Category Archives: Dogs

One of the best things about summer is the food. If you’re like me, going to the farmer’s market for seasonal food, like fresh fruit and corn on the cob, is a joy. Add those summer treats to your backyard picnic of hot dogs, burgers and shish kebabs and you have a memorable summer evening. However, what many families don’t realize is the threat these culinary delights pose to their dogs, in part, because they are difficult to identify quickly using routine x-rays.

The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center ER has its share of drama. Last summer, a dog family was at a pool party when they noticed their French bulldog missing. He was found at the bottom of the pool and was estimated to have been there 1-2 minutes. The owners rescued him from the bottom of the pool and administered CPR, miraculously reviving the little fella. The family brought him directly to AMC where, after an overnight in ICU, he was discharged and as good as new. This story highlights several things about dogs, pools and swimming. I don’t believe dogs understand what a swimming pool is or how dangerous it can be, and not all dogs are natural swimmers, as this Frenchie’s story clearly illustrates. Many dogs fall in the pool only once and, after they are rescued by their family, never go near the pool again. Every summer there are unsuspecting dogs who fall into the pool when no one else is around. Some drown because they are alone and cannot swim. Others can swim, but quickly become exhausted when they cannot figure out how to get out of the pool. To protect your dog, here are my suggestions to keep your swimming pool dog safe.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a lecture by my colleague Dr. Rob Hart, Director of Orthopedic and Joint Replacement Surgery at AMC. Not surprisingly, he spoke about hip replacement surgery. Being a medical type and not surgical at all, I found his presentation fascinating. Going into the talk, I had thought total hip replacement was primarily a treatment for hip dysplasia, but I learned there are more reasons for a total hip replacement and thought my readers would find these bits of information interesting as well.

Every morning at about 5 am, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s Emergency Service sends out a list of all pets admitted to the hospital overnight. Recently, one admission caught my attention: a small dog admitted with a fractured neck bone because of an altercation with a revolving door. Fortunately, the fracture was not near his spinal cord. The little guy was in lots of pain and his treatment protocol called for activity restriction, rest and pain medications. He is on the mend, but this shocking story made me wonder about other uniquely urban hazards that might impact the health of your dog.

If dogs have a flaw, and I realize many would argue they do not, it is they don’t live long enough. I think many would agree that a dog lifespan of 40 or 50 years would be perfect, so that you could have the same best buddy for your entire adult life. In the past few weeks, there have been two interesting scientific publications on longevity in dogs. The studies’ conclusions and impact on your dog will be the topic of this blogpost.