This time of year presents unique hazards to pets. Some are real. Some are overblown. Some no one really ever talks about! If you remember last year’s “12 days of quiz-mas” some of this may not be new to you. That means you’re becoming a well-educated pet-owner! When do you cancel the party and rush […]
Did you know that, for the majority of pets, you CAN give turkey on Thanksgiving!?!? I know I know I know. Many vets tell you NO table food. They say to NEVER give your pet any turkey on Thanksgiving. Why do they say that? It’s just easy. People tend to want to over-indulge their pet, […]
t’s quite common to use peanut butter to give your dog medication. It sticks to the pill and is downright delicious. A new trend is starting with some off-brand, “natural” type peanut butters. They are including a sweetener called xylitol. This is a safe, no-calorie sweetener for people, but is highly poisonous to dogs! Xylitol […]
Everyone knows how important it is to keep dogs on monthly heartworm preventative. But can cats get heartworm? Let’s see….. For starters, heartworm is transmitted the same way in dogs and cats. A mosquito flies around, sucks on an animal with heartworms, ingests the larvae from that pet’s blood, and then processes it into a more […]
Nope. Wait, I guess I should write more than that. First, some perspective. In 2013, a total of 56,979 people in this country died of influenza and/or related complications. This did not make the news. Recently 1,000 or more dogs in Chicago come down with influenza, 5 dogs died, and it’s making national headlines. To […]
Everyone hears tick disease, they think of Lyme disease. And that’s great….if you live in an area where Lyme is the most common tick-borne disease (which is the Northeast and Wisconsin). People can get it, as can dogs, and even outdoorsy cats. In our area, Lyme disease is not nearly as common as Ehrlichiosis. Lyme […]
When I first started making house calls, I debated whether or not to offer the vaccine against Leptospirosis. I didn’t routinely carry it, but for the small number of dogs who needed it, I would order it and vaccinate them. Well, I decided to just start carrying it. There are many pros and cons to […]
Yes, it’s cold. On a particularly slow news day, that gets repeated multiple times. Our big dogs with thick coats love this weather! We can’t get them to come in, especially when there’s snow! Our little dogs, however, are hating life. Three things affect small dogs’ ability to stay warm: haircoat, surface area, and location. […]
I hear this phrase a lot! People are often surprised when I offer to do something for their pet they didn’t think we could. The response is often: “You can do that!?!” Each newsletter I’ll feature a service we offer that people may not think can be done in their home. This month’s feature is […]
Summer heat likely affects dogs more than cats. Most cats are exclusively indoor and have no idea what all the fuss is about. Dogs go for rides in cars (not saying cats can’t!!), go on walks, play outside, etc. What can you do to help your dog deal with the heat? The best thing you […]