Duke Animal Clinic

05/31/2024

Yesterday was a big day in the life of Duke Animal Clinic. I was recognized as the Alabama "Veterinarian of the Year" by the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association. I am humbled that my colleagues have bestowed on me this honor.
Below is the picture of Dr, Steven Murphree of Cullman, AL presenting the plaque. There is also a 4 minute video of testimonials. Enjoy, I sure have.

05/12/2024

Last Sunday one of our clients had two well cared-for dogs come up to her house. They were obviously lost. She brought them to the clinic and they were scanned for a microchip and surprise! One of them did have a microchip. Sadly, the chip had never been registered.
The owners where found by the efforts of the "Good Samaritan", and there was a happy ending.
If your pet is micro-chipped, update your registration periodically.
At Duke Animal Clinic, when we place a microchip, we register the chip for you. Some breeders install microchips and you must register the chip, otherwise it can only be traced back to the breeder.

04/14/2024

Doing Continuing Education is important for the job we do! Staying current on new information and techniques is what makes us give you the best for your pets! Our licensed veterinary technician Christine Schlecht is at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo getting CE on Obesity, Parvo, Wound management and Cytology to better help your pets!

04/12/2024

What am I reading?
With apologies to my pastors (I am re-reading Acts of the Apostles) promise.
If you read "The Gulf" by Jon Davis and it made you cry, you might want to skip this history of animals and man in North America.
"Wild New World" by Dan Flores.

04/10/2024

The staff hosted a baby shower for Dr. Black on Monday. A good time was had by all.

03/24/2024

As we draw near to Easter, there seems to be motivation for some people to purchase live chicks, ducklings and rabbits for children. Please share with anyone you know that this is a bad idea.
Each Spring, in the month after Easter, our practice sees at least one case of these animals broken or crushed due to improper care and supervision. It almost always ends poorly.
If you are purchasing chicks for a personal flock, please make sure that they are vaccinated for fowl pox and Marek's disease. This is done at the hatchery while the chicks are still in the shell! If buying from a local store, ask if they are vaccinated. If not, don't buy. Ask them to order vaccinated chicks for you. If ordering direct from a hatchery, you can specify your order to be vaccinated. Very economical.

03/04/2024

This is not Christmas. This is last night, March 3rd.
Bradford pear trees at Creekwood Church of Christ in full bloom and illuminated by a street light.

02/06/2024

Friday last, the nation was fixed on the ground hog in Pennsylvanian. The weather channel was camped out for 3 days waiting on "Phil" to make his Springtime prediction.
On the same day, Feb. 2, I took the picture below from the second story window of our clinical pathology lab. A native wild cherry in full bloom. The next day it was my honor to microscopically check a local dog's f***l sample for parasites. There I found the first pine pollen of the season.
Do you think the Weather Channel will send a crew down here on the Gulf Coast for my Springtime prediction?

01/25/2024

Someone active in animal rescue brought us an interesting case this week. A 4-6 week old puppy was found with one of its front legs not working. X-rays showed that the growth plate for the end of the humerus is not present.
The person involved is determined raise the puppy and see if any surgery might help in the future. We look forward to following up on the case.

01/17/2024

At the entrance gate to the clinic, we have enjoyed a group of paper-white flowers each Spring. With our mild winter, they decided it was time to bloom. This picture is from Monday afternoon.
The back to back Winter blows this week will probably get them back on schedule. Maybe bloom again in April?

01/15/2024

I often grow tomatoes "upside-down" at the clinic as a novelty. This year I planted the variety "Bonnie Original" that was very heat tolerant. It bore during the early summer as expected, but after our record drought, it flowered and developed fruit.
I decided to let it go as long as it could. Yesterday I harvested the miniature tomatoes before our predicted first freeze of the winter. They were very sweet and we used them in a large pot of bean soup. The dark green one is the lone "Cherokee Purple" that survived.
Bring on the cold weather. Bonnie Original harvested 1/13/24.

12/22/2023

You may know that CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) is on the rise in white-tailed deer and other ruminants. Two cases have been recently been found in deer in northern Alabama. Therefore, I am relieved that the USDA has released the following statement.

(Washington, D.C., December 23, 2020) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a movement permit to Mr. S. Nicholas Claus of the North Pole, a broker with Worldwide Gifts, Unlimited. The permit will allow reindeer to enter and ...

12/19/2023

Another interesting case. A bearded dragon (pet reptile) was presented due to problems laying eggs. She was unbred, but nature being what it is, she produced 20 eggs in the past 24 hours. The owner was concerned that another egg was protruding out and that she was "egg bound".
The egg was simply stuck to her body due to the incomplete shell formation. Number 21 was a routine delivery. What can we look forward to tomorrow?

12/11/2023

When bringing the traditional Christmas tree in the clinic, a limb was broken off. Our enterprising staff went to work and now we have a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" debuted in 1965. 58 years ago!
Can anyone tell me what 5 characteristics make this animated film unique?

11/14/2023

These 2 dogs are still looking for their furever home. They are spayed, up to date on vaccines and on heartworm prevention. Please contact our office you are interested in adopting them.

11/10/2023

German Short-haired Pointer. Spotted 10:00 am at the West Mobile Recycling Center/Westside Park. Exhausted, disorientated, frantic. Would not let me approach him.

09/13/2023

I usually reserve personal comments for my personal page, but I feel motivated to share.......
My tribute to the founder of "Gulf Coast Beach Music". One of his breakthrough performances. Sure, he did SNL and picked up Corona as a sponsor, but this brought him national exposure, along with his roots in Mobile Bay.
I refer him to as the "Bard of the Gulf Coast". 1981 34 years old.
Boy, will we miss him.
Jimmy Buffett Performs "Margaritaville" and "Stars Fell On Alabama" | Carson Tonight Show.

Original Airdate: 05/05/1981 Subscribe to Carson: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7McHNOsrUL2fRxTB_xvgRQ?sub_con...

07/28/2023

A few weeks ago we had a rabbit come in with a severe malocclusion. The treatment of choice is removal of the 4 incisors so that the rear teeth can do their job.

Four great souvenirs for the owner.

07/12/2023

I am sure that anyone reading this post realizes that we have a stray animal situation in Mobile County. From my viewpoint there are three major factors:
1) Citizens that do not take responsibility for their animals. This is a cultural and educational issue.
2) Animal control agencies are understaffed and shelters are becoming prohibited from euthanasia which leads to overcrowding and the inability to respond to citizen needs.
3) During the Covid confinement period, record adoptions from shelters made it possible to ship animals from our area to other areas of the country where animals for adoption were scarce. This is no longer the case.
So, more animals are at large. These neglected animals are reproducing, being struck by cars, fighting and attacking pet animals which are confined on their own property.
With all of the above causes and effects it is a very onerous task. However, at Duke Animal Clinic we always strive to make a difference. Three weeks ago Dr. Black rescued a mama dog and two pups that were running loose in the county. She had seen two of the litter killed by cars. We have met the health needs of the three dogs and would like to place them in new homes. All are healthy and the mama dog has been spayed. Our employees have been working with them and the mamma has an excellent personality and basic command training. Pictured below is the mamma. Anyone need a well trained adult dog?
Pictures of the two pups will follow tomorrow.

07/02/2023

Yesterday (July 1) was an interesting day at Duke Animal Clinic. A client called and said that her dog had captured a turtle and a snake in their backyard and asked if could see them. Of course we made ourselves available.
She brought in a young female Gulf Coast box turtle, a dead water moccasin and her dog with a swollen face. After confirming the species of snake we disposed of it. The turtle had shell damage around the neck and rear end. Nothing serious, so it was placed in our box turtle sanctuary.
The dog will take some attention throughout the next two weeks as we treat the effects of the snake bites.
Be careful out there.

06/21/2023

A good tomato crop so far this year. Usually the birds get them before I do. On the left is Cherokee Purple. On the right is a heat tolerant hybrid.

05/27/2023

Thanks everyone. The owner was located through social media and the dogs have been reunited with their owner. In response to a comment posted, we usually withhold details like s*x and grooming so that the true owner can identify them. Believe it or not, some people troll the internet claiming stray dogs and they sell them or hold them for ransom. It was a good day today.

05/27/2023

Two small dogs were rescued by a concerned citizen from the south Schillinger Road area yesterday and brought to us for temporary housing. No microchip or ID. One is a chihuahua mix and the other a yorkie mix. A third dog was with them and could not be caught. A picture of the two are on NextDoor.
The clinic closes at noon on Saturday, but this page and NextDoor will be monitored periodically over the weekend..

05/03/2023

Let me introduce you to "Bauer" of the Fairhope, Alabama Police Department. His human partner is officer Andrew Babb. "Bauer" is a 6 year old male Belgian Shepard and one of the finest working dogs I have had the pleasure to work with.
In training exercises the officers noticed that "Bauer" was not biting as hard as needed and not staying on the sleeve. They also noted that his upper right canine tooth had been broken off and was discolored. That is when I was consulted about his oral health. A complete dental exam with x-rays revealed that he had two broken back teeth in the lower right jaw that had begun to abscess. Bauer was entered in a national competition in about 6 weeks, so I recommend that we remove the posterior teeth and let that heal and delay a root canal and crown placement until after the competition. Well, Bauer finished 10th in the overall competition. He beat out dogs from the, FBI, DEA, TSA, state, county and local law enforcement from all over the country.
These dogs compete in about 12 categories of speed, agility, detection, apprehension and response to commands. After Bauer worked through the Mardi Gras season, I did the root canal and placed a very durable crown on Bauer's upper right canine tooth. I think Officer Babb is more proud of it than Bauer is.
Congratulations to Bauer, Officer Babb and Fairhope PD for having the 10th best working police dog in the country!

04/18/2023

Followup on the dog from 2 weeks ago that had a crushed pelvis, spinal neck trauma and front right shoulder separation after being run over by a car.
Today was 17 days after treatment was started. She went home to a happy family. All of the staff at the clinic had a part in the the treatment and therapy. A lot of extra time and effort spanning two weekends..........but worth it.

04/04/2023

This dog came in last week after being hit by a car. We worked her up and found her to have a fractured pelvis and a separated shoulder. She has been receiving intense care from all the staff and Dr. Duke. She cannot stand on her own yet, so we all take turns moving her so that she can remain comfortable. She is on antibiotics and pain medication as well, to aid in her comfort. As of today she is doing quite well and is progressing nicely. This is a sneak shot of Dr. Duke feeding her.

03/24/2023

The most interesting case of the day. This morning a client presented an 8 yr old Tennessee Walking Horse stallion that was given to him 6 months ago. The horse came to him in poor condition and with a swelling on the jaw. He had rehabilitated the horse and he wanted the swelling checked out.
After sedating the horse, injecting local anesthetic and prepping it for surgery, it was determined that there was something inside the cyst-like structure. Bone Chip? tooth fragment? alien life form? After surgically removing the 5 inch cyst it was opened. A bullet. No damage to the mandible was detected.

03/13/2023

The blueberries on the clinic grounds are flowering and the bees had a field day on Friday with the sun out. They slowed down yesterday and today but were still working. Fewer bees but still very busy bees.