Resources

With temperatures outside dropping and snow falling on the mountains in Tahoe, we have officially entered into winter! Here are five tips to keep in mind to help you and your pet enjoy this winter season safely.

A gastropexy is a surgical procedure performed in order to prevent Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV), commonly called torsion or bloat.  GDV is a life-threatening condition where the stomach flips or twists, trapping air and gases in the stomach. Circulation to the spleen and stomach are cut off, causing the dog to go into shock and, if untreated, die. During a gastropexy, the stomach is attached to the abdominal wall, so that it is unable to twist.

A dog with heatstroke? Sounds like all you need to do is let them cool down for a while. Actually, it’s a lot more serious than that and can be fatal. And by the time it’s detected it could be too late.

A wellness appointment is an appointment that is made/attended when your pet is in good health. It is a key component to your pet's overall health and well-being. Y

Heartworm disease or dirofilariasis is a serious and potentially fatal disease. It is caused by a blood-borne parasite known as Dirofilaria immitis.

Dr. Utchen, my dog coughs a lot, but seems fine otherwise. The vet says he has chronic bronchitis and that it might be from an allergy. She says he’ll probably always need medication for this. Why can’t this be cured like when people get bronchitis?

Constipation can be defined as an abnormal accumulation of feces resulting in difficult bowel movements. This may result in reduced frequency or absence of defecation. The feces are retained in the large intestine or colon. Since one of the major functions of the colon is water absorption, the retained feces become hard and dry, which makes passing the feces even more difficult. Constipated cats strain in an attempt to defecate resulting in abdominal pain. Some constipated cats may pass small amounts of liquid feces or blood as a result of excessive straining.

So you think you’re the only one suffering from “weekend warrior” syndrome? That’s the classic case of the middle-aged athlete who exercises only on the weekends and pays the price with little (or big) injuries that wouldn’t have happened 15 or 20 year ago.

Dear Dr. Utchen, I recently boarded my cat for several weeks while we went away on a family vacation only to come back to a very ill cat -- she had stopped eating and developed a condition call Lipidosis. Was this brought on by the fact that she was boarded, or would she have gotten sick anyway?

Vomiting is not a disease; rather, it is a symptom of many different diseases. Many cases of vomiting improve on their own without medical intervention within twenty-four hours. Less commonly, vomiting may result from a serious illness, such as cancer. Even when vomiting is caused by mild illnesses, it may lead to death or serious complications if treatment is not begun early enough to prevent severe fluid and nutrient losses.