Posts Tagged ‘veterinarian’
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Today Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance in the U.S., announced the top 10 medical conditions of dogs and cats in 2009, based on claims the company received last year.
The following were the top 10 medical conditions reported for dogs: (more…)
Tags: arthritis, benign tumor, bladder infection, diarrhea, dog medical conditions, dog vitamins, ear infection, enteritis, eye infection, gastritis, hot spots, non-cancerous tumor, pet insurance, skin allergy, skin infection, soft tissue trauma, veterinarian, vomiting
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
Last Week: HOW TO Protect Your Dog from Swine Flu
The effects of arthritis couldn’t stop Baxter the therapy dog from comforting hospice patients.
The 19-year-old Chow/Labrador mix couldn’t walk because of the pain, so his human Melissa Joseph towed him in a wagon from hospital bed to hospital bed. Joseph heaved Baxter onto a patient’s bed and Baxter dispensed cuddles and kisses.
Baxter “eased peacefully from this life” in October, according to Joseph.
Like in Baxter’s case, arthritis can be severe. In some cases pet parents make the difficult decision to euthanize their pets because it is difficult to manage the disease, according to The Dog Daily.
Animals with arthritis are suffering from inflammation of the joints, according to Healthypet.com. There are different types of arthritis. The most common is osteoarthritis, where the cartilage that cushions joints wears down and bones rub against each other. The friction can damage the bones themselves. (more…)
Tags: Baxter, bones, cancer, cartilage, chondroitin, Chow, cognitive dysfunction, glucosamine, hip dysplasia, James Cook, joints, Labrador, osteoarthritis, therapy dog, veterinarian
Posted in How To | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Last Week: HOW TO Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
With the stunning news last week that the swine flu (H1N1) has sickened 22 million Americans and resulted in 3,900 U.S. deaths – over three times more than the 1,200 originally reported – people are taking all necessary precautions to avoid this virus. But are you protecting your dog as well?
Companion animals are susceptible to the H1N1 virus, according to a report last 
month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although no dogs have contracted the virus so far (the H3N8 canine influenza virus is not related to swine flu), it has been confirmed in one cat. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported that the 13-year-old indoor feline acquired the virus through close contact with its ill human family members. The cat and its humans have all recovered. (more…)
Tags: canine influenza virus, H1N1, H3N8, respiratory illness, swine flu, veterinarian
Posted in How To | 4 Comments »
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Not only is October national Adopt-A-Dog Month, it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Although these two subjects aren’t typically associated with each other, dogs can get breast cancer – referred to as “mammary cancer” in the canine world – just as humans do.
Fortunately, mammary cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer in dogs since it rarely occurs in female dogs that were spayed before their first heat. Gerald Post, a veterinary oncologist, told ABC News, “It’s important for owners to spay female animals before the animal first goes into heat, because each following heat cycle increases the risk of developing the cancer.”
Mammary cancer is more common in five- to 10-year-old female dogs that have not been spayed, because with every heat cycle, their bodies endure a 60-day hormonal pregnancy regardless of whether or not they breed. Veterinarian Michael Watts writes, “This hormonal cycle continuously stimulates the mammary tissue for at least four months of each year. The constant stimulation leads to very high rates of cancer. Fortunately, 99% of canine breast cancer can be prevented by spaying young dogs.” (more…)
Tags: AVMA, biopsy, cancer, early detection, female dogs, mammary cancer, oncology, prevention, spay, tumor, veterinarian
Posted in Blog | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
Do your dog’s ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot, can you – well, you get where this is going. The thought of a pup’s ears hanging low and wobbling to and fro bring very sweet images to mind. Many dog owners get a heartwarming kick out of scratching behind their pup’s ears, and what pet parent doesn’t just melt when they see that tail wag?
Despite the overwhelming cuteness points floppy ears and wagging tails have received over eons, many dog breeds are better known for their short, pointy ears and tail nubs, such as the Doberman Pinscher, Miniature Schnauzer, and Great Dane. Though it seems standard for many breeds to have these traits, they are not inherent to some breeds and are the center of controversy among dog lovers. (more…)
Tags: AKC, American Kennel Club, American Pitbull Terrier, American Veterinary Medical Association, aspca, AVMA, Banfield, Doberman Pinscher, dog cosmetic surgery, ear cropping, Great Dane, Miniature Schnauzer, tail docking, veterinarian
Posted in Blog | 3 Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
The crackling starts slowly, then builds. The fire-driven gusts push through branches as they break and crash to the ground. Sirens. Big trucks. Firemen yelling. Smoke.
Caravans of humans load up their cars with kids and boxes as they rush you into the backseat. Something is not right here, BARK the alarm! You’re told to hush and you’re not sure what you should do as you shoot back and forth from window to window holding it all in.
Before you know it, you’re rushed away from the only home you’ve ever known since you were a pup bouncing around the yard. You watch your yard get swallowed up by dark clouds of smoke as your human speeds you away in the family van.
For any person displaced by the current California fires, this situation can be severely traumatic, stressful, and can lead to enormous anxiety. As a community, we are incredibly empathetic to our fellow man’s needs in such dire situations, which is why we have a plethora of agencies and resources in place to help those affected by such a natural disaster. We humans can talk it out; we can say we are fearful, anxious, stressed. We can go to a therapist, seek out support, and even ask for a hug. Over time we are able to deal with our stress and eventually heal.
Our four-legged companions might actually experience the exact same emotions as we do, but without the vocabulary to ask us what the heck is going on, let alone with the ability to voice their feelings of fear or anxiety. Veterinarian Dr. Michele Hoag of the Plaza Del Amo Animal Hospital in Torrance, Calif. says, “Any type of change in routine can cause stress [in dogs]. Some animals are very sensitive, cats in particular. Dogs are more resilient, but still susceptible to stress. In situations like a natural disaster you can probably assume that they’re going to be stressed out. They can feed off of our stress as well. If we’re stressed out, they can feel it.”
(more…)
Tags: activity, Animal Hospital, anxiety, Bach Rescue Remedy, california fires, canine stress, dog instinct, doga, Dr. Hoag, health, massage, prevention, relaxation, stress, Tellington Touch, trauma, veterinarian
Posted in Blog | 7 Comments »
Monday, August 10th, 2009
During the hot summer months, many veterinarian offices and animal hospitals are full of pets affected with health issues directly related to the rise in temperature.
It is important to consider the safety of your canine during the summer by ensuring that you provide them with of cool water and a place to rest that is outside of the heat. It is also important to be on the lookout for excessive panting, pale gums and tongue, vomiting, and diarrhea, which are all signs of overheating. If your canine shows any of these symptoms, take him to a vet immediately. In order to prevent overheating, try to save your dog’s long walks or strenuous activities for the mild evenings and early mornings.
Another summertime safety concern occurs when dogs are left in parked cars after being brought along on errand runs. Leaving dogs alone in parked cars puts them at risk for organ failure as well as death due to overheating. This because parked cars undergo a “greenhouse effect” which traps in the heat that has permeated through the car windows, resulting in a temperature much higher than what it feels like outside. This occurs even inside of cars that are parked in the shade with their windows cracked.
A study by the Animal Protection Institute revealed that a temperature of 82° can translate to a temperature of 109° inside of a vehicle. Alarmingly, at 94° weather, the temperature inside the car shoots up to 119°. Finally, at weather with temperatures 100° and above, the inside a car can reach higher than 130°.
The website MyDogIsCool.com is great resource for those concerned with canines being locked inside hot cars by negligent caretakers. MyDogIsCool.com provides informative fliers as well as temperature warming posters about this issue to display in offices or store windows. They also offer a forecasting tool that provides the temperature of specific zip codes, so you can be fully aware of the high risk areas of the day.
We would like to hear what you think about this issue. Or if there is another summer safety concern you would like to discuss, tell us about it here.
Tags: health, prevention, safety, Summer, travel, veterinarian, veterinary emergency
Posted in Blog | 5 Comments »
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
Dr. Mike Zareski is the owner and head veterinarian at Western Veterinary Group, a growing full-service veterinary clinic in Lomita, CA. A small spay and neuter clinic when he acquired it last year, Dr. Zareski has been expanding the practice into a full-service animal hospital that can provide a greater variety of services with a higher standard of care.
Animal lovers can get more than general practice veterinary services at Dr. Zareski’s clinic–a certified acupuncturist visits Western Veterinary Group three days a week, and more specialized services will be added to the clinic’s roster later this year.
More important than the type of services Western Veterinary Group provides, however, is the quality of their care. In a Yelp.com review, Steven G. of San Pedro, CA says, “Dr. Mike is the most humble and altruistic physician of ANY kind I’ve met in my life. I have never encountered a vet who so deeply cares about the animals and their owners he services as he does.” And it’s not just Dr. Mike who gets rave reviews: “Every employee I’ve met knows their job inside and out, is cordial to the owners (and loving towards the animals), and the entire place runs like a well-oiled machine…a machine of LOVE FOR YOUR PETS!”
(more…)
Tags: clinic, Dr. Mike Zareski, veterinarian, veterinary
Posted in Features | 7 Comments »
