Why I don’t use the Lyme vaccine

For most people, when they think of diseases carried and transmitted by ticks, they think Lyme disease. And yes, Lyme is a terrible disease that one species of tick can carry and give to dogs and people. When the vaccine against Lyme disease came out a couple decades ago, many veterinarians recommended it to every […]

How to win the battle against fleas

If your dog or cat has ever had fleas, you know how hard this battle can be. Here’s the best strategy to get rid of fleas once and for all! Spoiler alert – it doesn’t involve flea bombs, flea collars, garlic, or diatomaceous earth! Here’s the steps to winning the battle. 1 – Make sure […]

Worms and non-worms (like ringworm)

When you think of testing your dog or cat for worms, your mind immediately goes to checking the poop. That’s accurate for the majority of worms! However, there are some important exceptions, both IN and OUT of the poop you should know about. Let’s start with the ones you’re thinking of. Worms you can see […]

Coccidia – a parasite that is not a worm

Coccidia (pronounced cox-IH-dee-a….kinda rhymes with a semi-laxative yogurt brand) are microscopic parasites that can infect both dogs and cats. We most commonly see it in puppies and kittens, although any age of pet can come into contact with the parasite and contract it. If your veterinarian said your pet’s poop sample tested positive for coccidia, […]

Giardia – the parasite that isn’t a worm

Getting the phone call from your vet telling you your pet has giardia can be un-nerving.  If your dog or cat has had diarrhea, this is the likely explanation. If it was a routine fecal test on a healthy pet, however, the diagnosis of giardia can be a bit of a surprise. Most vets are […]

Pregnant? You can keep your cat! The scoop on Toxoplasmosis

Many pregnant women go to their first doctor visit and leave with unnecessary fear and anxiety about their beloved cat. Physicians have been getting better in the past years, but there are still some doctors out there who have not kept up with the times, and are telling pregnant women they cannot have a cat […]

Extreme Heartworm-ing: Frida’s survival story

Yes, we all know we don’t want our dogs to get heartworm. If you have a good vet, she probably tells you to keep your dog on heartworm preventative every month. You get your dog tested for heartworm every year, it’s always negative, and it’s easy to get lackadaisical. Heartworms. Big whoop. This week I […]

Is it a tick? How to tell if it’s a tick on your dog or cat – with pictures!

“Can you come look? I think my dog has a tick on him!” “My dog has a tick – please come take it off NOW!” “How do you tell if it’s a tick or a mole on my dog? And how do I remove it?” These are very common questions I am asked throughout spring […]

Tapeworms – you can see ’em, the lab can’t!

This scenario plays out in vet clinics across the country. It happened to me before I went to vet school! Hopefully, front desk staff at vet clinics is getting better at communicating to avoid these mix-ups. You are picking up your dog or cat’s poop, and you see tiny white worms. They are moving in […]

Whipworms – the parasite that lurks

Whipworms are an intestinal parasite that are so annoying, they actually deserve their own article! They live in the large intestine/colon, sucking nutrients, and sometimes causing gross, mucousy stool. Your dog might squat and squat and not much comes out. Some owners interpret this as constipation, rightfully so, but it is actually a form of […]

Heartworm treatment – the long and winding road

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 […]

Five heartworm facts you didn’t know

About once a month, I get the panicked, guilt-ridden phonecall. “I just realized Fluffy didn’t get her heartworm pill last month! What should I do? Do I need to test her today?!?!” First, you are not a terrible person – it happens to the best of us! As soon as you realize it, give the […]

What does YOUR heartworm preventative cover?

My earlier article went through every type of intestinal parasite that is treated by various American heartworm preventatives. But, which product treats what parasite? It is not simple! I color-coded the parasites for each product to make them easy to spot. Oral Medications Heartgard Plus/Iverhart Plus/Triheart Plus The original. The classic. There are now many […]

Heartworm preventatives do more than just prevent heartworms!

Like most pet owners, you probably give your dog a preventative for heartworm every month. Many cats who go outside, live in the south, or both, receive monthly preventatives as well. It is very important to prevent heartworm, that’s for sure! It can be fatal in dogs if not treated. Treating is expensive and downright […]

Flea season’s over, right?

The nights are finally getting colder. Soon we’ll get a frost, and all the fleas will be dead, right? Sorry, but it’s not that easy. (If it were, I wouldn’t write an article about it!) The height of flea season is now. Fall. Not June, but October. Surprised? Most people are! Most people associate the […]

Ticks and their diseases

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 in and around Wisconsin). People can get it, as can dogs, and even outdoorsy cats. In our area, Lyme disease is not nearly as common […]

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 “symptom threshold” can make this constant struggle a little better.  Most allergic pets are […]

Heartworm disease in cats

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 […]

What’s up with hot spots?

Tis the season for dogs to get hot spots! What are they exactly? The medical diagnosis is “moist pyoderma.” This loosely translates into “gooey, seriously infected skin”. Gross. And itchy. And painful. People often think hot spots are related to hot weather. While they do seem to occur more in summer, it isn’t the temperature […]

Mange mites 101

When you hear “mange” you think “gross!” Well yeah, mites crawling all over your pet is a pretty gross thought, but I see a few cases a year, and we’ve all lived to tell. Often the owner is surprised when I tell them the diagnosis, and they think it relates to a lack of cleanliness. […]