Since it seems like winter is going to pass us by this year, the warmer weather is getting people outside and active a little earlier. To ensure your four-legged sidekick is ready, here are a few easy medical tips to provide your pet with a lifetime of good health.

Continue Reading "Getting Ready to Get Outside" »

Pets can sometimes be reservoirs of diseases that infect humans. Most viruses and organisms that cause illness are species specific, or specially adapted to the host they infect. When a disease is able to make the leap from our pet to us, it is referred to as zoonotic.

The most important historical zoonotic disease is the Plague that ravaged Europe in the 1300’s killing tens of millions of people. Primarily a disease of rats and wild rodents, the Plague is transmitted from animal to animal by the bites of infected fleas, with humans as the accidental host when the rat dies and the fleas look for a warmer host.

Today, the number of potential zoonotic diseases is impressive. Let’s look at some of the more common dog and cat diseases that may pose a threat to humans.

Continue Reading "Healthy Pets, Healthy People" »

While people battle stuffy noses and watery eyes at the peak of this allergy season, we are not the only one’s suffering from the sniffles and sneezes. Our pets are also experiencing the irritation of allergies, too.

The respiratory system is the primary target of allergies for humans, but for our pets, the skin is the major target, so severe itching and scratching, which may lead to raw and irritated areas on the skin, are the main symptoms to look for. The most common pet allergy is the fleabite allergy, however, fleas may not be the only reason behind your pet’s discomfort.

Continue Reading "The Sniffles, the Sneezes and Our Pets" »

When the weather forecasters predict a winter blast they always remind us of the three P’s – Pipes, Plants, and Pets.  Don’t be fooled by their fur coat, your pets are still bothered just as much as you are when the temperature drops. Here are a few guidelines to help protect your pets when the weather gets rough.

Continue Reading "Winter Weather Warnings" »

Whether you are going over the river or through the woods, there are certain precautions to take if you are traveling with a four-legged Santa’s little helper. Travel can be very stressful on your pet (and you), but planning ahead and making the appropriate arrangements for the trip can make everyone merry and bright.

Before any plans are made for your pet, make sure it is healthy enough to travel in the first place. If the pet is very old or very young and not yet trained, or if it has been sick or to the veterinarian several times recently, it is best to leave your pet in familiar surroundings rather than moving them to unfamiliar turf.

Continue Reading "Go Merrily All the Way" »

On September 28, the importance for vaccinating pets against rabies became a global issue. World Rabies Day is in its fifth year of educating the public worldwide on rabies and the prevention of the potentially fatal disease.

Rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. It infects all warm-blooded animals, including people. In the United States, human cases of rabies are rare, only a few each year, but with rabid animals found in most states, the risk remains. Most reported cases of rabies in the U.S. occur in wild animals, most often raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, and coyotes.

Continue Reading "World Rabies Day" »

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a picture of a glowing cat. Earlier this month the journal “Natural Methods” reported that U.S. scientists had developed a strain of green-glowing cats with cells that resist infection from the feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, which causes AIDS in cats.

The Mayo Clinic’s team of physicians, virologists, veterinarians and gene therapy researchers, along with collaborators in Japan, hope the finding may help prevent the disease in cats and advance AIDS research in people. The study involved inserting antiviral monkey genes that block the virus that causes feline AIDS into feline eggs before they are fertilized.

Continue Reading "What's So Great About a Glowing Cat?" »

It is that time of year again – time to get in line for the seasonal flu vaccine. But, did you know your dog may benefit from one as well?

Canine Influenza is a contagious respiratory disease in dogs first discovered as a cause of severe respiratory illness in a group of racing greyhounds in 2004. Dog flu continues to be a threat to primarily groups of dogs held in close quarters, such as in breeding facilities, shelters and pet stores.

Continue Reading "That Doggone Flu" »

When it is time to pack the backpacks and  head back to school, family schedules and routines of the dog days of summer shift dramatically. This sudden change can have a devastating impact on the pets in the family that have spent more time with their owners over the summer and have grown accustomed to having them around. Dogs and cats suffering from post-summer stress can exhibit a wide range of behaviors as families return to the school and work system of operating.

Continue Reading "Avoid the Summertime Blues" »

Many pet owners are well aware that fleas and ticks become a big problem during the summer. These critters are looking for a warm place to live, and your pets fur is the perfect spot. Ticks will crawl or fall onto your pet, attach to the skin and eventually swell up with blood, which is when they can infect your pet and pose a serious threat to your pet’s health.

Continue Reading "Tiny Ticks can Cause Big Problems" »