I’ve written about spinal cord problems like intervertebral disc disease in previous posts. This week’s post comes as a result of a specific request from one of you, a dedicate follower of CriticalCareDVM.com. Here’s some information about another important spine problem: atlantoaxial instability or AAI. I hope you enjoy reading the information and will share … [Read more…]
A common infectious disease in cats is feline leukemia virus or FeLV. This week I’m sharing information about this important condition because I believe it’s important for all cat owners to be familiar with it. I hope you find the post helpful and will consider sharing with other cats lovers. Happy reading! What is feline … [Read more…]
I’ve dedicated several posts to variety of eye problems, including keratoconjunctivitis sicca (aka “dry eye”), corneal ulcers, and glaucoma. This week I want to raise awareness of an important cause of acute or sudden blindness in dogs – sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome or SARDS. I hope you enjoy this information and will share it … [Read more…]
One might think in a time when highly effective and safe vaccines for canine distemper virus are widely available this debilitating disease would be eradicated in the developed world. Sadly, that is not the case. In fact, canine distemper is still rampant in some areas of the United States. As such, this week’s post is … [Read more…]
In previous posts I’ve written about a variety of heart diseases, including dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs, congestive heart failure, and heartworm disease. This week’s post is dedicated to another cardiac problem – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats. I hope you find the information helpful and shareworthy. Happy reading! What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? The heart is … [Read more…]
Cats and dogs may develop a variety of neurologic disorders during their lifetimes, for example seizures. This week I wanted to share information about a relatively rare nervous system disorder caused dysautonomia. Several of you requested a post about this condition so I hope you find it helpful and shareworthy. Happy reading! What is dysautonomia? … [Read more…]
A common reason for which cats are referred to me is hypercalcemia or elevated blood calcium. Sometimes affected patients are incredibly sick while others have no outward clinical signs of illness. An accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause is truly important. This week I review the major causes of hypercalcemia in cats, and I hope … [Read more…]
I love immunology (the study of the immune system) and hematology (the study of blood). I once contemplated completing a PhD in these fields, but two residencies was enough. Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia or ITP is an immune-mediated disease that is personal. My own dog was diagnosed with this disease during my residency training. This week I’m … [Read more…]
In the past couple of weeks you may have read some news stories about some folks being hospitalized due to an infection called campylobacteriosis after coming into contact with puppies in pet stores. So, this week I wanted to share information about this under-appreciated disease. I hope you find the post informational and that you’ll … [Read more…]
This week I wanted to share information about declawing our feline friends. Too many folks think this procedure – called an onychectomy – is simply the removal of a cat’s claws. It’s so much more than that! So, I felt motivated to compose a post to educate cat lovers about what declawing actually entails for … [Read more…]