Pet Labs

This month has already twisted me in several ways - with pets 😅 1. A septic Golden Retriever that had turned yellow  Lesson - not every pet who turns yellow has a liver disease or is poisoned Serum creatinine was at 11.23 and septic (Acute Kidney disease due to pyelonephritis and sepsis related cholestasis)   Zero injections but put him on just one oral medication. He's back to his self in about 3 days 2. A racing horse with hind limb weekness Marwari horses have a predisposition to calcium deficiency due to improper feed. Inadequate calcium and Cattle feed given to such horses can make the horse deficient in calcium and amino acids further exacerbating hind limb weakness The horse couldn't get up. The owner made arrangements to hoist her for once, I had to put her on injections due to urgency, drained her multiple abscesses from a previous recumbency, changed her nutrition and she's recovering 3. A kitten with a liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) on ultrasound...

Becoming Vet - Dr. Romela How did you become a vet? Did you always want to be a vet? Subconsciously, I think I did but I was in a different world not knowing my calling There was actually a list of childhood ambitions from being an astronaut to a piano music teacher to a doctor... I never even knew there were vets until I was 15 years old 🤦 My father and I shared this craze of saving fry (baby fish) from just dead pregnant fish in our fish tank, to rare different types of fish; Guppies, Mollies, Angel fish, Fighters etc. I used to admire music and play doctor with imaginary pets Surprisingly, I never was a fan of dogs until I was 15 years old. It's not that I hated dogs but I was scared of them and resisted myself from even feeling a dog. My mother and my sister were dog lovers. Despite my resistance there came in Spot Mc Delgado (after our surname "Salgado") rescued from a hospital car park His character surprised me. It was like a mini-human. That w...

As the founder of Pet Labs (™️) I had the opportunity to attend a workshop for the South Asian Women Entrepreneurs on Digital Skill Development organized by the United Nations ESCAP Coming from a medical background my digital skills are not the best but this workshop was a great learning opportunity on integrating digital skills into business plus a good networking experience with next level women from South Asia 🇱🇰🇮🇳🇵🇰🇧🇩🇳🇵🇧🇹🇲🇻 The panel discussion about bridging the digital divide among women entrepreneurs was insightful too Most of all we made new friends - growth mindsets - next level thinkers - persevering women I hope to make use of these skills as an entrepreneur in my businesses, may not be all at once, but gradually with time #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #youthentreprenuership #womanentrepreneur #womanentrepreneurs #southasia #vetentrepreneur #veterinaryentrepreneur #petentrepreneur #petentrepreneur #southasia ...

Is feeding fish enough for my cat/dog? It's a common question from my clients at the practice Straight answer: No, not enough Explaination: ✅ Fish are a source of animal proteins Amino acids are the structural units of proteins. Essential amino acids are the amino acids that are essential to the body and are not synthesized by the body. Hence, must be supplied through the diet ❌ Fish do not contain all essential amino acids such as taurine ✅ Fish contain vitamins, minerals, omega 3,6 fatty acids ❌But not every fish contain those nutrients in equal amounts 💡Example : Sprats contain a lot of calcium and neglible amounts of omega 3 fatty acids while mullets are relatively high in omega 3 fatty acids and low in calcium As a result I see cats and dogs: ✅ Contracting contagious diseases soon due to lowered immunity ✅ With fatty liver ✅ With signs of early ageing (poor cognitive syndrome, doggy dementia, premature greying, early joint pain) ✅ Heart issues (Dilate...

The most complicated case that I handled this October was of a Labrador Retriever. By complicated, I mean, that every decision that I had to take was a choice between saving his life and death. He had severe anaemia with vomiting. he kept vomiting several times a day whenever he took something through his mouth. Even water wasn't tolerated Anaemia was due to tick fever (canine babesiosis) but why vomiting was my puzzle. Through my experience I knew an anaemia of that sort couldn't make him vomit. He was retching and not exactly vomiting. Observed a while before jumping into an ultrasound scan or x rays Luckily, I remembered his history from a few years back although I had not got to see him frequently. He used to skip meals on and off. Retching could be for this reason, I thought. He could not even drink water, he'd throw up 💡His owners say he loves wheat flour products. That was the clue I had to leave the anaemia aside and stop the pet from retching. It t...

Erythropoietin is overrated - over used on pets  Currently, I'm treating a Dogue de Bordeaux who's just 9 months. He got progressively thin within 3 months with a declining Body Condition Score (BCS). Dewormed about 3 months back 1st visit (2 months ago): - BCS was 4/9 - I thought he was malnourished Suggested a diet for weight gain Two weeks later: - Lost appetite - Pale gums - BCS 3/9. The weight gain diet had not helped him. There was something beyond that - Bloods revealed an immune mediated haemolytic anaemia. Treated for anaemia with repeat bloods in 5 DAYS 5 WEEKS later: - Appetite gained - Even Paler gums although meds continued - BCS dropped further to almost 2/9 Tests revealed hook worm eggs and an iron deficiency anaemia ⏩ Bone marrow was responsive ⏩ Partially regenerative (mostly non regenerative) ⛔PCV 7% and extremely low rbc and Hb levels Technically a blood transfusion was required which I did not hop onto. My intuition said, ...

Raw fish for Dogs & Cats Is it good or bad? Answer: bad if fed long term Why? 1. Vitamin B1 deficiency Explanation - many raw fish (eg carp, herring, smelt, anchovy, mackerel) contain thiaminase, an enzyme that destroys Vitamin B1 (thiamine) Cooking deactivated thiaminase. Hence, no destruction of vitamin B1 in the body Common symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency: head tilt, poor appetite, weakness, sometimes death (esp. in cats)   2. Risk of parasites and bacteria that infect pets and sometimes human beings    Explanation - Possible conditions/diseases : fish tapeworm infection, salmon poisoning in dogs, liver and bile duct diseases, vomiting Raw fish may contain live larvae of Diphyllobothrium species, Metagonimus, Clonorchis, Opisghorchis spp, Nanophyetus salmincola that may impose gut related issues that may sometimes be fatal in pets. Raw fish can also harbor bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, Vibrio, Aeromonas, E.coli making pets fall si...

Pomegranate Juice (දෙලුම්) - for pets Stop giving දෙලුම් (Pomegranate; Punica granatum) without a proper reason. Whenever a pet ⏩ Has a low red blood cell count ⏩ A low hameoglobin count ⏩ Falls ill by any means pet owners tend to feed the juice of pomegranate to the pet in the hope of recovery. Sadly, there's a flip side to this too Pomegranate juice (PJ) is healthy but needs to be given with due focus When could PJ be given to our pets? ✅ Iron deficiency anaemia ✅ Calcium oxalate urinary bladder/kidney stones (caution if Acute Kidney Disease) ✅ Recurring cystitis/ feline sterile cystitis that has not affected the kidneys yet (caution if Acute Kidney Disease) Useless given when ✅ Non regenerative anaemia ✅ Hameolytic anaemia ✅ B12/folic acid deficiency Use with caution when ✅ Acute kidney disease ✅ Chronic kidney disease ✅ Diabetes / insulin resistance ✅ Low blood pressure ✅ IBD/IBS Avoid at all costs when on ✅ Anti fungal medication ✅ Statins ✅...

Preventing Pet Obesity and Managing an obese pet Pet Obesity Awareness : 3 Quick tips for prevention 1. Portion control : feed to the calorie requirement and not their hunger. Calorie requirement depends on age, body weight and energy levels  2. Serve high quality food : avoid fillers such as corn, soya and their derivatives. Choose nutrient dense natural food and supplements 3. Avoid feeding table scraps : food out of our plates contain hight fat, high starch that add up calories. These should be avoided. Feed only to their calories 4. Monitor Body Condition Score (BCS) every 2-3 months : refer my article on "Is your pet over conditioned?" (https://petlabsnutrition.blogspot.com/2025/10/pet-obesity-awareness-week-i.html)  5. Regular exercise : according to breed, age, activity level and spay/neuter status. Exercises will not burn calories per se but increase and stabilize metabolism regulating the body weight Quick tips for Obesity Management : 1. All above points...

Better looks or Better Health? Pet Obesity Awareness : 2 Is your pet obese or underconditioned? This is what I discussed yesterday but why is pet obesity this concerning? Pet obesity is a real concern as it significantly affects quality of life, health and life span of pets. Just like in humans, carrying excess weight puts strain on nearly every body system 1. Shortened life span Obese pets often live a few years less than their healthy-weight counterparts 2. Increased risks of chronic diseases Diabetes mellitus Heart diseases Arthritis and other joint diseases Liver dysfunction Certain cancers Respiratory issues 3. Chronic mental and physical pain from poor mobility and from the inability to groom themselves 4. Decreased immune function These difficulties lead them to withdraw from their daily lifestyle making them feel anxious and more stressed looping them into more diseases Many pet parents view chubinnes as being cute but they don't realize that the...