The timing of neutering or spaying a dog used to be straight forward. Emerging data is suggesting that there are benefits to taking a more individualized approach to the age at which is this surgery is performed.
May 09, 2016
A kick in the head can cause serious neurological issues. Luckily for one canine, what could have been a permanently paralyzing event was avoided. Neurologists from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine performed spinal cord surgery on a four year old, female border collie suspected of being kicked in the head by a deer. On May 2, UC Davis announced the success of the surgery and physical therapy; the patient is now ambulatory.
This paper provides a working framework for enhancing the well-being of senior pet dogs and cats. Approaches to screening the medical status of senior pets are described in detail, with particular emphasis on establishing baseline data in healthy animals, the testing of clinically ill animals, and assessing senior pets prior to anesthesia and surgery. The management of pain and distress and the application of hospice and palliative care are addressed. Advice on ways to approach euthanasia and dealing with end-of-life issues is also provided.
May 25, 2015
The patient was small: a one-year-old female Burmese cat named Vanilla Bean. The diagnosis was big: a rare congenital heart defect found in children. The solution was unusual: a human cardiology team who guided the veterinary surgeon through a delicate surgery rarely performed on cats due to their size. The University of California at Davis (UC Davis) announced the success of the surgery on May 14.
September 10, 2015
The first canine patient to undergo pacemaker surgery did so in 1968, according to MSPCA-Angell, an international animal protection organization. Luckily, it wasn’t 10 years earlier. (In 1958, the first human patient had 26 different pacemakers in her lifetime!) Rocket, a 10-year-old Boston terrier, was one of the latest recipients, thanks to the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, who performed the surgery on August 18.
September 02, 2015
A cleft palate, common in purebred dogs and cats, creates difficulties in eating and drinking, according to the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. This was true as well for a 22-week old mixed breed Pit bull/bull dog named Mr. Moo born with the deformity and then some—no soft palate at all. But thanks to a unique partnership between Michigan State University Veterinary Medical Center and a pediatric plastic surgeon, Mr. Moo got help.
JAAHA, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association is AAHA's peer-reviewed, bimonthly, scientific journal. The purpose of the JAAHA is to publish relevant, original, timely scientific and technical information pertaining to the practice of small animal medicine and surgery.
May 10, 2016
The bald eagle has a wingspan of about six and a half feet and can live 20 to 30 years, according to the National Wildlife Federation. In the wild, bald eagles face multiple threats, including, at least for one bald eagle, human predators. Luckily for this one, there was help. On May 5, an injured female bald eagle from southern Illinois successfully underwent reconstructive wing surgery at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital and its Wildlife Medical Clinic. The wing had healed improperly on its own after being fractured by a gunshot.
