I advised previously that the pet caregiver can pretty much differentiate between what is a genuine life-threatening emergency and an occasion where you are allowing anxiety to get the better of you.
Since vets have been trained to establish comprehensive descriptions for specific abnormal conditions, it is appropriate to try to formulate adequate and focused definitions for emerging situations.
In veterinary medical practice, a true emergency would be accompanied by a sudden bodily alteration, such as is likely to require immediate medical attention. This pressing need and distressing event is usually an unforeseen circumstance (or combination of circumstances) which would require immediate professional action.
Having gotten the prerequisite definition of what an emergency really is, let us now look, in no order of importance, at the different types of conditions which can precipitate conditions that can actually jeopardise the animal’s life.
BURNS
Burns can be caused by different agents, e.g. chemicals, electric shocks, and the sun’s radiation (especially here in Guyana, just above the equator).
Radiation Burns
At the equator, the sun’s radiation is quite intense, and white-haired dogs, whose skins have no protective melanin (the pigment which protects dark-skinned animals from the sun’s ultra-violet rays in particular), suffer from all sorts of skin ailments as a result of the melanin-unprotected skin layers becoming more vulnerable to radiation.
Any animal that is exposed (for indefinite periods of time) to the sun’s radiation can (like humans) acquire severe sunburn. The damage to the skin would, of course, depend on the length of time the animal has been exposed to the sun’s rays, and the intensity of the exposure.
So often have vets seen pet caregivers choose as a companion animal the cutest, fluffiest, white-haired puppy – and then call him or her “Snowflake” or Snowy”, although the owner might never have seen snow in his/her life. It doesn’t matter. After all, don’t we sing “Jingle Bells” at Christmas with great gusto? In any case, the dog/cat does not care what its name is. If the owner is unimaginative enough, he/she will just call the puppy “Whitey”.
Levity aside, though, we often see dogs with terrible skin conditions, as a consequence of solar radiation. Sometimes the burns are not serious, even though the skin might show signs of redness. In such cases, the skin is tender to the touch, and there might even be a slight swelling. I would suggest that you place on the affected parts of the skin a damp, cold towel (kept in the freezer for 5 – 10 minutes) for about 10 minutes. This gives you some time to contact your veterinarian, who would advise you accordingly in relation to any special medications (e.g. anti-inflammatory tablets in the first instance; or even soothing zinc oxide creams or aloe/cocoa butter lotions) sold commercially in pharmacies/drug stores.
If the skin burn involves the deep/lower layers of skin, then such a condition must be considered as serious. If, for example, 15-20% of the animal’s skin is experiencing a “deep burn”, the animal could die. You will know if the radiation burn is affecting the deeper layers of skin by just pulling a clump of hair. If the animal’s reaction to the pain is severe and the hair comes out of the skin easily, then that animal must be taken to the vet clinic’s intensive care unit as soon as possible. This is an emergency.
During my many decades of practice, I have come to realize that animals coming into clinics with severe solar radiation burns are victims of caregivers’ negligence. The owner might tie the dog in the shade initially, but when the sun “turns”, poor “Rover” is totally exposed to the solar rays, and unfortunately, the dog may succumb to a heat stroke. We will discuss this matter further in due course.
I recall a monkey being left in his verandah cage in the shade on the western side of a house in Lamaha Gardens. By midday, the full brunt of the sun was blistering “Jacko”, who had nowhere to go and no one to help him – notwithstanding his plaintive howling for help. The owner returned after work only to find the beautiful Capuchin barbecued to death. No emergency treatment could help. Such laxity, inattention and carelessness are unconscionable and unacceptable. By the way, tying a dog in one place for hours on end is against the law. Owners can be prosecuted.
As an aside, I might mention a solar radiation burn that affects the nose bridge of the Collie breed; it is called “Collie Nose”.
