Pet euthanasia. What does it euthanasia mean? And how is it performed? We often use the euphemisms “put to sleep,” “put down” and “put out of his misery,” among others, but the term is actually very specific. It was first…
Small animal practice is a term that has nothing to do with the size of dogs and cats we veterinarians will see as patients. In this case, “small” separates practices that serve dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, rats, ferrets, sugar gliders,…
There are many things you can do to prepare for a disaster, and some of them are important even if a disaster never hits. As representatives of the Mississippi Animal Disaster Relief Fund (MADRF), the members are charged with deciding…
Skunks stink. And, the only thing worse than smelling a skunk is smelling your dog or cat sprayed by a skunk. We don’t see many skunks here in Long Beach, MS. Which is not to say they are not here,…
Dropoff. To a veterinarian and his or her staff, a dropoff is a patient visit in which the pet is left at the clinic while the owner goes to work or runs errands. Dropped-off patients may spend as little as…
Back in 2008 a Christmas tradition was begun at Animal General Hospital. Eddie, my best friend from high school, sent a check for $200.00 with his annual Christmas card to Brenda and me. Since then I have used those funds,…
Numerous times we have discussed fake medications designed to separate you from your money. Some of these scams can also separate you from your pet by selling you medication that is either ineffective or just plain nonexistent. The result is pets…
This week medical research confirmed something you and I already knew: pets are good for kids. Respiratory illness occurs less often and in milder forms in children who share their homes with one or more pets. And that includes Respiratory…
Patients with certain cancers treated with Avastin (bevacizumab) know that their cancer is serious. They may not necessarily be expecting a cure, but they are certainly hoping for improvement, at least in the form of tumor shrinkage. They hope the…
Hard. Firm. Soft. In order that doctors communicate clearly, we were taught early in our medical education how to use each of the above terms. I was reminded of that lesson when Heidi submitted a question that began, “Our cat has…
