Is This Normal?
There’s no such thing as a bad question. It’s never wrong to ask whether something may be normal for your pet. Trust us, Dr. D has heard it all!
“Vaccine Reaction”? Probably Not.
Vaccinations are a scientific miracle. The number of human (and animal) lives saved by vaccinations cannot be overestimated. Once-common diseases such as canine distemper and feline panleukopenia have been virtually eliminated in vaccinated pets (I’ve only seen a handful of pets with these diseases, as opposed to some of my more seasoned colleagues, who used […]
Land Shark
We all have expectations of what our newly adopted puppies will be like: cuddly, cute, sweet, funny, and playful. What most of us don’t expect: a puppy piranha! So many clients show me their “war wounds” when bringing new puppies for wellness care to Newtown Square Veterinary Hospital. Puppy teeth are sharp teeth! They can […]
Scoot That Booty?
We’ve all seen it: Fido, scooting his rear end along the carpet, dragging his nether regions across the floor. It’s not a pretty sight (and not a pretty smell.) Why on earth would Fido scoot, scratch and drag his tush? Scooting is unsavory to say the least, but it is also a frequent topic of […]
At the Dog Park
There is a longstanding joke among veterinarians: “Dog parks keep us in business.” Why is that the case? Dog parks are rife with well-intentioned owners and misbehaved dogs, resulting in dog fights and dog bites. Dog parks may seem like a good idea: a way to exercise Fido, a way to socialize him, a way […]
Animal Cruelty Prevention Month
April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. In my career, I am fortunate to have dealt with only a very small number of cruelty cases. Newtown Square Veterinary Hospital is privileged to have amazingly caring, compassionate clients who want to make the best choices for Fluffy and Fido. Unlike our shelter veterinarian colleagues, we rarely […]
Nip, Gnaw, Bite, Chew
We’ve all been there: your new puppy Fido Junior is 12 weeks old, and constantly biting anything he can get into his mouth. Your hands are scratched, your ankles are raw, your sneakers have seen better days and your table legs look like a beaver attacked them. Take a deep breath! Teething behavior in puppies […]
Antibodies Do a Body Good
It seems, almost daily, I see an appointment or return a phone call about a patient who recently received vaccinations and is now acting lethargic. This issue seems to occur most frequently in young kittens and puppies, as well as adult toy breed dogs (Yorkies, toy poodles, Chihuahuas, Maltese…I’m thinking of you!) While it is […]
Mangia, Mangia!
A question I’m frequently asked by both new and experienced pet owners: “How do I know if my pet is really sick?” More than any other symptom, a poor appetite can be an obvious indication that Fluffy or Fido is ill. If Fido doesn’t eat for several days, particularly if Fido is a happy-go-lucky Labrador […]
Is There a Feline Referee for Hire?
As many of you know, I recently brought a foster cat named Mango into the Dr. D household. She’s a three year old, domestic longhair cat who had a litter of kittens in our care about 4 weeks ago. Mango is unbelievably sweet, even allowing my four year old son to carry her around, and […]
Better Living Through Chemistry
There’s been a lot going on at the Dr. D household over the past few weeks. We sold our house, bought a new house nearby and, sadly, had to say goodbye to our dog Kona. With all this turmoil, our other dog Maeby has been quite out of sorts. Maeby was very attached to Kona, […]
The Sound of Silence
Fortunately, it’s a question I’ve been asked a scant few times in my career: can my yappy, barking dog be “debarked” with surgery? I recently read an interesting Huffington Postblogon this topic, and the author beautifully sums up why this horrendously painful and unnecessary surgery is never recommended by veterinarians. Most of us consider debarking […]
Cough It Up
It is a fact of life that cats can have an occasional hairball. Truthfully, our feline friends are well-designed to be able to ingest large quantities of fur without digestive trouble. Cats are meticulous groomers, and some seem to spend the greater portion of most days grooming themselves (when they’re not sleeping of course!) As […]
Howl You Doin’?
It’s 3am and no one in the house is sleeping. Fluffy, your geriatric cat, has been up howling and screaming for the past hour. Fluffy never used to do this before, but it’s become a nightly ritual. Everyone is exhausted and you’re ready to put Fluffy out on the front porch. What could have prompted […]
A Hole in the Wall
Yesterday I performed an umbilical hernia repair on an incredibly cute French Bulldog. The surgery went smoothly, but it was more than a cosmetic repair in this case. This young dog was born with the hernia, but recently the hernia went from being small and soft, to large, firm and bright red. One of my […]
Call the Ambulance!
Whenever I meet a new client at our animal hospital, I like to give them a brief rundown of our hospital’s hours, policies and procedures. We do see emergencies whenever our hospital’s doors are open. However, it is important clients know that our hospital is closed overnight, and that we do not take overnight emergency […]
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