More good news....

This job is never dull. Last week I saw a wonderful, friendly standard poodle. He was 1.5 years old and had (sorry to gross you out) diarrhea for over a week that would not resolve with symptomatic treatment. Dogs very frequently eat or drink something they're not used to and develop a dietary indiscretion, or "garbage'gut." They develop diarrhea and some vomit, but this usually resolves with symptomatic therapy. Not this dog.... Finally, I did a rectal exam on him. Put a finger in his bum and "holy s--t!" he's got a huge mass growing in his bum that felt like it was very firmly attached to his pelvis. This guy is way too young for cancer,...

Read more »

Fatty tumor...

A very big, wonderful, friendly, black lab had a very large mass involving the dog's entire left forearm. It was painless and did not cause a limp. This dog's tail never ceased from wagging. The dog was seen by a veterinary oncologist who had recommended a biopsy of this mass. That's when they came to see me. I followed the internist's recommendations and when I went to biopsy the mass, a very large amt of fat popped out of the incision (kinda gross but really interesting as there is typically no fat in this area!). Continued dissection in between the muscles of the forearm allowed me to remove a large, single fatty mass, likely what's...

Read more »

Vart

I've combined the words 'art' and 'vet' which make up the word 'vart.' I will devote this entry to selfishly post some of my artwork. I am passionate about playing with myse... err, I mean art as much as I am passionate about veterinary medicine. Enjoy the vartwork. I'll be posting more in the future whose subject is other than fru...

Read more »

Back in TO

An eleven-hour day Monday after a week off was, er, umm, difficult to say the least. Though, it was enjoyable. Neutered a large dog (with large nuts) and had a routine dentistry to do as well. Dogs and cats need to be under general anesthesia in order to properly scale and polish their teeth, and also to determine the extent, if any, of periodontal disease. Just like a dentist would perform on a person, so would we probe our patients' mouths, take intra-oral radiographs (x-rays), extract teeth, and even do root canals, called endodontics (endo-, for inside the tooth). I, personally, don't do root canals but our local referral practice can...

Read more »

Feeling sick in Scottsdale

I feel like I was hit by a milk truck. Or maybe one of the billions of SUVs (see previous entry and accompanying photo) in Scottsdale. I attended a (way-too-difficult-for-me) Yoga class the night before last. Sore yesterday. Sore today. Of course, still worth it.Nothing veterinary-related to discuss today as I just don't have the strength to do so.Photo showing the smallest car I've seen in Arizo...

Read more »

Thinking too much....

I'm trying to sit still and relax but a combination of genetics and good coffee precludes any capacity for me to do so.There was a case of a cat with fatty liver disease that I saw a good four months ago or so. Fatty liver disease is a feline disease (more often obese cats that have rapidly lost weight) in which the liver essentially becomes 'pate de foie gras.' It may or may not be associated with a primary disease such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, etc. The cure: calories - the cat must be fed. Often harder in practice. The cat was clinically ok besides being the same colour as Tony the Tiger. I thought for sure I'd cure...

Read more »