How We Wish They Spoke a Human Language

First in a series

It was about 8 in the evening. I was juggling one appointment after the next, along with sick pets who needed to be worked into the flow. As usual I was falling hopelessly behind. I had already poked my head into the waiting room; it bordered on standing room. Then Martha interrupted me in the exam room. I’d been clear: our clients time with me was sacred. But I knew she would never break that rule without good reason. I excused myself from the wellness exam in progress and closed the door behind me.

“Martha, what’s up?” Normally composed, she blurted out, “A dog just came in staggering badly with a whole lot of drool. She’s been vomiting on the way over. I think it’s an emergency.” In the treatment room Amos was already on it. Gently holding Alita, a tan and white spaniel mix, our excellent veterinary nurse had a thermometer cooking. As I hustled in, he announced, “104.1.” Three degrees above normal.

Alita’s gums were a deep red and her eyes moved quickly back and forth. My stethoscope revealed a generally normal cardiac rhythm with an occasional abnormal beat. The sheer volume of saliva running out of her mouth was truly impressive. Now and then she shook her head, despite her normal ears. Multiple possible causes were swirling through my mind, not the least of which was poisoning.

I recalled an emergency medicine lecture I’d attended not long after graduation from veterinary school. The professor, waxing philosophic, was bemoaning hasty actions that could send a critically ill pet down the wrong path. His point, “Don’t just do something. Stand there. And think for just a minute. You’ll know what to do.” I set about a time-efficient physical exam while considering my next move.

Clearly, a nasty oral irritant was involved but Alita also had signs of trouble elsewhere in her body. I needed a diagnosis, like right now.

a) Mouth injury from chewing a rose bush and then swallowing a thorn.

b) Poisoning by eating a lily of the valley

c) Toad poisoning

d) Epilepsy

e) Drama queen

Next week: Answers and challenges.
·
For help with behavior problems, you can sign-up for a Zoom Group Conference on my website, drjeffnichol.com.

Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist. He provides consultations in-person and in groups by Zoom (drjeffnichol.com). Each week he shares a blog and a video to help bring out the best in pets and their people. Sign up at no charge at drjeffnichol.com. Email pet behavior or physical questions to or by US Post to 4000 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Albuq, NM 87109.