Every Winter, particularly during a cold spell, I am asked by owners “At what temperature is it too cold for my pet to ____?” The subject is usually going on a long walk, letting the cat into the yard, etc. We all love our pets and we want to keep them safe and healthy, and […]
Did you know that, for the majority of pets, you CAN share some turkey on Thanksgiving!?!? I know I know I know. Many vets tell you NO table food. They say to NEVER give your pet any turkey on Thanksgiving. Why do they say that? It’s just easy. People tend to want to over-indulge their […]
Our local news broke a sad story. Stray Rescue of St. Louis is experiencing an outbreak of distemper among their dogs, mainly puppies. Several have already died. Because this virus is highly contagious, the shelter is closed for the next 30 days. They cannot risk bringing in new dogs (who are, obviously, not vaccinated). This deadly virus is, […]
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 […]
You may have noticed some behavior changes in your senior cat. Some of these changes can be symptoms of pain (here’s my article on how to tell if your cat is in pain), but we need to consider dementia in addition. Yes, cats, like people, can become senile as they age – happens to many […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The more our field learns about fish oil and omega fatty acids, the more we veterinarians have been recommending them. There’s a good chance your pet, or a pet you know, has been recommended to be on fish oil. It’s great for problem skin (big time!), arthritis, kidney disease, heart disease, and even can help […]
Years ago, veterinarians gave every shot to every cat, every year. No one asked about lifestyle. No one asked if this was actually helping the cat or harming the cat. No one asked if one shot was different from the next. Over the past 15 or so years, things have changed for the better! We’ve […]