5
07, 2024
How to Read a Radiograph X-ray
Introduction This is a fun and educational page for pet owners, veterinary students, technicians, and even other veterinarians. It is designed to educate you on the basics of radiology. There is a fun test at the end to see how much you learned. Hopefully you will get them all right! Can you tell what animal this is from this radiograph? Hint: it is a reptile An important diagnostic modality we use to make an accurate diagnosis on a sick animal is radiography, more commonly known as x-rays. Just like the many other Diagnostic tests we perform, radiograph x-rays are important in
10
05, 2020
Ferret Insulinoma
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
8
05, 2020
Fluid Therapy in Cats & Dogs
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
27
04, 2020
Spay Ferret
Introduction Ferrets are lots of fun, even in the exam room, as attested to by this ferret trying to climb up Dr. P's sleeve during an exam Almost all ferrets in the United States come from a company called Marshall Farms. They routinely spay, neuter, and descent all ferrets before distributing them to pet stores and other dealers. In years past, before all female ferrets (called Jills) were routinely spayed, an enlarged vulva in a sick ferret was a sign of a ferret that did not mate when it was in heat. Being an induced ovulator, meaning Jills would only
27
04, 2020
Ferret Adrenal Disease
Introduction Tumors of the adrenal gland in ferrets can cause excess secretion of sex hormones, thus affecting many organs in the body. Unfortunately, this is a relatively common problem in middle aged and older ferrets, although it can happen at any age. Even though most of these tumors are not malignant, they can cause disease if left untreated. This disease goes by several names in addition to the one in the title of this page: ADG- adrenal gland disease AGN- adrenal gland neoplasia ACD- adrenal cortical disease AEE- adrenal associated endocrinopathy FADC- ferret adrenal disease complex FADC is probably the