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Showing posts from 2012
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The Perfect Storm-Hurricane "Sandy"  October 29th 2012 A Commentary by Don DeForge, VMD DeForge Special Edition-DeForge Reports 03Nov2012 “There are moments  when you have to just walk away and cry.”   Lou Angeli  Hurricane "Sandy" passed six days ago.  The suffering in the aftermath is here and is real.  Homes have been washed away; gas fires have torched others homes; many live without electricity, heat, food, water, and shelter.  The subways in NY were flooded; bridges and tunnels were closed preventing entrance or exit from NYC.  Staten Island's shore community; New Jersey's shore; Long Island's shores; Connecticut's shore; and so many other eastern seaboard state's shorelines have been reduced to rubble. In the midst of this, the New York City Marathon was being scheduled.  Port-a-Toilets, bottled water, and generators were lined up on the NYC route.  Hundreds of New York police were assigned to the race.  Finally, after a public outcry this
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Oral Pain In Companion Animals Finding Help-Restoring a Quality of Life Conquering Toothaches and Gum Disease Don DeForge, VMD-Animal Doc AM Multi-Media “It's the hardest thing in the world to go on being aware of someone else's pain.”  ―  Pat Barker In the last twenty years, modern veterinary dentistry in companion animals has grown from being a "new baby" in the 90's to an actuality with an identity mirroring human oral care in 2012.   Veterinary dentists are available in most communities.  Please view the Internet for the designation of Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry and Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College.  These sites will in detail explain the differences between a Fellow and a Diplomate.  It will describe their Mission Statements and the work being done by each group to provide quality and pain free lives to the companions you love by addressing their oral problems. No pet should live with a toothache or gum disease.  To ident
The Next 100 Years Veterinary Medicine of the Future In this essay, Dr. Don DeForge, Animal Doc AM Multi-Media, explores the Future Road Veterinary Medicine must take to provide and care for the Animal Kingdom   " Rest when you`re  weary . Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work." Ralph Marston -      In their feature  A 100 Year Family Tradition - Veterinary Practice News -October 2012, Marissa Heflin reviews a family that has had ties to veterinary medicine for 100 years. Dr. Jennifer Olson graduated from Cornell University in 2009.  Her great grandfather initiated the line of veterinarians in this family when he graduated from Cornell in 1909.  Four generations of graduate veterinarians from Cornell, all from this same family, have carried the "torch" of veterinary medical practice from 1909 to 2009.  It is quite an accomplishment.      Jennifer states, "My Dad has taught me to be a good veterinary by example...h
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Farm Sanctuary 2012  A Tribute from Dr. Don DeForge Animal Doc AM Multi-Media 30September2012 "It is only when we give joyfully without hesitation or thought of gain~can we truly know what love means!" Leo Buscaglia What is Farm Sanctuary?   From Farm Sanctuary National Headquarter-Farm Sanctuary's Magazine: "Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization.  Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal industry" through research and investigations, legal and legislative actions, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts.  The three Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, NY; Los Angeles, CA; and Orland, CA provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming." Visit FarmSanctuary.org to read more abou
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Radiowave Radiosurgery Usage in Oral Care in Companion Animals Animal Doc AM Multi-Media DH DeForge, VMD Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry Silver Sands Veterinary Center-Milford, CT Adapted from www.RadiowaveRadiosurgery.com 25September2012 "The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower; share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's; smile at someone and receive a smile in return;these are to me continual spiritual exercises."   Leo Buscaglia   Oral Radiosurgery: CSI   We all have the opportunity to plant a seed and see it become a flower; we can share knowledge and present it as a gift to others.  This is what Leo Buscaglia believed was so important.  Today, I want to share with you my personal knowledge of oral surgery; specifically oral Radiowave Radiosurgery. As veterinary oral surgeons we face "CSI" situations within the oral cavity each and every day of our clinical lives. There is no subjective pain and not always a direct pathw
“ The only Source of Knowledge is Experience ”  Albert Einstein Animal Doc AM Multi-Media  18September2012 Dr. Don DeForge Hyperthyroidism in Cats The Hyperthyroid cat, in most instances, can be helped.  The exceptions will be described.  Becoming old or geriatric is not a reason to ignore your special feline.  Consider old as attaining wisdom!   None of us go through the "jungle of life" without realizing that each phase of life brings new experiences.  Our advanced years bring to us "wisdom" with age.  Einstein states, "the only source of knowledge is experience!"  That experience should allow us to help ourselves, help others, and especially help the animal companions that we love dearly. Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common problems in the middle aged to geriatric cat.  It is a problem that effects multi-systems in the body and is caused by an increase in the amount of thyroid hormones that are produced by an enlarged thyroid gland.   These elevat
Watch Where You Are Walking   Hope is like a hairball trembling from its birth...    Rossetti, Christina Animal Doc AM-Multi-Media-Dr. Don DeForge 11September2012 Have you ever gotten up in the morning and felt your bare foot slide onto a "gooey" substance that seemed to be laced with fiber?  If you have, you have become one of America's veteran "hairball"  compressors. How do cat's develop hairballs?  Healthy cats are fastidious groomers.  When the cat grooms itself, the barb like structures on their tongue grab loose hair and it is swallowed.  Most hair is expelled with the cats stool during normal transit through the gastrointestinal tract.  Some hair can get trapped in the stomach.  This leads to the cat having a vomiting episode to expel the hair.  The esophagus or food tube that connects the mouth with the stomach restricts the hair on its way out of the stomach causing a tube like material to be expelled.  Many times the hairball is trapped in the sto
A RAW WORLD "I'm interested in raw land and trees and fresh air and rivers and lots of animals around them." Kent McCord Animal Doc AM Multi-Media with Dr. Don DeForge 04September2012 "The American Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates has approved a policy that discourages feeding raw or undercooked animal-source protein to cats or dogs unless the food has been subjected to a process that eliminates pathogens."  [ Drew Andersen-VPN-September 2012] The controversy of feeding raw meats to dogs and cats or what are called raw meat diets will continue.  Raw diets are growing in popularity as "fad diets" as pet owners seek to return their pets to a more natural diet that simulates what carnivores ate before domestication. Link Welborn, DVM and former AAHA President states, "While raw food diets are becoming increasingly popular among pet owners, there is a growing body of information showing that these diets pose a health risk not on
25August2012 In Italian, a belladonna is a beautiful lady; in English, it's a deadly poison Ambrose Bierce [Animal Doc AM Multi-Media with Dr. Don DeForge is now being presented at Silver Sands Veterinary on FB and Twitter] Avoiding Pet Poisoning There are many poisons in and around our homes that can be lethal to our pets.  Non-secured medicine cabinets and human medicines that are left out on counters are very common pet poison exposure areas.  Be sure to secure all of the medicines that you take.  Remember, many of the over the counter medicines you take can be just as lethal as prescription medicines. Here are some categories of Human Medicines that are very dangerous for your pet to ingest: Painkillers of all types Cold Medicines Diet Supplements Antidepressants Allergy Medicines Supplements Muscle Relaxants Sedatives Medicines to Induce Sleep Many times these medicines are dropped on the floor and the pet comes along and licks and swallows them thinking they are eating a tre