Today I saw a dog for a behavioral consultation, a particular interest of mine. He was showing aggression towards the other dog in the house and the owner was concerned. After a lengthy visit and asking many questions, I determined that besides changing some things in the household and doing behavioral therapy, he would likely benefit from medical therapy.Whenever we're evaluating for a behavioral problem we want to rule out the possibility of an underlying medical disorder that is leading to the abnormal or unwanted behaviors. So besides doing a thorough history and physical exam it's common to do routine lab tests, even if the pet otherwise appears healthy. And when we are considering placing a pet on long-term medication we want to screen for any underlying problems...
Treating Your Own
I think one of the most difficult things for a vet to do is treat their own pet. When we're treating other people's pets we can maintain a clinical detachment and concentrate on mentally piecing together the problem. Diagnosing and treating a disease requires clear thinking and a rational mindset. When you're emotionally involved it can be difficult to think that way.A few days ago one of my dogs, Guinevere, started vomiting and acting lethargic. She was still eating so I watched her for a few days. She didn't get better but wasn't really worse. Then yesterday my wife called me and described what may have been a seizure, so I had her bring Guinevere into the office. I ran a test for pancreatitis and took some abdominal radiographs, but didn't find...
Not Apologetic
I have a client whose cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. This can be difficult to regulate in cats due to the nature of the disease in this species. In any species a newly diagnosed diabetic patient needs frequent follow-up visits and lab tests to determine the right treatment regimen. This disease is not as simple as picking a dosage of insulin and seeing them back in six months. Each patient reacts a little differently and you have to slowly tailor the dose so that the blood glucose is in the normal range. Too little and you remain diabetic; too much and you can become severely hypoglycemic. Cats are special because their glucose can jump over 100 points merely due to stress, so we have to do different tests than we would in dogs. In our practice...
Pain In The Neck?
Here's a question from another Laura about her dachshund....This past Friday, I came home from grocery shopping, put the groceries away, and went to finish cleaning. Dodger usually follows me and when he didn't I noticed. He had been in the hallway next to the maine coon cat we have. Then I heard him yelp. I came out of the bedroom and the cat was still in the same position-hadn't moved but I thought maybe Rufus swatted him again. Dodger's head was leaned down like he had done something wrong. He waddled over to me, got in my lap, and began shaking horribly. When I tried to turn him around in my lap to look at his face for any cat scratches, he yelped like I was killing him. I called the vet right away and took him right up. ...
Advice On Picking A Pet
A common complaint that many vets have is that clients don't choose their pets carefully enough. Researching a particular breed or species is something important so that a person will have a good idea of what they are getting into. Cocker spaniels are very prone to ear infections. Westies have a high likelihood of developing skin problems. Huskies shed a lot in the Summer and can be very active. Knowing these things ahead of time can prepare someone for the challenges that may lie ahead and prevent some surprises. It can be frustrating for clients to have to deal with some of these issues, and foreknowledge may change someone's choice and give them a better pet-owning experience.I recently read an article on getting organized for picking a pet and the things...
Familiar species?
This lateral radiograph is of my chest. It's a lateral view that was rotated to look like I'm a quadriped. It is eerily similar to those lateral views of cats and dogs, which vets see virtually every day. But these are mine. Chest x-rays were taken a few days ago at the ER, as I've been quite ill. I don't have pneumonia, just a severe, viral bronchitis and sinusitis, that is now more irritating than it is painful. I was actually panick-stricken that I would see a nodule on the chest rads, or pneumonia, both easily identifiable for someone with basic skills in reading films. Neither I nor the physicians saw anything abnormal. How these chest...
Mysterious Limp
We haven't had an "Ask The Vet" question for a while, so here's one I just received from Laura...I wondered if you might have some insight on what might be the problem in my little 4 yr old toy poodle. One day, out of the blue, he started carrying his left hind leg -- almost consistently. After a couple days he would use it to walk and trot, though it was evident that he was favoring the good leg while standing. And his posture is changed so that he holds the bad leg rather out and back from the good leg. Since then I have stopped walking him except to let him relieve himself. I have allowed him to roam the house though try to keep him subdued and resting most of the time. He seems to use it a bit more since then, at least the amount of carrying is greatly reduced....
Back To Work
It's been a busy couple of weeks for me. My family and I took our first week-long vacation in an incredibly long time, visiting my father and going to a science-fiction convention. This past week I flew across the country to California to take part in a task force identifying challenges, problems, and solutions in some veterinary hospitals that weren't reaching their potential. Today I got back into town and tomorrow I go back to work.I haven't been in my hospital for two weeks, and it's making me a bit anxious. I've never been gone this long, and though I have a great staff and great doctors, I'm not exactly sure what I'll be facing when I get back. One of the positive things I will face is a veterinary student. I have one that will be working with us for...
Ringworm in a shelter
While the dust has already settled somewhat on this matter, I would like to dig it up and comment on it. In early May last month, an Ontario SPCA shelter, north of Toronto, had to deal with an outbreak of dermatophytosis, or ringworm, affecting about 350 animals. The original decision to euthanize all animals in the shelter was amended to have many of these animals taken in by local clinics to have them treated (thankfully). Ringworm is a fungal disease of dogs, cats, and many other mammals, which can be transmitted to humans coming in close contact with infected animals. There are no worms in ringworm, named for a classic round lesion in people...
