Ryan's New Puppy

Ryan's new best friend is Miya. She's 12 weeks old. Her markings are stunning!

Cameron Has Two Best Friends!

She's been caring for them for over a year now. Jake and Jordan.

Sometimes they aren't always aware of their size!

What Is A Veterinary Radiologist???

A veterinary radiologist is a veterinarian who has a veterinary degree, a year of internship, and a three or four year residency in radiology under their belt. Veterinary school is hard enough to get into, and attracts the best and the brightest. Those who want to specialize in radiology have to undergo another round of competitive applications, and years of training to attain specialist status. Someone who is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Radiology or the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging has had intensive training by other veterinary radiologists. Disciplines include radiology, ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CAT scan or CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR or MRI), and nuclear medicine. A specialist also has to pass an intensive written and oral exam to become board certified. Veterinary Radiologists have extensive experience in obtaining and interpreting images of all types.

Are You A Pet Owner Or A Guardian?

A debate has been raging for years over the proper terminology to use when describing the relationship of a person to his or her pet. Historically, animals have been regarded as property in the eyes of the law. Therefore, people with pets have been called pet owners.

However, a growing number of people feel that the word “owner” does not do justice to the relationship between a person and a pet. Adherents to this school of thought often prefer the word “guardian.” They argue, quite reasonably, that people form intense emotional bonds with their pets, and that this relationship deserves a unique title. They point out that most people love their pets. Nobody I know would say that love their dishwasher or their sofa.

Members of the owner camp retort that calling oneself a pet guardian may have unintended consequences for people and pets. They point to the example of adults who are guardians of children, and claim that guardianship carries responsibilities that ownership does not. For instance, the owners of a sick pet can refuse veterinary treatment if they cannot afford it. The guardian of a child would go to prison if he declined medical treatment for the same reason.

Proponents of pet ownership ask what would happen in these circumstances if pet owners became pet guardians? And how would the change in terminology affect the availability of procedures such as spaying, neutering, and euthanasia? They point out that a child’s guardian cannot have him sterilized or put to sleep. Would an animal’s guardian be able to do these things?

As a veterinarian, this issue is a minefield for me. Pet guardians are offended if I call them owners. Owners think I am crazy if I call them guardians. I try to avoid both terms.

For now, the proponents of pet ownership hold sway in most quarters. But the guardian camp is gaining momentum. The guardians make some valid points, and I suspect that in the long run, if they can resolve the issues listed above, they will carry the day. Only time will tell.

(Written by Dr Eric Barchas)

Lilly The Cocker Spaniel Pup

Lilly was here for a check up. She's 4 months old. She was fine, just had a little wax in her ears.

An Old Dog Story...

An old tired-looking dog wandered into my yard. I could tell from his collar and belly that he belonged somewhere. He followed me into the house, plopped down in a corner, and fell asleep. An hour later he went to the door and I let him out.

The next day he was back, resumed his position, and slept for an hour. This continued for several weeks until, curious, I pinned a note to his collar: “Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.”

The next day he arrived with a different note: “He lives in a house with eight children. He’s exhausted. Can I come with him tomorrow?”

Submitted by a friend...

Zoey

She's an 8 week old German Shepard pup. Her folks searched all over for a high quality shepard. They picked her out at 2 weeks of age. Her eyes had barely opened! Her new owners visited her practically every week until she was old enough to go to her new home.

She has big paw prints to fill!

Two Beagles With A New Roomate

Daisy and Lilly are soon to be blessed with a new baby in the house. The human kind that is. Vance Nicholas was born on Tuesday and will be brought home later today. Dad reports he is 8 pounds 15 ounces and very healthy.

POWERFUL STUFF...

A last speech, well worth the click.

Hope you listen to it all.

Mugsy And His Teddy Bear

Mugsy was dropped off by his Dad one morning last week. He's just a baby all of 1 year old. Naturally he brought his teddy bear with him.
Mugsy probably didn't realize why he and his bear were checked in for the day...seems like poor Teddy was missing an eye. Mugsy had something to do with that.
We induced vomiting, the missing eye and its attachment were soon brought up.
Given Mugsy's small size we were worried that his small intestine could become obstructed.

More info re obstructions click HERE

A Sniffling Pug Puppy

Dakota is just 4.6 pounds. They don't get much cuter than this!

Buddy and Kelsey

These 2 cats are litter mates. Hard to believe that they are almost 13 years old. They are definitely aging gracefully.

Brandee

She's a 4 month old, 26.4 pound puppy. She has an older sister Zadie at home.
Brandee was in for vaccs and to have a micro chip implanted. She currently shares the same dose of Heartgard with her older sister...but not for long. She's growing by leaps and bounds!

Jasmine Joins Baron...

Jasmine is just 10 weeks old. She joins her older brother Baron who is a 9 month old German shepard.