Jessica Desrosiers

Biography

In the business of helping pets and pet parents for over 16 years! At Pet Coach, I love answering questions involving health, reproduction, nutrition, and behavior with a little bit of exotic (birds) care sprinkled in. I've always had a love for theriogenology (animal reproduction) as well as emergency and critical care for pets. In high school, I started out as a volunteer for a local dog and cat adoption agency, and then was hired as a dog trainer. I attended training school and graduated as the youngest member of the program! After working as a trainer for several years, I took a position as a veterinary assistant at a local animal shelter before joining a 24-hour veterinary practice. While there, I completed my Bachelor's of Science in Animal Sciences with a focus on veterinary medicine. I then attended Oregon State's College of Veterinary Medicine but was unable to complete my veterinary degree due to illness and instead focused on my career as a veterinary technician. Most recently, I've spent my time volunteering at the local animal shelter providing enrichment and behavioral training to special needs dogs not yet adoptable to the public. I also spend my free time as a pet-related article writer focusing on health, nutrition, and behavior, and have recently published my second book on behavior and training. Whether your question involves dogs, cats or anything in between, let my knowledge in behavior, training, nutrition, and more help you out!

Articles Written by Jessica Desrosiers

Top 5 Signs Your Cat May Be Hiding An Illness

Cats can be pros at hiding their illnesses until they are very sick. Whether it is a natural instinct to hide illness in the wild or merely your cat's own stubborn streak getting in the way, knowing the signs of potential illness in your cat is key. If at any time you see the following signs or your cat just isn't acting himself, consider scheduling a check-up with your vet without delay.

My dog vomited a pinkish colour. Does this look like blood vomit? She doesn’t have diarrhoea or anything else. Yesterday i fed her plain chicken with rice.

That is very red vomit, however, this color could be linked to a number of things including blood in the vomit, inflammation of the GI tract, having chewed on a toy this color, eaten a food item this color, or gotten into a plant or other item this color. If the vomiting continues, worsens, or other symptoms appear such as a painful or bloated abdomen, diarrhea or blood in the stool, or severe distress, I would schedule a veterinary appointment right away to rule out more severe issues. In the meantime I would continue the bland diet for 24 hours, and monitor for any additional vomiting or illness symptoms.

My 3 year old long haired tuxedo female pees just fine in the litter box, but she preferred to poop on the bathroom rug or on the carpet behind the sofa. Then, she will go weeks and everything is fine only start pooping outside the box again. I have 4 litter boxes and 3 cats. I clean all several times a day. She is the youngest. I've put wee wee pads down and she lifts them up and poops under them. Any ideas to help? Thanks!

A good first step, if you haven't already, is to rule out any health issues with your vet such as arthritis that may be causing the accidents. Secondly, making sure none of the other cats are bullying her away from the litter box may also alert you to any issues. Thirdly, a good enzymatic cleaner may help reduce the smell/discourage use of these areas in the future. That said, if you've done the above and the issue is still happening, it's probably time to call in a veterinary or animal behaviorist that can visit in person to see what may be going on. They may be able to check for stressors that could be causing the accidents where they are, look for issues with refusal to defecate in the box, or see if there is a cycle that is happening that is triggering this reaction. From there they may be able to set up a more tailored plan to help reduce the accidents and encourage use of the litter box at all times. If you're in the US, you can use this website to help find someone available in your area: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about

Hi my 5 year old dog has this on her nose ( saw it 4 days ago) and getting bigger. What could it be and is there anything I can do? Thank you.

Ouch! Any new or suddenly growing growth like this should be checked out by your vet in person ASAP. Allergies, infections, skin irritation from rubbing it on things, and some growths and tumors can all cause spots like that on the nose, and can also cause rapid changes and discoloration like this. Until you can get to your vet, I would place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Amber and keep the spot clean and dry to help reduce any further irritation. It is also a good idea to monitor the size and shape of it and how rapidly it is changing as this can help your vet figure out what may be going on. Your vet will likely take a full history as well as a potential sample of the spot to see what cells are present and provide treatment as needed.

My cat is having trouble passing a turd... He keeps producing small amounts of this brown mucous on the pee pad I have in front of the litter box, but hasn't been able to completely eliminate the actual piece. He's eating normally & drinking plenty of water, & he's at a healthy weight. I realize that I'm going to have to take him to the vet if this doesn't clear up, but in the meantime, is there anything I can do to help him?

Seeing your vet ASAP is definitely a good idea to make sure there isn't an impaction causing the severe constipation that may need an enema or stool softeners to resolve. In the meantime, you can try offering a little bland yogurt to try and help the soften the stool, as well as make sure he's drinking plenty of water by mixing some into his food, but if Booboo is in severe distress, hasn't passed any stool at all, or is having other symptoms such as abdominal pain or stops eating, you should seek out veterinary care from your vet or a local ER clinic immediately.

My dog has this on her skin what is it?

The picture makes it difficult to see. It's possible it may be a scab trying to heal, a minorly infected area of skin, or a wart/growth forming. It would be best to keep the area clean and dry and keep Belle from licking or chewing at the spot. If the area continues to change in appearance, is bothersome to Belle is hot to the touch, painful, or oozing debris, or doesn't seem to be healing, it is best to seek veterinary care in person. Your vet can take a look at and sample of the spot as needed and provide more tailored treatments depending on the cause.