Veterinarian, Speaker & Author
As many of you know, I am the author of the Coated With Fur series of books. They recount stories from my days as a young veterinarian owning the Minnesota Veterinary Center. The first book, Coated With Fur: A Vet’s Life, covers the first year of the practice. Readers meet Ivan, the timid doberman, a wonderful gerbil …
Continue reading “Update on Coated With Fur: A Veterinarian’s Heart”
Aggression in cats toward people is a serious problem. Beside the pain, a cat’s teeth and claws may harbor organisms that cause serious disease. Scratches may causes cat scratch fever, a condition caused by the organism Bartonella henselae. Cats also often have several bacteria in their mouths including Staphylococcus sp, Streptococcus sp., Moraxella and Pasturella multocida that can …
On December 30, China announced that ivory sales would be banned by the end of 2017. As the largest consumer of ivory, this news is welcomed by wildlife advocates who believe it will put poachers out of business. The ban will start with the shuttering of legal ivory processing factories by March 31st. The Chinese …
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We all know that smoking tobacco products is harmful to the smoker as well as their family who are exposed through second and thirdhand smoke. But what about the pets? Unfortunately, the pets are effected as well when they breathe in the toxic fumes or ingest the residue left behind in the environment. When burned, …
Christmas decorations can cause problems for pets. While most people know about the common holiday dangers including tinsel, candles, electric cords and ornaments, few people know about a potential danger hiding at the base of the tree – Christmas tree water. The big problem from Christmas tree water is bacterial overgrowth in the stagnant water. In warm …
Salt is widely used in food to prevent spoiling and to provide taste. In small quantities, it is not harmful to humans or animals. But consuming large amounts can be deadly. Dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs and birds can become poisoned. When large amounts of salt are ingested, the salt is absorbed into the bloodstream. …
Continue reading “Salt Toxicity in Animals- Surprising Sources of Poisoning”
Winter holidays are fun but can present dangers for pets. Here are some of the common hazards for dogs and cats: Chocolate – Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine which are toxic to animals. This fact surprises a lot of people because humans are fairly resistant to this class of drugs. We can drink a lot of …
Yesterday, I received a Veterinary Alert from the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association regarding an outbreak of Leptospirosis in dogs in Maricopa County, Arizona. In addition to the outbreak that occurred last February, there has been a second one associated with a boarding facility. The infected dogs showed a diverse array of clinical sings from conjunctivitis …
Continue reading “Increased Numbers of Animals with Leptospirosis in Arizona”
The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sangineus) came to the United States from Europe. Both the nymphs and adults are brown in color with 8 legs. They prefer to feed on dogs but will use other animals or people when dogs aren’t available. The larvae only have 6 legs but their small size makes it hard …
Vasculitis is thankfully, a fairly rare condition in dogs caused by Inflammation within the blood vessels. The inflammation stops blood flow to the area causing the tissues in that area to die. Areas that are most severely affected have poor collateral perfusion such as the ears and tip of the tail. It is also reported …