With many people working from home, kids being home from school, and the whole schedule changing, many cats have had their routines turned upside down. Eventually we will try to return to “normal” life, whatever that will be like, but how can we help our cats adjust? While dogs might think it’s cool that their […]
It sounds weird, but sometimes we joke that male dogs need to come with an owner’s manual. There are weird things that often surprise, confuse, and even panic people! Here’s the top 5 facts every owner of a boy dog should know. 1 – Smegma It’s a great scrabble word. And it results in one […]
With all the media coverage of the new strain of coronavirus affecting people, I figured I’d touch on the types of coronavirus that dogs and cats get. Why not. First of all, the coronavirus is not new – many species (including humans!) have had their own coronaviruses circulating for decades. The virus tends to keep […]
One of the most common diseases in cats that veterinarians see is Upper Respiratory Infections (URI). These most commonly affect kittens, but many adult cats experience symptoms as well. Symptoms include sneezing (sometimes really juicy ones) along with one or both eyes being infected (conjunctivitis). Some cats even get so congested they don’t want to […]
Nothing is more scary than waking up one day to see your senior dog walking in circles, head tilted to the side. Sometimes these dogs won’t eat, or will even be throwing up. You’re thinking it’s the end. The symptoms present like a stroke would be in a person, and you know those are bad. […]
Every day I have an owner show me a lump on their dog and express concern about what it is. Fortunately, the vast majority of these masses are cysts, skin tags, lipomas, or other non-threatening growths, much to the relief of the owner. Occasionally, a lump will be cancerous, and then of course we have […]
I am asked this question often. Unfortunately, it’s typically after I’ve diagnosed some condition requiring $2,000 surgery, or extensive hospitalization. These are the times it’s too late. But pet insurance does have a place. I’m not going to tell you which company, or what policy, but tell you generally how pet insurance works, and you […]
We’ve all heard that the best way to maintain our dog’s (or cat’s) dental health is to brush their teeth daily. Yet, how many of us really do it? *crickets chirping* Some owners will then see the yellow/brown tartar buildup on their dog’s teeth. There are many dental scalers you can buy online, and it […]
With dental disease being one of the most common pet diseases in the country, I often find myself recommending dental cleanings to clients. When I tell them it could be $400- $1000 (depending on how much of a mess the mouth is) some people are shocked. Well, cleaning teeth on a dog or cat is […]
This past month I have met more itchy animals than I have in years! The kiddos with the usual seasonal allergies are extra flared up. Even worse, pets who don’t normally get itchy are scratching and rubbing like crazy. What is happening? This time of year, allergens are typically at their worst (at least here […]
Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has gotten a lot of credit over the past few years. Can it really help with arthritis pain? Or is it more placebo effect? I looked at the research. Not what the salesperson says, or what the companies selling it say. I looked at studies that were at least […]
We’ve all seen ads online for various joint supplements that claim they transformed a dog’s life, bringing it from barely mobile to running and playing in the yard. The mainstay of these is often two common ingredients: glucosamine and chondroitin. It is often alleged that they help treat arthritis pain. Arthritis, and therefore, pain, involve […]
Last summer I wrote an article about the grain free dog food fad. Word was getting out that many of these foods are linked to a specific kind of heart failure that was killing dogs. It was on the national news! Dog owners were worried, asking questions. Here’s last year’s article about grain free food […]
As a house call veterinarian, I treat a lot of senior pets, so therefore I run a lot of senior bloodwork. Every so often the blood results on a seemingly healthy older dog comes back with one abnormality – anemia. What is it, and how worried are we? Like everything else in medicine…it depends on […]
Baxter is a 4 year old lab mix who had torn a ligament in his knee called the ACL. This is a common injury, unfortunately, and surgery is often required to restore function to the leg. (Here’s my article on ACL tears). Baxter’s mom loves him, so she was willing to pay over $3,000 to […]
“My cat had diarrhea, the vet treated it, and there’s no poop in the litter box.” “We treated my dog’s diarrhea, and she hasn’t pooped in 3 days. When do I worry?” These are common questions that I get asked a lot. What’s going on? First of all, don’t panic. It is actually quite common […]
Lately I’ve been asked about essential oils and cats by many clients. Is it safe to diffuse essential oils around cats? Will essential oils harm the cat? Which essential oils are toxic? Are any essential oils safe, or even beneficial to cats? Let’s start with the basics – what ARE essential oils really? They are […]
It happens quite often that I’ll run a blood panel on a seemingly healthy senior dog, and I discover one or two liver enzymes are higher than normal. How worried should we be? Well, it depends, but here’s some general patterns. The usual culprit is an enzyme called Alkaline Phosphatase, or Alk-Phos, or Alk-P. I […]
There’s something freaky about seeing your dog’s formerly floppy ear become enlarged and painful. Ear hematomas (AKA aural hematomas) can develop overnight, and the severe ones can be quite uncomfortable. But how does it happen? The typical dog with an ear hematoma (pronounced HE-ma-TOH-ma) has floppy ears that can really get going when he shakes […]
Whenever I have a patient that I suspect Addison’s disease in, I always sigh and dread having to explain it. Why? The disease is not straight-forward, can have many forms, and can imitate other disease, making a simple explanation impossible. I’ll try to cover it as reasonably as possible…this might be long and kinda boring […]