Category Archives: Responsible Pet Ownership

A cat loving client of the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is fostering a young male cat. In preparing for his neuter surgery, she found out the cat has a retained testicle and will require additional testing to determine where the testicle is and how best to approach the neuter surgery. The medical term for retained testicles is cryptorchidism, with the root, orchid coming from the Greek for testicle or órkhis. I’ll discuss this uncommon condition in today’s blogpost.

In A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas past reminds Ebenezer Scrooge of his childhood innocence and leads him to understand how he could change the future by being generous and kind. For today’s blogpost, I am calling up some of the “ghosts of AMC Christmas past” – tales of AMC patients who nearly succumbed to a tragic fate and now serve as a warning to current pet owners. These stories will help you change your holiday preparations to avoid pet mishaps and enjoy this year’s holiday season to its fullest. Hopefully, it will be a holiday season without a trip to the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s 24/7 Emergency Room.

For nearly 50 years, the third Thursday of November has been designated the Great American Smokeout to empower people to quit smoking, and now vaping. The sponsors of the Great American Smokeout, the American Cancer Society, provide a variety of resources to help facilitate smoking cessation: guides, videos and smart phone apps. What the American Cancer Society does not communicate, however, is the most important reason for any animal lover to stop smoking… your pet.

The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center ER has its share of drama. Last summer, a dog family was at a pool party when they noticed their French bulldog missing. He was found at the bottom of the pool and was estimated to have been there 1-2 minutes. The owners rescued him from the bottom of the pool and administered CPR, miraculously reviving the little fella. The family brought him directly to AMC where, after an overnight in ICU, he was discharged and as good as new. This story highlights several things about dogs, pools and swimming. I don’t believe dogs understand what a swimming pool is or how dangerous it can be, and not all dogs are natural swimmers, as this Frenchie’s story clearly illustrates. Many dogs fall in the pool only once and, after they are rescued by their family, never go near the pool again. Every summer there are unsuspecting dogs who fall into the pool when no one else is around. Some drown because they are alone and cannot swim. Others can swim, but quickly become exhausted when they cannot figure out how to get out of the pool. To protect your dog, here are my suggestions to keep your swimming pool dog safe.

If you’ve ever had a sick pet, you probably have a cabinet full of unused medications. In fact, I know you do, because my clients often ask if they can give the same pills I prescribed 4 years ago to their sick pet. First, the answer to that question is no. Second, this blogpost will focus on how to properly dispose of your collection of expired drugs and medical supplies.