Vet Blog
12/01/08
 My dog got her back paw caught in the door and her
whole nail came off. Now just the quick is
showing. I got the bleeding to stop but now it is
slimy and has a bad odor. Have you seen this before
and what should we do????
Melanie
Sarnia, ON, Canada
Nail injuries are very common in dogs. They occur when nails snag on carpet or vegetation, or when a nail catches on any stationary object.
In some instances (such as the one described by the questioner), trauma to the nail causes the nail to come completely off. In other cases, the nail is torn partially off.
In either case, a trip to the vet is in order. Nails that have been partially torn off may need to be removed. Both types of injury can lead to infection. Melanie, I suspect that an infection is the source of the bad odor that is emanating from your dog’s nail. Antibiotics may be necessary to help her heal.
Also, both types of injury can be painful. Your vet can recommend pain killers to make your dog feel better.
Most nails grow back normally after nail injuries. However, in rare cases the nail grows back in an irregular fashion. This rarely harms the affected dog. However, you may have to pay special attention to the nail in question. It may require frequent trimming.
For more information on injured nails in pets, click here.
Photo hat tip: Nicci.
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11/14/08
 Why aren’t animals given any pain relief after
operations? When I ask this I am referring to the
time when pets are allowed home after having
surgery. Humans are in pain for weeks after an
operation, what it would be like if we were given
no pain relief at all? Imagine what it’s like for
a cat or dog who has just had surgery and are sent
home with nothing to ease their pain. They must be
in complete and utter agony for weeks. Why is no
form of pain relief offered or given to an animal
when it is sent home?
Joanne
Warwickshire, United Kingdom
There was a time not that long ago (that is to say, within my lifetime) when legitimate scientists debated whether dogs and cats truly felt pain. Certainly, they were noted to respond unfavorably to adverse stimuli. But it couldn’t be proved that they feel pain in the same way as people do.
That debate, thankfully, has been put to rest. No reasonable scientist or veterinarian would now deny that every mammal perceives pain in basically the same manner as humans. And no reasonable person would deny that the sorts of injuries and disease processes that cause pain in people will cause similar pain in mammals. (Some people continue to debate whether “lower” animals truly feel pain. I, for one, believe that birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish feel pain. I’m not 100% certain about insects, but I can say without hesitation that insects respond unfavorably to adverse stimuli . . .)
After it was agreed that all mammals feel pain, a new debate emerged among veterinarians. Some vets argued that pain was good for animals. Their argument was that the pain from a broken leg would keep a dog from walking on the leg. Similarly, the pain from a surgical incision would keep a cat from licking the incision.
The argument that pain is good turned out to be as poorly reasoned as it seems. Vigorous research has shown that pain is, in fact, bad.
Pain leads to physiological changes in the body that delay healing. Pain suppresses appetite, which in turn prevents animals from obtaining the nutrition they need to heal. Pain hurts. Pain management is now a standard part of care in veterinary medicine.
Joanne, I don’t have an answer for your question. Animals that undergo surgery are supposed to go home with pain medicine.
If you have a pet that did not receive pain medicine after a surgical procedure, it might have been an oversight. Or your vet may be one of the rare ones left who hasn’t adapted to modern practices. You may want to ask him or her why no analgesic (pain control) drugs were prescribed.
Most veterinarians now are proactive about pain control in their patients. Pain in animals is less common than it used to be. But it still happens. If you believe that your pet is in pain, do not hesitate to contact your vet to work out a solution to the problem. No veterinarian I know wants to see a patient in pain.
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10/03/08
 Will vicodin harm a dog?
In a 12 lbs toy breed can they die?
m
SF
Vicodin and most other human painkillers should never be administered to pets.
In fact, unless your veterinarian specifies otherwise, never give any sort of human medication to your pet. Also, don’t give canine medicines to cats. And don’t give feline medicines to dogs.
Dogs and cats react to and metabolize medicines in unique ways. Medications that are generally safe for people can be toxic to pets. The acetaminophen (also known as Tylenol or paracetamol) in Vicodin is especially dangerous to cats. In dogs it has a low margin of safety.
Cats and small dogs are especially vulnerable to adverse effects from human medicines. Small pets easily can be over dosed with medicines that might otherwise not cause problems. Severe complications, including death, are possible.
The take-home message is very simple. Do not ever give any medication to your pet without first consulting your vet.
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09/03/08
 When a person is in pain, he or she usually makes it clear that something is wrong. Humans can speak, and we can ask for more pain killers. It is generally accepted in human medicine that effective pain control not only makes patients more comfortable. It also helps them heal.
Sadly, animals cannot give clear signals of pain, and they can’t ask for pain killers. But their need for pain management equals that of their human counterparts. This puts them, and the people who want to help them, at a disadvantage.
Years ago, veterinarians questioned whether animals could even feel pain. That ridiculous debate has been put to rest. But later an equally nefarious philosophy evolved. Many veterinarians believed that pain was good for animals. Pain helped keep animals from walking on broken legs. It kept post-operative patients from being excessively active–or so the theory went.
The idea that pain is good in any way has been completely discredited by modern veterinary medicine. All decent vets now agree that animals feel pain, and that pain is bad. It causes stress and interferes with healing. Pain hurts, and it causes suffering.
Veterinary practitioners now recognize that pain management is critical to their patients’ comfort and healing. And we have an ever-widening array of pain management solutions at our disposal.
Options include conventional painkillers such as opiods (related to morphine) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs). Local anesthetics are useful in some procedures. Rehabilitation and physical therapy are useful in other situations.
Newer pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements show promise in the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Lasers, stem cells, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy have the potential to help many animals.
The moral of the story is this: advances in animal pain management are occurring at breakneck speed.
If you suspect that your pet is at risk for pain–from dental disease, a surgical procedure, arthritis, trauma or any other sort of injury–talk to your vet. He or she should be willing to discuss a modern, comprehensive pain management protocol tailored specifically to your pet’s needs.
Veterinarians have lots of options for managing pain in their patients. There is no excuse for your pet to suffer.
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02/29/08
In the last week I have received several questions about the safety of Rimadyl. Since it seems to be a hot topic, I will devote this post to issues surrounding Rimadyl and related medicines.
Rimadyl is a pain killer and anti-inflammatory medication. It is a class of medicines called prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (prescription NSAIDs). Other commonly used medicines in this class include Deramaxx, Previcox, Metacam and EtoGesic.
In veterinary medicine, prescription NSAIDs commonly are used to treat pain and inflammation from arthritis, trauma, surgery, strains, sprains and pulled muscles. Prescription NSAIDs are used frequently in dogs. They are used less often in cats.
All of the prescription NSAIDs have similar side effects (gastrointestinal upset is most common). All of the prescription NSAIDs are metabolized by the liver and excreted by the kidneys. This means that all of them have the potential to damage the liver, and all of them must be used cautiously in animals that have impaired liver or kidney function.
Extreme reactions to prescription NSAIDs occur very rarely. However, when they occur they can be fatal. If you google any of the medicines that I listed above, you will find web pages in which people have written about their bad experiences with each of them. These cases are very sad. However, they are the exception, not the rule.
Rimadyl, in particular, has received some bad press for being linked to liver failure in some Labrador retrievers. However, in my experience adverse reactions to prescription NSAIDs are unpredicable, and Rimadyl does not seem to cause more adverse reactions than the others. One dog may react badly to Rimadyl and tolerate Deramaxx. For another dog, it could be the other way around.
I have said many times on this blog that in veterinary medicine one must weigh the benefits of a treatment against its risks. Prescription NSAIDs may cause side effects or, very rarely, severe adverse reactions. However, they are potent pain killers, and they give some arthritic dogs new leases on life. For most dogs, the benefits outweigh the risks.
Long-term use of prescription NSAIDs is safe for most dogs. However, regardless of which one you use, your vet should check your pet’s liver and kidney function periodically to make sure that no damage has occurred.
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My dog got her back paw caught in the door and her
You have questions. 