http://www.democraticunderground.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:43:29 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:43:29 Today Gov. Schwarzenegger announced plans to institute a sales tax on veterinary services (along with auto repair, golf, and appliance/furniture repair) effective Feb 1 2009. The state has big financial problems, as I am sure you have heard, and he thinks he has found a great way to resolve it (as o... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/30 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:44:05 What the hell is this thing???

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i180/gardvm/11-10-074.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i180/gardvm/11-10-073.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i180/gardvm/11-10-072.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i180/gardvm/11-10-071.jpg... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/29 Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:30:53 with the pending eviction (for demolition) from my little house. I have finally got the go-ahead on an apartment rental and am signing the lease tomorrow.

It's a larger 1-BR in a neighborhood full of apartments, much more crowded area than I have been living in for nearly 8 years. But it's newly ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/28 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:42:16 First of all, this will be fairly brief. I am on my crappy old computer at home. Doing any research on it is nearly impossible due to Windows ME, 15 GB hard drive, Pentium 3 processor, and dial-up. So I am not going to be able to post links for everything I think should be here. My internet service ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/27 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 22:36:32 2006 Feline Vaccine Advisory Panel Report (AAFP):
http://www.aafponline.org/resources/guidelines/2006_Vac...

About rabies vaccination:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/405_rabies.html
I have personally read two published reports of rabies (and DEATH of course) in two cats that literally... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/25 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:23:29 Maybe TMI for some, but very good article.

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/petlabel.htm

Kestrel's take-home points:
Feed a food that says "Manufactured by" rather than "Distributed by" (which is a "generic", the lowest quality food generally).
Feed a food that says "Animal feeding tests usi... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/24 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:47:04 Note: some personal identifying information has been removed


Senator John Ensign
119 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510

March 8, 2007


Dear Senator Ensign,
You might remember me. Or perhaps not. I was one of the teaching assistants for your freshman microbiology class in... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/21 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 19:57:03 about how HAAAARRRRDDDD medical school is. Hell, they only have to learn about the inner workings and ills and treatment of ONE species. We have to learn about ALL THE REST. We could learn a single species in our sleep.

Will Rogers once said something about vets being the best, smartest doctors i... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/20 Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:14:30 Thirty-two years ago today the largest tornado ever recorded (IIRC) struck the town where I lived. Formed by three tornados that merged, and with a base a mile wide, this thing laid down a huge path of destruction right through the heart of this small city in Ohio (pop. 50k). It killed about 35 peop... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/17 Mon, 03 Apr 2006 11:44:36 specifically developed for management of specific medical problems. Some of the diets are formulated differently enough from a "maintenance" or "growth" type diet that they are INAPPROPRIATE or UNSAFE in animals that do not have the medical condition. For example, I am always careful to caution peop... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/16 Sat, 01 Apr 2006 18:52:58 I put them on methimazole (anti-thyroid medication) for an initial trial period of several weeks, starting with a very low dose and gradually increasing, and rechecking the blood and urine tests to make sure there are no side effects developing and the kidney function is stable. If the cat can be we... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/14 Thu, 23 Mar 2006 23:36:23 Kitty continues to do VERY well - eating like a pig, gaining weight, no surgical complications, very little visible blood in his urine. He still has some bladder control issues, but it's only a little over 48 hours postop. I am very encouraged by all this, and expect a complete recovery. The stone t... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/13 Wed, 22 Mar 2006 21:28:51 I did surgery on Kitty (not his real name) this AM. I first sedated him, then gave him some ketamine which knocked him down and cooperative, but not asleep. Thus disabled, he was a good boy while I placed an intravenous catheter in a front leg. Through this I gave him more ketamine and some valium. ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/12 Mon, 20 Mar 2006 21:48:55 Today I just took custody as the new owner of a kitty relinquished to me by a client who couldn't afford to pay for the very expensive surgery it needs. So I get to do the surgery for free on what is now MY OWN cat, lol! I get suckered by these periodically.

Kitty (not his real name) is a 9-yr-ol... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/11 Fri, 17 Mar 2006 22:39:03 because of what you are seeing. They are going to keep popping up. They also tend to be quite aggressive, and have a high propensity for distant metastasis. It is uncommon to find and remove a feline mammary CA before it has already spread.

That said, I have a patient who I diagnosed a year ago (... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/8 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 23:52:41 There is nothing to be gained by testing the other cats for "FIP", IMHO. The test should actually be called a "coronavirus test". FIP is not caused directly by the coronavirus (which is normally harmless), and most cats will test positive for it at one time or another in their lives. FIP is due to t... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/6 Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:02:15 First, make sure you are using a GOOD monthly flea control product. I think you are in TX, right? Major flea problems year round! Use Advantage or Frontline, and use them monthly.

Ok, now that we have made sure that fleas CANNOT be the problem, by controlling them, let's move on to other likely ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/5 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:00:59 which serves the purpose of helping the antigen remain in the area and continute to stimulate immune response over time. This helps to prolong duration of immunity. When they (I forget which company) came out with a 3-yr rabies vaccine, it was the addition of adjuvant which made the vaccine produce ... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/4 Sun, 05 Mar 2006 23:51:30 There is nothing earthshakingly new about a lot of this protocol. I graduated from vet school 24 years ago, and they taught us to vaccinate puppies and kittens at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks. Popular folklore notwithstanding, I have never wavered in my belief that this is THE appropriate schedul... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/3 Sun, 05 Mar 2006 14:38:26 hepatic lipidosis if they go anorexic. Normally a cat should be able to go without food for prolonged periods, as an adaptive response in case of illness or injury. But for whatever reason, their unique metabolism puts some of them at risk of this disorder.

Our liver is what allows us to go witho... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/2 Thu, 02 Mar 2006 22:25:48 If cats go without food for 3 DAYS or more, they are at risk for developing hepatic lipidosis, a potentially life-threatening liver disease. I have seen few if any cases of this in cats that were not obese to begin with, and never in a cat with a fever due to transient infection.

It's why we rec... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/kestrel91316/1 Wed, 01 Mar 2006 22:48:05