Rabies has been in the news recently:

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta reported that an 8-year-old girl contracted rabies from feral cats but fortunately survived.

A North Georgia farmer was recently attacked by a 900-pound rabid cow. He survived the attack but has to undergo Rabies shots.

Please don’t think Rabies vaccines are unnecessary! Rabies is around us. Protect your pets and your family!

Dental problems, such gingivitis and periodontal disease, are some of the most common medical issues facing our dogs and cats.  Left untreated, problems in the mouth can lead to bad breath, loose and painful teeth as well as problems elsewhere in the body such as damage to the heart, liver and kidneys.

Watch this video to learn more about home dental care:

To discuss your pet’s dental care or to schedule a dental cleaning or free dental exam please call one of our offices:

Peachtree City: 770-487-1338

Fairburn: 770-692-6034

Kona suffers from a condition known as atopy, or environmental allergies. Atopy, along with flea and food allergies, make up the three primary causes of itchy skin in adult dogs. Atopy can be triggered by anything in our environment most commonly including pollen, ragweed, dust mites, trees, grasses, and even human dander. You may recognize these things as many of the same triggers that irritate humans with allergies although our symptoms are more often sinus and respiratory related. Especially as the seasons change, the same things that cause our sinus headaches and runny noses cause our dogs to keep us up at night with their constant licking and scratching.

While a little itchiness may not necessarily be a big problem, the continued effects of frequent licking and scratching can lead to very serious dermatitis and skin infections. All animals have bacteria and yeast organisms on our skin and hair normally. Our dermis, the outer layer of our skin, serves as a protective barrier against infection. However, when skin becomes abraded and inflamed, this defense is compromised and these harmful organisms are able to colonize our skin leading to even more painful and itchy dermatitis.

This is what eventually happened to our friend Kona. Her constant scratching and chewing eventually caused the dry, cracked skin and large scabs and crusts you see around her ears, eyes, paws, abdomen, and hindlimbs. When her concerned owners brought her into our office, I performed a series of simple tests to determine that her skin and ears are infected by both bacteria and yeast. This told me that I would need to begin therapy to treat these secondary infections as well as the underlying atopy that caused them. I began by administering a short acting cortisone injection to quickly control her intense itchiness followed by a low dose oral steroid medication called Temaril P she will continue to take in tapering amounts over the next few weeks to safely and effectively decrease her allergy response.

Kona is scheduled to return in 2 weeks for a recheck visit. We will likely need to continue these recheck visits for 4-6 weeks to ensure that these infections have resolved. Because allergies are caused by the body’s own immune system and can never be completely eliminated, we will also need to determine the best long term management to prevent her allergies from ever getting this bad again. I will post updated pictures here so that you can track her progress along with me. If you have any questions about your dogs’ itchy skin, please feel free to contact me or any of our doctors at either of our offices or via our Facebook page.

-Dr. Mac

After several hours of treatment, Dr. Keenan and one of our technicians noticed that Sophie was getting weaker and was barely able to lift her head.  They checked her blood sugar level and found it to be extremely low, indicating hypoglycemia.  Dr. Keenan gave an IV injection of sugar (dextrose) and added this to her IV bag of fluid.  Fortunately, Sophie showed a great response to this treatment and almost immediately became stronger.  After 48 hours of treatment, Sophie was eating well and was able to go home with her family.

Parvovirus is a highly contagious virus which affects the stomach and intestines of dogs, especially puppies.  It can be fatal about 20% of the time.  Luckily, vaccines are available which are very effective at preventing this terrible virus.  Click here for further information about vaccines in puppies as well as information about our puppy health package.

Surgery is required to repair this injury in all but very small dogs.  We commonly perform a technique called a Tibial Tuberosity Advancement or “TTA”.  This procedure involves cutting a portion of the shin bone (tibia) and repositioning it to stabilize the knee.  Several titanium metal screws and a plate are used.  Recovery takes about 8-12 weeks and the vast majority of our patients return to normal activity.

X-Rays of Knee before and after TTA procedure:

Bonnie and Lageita

Meet Bonnie.  She is about 6 years old.  Bonnie is a Schipperke who unfortunately spent the first 5 1/2 years of her life as a breeding dog at a Missouri puppy mill.  She was dumped at a shelter in Missouri 3 months ago but fortunately she was rescued by a caring humane society, along with 100 other dogs.  Bonnie was placed under the care of the Schipperke Rescue Group and has lived with Jan McAfee, a member of this group and a receptionist at our Fairburn office.   When Jan first started caring for Bonnie, she could barely walk as she had been confined to a cage for several years.  As Bonnie was nursed back to health, she regained the ability to walk but had a painful left knee caused by a condition called Medial Patellar Luxation.  This is a problem in which the knee cap (patella) pops in and out of place.  Yesterday, Dr. Jeff and Dr. Chris operated on Bonnie to repair this problem.  They created a new groove for the knee cap to sit in and tightened the ligaments holding it in place.  Today Bonnie is resting comfortably while taking several pain relief medications.  She will begin physical therapy exercises with Jan in another week, which will include swimming.  We hope to have Bonnie walking normally and pain free in about 4-6 weeks.  Bonnie is a very shy dog due to her past treatment.  However, we are certain that her future life will be much happier because of many caring people.

Jan McAfee

I first met Hershey when his new family brought him in for his first puppy visit. Right away, I had some concerns due to his pale, tacky gums, bloated abdomen, and lethargic demeanor. After a thorough exam, I administered subcutaneous fluids to help with dehydration and dewormers to begin to treat the severe intestinal parasitism I suspected was causing his illness. A parasite test submitted during this visit would later reveal an extremely large burden of hookworms, roundworms, and giardia. He went home for the night where he continued to suffer from severe abdominal cramping. I spoke with his owners several times on our emergency phone that night and recommended that they bring him in for further observation the next day. Suprisingly, though, Hershey was feeling much better by the next morning. I kept him in the hospital during the day where he was more energetic and ate very well. He seemed to finally be turning the corner towards recovery.

Unfortunately, by the next morning, Hershey had stopped eating and his condition had deteriorated. He presented nearly comatose and unable to control his own urination. His gums had turned a yellowish-white tint, and he was determined to be severely anemic and hypoglycemic. The parasites had caused so much damage to his intestines that, even though he was eating, his body simply could not digest and absorb nutrients. In fact, his red blood cell count and blood glucose & protein levels were barely compatible with life. In addition, a CBC revealed that he had developed a systemic infection known as sepsis. At this point, we knew that Hershey’s condition was critical and that he would need immediate intervention if he was going to be able to pull through.

Almost instinctively, everyone at the clinic flew into action, dividing the necessary work amongst the staff including myself, other doctors, and the nurses. While I placed an intravenous catheter in his jugular vein so that we would be able to administer fluids and medications rapidly, Dr. Loch began preparing to obtain donor blood from Drs. Vince & Suzy’s energetic Brittany Spaniel, Maya. We then administered a blood transfusion & intravenous fluids infused with dextrose in order to boost his blood sugar and protein as well as strong broad spectrum antibiotics to counteract the infection. By the end of the day, Hershey was stable but still clinging to life by the smallest of margins.

Hershey spent that first night at my house where he was fortunate enough to have the helping hands of my 3 year old daughter, “Dr. Natalie,” by my side. She loved helping with “Poor Pershey’s” treatments throughout the evening. I was shocked the next morning back at the clinic at 5am when he took his first bites of food even though he could barely hold his head up.

By noon, he was eating everything we put in front of him and pawing at the bars of his cage to get attention from the nurses. We were ecstatic with his improvement, but the New Years holiday weekend presented a unique challenge in that we would be closed Saturday and Sunday and a transfer to the emergency clinic for continued care was not possible. This meant that Hershey’s owners would have to be shown how to continue his fluids and treatments at home. This was certainly not ideal but they rose to the challenge, and with the constant help of our head nurse Katie Lowe throughout the weekend, they did a fantastic job!

Hershey’s recovery was nothing short of a miracle, and he continues to improve everyday. He has an amazing will to live fueled by the love of his family. He may still face challenges over the next few weeks to months, but the worst seems to be behind him.  I have loved getting to know Hershey and his family over the past two weeks, and I look forward to providing his care as he grows. Cases like this make me proud to be a part of the AMC family as this was truly a team effort.

-Dr. Mac

Otherwise, though, Dixie is a happy, playful pup. She loves treats and has been soaking up the attention of our staff. Today, we initiated antibiotics for her infection and laser therapy to help aid in the healing process. I will monitor her progress over the next few days to determine if corrective surgery will be needed.

Obviously, Dixie started out with a tough lot in life, but she will now get the treatment and care she needs. She will eventually be adopted and live out the rest of her life with a loving family. Unfortunately, the rest of her litter whose ears were not damaged may not be so lucky. They remain at the Spalding County Animal Shelter awaiting adoption. Please keep them in your thoughts especially if you or someone you know may be considering a new puppy for the holiday season.

-Dr. Mac

Aleecia and Abby modeling our stylish protective eyewear during Dixie's therapeutic laser treatment.

It has been a tough road for their owner this year. She had to say goodbye to her two older Golden Retrievers, Emmie and Amber, earlier this summer. Even with all that, she adopted a new Golden Retriever pupper, Louie, a few months ago. He was the picture of health, but sadly was diagnosed with a congenital liver shunt and was put to sleep at the emergency room. Needless to say, this owner is ready for healthy pets.

Having pets reminds us how fragile life is and how fast time goes by. When we adopt a pet, we know we will ultimately have to say goodbye to our furry friend, but despite that, our lives will be improved and they will bring us so much joy in the time we have with them. The unconditional love they pour on us surely mirrors the love we should show one another.

-Dr. Jessica Loch