My favorite aspect of practicing medicine is treating diseases caused by dysfunction of the immune system. In previous blogs, I reviewed two common immune-mediated diseases – immune-mediated hemolytic anemia and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. A less commonly appreciated condition of immune system dysfunction is immune-mediated polyarthropathy or IMPA, a disease where the immune…
Latest Posts
-
-
Acute Pancreatitis in Dogs: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How It Is Treated
What Is Acute Pancreatitis? The pancreas is a boomerang-shaped organ within the abdominal cavity. It performs several essential functions. Most importantly, it produces digestive enzymes that allow dogs to break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Acute pancreatitis develops when the pancreas becomes suddenly inflamed. Normally, digestive enzymes activate in the…
-
Bread Dough Intoxication – A Not-So-Yummy Treat
It’s official. With the recent celebration of Thanksgiving, the holiday season is undoubtedly upon us in the United States. The seasonal festivities bring a lot of merriment and delicious foods to our tables. Sometimes our fur babies decide to celebrate with us, sneakily feasting upon the goodies on counters and…
-
GI Foreign Objects – A Big Pain in the Gut
Dogs and cats like to chew on things. That fact won’t come as a shock to any pet parent. Unfortunately, they also like to swallow some of those foreign items on which they nibble. This week I spend some time discussing how to help your fur baby should you find…
-
Addison’s Disease in Dogs: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
Addison’s disease in dogs, medically known as hypoadrenocorticism, is an endocrine disorder that results from inadequate production of critical adrenal hormones. Although the condition is uncommon, it remains clinically important because it can mimic many other illnesses. For this reason, clinicians often call it “the great pretender.” Early recognition and…
-
Physical Examination – What Are Veterinarians Doing?
If you’ve read some of my previous blogs, you know I believe the two most important diagnostic tests veterinarians perform do not involve collecting blood or urine samples. They’re basic. They’re the first tests veterinarians learn in veterinary school. What are they? These quintessential tests are obtaining a thorough patient…
-
Mammary Tumors in Dogs – Don’t Ignore a Lump!
Each October in the United States, various organizations strive to raise awareness of and funds for finding a cure for breast cancer in humans. Breast cancer, also called mammary cancer, in dogs has both similarities and differences to the human condition. To end the month of October, I review the…
-
Chemotherapy for Dogs & Cats – Better Than You Think!
The word chemotherapy often elicits negative images in the minds of most people – hair loss, vomiting, and pain. Therapies meant to attack cancers can have the unfortunate effect of making patients sick. While this is often the case for humans receiving chemotherapy, the same is not true for our…
-
Pre-Anesthetic Testing – Is It Really Necessary?
Inevitably at some point in a pet’s life, anesthesia and surgery will be necessary. For example, spaying (called an ovariohysterectomy) and neutering (called and orchiectomy) are very common surgical procedures recommended for non-breeding dogs and cats. Both surgeries are performed while a patient is under anesthesia. Prior to anesthesia veterinarians…
-
Urinary Bladder Cancer in Dogs
The urinary tract of dogs is comprised of two kidneys, two ureters (tubes that connect the kidneys to the urinary bladder), the urinary bladder, prostate gland (male dogs only), and the urethra (tube that connects the urinary bladder to the outside world). The urinary bladder is the most common site…