If you read the comments from yesterday, you will notice mention of dampness being a cause for everything...... My mother will argue this point in full: "Oh, well you're just.... (fill in the blank)... because it's a little damp outside today." Love ya, mom!
While dampness does not REALLY cause everything, it CAN aggravate arthritis in senior pets (both dogs and cats.) Sudden changes in weather can cause owners to notice their pets favoring a limb or limping. Usually this is noticed more in colder climates in the winter time, but can be associated with dampness (usually when it's cold and damp) in the air. The best things that owners can do for their senior pets with arthritis (or pets that have trouble getting around) when the weather changes is to keep them warm and stable on their feet. Take a look at these simple tips:
1) Always provide a warm place for your pets to go to during the day (should they need it) when you are gone, and a warm sleeping area at night.
2) Make sure that you have plenty of traction provided in your home to allow your pets to get around more easily. I suggest placing throw rugs (with rubber backing!) on wood, tile, or linoleum floors.
3) Also keep in mind that it gets slippery outdoors too (if you live in a climate where the ground can freeze). Make sure to provide extra traction with outdoor rugs or by salting walkways to melt ice (but make sure to use salt that is safe for pets to walk on).
4) Keep senior pets away from obstacles that they can trip over (remember, some of our seniors have decreased vision) such as toys and stairs. It may be best to create a "safe" zone that can be gated off during the day when pets cannot be supervised.
5) For our senior cats, provide ways for them to get around the house more easily. A good suggestion would be to add pet staircases up to the sofa or scratching post so that they do not have to jump up or down as much, but can still enjoy their favorite activities. This is a good suggestion also for dogs who still like to be up on the sofa or bed.
If your senior pet slips (either indoors or outdoors) many injuries can occur (fractured bones, sprained, strained, or torn ligaments or muscles, and slipped vertebrae or discs, to name a few) since our seniors (especially those with arthritis) are much more stiff and often times have less muscle mass to cushion falls. Please be aware of the needs of our seniors, as we move into fall and are headed quickly for winter! Make the holidays safe for both you AND your senior pets!
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2 comments:
Hi. I work with your mom and she told me about your blog... because I'm desperate. I took my 10-year-old chow in yesterday to have his teeth cleaned and when they went to intubate him there was a golf ball-size tumor on the base of his tongue. I saw it in situ. It was pedunculated. But nasty looking. We're waiting for path report but I'm freaking. Of course he's my "baby"... I'm trying to research what can/should/might be done from here. Please, please send any and all ideas. Oh, because it's at the base of the tongue the vet said he couldn't do wide margin but the tissue "looked clean" when he'd removed the tumor. Please e-mail me. ~Bonnie
Tumors can be scary, yes... But all you can do is wait until you get the histopath report back (which generally takes about3 to 5 days) and go from there. If the report comes back that it is cancer, usually they can tell if the entire tumor was removed and if wide enough margins were taken. Once you know for sure what you are dealing with, there are some options.... The worst case scenario is that it is cancer. IF that is what it ends up being (and the vet was not able to remove all of the tumor), I would recommend having THREE x-ray views taken of his chest to make sure that the cancer has not metastasized to his lungs. If that shows clear, then he would need to go under anesthesia again to have more of the tissue removed. If your vet does not feel comfortable doing this second surgery, I would recommend taking him to a board certified surgeon (do you live in Madison? - the vet school would be a good option). Otherwise, ask your vet for a referral to a specialty clinic (or vet school) for the follow up surgery to be done. Since there is not a lot of excess skin to work with on the tongue, a very large section of his tongue may need to be removed to get clean margins. It also depends (if it is cancer) what type of cancer it is. Some are way more aggressive than others, and your vet may recommend chemo or radiation treatment in addition to having a second surgery.
Bear in mind that it may only be a benign tumor, in which case, there is nothing further that you need to do.
The best thing you can do right now is be aware of the possibilities, but not to let it upset you too much.... there is no definitive answer yet, and it may be nothing. It is very hard to have to wait for an answer and I fully understand your worries. All of my pets are my children since my husband and I have no human children of our own. I hope that this information has been helpful. Again, please don't let this upset you too much at this point.... All you and your vet can do is wait patiently. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Thank you and good luck!
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