Search Results for ‘liver’

If your pet has been diagnosed with diabetes, you may feel a little overwhelmed and words like pathophysiology, insulin, and glucose curves may have your head reeling.

Obviously, diabetes is a diagnosis that requires a close relationship with a veterinarian. There are things that you will need to do at home as well. Home care for the diabetic pet is just as important as the care required at the vet’s office. Here’s what you need to know.
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Celebrating the New Year just wouldn’t be the same without a classic countdown. Some of our favorite New Year’s pastimes include watching countdown shows, listening to countdown broadcasts, and trolling our social media feeds for those year in review snippets. Oakland Veterinary Referral Services can’t help but join in the fun, too. In case you missed our best pet posts of 2016, here they are for your reading enjoyment.

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One of the most common diseases seen by most veterinarians is pet dental disease, and it’s no surprise. Up to 85% of dogs and cats show signs of dental disease by age 3 and lack of dental care can cause the disease to worsen over time.

February 1 marks the beginning of pet dental health month for regular wellness veterinarians. What better time to brush up on the ins and outs of pet dental health and the ways you can work with your veterinarian to help maintain your pet’s dental and overall health? Continue…

It’s hard to believe 2016 is upon us already! We’ve had an amazing year here at OVRS, and for that we extend our heartfelt thanks to you!  

We’re excited that so many of you are reading our blog, and thought you might be interested to know which blogs your peers found most useful this past year. Please enjoy our most popular pet care blogs of 2015: Continue…

Keywords: pet memorializing

Celebrating Life: Memorializing Your Pet

There is no denying the profoundly intense bond many of us feel with our pets. Our four-legged friends take care of us just as much as we take care of them. Looking into their eyes is like peering into a well of compassion and unconditional love.

As pet guardians, we are all too aware of the fact that our pet’s lifespans are significantly shorter than our own. Even though we have to say goodbye, at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services we believe in celebrating the time that each of our pets spends with us and the impact they have had on our lives. Most are with us for many years and it’s like losing a very close friend or family member. Continue…

Using fluoroscopy for less invasive surgeries

While X-rays allow us to see inside your pet so that we can better diagnose and treat him or her, they have limitations. A technique known as fluoroscopy allows us to overcome some of the shortcomings of traditional X-rays which capture one moment in time. Imagine X-rays, only in motion! This technique is creating new options in interventional radiology, minimally-invasive fracture repair, and tracheal stent repair for our patients at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services.

What is Fluoroscopy?

Fluoroscopy is a technique that uses low doses of continuous X-rays transmitted through the area of concern onto a fluorescent screen. These X-rays create a real-time moving image of structures within our patients’ bodies. This allows us to capture images, monitor procedures, and even manipulate the video as we work. Continue…

Ask many dog owners what their biggest fear is regarding canine diseases or illnesses and they may say parvo or rabies. And with good reason as the core vaccines for dogs focus on the big four: canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies. But, depending on your dog’s level of exposure to the outdoors, or to crowded kennels and dog parks, it can be equally important to vaccinate against diseases like leptospirosis which are too often ignored.

To truly understand what vaccines are needed for your pet, begin by educating yourself on some of the common diseases, such as leptospirosis. Continue…

No one plans on their pet having an emergency, but it is bound to happen eventually if you have animals in your home. Visiting the veterinary emergency room can be scary, especially if it is at a facility other than your pet’s regular veterinarian.

Learn what you need to know about the veterinary emergency room at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services and how things work so that you know what to expect should you have to visit us unexpectedly. This includes understanding how we prioritize the order in which pets are seen in the ER. Continue…

Portosystemic shunts (PSS), or liver shunts, are an abnormality in a pet’s blood flow through the liver. The liver normally filters toxins and impurities from the bloodstream. In a pet with a PSS, though, an extra blood vessel allows the blood to skip circulation through the liver. This prevents proper cleansing of potentially harmful substances from the body.

As you can imagine, a PSS can result in some pretty serious consequences. At Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, we are able to accurately diagnose and treat liver shunts medically as well as surgically. Continue…

Dog eyeing turkey leg

We all look forward to the holiday season as a time of family, friends, food, and fun. Unfortunately, though, Thanksgiving is also a time where we see a dramatic increase in the number of pet emergencies.

Be sure to be aware of potential Thanksgiving food risks and keep your pet safe this holiday season.

Pancreatitis in Pets

Just as for people, overindulgence in rich, fatty foods can upset the digestive system, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, or both. Sometimes, though, when pets indulge too much the result is something more serious than just a tummy ache. Continue…