Tag: canine
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Kidney Disease: How You Can Help Your Pet
Kidney disease is a very common diagnosis in older pets and can be managed to slow the progression and ensure a comfortable end-of-life. While renal disease does not exclusively affect older pets, it is certainly more common in the elderly. Young animals can experience kidney damage after exposure to certain toxins, which may cause lasting…
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The Benefits Of Fresh Foods: A Controversy
With the ongoing heated battle over pet food choices, more and more research arises. It is interesting to watch big kibble corporations make a transition to more fresh and whole food options for pets. This is due to pet owner demands for healthier choices and these corporations have seized this opportunity. Even Purina is adding…
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Fleas/Ticks/Heartworms: The Details You Never Wanted To Know, But Should.
The Flea Life Cycle Fleas live an average of 6-24 months. The adults will lay 40-50 eggs on their animal host per day, which ultimately fall off into the environment and hatch larva in 2-12 days. Flea larvae can molt, pupate, and become adults in 10-200 days. This life cycle is why your veterinary staff…
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Pesticides: The Warning
Once again we have a post inspired by social media! Last week thousands of people were sharing a post with the headline “FDA FINALLY ADMITS DANGERS OF FLEA/TICK PREVENTIONS!”, with the article attached. Naturally, I opened the link and read the FDA report. So let’s be clear, the FDA did not “finally admit” anything. The…
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Garlic for Rabies? Shut The F*&$ Up.
A few days ago a post was flying around social media about garlic curing and preventing rabies. You read that right. Someone on twitter, claiming to be a certified and licensed herbalist, posted “In case you get bitten by a stray dog and you want to treat yourself of rabies: grind garlic and press juice…
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Quality of Life: When is it time? How do you know?
Euthanasia is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. You can drive yourself crazy weighing the pros and cons, suffering the guilt that comes with not knowing whether you made the right decision, and sleepless nights wondering whether or not it’s time. Clients routinely ask their veterinary staff “what would you…
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New Spay/Neuter Recommendations from WSAVA
This week Facebook has been covered in posts about when or if to spay/neuter your pet. Five days ago the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) released their new Guidelines for the Control of Reproduction in Dogs and Cats. In this guideline they established benefits and risks, and made the recommendation that responsible pet owners…
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The Porcupine and the Dog
Every year some dog somewhere is regretting his life decisions. Spring and summer are the top seasons for dog vs porcupine fights. Porcupines are mostly nocturnal and tend to stick to heavily wooded areas. There is also a very common misperception about porcupines and their quills. They, in fact, do not throw their quills. As…
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Weird, Funny, and Unsettling Things People Have Said At The Vet
*This post may be offensive to some. But I couldn’t make this up if I tried! Many people speak their minds when they should have kept their thoughts to themselves. For this Fun Friday we aren’t going to talk about anything educational. This is purely for entertainment purposes. Below are just a few weird, funny,…
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Introducing A New Pet Into Your Home
Introducing a new pet into your home can be a stressful event for everyone involved. There also is no ONE perfect way to do this. The best thing to do is to know and understand your current animals. If you can predict how they will act in each scenario, you can adjust your plan as…