Outdoor temperature plays a role in health from both an Eastern and Western perspective. A healthy body—whether human or animal—should be able to adapt easily to changes in weather, until it starts getting into extremes. However, if the body is already out of balance, your dog or cat may experience more inflammation as the temperature rises.

You may have not known that your dog or cat could even get diabetes. But they can, and veterinarians are seeing more and more of it due to diet and sedentary lifestyles in our dogs and cats.

The good news is, early detection means diabetes is treatable. However, like many diseases, it can require some serious lifestyle changes.

It’s possible you’re not familiar with this nasty parasite or think it’s limited to foreign countries. However, giardia is a common intestinal parasite throughout the U.S. as well as abroad. Mud puddles, unclean rivers, even contaminated grass can all spread this infection.

Most people think of bleach or rat poison when they think of household toxins. If that’s you, you’re right. Yet, there are many other less obvious items that could pose a hazard.

Take sugar-free gum for instance. Did you know that it contains xylitol, which can cause liver failure in your dog? The popular sugar substitute is also in certain brands of toothpaste and sweetener packets for coffee and tea. Yet, it can be deadly to your dog.

If you’ve ever owned (or been owned by!) a cat, chances are you’ve heard the acronym “FIV.” You know this is something your veterinary team talks with you about during your cat’s wellness visits and preventive care planning, and it probably helps your understanding to liken the Feline Immunodefi

If your pet spends time in the great outdoors, you may not give much thought to who he shares that space with—but you should. From deer and coyotes to foxes, skunks, bats, and raccoons, wild animals can pose a serious threat as they carry a variety of diseases that can be transmitted to pets and people. 

Pain is a clinically significant symptom that can adversely affect an animal’s quality of life—and the first step in treating it is recognizing and acknowledging it.

Our pets share the same anatomical and biochemical pain pathways that we do; therefore, we can expect their level of discomfort with certain conditions to be similar to ours. Unfortunately, they cannot tell us with words how they feel or where they hurt, but they can give us clues about their level of discomfort.

February may be National Pet Dental Health Month, but don’t forget that your pet’s teeth need some love the other 11 months of the year, too! Creating and sticking to a home care routine is an important part of keeping your pet’s mouth healthy, both before and after a professional cleaning.