An interesting tail...I mean tale.

Hello pet people. Today I thought I might impart to you a tale about a tail. This is a story of an older pet whom we all had reservations about doing a surgical procedure because of the pet’s age. The question is always is any procedure worth the risk. The answers are not easy. We as Veterinarians work under the creed “Do No Harm” and pet owners don’t want to lose a close friend. Let’s see what happened with Corky.

Corky is a poodle that was born about the time Noah was a lad. His medical history was one of the occasional diarrheas, itchy skin conditions and in his latter years some arthritis that was treated with various remedies that worked just fine for him. Earlier this year, a mass became noticeable on the top of his tail about one inch from the base. It was quite large the first time I saw it making surgery a poor option because if we were to remove it, it would be difficult to close the skin. We evaluated the mass and found it to be a sebaceous cyst, not painful and certainly not life threatening to Corky. Our management plan was to observe and deal with it if it ever caused any problem. Well, six months later it opened up, became infected and became a problem. We discussed surgery again and decided on a more conservative route and attempted a medicated bandage and antibiotics. This was to no avail. No other option existed and the tail was going to have to be amputated in front of the mass. Normal preanesthetic blood work and evaluations were done and everything was within normal limits. Surgery was done with our normal anesthetic drugs and standard monitoring. Corky did very well throughout the surgery, post operatively and everything healed beautifully. In fact, Corky has found new life and his owners report he is a “new dog”.

This scenario happens quite frequently with older pets that are suffering from severe dental disease. They present with terrible periodontal disease with abscessed teeth and gums. They get a dental cleaning with diseased teeth extracted and the periodontal disease addressed. The pet goes home finds new life and feels great.

The risk of anesthesia and surgery on older pets is probably overrated. Many pets are out there coping with a condition that could be alleviated. Corky reminded me how rewarding it is to break through some of those barriers and how we can help our older friends with their quality of life. Talk to your Veterinarian about your older pet. Discuss the risks, but concentrate on the benefits. Look at the positive side of treating an unhealthy condition and your pet will thank you many times.

Dr. James Speas is the owner and Executive Director of Crescenta Cañada Pet Hospital located in La Crescenta, California. He has developed a personal philosophy in the area of veterinary medicine – to always work in the direction of preventing problems before occur. Dr. Speas and his staff are proud to serve the pet communities of La Crescenta, La Canada, Glendale, Pasadena, Sunland, and Tujunga California. Call us at 818-248-3963.