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Keeping Up to Date
Hi all,
I want to share a story on the importance, and sometimes joy, of
keeping
up-to-date on your pets and their breeds.
I have an Australian shepherd bitch named Kyah (her name means a new
dawn
or a new beginning). She turns 12 this month. Kyah is the one who is
responsible for leading me to TTouch, among many other things. She is
my
heart dog.
Over the years, Kyah has needed to be put under anesthesia 4 times,
usually for X-rays (she presumably also had anesthesia when she was
spayed
before I owned her) . She always struggled with the recovery from
anesthesia, no matter how much earwork and other TTouch I did on her.
She
tended to be unsteady on her feet for at least 6-8 hours afterward and
often
still wasn't motoring normally the next morning. This was true even
though
she was getting a gas anesthesia that was supposed to wear off within
minutes of the gas being turned off. The unsteadiness meant I had to
keep
her separated from my other dog until she was fully recovered because
the
wobblies triggered Lucy's prey drive. Since Lucy does kill things,
separation was the only option unless I was on top of them. In my
opinion,
Kyah's recovery period got longer every time she was put under.
I had heard early on in my Aussie ownership that many Aussies are
sensitive to the heartworm medication ivermectin and never to give it
to
her. Around 2001 or 2002, research began to show up that indicated a
genetic mutation might be responsible for sensitivity to ivermectin and
many
other drugs. The research is confirmed. There is a mutation that
leads
many Aussies (and other breeds) to be sensitive to ivermectin and many
other
drugs, including a number of the more common pre-anesthetic drugs.
There is
also a test for the mutation that involves collecting a cheekswab
sample -
no need to visit the vet for a blood draw.
This week Kyah needed to have some teeth removed, so she would have
to be
put under again (time #4 in my ownership, so time #5 in her life).
Because
I've been reading breed-related email lists, websites, and magazines, I
am
aware of the mutation and knew where to find lists of drugs that are
known
to cause trouble for the mutant-gene dogs (Kyah's newest nickname is
"Mutant
Girl"). Although I haven't actually done the cheekswab test for the
mutant
gene, I asked Kyah's vet, Maurine Fritch DVM, to treat her as a mutant
and
avoid drugs that could cause her trouble. Dr. Fritch's first two
choices
for pre-anesthetic protocols were on the list, so she did some research
to
find out what protocols other vets were using and came up with a third
option.
I am thrilled to say that Kyah came through the anesthesia yesterday in
beautiful shape! She was up and looking for exits from the vet clinic
within half an hour of the gas being turned off and able to judge and
negotiate the steps to my front door at a pretty normal speed in less
than 2
hours. She was so steady on her feet that Lucy's prey drive was never
triggered in the least. Lucy just sniffed her to see where Kyah had
been.
Kyah is a bit quiet today, but she had two teeth removed and may be
feeling
a little funny from the pain meds for that. Her movement is still
fine.
The moral of the story is to keep reading and advocate for your animal!
Even if you've had your breed/species for 10 years, there will still be
new
information out there that can help you and your pet spend even more
quality
time together. Make sure your vet is informed - with the number of
species
and breeds that vets care for, they can't keep all the information
top-of-mind.
For anyone interested in the mutation Kyah possesses, see
http://www.vetmed. wsu.edu/depts- VCPL/ This
site also has information
on how
to get a test kit and perform the cheekswab test. One of the best
lists
I've
seen of contra-indicated drugs for these dogs is at
http://busteralert. org
Affected breeds include Aussies, collies, shelties, long-haired
whippets,
mini Aussies, German shepherds, Old English Sheepdogs, and mixes of
affected
breeds. The researchers believe other breeds may carry the mutati on as
well.
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