Fully Vetted

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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Be afraid! Be very afraid! Five Halloween hazards for pets

I love Halloween. For some reason there’s nothing I like more than dressing up. "Grace Kelly after the crash" was my personal favorite, but "shoe whore" comes in a close second (I’m gratified that no pictures of this latter costume have ever come to light). Getting the... READ MORE

Oct 29, 2010 / (14) comments

Can dogs and cats EVER go vegetarian?

A version of this question hits my e-mail inbox at least once a month. They come mostly from concerned vegans or political foodies looking for alternative solutions to feeding animal protein to their pets. So it’s not so kooky a question as you might originally assume. Yet despite warm feelings... READ MORE

Oct 28, 2010 / (23) comments

The truth about pet foods and rendering

Urban legends are one thing. The fact that the FDA seriously studied the levels and origins and clinical significance of barbiturates in pet foods fifteen years ago is quite another. Slow to the party, I’ve only just come to appreciate the veracity of all those presumptive urban legends about pets,... READ MORE

Oct 27, 2010 / (53) comments

Bringing up baby: Can feral cats ever go home again?

It’s a tough subject; one you might be surprised to hear gets plenty of play among those of us who spay and neuter lots of cats. Because while these specimens might be rough-looking and impressively aggressive, feral felines are not always the devil-cats they appear to be. READ MORE

Oct 26, 2010 / (41) comments

Black pets in advance of Halloween: Should you worry?

Black cats and Halloween. It’s a common point of stress for those who keep them and love them. And yet, there are those who feel that our fear for their safety at this time of the year is not so warranted. They say black pets are not the targets of our communities’ wrath as much as we’d... READ MORE

Oct 25, 2010 / (16) comments

Helter Shelter: “Pet overpopulation,” the no kill conundrum, and the animal welfare controversy

It has been almost three weeks since I attended Nathan Winograd’s "No Kill Nation" conference. Billed as the definitive conference for the No Kill Movement (yes, all caps), I just had to attend. I mean, what kind of self-respecting veterinarian wouldn't get behind the concept of not killing? READ MORE

Oct 22, 2010 / (39) comments

Does dogged driving earn you a ticket where you live?

"Sometimes you just can’t legislate common sense," is what some dog owners are saying in response to the driving safety legislation that's been making its way through many states' legislatures over the past couple of years. Some of these bills would specifically ban dogs from riding... READ MORE

Oct 21, 2010 / (21) comments

Outrageous fortune? New veterinary venture into online Q&A gets a rough reception

It’s almost a tradition. Every couple of years an enterprising group of veterinarians will set up a website geared toward offering the burgeoning population of inquiring minds the answers they’re after. Problem is, most veterinarians aren’t on the side of the "web-vets." Instead,... READ MORE

Oct 20, 2010 / (28) comments

Halloween Costume Hell for Pets? You Decide ...

Last week I somehow stumbled onto this post on creepy kid costumes. Truth be told, it was in the service of my twelve-year-old’s annual costume quandary that I got sucked into this uncomfortable Halloween Hell. And while the kid costumes were truly disturbing, I couldn’t help thinking the... READ MORE

Oct 19, 2010 / (13) comments

What’s a veterinarian’s definition of a really bad day ...?

Here’s my definition of a really bad day: When your surgery roster is so close to bursting that you’ve got to plan your day with the aptitude (and attitude) of a Jedi master just to get through it … that’s a bad day. It’s a really bad day when your first case, a "simple"... READ MORE

Oct 18, 2010 / (14) comments

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About fully vetted

Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA

Dr. Khuly is a former petMD blogger and small animal veterinarian in Miami, Florida, where she practices medicine at Sunset Animal Clinic and serves on the board of the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and The Wharton School of Business.

As a significant sideline, she writes...a lot. She authors pet health columns for USA Today, The Miami Herald and Vetstreet. She also writes a popular monthly column for Veterinary Practice News and serves as regular contributor to Veterinary Economics, The Bark, and the Veterinary News Network.

Dr. Khuly lives in South Miami with her brood of hens, goats, dogs, cats...and humans.