What Happens When Pet Health Issues Are Left Too Long

Pets have an incredible ability to just carry on when they don’t feel great, and quite often, the little signs they give you don’t even seem worth mentioning at their next health check, let alone bringing that appointment forward. As vets, we know most pet parents love their animals like family, and there are many reasons, from financial to emotional, why they may hesitate when illness arises. But when pet health issues are left too long, it really can affect the outcome.

At Edgeworth Animal Medical Centre, we’re a local, independent clinic offering thoughtful, lifelong care, from vaccinations and surgery to diagnostics and dental care. We know that while some health issues will resolve on their own, others progress and become far more difficult to treat over time. Having them assessed early gives the best chance of a simpler recovery and, often, a more cost-effective outcome.

Many of the conditions we see every week didn’t start out looking particularly dramatic. So many things are easily dismissed, especially when a pet still seems happy and comfortable. Here are some of the most common.

Ear infections

Ear infections often begin with subtle signs that owners hope will settle on their own. Left to progress, however, they become increasingly painful. Delaying treatment gives the infection more time to worsen and can eventually lead to more complicated treatment.

Small lumps

Small lumps can be overlooked because they don’t seem to bother the pet. Sometimes owners hope they’ll go away on their own, even when they continue to grow. Unfortunately, when we are presented with a big lump, rather than a small one, we may have fewer options for treatment. Even more upsetting is that the lost time may have allowed a cancerous lump to spread to nearby lymph nodes or internal organs. Bigger lumps generally mean a more significant surgery, resulting in longer recovery times and sometimes ongoing impairment for the patient.

Dental disease

Advanced dental disease is another frequent clinical discovery, and this is a tough one because a lot of people assume that if their pet had a painful mouth, they’d stop eating. The reality is, if you don’t eat, you die. Animals instinctively do what they need to survive. By the time a pet stops eating, they’re usually in so much pain they would rather die than eat. In humans, dental pain is considered severe and debilitating. Dogs and cats have the same nerve structures, so they experience that pain too.

Toxin exposure

Certain toxin exposures don’t cause clinical signs straight away, and if a pet has been exposed but seems completely normal, it can delay necessary treatment. Problems may not become obvious until hours or even days later, but when they do, they can escalate quickly. Rat bait and grapes or raisins are good examples. By then, treatment may be far more difficult and it may already be too late.

Every situation is different, but they all have one thing in common. The sooner we know what we’re dealing with, the more options we’re likely to have.

A dog with a sore ear

I once saw a Labrador and Rottweiler cross who’d been shaking his head and scratching at his ears for about a month. His well-meaning owners had tried an ear cleaner from the pet shop, but the problem persisted until one ear flap became massively swollen from an aural haematoma caused by all the head shaking. This poor pup needed an anaesthetic to treat both the infection and the haematoma. Early assessment may well have avoided surgery and certainly would have spared him weeks of discomfort.

As an important side note, ear cleaners don’t treat infections and can sometimes make them worse by keeping the ear canal wet. If an ear is still sore after one or two attempts, there’s probably something more serious going on.

A back foot lump

When I met Ranger, a nine-year-old Poodle cross, he had a lump on his back foot that had been there for a few months. It wasn’t bothering him at all, so his owners hoped it wasn’t anything serious. By the time he was examined, however, testing revealed it was a mast cell tumour that had already spread to a nearby lymph node. What could have been a straightforward lump removal had become a choice between chemotherapy or amputation.

Further testing thankfully confirmed the cancer hadn’t spread elsewhere, so his family opted to have the leg removed. Fortunately for Ranger, dogs are really three-legged creatures with a spare limb. Today, he’s happily running around cancer-free as a tripod.

The puppy and the rat bait

A young Kelpie puppy was seen carrying an old block of rat bait after exploring the family shed. Because he seemed perfectly fine afterwards and the block looked largely untouched, his owners didn’t think he’d had much exposure. About a week later, he suddenly became very weak and was rushed to hospital, where it was discovered that he was bleeding internally from rodenticide poisoning. He needed emergency antidote therapy, a blood transfusion and intensive care.

Please keep in mind that if there is any possibility a pet has eaten rat bait, seeking veterinary care immediately gives us the best chance to act before life-threatening complications develop.

While some concerns can safely be monitored, there are a few that should never be left to chance. If you notice any of the following, it’s best to have your pet assessed as soon as possible:

• New or rapidly growing lumps.
• Eye problems, particularly if an eye is squinting or closed.
• Persistent or profuse vomiting, rather than one or two isolated episodes in a day.
• Bruising, bleeding into the skin or eyes, or blood in the urine.
• Any suspected toxin exposure, even if your pet appears completely normal.

An earlier diagnosis and prompt treatment for illness or injury is always going to be better for your pet and, most of the time, your budget than an emergency visit. We’re here to help, and that includes finding the best possible option for you and your pet.

At Edgeworth Animal Medical Centre, we provide comprehensive veterinary care and advanced diagnostics to investigate health concerns in family pets, whether they’re furry, feathered or scaly!

Contact us to learn more or book an appointment.

By Dr Kimberley Earl