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Dr. Coates is a veterinarian based in the other “Sunshine State” – that's Colorado to the rest of you – where she lives and plays with a varied range of animals. She shares her professional and personal experiences, Monday through Friday, here on petMD's blog, the Fully Vetted. Log in for your daily dose of her insight and wisdom.

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Pick the Right Breed for You

I often counsel my clients to adopt mixed breed dogs, but many future owners elect to go the purebred route, saying that they want to "know what they’re getting," particularly in reference to a potential pet’s behavior. READ MORE

May 31, 2012 / (13) comments

Do Pets Go to Heaven?

One of the more common questions that I get when I am present during a euthanasia is,"Do you think animals go to heaven?" READ MORE

May 30, 2012 / (19) comments

Do You Recognize the Symptoms of BOAS?

When I first met Apollo, my family’s boxer, I have to admit I was reluctant to consider adopting him. Not only was he very sick at the time, but he was (and still is) a boxer — a breed with more than their fair share of health problems that can strike throughout their lives. But there he... READ MORE

May 29, 2012 / (6) comments

"The Pet Food Recall that Won’t End"

It’s time for an update on the "pet food recall that won’t end," as The Christian Science Monitor put it. READ MORE

May 24, 2012 / (5) comments

Ear Mites Aren’t Quite the Ordeal They Used to Be

Last week I talked about how kittens and ringworm (dermatophytosis) go hand-in-hand. Today, let’s touch on another condition that is diagnosed most frequently in young animals: ear mites. READ MORE

May 23, 2012 / (2) comments

Maggots: Thumbs Up or Down?

The weather is starting to heat up here in Colorado, which means that any day now I’ll see my first case of maggots for the year. I hate dealing with maggots. I could come up with all sorts of profound reasons why, but the truth of the matter is they are just gross. READ MORE

May 22, 2012 / (10) comments

Estate Planning Should Include Pets

Many of my clients love their pets like they are children, but I wonder what percentage of them have made provisions for their pets’ care should they (the owners not the pets) die unexpectedly. Not many, I’d guess. I haven’t either, but I’m going to change that as soon as my husband... READ MORE

May 21, 2012 / (10) comments

Does Horse Racing Deserve Your Support?

I breathed a big sigh of relief on the evening of Saturday, May 5. The 138th running of the Kentucky Derby was over and the equine ambulance didn’t have to pick up any passengers, no screens were erected to shield the viewing public from tragedy, and everyone made it back to the barn safely. READ MORE

May 17, 2012 / (27) comments

With Kittens Comes Ringworm

It’s spring, and in veterinary clinics across the country kittens and the animals that have been in contact with them are being diagnosed with ringworm. Okay, it’s not fair to blame kittens for every case of ringworm, but that soft and fluffy feline coat may be harboring an uninvited guest. READ MORE

May 16, 2012 / (3) comments

Any Dog Can Bite

May 20-26 is National Dog Bite Prevention Week. Being bitten is just one of the professional hazards veterinarians face every day. In fact, I was bitten last week — very minor, couldn’t blame the dog as the whole reason I was at his house was to euthanize him because he was feeling terrible... READ MORE

May 15, 2012 / (3) comments

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About fully vetted

Jennifer Coates, DVM

Image credit: Jim Piraino

...graduated with honors from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. In the years since, she has practiced veterinary medicine in Virginia, Wyoming, and Colorado. She is the author of several books about veterinary medicine and animal care, including the Dictionary of Veterinary Terms: Vet-Speak Deciphered for the Non-Veterinarian. Dr. Coates also writes short stories that focus on the strength and importance of the human-animal bond, and freelance articles relating to a variety of animal care and veterinary topics. Dr. Coates lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and various species of pets.

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