What Pet U.S. Owners Can Learn From The Europeans (And Vice Versa)
I can’t help it - wherever I go I’m always fascinated by the animals and their care. Regionally, the character of animals changes by location. For example, it’s more common to see small dogs in cities. Big dogs tend to be more common where there is more space. Sure,...
Pets are Dying
Dogs and cats are dying from nutrition related diseases. And it’s insidious. It’s not obvious at all. (Of course, humans are also dying from dietary related diseases but I’m a veterinarian so let’s talk about the species I know best: our pets, dogs and cats. Even...
The Best Medicine
It’s a common question for all pet owners, regardless of whether they live in Clearwater or elsewhere: what’s the best way to treat ___fill in the blank___. It may also sound like: what’s the best medication for _____, what’s the best herbal medication for, _____...
Is Fatty Diet Really to Blame for Pancreatitis?
It’s fairly standard practice that if a dog or cat is diagnosed with pancreatitis that the owner is told the pet should eat a low fat diet for the rest of its life. The implication then is that high fat diets cause pancreatitis. Interestingly, high performance dogs,...
Bite Wounds -Can They be Managed at Home?
Dog bites and cat bites are two very different things. They present differently and can need different care. Let’s talk about each one and discuss some things to look for. It is common, unfortunately, for dogs to get into fights. They don’t have the ability to use...
When Is It Too Late?
When to take our pets for healthcare is often a very hard decision. Certainly, many of us are guilty of waiting longer than advised for ourselves. We are busy, and we just don’t take time for our own health care. We are tough, we will be fine! But when it comes to our...
Is Gabapentin Really the New Answer?
In the last post, I shared some of my thoughts and experiences with antacids. In this post, I would like to explore another western medication which is being prescribed with increasing frequency: gabapentin. Over the last five years, gabapentin has been prescribed for...
Antacids in Pets – the Nitty Gritty
have a pet peeve about antacids. They are prescribed as if they are innocuous but they are far from it. There is a perception that if they aren't needed, they can’t to do any harm. Let’s first look at why they are prescribed, then how they work, then finally talk...
Is Your Pet Spoiled?
Recently, I was asked about diet suggestions for a dog with leptospirosis. (Leptospirosis is infection with a bacterium called leptospira, lepto is the common name. Lepto causes kidney infection which can be transmitted to humans; often, dogs are assymptimatic...
The Food Elimination Diet
In my last post we talked about anti-inflammatory diets and I mentioned that sometimes a food elimination diet is a good way to help address inflammation. Inflammation in the Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) is as common as shedding dogs and cats. We are trained...