Dr. Tyler Perkins

https://dvmtales.blogspot.com/2023/04/happy-cat-happy-home.html

New post in honor of kitten season featuring a feline savvy vet tech guest.

Happy Cat, Happy Home Long time, no post. But that doesn't mean there hasn't been much to say. There were a couple of posts that made their way to the facebook p...

*click “see more” for link* Sometimes you meet a patient and they touch your heart in such a special way. That’s exactly what Yuki has done for me. Yuki had a very rough start, she came from a very in**ed genetic line, was riddled with parasites, and days away from starvation to the point of re-feeding syndrome when her mom (a former animal control officer) started fostering her. Despite her rough start, Yuki has a passion for living her best life and though she has some medical issues, she takes them all in stride. Yuki has severe degenerative joint disease that is affecting her mobility. At a suspected 6 years young she has started to have lots of pain with walking and will require surgery to give her the mobility that she needs to continue to have a good quality of life. She has a consultation with a surgeon on Thursday. Her medical bills are no small undertaking and so I’m asking you to consider donating a small amount (weekly Starbucks equivalent) or whatever you feel led to donate to help with her surgery fund. I already have and I hope you’ll join me. Please read more of her story as well by clicking the link below. 👇🏼

https://www.gofundme.com/f/assistance-with-medical-costs-for-yuki?viewupdates=1&rcid=r01-167815398256-ceb641dabc8a11ed&utm_medium=email&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_email%2B1137-update-supporters-v5b

It’s hard being in the veterinary field.
It’s hard doing what we do. Seeing what we see. Hearing what we hear.
Vet med is so many things. It is about taking the time to meet people where they’re at and coming to an agreement on what can be done to make a pet’s life better and sometimes that means just making their life better for 8 hours or however long a pain injection lasts. It is protecting yourself from burn out by numbing your emotions when that pet you worked so hard to save is back with the same issue because the owner didn’t follow the instructions or give meds as directed. It is celebrating new family members with people and helping others cross over. It is having someone argue medicine with you when you went to school for 8 years and they read google for 8 minutes. It is doing what’s best for a pet no matter what inconvenience it may cause you or the owner. It is taking super discouraging days like today and reminding oneself of why you do what you do even if at times it feels futile.

If you haven’t ever put your dog on hw prevention, please start this year. Talk to your vet ASAP to get your dog tested and to get started on prevention. I promise you can find a preventative within your budget. I’m very tired of diagnosing and even euthanizing pets because of this terrible PREVENTABLE disease.

Our compliance on heartworm testing is far greater than that of pets on preventives. How can we bridge that gap? Unfortunately, pet owners don't realize the importance until this happens!

Long time, no post. I’ve started to but honestly been too angry, emotional or just unmotivated because I’ve felt it won’t change anything. There are so many issues and challenges in the veterinary field right now. It can be mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing. Some people are affected by how they’re treated by others as a veterinary professional and often it’s less than ideal, I personally am profoundly affected by how others treat their pets, who are my patients and really struggle emotionally sometimes to understand how people can deny treatment options that I give them that are in their self-admitted budget because their pet is “too old/too annoying/too much effort.”

Then there are days like today that are so incredibly hard but oddly therapeutic because of a patient in need, pet owners willing to do anything and myself-a veterinarian detective wannabe who seeks answers even when they lead to tragedy before holidays. Ignorance truly is bliss sometimes, but choosing ignorance is allowing patient suffering and I refuse to allow that. Yesterday I met a vibrant, energetic lab mix with panic in her eyes and she just wasn’t acting right. Her owners readily approved my diagnostic plan and therapy along the way to attempt to make her comfortable while finding the cause of her discomfort. I ended up finding a mass, after sampling it and viewing it under the microscope I had no doubt it was one of the most aggressive types of cancer we see in dogs. Hers was advanced. I felt so powerless to help this patient and thought of one treatment plan that might provide some palliative care. Her sobbing owners readily agreed to anything I recommended.

Fast forward to today, she showed no improvement and if anything had gotten worse. Her tumor was causing a bowel obstruction and was inoperable. The only thing left to do was euthanize. These wonderful owners were everything and more that their dog needed in her final moments. They made her a pot roast. They held her and talked her through the whole process. They named everyone who ever loved her and reminded her they still did and as she took her final breath they thanked her for being the best dog in the world. When it was over and she was at peace I left the room and cried. It was so sad to have met, diagnosed, treated, and euthanized this sweet dog in a span of less than 24 hours but what an incredible honor. It was an honor to provide her family with definitive diagnosis and to walk them through guiding her home. Cancer didn’t win today. Peace did. Merry Christmas, Allie girl, it was my honor to be your vet when you needed me most.

TLDR: Emergencies happen to veterinarians too.

What a week it was for me last week. 😅 My personal dog Olive, in true Olive fashion, at the ripe middle age of 8 she decided ingesting a M.A.C. lipstick cap would be the right journey for her (unbeknownst to me for about a week). Tuesday June 14th 7:00 PM- Olive vomits promptly when I get home from work. No big deal, I give her cerenia (the most powerful anti-nausea medication that I keep on hand in tablet form for such times as these).
10:00 PM- Olive vomits bile and some food. For all the non-Veterinary folk out there: vomiting through cerenia is 🚩 🚩 🚩 causes of this generally indicate a GI obstruction or severe pancreatitis. This is a litmus test, vomit through cerenia and it’s time for diagnostic work up.
My dog’s timing is impeccable. Naturally this would occur at night when my team is sleeping and I, the pet owner and veterinarian is tired and scared and emotional. But, I the veterinarian and the pet owner also have PET INSURANCE and an EMERGENCY PET SAVINGS ACCOUNT because emergencies happen and contrary to popular belief, I cannot just dish out thousands of dollars casually. Even with some of the discounts I receive in the field, an emergency is costly, financially, emotionally and physically. So small soap box, please do yourself a favor and get pet insurance, save $10 from each pay check in a savings account for pet emergencies, get care credit, do something besides berating your veterinary team about the cost of their services. I witnessed this in the parking lot of the ER while waiting for news on my own dog. It was infuriating to see how my colleagues were being treated by the general public. Please be kind, and realize the value of these services. Gas is expensive, food is expensive, meds are expensive, everything is expensive in this economy. It’s our job as pet owners to be prepared.
Wednesday June 15th 4 am: object lodged and has not budged with fluid therapy, elected to proceed with surgery.
6:00 am: lipstick cap removed from where it was lodged in the jejunum and Olive is recovering from surgery.
Thursday June 16th: Olive is discharged from the ER.
I am beyond grateful to the veterinary ER Team who got my dog the care she needed and gave me a gift I can’t put a price on, more time with my girl who is a diva and ridiculous and dramatic at times but an absolutely sweetheart and blessing in my life. I feel blessed that this team, that night led by my wonderful friend, Dr. Blair and technician Codi, among many others was there to help Olive when I couldn’t. Their quick action and efficient, precise, individualized therapy plan including decompressing her stomach, fluid therapy, pain management, gi protective medications, emergency surgery and anesthesia saved my dog’s life. I’m also thankful for supportive colleagues at my work who understand and offer their expertise and assistance when a seroma (fluid under the incision formed) because naturally she’s my dog so this occurred. It’s truly a team effort when your pet needs care like this. I’m thankful for pet insurance, shout out to Trupanion for paying 90% of this bill just like they said they would. I am proud to be a part of this field and experience it from both aspects (the pet owner and veterinarian) and strive to do my best in both roles.
My sweet girl is on the up and up. We had a talk about not ingesting lipstick caps as a new side hobby. She’s considering it.
Please be kind to veterinary staff, if your pet isn’t being rushed in and you have to wait awhile, it’s a good thing. I think of the pets rushed in ahead of her and owners who didn’t get to bring their pets home from the hospital. I am grateful that Olive was stable when I brought her in so that she did not have to be rushed in on a stretcher. Pet owners: do not wait to have your pet seen if you feel it could be something life threatening. The longer you wait, the more expensive the bill. Please make a pet savings account and consider pet insurance at adoption not after something bad happens. I assure you that no insurance company covers your pet in the middle of an emergency.
I am happy to get back to regular vet med life where I get to be complained to about $150 bills for treating UTIs or doing preventative care is a rip off and such; how I’m just in this for the money and if I really cared about animals I’d do it all for free. So I’ll just nod and say “I’m sorry you feel that way”, as my techs look at me knowing I just spent $3000 prior to insurance reimbursement at the ER and we’ll nod at each other acknowledging how we value time with our pets and helping these creatures we love more than anything else and that’s why we’re here.

It’s Adopt a Cat Month. Here are five things you should consider when adopting a cat. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3wHgHHb.

Sometimes I want to write a post, but I just don’t have the words. If you haven’t heard, an inflammatory article was posted vilifying Maine Veterinary Medical Center doctors and staff for using their time, talent, supplies and compassion to save the life of a puppy through the only option available to the owner, surrender of the puppy. Marissa Bodnar wrote an inflammatory, biased one sided article that has incited a vicious attack on the hospital and staff, to the point that law enforcement has had to be called in for 24 hour surveillance. Death threats are pouring in, phone lines are jammed, the slander and defamation of these Veterinary heroes is out of control. Please read the statement released from the facility first hand. I wish I could say these incidents just simmer out and don’t cause damage, but the su***de and burn out in the veterinary profession is rampant. It is not just MVMC that is dealing with out of control clients. It is everywhere. I have personally experienced it twice in the last week. My friends in the field are experiencing it more often that not. To the general pet-owning public, you are burning out the best of the best, the only ones qualified to save or help your pet. Please keep this in mind when there is no one and nothing for your pet when they need veterinary care the most.

Keep your recreational products away from your pets, please.

Side note, I often get asked about what CBD/hemp products I recommend for pets, my answer is I’m not sure yet. Until clearer research comes out, I advise people to be VERY careful about the products they administer to their pets. We are seeing toxicity cases from products labeled “pet safe”.

Study: Cases of cannabis toxicity in pets have increased significantly post-legalization Veterinarians are seeing a rise in cases of cannabis poisoning in pets as the legalized use of ma*****na for recreational purposes continues to spread.

Answers to many common feline questions

Cat Chat: Why Does My Cat? Cat Chat: Why Does My Cat? Heather O'Steen2021-11-04T16:40:30-04:00 Choose a Platform to Share FacebookTwitterRedditLinkedInWhatsAppTumblrPinterestEmail Related Posts Cat Talks: Taking Your Cat to the Vet Gallery Cat Talks: Taking Your Cat to the Vet July 22nd, 2021 Cat Chat: Is Your Cat Happy? Gall...

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on the blog and I had no idea what topic I even wanted to begin trying to cover. It’s a difficult time to be in vet med right now-there are countless reasons for this. But ultimately, it is what it is currently and this is my experience as I navigate this field. I hope I can shed some light on the positives and negatives Veterinary teams experience multiple times a day every single day.

https://dvmtales.blogspot.com/2021/11/worth-it.html?m=1

Worth It Being a veterinarian is often: •seeing pets suffering from preventable diseases because owners didn’t take your advice on preventative car...

People often comment on how the hardest part of my job is performing euthanasias, I always tell them it’s not. That part is a blessing when it’s truly the right time, when nothing else can be done, when advanced care isn’t affordable. One of the hardest parts of my job is not being able to end suffering when I need to, when someone takes their pet home to die an agonizing, slow, painful death despite offering euthanasia. It is the worst feeling to send a patient home to die. In this field they tell you that you cannot let yourself care more about a pet than the owner, for me and many of my team, that’s not possible. Our default is to do what’s right by the pets who cross our paths. I will advocate for my patient until the end and sometimes (like today) it still fails. Somewhere out there is a pet who died at home today, an innocent life that I advocated for, that my team advocated for that the owner took home knowing it would likely die and that fact weighs heavy on my heart today. This is the reality of my field. There are ups and downs. For as many pets as I helped today, I was not permitted to provide a peaceful exit from life or surgical fix for one and I’m incredibly sad and angry about it. It’s important to let yourself feel in this field. I’ll be fine, I know I did my best. I know this isn’t the last time in my career that I’ll advocate for a patient and fail or that I’ll love a pet more than its owner. Having the opportunity to be a fierce advocate for what’s right for a pet is an honor and it’s these faces that somehow stay burned in my memory and in a way keep me going so I can advocate just as hard for the next pet. But tonight I am tired, I am sad and I wish all people had the desire to do right by their pet. Tonight I am also thankful for an incredible team, colleagues who support me, and my personal support system. 🩺

Hi everyone! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted and I hate that but I’ve been dealing with some burnout and have some exciting changes coming my way. I hope to be back at semi-regular posting and sharing good content very soon to help inform pet owners and provide some insight into the veterinary industry and how you can support veterinarians and their staff.

Merry Christmas, Everyone! 🐶 🐱 🎄

‼️New Post: 7 tips for maximizing your time at the vet's office and at home. Click the link below to read more‼️
https://dvmtales.blogspot.com/2020/11/help-me-help-you-ways-to-maximize-your.html

Help Me, Help You- Ways to Maximize Your Appointment Countless pet owners schedule an appointment and become frustrated for many reasons, most of which come down to unrealistic expectations fr...

Same goes for dogs. We love to love our pets with food, but please remember they aren’t able to process everything that we are and some things that we eat during the holidays are toxic and will require emergency veterinary attention if ingested.

Practice safe snacking this ! 🍗
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Shop Black Friday Deals right meow on Meowingtons.com! 😻 Enjoying our Milton comics? Get them straight to your inbox, daily, at www.miltonthecat.club!

Heartworm prevention...how important is it? Check out the new blog post below and find out:
https://dvmtales.blogspot.com/2020/10/protecting-your-pet-from-heartworms-its.html

Protecting Your Pet from Heartworms: It's YOUR Responsibility I've seen a lot in 1.5 years of practicing veterinary medicine and one thing that never gets easier is seeing pets die of heartworm disease....

Check out the newest post on the blog for 6 simple tips to make sure you're financially prepared for pet emergencies.

https://dvmtales.blogspot.com/2020/09/when-emergency-strikes-are-you-prepared.html

As always, let me know in the comments if there are any topics you'd like covered in the next blog post.

When Emergency Strikes, Are You Prepared? (Pictured here are two pups resting easy because their owner has a plan for emergencies.) Pet owners never want to think about or plan for e...

NEW POST 🗣

"I would say that about 60% of the pets I see are overweight. I am starting to see these overweight pets at younger and younger ages. 9/10 times when I inform pet owners that their pets are overweight they laugh and think it's a funny joke. (I however find zero humor in the situation.)"

Head over to the blog to read the full post (click the link below). Let me know if there's a topic you'd like me to cover in the comments.

https://dvmtales.blogspot.com/2020/08/stop-feeding-your-pet-to-death.html

Stop Feeding Your Pet to Death (photo by: Jasmine Thomas via Prana Canine) Stop loving your pet to death with food. Our pets depend on us for meeting most of their basic n...

Happy National Dog Day from me and mine.
I hope you’re celebrating the incredible canines in your life today and everyday! May we all strive to be the people our dogs think we are.
🎉🐶

First Blog Post 🎉: It's about fleas (there's no flea emoji and that makes me sad)

I have heard many arguments for not using year around, veterinarian recommended flea prevention for pets including: "my pet is inside only", "the product is expensive, I'll get something over the counter", "I've never seen a flea in my home", and the most creative "they can't get to me I live on the second floor"-which really just underestimates fleas. Of the above-mentioned examples: EVERY SINGLE PET OWNER who said these statements to me had pets with fleas actively crawling around on them.

Read the post: https://dvmtales.blogspot.com/2020/08/fleas-tiny-pests-big-deal-for-your-pets.html

Let me know if there’s a topic you’d like for me to cover in the comments.

FLEAS- Tiny pests, a BIG deal for your pets One of my biggest pet peeves as a veterinarian is talking to people about fleas more than once. In my mind, it's a logical progression: flea...

Dr. Tyler Perkins updated their website address.

I'm Dr. Perkins. Welcome to my page. My goal with this page is to provide you with the most up to date content regarding pet health, help you understand more about the veterinary profession, and be a fun and informative environment. First and foremost, I'm a pet owner with many of the same concerns you have and the desire to do right by my pets. As a veterinarian, I have the privilege of having studied under some of the best veterinarians and experts in the field and have access to some of the latest research to assist you in getting the information you need to provide your pet with the best care both at the vet and at home. It's also my hope that through content on this page you can relate better to your veterinarian, veterinary nurse/technicians, and veterinary receptionists which makes (or breaks) the experience of seeking veterinary care.