Taming Feral Cats

    I divide feral cats into two groups;  passive-response cats and active-response cats.  Both groups are terrified of people.  During kitten hood, they missed a critical window of socialization that removes their fear of people.  As adult cats, they view humans with trepidation.  The passive-response or scaredy-cats freeze when forced to interact with us.  They avoid eye contact …

IVECCS Tip #5: Owners Self Diagnosing And Treating Their Pets During The Economic Slow Down

During IVECCS, I heard many stories from other veterinarians about owners treating their pets with human medications to save money.  Unfortunately, this happens every time the economy slows.  This practice may be harmful to the animal and result in large veterinary bills to undo the damage.  It is essential to understand that physiologically, pets are not miniature humans!  Just …

You Make The Diagnosis: Dog With Swollen Face

For aspiring veterinarians, I have created a new category called “You Make The Diagnosis”.  I will present cases for you to diagnose.  Hints will be provided on the tough ones.  Here’s the first case. Blondie is a young intact female pit bull.  She is shy around people.  Blondie loves to play out in the yard with her siblings.  …

IVECCS Tip #4: Uncommon Presentations of Arterial Thrombembolism in Cats

Arterial thromboembolism is a serious and painful disease of cats.  In the most common form, a thrombus (clot) flows from the heart, down the aorta and lodges where it divides to supply the back legs.  It straddles the “Y” like a saddle straddles a horse.  Hence the name, “saddle thrombus”.  Symptoms of this problem include lameness and/or paralysis …