robertwoodsdvm.com Blog

I recently purchased a laser that penetrates different depths to be used for acupuncture points. I have an 8 year old, male siamese cat pictured above. He is “crazy” to say the least, but that is part of the territory of owning a siamese. He is vocal ALL THE TIME, he follows us around like a dog, he is mischevious (we have baby locks on the cupboards to keep him from eating people food, not to keep our 4 kids out), he is too smart for his own good (he can open locked doors). So needless to say, when he is not feeling well, it is very apparent. This past weekend, he was not interested in eating much, not vocalizing, etc. So I thought it a good chance to test out my new laser I had purchased to use on volatile pets for acupuncture. I have tried traditional acupuncture needles on him, and he jumps across the room and becomes aggressive. Exactly why he was the best candidate to be my guinea pig. He sat through 10 solid minutes of laser treatment without getting up and walking away-AMAZING! The footage was just taken on a digital camera that we were using to document our kids at Christmas, and all our kids are running around the house during the process. So lots of distractions are going on, but he calmly just sits there. In the fight or flight dynamic, he is definitely “fight”, so we would know if he was not happy. He is spunky today, running up and down the stair well, so I am going to put this in my success category. I uploaded the video to you tube for a little glimpse into the day in the life of a patient receiving treatment.

We have very good family friends that live less than 2 miles away. Our days off are spent together surfing, camping, or just relaxing together watching our kids play. Priscilla was a, RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) but now practices as a RN (Registered Nurse) in the cardiac ward. Needless to say, she is constantly around the circle of life.
She called concerned about her 15 year old dog, Dudley. He has slowly been deteriorating each time I see him, but this past Saturday she had felt like those were his final days.
Her husband, on the other hand, was not ready to let go. He felt excluded from the final decisions and angry.
So, there I sat in between 2 of my best friends divided. I did not want to be put in this position, whatever happened one of them would end up hurt.
Their dog, Dudley, came camping with our families, laid in the sunshine with us at the beaches, and begged for food at our feet at family BBQ’s. He never had to be told to be a good dog, he was born good. He had traveled with Priscilla in her trek out to California from Maryland, with a pit stop in Colorado for a few years. He was there while their child grew from infancy to a big first grader.
Moments before me having to leave to go assess Dudley, Priscilla called, Dudley had passed on his own. She was home with him, her young daughter was at a friends house, her husband at work.
Dudley had the final say in a quickly accelerating argument between spouses. I like to think that Dudley knew what would be the best for the family, being the good dog that he was born to be.
He will be greatly missed on our many family adventures.

Thank you for the homemade caramel corn and carrot cake! It was hard not to eat it all in one sitting, it is delicious. Hopefully you two bassets will stay out of the treats during holidays!

ABOVE PHOTO WAS TAKEN BY GINA SPADAFORI WHO WRITES FOR www.petconnection.com

I was saddened to hear that one of my patients was to weak to make the trip to the AKC Grand Championships. A day where this dog is not well enough to compete is a sad day in her own life, her owners life, and all the lives she touches.
Her name is “Jazz”, she is a little over 8 years old, and a flat coated retriever. There are other flat coated retriever that compete in agility, but the special thing about “Jazz” is that she was a fighter. “Jazz” was diagnosed with malignant hystiocytosis in January 2007. Typically after a patient is diagnosed with this type of cancer, they have a likely prognosis of ~6-9 months. Her owners went to every length in helping her fight the cancer. She under went a very invasive surgery by a specialist, then a long road in the heeling process. I started treating her with acupuncture soon after that surgery. Even in all her discomfort, her eyes were ALWAYS full of such a spirit. From the moment she came into my office, she touched everyones heart that crossed her path. Her body chose to fight and overcome that cancer, she to this day, was in remission from malignant hystiocytosis.
This fall, she was presented with a runny nose that did not respond to antibiotics like an upper respiratory infection typically does. Her face started to bulge and after diagnostic testing, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Her owners again, put a brave foot forward in helping “Jazz” fight her second battle with cancer.
Sadly, I had to pet her head for the last time on monday. Her owners knew it was her time, too weak to walk and not wanting to eat. I will greatly miss my sessions with “Jazz”. Even through all her adversities she was a magnificent dog and a loving member of her family.
She will be greatly missed.

I had the opportunity to go the AKC Grand Championship this past weekend in Long Beach. The weather decided to postpone the forecasted rain so it ended up being pretty nice outside for the middle of December.
We saw the herding dogs doing demo’s outside the convention center. They had GIANT geese as the foul being used in the demo’s. They were also very inviting to newcomers who had brought their dogs to the event. People who happened to own a “herding” dog, but had never gotten to see their dogs instincts in action, had the chance to see their pets reaction. The virgin herding dogs were placed in the ring with 5 giant geese and a pen. It was very interesting to see which ones were intimidated by the geese or not. Typically, a full grown man would be scared of a hissing goose! With that said, a very small sheltie (maybe 18 pounds) held his own with the geese. The only thing that sheltie had done before was agility, so that day he got to exercise another part of his brain. He was very proud of himself.

I mainly had made the trek to see some of my acupuncture patients is action in the agility ring. I treat most of the agility dogs on a “as needed” basis. The acupuncture just supports the active lifestyle they lead. As soon as we walked up, I had the chance to see two of my patients do the course. Perfect timing! We watched the dogs jump over hurdles with such joy that it was a great cherry on top for the day.
Of course the dogs had plenty of kisses to give our 9 month old twins. Ear licks, head sniffs, and each dog sat still, very excited to have the babies run their fingers through their fur. It is always a joy to see a pet enjoying their life to the fullest, and those dogs certainly were!

There is a question that is always asked, yet never firmly answered, “Is pet insurance worth it?”. I think there is a misinterpretation of what having pet insurance means when you take your pet to see the veterinarian.
First, pet insurance works on a claims basis, so when you go to the vet, you will still be expected to pay your bill when you leave. Typically, pet insurance can take anywhere from 30-90 days to pay out that claim. They request a claim form to be filled out by the animal hospital and some even have a number code system to list diagnosis.
VPI Pet insurance: www.petinsurance.com is by far the most commonly used pet insurance that I see my clients use. Although, they do state that they, “cover pre-existing conditions as long as the condition is temporary” and they do not cover, “breed-specific hereditary conditions”. So for example, if you own a labrador or a golden retriever they are genetically prone to hip dysplasia, allergies, ear infections, etc. In my clients experience if those problems occurred, they were not reimbursed.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: www.aspcapetinsurance.com also lists not covering “congenital and hereditary disorders and pre-existing conditions”
The AKC Pet Healthcare Plan: www.akcphp.com seems to have a long list of things always excluded, such as, ” chronic renal failure, diabetes, elbow and hip dysplasia, osteoarthritis, and obesity”.
PetCare Pet Insurance Program: www.petcareinsurance.com says they “do not cover pre-existing conditions” but they do say depending on you policy they will cover “70%-90% of hip dyplasia”. I have an acupuncture client who currently has a policy with this company and her dog needed back surgery, then caught pneumonia at the surgical specialists, and it was all covered amazingly by this insurance company.
Pets Best Insurance: www.petsbest.com claims to “cover hereditary conditions once per lifetime” but to what limit I am not sure. I was however surprised to find out that they do cover acupuncture, and holistic therapies on a standard plan. Usually alternative veterinary medicine is not openly advertised as being covered by pet insurance. Although, I have found that they have made exceptions.

So, with all that said, I think there is not one insurance company that covers everything under the sun. I think if they did, their premiums would be much higher. So knowing what you know now, if you are considering pet insurance, the sooner you get it in your pets lifetime the better. For example, puppies are not going to have as many pre-existing conditions as a 10 year old dog. When considering a company to start a policy with, the key is research. Read all the fine print so your pet will not get caught in an exclusion you did not know about. Also, if you have a pure bred dog, I would ask for their lists of exclusions or what they deem as “hereditary” conditions to that specific breed. Pet insurance is a lot like car insurance, they have a ranking of coverage ( ie: silver, gold, platinum). I have found that some clients think that a certain condition is covered and when they submit their claim, they are surprised to find out that coverage was not referring to their level of coverage.

I think pet insurance is a good concept and in most cases does pay for itself. Most pet insurance has an option to fully cover annual exams, vaccines, sterilization surgeries, flea prevention etc. BUT the key is, that is an “added” on coverage. So remember knowledge is power when it comes to being reimbursed by pet insurance companies.

In veterinary school we are taught that Poinsettias are poisonous to animals. In truth the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) does not even include poinsettias on their list of poisonous plants. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals lists poinsettias as “not poisonous to pets”. So where did all the holiday fears come from?

In 1919 a 2 year old girl ingested poinsettias and died later that day of unknown causes. It was believed that plant was the cause of her death, but it was never confirmed. So then poinsettias began to be classified as a toxic plant.

Decades later, the public even petitioned for a label warning of their toxicity be placed on retail plants, but the government denied the request for lack of evidence.

In 1996, Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh participated in a study where ~23,000 children were admitted through out the year for suspected poinsettia poisoning. Of all those children there was “no toxicity of any kind” found.

The Ohio State University finally proved that poinsettias are non-toxic to both humans and pets. All parts of the plant were tested, including the leaves and the sap, and nothing threatening was found.

So is it safe to bring a poinsettia in your house with pets?? Well, I would say with any type of plant that is not meant for consumption there is a risk of GI upset if ingested. Meaning, with most plants, if a pet eats them, they might vomit up the plant they ate, or have diarrhea etc. Poinsettia’s will not cause harm to their vital internal organs (kidneys, liver, heart, etc). Use your best judgement on what type of personality your pet has. If your pets don’t chew up things that are not meant for them, then I am sure you are in the clear. Although, if you have a pet who is a clown about anything and everything, save yourself the trouble during the holidays, and keep the poinsettia out of reach. I know the last thing I want to clean up during the holidays is diarrhea!

Mistletoe is another story! Mistletoe is HIGHLY toxic, it causes vomiting, diarrhea, labored breathing, lowered heart rate, seizures, shock, and death. That is an obvious decoration that I don’t think is worth bringing into your home.

Holly Berries are another decoration that is HIGHLY toxic, it attacks the nervous system and the heart just like mistletoe.

If ingestion of mistletoe and/or holly berries occurs, you need to go seek veterinary help immediately. Even if a pet does vomit pieces up after ingestion there is still going to be a concern for their body having to filter out any remaining pieces. Anything from medical observation to hospitalization with intravenous fluids could be necessary. The most important details to remember to tell you veterinarian is “what type of plant”, “how much”, and “what time” pertaining to the ingested substance.

Remember the holidays are meant to be enjoyed, so keep yourselves and your pets as safe as possible.