Dr. Anna O'Brien

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Cary, NC
Dr. Anna O'Brien

Hi, can I pet your dog?
▫️Travel Emergency Veterinarian
▫️Professional Pet Parent
I like kind people

01/03/2023

Grape Ingestion 🍇 ⁣
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This weekend in the emergency room we saw no less than 15 grape or raisin ingestions on my shifts alone. When chatting with the owners, nearly half said they didn’t even realize grapes were toxic until after their dog ate them and they, thankfully, decided to Google it. So let’s talk grapes and their dangers!⁣
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Why are grapes (or raisins) toxic? The short answer: we don’t know. Right now our best working hypothesis is that it is due to tartaric acid and its salt, potassium bitartrate contained in grapes. Other working theories have to do with genetics and intolerances to certain tannins also contained in grapes. The bottom line? Medicine is ever evolving and we are always learning, and this is still a bit of a medical mystery. ⁣
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What does this mean for pets? Since we don’t know the exact reason the grapes can prove toxic, we don’t have a good answer for what dose is toxic or which pets will suffer from ingesting them. In one recent study, a dachshund fed a theoretically lethal amount of grapes showed absolutely no clinical signs, while a large breed dog ingested a single grape and developed upset stomach and vomiting. 😅 In practice, this means for any size dog who ingests any amount of grapes gets treated for worst case scenario. ⁣
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What do grapes do to dogs?! Most commonly they cause vomiting and diarrhea. In some cases they cause an acute kidney injury that causes them to stop being able to produce urine, and eventually their kidneys shut down. It’s a very painful and very devastating end to something so preventable. ⁣
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So what is our take away? NO GRAPES EVER. Keep those suckers packed away, and if your pup ingests one make sure to seek medical attention ASAP. Clinical signs can begin in as little as 6 hours, so getting them seen immediately is vital.⁣
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On that note, I’m going to go enjoy my grapes the way the good Lord intended… in a glass with a side of charcuterie 🍷 Any questions or comments? Leave them below and share with a friend who you know wants to avoid a vet visit!

01/03/2023

Fireworks & Pups 💥 ⁣
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This weekend is the number one weekend for pet loss in the US. Scary, right? Dogs freak out, they get out, and with all of the noise and craziness they end up disoriented, scared and running away when they may usually stick close to home or know how to find their way back.⁣
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PLEASE don’t let that happen to you and your furry family! Here are a couple very simple things to do to try and make this weekend safe and fun for everyone in your home.⁣
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1. Make sure your pet has a microchip AND that it’s registered and up to date. You can confirm it’s registration by calling the microchip company or looking the number up online at petmicrochiplookup.org⁣
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2. Anti-anxiety medications should have already been filled at this point, but if you need a last minute refill call your vet TODAY. If your pet has never had a medication before, they will likely require an in person exam before prescribing and that, my friends, is the law. So don’t yell at the receptionist if they can’t help you.⁣
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3. Set up a doggie safe room. An interior room with no to few windows to cut down on outside noise, and no external doors they can get out through. Put a tv or speaker in there to play a show or calming music for them through the night. Again, reduce all the noise you can. ⁣
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4. Benadryl is NOT an anti-anxiety medication and in most dogs does not produce any sort of sedation. Actually in a few, we can see the opposite response of becoming excitable and overstimulated. So while it might not hurt them, probably won’t help here. ⁣
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5. Lastly, do not, I repeat do NOT take your dogs anywhere there will be fireworks. I don’t care if your dog is the most relaxed dog in the world, fireworks are loud, bright, and very scary to an animal who can’t understand what’s happening. Leave them at home where they’re safe and secure. ⁣
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Any other tips or tricks y’all have learned along the way? Feel free to share below. 🥂

01/03/2023

BLOAT ☠️ ⁣⁣
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The dreaded word, but WHAT DOES IT MEAN?⁣⁣
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In the general sense of the word when it comes to dogs, when you hear the word “bloat” you’re hearing or meaning Gastric Dilatation & Volvulus. Aka GDV. ⁣⁣
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A GDV literally means the stomach has dilated (bloated) & flipped over on itself. The reason this is such an emergency is because of the torsion of that stomach, the blood vessels bringing blood to & from the stomach can be completely cut off - resulting in the stomach rapidly dying, or they can physically rip and tear away causing bleeding into the abdomen. This happens QUICKLY. We’re taking a matter of hours before we go from happy & healthy to painful & dead. ⁣⁣
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So who needs to be concerned, & is there anything we can do to prevent this horrible event from happening? ⁣⁣
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First, there is still a bit we don’t know about a GDV. What we DO know, is it most commonly occurs amongst large, deep chested dogs. Great Danes I’m looking HARD at you, but GSD, Doberman, Rottie, and my poodle friends, y’all aren’t off the hook. Any dog that has a very “deep” or tall chest that’s skinny in terms of the width is at higher risk.⁣⁣
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Second, we know there is somewhat of a genetic component. If a direct relative of your pup has suffered from a GDV, your pup may be at much higher risk for the same thing to occur. ⁣⁣
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Other things that put our pups at risk include: vomiting, single large meals or overeating, IBD, foreign bodies, stress/anxiety with large amounts of panting/swallowing air, & strenuous exercise especially after eating. ⁣⁣
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How can you PREVENT a GDV? Shockingly, in at risk dogs, a simple procedure during young adulthood can reduce the risk of GDV by 96%. A gastropexy, is almost 100% effective in preventing GDV by surgically tacking the stomach to the body wall & can be done minimally invasively in many cases at time of spay/neuter.
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Finally, a few things to know when we talk about a GDV. If your pet suddenly starts trying to vomit and CANT, is retching/dry heaving, is severely uncomfortable, stretching in a downward dog position, SEEK VETERINARY CARE IMMEDIATELY. The minutes matter in these cases y’all, better to be safe than sorry!

01/01/2023

Hello☺️, I am a veterinarian Dr. Anna O'Brien. I am doing research on the most prevalent diseases in dogs during this period.🐶
I will be grateful to you for helping me to know about these diseases🐕🦮, whether your dog got sick with them or heard about them from friends...🐕‍🦺
Please send the type of disease here so that my assistant can make a census about these diseases. Thank you for helping dogs to get a better life😘😘🥰

11/17/2022

“I’m sorry but WHERE do you think you’re going with that thermometer??”⁣
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A puppy’s first few months on this earth are SO important for socialization and positive reinforcement. A big part of that comes in the form of their puppy visits! Not only are puppy visits a chance for your vet to get their hands on your new baby to make sure they’re healthy and happy- it’s also a chance for your new fur baby to learn how to interact with strange hoomans and new situations. So here are a few tips to make these visits as stress free as possible! 💕⁣
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> STOP IN 🙋🏼‍♀️ Make your first visit a “poke-free” visit! When you first get your new fur baby, stop by your neighborhood vet clinic and let your baby meet the staff, and be passed around for kisses and loves without any of the scary stuff happening! ⁣
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>SNACKS 🦴 A few strategic yummy treats when they are getting their shots or having their temperature taken can go a long way to show them a quick poke isn’t so bad!⁣
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>DON’T STRESS! 😅 Yes Mom and Dad, I’m talking to you! As nerve wracking as it may be to see your baby getting shots, try to keep it together. Your little one feeds off of your energy and learns so much from you! If you exude confidence and positivity, so will your pet! ⁣
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>GET A PEDICURE 💅🏼 Have your vet trim those sharp little daggers we call nails while they’re young. Nail trims can be one of the most frightening things for pets as they get older, so showing them it’s nothing to fear while they’re young can lead to much less stressful visits down the road!⁣
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>TAKE YOUR TIME! ⏰ Try and make your appointments on a day when you and your little one aren’t rushed. Again, being stressed affects your baby in more ways than you know, and your inner panic at running late to your next appointment will transmit to your little one. On that same note, try and visit when your veterinarian is less busy as well! *Generally* speaking, Tuesday-Thursday’s tend to be the less busy days at vet clinics, and may allow your vet to dedicate more time to you and your precious kiddo! 💕⁣
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11/17/2022

Grizzly bear snuggles to start the week 😍 One thing I always talk to new puppy owners about is pet insurance! Is your fur child covered? Why or why not?

Personally, I use Nationwide Pet Insurance for my babies, but do some research and see what the best fit is for your family! I'm here to tell you the most important thing about pet insurance is that you HAVE IT.
The way pet insurance typically works, is that you pay upfront for your bill, then your insurance company is sent a copy of the medical record, and you are reimbursed (give or take) 90% of the bill!
What does that mean for me as a veterinarian? I get to practice the BEST medicine possible because no one is stressed about not being able to afford it. When your baby needs something, I have the ability to give it to them! I don't have to worry about keeping costs down, or dealing with "Plan B" medicine, because you can't afford "Plan A." That could actually mean the difference between life and death in some cases!

11/17/2022

Low key singing My Humps during this entire procedure 🎵 ⁣
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Let’s talk lumps and bumps for just a second. I see a handful of appointments every day that come in for “check growth.” These range from tiny skin tags, to open and oozing masses that are already causing the pet pain and discomfort, to “we’re pretty sure it’s just fatty, but we just wanted you to confirm it.” The majority of owners want me to look at it and tell them if they need to worry or not, and my response is the same every time.⁣
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“We need to test it”⁣
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Unfortunately for the foreseeable future, my cancer goggles are broken. Myself and every other vet out there cannot tell you whether something is cancer or not by looking at it. Can we make an educated guess? Sure. Can we be wrong? Abso-freaking-lutely. ⁣
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As Dr Sue Cancer Vet would say, “why wait? Aspirate.” An aspirate is a very minorly invasive procedure, where a needle the size of a vaccine needle, is poked into the mass. The cells retrieved are then placed on a slide and looked at under a microscope to identify markers indicative of cancer. This gives us a great way to identify if something is benign or if it needs to be removed and allows us to plan for surgery if removal is necessary. ⁣
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This patient came in with a mass that had rapidly grown, and the owner was highly concerned about. She told me a good friend had said it was fatty, older dogs get those, and not to worry about it- but she went with her gut and brought her fur child in for testing. She wanted to be sure. Unfortunately, this mass came back as a type of cancer stemming from the blood vessels, and surgical removal was necessary. Follow up visits with the oncology team are already in the works, but for some good news, so far, the tests to look for cancer spreading throughout the body have been negative 🙌🏽 ⁣
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Unfortunately, cancer can look and feel like absolutely anything, and our fur babies are so stoic. Many clients repeat the same line “it doesn’t seem to bother them!” and my answer is “why would we wait until it does?” Let’s do right by them and find out early if we need to worry, that way we can give them the best chance to live their fullest life possible! 🐾⁣

11/17/2022

Sneaking one last puppy snuggle because dental season is upon us, y’all! ⁣
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As many of you may not know, in the world of veterinary medicine February is our official dental month! For our clinic, that means one of the busiest months of the year. ⁣
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Does this mean we only perform dental cleanings during the month of February? No. It just means there is a bigger push towards spreading awareness regarding dental disease, & that there’s probably a nice lil discount headed your way this month!⁣
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So for the month of February I will be bringing you lots of dental related posts, products, and information to help your pet live their best life with the freshest breath! ⁣
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We’ll talk when to have cleanings, how to brush their teeth, anesthesia, best dental chews, and more! Have any other pressing questions? Leave them below and I’ll do my best to get everyone an answer! 🦷

11/17/2022

Last night Bren and I made the decision that I never wish on absolutely anyone, and that was to let sweet Bella go.⁣
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After nearly 12 years of sassy attitude and so much love, she is no longer in pain and in a much better place. The past year had been tough on Bella, and this week in particular it became very clear that keeping her here was only benefiting us, and that the decision to let her go would only be hard on us- not her. ⁣
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I’m thankful to have found so much peace in our decision, knowing she is so much happier and pain free, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still so hard. We will forever miss our sweet, stubborn, bossy fluff nugget. ⁣
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I hope you’re eating all the chicken you can stand and giving all the Yorkies hell up there, Bells. We love you ❤️

Address

6910 Carpenter Fire Station Road
Cary, NC
27519

Website

http://hvanbeek.com/

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