Vista Veterinary Specialists

Just a reminder to submit a photo by Friday, November 13th at 9 am! #petphotocontest #photocontest

Halloween Highlight: Look at this crew! Meet Batman Brody, his side kick Fezzik, and Low-Key the Joker. We got the pleasure of seeing them show off their awesome group costumes this year! Thank you to these precious pups for bringing a smile to our faces

For many states, wildfires are becoming more threatening to pet parents everywhere and it is important to be on the lookout for symptoms that could have lasting effects. As we get into the colder months, many of us will start using fireplaces outdoors, but how might this smoke be affecting our pets? Read the blog below to find out the possible dangers, as well as how to keep your pet safe!

Dr. Kerrigan and Coconut! One of these two is a board-certified surgeon...can you guess which?

"The good and the bad sometimes do not equally weigh each other out, but being part of a strong and brilliant team makes that a bit easier." Nicole couldn't have said it better! The compassion and solidarity our veterinary staff have for their jobs and each other gets us through the tough days together. #EthosVetLife #VetLife #VetTechLife

Happy Sunday! Can you guess this dog breed? This noble breed, which originated in Germany and was bred for hunting, took a part during the Cold War.

Thank you for joining us for our Neurology Specialty Week! If you would like to find out more about the specialty or about Dr. Toyoda, please visit our website here!

Here is your Neurology quiz answer! The answer was brain abscesses, most consistent with bacterial infection. In the MRI marked "1" below, there are multiple round fluid filled lesions suggestive of brain inflammation and edema. On MRI "2", these lesions have white rims, both of these characteristics are consistent with abscess! An abscess is a painful wound that can occur after a cat is scratched either by another animal, another cat, or an object. This happens because bacte...ria enters the tissue and causes an infection. Infectious disease is much more common than immune-mediated inflammatory disease in cats, and both medical and surgical treatments may be considered in a case on intracranial infection, like we have here. In this cat's case, the patient was treated with aggressive antibiotic therapy and a short course of anti-inflammatory steroid therapy. He has shown great improvement and went back to his normal life after 3 months of treatment!

Today is Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day and we're reminding dog owners to always get those lumps & bumps checked by your veterinarian, especially if they're on the lymph nodes! Here are the symptoms, treatments, and more you should know about this type of cancer:

Here's a neuro quiz! See if you can guess this cat's diagnosis! A 4-year-old cat presented to us with a 10-day history of circling and unsteady gait. Bloodwork, urinalysis, blood pressure, and thoracic radiographs were performed and all came back unremarkable. Upon neurological examination, the cat showed unsteadiness, weakness, and decreased spatial awareness in all 4 limbs. The cat showed swaying of body when trying to stand, decreased response to visual stimuli in the left eye, with incomplete pupillary light reflex in both eyes. All of these findings are consistent with multifocal brain lesions. Comment what your guess is below!

Photo contest: You love your pet, and you love your team. So let's see your pet's team spirit! Here's how it works: Post a photo of your pet in their sports team gear (jersey, accessory, toy, etc.) in the comments below by next Friday, November 13th at 9 am. That afternoon, we'll post an album with all the pictures we received. To vote, you must "react" to a picture (like, love, laugh, etc.) Voting will be open until Friday, November 20th at 9 am.... Then we'll announce the winner based on whichever picture got the most "reactions". The winner will be featured as our cover photo up until December 1st! Ready, set, hike! #petphotocontest #photocontest #NationalJerseyDay

Did you see our earlier post about Hershey? Check out this video showing her when sge first presented, to when she came in for his recheck! Dr. Toyoda is so happy with her progress, we love you Hershey!

Keeping on with our neurology week, here is an interesting patient story! Hershey is a 2-year-old female French Bulldog, who presented to the Neurology Service for a 2 month history of progressive head tremor and unsteady gait. During her neurological exam, Dr. Toyoda noticed Hershey had a normal mentation, however, she had difficulty walking due to unsteadiness in all 4 limbs. Her body would sway side to side when she stood or sat. She had difficulty eating or drinking due t...o tremor of her head (called intention tremor). Her tremor would completely go away when she was asleep. Lastly, she had abnormal spontaneous eye movement called nystagmus. These signs are consistent with issues in a brain region called cerebellum, which is important for maintaining posture, balance and fine motor coordination. Bloodwork and thoracic radiographs came back normal, while an MRI of her brain revealed marked changes to her cerebellum. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed increased cell counts (62 cells/ml; normal count is less than 3 cells/ml) with no evidence of cancer or infection. These findings were consistent with immune-mediated inflammation of brain (meningoencephalitis), which is commonly seen in young to middle aged dogs of any breeds. The disease frequently has seemingly acute onset of clinical signs and would progress if left untreated. Due to a risk of recurrence/relapse, long-term close monitoring via recheck neurological examination is crucial for successful management of the disease. Hershey is currently undergoing immunosuppressive therapy and has shown improvement since her start!

Here's a neurology themed #DidYouKNow on this Wednesday! Have you heard of the "Rule of Seven"? All 5,000 or so species of mammals have seven cervical vertebrae, known as the "rule of seven". There are some exceptions to this rule, like sloths and manatees, Two toed sloths have 5-8 cervical vertebrae, three toed sloths have 8-10, and manatees only have 6 cervical vertebrae! Non-mammals, such as birds, reptiles, and amphibians have different numbers of cervical vertebrae. Swans have as many as 26 cervical vertebrae where frogs only have one! Check back in tomorrow for more Neurology Service content!