Visiting Vet: Diabetes in cats
I’m an old dog. There’s no denying it. I like to do things the way I have always done them. But I also like to keep current on the latest practices, and veterinary medicine...
Visiting Vet: Old, loud cats
It’s five am. My 15-year-old cat looms over me where I lie in bed, pretending I don’t see her. “Meow,” she says plaintively. I gently shrug her off. “Meee-oooooow,” she insists. She is the...
Visiting Vet: Adventurous veterinarians
I was just flipping through a few veterinary publications looking for inspiration for this column. Yes, I still get the occasional printed professional journal, as hardcopy seems to be the only way I remember...
Visiting Vet: Overgrooming
Jigsaw is a young adult cat who has been having a problem. He is literally tearing his hair out. Okay, technically cats have fur, not hair, but it just sounds more dramatic using that...
Visiting Vet: Hypoglycemia or insulinoma?
Lulu, a sweet 9-year-old setter, came into my office recently. “I think there might be something wrong with her hind legs,” her owner said. A week previously they had been out for a walk...
Visiting Vet: Feline intestinal parasites
“I just found two worms on the floor by Savoy’s food bowl,” the woman on the phone said, clearly upset. We’re used to that. I have had people page me late at night because...
Visiting Vet: Avian influenza is near
Sigh. I have been avoiding this in hopes that it would go away. But no. It’s here, and it will almost certainly get worse.
I’m not talking politics (though don’t get me started). I’m talking...
Visiting Vet: Leptospirosis vaccines
When I was a child, I don’t remember there being anti-vaxers. I do remember the early equivalent of robo-calls, when the John Birch Society barraged our town with their anti-fluoridation campaign. Although I am...
Visiting Vet: Why was Wolfy not eating?
I had known Wolfy most of his life. He was a feisty old Pomeranian mix, and when his family said he wasn’t acting like himself, I wasn’t too worried. At least not at first....
Visiting Vet: Holiday hazards
It feels like all the stories I have to tell right now are sad stories. It’s the “holiday season” — a time when veterinarians traditionally face many hard situations. Families who want to keep...
Visiting Vet: The good new days
I probably spend too much time on social media, but I really enjoy connecting with veterinarians all across the country, or even around the world. There are Facebook groups for vet moms, Jewish vets,...
Visiting Vet: Acid reflux in dogs
Fifteen years ago I had a patient named Bianca — an exceptionally nice Portuguese water dog with an exceptionally dedicated owner. I was at that point in my career where I was confident of...
Visiting Vet: Time is of the essence
It was Friday morning. I was tired. I was recovering from a nasty cold, and had been up most of the night coughing. “I’ll take it easy this morning,” I thought to myself as...
Visiting Vet: Keeping Halloween pet-friendly
Early on in my career, I had two wonderful employees, Beth and Midge, who had wicked senses of humor. Despite the stress of veterinary practice, we laughed a lot at work. Of course, dressing...
Visiting Vet: Swallowed batteries
My dog Quinna is an odd dog. We think she is part Labrador retriever, part beagle, part something else. Now, we all know how Labs love to eat, and like many dogs, they are...
Visiting Vet: Lone star questions, answered
Fifteen years ago, I attended a conference about ticks presented by Dr. Susan Little, one of the country's top authorities on veterinary parasitology. I had been practicing on the Vineyard for a quarter-century, and...
Visiting Vet: Solving mysteries
Blanche, a 12-year-old Labrador mix, first came to see me for an emergency last December, when her owner noticed the old girl exhibiting stranguria. That’s the technical term for slow, painful straining to urinate....
Visiting Vet: No pain in the neck
Velma came to see me as an emergency one summer afternoon. Her owner was confident she knew what the problem was. “I think she has a sore neck from roughhousing with other dogs about...
Visiting Vet: We’ve got this
It was Thursday. My day on call covering urgent veterinary care for the whole Island. Eight in the morning, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing. One of my staff was out of town. The second...
Visiting Vet: Tips for Nervous Nellies
The wind blows. I roll over and go back to sleep.Our dog, Quinna, does not. She goes downstairs and crawls under my husband’s heavy oak desk. That was her favorite cozy place when she...