If you’ve lived with a cat, you know that making our lives easier is most certainly not on their agenda. They are great communicators in some aspects – when he’s hungry, you will be informed in no uncertain terms, particularly if it’s 5am. Some cats clearly show their disdain at the litter box not being […]
When I was in vet school, one of our orthopedic surgery professors had a saying: “There is no such thing as an orthopedic emergency.” Clearly he did not enjoy being called in the wee hours of the night. Can’t blame him. What he means is that an animal won’t die from a broken leg or […]
Perhaps nothing is more scary or distressing for an owner than seeing your pet have a seizure. Knowing what to do if it happens can make it not only safer for everyone involved, but also enables you to help your veterinarian do her job by providing accurate information. If your pet starts having a seizure, […]
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 […]
I got such a fabulous response to my article “The Power of Daily Walks” that I feel the need to expand on the topic. Many people asked me if their dog should go on daily walks if they have a large yard to run and play in. The short answer is “yes.” The long answer […]
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 […]
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 […]
If you read my earlier article about the health risks of obesity, you might have been inspired (or scared!). If your pet needs to lose weight, the time to start is now. First, accept the fact that weight loss takes time – often months. If you have a large dog who has mobility issues, losing […]
Obesity is, in the majority of cases, brought on by simply overfeeding. But you can turn things around! If you read my previous article on the tragedy of obesity, you need to know there can be happy endings! We just need to acknowledge the problem and intervene as early as possible. Here’s two success stories […]
You might feed organic, grain free food. Fluffy might be sleeping on a bed of dye-free organic cotton. You might cook free-range meat with whole grain meals every day for your pet. She drinks filtered water. Her air purifier hums consistently. Hopefully you keep your pet on a routine heartworm preventative. You follow your vet’s […]
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 […]
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 […]
Spring and summer can be rough. Thunderstorms are unpredictable, and fireworks seem to occur more often than just July 4th. Some pets aren’t phased, while others are downright terrified by these loud and unexplained noises. Some pets are just anxious in general. Maybe they were not socialized properly during the formative months. Maybe they have […]
How can you tell if your dog is in pain? I wish we could just ask them! 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 […]
We’ve all heard of Alzheimer’s Disease. Many of us probably knew someone who had it. Did you know senior dogs can develop dementia or senility as well? It’s more common than you think! About half of dogs in the US over 11 years old show symptoms of cognitive dysfunction. The syndrome can be tricky to […]
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 […]
Eye cases are tough. Sometimes it’s a major emergency. Other times it’s simply something that needs time to resolve. When to get your pet seen by a vet ASAP? Of course, not every pet reads the manual, but some general rules may be helpful. Here’s a few scenarios I hear a lot: 1 – Your […]
Ear infections can be one of the most frustrating conditions to treat! If your senior pet has never had an ear infection, they probably never will. Other pets, particularly dogs, have a constant, lifelong battle with ear infections. Some dogs it’s just one ear, but always that same ear! What gives? These dogs that seem to […]
Any time a pet stops eating, it is cause for concern. However, vets become much more concerned when an overweight cat suddenly decides to go on a crash diet, or even get picky. Skinny cats, believe it or not, I worry less about when they stop eating than fat cats. Counter-intuitive, perhaps, because skinny cats […]
There seems to be so much confusion on this question – even people who work in vet clinics often do not understand! How many “distemper shots” should this puppy or kitten get? Once you know the science behind it, it is actually quite simple. There is no set number of vaccinations a puppy or kitten […]