Doc's Articles Archives

Parvovirus In Our Dogs:
It Just keeps On Getting Worse

Hot Spots In Dogs:
A Lesson In Greek And Udder Balm

Dogs And Chocolate:
This Stuff Can Kill

Cats In Heat
and Young Sailors

A Slimy Subject:
Tapeworms In Our Pets

Blocked Cats:
These Guys Really Hurt

A real love story:
Cuterebriasis in our kittens and puppies

Some Great Words:
And Thoughts about Giving Cats Milk

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Before I begin, this Web site is intended to share my experiences and opinions on the subjects of general veterinary and pet care information.  It is not intended to render individual veterinary advice or service.  Specific needs and questions concerning your individual pet's health should always, always, always be addressed by his or her best friend, your local veterinarian.

Doctor Oz's MISSION STATEMENT

          When I began my veterinary practice in our little rural farming community of Trumansburg, New York, I began, as a public service (and a tasteful form of advertising), to publish short articles in our local advertising paper on the subject of pet care 

          It wasn't long after I started writing these articles before people began stopping me at the grocery store and post office to tell me how much they loved my latest article. But more importantly, very often during these conversations, they would tell me that what they had read, or what they had heard from a friend of theirs who had read my column, had saved their precious cat's or dog's life.

          From the very beginning, my goal was to write these articles in a clear and understandable parable-like format; that is, I wanted the stories to both entertain and teach valuable lessons as well.

          Many of the common problems I see in my vet practice are just the result of a simple lack of knowledge of the basic principles of animal care and husbandry; commonsense things like not giving routine vaccinations, not regularly worming the pets, and a simple misunderstanding of the concepts of nutrition.  My hope is that by concentrating on sharing my knowledge of these and other basic necessities that I can help slow down, or even prevent, serious illness before it starts.

          A second source of problems that I hope to address has to do with the unique and seemingly uncontrollable human urge to do something, anything, to treat their precious pet's problem:  give a pill, slather on a salve, apply a poultice, or in a million other ways, medicate their sick and wounded pets with a home remedy.  In many cases, these bizarre and alternate therapies do more harm than good.  My goal is to help educate pet owners as to the dangers of many of these home cures and to stop them from killing their pets with their kindness.

          Also, I'd like to point out to my readers the various common types of emergencies that exist out there in the pet world by increasing the owner's awareness of these problems:  dogs overdosing on chocolate, cats dying from being given Tylenol, antifreeze poisonings, wacky homemade concoctions for treating fleas, etc.

And that's why I've created this Web site.

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In summary, my humblest wishes are:

-- that through the content of these stories, I can help readers all over the world to be more aware of their pets' most basic needs.

-- that through the lessons I share in these articles, I can help save cats and dogs from their owners who, unknowingly and unintentionally, can harm and sometimes even kill their pets from their lack of information.

-- and that finally, by sharing these stories with everyone everywhere, I can increase awareness of their pets' needs, so as to nurture, and, ultimately, strengthen this cherished gift called the human-animal bond.

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What I ask of you in return:

         One of the problems I've had over the years of trying to reach dog and kitty owners with this vital knowledge they need to better care for their pets is that those who would most benefit from the information don't bother to take the time to read this stuff.  For instance:

-- young, first-time puppy owners who are too busy at work or school who become emotionally devastated when they have to stand helplessly by as their pet dies of parvovirus because they didn't know about the lifesaving need to vaccinate.

-- the superstar orthopedic surgeon who kills his beloved cat because he's given it an over-the-counter painkiller.

-- or the poor grandmother whose precious little poodle suddenly begins to convulse because she allowed her visiting grandson to feed it chocolate brownies all afternoon.

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           The only thing I ask in return for providing this Web site is that, if you read an article that you feel will help someone in your circle of pet-owning friends, please see to it that you share the information with them.