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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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How to Properly Dispose of Unused Medications

Do you have any "extra" veterinary pharmaceuticals lying around the house? You know, expired medications or drugs left over from previous illnesses or long-deceased pets. I know I do. I was looking for something in my "drug box" a couple of nights ago and ran across some prescriptions... READ MORE

Dec 27, 2011 / (4) comments

Resistance to Heartworm Preventatives

I was skimming through some journals yesterday and came across an incredibly disturbing case report. The paper, titled "Macrocyclic lactone resistance in Dirofilaria immitis," appeared in the September 27, 2011 issue of Veterinary Parasitology.   READ MORE

Dec 26, 2011 / (4) comments

Prevention and Monitoring of Feline Urinary Issues

Unfortunately, several of the conditions that cause cats to urinate outside of the box and experience other symptoms of lower urinary tract disease have a tendency to improve with treatment, but often return after therapy is stopped.   READ MORE

Dec 23, 2011 / (5) comments

Determining a Pet’s Age in "Human" Years

The world’s oldest living dog (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) died earlier this month. He lived in Japan, his name was Pusuke, and he was 26 years old. According to his owner, he was eating well and staying active until the day of his death. He died peacefully, surrounded by his... READ MORE

Dec 22, 2011 / (5) comments

Aortic Thromboembolism

Last week I saw a case of aortic thromboembolism in a cat. It ended in euthanasia, and in almost every other way as well, the patient was pretty typical when it comes to this dreaded disease.   READ MORE

Dec 21, 2011 / (6) comments

Is It Ever Appropriate to Give a Pet as a Gift?

The holidays are right around the corner, and my niece wants a dog. She’s been asking for years. I feel for her and hope she gets one at some point, but I do my best to stay out of the "should we — shouldn’t we" discussions within her immediate family. Adding a pet to the... READ MORE

Dec 20, 2011 / (49) comments

Rats!

I love when a scientific study proves what I’ve been saying for years. Rats are cool. OK, that’s not exactly what the study shows, but it’s pretty interesting nonetheless.   READ MORE

Dec 19, 2011 / (5) comments

The Importance of Water

Cats need water, but their domestic lives sometimes work against them. Household cats originated from desert-dwelling felines who got most of their water from their food. Yet many cats are fed dry foods that have low water content, so they are forced to drink water from a bowl to compensate.   READ MORE

Dec 16, 2011 / (7) comments

Presents for Pets: What They Really Want

I’ve started my holiday shopping, and as is often the case, I seem to have better plans for my animals in comparison to my human family members.   READ MORE

Dec 15, 2011 / (12) comments

Problems with Chicken Jerky?

At the end of 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautioned dog owners to be aware of a "potential association between development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky products also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats." At that time, the FDA had received... READ MORE

Dec 14, 2011 / (8) comments


About fully vetted

Jennifer Coates, DVM

Photo of Dr Coates

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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Dog Panting – Normal or Not?
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The Truth About Pit Bulls: Part 2
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PETMD POLL

What do you use to prevent ticks from feeding on your pet?

Spot-on meds
60% (132 votes)
Oral meds
15% (32 votes)
Tick collars
7% (16 votes)
Other
6% (13 votes)
N/A (I do not use tick preventives)
12% (27 votes)
Total votes: 220
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