I was a little surprised to find my last post about our animal control situation printed in the Daily Dunklin Democrat newspaper as a letter to the editor. I'm not upset, just surprised, as they didn't talk to me about it, and I didn't send it to them. Of course, anything on the internet is […]
Author Archives: Doc
You may be aware that there are some upsets and disagreements over the handling of our city’s animal control department. This is a complex issue, and I fear that it is being oversimplified in a polarizing way. When people of good will seem to be at odds, there is usually some failure to communicate. It […]
Eating non-food items is a big problem in pets. It happens so often that I am amazed at how seldom I have to do surgery to remedy the situation. Frequently the animal vomits up the item. Sometimes it passes all the way through. In September, we were all set to do surgery for an intestinal […]
What is wrong with this kitten? How did she get this classic "Roman Nose" profile? She wasn't born with it. She has an infection called Histoplasmosis, a systemic fungus. Most folks have heard of "toe-nail fungus" or "athlete's foot" or ringworm. These are fungus infections of the skin, and they don't go deep into the […]
Well, I wish I had known this a long time ago. I tried to reply to someone's question yesterday and could NOT get it to show up. Comments are moderated, which means that I get an email to approve them before they are published. If they have any general interest, I publish them, and reply […]
I don't usually put these things in the form of a post, but the comments don't seem to be working as they should on the Aural Hematoma post, so I am re-posting this lady's question, along with my answer. Hello Doc– I'm contacting you regarding my 7 year old golden retriever mix with very floppy […]
Ken writes: I adopted my dog from a shelter 2 years ago. She was estimated to be 1 year old at the time. She is a mix of Chihuahua and Terrier. She weighs approx. 11 pounds and is 12 inches tall. She tested positive for heartworms but I elected to adopt her anyway. I had […]
You may wonder what this rant has to do with veterinary medicine, but be patient. I’ll get there. “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take […]
Here's a note from Pat: I've read so much I am sick. Rescued my shih tzu mix 7 months ago. He was tested negative for heartworms by agency's vet. My vet did not retest (though he did health exam) until 6 months later, and he is positive. Vet gave me 2 options, suggesting we start […]
Dogs tend to be good-natured and stoic, and often conceal their pain. Many times we find older patients who have really painful arthritis, and the owner describes the problem, as: “Well, he’s slowing down some. Just getting old.” A short round of anti-inflammatory pain medicine sometimes reveals that he wasn’t “just getting old” – he […]