Why you need a living will for your pets | Dr. Justine Lee
A few years ago, I was in Thailand lecturing at an Asian veterinary conference. Being that I was going to be out of the country for almost two weeks, I was paranoid about how JP, my 13-year-old pit bull with a brain tumor, would do. As my luck would have it, JP developed severe cluster seizures (multiple seizures within a 24 hour period) and aspiration pneumonia while I was away. This made for one really panicked veterinarian, who was sitting helplessly over 8,000 miles away. Thankfully, I...
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My dog has a pyometra: What should I do? | Dr. Justine Lee
As a veterinarian, I hear all the excuses for not wanting to spay or neuter a family pet. Some pet owners think it devalues or “de-sexes” their pet. Others want to breed their dog or cat to allow their children to experience the “miracle of life.” Others have had a bad experience with a previous spay, neuter, or anesthesia, making them gun-shy about an elective surgery. When it comes down to it, most veterinary professionals and animal advocates tout the benefits of spaying and...
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How to be a good pet owner and advocate for your dog | Dr. Justine Lee
A few weeks ago, I had to deal with an irate pet owner who thought I had mistreated his dog for mouse and rat poisoning. To make a long story short, this pet owner ignored my recommendations and chose to go to a different emergency veterinarian – only to spend hundreds of dollars (at least $500-700 worth) for things that didn’t need to be necessary performed (including inducing vomiting, giving activated charcoal, doing blood work, giving the antidote, and hospitalizing the dog overnight)....
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What is a veterinary specialist? | Dr. Justine Lee
When people find out I’m a veterinarian, they often say to me “I used to want to be a veterinarian, but I wouldn’t be able to deal with euthanizing animals.” Well, if you must know, that actually annoys us. It’s not like we like euthanizing animals either, but sometimes it just comes with the job. Much to these people’s surprise, euthanizing animals isn’t the reason why we wanted to become veterinarians either. Seriously. What people do really want to know (and we’re happier...
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