Spring Cleaning

Well, Hector shamed me into it. You all know Hector if you've been by the clinic. He's the guy that is always running around with some job that needs his immediate attention. And when he isn't doing whatever he is doing, he's helping whomever needs help with whatever unruly dog happens to be creating havoc at that particular moment.

Well, one task he has taken upon himself recently is to take our food delivery packages for petsneedfood to UPS for delivery. (www.petsneedfood.com). Just like my kids, he always wants my car keys and my credit card. Apparently the clinic vehicle was in need of a wash as people were starting to rib him out in the real world. So today, a beautiful spring day, Hector took my car and my credit card out to the car wash. Doesn't it look grand?

I should have uploaded a photo of Hector is appreciation, but I didn't have one on my home computer. This was actually my first attempt at posting a photo on the blog and I wasn't even sure that it would work. Once again, we have proved that you can teach an old dog doctor new tricks.

I don't know if any of you will be at the Nassau Suffolk Challenge, a metric century bike ride out of Sea Cliff this weekend. I'll be there with my training buddies.

Also, Dr. Spar is getting ready to taper for his first attempt at the Long Island half marathon in two weeks. Look for him there. He is attempting a PR for the distance so he may be very serious before the race. Try to catch him as his jovial self after the race.

And lets not forget our canine athlete. Kim Norcott (nee O'leary) is leading up our canine Team Crawford. Team members will be racing at the World's fastest Chihuahua races at Petco in May. Check out our web page for more information. www.crawforddogandcathospital.com. Better yet, come on in with your chihuahua and sign up to race with us.

Damn That Tree Pollen

Well, winter seems to finally be loosening it's grip and spring is here. The bulbs are up, the birds are singing, and the trees have started to dump pollen into the air. I know I can feel it, that itchy sensation in the back of my throat. Unfortunately, the dogs can feel it as well.



Atopy, or an allergic reaction to environtmental pollens, is a big problem here in the Northeast. While we humans get respiratory signs, you know, runny nose, itchy eyes, and sinus infections, our canine companions get itchy skin. The most commonly affected areas are the feet, face, and armpits. We also see a load of ear infections and anal gland problems with dogs suffering from allergies.



Diagnosis of environmental allergies can usually be made on physical examination (yes you need to have your pet seen by a veterinarian), and history. Sometimes, the diagnosis is complicated by be several factors, concurrent skin infections, yeast infections, and otgher systemic diseaess, that mimic allergies all need to be treated or ruled out. Then there are those, non seasonal allergies that also throw a monkey wrench into the diagnostic mix. Hose dust mites, mold spores, and food allergies are all non-seasonal allergies that will present with similar clinical signs as pollen allergies but will last all year long.

We like to do some base line testing to aid our diagnosis. Fungal cultures to rule out ringworm (no it's not a worm rather a fungus similar to athletes foot), skin scrapes to rule out mites, and impression smears to check for yeast a bacteria. Rarely do we start with allergy testing right off the bat as it can be expensive and not always yield information that will help us with our diagnosis.

Once we have our diagnosis, there are several treatment options depending on the severity of the lesions, the length of the season, and the owner's willingness or ability to treat their pet. I think I'll leave that discussion for another post. Maybe next week, and maybe I'll be able to figure out how to add photos by that time, so I can show you all what I am talking about.

A new venture for us at Crawford

Things are changing at Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital. After 6 years, Dr. Wu will be leaving us this spring to take a position in Ct. The move was inspired by her husband who has accepted a residency at Yale University in aneshtesiology. Imagine my surprise when she didn't want to commute back her to Long Island to stay with us.

We are fortunate to have Dr. Brian Spar join our staff. We have all known Brian for 8 years or so. He did several externships with us as a veterinary student. Since his graduation from the Royal Veterinary College in London, he has been working on the South Shore of Long Island. When the time for Doctor Wu's departure approached, I tracked him down and took him out for several long runs alnog the Wantaugh Parkway. Nothing like hypoxia to get a guy to see things your way.

Although none of us feel that we can replace Dr. Wu, Dr. Spar is already fitting right into our practice. Some of the clients have alread met him, and he has been very well received. It was his idea for us to start this hospital blog so that we can share some of our experiences with you all. I will try to post at least once a week. I want to share our comings and goings as well as new medical information, web sites to check out, and interesting cases that we see at the hospital.

So keep checking back and feel free to comment on my posts. You should also check out our web site at www.crawforddogandcathospital.com. This site tons of information about our hospital as well as current pet health information and a search engine that lets you research your veterinary questions from quality sites on the web.