Vet Talks

Mange in Dogs and Cats If your cat or dog is experiencing hair loss, itching, crusts, malodorous skin, and is generally miserably uncomfortable, it could be mange. The first thing we do diagnostically when presented with a skin condition in a dog or cat is a skin scrape test and look at the debris under the...

While I was teaching at the University of São Paulo, my students and I were lucky to be able to see behind the scenes at the São Paulo Zoo (Portuguese: Parque Zoológico de São Paulo). Most of the animals in the São Paulo Zoo were rescued from circuses and other unliveable conditions. I am not a specialist...

Everyone loves baby animals. Who can resist those big floppy feet and droopy, longing eyes? I have a lot of experience with puppies and kittens because I have had so many pets. I remember the first time I saw my little Billy. He was a puppy abandoned on a highway in Brazil. I was headed...

The summer sun is setting, and the cooler fall weather is on its way. Fall brings along some unique dangers for our pets. Unfortunately, in my time in veterinary clinics, I have seen many pets present with acute toxicity caused by a number of substances. If you suspect your pet may have eaten something and...

Obesity is a growing problem in the veterinary world. In a clinical survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), “56% of dogs and 60% of cats were classified as clinically overweight. That equals an estimated 50.2 million dogs and 56.5 million cats are too heavy.” Unfortunately, because of this, many pet owners...

My experience with heart disease in dogs started out personally before it became professional. What most people don`t know is that heart disease in dogs is almost as common as it is in humans. I rescued Nico from the streets of Brazil. He was a beautiful black Labrador mix. When I found him, his belly was...

Cruciate Ligament Tears in Dogs Just like humans, dogs have two ligaments that help to stabilize the stifle (knee) joint. In pets, these ligaments are called the cranial cruciate ligament and the caudal cruciate ligament. The word ‘cruciate’ means ‘to cross’. These ligaments cross over one another between the bones that form the stifle joint...

The Icky Tick Ticks are tiny parasitic arachnids, which means just like spiders, they have 8 legs. Many different species of ticks are found across the world. The diet of ticks is blood. In order to get a meal, the tick will bite and attach itself to the ‘host’, either a person or animal. When...

Caring for Senior Pets During my veterinary practice, I have had many experiences taking care of senior pets. More than half of my patients were elderly. But for this blog, I would like to talk about my personal experience as a guardian of older animals. As I’ve reported in one of my previous blogs, I...

Ingrown Toenails A common but relatively simple condition I’ve seen in my clinical experience is ingrown toenails. Just like our own finger and toenails, pets’ nails or ‘claws’ are constantly growing. Due to the generally curved shape of dog or cat nails, when they grow too long the nails tend to damage the skin and...