Veterinarian, Speaker & Author
Valley Fever is a fungal disease caused by the organism Coccidioides immitis. This organism lives in the dry alkaline soil which is found in the Sonoran desert areas of the southwestern U.S. It is also found in Central America and the Middle East. When the soil is disturbed from building, gardening or strong winds, spores are released into the air. The …
Continue reading “Clinical Signs of Valley Fever in Animals”
Bite wounds in dogs remind me of icebergs because the damage beneath the skin if often much worse than the surface damage. During a bite, the teeth are inserted below the dermis (skin), then two things can happen. First, the teeth can sink deep into the underlying tissue causing damage and injecting bacteria from the mouth. …
In Part 1 of the series, “Making Veterinary Visits Less Stressful For Cats”, we discussed how to acclimate cats to a carrier. Part 2 covered what to do and not to do during the visit to the veterinary hospital. The final blog on this topic will discuss what to do once the cat is home. …
Continue reading “Making Veterinary Visits Less Stressful For Cats, Part 3 Returning Home”
Many cats hate going to the veterinary hospital. Some express their angst by urinating or defecating. Others hyperventilate due to stress. Still others, turn into attack cats who draw blood from the veterinary staff. Here are my suggestions for making the veterinary visit less stressful for the cat and more pleasant for their human families. Prepare the carrier: Place a …
Continue reading “Making Veterinary Visits Less Stressful For Cats, Part 2 The Veterinary Visit”
Bringing cats in for veterinary care is stressful for the cats as well as the humans. Some cats freak out when they see the carrier. Others get sick in the car. Still others do well until they see the vet. I am starting a series on how to make veterinary visits less stressful for cats …
Continue reading “Making Veterinary Visits Less Stressful For Cats. Part 1 The Carrier”
My neighbors have the good fortune of having a hummingbird nest in their courtyard. The hen picked a great spot as the courtyard has a gate to keep wildlife out and it is also surrounded by the home. After she picked the inner branch of a tree, she got right to work constructing a nest. …
For years now, I have been warning people about problems with jerky treats. Chicken, sweet potato and duck jerky treats have sickened over 5,600 dogs and 24 cats. Over 1,000 dog deaths have been linked to these jerky treats. Now, 3 humans have been sickened as well. Since most of the toxic jerky treats came …
Chagas disease has spread from Mexico to Texas. This disease is caused by that parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, that is transmitted by kissing bugs. The parasite causes severe heart problems that can be fatal in humans and animals. The typical history is that an animal is behaving normally, then suddenly drops dead. Here’s how the disease is …
The University of Pennsylvania, College of Veterinary Medicine has joined the fight against breast cancer in women as well as dogs. Lead by Dr. Karin Sorenmo, a veterinary oncologist and Dr. Olga Troyanskaya, a bioinformatics professor at Pinceton, the team studies how breast cancer develops at the molecular level. The program accepts shelter dogs with …
Continue reading “Helping Humans and Dogs with Breast Cancer”
Pictured below is a close up of an abnormal patch of skin on a dog’s elbow. As you can see, the skin is rough, thickened and pigmented which means dark in color. The lesion started small and slowly developed into what is pictured below. This dog has these lesions on both elbows. What is it? Diagnosis: …
Continue reading “You Make The Diganosis: Thickened Skin Over Dog’s Elbow”