Determining ideal chest tube placementAugust 11, 2022There are many indications for placing a chest tube, or thoracic tube, in a patient. Chest tubes can be placed because of a pneumothorax, pleural effusion, chest injury, or after thoracic surgery. Most of the time, chest tubes are placed when evacuation of air or fluid needs to be done more than once in a short period of time. Chest tubes can prevent the veterinary staff from needing to perform multiple thoracocentesis on the patient causing unnecessary pain and discomfort.
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Diagnosing tooth resorption in cats and dogsAugust 11, 2022Cats almost never get cavities, but they are prone to get cavity-like tooth defects called tooth resorption. Tooth resorption has had many different names through the years, including cervical line lesions, neck lesions, feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (FORL) and “feline odontolysis.” Recent studies have helped clarify this disease starts on the root surface and not specifically at the cervical portion of the tooth, so we now simply call it “tooth resorption” (TR).
It's time to put diagnostic tests to the testAugust 11, 2022All too often, companies develop and promote diagnostic tests in the veterinary field with no reasonable evidence that using them will benefit patients. Given the lack of meaningful regulation in this area, completely useless tests based on pseudoscience are freely sold to vets and pet owners. Even tests that work as claimed may become widespread well before there is evidence to believe their use will improve patient outcomes.
Perivulvar skin fold disease in obese catsAugust 10, 2022Have you treated a female cat for recurrent bacterial cystitis? Was it an overweight to obese cat? If both are true, you may have noted severe dermatitis was present in the perivulvar and perianal areas. This group of findings is typical when an obese female cat has perivulvar skin fold disease.
$100M donation milestone supports pets in needAugust 9, 2022Launched in 2012, Chewy Gives Back, the philanthropic arm of online pet product retailer Chewy, has surpassed more than $100 million in donations of pet food and essential supplies.
Seven strategies to improve vaccine complianceAugust 8, 2022A client says, "I’m just here for the rabies shot, Doc,” a client says. When a pet owner chooses services below your standard of care, the patient risks exposure to diseases and parasites. Practice health also suffers.
New tricks for an old dog's vet ownerAugust 4, 2022When you’re a sensitive veterinarian who is especially enamored over her extremely geriatric pet, you risk seeing every patient through the private lens of your impending loss. Older patients appear more endearing, end-of-life conversations become more emotionally relevant, and the stakes at work seem higher overall.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveCanine Otitis Externa—Proper Work Up For This "Ear-Y" OccurrenceAugust 4, 2022Cade Wilson, DVM, walks us through the proper evaluation of canine otitis externa cases from the examination, slide preparations and microscopic observations for proper diagnosis. This will be followed by common treatments for both short-term and long-term conditions.
From normal flora to resistant pyodermasAugust 4, 2022Upon learning a pet has a pyoderma, a common question is, “Where did the bacteria come from?” Owners are often surprised to learn the majority of pyodermas are from a dysbiosis of the normal flora, and not an external or environmental source.
Nutrition's role in dental healthAugust 3, 2022Nutrition can play a role in proper formation of the immature teeth. During amelogenesis (development of the organic enamel matrix and its subsequent mineralization), lack of proper nutrition can result in enamel hypoplasia or hypomineralization.