Author Archive

by Dr. Bill Neumann

At some point in their lives, many people want to be a veterinarian “when they grow up”. Most people who successfully achieve their dream of becoming a veterinarian, made this decision at a young age. I was no different. Since elementary school, I have always enjoyed science. I just didn’t know what type of science I wanted to study, or what I wanted to do with science as a career. At first, I thought I would follow in my brother’s footsteps and be an engineer, but that all changed in middle school. Read the rest of this entry »

by Dr. Sara Rudwell

Do you ever notice your dog lift a rear leg off the ground as if they’ve just stepped on something painful or pulled a muscle, hop along on three legs for a few steps, and then just as suddenly return to a normal gait with all four legs on the ground?   If this is something that you see on a regular basis, your dog might have a luxating patella – or two!  Read the rest of this entry »

by Dr. David Lee

Tooth resorption is a disease process that affects more than 50% of adult cats.  This condition is also referred to as neck lesions, resorptive lesions, or FORL’s (feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions).  Tooth resorption causes defects in the crown and roots of the tooth similar to cavities in a human.  However, while human cavities are caused by decay, tooth resorption is due to the cat’s body attacking the teeth.   Read the rest of this entry »

by Noel Brunner (as told to Jenni)

Friends, I have surprising news… I know my dashing good looks make me appear to be a young pup of two years… three tops. But I am, in fact, almost 11 years old. Hard to believe, isn’t it?! And with age come some aches and pains. For example, my neck is often pretty sore in the mornings. The BRACstaff give me an anti-inflammatory drug called Rimadyl, which helps with the pain a lot, but I still need a little bit more help with the arthritis in my legs. And that’s where laser therapy comes in—which, from what I hear from the doctors at BRAC, releases endorphins and stimulates injured cells to heal at a faster rate. From my perspective, I get to wear cool sunglasses and it feels nice! Read the rest of this entry »

Today marks a very important day at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center. It’s important because we have just launched our BRAChealth Plans! Why is THAT important, you ask? It’s important because the doctors and staff at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center have created three plans that help you manage your adult pet’s health AND your wallet. Read the rest of this entry »

by Dr. Bill Neumann, Medical Director

There are many types of arthritis that can occur in people and in pets, but the type that most people are referring to when they use the word arthritis, is osteoarthritis.  This type of arthritis occurs over many months to years in response to some type of physical problem with that specific joint. In most cases, this physical problem is caused by acute trauma (think football ACL tear), prolonged repeated excessive strain on a joint, or some type of inherited joint malformation such as dog hip dysplasia.

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Deficiency in what?

Our pets have thyroid glands in their neck that function just as ours do!  Interestingly, dogs are prone thyroid problems that cause a deficiency of thyroid hormone, while cats are much more likely to get a benign growth on the thyroids, causing an increase of the hormone.  Decreases in the hormone can be related to immune system malfunctions, problems in the part of the brain that stimulates the thyroid gland, other concurrent diseases that decrease the concentration of circulating hormone, tumors in the thyroid gland, or it can be related to an unknown cause. Read the rest of this entry »

by Noel Brunner (as told to Jenni)

Hello, again! Noel Brunner, here. I hope you all are keeping cool out there in this heat! Thankfully, I get to rest inside in the air conditioning all day:)

In between naps last week, I overheard the BRACstaff talking about an on-call technician that would be available by phone (317-840-3241) from the time we close until 10:00pm Monday through Friday. I think it’s a great idea, but it’s missing something very important… Me! Read the rest of this entry »

by Dr. Christine Heinz

In veterinary school, I was told that roughly 70% of dogs that have ruptured one of their anterior cruciate ligaments (called a cranial cruciate ligament, or CCL, in a dog) will rupture the other one within a year.  Unfortunately, my dog, Staley fell right in line with that statistic.  While I was still studying to become a veterinarian, Staley tore his right CCL and had surgery to repair it.  Eight months later, we were repairing the left as well.  That personal experience with my own dog helped jumpstart my interest in CCL disease in dogs and orthopedic disease in general.

Common symptoms of a CCL injury are limping that worsens with exercise or over time, difficulty jumping or getting up, sitting with the injured leg out to the side, or stiffness in the injured leg.  If you suspect your dog has a CCL injury, your veterinarian will most likely look for swelling in the joint, pain or resistance on range of motion, positive tibial thrust or cranial drawer tests and possibly medial buttress.  Both the tibial thrust and cranial drawer tests demonstrate instability in the joint indicating that the CCL is not intact and holding the joint in place.  Medial buttress is scar tissue that forms on the inside of the knee in response to the instability as the body’s way of trying to hold the joint together.

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We initiated a survey near the end of March 2011, seeking your feedback on our services. We really appreciated each and every response we received, and have been working on ways to serve you and your pets’ needs even better!

As a direct result of many, many suggestions and requests to lengthen our hours and offer some level of emergency service, we are launching a new “Technician-On-Call” service beginning Tuesday, July 5, 2011. This new service is free to all our BRACpets and their families! We recognize that in many cases, you are unsure as to whether your pet needs to be seen at an emergency clinic, or if an issue can wait until the next morning. Our hope is to offer guidance and support to you in these cases, until 10:00pm most evenings.

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