Here is an update on Dutchess, the senior dog who had two growths that needed to be removed as well as horrible gum disease resulting from calculus buildup. You may also recall (see previous posts on Dutchess, story one and story two) that she has a heart murmur that had the potential to complicate anesthesia. [...]
Have you seen the video of the fat cat found as a stray and now residing at a shelter in Vancouver, Washington? KPTV’s Chad Carter of Fox12 News reported that he has “very few health problems despite his large size,” but he didn’t elaborate on what those health problems were. He is described as “relatively” [...]
Mange. It’s a terrible word. It’s a terrible word because of all of the connotations of “suffering” and “ugly” and “difficult to cure.” To veterinarians, it’s all that and a terrible word because we hear it as a catch-all term. Over the next few days we’re going to discuss the four kinds of mange that occur in [...]
Turbo (Story One) (Story Two) came back today. Turbo had been doing wonderfully, but less than a week after ending his antibiotic therapy he began to complain when he urinated. His owners described his response as if he had a burning sensation. As I reported earlier about Turbo, he had a terrible E. coli bacterial infection during [...]
Periodically I’d like to update you on some patients we’ve talked about in previous posts. Dutchess, the older dog with gum disease and two lumps that needed removal (original post here) arrived for her procedures today. As we were performing two soft tissue surgeries and dental prophylaxis all in the same day we needed extra [...]
Allergy alert! It seems that every other dog and cat who comes in the front door of our hospital is complaining of itchiness. Allergy years tend to run in cycles. Dogs’ immune systems are known to be able to react to 64 allergens that they inhale, as well as contact and other allergens. Dust, pollen [...]
Continuing the topic of minimizing recurrent ear problems in dogs and cats, today we will discuss proper treatment. In order to have treatment success the duration of treatment must be adequate. Do not stop treatment just because the ears look better! Even with first-time ear infections one cannot hope to clear the infection with three [...]
“Bring in the dog and put out the cat, yackety yak, don’t talk back.” The Coasters, January, 1958. In 1958 it was relatively safe for cats to be outdoors. There were fewer cars on the roads and cats were not as numerous as they are today. In 2009, however, outdoor cats face much greater risks. [...]
I love a bad ear. I suppose it would be more accurate to say I hate a bad ear, but either way the reward of making a bad ear into a good ear is priceless. The Mississippi Gulf Coast, where I practice, is a place where many people make their home for a short period [...]
Stress. Ask anyone if he understands the concept. You may get some quizzical looks, because we all have it. Today I was treating Spring Gale for a urinary tract infection (UTI). Her owner had mentioned that she had company at her house. We also discussed the fact that on June 17, 2008, Spring had a [...]
Without a doubt the feel-good story of the week at our hospital happened today. We were dismissing Lucy, an 11-year-old Beagle who had a dental scaling and polishing today. Her owner and I sat down to discuss a procedure she will need later because of having lost both upper canine teeth. Actually, he sat down [...]
Here is a real-life example of what can (and did) happen when fear of anesthesia causes a pet owner to delay important needed care. Dutchess came to our hospital in October, 2008, for a routine vaccination visit. We had previously diagnosed cataracts in both eyes, a heart murmur in her chest, a growth that needed [...]
Rat poison. Be afraid. Be very afraid. If your pet is in any way exposed to modern rat poisons it is a medical emergency that you cannot put off. “Exposed” includes having been in the vicinity of the poison and you’re not sure whether he actually ate any or not. Most of today’s rodenticides work [...]
Maggots. Could there be anything more gross? The very thought of them makes most people shiver. Tonight our regional veterinarian’s association will have a continuing education meeting and a meal will be served. The topic will likely include aspects that would turn the stomachs of mere mortals, but we veterinarians will chow down right through [...]
Getting updates on patients I have seen is an important part of our practice. The Mississippi Gulf Coast, where we live and practice, is a very popular tourist area. It is not unusual that we will see a pet for someone who is going to be here only a week or so, then we never [...]
Fleas. We’ve had about enough of them, haven’t we? And your pets have, too! The dog I saw today absolutely covered in fleas inspired me to write today’s post on flea control. Why? Simply because there are so many good flea control products available there is absolutely no excuse for your pet to have fleas! [...]
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