April 04, 2012 Uncategorized

What Ever Happened To…?

What Ever Happened To…?

Over the past several months, I have written about several patients treated by the veterinarians of The Animal Medical Center. Each blog is a snapshot in time and the case resolution is not always known when I post the story. Today, I will follow up on four patients whom I have previously written about as a way of sharing what happens during a typical day.

A lump on the rump

Dogs have more skin lumps than any humans I know and I spend a good deal of my time measuring lumps and recording their precise locations as a cancer monitoring tool. In “Will that be One Lump or Two?” I wrote about Addie, a Standard Poodle with a benign lump on her rump. At the time of writing the first blog, my decision was to do nothing as the aspiration of the cyst proved it to be benign. However, the sebaceous cyst grew and started to look like it might rupture. And even though the lump was benign, we removed it since once these cysts rupture, they can become infected and an annoyance to both the dog and the owner. Below you see how we had to remodel her upscale hairdo when we prepped her for surgery. You can also see how large the mass had become, compared to the original photograph, necessitating its removal before it burst.

Washing away ringworm

Ringworm is a common disease in kittens, and I wrote about treating a gorgeous pair of Abyssinian kittens for ringworm in “Spa Day for Kittens.” The crusty, scaly lesions on Elizabeth and Moby’s ears resolved with topical treatment and a lyme sulfur dip. To make sure ringworm has been eradicated from the fur, I performed a toothbrush test. This involved brushing the kittens with a toothbrush and submitting the hair collected in the bristles for ringworm testing. Much to my (and their owner’s) chagrin, the test was positive even though the photograph shows the hair has completely grown back compared to the original photograph. The kittens, now nearly cats, are back on my appointment schedule on a weekly basis for dips and oral anti-ringworm medications.

The kitten with the feeding tube

Joey, “The War Horse Kitten,” spent many of her first days at The AMC being treated for an esophageal problem that required placement of a feeding tube to provide her with adequate nutrition and several procedures to stretch out her esophagus using a balloon dilator. Joey, now nearly a year old, has been spayed and rules the roost at home. After a pretty rough start, she’s turned out spectacularly beautiful, as you can see from her photo.

Pregnancy primer

Here’s a recent photograph of Jasmine, one of the puppies born in “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Puppies.” I had great fun doctoring the five female Jack Russell Terrier puppies born to Tallulah. They were a hit at Show and Tell for a class of first grade girls, who hugged the puppies while I talked about playing safely with dogs. Jasmine is staying with her mother’s family and will continue to be my patient, so stay tuned for more stories about her and other wonderful pets.

Tags: animal medical center, ann hohenhaus, cat, cyst, dogs, feeeding tube, kitten, pets, puppies, ringworm, tumor, veterinarian, war horse kitten,

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