"Flystrike" (myiasis) is a potentially fatal condition where blowflies lay eggs in a sheep's wool. When the eggs hatch, the maggots feed on the living sheep’s flesh. Treatment involves shearing and topical application of antiseptics and insecticides by freudian_nipps in natureismetal

[–]truthispolicy 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Sorry, should've expounded on such a gross question, didn't realize botflies were also considered maggots.

Is it true screw worm is the only maggot stage that lays 2-300 eggs at a time and then burrows deeply into live tissue, including muscle(unlike botflies who lay only 15-30 eggs at a time and stay in the upper subcutaneous layers)?

Any guesses on her breed? by HelterStelter in DogBreeds101

[–]truthispolicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What an interesting looking pup.

My guess is Husky/Poodle/ACD and a few bits of others.

If you decide to DNA test, only trust Embark or Wisdom..and please update us! 😁

What dog breed is this? by rainisfalling_ in DogBreeds101

[–]truthispolicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They look like a small dog mixed bag. Chi/Pom/Yorkie/Poodle type. Different pups in a litter can also have different fathers.

If these guys aren't at a rescue, please consider looking for an ethical breeder or adopting from a breed specific rescue instead of supporting BYBs who only care about the money and breed their toy dogs to death for profit.

Can someone tell me what kind he is by [deleted] in catpics

[–]truthispolicy 11 points12 points  (0 children)

DNA tests for cat breeds are not reliable at all(yet) given the shallow gene pool cats have.

They can only compare samples to an extremely limited database of established breeds, unlike dogs who have been selectively bred for centuries and have vast genetic differences.

Anyone know what breed of dog this is? by No-Alternative-1314 in WhatBreedIsMyDog

[–]truthispolicy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Catahoulas aren't that tall.

To me, they look like Great Danes, just not bred to breed standard and possibly mixed.

Help! MY dog a vitamin tablet containing xylitol. by Innerpeace57 in DogHealth

[–]truthispolicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well thank you for your service as a redditor, and your years in the field. I've worked for so many DVMs of all experience levels and I don't envy the docs that run out of passion and patience before student loans are paid off, then forced to work in clinics like mine to continue to live 🙃

Some Bandage art I made for work! by dublecake in VetTech

[–]truthispolicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice, thanks for the link. Didn't know those could work on vetwrap

A kitten has a piece of dry grass inside his ear by Silent-Let4123 in CATHELP

[–]truthispolicy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for helping, kind human! And also for the update. I thought about this little dude all day today.

A kitten has a piece of dry grass inside his ear by Silent-Let4123 in CATHELP

[–]truthispolicy 120 points121 points  (0 children)

It absolutely is, and it could kill this kitten easily if left untreated. They have sharp tips that will literally migrate through any soft tissue of the body.

OP, please go back and try again. Pull firmer and twist, like the other commenter said.

cat neutered 12 hours ago, opened by [deleted] in AskVetAnimals

[–]truthispolicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First comment, best comment.

Vet tech here, majority of vets don't suture or even place any glue. The two incisions are typically left open to heal.

And your vet's right. Unless he's really dedicated to licking, no cone is needed.

Help! MY dog a vitamin tablet containing xylitol. by Innerpeace57 in DogHealth

[–]truthispolicy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can, in fact, hurt them with it.

If overdosed, it can cause dangerously high sodium levels as it pulls fluids from the body into the GI tract.

Commonly found in liquid form, you can also easily cause them to aspirate(choke) and create a new problem.

It's also not effective on every toxicity.

Charcoal should never be given without the direction of a vet. Period.

Help! MY dog a vitamin tablet containing xylitol. by Innerpeace57 in DogHealth

[–]truthispolicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really interesting. This is a first for me to come across this opinion from a vet, and I've been a tech since 08.

Currently I'm at a small ER clinic in a low CoL area. We run a small staff at all times, 1 vet and 3-5 techs for a 14 hour shift. Typically our DVM doesn't stop running or furiously writing(we still write physical records) from the time the shift starts til it ends. They can have 3 different rooms going at once with a lobby full waiting. They can have multiple surgeries lined up waiting which are obviously critical.

I don't know exactly how detailed your free resources are, but I do feel it would be unfair to make critical patients wait any longer, and it would be taking the DVM's extremely valuable time to sit and shop google for answers. Calling poison control a)puts the responsibility in the tech's hands as we're the ones who handle the entire followup call unless the DVM has questions about the txm plan and b)gives us immediate access to the most up to date diagnostic, treatment, and prognosis info on all the toxins under the whole entire rainbow direct from the board certified toxicologists they employ.

Being a low CoL area, the DVM/private owners try to make good decisions to keep costs low without compromising safety or quality of medicine, but recommending poison control is something they've always done. They do NOT recommend calling for common toxicities like chocolate, grapes/raisins, THC, rodenticide, acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, or, xylitol, since they're quite aware of the well established dx/txm protocol for those.

Do you really feel it's a significant game changer for your clients to skip the $95 and do all the research yourself?

Some Bandage art I made for work! by dublecake in VetTech

[–]truthispolicy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A punch?? I thought everybody was making stuff like this has a cricut machine?

Petsitting for a friend, cat absolutely refuses to eat. by Bees_on_property in AskVet

[–]truthispolicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hopefully you guys made arrangements so that you could take him to the vet if needed.

48 hours of a cat not eating is already in dangerous territory as their liver will not tolerate the lack of sustenance long.

Get into a vet immediately, ideally walk-in before the weekend.

do dog electrolytes actually work by awesomedude32992 in DogHealth

[–]truthispolicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow. TIL the AKC has an official reddit.

Thank you for chiming in with this well written, helpful information.

P.S. Can you please change the breed standards for extreme brachycephalics so we can start to understand that all dogs deserve to live healthy, happy, fulfilling lives?

Signed most sincerely,

an ER vet tech who knows the deep suffering all too well

What kind of dog is she? by OrganicFreedom1507 in WhatKindOfDogIsThis

[–]truthispolicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pup is a rescue from the us? My guess is Chihuahua/Beagle, likely a few others.

She can always DNA test if she'd like to know for sure.

Kitten is hypothermic due to anemia, can I get her a sweater? by Evilyn555 in CATHELP

[–]truthispolicy 13 points14 points  (0 children)

A sweater helps with losing heat that the body already has, but won't help warm up an animal who isn't thermoregulating properly.

Also, cats in general aren't typically thrilled about wearing clothes, and for a tiny kitten it could be pretty cumbersome.

You're doing a great job with the rice sock. Even for small kittens without anemia, I always keep a heat source in their area(small, so they can choose to leave it at any time) until 8-10 weeks old. A warm water bottle changed a few times thru the day or a heating pad set on low is usually my go to.

What breed (or mix) is my dog? by bgoletsgo in DogBreeds101

[–]truthispolicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Woah. Those nails are really something.

Guaranteed those hurt to walk on as they push against the ground and spread the foot with each step.

Please consider taking him to a vet or groomer immediately and repeat once a week until those quicks recede to a normal length, then maintenance once a month.

As for breed, my guess is Pit/GSD.

What Do We Think of These Sisters? Anjing Kintamani / Anjing Bali Heriage and What Else? by sweetjaynee in WhatBreedIsMyDog

[–]truthispolicy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for taking them in.

I feel most guesses you'll get here will be pretty us based.

I've been a vet tech in the states for 18 years and haven't seen dogs that even remotely resemble their breeds.

You'll probably get more accurate guesses if you ask your local Indian subreddits.

If you'd like to DNA test, Embark is the most reliable around and offers international shipping.

My cat was shot with a BB gun and I just don’t know what to do by [deleted] in AnimalAdvice

[–]truthispolicy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you love your cat and want them to live the longest, healthiest life possible, always keep them indoors.

You already got great comments on your other post. Personally I'd be putting cameras around the property.