Stop the itch!

Midwest living is great – unless you’re a dog or cat with environmental allergies! Those of us with itchy pets know how frustrating it can be to constantly manage the symptoms, with only varying levels of success. Understanding the concept of “pruritic threshold” can make this constant struggle a little better.  Most allergic pets are […]

Sentinel Rebates End March 31

Last year a new company started making Sentinel, but the rebates were already started. The rebate program ends March 31, and no one knows if they new manufacturer will continue it or not. Meanwhile, if you need Sentinel speak up! As long as purchases are made by March31 you have beyond that to submit the […]

Scheduling until May

As you may know, I frequently fill in at a few vet clinics in the area when a vet goes out of town, is sick, has a baby, etc. Working this “relief vet” job lets me: Keep in practice with reading x-rays and performing ultrasounds Maintain my surgical skills by having a few surgery days […]

Adventures in housecall practice:

Today we were examining a nervous kitty on the couch. He was doing rather well, until his brother snuck around behind Shannon, my tech, and ATTACKED him out of the blue! As if his day wasn’t bad enough! Brother was grounded after that. Poor Shannon had two cats’ worth of hissing claws briefly thrashing around […]

Big dog visits just got easier!

We now have a scale that goes up to 255lbs to weigh our big dogs. It’s only 28 inches long, so it’s a little tight, but if they sit, it works. Finally found a flat scale that is not designed to be stationary! (Of course, trying to get my dogs to model for a picture […]

Online breeders – Go Daddy commercial

Don’t normally post stuff like this, but this needs mentioning. Hope it saves a life. People are talking about the “Go Daddy” ad that was pulled. I guess if a commercial doesn’t give out the correct dose of warm fuzzy, it’s declared bad, inappropriate, whatever. I loved the commercial. Wish they’d air it all the […]

Upcoming events for area shelters

Trivia Night Hope Rescue is hosting a trivia night on Jan 17 in East Alton, IL. This is a small rescue that takes in a lot of “hard to adopt” dogs. Click here for details. Entertainment Trivia Gateway Pet Guardians is hosting an entertainment-themed trivia night on Feb 28 in Swansea. We’ll be attending, with […]

How dangerous is ice melt/salt?

Again, it’s cold. Many businesses use ice melt or salt to keep the walkways safe. Homeowners often use it on the sidewalks in front of their houses. Pet owners often want to use ice melt, but fear harming their pets. What gives? There are “pet-safe” ice melts out there, so if you’re going to use […]

Does your dog need a sweater?

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. […]

Housecall veterinarian vs mobile veterinarian

I’ve realized that although the terms housecall veterinarian and mobile veterinarian seem synonymous, they actually have different….innuendos. People often associate mobile veterinarians with large vans, doing surgeries on the corner. The most common example of this would be a mobile low-cost spay/neuter clinic. Typically they travel to different regions on specified days, and people bring […]