When she first noticed the problem, she talked to a friend at the local feed store. She shopped there a lot and was a regular customer. So she thought someone might be able to help her with her dog's problem. The person behind the counter sent her home with some medicated shampoo, a spray to kill the maggots and some vitamins. What followed was a disaster for her poor pooch.

 Two days after her visit to the feed store, the dog stopped eating and became depressed and lethargic. So she took him to her local veterinarian who diagnosed and treated him for cellulitis, a deep and serious skin infection. After three days of intravenous fluids and antibiotics, her dog started to show signs of recovery. But the infection's toxicity had taken its toll and his kidneys became infected. Two days later, he was in complete renal failure and had to be euthanized. It was a sad ending to a horrible story. And now this woman wants to sue the feed store for the loss of her pet

Hearing all this, I first wondered why this lady didn't contact her local vet in the first place. A simple call describing the skin condition would have been enough to make it clear that this dog needed immediate medical treatment. Maggots are always a sign of an extremely serious condition. But the fact of the matter is this: She chose to seek advice from someone at the store instead.

 No doubt she didn't realize the gravity of the situation. And it's obvious the employee at the feed store didn't either.

And that observation raises the second question. Why did the person at the feed store feel comfortable making an unskilled health decision and recommendation? Medicine is a complex discipline. Diagnosis and treatment are based not just on knowledge, but experience and intuition developed after years of professional training.

The practice of medicine is not a boilerplate or cookie-cutter exercise. No two medical cases are exactly alike and a pet with a serious medical condition (as was the case with this poor pooch) should never be treated without a thorough evaluation. It's obvious no one realized the serious nature of this particular skin infection. And that's too bad. This dog probably could have been saved from such a horrible fate. Deep skin infections always have the potential to cause internal problems. They are never trivial problems.

The lesson here is simple. If a pet has a medical problem, no matter how trivial it may seem, a call to a veterinarian's office is always a good idea. Early, accurate diagnosis and treatment is essential to properly care for most problems. Certainly, it could have saved this dog's life.

 Q: A while back, you voiced your dislike for retractable leashes. I don't understand why you think they are such a problem. We have one and use it all the time. It's so convenient. Why do you think they are no good?

A: My comments about retractable leashes referred to their effectiveness in controlling a dog. I agree that in many cases they are great. Long leashes offer more freedom to a dog on the other end. And on a walk in an open area, that's a big plus.

 But in certain situations, particularly in close quarters, retractable leashes can become a real liability. Time and again at pet stores, in grooming shops, or in vet clinics, dogs on these leashes wander 5-10 feet away from their owner. In a crowded area, this can be very dangerous. Even during a simple walk down a sidewalk, a long, retractable leash can be a recipe for disaster because a long leash can't control as well as a short one. If another dog comes up and challenges, no one has the ability to stop a potential fight. Retractable leashes are a bad choice anywhere dogs are crowded together.

And then there's the story from England about a woman who was injured by one of these things. It seems that she was walking her dog with a retractable leash out almost as far as it could reach. Somehow, it came unclipped from her dog's collar and snapped back, hitting her in the face. She had irreversible damage to her eye and lost partial eyesight. It may sound farfetched, but it happened there. And that's one more reason not to like those things.

Q: I recently heard someone talking about a dog that could go underwater and fetch things off the bottom. Is this possible? I bet this is just an urban legend. Dogs can't swim underwater, can they?

A: Don't bet the bank on this one, because there really are dogs that can go underwater to fetch things off the bottom. A while back, I went to Del Valle Reservoir near Livermore for a water trial exercise put on by the Newfoundland Club of Northern California.

The competition included various events where these giant dogs rescued stranded boaters and swimmers. Newfies are trained to swim out and give help to swimmers in danger. And they can literally tow a small boat to shore if needed.

 One of the competitions included going under water to fetch an object off the lake bottom. Granted, these dogs didn't dive down and swim underwater. But they did completely submerge their heads in ankle deep water and found a "planted" object and brought it up to their owner/trainer. It was a thrill to see these magnificent beasts perform for us.

Incidentally, if you'd like to learn more about Newfoundland dogs and maybe see one of these events, check out the club's Web site, www.ncnc.org . Many of their activities are open to the public, and they are very entertaining.

Pete Keesling Pete Keesling is a retired veterinarian who has lived and worked in San Martin for 31 years. He writes a bi-weekly column for South Valley Newspapers and hosts a radio talk show, Dr. Pete's Petpourri, Sundays at 1 p.m. and Friday mornings at 7:10 on KSCO 1080 AM. If you have questions about pet care, e-mail them to smvet3@yahoo.com.