Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is one of the most important acquired bleeding disorders seen in small-animal medicine. Dogs are affected far more commonly than cats, and patients often present with dramatic clinical signs—petechiae, bruising, nosebleeds, gastrointestinal bleeding, or lethargy due to anemia from blood loss. Fortunately, ITP is highly treatable, and…
One of my tasks as a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist is interpreting a wide variety of diagnostic tests. One of the most common laboratory abnormalities for which patients are referred to me is elevation of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase, often abbreviated as SAP, SALP, and ALP. There are…
I don’t like skin diseases, so I’m very thankful for folks like board-certified veterinary dermatologists who do! This week my family’s dog, Tobyas, required urgent dermatologic care for an immune-mediated condition called idiopathic sterile nodular panniculitis. Thanks to the wonderful veterinary dermatology team at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston,…
It should come as no surprise to anybody who follows this blog that I love hematology and immunology! In previous posts I’ve written about various immune-mediated problems, including immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, and immune-mediated polyarthropathy. This week I’m sharing information about another immune-mediated condition: immune-mediated neutropenia or IMN. I…
Like humans, our pets can experience allergic reactions. Most of them are mild in nature, but some may be life-threatening. My hope is this week’s post will raise awareness about allergic reactions so pet owners are better able to respond to these potentially serious life events. I hope you find…
Imagine having a condition that causes your head or entire body to shake uncontrollably. That’s what happens in some our dog friends. This problem called tremor syndrome is not uncommon, so I wanted to dedicate some time to explaining the condition. I hope you find the information interesting and shareworthy.…
I’ve previously published information about diabetes mellitus in dogs, including details about how to treat this disease. What if a dog or cat had too much insulin instead of too little? This is a serious condition called insulinoma. This week I’ve dedicated time to sharing some helpful tidbits about this…
Mast cells are unique cells of the immune system that are involved in the body’s response to inflammation and allergies. Unfortunately, these cells can become cancerous to affect different areas of the body, particularly the skin. Given their commonality in our canine companions, I wanted to dedicate some time to…
A common problem affecting the ears of dogs and cats is an aural hematoma. The condition is the collection of blood inside an ear flap, and can be very irritating to an affected pet. This week I share some tidbits about this problem, and I hope you find the information…
We all know people can develop asthma. We also all know an asthma attack can be life-threatening without appropriate medical intervention. What you may not know is our capricious cat friends can also develop this airway disease. This week I share some insight into this important feline malady with a…