Puppy Socialization Classes

    Another exciting day at UC Davis,  Last night ( i wrote this 2 weeks ago) the emergency service had 3 different dogs present with pericardial effusion!  This is an uncommon disease process, so to have 3 dogs in one day is pretty amazing!  Things always come in 3's .

    Dogs with this problem, usually present to the vets because they are lethargic and weak. In people they symptoms of pericardial effusion are as follows from the Mayo clinic web site, Pericardial effusion symptoms may include:

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (dyspnea)
• Shortness of breath when lying down (orthopnea)
• Chest pain, usually behind the breastbone or on the left side of the chest that often feels worse when you breathe and feels better when you are sitting up, rather than lying down
• Cough
• Painful breathing, especially when inhaling or lying down
• Fainting or dizziness
• Low-grade fever
• Rapid heart rate
• A feeling of anxiety

    I find this interesting because dogs can't tell us how they feel, they con only show us by their actions.  Most dogs will slow way down, and have an increased respiratory rate.  But I often wonder if they have all these other symptoms, we just don't realize it. And of course they can't articulate it.

    I also saw a 4 pound dog in recovery who had just had  a  pace maker implanted.  Can you even imagine? He is only one year old and on follow-up is doing well.

    I sat in on toxicology rounds and a case presentation to first and second year students.

    Pretty amazing stuff.  

Going "back to school " after 29 1/2 years!  (Yes I'm still counting half years.) We as veterinarians are required by law to continue our education each year with classes in some form or another. Many of us attend seminars while others take classes online.  But this experience - being able to go to the U. C. Davis College of Veterinary Medicine and take part in their rounds and see all that happens - is really a gift. And, I have to say, it’s really fun.

The ICU at Davis is always busy.  If it’s not full of patients it's full of students, interns, residents, faculty and sometimes, Me. My most recent trip included much more one-on-one with the students. It’s nice to see young people so ready to tackle their careers. I also was given the opportunity to be included in residence rounds, where we discussed what affected cardiac output and student rounds where we discussed the intricate nature of the blood clotting cascade.

There were also patients in the ICU including one three year old Sheltie who had major surgery to help control a chronic problem in his chest. And there was a six year old, beautiful feline that needed a tracheostomy to breathe.

I also got a chance to meet, in person, the Nutrition Department.  They were all great and have helped me in the past with my certain patients that require home cooked meals.  Anyone can cook for their pets, but there are very specific nutritional requirements for each individual patient depending on their health and disease process. The nutrition department is able to give us a recipe for patients that require a very specific balance to their diet.

Very busy day!  But great people and lots of stretching the grey matter ;-) Until next time.

 

Dr. Rhonda Stallings

I am so excited!  I just spent my first day up at U. C. Davis College of Veterinary Medicine! I'm back at school;-) 
    Earlier this year I applied for the Don Low Fellowship, which is a partnership between the Veterinary College and the CVMA. The fellowship is intended to provide intellectual stimulation, interaction, and discussion between the practitioner, faculty, and students within an area of interest to the practitioner. In my case.  I applied for the Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Service.  The reason for choosing this service is because i have always been concerned with emergency medicine. 
     My first job, way back in 1981, was at an emergency clinic in Akron Ohio!  Boy have things changed.  I was one doctor and one nurse, and that nurse also answered the phone took the payments and cleaned the clinic!
     At Arroyo we often get emergencies and those that need specialist and 24 hour care need to be transferred up to the 24 hour facilities here in Sonoma County or to UC Davis.
Medicine changes so quickly and new techniques and new equipment are always being developed! I felt this would be an amazing way to keep up on the newest info.
Yesterday I met the ICU clinicians and the Emergency Clinicians, the residents, the super interns and the students!  All were amazing and welcoming to me.  We worked up many cases and also had lectures and brainstorming sessions about these very sick patients! 
     I will keep you up to speed on many of the different cases I get to see and watch recover from their illnesses!

Do you know how to control bleeding in your pet? Do you know what to do if your pet has continuous vomiting or bloody diarrhea? What if they are sneezing blood? How to help an injured pet that has been hit by a car? What to do during a seizure?
To answer these questions and many more come to the Pet First Aid & Emergency Preparedness Workshop sponsored by SVDOG
Thursday, April 22
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Sonoma Community Center, Rm. 110

Suggested donation
$20 to benefit the Sonoma Valley Dog Owners & Guardians

Call 939-9505 to reserve space

Previous workshop goers said it really helped them in many ways when dealing with Pet emergencies;-)

Just wanted to share with you the teeny tiniest doggie I have done a full dental cleaning polishing and dental x-rays on.  His name is Rudy and he is 2.9 pounds and is 9 years old.  Such a cutie! What makes general anesthesia difficult for such small animals as our dogs and cats includes hypothermia.  They need to be kept as warm as possible and also keep there blood pressures normal.  His IV drip rate was set at 20 cc per hour.  That's just slightly more  than a tablespoon;-) He needed a general because there is no way to really clean these little mouths without getting all the teeth inside and out. He's doing great!  He brings so much joy to his family!

ast Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to 60 young women about becoming Veterinarians!  Expanding your Horizons is a organization that plans seminars for 6th 7th and 8th grade girls, to encourage them to do well in math and science for their careers.
I love talking to kids about becoming vets.  This age group especially is wonderful, very focused and really a joy to work with.  We talked about what is needed to get into vet school and then we broke into groups and learned how to  do a physical exam of 3 of our wonderful dog volunteers(Peanut, Torpedo and Sandy).  They were able to use a stethoscope to listen to their own hearts and the dog's too!  We also had some great x-rays for them to read.  That was fun especially when i put up the x-ray of my own back and asked them what species itas.  Many said Girraffe;-)  Click here to learn more about "Expanding Your Horizons".