Now that you’ve read The Importance of Staging for Pets With Cancer, Part 1, it’s time to move on to the next group of diagnostics used when staging cancer patient.   Staging is the process of combining a veterinarian’s physical examination with a variety of diagnostic tests to help determine if the presence of cancer […]

I have a friend, let’s call her Jane, who recently discovered CrossFit and the ‘paleo lifestyle,’ as she refers to it. In six months she has made some significant life changes and gotten healthier and happier, and that is an amazing thing. I am happy to see it.   Less exciting to me is the […]

The 2016 presidential election is shaping up to be a remarkable and unforgettable event. There are numerous controversial political topics being addressed, including typical “big ticket” items such as healthcare, gun control, and national security.   I raise no concern with a country that prioritizes the aforementioned matters with respect to political affiliation. However, I’m […]

Recognizing when a cat is in pain is simple in only the most extreme of cases. Thousands of years of natural selection have made cats VERY good at masking pain. After all, it’s generally not a good idea to advertise the fact that you’re not at your best when a predator or potential mate might […]

Shortly after we moved into our new home a few years ago, my daughter had a little girl from down the street over to play. She was petting Brody and said, “What is this lump?”   I ran over like a bolt, thinking to myself, “Here we go again, another mass,” but open taking a […]

OpEd: We typically acquire pets so we know they will have a good, happy home. What doctors, teachers, and mental health practitioners are finding is that owning pets makes homes healthier, especially for children. Our attraction to animals aids our own wellbeing.   Most of you have read about how pets lower blood pressure, decrease […]

I have a soft spot in my heart for geriatric pets. I’m a sucker for the graying muzzle of an elderly Labrador retriever. I relish scratching the fuzzy face of a cranky senior cat. All pets are special, but the extensive history and regal personalities attached to the aged ones is something I simply can’t […]

OpEd: I am a big believer in the family bed. For the first 13 years of marriage, a herd of cats and dogs joined my wife and me in bed every night. After that, our two children, who were four years apart, joined the menagerie. The results were extraordinary. The bonding with our pets was […]

When I was in veterinary school, I learned that as long as a dog has normal eyesight, fly biting behavior (snapping at the air as if trying to catch a nonexistent fly) is usually a symptom of a partial seizure.   A partial seizure is caused by abnormal electrical activity within a relatively small portion […]

In this multipart series, I’m covering the topic of staging cancer patients and why doing so is important in the process of determining if our companion canines and felines have detectable cancer or if they are in remission.   The staging process is one in which I have to partake on an ongoing basis with […]