Animal Expert: Dr. Camilliere!
Welcome Dr. Camilliere to our classroom blog!Dr. Camilliere studied biology (the study of life), received a Master's degree in zoology (the scientific study of animals), and completed his veterinary training. Currently, he is a small animal veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland. His job includes providing medical and surgical services for many types of pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, birds, and reptiles.
The Camilliere family lives in St. Leonard. They share their home with their dog, two cats, several lizards, and a tankful of guppies.
Here is the perfect spot to ask Dr. Camilliere questions pertaining to his areas of expertise. Please remember to keep your questions geared towards science, our "In the Wild" reading theme, and questions that fascinate you about animals in general.
posted by M. Ells Perry @ 11:08 PM
54 comments
54 Comments:
Do cats and dogs get sicknesses that people get?
How often should you refill a hamster's food bowl?
How old is a golden retriever when they start to mature? and How do you get a dog to stop digging holes?
Why shoundn't Dashounds stand on there back feet?
Drew--
Dogs and cats do not usually get diseases from people but there are a few sicknesses people can get from dogs and cats. These diseases are called zoonosises (zoo-no-sees). Examples are rabies, round worms, tape worms, and some skin infections. This is one important reason to keep our pets healthy, to prevent the spread of diseases.
Rachel L.-
Hamster have a high metabolic rate. They probably need to eat very frequently when they are awake. It is best to leave food in the bowl all of the time.
Elizabeth--
Most large breeds of dogs, like Golden Retrievers, start to mature around 6 months. They will not be physically full grown until about 14 months. Behavior and personality traits continue to develop through the years. Digging is a difficult problem to try to solve. The best thing to do is to try and redirect him to other activities or confine him to an area where he is allowed to dig. Good Luck!
Jordyn-
Dachshunds have a very long spinal column. This long backbone can be subject to injury if the dog strains it. Care must be taken to not put too much stress on their backs. The problem is worsened if the dog is overweight. This is why we try not to have our Dachshunds become overweight and why we try to limit strenuous activities like jumping up and down and standing on their hind legs.
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Is it possible to stop dogs from being agressive?(Not to people but to other dogs.)If so how?
Why do dogs fight? Do they fight for domanice?
Is it difficult to be a veterinarian? Is it fun caring for sick animals?
What types of serious diseases do birds get and how do they get them?
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What diseases do fish get?
If tere is too much algea in a fish tank what could happen?
What is biggest dog people have as pets and what diseases does it get?
How often should you bathe and groom a dog?
How can you tell when a Guinea Pig get's sick?
Celia, Some dogs tend to fight with other dogs, this is called intraspecies aggression. In many cases, it is two male dogs or two female dogs that fight. If this is the case, having a dog "fixed"(spayed or neutered) may decrease this aggression. If you have an aggressive dog it must be watched carefully when around other dogs. You may have to avoid bringing other dogs into your dog's territory without close supervison.
Jordyn, Celia had a simmilar question. See the answer I gave to her. There are several reasons dogs fight depending on the type of aggression they have. The main types are:
1. Dominance aggression - they are trying to be "top dog" and fight to show they are in charge
2. Territorial aggression - they fight to protect what they feel is theirs, their yard, family or food.
3. Fear aggression - they fight because they are "cornered" or feel threatened by ajnother dog.
It is importemnt to recognize why the dogs fight to be able to stop the unwanted behavior.
Tori, To become a veterinarian you must finish high school, 4 years of college and then go through another four years of veterinary school. It is a challenging profession because my patient's can not tell me what is wrong with them. A veterinarian must also be familiar with the anatomy ( parts of the body) and the physiology (how body parts work)of sevaeral different species. Human doctor only need to learn about humans! I enjoy helping treat sick petd but like it even more if I can stop them from getting sick in the first place. This is called preventive medicine.
Hannah and Racheal, Birds, fish and guinnea pigs can get a number of different diseases. Some of these are caused by microorganisms like bacteria and viuses, others are caused by parasites such as worms, mites and fungi. Most of these problems can be avoided by taking proper care of these pets by providing appropriate housing and nutrition. This falls into the catagory of care called husbandry. There are many sources that explain the proper husbandry for any particular pet species: The library is a great place to look for this information.
Racheal I., Dogs need to be bathed as often as needed to keep their coats clean. If a dog has a short coat and stays inside most of the time, it may not need to be bathed more than once of twice a year. An outside dog that also spends time inside may need to be bathed once a month. The important thing is to use a pet shampoo that will not irritate the skin and to make sure that the pet is completely dry before it is put back out in cooler weather.
Hannah, The largest dogs are in the Mastiff family. Most of these dogs weigh more than you do: some Mastiff can weigh 170 pounds. As a general rule, the larger the dog the shorter their life span. Many large breeds such as Great Danes, Newfoundlands and St. Bernards only live around 10 years (small breeds can live over 15 years). The giant breeds tend to have more problems with their hearts and also have a higher rate of bone cancer than smaller dogs.
Is a Narwhal's tusk completely hollow or not?
How old are Narwhals when thier tusks start to grow?
Is there a breeding defect when Narwhals have 2 tusks or is it just a coincedince?
How long is the record for a Narwhal's lifetime?
How often should you brush a dog's teeth? Does a dog's toothpaste ever go bad? If so, how long does it take for it to do that?
What is the narwhals closest relative?
Do birds eat fruit off of plants or trees?
What is the biggest type of tiger, and how big is it?
What's the most endangered type of tiger?
Hannah, Wow! You have a lot of questions about Narwhal's. Let's see if I can give you some information to get you started on some further research on line or in the library. Your last question is the best place to start: Narhwal's are arctic CETACEANs in the same classification as whales and porpoises. Their most distinguishing characteristic is the long "horn" that adult male's have protruding from the front of their head. Unlike the "horns" or rhinos and bulls, which are formed from compacted skin or hair, the Narwhal's tusk is actually a modified canine (fang) tooth. Most have only one tooth that starts to grow long as the male matures. Similar to an elephant's tusk, the narwhal tusk is a living tooth that has a blood supply and is not hollow. I don't have any information on how long they live but I bet you can find that in a good book on whales and their realitives.
Racheal L., I encourage dog owner's to brush their dog's teeth as often as they can. Some people are able to do it once a day others once a week or less frequently. Dog's don't get cavities like people but the bacteria film (plaque)on their teeth can be come calcified and cause hard tartar to form. This tartar irritates the dog's gums and can lead to serious infections. The goal of brushing is not to remiove the tartar but to remove plaque BEFORE it becomes tartar. Smaller breeds of dogs like Yorshire terriers and poodles, tend to develop dental disease faster than larger breeds like Labradors. If you have a small dog you should try to brush its' teeth at least twice a week.
Tim B., Yes there are birds that eat fruit and nuts from plants. Birds that eat just from plants are called herbivores, those that eat just bugs are insectivores, hunters that catch mice, reptiles and other birds are carnivores. Some eat plants, bugs, worms and almost everything else: These are called omnivores. You can sometimes tell what a bird eats by looking at its' beak and feet. Meat eater's have sharp beaks and talons, seed eaters have heavy short beaks to crack nuts, some insectivores have pointed beaks for digging up bugs. In fact, a scientist names Darwin found that a group of very closely related finches living in different parts of the Galapogos islands, all had different beak shapes depending on their primary food sources.
Hannah, The tiger is the largest of all members of the cat family. I believe the Siberian or Amur tiger is the largest of the group. Unfortunately these big cats are also one of the most endangered species on the planet. Of the eight breeds of tigers that were alive just 100 years ago, three(Caspian, Javan and Bali) are already extinct. Estimates of the actual numbers of the other breeds are also astonishingly low:
Bengal 3,000 - 4,000
Indochinese 1,000 - 1,700
Sumatran 400 - 500
Siberian 200
South Chinese 30
Think about that! Less than 7,000. There are probably more children in elementary school in just Calvert county than there are tigers alive in the whole world!
Can a crocodile swim through salt or clear water?
Can a baby crocodile eat fish it's size?
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Are black labradors trained for
hunting?Are any Labradors trained
for hunting?
Which labrador is most relaxful?
chocalate,yellow,or black.
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Dad how do cats get a bladder infvection and how do they get rid of it?
Can you buy a full trained Labrador
Retreiver ?
If I have two fish (big and small) how much food should I give to them in one day? I wan't to know because I don't even know how much.
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What will happen win your cat gets bite on the ear will it die or live will it get realy sick.
my two birds festest and miss.kitty are laying eggs but they never hatch why is that
Why do so many animals act vicsious but really are naturaly sweet and harmless?
What do golden eagles do when they
have already had a baby eagle?
Is it hard to be a animale doctor do you have to go place and homes some times.
Is it hard to be a animale doctor do you have to go place and homes some times.
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