Paws, Reflect & Heal with Dr. Randy

Q&A with Dr. Randy: Pet Fireworks Anxiety, Pet Care Mistakes, Stress in Pets, Rattlesnake Bites

• Dr. Randy Pet Vet • Season 2 • Episode 11

Share episode

In this episode of 'Paws, Reflect and Heal', Dr. Randy Aronson addresses various pet care topics, including the pros and cons of pet insurance, strategies for managing pets' anxiety during fireworks, common mistakes pet owners make, how to address stress-related issues in pets, and the dangers of rattlesnake bites. The conversation provides valuable insights and practical advice for pet owners to ensure the well-being of their furry companions.

Main Takeaways
- Pet insurance can provide financial protection against unexpected vet bills.
- Microchipping pets is essential for their safety.
- Desensitization training can help pets cope with noise phobia.
- Socialization is important for puppies to prevent behavioral issues.
- Indoor cats require mental stimulation to stay healthy and happy.
- Stress in the home can lead to gastrointestinal issues in pets.
- Rattlesnake avoidance training can significantly reduce the risk of bites.

Chapters
00:00 Understanding Pet Insurance: Pros and Cons
05:43 Managing Fireworks Anxiety in Pets
12:18 Common Mistakes Pet Owners Make
19:09 Addressing Stress-Related Issues in Pets
26:20 Rattlesnake Bites: Prevention and Treatment

----------

Send your questions to randy@drrandypetvet.com so Dr. Randy can answer them in future episodes!

If you'd like to schedule a telemedicine appointment with me, please send an email to info@pawstucson.com. Make sure to note your telephone number and a brief description of the issue you're having. Someone from my office will respond to your email to schedule an appointment.

Connect with me on my website, social media pages, and all podcast platforms!

Products and Resources I Recommend
Microbiome Testing
Animal Biome - Gut Microbiome Health Test

Nutrition
K9 Natural

Feline Natural

Just for Dogs
Farmers Dog

Other...

SPEAKER_00:

Don't do rattlesnake vaccine. It's not a panacea, it's not an answer, and in our hands, we have not seen it make any difference to help the dog whatsoever. And it's another vaccine that your pet doesn't need. The best ticket to this is rattlesnake avoidance training. For example, when I was in Green Valley, we would see 30 invenimations a summer. That's a lot. 30 dogs. And when we started rattlesnake avoidance training, it went to three a summer. So that just tells you how much that could save your dog's life. Hey everybody, welcome to Pause, Reflect, and Heal. I'm Dr. Randy here today to have a rather unique podcast. I'm going to answer a lot of your questions that you've been sending in and many, many things that may be pertinent for the current date, time, time of year, and all of that. So I hope you'll hang hang in. I'm going to do as best I can to answer the questions that you've asked and kind of cover them as best possible. One of our first questions comes in from a listener who's asking about pet insurance and whether it's really worth it, whether, you know, how it works, kind of what it looks like for our dogs and cats. So let me tell you about the pros and cons of pet insurance so I can go over these with you. The first one is with insurance of any kind, we always have financial protection. So it covers like a lot of the unexpected vet bills, which is really my number one reason for having you guys get insurance for your pets. You never know when a door could be left open, your cat can get out, your dog may be loose, and things happen. And we see it all the time in our practice here at Paw's Veterinary Center, and it can be really problematic. It can really significantly reduce your out-of-pocket costs for these problems. One example, we had a dog in town here that fell in a swimming pool and uh drowned, actually, was revived and taken to an emergency service where it spent 10 days on oxygen and breathing apparatus. That bill was in excess of$20,000, and the pet insurance company paid 95% of that bill. So that just gives you an idea, that's a rather extreme situation, but it really gives you an idea of where that could be. The second reason is for your peace of mind. We want to make sure that you can make decisions for your pet that aren't financially based. Unfortunately, veterinary medicine is a fee-based service. It's not usually a HMO PPO type service. So a lot of these fees come out of pocket. And we don't want you to be faced with a decision to stop treatment for your pet, your dog, or your cat because of finances. So peace of mind is a very important thing. It also gives you access to better care. If you have insurance and you need to have that CAT scan or MRI, or you need to have that orthopedic surgery, again, you'll have access to those people without any issues whatsoever. And you can customize your plan. As I spoke earlier, I recommend major medical. I don't recommend usually the day-to-day expense plans because I think they're very expensive, and often you may not even utilize all of what's in that plan itself. So, what are the kinds of pet insurance? Like, why should I not get pet insurance? Well, the monthly premiums can add up. It can be very expensive. Some plans range from$20 to$70 a month over pet's lifetime. That could be many, many thousands of dollars. The other thing that's really important is that these plans are very specific about pre-existing conditions. So, for other words, if I see your puppy at six months of age and it's itching and scratching, for whatever reason, it could have fleas, uh, it could just have dry skin. And I make note of that in the dog's record. If two years later your dog is itching and scratching because of allergy, whether it's food or environmental, that may be excluded from the coverage because that was in the record initially. I don't think that's very fair, but it is something that definitely happens, so you want to make sure. The other thing is that insurance is a reimbursement model. So you have to come out of pocket for a knot of the upfront expenses and then they reimburse you. That's how that insurance company works, that's how the insurance policies work. And there are sometimes limitations and exclusions. Uh, if there's a hereditary condition, uh, sometimes these things can be excluded from that coverage, so that's something to think about. You also may not use it. Uh, that the problem is if you buy a major medical, God willing, your dog or cat never needs it, and you're gonna be in great shape, but you are paying a premium to have that insurance policy uh in place. So here's the question: is this really worth it? Well, it's worth it if you can't afford two to ten thousand dollar vet bill, that's for sure. Uh you want to prepare for unpredictable health issues, that's worth it. Uh, you want to you know prefer you know have a predictable monthly expense instead of an upfront big lump expense. It may not be worth it if you have enough in savings to cover your bills. Uh if your pet's older or has a lot of pre-educing conditions, as we talked about, you may want to consider not doing this. You may prefer uh a predictable monthly expense, um, even um even if there's huge unexpected ones. So uh that's one of the things we we talk about. But you may be you may be interested in self-insuring assuring this. So one of the things I mentioned to my clients is you can form a health service, health an HSA account for your pet. You can put that money away, you can put it into an interest earning type account, and save money over the time of your pet's lifespan. This may be a great way to have your veterinary bills funded, even the unexpected large bill over time, that HSA account will grow. So it's really insurance really becomes what we call a risk management tool. It's not a guarantee that you'll save money, but it certainly can come in handy if that unexpected problem comes about. I hope that little review helped you and gave you some information on why or why not to get insurance. Okay, so the next question uh I think is very pertinent. Uh July 4th is coming up, and for the past two years, my dog has freaked out from the noise of fireworks. Last year she ran away. Thankfully, we found her in the local shelter. Uh the shelter was overrun with dogs with the same exact problem, which these shelters are during July 4th. Um I don't know why she does this. She's a pretty calm dog most of the time. Uh I'm scared she'll run away again this year. Is there anything that you can suggest, Dr. Randy, for the upcoming July 4th holiday to keep her calmer? Oh, absolutely. You know, this is a very common but very serious issue. Fireworks are one of the top reasons pets go missing around July 4th. And it's it's heartbreaking but preventable. Even calm dogs can panic during fireworks. So we are calling this is actually what we call a noise phobia. So let's talk about some things that you can do to keep your dog or cat calm and safe during July 4th. First of all, make sure that your dog, especially your dog, can't run again. Uh, update or ID tags and and by all means microchepchip your pets. People don't understand that the microchip is one of the best insurance policies against your dog or cat getting out of the house, going missing, turning up somewhere either at a shelter or another veterinary practice, and being found very, very quickly. Uh, I remember an example when I was in my practice in Green Valley at Animal Care Center where a dog got out away from its owner up in Madeira Canyon, which is a beautiful hiking area. Uh, the gentleman could not find the dog whatsoever. The dog turned up in somebody's um campground. They took the dog down to a veterin practice who scanned the dog and immediately found the microchip. The microchip produced the owner's cell phone number, and in 25 minutes he had his dog back. So, you know, that is such a rewarding situation. Secure your yard and your doors. Make sure that that gate that you think is really very, very well locked is locked. Make sure your doors cannot be opened. Dogs are incredibly ingenious. When they're scared and they're freaking out, they can get a slider open very easily. And keep her indoors. Don't let your dog be outside during the fireworks. That that's something that would really invite a real problem. I want you to understand this fear. This fear is called noise phobia. It's a real anxiety condition, and it can trigger this flight or fight response. Uh, it's not about her personality. You had mentioned she's a calm dog. It's really an instinctive panic uh reaction. So, what can you do beforehand? Well, one of the things that you can do for thunderstorms, fireworks is called desensitization training. This is a long-term response and effect to help your dog out or your cat. You can play firework sounds or thunderstorm sounds at very low volumes, gradually increasing them over weeks to months. You can reward that calm behavior during that playing with treats. Find your dog or cat's favorite treat and make sure you make that available to them. Uh slowly, you can acclimate them to that sound. You use more and more time, more and more volume, and many, many times this will help what we call the desensitization process. It's too late to do this if you're close to July 4th. You need a full year to do these desensitization tools, and that really can help. The other thing you might want to do is talk to your veterinarian now. Uh, make sure you talk about anti-anxiety medicine or sedatives. There are lots of different products that can be used. Uh, there's products like trazodone, cilio, which is great for noise phobias, uh, CBD. So there are a lot of different things you can do that your veterinarian might be able to suggest help beforehand. Also, try calming products. We're really big fans of Thunder shirts or anxiety wraps. These work very, very well, coupled with pheromone diffusers. There's a product called Adaptyl that we use in our dog practice here at Paw's Veterinary Center. It's a pheromone that the dog can smell, it's a it's a smell that your dog can smell, but you can't. It's actually the smell that the dog smells when it's nursing on its mom. So it's a very, very calming uh smell. And again, you can't pick it up, but it is something the dog can. You can get these by putting diffusers in your house, you can spray the dog's bed, you can spray the dog, uh, other areas where the dog might be, and it really helps uh kind of lower it, ratchet down that anxiety level. Uh, CBD oil and common chews are available, and they're always something you can try. So also make sure that you create a safe space, this quiet and closed area that your dog or cat can be comfortable in. It's an you want an interior room away from windows and doors. You want to make sure that you can close the blinds and curtains in that area, that it's it's a darkened area. Add blankets, favorite toys, uh, chew things that your dog might have or your cat may want to have as far as a blanket. Um, and play you can play white noise, which is like calming music, or you can turn the TV on, or there are lots of white noise machines that you might want to try. You need to make sure that you stay calm and present. So you need to be there and be calm. Uh, if you panic, you know your dog or cat's gonna pick up that anxiety and it's only gonna make things worse. So don't do that. And on the delay on the day of the fourth, exercise or heavily that day. Go out for a really long run, go to the dog park, um, make sure your cat gets to play with a laser pointer or a bottle cap or something that really gets some exercise. And keep them inside before dark. Make sure they're they're inside before dark falls. You know, give a special chew or treat or toy that your dog or cat might like. And then stay home if you can. That's that's the best situation that you can have. You know, if the dog gets loose again, then you want to make sure that you're checking with the local humane society shelters, and also check with the veterinarians because many times they can be turned in, and obviously your dog should have a microchip or your cat and will be identified and returned quickly to your being. So I hope that helps. Have a very safe and happy July 4th from all of us at Pause Reflected Heel and Paws Veterinary Center. This is Dr. Randy. I hope those tips will be helpful for you going forward. One of the things that I would like to talk about is what are the three most common mistakes that our pet parents can make? And this is our dog and cat edition. So uh let's call this a public service announcement because uh these are things that we can talk about and do something about, and maybe you may not know this, may not be in your wheelhouse to understand that this could be a mistake. So, you know, a lot of times people will assume that a tire dog is a well-behaved dog. Doesn't always do that. So many people think that if they just exhaust their pets, um problems will go away. But dogs, especially high energy or anxious breeds, uh often need mental stimulation too. Think puzzle feeders or scent games, short training exercises, not just running them ragged. Although I do know and I will tell you that most of our dogs do not get enough exercise. And that's often the lead-in for many, many behavioral problems. But think about that mental stimulation on top of your physical stimulation. Um, a lot of people, number two, will wait way too long to address dental health problems. Dental disease is a very, very common disease in our dogs and cats. Why is this? Well, if you didn't brush your teeth for five or six years, you can just imagine what would be growing on them in your mouth and causing issues. Uh, you know, many times by by even age three, 80% of our dogs have dental disease. But many owners wait until there's obvious problem drooling or odor or even inability to chew. Brushing, dental chews, or scheduled even cleanings can prevent these costly, costly problems. Remember that it's it's it's a problem in the fact that there's a huge amount of bacteria in our dog and cat's mouth, and that gets absorbed in through the blood lymphatics to the rest of the body. It's probably one of the leading causes for some time for our heart disease, because we get valvular disease, the bacteria sticks to the heart valves and they leak. We also get kidney disease and liver disease, but this bacteria can go anywhere. We've actually seen at Pause Veterinary Center that the number one uh when we get urinary tract infections, if we culture their mouth, meaning we culture the bacteria that's growing in their urine in their mouth, and we culture their urine where the urine is infected, we actually get the same bacteria. And so you have to understand that uh dental disease and periodontal disease can be a real problem. The other thing a lot of clients and pet parents don't know is that 40 to 50 percent of dental disease in our dogs and cats is what we call periodontal. That means it's under the gun line, you can't see it, and it could already be causing problems in your pet's mouth. So that yearly or biannual examination by your veterinarian is very important to address what he or she sees, what they're looking at, and what the recommendations could be. Don't wait too long for this to do something about it. And then, you know, the other thing that we see, I think, that's a number three problem for our dogs is not socialization. Uh, no socialization, not doing this enough, or doing it too late. Uh, socialization for dogs, the window closes about 14 to 16 weeks. So you want to get that puppy in a puppy class early. Uh, if puppies aren't safely exposed to different people, dog sounds in environments during this time, it can lead to lifelong problems. Remember, socialization isn't just about other dogs, it's about the world and people and where they go. So remember to do all of that. Let's talk about three problems or mistakes that our cat parents can make. One is thinking indoor cats don't need to have enrichment. Indoor cats often live longer, but without stimulation, they can become bored, obese, or even depressed. Cat trees, window perches, food puzzles, and interactive play are essential, not optional. So make sure you incorporate this in your cat's life. It's something you can do very easily. It does involve you in that situation, so it's great socialization for the two of you, and it really will help your cat to get that mental stimulation. A second issue is people will avoid litter box issues. If a cat stops using the litter box, many odors assume it's just a behavior, but often it's an early sign of medical problem, like a urinary tract infection, or even stress. Cats are experts at hiding pain. This is their way of telling you something's wrong. So sometimes cats won't jump in their box because they're hurting. We see at our feline focus feline practice here at Paw's Veterinary Center that many times up to 60% of our cats at eight to ten years of age have osteoarthritis. But they don't show it. And why is that? Well, they don't show it because they know in the wild they could get eaten if they show pain or discomfort. So they hide it really well. Again, this is a place where your veterinarian uh can come into play and don't wait over a year to have your cat examined. A lot of people think my cat's doing great, doesn't need to go into the veterinarian. That's not always the case. It's not a matter of getting expensive lab work. Sometimes it's just that examination that can catch that osteoarthritis or pain level and really help your cat. But litter box behavior changes can often be a problem. And the last one is free feeding your cat dry kibble all day. As many of you know on my Pause Reflect and Heel newsletter and my site, my website at Dr. Randy Petvet, I'm not a fan of dry kibbles for cats. Dry kibbles are superheated, they're super processed, and cats don't need those carbohydrates. They need protein levels, and so I'm a huge fan of lightly cooked, air-dry or freeze-dried foods for my cats. Don't let put a big bowl of kibble out there and let them nibble on it. It's like actually like crack for cats. I mean, you know, these kibbles are flavored, these companies know how to get them to eat. So the cats will do that all day, and it can really lead to severe obesity, which can be a real problem for our cats. Schedule your meals or use food puzzles for our cats, do some mental stimulation, and this will really help. So, what's my final thought about these three mistakes for both our cat and dog owner? Whether you have a cat, dog, or both, the most important thing you can do is stay curious and observant. Many of the biggest mistakes come from assuming things are normal without taking a closer look. Have a mis, you know, have a mistake you made and want to avoid repeating it. You're not alone. Keep an eye on your dog or cat, and you'll be much, much happier that things will be much healthier for your pet going forward. So here's a good question for one of my pet owners, um, and I think you'll you'll like this. Um, excuse me for you know kind of browsing down occasionally, but I want to read this per se so I don't get it wrong. Dear Dr. Randy, my husband and I are going through a divorce and still live under the same roof for now. There's a lot of tension in the home, and I think our three-year-old Goladoodle has picked it up on it. Her diarrhea has been worse lately, and I'm wondering if she's reacting to the stress. What can I do? Also, when should dog owners be concerned about diarrhea in general? Well, first of all, I'm really sorry to hear about the divorce. Been there, done that, things get better, I promise. Uh, but I want to say something. Dogs absolutely can pick up uh stress, and that could lead to GI issues like diarrhea and vomiting. It's called stress colitis, and it's more common than many people realize, especially in emotionally sensitive breeds like goldoodles, border collies, labs, and shepherds. We often see can we often see these in animals that are boarded. When they're in a synthetic situation and dogs are barking around them and they're not home in their comfort of their house, uh, they can get stress uh GI problems, especially diarrhea. Um, just like in people, there the the triggers cause chemical changes in the dog's GI tract. Cortisol, which is the stress hormone, disrupts a lot of the balance of the good bacteria, leading to inflammation and loose stools. You've heard me talk about microbiome. This is exactly what happens, and we get what's called a dysbiosis, which is an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria and yeast that are in your uh yeast, bacteria and fungus that are in your dog's GI tract. They become very sensitive, so you can just really be careful. So things like arguments, tension, crying, moving are just things that will really set your dog off. So, what can you do like right now? Well, first of all, give your Goldadoodle a safe zone. Uh, where's a predictable area where there's a bedroom, a cozy cot, a corner with a soft towel or bedding, and low foot traffic. Remember, I talked uh about some of the um stresses for thunderstorms and fireworks. Pheromone sprays like adaptal or a plug-in diffuser can be really, really helping. And you can use like white noise, like a calming thing in the background in that safe area. Stick to a routine. Don't change your Goldadoodles routine if you can help so. Dogs love structure. So feeding, walking, bedtime, keep it all the same if you can. Um sometimes probiotics can help. So we have things like Fortiflora, Proviable, or um Espalardi, which can really make a big difference. Using plain pumpkin uh with some fiber added, like psilium or inulin, can really help with stress diarrhea and settle things down. Um, so you can do those kinds of things. Uh, your diet. A lot of people, when dogs start breaking with diarrhea, will do what they call bland diets. Most bland diets to people are chicken and rice. Don't do this. Uh chicken in Chinese terms is considered what's called a hot meat. Lamb, venison, and chicken are hot meats, which often cause more problems for the GI tract. Use turkey or beef. And use oats. Use like Quaker oats, not the quick, but the regular old-fashioned. Use oats and turkey, oats and beef as your bland diet if you want to do a bland diet. Okay? And then calming support, we talked about like the adaptal diffusers, calming chews, anti-anxiety meds, even CBD. You know, if there is a problem, speak to your veterinarian because your veterinarian can help settle this issue down. Um, so what when does this become a real problem? When does the diarrhea become uh if the diarrhea lasts for more than 48 hours, call your vet. If there's blood or black tar y stools, call your vet. Um your dog seems very lethargic, it's vomiting or refusing food, that's a problem. Um there's weight loss associated with this. This is also a problem. Um, or you've had frequent past episodes. This needs to be addressed. So, you know, nothing is a perfect home, but trying to make this a stable uh situation for your golden doodle is really important. Let me tell you a little backstory before I finish this subject. Um, I was working at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, and this sheepdog came in for terrible vomiting with blood in it. And the local veterinarian had tried a number of different things, uh, prescription diet, bland diet, and nothing seemed to be helping, including the medicines. Um, on pursuing the history on this case, we found out that the husband and wife had been having a very violent divorce, and they were still living under the same roof, like this Goldadoodle example. And it even got to the point where she was throwing plates at the husband, he was punching walls, and this dog had an absolute stress gastritis. So it caused ulceration of the stomach, uh, severe inflammation. What happened was we went ahead and did endoscopy on this dog. And endoscopy is passing a fiber optic scope into the dog's stomach. And I saw that there were multiple hemorrhagic or red areas on the lining of the scope. Hemorrhagic just means they were bleeding. So we biopsied those areas, and sure enough, the biopsy came back as stress ulcers. And uh we were convinced that the stress was happening at the home. We addressed the home situation. We obviously had the dog on some medication to uh to cover the uh the ulcers themselves and the irritation, and all resolved. The dog got back to normal. There was no need for long-term uh medication or diets, uh, the dog's doing great. But that just gives you an example of how stress can really set our dogs off, and this was a perfect example of that. So, the last question for today that I'm gonna go through is a question from a listener. Um, I live in Boulder, Colorado. Last summer, two of my friends' dogs were bitten by rattlesnakes on hikes. One of them said their vet told them that the baby rattlesnake bites were worse because the snake can't control its venom. Is that true? And what precautions should I be taking? Should I do, uh, or you know, what should I do if my dog gets bitten, or how much time do I have? Um, well, that's a great question. This is um um there there are these are great, you know, great instincts on your part. Rattlesnake bites do happen in and around Boulder, but we have them all over Arizona. We have them all over Tucson and Green Valley, and we see them in late spring all the way to the fall. Uh, your dog is absolutely at risk if hiking and biking or going out in the desert, but we have them even in the foothills of our area where snakes will get into the yards and bite our our dogs. Um it can be a real problem. Let's let's break this down. You know, the first question was: are baby rattlesnake bites worse? Well, sometimes they are because what happens when baby rattlesnake bites are that their venom is very concentrated because they're small. And so the envenomation or the bite can be much, much worse because they inject not more venom, but much more toxic, strong venom that can really hurt. Um, adult, you know, adult snakes could have more volume, but sometimes those snake bites can be dry bites, also. So we actually see rattlesnake bites where we'll see the holes and the bleeding, but we don't get the secondary swelling and what we call necrosis or dying of the skin. Uh this gets so bad it can go all the way down to the bone when they start to die. So any snake bite, any rattlesnake bite can be a problem. I'm not in an area where you have cotton mouths and some of these other snakes uh on the southeast or the mid or the Midwest or the East Coast, but many of these are just as problematic. So, what do you do if um if your dog gets bit? Well, you want to get to an emergency service as soon as possible. Uh ideally, if you can within 30 to 60 minutes. Uh sooner is even better. So the sooner you get that bite looked at, the better off you are. Um try to keep your dog calm and um and try to carry them if you possibly can. Uh if it's on a limb, which often the bites are, we don't want them using that so that they will circulate that venom, it'll go up the leg and go into lymphatics and blood flow. And this can be really life threatening. Dogs and cats die from rattlesnake bites. So just know that time is really critical. Um don't uh don't apply a tourniquet, don't ice the area. These are things that will not help and Actually, it can make things worse. And if you know, if it's possible and you see the snake and it's it's safe, take a picture of that snake so you can bring that with you on your cell phone. Okay? What happens at the vet? So many, many times they'll get accessed really easily. They'll get a catheter placed, placed on IV fluids, pain medicine, monitoring, and sometimes anti-venom is administered. Anti-venom is uh expensive but can be life-saving. So something to definitely consider. Bites of the face and chest can be much more dangerous than some of the limbs because of airway swelling, and if their airways swell, they can chuck themselves off and not be able to breathe. Be alert around uh rocks, logs, and you know, shady spots when you're hiking and walking because this is the best way to help prevent that that problem. Um back to the the vet visit, sometimes that that will take one to three days of hospitalization to get your dog or cat through the bite. We often incorporate ozone therapy around that area. We also incorporate uh sometimes laser or pulsed electric magnetic therapy to decrease the sloughing or damage to the skin and tissue around there. So there are definitely things that can happen after the bite and after your dog or cat is stable. Um, a lot of people will ask about the rattlesnake vaccine. This is not an answer to this problem. Um, we have seen dogs that have gotten the rattlesnake vaccine and their bite were minimal but got even worse because rattlesnake vaccine is some toxin that they're actually giving to your dog, and then you're getting more toxin from the actual bite. Don't do rattlesnake vaccine. It's not a panacea, it's not an answer, and in our hands, we have not seen it make any difference to help the dog whatsoever. And it's another vaccine that your pet doesn't need. The best ticket to this is rattlesnake avoidance training. Uh, for example, when I was in Green Valley, we would see 30 invenomations a summer. That's a lot. 30 dogs. And when we started rattlesnake avoidance training, it went to three a summer. So that just tells you how much that could save your dog's life. Um, so definitely consider rattlesnake uh aversion training. It's available all over. Uh, it's definitely something to consider. Um, and so what to think about in the future to be ready. Make sure you have an emergency vet or telephone number close by, either in your car, on your cell phone, or at your home. Um, sometimes there's a first a rattlesnake first aid card that you can get, uh might be worthwhile looking at. Um, there is sometimes we will also recommend that if you know if if you're far away from uh a local veterinarian or you you don't know that you can get there in a you know quite of an adequate you know amount of time, thinking about having some Benadryl or Diphenhydramine around, but ask your vet about this first, okay? So um, you know, a final thought on this is rattlesnake bites are one of those things you'd never want to have to think about. Please make sure you get the rattlesnake avoidance done for your dog, it'll save your dog's life. Best best uh advice I can give you about this being ready and dealing with this life-threatening situation. Thanks for listening to Pause Reflect and Heal today. I'm Dr. Randy. Remember, uh, you can email me at drrandypetvet.com. Stay uh be looking for our newsletters, subscribe to our our podcasts. We're on all the streaming services. We'd love to have you as followers. It makes it easier for us to do our job and bring you much more information, and we'll be doing that on our next podcast. Have a great day.