  -Dr. Gloria Ku

Is My Pet In Pain?

OUCH! A sharp cry in the kitchen might indicate someone who burned their hand on a hot stove.  Tears in someone’s eyes and holding their head in their hands might be a result of a headache that won’t go away.  Someone who is always laughing and happy that becomes quiet and subdued might cause us to think that he or she may not be feeling well.

It might be easy for some of us to read human body language and know if another person is in pain, but what about your pet?  Do they have the same symptoms?  Since our furry friends cannot tell us what they are feeling, oftentimes it is the Veterinarians who can help pet owners understand their pet’s current state of health. 

According to Veterinary Medicine, dvm360, “The pet owner is likely to be the first to notice that their pet is in pain if they know what to look for. Signs of pain in dogs can include:

·         decreased appetite

·         limping

·         sleeping more

·         interacting less with family members

·         shaky legs

·         difficulty rising or lying down

·         difficulty jumping

·         difficulty going up and down stairs

·         general inability to do the things they like to do.

With cats, it can be tricky for owners to identify pain because cats are masters at hiding signs of weakness. Cat owners should watch for:

·         decreased use of the litter box

·         not jumping up on counters or couches (when they used to do that)

·         not interacting with their family

·         decreased grooming

·         a negative reaction to touch, such as biting.”

Source: http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/tips-dog-and-cat-owners-recognizing-signs-pain-pets

We asked Dr. Gloria Ku to help answer the question:  how do I start a conversation with my Veterinarian if I have concerns about my pet’s pain and can pain management be long term or short term?

"As caretakers for our furry friends, we are our pets’ advocates.  One should never be shy to speak to your veterinarian about your pet’s possible pain, asking what to watch for, and what can be done to alleviate it.  Luckily veterinarians today have many resources to alleviate pain in animals, and knowing what signs of pain are presenting, what may be causing the pain, and what side effects may be associated with pain medications are all important considerations.  In some cases, when side effects of medications are not acceptable, one can even consider alternative treatment options such as acupuncture or massage. 

Pain is subjective for each pet, and our ability to recognize pain can also vary.  It is important to spend some time discussing the situation, particularly if it is a chronic issue, in order to best understand the type of pain we are trying to control.  Short term pain management may look differently than long term pain management, and sometimes both are required to keep your pet comfortable. 

If you, as your pet’s advocate, ever feel there is a concern for pain that is not being addressed, it is important to bring it to your veterinarian’s attention.  You know your pet better than anyone else, and they count on you to speak for them.   Your veterinarian will always appreciate your input. " 

-Dr. Gloria Ku

Zoe's Summer Adventure

Written by Dr. Gloria Ku

Every summer, I will see something that sticks in my mind and I feel I must share. One summer, years ago, it was Zoe: a sweet young Weimeraner, full of energy and curiosity. One day, shortly before I was going on vacation, she came to our office after swallowing a wooden skewer at a weekend gathering. In fact, her mother explained, she actually witnessed her swallow one skewer whole, and had pulled it out of her throat. The second time, however, the skewer was swallowed before it could be retrieved. Zoe appeared unaffected by this event, and for the next few days, although she was a bit quieter than normal, she ate and did her business as usual. Zoe's owners watched for evidence that she had passed the skewer, and when they didn't see anything after a few days, they decided to have her checked by us.

On physical exam, Zoe was bright, alert and happy. Her abdomen did not appear painful or distended. Her lungs were clear; she wasn't coughing. Her tonsils were not swollen and she seemed to act just fine. We took abdominal and chest xrays just to be sure we could not see evidence of an obstructive pattern, and none was found.

The next day, Zoe didn't eat her breakfast, which for our nearly 1year old pup was very unusual. She returned on our advice for a barium GI series, as to our knowledge she had still not passed the skewer or skewer pieces. After several hours documenting the passage of barium through her GI tract through a series of radiographs, we saw what appeared to be pieces of the skewer outlined by the adherent barium. After some deliberation, we decided to go in surgically the next day and remove the pieces in case they were having trouble passing on their own.

By morning Zoe had spiked a fever of 104.0 (normal for a dog is usually 100-102). This convinced us further that we ought to attempt an exploratory procedure as a skewer piece could have perforated through a bowel wall and caused infection to spread within the abdominal cavity. We started her on IV fluids to keep her well-hydrated, and intravenous antibiotics for any potential infection. At the time of surgery, we explored her GI tract from the stomach to the colon, and to our surprise, we found nothing that resembled the skewer pieces seen on the radiographs. We could only assume that the skewer pieces had either passed in her morning stool and we had missed them, or that they had softened and could not be felt through the intestinal wall. Either way, they were unlikely to cause a perforation at that point, so we closed her up and sent her home the next day.

A few days later, Zoe came back with a firm swelling on the side of her chest by her ribs that seemed to have appeared just after her surgery. At first we thought it might have been a bruise from lying on her side, but as it increased in size, it was clearly not that. It was far enough away from the surgery site not to be related, but oddly appeared just after that event. She was already on oral antibiotics post-operatively, and so we asked her owners to cool compress the site and continue her antibiotics.

Unfortunately, Zoe did not improve as we hoped. The swelling on her side continued to grow and within a few days it was about 6-7 inches wide. She remained active, appetite was good, passing normal stool, but also had developed a slight cough. We decided to radiograph her chest again to see if we could pinpoint the cause of her coughing, and identify any correlation with the swelling since they were concurrent. Oddly enough there was a very small amount of fluid in the chest cavity that had not been present a few days earlier. The swelling appeared to be outside the chest wall musculature. Armed with this new information, it seemed possible that Zoe had a migrating foxtail that was trying to exit on her side, a relatively common site for them to migrate out of the chest cavity. No evidence of skewer could be seen, and it was highly unlikely that a skewer piece would migrate like that, as they do not have the prongs that a foxtail has to pull it along.

That afternoon we anesthetized Zoe for the second time, and we drained the abscess forming on her side. As the fluid drained away, I could feel a slight protuberance at the center and decided to probe this site for a possible exiting foxtail. I clamped onto something firm, yet mobile, and to my surprise, out came an 8 inch segment of wooden skewer, completely intact and unharmed. The skewer must have migrated out of her esophagus, managed to miss penetrating any major blood vessels and exit between the last few ribs of her chest cavity!

Our very lucky, if not overly zealous dog, Zoe, managed to fight the remaining infection left in the wake of the migrating skewer after several different courses of antibiotics. Now she is back to being the happy little dog she was before, and I imagine skewers are no longer a summertime picnic option at her house!

BECOMING A VETERINARIAN: Questions Answered by Dr. Brian Chen

What prerequisites during college did you focus on?

                

All veterinary schools require a strong foundation in the sciences (chemistry, biology, microbiology, etc) and some also require other classes related to economics and/or business management. I majored in Biotechnology, but you can major in anything you want as long as you complete the prerequisite courses prior to applying to veterinary school.

Did you gain any experience prior to applying to vet school?

                

I worked for a year as a veterinary assistant prior to attending vet school. Most applicants have 2-3 years of full time work experience prior to applying. Most programs only technically require a few hundred hours, but you really need 2-3,000 hours to be competitive.

Did you pursue further training?  Can you elaborate on what jobs are available in veterinary medicine for vet school graduates?

                

I personally did not pursue further training after veterinary school. There is the option to apply for an internship and residency, but admission to these programs is EXTREMELY competitive. There are still a wide range of careers available for those of us that do not choose to specialize. Most veterinarians tend to go into general practice after graduation, but there are also options in academia, government, and industry.

How did you begin your veterinary career?

                

I started my veterinary career working for a corporate owned practice. I stayed with this practice for about 5 years before transitioning to Hatton. My goal is to eventually become a practice owner.

What have you learned in your veterinary journey?

The relationship between clients and their pets is a very special bond and one that I am happy to help reinforce by keeping pets healthy. Each pet is an individual and requires individual care; there is rarely a ‘one size fits all’ way to treat pets and their illnesses.

What is this career like?

                

As a general practice doctor, every day is different. You never know what may walk through the door. Some days are very routine and mundane while others are extremely hectic. There is hardly ever a ‘boring’ day.

What skills are needed?

                

The most important skills that help me in day to day practice are empathy towards pets and their owners, an ability to multi-task, and critical thinking. For example: not everyone is able to afford thousands of dollars of care for their pets, and so I always try to offer a plan B and plan C if plan A is unrealistic.

  

What is the pay?

                

Despite popular opinion, veterinarians are one of the lowest paid professions in the medical field. Starting pay for a new graduate in small animal general practice in California is typically $60-80k a year. Most employers seem to offer benefits as well including PTO, health insurance, 401k, continuing education stipend.

What is the career outlook?

                

It seems that the career outlook in veterinary medicine is good. One source I read anticipated that there will be 18% job growth over the next 10 years.

What education is required?

                

A degree from a 4 year university as well as GRE scores. A GPA of at least 3.6 or higher to be competitive for admission. Veterinary school is another 4 years; the first 3 years are book work and labs while the last year is clinical (working with residents and clinicians in the hospital). Students must pass the national licensing exam (NAVLE), and some will also need to pass a state licensing exam (California included) prior to obtaining their veterinary license.

The cost of school varies, but most students have $150-300k in student loan debt when they graduate.

How do I know veterinary medicine in the right career for me?

                

I think the best way to answer this question would be to volunteer/work in a veterinary hospital/environment and see if you feel that this is something you could do for the rest of your life.

Can I apply to vet schools outside the United States?

                

There are veterinary schools in the Caribbean and New Zealand that you can apply to (without having to take any extra exams for licensing). Some will also apply to schools in Canada and Europe.

How competitive is vet school?

                

It can be as competitive as you make it. If you are trying to pursue an internship +/- residency then you’ll have to be at the top of your class (at least a 3.7 GPA!) and thus school may seem much more competitive to you than to someone who is planning on going into general practice.

Want to learn more about the veterinary application process, click the link below!

https://www.vasci.umass.edu/sites/vasci/files/faq_regarding_vet_school_application_0.pdf

One Who Licks & Scratches

Written by Dr. Gloria Ku

"Missy" came in frequently to our clinic because we loved to see her, and also because she got allergy shots. It wasn't until we started the shots, that her non-stop scratching, rolling and rubbing slowed down. At times it flares up again, but for the most part, she was a much happier little Cocker Spaniel.

Missy would come in for the same problem again and again: she was itchy! I would look her over and find not one flea. I would comb through the fur carefully and find not one speck of dander or even a pimple. We tried oral antihistamines of varying size, shape and color, vitamins in various forms, diet changes, sprays, ointments, and still, she scratched and rubbed and rolled.

Now if any of you have ever lived with an itchy pet, you know exactly what Missy and her owners were going through. At night there is the constant thump, thump thumping of the leg as it reaches over to scratch the itch. The slurpy licks that go on as quietly as possible so as not to waken the wrath of the owner. The rubbing up against the blankets for some - any - amount of relief! And the horrible feeling one gets, that one's pet is terribly miserable.

Sacramento, like much of California, enjoys many types of beautiful flowering trees, shrubs, and plants that unfortunately contribute to high pollen and mold counts much of the year. Many people in Sacramento suffer from allergies, and so do their pets. While we sneeze and rub our eyes, they primarily scratch, bite, and chew on their skin. Inhalant allergies are probably the most common cause of what is known as pruritis (or better known as "itchiness") in our pets, second only to flea allergies. Food allergies can also cause itchiness, but this represents a much smaller percentage of cases. Many novel protein and carbohydrate sources in diets have been developed to address this problem, and prior to embarking on allergy shots, we usually do a trial elimination diet to see if this will help. If it works, the difference is remarkable, but unfortunately, only about 20% of the time will this result in a more comfortable pet.

Luckily, there are several new products that are very effective at controlling fleas, with minimal pesticide exposure and minimal effort on our part. The allergic dog or cat that doesn't have fleas, is a bit more challenging. Often antihistamines can alleviate much of the discomfort and are generally safe to use on a regular basis. We use many of the same antihistamines in animals that we use in people, but the dosages differ. Benadryl is one such antihistamine used in both dogs and people. We would start with approximately 1mg/lb. in dogs, or in Missy's case, a 25 mg adult capsule three times a day. We also tend to use them in combination with fatty acid vitamin supplements, which seem to improve our results.

Occasionally, as with people, antihistamines are not as effective alone, and periodic use of steroids or other anti-inflammatory agents may be helpful during severe flare-ups. Allergy testing and allergy shots are available for both cats and dogs, and are often very effective. They do require a fair amount of patience; however, as the goal is to desensitize the animal to the allergens over time.

In Missy's case, her shots take care of 90% of her itchiness. Occasionally she needs a topical spray, and she still takes her vitamin supplements, but overall, her comfort level, and therefore that of her people, is much improved!

If your pet is itchy, don't assume that this is normal grooming behavior for most pets. In Sacramento, it is often the result of allergies, but there are things that can be done to minimize the urge to scratch! If left untreated, allergies can also lead to secondary bacterial and/or yeast infections that can make the solution more difficult. In any case, please consult with you veterinarian if you have any questions about your itchy pet!