Dr. Ehud Sela, The gentle Vet: The Importance of early diagnosis and screening tests

Just like with us, in Veterinary medicine, early diagnosis and screening tests can save lives.

Often, when symptoms are already present a certain amount of damage has happened, and at times this damage is not reversible and lead to long term consequences.

In my practice I recommend every 6 months some basic and non invasive tests, such as: urine analysis, and complete blood work, that will help us detect signs of possible illness before they become clinically apparent. A urine analysis can detect signs of a urinary infection, renal disease, diabetes, among other serious diseases.

Complete blood work gives us an indication as to how the internal organs are functioning, and at time can help in detecting early signs of certain cancers.

I also often advise screening ultrasounds, as they do not involve radiation, and give us a non invasive visual on the structure of vital internal organs.

In conclusion: Early diagnosis and screening tests are an essential tool in the maintenance of our pets’ health. As, sadly, the life expectancy of our pets—dogs and cats—is much shorter than ours, our pets move quickly from infancy, to adulthood, to middle age, and before we know it they are senior-citizen-pets.

The more we know about their health, and the earlier we know it, can keep them with us alive and happy for as long as possible.

Dr. Ehud Sela

Gentle Vet Animal Hospital

Margate, Florida.

954-972-5900

Advertisement

THE ART OF MEDICINE

Medicine is an art, good medicine that is, both in Veterinary medicine and human medicine.

In Veterinary medicine this art is more difficult as the patients can’t tell the doctor what is bothering them.

Therefore, a complete physical exam, and a detailed history is imperative in order to achieve a diagnosis.

Of course, an experienced eye with many years in practice is an essential element.

Unfortunately medicine has become in some instances not an art, but a blanket approach in which based upon algorithms–and not critical thinking–a myriad of tests are done, and these tests can be costly.

I believe in diagnostic tests; they are essential, but I also believe in a logical approach and fine tuning the tests to the case in front of me.

I regard in many cases the art of medicine to be like a detective work in which a methodical and logical approach is applied.

Yet, always remembering that the first rule of medicine is do no harm.

And, always remembering that in front of me is a pet that feels and is a member of the family.

The Art of Medicine is not just a cliché but something to strive for and always practice.

And like any form of art, there are good artists, not so good artist, and exceptional artists.

In medicine the exceptional doctor has that additional spark of compassion and wisdom that sets him apart.

Dr. Ehud Sela

954-972-5900.

© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.

WHEN ADOPTING A NEW PET

Adopting a new pet is a wonderful act of love.

Often, and sadly, these pets come from difficult circumstances and need an adjustment period.

I often see new adopted pets that are shy at the beginning and at times do not have the greatest appetite or interact slowly with their new family.

If the physical exam is normal I often advise patience rather than performing multiple tests that can be stressful to the new pet and at times unnecessary.

Plenty of love and reassurance and perhaps offering a very palatable pet food can improve appetite.

I always advise a follow-up within a week, and of course if any signs of illness develop to return immediately.

Often: “The tincture of time” and being patient is very important.

Tests should be done wisely and correctly, only if needed.

It is a wonderful act of kindness and love to bring a new pet to the household, and like every new relationship it takes time to develop.

Dr. Ehud Sela

The Gentle Vet

954-972-5900

© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.

A SHORT STORY ABOUT A CAT NAMED BAXTER

Baxter is a 15 yrs old cat very sweet very friendly, with a few health issues.

Firstly, Baxter is a diabetic. Baxter watches his diet very carefully and his diabetes is due to his genes—the genes we come to this world with, they haunt us, alas. Anyway Baxter handles his diabetes very well and understands that he needs to get insulin injections twice a day to maintain his health.

Over the weekend sweet Baxter developed some serious neurological issues, unrelated to his diabetes. Baxter has dealt with his problem bravely and with a positive spirit, and with the excellent loving care of his owners and best friends, Baxter is walking again, slowly, but steadily improving.

And here are the best news of the day: Baxter is a pacifist and will not hurt a living thing, yet Baxter has a collection of toy mice that he controls and makes sure they are well behaved. Every night about 11 pm, Baxter will carry them in his mouth, bring them to the bedroom and declare in a loud meow that all mice are accounted for and the lights can be turned off and the family can sleep in peace. Baxter stopped doing it the last few nights due to his health problems, but the world can sleep in peace again, last night Baxter has returned to his toy mice duties. Who needs Superman, even more, who needs NATO; we all can sleep in peace as sweet Baxter is guarding the world’s night sleep.

I thought these are very worthy news and need to be shared….

Dr. Ehud Sela

954-972-5900.

© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.

TARGET MY 17 YEARS OLD FELINE PATIENT

 

Target is a 17 years old spayed female cat that reaching this senior age, developed a few health issues.

Target is very particular about her privacy, so I will protect her name by calling her Patient T. Oops… I just realized I have already called her Target, oh well, I’m sure she will be OK with it, I will send her a nice email apologizing, but we’ll continue calling her Patient T, as it sounds so much more mysterious.

Patient T hasn’t been feeling very well lately. She was losing weight, was vomiting and was hiding a lot at home. Also, Patient T, is very vocal and expects her owners to wake up at a certain time in the morning and freshen up her food; giving her the well-deserved attention she needs and expect.

Her owners noticed that she was much more silent and hardly complained to them. Mind you, when she complained she was always right, she has been on this planet for 17 years and she knows what to expect.

Her concerned owners brought her to my office and we brought her back to her usual vocal self with reasonable appetite and enjoyment of life: watching the birds and lizards, and those so very dangerous squirrels….

Patient T sees me often, she was coming twice a week, but now we are on a once a week schedule and her health needs are addressed and treatments added and modified if needed.

I treat her as an outpatient as I think more often than not pets do much better treated like this, staying at their home environment; that they know and feel secure.

Last but not least, if you come across Target, please call her Patient T, as she thinks, and I agree, it adds a certain level of sophistication to her.

Dr. Ehud Sela-The Gentle Vet.

www.thegentlevet.com

Phone: 954-972-5900

© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.

THE CASE OF THE COLLAR, OR ROSIE’S COLLAR, OR SHERLOCK HOLMES AS A VETERINARIAN.

Sweet Rosie, an eight weeks old Standard Poodle puppy has reached her loving new family.

Rosie is an amazing dog, tender, loving, intelligent and within the first few hours bonded with her new family.

Rosie’s owners called me very concerned the day following her arrival because Rosie has developed what they thought were severe orthopedic and possible neurological problems. Rosie every few steps would pull one of her hind legs forward, trying, and at times reaching her body with her paws. “The owners conducted extensive research consulting Dr. Google,” and it was clear and obvious that poor Rosie had something severely wrong with her.

Upon presentation Rosie appeared happy and content and an amazing Puppy. Rosie whispered in my ears as I was examining her, that she thinks her new family thinks there is something wrong with her, but she senses that she is doing very well, and with a lick on my face asked me to tell her family that she is just fine, and that she would love to be a member of the family for many years to come.

Rosie was right! Her physical exam revealed no abnormalities at all, but when we went to the lobby and let her run with her owners, she definitely would stop every now and then and presented the above mentioned symptoms. As Rosie is still a little puppy, and a little klutzy, she would sometimes trip over and it was a little humorous, but not to offend Rosie, I kept a stoic expression.

It appeared that Rosie was trying to scratch her body, but no skin lesions were seen. Why Rosie would be itchy? I asked myself, and mainly while running and playing? I further pondered, then, like in all great mysteries, the truth become apparent to me: it was her collar. Rosie received her new collar yesterday evening, and she was trying to remove it, as it was mainly bothering her while running and playing.

I removed Rosie’s collar, and all symptoms were resolved, no more neurological, orthopedic, or skin problems.

As good old Sherlock Holmes would have concluded the case, he would have called it not the “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” but The Hound and the Collar, Or Rosie’s collar.

One final note: upon leaving the office content with all her problems resolved, Rosie told me that if the collar had diamonds, she might consider it in a much more positive light.

Dr. Ehud Sela, the Gentle Vet

954-972-5900

© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.

THUS SPOKE TO ME OLIVE THE PUPPY

The cycle of life in my veterinary practice is constantly visible to me.Last month, sadly, I’ve had a few geriatric and middle age patients, dogs and cats, that due to illness of a severe nature, and a grave prognosis, I had to perform euthanasia for them.

Death always deeply pains me, and in my practice I give a strong battle when the angel of death shows—and alas he does make his presence known.

Yet knowing that for these patients of mine, euthanasia can be done in a humane form, in a compassionate form, with the owners present, if they wish, brings me some solace.

But life goes on. Today Olive the Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy walked into my exam room, happy; full of life.

She placed her paw in my hand looked at me with her big puppy eyes and introduced herself. She told me with her big trusting puppy eyes: Life begins and ends for all of us, accept it Doc, it’s the cycle of life; it’s the river of life.

Dr. Ehud Sela

The Gentle Vet

954-972-5900

© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.

A SHORT STORY ABOUT A CAT NAMED DOLLY

Dolly the cat comes to visit me in my practice on a quarterly basis. Dolly has some health issues that require routine follow-ups.

Dolly is one of the most amazing cats I have met in my 25 years career as a Veterinarian.

Dolly is friendly and outgoing and trusting. When she comes into the cats-exam room, she can’t wait to get out of her carrier. First thing she’ll do is give a nice and potent head butting to me and my nurse. Next she’ll proceed to lick our hands, and a small friendly nibble on the nose is a must.

Of course grooming us is essential for the visit. My nurse has long hair and she’ll gladly groom her hair. With me, she’s somewhat puzzled, as I have no hair on my head, alas…. But yet, Dolly is a very tactful cat and she never made an issue from the fact that her Doctor is bald.

Before we can proceed to a complete physical exam, Dolly must have some tummy rubbing; it’s protocol.

I always sing to Dolly her favorite song “Hello Dolly,” and she purrs in delight as she is being serenaded.

I have seen many cats and dogs throughout my long career. It’s amazing to me how they all have their own personalities, they are all individuals that love and want to be loved.

Dr. Ehud Sela

Phone: 954-972-5900.

© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.

Rabies Disease.

Rabies is a highly contagious viral lethal disease, that affects all mammals including humans. In South Florida the disease is present in many localities. The disease once contracted is usually fatal. The symptoms of the disease in animals can be grouped into two major groups: Dumb rabies, and Furious rabies. We all have in mind the latter form of the disease, with an animal that runs furious and drooling, and attacking everybody in sight. But the Dumb, or Paralytic form is also very dangerous. By Dumb, we refer to an animal, mainly a wild animal, who is acting strangely, for example loosing its fear of man. A wild Raccoon, or Fox, should not be coming to a person all happy, and letting you pet him; something is wrong with this animal, and although it’s rare, a non-bite exposure: contact with infectious saliva, or neurological tissue, can be a source of concern. Therefore, we should not feed or come in contact with wild animals; it’s not good for them, or for us. Prevention of the disease in our pets is extremely easy, and it entails a preventive vaccination. In Florida all pets are required to be vaccinated for the disease, including indoor pets. Given the deadly nature of the disease for both pets and people, it’s imperative that you keep your pets vaccinated for this deadly disease.

Please call our office at: 954-972-5900 if you have any questions regarding your pets’ health.

Heart failure in dogs and cats

There are many disease processes that can cause heart failure in dogs and cats. These processes can be congenital: such as a pet being born with an abnormality in the heart, or acquired: such as a disease due to infectious agents, or parasitic agents, or the passage of time–getting old. No matter what is the cause of the disease, if it becomes advanced, and or untreated, it can lead to heart failure. The symptoms of heart failure depend on the severity of the failure and they may include: lethargy, anorexia, coughing, shortness of breath, collapse, and death. Heart failure is a serious disease, and early diagnosis can improve the length and the quality of life of our pets. A complete physical exam by a veterinarian, can help in the detection, and early treatment of the disease. In my office I recommend that senior patients should have a complete physical exam at least every quarter, and non senior patients, at least twice a year.
Please feel free contacting our office at: 954-972-5900 if you have any questions regarding your pets’ health.