I recently saw a cat with a very painful disease called “stomatitis” (whole mouth inflammation). This particular cat’s treatment involved the removal of every single tooth in its mouth !  All 30 extractions were done  during a single procedure, and yet,  a couple of days later, the cat was seen nibbling on its favorite food which happened to be dry kibble.  How or why would a cat eat dry food if it had no teeth?

Let’s back up for a minute. What are a pet owner’s  and their veterinarian’s  goals regarding pet dental health ? Is the goal a Hollywood smile for our pets? Surely it would be easier to believe the old maxim of  “a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a person’s”  if the dog’s teeth is not covered with tartar.  Nice breath would be another desirable goal. At the very least, I’m sure we could all agree on a goal of prevention of mouth inflammation ie the dreaded gingivitis.

Some days at the clinic are fairly routine. Some days you never forget. One day recently the receptionist called back to say that there was an emergency coming in;  something about a knife. I've learned to not get too excited about emergencies before they arrive, as many of them turn out to be less serious than originally reported.

This one was a dog, and I knew it had entered the clinic when I heard a chorus of  "oh my gosh" coming from the lobby area. This sent the technicians running up front which brought on a second wave of "oh my goshes". Clearly something was up. I was busy enough doing something, that it was not until the dog was brought to the treatment area that I saw what all the fuss was about.

Around the corner walked a very sweet looking pit bull with a very large knife protruding from the middle of the bridge of the nose; about halfway between the eyes and the wet part of the nose. About four inches of stout handle stuck nearly straight up, and the blade was almost completely buried.  At that point I uttered something similar to "oh my gosh", although not those words exactly. The dog was not bleeding and seemed to be dealing with her predicament very well. She did not resist when a catheter was placed and pain medication given. Dogs sometimes act like they know that you are there to help them. She was anesthetized so that the knife could be removed, but that turned out not to be as easy as one would think.

The story was that she was protecting her yard from an intruder who had done this to her. The tip of the blade had advanced far enough into the mouth as to make it impossible for her to move her tongue without touching it and she, therefore, had a laceration on her tongue as well. Eventually the knife was dislodged and she did very well afterward, still a sweet, gentle dog.

Just when you think you've seen it all, something stranger than fiction literally comes walking around the corner. Sometimes the heartlessness that some people can be capable of is astounding, but more astounding still is the bravery and fortitude such as this dog showed us that unforgettable day.

These pictures are pretty graphic so if you have a weak stomach please be advised.

To view the pictures of the dog please click here.

I get this question all the time..."I just gave a flea treatment. Why am I STILL SEEING FLEAS ? " Here is my best answer:

If you are using one of the very effective flea products, AND it is working the way it should, you may very well still be seeing fleas. The reason is that none of even the best flea products out there can kill a flea as soon as it touches the pet. The best products will still take at least 30 minutes to several hours to kill a flea. Even if the product on your pet is killing fleas this quickly, you may still be seeing fleas for a long time. If the flea population in the environment, ie house and yard, is well established, it may take several months before you see the end of them.

Park Avenue Animal Hospital is happy to be available for you and your pets in an after hours emergency. If you have an emergency during normal business hours, call our main number, 407-880-9446 or bring your pet into the clinic as quickly (and safely) as possible. If you have an emergency after hours or on the weekend, call our mobile number, 407-404-3210.

If a doctor does not answer, or does not return your call within 5 minutes, call the Veterinary Emergency Clinic closest to you:

• Casselberry: 407-644-4449
• Leesburg: 352-728-4440
• South Orlando: 407-438-4449

Please be aware that our doctors share on-call after hour duties.