Stockxpert.com By Sophia Yin, DVM The Holiday Season is always filled with unexpected expenses. Like monsoons in Manilla, you never know exactly when and how one’s going to hit. Will it be more gift-giving than planned or higher heating costs than last year? Well, if you’re an out-of-luck pet owner, it could be a surprise veterinary bill, because believe it or not, the season to be jolly... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM. Sunday 10/25/09 Last week when lecturing at a seminar with Sarah Kalnajs, I watched an interesting video that Sarah showed. When her friend who had a history of cluster headaches was visiting her, Sarah’s dogs performed an unusual behavior. Typically they would hang back instead of interacting with the visitor but in this case they climbed onto his lap and kept licking his... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS October 9, 2009 On October 3, 2009, Diamond Pet Foods announced that they had voluntarily withdrawn from distribution two brands of cat food Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat. The recalled bags are those with the following date codes. RAF0501A22X 18lb RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb. RAH0501A2X 6lb. SO far, based on calls from pet owners and... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS September 24, 2009 In these difficult times, it can be challenging to care for your pet and to know when you’re getting the most appropriate care. In fact one pet owner once wrote to me for advise regarding what to expect from her vet. “Dr. Yin, she says, “ I no longer trust veterinarians to practice ethical medicine. Three years ago, our newly-purchase guinea pig showed... [Read more]
Sophia Yin, DVM September 4, 2009 While many of you already know that chocolate can make your cat or dog sick, did you know that onions can kill? I learned this my second year in veterinary school. But I didn’t really appreciate it until the big onion incident that occurred during my senior year. Well, maybe the incident wasn’t all that big; it only involved one dog. But it was my... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS August 28, 2009 Question Our puppy eats our older dog’s poop. We tried “forbid” a powdered product that was supposed to have an awful taste. What else can we do? Karen in BC Answer Your puppy eats dog poop? Yuk. How disgusting…. My dog does that too. Or at least my last Australian Cattledog did. You might think that such a foul habit points to a nutritional deficiency... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS July 19, 2009 An attendee practice a towel wrap for cats using a stuffed dog “I wish someone had shown me this towel wrap technique before cats had scratched my arms for 13 years,” says technician Brandy Oates, a veteran at handling pets as she practices what I call the Burrito Wrap on a stuffed cat. She’s attending the Low Stress Dog and Cat Handling Lab at the American... [Read more]
By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS May 15, 2009 (Modified from an article first published in Veterinary Forum June 2008) With so many canine and feline flea and tick products on the market, you practically need a course to help you decide which one to use. According to Ronald Baynes, DVM, PhD, associate professor pharmacology at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, knowing the mechanism... [Read more]
Chocolate is toxic to dogs By Sophia Yin, DVM Easter is typically a time when families come together and participate in numerous traditions. For some this means going to church. For others the focal point is the Easter egg hunt and Easter baskets. But for one little dog representing a not-so-unusual case, it involved some Cadbury chocolates and a veterinary visit. It was the day after Easter, and while... [Read more]
