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
Warsaw VetCo Nephrology and Urology Conference Friendship Hospital for Animals internal medicine doctor, Dr. JD Foster, was recently lecturing in Warsaw, Poland about kidney and urinary tract diseases for the Warsaw Vetco Nephrology and Urology Conference. He and his colleague, Dr. Cathy Langston from the Ohio State University, gave a weekend-long seminar to advanced veterinarians.... Learn More
Guide to the DMV’s Most Loved Dog Parks If you own a dog in Washington, D.C. most likely, you have visited the numerous dog parks within and around the city. I have only heard about the varying dog parks and their advantages and disadvantages, so I decided to research each of the most loved dog... Learn More
Tips for Positive Aging Thanks to advancing medicine and better nutrition, pets live longer than ever before. However, with these added years of valuable life come more age-related health problems. Primary care doctor, Dana Kuehn, has some tips to help you keep your pet aging in a positive way! 1. A relationship with a primary... Learn More
Choosing the Right Pet and Breed for Your Lifestyle Are you looking to expand your family? Maybe of the furry, four-legged kind? Before you excitedly go running to the shelter, rescue, or breeder we hope that you take a moment to genuinely contemplate the species and breed type. It is always best to determine first... Learn More
Adopt a Pet. Save a Life! Welcoming a new dog or cat into your home is such an amazing thing. If you’re thinking about adopting a new family member, think about adopting a rescue dog. Adopting a dog from an animal shelter saves a life and according to the Humane Society of the United States,... Learn More
Why do I Have to Use Heartworm Prevention in the Winter? Our primary care team member, Dr. Boone, has responded: Heartworm disease is transmitted by the mosquito. When a mosquito bites an infected animal, it transfers the microscopic organism (microfilaria) to the next animal that it bites. According to the American Heartworm Society, heartworms have... Learn More
I Thank You…… This Thanksgiving All year long, our furry friends shower us with their thanks and gratitude. So this holiday season take a moment to step back and assess just how much thanks our beloved companions gave us. Giving thanks from the dog: I thank you for always giving-up your bed for me to... Learn More
Grain Free Diets vs. Diets Containing Grain When taking your pet’s medical history one of the things I ask about is what you are feeding your pet. A nutritional assessment is an important part of the annual check up. One thing I am hearing more and more, is that dogs are eating grain-free diets. Grain... Learn More
November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death in adult dogs? As the average age of our pet population increases due to advances in preventative veterinary medicine, so does the rate of cancer. Regular at home cancer checks are recommended to assist with early detection. Start... Learn More
Fluffy’s Candy Drawer While we all try and stay healthy and lean, from time to time we cannot help but go down the cookie and candy isle in the grocery store. But with it being only a week after Halloween, there is candy temptation all throughout the house! Stay strong……. for both you and especially your... Learn More
Dressing-up Fido and Friends Halloween was a success….. as far as pet costumes go that is! If you read Friendship’s blog from yesterday, “Trick-or-Treat Fido Has Come to Eat,” then you would have read about the significant and steady increase in the pet population that partakes in dressing-up in a Halloween costume. Over the past... Learn More
Trick-or-Treat Fido Has Come to Eat! Happy Halloween! Before you know it we will start seeing ghosts and goblins roaming the streets! Halloween has been a major holiday in the United States since the early twentieth century, approximately since 1921. When one thinks of Halloween, traditionally you think of children and kids dressing in costume,... Learn More
Home Dental Care The American Veterinary Dental Association recommends an anesthetized professional dental cleaning for your pet every 6-12 months, just as your dentist recommends for you! This should start at 3 years old for cats and medium to large breed dogs, and at one year old for small breed dogs. Home dental care is... Learn More
Why is My Pet Thirsty? Increases in your pet’s thirst and urination are significant observations and something you should definitely discuss with your pet’s primary care clinician. There are many potential causes for these clinical signs, which are most often referred to as PU/PD. This stands for polyuria and polydipsia. Common causes include things like... Learn More
A Funded Clinical Trial to Evaluate an Autologous Vaccine Plus Adoptive T-Cell Transfer in the Treatment of Dogs with and Hemangiosarcoma Trial Specifics: Animal Clinical Investigations is conducting a clinical trial in dogs with hemangiosarcoma, sponsored by Elias Animal Health, LLC. ELIAS Cancer Immunotherapy (ECI™) is a personalized T cell-based treatment that triggers the patient’s... Learn More
Acclimating Your Cat to Their New Catio, Cat Highway, or Cat Shelves A month ago, we posted a blog about catio’s, cat highways, and cat shelves. Some of you may have decided to forge ahead with one of these options, while some of you only took note. Either way, upon completion of your catio, cat... Learn More
What is Pyoderma? Pyoderma, a bacterial skin infection, is a common skin problem, but it is uncommon for pets to develop pyoderma without an underlying cause. It is important to remember that all animals live with organisms on our skin. When a problem, such as an allergy, affects the skin barrier and/or the immune system,... Learn More
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