Visiting Vet: Liquid biopsy
One of my patients is a sweet Great Pyrenees–Bernese mountain dog mix named Sol. His owner recently told me that Sol‘s brother had died suddenly from cancer. “Is there any way you can check...
Visiting Vet: Grill cleaners
I was in my car driving home from a doctor’s appointment, and trying to decide what to make for dinner. The sun was shining, the water sparkling blue, the harbor picturesque. Inspiration struck. Siri:...
Visiting Vet: Tickborne diseases
Last week I saw three lovely dogs, Tulip, Daffodil, and Hyacinth. Tulip and Daffodil were here for annual physical exams, vaccinations, and preventive healthcare. Hyacinth came in because she wasn't feeling well. We drew...
Visiting Vet: Food allergy
Hey, parents. Remember when your kids were little, and the pediatrician had you introduce foods slowly, one at a time, giving the new food for a week or two before trying the next one?...
Visiting Vet: Poisonous plant exposure
Ah, Spring. Pinkletinks sing. Gardeners plant peas. Easter and Passover are right around the corner. Any day now I will start getting calls about cats poisoned by lilies and dogs by chocolate bunnies. Nobody...
Visiting Vet: Foreign bodies
Socks, corncobs, bones, balls, toy soldiers, Play-Doh, Gorilla Glue, needle and thread, ribbon, rubber bands, hair ties, Nylabone chunks, tampons, coins, underwear, rocks, Popsicle sticks, batteries, magnets, fish hooks, peach pits, pacifiers, entire stuffed...
Visiting Vet: Tail pull
Talk about fur flying! There were literally tufts of hair strewn about when Vincent had a fight with another cat last week. “I didn’t find any wounds,” his owner reported, but she had been...
Visiting Vet: Tearing the cranial cruciate ligament
By the time you read this, the Super Bowl will be over. We will know which team triumphed and, I imagine, at least one more NFL player will have torn their cranial cruciate ligament.
I...
Visiting Vet: PHT in dogs
Winter 1993. My husband and I had rented a house in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom for a budget vacation. We had borrowed snowshoes, packed skis, puzzles, and books, envisioning snowy days outside and cozy evenings...
Visiting Vet: A stuffy nose, and its many possible causes
Puma is an elderly indoor cat with a case of chronic “snuffles.” That’s just what it sounds like. Intermittent nasal and sinus congestion, and a snotty nose. Sometimes she’s completely fine. Other times, thick...
Visiting Vet: Does your elder pup have CDS?
I still think about the first time I just could not remember something I knew I should know. I was trying to recall the name of a very famous actress. Someone whose name I...
Visiting Vet: Intercat aggression
I was 13, palling around with my friends downtown, when we came across a man dangling a paper bag off a bridge over the river. When we heard a faint mew, we insisted he...
Visiting Vet: Have a pet-friendly holiday
On Monday, Nov. 21, I took the turkey out of the freezer. OK, I asked my husband Max to do it, but I was the one who remembered. OK, it was actually a Facebook...
Visiting Vet: Solensia
When my children were young (boy, that makes me feel old), let’s try again. When my children were younger (that’s better), they wanted kittens. Okay, Sydney wanted a horse, and Lila wanted a boa...
Visiting Vet: Head tremors
Salty, a 3-year-old medium-size retriever mix, woke up last week and began making a strange bobbing motion with her head. She seemed completely fine otherwise, and had never exhibited anything like this before, but...
Visiting Vet: Heartworm sneaks through
Sunflower is a typical rescue dog, transported here from Texas as a 10-week-old puppy by a pet adoption group. She arrived with six littermates, and all the paperwork showing puppy shots, fecal tests, health...
Visiting Vet: Sea change
On Thursday evening, August 25, I got a call from Richard, my mother’s partner for 28 years. Both in their 90s, the two have been living independently in the house where I grew up...
Visiting Vet: Euthanasia is not the hardest part of the job
“This must be the hardest part of your job.” That’s what people always say when we are about to euthanize an animal. My reply is almost always the same: “No. It’s not.” And in...
Visiting Vet: It showed up in the eyes first
Harmonia, a 60-pound middle-aged dog, has had her share of mishaps and ailments over the years, but over all has been a happy, healthy dog. Then this spring, she developed a bad case of...
Visiting Vet: Feline asthma
Prince Hal is a handsome middle-aged long-haired cat. Other than recurrent bouts of urinary tract issues in his youth, Hal has not had much occasion to visit me. We recommend annual physical exams, but...