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PET BULLETIN
‘Mews and Yips’ from the Central Aroostook Humane Society
By Nancy G. Nichols
CAHS Board Member
You are never too old to learn something.
I was dog sitting for a friend of mine when something unusual happened.
My hubby arrived home after work to find a mess of vomit in several rooms. He called me in a panic stating how she (we’ll call her Tootsie) had been sick and that she had an awful cough. I went home to find the mess he had been referring to. Poor girl had been quite sick and she couldn’t even keep water down. She had been a little lethargic when she first arrived to our home, but we thought nothing of it, as she was an older dog.
I called her owner and got permission to bring Tootsie to her veterinarian, only to find out that she had “tonsillitis”. I didn’t realize that dogs had tonsils, let alone could get tonsillitis. Who knew?
Once the veterinarian looked into the dog’s mouth she saw that Tootsie’s tonsils were inflamed. The poor girl must have had an awful sore throat as result of her coughing. That was one of the reasons why she had vomited profusely — unable to keep neither food nor liquids down.
The tonsils are aggregates of lymph tissue located at the back of the throat in dogs, as they are in people. They may not be visible unless they are inflamed. This generally occurs as a secondary symptom of a sore throat.
The veterinarian’s office kept Tootsie overnight in order to give her medication and keep an observing eye on her. The following morning Tootsie was okay and the swelling had gone down and she was able to drink and have food. We were ecstatic.
We learned a couple of things with this experience. First, dogs do have tonsils and they can have tonsillitis. Second, when you are taking care of someone else’s pet make sure the pet owners fill out the necessary paperwork at the veterinarian’s office notifying them that the dog is in someone else’s care. In case of emergency, the caretaker can take the proper measures to make sure the pet is taken care of. It was an eye opener for us.
On a last note, Tootsie is doing great and all ended well. I researched online on the WebMD site and found a lot of information regarding dogs having tonsillitis. Come to find out it is not uncommon for pets to have this condition.
As always, consider making room in your heart and home for one of the animals available at the Central Aroostook Humane Society’s animal shelter. There are many cats and dogs that need loving homes! Visit the Central Aroostook Humane Society at 26 Cross St. in Presque Isle to adopt the forever pet that is right for you. Their hours are: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed from noon to 12:30 p.m. for lunch.
