November 2009 - February 2010
Scout Ennis-Mohar
Scout is a gorgeous 7 year old, long haired, blue eyed feline who came to us quickly after her owner, Rebecca Ennis-Mohar, noticed she was straining to urinate and found blood in her urine. Difficulty urinating is a relatively common condition in cats and not one to be taken lightly. It can be caused by inflammation of the bladder, infection, obstruction by stones or mucus plugs, or even cancer. When a cat’s urinary tract is obstructed, it quickly becomes life threatening and the blockage must be relieved.
Dr. Conant used multiple diagnostic tools to assess the situation. Upon palpation of the bladder Scout seemed painful, but the bladder was not very big so an obstruction was not immediately apparent. X-rays were taken (see below) that showed multiple stones in her bladder, yet it was difficult to see if any stones were obstructing her urethra. Since some types of bladder stones can be dissolved with diet alone, surgery is not always needed. But Scout continued straining to urinate, her bladder was filling up with urine, and Dr. Conant was no longer able to express it. It was now clear that Scout was obstructed and emergency surgery was needed.
Pre-operative blood work was run to ensure Scout was stable enough to undergo anesthesia and medications would be safe to give. Since Scout has a heart murmur, x-rays of her chest allowed doctors to assess the status of her heart condition. Since Dr. Conant was seeing other appointments, Dr. Welton and her team of technicians quickly prepared Scout for surgery. Dr. Welton first performed a cystotomy (opening of the bladder wall) and retrieved several stones. She discovered that 2 stones remained in the urethra and were unable to be dislodged. Dr. Dawson scrubbed in to assist and together they determined that the urethra also needed to be opened (called a urethrotomy). Owen, the technician monitoring Scout’s anesthesia, took special precautions to protect Scout’s heart throughout the surgery by closely monitoring her IV fluid rate, watching her EKG and blood pressure readings, and listening with his stethoscope to make sure all was well. The procedure was long but all went smoothly and Scout was able to spend that night at home with her loved ones. She recuperated quickly and uneventfully under the watchful eyes of her owner.
Scout's Radiographs showed numerous large struvite stones in her bladder.
Analysis of the stones taken from Scouts urinary tract indicated they were struvite stones, the most frequently encountered stones in cats. Some cats produce struvite stones as a result of a urinary tract infection but in other cats the cause is unknown. Recurrence of stones may be prevented by feeding a prescription diet to control urine pH, increasing water intake, and continual monitoring of the urine for crystals or bacterial infection.
The successful outcome of this case depended largely on the promptness with which veterinary care was sought by Scouts concerned owner. Scout was so stoic, like most cats, who seem loathe to express pain. It often takes a keenly aware owner such as Rebecca to spot the initial signs before the bladder stones become a more serious threat, potentially leading to rupture of the bladder, kidney failure, or death. Typical warning signs may include straining to urinate, vocalizing during urination, frequent trips to the litter box, blood in the urine, or inappropriately urinating outside of the litter box. Cats with stones that obstruct urine flow will have additional signs such as poor appetite, vomiting, lethargy, or pain. Thankfully Scout is back to her normal self and will be lounging a great deal more comfortably in trees and charming passersby with her baby blues for years to come.
A letter from Scout's parent:
To the doctors and staff at San Roque Pet Hospital:
I’ve lived in Santa Barbara for 14 years now and admittedly I spent half that time looking for a vet that cared more about my animals than they did my checkbook .Years ago after my dog became ill I was hours away from taking a road trip to my previous San Diego vet when a client informed me that Dr Dawson had taken over SRPH. Skeptical but desperate for a local resource I decided that would be the last attempt I made for a SB vet before throwing in the towel. Luckily for me and my “zoo” it turned out to be the best decision I could have made. When other vets had given up on my dog, Dr Dawson took the time to figure out what was really wrong….one medicine later and he recovered. He lived for another five years and when it was time to say goodbye Dr Dawson that was there for that too.
Now several years later my “family” has grown… so has yours J. The level of professionalism and compassion I have seen in Dr Conant and Dr Welton only carries on a tradition of care I have come to know and trust. And as the “parents” only link sometimes I’m constantly amazed at how the office staff juggles clients, patients, phone calls etc. The fact that they are able to address each case on a one-on-one basis and provide progress reports while still trying to handle in-office patients is impressive to say the least.
Last year while out of town on business my dog ended up having emergency surgery, a horrible situation at anytime but made worse with my absence. If it had not been for the SRPH doctors and staff support I received during the process I probably would have lost my job leaving the trip early to come home. Knowing she was in such good hands and that your staff was in constant communication about her condition was the only thing that made those days bearable.
That brings us to Scout, the latest emergency patient… why do all my animals have to make everything so dramatic J I’ve had Scout and her sister since they were 3 weeks old, thanks to hours of bottle feeding we have a very special bond. She has always been my sweet girl and was the queen of curiosity from an early age, so much so it’s how she got her name! Now she is quite content to just sit back and watch what’s going on, flashing her baby blues to get attention from anyone who’s walking by…. As you’ve seen she’s got it down pat by now. These days she’s back to herself like nothing ever happened, playing with her catnip mice and torturing the dogs….life is good!
I really don’t know what I’d do without her, she’s only 7 and I need her around for a long time to come... quite simply if it wasn’t for you I don’t know how this would have turned out. The emotional decision during these times is always “yes! Fix what’s wrong!”, however the reality of the financial decision isn’t always so easy. People ask if I own a home I just laugh and say no just animals. It seems like mine have never been the routine visit “kind of” animals.
I realize there are people that simply see animals as “pets”, but for some of us these are our children. The fact that I know all four of my “kids” have people to take care of them with the same love and concern I do is a gift. Please know what a difference you’ve made and continue to make. You have my eternal gratefulness, thank you so much!!
Best,
Rebecca Mohar
A letter from Scout:
Dear San Roque Pet Hospital,
Thank you so much for taking such good care of me when I wasn’t feeling well. I know my mom was worried, but she always felt better knowing I was in such good hands. No matter how busy things got the staff always had time to see how I was and offer some much appreciated love. Now that I’m feeling better it’s great to be home ,and though it’s kind of boring here in comparison I’m not missing the cone.
Thank you again for everything you do and the incredibly caring way you do it. Please feel free to come visit anytime… you’ll understand if I try to keep my office visits to yearly shots.
~Scout
October Pet of the Month:
Margie Lawton
Margie is a 10 year old Maine Coon Mix who came to San Roque Pet Hospital in March of 2009 diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus. Margie lived most of her first 6 years of life in an animal shelter in Los Angeles. She was considered unadoptable because of a severe, untreatable mouth infection which made it hard for her to eat. She was adopted by Diana Lawton 4 years ago. After almost all of her teeth were extracted, her mouth pain went away. Now meal time is her favorite time of day.
Since March, Margie has been a frequent visitor to our hospital as it has been necessary to closely monitor her blood glucose level. Dr. Welton has had the task in regulating her blood glucose through the correct balance of medication combined with observation. 
Though she has been through highs and lows, we are managing her diabetes day by day and her quality of life has ultimately greatly improved. This is due in large part to the devotion of her owners,Diana and Catherine Lawton, who religiously supervise and care for Margie, so that we have the best information on which to base our care. It is a pleasure for the staff at San Roque Pet Hospital to treat Margie; she is gentle, sweet, uncomplaining, and seems not to hold a grudge. Although we love having her here, her favorite activities take place elsewhere: eating, sleeping, trying to catch bugs, playing soccer in the living room, and spending time with her cat friend Betty and her favorite people.
September Pet of the Month:
Brynn Isaacson
Brynn (a.k.a. Brynnie, Beezer or just plain ‘ol B) a soon to be 11 year old Yellow Labrador was born and raised in the Santa Barbara area. Her fortunate two-legged pals, Diane and Tom Isaacson have shared their lives with her since 1998 when she was a Christmas present to Tom from Diane and sons Tom and Joe.
At that time she became a buddy and life-enhancing companion or major pest (take your pick) for the somewhat elder Sierra. Sierra was another Yellow Lab who’d been born at the Isaacson house to Ida - a rescue Yellow Lab who was Swiss by birth (and who would only answer to the Euro pronunciation of her name as EEEda and not EYEda as was first attempted).
Obviously, something of a theme here with the Labs. It’s a love affair that began when the Isaacsons first met and then married in college. They’ve had four Labs from puppy through adult over roughly 35 years and two litters along the way that added another 10 Labs to their lives.
Brynnie has always been an avid water dog and off-road girl. In other words very much a Labrador in all respects. As a pup her veterinarian (who specialized in retrievers) checked her out and declared her a very good example of what a Labrador should be from a physical perspective. Meaning not too bulky for her basic structure as Labs can tend, at times, to be which in turn may lead to a number of problems (seems that Labs generally find mealtime an especially rewarding aspect of life).
She’s very bright with a large database of verbal, visual and hand signals that she responds to instantly and is even learning a few more at 10+ years of age. She also knows a thing or two about human dress as she understands that certain clothing means we’re going for a hike or a run and other clothing means she’s going to be spending time alone at home while her human buddies do whatever it is they do that doesn’t include her. Humans can be so rude.
A few months ago Brynnie was brought to San Roque Pet Hospital to be examined for a swollen eyelid – the only outward sign that she had any sort of health issue. In the course of checking out the swelling Dr. Dawson discovered a number of other problems that no one had been aware of and so began a very long and stressful period of illness and treatment involving, among other things, kidney disease, two bouts of pancreatitis, liver problems, the need for a hysterectomy, some internal bleeding and more. (A specific cause for the swollen eyelid was not discovered but it healed and the best guess is that she managed to acquire a bee or wasp sting in the mouth – ow!)
Through many very rocky weeks and over 150 visits to our hospital, she’s battled valiantly and spread her winning attitude to the staff at SRPH. She continues with treatment every day (much of it at home now) and has improved greatly but will likely never be 100% again. It doesn’t faze her much though and she always has lots of wags and kisses for all she meets.
She’s feeling much better and charges forward putting all she can into each day. It has been a pleasure for us to treat her and witness her improvements; it is not trivial that she manages such a high quality of life despite her ongoing struggles. Brynn is a true role model that all of the staff has come to know and love. Her human family couldn’t be prouder of her and the lessons she brings about living positively.
Quote from Tom and Diane: “We love Brynnie deeply and are so glad she’s feeling better. We’re also extremely glad for the caring staff at San Roque Pet Hospital who have gone many levels above and beyond their normal duties to bring health to her and help us through some very difficult times. Having Dr. Conant and Vet Tech Matt work until late into the night on July 3rd to complete her surgery at an affordable price is just one example of the kind of people working at SRPH. They care about all the animals they see and are extremely supportive and helpful. We feel like our family has expanded.”
Quote from Brynnie: “I’d like to thank the Academy, my family, Royal Canin Pet Foods… oh wait, wrong comments - sorry. Life is good. I’m lucky to have so many friends to help me with some very difficult problems. I love all of you at SRPH and look forward to seeing you each week. I have only one request – can I just leave after we say hi and I sit on that cold metal thing you always make me get on? I’d really prefer to not go into your back room and do what we do back there. You guys are so good at your work I’m sure you can make this happen. Thanks.”
