Exposure to winter’s dry, cold air and chilly rain, sleet and snow can cause chapped paws and itchy, flaking skin, but these aren’t the only discomforts pets can suffer. Winter walks can become downright dangerous if chemicals from ice-melting agents are licked off of bare paws. To help prevent cold weather dangers from affecting your […]
Sometimes forgotten amongst the most known like Alzheimers and Diabetes, November is also National Adopt a Senior Pet month. The advantages to adopting a senior pet are vast, such as: Older dogs have manners. Unlike puppies, many grown-up dogs have spent years living with a family and being socialized to life with humans. They may […]
On a Sunday I decided to go for a run and had a beautiful day to do it. It was early May, 70 degrees with a cool breeze that made it perfect to be out, even though I was doing something I really dislike but know has to get done. Two parks are directly across […]
Recent mold tests we’re preforming are showing mold counts to be at their highest, over 25,000 in some areas. With these counts and the recent changes in temperature, here are some tips for ease spring allergies. 1. Check pollen counts. Before heading out, check the local news or visit the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, […]
Here’s a picture with some of the staff of Red Paw and Joe Fiorilli (the Owner of MSI), at the Doggie Ball in Philadelphia. We are working together to get animals displaced by fires in Forever and Foster Homes. The dog in the photo is Xena, who is being fostered by Joe Fiorilli. To learn […]
Six Minute Walk A six-minute walk (sometimes referred to as 6MW) test is as its name suggests: a walk for exactly six minutes. During these 6 minutes, the patient’s heart rate and oxygen level (measured by a non-invasive monitor typically placed on one’s finger, called “pulse oximeter”) are recorded at the beginning of the 6MW […]
Sleep Study One of the causes of pulmonary hypertension is poor quality breathing during sleep. If someone’s oxygen levels are low during sleep, this condition puts a lot of strain on the lungs and heart and may lead to pulmonary hypertension. Since a patient would be asleep when these abnormalities of breathing are occurring, she/he […]
X-Ray A Chest X-Ray, sometimes referred to as CXR, is usually one of the first tests done on patients who have some trouble with their breathing. The Chest X-ray takes a picture or two of the chest, which would show any gross abnormalities in the lungs. Sometimes, a Chest X-ray is not sensitive enough to […]
Pulmonary hypertension could be caused or worsened by many medical conditions. So a long list of blood tests are required during the initial evaluation of patients suspected of having pulmonary hypertension, and subsequently and on a regular basis after the diagnosis is made. Listed here are some of the more common tests: CBC (Complete Blood […]
The heart has 2 sides. The right side of the heart gets blood from the body and it sends this blood to the lungs to be ‘cleaned’. The lungs give oxygen to this blood and get rid of toxic gases such as carbon di-oxide (abbreviated as CO2). This ‘clean’ blood now makes its way to […]