A second opinion.

I feel very blessed today.  Giorgio and I have good friends who care a lot about us.  Two such friends funded a second opinion for Giorgio with a renowned, board certified cardiologist at The Bobst Hospital of the Animal Medical Center of NY

At first we thought we might try and see Chihuahua Rosemary’s cardiologist at the 5th Ave. Veterinary Specialists on 15th Street, but, I decided against that option because they are just too far away from where I live, and, when there’s an emergency with Giorgio, it would be a lengthy trek getting him there.

Then we considered NYC Veterinary Specialists on West 55th Street.  When I called there, however, I learned that their cardiologist is in Florida!   That wouldn’t do us much good.  I wanted a face-to-face second opinion.

So we decided to call on Dr. Phillip Fox DVM, MS, ACVIM, ACVECC, at the AMC/NY. 

I was reluctant, nervous about returning to the AMC so soon after the trauma of being there with Gilbert Kitty.  I had to put my qualms aside for Giorgio’s sake.  We were fortunate to get a call back from Dr. Fox immediately today and he took us in this afternoon.

By the time we arrived for our appointment, our vet’s at Rivergate Veterinary Clinic had already faxed Giorgio’s records (thank you Nina).  Dr. Fox (and two residents who were learning from him) reviewed the tests and reports carefully and he didn’t push us into repeating the echo-cardiogram, but, it was apparent that the only way to get a true second opinion as to the mass reported in last week’s echo, was to give Dr. Fox an opportunity to view the heart himself.

Giorgio was a real trouper and the team said he cooperated beautifully.  Dr. Fox said he looked and looked and he just did NOT see any mass in Giorgio’s heart.  His opinion was that IF there was a mass, it was a blood clot and has already dissolved.  He also felt that Gio’s heart didn’t appear any worse than the report from three months ago.

This is all wonderful news.  I now know, and feel confident, how to proceed for the next three months until Gio’s next echo is done.  We’ll continue the conservative course of treatment (meaning no Lasix (diuretic) unless and until Gio is in heart failure).

As I’ve mentioned before, health care for our pets is extremely costly, especially when expensive diagnostic tests are essential, as with heart disease.  The option of getting a second opinion is a true luxury, a true blessing, and we are so grateful to our friends Ronnie and Peter for funding Giorgio’s care.  I really was falling apart at the seems, picturing a blood clot lodged in Giorgio’s septul wall.  I have no words that adequately express my gratitude and the peace of mind I have tonight.

Tomorrow, I’ll write about our experiences in the waiting room.  We met some interesting people and pets, and, there’s a follow up to Gilbert Kitty as well.

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Coping with bad news.

My Giorgio (Maltese) had his second echo-cardiogram yesterday.  His chronic heart disease has gone from “moderate” three months ago to “marked.”  And, there is a mass (.8cm) in the left atrial wall, possibly a blood clot or other mass.

The only way to ascertain what the mass is would be to bring him someplace to have an MRI.  That’s just not a possibility.  The cost is prohibitive, but, more than that, if we find out that it is a mass there is no surgical option.  It is in a very difficult place.

So the doctor said to treat him for a blood clot with a quarter of the low dose aspirin (81mg coated aspirin) and then we just hope for the best.

Meanwhile, I am terrified of the inevitable day when he has the attack that will kill him.  It is inevitable, even though I know we’re doing everything we possibly can for him.  I’m restricting his exercise as much as one possibly can with a small dog who lives to jump and run and play.

He greats me at the door every time I come home, bringing one of his stuffed toys to me and calling out with his famous Aroo!  Aroo!

 Aroo to you Giorgio.  I’m so glad you don’t know what is happening inside your big heart.

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A true dog poop story.

Who’d a thunk, by not being a good citizen and picking up their doggie’s doo-doo, someone actually helped catch another law-breaker?

18-year-old North Carolina man crashed his car into a yard and stepped on dog poop on his way out.  Sgt. Dale Gunter found a white van driving toward him after searching and following the dog poop trail.   When Gunter asked the man to get out of the vehicle, he smelled alcohol and saw the dog poop all over his shoes. He was charged with driving while impaired and driving under age. He was released on $1,500 bail.  See MSNBC.com

 Twenty-two of Michael Vick’s dogs, all bred to fight, will soon be learning how not to at Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary in southern Utah.

Elsewhere in the news, I see the “former fighting” dogs that were seized from Michael Vicks (the football player fellow) property have gone on to various rescue organizations for rehabilitation.  Oh me of little faith.  I pray none of them ends up re-homed anywhere in my immediate area.  While people who adopt “former fighting dogs” promise they will keep them on leash, not go into dog parks, not acquire other pets, to safely manage the rehabilitated dogs for their lives, I’ve seen way too many people start out with good intentions and end up getting lazy.  And that’s when someone gets hurt.  An innocent passing dog, a family cat, or worse.  I fully believe with all my heart, the dogs in the Vicks case were not to blame, were not the criminals, and, it is a tragedy that in these instances it is always the dogs who pay.

But I don’t believe in fully reliable rehabilitation of such dogs.  Again, not the dogs’ fault at all, but, people are, after all, only human and make mistakes and let their guard down, and, I believe such dogs require a life time of careful and constant management and owner control.  (Edit:  In reading this I came to realize, it is the people I feel cannot be relied upon to keep up with the rehabilitation management needed for fighting dogs.)

The story is here Baltimoresun.com 

The other rescue groups are and Recycled Love in Baltimore (three dogs); BAD RAP, Oakland, Calif. (10 dogs); Richmond Animal League, Richmond, Va., (4 dogs); Georgia S.P.C.A., Suwanee, Ga..; (3 dogs); SPCA of Monterey County, Calif.; (3 dogs); Animal Rescue of Tidewater, Chesapeake, Va..; (1 dog); and Our Pack, Inc. (1 dog).

Nothing about dog fighting is right or humane.  Read the following article, if you have the strength:  Dog Fighting, White Plains, New York

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Pets and Politics, more this and that.

The Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005:

What’s taking so  long to get this bill passed?  And, what can we do about it (I know the answer to that, write to your state and federal representatives and support the legislation).

An estimated 1,400 children and 10,000 animals are poisoned each year after ingesting Ethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance used in antifreeze and coolant in automobiles. Ethylene glycol’s sweet smell and taste makes it an attractive but deadly substance. The bill requires antifreeze and coolant manufacturers to add denatonium benzoate, an intensely bitter agent, to their products. The additive would cost manufacturers an additional 2-3 cents per gallon.  (Source/link:  Humane Society of the US)

Antifreeze (ethylen glycol) has been a source of both accidental and intentional poisoning of pets for as long as it has been in use.  Upwards of 90,000 pets are killed (accidentally or intentionally) in the USA every year.  It makes sense, such simple sense, to require manufacturers to change their formula to make the substance unpalatable.  Currently, the stuff looks a lot like Gatorade and tastes good to both people and animals.

Here’s information on the Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005: (Source/link: Doris Day Animal League) The Antifreeze Bittering Act (H.R. 2567/S. 1110) is a federal bill to require the addition of denatonium benzoate (DB) to engine coolant/antifreeze to render it unpalatable. DB is the world’s bitterest known substance. Passage of this legislation will help save countless animal lives. In July 2006 the U.S. House Commerce committee held a favorable mark-up on the Antifreeze Bittering.

While the U.S. House Commerce committee passed the Antifreeze Bittering Act (H.R. 2567) July, 2006, the bill has not made it through the U.S. Senate.

So, it is clear, pet owners (and concerned citizens) have more to do than “just” elect a new President this year.  Start writing your local, state, and federal representatives and urge the passing of The Antifreeze Bittering Act (H.R. 2567/S. 1110.

I have faith that bloggers know full well how to email their representatives but in case anyone needs help:

How to write your representative:  Source/Link:  U.S. House of Representatives

How to write your Sentator:  Source/Link:  U.S. Senate

Important reminder:

THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION WILL BE HELD IN NEW YORK STATE ON FEBRUARY 5th, 2008.

For New Yorkers, here’s a link to a .pdf form to download 

If you are currently not registered to vote in New York State, the last possible day to register to vote in the February primary election is January 11th. This is both the last date that your ballot application can be postmarked and the last day that you can register in person at the Board of Elections.

For more information on registering to vote in New York State, call your county board of elections or 1-800-FOR-VOTE. 

 Information here has been copied from the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee’s website

Dogs may not have a voice, but, dog walkers do

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This and that, while on the mend.

Still not dog walking and it feels so strange.  It is a good thing that I am not out there this week, that I don’t have those obligations.  While I’m a little better today, after four days of rest, I’m in no shape to be walking miles with dogs.  I’m afraid I would end up sitting down on the job.

I am on the mend and that’s great.  Saw the doctor and went through the torture of getting two cortisone injections into my inflamed tendons on my hand to treat the Dequervain’s tenosynovitis that has been plaguing me for months.  If you’ve never experienced this kind of pain, you won’t have any sympathy for me.  For those of you who know what it is, and have had the injections, I’ll be you’re re-living your own pain.

And I’m optimistic that some further tests I’ll undergo when I see the neurologist will get me on a course of treatment that explains this severe muscle weakness and helps me gain strength to keep up with life.

Meanwhile, I’ve been watching way too much television.  Some of it just makes me laugh out loud, some makes me fume, and some makes me cry.   I think the writer’s strike and all the re-runs is making me watch more “reality” shows than I usually would.I’ve become addicted to one in particular:  “The First 48″ on A & E.  The series shows the real life working of two homicide cases in different locations and how the detectives solve the cases.  The first 48 hours are said to be the window in which the crimes are either solved or turn into cold cases.  It’s really very interesting.  I just saw one episode where the young man who pulled the trigger (in the course of a robbery of a young business man for his hub caps or something trivial like that) was being interrogated and you could see the moment, in his eyes, when he understood that he had thrown his life away, that his life was also over just like the man he killed.  It’s all very tragic.

In dog news, I see that Diamond Pet Food (the  company that made contaminated pet food that killed dozens of dogs nationwide) has agreed to a $3.1 million dollar settlement with pet owners. The pet owners who file claims would be reimbursed the for medical expenses, the cost of a new dog, and receive two bags of pet food (egads).  Here’s a link to an article on MSNBC’s website. 
I hope everyone who was affected by that tainted pet food knows about the class action suit and files their claim.I haven’t seen anything (have you?) about the other contaminated food that also killed numerous pets.  That was the contamination problem that prompted recalls of more than 100 pet-food brands in early 2006, when investigators traced pet deaths to a toxic chemical, melamine, that had been added during manufacturing in China.   The Diamond Food contamination was a little more sinister, in my opinion, because (the following is a quote from the MSNBC article):

Diamond Pet Foods, based in Meta, Mo., acknowledged that workers at its Gaston, S.C., plant failed to follow internal testing procedures to ensure its products were safe. The company made the acknowledgment after the Food and Drug Administration released a report showing the company has no record of test results for 12 shipments of corn in 2005, when grain tainted with the deadly fungus slipped into the plant.

I think I had better stop keyboarding before my tendons start acting up again.   Just a reminder, if you want to vote on Super Tuesday, you have to be registered and you have just a few days left (see my earlier post) to get that registration form post marked.

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Walking one of my own dogs for a change.

Still not feeling well at all, I’m off this week, but,  a person still has to get up and take a little walk.  And since the weather was unusually warm today in New York City, near 67 F, and since my time with Giorgio (my Maltese, pictured above) is limited now, I got into my jeans and took Giorgio downstairs for a little walk around the block.

 Giorgio was recently diagnosed with left valvular heart disease, CHF (left-sided chronic heart failure).  He’s on a mild course of medication right now (Enacard once a day) as well as a nutritional supplement aimed at strengthening (this article explains about L-Carnetine and Taurine and Vitamin E)  his heart and heartbeat (we use Vetri-Science Cardio Strength along with vitamin E capsules twice daily)  and I’m careful about how much exercise he gets.  Just small walks, no climbing stairs, no jumping up onto the bed.  If the weather is freezing, he can’t go out.  If the temperature is soaring or there’s high humidity, he can’t go out.

Giorgio used to go everywhere with me.  There were days when he walked a good ten miles by my side, accompanying me on daily rounds and he never even acted tired at any time.  He was a lot like the Energizer Bunny except he’s not pink. 

But my little guy is not an Energizer Bunny and his batteries are running down.

I’m worried about him and I don’t like the way he looks.  His breathing seems to be getting more labored.  We’re scheduled to have his follow-up echo-cardiogram this week and I’m truly nervous about the outcome, about the stress of the test, and, what the future holds.

For today, however, with mild weather, the two sick ones took a nice little walk together and forgot about our troubles.  It’s a lot better than sitting here watching his chest to see how he’s breathing (which I confess I’m doing lately).

I almost forgot!  On our walk we ran into Marie walking her little old Chihuahua, Rosemary.  Rosemary is approximately fifteen years old.  Her age is an appoximate because she was adopted from the ASPCA and even that notable organization doesn’t always know (or share) the exact age of an animal up for adoption, something I know all too well because my cat, Copper, adopted from them, turns out to be far older than the four years he was supposed to have been.  But, that’s another story.

We got to talking about our pets and heart disease.  I remembered well when Marie lost one of her dear cats to cardiomyopathy (just like my dear Gilbert).

Little Rosemary has the same valvular disease my Giorgio has and she has been undergoing treatment and on medication since 2005.  I think that’s pretty amazing and a testament to how much effort (and money) Marie puts into the care of her pets.  Rosemary sees a cardiologist regularly and has been hospitalized twice in emergency heart failure.  She is also on the full range of cardio medications including VetMedin, Enacard, and Lasix.

I left feeling a little blue because I know I won’t be able to afford similar care for my little Giorgio.  Emergency care for pets in New York city is truly only for the gainfully employed, and even then, only those who have enough disposable income.  When Giorgio goes into heart failure, I’m not going to be able to ask for heroic measures even though dogs can be brought out of crisis and go on to live, as Rosemary has, for years.

That is a real heartache.  I think it is also something few of us consider when we acquire a pet.  Even if we are practical enough to budget for routine health care, the extraordinary cost of emergency health care is a truly rude awakening.  But what’s the alternative?  To never have a pet?

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When the dog walker gets sick.

Dog walkers are among the seemingly indestructible, ranking right up there with the U.S. Postal worker, because not rain nor sleet nor hail stays the dog walker from his or her appointed mission.

For the dog walker who works for a service, getting sick isn’t too complicated because there will be others to cover the assignments.  For independent contractors, like myself, there is an enormous amount of angst attached with calling in sick.

Personally, I try to hide the times when I am ill from my clients, preferring to show up and get through the assignments.  That is, as long as I can stand up and walk.  On the days, like today, when I am truly down for the count, I have no choice but to call off the walk.

And then I am wracked with worry about losing the job to another walker or the housekeeper.  My dear and loyal clients assure me I’m indispensable, but, we all know, no one is truly indispensable.

Today, recent events and ill health caught up with me.  I know I’m out for the week (and I hope that is going to be enough time for me to regain the strength I need to get back to walking).  I miss “my” dogs.  I hate disappointing my people.  I hate giving in to illness.

Gosh I wish I knew how to take the time I need without feeling so awful about it.

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Cold, cold dog-walker in NYC today.

As you can see from my photograph of Rochester the English Springer Spaniel in Central Park, the sun was piercing bright, despite the freezing air.

It felt colder today than yesterday, even though temperature-wise, it was warmer, but, still freezing.  The sun, however, was strong and clear and such a gift on a cold, cold day.  Especially when a person has dragged herself outside on a day when she really should have stayed in bed with some nagging virus.  I did hear something about a sun spot reported?  I’m not sure.  Maybe I dreamed it.

So I picked up Rochester (English Springer Spaniel) and we walked South (that’s downtown in Manhattan) around twenty-five block, and then cut West across Central Park to Columbus Avenue and headed North (that’s uptown).  By the time we got to the 72nd Street entrance to the park at Central Park West, I could barely lift my feet to take a step.  Rochester, however, was prancing along eager to find squirrels and give me a chance to shout “leave it!” 

Walking along in the cold air, it was fairly quiet and my mind kept going back to that poor family whose baby boy was killed by their pet dog.  Honestly, I think it could happen to anyone with any breed of dog, but, I do wish people who choose to bring powerful dogs with bites that can kill in a second would do so with greater planning as to how they’ll manage their little humans and keep both dog and family safe from harm, even accidental harm.  Stuff happens.

And I thought a lot about the fire fighter who lost his life in Crown Heights last night in an apartment building fire.  And the elderly couple who died in their home this weekend in Yonkers when their space heater sparked a fire amid their clutter (both people were in their mid-eighties, alone, and obviously unable to keep up with housekeeping).  There’s a hidden story here about people forced to use space heaters or stoves when they can’t afford heating oil or gas, or, when the landlord is barely providing enough heat in freezing weather.

Thought alot too about Britney Spears and how messed up she is.  Too late for her?  Not too late for her children.

Then, thought about how tired I am.  There’s something about wearing woolen tights, three pair of socks, boots, jeans, two sweaters, a hat, and a down coat with a hood that makes walking a dog for two hours a most exhausting experience.

I swear tonight I feel like I climbed the Matterhorn.

We did manage to get in a fifteen minute rest on a sun-drenched bench over looking Hernshead and The Lake.  As I’ve already said, that bright sky and gorgeous sun was a wonderful gift and I’m so thankful.

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Are you registered to vote in the primary?

THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION WILL BE HELD IN NEW YORK STATE ON FEBRUARY 5th, 2008.

For New Yorkers, here’s a link to a .pdf form to download 

If you are currently not registered to vote in New York State, the last possible day to register to vote in the February primary election is January 11th. This is both the last date that your ballot application can be postmarked and the last day that you can register in person at the Board of Elections.

For more information on registering to vote in New York State, call your county board of elections or 1-800-FOR-VOTE. 

 Information here has been copied from the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee’s website

Dogs may not have a voice, but, dog walkers do

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Oh dear. Another dog horror story, this time in Brooklyn.

As someone “in dogs” I pay close attention to dogs in the news.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of happy news about dogs unless it’s February and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is on.

Whenever I hear about a family pet that has mauled (in this case fatally) a baby in the home, like the rest of the world, I ask “why?”  Why wasn’t anyone more careful about a dog in the home with a baby?

Today’s tragedy involves a Grandma in Brooklyn, NY, babysitting an 8 month old boy, Andrew Stein, and, a three-year-old male neutered Doberman Pinscher named Mackabee.

Reports say that the baby had touched the dog’s paw.  The Grandma wasn’t in the room.

Here’s the fatal mistake:  leaving any baby (or child) unattended in a room with the family pet (and I don’t care if the pet is a cat or dog, or if the dog is a Dachshund or a Doberman).

That poor Grandma.  I’m sure she had no idea this was a possibility.  My heart goes out to the parents as well.   But jeepers, what were they thinking and did they instruct Grandma to be careful and not leave the baby and dog alone together?  Prehaps they did.  Perhaps Grandma on a busy day with baby crying and rushing to get the bottle ready, just didn’t think.  Grandma wasn’t just baby-sitting, she was also dog-sitting.  Poor Grandma.

I’ll provide a link to a Newsday article on the incident, for more details, because I don’t have the heart or stomach to repeat the awful details here:  Newsday.com

I love dogs.  I live for dogs.  I’ve worked with dogs most of my adult life.  I don’t trust dogs 100%.  I don’t trust dogs alone with a baby or child.  I don’t trust dogs off leash.  I respect dogs and their nature and that’s why I believe we must always be in control and managing their behavior and reactions.  Dogs are not fur people–they’re animals–and we really should respect their animal instincts more than we do.

I do not fall into the camp of dog people who trust pet dogs 100% in every situation.  I don’t buy into what seems to be the politically correct theory that even aggressive dogs can be rehabilitated.  I just don’t believe that some dogs can be trusted to have certain instincts entirely and reliably extinguished.  Can they be managed?  Definitely, in the right circumstances, with dilligence and a great deal of work and with the humans being in control and managing them every living moment of the dog’s new rehabilitated life.
This particular dog, however, was brought into the home as a puppy and is said to never have shown any aggression, so, in this instance, it appears we’re looking at a dog reacting on instinct (or over-reacting), and, sadly, a dog big enough and strong enough to crush a baby’s skull in an instant.

My felling is, if a breed has some basic instincts in its genes, such as prey instincts or protection-guarding, and if a family wants such a dog in their home, dammit, the family had better know what they’ve got and how to manage the dog and its instincts and reactions.  We just can’t expect dogs to be 100% reliable 100% of the time.

As far as the outcome for this dog, this part of the Newsday article gets my back up:

“The health department is evaluating the dog and the circumstances surrounding the incident and will make a recommendation about the animal’s future that best predicts the public’s safety,” a department statement said.If the department determines the dog is dangerous, and the owner agrees, the animal will be euthanized. If the owner doesn’t agree, a law judge could decide the dog’s fate after a hearing. Other options include retraining, relocating the dog, or having the dog wear a muzzle, the department said.

Give me a break.  The dog has killed a baby.  Is “retraining and relocating the dog or having him wear a muzzle” really an appropriate outcome?

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