Perianal gland tumors are common in intact (not neutered) male dogs. They are extremely uncommon in cats, as cats do not possess the sebaceous glands around the anus that dogs do. Fortunately, we don’t see many mature dogs who have not been neutered, so this is a fairly uncommon tumor, but I suspect that a [...]
Hairballs. Now there’s a delightful subject to read about over breakfast! Also known as tricholiths, obstruction of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by ingested hair is a common problem in cats and a less common problem in dogs. While it is rare in people, it does occur, usually when a nervous habit causes a person to [...]
This time between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day is pretty laid back. If pets stayed out of the turkey, dressing, giblet gravy and cranberries then there’s only a small chance that we will see them this week. One kind of “case” though, that does show up is the new Christmas puppy. “Beaux” made his [...]
Sometimes the saddest events can be so touching. I got a call from Samantha’s mom today. The whole family (including Samantha’s “nutso” brother, Deogie) was in Florida, visiting Dad’s side of the family. Mom said, “Samantha hasn’t eaten in three days, she’s coughing and she’s drooling so bad her feet and chest are wet.” “I [...]
Clearly, in retrospect, I was premature in recalibrating Martha’s automatic feeder. I just brought home a new bag of Martha’s food, Hill’s Mature Adult Indoor Cat Formula, only to find it has a new, pyramidal shape. Oh, and the name changed, too. Which, I’m relatively sure, has everything to do with marketing and little to do [...]
Tis the week before Christmas, and one could say that this is where it all began, my relationship with animals. I’m spending the weekend with my second father, my Uncle Sam Burrell, who partly reared me on their dairy farm in the late 50s and 60s. Uncle Sam, like many folks approaching age 98, began, [...]
First it was people, then it was ferrets, then a cat. Now, swine flu has been confirmed in a dog. Like the previously-reported cat, this Bedford, New York, dog was elderly at 13 years of age. As in previous cases of pets infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus, this dog’s owner had been ill with [...]
Continuing the theme from yesterday of caring for pets in one’s absence, let’s discuss a less drastic situation, one in which a pet owner is simply disabled. This scenario is reminiscent of my wife, Brenda’s injuries back in July, 2009. Her fall took place at 10 PM, and, while I live in the world of [...]
What would you want to happen to your pets if you were physically or mentally unable to care for them? That very situation presented itself today when a longtime client was hospitalized and not expected to recover. Fortunately, his sister will be able to care for the three cats in her home. They will continue [...]
Glaucoma in dogs and cats results from a variety of abnormal conditions of their eyes which cause a rise in the pressure of the fluids within the globe. Normal intraocular pressure (IOP), the pressure of fluids inside the eye, is controlled by a delicate balance between fluid production and fluid removal. Specifically this fluid is [...]
Does your pet eat from an automatic feeder? Our Martha does, and I’d previously discussed a problem with it getting out of adjustment and “shorting” her twice-daily meals. Frankly, I misinterpreted the initial signs: licking Pearl’s Prescription Diet t/d, sitting by the feeder for long periods before each scheduled feeding, and, eventually, weight loss. Fearing [...]
Anny writes to us from the Bay Area of California with a question about her kitty, who got an injection of Convenia, the long-acting antibiotic. In her post she describes some circumstances that every cat owner needs to know how to deal with. Hi, Dr. Randolph, My cat, Money, is about 4½ years old. A few weeks [...]
One of the ways we can prevent the sadness we wrote about yesterday in Tila’s story is to stop supporting puppy mills and unscrupulous, indiscriminate breeders. Today I saw Rocky, a two-year-old, mixed breed small dog who is going to make his new family’s life very happy. He came from our local humane shelter and [...]
Why, oh, why does there have to be so much sadness in the world? There is a flea market a couple of hours from where I practice that churns out sadness like your car churns out carbon monoxide. Puppy and kitten mill operators come from all around to hawk their wares and the unsuspecting in [...]
Today let’s talk about Capstar, a wonderful medication and a tool in the never-ending battle against fleas. Capstar, nitenpyram, is an amazing little tablet marketed by Novartis Animal Health that is safe in dogs and cats. Give one pill and it begins killing fleas within twenty minutes, and will continue to kill fleas for 24 [...]
Biopsy. It’s a scary word, isn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be, because a biopsy can just as easily bring good news as bad. First, let’s define biopsy: “The removal and examination of tissue, cells or fluid from the living body.” So, though we may usually think of a biopsy in terms of taking [...]
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