Halloween and pets

Everybody (hopefully) knows the “Halloween pet safety” shpeal: Don’t give your dog chocolate, raisins, or chocolate-covered raisins. Some sugar free foods are toxic (here’s my xylitol article). Keep your pets inside (black cats in particular – some people are freaks). Here are a few things we might not think about in the hustle and excitement […]

Pet-safe insect killers

I recently learned how frustrating it is to want to kill problem insects in the yard, but keep my pets safe. I was scouring the small print on the insecticide labels, looking for which I could use around pets. I wanted it to work, and was skeptical of the “natural, organic” ones with only some […]

Is my dog in pain?

How to know if your dog is in pain? When it comes to concealing pain, dogs have mad skills. Many of them are people pleasers. Very few dogs want to be a party pooper. So, hurting or not, the show must go on! They don’t want to let on if they are hurting. They will […]

walk your dog!

This post is more a personal story, but I hope others can learn from my revelation. Last week two of my dogs got into a fight with each other. I don’t know what was said, but they were both extremely upset, and we had some minor injuries. There had been tension between them before, but […]

Heartworm treatment details

When you find out your dog (or, in many cases, foster dog) is heartworm positive, you want to fix it! Let’s treat him and get rid of these heartworms! You know they can be deadly if not treated, so why wait? Then, when you learn how long the treatment takes, and we can’t start just […]

How to not clean a pet’s ears

I am frequently asked to look at a pet’s ear because the owner noticed a discharge. Sometimes they will proudly say “…so I cleaned it with ______!” Often I find myself cringing. First, don’t clean it before the vet sees it – it’s like tampering with evidence (here’s my article on the importance of ear […]

Is chemotherapy right for your pet?

If you’ve watched a (human) family member go through chemotherapy, you know it’s usually awful. You’re probably thinking “I would never put a pet I love through that.” Neither would I. But chemotherapy in pets is very different than it is in people. That’s a good thing. There are some similarities as well. Here’s some […]

How to brush your pet’s teeth

So your vet has been telling you to start brushing your dog or cat’s teeth. Or maybe you just read a fantastic article about it and are inspired. Sounds a little daunting – where to start? For toothbrushes, we have options. Some people love those little finger brushes. I am not one of them. I […]

Do you need the pet safe ice melt?

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 being sold. Are they really safer, or is it hype? If […]

When 2 Worry – Constipation (or is it?)

This topic seems to really stress out pet owners! And there seems to be a lot of confusion and misdirection. For some reason, it tends to be a middle-of-the-night phone message: “my dog/cat hasn’t pooped in __ days. We have to do something!!!” Not so fast. Take a breath. Constipation is not really all that […]