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Choosing the Right Heartworm Prevention Product for Your Dogs and Cats

My earlier article went through every type of intestinal parasite that is treated by various American heartworm preventatives. But, which product treats what parasite? It is not simple! I color-coded the parasites for each product to make them easy to spot. Oral Medications Heartgard Plus The original. The classic. There are now many other brands (generics) of the exact same...

Bonded For Life

One of the joys of living in the area of Florida that I do is that our communities are all recent construction.  Since the county has recent mandates in place that with new construction a certain percentage of land has to be set aside and designated as wildlife conservation land, we live among conservation land tracks, the largest of which is 80 acres in the center of my...

The Houla

There she was. Perfect markings and chestnut eyes. A Catahoula Leopard whose expiration date was today. Good thing for suckers like Chris. She was adopted and named Sage. She traipsed from Virginia to Long Island to Queens and finally settled in Westchester, with a yard to chase all the squirrels she desired. Sage is incredibly loyal and stoic, yet fierce.  Her finest...

Reflections Of A Middle Aged Veterinarian

As we age, birthdays kind of lose their magic.  We may get happy birthday greetings from friends and family, perhaps a special dinner, but for most of us adults it is little more than just another day, often even working on our birthdays; another year older, another year removed from our youth.  Turning 40 today, however, I am overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude and...

Best To Err On The Side Of Caution

A retired gentleman brought his 9 year old Siberian Husky to see me last week.  His dog had been clipped by a car right in front of his house, by a kid who was texting while driving.  Luckily, the kid was not driving too fast, knocking the dog onto the ground, but from the owner’s perspective who had witnessed the while incident, it was more like a bump and startle than...

Expect the Unexpected

The morning was winding down. We had finished our surgical procedures and the busy bustle of appointments had come and gone. My stomach was churning, and a smile was plastered on my face with the thought of a quick lunch with my little son and 2 rambunctious pups.I was at the front desk sorting out files when a Taxi quickly pulled up.  Out of the car emerged a man with a cat...

Mom Knows Best

Mom Knows Best As a Dog  Mom, and a Human  Mom I have learned that somehow we develop this incredible sense of awareness and understanding for those we care for. I’m not sure how it happens, but our innate senses kick in.  With the chaotic shuffle of life, it’s something that floats to the back of our minds until we are humbled by its presence. It was my surgery...

All Things Big and Small

It was a typical day at the hospital of seeing patients, fielding phone calls and treating in-hospital cases. I was scanning the scheduler when my eyes stopped over the 10:30 AM appointment: Hammy the hamster – unable to urinate. Being primarily a canine and feline Veterinarian, I started racking my brain for causes and treatments of every urinary disease in hamsters I...

Random Act of Kindness

I had a very busy Friday today, packed with interesting surgeries and medicine cases…one of those days that it is exhilarating to be a veterinarian.  But among all of those exciting cases, it was a routine post-surgical re-check that stood out most in my mind. The owner of the dog I was re-checking is a young mother of two children and owner of three dogs who I have been...

Veterinary Acupuncture, Where East Meets West

Two very different trains of thought exist as explanations as to how acupuncture benefits the body. According to Chinese philosophy, the body contains two opposing forces: yin and yang. When these forces are in balance, the body and its organs are healthy. From this point of view, energy, called qi (pronounced “chi), flows like rivers along pathways, or meridians,...