Sponsored content from Zoetis Petcare Allergic dermatitis is the number one reason why owners bring their dogs to the veterinarian, yet many pet owners are not aware that their pets can get allergies, and don’t realize that there is an underlying medical issue that’s causing their dog to itch. With August being the peak of… Read More
Care
Coping With An Unknown Diagnosis
As an ER veterinarian, I have become quite skilled at quickly assessing an animal and coming up with a plan to begin patient stabilization. Unfortunately, this does not mean that I always know exactly what the underlying cause of each patient’s illness is. If a situation arises when a diagnosis has not been reached, it… Read More
Giving Our Patients the Best of Both Worlds
I was sitting on the exam room floor with Lucy, a 13-year-old black Labrador Retriever. Her eyes darted from her mom, then to me, and back to her mom as we talked, her tail gently wagged every time her name was mentioned, making soft thudding noises on the floor. Mom was holding back tears when she said,… Read More
Trust Us, Please
Everyone who works in the veterinary profession for any amount of time has heard that “vets are only in it for the money” or that we are in cahoots with pet food and pharmaceutical companies and get kickbacks for recommending their products. But those opinions are far from the truth. We know that our clients… Read More
Long ER Waiting Times Are Stressful. I Feel it, Too
It was a typical busy night in the ICU. Patients were coming in several at a time, procedures were piling up and multiple animals needed to be hospitalized for immediate treatments. As I rushed from patient to patient, filling in my technician on what needs to get done, receiving results from blood/ urine tests and… Read More
How Responding to My Own Cat’s Code Helped Me Become a Better Nurse
“You don’t understand.” This is the statement given to me by anguished owners responding during their most difficult hours. My empathy sounds empty, as though I could never know or understand their pain. I glance into the corner of room five and quickly look away from the spot I last held my beloved pet after… Read More