Archives: Pets
Good Rule Of Thumb When Feeding Dogs & Cats: Avoid Diets With The Word “Blue” In Them
During my 3 hour appointment set this morning, I saw 3 cats and two dogs that all had two things in common: they were all obese and they were all fed diets whose brand had the word “Blue” in them. There are many variations of the “Blue” branded diets but I will keep it vague enough here that I will hopefully avoid cease and desist letters from their...Breeders Stop Giving Veterinary Advice To Pet Owners – You Do Not Know What The Hell You Are Talking About!
If you are not prepared for a Dr. Roger venting session, you best surf away from this page. For anyone who reads my articles or follows my podcast, it is no secret that I generally loathe breeders. 99.9% of them to not do any genetic screening or breed disease predilection testing on their breeding dogs. Most do not even have pre-breeding examinations, breed for good...An Advisory Tale of Two Chihuahuas
I had two strikingly similar cases with two unrelated Chihuahuas in the same day with two very different outcomes. I hope my readers take this to heart and learn from them and not be part of the 97% of pet owners that will disregard them. Chihuahua 1 is a 2 year old spayed female that presented with an abnormal rear limb gait. I noted that the dog had what we call a...Why Vaccine Titers Are At Best Mediocre Predictors Of Disease Protection In Dogs & Cats
There are a growing number of pet owners that will only have their veterinarian complete the initial puppy or kitten infectious disease vaccine protocols, then request to run vaccine antibody titers for the rest of the patient’s life to determine if re-vaccination is necessary for a given disease. Antibody titers are measures of a concentration of antibody in the...Veterinary Stem Cell Therapy For Any Chronic “Itis”
When we use the term “itis” for disease pathology in organ systems and tissues, it signals that a given system or tissue is experiencing inflammation. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi, dermatitis is inflammation of the dermis, etc. When inflammation is chronic, it means that it is ever present or waxes and wanes...Can The Grain Free Pet Food & PLEASE Listen To Your Veterinarian!
I was presented with a very nice retired couple with a very sweet Shih Tzu female dog for a yearly well visit. As is typical with a new client and new patient, I asked about any pertinent past injuries or illness. The lady told me that a few years ago, the dog had surgery to remove urinary bladder stones. I asked her if the dog was placed on a prescription diet that...The Infamous Veterinary “Emergency” 15 Minutes Prior To Closing – Avoid Being One Of These!
About 50 percent of the time as we are nearing the end of our business day of appointments, emergencies and procedures, we get an urgent call from an owner desperate to get his/her pet in to be seen. Whether a condition is related to gastrointestinal distress, troubled breathing, dietary indiscretion, or injury, these calls only occasionally have legitimately JUST occurred...New Jersey Moves One Step Closer To Cat Declaw Ban Continuing Troubling Trend
The New Jersey Assembly just passeed a ban on a onychectomy, a surgical procedure commonly known as declaw. The law now goes to the NJ Senate for passage where its fate lies in question with many experts divided in the merits of the bill. The declaw procedure involves removal of the last segment of the feline digit where the claw emanates from. It is typically performed...Reflections On Heartworm Disease In Dogs On Heartworm Awareness Month 2018
One of the most frustrating aspects of my job is when I fail to convince a dog owner of the importance of heartworm screening and heartworm prevention. The clients give me all of the same rationalizations for choosing not to engage in heartworm parasite screening and prevention. They are listed below with my typical rebuttals in italics. My dog does not spend much time...Judge Michael Cicconetti Of Ohio Gives Animal Abusers Sentences Aimed To Teach Them Valuable Lesson
Judge Michael Cicconetti from Ohio got tired of seeing abusers of animals receive what amounted to slap on the wrist penalties when convicted of neglect or abuse of animals. As a result, he decided to get creative with his sentences in order to not only teach animal abusers a valuable lesson, but to raise and spread awareness that animal abuse is intolerable and will be...
Help for nervous/anxious dogs
There seems to be a growing number of excessively nervous, often skittish dogs. This can range from anxieties, such as noise or storm anxiety, anxiousness about being separated from pet parents,...
Bird flu is infecting cats and cases are rising – What you need to know!
H5N1 Avian Influenza is causing far more trouble than just just high egg prices. The bird flu has successfully jumped species now able to infect cats and people. Although the ability to infect...
Having planned, consistent, shared activities with him enhances your dog’s bond with you
No person aside from your parents will love you more than your dog. No matter what, your dog will always go bonkers the moment you come home. That love will never be in question, as you are...
