Dr. Deb Reed

Heart Murmurs in Dogs

Say you went into the clinic for a physical exam and vaccinations, and you were told your dog has a heart murmur. What does this mean? A heart murmur is an abnormal sound heard when listening to the heartbeat. Instead of the normal “lub dub” sound, you will hear a “woosh dub”. The most common…

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Heart Failure in Dogs

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) occurs when the heart is not working well enough to pump blood effectively, leading to build-up of fluid in the lungs called pulmonary edema. This in turn triggers increased breathing rate, labored breathing, and coughing, along with reduced energy and sometimes collapse due to low oxygen levels in the blood. Fluid…

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GI Stasis in Rabbits and Guinea Pigs

Signs: Decreased appetite and amount and shape of stools. Acting uncomfortably or not moving around or being as active. Grinding teeth, breathing faster. Causes: Overgrown molars making it hard to chew hay. Not enough grass hay fiber in diet. Not enough fresh greens in diet. Hair, carpet fibers, bedding in stomach. Too many carbohydrates ie…

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Bladder Stones in Rabbits

Dr. Deb Reed Bladder stones develop when calcium crystals in the urine combine with each other and oxalate and other particles in the urine, including protein, mucous, and bacteria. Symptoms range from blood in the urine, straining to urinate, frequent urination, and sometimes just acting uncomfortably. Diagnosis is by bladder x-rays and urinalysis and culture….

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