When a beloved pet becomes sick, a veterinarian may recommend administration of special fluids to help make her/him feel better. Fluid therapy is principally important for specific patient populations, particularly those: Undergoing general anesthesia With persistent diarrhea and/or vomiting Who have ingested toxins Coping with dysfunction of major organ systems like the…
-
-
Follow-Up Testing – Keep Your Veterinary Specialist Informed
Board-certified veterinary specialists thrive on the opportunity to partner with pet parents and primary care doctors in an effort to make animals feel better. There are very few feelings that are more satisfying than that of successfully discharging a healed (or even cured) patient home to his/her family. However in…
-
Nausea – Do You Know What Your Pet Is Saying?
On an almost daily basis I have the privilege of consulting with families whose dog or cat isn’t eating well (or at all). Sometimes the pet is also vomiting, but often the only concern for the family is the pet’s lack of appetite. When I obtain a complete patient history,…
-
Fasting – Oh The Dread!
Both primary care veterinarians and board-certified veterinary specialists often need to perform non-invasive blood and imaging tests in an attempt to determine why a pet is sick. In most scenarios, properly fasting an animal is truly instrumental in ensuring results are accurate. If I’m going to ask your pet to…
-
Important Points for Pet Parents
I’ve wanted to write this post for a while now, but have been hesitant to do so because the content is likely provocative. Some of my points may make your heart rate accelerate or may even anger you. Please know my intention is not to be divisive but rather to…
-
Surviving Your Pet’s Hospitalization
No one wants his/her pet to become ill, and certainly no one wants to have his/her pet hospitalized for medical care. Yet the truth of the matter is most fur babies will need to spend at least one night away from home in a hospital at some point in their…
-
Emergency Room Etiquette
Bringing your pet to the emergency is always stressful. Your animal is sick. You are scared and your stress level skyrockets. A trip to the emergency room with a distressed fur baby is simply never fun. Just as parents must always be prepared with children, so too must pet parents…
-
Second Opinion – Don’t Feel Guilty!
It never hurts to get a second opinion! Veterinarians are human, and we can all make mistakes or be presented with challenging patients. There is nothing lost by visiting another veterinarian just to make sure your family veterinarian’s opinion is correct, and I would argue seeking a second opinion with…
-
Prostate Disease in Dogs
An essential component of a complete physical examination for every male dog is an evaluation of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland located between the urinary bladder and the penis. The prostate is a secondary sex gland of male dogs that adds fluid that makes up semen to help transport sperm…
-
Veterinary Specialists Bring Knowledge & Know-How
The vast majority of pet parents in the United States have no idea board-certified veterinary specialists are available to partner with them and their pets’ primary care doctor. In this regard, board-certified veterinary specialists have failed. We have failed to educate pet parents that we exist. On an almost daily…