The heads of dogs and cats are innervated by twelve pairs of cranial nerves (CN). When CN VII – otherwise known as the facial nerve – is dysfunctional, the result is paralysis of specific facial muscles. This week I’m sharing some information about facial nerve paralysis to increase awareness, so I hope you find the … [Read more…]
As a child (and honestly even now as an adult) I abhorred amusement park rides that moved in circular patterns because they made me inevitably vomit due to vertigo. Roller coasters? Great! The Gravitron? Over my dead body! I don’t need to put myself into a human centrifuge. I hate feeling dizzy! The major part … [Read more…]
Those who regularly read my blog (I hope that’s most of you!) know how much I love eyes. Those colorful globes are simply a site to behold! Although cliché, I believe eyes truly are the windows to the soul. This week I wanted to share information about a unique eye condition that can occur in … [Read more…]
In a previous post, I reviewed pleural space disease. If you recall, these ailments cause fluid and/or air to abnormally accumulate between the lungs and the chest wall. There are many potential reasons for fluid to collect in the pleural space. There are even different types of fluid. This week, I share information about one … [Read more…]
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 system attacks a pet’s joints. … [Read more…]
A common reason for which dogs are referred to me for further evaluation is an elevated blood calcium level (called hypercalcemia). Sometimes affected patients are incredibly sick while others have no outward clinical signs of illness. An accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause of a dog’s hypercalcemia is truly important. This week I review the … [Read more…]
Last week I provided information about urinary tract infections (UTIs) in dogs and cats, and the feedback from readers like you was very positive. Thank you for reading! This week I discuss another troublesome lower urinary tract disease, one that affects cats and can have identical clinical signs as UTIs. This syndrome is called feline … [Read more…]