"Dental disease is the most common medical problem in dogs and cats," says Carmichael. "Many people take a wait-and-see attitude. If there's no pain, they just let it go. But 85 percent of dogs over three years old and about 50 percent of cats are suffering from some dental condition that needs attention." Usually, that condition is periodontal disease, which calls for a cleaning under anesthetic. He tells the story of a Scottish terrier that had been diagnosed with a neurological disorder for incessantly licking and biting at the air. It turned out that he had advanced gum disease. Carmichael simply gave the Scottie a cleaning and extracted some of the offending teeth.

Bond, 52, who's been practicing at the AMC for 25 years, is one of three excellent cardiologists on staff. The center also has two residents in the specialty and all the exquisite technology for Doppler echocardiography and coil and pacemaker implantations that any critter could need. So Bond can usually test patients right away instead of requiring a several-hour stay. "A lot of the animals I see have complex problems," says Bond. "It's great to know there are so many specialists in the building."

The AMC's ability to provide 24-hour care is particularly critical for her specialty. "You just can't predict when an animal will have cardiac trouble," she says.

George Kramer
Board-certified cardiologist
Ultravet Diagnostics
220 East Jericho Turnpike
Mineola, New York (800-486-3246)

If the AMC is the mother ship of animal cardiac care, 45-year-old George Kramer is the Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since 1989, he has been summoned to handle special cases at virtually every veterinary hospital in New York, treating dogs and cats -- even the occasional Bronx Zoo gorilla -- for conditions like arrhythmia, valvular disease, and cardiomyopathy.

But Kramer prefers to work at Ultravet on all matters of the heart. "The hardest part of my job is helping people make decisions about keeping a puppy or kitten with heart disease," he says. "But dealing with the problem later, when there's a bond and history with the same pet, could be a lot harder."

The only cardiologist on staff at the Mineola clinic, Kramer sees a lot of Dobermans, poodles, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels -- breeds that tend to have bad tickers. The good news? The technology has evolved, says Kramer, so that an animal with a new pacemaker can spend just one night in the hospital.

Neurology

Jason Berg
Board-certified neurologists
County Animal Specialty Group
1574 Central Park Avenue
Yonkers, New York (914-779-2670)

Sick-pet symptoms don't get much scarier -- for pets and owners -- than seizures and paralysis. "A lot of what we do here is take care of people," says 31-year-old Jason Berg, whose one-and-a-half-year-old clinic offers only treatment in dog and cat neurology, by referral.

Berg and his partner, Richard Joseph (see page 36), are the only two licensed veterinary neurologists in New York City and Westchester, and they have all the necessary machinery for their speciality: MRI scanners as well as equipment for brain and spinal surgery, spinal taps, and physical therapy. One thing the doctors have noticed: Meningioma brain tumors are inexplicably more common in East Coast cats than West Coast cats. But luckily, "cats have an amazing recovery from this type of surgery," says Berg. "I can usually send the patient home two days later with an 80 percent chance of survival."

"Her little-bitty brain has somehow gotten the idea you're a bad person," he says to the client.

"Obedience training would be a waste of time here. She's not misbehaving; it's fear."

According to Borchelt, who back in '78 became the first behaviorist in the city, his therapy can eliminate quirks like Charo's -- and more serious problems -- without using the violent (and passé) whack with a rolled-up newspaper.

And though a paper costs considerably less than a visit from Borchelt ($300 to $400), only the latter will bring you good karma and a happier pet.

Linda Goodloe
Animal behaviorist
345 West 70th Street, No. 6D
(212-721-1231)

Playing with Kelsey, a hyper poodle that wildly jumps on her Upper West Side owners when they come home, animal behaviorist Linda Goodloe remarks in her gravelly, businesslike voice, "What a well-meaning, devoted dog."

A dog that loves her owner too much would be a change of pace for Goodloe, who, like most animal behaviorists, often spends her afternoons teaching owners how to handle rough dogs.

Even so, Goodloe doesn't believe in punishment. She shows owners how to use a halter as a calming -- not a restraining -- tool. Goodloe visits each family one time, then sends them a game plan for how to deal with their problematic pets. For cats, she says, a phone consultation is often enough. "Cats don't do what they usually do when someone else is there," she says. Her technique also saves owners money -- she charges $45 for the first 30 minutes, then $1 for each additional minute.

Because animal behavior is such a new field, there are few doctors with advanced degrees: Goodloe and Borchelt are the only practicing behaviorists in the city who are certified by the Animal Behavior Society.