A most remarkable and unnecessary case was at the emergency hospital over the weekend. If a human being had wound up injured in the manner described below he would have been a laughingstock.

Of course, in this case the dog was not at all to blame. His owners, on the other hand, could use a healthy injection of common sense.

The dog was a young, active large individual. He liked to run. The owners were more sedentary in nature. Recognizing that their pet needed exercise, they took him to a quiet road and set him free. They then followed behind in their car.

They followed too closely. The dog became tired and slowed down. Can you guess what happened next?

Fortunately, although the dog was injured when his owners struck him with the car, the injuries were not life-threatening. Pain killers, antibiotics, wound care, and nasal oxygen support were all that he needed.

But I am amazed that his owners failed to foresee the likely consequences of their way of exercising the dog. I worry about that dog’s future.

Photo: Blix demonstrates safe dog-car interaction. His risk of injury is minimal.

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I nearly ran over a dog yesterday.

I was driving on Fulton Street in San Francisco. Fulton is a busy street. It is adjacent to Golden Gate Park.

A Yellow Lab and its owner were walking toward the park on a cross street. I noticed that the dog was not on a leash. I thought to myself that the dog must have very good recall to stay obediently with the owner so close to the park.

It turns out that the dog did not have good recall. The excitement of a trip to the park evidently overcame him, and he decided to run ahead. He ran right into and across Fulton Street. The owner was left behind yelling and gesticulating frantically.

Fortunately the dog made is safely across the street and into the park. Both dog and owner got lucky.

Hopefully next time that dog is walked near a busy street the owner will keep him on a leash. But I worry about the dog’s future. The person who should be looking out for him doesn’t appear to have an ounce of common sense.

Photo: The Conservatory of Flowers, near the scene of the incident. By Markus Laber.

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People who lack common sense may be good for my job security, but their pets often pay a price.

Fleas are vile blood sucking disease spreading parasites that are easy to prevent. They are extremely common in northern California.

A few days ago a client brought her cat to me. The cat reeked of patchouli. It was almost dead.

The cat’s gums were pale–a sign of anemia. It was weak and could barely walk. It was covered in fleas and flea feces.

The client told me that she and her cat had been battling fleas for several months. When the client noticed the fleas she applied witch hazel extract and then tea tree oil to the cat. When those failed to work, she tried bathing the cat in dish soap. Then she fed the cat a garlic-based herbal remedy. Finally, she applied patchouli oil–which was obvious from the way the room smelled.

I had to ask.

“Did you try Advantage?”

Her shocked response was no, she did not want to apply chemicals to her cat.

I resisted the urge to point out that tea tree oil, patchouli oil, and witch hazel extract are made of chemicals. I did, however, tell her that garlic is toxic to cats. Finally, I talked her into giving her cat Capstar and applying Advantage.

Ten minutes later thousands of dying fleas began falling off the cat.

I understand the desire to avoid exposing a pet to synthetic chemicals. In an ideal world it would not be necessary. But if your pet is dying from fleas, it is time to bite the bullet and use something that works.

I am confident that the cat will make a complete recovery. But the cat nearly paid the ultimate price for her owner’s lack of common sense.

Photo: Patchouli. Doesn’t cure fleas. By Kurt Stueber.

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People who lack common sense may be good for my job security, but their pets often pay a price.

Consider the sweet 10-year-old Miniature Schnauzer I treated the other day. The poor, miserable dog had an agonizingly painful purple-colored swollen area on his penis. The dog was in so much pain that he could barely move. He had a fever. He screamed in distress when I gently tried to evaluate the area.

The owner was pretty sure that the dog had been bitten by a spider. Or, the owner surmised, perhaps the dog had injured himself on someone’s leg.

I couldn’t help noticing that dozens of foxtails were embedded in the owner’s shoes. This led me to offer up an alternative theory–that the dog had been playing in dry grass that had gone to seed, and a foxtail had penetrated his privates.

The owner replied, “Oh yes, there are lots of foxtails in the area of the park where I like to take him. Those foxtails are horrible!”

Yes, foxtails are horrible. And plenty of dogs are exposed to foxtails despite their owners’ diligent efforts to protect them.

But why would anyone who understands the dangers of foxtails knowingly allow his dog to play in a foxtail-infested area?

My staff and I anesthetized the dog. After 20 minutes of probing, I removed the foxtail from the dog’s penis. He woke up visibly relieved.

That dog paid the price for his owner’s lack of common sense. Don’t let your dog suffer the same fate.

Photo: public enemy number one!

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