Top 5 Puppy Training Mistakes

As a veterinarian, I spend a lot of time discussing puppy training. Frustrated people come to me because their puppy is having accidents or keeping them up all night. Although some problems are caused by medical conditions, many are caused by sub-optimal handling by the family. Here are the 5 most common mistakes I see …

Histiocytic Sarcoma in Bernese Mountain Dogs, Retrievers and Rottweilers

Hstiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a malignant disease found most often in Bernese Mountain dogs, retrievers and rottweilers. Males are more commonly affected than females and it can occur at any age. It is also called Histiocytic sarcoma complex, malignant histiocytosis and disseminated histocytic sarcoma. There are two forms of the disease, localized or disseminated. The …

Serotonin Syndrome in Dogs and Cats

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in the central nervous system (CNS) which includes the brain and spinal cord.  It is also in the peripheral nervous system which is basically, the rest of the body. It is synthetized from an amino acid called tryptophan. According to Dr. Sharon Gwaitney-Brant, this important neurotransmitter is involved “. . . in the …

Heat Exhaustion in Dogs and Cats

Heat exhaustion is a life-threatening condition that occurs in animals of all kinds. It is also called heat stress, heat stroke and hyperpyrexia. In the clinic, I see it most often in dogs. When dogs and cats are not able to dissipate heat, their body temperature soars well above the normal range of 100 to 102.5 degrees …

Anal Gland Disease in Cats

Most dog owners are aware of anal gland disease and the need to bring their pets into a veterinarian to have ‘their glands squeezed’. Unfortunately, this problem often goes unrecognized in cats because the cats rarely show the classic signs of licking and scooting. The cat habit of hiding their health problems means they all to …

Injection-Site Sarcomas in Cats

“Cats are not small dogs,” is a saying used in veterinary medicine to capture the uniqueness of the feline species. It helps us remember that treatments used for dogs may not be suitable for cats. One unique feature of cats is how they react to anything placed under their skin. When medications, nonabsorbable suture and microchips …

Leptospirosis in Dogs

Leptospirosis is a serious disease that affects dogs, cats, horses, swine, sheep, goats, deer, marine mammals and humans. The disease starts when leptospires, the immature form of the bacteria, enter the body and make their way into the bloodstream. They stick to the endothelial cells within the blood vessels causing severe vasculitis (inflammation). As the …

Coccidiosis in Dogs

Coccidiosis is a gastrointestinal disease in dogs caused by a parasite from the Isospora species. Dogs are infected with I. canis, I. ohioensis, I. neorivolta and I. burrowsi. Infection occurs when the animal ingests the infective form (sporulated oocyct) of this parasite in stool. It can also be contracted by eating an intermediate host for Isospora such as a …

Degenerative Myelopathy in Dogs

Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a neurologic condition that usually leads to paralysis. It is similar to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in humans. The myelin sheaths that insulate the nerves degenerate disrupting the transmission of electrical impulses to muscles. The disease  usually affects the nerves of the lower spinal cord. It starts with weakness in the rear legs that makes it …