Charleston Veterinary Referral Center is excited to be at the forefront of breakthrough technology, and to be able to offer our patients the best care available. When your pet has cancer, we understand that each day is precious, and the most advanced treatments can mean the difference between losing your best friend, and enjoying more time together.

If you keep up with health and science news, you may have heard the concept of the “microbiome,” and its role in overall well-being. When referring to the gut, the microbiome encompasses a vast diversity of billions of microorganisms—chiefly, bacteria—that live in the gastrointestinal tract. Each pet harbors a unique combination of beneficial and undesirable bacteria that, together, affect the body’s various systems. You should not be surprised that gut microbes play a significant role in digestion and metabolism, but did you know that they also aid in vitamin synthesis, immunity, and fighting off harmful pathogens?

As the weather changes, so do the threats to our pets. With warmer weather comes the re-emergence of species that have been dormant during the winter months. South Carolina is home to five of the deadliest snakes in North America, which include the cottonmouth (water moccasin), rattlesnakes (timber rattlesnake, eastern diamondback rattlesnake), copperhead, and coral snake.

Here in the Lowcountry, snakes pose an increasingly more common hazard in the spring and summer months. While found more abundantly in rural communities and undeveloped areas, urban pets are not free of risk. 

Types of Snake Bites & Effects

If your pet has diabetes, you know that regulating her insulin dose can be challenging. Treating a diabetic pet is not simply administering a set dose your veterinarian has prescribed for the rest of her life. Every pet is different, and one pet’s body will respond to an insulin dose differently than another’s. Veterinarians first prescribe a diabetic pet an insulin dose that is appropriate for her weight and disease severity, but then must assess whether that dose is adequately maintaining blood-glucose levels. 

A pet’s cancer diagnosis can be devastating, but it may not mean a shortened lifespan. Recent advances in veterinary oncology have made many treatment options available that can put a pet’s cancer into remission, or, in some cases, even provide a cure. “Cancer” encompasses a wide variety of different tumors—some that require just surgery to eliminate, and some that require further investigation. It’s important to know the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, and the grade of cancer, because many types of cancer are very treatable, and the word “cancer” should not automatically imply a death sentence for your pet.

George is an 11 ½ year old Labrador retriever who was referred to the Charleston Veterinary Referral Center's Oncology Department by his primary care veterinarian (and good friend of ours) Dr. Marci Sauls at East Cooper Animal Hospital after being diagnosed with Mast Cell Tumors (MCT) on his front leg/shoulder and an unknown abdominal mass in July of 2018. After further diagnostics including cytology and CT Imaging, it was determined that George needed to have a lobe of his liver and spleen removed, along with several external masses. After careful consideration, one of our surgeons, Dr.

Charleston Veterinary Referral Center had many goals when we opened our doors 4 ½ years ago.  The most obvious was to provide the highest level of medical and surgical care, in an environment that put a large emphasis on client experience.  Additional goals included providing education to area veterinarians, veterinary technicians (veterinary nurses) and the pet owning public.  We also wanted to ensure we gave back to the community in a variety of ways.  One of those ways was working with local shelters and rescue groups, to help pets in need when financial resources would not allow for emergency or specialty care.  To further our commitment to help these animals in need, CVRC has recently entered into a corporate partnership with Pet Helpers