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 […]
Category Archives: Diagnostic Testing
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 […]
I’ve posted a case like this in the past, but it never ceases to amaze me. This dog doesn’t look like she feels very happy, and that’s accurate. “She doesn’t feel very good. She has to go out a lot, and she’s drinking a lot of water. I think I saw some blood in her […]
We can do so many wonderful things with medicine and surgery that we begin to think we can fix anything. If we just do the right thing, make the right choices, do the right tests, perform the right treatments, we can make the patient well again. Well, doing the right thing is certainly better than […]
My tag-line that follows my signature on Veterinary Information Network is “I’m lost, but I’m making good time.” When I am putting a puzzling case up for consultation, I have already done one of two things. One is, I’ve done everything I know how to do, and I’m still stumped. The second is, I’ve reached […]
I got excited this week. I got excited because I got the opportunity to fix something that really needed fixing. You might think that happens all the time, but you don't always see such a great opportunity to handle a painful situation in such a rapid fashion. This is Dawson. When his loving owner "inherited" […]
This is Molly. A few days ago she was presented for an examination. She had been limping a little the night before and just didn't feel well. There was no lameness when she came in, but she didn't have much mojo. She didn't seem in any distress really, just no energy. She also had not […]
When a dog-owner calls and says that his dog is dribbling a little urine, you think of the usual suspects: weak bladder sphincter, bladder infection, bladder stones, neurological problems. You do NOT think of an enlarged spleen. Max (this is his post-surgery photo) is a Mastiff mix. He's about 8 years old (a guess, as […]
This is Bear. He's nibbling at the grass here. For over one year he has had frequent episodes of vomiting. Sometimes it's just a little fluid, sometimes undigested food, sometimes a little grass, or a combination of the above. He came to see us after having numerous unsatisfactory attempts at treatment. "I'm here for a […]
Here's Mollie. [Sorry the photo is a little out of focus; our timeline got way out of hand and I didn't take time to check the picture before she left.] She's a complicated case and she got me to violate one of my basic rules, to wit: I'm a doctor for the whole patient, not […]