Michelle LaRue, DVM, MS Diplomate, ACVIM, Oncology Mast cell tumor (MCT) is the most common skin cancer of dogs, though can less commonly originate in other locations, such as the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. It involves an overgrowth of mast cells, which are part of the body’s immune system. They can be triggered to …
Allison Wilson, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM, Small Animal Internal Medicine A very common reason for you and your pet to be referred to VSNT is to have a “scope” or “scope-assisted” surgery. This is a medical procedure that is used to get biopsies or small pieces of body organs for testing, to try and determine why …
Samantha Bailey, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM If your dog is coughing at home, it can be frustrating when it is not getting better after a few weeks. Chronic coughing can be due to a variety of conditions in dogs, including chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, airway collapse, and cancer. Chronic bronchitis is a condition where there is chronic …
Mammary (breast) cancer is very common in the cat, and the potential for developing a mammary tumor is directly related to the age when she is spayed. If a kitten is spayed before 6 months of age, the chance of developing mammary cancer is very low. If she is spayed at 1 year of age …
Rebecca Tims, DVM It is always very stressful when your pet is in the care of someone else, especially if they are sick or recovering from surgery. I wanted to use this month’s blog to go over what to expect when your pet is admitted to the hospital. My hope is that a better understanding …
Every pet owner fears hearing that their beloved pet has cancer. Unfortunately, cancer has become relatively common in pets- 50% of dogs and cats over the age of 8 will develop cancer. Why has cancer become so common in animals? For one, I believe it is because we are taking better care of our pets- they are …
Hi guys! After many years working in this profession, it concerns me that many of you are not aware of Veterinary Internal Medicine. It always surprises me when I hear friends and family members say “Wow! I didn’t even know pets could get kidney disease.” Did you know that pets can develop many of the …
Getting a diagnosis of cancer for your beloved pet is difficult. There are many factors to consider when making a decision about cancer treatment, such as: How the effectiveness will help length the life of my pet? What will the quality of my pet’s life be versus the cost? The following are some questions you …
One of the most common questions I get asked revolves around what food is best to feed my cat or dog. Keeping in mind that most of my patients are sick, and many of them have issues with their appetite, the best answer for my patients is the balanced food that meets their nutritional needs …
Inflammatory bowel disease is a very common disorder in dogs and cats. The most common clinical signs associated with this disorder are vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and decrease or loss of appetite. For some reason, a fair number of cats seem to just have weight loss, or weight loss and decreased appetite, which makes it …
