Posts Tagged ‘veterinarian’
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
An arrest was made yesterday in the fatal hit-and-run of a Knoxville, Tenn., veterinarian who was struck while she was treating a dog that had been hit by a car.
Walter Gary Flynn faces several charges in the death of Kathyrn Gilpatric, DVM, including leaving the scene of an accident with death or injury, criminally negligent homicide, and driving with a revoked license.
“This case has stirred up the community,” police spokesman Darrell DeBusk told WATE. “You have an individual trying to provide aid to a dog struck by a vehicle. For her to be struck by a vehicle that leaves the scene has really upset a lot of people, and it should.” (more…)
Tags: hit and run, Kathryn Gilpatric, Knoxville, veterinarian, Walter Gary Flynn
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Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
Last Week: HOW TO Keep Your Dog Safe From Distemper
Summertime: the days are long, the weather is warm, and people try to find more time to go outside for swimming, picnics, jogging, hiking, and barbecues.
It’s fun to soak up the sun’s rays but our four-legged family members require special consideration during the hottest months of the year. The way dogs handle the heat is different than humans and, unfortunately, they can’t tell us when they’re too warm.
“When humans overheat we are able to sweat in order to cool down,” writes PetPlace.com. “However, your dog cannot sweat as easily; he must rely on panting to cool down. Dogs breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, directing the air over the mucous membranes of the tongue, throat and trachea to facilitate cooling by evaporation of fluid. Your dog also dissipates heat by dilation of the blood vessels in the surface of the skin in the face, ears and feet. When these mechanisms are overwhelmed, hyperthermia and heat stroke usually develop.” (more…)
Tags: Airplanes, blood work, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Brachycephalic, Bright red tongue, Bulldogs, Cars, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Diarreah, dogscaping, French Bulldogs, Heat stroke, Japanese Chins, Landscaping, Overweight dogs, Panting, Pekingese, Pugs, safety, seizures, Shih Tzus, Swimming, travel, veterinarian, vomiting
Posted in How To | No Comments »
Friday, March 19th, 2010
Virtual world, meet the pet loving world. As if the launch of BlogPaws, the first-ever pet bloggers conference, wasn’t already enough of a breakthrough for pet lovers who live on the internet, now VetDVM.com launches an iPhone application that might revolutionize the way pet parents interact with veterinarians.
In a recent press release, the website VetDVM.com, which launched in 2009, announced the arrival of a brand new phone application that will allow pet parents to communicate with their vets at the touch of a phone screen. The company is targeting tech savvy pet parents who want the ability to get in touch with a vet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The design of the application allows pet parents to snap a photo or record a video of their pooch if he or she is noticeably ill or exhibiting signs of illness (rash, itching, etc.). 
Parents can then shoot that picture or video straight over to VetDVM’s database of veterinarians, which they say includes more than 50 contracted vets. According to the press release, an answer from a qualified vet arrives to a pet parent’s phone in the form of a text, or via a direct message within the application, anywhere between an hour to 24 hours from submission, depending on the complexity of the animal’s illness.
“Based on a show-and-tell approach, veterinarians are able to actually observe a dog or cat’s symptoms through the app during what we call a virtual office visit,” VetDVM.com’s statement reads. “Questions are routed through a sophisticated backend system that assigns the vet most qualified to answer your particular question at that particular time.”
(more…)
Tags: iPhone, VetDVM iPhone Application, veterinarian, virtual office visit, virtual vet
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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
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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 | 1 Comment »
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 | 2 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
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