I can’t speak for you, but let me start this by saying that I spent my first night of the new year sleeping on the floor. No, you too? So let our first resolution be to stay home next year! Nothing stronger than water had crossed my lips, we missed the ball drop in New York … Continue reading Reflections Back on 2017 from the New Year
Dog
Heatstroke
May 24, 2016 Summer is coming. In Merced that can mean baking temperatures over 100 degrees. Even if the day doesn’t go over the 90’s, the black asphalt paths that line Bear Creek, Black Rascal Creek and many other favorite walking paths will heat up significantly, holding the heat well into the evening hours. … Continue reading Heatstroke
Biteth Like A Serpent
March 29, 2016 It was near the end of four years of vet school and we were feeling pretty tough. With Board exams behind us, jobs or vacations all set, my classmates and I were just wrapping up the final pieces. Among other things this included looking into health insurance now that campus charity … Continue reading Biteth Like A Serpent
Variety Is The Spice Of Life
February 17, 2016 They say variety is the spice of life. I am fortunate to have an extremely interesting career! In the past eight days I have seen one rabbit with an ear ache and spayed another. A lizard presented with scoliosis, curvature of the spine, caused by underlying malnutrition. I saw a cat … Continue reading Variety Is The Spice Of Life
Canine Obstetrics
January 5, 2016 Have you ever wondered about the similarities between pregnancies for dogs versus people? If you were to ask a dog, you might be surprised. Molly was a Miniature Schnauzer, black and silver, who had undergone a planned breeding. Following the textbook, Molly was bred on Days 9 and 11 after showing … Continue reading Canine Obstetrics
Chemotherapy in Lymphoma
November 30, 2015 Chemotherapy is a long word. The definition doesn’t do justice to the fear derived from a term that means only “chemical treatment”. In reality, “chemotherapy” is a word primarily used for a group of cytotoxic drugs, cell killing medicine used in the treatment of cancers. Cancer is a disease that can … Continue reading Chemotherapy in Lymphoma
KCS or Dry Eye
November 16, 2015 His name was Chipotle. A mismatch for a name if ever I saw one. The timid salt-and-pepper curly coated little Shih Tzu weighed in under 20 pounds and his tail trailed after him over the floor as he puttered around the exam room. Happily I noted that he wasn’t sweeping up … Continue reading KCS or Dry Eye
Seizure Disorders
September 9, 2015 There was a tremendous commotion at the front door. I looked up to see a tiny ball of fur writhing in circles in the open doorway as her owner struggled to balance the door and simultaneously pick up her pet. Just as I reached them, the dog suddenly stopped her flailing, … Continue reading Seizure Disorders
Uric Acid Stones and Spotty the Dalmatian
August 12, 2015 Well if you don’t know that “Spotty” is the perfect name for a Dalmation dog then you’re not a kid. Clarity is not reserved to children, but I find they are less likely to obfuscate descriptive terms. And a Dalmatian dog, though born white, is soon covered with a myriad of … Continue reading Uric Acid Stones and Spotty the Dalmatian
Canine Distemper
June 24, 2015 There has been much dialogue and soul searching among the people of California after an outbreak of human measles occurred last Christmas. The source of contagion was traced to a child visiting Disneyland. Ultimately over 100 people were affected across many states. Part of the controversy? There is a preventative vaccine … Continue reading Canine Distemper