How to Find an Avian Veterinarian for Your Bird

Finding a veterinarian for a cat or dog isn't too much work. Finding a competent veterinarian with experience seeing birds can be a real challenge. I've worked for Board Certified Avian Veterinarians, and I've worked for veterinarians who were just 'willing to see birds'. I can tell you there is a world of difference in the quality of care. Birds have very special health needs, and finding a good avian veterinarian is important for your bird's health.

For detailed tips to find a board certified, or experienced bird vet, Click Here

Adopting a Stray

While few things sound simpler than the "He followed me home" method of acquiring a pet, sometimes it isn't so simple to take in a stray.

For tips on adopting a stray pet, and pitfalls to avoid, click here to read more

Feline Hyperthyroidism - the most common hormonal disorder in cats

One of my own cats was diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism at the young age of 7 years old. We tried the oral Tapazole medication (he didn't tolerate it well) and decided to have him treated with radioactive iodine.

This subject is one that is near and dear to my heart. I've spoken with many veterinarians, and specialists about it as we treated our cat. I wanted to share all I learned with others who have similar difficult decisions to make.

Read more here

Why Calico Cats are Female - It's Not Just Genetics

Photo by Andras Ostrom

Calico and Tortoiseshell cats are generally always female. Why? It actually isn't so much an issue of genes as much as development. Cats, just like humans get one set of chromosomes from their mother and one set from their father. Of the chromosomes that determine sex, females have two X chromosomes, one from each parent, and males have one X (from mom) and one Y (from dad) chromosome. In females, only one of the X chromosomes is actually used, and the other is deactivated at some early stage of development. However, some cell division had already occurred when this deactivation happens, which X chromosome will be deactivated is random. Some cells may shut off one X and other cells may shut off the other, and any cells that are descended from those cells would share the same active X.

Coat color is linked to the sex chromosome, and so if each X has a different color gene on it, the result is patches of different colors. Since males have only one X chromosome, there is no deactivation, and no calico or tortoiseshell patterns develop. Now there is always an exception, right? A genetic abnormality in males can result in a calico pattern. If a male were born with an extra X chromosome, so instead of having only an X and Y, they have XXY, there is the potential for the same coat patterning to occur. An extra chromosome can result in other problems, however, and these rare cats are usually sterile as well. A similar condition occurs in humans, sometimes referred to as Klinefelter syndrome.

Apparently the presence of the 'white' coat gene increases the chance of larger patches of color, explaining why calicos (with white) tend to have large patches, and tortoiseshell's (no white) tend to have small patches. However, how this occurs is not well understood at this time. The exact timing of when the extra X chromosome is deactivated varies somewhat, and since which X gets deactivated is random, trying to breed specifically for a calico is difficult. Breeding an orange cat to a black one can increase the odds, but there are still many uncontrollable variables that come into play.



The very first cat to be successfully cloned was a calico cat, named Rainbow. A surrogate cat, a tabby, carried the cloned kitten. The cloning actually provides a great example. The kitten, named CC for 'carbon copy' does not share her mother's coat patterns. She does have all the same colors, but his patterning is very different. This makes sense because we know that the patterning is developmental, not just genetic. As a side note, the later reports I found about CC as she became an adult say that her personality and behavior is also different than Rainbow's. Behavior is also strongly influenced by environment and development. So if you fantasize about cloning a beloved pet when they pass, keep in mind, you'd still end up with a different animal.

Cat Scratch Fever

I've worked in veterinary medicine for 10 years. I've been scratched more times than I care to count, and I'd never seen a case of cat scratch fever (or cat scratch disease as it's now called) before. Then two of our nurses came down with this very painful condition at the same time.

Read More. . .

Rats as Pets

I have had many, many, many pet rats over the years. I've also had my share of hamsters and guineapigs, even a rabbit. While the stigma that rats carry in some people's minds make them seem an unsavory pet choice, rats are really wonderful pets.

Read more about having rats as pets

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

I've seen so many people confused about what FIV is. Even worse, I think people don't really understand what a positive FIV test means.
So I wrote this article to help explain things.

FIV isn't necessarily a death sentence. A positive FIV test in a cat can possibly mean a few different things (although the most likely thing is that the cat is infected with FIV, there are other possibilities) If your cat has tested positive for FIV, please consider what the test can actually tell you. Your cat may still be able to live a full life.

Should You Get a Pet for Your Child?

Kids love animals. My daughter (4 yeas old) is asking me for a pet rat, but she's asked her father for a dog.

There seem to be two main camps on the subject of letting kids have their own pet. One says that kids don't have the maturity to be in charge of another life, and the other says having a pet teaches responsibility.

Which one of these is true can have a lot to do with the parents involved. Click here to read how to get your child to take charge.

Letting Cat's Outside Safely

We recently made the very difficult decision to start letting out cats go outdoors. As a veterinary nurse, I've seen first hand what can happen to cats out in the big world, so I began to research, looking for a way to make the transition as safe as possible for them.

I found the Cat Fence-In system.

Review of the Cat Fence-In System

Are Puppy Classes Worth It?

With our already busy schedules, it may feel like puppy training classes aren't worth the time or expense. Your puppy's behavior isn't too awful anyway, right?

But puppy classes do more for your dog than just teach them to sit. Read more.

Signs and treatments of hyperthyroidism in cats

Feline hyperthyroidism is very common in cats. While most people consider hyperthyroidism to be a disease of older cats, my own cat was diagnosed at the age of 7, and a cat can develop this endocrine disorder even earlier. Not all veterinarians are great at explaining this condition to pet owners.

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