What Should I Give My Dog To Chew?

What Should I Give My Dog To Chew?

“What should I give my dog to chew?” a question often asked by owners.  And since veterinarians are frequently faced with treating fractured teeth in dogs, it is an important question to answer properly. Let’s start with a little history . . . Wolves adopted pack-living to hunt larger prey. Selective evolutionary pressures from this group hunting have created strong bones and muscles of the jaws in both wolves and dogs.  However, wolves RARELY chew bones.

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Marion Animal Hospital program promotes lifetime health for animals

Marion Animal Hospital program promotes lifetime health for animals

By BRIAN J. LOWNEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER | SOUTH COAST TODAY February 02, 2014 Owning a pet requires a serious commitment that should continue for the life of the animal. Companion animals are enjoying longer lives thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, improved nutrition and better-educated owners. Cats and dogs now can live well into their teens, while some avian species may long outlive their owners. When an individual acquires an animal, whether it’s a newborn

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Are Grain Free Diets Healthier?

Are Grain Free Diets Healthier?

Grain free dog and cat foods are being promoted on TV ads and at your local pet speciality stores, but are they really healthier for our pets?  Not according to veterinary nutritionists Dr. Lisa Freeman and Dr. Cailin Heinze from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. “Interestingly, diets that contain more meat and less grain and other carbohydrates tend to be much higher in fat than diets that contain more grain and carbohydrates. As fat

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Five facts your cat wants you to know…..

Five facts your cat wants you to know…..

Cats like countdowns, its more exciting! #5.  I need a check up.  Yeah, I know, it seems like every time you get out that dusty carrier and stuff me into it, I hate going more.  But can’t you try to make it a little more fun?  How about getting me a nice cosy soft carrier that you keep clean?  And maybe some of that Feliway spray in it? If you left it out for a

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The Best Dog and Cat Food

The Best Dog and Cat Food

We know you love your pet, and we know you have a tight budget.  So what is the best pet food? An ideal pet food is one that my pet loves to eat, cleans her teeth, and makes her coat shiny.  This dream diet would support her immune system,  be gentle on her stomach, and make picking up after her a breeze. For me as a veterinarian, this mythical food has been tested in a research

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The Truth about Pet Insurance

The Truth about Pet Insurance

Let me tell you a story. My first experience with pet insurance was a bust.  The dog above and on the right (in the headlock) got ringworm on her nose when she was 2 years old.  This dog was the love of my life and I had pet insurance for her.  The medication she required was expensive, even for a vet, but when I submitted the claim only a very small amount of it was

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Why I ride my bike to work

Why I ride my bike to work

I am almost 40 years old, and mother of two daughters, and a business owner, so you may wonder why I would put the time and effort into riding my bicycle to the animal hospital as often as weather permits. Well, it makes me a better doctor, manager, mother, and overall human being. How?  Well it helps that I don’t have the kind of job where I shower before work, but the after the morning

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#1. Why test my dog for heartworm every year, when she is on heartworm prevention medication?

#1. Why test my dog for heartworm every year, when she is on heartworm prevention medication?

From the Series: Top Twenty Questions Asked by Veterinary Clients Heartworm disease is fatal. Juvenile worms attach to the inner surface of the right atrium and grow to a foot in length as they feed on blood and heart tissue. Their bodies block the proper function of the heart causing heart failure, but not before their breeding causes a chronic pneumonia making it hard for pets to breathe.  Coughing, difficulty breathing, then heart failure and

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Worms!

Worms!

  What are the symptoms of Intestinal Parasite Infection? Loose or frequent bowel movements, anal irritation, poor coat appearance, skin problems, general itchiness, bloating, weight loss, bad breath, colic, failure to thrive, loss of pregnancy, and decreased milk production.   Can I be infected as well? Unfortunately yes, several common intestinal parasites which pose a risk to your pet can also infect people as well.  In the United States alone 4,000 children a year are

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Vaccines

Vaccines

Regular immunizations are the foundation of your pet’s good health.  Regularly vaccinating your pet protects them from a variety of potentially fatal illnesses, and any side effects are very uncommon and usually mild. RABIES Easily prevented, and a legal requirement, the rabies vaccine protects your dog, cat,  ferret, horse, goat, pig or sheep against this inevitably fatal virus for an entire year.  Highly contagious, and posing a risk for animals and humans alike, there is

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Fleas & Ticks

Fleas & Ticks

As pet owners, fleas and ticks are a big concern.  Flea infestations can be costly and time consuming, and ticks carry diseases. We do NOT recommend you use over the grocery or pet store flea (OTC) and tick products.  OTC products are all permethrin pesticides.  Permethrin has a low margin of safety, and many flea populations have developed a resistance to permethrin;  pet owners find the fleas just keep coming back. Fortunately, there are safe,

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Bugs on the South Coast: Pets feel the sting

Bugs on the South Coast: Pets feel the sting

[alert type=”yellow”]“Dogs are 100 times more likely to get a tick than humans. They get attached to fur. They’re not as good groomers as cats that tend to groom them off,” said Dr. Francis.[/alert] From Sippican Week, By Georgia Sparling | Aug 05, 2012 Pets and livestock are just as, if not more, susceptible to this year’s large population of nasty bugs. When Dr. Rachel Francis says it’s been a record year, that’s not something

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Pets & Car Sickness

Pets & Car Sickness

A simple car ride with your pet can turn miserable if he suffers from motion sickness. Motion sickness can manifest itself as vocalization drooling, vomitting, and defecation. According to Dr. Andress and Gate City Animal Hospital in Greensboro, N.C. (Veterinary Economics, November 2009) here are a few simple steps you an take to settle your pets’ stomach. Simply withholding food before traveling can eliminate many of the problems, or speak to your veterinarian about anti-motion

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Flying With Your Pet

Flying With Your Pet

Written by Dr. Nicole Cummings A recent study shows that it may be more dangerous for certain breeds of dogs to fly than others. Since May 2005, 122 dog deaths have been reported by US airlines, and 1/2 of these have been brachycephalic breeds (breeds with pushed in faces) such as English Bulldogs, Pugs, French Bulldogs, and American Staffordshire Terriers. In a press release the Deptartment of Transportation advised owners of brachycephalic breeds to consult

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