Dogs are kid’s best friend! But to get these BFFs together, children need to learn safe get-to-know-Fido rules.
5 Tips to Teach Kids to Play Safely with Dogs
June 5, 2018 By 1 Comment
5 Tips to Teach Kids to Play Safely with Dogs
5 Signs Your Dog Needs A Joint Supplement NOW!
June 2, 2018 By 2 Comments
Hip & joint issues are one of the biggest problems aging dogs experience. This is an even bigger problem for breeds like the German Shepherd who are genetically predisposed to hip dysplasia and other hip & joint issues. However, the good news is that once you are aware of it, you can do something about it.
May 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Just like humans, the majority of a dog’s immune system resides in his gut. The gut is the largest immune organ in the body and contains approximately 70% of all immune cells. So keeping your dog’s digestive system running optimally is essential to making sure that he stays healthy, active, and lives a full and healthy life.
One way to potentially improve your dog’s digestive health is to offer him a daily probiotic supplement. There have been extensive studies on the benefits of probiotics in humans, however, veterinary research is just starting to really dive into how supplementing your pup with a variety of good bacteria can aid in keeping him healthy.
What are Probiotics for Dogs?
Springtime pet safety
May 1, 2018 By 2 Comments
Warmer weather, blooming plants and buzzing insects can all spell trouble for the pets in your care, but depending on where you live, winter hazards may still apply! Stay alert to weather patterns, don’t allow pets outside unsupervised and wash melting salts from paws to prevent poisonous ingestion.
If, however, the bright and beautiful days of spring are upon you, remember that doggie dangers and cat-astrophes can happen anywhere, so professional pet sitters must be prepared to prevent disasters and stabilize injuries before veterinary care is available.
Senior Dogs and detecting health problems early
April 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Senior check ups are extremely important
Bella is 11 and Fitz will be 10 in June. They are big dogs, and they do age faster than the littles. It happens so fast, and we have to prepare for what is to come. Have you changed your dogs food to senior food? have you done a senior screening? Do they have arthritis? Do I give all of the supplements they need? Some things to think about as our loved ones age. Please make an appointment with your vet and come up with a solid plan to make your pups senior years comfortable ones. Both of my dogs have arthritis, so we give them MSM/Glucosamine as well as fish oil and several others. We have recently started pain medication as well.
When I took my boy Fitz in, he weighed in at 109lbs. He is a big boy! I have noticed he does not go upstairs at night anymore, and he is getting up less and less to greet us at the door when we come home. These are signs that something is off with him. I had a full senior blood and urine panel done on him. The results came back, and most of the report was good. The liver enzymes were elevated quite a bit, so we decided to schedule an ultrasound and have his body X-rayed for arthritis while he was sedated. We are so very happy we decided to do this. It turns out he has a a gallbladder mucocele. What that is, is the distention of the gallbladder by an inappropriate accumulation of mucus. Decreased bile flow, decreased gallbladder motility, and altered absorption of water from the gallbladder lumen are predisposing factors to biliary sludge. It is the reason his liver levels were so high. We will now need to do an ultra sound every 3 months to make sure it is not enlarging too much. He may have to have his Gallbladder removed.
We also found severe arthritis in three different parts of his back. We have come up with a good treatment plan to keep him comfortable. I will also be looking into acupuncture. My point is, we would never have known all of this was going on if we did not take him in. This is a part of being a responsible pet parent. Please read below on some more information on how we can care for our senior dogs and what to look for.
After our vet appointment, we stopped to get our boy Fitz some ice cream.
Meet our adoptable dogs of the week, Peas and Carrots!
April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Peas & Carrots
- Chihuahua & Papillon Mix
- Mission Viejo, CA
- Adult
- Female
- Small
- UTD on vaccinations
- Spayed
Cannabis For Your Dog: How It Can Help
March 26, 2018 By 3 Comments
There’s a popular medicinal herb you can give your dog these days …… and it’s called cannabis.
Dog owners are using it to help their pets with a wide range of ailments – from anxiety to arthritis to cancer.
Are dogs going to pot?
Not exactly. The cannabis dogs are taking is hemp, not marijuana.
For a long time, hemp was illegal in the US and other countries because it got lumped in with other forms of cannabis. Today, you can buy hempseed products in your local grocery store – not just soaps and lotions, but hempseed protein powders and drinks like hempseed milk.
But the hemp that has therapeutic benefits for your dog isn’t the kind lining the supermarket shelves.
We’re talking about whole herb cannabis.
What is the best cat food on the market?
March 22, 2018 By 5 Comments
After assessing more than 2,000 formulas, we’re happy to recommend 18 of the best cat food brands, both wet and dry.
The best cat food will keep your cat healthy and happy, and will come in a flavor he or she loves. Any high-quality food needs to feature protein front-and-center, and won’t include any low-quality fillers, artificial additives, or ingredients that are toxic to cats over time. To find the most high-quality options available, we scoured the formulas of over 2,400 dry and wet cat foods on the market, read through research and regulations, and talked to veterinarians about what cats need to thrive.
In the end, we identified a shortlist of the best cat food brands and lines that you can count on. Now it’s up to you to figure out what flavors sit well with your cat’s preferences and to find the food that fits your budget. If you’re having trouble deciding between a wet or dry food diet, or you want more information about our top picks, check out our comparison tables and guide to cat food types, below.
Health Insurance for Dogs in 2018
February 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Knowing exactly what you need in an insurance plan for your dog can reduce insurance-claim letdown.
As we gathered information for this update, we immediately noticed an improvement in what the various insurance companies cover and don’t cover. We also noticed that there are many more companies offering pet insurance than there were three years ago; perhaps the competitive rates are due to the greater number of insurance-company choices.
We’ve listed the major players in pet health insurance, and the details of each plan, at the bottom of this article. But first, here are 15 things to pay attention to when deciding which of these plans might be best for you and your dogs.
If your dog becomes seriously ill or has an accident requiring surgery or other advanced treatment, having even lousy pet health insurance is better than having none at all. And having a good plan and knowing you can afford the co-payments can give you peace of mind at an otherwise terrible time.
