Bark, Bake & Beyond

As you’ve read about in some of my other cool cases, Emergency Veterinary work is never boring. Today let’s tackle a case that was a real doozy. I met Buddy (name changed for privacy) and his multiple humans after hours on a hot summer day……. I was finally home after finishing another crazy day at the Animal Hospital. Most days were crazy busy, but the summer months are especially busy. My days are a minimum of 11 hours from the time I step into the clinic to the time I walk out the door. That doesn’t take into account the work done after hours at home (ordering, accounting, research, etc). That day was about to become a VERY long and interesting day. Buddy’s owner called me on the emergency line not long after I arrived at home. She stated that he had been outside a few hours ago running around the many acres on their property. When she went outside she found a blood trail and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from until she followed it to him. He was lying in a pool of b...

Today’s Cool Case is one that I will never forget. Emergency work is never boring. And when you pair emergency work at the clinic with the stresses of everyday life as a human, things get interesting. Let’s set the stage for this particular Saturday in February in the northern Midwest. As a solo practitioner, I was on call every evening, and also every weekend, and most holidays for my clients. I knew how important my availability was to animals in need. However, this February day was honestly one where I hoped the phone didn’t ring….. Saturday morning dawned bright and early and COLD. This day in February was supposed to be 10 below zero - 20 below zero if you factored in the wind chill. My young daughter had been sick for days, but that day she had spiked a 104 degree fever. And, my husband, the practice manager, who helped me in an assistant role for many emergencies, was not going to be around that evening. He was volunteering in town for a cross country ski/snowshoe event on o...

So many disease processes are shared in animals and humans. Many of my clients are surprised to find this out! Today, let’s talk about another one of these diseases……Hypothyroidism. We’ll briefly talk about the anatomy and job of the Thyroid gland, what Hypothyroidism is, what symptoms to watch for, and what can be done to help your pet if they are diagnosed with this condition. Your Thyroid gland is one of the most important organs in your body. Its jobs consist of aiding in metabolism, heart rate, growth rate, and helps maintain your muscles and bones. It can also affect your digestion, skin and hair! These same functions are true for the dog and cat Thyroid gland. This gland lives in the front of your neck, near your trachea and esophagus. In dogs, when the Thyroid gland is not working properly, it is usually UNDER producing Thyroid hormone. That’s what we’ll cover in today’s post. In cats, the opposite is true. When the Thyroid glad is not working correctly, it is usually OVE...

Today’s topic is both super gross and really cool at the same time! Creepy crawly critters that live in our pet’s ears………………Ear Mites! Let’s talk about what they look like, what age of animal we typically find them in, and how we treat them. When a pet owner brings in a new pet to see me, I always do a complete physical examination. Part of this examination is a thorough check of the pet’s ears. Are they perfectly clean? Is there any debris? If there is debris, what color is it? Are the pet’s ears super itchy? Is one ear more affected than the other, or are they equally affected? If I see a YOUNG dog or cat with black debris in the ears, that is my first clue that it may be ear mites. Older pets get ear mites MUCH less frequently than young pets. Yeast infections also produce a dark debris, and are very itchy, and can be present in very young animals as well. Taking a sample, or swab, of the debris is the first thing we need to do to figure out just what is causing the problem. To c...

It’s once again Friday and time for another cool case. Today we talk about cancer again. Cancer is never great, but what if it is benign? Sometimes a seemingly terrible diagnosis turns out to be not as bad as we originally think. Today we meet Copper. He was another great dog. His owners were clients of mine for many years, so I was able to see Copper on many occasions. He was a very handsome Golden Retriever; one of the darker colored ones. On this particular visit, his owners mentioned that he seemed to be swollen in his abdominal region. This change had occurred over the last couple months prior to his examination that day. Before starting his physical examination, I started with a lot of questions for the owners. Was he still eating? How was his activity level? Was he still defecating? Had they noticed any vomiting? If they looked in his mouth, were his gums ever pale? Had he lost a significant amount of weight? The owners reported that he continued to eat very well, no vomiti...

Have you recently noticed that your dog or cat is drinking A LOT of water and urinating ALL THE TIME? Has your pet also lost a lot of weight in the last month or two? If the answer to these questions is “Yes,” then your pet might have Diabetes. Today let’s discuss this disease, what usually causes it, the symptoms to watch for, and what can be done to help your dog or cat. Diabetes is a disease that originates in the Pancreas. Your pancreas is a digestive organ that lives in the top right corner of your abdomen, near the outflow tract of the stomach, and at the top of the small intestine. Its job is to not only produce our digestive enzymes, but also to make Insulin. When we eat food, our body recognizes the spike of sugar, or glucose, in the body. In response to this, the pancreas secretes insulin, so that this glucose can be used in our cells for various functions. As you may know, in humans there are a couple types of Diabetes. Type I is a hereditary or congenital form that affec...

A bulging and painful eye is never a good sight. Some breeds (pugs specifically) have eyes that naturally seem to bulge a bit more, but if your dog all of a sudden seems to have a painful eye that looks larger than the other one, it’s time to schedule a visit with your Veterinarian. Today we are going to talk about Glaucoma. Yes, dogs get Glaucoma just like humans do. What is it? What symptoms should you watch for? Are certain breeds more prone to the condition? What can be done to help your dog or cat? Let’s dive in! First we should discuss the anatomy of the eye and fluid production in the eye. The eye or “globe” has two distinct sections separated by the lens. The front part of the eye behind the cornea is the anterior chamber. The back part of the eye, including the retina, and optic nerve is the posterior chamber. The fluid and pressure within the eye is under very tight regulation by the body. The body produces fluid, aqueous humor, in the eye to maintain its shape and pro...

It’s Friday and I have another cool case for you! We all know that dog’s eat grass, right? The old tale is that dog’s eat grass when they are not feeling good, and the grass allows them to vomit to feel better. Well, that’s not always true. Many dogs eat grass just because they like it. Both of my dogs have been like this. Every walk has to include grabbing some grass as we walk by! Today let’s meet Harvey (name changed for privacy). Harvey and his owner were regular clients of mine. He was a middle aged German Shorthair Pointer, and a very nice dog. At this particular visit, Harvey’s dad was very worried about him because he hadn’t eaten in a week. This was not like him! He lived to eat! As always, I started with a complete physical exam. He was bright and alert, but not his usual energetic self. His gums were nice and pink, but they were dry, telling me he was getting dehydrated from not eating, and really not drinking much for those seven days.  No murmur was heard when I...