Happy 250th Birthday America!
By Brandon McKim
With America’s 250th birthday days away, it had me wondering about the birth of veterinary medicine and also thinking “poor anxiety pups here come the fireworks again!”
From 1776 through the 1850s was the Era of the War Horse. Founding father, General George Washington gave birth to the first official “veterinarians” when he ordered each regiment to include a farrier. Farriers, a fancy name for “Horse Doctors,” who were trained blacksmiths, specialized in shoeing horses and proved to be a vital part of the Continental Army. Ole George was also a dog lover, a breeder of scent hounds, and is considered to be the Father of the American Foxhound.
The first animal health laws date back to 1795, and over 1,400-plus statues exist today. Veterinary medicine lectures began in 1813, and the first veterinary school, The Veterinary College of Philadelphia, was established in 1852. Today 33 accredited colleges of veterinary medicine exist in the US.
In 250 years, we have gone from a handful of self-taught blacksmith apprentices to 125,000-plus highly trained professionals, and veterinary medicine has evolved from battlefield farriers to the sophisticated lifesaving care we have today.
Today’s care includes treating anxiety, which brings me back to those firework anxiety pups I was thinking about. It is suggested as high as 40 percent have some level of noise aversion. This fear leads to trembling/shaking, panting, pacing, hiding, barking, whining, destructive behavior, and panicked escape attempts.
To help your pooch during noisy events like fireworks and thunderstorms, create a quiet indoor space for them and use calming pheromones, calming treats, and specialty swaddling vests. Consult your veterinarian with regards to calming drugs like dexmedetomidine, trazadone, gabapentin, and alprazolam. But realize medications are temporary fixes, therefore, a combination of medications and behavior modification training are recommended.
Anxiety treatment will improve your pet’s emotional well-being and reduce stress making them calmer, happier, and less fearful all of which improve their overall quality of life.
I’m blessed and proud to be an American and love being a member of the veterinary profession! Last, but not least, to my favorite firecracker baby, Happy Birthday Mom!
Dr. Brandon McKim is a veterinarian and practice owner of Kent Farms Animal Hospital.