#Veterinary tips

[doggozila]

(via Essential Veterinary Tips: Transform Your Dog's Health - Doggozila Magazine)

[tricountyanimal]

Understanding the Causes of Bacterial Skin Infections in Pets

Bacterial skin infections are common in pets and can cause significant discomfort and health issues. Understanding the causes of these infections is crucial for effective prevention and treatment. At Tri-County Animal Hospital, we are committed to helping pet owners understand the underlying factors that contribute to bacterial skin infections in pets and providing comprehensive care for their furry friends.

Common Causes of Bacterial Skin Infections

Allergies 

Allergies are a major cause of bacterial skin infections in pets. Pets can be allergic to various environmental factors such as pollen, mold, dust mites, and certain foods. When a pet has an allergic reaction, their skin becomes inflamed and itchy, leading to scratching and biting. This can create open wounds and sores, which provide an entry point for bacteria.

Hormonal Imbalances 

Hormonal imbalances can also lead to bacterial skin infections. Conditions such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels) and Cushing's disease (overproduction of cortisol) can compromise the skin's natural barrier, making it more susceptible to infections. Pets with these conditions often have dry, flaky skin, which can crack and allow bacteria to enter.

Poor Hygiene and Grooming 

Inadequate grooming and poor hygiene are significant contributors to bacterial skin infections. Pets with matted fur or those that are not bathed regularly can develop skin irritations and infections. Regular grooming helps remove dirt, debris, and dead skin cells, which can harbor bacteria. At Tri-County Animal Hospital, we emphasize the importance of maintaining a proper grooming routine to prevent skin issues.

Environmental Factors 

Environmental factors such as humidity, heat, and exposure to irritants can lead to bacterial skin infections. Warm and moist environments provide an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Pets that spend a lot of time outdoors or in areas with high humidity are at a higher risk. Additionally, exposure to irritants like chemicals, pesticides, and certain plants can damage the skin and make it more prone to infections.

Breed Predispositions 

Some breeds are more prone to bacterial skin infections due to their genetic makeup. Breeds with skin folds, such as Bulldogs and Pugs, are particularly susceptible because moisture and bacteria can accumulate in the folds. Breeds with long or dense fur, like Golden Retrievers and Shih Tzus, are also at higher risk due to the difficulty in keeping their skin clean and dry.

Underlying Health Conditions 

Underlying health conditions can weaken a pet's immune system and make them more vulnerable to bacterial skin infections. Diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and cancer can all compromise the immune system, reducing the body's ability to fight off infections. Pets with these conditions require special attention and care to prevent secondary infections.

Preventing Bacterial Skin Infections in Pets

Prevention is key to managing bacterial skin infections in pets. Here are some tips to help keep your pet's skin healthy:

Regular Grooming 

Regular grooming is essential for preventing bacterial skin infections. Brush your pet's fur to remove dirt and debris, and bathe them with a gentle, pet-safe shampoo. Pay special attention to areas with skin folds and ensure they are clean and dry. At Tri-County Animal Hospital, our grooming services are designed to keep your pet's skin and coat healthy.

Proper Nutrition 

A balanced diet plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy skin. Ensure your pet is getting the right nutrients, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential for skin health. If your pet has food allergies, work with your veterinarian to identify and eliminate the offending ingredients from their diet.

Environmental Control 

Minimize your pet's exposure to environmental irritants and allergens. Keep your home clean and free of dust, mold, and other potential allergens. During high pollen seasons, limit your pet's outdoor activities. If your pet spends a lot of time outside, ensure they have a clean and dry resting area.

Regular Veterinary Check-ups 

Regular check-ups with your veterinarian are crucial for early detection and prevention of bacterial skin infections. Your vet can identify underlying health conditions, recommend appropriate treatments, and provide guidance on maintaining your pet's skin health. At Tri-County Animal Hospital, we offer comprehensive wellness exams to ensure your pet stays healthy and happy.

Addressing Health Conditions 

If your pet has an underlying health condition, work closely with your veterinarian to manage it effectively. Proper management of conditions like diabetes, hypothyroidism, and Cushing's disease can significantly reduce the risk of bacterial skin infections.

When to Seek Veterinary Help

If you notice any signs of a bacterial skin infection, such as redness, swelling, sores, or excessive itching, seek veterinary help immediately. Early intervention can prevent the infection from spreading and causing more severe health issues. Tri-County Animal Hospital is here to provide the necessary care and treatment for your pet, ensuring they recover quickly and comfortably.

Conclusion

Understanding the causes of bacterial skin infections in pets is essential for effective prevention and treatment. By addressing underlying factors such as allergies, hormonal imbalances, and environmental conditions, pet owners can help keep their pets healthy and infection-free. Regular grooming, proper nutrition, and routine veterinary care are key components of a proactive approach to skin health. At Tri-County Animal Hospital in Wayne, we are dedicated to providing the best care for your pets, ensuring they live happy, healthy lives.

[spindle-and-nima]

Update on bunbun!

I've been busy caring for this sweet 7 year old girl so my usual content was a bit slow. She's about 10 days post op now from having a very enlarged uterus full of liquid and necrotic tissue removed. We ran some tests on her and found it was not a bacterial infection which is what we hoped, but rather a uterine cancer. The good news is it doesn't appear to have spread anywhere else at all, and her recovery is stellar, with everything having been removed just in time (the surgery was critical bc this thing was so full there was high danger of it bursting in the body). It was a stressful surgery because prey animals especially might stress to death when put under and may not survive the surgery. So it was risk the surgery, put her down, or risk the uterus bursting and taking her little life. Thankfully she beat the odds.

I will interject to say this rabbit was not spayed. It is EXTREMELY important to fix your rabbits because fixing them decreases the risk of cancer. 70-80% of rabbits that are unspayed develop cancer after 3 years old and it is hard on their little bodies. Cases like bunbun don't always end well, and even with all this cancer can return, so please please fix your pets. Better to spend the money to be responsible than risk the high chance of expensive hospital bills and more importantly, a very sick friend later on.

She was extremely boney and skinny before, and now is plumping up and being more active and i got to see many flops and binkies (her owners were delighted to hear this because she evidently rarely binkies). Who knows how long that dreadful cancer was sapping her sunshine away. She will be going back to her owners soon to hopefully live a few more happy years!

Bonus: a very delightful before and after (left is her poor very underweight self)

Live well, brave girl!

[hirazuki]

Me, episode 1: Oh, a relatable protag! And a relatable female protag, at that. Sweet! That never happens.

Me, a few episodes in: Wait, the protag really is going to be my character? The one I identify with the most? Seriously? It's not going to be a strange, at least somewhat sinister, seemingly hostile male side character? It's gonna be a female character and the protagonist? That's insane, that literally never happens... what's the catch??

Me, more than halfway through the season: ... huh, I guess Maomao really is it. Okay, then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Me to myself, after episodes 22/23:

[the--chaos]

If it were that fast in reality..😮‍💨

more posts here

[lucky-fy]

Actually, you know what? Animal muscle anatomy reference for you all : some screenshots of the anatomy illustrations from my courses.

The links will expire soon-ish, so grab those while you can. Most illustration come from the same source (which appears in some of the screenshots), so you can always check those anatomy books if you'd like more (aka, the accompanying text that explain the function of each muscle, etc. I'd argue those are just as important as the visuals!)

Neck + body (dog mostly) : https://we.tl/t-Jo94CvAMOB

Neck + body (horse, cow, a bit of dog) : https://we.tl/t-i3fcLePs5A

Head + legs (dog, cat, horse) : https://we.tl/t-3PXMeRxPku

[poochwell01]

🚨 Is your dog having diarrhea? Don't panic! 🐶💩 Check out our latest video to learn how to fix it fast and get your furry friend back to feeling great. From quick relief tips to prevention, we’ve got you covered! Watch now! 📺👇

[starryvibed]

15.7.23

Weekend off from exams so i ordered this bowl 🍲 in and had a movie night 🎬 I watched Old on Netflix and it was so engaging, it altered my brain chemistry 😵‍💫 I’m taking the Sunday 🗓️ off from the hospital 🏥 and I’m going to go visit my family and have a chill day with them

To read for my Ruminant Clinical medicine midterm on monday

General Systemic states

Gastrointestinal tract conditions

[myveterinaryexperience]

Ascites in Dogs

(Source: Mobile Vet Clinic)

Definition

Ascites (also known as Malignant Ascites, Abdominal Effusion or Free Abdominal Fluid) is a condition in which fluid fills up the space of a dog’s abdomen. This condition had the potential to be life threatening, as the buildup of the fluid exerts pressure onto the chest cavity, which causes difficult in breathing and leading to other negative symptoms. Additionally, though the ascites fluid is generally made up of a combination of lipids, bile acids and proteins, closely examining the composition can tell the veterinarian what the underlying cause may be.

Causes

There are various causes of ascites— most of them related to an organ failure —including, but not limited to:

(Source: PetND)

1. Right side heart failure

2. Heartworm disease or dialated cardiomyopathy

3. Liver disease (hepatitis, portal hypertension, etc)

4. Infection in the abdominal lining (Peritonitis)

5. Ingestion of poison or toxins

6. Lack of protein

7. Presence of cancer or tumours

Symptoms

Should a dog display the following symptoms for a concerning amount of time, take it to a veterinarian for an examination.

1. Lethargy/Weakness

2. Decreased appetite

3. Excessive bloating of stomach/abdomen

4. Sudden weight gain

5. Excessive panting or difficulty breathing

6. Pale or discoloured gums

7. Coughing

8. Diarrhea

Examination, Diagnosis & Treatment

During the physical examination, the veterinarian can use ultrasound, x-rays, chemistry panel, CBC (complete blood count), palpating (touch) and urinalysis, along with examining the fluid contents to diagnose and determine the cause of the ascites.

The treatment for ascites has multiple steps. First, the veterinarian drains the fluid to facilitate the dog’s breathing and for its comfort (this is only a temporary solution, as the fluid will build back up). This is done by inserting a needle into the dog’s abdomen and using an attached tube to draw out the fluid.

Then, the vet needs to address the underlying causes. For instance, if the dog has a tumour or damaged organs, a surgery may be required. Or if the problem is that the dog lacks protein, then a transfusion or special diet is recommended.

Unfortunately, there are some cases where the condition cannot be cured. This is especially common for older dogs.

[happydogophiles]

Unleash Savings: Affordable Pet Care Tips That Won't Break the Bank!

🐾 Discover paw-some ways to care for your furry friends without breaking the bank! Unleash savings with these affordable pet care tips! 🐶🐱💰 #PetCareOnABudget #SaveMoneyOnPets

As pet owners, we all want to provide the best care for our furry friends. However, pet care expenses can quickly add up and put a strain on our wallets. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to give your pets the care they deserve without breaking the bank. In this article, we will explore some affordable pet care tips that will help you unleash savings while ensuring the well-being of…

[doggozila]

(via Dog Allergies: Can Dogs Be Allergic to Cats? - DOGGOZILA MAGAZINE)

[unpopularvetopinions]

me at work about work

Last week I was discussing the photoelectric effect with a student extern, while refining my knowledge base article on the technical aspects of digital radiography. I like to give an understanding one layer deeper than what is strictly necessary to perform a technique. The photoelectric effect is... two or three layers of understanding separated from the practice of radiography.

pictured: nerd to nerd friendship

[maaarine]

Why aren't we talking about the real reason male college enrollment is dropping? (Celeste Davis, Oct 6 2024)

"White flight is a term that describes how white people move out of neighborhoods when more people of color move in.

White flight is especially common when minority populations become the majority. That neighborhood then declines in value.

Male flight describes a similar phenomenon when large numbers of females enter a profession, group, hobby or industry—the men leave. That industry is then devalued.

Take veterinary school for example:

In 1969 almost all veterinary students were male at 89%.

By 1987, male enrollment was equal to female at 50%.

By 2009, male enrollment in veterinary schools had plummeted to 22.4%

A sociologist studying gender in veterinary schools, Dr. Anne Lincoln says that in an attempt to describe this drastic drop in male enrollment, many keep pointing to financial reasons like the debt-to-income ratio or the high cost of schooling.

But Lincoln’s research found that “men and women are equally affected by tuition and salaries.”

Her research shows that the reason fewer men are enrolling in veterinary school boils down to one factor: the number of women in the classroom.

For every 1% increase in the proportion of women in the student body, 1.7 fewer men applied.

One more woman applying was a greater deterrent than $1000 in extra tuition! (…)

Since males had dominated these professions for centuries, you would think they would leave slowly, hesitantly or maybe linger at 40%, 35%, 30%, but that’s not what happens.

Once the tipping point reaches majority female- the men flee. And boy do they flee!

It’s a slippery slope. When the number of women hits 60% the men who are there make a swift exit and other men stop joining.

Morty Schapiro, economist and former president of Northwestern University has noticed this trend when studying college enrollment numbers across universities:

“There’s a cliff you fall off once you become 60/40 female/male. It then becomes exponentially more difficult to recruit men.”

Now we’ve reached that 60% point of no return for colleges.

As we’ve seen with teachers, nurses and interior design, once an institution is majority female, the public perception of its value plummets.

Scanning through Reddit and Quora threads, many men seem to be in agreement - college is stupid and unnecessary.

A waste of time and money. You’re much better off going into the trades, a tech boot camp or becoming an entrepreneur. No need for college. (…)

When mostly men went to college? Prestigious. Aspirational. Important.

Now that mostly women go to college? Unnecessary. De-valued. A bad choice. (…)

School is now feminine. College is feminine. And rule #1 if you want to safely navigate this world as a man? Avoid the feminine.

But we don’t seem to want to talk about that."

[dccanimalhospital]

Understanding Cognitive Health Concerns in Pets

As pets age, they experience changes in their physical and cognitive health, much like humans. Recognizing and addressing these changes early can make a significant difference in their quality of life. Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is a common yet often overlooked condition in aging pets. Here's everything you need to know about this critical aspect of pet care.

What Is Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS)?

CDS in pets is akin to dementia or Alzheimer’s in humans. It primarily affects older dogs and cats, leading to a decline in memory, learning, and problem-solving abilities. Symptoms may include disorientation, disrupted sleep patterns, loss of housetraining, and changes in interaction with family members.

Signs of Cognitive Decline in Pets

If you notice the following behaviors, it may be time to consult a veterinarian:

Disorientation: Your pet seems lost in familiar environments.

Interaction Changes: Reduced interest in play or affection.

Sleep-Wake Cycle Disturbance: Increased activity during the night.

Housetraining Accidents: Forgetting previously learned behaviors.

Activity Level Reduction: A decline in exploration or exercise.

Causes of Cognitive Issues in Pets

The exact cause of CDS remains unclear, but factors such as brain aging, oxidative stress, and reduced blood flow to the brain are believed to contribute.

How to Support Your Pet's Cognitive Health

1. Diet and Nutrition

Providing a diet rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and essential vitamins can help combat oxidative damage and support brain health.

2. Mental Stimulation

Engage your pet with toys, puzzles, and training exercises to keep their brain active. Interactive games can help maintain cognitive function.

3. Regular Exercise

Physical activity not only keeps your pet’s body healthy but also boosts their mental well-being.

4. Consistent Routine

Stick to a regular schedule for feeding, walks, and playtime to reduce stress and confusion.

5. Veterinary Care

Routine check-ups can help identify early signs of cognitive decline. Your vet may recommend supplements, medications, or specific therapies tailored to your pet's needs.

The Role of Love and Patience

Dealing with a pet experiencing cognitive decline can be challenging. However, your love, patience, and understanding can make their journey easier. Providing a safe and comfortable environment, along with plenty of affection, can significantly enhance their quality of life.

When to Seek Professional Help

If you suspect cognitive decline in your pet, don’t wait to seek expert advice. At DCC Animal Hospital, our team is equipped to diagnose and manage cognitive health concerns with compassion and expertise.

DCC Animal Hospital: Pioneering Pet Wellness in India

Part of a renowned Japanese veterinary hospital chain, DCC Animal Hospital operates four state-of-the-art facilities in Delhi NCR and one in Jaipur. Known for compassionate and expert care, they offer a wide range of services, including preventive care, diagnostics, advanced treatments, grooming, and rehabilitation.

DCC Animal Hospital also focuses on educating pet parents about health management and nutrition, ensuring pets receive the best possible care at every stage of life.

To learn more or book an appointment, visit DCC Animal Hospital.

[farmerstrend]

The Truth About Animal Vaccines: Debunking Myths in Livestock Health

In today’s fast-paced agrospace, misleading information can spread quickly, both online and offline. One particular misconception that has emerged is the concept of “organic vaccines” for livestock. While plants have valuable pharmacological properties, they cannot be transformed into vaccines. It’s important for farmers and livestock owners to separate fact from fiction to protect their…

[unpopularvetopinions]

Oh yeah that's Bruticaine. very effective sedative, tricky to reverse

nobody understands my craft