What Breed of Dog is Friendlier Towards ...

One of the many things that people take into consideration when choosing a dog is the temperament of the dog towards humans and other animals. It is well known that some dogs tend to like other dogs more than people, some dogs tend to like people more than other dogs, and some dogs tend to like neither. New...

Are Flea and Tick Prevention Safe?...

Dr. Jan Bellows Over the past several years, the use of flea and tick medicines – so called “spot on” treatments that you place on the back of your dog’s neck so that it is absorbed into its skin – has been on the rise. The results have been fairly positive, as they have been able to do a better...

Why Does Crate Training Work So Well? by...

If you have ever bought a guide to dog ownership, you have no doubt seen several chapters about the importance of crate training when it comes to housetraining your pet. Crate training is one of the only effective, time proven methods of dog training for reducing accidents and making sure that your dog...

What are Teacup Cats?...

By Dr. Jan Bellows Ask anyone their favorite age for their cat and they will tell you it was when they were a kitten. Kittens are small, adorable little animals with paws so tiny that anything they do can be considered cute. They look like babies, act like babies, and even when they are performing some...

Radical Maxillary Resection - By Dr. Jan...

By Dr. Jan Bellows The most common oral tumors in dogs are malignant meanoma, benign odontogenic ameloblastoma (epulides), squamous cell carcinoma, and fibrosarcoma. Maxillectomy or mandilbulectomy is often indicated for wide resection of these oral tumors. A 7 year old, neutered miniature Poodle was...

Periodontal disease - a primer on recogn...

Periodontal inflammation is the most common syndrome affecting small animals. In no other area of the body can the dedicated veterinarian and dental team make a lifelong difference in patient health and longevity. AnatomyThe term periodontium describes tissues that surround and support the teeth including...

Explore the options for dental treatment...

Creating a dental treatment plan can be frustrating. As with other veterinary disciplines, dental diagnosis and care is one-third recognition of disease, one-third understanding anatomy and medical principles, and the last third performing needed care. Fortunately, the general practitioner or a close...

Functional occlusion: I’m OK, but ...

I hung up the receiver after explaining to one of my clients why his “normally” undershot Shih Tzu’s maxillary incisors needed be removed because they were penetrating the mandibular gingiva. How could this perfectly “normal” dog be abnormal? A book I read many years ago,...

Examining new classifications of tooth f...

 When a dog or cat presents with lethargy or pale mucous membranes and anemia is suspected, the ultimate treatment and prognosis starts with successfully categorizing the problem. Is the anemia regenerative or non-regenerative? Each form takes the practitioner down a different treatment path. Keep in...

Management of acute feline temporomandib...

The lower jaw of the cat on your exam table is displaced to the left (Photo 1). Is the mandible or maxilla fractured? Or is the mandible luxated? If so, right or left? What is the best way to diagnose and treat this problem? Can you as a general practitioner handle it, or must the case be referred to...