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

Hyperthyroidism

Carl Palazzolo2024-08-13T11:03:13-07:00April 24th, 2020|Current News|

Hyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis) is a common hormone disease of older cats (it's rare in dogs) that we have diagnosed with increased frequency in recent years. It is almost always caused by a benign tumor of the thyroid gland that increases the amount of thyroxine (the hormone secreted by the thyroid gland) into the bloodstream. This increase in thyroxine causes an increase in the overall metabolism of the body, leading to problems for several internal organs. Even though this disease can be diagnosed in young cats, most cats that get this problem are older. Cats 8 years of age or older should be

Cat and Dog Heart Diseases And Their Treatment

Carl Palazzolo2025-08-01T11:49:22-07:00April 21st, 2020|Cats, Dogs, Guinea Pig|

This page explains the more common heart diseases encountered in dogs and cats, along with how they are treated. We will cover the following seven topics: Chronic valve disease Cardiomyopathy Heartworm Aortic Stenosis Pulmonic Stenosis PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosis) Medical Treatment of Heart Disease Before you read about these diseases you might want to review some of the diagnostic tests we used to diagnose heart disease at our Heart Disease Diagnostics Page. Chronic Atrioventricular Valve Disease (Myxomatous AV Valvular Degeneration) This disease goes by several names. They include endocardiosis, mucoid valvular degeneration, chronic valvular fibrosis and acquired mitral regurgitation/insufficiency. It

Addison’s Disease in Cats (hypoadrenocorticism)

Carl Palazzolo2025-04-21T11:04:14-07:00April 21st, 2020|Cats|

Addison's Disease is an endocrine (hormonal) disease of the adrenal glands. It is not uncommon for it to occur in dogs, but it is very rare in cats. The basics in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment are the same though. Because of this, you will learn all about Addison's on this page for both dogs and cats. Addison's involves inadequate hormone levels of cortisol (cortisone) and electrolytes (sodium and potassium). The scientific name for this disease is hypoadrenocorticism. This unusual disease can show a vast array of different symptoms, symptoms that can mimic other diseases. The University of California

Heart Disease in Dogs and Cats

Carl Palazzolo2024-08-06T07:34:10-07:00April 20th, 2020|Cats, Dogs, Guinea Pig|

The purpose of the cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) is to provide the cells of the body with oxygen, nutrition, and essential fluids. It also helps these same cells rid themselves of waste products, and distributes hormones and enzymes to allow for normal physiologic processes. It is even a big part of temperature regulation. All of this is no small feat when you consider the fact that the cardiovascular system must supply these needs to a body that contains billions of individual cells. Add to that the fact that this occurs in animals as small as tiny insects and

Cat and Dog Geriatric Medicine

Carl Palazzolo2025-08-01T11:47:46-07:00April 20th, 2020|Cats, Dogs|

In the past, we may have accepted a declining quality of life for our aging pets as a fact of life beyond our control. Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer than ever before. Like humans, older dogs and cats are more likely to encounter health problems than younger pets. Most humanoids are practicing preventive medicine as they age- routine physical exams, breast exams, prostate exams, blood pressure checkups, blood panels and dietary changes. Dogs and cats need similar preventive medicine at this age. Since they age approximately 7 years for every 1 year of human life,