Pet of the Month: July 2009

Magnificent Mader

At just 9 weeks’ old, Mader a normally spunky boxer developed acute pain all over his body and trouble walking. His concerned parents brought him to Dogwood Pet Hospital for a comprehensive examination and diagnostics. We took x-rays (also known as radiographs) and ran full bloodwork. Diagnostics such as radiographs and bloodwork give us a better understanding of what’s happening inside the body, but in Mader’s case, his condition remained a mystery!

Mader was later diagnosed with probable corticosteroid responsive meningitis, a rare disease causing inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cords. This disease can be very painful, but manageable. Today, Mader’s parents are giving him a low dose of oral steroids and monitoring his temperature. We are happy that Mader is recovering and wish him the very best!

Pet of the Month: June 2009

Cassie

For the month of June, we are honoring a beloved Golden Retriever, Cassie! Cassie’s breed originated in the Scottish Highlands in the late 1800s and was predominately used for hunting. Although Cassie doesn’t hunt, she does enjoy spending time at home with her most loving family!

Cassie has several medical conditions that require routine testing and medications. She has a condition called Cushing’s Disease which is an overproduction of cortisol (the stress-steroid). Cushing's causes excess thirst, muscle pain, hair loss as well as a myriad of other symptoms. In addition to her Cushing’s Disease, she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and recurring nosebleeds.

In her youth she had a bout with cancer. Our doctors found a mast cell tumor that required surgical removal and radiation therapy by an oncologist. After recovery, Cassie began taking cancer supplements such as high potency fish oils, mushrooms, and antioxidants.

Interestingly, Cassie’s littermate, Jessie, is also a patient of ours! We all wish you the best of health!

Cat Food Recall

Nutro pet foods announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO ® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with "Best If Used By Dates" between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in the finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

For more information, visit www.nutroproducts.com/affected-Products.html or call Nutro's Customer Service at 1-800-833-5330.

Pet of the Month: May 2009

May is finally here, and we're featuring a little ray of sunshine, Sadie an 8-year-old Burmese kitty. She's been a patient since 2003 with mostly healthy visits. Recently, she gained weight and started drinking and urinating excessively . Dr. Prull thoroughly examined, ran blood tests, and diagnosed Sadie with diabetes. Her plan inludes feeding a special diet, giving daily insulin injections, and routine glucose tests. We all look forward to seeing her!

P.S. -- Happy Birthday Sadie!

Pet of the Month: April 2009

Our Hero Varro!

We are extremely proud of our April Pet of the Month: Varro, a Multnomah County Sheriff Dog who regularly visits us since 2005.

Our featured hero mostly visits us for his annual health exam. Recently,Varro had 2 molars pulled due to an infection and a cyst removed from the top of his head, which meant time off work to heal and relax.

During his career with the Sheriff’s Department, Varro has captured 54 criminals in 3 years and counting! All of us at Dogwood love visiting with Varro and hearing about his many adventures. We hope he catches many more bad guys and has a long and happy life!

Portland is Purr-fect for Cats

Council Says Portland is Purr-fect of Cats

Think Portland is just a dog town? Think again.

The national CATalyst Council says Portland is one of the top 10 cat-friendly U.S. cities.

The council, a coalition of veterinarians, educators, nonprofit groups and animal welfare organizations, announced its findings late last week, based primarily on the type of care given to cats across the nation. The list of cities was compiled after reviewing the top 25 standard metropolitan areas for such data as cat ownership per capita, level of veterinary care, microchipping and cat-friendly local ordinances.

According to the group, the top 10 cat-friendly cities are: Tampa, Phoenix, San Francisco, Portland, Denver, Boston, Seattle, San Diego, Atlanta and Minneapolis.

“Cats really are America’s No. 1 companion,” said Dan Kramer, senior marketing manager of industry relations for Pfizer Animal Health and chairman of the CATalyst Council. “Our goal is to recognize and celebrate why cats are such popular companions.”

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s “2007 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook,” the number of cats owned (81.7 million) outnumbers that of canines (72 million).

source: “Council Says Portland is Purr-fect for Cats. ”The Gresham Outlook 30 March 2009. http:/www.theoutlookonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=123845308947276500.

Pet of the Month: March 2009

Fajita aka "Heater"

Fajita (“Heater”) is a 9 ½ year old Persian that has been coming to Dogwood for 3 years. Heater, due to his breed, has some long standing issues with difficulty breathing and chronic upper respiratory infections. Because of this, Heater visits us often! Heater’s owners understand the value of dental health, so Heater also visits us every few years for a full dental cleaning. Frequent dental cleanings are proven to increase long term health and comfort! We love seeing Heater, and wish him a happy St Patrick’s Day.