Meet Rocky! Rocky recently came to see us because he was not feeling well. After an exam and some diagnostic testing it was found that he had a mass on his spleen. We performed a Splenectomy and sent the samples off for pathology. Turns out he had a hematoma on his spleen causing blood loss. These situations can turn bad very quickly. We are thankful that Rocky is home and healing well!

Kisses is a 10 week old dachshund. She was unfortunately exposed to the Parvovirus before her owners adopted her. They noticed she wasn’t very playful and didn’t have an appetite. Luckily they knew the symptoms and rushed her to us for treatment. She stayed the weekend on IV fluids and medications. Canine Parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that can affect all dogs, but unvaccinated dogs and puppies younger than four months old are the most at risk. Dogs that are ill from canine parvovirus infection are often said to have “parvo.” The virus affects dogs’ gastrointestinal tracts and is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces (stool), environments, or people. The virus can also contaminate kennel surfaces, food and water bowls, collars and leashes, and the hands and clothing of people who handle infected dogs. It is resistant to heat, cold, humidity, and drying, and can survive in the environment for long periods of time. Even trace amounts of feces from an infected dog may harbor the virus and infect other dogs that come into the infected environment. The virus is readily transmitted from place to place on the hair or feet of dogs or via contaminated cages, shoes, or other objects. Kisses is back to her normal puppy self and her Mom and Dad couldn’t be happier.

Roxxie is a 7 month old rescued sweetheart. We met her when she came in for her first puppy vaccinations. Her tail is always wagging and we love seeing her sweet little face. Recently she came in to be spayed. Upon her pre examination before sedation, Dr. Buntain noticed that she was a little pale colored on her gums. Bloodwork revealed that she was anemic, meaning her red blood cell count was low. This usually makes them feel listless and weak. Roxxie didn’t seem to feel too bad on the outside. So, the next step was to test her for a tick borne disease. We ran a 4DX snap test that turned out positive for a blood parasite called Ehrlichia that is transmitted through ticks. Dr. Buntain told Roxxie’s parents that we would postpone her spay until she is done with her antibiotics and give her body time to regain red blood cells. Since her recheck visit she is recovering nicely and is scheduled to be spayed soon. A good reminder that it is a good idea to do pre-surgical labwork!

Tigger came into Spring Branch to receive urgent care for not being able to urinate. He became lethargic and stopped eating. That’s when his owners noticed that he was going to the litter box but he wasn’t producing any urine.  They knew this was an emergency and got him to us promptly. Dr. Buntain was able to pass a urinary catheter to relieve poor Tigger. Tigger was hospitalized on IV fluids to continue to flush his bladder for several days.  Male cats can easily develop obstruction of the urethra which is the tube draining urine from the bladder out of the penis.  Obstructions are often the result of plugs of inflammatory material, mucus, crystals,  small stones that have formed in the kidneys and have passed down into the bladder. He has made a full recovery and is back at home enjoying his new urinary tract diet.

Dot came to see us for a growth on her abdomen that grew pretty quickly. Dr. Buntain was concerned about a possible underlying hernia that would need to be repaired. After an ultrasound to take a better look it was still not easy to determine what was causing the problem. Dot’s owner decided to pursue surgery to see what was going on. Dr. Buntain removed a layer of fat that was covering the tiny hernia and repaired it. Dot walked out of the hospital with a wagging tail and a smile on her face knowing that she had been helped by her friends at CanyonVet. We wish her a speedy recovery. We can’t wait to see Dot at her next visit!

Bali is the best behaved girl when she comes in for visits! Our favorite is how she loves to give high-fives for treats! She definitely wins the award for the best behaved girl in Spring Branch! Bali initially came in for vomiting. During Dr. Buntain’s examination, she felt something in her abdomen that felt larger than normal. After further investigation with the ultrasound, Dr Buntain saw that her liver was enlarged. Bali’s owner elected to further investigate, so they scheduled a liver biopsy. It was found that her spleen, liver, and lymph nodes were also swollen. After taking samples of cells from each, it was determined that there were no cancerous cells to be worried about. Bali was cleared medically and sent home until her next annual visit with us. All of her fans are super relieved! Bali’s mom reports that she is making a full recovery and back to her happy, healthy self.

Honey is a gorgeous little Bichon Frise who we saw for some irritation in her left eye. Dr. Buntain performed a glaucoma screening on Honey. Glaucoma is an eye disease where the pressure in the eye becomes elevated. Dr. Buntain used an instrument called a Tonometer which measures the pressure in each eye. Honey was diagnosed with Glaucoma but that’s not stopping her from doing her thing! Honey is on a regimen of eye drops and medication to help her out! Honey also started up on Apoquel to help keep those pesky allergies at bay! Since then, Honey has been doing amazing and her smile is always bright and happy whenever she comes to see us!

Diesel is a handsome Boxer who we have been seeing since he was just a puppy! We recently saw Diesel to have a growth removed from his paw. Growths are very common for Boxers and they can even appear when they’re puppies! Once removed, we have the ability to send the growth off to a lab to be tested to determine whether or not it is benign or malignant. We sent off Diesel’s growth which ended up being benign! Dr. Buntain added some staples in place and then placed a bandage on his paw to help the incision site recover. After a certain amount of time, we were able to remove Diesel’s bandage and he had healed beautifully! Diesel loves hanging out with his brothers Boomer and Jarvis! We love that we have been able to watch them grow up from being just 8 weeks old to the adorable 1 year olds they are!

Chiquita is an 11 week old puppy! We first met her when she weighed 1 pound and was only 8 weeks old! Chiquita was having a hard time walking and feeling very weak. It turned out Chiquita had low blood sugar. Another term for this is called Hypoglycemia and this can cause listlessness, loss of coordination and potentially seizures. Luckily, Chiquita was at the right place! Katy, our Hospital Manager/Lead Technician, helped administer some dextrose water to Chiquita and after a few moments, Chiquita started to feel a little better. We monitored Chiquita for the morning and the more we got to know her, the more we fell in love! It is always important to remember how sensitive these small toy breeds are especially when they’re tiny puppies! Chiquita is doing just fabulous and is being her little rambunctious self! We are excited to watch her grow up and are so happy to have her as our Pet of the Month!

Romeo and Juliette are two siblings who are very sweet patients of ours! We first met Romeo at just 6 weeks old! A few months later, his parents brought home another little puppy, Juliette, and the rest is history! They are just inseparable and love to run around together! Romeo and Juliette never fail to put some smiles on our faces and they continue to spread their sweetness everywhere they go! Romeo is now 9 months old and Juliette is 15 weeks old! Their adventures are just getting started and we are excited to see how fast they grow!