Veterinary Ventures, an all volunteer group out of Portland, OR, is spending the month of January in American Samoa providing much needed veterinary care and spay/neuter services to an island nation with a severe pet overpopulation problem and not a single small animal veterinarian. Their weekly journal can be viewed on the AnimalHelp.Com AnimalBlog and chronicles their challenges and triumphs helping the animals of this third world nation.

The most common signs of infection are swelling and pain at the wound site. Fight wounds that are left untreated often result in an abscess or cellulitis. An abscess is a pocket of pus beneath the skin or within the tissues. Pus is a mixture of bacteria, fluid, and white blood cells from the body's defense system. When pus builds up and has no way of escaping through the skin, it causes a painful swelling that continues to enlarge.....

When your pet is presented for an ophthalmic examination, several aspects of the examination are performed for every patient. Additional tests are employed when indicated. The examination will begin with the ophthalmologist taking a detailed history of the pet, its eye and what the client noticed and what previous medications have been used, if known. All this information will be entered into the patient's record either on a computer or on a paper record....

Many horse owners have entertained the idea of breeding their mare. The idea that you can select the stallion that would best complement your mare and give the resultant foal the qualities you desire can be quite compelling. Many a mare owner has interviewed and visited a dozen studs before they settle on the one they feel best suits their mare. Before you get caught up in the fantasy, lets learn about the reality........

Unlike people and even dogs and cats, rodents and rabbits have many teeth which grow continuously over their lifespan. This makes sense for animals that are herbivores, chewing tough plant fibers. Ideally there is a balance between the growth of the tooth and the wear on the tooth from its chewing duties. If the teeth do not meet perfectly (no chance for braces here!) or the balance is offset by too much soft food which does not wear the teeth down, problems can develop.....

Carnassial tooth - a large, shearing cheek tooth; the upper fourth premolar and lower first molar in dogs and in cats. Called also sectorial tooth.