Fear is a Powerful Motivator Mediated by a small almond shaped structure deep within the brain called the amygdala, threatened animals have an almost instantaneous surge in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and metabolism. This so called “fight or flight reflex” is the subjective state of fear and dysregulation of this “fear pathway” […]
Hey Stinky Breath! Bad breath or halitosis can be embarrassing for both people and pets. 80-90% of halitosis comes from structures within the mouth, primarily teeth and tongue, where bacteria produce over 80 different volatile or “stinky” organic compounds. These same bacteria cause plaque which is the trigger for tartar and calculus formation which leads […]
The Dying Season The warmest 14 months in recorded history may be increasing our pets’ chances of lethal tick paralysis. We have already seen several tick affected cats and dogs and it is winter! Traditionally, locals started preventatives in September, but climate change may require “all year” prevention especially in high risk localities. Tick Guru […]
Food Glorious Food Fat Cat Since our British Shorthair, Minnow got his own instagram page he has started acting like a supermodel EXCEPT for watching how much he eats. Fortunately a new diet, Hills Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution came to the rescue and over a few months he slimmed down to acceptable proportions. Metabolic helps […]
Why Does My Dog Bark? Barking is normal behaviour for dogs and makes up part of the way they communicate. It is normal for a dog to bark briefly when there is a noise at their territorial boundary or a knock at the door. Yet it is not normal for them to bark for two […]
As technically difficult as it can be, sometimes surgery feels like the easy bit. Keeping an energetic, wilful pet quiet for the time it takes for a surgical wound or fracture to heal can be a very difficult proposition. Modern analgesics, as essential as they are, can make pets feel like running and playing well […]
The cough is one of the most powerful reflexes in the body and serves as both a protective and early warning system for the pharynx and respiratory system. Disease of any part of the respiratory system (nasopharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs, pulmonary vessels) or surrounding structures (esophagus, pleura or heart) can result in a cough […]
Doggy Hay Fever Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic relapsing itchy skin disease of dogs. Affected dogs first show symptoms between 6 months and 3 years of age and then itch more or less for the rest of their life. The easiest analogy to a human disease is “hay fever” but instead of a runny […]
Our star, the Sun, can induce cancerous change in the skin cells of humans as well as our pet cats and dogs. Long term ultraviolet light exposure is a known risk factor for development of skin cancers in white cats and lightly pigmented short haired breeds of dogs. The presumed reason is that white coats […]
“Pain is perfect misery, The worse of all evils, And excessive, Overturns all patients.” John Milton, Paradise Lost Cause Trauma to body tissues results in the release of chemicals that induce inflammation and stimulate pain receptive nerve endings called nociceptors. These pain impulses are transmitted initially to the spinal cord then to the thalamus and […]
