Educational Articles
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Imidocarb dipropionate is an injectable medication that is administered by a veterinarian to treat babesiosis in dogs. It is also used off-label to treat other protozoal infections in dogs, cats, and horses. Most common side effects include mild drooling, tearing, vomiting, or nasal drip. Do not use in pets with exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting drugs, pesticides, or chemicals. If a negative reaction occurs, please call your veterinary office.
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Infertility in a female dog is defined as the inability to conceive and deliver viable puppies, even when mated multiple times with a known fertile male surrounding the time of ovulation. This handout outlines the varying causes of infertility in female dogs and how they may be diagnosed and treated.
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Infertility in a male dog is defined as the inability to produce a successful pregnancy in a fertile female, even with multiple breedings near the time of ovulation. The causes of infertility fall under three broad categories: failure to copulate or ejaculate, poor semen quality, and prostatic disease. This handout explains the possible causes in detail, as well as methods to diagnose and treat them.
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This handout discusses the anatomy of the dog’s ear canal, how to safely clean your dog’s ears to prevent ear infections, and how to apply topical ear medications if needed.
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Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes and lymphatic system. This cancer may be localized to one particular region, or may spread throughout the entire body. Lymphoma is a relatively common cancer, accounting for 15-20% of new cancer diagnoses in dogs. The prognosis for lymphoma varies, depending on various characteristics that can only be determined by specialized testing.
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Mastitis is a term used to describe inflammation of a mammary gland. In most cases, mastitis is caused by a bacterial infection. Trauma to the mammary gland, or prolonged periods of milk accumulation without milk removal, can lead to inflammation within the mammary gland. Most dogs with mastitis can be treated on an outpatient basis with oral antibiotics and pain medications, though severe cases may require hospitalization or surgery.
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Pain research has advanced suggesting that a more appropriate choice for managing the chronic pain of OA is multi-modal therapy. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are just one of the options leveraged for multi-modal OA management. These include joint supplements, nutraceuticals, nutrition, adjunctive medicines, physical medicine, and changes to the home environment. Every multi-modal treatment plan is tailored to meet the needs of the individual patient and then adjusted as treatment progresses. Once a full multi-modal pain management plan is in place, your veterinarian may be able to lower the dose of NSAID to minimize the risk of an adverse event, and to reserve a full therapeutic dose for any acute inflammatory pain event.
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Many herding breeds (most commonly Collies and Australian Shepherds) have a mutation at the MDR1 gene that makes them more sensitive to the negative effects of certain medications. These drugs include several antiparasitic agents (when given at high doses), the antidiarrheal agent loperamide (Imodium®), and several anticancer drugs. The effects of the mutation vary in severity, depending on whether the dog carries one or two copies of the mutation. There is a cheek swab or a commercially-available test that assesses blood samples for the presence of the MDR1 mutation.
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Supportive braces can help dogs with many orthopedic conditions, including skeletal deformities, carpal hyperextension, and cruciate ligament disease. It is important to have any brace properly fitted to avoid complications. Braces are not considered equivalent to surgery for cruciate ligament disease.
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Pneumothorax is an accumulation of air outside the lungs, but inside the chest wall. The air outside the lung prevents the lungs from inflating normally, and can lead to lung collapse. There are several variations of pneumothorax.