Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog

Are you familiar with the term ‘zoonotic’?

Zoonotic diseases are those which can be passed between animals and humans. And, with more and more homes in the United States having pets, it is important to understand these types of diseases and how to prevent them.

Rabies

Rabies may seem like a far-fetched possibility, but a lot of people forget how scary rabies can be, and how common the disease is. The rabies virus can affect any mammal and is transmitted through saliva. In all mammals it invades the central nervous system, causing neurological signs and eventually death.

There is no cure for rabies, so it is very important keep your pet up to date on his or her vaccination. Pets who are unvaccinated and potentially exposed to rabies are recommended by the CDC to be euthanized or kept under strict isolation for 6 months. Continue…

As a dedicated pet owner, we know you pay special attention to what your paw pals could potentially get into with the right recipe of curiosity, hunger and boredom. So, with kids back in school, we’d like to remind households of the hidden risks associated with pet poisons and what kids are bringing home in their backpacks and lunch bags.

Can’t. Stop. Sniffing.

The smells we bring home could (and often do) drive our pets into an olfactory frenzy. Food smells, people smells, the scents from other animals… you name it, our pets are going to sniff it and catalogue it away in their brain. Your pet’s sniffer could lead to your child’s backpack where hopefully one would not discover any of the following potential pet poisons: Continue…

Most dog lovers know at least a couple of stories about a daring rescue by a four-legged hero or a dog who brightened a ward at the local children’s hospital. Dogs are amazing animals who are able to discern our deepest fears and respond to danger and distress. But, for the men, women, and children living with emotional or physical illnesses or disabilities, service dogs can be, in fact, life changing.

What is a Service Dog?

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990), a dog is considered a “service dog” if he or she has been “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability”.

In order for a service dog to be matched with his or her human “handler”, he or she must go through rigorous training in a variety of areas that are dependent on the needs of the future human guardian. This could include assistance dogs trained specifically to respond to those with serious mental illness, to aid those Continue…

Have you or a loved one ever experienced or witnessed a dog bite?

It’s likely you have. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year. Unfortunately, many of these incidents could have been prevented through proper training and socialization of the dog, beginning in puppyhood. Also by educating individuals on ways to mitigate a bite-occurrence from happening in the first place.

Of course, the first important step in creating a safe environment for your pet pooch and those around him or her is through basic and ethical obedience training. By providing training to your new puppy, you help reduce the risk of bites or aggressive or otherwise problematic behaviors down the road. And, since the majority of dog bites occur at home with a known canine, bite prevention education should begin at home and include all members of the family. Continue…

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is dedicated to providing our pet patients and human clients with cutting-edge medicine and surgery capabilities. We are proud to be one of the premier emergency, specialty and referral hospitals in Michigan and are excited to share with you that we are continuing to grow.

Internal Medicine at OVRS

Pets become sick or injured, and their diagnosis and treatment isn’t always easy, especially when the problem is internal. We have more medical treatment options today, but pet owners have higher expectations for the help available to cure or heal their beloved pet.

The OVRS internal medicine department is top notch and we continue to add staff, equipment and expertise. Our existing team of outstanding internal medicine specialists are all board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Continue…

Veterinary medicine has come a long way in the last few decades, mirroring human medicine more and more. We are able to provide so much more in the way of advanced diagnostics and treatments than ever before.

One of the more cutting-edge technologies being utilized by specialty hospitals such as Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is endoscopy. This newer diagnostic procedure can help us to diagnose and treat pets in ways that we never could before.

What is Endoscopy for Pets?

Endoscopy is a term used to describe a procedure in which an endoscope is used to look inside of an animal. An endoscope is a small camera with a light attached. This device allows us to get a good look at places inside the body that were previously not easy to access.

There are several types of endoscopy: Continue…

Many pet owners are resistant to the idea of placing a feeding tube in their beloved pet. The thought of their dog or cat being “hooked up” to tubes can be scary, and placing a feeding tube sounds extreme.

In reality, however, feeding tube placement in animals is a very simple and helpful procedure that can help pets be stronger and healthier when they need it the most. Tube placement may be temporary or permanent depending on why it is needed and is often part of improving the quality of life for sick pets.

How Is a Feeding Tube Placed in My Pet?

There are a few types of feeding tubes that may be used. Pets who are having a feeding tube placed may receive a local anesthetic, light sedation, or a short anesthetic while the tube is placed. The most common types of tubes used at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services are: Continue…

Summer is a wonderful time of year for people and their pets. With the sunny weather, though, comes some special issues that every pet owner should be aware of. Be vigilant about potential summer pet hazards so that everyone can enjoy the season.

Animal Fights

Spending more time outdoors can mean that your pet may be confronted by another animal at some point. There are some things that you can do to help prevent unwanted encounters and prevent pet emergencies..

• Keep dogs on a leash
• Consider keeping cats indoors
• Take into account your pet’s personality before going to a dog park
• Do not allow your pet to approach another animal without the owner’s permission

Continue…

No pet owner ever wants to hear that their beloved companion animal has cancer. Unfortunately, with pets living longer than ever before, cancer is becoming a more common diagnosis than it ever before. While there is still no way to totally protect pets (or people) from developing cancer, there are steps that you can take when it comes to pet cancer prevention.

Schedule Frequent Wellness Exams

One of the most effective ways to keep your pet healthy is to detect problems early in their course. Paying close attention to changes in your pet’s habits and body can provide you with clues that something may be wrong. If you own a specific breed, familiarize yourself with any genetic predispositions to certain types of cancer so that you can be aware of subtle changes. Continue…

Injuries to the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) are one of the most common orthopedic problems seen in dogs. Similar to an ACL injury in a person’s knee, dogs often rupture or strain their CCL (for a variety of reasons), which can render the knee joint unstable for your pet. Unfortunately, this can be an extremely painful condition for your canine companion if it is not remedied.

Thankfully, dogs do not have to live their lives with this condition. There are several surgeries that can be performed in order to re-create a stable joint. For many of the dogs we evaluate at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, the surgery of choice is the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, or TPLO.

How a CCL Injury is Diagnosed

Most pets that have a CCL injury will have a sudden onset of a pronounced lameness in a hindlimb. Often, but not always, there is a history of intermittent problems with that leg leading up to the lameness. Continue…