Articles that apply dogs or are specifically written about dogs are here!

Rabies Vaccine Reality Check

Thanks to my good friend Dr. Karen Becker at Mercola.com for this incredibly important article! By Dr. Becker I have some encouraging news to share about rabies vaccines, or more specifically, how pets with out-of-date vaccinations that are exposed to a rabid animal should be handled. Currently, if a pet with a lapsed rabies vaccination is exposed to a rabid animal, the law in many states requires the pet to be quarantined for several months at the owner’s expense, or euthanized. In October 2014, a Brockton, Massachusetts woman was forced ...

2018-06-09T13:51:41-07:00
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Halloween Safety for Pets

Halloween is already upon us, so it's time to remind folks how to keep all pets (most especially black cats!) safe at this time of year. Many thanks to Kimberly Jackson (A to Z Petcare) and Kate Solisti (KateSolisti.com) for this timely article! HALLOWEEN SAFETY ESSENTIALS FOR ANIMAL GUARDIANS By Kimberly Jackson and Kate Solisti Halloween can be scary for our furry friends. It can also be quite dangerous. Here are some helpful tips for keeping your pets safe on Halloween. First and foremost, please do not leave pets outside ...

2017-03-21T18:31:00-07:00
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When NOT to Induce Vomiting

Cats and dogs can get into a lot of trouble! If they've eaten something they shouldn't, the common advice is to induce vomiting by giving them syrup of ipecac or hydrogen peroxide. (My favorite item recovered by this method was a baby sock that had been eaten by a cat!) However, there are some things that are actually worse coming back up than they were going down. In those cases, you should NOT induce vomiting by any method. These items include: Household cleaning products containing acidic or alkaline ingredients, which ...

2017-03-23T14:00:33-07:00
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The Difference in Cost of Veterinary Care

Today I'm posting an article written a few days ago by a colleague, Dr. Carolyn Karrh, who was sad and frustrated after a dog died after being spayed. The dog was a high risk patient, but was brought to a low-cost, high-volume clinic for the surgery. Had she (the dog) been at a clinic where a thorough history, pre-op exam, better equipment, IV line, constant monitoring, etc., were the norm, the story could have had a much happier ending. Dr. Karrh goes on to explain the difference between clinics, and why ...

2017-03-21T18:33:32-07:00
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E-Cigarettes: Dangerous for Pets

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/a-warning-to-pet-owners-who-use-e-cigarettes?Wt.mc_id=facebook The ASPCA Poison Control Center says that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) often contain high concentrations of nicotine, which is a dangerous poison for dogs and cats. Nicotine exposures are increasing, and the types of exposures are changing. In 2012, e-cigarettes made up 4.6% of total nicotine exposures (including tobacco cigarettes, nicotine gum, e-cigarettes, and nicotine patches), but in 2013, this number increased to 13.6%; and it's expected to continue rising. Nicotine is dangerous for pets, and e-cigarettes and refills can contain far more nicotine than regular cigarettes. E-cigarettes are filled ...

2017-03-21T19:21:26-07:00
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Canine Flu Outbreak

There have been numerous media reports on an outbreak of "canine influenza" that began in Chicago, and could spread to other areas. The original dog flu virus that was characterized a few years ago is known as H3N8, and there is a vaccine for that virus. However, this virus is different: H3N2--and it can also affect cats. Note: The currently available canine flu vaccine does not protect against this virus. Symptoms of the H3N2 flu are primarily sneezing and coughing. It is highly contagious; but while unpleasant, it is far less dangerous than the H3N8 ...

2018-06-09T13:46:03-07:00
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Animal Communication

Many thanks to our guest author, animal communicator Kate Solisti!  The art of listening to an animal and actually receiving something back from them is based on two things: (1) Love and (2) Intuition. I have been a professional interspecies communicator for over twenty years and in that time have helped many people rekindle their natural abilities to open and receive information from non-speaking beings through their intuition. It is my belief that the heart is the seat of our intuition and innate wisdom. In order to access these, we ...

2017-03-21T19:22:08-07:00
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Animal Pain

That idea that animals suffer pain that needs to be treated is, believe it or not, still not completely accepted by veterinarians. In fact, not so long ago, veterinarians deliberately withheld painkillers from animals post-surgery, on the misguided philosophy that “the pain will keep them quiet so they don’t hurt themselves.” Even when veterinary organizations do acknowledge pain, they may still get it wrong. For example, the mission statement of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists (ACVA) says that the organization “believes that animal pain and suffering are clinically important conditions that adversely ...

2017-03-21T19:22:31-07:00
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Mars buys Iams, Eukanuba, and Natura

In a bid for world domination, the Martians...oops, I mean, Mars Petcare (the pet food arm of the candy giant)...is acquiring all of Procter & Gamble's pet food brands for a mere $2.9 BILLION. It had been rumored for several months that P&G was in the market to sell; and now they got their wish. (Click here to read the press release.) While under P&G's auspices, Iams, Eukanuba, and Natura (Innova, Evo, California Natural, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma) at least made an effort to look like premium foods, even ...

2017-03-21T19:22:59-07:00
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Flea and Tick Product Dangers

A big thank you to my dear friend Dr. Michael Fox (www.drfoxvet.net) for allowing me to reprint this urgent bulletin! BAYER’S NEW CAT, DOG, HOME & YARD INSECTICIDALS:  WHAT IT MY PORTEND FOR THE EARTH COMMUNITY By Dr. Michael W. Fox I posted my concerns last year about Bayer’s dog and cat “Seresto” anti-flea and tick collars that contain a nicotine chemical (imidacloprid) that can cause seizures, thyroid gland damage, mutations, abortions and birth defects, (and is a class of widely used agricultural chemicals implicated in the catastrophic demise of ...

2017-03-21T19:24:02-07:00
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Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food

Packaged, manufactured pet food is a great convenience to dog and cat guardians. But responsible consumers who want the best for their animal companions have a bewildering array of foods and claims to choose from. So, how do you know what's best for your animals? The most reputable manufacturers agree with holistic veterinarians that the very best diet for your animal companion is one that you make yourself. A homemade diet, carefully balanced nutritionally, and using raw and organic foods, is closest to what Mother Nature intended. However, many of ...

2017-03-21T19:24:17-07:00
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Grape and Raisin Toxicity

Beginning in the 1990s, veterinarians began seeing dogs who developed acute kidney failure after eating grapes, raisins, or currants. Despite extensive research, the component that caused the problem was never identified; it couldn’t even be narrowed down to any particular part of the fruit, such as skin, stem, leaf, seed, or flesh. While chronic kidney disease (CKD) is commonly seen in older cats and dogs, it is usually due to a chronic, low-grade, inflammatory process called glomerulonephritis. Recent research suggests that, in cats, contributing factors may include consumption of fish, ...

2017-10-14T08:33:30-07:00
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