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 […]
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 […]
With the first deep snow of the season, I see many many older dogs present for “not being able to walk” or “walking stiff.” Is it just the cold weather? Probably not. (I doubt it’s helping though!) Deep snow can be hard on old dogs. Why? It is common for older dogs to have some […]
Everybody (hopefully) knows the “pet safety” shpeal: Don’t give your dog chocolate. Some sugar free foods are toxic. 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 of the festivities. –People dressed in costumes, especially masks, […]
What an animal weighs is just a number. The current trend in people is to use body composition, or “percent body fat.” This gives a much more accurate interpretation of a person’s build. You can have two 5’8″, 170 lb women. One can be a couch potato with no muscle, and she may be 38% […]
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 […]
Many neighborhoods have their own fireworks going on the entire week leading up to the July Fourth holiday. If you happen to live close to a local fireworks show, then it can really get scary! Here’s a few thoughts if you have a stressed-out pet this week: – This time of year is when many […]
More and more boarding facilities are opening, and summer is the busy time for them. Some are new on the block, and some have been around for years. How do you know which is the best for your pet? Don’t just go by what you hear or see in ads and brochures – make an […]
“There’s something wrong with her eyes.” I hear that often enough. Most often, it’s something normal that just looks unusual – the third eyelid. Dogs and cats have this membrane in the corner of each eye. When they are awake and alert, it’s often low and barely visible. When they are sleeping or sedated, it […]