What should I think about when deciding to travel with my pet? Make sure your pet is comfortable with travel. Some pets cannot handle travel because of illness, injury, age or temperament. If your pet is not good with travel, you should consider a reliable petsitter or talk to your veterinarian about boarding facilities in... Learn More
November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month While not many pet owners may realize it, there are a range of treatment options available for our beloved four-legged friends who end up as our veterinary cancer patients. Friendship has many years of experience helping thousands of pets fight cancer, with the goal of either improving an... Learn More
Give a Slice of Life this Thanksgiving Now in it’s 12th year, Slice of Life has become a tradition in the Washington region and Friendship has once again teamed up with Food & Friends to ensure that our neighbors facing life-challenging illness enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Each pie purchased through the Slice of Life pie sale will deliver a... Learn More
November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month What is cancer? Cancer is a collection of related diseases. It can start anywhere in the body. Cancer cells divide without stopping and may invade into surrounding tissues. Normal cells typically form and divide when they’re needed by the body, then die when they’re damaged or old. Cancer... Learn More
Halloween is a fun day filled with candy and costumes, but your pets may see things differently. Halloween can be traumatic and even dangerous to pets. Follow these Halloween pet safety tips to keep your pets happy and healthy. Lock candy safely away. Kids love to stash candy in their rooms, but a dog’s keen... Learn More
You asked: I have gotten mixed information about rabies vaccine times. Should you vaccinate an indoor cat once a year after the booster or every 3 years? Dr. Diaz Answered: Great question! Rabies vaccination is an important and required vaccine for all cats. A common misconception is that indoor cats are not required to maintain updated... Learn More
Possible problems with oral flea and tick medications have been in the news and on social media recently. I don’t blame you if you are concerned. Fleas and ticks, the diseases they carry, and the treatments to control them are something your primary care veterinarian is very familiar with, and deals with on a daily... Learn More
Why does my veterinarian recommend lab work? Your veterinarian may recommend early detection lab work even at the young age of 2 or 3 years old. Early detection lab work usually includes a blood test and may also include a urine test. The collection of these test often takes less than 10 minutes, and will... Learn More
A yearly veterinary checkup is the best way to keep your pet as healthy as possible – because it’s much easier to prevent disease than to treat it. How your veterinarian can help you: The first part of a wellness visit is a health evaluation. This includes a thorough history including information about a pet’s... Learn More
The FDA has recently issued a statement advising owners about potential risk for heart disease in dogs fed grain free diets. While grain free diets are of emerging concern, the importance of nutrition in maintaining healthy hearts is well-known. In the 1980s, cats were being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a condition involving poor heart... Learn More
In honor of Check the Chip Day, Friendship will be doing free microchips (up to 60). Call today to schedule an appointment. Learn More
Pyro is a 12 year old female spayed chow mix who presented to Friendship Cardiology Specialists for recently diagnosed complete heart block. Complete heart block is typically caused by aging changes to the conduction system of the heart. This results in a very slow heart rate which can cause symptoms such lethargy and fainting. Dogs... Learn More
It really is all about that moment. That moment when Sam is reunited with you after spending a night in the hospital. The moment he turns the corner, eyes bright, and he sees you as if for the first time, and almost pulls the leash out of my hands as he jumps into your lap.... Learn More
Take Your Dog To Work Day’s first inaugural celebration was in the UK in 1996, and the first observance in the US was in 1999. It is now celebrated in 6 different countries: United States, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, United Kingdom, and Canada. This year, Take Your Dog to Work Day will take place this... Learn More
Each year, kitten season creates an abundance of homeless kittens and mother cats. Local shelters and rescue groups are often spread thin caring for the influx of cats, in addition to their more established residents. You can make a difference this season by adopting a new feline friend into your home. Cat Adoption Event June... Learn More
You asked: I have a Boxer mix that was put on Trazadone for fear aggression. It worked! A blessing – but why does it work? Humans have the DSM for psychiatric issue does veterinary medicine have the same? Dr. Schultz answered: Often, dogs bite as a result of a fear or anxiety response to certain... Learn More
Disaster preparation: Disasters can be anything from fire, flood, tornado, snow storm or terrorist attack. Preparing your family and pets for emergencies now will help determine your future success in such of an event. Know what disasters could affect your area and which that could call for an evacuation and when to shelter in place.... Learn More
Chloe is a 15 year old female spayed mixed breed dog who presented to the Friendship Cardiology Specialists for evaluation of episodes of collapse and labored breathing. On exam, she was found to have labored breathing and abnormal lung sounds (crackles). An echocardiogram was performed and showed a thickened mitral valve with a large leak... Learn More
Spring is here, and nature is waking up from hibernation to greet the sunlight and warmer temperatures. This also means other creatures are crawling out: fleas and ticks. These creatures can actually be a problem year-round, especially in warmer climates like the DMV area. Knowing that fleas or ticks are on us or on our... Learn More
Bathing your pet can be important for reasons like general hygiene, the occasional unexpected mud bath, and de-skunking. Some pet owners may be surprised to know that for certain medical reasons, like bacterial infections, your veterinarian may prescribe a medicated shampoo as part of the treatment plan. With antibiotic resistance becoming an increasing global concern,... Learn More
Nutmeg presented to Friendship Emergency & Critical Care Services after being hit by a car. Nutmeg suffered severe facial trauma, including facial swelling, nosebleed, the inability to close his jaw, scleral hemorrhage, and signs consistent with a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI; dull mentation). A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs from a sudden and violent... Learn More
Meet Rocky!! Rocky is a 9-year-old Boxer who was immediately rushed in to Friendship Emergency & Critical Care Services after he collapsed following his morning walk. He was stabilized and quickly diagnosed with a life-threatening arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia. Ventricular tachycardia arises from improper electrical activity causing the filling chambers of the heart (the ventricles) to beat... Learn More
Friendship Hospital for Animals internal medicine doctor, Dr. JD Foster, was one of the organizers of the IRIS Renal Week conference, but also gave a number of lectures and labs: Drug dosing for patients with kidney disease Hemodialyzers, hemofilters, and plasma separators Water purification for hemodialysis Update on IRIS consensus guidelines for extracorporeal blood purification... Learn More
An update on traveling with your emotional support animal. If you’ve been following the news you know that there has been an increase in disruptive incidents caused by emotional support animals on airplanes. There have also been incidences in which airline passengers have been injured by emotional support pets. As a result, many airlines are... Learn More
Patent Ductus Arteriosus in a Puppy Lady presented to Friendship Cardiology Specialists for evaluation of a heart murmur noted by her vet at her first puppy exam. An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) was performed, and she was diagnosed with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) causing severe heart enlargement. A PDA is a birth defect involving the... Learn More
Canine Influenza You asked about the flu in dogs….. The ‘dog flu’ is caused by the canine influenza virus, a dog specific virus. The virus causes sneezing, coughing , and fever and leaves the dog’s respiratory tract vulnerable to secondary bacterial infection. The cough can last for days to weeks. The virus is spread via... Learn More
Winter Tips for Your Pet’s Paws We’re all waiting for spring, but in case March comes in like a lion, we wanted to share some pet paw winter safety tips. The New York Times recently noted the desire to “winterize” our dogs with clothes. Not every dog will tolerate boots, and not every dog will... Learn More
Remembering Donal McKeown Friendship clients from the 60’s and 70’s will be sad to learn of the recent death of Donal McKeown. Dr. McKeown was a co-owner and partner of Dr. William Ready and Dr. Harvey Cowan. He practiced at Friendship from 1958 to 1974. Following his service at Friendship, Dr. McKeown returned to his... Learn More
Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (GDV) One generally asks an emergency vet, “What is the most common or craziest thing you see?” And although this is an impossible answer, I would say one of our more exciting and truly urgent emergencies is something called, gastric-dilatation volvulus or GDV. What is GDV? GDV is the dilation or distension... Learn More
Why are patients with hypoglycemia given dextrose supplementation? There are a number of reasons why an animal’s blood sugar (glucose) may become low. Glucose is absorbed through their diets and then stored within cells as an energy reserve. It might be that they are not receiving/mobilizing enough glucose or that they are using/losing it too... Learn More
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