About Jean Hofve DVM

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So far Jean Hofve DVM has created 306 blog entries.

Please Don’t Give Pets as Gifts

Updated 12/22/25 This is Brody, who is a very good dog. Giving is a wonderful thing, and we all have good intentions when shopping for our loved ones. You can easily picture a child opening a beautiful box with an adorable kitten inside, or of covering their eyes and leading them into a room where a puppy wearing a big bow is waiting. We have these joyful images lingering from our own childhood, as well as from social media, TV ads, and movies. A pet may feel like ...

2025-12-22T10:18:34-07:00November 29th, 2023|
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Natural Flea Control for Dogs & Cats

Fleas! Everyone hates these nasty, blood-sucking parasites. Our war against fleas is epic and ongoing, but each of us must fight our own individual battles. There are three fronts to fight on: the pet(s), the home, and the outdoor environment. But before we sound the battle cry, we need to know our enemy! WHY ARE FLEAS SUCH A FIERCE ENEMY? "Fleas come with three basic marching orders, or biological imperatives: to survive, to eat, and to reproduce." Fleas have a number of strategic advantages in this war: Masters of ...

2024-05-31T10:32:21-07:00September 17th, 2023|
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Privacy Policy

The following policy applies to Little Big Cat, Inc. at www.littlebigcat.com. Little Big Cat is committed to protecting the privacy and security of its online visitors. We adhere to privacy principles and only collect the minimum amount of personal information needed and look after your personal information responsibly. We date our privacy policies so that you can see when our policy has been updated. We consider the following, among other things, to be personally identifiable information: first and last name, e-mail address, street address and phone number. We do not collect personal information about individual visitors to our website. Site ...

2020-05-17T09:49:46-07:00May 17th, 2020|
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Grain-Free Dog (and Cat) Food, Taurine, and Heart Disease

FINAL UPDATE 12/27/22  The FDA has closed its investigation into this matter, saying there is "insufficient evidence" to establish a causal link between diet and DCM in dogs. They will not be providing any further updates.  NOTE: We now know that, as suspected all along, the purported link between grain-free pet foods and heart disease was entirely speculative. I can say with confidence that grain-free foods DO NOT cause heart disease in dogs or cats. There was and is no scientific evidence to support FDA's original theory, much less its naming ...

2022-12-30T22:31:45-07:00August 3rd, 2018|
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Science Proves that Raw Diet Beats Kibble

Thanks to our good friend Dr. Karen Becker over at Mercola.com for this excellent article! Story at-a-glance Big Pet Food wants you to believe your dog is no longer a carnivore and can “thrive” on a diet high in starch A 2013 study is often used by processed pet food advocates as “proof” dogs are no longer meat-eaters. All the study actually proves is that a dog’s body has some capacity to adapt to the food it eats Just because a minority of dogs do fine on starch-rich diets doesn’t ...

2018-05-23T22:37:39-07:00May 26th, 2018|
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A Declawed Cat’s Story

Many, many thanks to our friend Barry for this saga. Unlike most pet parents and veterinarians, he was astute enough to truly see and understand what declawing has done to his adopted kitty, Spark. I asked him to share his experience to all of our readers, and we are proud to present it here. I have had pets my whole life. Most often that has been cats or dogs, but growing up on a farm I learned respect for all life. I take the responsibility of pets very seriously. I educate myself ...

2018-05-23T22:57:50-07:00May 23rd, 2018|
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“New” Declaw Technique Shot Down by Facts

In January 2018, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published a letter from Dr. Kerry Yoon of Hawaii, who claims to have invented a "new, painless" declaw procedure. He is so confident that his special technique is "painless" that he has NEVER given any pain meds to the hundreds of cats and kittens he has mutilated. I'm sure many humane-minded veterinarians wrote in to complain, but JAVMA chose only two letters of opposition to publish. I am pleased that mine was one of them. Both letters are presented ...

2018-03-16T10:02:41-07:00March 16th, 2018|
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Sleeping with Pets

Many thanks to Kellen Smith at Tuck.com for allowing us to reprint this excellent article, which is one of many helpful insights. Many of us allow our pets to sleep with us, but is it healthy? Are there health risks to letting your dog or cat share the bed with you? How does it affect your relationship with your pet? Below we’ll cover the trends and facts about sleeping with your pet, the benefits and risks, and tips for establishing bedroom boundaries with your furry family members. How common is ...

2024-06-01T15:23:31-07:00January 31st, 2018|
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How to Travel with Your Cat

UPDATED 12/5/22 Many people travel with their cat, as can be seen by the YouTube videos that depict people taking their cats on hikes, boat trips or bike rides. While it can be fun, it requires a lot of careful planning and consideration of feline and human needs. This guide will help you travel with your cat successfully. Things you Need to Pack Just like humans, cats also have a list of items they need to take with them on vacation. In order to keep Fluffy healthy and happy and ...

2024-12-29T00:13:28-07:00December 26th, 2017|
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Top 10 Cat Medical Conditions – And How to Prevent Them!

Veterinary Practice News publishes an annual "Top Medical Conditions in Cats," based on insurance claims made to pet health insurance companies. For 2017, the list includes:  1. Bladder or urinary tract problems (aka feline  cystitis, FIC, or FLUTD  2. Periodontitis/Dental disease  3. Chronic kidney disease  4. Vomiting        5. Hyperthyroidism   6. Diabetes  7. Diarrhea  8. Lymphoma  9. Upper respiratory infection per cat 10. Allergic dermatitis One notable addition to the list this year was lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands, which are all over the body. This cancer ...

2017-11-28T02:51:22-07:00November 28th, 2017|
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Cat Feeding Myths

I admit, it really irks me when companies who know nothing about feline nutrition give bad advice to their customers. This is the case with Assisi Animal Health, which manufactures a device called the Assisi Loop. Now, the product is a good one and I've heard great reports about it. But they should stick to what they know! Here are a few of the things they got wrong in a recent article published by Business Insider. "Your first look at a bag of cat food should ensure that it has the American ...

2017-08-31T10:50:25-07:00August 31st, 2017|
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Vaccination Update

Recently I did an interview with Jenny of Floppycats.com on vaccines. We talked about the how, when and why, kittens, Ragdolls, titers, and whether and which vaccines are needed or not. You really want to know the new info about titers! Listen (or read the transcript) here: http://www.floppycats.com/vaccines-for-cats-an-interview-with-dr-jean-hofve.html For complete information on cat and dog vaccines, see our comprehensive article on Vaccination.

2017-07-12T20:14:58-07:00July 12th, 2017|
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