Tigger and my Interesting Case of the week

Hello everyone. Tigger here send his best. I posted an interesting case this week that was heavy on the photos. So I didn't want to sent that in an email, in consideration for those on dial-up. Tigger isn't it, btw.


He just happened to be in one day this week to start his kitten vaccinations, and agreed to participate in a photo opportunity.

Click on the blog link here if you want to read about Sassy.

Here's my Case of the Week

Being that my paint brushes are sadly neglected for the moment, I will share with you my interesting case of the week. This is Sassy, 11 years old Lhasa Apso, that came in with a history of straining to urinate, and passing a little blood in her urine. Yes, she has eyes under there too.

Remember, you can click on the photos and they will enlarge a little bit.




Her bloodwork was fine. So we shot radiographs of her abdomen. And look at her bladder. (red arrow). Normally the bladder would have the same density as soft tissue (muscle, intestines, etc.). Her bladder is as opaque as her bones on the radiograph.

And a ventral-dorsal view.

So off to surgery we go. Here you can see her bladder flipped over and out of the abdominal incision. Normally, the bladder wall would be thin and translucent. Her bladder wall was very thickened from the chronic irritation and inflammation.



So I made a small incision into the bladder, and out popped the bladder stone that was lodged in the neck of the bladder. Kewl, isn't it?

Sassy went home the next day on antibiotics. With her bladder stone to sit on the mantel.

Pet Insurance

This might be a good time to mention why pet insurance can be a good thing.

Angel, the puppy with the fractures, was euthanized yesterday afternoon. Even with surgery, the long-term prognosis was guarded, and I'm not sure what the orthopedic surgeon would say, as we never got that opportunity.

The reality is that with such trauma cases, it comes done to the cost of treatment. Not the treatment options or prognosis. Now, I admit, even I would have trouble coming up with thousands of dollars for diagnostic tests, surgery. Everyone's situation is different.

And I'm not being critical of the decision. In hindsight, Angel only came to the hospital because she had gotten ran over. Did she get her puppy vaccinations? No. Was she receiving flea or heartworm medication? No. Was she covered in fleas? Yes. Spayed? No.
She could have died from parvovirus in a month. So the most basic of care, for a puppy, was lacking. And that only cost $35. So if $35 is a financial burden, then $3500 is probably out of reach also.

$3500 is probably out of reach for lots of people. Even those making sure they get the basic care - vaccinations, flea medication, heartworm prevention. This is where pet insurance can save your pet. It is much easier to come up with a $75 deductible, and 20% of the bill ($700) than the full $3500 out of pocket.

We have a few clients that have pet insurance, but not many. I think it's something that people don't realize it's available until they need it and then it's too late.

Two of the companies that we recommend to clients is Pets Best and VPI. Click on their links and check them out.

Femoral Fractures in a Puppy

I am surprised I was able to photograph these radiographs with my digital camera.

This is from a Great Pyrenes puppy, about 35 lbs., that came in today. She got hit by a car on Saturday. She has 2 femoral fractures on her left side, and 1 on her right.

She really needs to go see an orthopedic surgeon to see if there is anything they can do or suggest to fix this. A splint just isn't going to cut it, I'm afraid.

you can click on the photo and it will enlarge a bit, or there is a larger version at flickr (click here)

Pocket Mirrors!!!

Good evening. or good morning, depending on where you are.

These arrived today, and they look REALLY good. I will have to get better photos as there is glare coming off the mylar covering. These are pocket mirrors. Artwork on one side, and a mirror is on the other. They are nice and large- 3.5 inches in diameter, but very lightweight and would take up very little room in your purse. They ship with a velour bag to protect it from scratches.

There are 4 cat designs, 1 dog design, and 4 florals. I'll be listing some in the store, and exhibiting them at the Atlanta Fall Gift Show.

House for Sale: Furnished with a Stove. And a Cat.

Hello everyone,
Sorry about the blurry photos. Let me tell you about this strange twist of fate today.

Pictured above is TarBaby. You first saw her video and story back in June. I caught her lounging in the window above the kennels in the cat room a little earlier.

I had not heard anything from the family in 6 weeks or so. So I called today.
TarBaby's Mom is hanging in there, but isn't well. Physically or mentally. She doesn't remember TarBaby, they think.


The strange, but wonderful, news is this.
Earlier today, the family happened to close on the sell of the house. A couple is moving back from Colorado and is buying the house. She grew up next door to Mrs. N.
While they were filling out the closing papers, they got to talking about Ms. N, her declining health, and TarBaby.

The couple came by, on their way home, to see TarBaby. They are strongly considering adopting TarBaby and letting her move back to the house, when they actually move the first of September.

Is sort of give me chills to think about this sequence of events, and how this possibly might end up with TarBaby getting to move back to "her" house. The house she's known for the last 10 years. Here's hoping it all works out.

Spoonflower Fabrics arrived today

from Spoonflower.com.
For those who don't know about Spoonflower.com, it's a new website start-up that prints fabric . All done online. Very neat idea.

I ordered these 3 small swatches, as I knew the colors would be off. Colors are always off, when you change printers, change media, etc. Eventhough I can print the file on paper, and it looks fine, it doesn't mean it will look fine printed on fabric with a different printer.

What would be dandy if Spoonflower had a set-up fee, and a way to proof the colors before a larger order is placed. But they don't, not yet anyways, so it's best to order a small sample to try and tweak the file before ordering yards of fabric for various projects. Mine seems to be heavy on the yellow. The red tomatoes are almost florescent orange in real life. They don't look so bad on the monitor.

Cat Coasters Arrived

Cat Coasters arrived
Originally uploaded by AndyMathis

The arrived today. All neatly stacked in their boxes.

I will be listing them in the online store, and at an introductory special too.

They are a little smaller, and a little thinner than the tiles that I sublimate myself. They were made custom for me, by a company in Tennessee that makes coaster and houseware products for retail shops.

Aesculapian Magazine UGA

This was dropped off this week. I was featured in the Aesculapian, the alumni magazine of UGA College of Vet Medicine Teaching Hospital. The article was a write up about my exhibit last November at the State Botanical Gardens benefiting the Sundown Surgery Fund.