Ask the Vet
Ask the Vet
42. For Dog's Sake: A Conversation with Professor and Author Florence L. Dickler
Dr. Ann Hohenhaus interviews Florence L. Dickler, Professor and Author of “For Dog’s Sake,” a heartfelt story about Clea, an adorable dog rescued from a Moroccan village. Clea was also one of Dr. Hohenhaus' oncology patients at AMC. Tune in as they discuss:
- Why Florence wrote "For Dog's Sake" from the point of view of her dog Clea
- The challenges of writing this book
- How Florence balanced information and facts with the emotional aspects of storytelling
- The people who contributed to Clea's cancer care and recovery across countries
- What readers can learn from this book
- How Florence met her new dog
Also on this month's show:
- Viral trending animal story about Archie the cat who was rescued from a ponderosa pine tree in the Grand Canyon's South Rim
- Animal news, including the new antiviral drug that treats FIP, a previously fatal disease in cats
- Pet Health Listener Q&A
Do you have a pet question for Dr. Hohenhaus? Email askthevet@amcny.org to have your question answered on Ask the Vet's Listener Q&A.
We want to remind our listeners that this program is for informational and educational purposes only, and not intended to substitute for professional veterinary medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The Animal Medical Center does not recommend or endorse any products or services advertised by Sirius XM. Welcome to Ask the Vet with Dr. Ann Hohenhaus. This is the place to talk about your pets and get advice for the top veterinarian from the Animal Medical Center in NYC. Hear from the leading authorities on animals and ask your questions. Now here's your host, Dr. Ann Hohenhaus. Hello everyone, and welcome to Ask the Vet. We're a podcast for people who love their pets and want the latest in pet health and animal news. Like every month, I'm your host. I'm Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, a senior veterinarian and director of pet health information here at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York City. Today, I'm very excited to welcome Florence Dickler. She's a distinguished author, professor, and a passionate pet owner. And we're recording this over zoom. And the my listeners can't see, but I can see that she has a very adorable fluffy white dog laying on the sofa next to her desk. So Florence joins us today to discuss her moving book, For Dog's Sake, which delves into the deep bond she shared with her cherished poodle, Clea who she adopted in Marrakesh. So this story is a really interesting one and has many exotic places in it with Clea who traveled everywhere. Her narrative is uniquely told through Clea's perspective, providing readers with a heartfelt look into the extraordinary life of this extraordinary dog. We'll explore the inspiration behind the book, the emotional journey of writing it, and the critical support provided by an international team of veterinarians. When Clea was diagnosed with melanoma of the tongue, I had the honor of being a veterinarian at the Schwarzman animal medical center here in New York City. So I'm especially eager to dive into Florence's experience and insights. And I read a very early version of this book, several years ago now, before the pandemic. I think the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is the only level one trauma center in New York City, and we have 114 years of being the very best place for pets. Now, later on in the show, I'm going to answer your questions on air. But if you have a question that you think of during the show or any time during the month, I'm here to help. All you need to do is send me an email. And that email is very simple askthevet@amcny.org and I'll answer all questions on next month's out of that program. Again, askthevet@amcny.org. And if you don't have a pen and pencil, don't worry, I'll give it again. And now it's time for our trending animal of the month. It's time for the internet's most talked about animal. Park rangers and firefighters at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon recently sprang into action to rescue a two year old black and white cat named Archie. Archie was found dangling from the branch of a ponderosa pine tree 15ft off the ground near a campground. The firefighters had to use an extension ladder, and they successfully rescued him by bringing him down the ladder. This entire operation took about six hours, during which the park officials also conducted a search for his owners. Now, for those of you that haven't been out West, Ponderosa Pines are my favorite out west tree. They are very, very tall and very, very straight trees and are used to make log cabins out west. And they have this beautiful orange red bark and are just magnificent trees. So if you have a picture of this really tall, really straight tree in your mind, and then you picture Archie dangling from a branch 15ft up. No wonder these firefighters needed their extension ladder to climb up and get Archie out of the tree. So after the Park Service posted about Archie's rescue on their social media, comments started to flood in. One user said reminds me of so many cartoons. I'm sure they were thinking of like, Sylvester the black and white cat, or maybe some crazy cartoon with the roadrunner in it with the Roadrunner also is a Western American bird. Thank you for saving the kitty. Another wrote. We have all been in places we wish we had not gone. Luckily, within hours, Archie was happily reunited with his family, who live in a residential area inside the park. We want to say kudos from ash to the vet to the National Park Service and the firefighters for their swift and passionate response to rescue Archie the Cat. And now I'm thrilled to introduce Florence Dickler an accomplished author, professor, and devoted pet owner. Today we will discuss her book for Dog Sick, which is a poignant narrative that explores her extraordinary bond with her beloved poodle, who she adopted in America. This book captures Clea's journey and is uniquely narrated through Clea's own voice, which offers readers an intimate perspective on the remarkable life of this dog. Please journey included a diagnosis of melanoma of the tongue, which required the expertise of an international veterinary team. The team included specialists from both the United States and France, where Clea was living at the time, and that showcased the collaborative effort we had with the French veterinarians to provide care for Clea. They didn't have access to radiation therapy or access to the DNA melanoma vaccine. And so Clea came here to get those. After the French veterinarians made the diagnosis of melanoma. Now, I was lucky enough to be Clea's veterinarian here at AMC. And so I'm in particular excited to talk about this book. Please join me in welcoming Florence Dickler. Thank you so much for joining me today on Asks the Vet. Thank you again for inviting me. You know, this is really a privilege. it's been ten years. And so, you know, I'm really happy to be here today. thank you again. Oh, well, you're very welcome. So, as a you're in Paris right now? Yes, I'm actually in Cannes, in the south of France. see, you never know where Miss Dickler is going to be because she is often all over the place. And so when I took care of her job, she was mostly Paris, New York, Paris, New York. But if you follow her on Facebook, then you'll know she'll be in Morocco. And I haven't seen the Cannes post, but I'm sure that they're there as well. So we traveled all those places with you, didn't she? Oh, yes she did. I mean, she was a perfect traveler. You know, she had a little bag. I remember when she was really little. She was very small. And we did, Morocco, you know, Casablanca, Paris. Flight and return. She really did not like the bag, but the flight attendant did not want her to be outside of the bag. So, you know, the first trip was a bit difficult, but after that, you know, she was amazing. She was just. She would just go anywhere. She even went to the opera house with me. You know, they didn't see her in security because she had this thing of, you know, just having her head down and sort of hiding wherever we were going. So we went everywhere, you know, opera, supermarket, you name it. You know, she was with me. How did you feel about the opera? I don't know. you know, I remember I don't know about the opera, but I do remember at the end of her life, we were going to a restaurant where they were also singing the opera, which is called Welcome To. And she was deaf at that time, but she's still going to enjoy it. I don't know, maybe it's, you know, anthropomorphism that makes me think that she was enjoying it, but, you know, she was there and she was alert and, you know, seemed to be listening so well. I asked that question because I had a client once who brought me his dog with cancer, and he said, you've got to save my dog. This is a very special dog. And I said, well, tell me why your dog is so special. And he said, my dog sings when I play the piano. And so that's why I asked if his dog could sing while he played the piano. It seems to me that your dog could enjoy going to the opera or not. Perhaps. so my question also leads us to to our, my next question, which is I ask you what Clea's perspective was on the opera. But you've written this book from Clea's perspective. So what? What made you write it in the dog's voice rather than your own? Well, I'm not sure it was an intentional decision, actually. but it just felt very natural writing from Clea's point of view. So that's what I did. But I don't know that I sat down and saw it, you know, should it be my point of view, or should it be her point of view? It was just her point of view. And I think probably because when Clea was alive, and I'm sure you know, you as a pet owner and other pet owner as well, listening to us today, you know, there are many times when the dog or the cat, you know, looks at you and you feel that they want to speak. You feel actually they're speaking to you, although they do not have human language to do so. And maybe they speak with, with their eyes and, you know, clear did that. You know, many times. And so I wanted, to give of the ability to use human language. It just makes sense to me. And yes, pets are not human, but. And I say that in the book, you know, they bring you manatee to our world. So in some way, I hope I achieve is to show how human a dog can be by, in fact, writing from his points of view. But again, it was not intentional. It just happened to be. So, And now that you're asking me the question, you know, it was just the right thing to do. And it's interesting, I think, that those of us that read books possibly ascribe too much thought to the author when when they're doing it, you know, you just wrote what you felt not it wasn't a conscious decision to say. First person, second person, third person. How am I, how am I going to write this. because that's what book clubs are made of, is talking about why the author did what they did, without usually without the author being there. So what are some of the challenges then, that you faced while you wrote about some of the more emotional parts of Clea's story? Because it's a heart wrencher. It was difficult. You know, you know, I as you know, I had to make the difficult decision to let Clea go when it was done in 2014. And that was devastating. You know, I was devastated. I knew I was doing the right thing, but I was devastated. And so I wrote the book, which was originally in French, a few years later. the French version was released in, you know, 2018. And I remember as I was writing, I did cry a lot. you know, especially during the last part of the book because it felt, you know, although four years have passed, it was, you know, it was still very present. The pain that I felt was still very present. So it was an emotional journey, but it was also a needed one. You know, I was sad, but the tears that I shed were also out of love in memory of, you know, our times together was clear. And, you know, since a few months ago, you know, when the American version, which was when the English version was released in France, I did a reading. So, you know, ten years later and I was still, you know, overwhelmed with emotion. But that's again, that's okay. That's right. And that's love. Yeah. They, they these pets, you know, I get to take care of very special pets, but there's some that are just a smidge more special than others. And and Clea was one of those, she always had great outfits. And because a lot of the treatments that she needed were not available in Europe. She hung out with your friends here in New York for a couple of months, right? because the people in France made a diagnosis very swiftly. But then the the medications and treatments are just not there's not an even distribution across the world of what's available for pet. So although there was a cancer specialist in Paris, they didn't have access to the vaccine because it's an American product. And sometimes Americans don't have access to things that are approved in France. And so all of us have experienced pets back and forth, from different countries trying to get the the best treatment available. So I think that you used to be the chair of the foreign language department in the new school, which is downtown, on the, you know, below seventh Street or so. and this book, if the listeners have been paying attention, was originally a French book, and then you rewrote it or did you rewrite it or did you just translated into English? Well, it was translated into English. And then I edited the translation. And of course, as I was playing with languages, you know, I had to play, you know, to juggle because, you know, even in the French book, you know, there's a bit of, you know, a French, of course, that's main, the main language. But then, you know, I also was born in Morocco. So there's also, you know, the Moroccan dialect that's being used. And then, you know, when we moved to the U.S., you know, there's some English in there. So obviously when it was then translated into English, you know, I had to sort of, do a lot of edits and juggle with the languages so that, you know, it also made sense in English and for, you know, an English reader. So Ms. Dickler can also speak Italian and Arabic. So are you going to make are you going to swap this book into those languages? I don't know yet. You know, if there's enough interest, I certainly will. I think it's a pretty universal message. so I think, you know, readers around the world could be interested and, and, and want to read it, you know, and you write in Arabic. It's so pretty that the letters are beautiful. No, my Arabic is very limited. you know, I, I certainly know, you know, I lived in Morocco myself, so I, you know, I have some, some vocabulary, but it's extremely limited. So I certainly could not, could not write in Arabic. But yes, I agree with you. It's beautifully written, you know, so clear. You still live in Marrakesh for a while, right? So, yeah. She speak Arabic? Yeah. She did. That was our mother tongue. Because I remember a patient one time and the owner worked at the U.N., which is very close to the animal medical center. And I kept saying, this dog is so poorly behaved. He was in the hospital. And I was like, sit calm, stay. Don't wiggle around for nothing. This dog would not listen to me. And then when the owner came in, I realized that the dog's spoke Russian. The dog did not speak English and the dog was perfectly behaved. If you were smart enough to give it directions in Russian. And that was. That was probably my first patient that spoke a foreign language, because I just figured it would not sit, and it was some other word that got the dog to behave perfectly. So, that's one of the kind of fun things about being in New York is you meet dogs who've grown up elsewhere and they don't speak your language. Just just like their owners don't speak the language. So talk about a little bit about how you balanced both facts about clear and the emotional aspects of your storytelling, so that the book gave both information but then captured the attention of the audience. Yeah. So, you know, For Dog’s Sake is fiction, but of course, like, actually most, you know, fiction books, novels, it is based on a true story. I mean, you met Clea, you spent a lot of time with her. And so, for example, at the beginning of the book, we meet a puppy on a farm. and then, you know, she's brought to the center for market, and that's where she's sold. And, you know, indeed, Clea was bought at the market, but I, for example, I've no idea where she was born. And when, you know, she was bought, you know, the person who sold her to me, I had no idea either where she came from or at least, you know, you didn't tell. So that's, you know, I had to imagine. I just wanted to imagine how she was born and where she was born. And, you know, our own mother and, you know, the relationship between us and our own mother. that is fiction. But in every chapter, I would say there are elements of truths and others which I, you know, imagine because my intention was to write a novel and I'm really not sure, and that it really matters, to the readers to know what's true and what's actually fiction. And I also wanted to make sure that the reader can imagine, can use it all imagination to maybe think about a sequence of the book, I mean, you know, or to imagine some of the, the environment, some of the landscape, some, you know, some of the conversation, maybe that I'm not having, but that they can just imagine themselves. you know, at the end, the last part of the book, which is about, you know, the treatment that she received from AMC and the French team, that's very real. And that was important to me to stay as close as possible to reality and to the truths, to help, in fact, those who have pets and are, you know, experience a similar, you know, journey as I had to with whiskey. So it's a mix. So I think it's really important to write stories like this, because there are many people who, when their pet gets a diagnosis of cancer, they they say to me, I had no idea that pets could get cancer. And so the more people tell true stories like this, even if some of it is fictionalized in your mind, the important part of the story, at least for me, is what so you had and how we treated it. And so I think that's a very, important part of this story is to make the seed people out there understand that pets do get cancer and that we have treatments for them. so is this your first book or do you have a plan? Have you written one before that I haven't read, or do you have a plan for a second one? You know, this is actually, this is my my second novel. but the others are not about pets. I have now written, you know, five books I'm currently writing. I'm working on a new manuscript. This actually is in English, so it would not be a translation. It's not about a pet, but it's, you know, a comedy of manners. It's actually a New York City comedy of manners. But there is a dog in the book. Oh, good. That plays an important role, with, you know, a child, a little boy with sick. so, you know, it's not about a dog, per se, but, you know, I think, dogs are so important. Pets are so important. And so many in my life and in the lives of many people. So there is, you know, there is a dog as well. So is Clea your first dog? When I was a little girl, I had a dog. he was a standard poodle, and his name was Eagle, but it was black. He was not white. And my dad, brought the dog home, saying he was pure breed. And I don't think that was the case because, you know, as he grew up, he looked like a poodle. But, you know, there was something else. He was sort of a mixed buddy with an amazing dog. Unfortunately suffered from epilepsy, which at the time was also not very well treated. But he still managed to have a normal life, and he was quite a character. so he was he was my he was my buddy. You know, I'm an only child. I didn't have brothers and sisters. And so he was he was my buddy. He was my brother. I think that there were a lot of kids who the dog is their buddy and brother or sister, absolutely. So throughout Clea's journey, you worked with an international team. can you talk a little bit about how various members contributed to her care and recovery? Yeah, it was a remarkable experience, and I must say that I wish that, you know, humans, when they are ill, have the same type of care that I received and indirectly that I received as well, because I think, you know, when you have that you're not only dealing with the patient, the pet, but you're also dealing, you know, with the owner, you know, the mom of the dad or whatever you want to call them. And so when she was first diagnosed with, you know, with cancer of the tongue, as you say, you know, the French doctor, the French vet told me, you know, that the treatment was not available in France, immunotherapy was not available. And that's what she needed because veterinary in medicine, in France is under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture. So small pets like dogs, cats are not necessarily the priority. you know, they focus more on cats. So the doctor doctor in that knew, you know, I was also a American in that I lived, you know, both in Paris and New York. And so he said, you know, go to New York. She deserves it. And so, you know, that's when we started the process. I called my pet, you know, in, in the US. And then he called you or sent you an email and she there, you know, I was basically on the plane and, and there it started. I met you and I met Doctor Saint Vincent and, you know, I knew I was in good hands. I knew that Kitty, would get the best treatment. as you said before, you know, I had to leave her with my friend and a friend of mine. because I had to go back to Paris for, you know, several weeks, and, you know, my phone to clear, to to AMC, I think a couple of times a week, you know, for both immunotherapy and radiotherapy. Yeah. And she did tell me that the dog, you know, had been super brave or she was really scared of going to the vet normally. So she knew that was important. And then there was, you know, once I brought Thea back and the tumor had shrunk and as you know, she got to live another year pretty fully, actually. What was really incredible is that, you know, this collaboration, international collaboration between the two teams, remained, you know, I mean, I obviously I went to the, the French vet a number of times, and I saw you again when there was, you know, I went back to New York with her when there was, some suspicion that, you know, there was a tumor, maybe in the lungs. and so, you know, I never felt alone. I felt that I always had the best advice that the truth was, you know, presented to me. You know, it's not like someone told me, oh, you know, it's just going to be forever, but. And so I knew I was doing the right thing and that I think the year that, you know, both teams gave her, with this, you know, treatment, was, was a gift. It was a gift for me. It was a gift for for Clea and, you know, a few days, the day before, actually, I had to make the decision, you know, to to let her go. You know, I called up to Annette and I, you know, explain to him what was happening, and he said, you know, you know, maybe try to spend the weekend with her and, you know, come on Monday. we didn't make it, you know, on Saturday morning, I woke up and and I could see that she was sort of telling me, that's it. You know, I need to go. And so I have the. It's in my hands. Oh, I know it's such a good story, though. And it was it was such a rewarding one for all of us here to collaborate with the people in France who were wonderful. And there was an American trained veterinarian at that practice who helped manage her, and then the oral surgeon veterinarian I ran into in a conference in Cape Town, and I saw his name tag. So I stopped him. He probably was like, who is this crazy person? And explained to him who I was. So so that was kind of fun that I actually got to meet him, some time. I think it was still around, but shortly after we'd treated her. so what do you think readers should take home from your book? You know, again, there are many, I guess, many things that they can see and read and take from my book. I mean, definitely, as I said at the beginning, it's about the humanity. It's a universal message. It's about tolerance. And, it's about love and and, you know, as, as you said before, you know, we traveled all over the world. We, you know, lived in Morocco, we moved to the US. We then went to France, and she went back to the US for treatment. So, you know, it's about this, you know, universal love. But of course, it's also about the great care that, that, that she got. I mean, she absolutely got the best care. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the right thing to do. You know, some people I remember at the time said, oh, you know, you sure you want to do that? You know, just let her go, you know, why put her through all of this? And I said, no, no, no, no, no, this is not this is additional life, but this is additional good life. If the doctors are telling you she has, you know, one, she can get one more year, which she did. It's not a year of suffering. And so, you know that she can enjoy your life, that I get to enjoy her. And during that year, you know, in fact, she had those little outfits, if you remember, because, you know, she the with the radiotherapy, you know, she had lost all of her hair on her, on her body and around her neck. That hair grew back. but you know, my friend Pat in New York was keeping her, you know, was was delighted because finally, she was bringing her all these, you know, crazy outfits. I had to, to have a to wear this, you know, outfit before the cancer. So you know, I would I just she had, you know, I think she had a lot of joy and a lot of fun buying her the outfits. So you hat adored that dog. And so we went, you know, we played golf. You know, I remember, you know, in November, you know, so passed away at the end of February and I think sometime in November, end of November, you know, we played a round of 18 holes and she walk 18 holes. So, you know, and in January we went to Amsterdam and, you know, she was very tired by that time. But, you know, I went to a conference and I had, traveling bags with me, and she was in her bag, and she was with me at the conference the entire time. you know, I had made a deal with the restaurant across the street. It was called a particular about that time. They've changed order now, but, and so I had, you know, I'm a vegetarian, so I was like, you know, I have to give her very good food, but I, you know, I certainly, I don't know how to cook, duck and, you know, and even beef and, you know, and so I had made a deal that I, I had a portion which was a very large portion, you know, takeout. They didn't do takeout, but they did for clear. And I remember I had to pay €10 and it becomes like a really big portion of whatever meat they were preparing. And then I would say, you know, please put the vegetables on the side. And so I had, you know, the duck and the beef and, you know, all of that. And I had, you know, the vegetables that, you know, were good. I must say. So that one year was, I needed it as, as clear as money. and so, you know, when she told me that it was time, she made me understand it was time to let it go. I was I mean, of course, I was very sad, but I was ready. So I can hear some advice in what you're saying. I can hear you saying, treat your pet if you think it's going to have a good time. I can also hear you saying, don't listen to your friends who might not always support your decision to treat your pet for cancer. Now, what other advice do you have for pet owners with a really sick pet like clear? You know, when she was first diagnosed and I was totally shocked, although, you know, very quickly this plan of, you know, traveling back to the US was put in motion. But then I, you know, every time and not every time. But often when I looked at her, I would be I would be so sad and and I would look at her like, you know, she was clearly not dying. She was being diagnosed and I mean, treated. And I knew that, you know, we were buying time and good time, but I was I, you know, I knew deep inside that this was we were at least approaching the end of her journey. And so I think, you know, I tried, but I was not always very good as sort of maybe, maybe she felt my sadness a bit too much for me. But but again, you know, can you really hide yours? And should you really hide your sadness from your pet? Because, you know, they know anyway, they look at you as a sense, your feelings, they know exactly where you are. so maybe I wish I had been a bit more upbeat, but maybe not. You know, maybe maybe it was okay as well. again, it's it's it's to enjoy every moment with your pet to find the best care possible. and, and I think that the pet knows I remember, you know, in, in the waiting room at MSK, they were obviously a lot of, a lot of pet owners with their pets and some for, you know, minor problem solvers for major problems, like, you know, what I was facing. And and again, that room was just filled with love. And, you know, that people were there and and they had made the best decision for their pet. And again, as I said before, I wish you had the same amount of love in human hospitals that I don't think that's always the case. So I have two quick questions for our last minute. First is tell me about the new dog. So the new dog is Sasha. He's a torn off two layers and you translate that for our English speaking audience. Mean it's a cartoon like cartoon. Like, you know, it's because they are like they feel like a cotton ball and two layer. That's the place in Madagascar because it it's a breed that's originally from Madagascar. So I adopted him in 2020 and actually, if you remember, there was, a doctor Advisee at the time, Susie Valentine was she's the American trained veterinarian. Exactly. So she actually is the one I had contacted her because I said, you know, I think I'm ready for a dog and, you know, but I really would like to adopt. And she said, okay, okay. You know, the the right animal will come when it's time. And, and I think six months later or so, she called me and she lived in a house at the time. She's back in Paris now. We're in the Champagne region. And she was working for a local, you know, that there. And she said, you know, there is this little dog is ten months. And he was bored during Covid. actually, for a little girl, for a nine year old girl. And the owner, you know, is realizing that they can't take care of the dog. Now that they're going back to work. And the dog is spending a lot of time so uninterested. So two days later, I was on a train and I came back with Sasha. Great story. Last question. If your conversation with me has inspired people to want to read For Dog’s Sake, where do they get it? They can get it on Amazon. I think in the US that's probably the easiest way. but it's, you know, it's not stocked in physically yet. but, you know, Barnes and Nobles would order also, you know, for dogs sake for, you know, anyone who is interested in reading it. So thank you so much to Florence Dickler. That's the author of the book, For Dog’s Sake. Thank you so much for being on with us today on Ask the Vet. Thank you so much. it's really been a pleasure and a privilege. Thank you. And I know that keeping your pet healthy is an important thing to all of our listeners. And with that said, I hope you reach out to me if you have a question about your pets health, and I'll answer your questions on next month's Ask the Vet podcast. Once again, the email to ask you questions is askthevet@amcny.org. Now we have a short break coming up, but stay tuned because there animal stories and answers to this month's question when we come back from the break, we're back with Dr. Ann Hohenhaus on Ask the Vet. Welcome back to Ask the Vet. It's time for the animal news. It's time for animal headlines, the biggest animal news from across the world, a groundbreaking new treatment for feline infectious peritonitis, which many of our listeners might know as FIP is now available in the United States. And the name of the drug is just so difficult to deal with. It's GS-441524 but most people these days are calling it GS. And if you just said to someone, I want the FIP drug, they would know what you meant. It's an antiviral drug that has had just remarkable success in treating this previously fatal disease in cats. a researcher at the University of California, Davis, Doctor Niels Pedersen, who's been working on cat viruses for decades, was screening drugs against coronaviruses and thought maybe that one of these drugs would be useful in cats with FIP. And sure enough, he was right. So the drug has been used for several years now in Europe and Australia, but was not available in the United States because the FDA does not have an approved version of the drug for people. And that meant that veterinarians could not legally use the human drug in pets because there was no legal human drug. So about a month ago, the FDA announced that they will allow they have not legalized this drug. They will allow the use of compounded GS-441524 in the United States, which allows American veterinarians to prescribe this lifesaving medication and FIP. Up until now has uniformly been a fatal disease. So I've spent my whole career hoping I wasn't seeing a poor cat with FIP because I had nothing to do to make that cat better. So this drug improves the life of cats and brings hope to pet their owners, and also makes veterinarians incredibly happy. So this is a wonderful breakthrough in veterinary care in the United States. Our second story is important news for dog owners who want to travel internationally with their dog. Kind of like in the last segment when we talked about cleaning. And I'll tell you, it would not now be so easy for clean to travel, as it was for her previously beginning August 1st. So just a little less than a month from now, the centers for Disease Control developed new regulations for dogs entering the United States. Dogs coming into the United States have to be six months old. No exceptions. They have to have a microchip, they have to appear healthy, and they have to have a rabies vaccination administered prior or at the same time as the microchip is placed. So if your dog doesn't have a microchip, then it can't travel. And once you put that microchip in, the rabies vaccine comes at the same time or after the microchip. And although this is causing a lot of pet owner distress because the rules are complicated and it's difficult to understand exactly what's going on, there's a good reason for these rules, and that is that there were a number of rabid dogs brought into the United States because of forged rabies documentation. And so since that virus is lethal to people and lethal to dogs, and currently not circulate in the United States, no one wants that virus to be reintroduced into the dog population. So these new rules again go into effect August 1st. So if you're traveling out of the country or back into the country after August 1st, you need to check with your veterinarian about what the new rules are that apply to your particular dog. Dogs entering the country also must have a CDC dog import form that you fill out on the internet, and that form needs to be submitted before you leave the country so that you get a receipt saying you've submitted the form so that the dog can get back into the country. To help pet owners with this requirement, the CDC has introduced a tool called DogBot DOGBOT. One big word DogBot helps pet owners determine the specific rules that apply to their dog based on travel dates, country of origin, and vaccination history. You can find DogBot. I mean, I put it in the search bar and it to about the third thing that comes up under dog ot. But you can also go to cdc.gov/dogtravel and you'll get to the DogBot. There. So bookmark that if you're planning on international travel with your dog. And finally we've got a donkey story. Back in 2019, a donkey named diesel ran away from his family's ranch after something spooked him and the family searched for weeks and weeks in the Cascade Creek Wilderness in northwest Sacramento. Couldn't find the little guy, and the owners assumed the worse. Five years later, diesel has been spotted, and it turns out he's been living amongst a herd of elk on a hunting trip in March, triathlete Max Fennell stumbled upon a herd of at least a dozen elk with a wild donkey in their midst. So he filmed a video of the herd and when the owner saw the video on social media, they recognized diesel right away. Diesel appears to be happy and healthy, and the Drury family says they're not going to try and capture him and bring it back to the ranch. He's doing pretty well on his own. And now it's time for questions from our listeners. Our first question is from Andrea G. And she asks, are windowsills and fire escape posed many birds and can be covered in feces and feathers. These birds also attract our cats who sit inside on the other side of the glass or screen. Given the bird flu, are our cats at risk of contracting this illness? Is there anything we can do to reduce the risk? So right now, it appears that cats with the biggest risk for bird flu are getting it from unpasteurized cow milk on farms and since farms don't usually have windowsills and fire escapes with birds, I think that bird flu is less likely. But I'm going to tell you that these cats are at risk for a couple of other things. First of all, to protect them from bird flu. If you are drinking unpasteurized milk, you want to keep cats away from unpasteurized milk, and probably people too, because it seems that the bird flu can be transmitted in that milk. And if you have cats on a farm, you want to keep them away from cows. but you won't find those on fire escapes. So I don't think that's the big issue. I'm actually more concerned about your cat pushing the screen out and falling while chasing a bird, than I am about the cats getting bird flu. Every year, AMC sees dozens of animals that fall out of windows, off of terraces, and off of fire escapes with catastrophic traumatic injuries. So I'm not sure that I would open that window and allow the cats to be a screen distance away from those birds, because cats can bust through a lot of stuff. I'm also concerned about a fungal infection called cryptococcus that's carried by birds and can affect cats. AMC definitely sees cats with Cryptococcus. And yes, your cat could get bird flu from birds, but keeping your cat separate from birds and using bird repellent and not feeding birds on your fire escape should be good things to do to help prevent your cats from getting bird flu, cryptococcus or falling out of the window. So I hope that helps Andrea manage her cats pigeon fetish on her fire escape. Our second question is from Jean. Jean asks, I have a black lab guide dog who my daughter recently told me has dandruff. How can I manage this myself as a blind dog handler? Thank you so much. So sometimes Jean dandruff is just dry skin and if you increase brushing your Labrador, bathing them a little bit more often, and using supplements like fish oil and that might resolve the dandruff situation. Other times, dandruff is a side of a skin infection or allergies or some other skin disorder. So if more brushing, an occasional bath and some fish oil supplements for a healthy coat don't improve your Labrador, I would consider a visit to your veterinarian if the flakiness doesn't get better, and make sure that there's not a more significant underlying skin problem in your Labrador. Because. Because I'm guessing your Labrador is a seeing eye dog, and that is really critical that he'd be in tip top shape to guide you around town. And that's it for questions today, folks. We'll take another short break and we'll have important news from AMC's Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education. When I come back. We're back with Dr. Ann Hohenhaus on Ask the Vet. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to Ask the Vet podcast. It's summertime and temperatures have been at an all time high across the country. It's really important for pet owners to know how to protect their furry friends from the summer heat. So here's our advice. Stick to short walks in the early morning or in the evening when the sun's down and it's a bit cooler outside. Be sure to bring along plenty of water so that your dog can stay cool and have plenty of water to replace that that they lose by panting to keep your dog cool during the day. Keep them in an air conditioned area and consider applying cool but not cold water to their body to help them maintain their body temperature at a normal amount. My sister in law loved to have a little kiddy pool in her backyard, and her dogs would spend the afternoon soaking in the kiddy pool when it was hot. Just remember that that water gets kind of yucky, and so you want to dump it out every night and refill the kiddy pool the next day. But that's a really good way of keeping your dog cool as it goes outside in the yard. It's important to recognize the signs of overheating, and those signs include nonstop panting, drooling, lots of drooling, hot skin, really red gums, and in very serious conditions in coordination and weakness. Your dog is out walking. It's panting, panting, panting. It's really hot outside, and all of a sudden your dog lays down. That tells you this dog is overheating. If you have a pug, a bull, dog, or other break dogs, those are the smush face dogs. Those dogs are a greater risk of heatstroke because they lack the ability to pant and cool through their nasal passages. So if you're flat faced, dog is showing signs of heatstroke. Head straight to your closest veterinary office. And then another thing that happens every single summer is the people leave their dog in the car, even in the shade, even with the windows cracked. Remember that that car heats up in minutes, and if you get delayed in a long checkout line, or you find your best friend in the cereal aisle, that your dog could be dead by the time you come back. So never leave a dog in a car. Now we've got a great upcoming talk at AMC, and it's about a disorder called Cushing's disease. Cushing's disease is named for, the physician who first described it, Doctor Cushing, but it also is known as hyperadrenocorticism, meaning a disease where the adrenal glands are overactive. Dogs with Cushing's disease can experience a lot of different health issues due to the excessive production of cortisol by the adrenal glands, and the clinical signs that we see in the clinic can sometimes make diagnosing this disease a challenge. However, with proper treatment and moderating pets will have a good quality of life. If you have a dog with Cushing's disease, or if you have a dog, your veterinarian has mentioned Cushing's disease might be the cause of their illness. You can tune in on Wednesday, July 17th at 6 p.m. and our internal medicine specialist from AMC, Doctor Dennis Slade, will discuss the major forms of Cushing's disease in dogs. And we actually occasionally even see it in cats. As usual, all Usdan events are free and hosted on zoom, but you need to register so we can send you the zoom link. And that zoom link is at amcny.org/events. If you want more pet health information, upcoming events, video tutorials, check out AMC's Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education. And it's in the little light blue box on the upper right of our website, which is amcny.org. I want to once again thank Florence Dickler for joining me today. Don't forget, if you have a pet health question, I'm happy to answer your question. On next month's show, just email me at askthevet@amcny.org. This podcast can be accessed on the Sirius app across all major platforms that have podcast and also through AMC's website. All of this thanks to our longstanding partnership with Sirius XM. You want something to do between when our next podcast drops. Try us on Facebook at The Animal Medical Center or on Twitter and Instagram it's @amcny. And of course, I'd appreciate it if you would take a moment to give Ask the Vet podcast a review, and also like and subscribe so you'll get every podcast as soon as it's available. Thanks everyone. Have a wonderful July and I'll see everyone back here on Ask the Vet in August.