Summer Ave Animal Hospital

07/14/2026

Our pets deserve our respect.

🚨WOW: During the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, young Mateo was reportedly trapped beneath the rubble in complete darkness. His faithful Golden Retriever, Max, stayed right by his side without moving an inch. He wrapped his warm body around the child, shielding him from the cold and fear as the world seemed to crumble around them.

Hours later, rescuers’ flashlights cut through the debris. They found an unforgettable scene: the boy resting peacefully, held close by a dog whose eyes showed exhaustion but also unbreakable resolve.

Max had completed his duty. He never abandoned his post. In that instant, amid the dust and emotions, it was evident that the real hero possessed golden fur and a heart full of endless love.

Incredible!👏🏾

06/08/2026

Since it is that time of year that our pets as well as ourselves are liable to pick up a tick I thought a review of some facts was in order. The first three ticks on the chart I posted are the species most commonly found on our pets in Memphis. I ran across an article from Popular Science titled 'Fact or myth? Ticks can drop out of trees like paratroopers' that dispels some common misconceptions about ticks. A link to the article is posted here: https://www.popsci.com/environment/tick-facts-myths/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Ticks carry diseases that can infect our pets as well as ourselves. The article lists several of the more common diseases, but the Centers for Disease control lists 16 diseases that ticks carry. The ones most prevalent in dogs are Anaplasmosis, Bartonellosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Hepatozoonosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). Most diseases are specific to just a few species of ticks making the prevalence of the disease regional to the area those species of ticks are found. That is why Lyme disease in not considered a disease of this area. The two main diseases we see in Memphis are Ehrlichiosis and RMSF. Ehrlichiosis commonly causes a drop in the pets platelet count which slows blood clotting, thus a common symptom are nose bleeds. The pet may also have fever, lethargy and sometimes neurological symptoms. In RMSF fever, lethargy, and joint/muscle pain are the main symptoms and sometimes neurological symptoms as well. If you are traveling with your pet, particularly if you are camping and hiking, you may enter areas where the other diseases are endemic.
A couple of other problems we see are first, anemia. Ticks ingest blood thus pets with a heavy burden of ticks and fleas can become profoundly anemic. Back in the eighties before the development of flea/tick products that work really well, I would have to give blood transfusions in late summer/fall to pets that over the summer had lost too much blood. As I stated in my last post people take much better care of their pets now than in the eighties or before.
Second there is a condition called tick paralysis. This is a condition caused by a neurotoxin in the saliva of some ticks. Pets will become wobbly or unable to stand. They may drool and in severe cases have breathing abnormalities. It can affect their voice and ability to eat. On inspection of the pet, usually a very large (engorged) female tick is found attached somewhere on the pet's body. In all the cases I have seen in my career, removal of the tick led to a full recovery in a short time. In very severe, life-threatening cases there is an antiserum that can be administered. I have never seen a case like this, but in Australia it is much more common.

05/01/2026

As my practice career winds down I want to applaud the vast majority of pet owners who take such good care of their pets. After 42 years of being a veterinarian I can share the following observations.
In the eighties I would splint a broken bone from a pet getting struck by a car at least once a month. Now, I don't think it is even once a year. Same goes for lacerations and other injuries. Point being people control their pets better and do not allow them to roam.
I used to see 3 or 4 cases of breast cancer every month and now it is 3 or 4 a year. Breast cancer is an estrogen influenced disease, and people spay their pets far more frequently than they did in the eighties which removes estrogen thus reduces breast cancer.
Skin problems are fewer because people are better about using flea control and I have to give credit to researchers for developing products that really work.
Feeding better pet foods and again I give credit to pet food manufacturers for vast improvement in all foods out there today. I will say I am not on the bandwagon with dry kibble is bad and fresh foods are vastly superior.
Over the years pet owners have gotten better about seeing their veterinarian on a regular basis, and not putting off problems until they are much worse. It is generally true in medicine that it is easier to resolve a problem early in the course of the disease than waiting.
Pet owners are better educated about their pets, undoubtedly due to the internet and social media; however I do see a lot of misinformation particularly on social media (see my post 01-09-2026).

02/09/2026

A follow-up to my previous post. I saw this article from Popular Science titled 'No, North Carolina’s wild horses were not wrapped in insulation". It is a perfect example of the fake and misinformation you will find on the internet. Follow this link to read the article:

https://www.popsci.com/technology/wild-horses-insulation-north-carolina-ai-image/

01/19/2026

CAN I TRUST THE INTERNET
The quick answer is no, but there is a lot of good information on the internet. Breaking it down first consider the source. If you are on the Center for Disease Control website, I would expect the information to be correct as opposed to something on Facebook or in a forum which are very often opinion, sometimes very biased or totally made up. Many veterinary hospitals have websites and put out information that is trustworthy and very helpful. Looking up symptoms and trying to figure out what problem your pet is having is tough. For instance you do a search for red itchy skin. What you are most likely to read is that it's allergies, and that would be correct close to 90% of the time. I can quickly name five other things it could be, and if it is scabies, a mite (mange), that is something people can get from their dog. It is not life threatening, but it is a miserable thing to get and clear up. The area I will point out that has the most bias and many times incorrect information is pet food. I see things on Facebook, about food, all the time that make me laugh and sometimes mad at how wrong they are. It is extremely biased because much of what you see is someone trying to sell you something. Also there are a lot of people out there that have read some things and now they think they are experts. They don't even realize that what they read may have been wrong to begin with. So, I am saying by all means use the internet but pay attention to the source of the information, and if the source is not a veterinary professional or organization follow up anything serious with a call to your veterinarian. Lastly, if you are reading information from a veterinarian check out their credentials and whether they may have some bias such as they want you to buy a particular product (many times their product).

08/28/2025

In the last ten years spaying and castration (neuter refers to either s*x) have gotten more attention than in the previous 31 years of my career. Recent studies done in California have suggested that early neutering has a negative influence in musculoskeletal development and even cancer. Although I have not accumulated data to prove any particular claims, I do make the following observations.
Spaying and castration in my first decade of practice (the eighties) was done later than now, typically at 1 1/2 years of age. The factor determining the age back then had more to do with the safe use of anesthetics. The anesthetics we have now are so good, anesthetizing patients down to three months of age is unremarkable. Also in the eighties the number of people choosing not to neuter was much higher. The result: I would see five cases of breast cancer (benign and malignant) every month. Now, with younger neutering, I see less than ten cases of breast cancer in a year, and those cases 90% of the time are in unspayed dogs. I do not believe I am seeing more developmental problems compared to back then. I am sensitive to the concerns, and I have moved back my recommendation for the age to neuter from 6 months of age to 8 months. Another source of information comes from Banfield Veterinary Hospitals. They are the largest corporate group of practices in the country. Although, I have not been a big fan of corporate practices, they are uniquely able to gather information from all their practices nationwide and have published statistics you may find interesting. The following quote about statistics Banfield has published I got from an AVMA article:
" Pets are living longer, according to the report. The mean life span of a cat in 2012 was 12 years, an increase of 10 percent since 2002. The mean life span of a dog in 2012 was 11 years, a 4 percent increase since 2002.

Neutered male cats live a mean of 62 percent longer than unneutered male cats, and spayed female cats live a mean of 39 percent longer than unspayed female cats, the report said. Neutered male dogs live a mean of 18 percent longer than unneutered male dogs, and spayed female dogs live a mean of 23 percent longer than unspayed female dogs.

Two of the five states with the shortest life span for dogs have the highest percentages of unneutered and unspayed dogs, Mississippi at 44 percent and Louisiana at 38 percent.

Here is a link to reports Banfield has published:
https://www.banfield.com/State-of-pet-health

08/08/2025

Fleas, ticks and mosquitos carry/cause over 20 different specific diseases such as heartworm disease and conditions such as allergic skin disease in dogs and cats. It is thought by some that fleas, ticks and mosquitos disappear in the winter. This is not true for a number of reasons. The graph posted here shows what is known as the Urban Heat Island. For a city like Memphis the ambient temperature remains much higher in the areas associated with the city. In addition, we reach temperatures that sustain these creatures often during our winter. Memphis has recorded 79 degrees in January more than once. Also fleas, ticks and mosquitos can get into homes or in the crawl spaces under homes and remain active in the heated space. This makes heartworm preventative necessary all year long, and for many people flea and tick control as well.

07/17/2025

Did You Know There Is a Tennessee Animal Hall of Fame?

In 1993 the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Assc. Began taking nominations from the veterinary community each year for animals that have stood out for the following criteria:
Those who, through unselfish and courageous accomplishments, exemplify the affection, loyalty, security and value of the human-animal bond.
They demonstrated unselfish and/or courageous accomplishments, examples of their affection, loyalty and companionship, or the ways in which they provide healthful benefits, confidence, or opportunities for exercise, socialization, or laughter.
Award may be given each year for Hero, Companion and Professional categories. In more recent years, since 2010, there has been only one award.
The picture attached is of my patient Budd that was awarded Hero of the year in 1995. Also in the picture is the owner Angela Brewer and the life he saved, Mrs. Lubiani, Angela’s aunt.
Budd’s story is this. On Feb. 10, 1994 Memphis was hit with one of the worst ice storms in history. 250,000 MLGW customers lost power. Ms. Lubiani lost power at her home and she went to stay with her niece, Angela Brewer. Ms. Lubiani was under cardiologist care for significant heart disease, and during the night she had a life-threatening cardiac event. Her symptoms were so severe she was gasping, could not get out of bed, and could barely speak with a whisper. Budd awoke and detected that there was a problem. Ms. Lubiani was able to gasp out, “Get Angela.” Budd ran back and forth from Ms. Lubiani’s bedroom to Angela’s. Budd realizing something was definitely wrong became insistent trying to wake his owner. Angela awoke but initially thought Budd was just being Budd, but he became so persistent that she got up to see what had him agitated. It was not until she got down the hall nearer Ms. Lubiani’s room that she could hear her aunt gasping for help. Paramedics transported Ms. Lubiani to the hospital. Later her cardiologist stated, “It was close.”

06/28/2025

I posted this for two reasons. First if you see this puppy let us or the owners know. Second is to highlight what can happen allowing a pet free in a vehicle with the windows open. Also if traveling with a pet, it is best to crate them before you open a car door. Lots of pets are lost at rest stops from a pet jumping out and running off when the car door was opened. It should go without saying that pets should not be allowed free in the bed of a truck, and worst of all do not tie a pet in the bed of a truck with enough leash for them to jump out.

05/16/2025

Microchip Scam

One of our clients brought to our attention a scam that was attempted on them about their pet's microchip. They received an email requesting they pay a fee to renew the registration of their microchip. The microchip in question was one we had inserted. The microchips we purchase are prepaid registration. The client does not have to pay anything to the microchip company to register the chip, and the registration is lifetime. I actually am not familiar with any microchip companies that don't register the chip lifetime. There may be some that I am not aware of. I do know some companies do have extra services they attach to the registration of a chip, giving the owner multiple choices at different prices. I am posting a copy of the email my client received. It is redacted for privacy.