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It’s a miracle
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October 24, 2014
A few years ago, a patient was brought into the clinic, in a coma, with barely palpable pulse, with its breathing represented by audible gasps every 3...
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Chronic kidney (renal) failure
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October 17, 2014
The kidneys are made of thousands of tiny filtration units called nephrons. Once a nephron is destroyed by a disease, it cannot regenerate; this means...
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How to give your cat a pill
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October 10, 2014
1. Wrap the pill in a bite of special food or in a treat. Cream cheese seems to be especially effective. Then let your cat eat the food in any way tha...
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Pregnancy in dogs
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October 3, 2014
The choice of whether or not to breed your dog is an important decision. Before breeding your dog, you need to ask yourself a few questions: 1. Can I ...
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Aging dogs and changing behavior
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September 26, 2014
As they age, our dogs often suffer a decline in functioning. Their memory, their ability to learn, their awareness and their senses of sight and heari...
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Twin calves in cows
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September 19, 2014
A few weeks ago a farmer in Queen’s Drive called me to check on a cow that had just had twins. This is a relatively rare phenomenon in cattle, but i...
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Spaying and neutering
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September 12, 2014
What is Neutering? To accomplish surgical neutering, a veterinarian removes certain reproductive organs. If your cat or dog is a female, the veterinar...
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Should you remove the dew claws or not?
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September 5, 2014
Here’s what you need to know about your dog’s dew claws, including when (or if) you should have them removed. A dew claw is similar to a thumb - c...
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Brain tumours and abscesses in dogs
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August 29, 2014
Brain tumours are not common. They tend to occur in middle-aged and older dogs. The highest incidence is found in the short-nosed breeds that have lar...
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Parturition and tips on puppy care
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August 22, 2014
After pups are delivered, normally the mother would lick and clean them. She would also bite and cut the umbilical cords, if they are still attached t...
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Feline Leukemia: continued from last week…
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August 15, 2014
What happens if a cat is infected with the FeLv (Feline leukemia virus)? When we are exposed to a virus such as a flu virus, there are two possible ou...
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Some diseases of cats
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August 8, 2014
1. Feline Leukemia Virus disease: Feline Leukemia virus infection was, until recently, the most common fatal disease in cats. Because we can now prote...
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Tetanus in dogs
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July 31, 2014
Tetanus toxemia is caused by a specific neurotoxin produced by a bacterium called Clostridium tetani in necrotic tissue. Almost all mammals are suscep...
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Cat Whiskers
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July 25, 2014
Those stiff hairs on your cat's face and legs don't just add to her cuteness -- they have real work to do. Whiskers are GPS and radar systems for your...
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Spaying and neutering
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July 11, 2014
What is Neutering? To accomplish surgical neutering, a veterinarian removes certain reproductive organs. If your cat or dog is a female, the veterinar...
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How Parvo infection happens
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July 4, 2014
Continued from last week… Last week, we dealt with some questions about Parvo virus infections, like: Where does the virus come from? Why only puppi...
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How parvovirus infection happens
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June 27, 2014
Whether or not infection happens depends on the interaction of three factors: host vitality, including immune experience/vaccination status; virulence...
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A night to remember
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June 20, 2014
It was raining cats and dogs about 10 p.m. one cold and rainy evening about 17 years ago, when the phone rang. A desperate voice at the other end was ...
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Fleas on dogs: what to look for
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June 13, 2014
With nearly 2,000 species and subspecies, fleas thrive in warm, humid environments, and feed on the blood of their hosts. Dogs play host to the cat fl...
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Salivary gland problems and drooling in dogs
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June 6, 2014
The dog has four pairs of salivary glands that drain into the mouth. Only the parotid gland, located below the dog’s ear on the side of the face, ca...
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A few of my favourite clients
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May 30, 2014
Yesterday, Mr Josiah Bobb walked into the clinic with his daughter and son-in-law to have one of his dogs checked up and vaccinated. Mr Bobb is one of...
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Pregnancy in dogs
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May 23, 2014
The choice of whether or not to breed your dog is an important decision. Before breeding your dog, you need to ask yourself a few questions:{{more}} 1...
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Puppy to dog: Your pet’s life stages
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May 2, 2014
As your dog grows from puppy to senior, you'll need to adjust how you take care of him. Here's what to expect as he moves through six stages of life.{...
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Dough is a major don’t
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April 25, 2014
By Annique Boyle, veterinary student at Tuskegee University in Alabama, USA. We can all agree that homemade bread is delicious and I’m sure many of ...
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When to mate our dogs
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April 17, 2014
Female dogs generally have two reproductive cycles per year. This process begins at the so-called puberty. Small breeds may start their cycles at five...
Anaplasmosis in Dogs
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Anaplasmosis in Dogs
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April 11, 2014
My dog was diagnosed with anaplasmosis? What is it? Recently, I have been seeing an increasing number of dogs being diagnosed in my clinic with anapla...
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What is coccidiosis?
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April 4, 2014
Coccidiosis is an intestinal tract infection caused by one-celled organisms (protozoa) called coccidia. Coccidia are sub-classified into a number of g...
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Entropion in dogs
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March 28, 2014
Normally, the upper and lower eyelids close tightly, protecting the eye from damage and preventing tear evaporation.{{more}} Entropion is the most com...
Some facts about dogs
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Some facts about dogs
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March 21, 2014
1. Ancient Egyptians revered their dogs. When a pet dog died, the owners shaved off their eyebrows, smeared mud in their hair, and mourned aloud for d...
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Ear mites (otodectic mange) in dogs
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March 7, 2014
Otodectic mites are tiny mites that live in the ear canals and feed by piercing the skin. They are highly contagious to cats and dogs, but not to huma...
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Vomiting in dogs
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February 28, 2014
If you think dogs vomit a lot, you’re right. That’s because dogs have a well-developed vomiting centre in their brains, which allows them to throw...
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It’s a miracle
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February 14, 2014
A few years ago, a patient was brought into the clinic, in a coma, with barely palpable pulse, with its breathing represented by audible gasps every 3...
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Acute moist dermatitis (hot spots) in dogs
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February 7, 2014
A hot spot is a warm, painful, swollen patch of skin 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cm) across that exudes pus and gives off a foul odour. Hair in the area ...
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Fecal impaction in dogs
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January 31, 2014
After the Christmas vacation, I had an alarming amount of cases with dogs being brought into the clinic unable to pass stool. Each of these cases was ...
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Malignant Bone Tumors in Dogs
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January 24, 2014
Bone tumors can be either malignant or benign. Osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma are the two most common malignant bone tumors. Osteosarcoma is by far t...
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Urinary incontinence in dogs
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January 17, 2014
Micturition, or the process of urination, is a two-stage process involving the passive storage and the active voiding of urine. Processes that interfe...
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Anaphylaxis in dogs
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January 10, 2014
What is an anaphylactic reaction? An anaphylactic reaction or anaphylaxis is an immediate hypersensitivity (allergic) reaction to a foreign substance,...
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Happy Christmas, everyone
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December 20, 2013
Today, I just want to wish all of my esteemed readers and faithful clients a Joyous Christmas Season and a Prosperous 2014.{{more}} For me, it was a g...
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Tick fever in dogs
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December 13, 2013
Canine Ehrlichiosis, commonly known as "tick fever” is caused by a germ (rickettsia) called ehrlichia canis. Dogs get tick fever from tick bites. It...
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Tumours of the fatty tissue or ‘lipomas’
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December 6, 2013
What is this tumour? Almost all lipomas, which are tumours of adipose tissue (fat) are slow-growing and benign. These tumours are usually permanently ...