The advances in animal medicine are almost in step with human health care. The latest gadgets and treatments are available to solve dog health problems and ensure a higher quality of life. However, the newest vet innovations are useless without a vigilant owner who can first detect these dog health problems.
Because symptoms can be very subtle, owners must...
Most people think a dog is healthy if it has a moist nose.
Dr. Richard P. Green laughs when he thinks how many times he has heard this dog health tale in his 33 years at Mont Clare Animal Hospital in Chicago.
"If a dog licks its nose, it will be wet.
If a dog doesn't lick its nose, it will be dry. That's all it means. There's no relationship between nose...
Let's start by defining what parasite means. A parasite is an organism that liveson or in another organism (known as the "host") and causes damage to the host organism. Parasites are also often carriers of viral or bacterial diseases, transmitting disease from one host to another.
Worms are dog parasites that inhabit the intestines of many animals. They...
The picture is familiar and happens every summer when flies start to hatch. The pet is usually debilitated or poorly groomed, often with feces or urine caked on his fur. We see more problems with long and thick coated breeds, such as Samoyeds and Collies. The flies are attracted to the foul smelling coat and lay their eggs in the soiled hair. When the eggs...
In the cat, hookworms (Ancyclostoma tubaeforme) are an often forgotten, but important intestinal parasite.
Hookworms are passed from the queen to the kittens during nursing or are picked up from a contaminated environment (for example, eating grass or digging in contaminated soil).
The contamination comes from other animals that have defecated in the area...
The leading cause of heat exhaustion and heat stroke is leaving a dog in a hot car. Even on a mild day (75-80 degrees F), the temperature inside a car can raise up to 130 degrees rather quickly! Leaving a window slightly open will NOT prevent heat build-up. Leaving a dog in a car on a warm day is simply a risk to the dog's life!
Heat stroke occurs when the...
Giardia is a protozoan, which is a microscopic organism slightly larger than a bacteria. Giardia lives in water - usually puddles, lakes and streams. Giardiasis is the most frequently occurring waterborne illness in North America.
Giardiasis is a zoonosis. That means many different species can be infected, including pets and humans.
Pets become...
IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! Spring is a time of rebirth. We see young animals and plants budding and growing with the onset of the warm weather. Unfortunately, we also see some pests hatch out at the same time. Warmth and humidity allow the young adult FLEA to emerge from its cocoon (or pupa). Pupae are found in the ground outside and hiding in...
Cat Scratch Disease is an uncommon disease of humans which is characterized by resolving skin rashes, lymph node enlargement, and low-grade fever and generalized muscle pain. It is a bacterial infection that you can get from being scratched or bitten by a cat, or in few instances a dog. The disease resolves on its own over a period of 3-4 weeks and most...
THE FLEA OF PET
No discussion of parasites would be complete without mention of the scurge of all pet owners, THE FLEA.
The flea gained the greatest fame during the Middle Ages in Europe by carrying a disease that killed millions of people called the Black Plague. What most people don't know is that there are over 650 types of fleas and that the plague was...
Rhinotracheitis and Calicivirus cause upper respiratory infections in cats of all ages. Rhinotracheitis is also known as Feline Herpes Virus I (FHV I). Our current feline distemper vaccine also contains some strains of rhino and calici to aid in protection against these viruses. Immunity from vaccine is incomplete. Vaccination will shorten the duration and...
The various tests recommended by your veterinarian at the Animal Hospital will help him or her to rule out certain disorders, identify functional abnormalities, and help you to extend your pet's active and happy life. Testing also allows us to evaluate patients prior to anesthetic procedures.
Because tests can be confusing, we have listed the most...
