The Savvy VetTech

Anesthesia is routine in practice. However, it is important not to become complacent. All patients tolerate and react to anesthesia differently, and monitoring every patient closely is extremely critical.

This is Spunky. He is a 6-month old stray kitten that was brought in for a neuter and first FVRCP vaccination. He did well under anesthesia during his neuter and upon recovering was given his vaccine. A few minutes after receiving his vaccination, he acutely stopped breathing. Luckily the technician who was closely monitoring him was astute enough to recognize something was wrong. The doctor in charge immediately began chest compressions and ventilations as his heart had stopped and he was in cardiac arrest. Please take a moment to review CPCR technique. Review on CPCR Technique

A 10-year old Golden Retriever presents with a history of unsteady gait. The owner reports she is walking like she is drunk and she has vomited a few times. You are taking a history in the room and notice her tilting her head to the left. Upon closer look at her face you see that her eyes are moving side to side rapidly. The veterinarian asks you to perform a blood pressure. The blood pressure is 200/120 mmHg. Answer the quiz questions, then scroll to the bottom for the answer explanations.

1) What medication may help to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) in this dog?

a) Benazepril
b) Prednisone
c) Phenobarbital
d) Furosemide

Recently, a feline "Cyrano," a 9-year old male neutered cat developed bone cancer in his left hind leg. He had radiation therapy and the cancer was cured. However, due to the radiation the bone deteriorated.

Because Cyrano was a large cat at 26 pounds, amputation for him was not a great option.

Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little at North Carolina State University w

ho has had more than 10 years of experience with 3D printing (also called additive manufacturing) took on the challenge of creating an implant for Cyrano. This is a way of making a 3-dimensional object from a digital model.

They chose to manufacture a cobalt chromium knee implant for Cyrano. This was a cutting edge option, as this type of implant or surgery had never been done before.

Retrospective studies have been helpful for bringing to light information about animal health that may have not otherwise been noticed. In the past few years, there have been many research articles that have focused on spaying and neutering health risks versus benefits. A recent study from U.C. Davis found a greater occurrence of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tears and certain types of cancer in spayed or neutered golden retrievers as compared to intact counterparts. The research suggests that health risks are generally greater for dogs that were sterilized less than a year of age. Golden Retriever Study

After reviewing heat stroke in the last blog, here is a real case study about a dog that actually survived a severe case of heat stroke. It is a good example of how intensive these cases can be and what is involved in treatment.