Featured Articles
Vaccine Related Sarcoma in Cats
It’s just a routine. Every year you bring your cat in for vaccines and getting vaccines is a simple procedure. But if you really think about it, when your cat gets its vaccines, it is not simply ‘going in for …
Tip 88 – My dog or cat is in pain – pets in pain
When our pets act in unusual fashions, it is often because they are sick or they are in pain. Our pets cannot verbally tell us when they are in pain, so unless they are crying or communicating in a loud …
Dogs and leg amputation
What would you do without a leg? It’s hard for most humans to imagine life without a leg. It would prevent us from doing many of the activities that we love to do. Many people have trouble dealing with the amputation emotionally and physically. Leg amputation is not common in people, which is a good thing, because it is a life-altering surgery. What would you think if you were told that leg amputations in dogs are not the same as leg amputations in people? Yes, the surgery is the same, but dogs rarely have the emotional or physical problems that people have. In fact, dogs adapt very well and surprisingly quickly to life on three legs!
Leg amputation means the total removal of the leg. It may be a front or a back leg. There are a few reasons you might decide to have your dog’s leg amputated. The three most common reasons are; cancer, damage, and cost. Many leg cancers are very aggressive and can destroy bones and muscles in the leg.
Tip – 12 – Dogs on the furniture – dog sleeps with owner
Why do dogs tend to sleep on the sofa, your favourite chair or even sleep on your bed? They seem to love these places and often climb onto them repeatedly even when we repeatedly ask them to get down.
True …
Cat scans and MRIs
Sometimes it is easy for a veterinarian to figure out what is wrong with your pet by simple observation. Other times blood work is used to pick up problems with the thyroid glands, kidneys, or other organs. Often though, the veterinarian will decide to do further tests such as ultrasound and x-rays to look inside the body. These forms of testing are used very routinely for everything from broken bones to cancer. But what happens if none of these tests result in a diagnosis? The testing we just talked about is used to help us determine what is happening in the body. Sometimes all of the tests are negative or the diagnosis is not specific enough. This is when the veterinarian turns to different options.
The next option might be a CT or MRI scan. Both of these options are only available at specialty practices or veterinary schools. They are very expensive, but on the other hand, they often allow veterinarians to exactly diagnose the problem. In fact, both CT and MRI are so precise that for some problems it is almost as good as looking inside the body! The CT and MRI machines are the same as those used in human hospitals. This article will give you a short introduction to the ideas and science behind these forms of testing. Then we will go through a few situations when CT and MRI are used.
Who’s in Charge?
WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE? A lesson in becoming Alpha
by Vicki Rodenberg De Gruy…
“My dog just tried to bite me! All I did was tell him to move over so I could sit on the couch next to him.”
Tip – 38 – Dog toys – good and bad dog toys
GOOD AND BAD DOG TOYS
All dogs like to play, especially chase games but these are not necessarily the games you want them to play. Retrieving games are best, giving the dog lots of exercise, without necessarily exhausting you. Balls …
