(Remember the old song, “Them Bones”? The title of that song came to mind when I decided to write this article.) What could be more natural than giving a dog a bone to chew on, right? After all, aren’t bones good for dogs teeth? Besides, they seem to love them. While many millions of dogs have eaten tens of millions of bones with few complications, we still strongly advise against giving dogs bones to chew on. – Bones may be so hard that the dog shears off part of his tooth

Two recent cases of pyometra serve as a reminder… We recently wrote an article about one of the serious diseases that is PREVENTABLE, Pyometra.  Over the past few weeks, we have had an unusual number of critically ill dogs that have been diagnosed with pyometra. Let me briefly review. Dogs go into “heat” or estrus approximately twice a year. Over time,  the lining of the uterus thickens. During each heat cycle, the cervix dilates and bacteria in the urinary tract has a pathwa

Pyometra Pyometra – This word brings chills to veterinarians. Why? Because it signifies that a common surgery was not performed and a female dog of cat is now in a potentially life-threatening condition. Pyometra is an accumulation of pus in the uterine body. If a female dog or cat  is spayed, there is no way to contract this disease. Pyometras occur in middle to older aged dogs. The signs or symptoms you notice may include depression, increased drinking, vomiting, a foul-sme

But there are many times where either an abnormal response to a standard treatment or the complexity of a medical or surgical case dictates that we need to refer to a “specialist”. What is a specialist? In most cases it is a veterinarian with additional training and certification. They may be “Board-Certified”, meaning that they have passed the highest standards of knowledge and care in a given field. A few of the veterinary associates we refer to have advanced training or in