If February is National Dental Month for Pets, Then How do I Know if I Need to Take Advantage of the Special my Veterinarian’s Office is Running?
An oral exam will help determine the answer to your question and is usually pretty easy to perform on our dogs and cats. (At least usually, because a handful of animals don’t like having their mouth handled. If you have one of these dogs or cats, you know who they are...
My Dog Broke her Canine Tooth. What Do I Do?
The answer depends on a couple of things: if there is damage to the tooth root, if she is in pain, and your finances. When the tooth breaks and you can see a brown dot in the center of the tooth it suggests that the root is exposed. Sometimes that can cause pain as a...
My Puppy is Almost Seven Months Old & He has Two Sets of Fangs. Should I be Worried?
Most puppies loose their baby teeth by six months old. The last teeth we see change are the canines, the fangs. Just like two-legged kids, the adult tooth should push the baby tooth out. Sometimes the adult tooth isn’t lined up quite right and both teeth remain. In...
My Dog has Tartar on his Teeth. Can’t I Just Brush his Teeth & Get them Clean?
Tartar forms from the buildup of plaque. Plaque is a slimy combination of bacteria and food particles. With time, the plaque forms a hard, almost rock-like, substance on the teeth. Tartar acts a lot like a concrete sidewalk – just as sweeping the sidewalk with a broom...
My Eight Year Old Dog had a Dental Cleaning Six Months Ago But Now has a Swelling Underneath his Eye. What Could this Be?
It certainly is a bummer when our dogs need dental cleanings more often than once a year. However sometimes this is the case. There are some dogs who have weak enzymes in their mouths and they just fight dental decay. However, because your dog is older, there is the...
My Kitty Day Care wants to Charge Extra for TV Time. Can Cats even Watch TV & is There any Benefit for Them?
You have one lucky kitty cat to have this as an option! But it really is a great question -- do cats watch TV? Many of us have seen our dogs hear barking or a doorbell come from the TV and the dog get very excited and run over, But our cats are less inclined to react...
Does my New Puppy Need Antibiotics & Dewormer Sent from the Breeder? The Antibiotics were “Just in Case” he gets Diarrhea from Changing Homes & Food.
Flagyl, metronidazole, is commonly prescribed by veterinarians to treat diarrhea of unknown cause. The crazy thing is that veterinarians are not even 100% sure how metronidazole works to control diarrhea. They just know that somehow it takes care of a diarrhea issue....
Tele-Medicine and Veterinary Care… Becoming a Virtual Patient!
While I’m still a practicing veterinarian near Lafayette, Indiana and operate a holistic veterinary clinic in Pine Village, I also offer “tele-medicine” options to my virtual patients. These are patients that I may never see, but still diagnose, prescribe for, and...
When Should I Seek a Second Opinion For my Pet?
Second opinions in people medicine are common. And smart. The same is true for veterinary medicine. In fact, even though I see patients in person as a veterinarian near Lafayette, Indiana an increasing number of my patients are virtual… pet parents seeking...
Do I Need to See a Veterinarian Now — Or Can it Wait?
We’re now into the busy (& expensive) holiday season. As a practicing veterinarian near Lafayette, Indiana, we’re now also into SNOW & COLD season. One of the top frustrations veterinarians see in January are issues that pets have been forced to “tolerate” through the...