Tag Archives: tales from the pet clinic

A Case for the Indoor Cat

A cat outside a bodega

The other day I was walking down First Avenue, not too far from The Animal Medical Center. Outside a deli, there was a big, fluffy white cat waiting to get inside. I have walked by the deli several more times and figured out Rosie is their resident cat. Seeing a cat outdoors on a busy

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National Pet Fire Safety Day

Last Friday, July 15, 2011, was National Pet Fire Safety Day. When we hear about pets and fires in the home, we often think of the dog who awakens his owner, saving lives with a warning bark about a fire in the house. But pets are also the victims of fire. According to Pet Safety

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The Pen Cap May Be Mightier than the Sword…

But it can’t beat a bronchoscope! One thing I love about pets is their unpredictability. You just can never guess what they will do next. Here’s the story of Barcley, the French bulldog and the nearly fatal pen cap. The beginning seemed innocent enough: a dog playing with a bright blue highlighter pen. Suddenly, he

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Dogs and Cats as Diana and Orion, the Hunters

Pet owners believe their well-fed, or more likely overfed, dog or cat should have no reason to hunt, but lately it seems my patients are on a hunting spree. Most cat owners who allow their cats outside, become accustomed to freshly killed gifts of mice and other small rodents carefully placed as an offering on

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Everything Old is New Again: Plague and Leprosy

An armadillo

Last week there were two very interesting stories in the news about the intersection between people and animals. Both reported on diseases we rarely hear about anymore: plague and leprosy. Leprosy is the older disease and has been reported since Biblical times. The first reported epidemic of plague occurred somewhat later, in the 6th or

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