By the end of the summer, fleas often become a nuisance for our pets. Sometimes, the situation can become life threatening. One important principle to understand is that in temperate climates the problem really begins in the spring, when the fleas first emerge. They reproduce during the warm months and are at peak population in […]
Pet’s that are itching this time of year often have fleas to blame for their problems. Flea bite allergy is the most common allergy we see in pets and the bite of just one flea can make them break out for 2 weeks. Even pets that are not allergic will scratch from the irritation of […]
According to modern medical dogma, our genes rule our lives. Genes code for the proteins that determine just about everything about us. The thing we are just discovering is that it is not the genes we are born with that are important but rather which genes are turned off or on. We are often told […]
It is best if you do not declaw your cat. If tigers can be trained to jump through hoops of fire then surely we can teach our domestic cats to use scratching posts instead of destroying our homes. However, as in the case of the tigers, training a cat does take effort. The first thing […]
Recently there has been an outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society in Pittsburgh. Distemper is a highly contagious viral infection that can affect the dog’s nervous system, respiratory system, or gastrointestinal tract. It can cause a range of symptoms including coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, […]
There is currently a trend in veterinary medicine toward what is called Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM). The idea is that we veterinarians should only treat pets with scientifically proven therapies. This process is intended to eliminate the doctor’s personal bias and therapies that are ineffective or possibly harmful. With EBM there is a hierarchy of evidence […]
A recent Time Magazine cover story about America’s “War on Fat” is very instructive about both human and pet nutrition. The title of the article, “Don’t Blame the Fat” says it all. In the late 1970’s it was determined that dietary fat and cholesterol were responsible for the high incidence of heart disease in America. […]
Recently, a pet food retailer in Richland, Washington made headlines when she decided to eat nothing but pet food for a month. The idea came to Dorothy Hunter when she worked up an appetite at her store and was unable to run out for food. She picked up a bag of dog treats and […]
In last week’s blog post, we explored some of the many ways pet food companies misguide us with their labels. This week I have the rest of the story. Questionable Quality Hopefully there is meat listed somewhere on the ingredient list. Unfortunately, you cannot easily tell the quality of that meat from the label. Here’s […]
We all realize that proper nutrition is the foundation for health. Choosing the best diet is one of the most important factors for a pet’s well-being. Every pet food claims to be superior to the rest in their flashy ads and packaging can be quite enticing. It is important to read the pet food label […]