I’m pretty excited about this article because I have good news to share.   My diabetic cat has gone into remission from his disease.  That means no more needles!  (For now anyway.) I am very pleased about this because when it comes to giving my own pets needles, I’m just like any other owner-I hate doing it.  And even though the needles we use to [...]

Read more

Recently, my friend’s dog got into the pantry. The door had been left open when no one was home, and dogs will be dogs.   Stormy did considerable damage to the weekly grocery budget, but the biggest problem was that she got into the chocolate.   And, my friend didn’t know when or how much chocolate was actually ingested.  Here’s why that’s [...]

Read more

The Humane Society of Kent County is currently experiencing an outbreak of feline distemper (Panleukopenia).  It is thought that the virus was introduced by an infected kitten left in the shelter’s drop room.  From there, the virus spread to the vulnerable kitten population.  Humane Society personnel have acted swiftly to contain the problem and have enacted the following [...]

Read more

Unless you’ve known me for a long time, you probably never met Moby.  He was the dog by which all others are measured.  He was a handsome, block headed yellow lab who was the coolest dog ever.   He wore sunglasses and red flowing scarves as he flew around in my convertible.  He rode jet skis.  He was invited to parties when I wasn’t.  He went on [...]

Read more

I had my topic picked out, the title cleverly fixed, the outline complete, and then… I did a spay/neuter clinic.  It was a two day event in Dorchester County this past weekend.  Sponsored by Dr. Teri White of Tom Cat Solutions in Easton, four veterinarians spayed or castrated 140 cats.  That was an impressive first time operation implemented by Dr White who saw a need in a [...]

Read more

My darling Chessie is going to be 18 years old next week.  18 years is miraculous for a Maine Coon cat who has suffered with heart disease for a decade, had bilateral hip surgeries and has thrown 2 blood clots in his rear legs. Let’s start with the breed.  Maine Coons, called gentle giants, are the largest breed of domestic cats.  Chessie was upward of 24 pounds in his [...]

Read more

This seems like a good time of year to talk about red eyes.  Certainly mine are!  My excuses might be staying up late at night, or having one glass of wine too many.  But my cat’s eyes are red too, and I’m sure he does not share those extravagances.  Red eyes come from so many different causes. We think of blepharitis - an inflammation of the lids.  Or [...]

Read more

As many of my reader know, I have taken many trips with my pets over the years.  Whether by car, boat or plane, my pets are experienced travellers.  My lab went hiking in Vermont, wandered the Billy Goat Trail  and Chessie  the Coon cat earned his sea legs with over 5000 ocean miles below his tufted toes.  I was really lucky that my guys remained well over the years. [...]

Read more

Let’s face it, this is a time of the year when we’re all carrying a few extra pounds. Whether from inactivity or holiday excess, our waistlines expand in the winter.. The same problem which plagues people befalls pets too. Veterinarians see an abundance of porky pets right now. Just as obesity is bad for us, it’s bad for animals too. Joints carry a greater load which can lead to [...]

Read more

By now, everyone on this part of the planet has heard about Lyme Disease, the difficult to diagnose malady spread by ticks. In this short article, I want to explain several aspects of this disease so readers have some baseline knowledge as warm weather approaches. Information about Lyme disease is timely as ticks start feeding in March and April. As the temperature increases, ticks [...]

Read more