Vet Talks

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...

My own dog, Sugar; the love of my life through many years and vet school, succumbed to bone cancer. Unfortunately, it involved her hip and was completely inoperable. She had had many surgeries – both elbows, both knees, for other reasons, and I couldn’t fix this one. She lived only 4 months past diagnosis, but...

In the neighborhood, my passion for animals was common knowledge. I would often find animals in need left in front of my house or at my clinic. Sadly, these animals would often be abandoned or chronically ill pets. Often they would be unhealthy, starving, helpless, and on some occasions pregnant with litter. During my veterinary practice, I had many opportunities...

Our pets share our lives with us and therefore they can experience a lot of the same stresses that we do. Many new situations, life changes, and habits can end up causing your pet high levels of stress. Not only can stress harm their health, but it also aggravates any illness and can make their treatment more complicated. How can stress harm...

Since I was a little kid, growing up in Brazil, I was always passionate about animals. This passion was influenced by my family’s love for animals. My grandfather had more than 15 cats, dogs, and horses at one time. Unfortunately, Brazil has many street animals. So, it is very easy to find pets in need...

The Dangers of Sticks and Bones Most dogs can’t resist a good chew. Many dog owners turn to bones and sticks to keep their pets entertained. Although dog’s wild ancestors did chew and eat bones of their prey and possibly even chewed on sticks, it is not advisable to allow your pup to chew bones...

Paw Pad Injuries Most dogs love to run and play outside. Many would fetch the ball for you for hours on end if given the chance. Often, they’re having so much fun, they don’t realize they could be damaging their paws. One common injury we have seen at vet clinics is paw pad injuries due...

Rodent Ulcers “Rodent Ulcers”, otherwise known as indolent ulcers or stomatitis, are eosinophilic granulomas or a solid grouping of inflammatory cells coming together in a lump or solid structure. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that is commonly associated and elevated with allergies. They are part of the immune system defending against parasites....