What's New at UVS

Specialty Spotlight: Considerations for the Senior Dog

Considerations for the Senior Dog Laura Perez, DVM, CVA, CCRT What is a senior pet? Unlike humans, where there is an accepted set age to demarcate a patient as elderly or geriatric, a sliding scale based on body weight can help assign age labels for dogs. For small dogs weighing less than 20 pounds, age 10-12 years is considered geriatric. For medium dogs weighing 21-50 pounds, this decreases to 9-11 years. Large breed dogs weighing 51-90 pounds are considered geriatric…

Specialty Spotlight: Feline Injection Site Sarcomas

Feline Injection Site Sarcomas Ariana Verrilli, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) Feline injection site sarcomas (FISS) are malignant mesenchymal tumors of the skin that are associated with vaccination in 1-16 of every 10,000 vaccinated cats.  FISS have been associated not only with vaccinations but also with a variety of other substances, including injectable steroids and antibiotics, microchips, and suture material.  It is suspected that the post-injection inflammation results in malignant transformation of the local mesenchymal cells and tumor development.  Tumor development can…

Specialty Spotlight: Heat Stroke

Heat Stoke Danielle Berube, DVM, DACVECC As we head into the warm summer months, we need to be prepared for an influx of patients suffering from heat stroke. It is important to remember that although brachycephalic breeds and dogs with laryngeal paralysis have an increased risk, any patient can suffer from heat stroke in the right conditions. It is also important to keep in mind that patients can present with a normal body temperature, especially if the owners have started…

2022 CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge

We’re so excited the CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge was back in person this year! Every year, UVS joins the 3. 5 mile road race through downtown Albany and encourages staff to join the fun. We also design and provide yearly t-shirts for those that participate. This year, we won 1st place in the humorous category!  

Angel Fund Story: Tiffany’s Emergent Pyometra Diagnosis

Meet 7-year-old Tiffany the Pug! Tiffany was a recent patient at UVS through our emergency service. Her family was concerned that she had a decreased appetite and was lethargic for several days and now had a purulent discharge from her vulva. After the emergency room staff examined her and ran diagnostics, it was determined that she was suffering from a life-threatening illness called a pyometra and needed emergency surgery. A pyometra is when the uterus of an intact female dog…

Specialty Spotlight: Beta-blockers in the Management of Hypertrophic Heart Disease

Beta-blockers in the Management of Hypertrophic Heart Disease Andrew Waxman, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology) Why are beta-blockers so commonly used in the management of hypertrophic heart disease? It is first important to remember the determinants of myocardial oxygen demand.  The amount of oxygen demanded by the myocardium is impacted by afterload (of which a large portion is blood pressure), contractility, and heart rate.  Oxygen starved tissue can promote myocyte necrosis.   It can also serve as a focus for arrhythmias, hence why…

Dr. Kent Interviews with Real Life, Real Estate

Last week, Dr. Agnieszka Kent, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), interviewed with Suzanne Prezio’s radio program, Real Life, Real Estate. The Real Life, Real Estate podcast focuses not on real estate but on professionals in our community. In the interview, Dr. Kent discusses her journey to becoming a board-certified cardiologist and what brought her to Upstate Veterinary Specialties. The segment discusses what to expect during an appointment with a cardiologist, including signs and symptoms of a cardiology patient, types of procedures performed, and…

Specialty Spotlight: Infected Corneal Ulcers

Specialty Spotlight: Infected Corneal Ulcers Keith Montgomery, DVM, DACVO As the summer weather heats up, our canine and feline patients are more active outdoors, and we see an increase in the number of traumatic corneal ulcers as well as other traumatic eye injuries.  Bacterial corneal infections also become more prevalent with increasing temperatures and humidity.  Common bacteria that infect the cornea include Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas spp.  Clinical signs of a bacterial corneal infection include cellular infiltrate, delayed corneal healing,…

Dr. Sedacca Virtually Presents to NYSVMS

Dr. Cassidy Sedacca presented “It’s Not Just Grain-Free: An Update on Diet-Associated Canine Cardiomyopathy” to the Hudson Valley Chapter of the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, via zoom on Wednesday, April 14. The lecture provided participants with a comprehensive update on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy in the dog, the postulated causes of diet-associated canine cardiomyopathy, and the role of taurine in causing the disease. The session also gave participants a management protocol to follow when a dog is diagnosed with…

A Day in the Life of an Emergency Veterinarian

One of our Emergency Veterinarians, Dr. Amanda Little virtually presented, A Day in the Life of An Emergency Veterinarian to Saratoga County’s Cornell Cooperative Extensions 4-H program. The students are a part of the Veterinary Science’s “Doc-in-a-Box” program where they are offered a unique educational opportunity regarding the veterinary industry and receive a box filled with veterinary materials they use during each session. Dr. Little discussed her career, the reason she chose this path, and what it’s like working in…