There was a cold Sea Turtle..or two, or three, or three hundred

The temperatures have been unusually cold here in Florida. We are not used to so many consecutive days of freezing weather and neither are the sea turtles.
So far the state of Florida has seen at least 1,500 "Cold Stunned" sea turtles, mostly green, that just couldn't handle the cold temperatures anymore.
I received a call from Dr Nancy Mettee. She and I went to Slidell, La. after hurricane Katrina hit and we also went to St Croix to save a leatherback turtle together. She asked for my help so I found myself driving down to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. There were a lot of cold turtles and there were a lot of wonderful volunteers waiting to help them. We started right away with getting body weights, blood (to make sure they didn't need special or different meds) and fluids into them for support. Some of them were malnourished and depressed. Others were feisty and feeling better and ready to hit the beach. On Sunday they (Gumbo Limbo) had a total of fify Green Turtles recovering.
Once we were done with that group we headed up to Loggerhead Marine Life Center in Juno Beach, 45 minutes north. They had a total of 31 Green Turtles there. The volunteers here were equally wonderful. One volunteer's mom brought us food and hot chocolate...YUM!

It was a long day but not one person complained and every turtle had been taken care of before we left.
Today is another day and more turtles have been brought in for care. I will go back tomorrow for another day of wrestling 125lb turtles, scraping their barnacles off, giving injections and keeping them warm. I can't think of anything else I want to do more!

Thanks for reading and Keep Wagging!

Monique

Sick dogs and cats, Pt. 2

Now for part 2 of how to spot that your fur kid might have some serious health issues going on. We talked about lack of an appetite, decreased activity. Going hand in hand (or paw to paw for those who favor bad puns) with not eating is a loss of weight. Assuming you don't have them on a diet of course. Losing weight is an issue but when this is combined with other behavioral issues, it could indicate something serious. A friend of mine who recently lost her dog to cancer noticed that her dog wasn't eating...and then dropped weight very suddenly. She took him in shortly after noticing these signs and he was diagnosed with bone cancer. Fortunately he didn't suffer much but sometimes if you catch something early enough, you can give them a fighting chance.

Another sign is a sudden change in how much water they drink. Drinking more water is often associated with a few diseases including kidney disease (which we lost our last bully too) and diabetes mellitus. If you notice that your dog or cat is drinking a lot more water, see your veterinarian.

Yet another sign is not grooming. Dogs and cats that don't feel well don't groom themselves. Or you may notice a dull lusterless coat. If your pet's coat changes, have him/her evaluated by your veterinarian.

The last sign for today is bad breath. Also known as halitosis, bad breath can be the result of dental disease as well as other metabolic disorders. Dental disease is the #1 disease in dogs. If not treated it can lead to many other metabolic diseases that cn shorten your dog's and cat's life.

Sick dogs and cats, Pt. 1

One comment I hear from our clients is that they don't know if their dog or cat is sick. I generally remind them that any behavior that is out of the ordinary for their animal can be an indication that something is wrong.

I will review the signs that I see/hear about most often and almost all of them I have observed in my animals.

One of the most common signs is when an animal loses its appetite. This is usually the first time that owners will notice that something is amiss. As I mentioned earlier, when a routine differs, this will indicate an issue. For example, our oldest bully gets fed one cup in the morning, one at night. Several times in the last month he looks at his food, sniffs it, then walks away. And we know that his stomach is upset: typically he gets into something outside and eats it upsetting that tender bully gastrointestinal track. Feed your pets at regular time frames, maintain that consistency and it will be easier to spot a problem earlier.

Sometimes running parallel with the loss of appetite is a less active than normal pet. When Bishop's stomach bothers him, he is also a bit subdued and not his normal effervescent upbeat bull. Again, when he is quiet, we start looking a little closer. Try not to confuse this with a dog that is simply getting older when they naturally become less active.

Bufo Toad Poisoning

Recently a friend of ours contacted us and said that they thought their dog had grabbed a toad. They had heard that toads could be deadly but they weren't sure what to do. Yes, certain species of toads do secrete a very toxic substance that is highly toxic to dogs and cats. The substance is a defense mechanism: when the toad is grabbed (jaws of a predator for example), they secrete the toxin which irritates the mucous membrane of the assailant and they release their grip.

Unfortunately, I have see this a number of times. Take the following steps if you think your dog or cat has come into contact with a toad.

1. wash their mouth out, taking care to rinse the gums thoroughly

2. After rinsing, look carefully at the gums - they should be pink. If the gums are a fiery red, that means the dog has absorbed the toxin and it is crucial that you get to an emergency room.

Symptoms are excessive salivation, restlessness,. If left untreated, dogs will seizure, develop irregular heartbeats and in some cases, die from the toxins.

Keep your pets safe and keep wagging!