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National Pet Wellness Month #NPWM
October is National Pet Wellness Month. That means, this would be a great time for you to consider the care of your pet. Every year, or even more, it’s good to take a step back and think about any appointments your dog or cat may have had, or any that they may need. You might be thinking, “well, I think about those things often, why do I need to do it once a year?” Perk up your ears, and we will go through some common thoughts pet parents have in common, and some questions we should all be asking ourselves. … Continue reading →
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Breathwalking? How to Meditate With Your Dog & Positively Condition Your Mornings
It’s no secret that the modern world as we know it today is a pretty hectic place. It seems that from the moment we awake in the morning, until the time we lay our heads down at night, we have somewhere we need to go, or some thing we need to do. Say goodbye to loosening your tie, or letting your hair down after a hard day at the office–in the age of the smartphone, work, and your many responsibilities have no official hours—we’re always connected, day and night. You remember charge your phone daily, but did you remember to … Continue reading →
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Pet Obesity: How to Spot It in Your Dog and Manage It
There are many things you don’t think about when picking up a dog from your local breeder or animal shelter. You look online at the newest articles on what to look for but beware, you’re always going to miss something. There is no one quick article you can read over and know every problem your dog might run into, they are just like kids and every situation is unique. This being said I’m going to delve into what has become ubiquitous here in the US. In a new study taken in March of 2015 by the Association for Pet Obesity … Continue reading →
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The Risks of Using Choke Chain or Prong Collars on Your Dog
“Do you…WANT TO GO FOR A WALKIES?” Those can be a dogs favorite words along with, “Do you… WANT TO EAT?” Sadly, for some dogs the walk experience is fraught with frustration, confusion and outright pain. For some dog owners the walk experience may be fraught with similar feelings of frustration and anxiety as they struggle to have a pleasant walk with their dog that has not been educated about how to walk in a relaxed manner with their person. For other dog owners they may think they have pulling behavior under control by using outdated dominance/punishment training methods. People using … Continue reading →
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National Lost Pet Prevention Month: How to Protect Your Pet!
July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month. Today, i’m going to go over a few tips and advice I have to prevent your dog from becoming just another “lost pet“ statistic. What does it mean to ‘protect’ your dog from being lost? How can I prevent the worst from happening? Lets start with some basic ideas of proper pet Identification. Having proper pet ID is a must when it comes to finding a lost dog. If your dog has no ID, how on earth is anyone suppose to know who he/she belongs to when they are found? The most … Continue reading →
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Mixed Breed vs. Purebred? Make Mine a Schnoodle
When it comes to canine behavior there are no absolutes. While certain qualities are often associated with particular breeds, the truth is that ultimately behavior is breed independent — well, sort of. As an example, in general Labs love the water. But I guarantee you that I can show you Labs that are terrified of water. In the end, behavior is not determined solely by breed, even though breed does play a role. It’s the classic nature versus nurture model where both genetics and environment combined determine behavior and either can override the other. That being said, we can generalize … Continue reading →
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One Important Way to Prevent Your Dog From Developing Arthritis
Did you know that one of the most important ways to prevent your dog from developing arthritis is healthy weight maintenance? How and Why Your Dog’s Weight Impacts Dog Arthritis: Aging is an inevitable process happening in all animals, so the development of disease conditions that commonly occur during adult and senior years is unavoidable. One such condition is osteoarthritis (OA), which affects nearly all aging dogs at some point in their lives. Arthritis isn’t exclusively a senior canine condition, as painful joint inflammation can occur at any point in a dog’s life. Yet, owners can take steps to reduce … Continue reading →
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How to Stop Your Dog From Being Scared of Traveling in a Car
Most of the time, dogs who have a fear of going in a car have had some sort of traumatic memory in the past. This doesn’t have to be anything that we, as humans, would call traumatic, however. Indeed, it may seem as if from one day to the next, your dog simply decides to be scared of vehicles.
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How to Get Your Dog to Sleep In Its Own Bed
It may seem like a good idea, particularly on a cold and lonely night, to let your dog sleep in your bed. However, before you know it, you are ready to have your own bed back, but your dog doesn’t want to leave anymore. You may think that all you need is to offer the dog a comfortable alternative, but...
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Top 6 Nutritional Needs of Puppies
Puppies can be a lot of fun, but their nutritional needs aren’t as easy as you’d expect. Here are my top 6 recommendations as a veterinarian for the unique nutritional needs of puppies: 1. Complete and Balanced Meals Dogs can’t grow on meat alone. They need an appropriate combination of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and more. Most commercially available puppy foods have been formulated to be nutritionally complete and balanced for puppy growth and will include a statement that such foods have met requirements of the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). “Nutritionally complete” means that all the …
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