Visiting Vet: Summertime hazards
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Or not. Let’s talk about summertime dangers for dogs.
The first is an oldie but goodie. Heat. OMG, folks. It’s hot. Don’t be an idiot. I’m not even going...
Visiting Vet: The tale of PeeWee
PeeWee is a young hypothetical cat. Let’s say he lives with his owner, who keeps him indoors to make sure he stays safe (with the added benefit of protecting wild birds from predation). Maybe...
Visiting Vet: Brain inflammation — MUOs
Bonito is a handsome chocolate Labrador retriever who has had his share of challenges in life. As a pup, one of his testicles didn’t descend properly, thus requiring a little extra surgery when he...
Visiting Vet: Do dogs get poison ivy?
I dragged the hose across the yard in a halfhearted attempt to start cleaning out our long-neglected shed. Critters have chewed holes in the roof and floor, and made nests in the open bags...
Visiting Vet: Captain Jack
Captain Jack was a bad cat. Even as a tiny kitten, found abandoned in a church alleyway in Worcester, he had cattitude. A little, long-haired tabby, he strutted in his cage at the city...
Visiting Vet: Aslan in his old age
When I was in veterinary school, long, long ago, I had a professor who used to say, “Old age is not a disease.” What he meant was that when evaluating senior animals who weren’t...
Visiting Vet: Dog aggression — take it seriously
I’m running late. April 7 was the start of National Dog Bite Prevention Week, a project sponsored by a coalition of the American Veterinary Medical Association, State Farm Insurance, the Insurance Information Institute, and...
Visiting Vet: Vaccines work
The pandemic has taught us many things … from how to “Zoom” to how little many Americans understand science, especially the concept of herd immunity.
Now, I know you may not like to think of...
Visiting Vet: No lilies for kitties
Easter is right around the corner. For religious Christians, Easter is a time for celebrating their faith. For more secular folks, it is still a time of celebration. It’s spring. It’s a time for...
Visiting Vet: Bored cats can overeat
A few years ago at her annual appointment, I mentioned to Augusta’s owner that the cat was a little chubby. OK, maybe I said fat. Having battled my own weight all my life, I...
Visiting Vet: Gemma’s dilemma
Thursday is my day providing “Urgent Veterinary Care” on the Vineyard. Despite the fact that I haven’t taken on new clients in years, for a 24-hour period each week, I try to assist anyone...
Visiting Vet: The saga of heartworm meds
In 1977, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first canine heartworm preventive medication. I was just starting veterinary school. The drug was diethylcarbamazine, known simply as DEC, and it had to be...
Visiting Vet: A heart murmur can mean many things
Smurf is a classic example of what veterinarians call an LWD. That’s a Little White Dog. He happens to be a Maltese–toy poodle cross, but LWDs can be any pup fitting the description: bichon...
Visiting Vet: On call
I wasn’t too concerned about being short-staffed, even though it was my turn on call for “urgent care.” A small group of veterinary practices here rotate providing basic emergency services the best we can....
Visiting Vet: Let’s try happy
It’s January. I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but if I had to pick one for 2024, it’s simply this: Happy New Year. Happy.
I come from a family and a culture...
Visiting Vet: Onions and garlic are toxic for cats and dogs
Every time my friend Gail brings her pup for a veterinary visit, she also brings me a little bag. Usually when clients do this, it’s a bag of poop. Not Gail. Her bag contains...
Visiting Vet: Aging gracefully
I only met my little friend Beulah two years ago. She was already a senior citizen, with bilateral cataracts (meaning both eyes were affected), causing vision loss. As many visually impaired dogs do, she...
Visiting Vet: Cats in the cradle?
I’ve been watching with both empathy and amusement the trials and tribulations of Facebook friends with their various cats and kittens. I wish all of them could have joined me and my staff at...
Visiting Vet: Dog behavior
“When you walk your dog, you are on a date with him,” the speaker said in his charming Italian accent. “You wouldn’t like it if you had a date and the person ignored you.”...
Visiting Vet: Helping Geezer get around
My recent articles have been about depressing topics. Sudden death. Home burials. Constipation. I promised my editor I would write something more cheerful soon. So here it is. There is a new medication now...