Dogs with bloody diarrhea that looks like raspberry jelly – HGE

Here’s one disease that really freaks dog owners out. It can be mild, but some severe cases can be life-threatening, so it’s good to know what’s going on. We’re talking about a syndrome called HGE: Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis. Hemorrhagic means a big bloody mess. Gastro-Enteritis literally translates to inflammation of the stomach and intestines.  The primary […]

Want to avoid hip dysplasia? Avoid vitamin supplements!

As busy humans eating less-than-ideal diets much of the time, it has been widely recommended we take a multi-vitamin daily to fill in the gaps in nutrition left by our questionable diets. Many people extrapolate that to their dogs needing a vitamin or mineral supplement as well. In puppies, particularly, this can actually cause harm! […]

Why is my dog losing hair on his sides?

Here’s another benign skin problem that can really freak an owner out. Recurrent flank alopecia, also called seasonal or cyclic flank alopecia, is exactly what it sounds. Let’s break it down: Recurrent/cyclic – it comes and goes…..and comes back Flank – the sides of the dog’s belly, behind the ribs Alopecia – fancy word for […]

Bringing your pet home after hospitalization – what to expect

If your dog or cat was seriously ill, or underwent a major medical procedure, he may have spent several days in the veterinary hospital or ICU. When you bring him home, you are excited to have your buddy back! There is some adjusting that needs to happen though. Knowing what to expect will let you […]

Be prepared if disaster strikes – Three simple things to do now!

We’ve all seen the heart-breaking images from Hurricane Harvey. I can’t even wrap my head around what these people must be feeling…and how long it will be before life returns to anything close to normal. Thankfully, people are coming together to help people and pets. Animal shelters across the country are taking in animals who […]

My dog/cat has a heart murmur – now what?

When you bring your pet to the veterinarian, you want everything to go well, your pet to be happy, and your vet to find nothing abnormal on physical exam. So when the veterinarian tells you that your dog or cat has a heart murmur, it can be a bit of a shock. Often these animals […]

Hypothyroid dogs – cold, bald, and fat

Hypothyroidism, or having a low or under-performing thyroid gland, seems to be the one disease pet owners wish for. I can’t tell you how many overweight/obese dogs I see that the owners want me to test them for low thyroid. It can’t be that he’s fed too much, or never exercises. No, we want to […]

Pheromones? Really?

There’s always something new coming out that is the next great thing to make your pet’s life better. Myths get perpetuated on social media like gospel truth. What’s real and what’s just hype? Pheromones sure sound sketchy. What are they? A pheromone is a chemical secreted by the body that is emitted and detected by […]

Are you TRULY prepared to leave your pet while you travel? The thing every pet owner forgets.

Vacation time is upon us! We all think we have our act together when it comes to our pets, but the majority of pet owners forget one very important detail. This article might be a little of a downer, but the goal is to help you help your pet! We all know the rules. Whether […]

Soft tissue sarcomas, AKA spindle cell tumors – why they just kinda suck

Let’s talk tumors, growths, lumps, cancer, whatever you want to call it. And why certain ones suck, but do not suck as bad as others. There are two broad categories of tumor, based on the cell type from which they originate. Round cell tumors are your lymphomas, mast cells, other tumors whose cells look, well, […]

Dogs and their (enlarged) prostates

We’ve all seen the ads on TV. The older gentleman who repeatedly goes to the bathroom and has trouble urinating. The calming voiceover assures us this is all too common, and there is help for grampa. This disorder in men is caused by a prostate gland that becomes enlarged, and obstructs the urethra (the tube […]

Histiocytoma – everyone’s favorite tumor for dogs

I know, the words “favorite” and “tumor” in the same sentence is a little weird. Hear me out… Imagine a lump showing up on your dog’s leg. It’s big. It’s nasty looking. Sometimes they bleed. You’re freaked, so you take your dog to your veterinarian to see what it is. You’re envisioning surgery for removal […]

Why I’ll never put my obese dog on a diet

With the majority of pets in this country being overweight or obese, there’s a good chance your dog is one of them. Your veterinarian may have suggested you put your overweight dog on a diet, and even gave you specific ideas on how to get the weight off your dog. She may say things like […]

Cruciate ligaments (ACL, CCL), and the dogs who tear them

By far the most common cause of limping every veterinarian sees in dogs is not hip dysplasia. Everyone who walks into a clinic with a dog hopping on three legs says “I think it’s his hip.” It hardly ever is. Hip dysplasia sucks, and is common, but does not normally cause an acute injury. It’s […]

Should you give your dog Vitamin C?

Dogs are like people in a lot of ways. They are part of our family. Many diseases that people get, dogs can get. We even treat dogs with many “human” medications! So it’s easy to see how the line can be blurred on where the dog-human similarities end. One big difference is in the area […]

3 ways people harm wildlife by trying to help

You let your dog out in the yard, and he seems overly interested in one particular spot. You find a nest of baby bunnies. They have been licked, but otherwise seem OK. What do you do? A – Take them inside and contact a wildlife rescuer. Now that your dog has touched them, they have […]

Hip dysplasia – do OFA certified parents mean your puppy will have good hips?

As you know, I am a huge proponent of adopting dogs from shelters and rescues. Until the shelters are empty, it makes no sense to buy a dog from someone producing puppies. That said, we do need some people to breed, properly, in order to maintain the breeds we know and love. Further, some people […]

6 easy tricks to improve your senior cat’s quality of life

We know that cats are the masters of hiding pain. Once you learn the subtle signs (here’s my article on how to decode these signs of pain) your next thought is – what can I do to help? A trip to the vet is always a great idea! Finding out if there is a major […]

3 surprising health problems snow can reveal about your dog

It seems when it comes to dogs and snow, they either love it and can’t get enough, or hate it and want inside the second they are done pottying. I don’t know any dogs who aren’t quite sure how they feel about it. We veterinarians, however, have discovered over the years that snow can be […]

How cold is too cold for a dog to be outside?

Every Winter, particularly during a cold spell, I am asked by owners “At what temperature is it too cold for my pet to ____?” The subject is usually going on a long walk, letting the cat into the yard, etc. We all love our pets and we want to keep them safe and healthy, and […]