Challenging the Animal Detective

I walked in to our garden, and there I found her lying on the ground. She was breathing rapidly.

I touched her. She seemed apathetic to any type of attention. I told my grandma what had happened, and she rushed out. When my grandma saw her condition, there was only one thing she could do—call the veterinarian.

Our dachshund had been acting unusual for a week. She hardly ate, wasn’t as playful, and was lethargic. We didn’t know what was wrong with her, but we thought that she would get better in a few days. We were wrong.

When we took her to the veterinarian, he told us that she had a viral disease called distemper. At the end of our visit, the veterinarian advised us what to do to help her get better.

We followed his advice, and after several more visits to the vet, our dog recovered in a few weeks. He was spot-on in diagnosing her, but how did our veterinarian know what was wrong with our dog if he couldn’t ask our dog what was hurting her?

Dr. Richard Hufnagel of the Pet Medical Center of Edmond has been a veterinarian for two decades, and has a penchant for finding out what’s wrong with an animal. He said that the intellectual challenge of diagnosing an ill animal is like a “detective case” in search for the “culprit,” or the cause of the animal’s illness. Just like an actual detective case, veterinarians look for clues by conducting several physical examinations on the animal, such as X-ray tests, blood tests and ultrasounds.

Another way they gather clues is by asking a “witness,”—usually the animal’s owner. Dr. Hufnagel stressed how important it is to communicate with the owner, since the owner is the first one who notices signs and symptoms of the pet’s illness.

Being a veterinarian is not a walk in the park. It’s a profession that involves a lot of research, communication and time, Dr. Hufnagel says. “Be aware that communication with humans will be a big part of your life. If you want to be a veterinarian, you have to like people, not just animals.”

Seeing how proactive, and involved an owner is when it comes to their pets is something that veterinarians appreciate. It adds another dimension to their job, because not only are they helping the pets, but they are also helping the owners.