There's often something that pet owners don't consider when they get a pet, especially if they have multiple pets. Cleaning! Pets can be loving, fun, interesting companions, but they can't pick up after themselves. Which means that we the owners get to do that. And yes, I had a big day of doing that today, which is why this came to mind.Today I had to clean a betta tank, remove and replace bedding in a rat tank, clean the cats' litter box, and clean out the bearded dragon tank. Doing all of that took me the better part of an hour, and wasn't the most pleasant work. However, in the mini-zoo we have in our house it's a necessity and one you can only put off for so long before conditions get unhealthy.I'm not sure many people consider this less-than-pleasant...
No More Declaws
One of my earliest posts on this blog was on the pros and cons of declawing, posted back in November 2008. At the time I had a good discussion, partially by email, with one of my UK readers on the good and bad of it. At that time, I didn't like the procedure but was willing to do it. Well, I have to say that since then my opinion has changed.It's interesting how you can think about things differently as you get older and have different experiences. When I first graduated from vet school I had no problems with declaws, seeing it as a routine procedure and not harmful to cats. I even had my own cat declawed before I started vet school. As I practiced and performed this surgery, I started to realize that it was uncomfortable and had a higher risk of complications...
WILD AFRICAN DOGS
There are lots of different names for these dogs, and here are some of them: African Wild Dog, African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, Painted Wolf, Painted Hunting Dog, Spotted Dog, and Ornate Wolf. And those are just the names in English! The scientific name is Lycaon pictus, and it comes from the Greek word for "wolf" and the Latin word for "painted."
The Wild African Dog is a canid, just like wolves and foxes and basenjis and golden retrievers are, but it is the only canid that's still left of the Lycaon genus. That genus decided to branch off from the doggy family tree about 3 million years ago...
Career Choices Know No Borders
Let's close out the week with another international reader...My name is Aina Kamaruzaman and I'm a veterinary student of the newly vet school in Malaysia (the 2nd vet school apparently) and are moving to third year this september. I've been following your blog and I read your post about foreign graduates. I have no intention to work overseas rather than study (because I want to serve Malaysia due to the shortage of vets here) and I have few questions for you since you are the senior vet and probably can understand a typical vet student like me. 1) We are the smallest vet faculty in Malaysia (established in 2008) and we are the pioneer batch for the faculty. How to get ourself in the same level as other vet students in the more established universities because some people (even in Msia)...
Hope For The Fainters
Y'know, if I had known that I'd get so many questions from outside of the US this week, I'd have put it up as a theme week! Here's a question from Lauren in the UK, with a situation that is applicable regardless of your country of origin.Sir, I am a 16 year old student based in the UK. The thing is, I have a passion to become a vet and have spent 7 months volunteering at a small animal practice. I find the surgery to be extremely interesting, and quite frankly, I love it! Only on one occasion I did actually faint, and I'm now worried that it will be of a regularity. I am just seeking your honesty, and wondering if you have any experience or advice for this? I have a fear of this holding me back from my dream! Kindest regards, LaurenWhen I read this I knew that I had to answer...
OFFICIAL STATE DOGS AND CATS
You probably know that states have a lot of official stuff, such as state flowers and state birds and state mottos. But did you know that some states have official animals and fish and insects? There are a few that even have state dogs and state cats, but not enough of them do, if you want my opinion.
For example, I'm sad to say that the state of Missouri, where I live, does not have an official dog or cat, but it does have a state animal, which is the Missouri mule. And Kansas, which is right next door to us, has the American bison, but it doesn't have a state dog or cat either.
Texas, which is where I was born, has a state...
Getting A Start...Foreign Graduates
For some reason I keep getting questions from vets outside of the US about getting licensed or work in the US. I answer them as best as I can, but I'm not a policy or licensing expert. Still, here's a question from Mehmet that I actually know!I am a foreign veterinary graduate who is dreaming about being a licensed veterinary medicine in US. I will follow the steps of ECFVG but i am curious about if i can work as a veterinary technician before taking the practice exam or is there any way to improve my clinical skills in US before taking the practice exam.It's actually very common for foreign (non-US to me) veterinarians to work as technicians prior to licensing. In fact, I've known a few vets who practiced outside of America, moved here and stayed working as techs because of...
Outnumbered...A Vet's Home
A few days ago my wife came to a rather interesting revelation about our household and family. The pets outnumber the people by a ratio of almost 3-to-1. Here's how it breaks down:4 People3 Goldfish1 Betta fish1 Bearded Dragon1 Rat (new addition, more on this soon)3 Cats2 DogsThat makes 11 pets total if you count the fish individually. A lot of pets for two kids and two adults! Yet that's par for the course for a veterinarian. We work with pets who are often orphaned, abandoned, or sick, and most of us like a wide range of pet species. Most vets have hard-luck cases that they've taken into their own homes. One of my own cats was found in a dumpster behind a pet store. Vets also can care for difficult medical situations or simply afford more pets than...
Sometimes It IS Just A Coincidence
My associate recently had a sudden and tragic thing happen with one of her patients. The dog was a geriatric basset hound that I had also seen previously, and had even done surgery to remove several large skin tumors. This time she was seen for a routine checkup and vaccines. I briefly looked at her because the owner wanted some smaller skin masses removed and wanted me to do it in the near future. My associate is a very good, experienced doctor who has been practicing a few years longer than I have and has done a good bit of emergency work. The dog appeared in good condition with no obvious serious problems, and walked out of the clinic with her tail wagging and in good spirits.About eight hours later the owner rushed her to the emergency clinic, where she presented...
It Happens To Us Too
One of the goals I had when I started this blog almost three years ago was to show the human side of a veterinarian's life. I'm happy to discuss pet-related medical issues, but I also want to show what it's like to be an average veterinarian. Today is one of those days. Problems that happen to other people happen to us too, because we're also "other people" to someone. My wife had picked up our kids, some nieces and nephews, and a neighborhood girl from vacation Bible school. She was dropping one of them off, backed out of the driveway, and suddenly the minivan wouldn't go into reverse. That was worrisome, but she tried to turn around and get to the street through the yard in forward. She managed to go a few dozen feet when it wouldn't move anymore. ...
Egg-citing Cases
Much of the workload for a veterinarian is pretty routine. We see numerous cases of vaccines each day, do spays, neuters, and dental cleanings almost daily, and even see the same kinds of medical cases over and over. I can't tell you how many skin problems and ear infections I see every single day this time of year! To the clients it's a big issue, but to us it's just another day at the office. Even the species and breeds can become routine and rather boring.But every once in a while you get something different. And because I'm willing to see most species of pets, I tend to get some more exciting cases. It's especially fun for my staff, as they get to see things with me that they haven't seen with most of the other vets around them. For example, I...
Getting Rid Of Ticks
It's warm weather, and so we're seeing an upswing in parasites. Most of the ones we see are fleas and ticks. I've talked many times about flea control but haven't really discussed ticks. So let's do so!Honestly, they freak me out a bit. Yes, that's strange coming from a vet, but they really do creep me out! I can't bring myself to touch them and always have to use instruments to remove them. Put me with a hissing cat or snapping dog and I'm okay, but don't make me touch a tick.But in all seriousness ticks are pretty nasty critters and can carry some bad diseases. The most common ones I worry about are Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Each of these can cause serious illness and even long-term effects and have relatively...
DOKTER HEWAN FLU BURUNG TIDAK DIPERHATIKAN KESELAMATAN HIDUPNYA
InfovetDOKTER HEWAN FLU BURUNG TIDAK DIPERHATIKAN KESELAMATAN HIDUPNYAPelaksanaan pemusnahan unggas di DKI Jakarta melibatkan banyak masyarakat tak terkecuali dokter hewan. Bahkan dokter hewan adalah pelaksana penentu karena merekalah yang dulu pada pemeriksaan titer antibodi virus Avian Influenza pada unggas, sebelum diputuskan untuk dimusnahkan.Masih jelas dalam ingatan pemeriksaan dan pemusnahan ayam dan burung tahun 2005. Tahun 2007 ini, mereka pun dilibatkan lagi. Namun keikutsertaan dokter hewan menjadi terhambat karena pengalaman buruk di lapangan mereka tidak dibekali peralatan, peralatan kesehatan, obat-obatan makanan yang cukup untuk keselamatan kerja sekaligus kesehatan saat masuk kampung penduduk dan kandang ternak ayam di sektor 4 (pemeliharaan ayam di pemukiman)!Peralatan, sarung...
Talking About Allergies
Very rarely will I ever rant about my colleagues, but I feel that I have to get on a little soapbox today. Bear with me as I get it out of my system.Today I saw a 9 year-old Weimaraner with chronic skin and ear infections. This dog had been affected most of its life, and the owner had always taken it to the vet. The vets had treated the problems with appropriate medications, but then the problem would return. Now to me this is a prime suspicion for allergy problems. But apparently in all these years no doctor had ever even mentioned the possibility of allergies to the client. Just an hour or two later I saw a golden retriever with chronic foot irritation. This dog's previous vets had done various alllergy treatment, but apparently had never talked...
