After a professional query, someone sent me a message yesterday that got me thinking about how I handle my chronic arthritis patients. According to this doc, one of my most trusted sources in clinical pharmacology:

“YOU DON’T NEED NSAIDS TO TREAT OSTEOARTHITIS...FYI: NSAIDS kill more dogs and cats that any single drug.”

In screaming caps, he effectively berated me for my tendency to use...

Turns out this topic is gathering some steam here on Dolittler––as it is in veterinary minds across the spectrum of companion animal medicine. That’s why this topic requires a two-post treatment to properly address. 

Though blood work is an increasingly common component of every pet’s medical care, not every veterinarian will draw your pet’s blood automatically. That’s why you need to...

“You want $99 to test his blood before his dentistry? Seriously? I’m thinking maybe we’ll skip the whole dental thing. The anesthesia freaks me out, anyway.”

That’s not usually how it goes where I work. Clients tend to be more polite, at least. But dentistry is one of those wellness services that suffers in a slumping economy. At our place, it’s clear that, despite their respectful...

Let’s all call it “H1N1,” OK? Or “Mexican Flu.” Because to refer to this triple human-bird-swine influenza virus by its porcine etymology does everyone a BIG disservice. 

No, I’ve not been sent here by the marketers of “the other white meat” to exonerate their livestock or to coax you all into supporting their industry. In fact, it was only when my son commented on his fortuitous aversion to...

Wanna know what I spend my time doing...day after day? It’s pretty simple really. The hard part’s the talking, explaining, teaching, cajoling, reasoning, recruiting, empathizing, etc. The rest? It’s mostly a breeze. 

That’s because veterinary patients tend to observe the 80/20 rule. 80% of our “problem” cases are routine. The remaining 20? Complex cases with complex solutions. Bloats,...

I have a relative whose two adult dogs were both neutered last week. So I knew to expect the cross-country phone calls––in spades. But nothing prepared me for the onslaught of incision site issues that awaited me in the wake of this simple procedure. 

Sure, they’re nervous nellies. But they’re really no different than you and me when it comes to watching out for the minutest signs of an...

After spending more time than is reasonable explaining WHY dogs are gaining weight in spite of all owner attempts at the reverse, I get tired...really tired. 

That’s why, lately, I’ve taken to suggesting my clients keep a diary of everything their fat dog eats in a week (and how much exercise they get) by way of explaining how vigilance and diligence is sometimes no match for intelligence....

Today, Easter Sunday, you might be feeding your pets lots of fun stuff from the dinner table. If your pets are lucky, it’ll be the remnants of local lamb with organic veggies, hot-cross buns and a lemon tart (that’s my personal wish list, anyway). But keep your dogs away from the hot-cross buns with raisins, OK?

I bring up this issue on this holiday because last week’s Passover didn’t go over...

I’ve got an in to lots of new stuff happening in the world of oncology. Two of my classmates from back at Penn are tops in this field at the academic level. And they’re both working hard to find a cure for lymphoma in dogs.

That’s why I jumped at the chance to blog about lymphoma when BFF Dr. Steve Suter (VMD, MS, ACVIM-certified and PhD) emailed me his latest excellent and thoroughly...

No, this post is not on clumping vs. non-clumping, scented vs. unscented, organic vs. inorganic, scooping vs. non-scooping, or any other such litter trivia (though your comments on these are always welcome). 

Nope. This post is about how the litterbox plays into your cat’s emotional life in ways you may have never thought possible. As in, yes it’s great that you care enough to buy your cat...