How far do we go? That question came up this week in caring for Zelda, a kitty in the prime of life at age 7½, who presented with the primary complaint of loss of appetite. Our first indication that something was terribly wrong came when we weighed Zelda and compared her weight to her last [...]
Today is the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Our prayers are with the survivors who lost loved ones, their homes, their belongings and their treasures. And with those whose pets were killed, injured or lost. And those people, dogs and cats who continue to be displaced. See you Monday, Dr. Randolph.
Did you know that pets experience sunburn, too? White-coated dogs and cats are at the most risk, as they tend to have little pigment in their skin, matching the low pigment level in their hair. Like people, sunburned pets are predisposed to UVA- and UVB-related skin changes, including skin cancer. Pets need not even go [...]
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is in the same family, Retroviridae, as Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). Therefore, they share certain characteristics, such as the ability to suppress a cat’s immune system and to initiate and allow the growth and spread of cancer. The virus was discovered in 1986. FIV is known as the virus of unfriendly [...]
Picky eaters are made, not born. People are omnivores. It is said that Cajuns, the Acadian people of southwest Louisiana, will eat anything that doesn’t eat them first. It’s no surprise that I have half Cajun blood myself, because I will eat almost anything. Most people would not even think of eating the same thing [...]
Today has a ton of joy and a bit of sadness. Today our newest granddaughter was born. She is perfect and beautiful and although she lives 12 ½ hours from us, through the magic of the Internet we were able to see her within minutes of her arrival. We have sadness because of Brenda’s injury [...]
One simply never knows who is going to slip into one’s heart. The sweetest story appeared on the obituary page this week. A gentleman in neighboring Jackson County, MS, passed away and his life story was highlighted in a special article. It told of the courtship of his bride (he proposed only two days after [...]
Feline Leukemia Virus. Few words are scarier to a cat lover than those. And, with good reason, even though a positive Feline Leukemia Virus test is not always a death sentence. Let’s look at both the disease and testing in detail. Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus, meaning that it uses an enzyme called [...]
How sad. I saw the sweetest, most adorable Doberman today named Frieda. Unfortunately, Frieda was dying. Of neglect. Frieda was eight years old and became acutely ill this morning, began breathing hard and lost her appetite. Late this afternoon Frieda came in for an examination and we quickly saw that the prognosis was poor. She [...]
Pat brought her dog, Hartley, in for a Medical Progress Examination today. Hartley has had a swollen toe for which we’ve administered treatment. We are happy to report that the toe is much better and we expect a full and uncomplicated recovery. Pat moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Bolton, MS, near the center [...]
Poor Fritz. Wednesday night, between church and choir practice the preacher and his wife took me aside. Uh-oh! What had I done now? “Jim,” said Melinda, the pastor’s wife, “Fritz has this nasty place on the side of his head that he won’t leave alone. I have some Animax Ointment at home that you gave [...]
I saw two pit bulls today. Both had been off their heartworm preventive for quite a long time. One’s heartworm test came up positive, the other was negative. “Why?” you ask. Several factors are probably in play. The biggest is probably mosquito population in the vicinity of where each dog lives. Proximity to a swamp, [...]
Sebaceous cysts are interesting structures. All pores and hair follicles in the skin are surrounded by microscopic oil glands. These glands produce the oil that makes our pets’ hair (and our own hair) shiny, as well as producing a protective and moisturizing layer for the hair and skin. This oil is called sebum. Sebaceous cysts [...]
Reader Lucy wrote today to ask what the fee for a Convenia injection for a 96-pound dog is. Of course, some clinics will charge more and some will charge less. Stephanie, one of our employees looked up our fee and it came out to $141.00. I had to admit that I was caught a little [...]
Convenia, the long-acting antibiotic injection that maintains antibiotic levels in a dog or cat’s bloodstream for up to two weeks is the hot topic this week. Let’s look at another case in which Convenia worked out well. Fritzi is a Shih Tzu who weighs 20 pounds and has a urinary tract infection. A urinalysis revealed [...]
I obtained this knowledge years ago, but never had to use it before today. The first time I used one of those sticky mouse/rat traps I thought, “What if a pet got stuck on one of these. How would you ever get him off of it?” I scoured the sticky pad and its instructions to [...]
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