Summer is just around the corner, and many parents will be looking for activities to occupy their children while school is out. For children fascinated by animals, there are a whole host of animal- and veterinary-related activities, lasting a few hours to a couple of weeks. This blogpost outlines some of those activities and provides resources to get you started on your search for the purr-fect summertime fun for your little animal lover. Veterinary Camp Veterinary camp is the top choice for many animal-loving children. These fun and educational experiences range from a daily online class to s ..read more

Most people don’t realize it, but internal organs are not fixed in place and do have the ability to move around inside the body. When the movement of an internal organ involves a twist, the patient becomes critically ill because the twist cuts off blood supply to that organ. Internal organs can twist either on their long axis (torsion) or along their short axis (volvulus). The most common disorder caused by a twisted organ is bloat, or gastric dilation and volvulus. However, the veterinarians at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center diagnose and treat a variety of twisted organs in dogs, cats a ..read more

Hairball Awareness Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. This year it falls on April 26th. Like many cat owners, I find hairballs one of the more annoying facts of cat ownership. I hate stepping on those cold, slimy, cigar-shaped wads of hair strategically deposited on the bedroom rug in the pathway to bathroom. Even with the light on, the hairballs are always perfectly camouflaged by the pattern in the rug. I am not the only one who thinks hairballs are important. Since 2020, when using the PubMed search engine I found seven scientific publications on hairballs; six studied domestic ..read more

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