The common way to diagnose a urinary tract infection is to look for blood in the urine. Sometimes the blood isn’t so obvious that the pet owner sees it, but a veterinarian can detect the presence of blood with a urinalysis strip. The assumption is if blood is present...
Many of the phone consults I perform as a — now retired — veterinarian who no longer diagnoses or prescribes, center around helping pet owners make the most of their pet’s condition or circumstances. The purpose of a phone consultation is not to diagnose or treat a...
Recently, I was consulting with a wonderful pet owner whose dog was coughing. This dog had undergone extensive diagnostic work up by her primary care veterinarian. Bridget had fallen off the grooming table before the coughing started. One of the possibilities was that...
These days we all do it – we run to the Internet to check for information. Fact checking may be as simple as checking ingredients of a favorite recipe, to something as complicated as diagnosing an unknown illness in a pet. Multiple times over the years, before...
Have you ever just wanted a second opinion, either about your own health or the health care of your pets? Books and the internet are great for general information, background, and education but usually don’t address the specific situation going on in the owner’s...
Statistics presented by veterinary insurance companies report that 25% of dogs will develop cancer before they die. For some reason, the cancer rate in cats is not as high as that in dogs. Therefore, this discussion will focus on dogs. However, much of what applies to...
