Veterinarian, Speaker & Author
In veterinary medicine, fluid therapy is given in four ways, Oral – by mouth Intravenous – through an intravenous catheter Intramedullary – within the medullary canal of bones Subcutaneous – under the skin Subcutaneous administration means fluids are injected under the skin using a needle. The fluids accumulate into a large pouch between the shoulder blades. This gives the …
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One of my favorite duties as a veterinarian is performing puppy examinations. I love to play with the puppy and feed them treats, especially during vaccinations. I try to make it a good experience to prevent a long term fear of veterinarians. Part of the exam includes a careful auscultation of the chest to listen …
Continue reading “You Make The Diagnosis: Heart Condition In Newfoundland Dogs”
Bull terriers are a fun breed, full of personality. Unfortunately, they are prone to a few skin problems. Name the most common skin conditions seen in this breed. Thankfully, this cute little puppy had healthy skin. Diagnosis: Mange caused by the demodex mite. (I see this mite causing problems in puppies from many breeds). Solar …
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Recently, I found two large black colored growths on the front legs of a dog. These growths were located right behind the carpus or wrist. They were firm to the touch and did not seem to bother the dog at all. Once and awhile, the dog would chew on the growths but they never bled. …
Continue reading “You Make The Diagnosis: Dog’s Abnormal Pad”
Certain cats are the host for an intestinal roundworm called Toxoplasma gondii. Adult worms live in the cat’s intestines and reproduce by releasing eggs into the cat’s feces. When humans are infected by inadvertently ingesting the infective oocysts (for example children sometimes put things in their mouths that they shouldn’t), the victim’s immune system springs into …
Continue reading “Cat Parasite May Help Fight Cancer In Humans”
Recently, I read a paper written by Dr. Dave McRuer outlining the unintended consequences of feeding waterfowl at parks. Good natured people who want to help the ducks and geese with a free meal are actually harming them. Supplemental feeding of waterfowl is actually killing them with kindness. Here are some of the problems associated with …
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Pictured below is a friendly cat who suffers from a skin condition that primarily affects her face, mouth and pads. It is thought to be an allergic reaction to something in the environment. Her skin becomes itchy and then she scratches her face until it literally bleeds. Study the image and the answer the following …
Continue reading “You Make The Diagnosis: Skin Condition In Cats”
With more and more battery powered gadgets in our homes, battery ingestion is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. The family comes home to find their remote control chewed into several pieces, the battery is missing. Unfortunately, batteries are very dangerous. Alkaline dry cell batteries ( 9-volts, D, C, AA, etc) and button or disc batteries …
‘Angel wings’ is a term used to describe an orthopedic abnormality in ducks and geese. Birds afflicted with this condition have a malformation of the metacarpal joint in their wings. This makes the ends stick out to the side like an ‘angel’s wings.’ Unfortunately, there is nothing angelic about this condition. Ducks and geese with …
Continue reading “Avoid Feeding Bread to Ducks and Geese to Prevent Angel Wings”
Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is an autoimmune disease seen in dogs. It occurs when the dog’s own immune system reacts to free DNA. It is commonly seen in collies hence the common name ‘collie nose’. People with a background in Latin are probably wondering why the word lupus which is Latin for ‘bite of wolf’ is included …
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