Just getting this blog going again. We have been busy learning about and loving our pet patients. Recently, we have been seeing a lot of puppies and young adult dogs with parvoenteritis. "Parvo" is preventable. Unfortunately, it is also a very serious, life-threatening disease. Left untreated, puppies with parvo only have a 50% chance of survival. Treatment increases that statistic tremendously. We are urging all our clients to come in and have their puppies vaccinated and have their records reviewed for any deficiencies in their protection. This is so vital and important to preventing illness, nothing should be left to chance.

More rambunctious puppy trouble: We saw a cute scraggly puppy that got herself in big trouble by trying to redecorate the living room. When mom was out of the house last night she chewed the end off of an electrical cord to a lamp while it was still plugged in! She did have a history of chewing the ends off electrical cords, but up till now, she always chose cords that were not plugged in. Poor girl was very painful and didn't feel like eating. We looked in her mouth and saw why. One side of her lip and gums was extremely swollen with badly burned tissue inside. There was a lot of tissue damage inside her mouth on her upper lip and surrounding her upper teeth. Even one side of her tongue had severe burns. OUCH! Poor girl needed lots of pain medicine and antibiotics. We hope she can heal most of the damage OK. She may need surgeries to remove damaged lip and gum tissue. She may even need to have teeth extracted if there is too much damage to her teeth and upper jaw. If she won't eat, she may need a stomach tube until she can eat on her own. Mom is now getting her a playpen so she can stay safe when mom is not home. Moral of the story- don't allow your puppy to redecorate.

Happy new year! The holiday season always seems to be a busy and crazy time around here. It seems like there have been a lot of sad pet stories recently. Lots of unexpected cancers, injuries, and euthanasias. Or maybe we just notice it more when things are supposed to be happy for the holidays and celebrating a new year. Well, we take the bad with the good, we will probably be seeing lots of cute puppies and kittens this summer.

Hello again,
For many of our pet families the holidays were a time of celebration and welcoming a new friend. It is always a great time to receive a new 4 legged friend into the household and begin their pathway to a healthy life. We have recognized many of our pet families taking great steps to ensure their new pet, whether it is an kitten/puppy or an adopted adult, is safe if the house. Chocolate, decorations and such are hard to avoid over the holidays. Now those things are put up it is time to focus on the internal health.

We see Parvoenteritis (Parvo) any time of the year especially in puppies, but the spring is particularly a bad time to year to contract this disease. That is why it is so important to have your pets health exam and vaccination evaluation now. Vaccinations are not as routine as they would seem. Vaccinations take time to protect and must be given at very specific timing. We feel strongly that the best vaccination brand and type must be chosen to ensure the safety of the biologic itself. The best vaccinations are made and cared for under very strict standards. We (the medial staff) have studied the very latest research and development concerning vaccinations for cats and dogs (and yes, there is difference). Your pets vaccinations should be determined based upon an evaluation of his/her specific risks and needs. All pets are not the same and regions of the country are do not carry the same risks of disease.

Wow- small world. We just had a lady bring in a young german shepherd that she found running loose on the street. She wanted us to scan him for a microchip to help locate his owner. We scanned him and he did not have a microchip, so we thought he might never find his way home. One of our technicians looked him over and noticed that his ears were shaved. Something clicked in her mind- "wait- that looks like max, he was here earlier this week for ear flushing" We called the owner to see if he was missing and sure enough, the gate was open and her beloved pup was gone. A few minutes later, there was a joyous reunion in the lobby. The owner was so grateful for the thoughtful lady that took time out of her day to rescue a poor lost puppy.

Happy day after turkey day. Sad news today. It started out happy, because one of my favorite clients was on the books for today with a really tall german shepard that I have been seeing for over 11 years. I knew as soon as I saw her and her owner that it wasn't going to end well. She was extremely lethargic and didn't want to stand up, she had been trying to vomit for the past few hours, but nothing would come up. We took some x-rays and found that she had GDV- Gastric dilitation and volvulus. This is an extremely life threatening condition that comes on very suddenly. It usually happens in large and giant breeds that are very deep chested. Sometimes it comes on if they are active after a large meal, but sometimes it comes on without any obvious reason. Sometimes it can cause complications like a twisted spleen and abnormal heart rhythms. The only hope is emergency surgery right away. Because of her advanced age and other underlying medical problems, her owners made the agonizing decision to let her go. At least she had a great thanksgiving yesterday with all her family.

Kitty vs recliner: Last night a sweet calico kitty was relaxing with her owner in the recliner. Something spooked her and they all got tangled up-the owner, the kitty, and the recliner. The kitty yowled, ran away limping, and hasn't been able to walk right since. We sedated her and found that she had completely dislocated her elbow. That must have been quite a tangle of kitty legs and recliner parts. Luckily for her, we were able to pop the joint right back into place and get her some good pain medicine. Hopefully ,things will go well and the elbow will stay in place so she can avoid surgery. Be on the lookout for one persnickety recliner- armed and dangerous.