Category: Uncategorized

As the nation’s schools and businesses are closing and people practice social distancing, many pet owners are left wondering whether the novel coronavirus will have any effect on their pets (other than leading to unprecedented levels of daytime treating, belly scratches, and purring).

During February, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) sponsors National Pet Dental Health Month to turn your attention and ours toward the importance of oral health care for pets. Each February, we like to put extra effort into educating all of our pets’ parents on caring for their pets’ teeth.

Leptospirosis is a serious, potentially deadly infection found worldwide that’s caused by multiple strains of spirochete bacteria. A zoonotic disease, leptospirosis can be transmitted between animals and humans.

As veterinary medicine improves, pets are living longer. It’s wonderful to have our furry friends in our lives longer, but older pets mean a greater responsibility to improve our pets’ golden years. Pet parents are more commonly having to address the changing health concerns of their aging pets.

Grain-free pet diets are offered by just about every brand of pet food available, and while these brands claim to be a better nutritional choice for our carnivorous dogs, new research might indicate otherwise. Recent and ongoing research from the FDA has shown a potential link between grain-free diets and canine heart disease, specifically a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats (also called chronic renal disease and kidney failure) is a progressive condition, with which a cat’s kidneys gradually stop working properly. CKD is a fatal condition. Untreated, it will progress quickly. With proper management, cats with CKD can live long lives.

We love our pups and do our best to provide them with everything they need to live long, happy, healthy lives. No matter how much love and care pet owners provide, however, as pets age, they become more and more susceptible to developing age-related medical conditions. One particularly common age-related illness is canine osteoarthritis, also referred to as degenerative joint disease (DJD).

Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Four species of ticks have been shown to transmit Lyme disease, but the most common culprit is the deer tick (black-legged tick). Deer ticks and those carrying Lyme disease are common in the Eastern United States and can be found in nearly all warm, damp areas, including northern climates in the summer months.