During Client Services Appreciation Week, April 21-27, 2024, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center celebrates the many accomplishments and diverse roles of our Client Service Team. This 75-person team allows veterinarians like me to focus on providing top notch medical care because they handle all the non-medical aspects of your pet’s visit to AMC. Some of the team members are well known to pet families because you see them in the clinic or lobby. Team members without a customer facing role may be more mysterious to pet owners, but that makes their job no less essential. This blogpost describes ..read more

If you’ve ever had a sick pet, you probably have a cabinet full of unused medications. In fact, I know you do, because my clients often ask if they can give the same pills I prescribed 4 years ago to their sick pet. First, the answer to that question is no. Second, this blogpost will focus on how to properly dispose of your collection of expired drugs and medical supplies. Don’t Flush Prescription Drugs For many years, flushing medications down the toilet was the preferred method of disposal. But no more! Flushed drugs end up in our water supply – clearly undesirable. However, the United State ..read more

66% of households in the United States have one or more pets. Many more families would like to add a pet to their family, but allergies prevent the addition of a furry family member. In this situation families often ask, “Is there a hypoallergenic dog or cat breed that won’t irritate our families’ allergies?” I find this terminology strange because hypo- means less than normal but possibly still present. What someone with a pet allergy wants is a non-allergenic dog or cat, and no – there are no non-allergenic dogs and cats. However, some may be less allergenic than others, that is, hypoallerge ..read more

Because I am a veterinarian, my friends constantly send me photos, videos and links to information about animals of all types. Recently, one of my friends sent me a link to a company that uses artificial intelligence to determine the best food for your dog by analyzing a photo your dog’s tongue. I told my friend I did not think this was a valid method of choosing food for their dog and that they should rely on input from their dog’s veterinarian. BUT, in the next email, my friend asked, do veterinarians ever look at the tongue for medical assessments? A great question, and one I will answer in ..read more

Every morning at about 5 am, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s Emergency Service sends out a list of all pets admitted to the hospital overnight. Recently, one admission caught my attention: a small dog admitted with a fractured neck bone because of an altercation with a revolving door. Fortunately, the fracture was not near his spinal cord. The little guy was in lots of pain and his treatment protocol called for activity restriction, rest and pain medications. He is on the mend, but this shocking story made me wonder about other uniquely urban hazards that might impact the health of ..read more

If dogs have a flaw, and I realize many would argue they do not, it is they don’t live long enough. I think many would agree that a dog lifespan of 40 or 50 years would be perfect, so that you could have the same best buddy for your entire adult life. In the past few weeks, there have been two interesting scientific publications on longevity in dogs. The studies’ conclusions and impact on your dog will be the topic of this blogpost. “Dog”ma About Longevity There are two common mantras regarding canine longevity. The first is that small dogs live longer. The second is that mixed breed dogs are ..read more

Women’s History Month is celebrated annually in March to highlight the contributions of women throughout history and their impact on contemporary society. There is perhaps no more important woman to the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center than Ellin Prince Speyer, AMC’s founder. I’ll discuss her accomplishments and those of other influential women in AMC’s history in today’s blogpost. A Short History of the Animal Medical Center Ellin Prince Speyer and the New York Women’s League for Animals in 1914 Ellin Prince Speyer got her start in animal welfare when she founded the Women’s Auxiliary to ..read more

Leap Year rolls around every four years. For those born on February 29, they age (numerically) 75% slower than the rest of us because their birthday happens only every four years. The chances of having a “leapling” pet are about one in 1,461. Since the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center sees 50,000+ patient visits each year, I thought there must be some leapling patients in our system and, sure enough, when I queried our medical records, there were a number of them. To celebrate Leap Year 2024, here are their stories in order of their birth! Orzo Orzo the black Pug is the oldest of our leaplin ..read more

The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center will soon release its 2023 Year of Comprehensive Care report, highlighting all of the hospital’s accomplishments and activities over the past year. I am going to give you a fun preview of one of the most popular features of the report – the top pet names for 2023. I‘ll also look at how our list compares to nationwide trends. Top Dog Names of 2023 AMC’s Top Female Dog Names Bella Chloe Coco Daisy Lily AMC’s Top Male Dog Names Buddy Charlie Cooper Leo Max Bella is the top female dog name at AMC for the 5th consecutive year. Nationally, Luna is the top ..read more

With great fanfare, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center held a “leash cutting” ceremony to mark the grand opening of the Denise and Michael Kellen Institute for Surgical Care. The press release describes 7,000 square feet of newly constructed surgery space with five operating rooms, a minor procedure room, and an anesthesia recovery area that separates feline patients from canine patients. The photos show a gathering of happy veterinary surgeons alongside grateful patients and hospital supporters. But what does the 7,000-square-foot addition mean for your pet? Every AMC patient benefits from ..read more