Today is a big day for my family. After the kids get out of school we're leaving for Disney World. And our children don't know it!Ten years ago my wife and I went to Disney World. I had been once when I was younger and it was only Magic Kingdom; my wife had never been and is a HUGE Disney fan. We spent the better part of a week going through the various parks and enjoying things with just the two of us. We had a great time, and it was nice to have that experience prior to kids. Well....sort of... She was actually three months pregnant with our son, something we didn't expect when we had made the plans. For the whole trip she fought morning sickness, always craved pizza, and couldn't go on most of the rides. It was still great, but it could have...
Tapeworm Blues
One of the common problems we see in dogs and cats is tapeworms. This is also one of the more commonly misdiagnosed problems by clients. I've heard clients think of them as roundworms, pinworms, and many other parasites, as well as simply not knowing what they are. So I thought it was worthwhile to give a quick lesson.The species of tapeworms we see in pets generally come from one of two sources: fleas and rodents. Fleas the most common source, and it's common to see a pet with a flea infestation also be infected with hookworms. Cats who are "mousers" are commonly infected with a different species of worm. ...
Puppy Hunting
Losing our dog, Guinevere, was very hard for my wife. My wife really wants another dog to bond with and relate to in a special way. Our other dog, Inara, is sweet and loving, but is more bonded with me and our kids than to her. So over the last month we've been talking about getting a new puppy, and today we went to visit a breeder.I tell my clients to look at shelters for dogs who need homes. But if they want a pure breed (which I don't have a problem with) skip the pet stores and look for a reputable and good quality breeder. Visit the breeder before confirming a purchase and get to meet the puppies and at least...
Inhaled A Battery
A reader sent in this question.I have a dog that has a hearing aid battery stuck in his trachea and I have an xray to prove it. The vet we took him to didn't know what to do to help him. We have to call around to find a vet that has a endoscopy. Do you have any suggestions of things we might do to help him before we find a vet that can help us. Deborah, this is a potentially serious situation. It would be nice to know where exactly in the trachea the battery is located, and whether it is fully lodged there. If it moves further down into the lungs it could lodge in a very small airway and need risky, complicated, and specialized surgery on his lungs to remove it. Most areas now have specialists with endoscopes, and your vet should know of one. Many emergency...
Wanted: Large Animal Vets
I've mentioned before how here in the US there are fewer and fewer large animal veterinarians in practice. It's becoming a real crisis in some areas, with farmers and other rural people not having easy access to a veterinarian. Personally I believe that this is due to a shift in the demographics of veterinary students reflecting a shift in our general population demographics. There are fewer people growing up in rural settings and a greatly increasing number growing up in suburban or urban areas. It has reached the point where the US Congress is stepping in to address the issue.Last week the Veterinary Services Investment Act cleared the House of Representatives. The act establishes a grant program through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to encourage people...
Do-It-Yourself...
Before I was born my father was a mechanic and continued to like to work on cars through my childhood. He would do basic repairs to our cars himself, only taking it to the shop when it was too big for him or he needed a lift. When I was young he tried to teach me a fix-it principle. "Learn how to do it yourself of make enough money to pay someone else to do it." Probably to his disappointment I didn't like to work on cars, so I tried to opt for the latter.This year our minivan has had a number of big problems: air conditioning broken, alternator gone bad, starter coil malfunctioning, etc. All of these have lead to a couple of thousand dollars in repairs, which has hit our budget pretty hard. My own Lumina has been having a number of problems and is...
Is He Really Sick?
My practice performs blood tests before every surgery, even routine ones like spays, neuters, and dental cleanings. Our surgery packages include these tests in the pricing, and it's not an option that our clients can decline. Why? Because we feel it's important to the safety of the pet and many clients would decline because of perceived lack of funds. Just because a pet looks healthy externally doesn't mean that they really are healthy. Here's a case in point.Today we had a puppy come in for a routine neuter. We had seen him for his vaccines and hadn't found any problems on routine exams and the owners hadn't reported any serious concerns that couldn't be attributed to normal puppy behaviors. As normal, we performed blood tests and were quite surprised at...
Baby Squirrel Blues
Because I see a lot of exotic pets I often get some strange cases referred to me. Today I had someone who does wildlife rehabilitation bring in a baby squirrel that wasn't weaned. It had fallen out of a tree a week ago and her dogs had brought some of the babies to her. One of them had suffered a wound to its head and she was worried, so I got to see him.Unfortunately, the wound was pretty bad, with skin missing on the top of his head and showing no signs of growing back together. His left eye was also injured and didn't appear to have normal function. Situations like this can be difficult for many reasons. First, because it's a wild animal, you can't easily keep them in captivity even when raised from a baby like this. Thankfully the person was experienced...
Hidden Testicles
There is a medical condition called cryptorchidism where one or both testicles do not descend into the scrotum. In a fetus the testicles develop near the kidneys and during and shortly after pregnancy they move through the abdomen, through the groin, under the skin, and down into the scrotum. At any point along that journey a testicle can stop moving and remain where it is. This can be a problem since a testicle is not designed to stay in the abdomen, and the increased body temperature can predispose it to become cancerous over time. Why? Testicles in mammals are actually designed to function best at a little less than body temperature, which is why they are normally housed outside of the core of the body.By a few weeks old both testicles should be noticeable...
More on allergies in dogs and cats
So sorry folks for not posting in a while. Was in Paris three weeks ago, and climbing in a beautiful provincial park last week - almost froze (see above). Here in Toronto, Ontario, and the surroundings, dogs and cats have literally erupted with seasonal allergy symptoms over the last few weeks, while many others started scratching in the spring or summer. Some are mild but most are quite severe. These dogs and cats are being presented with severe itchiness involving the face, the ears, and most frequently the paws. Itchiness can essentially involve any part the pet's body. Neuroses (obsessive compulsive disorders) very rarely cause these symptoms....
When They Do What They're Supposed To
Today I had an extremely proud moment as a father. Kids don't always do what they should, but today my son did in a great way, and I think he got a great lesson in doing the right thing.We had a family day together, and as part of it we went to a very large used book store we like to visit. This store has books of all kinds, as well as DVDs, CDs, and video games. We were trading in some of our own things we no longer wanted, and planned to use the store credit we earned to each buy a few things. As my son was looking around, he noticed some money on the ground. From what he told us later, he saw the "1" and thought it was a $1 bill until he picked it up and discovered that it was a $100 bill. Now here's the pretty remarkable part. He's nine years old,...
In Memoriam
I now have my computer back and running normally. Now that I'm getting back on the internet and blogging again, I wanted to start with an event that happened two days before losing my hard drive.Guinevere was always a special dog, and the best dog I've had. She was sweet to everyone she met and had a joy about her that was immediately evident. She wasn't a typically hyperactive lab, and was instead content to lay at the foot of the bed or crowd next to you on the couch. She was gentle to and accepting of every pet we brought in after her, welcoming them with her quiet curiosity. And at only five and a half years old, we...
