Cindi sent this to me...This is a crystal question. Cindy has a puppy, Hottie, but we're now calling her Hot Pants. We believe that HP is suffering from bladder crystals of some sort. All of the tests that her vet has done have shown nothing.Are there any home remedies that we can try to help this little girl?This is only one lab result, there are many more, but all with the same negative conclusion.Anti-biotics helped when administered, but when stopped, the symptoms returned.Let's start at the beginning and look at the cause of urinary problems and how we diagnose them. The first symptoms that are reported are normally an increase in drinking and/or urinating, straining to urinate, or abnormal appearance of urine. The first test we run is a basic urinalysis. ...
Broken Chip?
Post 501. Let's keep going!Here's a question from Esther...I found your microchip blog posts and have a question for you:Have you ever had seen or heard of a case of a chip (AVID) breaking up into two parts and one part migrating?I just found a tiny lump on my cat halfway doen his back (about 5 inches from the original implant between his soulderblades, which is still detectable) and it feels just like a microchip! I took the cat to the vet and she agreed that it felt like a chip. Also, both sites scanned and displayed his AVID#!(NOT two different numbers, so it does not appear to be a chip that might have been implanted into my cat before I found him, when he was an unneutered, hungry stray.) Now, I suppose the scanner could have picked up the chip located 5" away from the site...
500!!!
Today is the 500th post I've made on this blog! For me, that's quite a milestone, as when I started blogging in September of 2008 I really didn't know where it would go or how long I'd be able to keep it up. Truthfully, I worried that I would eventually run out of things to blog about. Yet here I still am!So where have we gone during that time? Lots of placed I never thought it would. I've been interviewed for different web sites, have gotten to do live webshows, and have even made a little money here and there. What is more interesting to me is that I've developed an international readership and this site has been viewed on every continent except Antarctica. Here are a few other interesting tidbits about this blog.* For some reason, the most...
A Worthy Adventure, Over
Sometimes you never know what life will bring you. A couple of months ago I started doing online veterinary web shows with GabCast.TV, a new site that was working on doing live, interactive shows from experts as well as anyone who wanted to do their own show. The pedigree behind the site was impressive, with major Emmy award-winning television executives and some big-name supporters. As part of the promotion for the site they even had Jimmy Kimmel Tweeting about it. The site started off on a trial basis until they could get long-term financial support. It all seemed really good and promising.Unfortunately things don't always work out as they are planned. I received notice today that GabCast hasn't been able to find permanent funding and won't be able to support...
Coughing Kitty...Or Is It?
I received this email from Dan:I came across your blog while looking up a possible diagnosis for my cat. He's a big-un, at 20 lbs, and he seriously flipped out when we took him to the vet for his peculiar cough. I've filmed a video of it and uploaded it to YouTubeAny idea what this could be? He's eating fine and going to the bathroom, has plenty of energy. Normally when he coughs like this it's six or seven times in rapid succession, and we caught him at the tail end of it here. Any help you can provide would be welcomed. We are poor (my wife hasn't been able to find a job for a year) and really can't afford to take him to the vet again.Thanks if you can give any assistance.Thanks for sending the video, Dan. Being able to see something like this is invaluable for a vet since...
Not Just A Vet
I think that when many people see their doctor, veterinarian, or other professional, they can easily forget that being in such a career doesn't completely define a person. To me being a vet is what I do, not who I am. I have a great job and am good at it, but it's what I do to allow me to spend time with my family and in other pursuits. I consider myself "Chris" first and "Dr. Bern" second.However, it can be difficult for many vets to realize this themselves. I've struggled with work-life balance for years, and now after 14 years in practice I think I'm starting to get a small handle on the issue. My associate doesn't seem to have mastered this yet, and she's been practicing longer than I have. I'm struggling with her being willing to take time off, take...
Reluctant To Tell The Hard Truths
One of my idols is Dr. Gregory House from the long-running TV show "House". Though he is quite a jerk, unfeeling, and conceited, he can say things that nobody else can, and is usually right. In the real world he would have likely been fired long ago despite his brillance, so you're not likely to find many people like him. But I really wish I could be as blunt with my clients as he is with his.Many to most veterinarians are very non-confrontational, introverted people (myself included). It takes a lot for us to reall sit down and say the hard things to people, even if they need saying. When I was a new vet, I was more likely to be direct. Then I started realizing that I actually needed to improve my diplomacy and communication skills, and learned how to be...
A Hair Chewer
Here's a question from Becca....In the past few months my cat has been eating my hair while I sleep. I tried just telling him no and batting him on the head but when I fall back asleep he starts at it again. I tried kicking him out of the room but he spends the entire night crying and throwing himself against our door and I do enjoy our snuggle time. I am starting to lose my mind from lack of sleep. Do you know what could be causing this or how I can get him to stop?Well, this is a bit of a strange case, and I can't think of hearing about a problem like this before. But I'll see what I can do to help.First, have you changed shampoos recently, especially just prior to this starting? There might be a possibility that with the various plants and fruits used in certain shampoos that he is finding...
Playing With Poo. Really?!?!
Some things I just don't get. I just saw a commercial for a new kids' game, "Doggie Doo". Apparently in this game you feed the toy dog a Play-Doh-like substance, and have to collect it when it comes out the other end as poop. No, seriously! Here's a picture...First, what kid would want this game? "Ooh, ooh, mommy, mommy! I REALLY just HAVE to have this game where I get to pick up DOGGIE POO!" And second, what parent in their right mind would want their kid to have it? "Here, Johnny, it's a game all about picking up Play-Doh poop!" What kind of "fun" would this be, and what kind of lessons would it teach?Obviously...
A Licking Problem
When I first posted about things stuck in a dog's throat back in March, 2009, I never knew that particular topic would be so popular. Even over two years later I'm getting comments on it and questions from it. Here's the latest one, sent in from Frankie.Thumbelina the pit bull loves to eat grass. Occasionally, she will eat some grass, and it will either 'get stuck', or something that was in the grass will get stuck in there, and she will go insane trying to eat anything on the ground, trying to push it down. She snatches sticks, rocks, twigs, in a frantic effort to remove the feeling of something being stuck in her throat (and I know it's probably a blade of grass that's tickling her in there and feeling bad). And she licks and flicks her tongue incessantly in a weird way and gulps (flick...
Looks Prevail Over Health
Anyone in veterinary practice knows "those" clients. Okay, there are many types of "those", so let me be a little more detailed. The clients who care more about their pet's appearance than they do their health. Such clients usually manifest in one of two ways.First are the clients who would rather get them groomed than do any basic preventative care. I know I've ranted about this before, but now is the time for a good reminder. We offer heartworm testing and prevention and they say "Oh, I can't afford that right now." Then as soon as they leave the clinic they end up at the grooming salon spending $60+ on a professional trim for their dog. Forget the fact that the dog only has a rabies vaccine and they aren't using any other preventative care. ...
Xylitol Is Safe??? Yep, It Can Be.
Last month I talked about dental disease and had this comment on that post.Have you heard of this product: http://www.virbacvet.com/Products/DentalHealth/RinsesandFoams/C.E.T.AQUADENTDRINKINGWATERADDITIVE.aspxIt contains xylitol, which I've read from several reputable sources as very dangerous for pets.. But I also know it's a good dental disease preventative.. Huh?Being a bit surprised by this, I decided to look into it. For those who aren't aware, xylitol is an artificial sweetener used mainly in sugar-free gum. It has the potential of being very toxic to dogs and can lead to sudden hypoglycemia and seizures. I first posted about it back in 2009. Knowing the toxicity potential but not being aware of its use in dental products, I contacted Virbac (the manufacturer of...
Foreign Veterinary Licensing
Most people don't realize it, but becoming licensed as a doctor in a foreign country isn't as simple as showing your diploma. I'll speak specifically about veterinary medicine in the US, but I'm sure the principles are applicable to most licensing. The reason for this topic? An email I received over a week ago from Trisha:I just read your response to the following question on your blog (from April 13, 2009). My husband is ACVIM board certified in internal medicine. He did a residency in Ames, Iowa after receiving his veterinarian degree in France. From what I understand, even though he's board certified, he would still have to go through the ECFVG program in order to work in the U.S. Is this information correct? Can you provide any information of a way he might be able work in the...
"It's okay..."
"It's okay" is a phrase I hear all the time in the waiting and consultation rooms. It is a phrase that should never, ever, be uttered to a dog. Our reaction to our dogs' fears and anxieties, however, is entirely understandable. We immediately want to extricate the fear reaction by telling our dogs that "everything is okay." But it's not. You are simply rewarding a dog for negative or unwanted behaviour, invariably telling the dog that it's okay to be fearful of loud noises, to be fearful at the vet, fearful of a stranger, to growl or bite the vet, to walk across the street, to bite the hand that feeds him. You are reinforcing a negative...
"Pets" Is A Four Letter Word
Some headlines just grab you. Last week I saw one in my daily veterinary email list: "Calling animals 'pets' is insulting, academics claim". HUH? So of course I followed the link to the article (check it out here).Apparently there is a new publication, the Journal of Animal Ethics, that discussed the "proper" terminology for animals. They came up with some surprising answers!“Despite its prevalence, ‘pets’ is surely a derogatory term both of the animals concerned and their human carers,” the editorial claims. “Again the word ‘owners’, whilst technically correct in law, harks back to a previous age when animals were regarded as just that: property, machines or things to use without moral constraint.” It goes on: “We invite authors to use the words ‘free-living’, ‘free-ranging’ or ‘free-roaming’...
Too Late To Necropsy
Gary sent this email....Hi, My dog died in late febuary and I'm sure it was from a type of ratpoison due to symptoms found online and I have had the dog refridgerateduntil today when I put him into a deep freezer due to warmingtemperatures. I was wondering if a liver and blood tests for warfarin orthe other rodenticide bromadiolone would be detected after tissues werefrozen. This poisoning was as I'm almost %100 sure was done by mylandlord. I did not have the funds to have the necropsy done, and won'tuntill a few months away from now.Due to the remoteness of my residenceand lack of any other homes in area and prior verbal threats made bylandlord and other proof, i highly suspect intentional poisoning. I hadread your blog and you offered to answer questions, so Can a necropsy bedone...
