Canine Care Guides
Summer Hazards and Your Dog
- Dogs that spend most of their summer days inside are protected from many warm weather hazards, but only if the temperature inside the home remains within a healthy range. In an effort to reduce energy usage and costs, some pet owners shut off fans and air conditioning when they leave the house in the morning and turn them on when they return later in the day. However, when temperatures outside reach dangerous levels, temperatures inside the house can, too. Being shut inside a hot house can be deadly for your dog. Dogs can’t sweat; they rely heavily on panting to cool themselves off. When the temperature in the environment increases, panting becomes less effective. This means that your dog could be locked inside with minimal options for cooling down. Read More
Tail Docking
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Tail docking, also known by the term caudectomy, is the surgical removal of a portion of the tail.
Read More Thrombocytopenia (decreased platelet count)
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Thrombocytopenia is the term used when a patient does not have enough platelets in the blood. Platelets (also called thrombocytes) are cell fragments that are necessary for forming blood clots and that help in repairing damaged blood vessels. Platelets are formed in the bone marrow. Their numbers can be low if not enough are being made or if too many are being used or destroyed by the body. Causes of thrombocytopenia include blood loss, immune system disorders, clotting disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and feline leukemia virus.
Read More Thyroid Level Test/Thyroid Profile Tests/Canine Hypothyroidism
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Feline hyperthyroidism is the most common glandular disorder of cats older than 8 years. The disorder is usually caused by a benign tumor in one or both of the thyroid glands, which are located on either side of the neck. These tumors cause the thyroid glands to over-produce thyroid hormones. In rare cases (1% to 2%), the tumors may be cancerous.
Read More Tracheal Collapse
- The trachea is the main airway that starts at the back of the throat and continues down into the lungs. Under normal circumstances, the trachea (made mostly of cartilage) is fairly stiff and shaped like a tube. However, in some dogs, the cartilage of the trachea loses some of its stiffness over time. As a result, the wall of the trachea begins to collapse inward as the dog breathes. Instead of the inside of the trachea being shaped like a circle (tube), it can take on a half-moon shape or collapse even more severely into a more flattened shape. This is what occurs with tracheal collapse.Read More