Wildlife blog of Dr. Palazzolo and the Long Beach Animal Hospital

Snowy Plover on a Gravel Nest

Carl Palazzolo2024-08-06T07:33:32-07:00May 16th, 2020|Current News, Wildlife Photography Blog|

This endangered bird usually makes a nest on the beach. This one decided a gravel parking lot would make a better one. When I first arrive she was sitting on the nest facing away. I did not want to get closer and disturb her just to get a better shot. After a few minutes she stood up and faced me sidewise She started to walk away She seemed to change her mind and walked towards me She gave me another sideways glance, bobbed her head a few times, and ran back to the nest. I took that as my

The Osprey and the Crow

Carl Palazzolo2024-08-06T07:33:32-07:00May 16th, 2020|Current News, Wildlife Photography Blog|

Lots of action at Bolsa Chica Wetlands recently. We watched an osprey return with its catch, only to be bothered by a crow for a period of time. Eventually the crowed realized the osprey was not dropping the fish, and after squawking for his buddies to show up to no avail, the crow left. Flying in, with the fish held head-first The branch he landed on was one he was accustomed to The foot with the fish was locked in place and he had to land with the other foot It was difficult to balance the still thrashing fish on

Dental Disease in Dogs and Cats

Carl Palazzolo2024-10-05T23:04:59-07:00May 16th, 2020|Cats, Dental, Dogs|

Introduction Dental disease is prevalent in almost every one of the dogs and cats we examine. This page has a large amount of information that will inform you of this serious and overlooked problem. Please set aside the time to fully understand it due to its importance regarding your pet's quality of life. We see too many pets presented in a state similar to this. The periodontal disease in this dog has progressed so far that it is systemically ill, and in danger of internal organ failure and a spontaneous jaw fracture. Imagine how this dog feels. Not only that,

Ferret Insulinoma

Carl Palazzolo2024-10-07T15:10:55-07:00May 10th, 2020|Ferret|

Introduction Tumors of the pancreas (insulinoma) can cause excess secretion of insulin, thus lowering the blood glucose (sugar) level to a point that a ferret can become ill. Unfortunately, this is a relatively common problem in middle aged and older ferrets, and is the most common neoplasm (cancer) in ferrets. This tends to be a regional disease, and does not commonly occur in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This might be because their diet is low in carbohydrates, whereas the dry kibble fed to many ferrets in the U. S. contains up to 45% carbohydrates. The end of this page

Fluid Therapy in Cats & Dogs

Carl Palazzolo2025-08-01T11:45:59-07:00May 8th, 2020|Avian, Cats, Dogs, Ferret, Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile|

Fluid therapy might just be the most important medical therapy we perform on sick animals. Dehydrated pets feel ill, cannot fight disease, do not eat well, and cannot metabolize drugs efficiently. Dehydration decreases the circulation to two very important organs, the liver and the kidney. These organs are then unable to perform vital functions, some of which include detoxifying drugs and removing waste products. We utilize the guidelines of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) when giving fluids to sick animals. Fluids are crucial to anesthesia. This pet, about to have a C-section, is