Being a casual birder, I was captivated last winter by the presence of a snowy owl in Central Park. The photo accompanying this blogpost was taken at the north end of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir last February where I was one of hundreds braving the freezing cold and ice, hoping for a glimpse of
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In addition to dogs and cats, the veterinarians at AMC care for amphibians, birds, reptiles and small mammals like hamsters and guinea pigs. In AMC-speak, we call them “Exotic Pets.” Turtles are a common Exotic Pet patient at AMC. In the past year, out Exotic Pet Specialist Veterinarians have seen 79 turtles. Today’s blog post
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I was very lucky last month to have fulfilled a long-held desire to go to the Galapagos Islands. The desire stemmed from my general love of animals, a presentation on the giant tortoises I attended while in veterinary school and a biographical novel featuring Charles Darwin. The sea turtles, frigate birds, blue footed boobies and
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Spaying, or ovariohysterectomy, is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in dogs and cats. On my April 6th SiriusXM Stars Channel 109 show, “Ask the Vet,” I was asked a question about spaying and I admit I could not readily come up with an answer. The question was: “Should I spay my mini
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Last week, at the Animal Medical Center, our Avian and Exotic Pet Service examined a geriatric female iguana named Killer. One of her problems was osteoporosis, a disease of the bony skeleton common in post-menopausal women. Given that Killer is an older lady, her family asked a reasonable question, “Is my iguana post-menopausal?” A Different Type
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