Pandora’s complex

Pandora’s complex

By MJ Wixsom, DVM Every year, I see dozens of cats brought in for urinating outside the litter box, straining, or making frequent trips to the box with little result. For many owners, these symptoms are frustrating, and for cats, they can be downright painful. The...
Operant training in kittens

Operant training in kittens

By MJ Wixsom, DVM This week, we had the privilege of bringing nine kittens from Guardian Animal Medical Center to a local fifth grade classroom for a hands-on lesson in animal behavior. The goal: teach students about operant conditioning using real, adoptable kittens...
Parvovirus at the ER

Parvovirus at the ER

This past weekend in a single shift, I saw five dogs with parvovirus at the emergency hospital. One was a 7-week-old puppy purchased just five days earlier; the family had an appointment to vaccinate the next day—too late. Two dogs had never been vaccinated. Three had...