Visiting Vet: The last call
It’s raining. And cold. I was on call last night. I was tired from a busy day of appointments. When the phone rang, I had already shed my scrubs, and was parked on the...
Visiting Vet: Beach tummy
“What a sweet face,” I thought as Havilah, a 2-year-old golden retriever, bounded into my office. Havi’s family had been here on vacation for a while, but were heading back to the Midwest by...
Visiting Vet: Constipation in cats
Lavender, a sweet middle-aged cat, has lived an idyllic life. Pampered by her people. Far from the road. Acres of woods to explore. But something went awry recently. Lavender didn’t come home one night....
Visiting Vet: The ball is all
“One last question,” the client said at the end of her dog’s visit. Rafa, a big, goofy, good-natured, golden-retriever-poodle-and-maybe-something-else mix, had just been in for his annual physical examination and vaccinations. His person and...
Visiting Vet: Legg-Perthes disease
When Flash, a sweet little Yorkshire terrier, was less than a year old, he started limping one day. Now, when young dogs get too rambunctious, it’s not particularly unusual for them to strain or...
Visiting Vet: Porch histories
Lately I’m trying to go out on the porch whenever I can, to talk to clients in person. That’s right, I’m still practicing curbside. I have one staff member recently exposed to COVID whom...
Visiting Vet: Urgent-care day
“There’s a sick Bernese Mountain Dog coming in with a bloody discharge from her vulva,” my assistant told me first thing that morning. My blood pressure went up. In intact female dogs, this can...
Visiting Vet: Neutering your cat
Achilles, an 18-month-old male cat, was asleep on my exam table. Well, not really asleep. He was anesthetized, and being prepped for neutering. “When does Maddy get here?” I asked my assistant Fawn. After...
Visiting Vet: Late-onset dirt eating
When my first child was a year and a half old, we traveled with dear friends to the Caribbean island of Culebra. Our companions had been there many times, and showed us all the...
Visiting Vet: Geriatric care
Next week I am going for my first bone density scan. I think that officially makes me old. This screening is recommended for most women over the age of 65. Although I take after...
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...