What Bloodwork Can Teach You About Your Pet's Health
Blood tests are an easy, safe, and relatively inexpensive way to peer inside your pets and find potential health problems. Analysis of the numbers and structure of blood cells is important in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease and infection. These tests can help us identify a problem before clinical signs or symptoms appear. But what exactly are we looking for when we do a blood draw on dogs and cats?
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The Secret to Good Mental Health Could Be Having a Pet!
You may have seen the quote: “The best therapist has fur and four legs” floating around the interwebs by way of inspirational memes, but is there any truth to this saying? According to studies performed by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), our pets can actually benefit our mental health in a variety of ways.
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The Unfortunate Truth About Sleeping With Your Pets
You lock the doors, set the burglar alarm, and climb into bed, with the family dog following close behind. You inevitably fall into one of two camps—your pet sleeps alongside you in the bed or he sleeps on the floor...likely in a dog bed beside you (or possibly a crate). If you fall into the latter camp, you might be considering loosening those restrictions due to COVID-19. Let's face it - we're all feeling more vulnerable these days, and your faithful friend beside you in bed can bring comfort.
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Expecting a Baby? What You Need to Know If You Have a Dog
For many expectant parents, their first baby was a fur baby. Your dog has gotten used to having all of Mom's and Dad’s attention, and a shift in that attention can mean stress for everyone. Even before the human baby arrives, your dog will sense change is coming, from the physical changes to Mom to changes around the house such as new furniture and strange new baby paraphernalia. Your pup can even sense the excitement and nervousness you may be feeling. The key to having your dog welcome the baby as its new best friend is in the preparation.
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Homemade Food for Dogs - Yay or Nay?
There are a lot of ads on Facebook these days for homemade cooked meals for dogs shipped to your door, much like the services of HelloFresh and Blue Apron for humans. And, while we in the veterinary community will need more time to examine this new trend, we can weigh in on human food for dogs and, even more specifically, whether cooking for your dogs is healthy.
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Signs and Symptoms of Pain in Both Cats and Dogs
There’s a reason that memes about the differences between cats and dogs abound. The stereotypes do tend to be rooted in truth. Cats have a reputation for being a bit aloof and stoic, while dogs are seen as the lumbering, goofy guys who slobber all over their owners when they return from running a 10-minute errand. And while there are plenty of exceptions to both those rules, the ideas tend to hold true when it comes to them exhibiting signs of pain.
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