Wildlife blog of Dr. Palazzolo and the Long Beach Animal Hospital

Spleen Hematoma

Carl Palazzolo2024-01-29T13:41:21-08:00April 12th, 2020|Cats, Dogs|

This page confirms the importance of routine yearly exams, and close owner observation, on our pets. Large breed dogs can be stoic, and have significant problems brewing without showing any outward signs. When serious symptoms like weight loss and lack of appetite finally show up, the disease process is usually well entrenched, and there is little we can do. This can happen with an enlarged spleen in dogs. We want to see these pets for an exam at the Long Beach Animal Hospital before it gets to that stage. Pets are masters at hiding illness, so it can be difficult to

Lead Toxicity in Birds

Carl Palazzolo2021-04-01T06:21:36-07:00April 12th, 2020|Avian|

Even though lead has been banned from gasoline and pet we still see the problem on occasion, so after reading this page check around your house if you have pets and children. Lead is a heavy metal and can easily cause a toxicity (called plumbism) in birds. Other heavy metals, notably zinc, can also cause toxicity. Some birds can have both. Lead toxicity can also affect people, especially children. You can learn more about this problem in children from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). You can also learn more about this from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Cause Birds

Parrot Fever (Psittacosis) in a Bird

Carl Palazzolo2021-04-01T06:25:10-07:00April 12th, 2020|Avian|

Parrot fever in a bird has many names, including Chlamydiosis, Psittacosis and Ornithosis. It is called Psittacosis when it occurs in people and psittacine (parrot type) birds, and Ornithosis when it occurs in passerine (pigeons, doves, etc.) birds. Psittacosis is difficult to diagnose, and is a mysterious disease that does not "follow the rules" of typical avian diseases. Psittacosis has a worldwide distribution and can occur sporadically or in epidemic fashion at any time of the year. For many years the states that bordered with Mexico had the disease more than other states. Fortunately, due to client education, less sales of

Dog X-Rays

Carl Palazzolo2023-12-06T10:24:42-08:00April 11th, 2020|Dogs|

An important diagnostic modality we use to make an accurate diagnosis on our dog patients is radiography, more commonly known as x-rays. Just like the many other Diagnostic tests we perform, x-rays are important in veterinary medicine since our patients do not routinely tell us where they are having a medical problem. We work closely with our radiologist Dr. Ann Reed, along with imaging specialists from Antech Imaging Services (AIS) to aid us in using X-rays for diagnostic purposes. This fun section shows you the wide variety of radiographs we take on dogs. On many of the radiographs there is a

Bladder Stones in Dogs

Carl Palazzolo2021-04-16T19:32:12-07:00April 10th, 2020|Dogs|

Stones in the urinary tract (kidneys, ureters, and urinary bladder, and urethra) are common in dogs and cats. Even though dogs get kidney stones, it is bladder stones in dogs that cause more problems. Urolithiasis is a medical term for stones anywhere in the urinary tract. When it is in the kidneys it is a nephrolith, in the ureters it is a ureterolith, and when it is in the urinary bladder this stone is called a cystolith or cystic calculi, and when it is in the urethra it is called a urethrolith. We will use stone, calculi, and urolith synonymously