Vet Software Review: VIA, the Veterinary Information Assistant

In order to manage the overwhelming volume of data a hospital generates, veterinarians had to rely upon software to function as cash registers and treatment reminder systems. It includes detailed medical records, accurate inventory, precise financial books, organized schedules. Nowadays, it is not difficult anymore, VIA has it. VIA™, the Veterinary Information Assistant, is a leading practice management solution that allows veterinarians to stay in control of their critical medical, financial, and back-office information.  VIA is medically oriented software that uses hospital workflow concepts to improve operating efficiencies, staff communication, and patient care.

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Pet Pals, Veterinary Surgery Games animated 3D for Windows and Mac

The game does a good job of being matter-of-fact and professional, asking you to select the three most pertinent, professional questions to ask, handling injections, rectal temperatures, and stool samples with a minimum of fuss. It will present the cases with info on the normal pulse and temperature for that species, then ask the doctor if a particular reading is high, low, or normal.

The program takes about 15 minutes to install, but once installed, you don’t need to insert the CDs to play – something I really appreciate rather than expecting a child to handle the CDs (or having to take them on trips). Pet Pals is a great game to give to any youngster who loves animals or loves a more realistic game.

The cases seem well chosen to help educate about the care of the various species and to help compare and contrast appropriate care for different animals.

For example a rabbit with a hairball, and you could learned that rabbits cannot vomit, that hairballs are life-threatening, and that rabbits are poor surgical candidates. removed an abcess from an iguana in minor surgery, which was just the right amount of ‘icky’ to help get the feel of the real thing.  Details >>

How to Care for an Old Dog

Do you have an old dog? Had not noticed that this old dog shows changes in the activity? This is because elderly dogs have many problems, especially health.

When we could say that they have getting old? They called as old dog if they reach 7 years old, or if we calculate with the human equivalent is 49 years old. At these age they need more intensive treatment. Here are some programs that we recommend for the "better life for the old dog":

As the elderly man, a routine examination to the vet is very important, at least twice a year. Veterinarians will examine the condition of your dog through physical examination or with a specific diagnostic test that will be tailored to the age, race and health status.

Veterinarians will usually recommend a blood test and urin, more than that if necessary will be conducted inspections ECG / rays chest cavity. Test is important to know the extent to which the body is still a role and can be a normal tool for early diagnosis of health problems in the next days.

Do not forget to keep vaccinate and prevent parasites infection. Old dog is less resistant to get diseases and more vulnerable to the infection. So, make sure to keep booster vaccinations and perform routine preventive action against heart worms. Protect your dogs against external parasites such as lice, tick and mite.

Last but not least, make sure your vet knows the condition when they went health and get behavioral changes in your dog.

photo source:

www.flickr.com/photos/dr_ozda/2407570631 – Good Old Dogs III by dr.Ozda

www.flickr.com/photos/7422037@N06/2840981460 – Worlds Oldest Dog by BlueisCoool

Useful Article: Treating Dog Fever

It is nearly impossible to tell if a dog has fever without taking his temperature first. One of the best outer signs that your dog may not be feeling well nor has fever is lethargy, meaning that he is just lying around not wanting to play, drink or eat.

If your dog’s temperature is over 104 degrees, you will need to get him to the vet. If it is below 104 degrees, keep him cool and hydrated.

If you are taking the temperature with a mercury thermometer, you will need to leave it in approximately three to four minutes before reading it.

To read the thermometer, gently slide it out of the rectum and wipe the inserted end off with either a baby wipe or a dry tissue.

Have someone assist you in keeping your dog still. If he is not feeling well, he may be more prone to biting.

If you are taking his temperature with a mercury thermometer, you will have to shake the mercury down. If you are using an electronic thermometer, it should be ready to go.

After reading the thermometer, wipe it down with an alcohol pad or a germicide wipe to ensure that it is clean.

Slowly and gently lift your dog’s tail to insert the lubricated end of the thermometer right inside of his rectum.

writen by: Heidi Gonzales on eHow

3M Littmann Master Cardiology 27, ultimate acoustical stethoscope

Mono-Bipolar Electrocautery Unit, high frequency electronic scalpel for microcoagulation

HF 122 is a complete innovation in the electrosurgery field. It is a high frequency-electronic scalpel suitable for microcoagulation, small and medium MonoPolar surgery and BiPolar coagulation. The following MonoPolar modes of operation are available via the control panel: pure cutting (CUT), coagulated cutting (COAG), MonoPolar coagulation and microcoagulation (BLEND). Additionally with BiPolar forceps, bipolar coagulation and microcoagulation are available.

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Dalmatian bladder stones caused by gene that regulates uric acid in humans

The discovery equips dog breeders with the tools to eliminate that trait from the Dalmatian breed and yields clues to the cause of similar problems in humans. The findings will be published Nov. 7 in the scientific journal Public Library of Science.

“This defect, which in dogs is peculiar to the entire Dalmatian breed, has been reported for nearly a century and was probably unintentionally introduced as breeders worked to select more distinctive spotting patterns,” said veterinary geneticist Danika Bannasch, lead author on the study.

“It is now possible that this trait can be removed from the breed by crossing Dalmatians with the normal offspring of the original Dalmatian-pointer breeding that occurred in the early 1970s,” she said.

By Dec. 1, the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory in UC Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine will begin offering DNA testing for the mutation in dogs to allow breeders to eliminate the trait. Information on the testing program will be available online at UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory

The researchers collected DNA samples as well as urine samples from hundreds of dogs to identify the gene responsible for high levels of uric acid. Genetic analysis of dogs that are a cross between pointers and Dalmatians revealed that gene to be SLC2A9, a gene that recently has been reported to be important in regulating uric acid levels in humans. DNA analysis showed that mutations in the SLC2A9 gene were responsible for the elevated uric acid in the Dalmatians.

The same mutations also were present in some bulldogs and black Russian terriers, breeds that are not known to be closely related to Dalmatians. This suggests that the gene mutation must be quite old, even predating formation of the Dalmatian breed. Alternatively, the mutation could have been introduced to those breeds by crosses between breeds, the researchers noted.

Because the gene mutation does not always occur in bulldogs and black Russian terriers, breeders can simply use genetic selection to eliminate the unhealthy trait from those breeds. In Dalmatians, however, the mutation occurs in all dogs, forcing breeders to look outside of the breed to correct the problem. Download the journal in PDF format

source:www.physorg.com

Get Connected with Your Dogs

To be able to communicate dog we need to understand how the dog is communicating with us (Dog’s behavior). What they do with various ways such as bark, given tails or provide a sharp beam when danger threatens.

how could we know that our angry to dog cause fear, depression or anti-social?

Playing with your dog and start to understand itself every language that he tried to say to you, but this takes very long to recognize each character with your dog without proper estimate and through training your dog on the you will quickly know their condition.

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Exotic Animal Care and Management (Paperback)

Exotic Animal Care and Management (Paperback)

The biggest strengths of this project are that it covers most of the common pet species, adequately addresses husbandry needs, and the authors have experience in the education field.

Exotic Animal Care and Management, provides students with a comprehensive and unique learning experience, focusing entirely on exotic animal care, and husbandry. This text book addresses behavior, habitat, husbandry and diet for each species, recognizing that the majority of medical problems in keeping exotics are due to a lack of species-specific information. Common diseases for each species are discussed at length, from the perspective of providing nursing care, and recognizing signs of health problems. This comprehensive text also covers essential information for anyone working with exotics in a clinical setting including: injection sites, administration of medication, anesthesia, restraint and handling. The companion student workbook provides actual case studies and study questions directly related to the text.

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Oh Behave!: Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker (Paperback)

$13.57 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.

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Section 1: Behavior
Chemistry and Constraints: How We Choose Our Dogs
Test Your Dog’s IQ
Observation vs Interpretation
Wolf Behavior Patterns
Social Organization Models; A Mind Virus
Neonate Puppies
The Owner Signature: How We Build Our Dogs
What Is Play?
Dog Cognition Research
Ambivalence and Conflicting Motivation
Nutrition and Behavior
Malingering: Do Dogs Ever Fake It?

Section 2: Training
Dog Training Philosophies
Puritanism and Reward Training
Pavlov in Everyday Life
Prompting and Fading
Shaping
Exploiting Premack’s Principle
Ringwise Dogs
Training Deaf Dogs
Managing Barrier Frustration
Home Alone Training
Scratching the Rescue Itch

Section 3: Behavior problems
A Problem According to Whom?
Marking
Barking
Oh Behave! Love and Mounting
Car Whining
Behavior Problems in Geriatric Dogs
Understanding and Executing Time Outs for Dogs
High Performance Dogs
Dogs and Cats
Small Dog Syndrome
Tales From The Potty Training Trenches

Section 4: Fear & Anxiety
Better Safe Than Sorry: Fear
Compulsive Disorders in Dogs
Understanding Psychotropic Medications for Dogs
Desensitization to Veterinarian Visits
Separation Anxiety
Do Dogs Pick Up Their Owners’ Prejudices?

Section 5: Aggression
The Dog Bite Epidemic
Aggression Prognosis Estimates
Resource Guarding in Puppies
Resource Guarding Prevention
Fighting Dog Rehabilitation
Predatory Drift
Breed Specific Legislation and Behavior

Section 6: Genetics & Evolution
My Genes Made Me Do It
Genes and Behavior
Adaptive Significance of Various Dog Behaviors
Chows vs Border Collies
Theories of Domestication
Breeder Power
Dog Moms and Other Evolutionary Misfires

Last night, I read through the chapters in section 1. I have to say that I think that each chapter is going to be hit or miss with me.

For example, the chapter called “Chemistry and Constraints: How We Choose Our Dogs” wasn’t that enlightening. Jean even admits that there isn’t a lot of research about how we choose our dogs, and she confesses, “So, using a wholly rigorous approach — mulling it over in the shower and chatting with some dog friends — I have generated the following list of dog choice factors.” At least she’s honest, but in a book that throws Pavlov, Premack, and Pinker in the title, I figured the conclusions would be based more in research than mulling it over.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the chapter called “Observation vs Interpretation.” She contrasts the behaviorism school of thought versus other interpreters, and I’m pretty sure she’s implying folks like Caesar Millan in the later case. It’s pretty clear from the subtext that she doesn’t like the whole “the dog is displaying his dominance” school of thought.

In the end, I think I’ll end up marking the chapters that are worth reading, and then taking the bibliography in the back and doing some further reading. This book is almost like a series of blog posts strung together, and although that’s not really what I look for in a book, it’s probably a good starting point for learning more about what we really know about animal behavior science.

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