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 […]

“Quiz-mas” take home points

Couple take-home points on keeping pets safe during the holidays: – To be safe, if you have that dog or cat that just HAS to chew on everything, it’s probably best to not have any plants in the house. Sure, if they munch on a poinsettia plant, they won’t need to be rushed to a […]

Mistletoe, NOT poinsettias, can be deadly

Which plant should your cat NEVER consume or chew due to toxin risk? A) Christmas cactus B) Mistletoe C) Spice orchid D) Poinsettia Our first question showed us that poinsettia plants really are not the poisonous killers people think they are. They do irritate the stomach and cause drooling and vomiting, but do not require […]

Little-known holiday toxin

We continue our 12 Days of Quiz-mas with a tough one! This is a very very bad deal if your dog (or cat) eats it, yet it doesn’t get nearly the press that chocolate and raisins do. I’ll give more details below… Which holiday treat can be fatal if eaten, and almost ALWAYS means a […]

Are ham bones or meat safe?

Forget the desserts! Your dog wants to help out with the leftover ham! What condition will ham (meat or bones) NOT contribute to? A) Gastroenteritis (vomit/diarrhea) B) Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) C) Intestinal obstruction D) Ham/bone consumption can cause all of the above Yep, it was D. Sure, some dogs eat ham, or chew […]

Is ALL chocolate poisonous to dogs?

Third quiz question for our “TWELVE DAYS OF QUIZ-MAS”: Your dog loves to steal holiday cookies! Which type of cookie is the most toxic? A) Milk chocolate B) Dark chocolate C) White chocolate D) Oreos (Double stuffed) B – Not all chocolate is created equal! Oreos contain very little actual chocolate, and are not considered […]